The Astonishment of the Ancestors

These words were like a thunderbolt, exploding loudly on the stone peak.

The Third Patriarch, who was happily gorging on beef brisket, suddenly paused. With half a piece of meat still in his mouth, he turned his head, not even bothering to wipe the grease dripping from the corner of his lips.

The Fifth Patriarch had just scooped up a spoonful of flood dragon meat. The spoon hung mid-air, and his originally ruddy face instantly stiffened.

Even the most composed First Patriarch put down his wine bowl. His aura fluctuated slightly, and his eyes were full of disbelief—

"Xiao Xuanzi, you've hidden it quite well! When did you touch the threshold of the Saint Realm? How come we didn't notice any signs at all?"

Xuanyangzi felt a bit panicked under their unified gaze. He subconsciously took a half step back and scratched his head.

"Patriarch, aren't you also at the peak of the Quasi-Saint Realm, right on the verge of the Saint Realm? How can you talk about me?" Xuanyangzi muttered.

"Don't mind me, I'm asking you right now," the First Patriarch retorted without blushing or panting.

"Well... recently I drank some spirit tea given by Junior Brother Changge and took a Marrow Cleansing Pill, and suddenly I touched the threshold... I figured I hadn't completely broken through, so I didn't mention it..."

"Marrow Cleansing Pill?" The Fourth Patriarch's eyes instantly lit up. "What kind of pill is this?"

"It's not any incredible pill, at most it can just elevate a person's aptitude."

"What? Elevate aptitude?!"

The Fourth Patriarch's withered fingers tightly gripped his lapels, his peak King Realm spiritual energy turning chaotic from excitement.

The Third Patriarch almost spat out the beef brisket in his mouth. He leaned forward and pressed, "How much can it elevate? Is it above the Heaven-grade, or..."

"If the foundation is good enough, Saint-grade is not impossible."

Gu Changge spun a jade knife between his fingertips, his tone as casual as if he were saying "the weather is nice today." But these words, falling into the ears of the five patriarchs, were even more heart-stopping than the "Drunken Immortal Dew" from earlier.

The First Patriarch stood up abruptly, his peak Quasi-Saint aura bursting forth, causing the spirit veins on the stone peak to tremble.

"Saint-grade? Changge, do you know what this means? In the millions of years of the Xuanhuang Great World, there has never been anyone who could elevate their aptitude to Saint-grade relying on a pill!"

He had seen countless natural treasures, but had never heard of such a heaven-defying pill. If it truly had this effect, why would the Azure Profound Sect worry about not rising to power?

The Fifth Patriarch hugged the empty clay pot, his hair, which had originally shown traces of black, actually trembling slightly from excitement.

"Xiao Xuanzi, tell the truth, how many Marrow Cleansing Pills did you take? What step has your aptitude reached now?"

Xuanyangzi's cheeks burned under the questioning. He scratched his head: "Just... just one. Right now it's mid-tier Saint-grade..."

"Mid-tier Saint-grade?!"

The five patriarchs gasped simultaneously. The Third Patriarch even reached out to feel Xuanyangzi's pulse. The moment his fingertips touched the wrist, his pupils shrank drastically.

The spiritual energy flowing within that pulse faintly carried the rhythm of the Saint Realm. It was clearly an anomaly only found in Saint-grade aptitudes!

"You brat!"

The Third Patriarch was both angry and amused, raising his hand to smack the back of Xuanyangzi's head.

"You hid such a huge matter from us!"

The First Patriarch looked at Gu Changge with burning eyes: "Changge, this Marrow Cleansing Pill... do you have any more? This old man is willing to trade a 'Purple Firmament Thunder Crystal' cherished for a thousand years!"

The Fourth Patriarch was even more direct: "I have a 'Nine Revolutions Soul Returning Flower'! As long as you can give this old man one pill, I am at your disposal!"

At this moment, Xuanyangzi raised a finger, pointing at the jade box that had dropped on the ground earlier due to shock.

"They're all in there. I wanted to bring them over to the patriarchs earlier, but I saw that the patriarchs had a barrier protecting them. I was afraid of disturbing your cultivation, so I didn't bother the patriarchs!"

The eyes of the five patriarchs "swished" toward the jade box on the ground. Their previously eager expressions instantly froze, followed by an even stronger outburst of "accusation."

The Third Patriarch rushed over in two steps, carefully picking up the jade box, his fingertips trembling slightly as they brushed over the surface.

The moment it was opened, the five lustrous white pills lying inside glowed with a warm spiritual light, and the clear medicinal fragrance unique to the Marrow Cleansing Pill hit his face.

