No Holding Grudges After the Fight

This time, everyone was genuinely astonished.

Master Chai's eyes went wide as he stared at his disciple in disbelief.

Even he, the boy's own master, hadn't known about this!

He had always thought his disciple had taken three days, which already made him a genius. He had never expected...

A sharp glint flashed in Guan Shihua's eyes.

She had originally been concerned that the child was young and might be nervous around strangers, unable to explain things clearly.

She had planned to guide him along bit by bit and find out just how talented he was.

She also wanted to see what the boy's disposition, manner of speech, and character were like.

But now, she keenly noticed that a few words from the youth before her had instantly and subtly changed the direction of the whole story.

This was no longer the ordinary tale of an unremarkable old country master bringing his reasonably talented disciple to seek a senior's support.

In the conversation that followed, the focus would very likely shift from her and the master to the youth whose words had startled everyone.

What was more, she had a feeling.

Something might really happen next that would surprise even her.

With Guan Shihua's cultivated state of mind, Mount Tai could collapse before her without changing her expression, and she could easily regain her composure no matter what surprise came her way.

Her expression quickly grew kind again, and she asked directly:

"Oh? You got started that very day? Then why did you tell your master it took three days? And why are you willing to say it now?"

Qing He Miao met her gaze and answered frankly:

"I'd only just become his disciple back then, and I didn't know Master well yet. You can't see what's inside another person's heart, and with my circumstances, I couldn't help being a little wary. I was afraid that if I progressed too quickly, it might cause unnecessary trouble or... give rise to other thoughts, so I deliberately delayed for two days to hide my abilities."

He paused and looked back at Master Chai, whose expression was complicated upon hearing his reason for "hiding his abilities." Qing He Miao smiled, turned back, and spoke plainly:

"I'm saying it now because, for my sake, my master put aside his pride and came all this way to ask to see you. It hasn't been easy for him. I can't let his efforts go to waste.

"If I want to get benefits or opportunities of enough weight from you, I have to show what I can do first and prove that I really have the qualifications and value to deserve them."

In truth, with the system, he had already been able to circulate his cultivation method and accumulate Qi the moment he clicked confirm.

As for the time he had spent afterward tempering his body and practicing meditation with his master, that had merely been a way to increase his proficiency while going along with the training.

And the reason he had hidden his abilities was naturally that, as a transmigrator with modern memories, he had read too many online novels in later generations about "gangster-style cultivation."

After arriving in this unfamiliar world and meeting a master with supernatural abilities who had offered to take him as a disciple, he had instinctively raised his guard!

As the saying went, if you don't work hard at cultivation, you'll be brothers in the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

Weren't there plenty of stories where, between master and disciple, the loser ended up as the main soul in the Ten Thousand Souls Banner?

And now he had chosen to reveal his abilities to actively "raise the stakes" and demonstrate his value.

After all, this trip of theirs was essentially an attempt to "attract investment."

He was using his potentially enormous future potential and a favor in exchange for the "real gold and silver" that Guan Shihua, a "major investor," could offer right now.

Whether that meant cultivation resources, introductions to useful contacts, or protection and guidance at a critical moment.

They were neither family nor friends, and this was their first meeting.

If they didn't show something real, why would she offer them good terms in exchange?

Guan Shihua looked at Qing He Miao as he spoke so coherently. Far from being displeased, she found him quite interesting and felt a desire to tease and test him a little.

Her gaze flickered, and a shadowy figure quietly appeared behind her, visible through the unique perception of a Horse-Riding Immortal.

It took the form of a kindly old woman with silver hair gathered into a simple little bun, dressed in a plain white robe of coarse cotton and linen.

Yet she was full of vigor, like a venerable ancestor presiding over a vast family.

The shadowy figure's aura was substantial. Though she exerted no deliberate pressure, she naturally radiated a grave and commanding presence that inspired respect.

"Heh heh, good lad. You see things clearly, and you've got plenty of nerve, too."

Guan Shihua's voice remained kind, but her words carried curiosity:

"Then how can you be sure nothing will go wrong this time, when you still don't know the people involved?"

Of course it's because I have the confidence to get out.

That was what Qing He Miao thought, but his face showed no fear.

He felt as though the air around him had grown heavier, and even the Qi that had been flowing smoothly through his body was invisibly suppressed, becoming somewhat sluggish.

Even so, he persisted in slowly circulating his cultivation method, doing his best to keep his Qi flowing.

At the same time, a somewhat blurry figure appeared behind him as well, her presence far weaker than that of the figure behind Guan Shihua.

She too took the form of an old woman, but her figure was more insubstantial, and her aura gentler and more restrained. She was none other than Granny Bai, the immortal revered by Master Chai's lineage, manifesting herself.

As soon as the shadowy figure appeared, she first bowed respectfully toward the imposing figure behind Guan Shihua, her manner courteous.

Yet she did not disappear. Instead, she remained floating steadfastly behind Qing He Miao.

With the immortal sharing the pressure, Qing He Miao spoke calmly:

"The relationship between us Horse-Riding disciples and our immortals is like that of family. I believe that here with you, Granny Guan, there must be many highly respected immortal seniors of our Horse-Riding Immortal lineage gathered.

