Hector was a genius.
In the City of Phoenix, although he was from the Ingram family, Hector was from a branch family. With very few resources, he became a super expert at the age of 18. After that, in prison and on the run, he quickly broke through to the level of Flame Decay.
From this point of view, his breakthrough was much harder than Gerald's.
Although Gerald joined the cultivation later, he had always had someone to guide him. It took him six years to reach the super level.
After that, Gerald got the Dragon Bone, and the competition on Earth was not fierce. He had obtained quite a few Dragon Bones, which assisted in his cultivation.
However, Hector was cultivating on his own and did not absorb Bone of Eternity.
His way of cultivation was a bit more difficult than Gerald's. Gerald absorbed the Immortal Bone. However, Hector had already stepped into the level of Flame Decay in his early thirties.