This Wooden Qin? Oh, I Use It as a Stepping Stone

Zhao Gongming gazed at the wooden qin, his eyes gleaming.

His brows knitted slightly as he found the wooden qin's properties utterly novel.

"From ancient times to the present, throughout the countless years of the Primordial World..."

"I've only heard of the Fuxi Qin as a superior magical treasure."

"Among musical instruments, the Fuxi Qin is the strongest."

"No other musical-instrument treasures have been particularly outstanding."

"How could an ordinary little thatched hut possess such a mysterious treasure?"

"Truly unprecedented, unheard of and unseen."

Zhao Gongming was filled with astonishment and doubt.

Even so, he was in no hurry to reveal himself.

Instead, he relied on the treasure his master had given him to conceal his presence.

He quietly hid off to the side.

He formed a seal with both hands, and the space before his brow twisted slightly.

The divine sense of a Peak Daluo Golden Immortal...

Burst forth in an instant.

"Let me see just what sort of special existence this wooden qin is."

But...

Before his divine sense could reach the area inside the wooden house,

A terrifying force of thought suddenly erupted out of thin air.

In an instant, it snuffed out his divine sense.

Zhao Gongming felt a sharp pain in his primordial spirit.

The power of his divine sense vanished without a trace.

He hurriedly calmed his mind.

And fully stabilized his roiling primordial spirit.

Only then did he breathe a lingering sigh of relief.

"Phew!"

"That force of thought was so terrifying it could even rival Master's!"

"If Master hadn't given us protective talismans, that force of thought would definitely have struck back at my primordial spirit!"

His heart was filled with shock.

Zhao Gongming stared in astonishment at the young man lying between the two trees.

"He can casually snuff out even the divine sense of a Peak Daluo Golden Immortal like me..."

"Then this young man is anything but ordinary. His strength must surpass the Peak Daluo Golden Immortal realm. He may even have reached Peak Quasi-Saint!"

"Who would have thought a mighty figure like this was hidden in a place so lacking in spiritual Qi?!"

After this thought flashed through Zhao Gongming's mind,

His shock gave way to a hint of delight.

Since this senior ranks among the Quasi-Saints, he presumably has some insights into breaking through the Quasi-Saint realm.

Why don't I go and ask him for guidance?

Just as Zhao Gongming was thinking this,

And was about to reveal himself and pay his respects,

The scene before him left him rooted to the spot.

Lin Tian, who had been lying down and resting, had perhaps been awakened by the hurricane winds around him.

He looked at the weather outside.

Then he jumped down from between the trees.

He turned around and gathered up some straw that had been left in the courtyard, along with the wild fruit he had picked.

All these actions were perfectly ordinary.

They were just what mortal beings normally did to shelter from the rain.

But what happened next was what truly astonished Zhao Gongmin.

Lin Tian, carrying the odds and ends, planted his muddy foot hard on the wooden qin in front of the threshold.

The wooden qin took the heavy blow.

And gave a muffled sound.

Zhao Gongming was completely dumbfounded.

"Did that senior just step on the wooden qin?"

"That's very likely a Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure!"

"How could he bear to step on it?"

Zhao Gongming's gaze fell on the wooden qin.

There was already quite a lot of mud on the strings, leaving them filthy.

The sight pained Zhao Gongming terribly.

Before Zhao Gongming could say anything,

Thrum!

A muffled sound

Came from the wooden qin once again.

Lin Tian stepped on the wooden qin again without the slightest hesitation.

He went into the courtyard, picked up the odds and ends there, and returned to the house.

As he approached the threshold of the main room,

He stepped on the wooden qin yet again.

The muffled sound struck Zhao Gongming's primordial spirit.

The corner of Zhao Gongming's mouth twitched hard.

"I thought this senior had just stepped on it by accident."

"Who would have thought that was only the first step?"

"Is this mysterious wooden qin meant to be stepped on?"

Somewhat speechless,

Zhao Gongming could no longer contain his feelings and headed toward the courtyard where Lin Tian was.

He took the form of an ordinary young man.

And pretended to be a wanderer who had stumbled into the mountain by chance.

He arrived in front of the courtyard.

Just then, Lin Tian came out of a side room.

He happened to see Zhao Gongming approaching and found it strange.

This was the first time he had ever seen another living being visit his utterly ordinary mountain.

"Hm? Fellow Daoist, what brings you here?"

At the sight of Lin Tian, Zhao Gongming's expression flickered, and he was about to give his name outright.

But on second thought,

This senior was probably an expert as free as an idle cloud or a wild crane.

He had gone into seclusion here to avoid the Investiture of the Gods Calamity.

If Zhao Gongming gave his name, the senior would know his background.

Then, whatever the senior did, he would become entangled in karma with the Interception Sect.

