"Master... is this really the legendary supreme divine ability secret manual?!"
Cui Hao's eyes went wide as he flipped through the jade slip in his hands left and right.
He looked up, his tone tinged with confusion.
"But how come senior brothers and sisters all got books, and mine is a jade slip?"
Chu Xingchen's gaze swept casually around the area.
After confirming that only this beloved disciple remained nearby, he spoke with an air of nonchalance:
"Because yours is new."
"New?!"
Cui Hao looked up at his master. Though he was somewhat touched that his master hadn't tried to fool him, this blunt explanation... was perhaps a bit too blunt.
Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow.
"Look at you, acting like a country bumpkin. You think cultivation is like archaeology, where the older the manual the better?"
"Even Confucian cultivators advance with the times, discarding the old and bringing forth the new. Are you saying cultivation is inferior to Confucian cultivation?"
"Sometimes the newer things are precisely the ones that embrace all schools and take the best of every tradition."
"Haven't you heard that your eldest senior sister's cultivation method was revised a full eighteen times by various experts?"
"You should read some cultivation history records when you get the chance, so you don't embarrass yourself when you go out."
Cui Hao pursed his lips at these words. Once his master said it like that... he suddenly felt his master was absolutely right.
Cultivation naturally meant the more you practiced, the more experience you gained. By learning from strengths and compensating for weaknesses, newer was theoretically always better.
After all, standing on the shoulders of predecessors, you could see further and higher, knowing which path to take.
Not to mention the rumors that his eldest senior sister's manual had been revised eighteen times and his second senior brother was an idiot had already become common knowledge throughout the sect.
Cui Hao asked, "Then can I take a look first?"
Chu Xingchen gave a slight nod.
"Probe it with your divine consciousness, and you'll understand the pains your master took for you."
Cui Hao grasped the jade slip and decisively sent his divine consciousness into it.
A moment later, Cui Hao opened his eyes, his expression unable to conceal his shock as he looked at his master:
"Master! This... this manual is truly extraordinary!"
"It actually has illustrated instructions! It even has annotations at the key points!"
"Mm-hmm, now you see the benefit of new? Toss you a book and with that little brain of yours, who knows how long you'd need to figure it out."
"Thank you for Master's generous kindness!"
Cui Hao was now convinced this was truly a top-tier divine ability.
What crummy books—nothing compared to this divine ability that made everything clear and easy to grasp.
But in the next moment, Cui Hao's tone shifted:
"But Master... this divine ability is good and all, it's just that I have a small question."
Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow.
"What small question?"
"Why is this divine ability a fist technique?"
Cui Hao spread his hands, straightening his posture and lifting his chin, his tone suddenly becoming lofty.
"With my looks and bearing, fighting with fists doesn't suit me at all. It can't showcase my outstanding elegance in the slightest."
"Eldest Senior Sister's one sword chills nineteen provinces! Second Senior Brother's corpse mountains and blood seas look a bit like an evil cultivator, but at least those are grand spectacles!"
"How come when it's my turn, I get nothing and just start punching? Like some beggar who can't afford a spirit treasure and has no choice but to throw fists!"
"I want to practice the sword too, like Senior Bai, like Eldest Senior Sister. Even Fourth Senior Sister's sword techniques look incredibly cool."
Chu Xingchen didn't hesitate for a moment—he raised his hand and delivered a swift smack directly to Cui Hao's forehead.
Cui Hao, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, naturally couldn't react at all.
A crisp sound rang out. Judging from the sound alone, this skull wasn't as solid as Li Yingling's.
Cui Hao naturally couldn't maintain his self-proclaimed expert pose and promptly fell flat on his behind.
Chu Xingchen frowned slightly, looking at the picky Cui Hao:
"What good is looking cool? Can you eat it or use it as spirit stones?"
Cui Hao didn't get up. Instead, he slammed the ground with his hand and spoke with tragic conviction:
"Master! You can cultivate for your entire life—but if you miss your chance to be cool, it's gone forever!"
