Like a Ray in My Night (Part 4)

25 An Odd Elder

The disciple might have been suspicious of this person in a white robe but he still hadn't expected him to simply walk up to them and attack. Thus, he was hit squarely in the chest and tumbled to the ground.

The other guard stared in a daze before turning back to Mei Chao Bing. "What do you think you're doing?!" He raised his hands, throwing an attack back. Clearly, this wasn't one of their people at all but an actual disciple of the so-called righteous faction!

Mei Chao Bing didn't bother defending and only evaded the attack. Every move would consume spiritual energy and he needed to conserve his strength for later. After all, he might have to fight against his Master or whoever else got in his way. He couldn't bother with the people at the door.

The disciple only got angrier and attacked more fiercely. The second one also got back to his feet but before he could throw the first attack, the gate behind them opened, interrupting the fight.

Mei Chao Bing glanced up, wondering if this was a simple coincidence. He didn't know the person standing there and from what he could sense, the person wasn't strong either. He seemed to be a normal disciple.

The two disciples guarding the door glanced back and then immediately stopped what they were doing though, actually stepping to the side, and faintly bowing. "Elder Lei."

The person hummed faintly but his gaze stayed on Mei Chao Bing. It felt as if he had expected him.

Mei Chao Bing narrowed his eyes. Of course, his Master wasn't doing everything in the demonic faction himself. Especially among the people of the Wu Yun Sect, there should be some more familiar with his plan who helped with this or that. Now, it seemed that one of these people had been sent over. Whether it was to deal with him or something else though ...

Lei Chen quietly looked at him and finally stepped to the side, motioning inside.

Mei Chao Bing raised a brow in return but didn't speak. He didn't hesitate either and simply walked up, passing through the gate. He stopped next to the person for a moment, giving him a longer look.

This Elder Lei didn't look much older than him. Of course, this didn't have to mean much in the world of cultivation but it seemed a little odd when combined with the low level he perceived.

Cultivation was a long journey for most people. There were few exceptionally talented people who managed to reach a high level while young. He himself was one of the lucky ones: Before he even hit thirty years of age, he was already in the nascent soul stage. This kind of result was almost unprecedented in the world of cultivation.

Just look at the others who had the same level as him: Zhi Guan and Shen Lei couldn't be called talentless. On the contrary, their achievements were high and they had certainly progressed fast in comparison to many others. But their level wasn't much higher than his own and they were more than one generation above him. He had no idea how old exactly they were but it should be at least a hundred years for each of them.

This kind of speed could be considered normal for what should be considered the elites of a sect. You could go from a regular person to a cultivator who knew how to take in spiritual energy over the course of days. But after that, the period of time needed to advance would get longer and longer.

Reaching the top of the qi refining stage in about five years was a good result. For the top of the foundation establishment stage, even the fastest of disciples hardly managed it in under twenty years and many never made it out of that realm of cultivation.

The golden core stage was the dividing line in the cultivation world. In the four great righteous sects, as well as in the major cultivation families, there were many disciples who reached this stage but outside, the number was limited. At most, there might be one in a thousand people who managed to reach this stage. And the time to further advance in this stage was also a lot longer compared to the two realms before. Even in a place like the Teng Yong Sect, spending several decades to reach the upper ceiling of the golden core stage wasn't odd. In fact, few managed to do so in less than fifty years.

So really, the top of the elite could make it to the nascent soul stage in seventy or eighty years but this was rare. A hundred to a hundred fifty years was more like it. This should be about the speed of Zhi Guan and Shen Lei which showed why they were valued so much by the sect. At their stage now, they had the right to become an Elder of the sect. And frankly, he couldn't imagine that it was any different in the Wu Yun Sect.

Thinking about it like this ... how was the person in front of him an Elder but barely had the cultivation of a disciple in the foundation establishment stage? It simply didn't make any sense. Even if he was a regular disciple, it would be odd to only have this kind of level if he was from the Wu Yun Sect. No matter how he thought about his Master, he did have to admit that the Wu Yun Sect was the leading sect of the demonic faction. Even if not every disciple was top-notch, there sure weren't any that would only reach this level after more than twenty years.

Mei Chao Bing didn't continue to look at him and simply followed him further into the building when the person walked ahead but his mind still moved. Maybe ... he had actually dropped in cultivation. Some injuries could cause this so it wasn't impossible. Right now, he couldn't say anything for sure though. He'd have to observe a while longer to understand the situation better.