"Nephew Chen, what's on your mind?" A voice sounded from behind him.
Chen Qing turned around to see Shen Xiuyong from the Affairs Department, who had approached without him noticing.
"Elder Shen," Chen Qing greeted with a slight nod.
Shen Xiuyong walked up to him, standing shoulder to shoulder as they gazed toward the mountain gate. "Tsk, tsk," he said. "This Xiao Bieli from Cold Jade Valley really is something else. That Yan Yaoyang kid's foundation wasn't bad, and he had the backing of Qixia Manor, but he still lost."
His tone shifted as he patted Chen Qing's shoulder. "But don't let this spectacle intimidate you. That kid looks impressive now—he's opened Eleven Main Meridians and is at the peak of the Late-stage Embracing Pill Force, just one step from Astral Force. But that one step… heh heh, it's an insurmountable chasm!"
