Regarding Shangguan Hong's surprise and alarm, Elder Shangguan at his side did not scold him.

Instead, she asked, "What kind of person is Lei in your memory?"

Shangguan Hong naturally understood that his aunt and master was not asking for his opinion on Lei Jun as a person.

He thought seriously for a moment, then answered, "Not to boast, Disciple, but when we underwent the Transcension Ritual into the Mansion at the same age, although Lei was already quite remarkable, I didn't consider myself much inferior to him. Although he achieved Foundation Establishment earlier, I was confident about contesting with him in the future."

Shangguan Hong's expression turned to astonishment. "But the speed at which his Cultivation improved afterward was too fast! It surely can't be solely attributed to a Hidden Dragon Spirit Body."

Having passed down its legacy for many years, the Celestial Master Mansion had seen an assembly of geniuses; over such a long period, they had encountered all types of talented individuals. Thus, generally, the speed of someone's progress could often be predicted based on precedent, and there were plenty of examples. Someone like Shangguan Hong, who possessed exceptional Comprehension, or Lei Jun with the Hidden Dragon Spirit Body he remembered, would typically take about thirty years from their Transcension Ritual into the Mansion to even hope to challenge the catastrophic abyss between the Third Heavenly Layer and the Fourth Layer of Heaven.

All being Heavenly Master Mansion Disciples, they benefited from the Sect's resources, wise teaching, and various fortuitous opportunities for Cultivation. However, the catastrophic abyss between each Great Realm could stall someone for many years. The time saved from earlier resources and opportunities mostly needed to fill these gaps. So, the total time was roughly the same, about thirty years or so. Barring significant accidents, they were generally assured of breaking through to the Fourth Layer of Heaven Original Talisman Realm and extending their lifespan before the age of fifty.

For people like Shangguan Hong, Li Ying, and Guo Yan, the real challenge began from the Middle Three Heavens. To progress from the Fourth Layer of Heaven to the Fifth Heaven Layer, including preparations for Tribulation Crossing, they needed, on average, about thirty years. Li Yucheng, a Disciple from the Li Family who encountered a great catastrophe in Jiuxi Valley on his way back from Red Abyss Cave Heaven two years ago, was such a case. He had passed the Talisman-bestowed ritual and successfully cultivated to the Fourth Layer of Heaven Original Talisman Realm long before the previous Celestial Master Li Qingfeng went into long-term seclusion. Yet, in the decade or so since then, Li Yucheng had remained in the Original Talisman Realm.

This was actually not surprising, nor was the Celestial Master Mansion unique in this regard. If placed in a lesser power, a Cultivator who entered the Middle Three Heavens realm could already pay respects to their ancestors and fulfill their vows. A more common situation was that of individuals like Huang Sanqian, whom Lei Jun had encountered during his journey to Bashu. Even Huang Sanqian, by managing to cultivate to the Third Heavenly Layer, had already become a renowned figure among Loose Cultivators far and wide.

But such comparisons could unsettle one's mindset. Li Yucheng had experienced this firsthand, his state of mind affected by the meteoric rise in Cultivation of both Tang Xiaotang and Lei Jun. Until he adjusted his mindset, Li Yucheng likely dared not dwell too much on his own future. This was because, generally speaking, for someone with his caliber of Spiritual Body, Root Bone, and top-grade Comprehension, ascending from the Fifth Heaven Layer to the Sixth Heavenly Layer often required more than forty years of Cultivation. In other words, by the time he attempted to break through to the Sixth Heavenly Layer Realm, he would certainly be over a hundred years old. By then, he would have entered the prime plateau of his life. Although the hope for further advancement was not entirely extinguished, the chances of breaking through to the Seventh Layer of Heaven Realm and reaching Upper Three Heavens Cultivation were extremely slim. It was highly probable that he would reach his limit at the Sixth Heavenly Layer Realm in this lifetime. This was still assuming Li Yucheng's Cultivation progressed smoothly. If not, it was uncertain whether he could even reach the Sixth Layer of Heaven Dao Seal Realm of the Taoist Talisman Sect. Reaching the Seventh Heavenly Layer would require an extraordinary stroke of luck. The situation was similar for Shangguan Hong.

In fact, reaching the Sixth Heavenly Layer was enough to become a core member of the Mansion. Aside from a few High Merit Elders, the other prominent Elders in the Mansion were all at the Sixth Heavenly Layer of Cultivation. Moreover, with the recent Surge of Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi, this younger generation had encountered a more favorable era than their predecessors, potentially leading to greater overall development in the future. This had given people like Shangguan Hong more hope and anticipation.

The problem was, looking back at Lei Jun, the pace of his advancement was alarmingly fast.

"As for Lei," Lin Shan, Shangguan Ning's chief disciple, said from the side, "Qi Refinement took him two years, and progressing from the Second Heavenly Layer to the Third Heavenly Layer took roughly four years. While excellent, that was still within reason. But for him to advance from the Third Heavenly Layer to his current Fifth Heaven Layer in only about six years—that speed was excessively fast."

That was even faster than Li Zhengxuan, who possessed a Sacred Body and Clear Insight Enlightenment, had taken to go from the Third Heavenly Layer to the Fifth Heaven Layer back then!

"In recent years, only Sister Xiaotang has been faster than Lei at a comparable stage." Lin Shan clicked his tongue in wonder. "Had Lei hidden his talents before, or did he encounter some grand opportunity that caused his Cultivation aptitude... to improve Acquiredly?"

Shangguan Hong chuckled awkwardly. "Our senior brother has also had his share of opportunities and rapid Cultivation advancement. To be faster than him, Lei's aptitude must be at least on par with his, right?"

This was even considering the recent Surge of Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi, which allowed current young Disciples to cultivate faster than predecessors like Li Zhengxuan had in the Lower Three Heavens and Middle Three Heavens during their time. Otherwise, it would be even more unthinkable.

"The characteristics of one's Root Bone are relatively obvious, but likely only Master Liu can discern them. As for Comprehension, it's hard to say," Lin Shan said. "However, considering Lei has created various Basic Spirit Talismans of exceptional quality, his Comprehension is certainly more than just top-grade."

Elder Shangguan listened quietly as the two Disciples discussed.

Finally, she asked Shangguan Hong again, "What is your view of this Lei?"

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