Chapter 469: A Negative Example

Chapter 469: A Negative Example

October 24th, 2024

In the attic, Eternal Victory Immortal lay on a long chair, stroking the large goose with one hand while holding a cup of essence blood in the other, drinking most of it in one gulp.

His mouth was stained with blood, and his face was wrinkled with age, even the skin around his lips was creased.

The bloodstains on his lips made him look even more terrifying.

He didn't look like an immortal at all, but rather the leader of an evil sect.

Drinking essence blood might bring a momentary thrill, but in reality, it did nothing to enhance his physical strength.

Even drinking ordinary blood was no different from essence blood.

He had gone to great lengths to obtain essence blood, only to drink it without any real benefit.

This showed that Eternal Victory Immortal had only a superficial understanding of cultivation.

Perhaps he had heard something, some news from somewhere, and took it as gospel truth.

"Master, while handling matters today, I also had some thoughts.

After prohibiting that Su Chen from offering his essence blood, others became even more enthusiastic about contributing theirs.

From now on, when it's time to offer essence blood, we should select two or three people and prohibit them from contributing.

Offering essence blood to the Master is not something just anyone can do.

This way, their private doubts and complaints will disappear.

On the contrary, those who are not allowed to contribute essence blood will be more eager to do so.

They might even start fighting for the opportunity to offer their essence blood."

The second senior apprentice spoke up, presenting his suggestion.

Eternal Victory Immortal listened and, after some thought, nodded in agreement.

"That's a good idea. The essence blood of those mediocre talents brings little benefit anyway.

Next time during the trial, we'll announce these decisions in front of everyone."

After speaking, Eternal Victory Immortal waved his hand to dismiss the second senior apprentice.

He then stroked the goose's feathers and fell into a daze, eventually falling asleep.

At the foot of Moonless Mountain, Lu Xiaonan and Qian Cheng had been cultivating until 5 PM before descending the mountain.

Although they didn't receive personal guidance from Eternal Victory Immortal, many felt they had gained a lot.

Their faces showed some weakness from releasing essence blood, but they were mostly satisfied with their day's harvest.

In addition to their tangible gains, when they returned to their residence and saw Su Chen, many felt a sense of superiority.

In front of Su Chen, they practiced their techniques, releasing several energy pulses that broke off many branches of a distant peach tree.

Seeing these techniques, Su Chen couldn't help but frown.

These energy pulses lacked power and sharpness, and he couldn't see any threat in them.

Even if they landed on eighth or ninth-rank martial artists, they might not even bother to block them.

What was the point of demonstrating such techniques in front of him?

Su Chen was left speechless.

But these disciples seemed excited, as the ability to injure enemies from a distance was enough to thrill them.

They seemed to have some skill, at least on the surface.

sits next to Su Chen with solemn expressions, offering sincere advice: "Brother Su, we benefited greatly from the fifth senior apprentice's guidance today.

You have more talent and potential than me and Qian Cheng.

It would be the right path to humble yourself and seek guidance from us."

As Lu Xiaonan finished speaking, Qian Cheng chimed in, agreeing with him.

Their words were filled with various forms of persuasion for Su Chen.

Seeing Su Chen's persistence, Qian Cheng even said that Su Chen had too high an opinion of himself, which wasn't beneficial.

Su Chen understood that they meant well, but he had no need for their guidance.

Did he need them to teach him energy pulse techniques? Moreover, he would have to offer his essence blood.

To Su Chen, these teachings were nothing but tricks.

Without sufficient physical strength, learning energy pulse techniques would bring no offensive capabilities.

Seeing that Su Chen wouldn't listen, the two had no choice but to leave.

The other disciples practiced nearby, feeling satisfied with each move they made.

In five days, they were supposed to go to the delicate dynamics within the group, with Su Chen contemplating explaining the drawbacks of wasting essence blood, but knowing they wouldn't listen.

Without the ability to discern the value of cultivation techniques, they couldn't possibly understand.

Dinner time arrived, and everyone tried to keep their distance from Su Chen to avoid being seen by those above.

Lu Xiaonan and Qian Cheng, however, still felt grateful to Su Chen and chose to sit with him.

During the meal, the two brought more bad news.

Those who were on good terms with Eternal Victory Immortal had no guarantee of passing the trial.

