The thought brought Hong He to admire someone else for the first time in his life.
The conditions under which Elder Chen had undergone Core Formation could be described as being under the watchful eyes of wolves—he had to leave the Sect to avoid notice, yet faced the immense pressure of not failing. If it were any other cultivator, just the weight of that pressure alone might have created a Heart Demon, likely resulting in the dispersal of their Spiritual Power and death before they could even trigger the Heavenly Tribulation.
But Elder Chen succeeded!
Hong He, who always liked to put pressure on himself, felt inferior to someone for the first time.
You see, Hong He originally looked down on Chen Mobai to some extent because he thought that since the latter had mastered the Sword Sha and had become an unrivaled Foundation Establishment expert, he should not be cultivating every day within the Sect, almost a disservice to his exceptional swordsmanship talent.