After returning to the sect, Lin Bai and the others hurriedly bade farewell to Gu Xi. He had to immediately report this matter to the various elders and the Sect Master. One could imagine how shocked they would be when they received such news.
Seeing that Lin Bai and the others had returned so quickly, the elders revealed surprised expressions. Then, they praised, "Your speed is even faster than I thought. Have you completed your mission?"
The disciples looked at each other and did not dare to say anything for a moment.
Lin Bai said impatiently, "We originally wanted to complete it, but we were attacked by the Black-armored Evil Ape. During this process, it even broke through to the Golden Store stage."
Hearing this, the elders turned pale with fright. Only then did they notice that there the disciples had all sorts of injuries.
"Then how did you escape!?"
No matter what, it was difficult for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to defeat a Golden Core stage demonic beast. Even if they had numbers on their side, they were still not a match for a Black-armored Evil Ape.
After the elders examined them, they found that although they were injured, they were not fatal wounds. They were even more surprised.
"It was a disciple from the sect who instantly killed the Black-armored Evil Ape and saved us."
Hearing this, the elders were even more surprised. "Instantly, you say? That disciple could instantly kill a Black-armored Evil Ape? Which disciple is it??"
One had to know that even an ordinary elder could not do this.
Who knew that when this question was asked, the atmosphere became extremely quiet. Seeing the strange look on the disciples' faces, the elder asked in puzzlement, "What happened to you?"
"This disciple hasn't entered the sect yet, he's just an ordinary disciple!"
All the elders were shocked, and even the Sect Leader Shen Tianyi was alarmed.
One had to know that instantly killing a Golden Core Black-armored Evil Ape was enough to prove that a disciple's strength was above the Golden Core stage. One could imagine how powerful his strength was.
According to the description of Lin Bai and the others, that disciple was only in his early twenties. It could be said that his talent was outstanding. At such an age and cultivation level, it was not an exaggeration to say that he was a genius.
There were only a few people in the entire continent who could match him. All of them were geniuses from hermit families or super big forces.
"What's going on? Such a powerful disciple, yet he's only registered, and he didn't even enter the sect! What are you all doing!?"
The elder who was responsible for recording the disciples' information and changes in cultivation was scolded harshly. However, he was also extremely shocked. He had no impression of Gu Xi at all in his mind.
"Hurry up and look for him! I want all the information on this disciple."
Besides Shen Tianyi, all the various elders were also glaring at him. He felt immense pressure. He was just a small elder who was in charge of the disciples' information, so he had never been in such a situation before. His hands trembled as he flipped the pages of his records. Finally, he found Gu Xi's name on the last page.
He immediately said excitedly, "It's here!"
Shen Tianyi quickly took a look. According to the records, there was nothing extraordinary about Gu Xi. Everything about him was summarised in one simple sentence. However, this stirred up a storm in their hearts.
The elders cried out involuntarily, "How is this possible!"
After entering the sect for more than ten years, he had the strength of a level 3 Body Refining cultivator. His talent was mediocre, and his aptitude was dull.
It was not their fault for having such a big reaction. This guy was clearly untalented, so how could he have killed a Black-armored Evil Ape with a single move? There was only one possibility, and that was that he had concealed his cultivation. However, what benefits would it bring to Gu Xi if he did this?
Everyone looked at each other, feeling extremely puzzled. One had to know that there were many benefits to becoming a personal disciple. Not only would the sect provide a large number of resources, but they would also have the right to choose any cultivation method or pill. All these resources help the cultivation grow faster.
Moreover, even if he had hidden it, he could not have hidden it for so long. How had no one discovered any flaws? If he did not show himself, they would have been kept in the dark.
"It can't be that he just recently improved his cultivation, right?"
"Third Elder, this isn't a joke. In such a short period of time, from the level 3 of the Body Refining stage to the strength of Golden Core, no one in the entire continent could do it. This talent can be said to be extremely monstrous."
Everyone laughed and thought that it was just a joke, but they did not know how close they had come to the truth.
Shen Tianyi cleared his throat and said with a serious expression, "No matter what, we must keep this child in the sect. He will have a bright future and will definitely bring great benefits to the sect."
The elders felt as if they saw another bright star about to rise in the cultivation world, and it was from their sect. When they thought of this, they were extremely excited.
The Third Elder said, "However, I'm worried that this child has always been an in-name disciple and doesn't have a strong sense of belonging to the sect. Don't be surprised if he leaves the sect in the future."
Shen Tianyi was not worried about this. "That's fine. I'll take him as my personal disciple, and I'll bring him to greater heights, obtaining supreme glory!"
One had to know that Shen Tianyi only had two disciples under him. Now that he had made an exception and promoted Gu Xi to be the most honorable personal disciple of the Sect Leader, he had catapulted to the top of the hierarchy.
The other elders also felt that this proposal was not bad. It was likely that Gu Xi would not reject it.
At this moment, Gu Xi had returned to the Mission Hall. When they saw him appear, everyone revealed surprised expressions. There were even disciples who blurted out, "You actually came back. We almost thought that you had gone to feed yourself to the Red-eyed Demon Tiger."
The companion beside him revealed a mocking expression, "Forget it. How can he do it in such a short amount of time? It's probably because this kid was filled with regret and chickened out. I bet he just wandered around and then turned back."
It was not like such a thing did not happen in the past. Some cultivators may decide that they did not want to follow through with an accepted mission. They could simply find an excuse and give a perfunctory reply.
However, Mission Hall absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen.
Firstly, it would disturb the order. Secondly, it would waste time. What if someone else accepted this mission? After setting the rules, very few people would commit such a crime.
When the person in charge heard everyone's discussion, he immediately revealed an unhappy expression.
"I went, but I didn't find any traces of the Red-eyed Demon Tiger, so I came back."
However, no one believed Gu Xi's story.
"Who doesn't know that the Red-eyed Demon Tiger appears in the Ice Mountain Range? It takes a lot of time to travel back and forth. With your low cultivation, you're not even an outer sect disciple. You can't even ride a sword and fly? I'm afraid you don't even know how to use a sword. Hahaha!"
Everyone burst into laughter. There were even people who took the opportunity to stir up trouble.
"I think this kid is just here to create trouble for the crowd. He accepted the first mission on the Heaven List and doesn't even know what he's capable of. He has to be taught a lesson. Otherwise, if everyone does this in the future, wouldn't it be a mess?"
Seeing that the situation was getting more and more serious, the person in charge's expression turned ugly. "What do you say? Could it be that he really came here to create trouble on purpose?"