34: It's not necessarily a good thing for a disciple to be too talented.

Back in his room, Su Yi sighed softly. He had lived for too long—so long that he had forgotten exactly how much time had passed.

He had seen familiar faces depart one after another. He had gone from feeling deep sorrow to being able to calmly accept it, even when the grand-Disciple he had raised with his own hands died before him.

After hundreds of years, Su Yi felt as though his heart had hardened into stone.

He resisted contact with others and avoided intimacy in relationships.

Because Su Yi knew that sooner or later, he would once again watch those around him grow old and die.

Perhaps because of his status as an outsider, the world seemed to have forgotten his existence.

Su Yi had accepted his fate; he only wanted to be an observer, watching this world go by.

But that brat Yu Zhen had entrusted him with a burden before dying, and a few days later, another silly boy had arrived at his door.

The once quiet little courtyard had become lively again.

Su Yi liked this liveliness, yet he also resisted it.

A consistently desolate courtyard was nothing, but for it to turn from lively back to desolate was what truly broke the heart!

Opening a cabinet, Su Yi took out a bundle from the very bottom. He gently opened it, looking at the greenish-yellow lotus seedpod inside.

Hundreds of years ago, for the sake of this lotus seedpod, the Prodigies of that era had died one after another.

When asked why, their uniform answer to him consisted of only six words:

“If one hears the Dao in the morning, one can die content in the evening!”

But he had studied it for hundreds of years and still hadn't figured out what it was actually for.

Looking at the single remaining lotus seed within the pod, Su Yi's memories were pulled back to hundreds of years ago.

That era of the Great Dao's contention following the awakening of Spiritual Qi, where generations of Prodigies and trendsetters rose one after another.

A hundred schools of thought contended, and ten thousand methods emerged!

It was noisy, but far more brilliant than the present.

“Why aren't you dead yet!”

A familiar voice rang in Su Yi's ear, making him snap his head up, his hands and feet suddenly turning ice-cold.

Sunlight spilled into the room, slightly restoring some warmth to his cold body.

Gathering his thoughts, Su Yi reopened the door and looked at Yin Chaoge, who was in the courtyard repeatedly drawing his saber, sheathing it, drawing it again, and sheathing it again.

For someone as simple-minded as Yin Chaoge, this clumsy method was what suited him best.

Su Yi watched Yin Chaoge practice drawing his saber for a while before shaking his head and saying, “Don't think about those flashy things. In a life-and-death struggle, the outcome is often decided in a single move, even a single instant!”

“Don't think about what the next move is. Just think that there is only this one move, and that you will die after using it. Put all your essence, energy, and spirit into this one strike!”

Holding the wooden saber, Yin Chaoge nodded, half-understanding. He looked at the wooden saber in his hand and gained a bit of enlightenment. Then, holding the saber, he closed his eyes slightly.

Yin Chaoge suddenly snapped his eyes open, gripped the hilt tightly with his right hand, and drew it in a flash.

A leaf falling in front of Yin Chaoge was instantly sliced into two before it could hit the ground.

The speed was so great that even Su Yi couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

This kid looked clumsy when performing saber techniques, but within a single move, he was like a grandmaster of the blade!

He had only given a few casual pointers, yet this kid had actually caught a glimpse of the threshold of the Dao of the Saber!

Genius—this thing really defies all logic!

“Master, it really seems to work!” Yin Chaoge said with delight, looking at the leaf he had sliced in two on the ground.

He had practiced for half a month without much effect, but to his surprise, he gained an insight after just a few pointers from his Master!

In his past life, even splitting a mountain with a punch hadn't been as exciting as slicing a leaf with a saber now.

He really wasn't an idiot; it was just that he had been on the wrong path!

What Nine Swords of the Sword Immortal? I'll kill you all with a single draw of my blade!

Feeling his progress, Yin Chaoge fell into a complete frenzy and began drawing his saber desperately.

The sheer physical force of his draws caused a buzzing sound as the blade cut through the air.

Su Yi watched for a while, nodded, then turned around, picked up his fishing rod, and headed down the mountain.

