Chapter 14: Is This a Human?

In the beginning, the old Taoist’s attention had remained fixed entirely upon Li Chang'an’s statement: “I saw you three years ago.”

For certain rather particular reasons, the old Taoist was exceedingly sensitive about his identity and his whereabouts.

Thus, the moment he heard Li Chang'an mention his movements, his reaction was remarkably intense.

As for what Li Chang'an said afterward, it was subconsciously ignored by him.

——After all, he had already witnessed this child’s capacity for spinning wild yarns, and once a person forms a fixed perception, their subconscious naturally falls prey to biased beliefs and selective hearing.

Fortunately, the old Taoist’s mind had not completely rusted over, and so after merely a brief pause, he quickly grasped the crucial point, his eyes widening as he said, “You say you learned your cultivation method from me?”

Seeing that the old Taoist was finally no longer avoiding the subject, Li Chang'an let out a heavy sigh of relief and nodded, saying, “Though it may sound somewhat unbelievable, what this junior says is the absolute truth!”

“Little lad, if you are playing tricks on this old Taoist today, do not blame me for using my age to bully the young and giving you a thorough thrashing on behalf of your parents!” Looking at the solemn-faced Li Chang'an before him, the old Taoist’s eyelids twitched as a sense of inexplicable absurdity rose within his heart, and he could not help but sharpen his tone, adding, “I will ask you one last time, did you truly… master the drawing of qi into the body just by glancing at me from afar?”

Li Chang'an nodded decisively, without the slightest hint of hesitation.

At the same time, to corroborate his words, he began to circulate the qi-drawing method he had comprehended from the old Taoist.

Feeling that essence within Li Chang'an’s body, which was at once familiar and yet strange, the expression on the old Taoist’s face rippled with layer upon layer of shock, and the worldview he had built over decades began to shudder!

Though he still wished, a thousand and ten thousand times over, not to believe it, after repeatedly sensing the aura upon Li Chang'an, he had no choice but to admit that based on the currently known facts, this matter—which was so preposterous it defied all reason—seemed to possess a sliver of reality after all.

First of all, he had indeed passed through Li Family Village three years ago.

Secondly, although the method Li Chang'an used to draw qi into his body differed considerably from the Mysterious Yang Sect’s "Mysterious Yang Art", the vital meridian pathways through which the two operated and the refined aura of the vital energy… did indeed share many similarities!

Particularly when the cultivation method was in full motion, that familiar sense of déjà vu became even more pronounced!

“……” At this thought, the old Taoist suddenly fell entirely silent, turning into a living statue.

Seeing that his master seemed to be questioning his very existence.

The young Taoist hurriedly leaned in, speaking with a somewhat cheeky air, “Master, why have you suddenly gone quiet? Surely you don't actually believe this kid’s nonsense, do you?”

Hearing this, the old Taoist, somewhat vexed to the point of anger, smacked him on the head and said crossly, “Shut up, your master is thinking!”

Faced with this, the young Taoist dared to feel angry but dared not speak out; he could only turn to look at Li Chang'an, baring his teeth as he said, “Little brat, who instigated you to say these things? Was it the Imperial Court, or those dogs from the Water Gang?”

His voice paused, his tone turning rather hostile, “My master’s mind has never been very sharp. Whatever insidious plots and tricks you, or rather the person behind you, have up your sleeves, just bring them out directly!”

Li Chang'an looked at him as if looking at an idiot, rolling his eyes outright without uttering a word.

Finding himself ruthlessly despised by a mere child, the young Taoist instantly grew furious, rolling up his sleeves as he prepared to rush forward.

“Changning, do not be rude!”

At this moment, the old Taoist, who had been dazed for a good long while, finally came completely to his senses.

He pushed aside his impetuous disciple with a sweep of his hand, his gaze fixed squarely on Li Chang'an as he spoke, “Since you claim it takes but a single glance to learn the method of drawing qi into the body from me, then this old Taoist will now give you a chance to prove yourself… If you fail to learn it, I shall certainly not let the matter rest with you today.”

To this, Li Chang'an naturally had no objection.

