Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect, Longevity Star Peak.
Inside the spirit pool on the auxiliary peak of Longevity Star Peak, a tall, honest-looking man, who appeared somewhat taciturn and very simple-minded, sat cross-legged in the spirit pool, slowly absorbing the Spiritual Qi within to cultivate.
His appearance was very ordinary; he was the kind of person who would blend into a crowd and be completely inconspicuous.
They have absolutely no presence.
Just like his personality, he was like a nobody, barely passing the entrance exam for the Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect. He never stood out, and no one could remember his name.
He himself had almost forgotten what his own name was.
Lang Ping took a deep breath and opened her eyes the moment she realized her emotions were fluctuating.
He sat in the middle of the pool, looking at the thick, milky-white water, and pursed his lips.
The Spiritual Power in the spirit pool remained abundant.
However, his cultivation level increased very slowly.
For a genius, the only thing to worry about is probably not having enough Cultivation Resources, or the saying "the tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind."
However, for an ordinary disciple like him, even if a mountain of treasures were placed before him, he would find it difficult to utilize them.
As the senior disciple of Longevity Star Peak, he has been a member of Longevity Star Peak for many years.
It's been so long that I can't remember exactly how many years it was.
However, he is quite famous within Longevity Star Peak.
From famous to unknown.
Everyone knows that on Longevity Star Peak, there is a senior brother who is of average talent and not too bad at comprehension. However, due to his lack of talent, he has always been a half-baked expert. Even if he works hard to the extreme and does a level of diligent practice that most people cannot achieve, he still cannot reach the Thearch Realm. He has been wasting his years and staying on Longevity Star Peak like a silent Stone.
They don't call him by his name, they don't remember, and they're too lazy to remember that his name is Lang Ping.
If someone isn't a bad person, they can still call him "senior brother."
He's just my senior.
It's the same for any of my fellow disciples on Longevity Star Peak, Great Fire Peak, and any other peak.
Even if they had received favors from him in the past.
But how can the clouds in the sky be compared to the mud on the ground?
Even if they had received favors, it was only temporary. They were too talented to bother remembering the name of someone who might die at any moment due to the approach of old age.
Those who ostracized him called him Stone.
Senior Brother Stone, Junior Brother Stone.
His voice was laced with mischief, sarcasm, and mockery.
Lang Ping never gets angry.
Occasionally, he would feel suffocated, but he couldn't say anything.
Like his appearance, he was too introverted and too honest.
Even when he was being bullied, the only thing he could think of was to work harder and improve his cultivation.
If I can become stronger, I can definitely change the current situation, right?
But for someone of his mediocre talent, becoming stronger is easier said than done.
Even the elder on Longevity Star Peak who took him as a disciple didn't think much of him, and in fact, barely paid any attention to him, leaving him to fend for himself.
He has good comprehension skills.
But what good is high comprehension?
He also cultivated Sword Intent.
First level of Sword Intent.
But that's all.
He was also able to comprehend the meaning of the sword manual, and even more so, to understand the profound meaning that ordinary people could not reach.
But I couldn't say it.
It is even more unacceptable to use it for one's own purposes.
His comprehension and his aptitude were two completely parallel lines that never intersected, making him like a useless person guarding a treasure mountain, only able to watch but unable to act.
Because of his remarkable comprehension, the elders of Longevity Star Peak had high hopes for him and even provided him with a very powerful sword manual to study.
But three years passed in the blink of an eye.
He could see that the sword manual was extraordinary, and he knew how to perfect the Sword Intent, but his talent shrouded his Dao Path in an indelible black cloth, making it difficult for him to advance.
Three years of theoretical work yielded nothing.
Three years, then another three years.
His master was disappointed in him and helplessly advised him to change his path.
Comprehension is very important in Sword Dao.
However, the way of the Sword Dao requires more than just comprehension.
With such insight, it wouldn't be a bad thing to do something else.
Lang Ping refused.
His refusal disappointed his master, who concluded that he was indeed Stone in a latrine—stinky, hard, and completely stubborn, utterly useless.
Therefore, he was also abandoned.
Do not bully, do not withhold, do not pay attention to, and do not value.
Longevity Star Peak is missing Lang Ping.
There's one more Senior Brother Stone.
But Lang Ping didn't care.
He was devoted solely to the Sword Dao of the sword.
Even if his lifespan were to end, even if he were to die without a burial place, he still hoped that he would die with his sword in his arms.
Perhaps, as others have said.
He is just a Stone.
An unyielding, ancient rock.
However, as the year went by, even Lang Ping herself felt a little more uncertain.
Am I really suited for Sword Dao?
Is everything really okay?
He's almost a hundred years old, but he hasn't even reached the Thearch Realm yet.
His strength has always been stuck at the Heavenly Venerable.
Is natural talent really that important?
Talent...
Day after day, Lang Ping herself couldn't explain what she was still persisting in.
However, recently, a glimmer of light has appeared in his increasingly silent and dejected eyes.
Just like now.
After checking the time, Lang Ping took a deep breath, stood up from the spirit pool, used the Water Cleansing Instruction to wipe away the water vapor from her body, changed into proper sect disciple attire, and strode towards Purple Cloud Peak.
Normally, he stays in the spirit pool on Longevity Star Peak and rarely moves.
He would only accept sect missions if he didn't have enough sect Contribution Points to stay in the spirit pool.
But after it's done, you'll return to the spirit pool.
But things are different now.
A new senior has arrived at the Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect. He is Lin Xuan, the deputy Peak Master of Ximu Peak.
All high-ranking members of a sect must choose a time to go to Purple Cloud Peak to give a sermon.
Purple Cloud Peak is usually packed with people whenever it's time for a sermon.
However, the time of this senior's sermon was different.
Of course, there were a lot of people.
However, there weren't that many.
Moreover, public opinion on it is mixed.
Some say the senior's words were insightful, while others say they are complete nonsense and a waste of time.
Lang Ping believes it is the former.
He was one of those who, rain or shine, insisted on going to Purple Cloud Peak to listen to the teachings.
For some reason, he felt completely captivated by the senior's explanations of the basics of Sword Dao and insights into cultivation, without any Heaven-Shocking Great Dao, eloquent words, or extraordinary phenomena. In fact, he felt that his comprehension had never been so good before, as he was able to fully understand and even apply what he heard.
He also had countless questions in his mind that he wanted to ask this senior for advice.
only...
"Hey, Senior Brother Stone, what's this... planning to audit Purple Cloud Peak's free lectures again?"