As a qualified angler, Su Yi's fishing spots were never fixed, but his most frequent haunt was the bend in the stream halfway down the mountain.

The terrain was flat and the water surface wide; there were bound to be big fish hiding there!

Although he hadn't caught anything in years, Su Yi still tirelessly came to cast a few lines every day.

But today, Su Yi, carrying his rod, did not stop halfway down the mountain; instead, he walked straight to the bottom.

At the base, the current suddenly quickened, plunging over a cliff to form a waterfall that fed into a deep pool below.

With lush greenery all around, the deep forest, and the sound of birds, it was indeed a good place for quiet cultivation.

Carrying his fishing rod, Su Yi looked at Gu Wanquan sitting in meditation under the waterfall and sighed softly. With a flick of his wrist, he threw his line into the deep pool and stared blankly at the float.

A long time passed, until the sun was directly overhead at noon.

Just as Su Yi was dozing off from the sun, Gu Wanquan beneath the waterfall finally opened his eyes. The moment he did, he sensed Su Yi's presence nearby. Startled, he blurred into motion and appeared before Su Yi.

“I have kept Master waiting. Your Disciple deserves ten thousand deaths!” Gu Wanquan knelt beside Su Yi and spoke solemnly.

Su Yi, who had been dozing, was jolted awake by Gu Wanquan's shout. His sleepiness vanished instantly, and looking at Gu Wanquan kneeling before him, he felt a bit of a headache.

Where did this kid get so many rules? He made Su Yi feel like some stodgy old man!

“Alright, get up!” Su Yi said irritably.

Gu Wanquan stood up, hands at his sides, standing obediently by Su Yi.

“Do you know why I had you reflect on your faults here?”

“Your Disciple already knows!”

“Oh? That fast? Tell me then!”

“First, as my power grows through cultivation, I began to believe I could control the life and death of others, which would lead me to lose myself on the path of seeking power. Second, my killing intent is too heavy, which could lead me to be trapped by a Heart Demon and go astray. Third, I acted recklessly and failed to consider things from every angle; meeting violence with violence only invites greater slaughter. Fourth...”

Gu Wanquan spoke of his insights without a single pause, leaving Su Yi staring at him blankly.

He did have those thoughts in mind, but he really hadn't expected Gu Wanquan to think so much and so thoroughly.

This child was simply too comprehensive; he could think of everything!

“Alright, that's enough!” Su Yi interrupted Gu Wanquan's non-stop insights and reeled in his fishing rod with a dark expression.

Gu Wanquan's face changed, thinking there was something he hadn't considered. He immediately bowed to Su Yi and said, “Your Disciple is dull-witted, I beg Master to show me the way!”

Dull-witted after saying all that? Then what am I? An idiot?

Su Yi rolled his eyes. Looking at the Gu Wanquan before him, he suddenly felt that sometimes, being too thorough wasn't necessarily a good thing. Carrying his rod, he said, “Wanquan, sometimes being too clever isn't a good thing!”

Being too much of a Genius makes it even harder to step out of one's own world. Geniuses are often overconfident, and this confidence becomes the hardest Heart Demon to overcome!

“Please enlighten me, Master!”

“Deep emotions do not last, and extreme cleverness brings self-harm. Being too smart will make you lose yourself and turn into a precise machine!”

Gu Wanquan remained silent, following behind Su Yi with his head bowed, contemplating the meaning behind Su Yi's words.

When they reached the courtyard, Gu Wanquan saw Yin Chaoge still practicing his draws. A faint Saber Intent was beginning to swirl around that wooden saber, and he couldn't help but be shocked.

How did this Black Steamed Bun, as stupid as he is, manage to realize Saber Intent?

Yin Chaoge suddenly looked up and saw the suspicious Gu Wanquan behind Su Yi. A strange look crossed his face; he felt as though the White Noodle in front of him was insulting him!

Su Yi seemed to notice Gu Wanquan's surprise. With a smile, he pointed at Yin Chaoge and said, “Great skill hides in simplicity!”

Hearing Su Yi's praise, Yin Chaoge couldn't help but puff out his chest and give Su Yi his trademark silly grin:

“Hehehe!”