Two Geniuses

The next morning, Ling Tian woke up yawning. Recalling that he had been tossing and turning half the night, he couldn't help but give a wry smile, but then his heart filled with sweetness and he smiled. Looking at his slightly tired appearance, Ling Tian had a thought, and a warm, peaceful energy spread throughout his body. Strangely, the intense drowsiness that had been there moments ago vanished instantly, and he became spirited. Ling Tian was used to this and didn't pay much attention.

"Am I going to see Min'er now? But why do I feel my heart pounding erratically?" Although Ling Tian had countless thoughts about Hua Min'er, he suddenly felt a bit anxious about going to see her.

"What's there to be afraid of? It's not like I'm going to see some ferocious ghost or beast." Ling Tian encouraged himself, then unfolded his movement technique and dashed towards Qingdie Peak.

Qingyou Peak was to the east of Qingyun Mountain, and Qingdie Peak was to the west. Ling Tian couldn't yet fly with objects, so he naturally had to pass by Qingyun Peak to get to Qingdie Peak, as it was the shortest route.

Ling Tian ran quickly. Upon reaching Qingyun Peak, he couldn't help but stop, attracted by the discussions of the Qingyun Peak disciples, and listened intently.

"Did you hear? Qingdie Peak has produced a genius that appears once in a hundred, no, a thousand years." A slightly dark-skinned disciple on Qingyun Peak said to the disciples around him, proudly. He looked as if he were the genius himself.

"How could we not have heard? The news has spread everywhere. They say that woman completed the 'Heavenly Ladder' on Qingdie Peak. Although Qingdie Peak's 'Heavenly Ladder' only has four colors, it's enough to make even the Peak Masters struggle to catch up." Another disciple continued, his face full of envy.

"Who believes she could only walk four colored steps? Seeing her still have energy left after completing the four colored steps, she probably could have continued further." Another disciple chimed in.

"Oh, is that so? Why haven't I heard about this?" a disciple asked, full of confusion.

"Tch, you're just ignorant. I heard her master, Peak Master Ye Feidie, will soon bring her to our Qingyun Peak's main branch for testing. Among the nine peaks of Qingyun, only Qingyun Peak's 'Heavenly Ladder' goes beyond four levels, reaching the full nine levels." A disciple said with great pride, as if he had learned some immense secret.

"I heard that our Sect Master is in a terrible mood about this, but he can only sulk." a disciple said cautiously.

"This genius girl slipped away from right under the Sect Master's nose. How could he not be angry? But he can't say anything, since he was the one who misjudged her at the time." Another disciple joined in, but lowered his voice even further. If they weren't cultivators, they probably wouldn't have heard him. It seemed they were somewhat afraid of something.

"Yes, it was one of our Qingyun Vein senior disciples who rescued her. The Sect Master probably thought she wouldn't have much talent when she was crying and whimpering, so he simply gave her to Qingdie Peak." a disciple who knew some of the inside story said.

"Ahem, how can we discuss the Sect Master's affairs? Let's talk about that genius instead." a disciple coughed lightly, glanced at the Great Hall of Qingyun Peak, and hastily stopped the other disciples. A flash of fear appeared in the eyes of the other disciples, and they also hastily stopped discussing Green Cloud Master, clearly showing great reverence for this Sect Master of Qingyun Peak.

"I wonder when the Peak Master of Qingdie Peak will bring her to Qingyun Peak. I really want to witness that genius's immortal beauty. I heard Qingdie Peak specifically recruits beautiful women." a disciple with a somewhat lewd expression licked his lips, his demeanor a bit lascivious.

"It's probably in the next few days. Save your energy. How could a genius like that be within reach of ordinary people like us? However, a glimpse is possible. We should pay more attention to Qingdie Peak's movements these days." That disciple had some self-awareness and mocked himself.

"Mm, but speaking of this genius, it reminds me of another 'genius', hehe." When he mentioned the second genius, his expression was full of disdain and schadenfreude. It was surprising to see these two emotions appear simultaneously, and one had to admit that his expressions were quite rich.

