Some were exceptionally abnormal, perhaps only just leaving the floor, with the ceiling still a distant expanse.
To gauge how far one was from their peak, one could observe the speed of their breakthroughs.
When, one day, the speed of cultivation breakthroughs began to slow, it meant one was approaching their ceiling. If they couldn't ascend further, they had reached their limit.
At this moment, Zhou Hong emerged from the small door of the Spirit Gathering Array.
"Zhou Hong, why did you take a few extra minutes to come out? Were you at a critical breakthrough moment in those final minutes?" Lu Qianqian hurried forward to ask.
"No," Zhou Hong shook his head. He had merely reminisced with the spirit of the Spirit Gathering Array. The spirit had said it was bored and insisted Zhou Hong stay and chat for a few minutes.
"Alright, you certainly know how to take advantage. Lingering for an extra minute inside can bring significant benefits."
Zhou Hong was speechless.
"How much have you gained? This is equivalent to absorbing spiritual energy for three years outside," Lu Qianqian asked.
"When I entered, I was in the late Heart Movement stage. Now, I have broken through to the mid-Spirit Integration stage," Zhou Hong said calmly. In fact, Zhou Hong had already broken through to the mid-Spirit Integration stage yesterday.
"What, two realms? And crossing domains?" Lu Qianqian was a little shocked.
"Yes, I am now in the mid-Spirit Integration stage," Zhou Hong chuckled. The benefit of cultivating within the Spirit Gathering Array was that even if you didn't actively absorb spiritual energy, it would constantly seep into your pores.
"Zhou Hong, you truly haven't disappointed me. As everyone knows, the higher the realm, the harder it is to break through. Your breakthrough from late Heart Movement to the next stage was a hundred times more difficult than for other students at the Fusion stage, yet you've broken through two realms consecutively. My expectation for you was that breaking through one realm in these three days to reach early Spirit Integration would be extremely strong. It seems you are still very far from your ceiling. Excellent, excellent," Lu Qianqian praised with a face full of admiration.
"What ceiling?" Zhou Hong asked with confusion.
"Everyone has their own cultivation limit. When someone's cultivation becomes very slow, they are approaching their limit."
"Oh, oh," Zhou Hong nodded with a smile.
"How are the other students?" Zhou Hong asked.
"Except for three students who didn't break through, all other students have advanced by one level."
Zhou Hong nodded with some regret. Those three who didn't break through must have been very close to their limits. He imagined they must be incredibly dejected right now. Zhou Hong glanced and could tell who they were; their faces were uglier than if they had been crying.
Zhou Hong hadn't expected that a genius admitted to the Primordial Academy would be nearing their limit at the mid-Fusion stage.
But it made sense; some might show exceptional talent early on, only to become mediocre later.
"Zhou Hong, you truly live up to being the individual first-place winner of the Freshman Competition. Your realm is higher than other students in the class, yet your breakthrough speed is faster. While the other students in the class are at lower realms, they are much closer to their ceilings than you are," Lu Qianqian added.
All the students in the class looked at Zhou Hong with worship and envy. Comparing oneself to others could indeed be maddening.
"Instructor Lu, please don't demoralize some of the students any further," Zhou Hong quickly interjected.
"This isn't demoralization; it's acknowledging reality. Otherwise, the future will be even harder. Everyone must face reality."
The three students who hadn't broken through came forward crying and said, "Instructor Lu, does this mean we truly have no future?"
Lu Qianqian sighed and said, "Don't blame me for being harsh. I'm saying this in front of you so you can be tempered early, as things will be even more brutal later. You haven't broken through after cultivating for three days inside, clearly falling behind other students. It's not that you have no future achievements, but at least you are much closer to your ceiling. Where you can cultivate to in the future, no one can say for sure."
"Instructor Lu, you are knowledgeable and experienced, please give us a prediction so we can have some idea."
Lu Qianqian hesitated and said, "Based on your current performance, in a few hundred or a thousand years, you might ultimately cultivate to early or mid-Spirit Integration. With significant fortuitous encounters, it's also possible to reach late Spirit Integration or early Golden Core."
The three students looked utterly dejected. The ceiling of their lives was no more than Zhou Hong's current level. Comparing oneself to others was truly infuriating.
"Alright, everyone. The cultivation world is cruel. Sadness, dejection, and crying are all useless," Lu Qianqian said, wasting no more words. She then asked Zhou Hong, "Zhou Hong, do you want to immediately enter the third level, or rest for a few days to let your body recover before entering the third level?"
"No need to recover, I'll enter the third level directly," Zhou Hong said, taking out the token for the third level.
"Very well, with this pass, you can enter the third level now."
"Okay."
"Good luck, Zhou Hong, let us see your ceiling!" all the students encouraged him.
Zhou Hong chuckled inwardly. If I let you see my ceiling so easily, wouldn't I be useless?
Thus, Zhou Hong immediately entered the third level of the Spirit Gathering Array.
All the students watched with envy. For Zhou Hong, this was equivalent to another 30 years of cultivation accumulation. No one knew what level he would reach when he emerged again.
The entire class of Class 30 did not leave, seemingly wanting to witness the miracle of Zhou Hong's reappearance. They all waited on the spot.
Lu Qianqian also waited outside the Spirit Gathering Array. Before Lu Qianqian had even graduated, she had once waited outside with her classmates. At that time, their class had a monstrously talented genius who had also won the Freshman Competition and earned the right to enter the third level. Their entire class had then waited outside with great envy.
When that monstrously talented genius emerged from the third level, his cultivation realm had reached early Golden Core. For a freshman to reach Golden Core in just over a month was truly terrifying.
Later, when that monstrously talented genius graduated, his cultivation realm had reached the Nascent Soul stage, which could only be described as extremely terrifying.
Time slowly passed, and soon, three days had gone by in the outside world.
Of course, for Zhou Hong in the third level of the Spirit Gathering Array, three days had also passed. However, his three days had accumulated the spiritual energy that others could only gain in 30 years.