"Li Yun..."

"My little ancestor..."

"You've stirred up trouble again?"

Gu Xiaoxian rushed into the second floor of the Outer Gate Martial Repository in a hurry. His voice arrived before he did.

The phrase "little ancestor" once again made Li Yun, who was deep in thought, feel his scalp tingle.

"Elder Gu..."

"Please stop calling me that, you're scaring me to death."

"Besides, I didn't stir up trouble..."

"You still say you didn't stir up trouble? If you didn't, why did you suddenly ask Elder Ling about the Realm above First Rank Inner Force?"

"Don't tell me it was just a whim?"

"Knowing you, you must have cultivated First Rank Inner Force, right?"

Li Yun was momentarily stunned.

He nodded and said, "Uh... actually, the day I entered the Martial Repository, I already cultivated First Rank Inner Force. These past few days, I've refined the cultivation method a bit, and the quality of my Inner Force has improved again!"

"I feel that the quality of this Inner Force can continue to improve, but I lack some proof..."

Gu Xiaoxian: "..."

Elder Ling: "..."

The two exchanged glances, as if struck by lightning.

Just as they knew!

They knew this kid wasn't shooting aimlessly.

Daring to ask that question meant he must have touched upon First Rank Inner Force. Otherwise, if someone else asked such a question, it would just be pure idle curiosity.

But neither of them truly expected that Li Yun had already reached First Rank Inner Force the day he entered the Outer Gate Martial Repository.

Even more unexpected was that he had already reached First Rank Inner Force, and it could still improve?!

What is this?

It's truly maddening when you compare yourself to others!

Gu Xiaoxian chuckled twice, subtly gritting his teeth.

"You kid, you really don't stop until you say something shocking."

"However, talking about such things without practicing is just empty show... I don't have the Sect Leader's All-Seeing Martial Eye to see through everything at a glance. Show me your First Rank Inner Force!"

"Alright..."

Li Yun didn't stand on ceremony, saying, "Apologies."

Then he directly threw a punch towards Gu Xiaoxian.

This punch only used fifty percent of his strength and didn't employ any Battle Tactics. It was purely to let Gu Xiaoxian experience his First Rank Inner Force.

But this very punch, striking Gu Xiaoxian's palm, actually caused Gu Xiaoxian, who wasn't mentally prepared, to be sent staggering back two large steps.

Gu Xiaoxian was completely dumbfounded.

He immediately gasped.

"Good heavens!"

"This is the rumored First Rank Inner Force? Its power is actually this strong?"

"If this were ordinary True Qi, below the middle three ranks and cultivation below True Qi Fourth Layer or higher, it would probably be scattered by your Inner Force..."

"This is truly unbelievable!"

"If you include Battle Tacticss, with your current strength among the hundred thousand Outer Sect Disciples, you could probably rank within the top hundred!"

"No... that's not right. I felt it. In that punch just now, you seemed to hold back some strength. That wasn't your full power. Tell me honestly... how much Inner Force did you use?"

Seeing Gu Xiaoxian so agitated, Li Yun felt a bit sheepish.

So he held up a hand.

"Fifty percent!"

"Hiss!"

"Fifty percent? Only fifty percent?"

Gu Xiaoxian was completely stunned, utterly shocked: "If it was only fifty percent, then when you unleash your full power, you could probably rank within the top thirty..."

"Do you know what this means?"

"It means that among the hundred thousand Outer Sect Disciples, only that tiny group at the very top can be your opponents, but they've already been cultivating for two years longer than you!"

"And their Aptitude is also top-notch..."

Gu Xiaoxian kept shaking his head.

"In my opinion, you kid should quickly reverse Acquired to Innate and advance to the Inner Sect... I feel that if I let you stay in the Outer Sect any longer, you'll sooner or later shatter the confidence of all the Outer Sect Disciples."

"Hey... Elder Gu, it's not that exaggerated, is it?"

"What do you mean it's not that exaggerated? It IS that exaggerated!"

"Do you know how important confidence is? You've only cultivated for such a short time, yet you're fiercer than those who have cultivated for two years longer. What do you think others will feel?"

"Once confidence is shaken, it's fatal!"

"No matter how good the talent or high the Aptitude, without confidence, it's very difficult to achieve anything significant in the Martial Dao."

This time, Gu Xiaoxian wasn't joking.

He valued Li Yun, but he was still the Outer Sect Grand Elder after all. It was impossible for him not to consider the other Outer Sect Disciples at all.

He truly realized it now.

In a group, the appearance of some outstanding individuals can indeed, to a certain extent, inspire others to strive to catch up. However, if only one person stands out and runs so fast that others don't even get a chance to be splashed with dust, then that is a disaster for the entire group.

No one will have the thought of catching up anymore.

They will only give up. Since they can't catch up anyway, why bother working hard? Might as well lie down!

Facing this kind of problem, the best solution is to kick out the guy who doesn't even let others catch any dust, separating him from the entire group.

Of course, this doesn't mean Li Yun should be expelled.

He'd have to be out of his mind to expel Li Yun.

If he wanted to expel Li Yun, he'd have to get past Chen Jiuxu first!

Instead, he should get Li Yun into a higher-level group, let him compete in that higher-level group. Who knows, that way, not only could he set a legendary example for the lower-level group, but he could also stimulate the higher-level group.

Killing several birds with one stone!

The more Gu Xiaoxian thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. He made up his mind to find an opportunity to proactively discuss this matter with the Sect Leader.

Then, he took out a yellowed book.

"Let's not talk about other things for now. Regarding what you said about the Realm above First Rank Inner Force, I can only say that as of now, it hasn't appeared, or perhaps it has, and we don't know about it."

"But speculations about the Realm above First Rank Inner Force have existed since ancient times."

"This book, or rather, cultivation method... I found it in a mountain cave in the southern part of Eastern Cloud Continent. It mentions Origin Inner Force, but I couldn't understand it!"

"I brought it back for the Sect Leader to examine, but the Sect Leader also couldn't understand it."

"He said that this book should contain a highly advanced Inner Force condensation method, potentially related to Inner Force above the First Rank, but the cultivation method is encrypted."

"The Sect Leader studied it for a while but was also unable to restore the condensation method within."

"If you are truly interested, you can try it, but don't mess around. Don't easily attempt it without absolute certainty. Just like before, that bunch of grandsons from the Heavens Mandate Sect, in order to trick people, deliberately threw out a martial art called 【Reversing Fate Art】, saying it could improve Aptitude, attracting countless people to cultivation it."

"As a result, their Aptitude didn't improve, and they became neither human nor ghost..."

"Therefore, you must always remember that while the Martial Dao can involve risks, it must never be radical. You must seek progress steadily. Only those who can live to laugh last are true heroes!"

"If I find you being reckless, not only will I take this book back, but I will also personally send you to the Disciplinary Hall dungeon to cool down..."

"I would rather delay you by ten, or even twenty years, than stand by and watch you destroy yourself because of recklessness!"