In fact, it wasn't just him. After hearing Xiao Yi Xian's analysis, the other members of the group, both old and new, more or less understood what was going on.
Gentleman Sword: "So, in reality, it's quite possible that the Great Immortal isn't as powerful as we imagined?"
Undead Knight: "I still find it a little hard to accept..."
Sunrise in the East, Invincible: "What's so hard to accept? I thought something was off about him from the start. If he really were an omniscient and almighty, Great Immortal-level figure, why would he be interested in our martial arts manuals? Don't you think that's especially strange?"
Sunrise in the East, Invincible: "And don't talk about equivalent exchange. A few martial arts manuals are nothing compared to the future, yet [Omniscient and Almighty Li Daxian] went and made such a losing deal!"
Sunrise in the East, Invincible: "If he were the selfless sort, that would be one thing. But from what I've seen of him so far, I can't see any sign of such noble qualities. On the contrary, he's shameless and lecherous, and loves taking advantage of others... Tell me, would you really expect someone like that to give us a good deal for no reason?"
Sunrise in the East, Invincible: "And yet whenever there's a deal to be made, he's incredibly eager and enthusiastic, as if he were the one getting the better end of it, not us!"
Gentleman Sword: "You mean...?"
Yue Buqun wasn't a fool. In fact, if he were, he never would have become the head of the Mount Hua Sect. So he quickly realized what Dongfang Bai was getting at.
He just found it, more or less, a little hard to accept!
Sunrise in the East, Invincible: "Fool! You still don't understand?"
Sunrise in the East, Invincible: "What if that so-called Great Immortal had just been an ordinary person from the very beginning? Otherwise, why would he have been poisoned to death by the medicinal soup laced with poison in the new member's red packet?"
Sunrise in the East, Invincible: "Sure, he's gotten a few martial arts manuals from you and me lately, but he hasn't had much time to train. Even with an exceptional talent for cultivation, he probably hasn't reached a very high level. He might not even be able to beat Ning Caichen!"
Undead Knight: "..."
Ning Caichen, unwillingly reduced to a unit of measurement for combat strength, was thinking, What the hell? I was just watching the drama unfold. How did I end up as the group's combat-strength yardstick?
But what could he do? He couldn't win a fight, and he couldn't talk back. All he could do was keep his head down and pretend he hadn't heard!
After all, even Yue Buqun, the dignified head of the Mount Hua Sect, got bullied by Dongfang Bai. How could a newcomer like him, who'd only just started cultivating, possibly stand a chance against the female devil Dongfang Bai?
Gentleman Sword: "You make a lot of sense, but there's still something I don't understand. If your guess is right, and the Great Immortal is just an ordinary person, how did he learn so much about us? How could he even know our futures?"
Sunrise in the East, Invincible: "I think our friend who just joined the group might be able to answer that. @Martial Soul Hall Pope."
Looking at [Sunrise in the East, Invincible]'s deductions on the screen, Qian Xunji raised an eyebrow.
See? I told you pretending to be omniscient and almighty wouldn't work!
They were all old hands who'd lived long enough to know better. Not many of them were truly stupid! Even if they didn't see through it at first, they'd figure it out eventually.
That fellow transmigrator had thought his deception hadn't been exposed, and that everything was still under his control. He had no idea that he was the one being fooled.
For one thing, [Sunrise in the East, Invincible] had probably suspected that guy for a long time. She might even have seen through the charlatan's true nature early on. She'd simply lacked proof—or wanted to keep him around as a cash cow—and so hadn't exposed him.
That much was clear from how logically she'd laid out her analysis.
However, Qian Xunji didn't rush to answer [Sunrise in the East, Invincible]'s question. Instead, he casually opened the exclusive red packet she'd sent him earlier.
After all, he wasn't obligated to answer [Sunrise in the East, Invincible]. Besides, keeping her waiting a bit would make it easier for him to drive a hard bargain.
"Congratulations, you have received Nine Swords of Dugu."
"It's actually the Nine Swords of Dugu? That generous?"
Qian Xunji's eyes lit up when he saw what was in the red packet.
As far as he knew, the Nine Swords of Dugu was a top-tier martial art in the Smiling Proud Wanderer world. Even for him, it could serve as a useful supplement. Although combat techniques and martial arts like Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer existed in the Douluo Continent, people here favored obtaining Soul Skills directly from Soul Beasts. As a result, few bothered to train their own combat skills.
Qian Xunji, however, didn't mind learning a thing or two. Soul Skills weren't all-powerful, after all, and learning something new was always useful.
What's more, martial arts could provide a considerable advantage in combat. Just look at Tang San: with nothing but the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, he'd managed to turn what everyone called a "Trash Martial Soul" into something valuable, and eventually become the Sea God and the Asura God.
Still, Qian Xunji couldn't help feeling a little puzzled. He didn't think Dongfang Bubai was the sort of person to be so generous as to simply hand him something as precious as the Nine Swords of Dugu.
After all, the Nine Swords of Dugu was one of the top martial arts in the Smiling Proud Wanderer world. It was every bit as good as the Sunflower Manual Dongfang Bubai practiced herself.
Then, after flipping through the so-called Nine Swords of Dugu, Qian Xunji finally found the answer.
"Right, I wondered why Dongfang Bubai was being so generous. So this is what she was waiting for!"
This manual really was the Nine Swords of Dugu, but it only contained one of its styles: the Sword Breaking Style.
The Nine Swords of Dugu had nine styles in total: the General Formula, Sword Breaking Style, Blade Breaking Style, Spear Breaking Style, Whip Breaking Style, Rope Breaking Style, Palm Breaking Style, Arrow Breaking Style, and Qi Breaking Style. Each was a method of countering a different weapon. At its core, the art could be understood as "the principles of attack and defense to use when facing eight different kinds of weapons."
These nine styles weren't sword moves in the usual sense. They were a system of martial theory, so even someone at Qian Xunji's level could find them useful.
And if he wanted the complete Nine Swords of Dugu, there was only one way: continue trading with Dongfang Bubai.
It was an open scheme, completely out in the open, and yet Qian Xunji couldn't refuse.
Unless he didn't want the complete Nine Swords of Dugu—but that was obviously impossible. Now, he wasn't about to pass up any opportunity to grow stronger.
Before you continue