The old Taoist took two steps back, pressed his fingers together like a blade, and lightly swept them toward a patch of wild grass in the distance.

“Swoosh…”

Without any superfluous fluctuations of energy, as if a gentle breeze had merely brushed past, the distant wild grass was silently severed right through the middle into two smooth, even sections.

Having done all this, the old Taoist turned his gaze back to Li Chang'an, tilting his chin upward as he said, “This technique is called the "Sword Qi Verse". Do you need this old Taoist to demonstrate it once more?”

To him, this technique of 'guiding vital energy and aligning fingers as a sword' held no great difficulty.

Yet to an outsider who did not understand the underlying principles of how the energy circulated, it could well be considered a minor, exclusive secret technique.

And the reason he brought out this particular technique to test Li Chang'an was because it was a spell he himself had only recently acquired.

Aside from himself, even his disciple, Lyu Changning, had not yet learned it.

This fundamentally eliminated any possibility of cheating.

Witnessing his actions, Li Chang'an closed his eyes, pondered for a brief moment, and shook his head, saying, “No need!”

As his voice fell, beneath the astonished and incredulous stares of everyone present, Li Chang'an slowly stood up, pressed his two fingers together, and lightly flicked them toward a patch of wild grass a few meters away…

“Swoosh!”

Instantly, vital energy surged forth from his fingertips, transforming into an invisible blade unseen by the naked eye, and a small section of the wild grass patch was cleanly shorn away!

[With defying comprehension, you watched Wang Su perform a Taoist technique and successfully comprehended the martial arts technique "Sword Qi Verse"!]

Learned in one second, mastered the next.

Witnessing this scene, which could only be described as miraculous, with his own eyes, let alone the old Taoist himself, even Lyu Changning standing behind him could not help but gape in astonishment.

One had to know that the Sword Qi Verse was something the old Taoist had obtained barely half a month ago, and even he, the disciple, had not yet learned it.

There was absolutely no possibility of the technique having been leaked beforehand.

Yet now, this child before them had merely taken a cursory glance at it, and not only had he replicated the technique perfectly from scratch, but he could even execute it directly!

What in the world… was this an operation a normal human could achieve?

Lyu Changning was completely stupefied, freezing on the spot for a long while, entirely at a loss as to what kind of expression he should show.

The old Taoist was likewise profoundly shaken in spirit; he subconsciously offered a strained smile and spoke, “This old Taoist has traveled far and wide in this life and seen many a genius, but a monstrous talent like you is truly something I am witnessing for the very first time. It is truly… an eye-opener!”

Speaking to this point, he suddenly seemed to recall something, a look of remembrance appearing on his face as he said, “According to ancient records, several centuries ago, the martial arts world of the Central Plains also enjoyed a golden age where talents flourished and geniuses emerged in multitudes. Yet, constrained by my own meager imagination, this old Taoist could never conceive what kind of magnificent era that must have been…”

“Until meeting you today, this old Taoist finally feels as though he has transcended time and space, truly understanding that prosperous golden age of martial arts recorded in the books!”

After sighing to himself for a few moments, the old Taoist reined in his stray emotions and said solemnly, “Child, do you wish to practice martial arts?”

Li Chang'an had spent so much effort laying the groundwork for so long precisely for this very moment; he naturally had no reason to refuse and immediately nodded, saying, “Daoist master, this junior naturally wishes to practice martial arts—I dream of it!”

“Such astonishing martial talent. If you could be taken in as a disciple, this old Taoist’s life would be complete…” The old Taoist’s face showed a deep struggle, but in the end, he merely let out a sigh and said, “Regrettably, this old Taoist is currently entangled in trivial matters and faces the danger of eternal damnation at any moment; it is not fitting to involve you as well!”

It was plain to see that the old Taoist truly found Li Chang'an too precious to let go.

It could even be said that in all these years, the old Taoist’s desire to take someone as a disciple had never been so intense!

Yet despite this, he still forced himself to dispel the thought. One could not help but wonder just how immense a trouble he had provoked for him to remain cautious and low-profile to such a degree.

……