"Master, rest assured, I know what to do!"

Sun Zheqi's eyes were filled with a sinister gleam, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Very well, go ahead. Don't let Xi Nu get suspicious."

Lu Buping nodded and gently urged.

"Yes!"

Sun Zheqi bowed, performed a salute, and turned to leap down the mountain.

At the summit of West Fury Mountain.

Dao Yeming stood at the topmost step, looking toward the mountainside.

"What are those master and disciple planning to do again?"

Dao Yeming muttered to himself, "Now that Jiang Chen is here and Elder Wine-crazed has broken through his realm, his position is unbeatable. Lu Buping, if you keep tangling with this, you'll only add to your shame!"

Dao Yeming did not eavesdrop on Lu Buping and Sun Zheqi's conversation; he felt it unnecessary. The schemes of this master-disciple duo are nothing more than targeting Southern Maniac Mountain.

But now Hu Yiqiu's position is as solid as a rock; having broken through his realm, and given he is the main controller of the Academy's Great Array, along with Jiang Chen's presence, his status is much steadier than the other three Great Elders!

Therefore, Dao Yeming believes that no matter what Lu Buping has in mind, it will all be in vain.

But if he had truly heard their conversation, he might not have been so relaxed.

...

"Did you hear? Sun Zheqi and Bo Liancheng are going to challenge Jiang Chen!"

"Isn't this too soon? Their injuries haven't fully healed, and they're already challenging him? This is defiance!"

"Possibly. Being defeated by one move is really a big humiliation; they might want to regain some face!"

"It seems not that simple. I heard that Jiang Chen defeated Sun Zheqi and Bo Liancheng last time with one move because Elder Wine-crazed temporarily boosted his comprehension, and that Dao Rhythm was actually Elder Wine-crazed's."

"Is that true? This..."

By afternoon, the news that Sun Zheqi and Bo Liancheng were challenging Jiang Chen that month was spreading furiously throughout the academy.

Meanwhile, a rumor about Jiang Chen cheating during the great comparison was also being spread with full detail!

"Bastards! This must be Sun Zheqi and their doing!"

On the summit of Southern Maniac Mountain, Yun Tao cursed angrily.

"Elder Lu is indeed going too far this time!"

Jian Cangqiong frowned and glanced at Hu Yiqiu, who was sipping his wine; the second rumor directly affected the fairness of the great comparison and Hu Yiqiu's reputation.

"A bunch of petty men, the academy is a place for teaching and nurturing people, how can such sinister petty men exist here? Director, the punishment for Lu Buping is too lenient!"

Sang Zhenye raised his head and looked sternly at Jian Cangqiong.

He was one of the older elders, an academy veteran of the same generation as Li Yukun. Due to injuries back then, he did not take the position among the four Great Elders, but instead took on the role of Supervising Elder, overseeing whether the director and the four Great Elders were acting unjustly or abusing their powers!

"Elder Sang, about Elder Lu... During the academy's hardships back then, it was Elder Lu and several other elders who disregarded difficulties to regain its current prestige, so..."

Jian Cangqiong gently explained.

"Merit is merit, fault is fault!"

Wu Xianxia voiced sternly.

Jian Cangqiong was mildly surprised, a thoughtful look flickering in his eyes.

Buzz!

A soft Great Dao fluctuation came from Jiang Chen's wooden cabin, containing hints of mellow fragrance.

"This is..."

Jian Cangqiong and the others paused momentarily, collectively turning their heads to Hu Yiqiu.

Hu Yiqiu smiled faintly, not startled but pleased, a comforting look appearing in his eyes: "Finally able to help this young lad! Having someone else control your Dao Rhythm is like letting others read your Great Dao. If Young Jiang can comprehend something from the old man's Dao Rhythm, I can feel a bit more at ease for what I owe this young lad!"

Jian Cangqiong and the others fell silent at this, gently nodding.

The master guides you through the door, cultivation depends on oneself.

Becoming a disciple is finding a guide, yet after Jiang Chen became a disciple, Hu Yiqiu not only failed to become a suitable guide but instead received great benefits brought by Jiang Chen, which left Hu Yiqiu feeling somewhat guilty.

Helping Jiang Chen in this way now brought Hu Yiqiu a sense of satisfaction, lacking any feeling of Great Dao leakage.

Despite knowing Jiang Chen less than a month, Hu Yiqiu felt a mysterious sense of trust toward him.

Buzz!

Soon, the soft Great Dao Aura transformed into a fresh atmosphere, losing its mellow fragrance.

"This is..."

Everyone's eyes brightened, surprised as they looked toward the wooden cabin.

"Good! Good! Good! Haha..."

Hu Yiqiu repeated 'good' three times and laughed out loud, head tilted back.

Yun Tao paused, somewhat surprised looking at Hu Yiqiu.

"Browsing Elder Wine-crazed's Great Dao and comprehending his drunken path, yet not cultivating it and instead converting it into his own path—that's confidence in his own path and the demonstration of self-keeping, not being swayed by external temptation. This lad, truly remarkable!"

Sang Zhenye looked at the wooden cabin with a approving gaze.

"Yun Tao, you should learn from Young Jiang on this point."

Hu Yiqiu noticed Yun Tao's expression and spoke softly: "Even trustful master-disciple or father-son relationships won't let anyone fully explore the master's comprehension. It's partly avoiding others discovering and countering the achieved Dao, and partly to prevent influencing the junior's path."

"The drunken sword path I comprehend suits me, but is not best suited for you."

"Each individual's comprehension of the Dao is different. Even if comprehended, the same Great Dao can't be fully understood identically. If juniors browse the seniors' Dao, understanding will come relatively easily, and mastering it can boost advancement quickly!"

"However!"

Hu Yiqiu spoke seriously: "This senior Dao is absolutely not best suited for oneself."

"Among myriad cultivators, few truly comprehend the best-suited path for themselves. Many aim for shortcuts, but these shortcuts can't lead to the pinnacle."

"Unless you've browsed and comprehended the Saint's Path, as such an earlier path already has a peak—the highest cultivation reached by the predecessors, allowing rapid advancement, perhaps even reaching their heights quickly, but never surpassing it!"

Yun Tao froze for a moment, Saint's Path? How could it be browsed? Is this approach wrong then? Is the junior...?

Yun Tao glanced at Jiang Chen's cabin, eyes filled with a mix of worry and guilt; Jiang Chen did it to help treat him...

If this led him astray, he'd be a sinner!

Noticing Yun Tao's expression, Hu Yiqiu smiled reassuringly, patting his shoulder: "Yun Tao, don't worry! Although Young Jiang had to control my Dao Rhythm to help heal your injuries and thus explored my Great Dao."

"Yet he didn't follow my comprehended Great Dao for cultivation, instead discarding most of the comprehension, leaving only parts matching his path—which is the correct cultivation approach."

Saying this, Hu Yiqiu let out a gentle sigh: "His mindset, this decisiveness, is truly beyond the reach of ordinary people!"

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