"Cutting corners on your teaching? You're going to turn me into one of your disciples, huh?"
Zeng Mo chuckled and took out a handful of paper talismans from his pocket, then burned them in front of the Gate of Divinity. The gray-robed old man who had followed him into the woods vanished.
Soon, he sensed someone spying on him from the forest.
At once,
his thoughts stirred, and he summoned the Gate of Divinity.
Then he returned to the central hall of the Tiger-Basking Immortal Academy.
Once he stepped through the Gate of Divinity, Zeng Mo focused his thoughts and softly called, "Gate." The gate vanished without a trace.
"Looks like that's how the Gate of Divinity works."
Zeng Mo memorized how to use the Gate of Divinity, then turned and headed for the academy's main gate. Once he was outside, he strolled down the street toward the market.
[Warning! You are approaching a group of people who are being targeted. She has just awakened her divinity and become a servant of the Three Hidden Fire Gods. Your arrival may draw the attention of the Three Hidden Fire Gods, whose names are known throughout the realm. They might even make you their target, and you could awaken your divinity and become their servant as well.]
When he reached the market, Zeng Mo heard the system prompt. He slowed his steps and curiously looked toward a group of elderly men and women not far away.
At that moment,
he was following behind a group of old people dressed in gray. He kept a proper distance, staying behind an old woman with a cane.
The old woman had a kind expression, but she swung her cane with astonishing speed. It was sturdy and had a thick, heavy head.
"I wonder which of the Three Hidden Fire Gods the newcomers serve."
Zeng Mo stayed quiet and silently followed the elderly men and women.
But before long,
a familiar young man's voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
"You're a piece of trash, Mo Ning. Your Chaotic Origin Form-Intent Cane is worse than garbage. You can't even compare to the old man who taught you to practice cane techniques every day. I only had a few words with him, and he went and beat me up!"
[Warning! Your host has attracted the attention of a servant of the Three Hidden Fire Gods. Before the gods, the host must offer up the energy of his divine effect and become their servant! Host, flee immediately!]
The system's urgent prompt made Zeng Mo stop in his tracks.
He'd been noticed!
What should he do?
After thinking for a moment, Zeng Mo turned around and followed the voice.
He saw the young master streamer from the academy, his hair styled into a small bun, pointing at himself and complaining to the old man who had taught him cane techniques.
"So the old man who just followed me was one of the Three Hidden Fire Gods."
"Looks can be deceiving."
"He seemed like such a nice person. He taught cane techniques at the academy every day, yet he was so vicious. He even turned all those old men and women into his servants."
Zeng Mo rubbed his chin.
But soon he understood.
In a world full of spirits and strange phenomena, ordinary people would do anything to survive. They could even lose their minds and become twisted.
Besides, this was a world of cultivation.
Just as Zeng Mo was thinking, the old man who had spoken to Mo Ning, along with a group of old men and women following behind him, walked toward the young master streamer. It looked as though he meant to settle a score with the boy.
"So you're the one who said my Chaotic Origin Form-Intent Cane was trash?" The old man's expression darkened.
"I didn't say that." Zeng Mo shook his head.
"Then was it you who beat up my young disciple?"
"Do you know why he was beaten?"
"Even if he was at fault, you had no right to beat him up." The old man's voice was stern.
"Then what do you want?" Zeng Mo chuckled.
"Simple. You said the Chaotic Origin Form-Intent Cane was trash, didn't you?" The old man glanced at him, then began walking toward Zeng Mo. "Let me show you what our Chaotic Origin Form-Intent Cane is really capable of."
"Huh? Show me?"
Zeng Mo understood. The old man wanted to teach him a lesson.
At once,
he clapped his hands together and declined. "Forget it. If I accidentally hurt you, you'll just lie on the ground and accuse me of beating you up. I don't need that kind of trouble."
The old man was furious.
"You think I'd accuse you of beating me up? If I really wanted to make trouble, I wouldn't bother taking you along with me."
"Then I won't compete with you."
Zeng Mo turned to leave.
"Stop!"
An elderly woman loyal to the old man stepped in front of Zeng Mo. "You brat, you think you can just walk away after provoking our master? If you dare leave, I'll sit down right here and accuse you of assaulting an old woman!"
"Ma'am, I'm afraid of being falsely accused, not of you."
Zeng Mo said it plainly.
The old woman immediately sat down on the ground and began wailing. "Help! Someone's beating me! Come see for yourselves!"
Zeng Mo gave an exasperated sigh.
"Fine. You want to fight? Then let's fight. One round should settle it."
"It's not that I can't fight. I just don't like holding back. If I give it my all and hurt you, you'll have only yourself to blame."
The old man's words from earlier came back to Zeng Mo.
"Don't make me laugh. I've practiced martial arts for decades. Even King Tai once challenged me, and I defeated him with a single move. I don't need to hold back against some youngster."
The old man laughed and demonstrated his cane technique once again.
"The old man's even sparred with King Tai?"
The elderly men and women nearby all began chattering excitedly.
"That's right. I heard that King Tai even wanted to take him as his master and learn a few tricks, but our old man wouldn't accept him."
"Our old man is a peerless expert from beyond this world. He mastered his cane technique years ago, and now this young fool thinks he can challenge him."
"Exactly. It's a good thing young people still get a reality check now and then."
"Right. Otherwise, they'd have no idea how vast the world is."
Hearing the old man boast, Zeng Mo couldn't help but sigh.
He didn't want to hit anyone.
So,
he spent 20 points of Faith to use Agility Enhancement, increasing his own agility fivefold.
In the blink of an eye, at a speed nobody could follow, he took a step and appeared behind the old man, then kicked him hard in the backside.
Bam!
The old man flew forward and crashed into the young master streamer. The impact sent the young man stumbling several feet before he fell to the ground.
"Ah! Old man, are you all right?"
"Quick, help him up!"
"I'm fine. It was just an accident. Help me up."
In the chaos, the old man was helped to his feet by a group of elderly men and women.
The old man who had just been helped up felt deeply aggrieved.
That was way too fast, wasn't it?
If little Li hadn't cushioned his fall, he might have broken his old bones.
An elderly woman beside him saw him standing there without moving and asked with concern, "Old man, are you all right?"
"I'm fine. The young man just made a mistake. He reached out without thinking. It was disrespectful, but it wasn't deliberate." The old man said.
"Exactly. It was disrespectful, but he didn't do it on purpose." The old woman who had been sitting on the ground wailed as she clung to the old man's arm.
At the same time,
she whispered to Zeng Mo, "Kid, that wasn't very respectful. I won't tell them to attack you, but you still can't just go throwing punches."
Zeng Mo scratched his head and asked, "Then... should I try again?"
"Don't even think about it. There won't be a next time." The old woman replied.
The elderly man who had helped Zeng Mo up suddenly pushed his way through the crowd. He looked up at the sky and let out a cry of dismay. "Ah! I just remembered, I have something to take care of at the martial arts school. Young man, let's compare skills another day."
As he spoke, the old man hurried away, not caring how the others called after him. He turned and raced toward the academy's main gate.
Before you continue