"Oh? Only mighty figures such as Saint Chendao managed to learn it?"
"Senior Sister, in my eyes, they are not even qualified to stand in front of me."
Meng Yao froze. She did not even blink, just staring at Xu Xing in disbelief. How could this obedient junior brother say something like that all of a sudden!? Did he hit his head?
If anyone from outside heard those words and had even a little connection to Sword Saint Chendao, that person would drag Xu Xing out and beat him until his own mother failed to recognize him.
Internally, Xu Xing was already crying, but he still couldn't stop it.
Xu Xing continued, with a lazy voice. "Those figures should thank fate they never stood against me in their generation." He sighed, a sound of genuine pity. "I pity everyone from this era who will face me. Sigh..."
Meng Yao's judgment about Xu Xing was falling below even what she thought was possible... just how could someone be so arrogant and delusional? She couldn't even believe her own words.
Xu Xing's gaze moved back to the manual, then at Meng Yao with a look of pity.
"Senior Sister, this sword formation is hard for you? Your talent is truly poor."
Xu Xing shook his head.
That small action nearly lit Meng Yao on fire. Her chest rose and fell in anger. Her entire face was red. So this counted as the arrogance Master warned her about? How naive was she to misunderstand.
Meng Yao's shaking finger pointed at Xu Xing. "Junior Brother, my talent ranked among the best in the sect. Not only that, I even fought a saintess and almost won!"
Xu Xing finally raised his brows.
Meng Yao saw that tiny change and felt some relief. Good. It seemed this junior brother was still a little sensible. He had probably finally understood what 'saintess' meant. He seemed to have become delusional after staying in his room all day long.
Her trail of thoughts was interrupted by Xu Xing's voice.
"Has the current era fallen this far?" He clicked his tongue. "I expected a challenge. It seems I must personally show the world the natural gap between us."
Meng Yao's mouth fell open.
For a moment, she truly failed to guess the limits of this junior brother's delusions. She couldn't take it anymore.
"Junior Brother! If that's your view, then tell me. What kind of person counts as a genius in your eyes!?"
Xu Xing gave her a meaningful look, as if he was going to enlighten her.
"There are only two kinds of talent naturally," he said in a deep, slow voice. "Average and Xu Xing. If I, Xu Xing, was not born, then the immortal dao path would've forever remained in the dark."
His chin lifted a little proudly.
Meng Yao stared at him. Her head buzzed. This no longer looked like normal arrogance. For her, Xu Xing resembled those arrogant young masters, but even they fared better than Xu Xing.
No! She could not let him continue. As his Senior Sister, it fell upon her to educate him and bring him back to the right path.
"Junior Brother." Meng Yao drew a long breath and forced herself to calm down. "Since ancient times, figures like Sword Saint Chendao left examples for later generations. A cultivator must respect heaven, respect earth, and respect those who walked ahead."
At that exact moment, the strange force gripping Xu Xing vanished.
His shoulders loosened.
The dogshit system finally let him go.
Xu Xing almost wanted to cry from relief, but Meng Yao kept talking.
His face stiffened. He could only sit there and listen.
"Do you know how Saint Chendao rose?" Meng Yao paced in front of him like a teacher before a slow student. "One sword. One man. One era. He crossed countless lands, cut through heroes, and suppressed an entire generation. Even now, Tianjian Sect still stands tall because of his legacy."
Xu Xing nodded. "Yes, yes."
"You say others lacked qualifications to stand before you?" Meng Yao jabbed a finger at the book. "You only just started learning a sword formation. Saint Chendao created paths for later swordsmen to follow."
Xu Xing nodded again. "Senior Sister speaks the truth."
"Don't mock me."
"I wouldn't dare."
Meng Yao ignored that and kept going.
"Cultivation always carries hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Today you call others trash. Tomorrow someone stronger slaps you into the ground. Then what? Face is lost and Dao heart is shaken. Future ruined."
Xu Xing forced out a bitter smile.
If she knew the system had made him say all that, she might slap the system instead.
Sadly, the system hid better than a turtle in its shell.
Meng Yao folded her arms and looked down at him.
"Let me ask you this. If a mountain stands before you, do you charge in blind and claim it's a flat road?"
Xu Xing nodded on instinct. "That depends on the mountain."
Meng Yao almost choked. "No, it does not depend!"
She took two more steps and started another round.
"A person must learn humility. Humility lets you see where you fall short. Pride blinds, and pride rots the heart."
Xu Xing nodded again. "Senior Sister's words strike me to the heart."
"Then remember them."
"I will remember."