But those who didn't leave a good impression on the Eternal Victory Immortal would definitely not pass the trial.

"Brother Su, you mentioned that you came here to enter the Inner Mountain and cultivate in the Heavenly Paradise.

But now, how can you still have the chance...

Go and apologize to Goose Senior Apprentice, be humble before him.

They say that this Goose Senior Apprentice likes it when others kneel before him.

As long as you kneel and let him peck at your hair a few times, this matter will be over."

"Brother Su, a person should know when to bend and when to stand firm."

The two continued to advise, their words sincere.

But to Su Chen, if it weren't for the fact that he understood their intentions, he would have thought they were intentionally humiliating him.

Su Chen merely smiled and didn't respond to their words, instead changing the topic to something else.

Along the way, he explained to the two of them how to discern the value of cultivation techniques.

"Don't think that every Energy Pulse is some kind of mystical and profound technique.

Learning flashy tricks will only result in weak strength."

Just as Su Chen began to talk about cultivation techniques, the others who had been keeping their distance approached.

"Fifth Senior Apprentice Brother did remind us that we are not allowed to spread what we learn.

Especially to those who are not qualified to listen, we must not give them any guidance.

If you two associate with this person, we won't bother to stop you.

But if you reveal the secrets of cultivation techniques to him and implicate us, don't blame us for being impolite."

As this person spoke, the others around them also showed some malice.

Not only were they threatening Lu Xiaonan and Qian Cheng not to speak,

but also threatening Su Chen not to listen.

The two of them sighed helplessly and, after some hesitation, moved to another spot.

Su Chen merely glanced at the situation, thinking that these people were like dung beetles afraid of others fighting over their dung.

The cultivation techniques and moves they used might not even be looked upon by the common people of the Zhou Kingdom.

They didn't even have very obvious effects for strengthening the body.

In the following days, Su Chen quietly cultivated at the foot of the mountain, solidifying his own abilities.

He simply ignored the rumors and gossip, and they had almost no effect on him.

During this time, new disciples also arrived at Moonless Mountain to seek learning.

Among these new disciples, three of them were directly stripped of their qualifications to offer their Essence Blood due to insufficient talent and potential.

With these three added to Su Chen, they became the lowest-ranked disciples residing at the foot of the mountain.

Except for Su Chen, these three had despair on their faces every day.

With this state of mind, they felt they had no chance of passing the trial.

The only thing that made them feel slightly better was that Su Chen's situation seemed even worse.

After others finished their training, they even prevented Su Chen from observing their practice.

Every time they practiced, they avoided Su Chen.

Although the three of them were despised, they could still watch from the side and learn a move or two.

The others told them,

"Although their talent is not very good, Eternal Victory Immortal thinks that at least their heart and character are acceptable.

They are not arrogant or overconfident, and there are some admirable qualities in them."

As for Su Chen, it wasn't just his talent that was disdained.

His character was also not approved of, and Eternal Victory Immortal and the others disliked him very much.

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Goose Senior Apprentice was Eternal Victory Immortal's most beloved disciple.

After offending Goose Senior Apprentice, Su Chen had yet to lower his head and apologize.

With various reasons coming together, this trial would not only be one that Su Chen couldn't pass,

but he would also receive some lessons, and breaking a hand or a foot would be a light punishment.

After hearing this, the three of them felt much better.

There were people worse off than them, so they didn't feel as miserable.

In fact, these three even looked down on Su Chen.

Following the example of the others, they kept their distance from Su Chen, unwilling to approach him.

Su Chen didn't care about them, and he didn't pay attention to their small actions.

Their opinions and whether they approached him or not were meaningless.

It was more comfortable to stay quiet and cultivate in peace.

Half a month passed, and there were about ten days left until the trial.

Today, after returning from the mountain waist estate, the crowd became even more rowdy.

At the courtyard where they resided, someone also took the opportunity to display some moves.

The others looked on with envy, and a palm strike was unleashed.

The palm force seemed to carry a heavy weight, and it struck the center of the peach tree next to them.

The entire tree's central position was directly penetrated by this palm strike.

"Energy Pulse, Apprentice Gu Chao has truly ascended to the Energy Pulse stage."

"No wonder Eternal Victory Immortal came to see it himself, to reach the Energy Pulse stage in less than a month, his future is limitless."

