Stumped
This was why he pushed himself so much, to prove that he was capable to be part of their lineup.
Thus Elena was forced to consider if Nathan would be affected by her status and higher cultivation level and even much greater level of talent.
Not many men would be able to accept the fact that they were vastly inferior to their woman. Slightly was okay but the distance between Nathan and Elena was a chasm that couldn't be breached but the latter didn't mind.
So what if her confession caused Nathan to recoil into himself.
Thus she chose to go a different route, instead of directly confessing her true feelings to Nathan, she would first build him up and allow him to gain enough self confidence to not be affected once she found the courage to talk to him about it.
Anyway, that was for a later time and not something to ponder on for the moment.
She had to recover first and then head over to complete the task Nathan had proposed to her.