"Repeat them."
Xu Xing's face twitched. "A person must learn humility. Humility lets you see where you fall short. Pride blinds, and pride rots the heart."
Meng Yao looked pleased for half a breath, then narrowed her eyes.
"You only repeated the words but you did not understand the meaning."
Xu Xing nearly cursed aloud.
How could he win this?
He couldn't argue. He couldn't explain. If he said, Senior Sister, I don't want to act arrogant. A broken system forced me, she would likely drag him to the doctor for treatment.
So he endured. An hour later, Meng Yao finally finished.
She looked at him with deep satisfaction.
"Junior Brother, remember this lesson. You must always stay humble."
Xu Xing let out a long breath. "Yes, Senior Sister."
Only after Meng Yao left the room did he slump into the chair. He pressed a hand over his face.
"Dogshit system," he muttered.
Then he sighed, picked up the sword formation manual again, and opened to the same page.
Outside, Meng Yao flew through the sky on her sword and still felt dazed. How could her junior brother turn out like that?
He had spoken with such confidence that, for one strange moment, she had almost doubted herself... Maybe she had placed Saint Chendao too high? The problem did not lie with her. It clearly lay in her junior brother's head!
A flash of light broke her thoughts.
A jade communication stone flew out of her storage ring on its own. Soft light spread from the stone, and a clear voice rang out.
"Meng Yao, how did it go?"
Meng Yao recognized the voice. It was Yu Yan, the saintess of Xuantian Sect.
Meng Yao did not answer right away.
After hearing no answer, Yu Yan asked worriedly.
"Did something happen?"
Meng Yao clenched the jade stone and finally asked, "Yu Yan, have you ever seen someone look down on Saint Chendao?"
Yu Yan was caught off guard. Why the sudden question? But even then, she thought seriously and answered. "No one. Sword Saint Chendao suppressed his era alone and later ascended. Even now, Tianjian Sect is still a major sect in the Eastern Region because of his legacy. Why do you ask?"
Meng Yao let out a bitter laugh.
"My junior brother looks down on him."
The jade stone stayed silent for a full breath, then Yu Yan's surprised voice came.
"What?"
"He not only insulted Saint Chendao," Meng Yao said, her face flushing in anger as she recalled the scene, "he even said figures like Saint Chendao should thank fate for not being born in his generation."
Yu Yan almost coughed. "Is that true?"
"Yes."
"I think your junior brother has a problem in his head."
Meng Yao closed her eyes and replied instantly. "Yes."
Even she totally believed her junior brother's head was full of strange thoughts. He was deeply delusional and arrogant.
Meng Yao's expression turned firm.
"I'll pull him back to the right path."
"How?"
"Come with me tomorrow."
"Me?"
"Yes. If you help me explain things, Junior Brother will surely lose that arrogance." Meng Yao's eyes lit up as her plan formed. "You are the saintess. Any normal disciple would look up to you. Once he hears your words, he will finally understand what a true genius looks like."
Yu Yan gave a soft laugh. "You think highly of my title. Fine, I'll go."
Meng Yao nodded with relief.
Tomorrow, she would teach her junior brother one more lesson.
Far from Xuantian Sect, in a barren, desolate land, a man knelt on cracked earth. He wore the robe of a Xuantian Sect disciple, yet an aura of bloodlust was all around him.
His face looked narrow and sly, almost fox-like. His eyes stayed on the ground as he faced a black rectangular token planted in the ground before him.
Mist flowed out of the token's surface. An illusionary figure appeared.
The figure's face was not clearly visible. Only a deep, malicious aura leaked out. Anyone who stared too long might see a sea of blood, millions of ghosts, and crawling demons beneath the mist.
The figure spoke in a low voice.
"Have you confirmed the item lies inside Xuantian Sect?"
The kneeling man bowed lower. "Yes, Ancestor. The item hides within the sect's hidden secret realm. We must enter that realm to retrieve it."
The figure fell silent for a moment.
"Do not worry. I will make arrangements. Xuantian Sect will open the secret realm during this Dao Gathering."
The kneeling man pressed his forehead to the ground. "Ancestor's methods shake heaven."
The figure ignored the flattery.
"Xuan Feng, create a public conflict between Tianjian Sect and Xuantian Sect."
The demonic being handed him a red pouch.
The fox-faced disciple named Xuan Feng raised his head slightly and took it. "As you command, Ancestor."
The token dimmed. The kneeling man rose, brushed the dust from his robes, and turned toward the distant direction of Xuantian Sect.
His lips curved into a thin smile.