The six Xuantian Sect outer disciples had expressions similar to Luo Zhiyuan, all showing shock and disbelief. Some of their eyes were about to pop out, while others, like Luo Zhiyuan, had their mouths agape wide enough to fit an egg inside!
One of them even began to cheer excitedly, "Hahaha! I knew it! The one who saved our lives can't possibly be someone who runs away out of fear during battle!"
"Saved their lives?"
In midair, Zou Changlao, who was hovering above, raised an eyebrow, carefully pondering the words. Even Qinglian Fairy was surprised, "Not only did he kill the Golden Leopard King, but it seems he also saved a fellow disciple's life!"
"Hmm..." Zou Changlao hesitated before nodding.
Qinglian Fairy teased with a smile, "Now, with your strong sense of justice and your protective nature, always unable to bear seeing your sect's disciples suffer, I'm sure you're even more impressed with him!"
"With both bravery and wisdom, blessed with great fortune, he cares for his fellow disciples and aligns with your values. Plus, he has the talent to inherit your self-created sword techniques... Such an outstanding disciple—are you sure you don't want him?"
"I already said I'd consider it once he reaches the peak of the Qi Refinement stage."
Zou Changlao shook his head stubbornly, "It's still too early to talk about this. These are just external factors. We don't yet know how talented he is at cultivation. If decades pass and he's still just a withered old man at the Qi Refinement stage, no matter how good his temperament is, it'll all be for nothing."
"Tsk!" Qinglian Fairy rolled her eyes and pouted, "If you don't want him, I'll gladly take him. Don't come crying to me later!"
"No—"
"Oh! Hahaha, you've been caught!"
Qinglian Fairy's playful smile grew even wider, making her seem far less like a 300-year-old cultivator.
"Damn it!" Zou Changlao glared at her, his beard bristling in anger. "If you keep this up, watch out—"
"Watch out for what?" Qinglian Fairy retorted, unafraid. "Your Jinghong Sword? Haha! Even though I'm only in the mid-stage of Core Formation and can't compare to you in the late stage, I have my Qinglian Treasure Pearl. As long as it's not a life-or-death fight, I'm not scared of you!"
"And besides... Could you really bring yourself to be rough with me?" Qinglian Fairy blinked her large, sparkling eyes, playing up an innocent, shy look.
Zou Changlao shivered at her expression, his hair standing on end. "Stop! If you keep this up..."
"Keep what up?"
Qinglian Fairy, clearly enjoying herself, only leaned in closer, teasing him further, "What are you gonna do~?"
"I-I'll go into closed-door training and ignore you forever!" Zou Changlao huffed, swinging his sleeve dramatically.
"Pfft!"
Qinglian Fairy couldn't help but laugh, her voice ringing out, "After eight years in seclusion, you're still as easy to tease as ever. You're just too cute!"
Zou Changlao shot her an exasperated look but ultimately could do nothing about her antics. He sighed heavily, placing his hands behind his back in resignation, "Sigh."
The light-hearted banter between the two Core Formation experts, taking place high above, went unnoticed by the disciples below. Instead, the disciples were filled with excitement.
Except for two disciples whose legs were injured, causing them to limp, the other four excitedly rushed toward the Golden Leopard King's corpse.
At that moment, Lin Li was just jumping down from the beast's body.
He was covered in dark red filth, mixed with a foul yellowish stench, but none of the surrounding outer disciples showed even a hint of disdain.
In fact, their eyes were full of admiration!
The outer disciple whom Lin Li had first saved, a young man with a slightly boyish face, tugged excitedly at Lin Li's sleeve. His voice was full of awe, "Wow!!! You're incredible! Not only did you save me, but in the end, you even killed the Golden Leopard King! That's just amazing!"
"Impressive! Truly impressive!"
Next to him, an older disciple at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, just a step away from reaching the peak of Qi Refinement, cupped his hands in respect, his admiration genuine.
"This is unbelievable!"
Two other outer disciples, both in the late stage of Qi Refinement, also hurriedly chimed in, "Who would've thought! No one could've guessed that the one to kill the Golden Leopard King would be you!"
"You're a hero! How did you do it?"
The boyish disciple couldn't contain his excitement, asking eagerly, "Tell us, tell us!"
Hearing this, even the other disciples, including those limping over and Luo Zhiyuan, whose emotions were in turmoil, focused intently on Lin Li, eager not to miss any of the details.
Lin Li had already prepared a story after emerging from the Golden Leopard King's body.
Under the eager gazes of his fellow disciples, Lin Li smiled and humbly said, "Thank you for your praise, but truthfully, I can't take much credit for defeating the Golden Leopard King."
"Most of the credit belongs to Senior Brother Luo, who fought the Golden Leopard King to the point of sustaining severe injuries, weakening the beast."
With that, Lin Li bowed respectfully toward Luo Zhiyuan, who, moments before, had been filled with jealousy and resentment.
Luo Zhiyuan suddenly felt embarrassed.
"He..."
Luo Zhiyuan began to reflect, "I misjudged him with such petty thoughts! He just happened to get lucky and take the final blow, yet he has no intention of taking credit for himself. I've acted disgracefully. I need to improve my attitude. How shameful!"
Lin Li continued, "And, of course, we owe our lives to the two elders as well."
He looked up toward the sky, where Zou Changlao and Qinglian Fairy stood.
The two, who had been standing close earlier, were now about seven or eight meters apart, seemingly in the middle of a "cold war."
However, the disciples, oblivious to the playful dispute above, gazed up at them with reverence, their hearts filled with admiration. They all shared the same thought: If only one day we could also reach the Core Formation stage and fly through the sky like that...
"If it weren't for the timely arrival of our esteemed elders, we wouldn't be here discussing the defeat of the Golden Leopard King," Lin Li added. "In fact, it's uncertain if any of us would even still be alive."
"Hahaha! Well said!"
Perhaps to escape the relentless teasing from Qinglian Fairy, or maybe feeling the moment was right, Zou Changlao descended with a hearty laugh.