Originally Posted by
Ren Wo Xing
In fact, the more that I think about it, the more I think a 20+ gap between Zuo Lengchan and Yue Buqun was completely justified. Zuo Lengchan is often underrated. On a technical level, he was able to battle RWX for quite a long period of time at Shaolin, and while RWX seized the upper hand after a time before being baited into sucking in the glacial qi, Xiang Wentian was watching the fight and it was stated thusly:
Xiang Wentian's face was sometimes happy and sometimes worried. In a moment, it changed into doubt. In another moment, it changed into regret. Another moment, it changed into an angry glare. It was as if he was personally fighting this battle. Linghu Chong thought, "Brother Xiang's experience is much higher compared to Yingying. Looking at him being so nervous, I'm afraid it would be really hard for Mr. Ren to win this battle."
So while in the end ZLC obviously wasn't a match for RWX in a real fight (in large part, imo, due to his comparatively weaker internal energy), he was good enough to at least give RWX a good run for his money. In addition, people also underrate how strong his internal energy was. Even after being blinded, when his sword clashed with LHC's during the cave fight, his blows were so strong that LHC's sword was almost knocked out of his hand, and eventually his arm started to go numb. Remember, LHC himself had absorbed a lot of internal energy as well, but Zuo Lengchan still completely outclassed him. Now, consider what happened when LHC dueled post-PXJF Yue Buqun; Yue Buqun's arm started to go numb!
Yue Buqun blocked three attacks and retreated for two steps. He was secretly amazed. He just blocked three times, but his whole arm was shaken and felt numb. When they fought at the Shaolin Temple, they fought for more than a thousand moves, but Linghu Chong didn't use his true internal energy with his sword. But at this time, he did not give way in his three attacks.
So Zuo Lengchan's internal energy outclassed LHC's, and LHC's internal energy outclassed YBQ's. That means his internal energy is way better than Yue Buqun's - and it has the added effect of being infused with his self-created glacial energy! We already can see from You Tanzhi and the Xuanming Elders that ice-type internal energy can have incredibly deleterious effects on opponents, allowing them to 'punch above their weight class' to a certain extent.
Factoring in all of the above, I think the 20 point gap is definitely justified. In turn, the 'mere' 5 point gap between Zuo Lengchan and RWX is also justified. Zuo Lengchan is just a criminally underrated beast.