me its way.Filled with a slight sense of irritation from feeling endless Yin煞 energy formed into sharp arrows coming from all directions around him, Xiao Yu suddenly shouted loudly as he kept his eyes...Chapter 707: Gathering Together

"Many thanks to the two seniors!" Dai Yuxin bowed after hearing what they said.

The Wang brothers led Xiao Yu in the direction from which they had come. After walking for about twenty minutes, they went around a large rock and brought Xiao Yu to an uncommonly remote location. Suddenly, Xiao Yu heard voices coming from ahead.

Xiao Yu looked around carefully. The place they were now at was probably the most perilous side of Mount Everest; even climbing enthusiasts wouldn't venture here. It could be said that this was a place rarely trodden by humans.

After they turned a corner, several figures appeared before them. These people were all elderly and looked to be around seventy or eighty years old at the youngest. They shared one common characteristic: despite being dressed lightly even in such harsh weather conditions, their faces were rosy and healthy-looking. Not only did they not suffer from the adverse effects of the environment, but they also appeared energetic.

Xiao Yu could sense a thick aura emanating from these elderly individuals. Judging by the aura fluctuations, every one of them was at the late-stage Qi Refinement realm.

Seeing these elderly figures, Xiao Yu realized that these were indeed those who had come to attend the gathering, all in the late-stage Qi Refinement realm. However, their advanced ages made it increasingly difficult for them to break through further; furthermore, with the scarcity of heavenly energy nowadays, they likely had little hope left for advancement. As for the elderly man mentioned as being at the peak stage of the Qi Refinement realm, he must have encountered some special circumstances, otherwise it would be hard to believe that anyone could reach such a level.

At this moment, those elders also noticed Xiao Yu approaching them. They had all heard about Xiao Yu from the Wang brothers and were present when Xiao Yu called earlier; they had been waiting for him here as well or else they would have gone up already.

Their reaction was disbelief at seeing such a young man like Xiao Yu, who possessed formidable strength that rivaled their own. Anyone would feel this way upon meeting Xiao Yu—how could one remain calm in the face of his extraordinary abilities

"Fellow Daoists, this is Fellow Daoist Xiao Yu, an existence at the peak stage of the Qi Refinement realm; and this is his disciple!"

After leading Xiao Yu to stand before them, Wang Xiong introduced him.

"Xiao Daoist Friend, this is Miao Rujin Daoist Friend from the Miao family in Northeast China's Changbai Mountains!" Wang Xiong introduced Xiao Yu and then pointed to an elderly man with a full beard.

Hearing the introduction, Xiao Yu looked at the old man. At first glance, something about him seemed off; he didn't look like a Han person but rather someone from one of China's ethnic minorities.

"Miao Daoist Friend, nice to meet you!"

"Xiao Daoist Friend, nice to meet you as well!"

"Xiao Daoist Friend, this is Liu Yong Daoist Friend from the Liu family in Northwest China!" After Wang Xiong saw that Xiao Yu and the old man had exchanged greetings, he introduced another bald-headed elderly man.

After introducing Xiao Yu to each person, Wang Xiong proceeded to introduce all the other elders. Xiao Yu greeted them one by one; these elders came from various parts of China, with none of them being from the same province as Wang Xiong and Wang Tao.

These elders came from across the country, which was necessary for them to gather at this level.

"Let's go then, it's time we set off!" After Xiao Yu greeted everyone, Wang Xiong said to them.

They had arrived here in the middle of the day, but since Xiao Yu hadn't shown up yet, they waited for him. Moreover, these people were all eager to meet Xiao Yu; after hearing what Wang Xiong said about a 20-something-year-old being more powerful than them, it would be strange if they weren’t curious. So when Wang Xiong told them to go ahead while his brothers waited, no one left and wanted to see Xiao Yu in person.

Now that they had met Xiao Yu, he was indeed as the Wang brothers said—none of them could sense any fluctuations in his energy essence, not even from his disciple. This made everyone feel rather puzzled.

Their understanding of Xiao Yu came from what the Wang brothers told them; Xiao Yu’s strength should be at the peak of the Nurturing Essence stage, which was evident from the talisman he drew. So it wasn’t surprising that they couldn't see through him, but for such a group of top-notch individuals to not even be able to see through a young girl left them somewhat bewildered.

"Could it be that they have secret methods to hide their strength" At the moment when none of them could figure out the reason, this thought suddenly appeared in their minds. The more they thought about it, the more accurate they believed it was; only such a method could explain why Xiao Yu was so young yet possessed such formidable abilities.

It should be noted that they were descendants of small families and independent cultivators who had passed down secret methods, which were already rare. After hundreds of years of inheritance, these secret methods had been lost, but they still knew about their existence.

Although they themselves didn’t possess such secret methods, they knew that the prestigious sects that sealed off their mountains definitely did have them. Hence, in their hearts, they considered Xiao Yu to be a disciple of one of these great sects; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to attain such cultivation at his age.