If Zhao Gongming asked for guidance after that, the senior might not tell him anything.

Wouldn't it be better to conceal his Daoist name and pretend they had met by chance?

With that thought,

Zhao Gongming hurriedly cupped his hands to Lin Tian and said,

"This junior is Ming Gong. Greetings, Senior. A hurricane just swept through, and this junior's strength is modest, so I descended from the clouds to take shelter here."

"Please forgive me for the intrusion, Senior."

Hearing Zhao Gongming's explanation,

Lin Tian gave him a somewhat odd look.

Zhao Gongming had a distinguished bearing, sword-like brows and starry eyes. Clad in a black-and-white Daoist robe, he looked utterly carefree.

It was hard to associate him with modest strength.

But Lin Tian couldn't be bothered with such details.

His own strength was low, and he didn't want to leave the mountain.

The little mountain he lived on was utterly insignificant, and its spiritual Qi was surprisingly poor.

Naturally, no one wanted to come here.

The young man before him was the first native of the Primordial World he had properly spoken with since transmigrating.

That made him a rare visitor.

But wasn't this young man being a little too polite to him?

Calling himself a junior and addressing Lin Tian as Senior?

Could he think Lin Tian was an expert living in seclusion here?

This young man's judgment was lacking. Who would live in seclusion in a place where birds didn't even shit?

At the thought, Lin Tian felt a little helpless.

He waved a hand and said mildly,

"You're not disturbing me."

"But I'm afraid you'll laugh at me, Fellow Daoist. Though I live here in seclusion, I'm no expert."

"You can just call me Fellow Daoist."

At most, Lin Tian was a mere Heavenly Immortal. It was better to keep a low profile.

How could he count as a senior?

Yet Lin Tian's rather carefree words

Made Zhao Gongming see him in a new light.

An expert truly is an expert. His strength has already broken through to the Quasi-Saint realm.

Yet he's still so composed and humble. That state of mind is worth learning from!

Just as he was thinking this, a creak suddenly sounded in front of him.

The wooden door slowly opened.

Zhao Gongming paused and instinctively looked up. Lin Tian was gesturing for him to enter.

"Then come in and shelter from the rain."

Hearing Lin Tian's invitation, Zhao Gongming was naturally only too happy to accept.

He politely cupped his hands to Lin Tian and said,

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist. I would be disrespectful to refuse."

Lin Tian nodded lightly and led Zhao Gongming to the pavilion in the courtyard.

The pavilion stood with its back against a wall, and its roof was covered with straw.

It offered some shelter from the wind and rain.

As Zhao Gongming entered the courtyard, he instinctively looked around.

For some reason,

When he was outside, Zhao Gongming hadn't sensed anything unusual at all.

But the moment he stepped across the fence,

His primordial spirit trembled for no apparent reason.

He only felt that something about the surroundings was strange.

Yet when he sensed them carefully, he found nothing amiss.

"Perhaps it was an illusion?"

Just as Zhao Gongming was wondering about it,

Lin Tian's voice came from the side.

"Please sit, Fellow Daoist."

"Allow me to brew some tea to welcome you."

Zhao Gongming put aside his doubts and hurriedly cupped his hands, watching as Lin Tian entered the house.

And stepped hard on the wooden qin yet again.

The corner of Zhao Gongming's mouth twitched once more.

Good grief.

This senior really didn't think much of a Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

The closer he got,

The more Zhao Gongming could sense the mysterious Qi emanating from the wooden qin.

One look was enough to tell it was extraordinary!

"That wooden qin is a Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure at the very least!"

"Otherwise, it wouldn't have such mysterious power!"

"Isn't leaving such a rare treasure there a bit of a reckless waste of heaven's gifts?"

Just as Zhao Gongming was thinking this,

Lin Tian carried a teapot out of the main room.

He stepped on the wooden zither again.

Zhao Gongming: "..."

Lin Tian did not notice the look on Zhao Gongming's face as he entered the pavilion.

He sat down opposite Zhao Gongming.

He placed the teapot in front of Zhao Gongming.

Only...

At that moment...

Zhao Gongming was no longer in the mood to pay attention to anything else.

His eyes fixed intently on the wooden zither, he asked Lin Tian in some puzzlement,

"Fellow Daoist, may I ask why you placed that wooden zither near the threshold?"

"As I see it, that zither is finely crafted. It's a fine Dharma treasure!"

Hearing Zhao Gongming's words,

Lin Tian paused, then shook his head and said something that left Zhao Gongming staring blankly.

"What Dharma treasure?"

"It's just a useless, broken zither."

"It's pretty big, and I had nowhere to put it, so I used it as a step."

"Come to think of it, it works quite well."

Zhao Gongming: "..."