"You're talking about the one from Qingyou Peak, right? That's truly a genius. A genius who completed the nine-colored 'Heavenly Ladder', haha." a disciple laughed without any concealment.

"Haha!" Everyone else also burst into laughter.

Hearing this, Ling Tian finally understood the man's two contrasting expressions just now. The disdain was because he was a waste, and the schadenfreude was probably because, not being a genius himself, he was happy to see another's path to genius be cut off, a selfish desire stemming from not wanting others to have what he didn't.

"Qingdie Peak produced a genius? It seems I've been too out of touch, not knowing anything." Ling Tian mocked himself slightly.

For the past ten-plus years, Ling Tian had only played or cultivated on Qingyou Peak every day, rarely paying attention to the movements of the other peaks. It was no wonder he didn't know many things.

"Could the second 'genius' be me?" Ling Tian felt a bit dejected, but it quickly vanished, replaced by an angry expression.

"Alas, forget it. Father said there's no need to stoop to the level of these petty people." Ling Tian recalled his father's words and quickly suppressed his anger.

"Let's go, to Qingdie Peak. I wonder if Min'er misses me." Thinking this, Ling Tian flew away.

"Huh? That person just now came from Qingyou Peak. Could it be..." Someone watched Ling Tian's receding figure, saying with a hint of worry.

"So what if it's him? A 'waste' who can't cultivate. What's there to fear?" a disciple with a sturdy build said carelessly.

"You, all brawn and no brain. Why didn't you join Qingshi Peak back then? Qingshi Peak specializes in physical training, which would suit you." Another disciple, who appeared a bit shrewd, clearly wasn't impressed with the sturdy disciple's intelligence.

"What do you mean, Senior Brother?" the sturdy disciple asked, scratching his head with a simple smile.

"You, sigh, how can I put this? We're not afraid of Ling Tian, but there's a terrifying existence behind him." The shrewd disciple was completely defeated and had to explain, though a hint of amusement flickered in his heart.

"Uh, I probably can't beat the Peak Master of Qingyou Peak. He won't come to seek revenge on me, will he? What should I do, Senior Brother?" The sturdy disciple finally remembered something and broke out in a cold sweat.

"Junior Disciple Ren Qing, you, you shouldn't scare Junior Disciple Shi Tou like that. How could Peak Master Lingyun bother with people like us?" A disciple nearby, seeing the shrewd disciple teasing Shi Tou, couldn't stand it and came to Shi Tou's rescue.

"Hehe, it's been a while. I was just playing with Shi Tou. Why did Senior Brother Chu Yun expose me?" Ren Qing chuckled sheepishly, looking a bit displeased at Chu Yun.

"Senior Brother Ren Qing, you're bullying me again, sob sob." Shi Tou pouted, feigning a cute and innocent look. However, it was quite peculiar to see his sturdy frame making such a gesture.

"Stop pretending. Your acting is terrible, haha." Ren Qing burst into laughter and knocked on Shi Tou's large head.

Everyone else also roared with laughter.

"However, in the past few years, some people have seen Ling Tian frequently practicing his physique. It's best not to underestimate him." Chu Yun pondered for a moment, then recalled something and said.

"Hmph, I'm not afraid of him when it comes to physique. Isn't he just relying on Peak Master Lingyun behind him? If he dares to come, I'll make sure he regrets it." Shi Tou was exceptionally rough, swinging his arms, which were thicker than Ren Qing's thighs. Having been bullied often, he naturally wanted to try bullying others. Besides, when it came to physique, he wasn't afraid of anyone. He was only bullied by Ren Qing because Ren Qing was already at the Qi Solidification Stage and could fly with his sword.

"You, you'll suffer sooner or later if you continue to be so reckless." Chu Yun chuckled lightly, clearly fond of this simple-minded junior disciple.

"It's okay, aren't you Senior Brothers here? Why should I bother using my brain?" Shi Tou looked pleadingly at his senior brothers.

"Hehe..." Everyone chuckled, and soon forgot about Ling Tian. Then, they continued to discuss other sights and sounds in Qingyun Mountain.