Guang Chengzi, who had taken a stray hit, was clearly used to it and accepted the criticism calmly.
Only Huanglong returned to his seat, his face flushed with embarrassment.
The demonstrations by his junior brothers that followed made him feel even more ill at ease.
Even the two named disciples displayed divine abilities that surpassed his.
By the time he left Jade Void Palace, Huanglong was still dazed.
"Junior Brother, don't take it to heart. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come to me."
A voice as warm and gentle as a spring breeze reached his ears.
Huanglong looked up and saw a young Daoist with an extraordinary bearing.
"Greetings, Eldest Senior Brother. I caused you trouble again at Jade Void Palace just now. I'm truly sorry."
Guang Chengzi merely smiled as if it were nothing.
He gently patted Huanglong on the shoulder to encourage him.
"As the eldest senior brother of the Chan Sect, I naturally share responsibility when you fall behind in your studies."
"Don't take it to heart, Junior Brother. Diligence can make up for a lack of talent. Just cultivate diligently, and you'll surely amount to something."
With that, Guang Chengzi left first.
Even after returning to his cave abode, Huanglong remained dispirited.
"My comprehension really is terrible. If only there were some way to improve it."
"Master was right, too. The way I am now, I really am bringing shame upon the Chan Sect."
"Alas... With such poor comprehension, I wonder what my junior brothers think of me."
At that moment, Huanglong was truly down on his luck.
He had an excellent innate foundation but no comprehension, and though he had joined the sect early, he was inferior to all his junior brothers.
He slumped onto the Cushion, his head hanging in dejection. Like Fan Jin before he passed the imperial examination, he kept murmuring to himself.
"Comprehension... comprehension..."
The more Huanglong said it, the more bitter his mouth felt.
Then he suddenly sat bolt upright as an idea flashed through his mind.
"The pills refined by Junior Brother Xuandan!"
After Xuan Du took one, he had comprehended a divine ability.
San Xiao had eaten the pills and attained the Golden Immortal Dao Fruit on the spot.
If he wanted to improve his comprehension, those pills couldn't be more suitable.
And since they were fellow disciples, it would also bring them closer.
The more Huanglong thought about it, the more he felt this plan could work.
But that side effect of turning into a loli... It would be mortifying!
He had just stood up, but slowly sat back down.
He couldn't help recalling Xuan Du's anguished expression in front of the Memory Stone.
He had even kept a copy of the recording himself.
He imagined himself turning into a little loli after swallowing the pill, with everyone staring at him.
Huanglong furrowed his brow, while his tightly clenched fists showed just how conflicted he was.
"Which matters more, my dignity or the pill?"
"Besides, I've never interacted with Junior Brother Xuandan. I don't even know if I can get a pill from him."
He gritted his teeth. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he wavered.
At last, he sprang to his feet, his eyes revealing a hint of resolve.
"How can I let my dignity stop me from getting the pill?"
"What does dignity matter next to improving my strength?"
As for what to do after getting the pill, he could just beg Junior Brother Xuandan to keep it secret.
And if that didn't work, what was the harm in getting down on his knees and begging?
He was already going to such lengths. A little more embarrassment wouldn't make any difference.
Huanglong set off at once, carefully concealing his whereabouts along the way until he finally reached Xuan Dan's Mansion.
"I am True Person Huanglong of the Chan Sect. I've come especially to pay Junior Brother Xuandan a visit!"
At that moment, Xuandan had just finished refining a batch of Tianxin Pills in his cave abode.
He marked each Tianxin Pill differently, muttering as he worked.
"This one's for Senior Sister Jin Ling, this one's for Senior Sister Cai Yun..."
When he heard Huanglong's voice, he looked puzzled.
"Huanglong? True Person of Three Absences?"
Huanglong was one of the better-known among the Chan Sect's twelve direct disciples.
But he wasn't famous for powerful divine abilities like Guang Chengzi.
Nor was he known for teaching outstanding disciples like True Person Taiyi and True Person Yu Ding.
He was famous for his misfortunes: no disciples, no magic treasures, and no cultivation. Hence, he was called True Person of Three Absences.
Though Xuandan was puzzled, he still opened the door.
"So it's Senior Brother Huanglong. Please, come in."
Once they were inside the cave abode, they exchanged a few pleasantries.
Huanglong wore an expression as if he were constipated, as though there were something he found difficult to say.
Xuandan couldn't be bothered with small talk and went straight to the point.
"May I ask why you've come to my humble abode, Senior Brother?"
Huanglong gave an awkward smile and spoke in a low voice.
"Well... Ahem. Do you have any Tianxin Pills left, Junior Brother?"
"I've hit a bottleneck lately, so I came to ask for one, shamelessly."
"Your senior brother doesn't have much to offer, but after all these years on Kunlun Mountain, I've managed to build up a few possessions. If there's anything you need, I'll do my best to provide it."
Xuandan raised an eyebrow, and the two exchanged a knowing smile.
Both wore expressions that said they understood perfectly well.
"You're in luck, Senior Brother. This batch of Tianxin Pills just came out of the furnace."
With that, he handed a Tianxin Pill to Huanglong.
At the same time, the system's voice suddenly rang in his mind.
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host, for gifting someone a Tianxin Pill. You have received a random reward! ]
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host, for obtaining a low-grade Acquired Spiritual Root: Cloud Sun Grass! ]
Xuandan was delighted. The reward was just to his liking.
True Person Huanglong was even happier to receive the Tianxin Pill.
Both of them wore beaming smiles.
"Thank you for the pill, Junior Brother. If you ever need anything from me, just ask."
True Person Huanglong couldn't wait to go back and cultivate in seclusion.
But Xuandan suddenly spoke with a meaningful smile.
"As it happens, there's something I need your help with right now, Senior Brother."
Huanglong was in high spirits and answered casually.
"Go ahead, Junior Brother. I'll repay you for the kindness of this pill."
Xuandan looked Huanglong up and down, then nodded slightly.
"It's nothing difficult. I just need you to take the pill in front of me."
The moment he heard that, the smile on Huanglong's face froze.
He'd turn into a loli after swallowing the pill!
All the pills had the same side effect, and now Xuandan was making such a peculiar request.
Could it be that this new junior brother, recently accepted by their senior uncle...
The more he thought about it, the more horrified he became.
Xuandan's face twitched on one side, and he hurried to clear up the misunderstanding.
"Ahem. I just want to see whether this batch of pills still has that strange side effect."
Huanglong nodded slightly. So that was all.
He stopped worrying about it.
"Looks like you've improved this batch of pills, Junior Brother."
He was quite open-minded and swallowed the Tianxin Pill at once.
At the same time, he began working out how to cultivate the divine ability Manifestation of the Great Thousand and make it his own.
The incantations that had once been difficult to understand began to make sense.
Feeling his comprehension improve, Huanglong didn't dare waste this precious time.
Before you continue