He abruptly turned his head to glare at Xuanyangzi, his beard curling up in anger: "You bastard! Why didn't you say you had such a treasure earlier? You actually dropped such a precious item on the ground!"

The Fifth Patriarch leaned over, looking at the Marrow Cleansing Pills in the jade box, his hair trembling with excitement.

"Barrier? That was just added temporarily because this old man was afraid spies from the Burning Heaven Palace would break in! Couldn't you have called out? You just watched the treasure lie on the ground for half the day?"

The Fourth Patriarch stroked the patterns on the pill, suddenly remembering something, and turned to ask Xuanyangzi.

"Did you just say... taking one pill gets you to mid-tier Saint-grade aptitude?"

Seeing Xuanyangzi nod, he couldn't help but click his tongue: "Good heavens! That's mid-tier Saint-grade aptitude!"

The First Patriarch held the jade box, his fingertips gently rubbing the lustrous white body of the Marrow Cleansing Pill. His peak Quasi-Saint aura gradually calmed down, but his eyes gained a bit more consideration.

He looked up at Gu Changge, his tone carrying some solemnity: "Changge, this old man knows this Marrow Cleansing Pill is heaven-defying, but if the quantity is limited, perhaps it should be prioritized for the young geniuses in the sect to consume.

We old fogeys already have one foot in the grave. Even if our aptitude is elevated, the path we can walk is limited. It's better to leave it for the younger generation, making the foundation of the Azure Profound Sect more stable."

As soon as these words came out, the other four patriarchs also nodded in agreement.

The Third Patriarch put down the pill he was about to bring to his mouth and sighed: "Eldest Brother is right. We've lived for so long, we should have long given the opportunities to the young."

The Fifth Patriarch directly put the pill back into the jade box. Although there was reluctance in his eyes, it revealed his consideration for the sect.

Gu Changge looked at the restraint in their eyes and couldn't help but chuckle softly: "The patriarchs are overthinking. Although there aren't many Marrow Cleansing Pills, there are enough for the patriarchs to consume. I still have some stock here."

The Fourth Patriarch's eyes instantly lit up. The excitement he had just suppressed popped up again, and his withered hand once again tightly gripped the pill.

"Changge, is this true?"

Gu Changge was about to nod when Xuanyangzi suddenly slapped his thigh, his eyes full of "hindsight" shock, pointing at Gu Changge and shouting.

"Hey, wait! Junior Brother Changge, I hid the matter of touching the threshold of the Saint Realm so tightly that even the patriarchs didn't notice, how did you see through it at a glance? What exactly is your realm now?"

Hearing this, the eyes of the five patriarchs "swished" toward Gu Changge.

Gu Changge raised his eyes upon hearing this, a casual smile hooking the corner of his mouth: "My cultivation? I'm afraid I'd scare you if I said it—Foundation Establishment Realm."

"Foundation Establishment Realm?" Xuanyangzi rolled his eyes.

"You still dare to say it's Foundation Establishment Realm? The tea you casually brewed for me allowed me to touch the threshold of the Saint Realm. If you're at the Foundation Establishment Realm, wouldn't my breakthrough to the Saint Realm threshold be in vain? Guess if I believe you!"

Gu Changge looked at his serious appearance, a trace of slyness flashing in his eyes, and followed his words: "Then... Core Condensation Realm?"

As soon as these words left his mouth, the five patriarchs shook their heads in unison. The Third Patriarch directly exposed him: "Can a Core Condensation Realm take out Marrow Cleansing Pills and Dao Comprehension Tea? Changge, this joke of yours is quite big!"

The Fifth Patriarch also nodded in agreement, forgetting to put down the empty clay pot in his hand: "This old man has lived for so long, and I've never seen a Core Condensation Realm whose cultivation couldn't be seen through even by a Quasi-Saint."

Gu Changge sighed helplessly and spread his hands. "Alright, alright, the Heaven and Human Realm, is that enough? You should believe me now, right?"

Xuanyangzi crossed his arms, putting on a look that clearly said, "Keep making things up, I am listening."

Seeing that they truly did not believe him, Gu Changge could not be bothered to keep teasing them. He said casually, "Alright, alright, I will stop messing with you. My cultivation is about the same as yours."

"How much difference is 'about the same'?"

The First Patriarch immediately pressed for an answer, his peak Quasi-Saint aura carrying a hint of urgency. He desperately wanted to know exactly what level of cultivation this junior, who could produce such heaven-defying treasures, actually possessed.

Gu Changge twirled the jade knife at his fingertips and lightly spat out a few words, "Just a little bit."

"A little bit?" Xuanyangzi asked in confusion.

"Yeah, a hundred million little bits..."