In the not-too-large living room.
Qingyun Zhenren sat quietly, a tea set placed before him. Looking at Lu Changsheng, he slowly said, "Changsheng, don't drink wine. Drink more tea. Drinking doesn't suit your temperament."
"Can drinking tea or wine really change anything?"
Lu Changsheng sat down and looked at Qingyun Zhenren, his tone very calm.
If it had been anyone else facing Qingyun Zhenren, they might have been trembling with fear and trepidation, but Lu Changsheng was exceedingly at ease.
After all, when they had first met, this master of his had already seemed rather abnormal.
Perhaps cultivating for several thousand years had caused some problem with his mind, or perhaps he had returned to simplicity a little too far. His mentality was remarkably youthful, and he did not speak with so many rigid rules, leaving Lu Changsheng under little pressure.
Qingyun Daoist glanced at Lu Changsheng.
Indeed, whether drinking wine or tea, Lu Changsheng's indescribable temperament was utterly unmatched.
When drinking, he was carefree to the extreme—wine did not intoxicate the man; the man intoxicated himself.
When drinking tea, he was as still as a maiden, refined and easygoing, yet extraordinary.
But when Qingyun Daoist remembered that this was his disciple, he could not help secretly chuckling.
"Changsheng, I have arranged everything. In ten days, the Great Luo Gathering will be held. At that time, you will be appointed the Eldest Senior Brother of the Great Luo Holy Land. You must perform well then."
Qingyun Daoist revealed the reason for calling him here, leaving Lu Changsheng somewhat surprised.
"Eldest Senior Brother?" Lu Changsheng shook his head. He felt both helpless and conflicted. In the end, he sighed and said, "I may have to disappoint you, Master. Your disciple is not that kind of genius."
Lu Changsheng did not wish to hide anything. He directly stated the truth that his aptitude was ordinary.
If he concealed it, it would only bring greater trouble.
Of course, Lu Changsheng knew very well that doing this might bring him other unfavorable consequences—for instance, disappointing Qingyun Daoist.
Yet surprisingly, Qingyun Daoist showed no surprise whatsoever. Instead, he calmly nodded. "I know."
Now it was Lu Changsheng's turn to be surprised.
He had thought his master would be shocked, then disappointed in him, and finally expel him from the sect. Then he would awaken a system and slap faces.
But he had never expected that his master would not be surprised in the slightest. He even seemed as though he had known all along, which was incomprehensible.
"Master, this—"
Lu Changsheng grew curious. He looked at Qingyun Daoist, his eyes filled with doubt.
Qingyun Daoist lifted his teacup and took a small sip before speaking.
"Changsheng, let me ask you. What country was the dynasty you lived in three years ago called?"
Qingyun Daoist asked a baffling question.
Lu Changsheng thought for a moment before answering directly.
"It was called Yan Country."
"Mm. Yan Country. Do you know how many people Yan Country has?"
Qingyun Daoist continued questioning him.
"Roughly a hundred million people."
After pondering briefly, Lu Changsheng gave his answer.
Once he finished speaking, Qingyun Daoist nodded and continued.
"The place where Yan Country is located is called Li Province. Within Li Province, countries like Yan Country are as countless as ox hairs—at least thirty thousand of them. Yet Central Land has seventy-two provinces, and Li Province is merely one of them. Beyond Central Land lie the Eastern Wilderness Southern Ridge and the Northern River Western Desert."
"With that, how could the human race in this world number merely hundreds of millions? Moreover, in the mortal world, people marry at sixteen, bear children at twenty, and another cycle passes in forty years. Ordinary people live one hundred and fifty years, multiplying without cease, with children and grandchildren after them."
"So, Changsheng, let me ask you: does this world lack geniuses?"
Qingyun Daoist's words made Lu Changsheng fall silent.
He considered it carefully. After a long while, he shook his head. "No."
At this point, Qingyun Daoist rose to his feet and gazed into the distance beyond the door. "That's right. This world does not lack geniuses. Take the Great Luo Holy Land—even the lowest-ranking miscellaneous disciples are one-in-a-hundred talents among mortals. Looking over the outer sect disciples, pick any one of them at random, and perhaps he is royalty or nobility from some dynasty. As for those Inner Sect disciples, which one is not outstanding among the young? Which one is not a nation's favored prodigy?"
"Not to mention those Core Disciples. Pick any one of them, and he is a genius of his region. If they wished, they could entirely open up territory and establish an Aristocratic Clan that endured for a thousand years."
"As for the True Disciples, every one of them is a renowned peerless prodigy in the Immortal Cultivation World, unparalleled in wisdom, their swords pointed toward the Great Dao."
"Without any boasting, your master was also a peerless genius whose name shook the Immortal Cultivation World in those days. Otherwise, I could not have become the Great Luo Sect Master. But whether it was your master, your grandmaster, or your grandmaster's grandmaster, all of us have seen countless geniuses. Yet none of us has ever encountered someone like you."
Qingyun Daoist's words overturned Lu Changsheng's worldview.
"Someone like me?"
Lu Changsheng grew a little curious.
"That's right. Someone exactly like you."
"What is wrong with me?"
Lu Changsheng's curiosity deepened.
"You are far too different. Of every genius I have seen, none had the word 'genius' written on his face. Every genius must cultivate through his own efforts, break through realms, cultivate supreme heart scriptures, and shatter records left by the ancients before being acknowledged as a genius. But you are different."
"Simply standing there makes people involuntarily believe that you are a genius—and a peerless genius at that."
"Others need to strive and struggle, but you do not. That is what sets you apart. Therefore, whether you are truly a genius is irrelevant. As long as others believe you are a genius, that is enough."
"For thousands of years, the Great Luo Holy Land has had no Eldest Senior Brother. It is not because there were no suitable candidates, but because no matter who was chosen, someone would refuse to accept it. But you are different. If you are chosen as Eldest Senior Brother, no one will question you, and no one will doubt you. Even if someone does doubt you, you will not need to explain yourself. Your supporters will help you unconditionally—for instance, Ziyun."
"Ever since she met you, she has been convinced that you are her True Dragon. You must know that Ziyun may very well be an immortal reincarnated. She is proud and arrogant, looking down on everyone, yet she alone has developed feelings of admiration for you. This is where your extraordinariness lies."
"So what does it matter whether you are a genius? Everyone under heaven believes you are a genius, so you are a genius. Disciple, do you understand?"
Qingyun Daoist's lengthy speech was coherent from beginning to end, every sentence reasonable, so persuasive that Lu Changsheng had nearly believed him.
"But if I rely only on appearances, won't I be exposed one day?"
Lu Changsheng could not help speaking up.
After all, this was an immortal cultivation world where the weak were meat and the strong ate it. Strength was the foundation of everything; without strength, all else was empty talk.
"Not so, not so." Qingyun Daoist shook his head. "People only believe their own eyes. They are deceived by false appearances; they cannot see through them, nor do they wish to. Those who can see through them will not expose them either. Most importantly, your grandmaster—my own master—once told me a profound truth that benefited me for life. I will tell it to you now. Contemplate it well."
"Your disciple is all ears."
Lu Changsheng gathered himself and listened attentively.
Very soon, Qingyun Daoist stood with his hands behind his back before the door, carrying the bearing of a lofty master. After brewing his words for a long time, he slowly spoke.
"Handsome people have good luck."
Lu Changsheng: ""
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