35: Chapter 35 Unworthy to Discuss the Dao!

The old Taoist and that Little Taoist Boy were stunned at the same time.

The next moment.

The cracks on that bluestone table suddenly spread in all directions, exploding like a spiderweb. Stone chips fell with a rustle, and a corner of the table sank abruptly, having been forcefully slammed down by half an inch by that palm strike.

Bang.

The incense ash on the table was shaken into a thin mist, and the copper bell on the altar swayed gently, emitting a series of fine and rapid chimes.

The old Taoist's eyes were almost popping out of his sockets.

He had been only two steps away from the stone table just moments ago. When Su Ye's palm landed, the gust of wind and pressure rushing toward him felt as if it had slammed directly into his body, giving him the momentary illusion of being targeted by a ferocious beast. The hairs on his back stood on end, and his legs went weak.

This young man possessed immense strength!

Moreover, that pressure from just a moment ago was terrifying! To be honest, the old Taoist considered himself somewhat knowledgeable, but that strike just now had nearly made him kneel on the spot.

After Su Ye finished that palm strike, the pent-up frustration in his chest dissipated somewhat.

He glanced coldly at the old Taoist, said nothing more, turned around, and walked away. With a flick of his robe, he headed straight out of the main hall.

He strode away without looking back.

...

Walking all the way out of Fuxing Temple, Su Ye's expression slowly softened.

The mountain breeze blew past his cheeks, and as he recalled everything that had just happened, he found it absurd and somewhat laughable.

In the end, it was because he had seemingly just had a breakthrough; his thoughts were churning, and driven by a thirst for knowledge, he was desperate to know what level he was currently at. Coupled with the fact that this Taoist temple indeed possessed a certain ancient charm, and the Little Taoist Boy's ambiguous words, he had actually been momentarily deceived.

Someone like him, who had already touched the threshold of the extraordinary, had almost been swindled by an old con artist in a mountaintop temple.

The more Su Ye thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed, and he couldn't help but curse under his breath.

"What the hell."

But curse as he might, his footsteps suddenly halted.

No, that wasn't right.

The old Taoist was a fake; that much was certain.

But how had he been able to sense him sitting outside the temple gate while he was supposedly cultivating inside?

Su Ye narrowed his eyes and slowly looked up.

Then, he saw that inconspicuous black security camera under the eaves of the temple entrance.

It was pointed directly at the spot where he had just been sitting.

Su Ye fell silent for a moment.

The next instant, his face darkened.

"Damn it."

He left, grumbling under his breath.

...

Meanwhile, inside the main hall of the temple.

The old Taoist's legs were still weak. Only after Su Ye had completely walked away did he finally let out a long sigh of relief. No longer caring about his image, he plopped down next to the prayer mat in the center of the hall and raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"Temple Master, please don't make me do this kind of thing again in the future." He panted, saying to the Little Taoist Boy beside him with a bitter face, "That person just now scared me to death. He was so ferocious and possessed such brute strength; if he had been born in ancient times, he probably would have been a great villain."

The Little Taoist Boy did not respond to this complaint.

He stood to the side, hands behind his back, his eyes bright. There was no trace of the innocence of an ordinary child; instead, the corners of his mouth curled up, and he looked quite pleased.

"It seems my validation was correct. I am not alone on this path."

The old Taoist fell silent immediately upon hearing this, not daring to speak, only looking awkwardly at the fourteen-year-old "Temple Master" before him.

Others might not know, but he knew that this Little Taoist Boy was strange... no, he was incredibly divine.

He had originally been an old beggar, scraping by at the foot of Yuhuang Mountain for years. With many tourists and pilgrims on the mountain, he would beg for a bite today and swindle a few words tomorrow. Although his life was miserable, he barely managed not to starve. Unfortunately, in recent years, the tourism industry had flourished, and management had become stricter. His trade had become difficult to practice; even pretending to be pitiful at the mountain gate would get him chased away by security.

The social environment wasn't good anymore; even begging for food could lead to unemployment.

Fortunately, three months ago, this Little Taoist Boy had taken him in, given him food, and asked him to play the role of an old Taoist to help keep up appearances in the temple. Although the Temple Master was young, he was mature in his thinking and disliked being disturbed, so he had him bluff the tourists who came to draw lots and ask for fortunes.

After three months, the old beggar was completely convinced by this child.

The Temple Master was truly a divine person!

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"Could it be that the person just now is related to the 'extraordinary' that you mentioned, Temple Master?"

The Little Taoist Boy nodded gently.

"I previously observed him sitting cross-legged outside the temple gate. His spirit was introverted, his aura steady, and there were faint anomalies around him. He must have just had an epiphany, so I used the name of Fuxing Temple to invite him in, originally wanting to get close and see how other 'extraordinary' beings differed from me."

Speaking of this, he glanced at the old beggar. His tone was not heavy, but it made the latter shrink his neck with a sheepish laugh.

"Unfortunately, you exposed yourself too early."

"The time I had to interact with him was too short."

The old beggar scratched his head in embarrassment.

It couldn't be helped.

He had done plenty of swindling in the past. This time, seeing that the young man was so devout and actually bowed to the Three Pure Ones and Zhenwu, he had been momentarily blinded by greed. His courage grew, and he asked for five thousand yuan right away.

Who could have thought that not only did he fail to swindle the money, but he also lost a stone table?

Thinking of this, he felt even more distressed.

The Little Taoist Boy, however, seemed not to notice his embarrassment, just turned his head to look outside the hall and muttered to himself.

"Strange."

"Such a person, with bright eyes, a steady aura, and a mind as quick as lightning."

"Theoretically, he shouldn't have been deceived by you for even that instant."

The old beggar was stunned upon hearing this.

Indeed.

When that young man looked at him just now, his gaze was terrifyingly sharp—hardly like someone easy to fool. Yet, at the very beginning, he had actually been led astray for that split second by things like Yulong Daoist Academy, Fuxing Temple, and the Three Pure Ones and Zhenwu.

As the old beggar was thinking this, he heard the Little Taoist Boy suddenly sigh softly.

"It's a pity."

"My kidney water is abundant. For the past year, I have been pure-hearted and have had few desires, practicing breathing techniques and tempering my body every day, yet I have been unable to form a crystal within my kidneys. Perhaps my talent ends here, and there is no possibility of further improvement."

"This person, however, is different."

"The qi on his body is no longer in the state of 'not yet formed,' but has already crossed the threshold. If such an existence could have stayed for a moment longer, perhaps I could have seen more things."

The old beggar listened, understanding half of it, and could only nod along.

But the next moment, he couldn't help but shrink his neck again, looking at the cracked stone table with lingering fear.

"Temple Master."

"I think that next time, if we really need to receive such a person, maybe we should just be direct and not make me play an old Taoist again."

"I'm afraid that if it happens again, these old bones of mine will really be finished right here in the temple."

The Little Taoist Boy heard this and finally revealed a smile that looked like that of a teenager, letting out a soft hum.

"Good for nothing."

But despite saying this, his gaze remained fixed outside the hall for a long time.

The mountain wind blew through the hall.

The bells chimed softly.

This fourteen-year-old "Temple Master" had bright eyes, but in his heart, he was still repeatedly recalling that young figure from just moments ago.

He had asked once when he came up the mountain; he seemed to be called Su Ye.

"Perhaps my good fortune is insufficient, and I have missed an opportunity to cross paths with such a divine person."

"Or perhaps I am too good at scheming, successful at a young age, blinded by greed, hiding in the dark, not daring to interact with him with my true identity, like..."

His expression suddenly turned ugly.

"A rat in the sewer."

"Not worthy of discussing the Dao with him."