Indeed, at this moment, Ye Xiao felt a sense of pride after possessing a golden core like other cultivators, especially considering his extraordinary talent for challenging realms higher than his own.
However, Ye Xiao didn't yet know how high his talent was, allowing him to challenge realms higher than his own.
After walking along the village road for a while, a young man and several adults approached Ye Xiao.
"Hey, you're Ye Xiao? Haha, it's you, Ye Xiao. You're back!" said a young man with a haughty and elegant appearance.
"Hmm, Cu Hao." Seeing the young man approaching, Ye Xiao immediately recognized him.
The young man was named Cu Hao and came from the Cu family. Cu Hao was the young master of the Cu family, the main lineage of the Cu family.
Like the Ye family, the Cu family is also a powerful martial arts family in Lin Sing Village. Previously, the Cu family's status was on par with the Ye family and other major families. However, after Ye Fan became a senior disciple of the Sacred Immortal Sect, the Ye family's status would soon soar above all the major families in Lin Sing Village. Once Ye Fan flourished and attained a high status within the Sacred Immortal Sect, the Ye family's status would surely surpass that of other families, and it would even become renowned throughout the Wang Empire.
At that time, the status gap between the Ye family and the Cu family or any other family in Lin Sing Village would no longer be the same.
Unless the young geniuses of the Cu family and other families achieved the same level of achievement as Ye Fan, it wouldn't necessarily restore their former status. However, the possibility of that was extremely slim. After all, Ye Fan's talent was extraordinary, and he had also awakened a sacred golden core, which even Emperor Wang Yi praised. Therefore, although their strength was currently equal, their statuses had significantly diverged.
But unlike Ye Xiao, if Cu Hao had met any other Ye family descendant, he would certainly have shown respect. But in front of him was Ye Xiao. Although he was also a Ye family descendant, he had been banished from the Ye family, so Cu Hao didn't need to be awkward with him.
"Hehe, Ye Xiao, why are you back? Weren't you banished from the Ye family?" Cu Hao said with a smile. However, there had been no previous conflict between them, so Cu Hao didn't insult or curse Ye Xiao when they had just met.
But before Ye Xiao could answer, an expert beside Cu Hao immediately spoke to Cu Hao with a serious expression.
"Young Master, he... he's actually awakened his golden core!" the expert reminded Cu Hao.
Beside Cu Hao were three mature-looking men; they were bodyguards hired by the Cu family to guard him.
It is true that the young masters of the family have to go everywhere with several bodyguards with them, sometimes these bodyguards have a lower level than them, but the aim is nothing more than to show their very high status, only arrogance and arrogance.
And at this time, hearing the bodyguard's words, Cu Hao immediately channeled spiritual energy into his eyes to check.
And it turns out to be true...
"You... Ye Xiao... I never thought that the young man who was always looked down upon has now succeeded in awakening your golden core, let me guess, it seems like you have only awakened it in the past few months, right??". Cu Hao said after suppressing his shock, he started to guess when Ye Xiao awakened his golden core.
"Hehe, that's right, Hao," Ye Xiao said with a light smile. He and Cu Hao had never had any problems before. In fact, neither Cu Hao nor the other Cu family members had ever interfered or even belittled Ye Xiao before he awakened his Golden Core. Furthermore, Ye Xiao recognized Cu Hao's cheerful personality, so he didn't sense anything bad from his words.
"Then show me your strength. I'd like to see it," Cu Hao said curiously. However, because Ye Xiao had only awakened his Golden Core a few months ago, Cu Hao suspected that Ye Xiao's realm was at least the second stage of Qi Refining.
It's important to note that cultivators in the same realm cannot directly discern the realm of others unless they reveal their own aura. Therefore, since Cu Hao and Ye Xiao were in the same realm, even though Cu Hao's realm was higher than Ye Xiao's, he still couldn't directly discern Ye Xiao's realm.
Similarly, without Ye Xiao's aura or using his spiritual energy to form a technique, he wouldn't be able to discern the other party's realm with the naked eye.
At this moment, Ye Xiao nodded slowly and began to release his aura for Cu Hao to see.
And the next moment...
"Ehhh... you... you're at the fifth stage?" Cu Hao said with a surprised expression. He hadn't expected Ye Xiao to have reached the fifth stage of Qi Refining. Hadn't he just awakened his golden core? Why had he already reached the fifth stage of Qi Refining? This truly shocked Cu Hao.
Even the three bodyguards with Cu Hao were also aware of the news that Ye Xiao hadn't awakened his golden core until he was twenty. But now, after only a few months, not only had he awakened his golden core, but he had also reached the fifth stage of Qi Refining. Anyone would be shocked to hear this.
"Hehe, Cu Hao, I was just lucky. It turns out that all these decades of spiritual energy in my body had been frozen with no purpose. And when I successfully awakened my golden core, I unexpectedly experienced a continuous breakthrough," Ye Xiao said honestly to Cu Hao.
"Oh, so that's how it is. No wonder." Hearing Ye Xiao's explanation, Cu Hao felt that it was all worth it. After all, he had seen how hard Ye Xiao had struggled to awaken his golden core.