"And the way others summon their spirit treasures is so cool! Eldest Senior Sister just raises her hand, and the light from her flowing spirit treasure longsword practically blinds me."
"Second Senior Brother's blood qi great saber makes an even more domineering entrance. Is everyone else going to have spirit treasures flying about, dazzling and magnificent, while I'm just sitting there with glowing fists?"
"And when everyone else fights with spirit treasures, I'll be punching people. Spirit treasures don't feel pain, but my fists sure do!"
"Master! I haven't even fought yet and I already feel like I've lost!"
Chu Xingchen looked at Cui Hao gazing at him with resentful eyes, momentarily at a loss for words.
This brat of a disciple... actually only cared about looking cool.
If that's how it is, don't blame your master.
Chu Xingchen's expression shifted slightly as he let out a soft sigh.
"I call you shallow and you still won't admit it. Do you know how much effort your master put into obtaining this divine ability? This divine ability was custom-made specifically for you."
"A truly top-tier cultivator cultivates themselves. I am my own world—one punch clears a hundred years of path, one kick kicks open the gates of heaven."
"One punch shatters mountains, one punch overturns seas. You think those cultivators all swinging longswords down are unique?"
"How can that compare to the coolness of calmly throwing a single punch that topples mountains and overturns seas?"
"Besides, have you never heard the saying—when fist techniques reach perfection, half of all martial techniques in the world can be adapted?"
"This divine ability can use fist techniques as its core and continuously expand into other divine abilities."
"Your eldest senior sister can only use the sword, your second senior brother is only fit to swing a blade. But you, the disciple I have always cherished the most—"
"What awaits you in the future is mastery of all eighteen martial arts!"
Cui Hao's expression receded. Looking at his master's completely earnest face, he finally asked in a small voice:
"Master, tell me honestly—are you trying to trick me?"
Chu Xingchen's face instantly turned solemn.
He raised his hand and took back the jade slip from Cui Hao's grasp:
"I call you a country bumpkin and you won't admit it. I told you to read more cultivation texts and you ignored me."
"You cultivate poorly and still make wild guesses. If you love the sword so much, your master will just find you a sword divine ability."
"Just don't blame me for not warning you when you regret it later."
With that, Chu Xingchen turned to leave without the slightest hesitation.
"Wait..."
Cui Hao called out quickly.
Chu Xingchen's footsteps stopped, but he didn't turn around. Instead, his right hand idly played with the green jade slip.
"Master... will it really be cool?"
Cui Hao asked.
Chu Xingchen turned around at last and spoke solemnly:
"Guaranteed. If it's not cool, you come find your master!"
Cui Hao nodded gravely. If he couldn't trust his master, who could he trust? Punching mountains and overturning seas could be pretty cool too!
He declared loudly and solemnly:
"I will cultivate it!"
Chu Xingchen casually tossed the jade slip in his hand toward Cui Hao:
"Cultivate with confidence. You won't regret it."
Cui Hao caught the thrown jade slip and nodded earnestly:
"Rest assured, Master. With my peerless talent, I'll surely grasp the basics in three days and achieve mastery in five!"
"Grasp the basics in three days—of what?"
Li Yingling's voice cut into their conversation.
She looked at Cui Hao with a hint of curiosity.
"What's so simple? Let me see if I can learn it at a glance."
Cui Hao said nothing, merely looking silently at his master—Master, look, Eldest Senior Sister is belittling my intelligence again.
Chu Xingchen's gaze shifted to Li Yingling:
"Your junior brother's divine ability. What, you want to painstakingly instruct him?"
Li Yingling hastily shook her head. This junior brother was slow as could be—whoever wanted to teach him could teach him. She wasn't about to suffer through that.
She cleared her throat, her expression instantly softening, her voice becoming somewhat affected:
"Master, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"...Just speak normally. You're scaring me."
[
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