Many people around were sighing in admiration.

Apprentice Gu Chao's palm strike had clearly taken a qualitative leap compared to theirs.

As the crowd watched, Gu Chao effortlessly struck the peach tree branch, piercing through the trunk with his attack. The difference in their abilities was evident to the naked eye.

Indeed, Gu Chao's strike was finally powerful enough to cause some harm.

It was not as if it had been before, where his attacks would merely tickle the skin of his opponents.

Gu Chao reveled in the adulation and envious gazes of those around him.

The meaning of cultivation seemed to be realized at this moment.

Many techniques had been mastered by Gu Chao, and he enjoyed the admiration of his peers.

As long as he was in a good mood, he didn't mind demonstrating a few more moves.

Amidst the commotion, someone suddenly reminded Gu Chao.

"Senior Brother Gu, Su Chen is coming out."

At these words, many turned their heads and saw Su Chen's figure.

"I know you're showing off, Su Chen, but I want to learn from you."

"Senior Brother Gu, let's take a break for a moment."

The other disciples whispered among themselves.

But Gu Chao didn't seem concerned.

As Su Chen emerged, he unleashed another powerful strike.

"When Longevity Immortal taught me, he said that my current accomplishments are not something others can easily learn."

"He must be that amazing, able to learn my techniques just by watching."

Longevity Immortal immediately accepted Su Chen as his direct disciple.

"If he were still here, he would have been driven out, suffering a fate like this?"

Gu Chao's words seemed to ease the worries of the others.

Indeed, it was true.

After seeing so many of them, Gu Chao had demonstrated his techniques, but what had they truly learned?

What kind of genius would it take to watch someone else's moves and instantly master them?

Su Chen walked through the crowd, glancing at them before heading off into the distance.

At this hour, it was normally time for dinner.

Su Chen's departure was not unusual; he had no interest in watching their techniques.

This revered Gu Chao, his techniques were at most at the level of a Ninth Stage Perfection.

Moreover, this was merely the power of his technique; his physical strength seemed somewhat lacking.

If even the Inner Mountain of Yuexi Mountain was like this, Su Chen truly didn't want to bother with them anymore.

As Su Chen left, light laughter filled the air from those around him.

"It seems he has some self-awareness."

Knowing that staying here would yield little benefit, Su Chen departed.

Various taunts and mockeries were directed at Su Chen, further emphasizing the contrast between him and the disciple named Gu Chao.

After they had offered their essence blood, their bodies visibly weakened.

Some of them thought it was just fatigue from their cultivation.

During this period of cultivation guidance, they had indeed learned something.

But what they had learned was not worth the cost.

The drawbacks far outweighed the benefits.

Before learning any techniques, one should at least improve their realm.

Realm as the foundation, techniques as the means.

What's the point of learning techniques without a strong foundation? When strength is lacking, the techniques taught by Longevity Immortal's disciples are merely superficial, lacking true understanding.

Today, with some free time, Su Chen went to a nearby city to buy some food.

The food at Mianyue Mountain was getting worse by the day.

If it weren't for the others being just as bad, Su Chen would have suspected that they were targeting him.

In the city, Su Chen encountered other disciples from the Outer Mountain.

The Outer Mountain Lords also sought personal gains.

They used these disciples to earn money.

However, they only went as far as earning money and did not demand essence blood.

From them, Su Chen learned that it was a custom of Yuexi Mountain to charge a significant fee for basic guidance.

At Mianyue Mountain, they even went as far as demanding essence blood.

Su Chen knew that trying to convince them would be futile.

Perhaps if he returned and told them this news, they would still accuse him of jealousy.

Assuming he couldn't receive guidance from Longevity Immortal, they would angrily slander him.

At Mianyue Mountain, he was the negative example.

His words held no value for them, and they would not believe him.

Currently, Lu Xiaonan and Qian Cheng's minds were solely focused on the martial cultivation methods taught by Longevity Immortal.

Others had little trust in Su Chen.

Su Chen looked at their current strength and felt that it would be better for them to properly learn the techniques he had taught.

The cultivation methods he had taught would undoubtedly be more beneficial than their current practices.

As evening fell, Su Chen returned to his residence.

Another group of disciples arrived at Mianyue Mountain.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end