Elder Gongyang's cultivation isn't much stronger than the Beidou Sword King's!
Wei Fan wasn't surprised either. Cultivating to the Martial King is more than a thousand times harder than reaching the Martial Venerable Realm.
The suppression of the Dao Collapse, the higher one's cultivation, the greater the suppression.
After the Holy Fall War, there may have been hundreds or even thousands of Martial Venerables born in the wilderness, but those breaking through to the Martial King can be counted on one hand.
The Beidou Sword King cultivated to Martial King within a few hundred years, yet he has been cultivating at the Martial King Realm for hundreds of years and still has a cultivation of Martial King First Layer.
This isn't because his potential ran out but due to the effect of the Dao Collapse, which is particularly terrifying for Martial King powerhouses.
