"Bottlenecking?"
Long Haotian instinctively repeated Qinglian Zhenren's words, his tone full of confusion.
Qinglian Zhenren nodded with emotion, "That's right, bottlenecking. I never expected Xu Yi to have such an opportunity."
Bottlenecking was a mysterious and unique inheritance ritual of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect.
Those who received the bottlenecking were bathed in golden light, which not only cleansed the impurities of their physical bodies, allowing their minds to become clear and their comprehension to improve, but some could even obtain the inheritance of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect and cultivate supreme Buddhist dharma.
The conditions for triggering bottlenecking were extremely harsh and lacked any pattern. Few people throughout history had obtained this opportunity.
One of the reasons Hongjing could become the Buddha Son of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect was that he had also been blessed with bottlenecking.
This was also why Qinglian Zhenren knew about bottlenecking.
"So that's how it is," Long Haotian murmured, clenching his fist.
Xu Yi had once again displayed her excellence in a very dominant way.
Long Haotian felt powerless, a powerlessness stemming from the growing gap between them.
Xu Yi was always the most eye-catching person in any crowd, no matter the time or place.
The only one who could stand beside her without being overshadowed by her brilliance was... Bei Xinghan!
As soon as this thought appeared, it made Long Haotian feel sour and bitter, as if countless ants were gnawing at his heart.
He had lived in Bei Xinghan's shadow since birth. He had cultivated diligently, hoping to one day tear through the shadow with his own hands and break through the shackles.
But today, a lot of fear suddenly arose in his heart.
Could he truly defeat Bei Xinghan and fight side by side with that person?
Long Haotian fell into confusion.
Qinglian Zhenren watched him quietly, a faint expectation appearing in his eyes.
...
"Master, didn't you say Grandmaster would also come? Tomorrow is the day the sect competition begins, why hasn't Grandmaster arrived yet?"
Yun Ling'er burst into the resting room of Elder Qingfeng, her delicate eyebrows slightly raised.
Because Elder Qingfeng had said that Grandmaster would participate in the sect competition incognito, they had arrived at the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect half a month in advance to reunite with Grandmaster as soon as possible.
However, so much time had passed, and Grandmaster had not shown himself until the sect competition was about to begin, making Yun Ling'er suspect that her master was deceiving her again.
Elder Qingfeng was also vexed at the moment.
If Xu Yi hadn't specifically warned him last time, he would have gone to the Xuanqing Sect to find him by now.
Neither of these ancestors made him worry-free.
Yun Ling'er knew her master quite well and could tell from his expression that this matter was likely not fabricated.
Grandmaster's long absence was likely due to some unforeseen event.
Having received her answer, Yun Ling'er no longer pressed the issue, instead asking about another topic that concerned her greatly.
"Master, where did you find that Lu Zaiye? I don't believe I have a junior brother in the early Nascent Soul stage whom I've never met wandering outside."
Hearing Yun Ling'er's words, Elder Qingfeng's eyes darted guiltily, and he pretended to be calm, "Lu Zaiye is the disciple of an old friend of mine. I had promised him that if anything happened to his friend, I would take Lu Zaiye in. It was a joke back then, but I didn't expect it to come true today..."
Elder Qingfeng even sniffled as he spoke, as if he were very sad.
"Wuwu, so that's how it is. Master, don't worry, I will treat Junior Brother Lu well."
Yun Ling'er was touched by Elder Qingfeng's story, her eyes welling up as she left.
No wonder Junior Brother Lu was always cold and distant; his experiences were so tragic. She had to go and comfort him.
As soon as Yun Ling'er left, Elder Qingfeng's sad expression changed abruptly, and he smiled smugly.
Ling'er was still too young.
She had been fooled so many times, yet she still hadn't learned her lesson.
On the other side.
Lu Zaiye, with a dark expression, saw off Yun Ling'er, who wanted to show her concern. He closed his room door, his sword-like eyebrows furrowed.
Even now, he couldn't understand why he had agreed to Elder Qingfeng's absurd plan to hide his identity and participate in the sect competition.
For this, he had to use a secret sect treasure to suppress his cultivation to the Nascent Soul stage. Unless those reclusive Mahayana Old Ancestors appeared, no one could see through his disguise.
Thinking about competing with a group of young juniors, a hint of shame and anger flashed across his face.
What concerned him even more was where Xu Yi was on the eve of the sect competition.
...
"Understood, thank you."
After Xiong Zhuangzhuang left the Xuanji Sect's camp, he remained silent.
Yin Li glanced at him, suppressed the complex emotions in her heart, and said gently, "Senior Disciple Brother, now that you know Fellow Daoist Xu and Fellow Daoist Lu are safe, you should be at ease. Even if we can't meet this time, there will be opportunities in the future."
"Junior Disciple Sister is right," Xiong Zhuangzhuang agreed, nodding, but his expression remained solemn, "I'm just wondering, since Fellow Daoist Xu is fine, why didn't she contact me?"
They were forced to separate after encountering the attack of the Black-Footed Crow that day. Xiong Zhuangzhuang was the luckiest, falling near the Imperial Beast Sect.
A few days later, Yin Li also returned safely.
On the contrary, Xu Yi could not be contacted.
At that time, Xiong Zhuangzhuang deeply regretted not leaving a divine sense imprint on Lu Zaiye.
Later, he tried his best to inquire from the disciples of the Xuanji Sect, but he still couldn't get any news about Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye. They had seemingly vanished into thin air.
This time, taking advantage of the sect competition, he finally got news of the two, but still hadn't seen them, which made him both relieved and disappointed.
To divert Xiong Zhuangzhuang's attention, Yin Li suddenly brought up another topic.
"Senior Disciple Brother Xiong, I only heard that the competition among disciples in the Nascent Soul stage this time will be the most intense in centuries."
"Oh, why do you say that?" Xiong Zhuangzhuang was indeed interested.
Yin Li pursed her lips and smiled.
"This time, the five major sects all have elite disciples who can contend for the championship and are already famous throughout the Kyushu Continent."
"The senior disciple brother of the Xuanji Sect's leading elder, Qingfeng Zhenren, Zhujunzi Ning Xiuzhu; the Heavenly Sect Master's disciple, the genius sword cultivator Bei Xinghan; the young sect master of the Daqi Sect, the Divine Power Fairy Yu Xiaoyu; and the Buddha Son of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, Hongjing."
"Of course, Senior Disciple Brother, you are also not bad. If it weren't for Xiong Da's previous injury, your reputation would have spread long ago. If they underestimate you, it will be a perfect opportunity for us to catch them off guard."
Yin Li clapped her hands excitedly, as if she could already see those so-called heavenly prodigies showing shocked expressions after being beaten by Xiong Zhuangzhuang.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang laughed heartily, his eyebrows full of confidence.
"Junior Disciple Sister, don't worry, I will not disappoint you, or else I would be letting down the Soul Returning Demon Fruit you desperately fought to get for me."
Xiong Zhuangzhuang's confidence stemmed from the recovery of Xiong Da's injuries and the significant increase in his strength after taking the Soul Returning Demon Fruit.
Due to the death of Zhou Cheng in the secret realm, both the Sect Master, Changshou Zhenren, and he himself were under immense pressure.
Even with the testimony of Chiyu Zhenren, there were still many rumors within the sect.
But all the whispers disappeared as Xiong Da recovered and Xiong Zhuangzhuang's strength surged.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang defended his position with his strength, and his prestige within the sect also rose.
Therefore, he was now confident that he could secure a place in the sect competition, which was full of talented individuals.
"Oh, right, Senior Disciple Brother, there is one more person you need to pay attention to."