It wasn’t that they lacked talent—it was just that the current environment made it impossible for someone like Xiao Yu to exist. Without sufficient yin and yang primordial energy, what good were even the best talents

Therefore, they regarded Xiao Yu as a disciple of one of these great sects, yet they couldn’t understand why such disciples would appear now when the great sects hadn’t been seen for over a hundred years.

It should be noted that even after the Catastrophe of Heaven and Earth, they continued to exist as independent cultivators. Although yin and yang primordial energy became scarce after this catastrophe, these great sects still had their foundation, which was incomparable to that of independent cultivators.

Based on some records within their families, even the most powerful experts in these major sects hadn’t reached the peak of refining qi before they sealed off their mountains. Moreover, there were no cases after the Catastrophe of Heaven and Earth where a young person like Xiao Yu could attain such cultivation. Unless one dedicated all the resources of an entire sect to cultivating a single individual, which was impractical in today’s environment lacking yin and yang primordial energy. It would be better for them to cultivate several individuals at a slightly lower level.

After the Catastrophe of Heaven and Earth, there had never been any cultivators above the Refining Qi stage in this secular world because without external support from heaven and earth’s qi, no matter how good the environment was, it would be impossible to break through to a higher realm. After all, breaking through the Refining Qi stage required an enormous amount of yin and yang primordial energy; even major sects didn’t have sufficient conditions to support such breakthroughs. Therefore, given the choice between one expert at the peak of refining qi and twenty experts in the later stages of refining qi, these major sects would choose the latter.

In modern times, cultivators in the later stages of refining qi were considered high-end combat strength; hence, knowing it was impossible to break through the Refining Qi stage, they preferred having more such individuals.

This was also why these elders suspected Xiao Yu but couldn’t be certain. Besides, a hundred years ago, these major sects had suffered severe losses and almost all their high-end combat strength was wiped out; that’s why each of them sealed off their mountains and became the top families in China.

These elders followed the Wang brothers, still puzzled by Xiao Yu's identity. Nevertheless, having such a powerful individual like Xiao Yu around was undoubtedly fortunate.

Seeing them walk into the mountain pass, Xiao Yu and his companions followed suit.

When they arrived at the foot of the mountain, they noticed that this particular slope was quite steep compared to other directions. They couldn't help but glance at Dai Yuxin beside him.

If he were to climb up this cliff, it wouldn't be a problem for him, but it would be challenging for Dai Yuxin. Even though her innate talent is good and her constitution is special, she has only been practicing cultivation for a short time and is still at the Initial stage of Qi Condensation. The steep slope might pose some difficulties for her.

One by one, these elderly individuals slowly climbed up the steep cliff face with their bare hands; although it was quite steep here, there wasn't much difficulty for them since they were already in the later stages of the Qi Condensation period. They didn’t even use any climbing tools.

If a group of mountaineering professionals saw this scene now, they would probably be so shocked that their jaws dropped. Although these climbers had years of experience under their belts and used safety ropes when scaling steep cliffs to avoid accidents due to the snow-covered mountains above them without equipment, it seemed effortless for these elderly individuals in their seventies or eighties.

They naturally noticed Xiao Yu hadn't moved but didn’t say anything. They thought he had come alone, so they were surprised that he brought a disciple this time. This was good; when the Wang family brothers initially told them about Xiao Yu's cultivation level, no one believed it. But after Wang Xiong explained everything in detail later on, even though they came to believe him, there remained some lingering doubt in their hearts. Climbing this mountain could be considered a test for him.

After all, such peaks are quite challenging even for those in the middle stage of Qi Condensation; only those who have reached the later stages can find it easy. So when they couldn't see through Xiao Yu’s cultivation level, using this climb as an assessment was reasonable.

This way, neither side would lose face and could determine Xiao Yu's actual cultivation level. Therefore, after starting to ascend the mountain, none of them spoke a word.

The Wang family brothers didn't speak either; they knew about Xiao Yu’s cultivation level from listening to his explanation after seeing him draw an incantation scroll earlier. Now was their chance to observe closely.

However, they hadn’t expected Xiao Yu to bring a disciple this time and hesitated for a moment whether to take another route. But considering that Xiao Yu was at the peak stage of Qi Condensation, just one step away from breaking through into the realm of Heaven, such steep cliffs shouldn't be an issue.

Just like that elder living on Mount Everest who was also in the peak stage of Qi Condensation – even though these elders hadn’t witnessed Xiao Yu's cultivation prowess personally but had seen what the elderly man on Mount Everest could do, despite their similar level, his strength was at least double theirs. (To be continued) Sister, you don’t need to trouble yourself. No need to stir-fry anything, just eat this large pot dish!"Xiao Yu hurriedly stopped her when he saw Zhou Ruying taking out vegetables for stir-frying and...