"With so many immortal seniors watching, surely you wouldn't bully my master and me along with the immortal protecting us, Granny Guan."

He had spoken neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Good lad! At such a young age, you already have such a deep understanding of our lineage's cultivation methods. More importantly, you're not shy around strangers, you're openhearted, and you speak well!"

Guan Shihua's smile grew brighter and more delighted at his words, and the imposing figure behind her slowly faded away, as though she had never appeared.

She praised him from the heart:

"For that quick wit alone, I can't let you and your master go home empty-handed and have people gossiping about me, the grand sect leader. However..."

She changed tack, her expression growing more serious as she carefully studied Qing He Miao once again:

"If what you say is true, and you were able to sense Qi and get started overnight, then your comprehension and affinity for Qi are indeed astonishing.

"But from my probing and observation just now, the amount of Qi you've accumulated seems merely average, perhaps even... a little less than some hardworking children your age. That leaves me somewhat uncertain."

Normally, in the early stages of cultivation, especially when laying the foundation, talent was closely tied to one's innate constitution and aptitude.

With a good constitution, the body was more sensitive to the primordial Qi of heaven and earth and could contain more of it, so cultivation naturally yielded twice the result for half the effort.

Even if one's comprehension defied heaven and allowed one to understand a cultivation method inside and out, drawing Qi into the body and accumulating it in the early stages still depended mainly on the body's "container" and "channels."

In system terms, it was the amount of experience gained from each cultivation session.

Chapter 17: No Holding Grudges After the Fight

Qing He Miao understood Guan Shihua's doubts perfectly well.

He had secretly tested himself in private and found that his aptitude in this life was probably only ordinary.

Without the system, he might not even have become an extraordinary person.

On top of that, he had to waste most of this period of his life at school.

His progress in this respect was naturally not much better than that of children from dedicated extraordinary families.

Guan Shihua's meaning was clear: there were many kinds of talent.

Some talents let a person walk more steadily and farther along the orthodox path, straight to the peak, while others might allow a person to break new ground in unorthodox paths and strange arts.

Still other talents might show themselves more in the accumulation of knowledge and theoretical innovation, while offering limited help in improving practical combat ability.

As the old saying went, you could see a person's old age at three.

She was delighted to meet Qing He Miao today and had indeed considered helping the younger generation and nurturing talent for their Horse-Riding Immortal lineage.

But... how many resources to allocate and which connections to call upon were matters that required consideration.

Much of what they had was the shared foundation of the Horse-Riding Immortal lineage, and she alone did not have the final say over it.

It all had to depend on actual value and future potential.

If they could produce someone with a constitution, comprehension, and temperament as outstanding as those of Mount Longhu's Old Celestial Master, Zhang Zhiwei,

Then naturally, there would be nothing to discuss.

Whatever treasures the Horse-Riding Immortal lineage had tucked away at the bottom of the chest, they could pour them all in without a second thought!

As long as such a person wasn't a wolf-hearted, dog-lunged ingrate, their value to the entire school once they matured would be immeasurable.

Even taking a step back, if they could nurture a top expert who could reliably represent the Horse-Riding Immortals and shoulder great responsibilities in the future,

Then investing more heavily in their training would definitely be worth it.

Guan Shihua had two grandsons, but she was not the narrow-minded sort who blindly favored her own.

As long as a promising talent benefited the entire school, once they matured, they would become part of the Horse-Riding Immortals' foundation.

When the time came, as long as they handled matters properly, avoided vicious infighting, and competed fairly to select the most suitable person for the corresponding position, that would be perfectly normal in any school or sect.

But if it was the other possibility,

If his comprehension was merely good and his insights original, while his constitution and aptitude—or rather, his body's ability to accumulate Qi and its other capabilities—became weaknesses holding him back,

Leaving him unlikely to reach the heights of cultivation in his lifetime, with insights but no strength to match,

Then could they also consider reducing the resources allocated to him and stretching out the training period?

"There's nothing to be done. Heaven grants you your livelihood; you take what it gives you. You can't force what you don't have, and complaining won't help."

One of the system's core functions still couldn't easily be put to use, so his level naturally couldn't rise at an astonishing pace.

Qing He Miao felt helpless about that too, but he said with an easy air:

"However, if you want to verify it, I do have a very simple and direct way."

Guan Shihua's interest was piqued, and she leaned forward slightly.

"Oh? How? Let's hear it."

Qing He Miao raised his hand and pointed at Deng Youcai, who had been leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded, watching the show like a background prop. He said clearly:

"Simple. Wouldn't it be most straightforward if Brother Deng and I had a fight?"

"The hell? What are you looking at?"

The spectator had become part of the show. Deng Youcai immediately unfolded his arms and swore.

The casual expression on his face vanished, replaced by displeasure at being looked down on.

He was Guan Shihua's own grandson, after all, and a known figure among the younger generation of Horse-Riding Immortals beyond the Pass.

Now a half-grown kid who looked young and whose Qi wasn't particularly abundant had called him out by name for a "fight." It really felt a little awkward.

Master Chai was even more startled. He hurriedly stepped forward, tugged at Qing He Miao's sleeve, and tried to dissuade him in a low, urgent voice: