11: He's going to succeed?!

Watching Gu Changyue's satisfied retreating figure, the disappointment and dejection on Gu Changsheng's face slowly receded, finally turning into an unremarkable calm.

He casually closed the courtyard gate, completely isolating himself from all external scrutiny and discussion.

Sharing joy?

How ridiculous. She merely wanted to confirm whether he was truly more incompetent than her Medium Grade Spiritual Root, just to satisfy her pathetic vanity.

Gu Changsheng returned to the room, sat down cross-legged, his heart completely undisturbed.

He considered wasting even a single moment of mental effort on such childish games a waste.

The Immortal Dao is lonely and long, and any emotion that cannot be converted into personal strength is a burden that must be discarded.

He closed his eyes, and the True Qi surging restlessly within his Dantian was once again firmly suppressed by his powerful willpower.

It's still not enough.

He needed a perfect target, an existence radiating brilliance, enough to attract everyone's attention... In the following days, Gu Changsheng lived an increasingly "difficult" life.

During the day, the time he spent meditating in the courtyard grew longer. He often stared blankly at a green tree, looking like he couldn't comprehend his Cultivation Technique and was on the verge of becoming obsessed.

And the daily refreshed intelligence reports were mostly trivial matters.

[Intelligence Report 1: Senior Brother Wang at the Outer Sect Disciple cafeteria is in a bad mood today, and his hand shakes when serving food. Avoidance suggestion: Switch to a different counter.]

[Intelligence Report 2: Female Disciples are bathing below the East Mountain Waterfall. Risk Assessment: High (If discovered, you will be beaten up as a pervert).]

[Intelligence Report 3: The latrine in the Menial Service Courtyard was clogged yesterday.]

Gu Changsheng ignored all these reports, simply playing his role methodically and waiting patiently.

His patience finally paid off on the twenty-fifth day after entering the Outer Sect.

Early that morning, familiar pale golden characters appeared in his mind. One entry made his concentration sharpen abruptly.

[Person: Zhou Tong. Status: Imminent Breakthrough. Details: Has condensed eighty strands of Spiritual Qi, Dantian is full, Qi and blood are vigorous. Within two days, he will definitely open the Foot Jueyin and step into the first layer of the Fetal Breathing Realm.]

It's here!

Gu Changsheng's heart stirred.

Zhou Tong—he remembered that name. Born into a Cultivation Family, he was humble and commanded considerable prestige among all the newly promoted Disciples.

According to the intelligence, this person was quite calculating, adept at social maneuvering, and a born leader.

There was no one more suitable to serve as the target for this "first place."

Sure enough, two days later in the afternoon, an aura far more powerful than normal Spiritual Qi fluctuations suddenly spread out from a Courtyard Jia-series residence deep within East Mountain!

Although the aura was nascent, it carried a trace of transcendental charm, announcing the formal birth of a new Cultivator!

"Someone broke through!"

"It's the aura of the Fetal Breathing Realm! Heavens, it's been less than a month!"

"Which courtyard is it? It seems to be Courtyard Jia-3, that's Senior Brother Zhou Tong's residence!"

The entire East Mountain Outer Sect was shaken. Countless new and old Disciples rushed out of their Immortal Caves, gazing toward the direction the aura came from, their faces filled with shock and envy.

Soon, the figure of the Transmission Disciple Chen Yuan transformed into a streak of green light and personally descended upon Courtyard Jia-3. Moments later, he departed with a satisfied smile.

The news spread completely.

The newly promoted Disciple Zhou Tong successfully condensed True Qi and stepped into the first layer of the Fetal Breathing Realm, taking twenty-seven days! He became the first among these one hundred and thirty-seven people!

For a time, Zhou Tong's name spread throughout the entire Outer Sect.

He enjoyed the admiration and reverence of the crowd, and a group of followers quickly gathered around him, making him the undisputed leader of all the new Disciples.

Facing all this, Zhou Tong behaved extremely appropriately. He always wore a gentle smile, was impeccably polite to every fellow Disciple who came to congratulate him, and showed no arrogance typical of a Heaven's Chosen, which only increased people's goodwill towards him.

Gu Changsheng observed all of this with cold detachment from inside his Courtyard Jia-1.

The time was ripe.

Another day passed, and it was morning.

The morning light was faint on the horizon. Several Disciples who got up early to Cultivate at the Training Ground habitually passed Courtyard Jia-1.

Subconsciously, they glanced into the courtyard, wanting to see if the "strong start, weak finish" Gu Changsheng was staring blankly at a tree again today.

However, the scene inside the courtyard today made them stop in their tracks.

They saw Gu Changsheng sitting on a Meditation Cushion, hair disheveled and clothes messy, his eyes bloodshot. His whole being exuded the haggardness of someone who had pulled several all-nighters.

He occasionally shook his head, sometimes slapped his thigh, and muttered to himself, looking frantic, as if trapped by his Cultivation Technique and about to suffer Qi Deviation.

"This guy... he hasn't actually gone crazy from training, has he?" one Disciple whispered.

"I doubt it. A Medium Grade Spiritual Root stuck at Sensing the Source of the Dao for so long—his mentality must have collapsed long ago," another person chimed in gleefully.

Just as they were about to shake their heads and leave, Gu Changsheng's body in the courtyard suddenly shook.

His frantic expression instantly froze, and he stiffened in place, as if under a Body-Fixing Spell.

Immediately afterward, a look of ecstatic joy and disbelief blossomed on his face.

"So that's it... So that's it! I understand! I finally understand!"

He let out a long, suppressed cry toward the sky, then immediately sat cross-legged, Formed Hand Seals, and adopted a solemn posture.

The next moment, a sudden change occurred!

The surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi seemed to be fatally attracted, turning into visible wisps of breeze that frantically converged toward Gu Changsheng's body!

The eyes of those passing Disciples instantly widened!

"This... this is..."

"He's going to succeed?!"

Under their horrified gaze, Gu Changsheng's aura steadily climbed.

The shackles belonging to a Mortal were swept away and broken by a brand new power emerging from within him!

A unique aura belonging to a Fetal Breathing Realm Cultivator erupted!

"Gu Changsheng... has also broken through!"

This news seemed to grow wings, spreading faster and causing more shock than Zhou Tong's previous Breakthrough.

If Zhou Tong's Breakthrough was an expected surprise, then Gu Changsheng's Breakthrough was a complete and utter shock!

A "Pseudo-Genius" whom everyone thought had fallen behind, or even suffered a mental breakdown, actually followed suit and broke through the day after the first person appeared?

How could this be!

Countless Disciples rushed over upon hearing the news, surrounding Courtyard Jia-1 densely.

In the crowd, Gu Changyue's pretty face was deathly pale, and she bit her lip tightly.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

That Cousin who had recently appeared so disappointed and dejected in front of her had actually broken through in the blink of an eye?

So, his previous demeanor... was faked?

Was he making a fool of her?

A massive sense of humiliation mixed with boundless jealousy instantly engulfed her.

Just as everyone was discussing animatedly, a blue figure descended from the sky—it was the Transmission Disciple Chen Yuan.

He landed in the courtyard, his gaze immediately fixed on Gu Changsheng, and his Divine Sense swept over him without hesitation.

Moments later, a hint of unconcealed surprise and approval appeared on Chen Yuan's serious face.

"Your Foundation is stable, and your True Qi is solid. Your inner reserves are even slightly more robust than Zhou Tong's."

He walked up to Gu Changsheng and spoke with satisfaction.

"Well done. Neither arrogant nor impatient, you worked steadily. You didn't lose heart because of temporary setbacks; instead, you accumulated strength and achieved an Epiphany in one morning. Gu Changsheng, you are excellent. This is the True Path of the Immortal Dao."

These words brought all the surrounding doubts to an abrupt halt.

So it wasn't luck!

He wasn't stuck at a Bottleneck; he was refining his Foundation!

Instantly, those Disciples who had previously mocked Gu Changsheng felt a burning pain on their faces.

Gu Changsheng slowly Finished his work, stood up, and respectfully bowed to Chen Yuan, his face showing a mix of post-Breakthrough joy and a touch of appropriate humility.

"This Disciple dares not accept Senior Brother's undue praise."

He lowered his head slightly, his voice sincere.

"This Disciple was merely lucky. I pondered the Cultivation Technique diligently last night, gained a sudden insight, and fortunately achieved a Breakthrough. I absolutely dare not compare myself to Senior Brother Zhou."