9: Concealing one's talents

A suffocating sensation, like cold iron tongs, gripped Lin Ye's throat tightly.

Zhao Tian's muscular arm bulged, exuding astonishing power as he lifted Lin Ye completely into the air. The spiritual pressure of the third level of the Qi Refinement Stage was like an invisible net, binding him tightly, making him unable to resist in the slightest.

His feet kicked weakly in the air, the air in his lungs rapidly drained, and black spots began to appear before his eyes. Zhao Tian's face, twisted with cruel pleasure, magnified in his blurry vision, and the viper-like threatening words in his ears turned into cold needles, piercing his mind.

"It seems if I don't give you a taste of your own medicine, you won't tell the truth!"

The shadow of death was so real at this moment.

Lin Ye had no doubt that with Zhao Tian's Heart-Nature, he would truly break one of his legs without hesitation, or even accidentally kill him! In the Outer Sect, an insignificant Utility Disciple's accidental "untimely death" would not cause even a ripple.

Resist?

As soon as this thought arose, he forcibly suppressed it.

His newly learned Iron Sand Palm, nurtured by that faint warm current, might make his palms a bit tougher than ordinary people's, but in front of the absolute strength of a third-level Qi Refinement Stage cultivator, this bit of power was simply a joke. The outcome of a head-on confrontation could only be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, crushed to pieces.

What to do?

In the midst of extreme hypoxia and fear, Lin Ye's brain became clearer than ever before.

He instantly analyzed the situation before him. Zhao Tian's goal was nothing more than "gain" and "prestige."

He coveted the "treasure" that might exist on Lin Ye, and at the same time, he enjoyed the pleasure of wantonly bullying the weak and establishing his own authority.

The System was his biggest secret and could never be exposed. Since he couldn't offer the "gain" Zhao Tian wanted, then he could only satisfy him to the greatest extent in terms of "prestige"!

He had to make him believe that he was a complete, lucky, and utterly cowardly good-for-nothing!

Only in this way could he completely lose interest and save his own life!

In a flash, Lin Ye had made his decision.

His face, which had been flushed red from suffocation, was instantly filled with extreme fear and panic. He stopped struggling and, with the last of his strength, squeezed out a few broken syllables from his throat, his voice hoarse and distorted from lack of oxygen, sounding full of desperate pleading.

"Senior Brother Zhao... Senior Brother Zhao... I'll tell... I'll tell! Don't... don't kill me!"

Hearing this, Zhao Tian's sneer deepened. He loosened his grip slightly, allowing Lin Ye's toes to barely touch the ground, but he still didn't completely let him go.

"Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier?" He snorted disdainfully, "Speak, I'm listening."

"Cough... cough cough..." Lin Ye greedily inhaled fresh air, coughing violently, tears and snot uncontrollably flowing out, looking utterly wretched.

While coughing, he spoke intermittently in a crying voice, "It's... it's really good luck... I... when I was chopping wood today, my heart... my heart kept praying for my deceased parents to bless me... asking them to let me... let me eat my fill... Then... then I don't know what happened, I... I just felt my strength suddenly increase a bit... It must be... it must be my parents' spirits in heaven, they... they manifested!"

He spoke with tears streaming down his face, his emotions so sincere that it seemed he even believed his own story.

This excuse was stupid, ridiculous, full of the superstition and naivety of a country bumpkin, yet it precisely matched the impression of weakness and incompetence he usually gave people.

Zhao Tian was stunned after hearing this, then he burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Hahahaha! Pray for your parents' blessings? Manifestation? Lin Ye, are you taking me for a fool, or are you the fool yourself? How can you even make up such nonsense!"

His laughter was full of scorn and disdain, but the hand gripping Lin Ye's collar unknowingly loosened a bit more.

Lin Ye's heart settled slightly, knowing that his first step had worked. Zhao Tian didn't believe him, which was normal. But the important thing was that this foolish excuse successfully portrayed him as a "fool," rather than a "Genius with a hidden secret."

For someone like Zhao Tian, a fool was much safer than a cunning opponent.

"Senior Brother Zhao, I... what I said is all true!" Seeing this, Lin Ye became even more "anxious," almost crying. He fumbled around on himself, "I... I really have nothing on me... If you don't believe me, you... you can search!"

He voluntarily opened his empty clothes, allowing the other party to examine them.

Zhao Tian's laughter gradually subsided, his eyes turning gloomy again. Of course, he didn't believe in ghosts or gods, but Lin Ye's utterly useless appearance made his suspicions waver a bit.

Could it be... this kid really just got lucky and his body coincidentally broke through some limit?

"Hmph, whether you're truly foolish or just pretending!" Zhao Tian lost his patience and said fiercely, "If you can't satisfy me today, you'll still lose this leg!"

Lin Ye's body trembled violently, the color draining from his face in an instant, as if he had been scared witless by these words.

With a "thud," his knees buckled, and he actually knelt directly on the ground, hugging Zhao Tian's thigh, wailing with snot and tears streaming down his face:

"Senior Brother Zhao, I was wrong! I was really wrong! I shouldn't have been lazy, shouldn't have run here to sleep! Please, please be magnanimous and treat me like a fart... and let me go!"

This kneeling completely shattered his dignity as a person, but it also perfectly satisfied Zhao Tian's pathological vanity.

Looking at Lin Ye, who was kneeling at his feet, crying and snotting, as wretched as a stray dog, Zhao Tian's last trace of doubt vanished.

How could someone who could kneel and beg for mercy so shamelessly be a hidden master with a secret?

A strong sense of disgust and contempt rose in his heart, as if he had seen a repulsive fly.

"Get lost!"

He kicked Lin Ye away, cursing, "Useless thing! How unlucky!"

Lin Ye rolled on the ground once, disregarding the pain in his body, and immediately scrambled back up on all fours, still kneeling, not daring to stand.

While wiping the tears and dust from his face with his sleeve, he cautiously said in a heavily nasal voice, "Yes, yes, Disciple... Disciple will get lost now, will get lost now! Don't... don't disturb Senior Brother Zhao's rest anymore! This... this place has good feng shui and is cool, most suitable for a master like you to cultivate in seclusion. Disciple... Disciple will never dare to come again!"

He voluntarily "ceded" ownership of this valley and subtly offered a clumsy compliment.

This maneuver finally made Zhao Tian completely lose interest in continuing to make things difficult for him.

It was beneath his status as an "experienced Disciple" to bother with such a foolish and spineless good-for-nothing.

"Hmph!" Zhao Tian snorted heavily, accepting Lin Ye's "tribute." He walked to the big tree, sat down, and then, like shooing a fly, impatiently waved his hand at Lin Ye:

"Get lost! But, you remember this, this matter isn't over today! From tomorrow on, you're my, Zhao Tian's, man! Every day after you finish your own work, come find me immediately. Whatever I tell you to do, you must do! If you dare to disobey in the slightest, or if I find you secretly gaining any more benefits..."

His voice suddenly turned cold, revealing killing intent: "I'll let you know what it means to wish for death but be unable to die!"

"Yes! Yes! Disciple understands! Disciple will always be on call!"

Lin Ye, as if granted a great pardon, nodded like a pounding garlic, then scrambled to his feet and fled towards the outside of the valley without daring to look back. His steps were unsteady, his back hurried, perfectly portraying the image of a coward scared out of his wits.

Watching his fleeing back, Zhao Tian spat disdainfully, cursing, "Worthless piece of junk!"

Immediately, he leaned against the tree, closed his eyes to rest, and no longer took this small incident to heart... Lin Ye ran a long distance, until he could no longer see the outline of the valley behind him, then he suddenly stopped, leaning against a tree, panting heavily.

He slowly straightened his back, the panic, fear, and cowardice on his face receding like a tide, replaced by a bottomless calm, beneath which was an extremely suppressed, icy killing intent.

He raised his sleeve and slowly, carefully wiped away the remaining tear stains and dust from his face, his movements steady, completely different from before.

That almost perfect performance just now had cost him a great deal of mental effort. But he knew it was all worth it.

He successfully bluffed his way through, kept his secret, and temporarily ensured his safety.

Most importantly, he successfully deepened the impression of his "cowardice and incompetence" to an unprecedented degree in Zhao Tian's mind, and even in the minds of anyone who might hear about this incident.

From now on, no one would likely suspect that a wretch who could kneel and beg for mercy, crying and snotting, would be hiding any secrets.

This was the protective color he needed most at this stage.

"Zhao Tian..." Lin Ye turned back, looking in the direction of the valley, his eyes as deep as an ancient well, "Today you made me kneel, but one day, I will make you... pay with your life!"

He clenched his fists, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, causing a sharp pain, but this pain made him even more clear-headed.

Strength!

In the final analysis, it was still strength!

Today's humiliation made him realize more deeply than ever that in this world, without strength, there was no dignity, and he couldn't even control his own life.

He must quickly improve his strength, quickly make the Iron Sand Palm reach Minor Achievement, or even Major Achievement!

He glanced at the sky; it was not long until dinner. He tidied his somewhat disheveled clothes, his face once again taking on that numb yet somewhat startled expression, and walked towards the Outer Sect courtyard.

Hiding one's true abilities is for better survival.