The Lecture Begins

Zhou Qing smiled. "That's possible."

Seeing that Zhou Qing shared his thoughts, Wei Xu immediately grew more confident. "If that's the case, we absolutely must not..."

"But the odds are slim."

Zhou Qing drawled leisurely.

Wei Xu nearly choked on his breath, feeling miserable beyond words. Dejected, he asked, "How do you mean?"

Zhou Qing held up two fingers. "There are two reasons."

Wei Xu was greatly surprised. He could not think of even one reason, yet Zhou Qing had come up with two in the blink of an eye. Could he really be a genius?

Still somewhat unconvinced, he asked, "What two reasons?"

Zhou Qing replied unhurriedly, "First, for this method to test one's character, there is a prerequisite: the Immortal Seedling being tested must not know it is a test. Otherwise, it won't work."

"If the subject guesses that this may be a test, then no matter how much he loves worldly pleasures in his heart, for the sake of cultivating immortality, could he not endure even this brief while?"

"Then the test collapses on its own and serves no purpose at all."

"Perhaps Immortal Masters used this method in the past, but now that word has spread and nearly everyone knows about it, I doubt anyone would still use it."

"Otherwise, it would not be testing one's character, but seeing who was better at reading an Immortal Master's mind. That would be a contest of scheming."

Wei Xu and Wang Xiaohu both nodded thoughtfully, feeling that Zhou Qing's words made great sense.

Wang Xiaohu was not particularly affected, but Wei Xu felt somewhat vexed. These principles were not especially profound, so why had he been unable to think of them?

He then recalled their earlier debate about Karma and gradually began to savor its implications.

He held an intense reverence for the Cultivation World. That reverence had confined him, making him instinctively accept every rumor concerning the Cultivation World without thinking to challenge it.

Wei Xu realized that he was not alone. Every Immortal Seedling in Immortal Gathering Pavilion was the same. Otherwise, they would not all be at a loss, not knowing what to do.

But Zhou Qing before him was different.

His thoughts seemed unconstrained.

Wei Xu could sense Zhou Qing's intense obsession with cultivation. If he had not possessed such an obsession, he would not have stubbornly taken the test three times in a row.

Yet that obsession had not made him blindly follow every rumor from the Cultivation World.

That proud independence of spirit filled Wei Xu with admiration.

He said, "What is the other reason? Brother Zhou, please enlighten us."

He raised his voice somewhat.

He had noticed that Immortal Seedlings at the other tables had also turned their attention this way, hoping Zhou Qing would resolve their doubts. So he spoke louder, allowing the others to hear as well.

Zhou Qing had noticed that everyone was listening to him speak, but he did not care.

There was a reason he had suddenly begun making such a high-profile display—first exchanging compliments with Wei Xu, then speaking eloquently without concealing his abilities.

When traveling the world, one's persona was extremely important.

As the saying went, names might be chosen wrongly, but nicknames never were.

A nickname often represented a person's persona in the martial world and guided others' expectations of them.

Conversely, Zhou Qing thought, he could deliberately shape a persona and guide others into forming a certain prejudice about him, making his future life more convenient.

The Immortal Master's troubled expression during the test was beginning to make sense to Zhou Qing now.

He understood that the Immortal Master must have overheard his bantering conversation with Wang Xiaohu.

The Immortal Master had disliked his sparse spiritual roots, yet cherished his unique insights into cultivation, and so reluctantly admitted him.

Since that was the case, why not build a persona on that foundation?

A gifted and clever man who loved to talk big, but whose talent was too poor to pose any threat—a loudmouthed king.

Such a person would not provoke others' hostility. At the same time, if someone truly wished to harm him, this persona would lower their guard and greatly aid his self-preservation.

Moreover, the cleverness and comprehension he displayed might stir a little appreciation for talent in people's hearts, just as it had in the Immortal Master overseeing this test.

If he reached the Cultivation World and still could not successfully cultivate for the time being, that little appreciation for talent might make the Azure Cloud Sect more tolerant of him, giving him more opportunities to overcome the problem of being unable to cultivate.

Thus, rather than restraining himself because of everyone's attention, Zhou Qing raised his voice slightly as well. "As for the second reason..."

"One's character is not something set in stone. How could a single test determine one's whole life?"

"I have heard that cultivating one's character is also part of the immortal path. Since we have entered the gates of the Azure Cloud Sect, the sect will surely be responsible not only for refining our qi, but also for refining our hearts."

"So I speculate that the Immortal Master set up this den of pleasure not to test us, but to temper us."

Chen Qingxuan cast a surprised glance toward Zhou Qing.

He had spoken only a few words at the beginning of the banquet, instructing the City Lord to provide the Immortal Seedlings with every kind of pleasure. After that, he had sat alone in a corner, stroking his jade flute.

He did not take the initiative to speak, and no one dared approach to disturb him.

Only when Zhou Qing began expounding his grand theories—and his views happened to align perfectly with Chen Qingxuan's original intentions—did he look over in surprise. Then he discovered that the Immortal Seedlings had already moved their seats and gathered around Zhou Qing.

It was as though the stars were clustered around the moon.

Zhou Qing sat in the middle, speaking with eloquence, while everyone else listened with rapt attention. It somewhat resembled the Azure Cloud Sect, where each generation's Senior Apprentice took the stage to expound the Dao while all the disciples listened intently.

The fellow had not even entered the sect yet, and he already had the bearing of a Senior Apprentice.

Chen Qingxuan laughed inwardly.

"Senior Brother Zhou, why is it tempering us?"

The one who spoke was Nie Yunxi.

She was also among those unable to fathom the Immortal Master's intentions, leaving her at a loss. Hearing the discussion coming from Zhou Qing's side, she had listened for a while and found his words quite reasonable. So she moved her seat closer and began listening attentively.

Now, hearing Zhou Qing reach a crucial point only to pause and moisten his throat with tea, she grew anxious and blurted out the question. Immediately afterward, she felt embarrassed by her own rashness, smiled apologetically, and said no more.

Zhou Qing swept his gaze across everyone's faces. "The immortal path is misty and boundless. Every step forward is fraught with countless hardships. Without a will of extraordinary perseverance, how can one scale the heights of the immortal path?"

"Craving worldly pleasures is what most easily shakes a person's will."

"Many of us Immortal Seedlings come from poor families. We already long for the joys of this world, yet have never had the chance to enjoy them."

"This desire for what one cannot obtain is like a venomous snake lurking in the heart. Usually, it may seem harmless, but what happens when, years from now, our cultivation realm sees no improvement and we become lost and uncertain? When we witness the cruelty of the Cultivation World and grow fearful? When the monotony of cultivation leaves us bored?"

"At such times, when we remember that there are still so many pleasures in the mortal world, will we still remember our original obsession with seeking immortality?"

"Rather than allowing this venomous snake to obstruct our cultivation in the future, it would be better to let you enjoy yourselves to the fullest at the very beginning. Once you have experienced and seen these things, it will be easier to let them go."

"That is why I say this is a tempering. Its purpose is to let everyone enter into the pleasures of this world, then emerge beyond them."

"Only then can we cultivate properly."

This discourse left everyone deeply shaken. On the top floor of Immortal Gathering Pavilion, only the attendants and hired beauties spoke in deliberately hushed voices. Every Immortal Seedling was struck speechless.

After a long while, Wang Xiaohu swallowed hard and asked, "Brother Zhou Qing, does that mean we can enjoy ourselves without worry?!"