Wealth must not be flaunted, treasures must not be shown

When Zhang Qingshan saw that the cultivation manual Ye Han had brought out was actually the Azure Mystic Art, his expression changed, and a flicker of desire appeared in his eyes.

Seeing the look in Zhang Qingshan's eyes, Ye Han inwardly cursed. This is bad. Wealth must not be flaunted, treasures must not be shown.

Fortunately, before bringing it out, he had already said that the Seventh Elder had given him the Azure Mystic Art.

In truth, he had found and dug up the Azure Mystic Art together with the Little Purple Cauldron in the Mysterious Cave.

The Azure Mystic Token, twenty taels of silver, and that scrap of cloth had also been there...

He had already given that piece of cloth to Teacher Lan Qing as payment.

Teacher Lan Qing had not thought much of the Azure Mystic Art either, and had returned it to him, saying that the cultivation art was of no use to him at all.

Ye Han had brought it out as a last resort, treating a dead horse as though it might still be saved. He had originally planned to let Zhang Qingshan exchange it for spirit stones or another cultivation art if he still could not practice it.

But now, seeing Zhang Qingshan's expression, he immediately realized that the Azure Mystic Art had no ordinary origins. Trading it for spirit stones or another cultivation art was out of the question.

So Ye Han said with an air of complete indifference, "Oh, the Seventh Elder gave me this. Didn't I just tell you?"

Hearing this, Zhang Qingshan looked at Ye Han enviously and said, "So the Seventh Elder gave it to you. This is a cultivation art that only true disciples of our Azure Profound Sect are allowed to practice. So you're already a true disciple, Junior Brother Ye."

As he spoke, he became even more respectful toward Ye Han. Comparing the treatment Ye Han received with his own, one was truly in the heavens while the other was down in the dirt.

Ye Han had not even begun cultivating, yet he already had a cave abode and the best cultivation art, and had even been accepted as a true disciple.

Ye Han knew nothing about true disciples or any of that. All he knew was that he had blown this matter out of proportion. He immediately said in a secretive tone, "Senior Brother Zhang, you must keep this a secret. The Seventh Elder repeatedly told me not to reveal it to anyone. I only told you because you've been so good to me, teaching me cultivation arts and even getting me food."

Ye Han had an exceptionally sweet tongue. In Green Ox Village, others had to give Teacher Lan Qing grain to learn reading and writing from him, but through sweet words and diligence, Ye Han had coaxed Teacher Lan Qing into teaching him for free.

Sometimes, when he had nothing to eat, he would sweetly call out to all the grandpas and grandmas in the village and manage to get at least a little food.

Sure enough, after hearing Ye Han's words, Zhang Qingshan's expression relaxed. Chuckling, he scratched the back of his head and said, "Listen to you. I've only helped you with a few little things. Who knows? Your senior brother might need you to look after him someday."

Ye Han's words left him a little embarrassed. He had clearly only helped Ye Han to shelter beneath the great tree that was the Seventh Elder, yet he had never expected Ye Han to be so grateful.

It actually made him feel guilty. Ye Han was just a child, yet he was scheming against him...

Little did he know that this child had already schemed against him.

How clever Ye Han was! He immediately understood what Zhang Qingshan was thinking. Zhang Qingshan really was a decent person. In the village, people like him were usually called honest fellows, and the village troublemakers loved bullying such honest fellows.

It seemed that the Azure Profound Sect, this immortal cultivation sect, was no different. People here also liked bullying honest fellows.

Of course, Ye Han did not think he was bullying an honest fellow. He simply could not tell him the truth. Besides, helping him benefited Zhang Qingshan too.

He had secretly watched Zhang Qingshan cultivate in his cave abode. While Zhang Qingshan cultivated, a swirl of golden specks visible to the naked eye would appear around him and stream into his body...

Zhang Qingshan had told him that this was the absorption of heaven and earth spiritual energy. He mainly absorbed metal-attribute spiritual energy because he practiced a metal-attribute cultivation art.

But Ye Han did not want to talk about anything else now. He held out his cultivation manual for Zhang Qingshan to look at and said, "Senior Brother Zhang, look. This is the Azure Mystic Art the Seventh Elder gave me. Could you take a look at it for me?"

Looking at the Azure Mystic Art Ye Han offered him, Zhang Qingshan hesitated before saying, "Junior Brother Ye, the Azure Mystic Art is a closely guarded secret of our Azure Profound Sect. Aren't you afraid the Seventh Elder will reprimand you for letting me read it?"

Despite his words, he could not hide the longing in his eyes.

Ye Han immediately said, "If neither of us says anything, who could possibly know? Besides, you've cultivated for so many years and made so little progress. It must be a problem with your cultivation art. The Seventh Elder doesn't have time to guide me personally right now, but I can't just waste my days here, can I? As long as you help me, Senior Brother Zhang, I definitely won't tell anyone. You have to trust me."

As he spoke, Ye Han looked at Zhang Qingshan with complete sincerity.

Ye Han looked harmless, was still so young, and wore such a sincere expression that Zhang Qingshan found it difficult to doubt him.

Zhang Qingshan immediately said, "All right! I'll take a look for you! But my talent is limited, so I might not be able to help."

He took the manual and began reading. Once he did, Zhang Qingshan's eyes immediately widened, and he became utterly engrossed.

Ye Han had read this Azure Mystic Art manual himself, but every time he tried, his head spun and his vision blurred, making it impossible to continue. Although his literary skills were fairly good and had earned Teacher Lan Qing's approval, this manual left him lost in a fog. He could not understand it at all, especially the passages about acupuncture points and connecting with heaven and earth spiritual energy.

Moreover, reading for too long made his head spin terribly. Apparently, this might have been because he was a mortal.

Watching Zhang Qingshan read with such rapt attention, Ye Han finally understood that only a cultivator could comprehend this cultivation art. He also hoped that Zhang Qingshan would be able to guide his cultivation after finishing it.

If even the Azure Mystic Art did not work, he could only think of some other way.

Zhang Qingshan spent several hours reading it. Ye Han even slept for a while...

He called Ye Han aside and said, "Junior Brother Ye, you must keep this cultivation manual safe. This is an art that can take you all the way to the Golden Core Stage! You absolutely must not let anyone know you have it."

Then he said with a disappointed expression, "Unfortunately, I can't practice it, because this is a wood-type cultivation art, and I can only practice Metal Type arts."

At this point, he grew excited again and said, "But I've picked up a lot of things from this cultivation art that I can draw on... perhaps..."

However, he hesitated, then said, "Never mind. Let's leave that aside. I'll explain the cultivation art to you now."

He felt there was little point in saying too much about things whose first stroke had not even been drawn yet. He might as well simply help Ye Han understand the cultivation art.

As Zhang Qingshan explained, Ye Han voiced the questions in his mind one by one. There were truly too many things he did not understand. Fortunately, Zhang Qingshan had always cultivated diligently and earnestly, and his comprehension was actually quite good. He was simply rather guileless.

Under his guidance, Ye Han began to understand why he had been unable to practice the Golden Spirit Art.