Moonlight was serene, like a pool of still autumn water.
The soft glow flowed gently through the ornate window of the wooden cabin, casting a shimmering reflection across the floor.
“Master… the moon is so beautiful tonight.”
Ruo Ximeng leaned contentedly against Su Chen’s chest, her voice filled with happiness.
The moon had long symbolized longing and sorrow, but tonight, as Ruo Ximeng gazed at the crescent hanging in the sky, all she felt was warmth and joy.
Of course, that warmth and joy came entirely from Su Chen.
“It’s beautiful?”
Su Chen was momentarily stunned.
He wasn’t the type to indulge in poetic sentimentality like those pretentious scholars.
But since Ruo Ximeng had spoken, his gaze followed hers to the crescent moon.
He nodded sagely, as if contemplating something profound.
While nodding with that mysterious air, Su Chen thought silently to himself, ‘What the hell? Isn’t it the same as always?’
Naturally, that was just a passing thought.
He had no intention of ruining her mood.
It was rare for Ruo Ximeng to have the urge to admire the moon.
Soon, Su Chen noticed a rather crucial point.
This wasn’t exactly the best place to enjoy the moonlight, and tonight wasn’t the best night for it either.
To him, the crescent moon seemed perfectly ordinary.
Still, if they could enjoy the moon a few days later, from the summit of the Forbidden Peak, now that would be something.
Su Chen made a mental note.
He’d take Ruo Ximeng there for a proper moon-viewing.
However…
He was probably the only one reckless enough to even consider such a thing.
The Imperial Capital’s Forbidden Peak was sacred ground for cultivators across Dayan.
Only the Emperor and a select few royals with immense status had the right to set foot there, let alone admire the moon.
But Su Chen? He clearly didn’t fall into that category.
His fists were his qualifications.
***
“Master, about the emotional cultivation method you taught me this afternoon… I still can’t grasp it. Could you please guide me?”
As she nestled against him and gazed at the moon, Ruo Ximeng asked softly.
Hearing that, Su Chen’s eyes lit up.
Teaching—no, training—his disciple was currently his greatest joy… and arguably his strongest skill.
‘Oh no. Host, you’re about to scam someone again!’
The little figure projected by the Imperial Master System immediately sensed danger.
Judging by Su Chen’s sparkling eyes, he was clearly about to do something very questionable.
‘What nonsense! Passing on knowledge and resolving doubts—how could that be considered scamming?This is cultivation! How could you use a word like “harm”?’
A barrage of pseudo-scholarly nonsense left the system completely speechless.
Once Su Chen had thoroughly confused the system into silence, he shifted his focus back to the task at hand.
Teaching this sweet and naive little disciple—that was the true priority!
“The emotional cultivation method is just the surface. As my disciple, it’s beneath your talents. I’m going to teach you something far more advanced.”
Su Chen’s declaration left Ruo Ximeng stunned.
‘Really?’
But… she hadn’t even figured out the basics of the emotional cultivation method yet.
“Master, but… I still can’t even grasp the basics. Can I really learn something that advanced?”
Her voice was timid, and doubt clouded her heart.
She was afraid she wouldn’t live up to his expectations.
“Wrong! Completely wrong! You may look like you haven’t mastered the Emotional Cultivation Technique on the surface, but in reality, you’ve already cultivated it to the highest realm!”
“That’s right, Ximeng! You’re a once-in-a-millennium cultivation prodigy!”
Su Chen’s words grew increasingly exaggerated, but also more fluent, his self-satisfaction clearly growing.
But if he had to be honest, Ximeng’s talent for cultivation was actually terrible—so bad, in fact, that she hadn’t even managed to produce any spiritual energy in her body yet.
Of course, that was largely his fault.
After all, the cultivation technique and star chart he had given her were both fake.
[Pfft! Hahaha! This system is dying of laughter!]
Hearing Su Chen’s words, the little figure conjured by the Imperial Master System burst out laughing.
The system sprite clutched its belly, howling with laughter, and even started rolling back and forth on the ground.
Just now, Su Chen had actually claimed that Ximeng was a once-in-a-millennium cultivation genius.
The fact that he could say that with a straight face—this had to be the funniest joke in the world!
“Master… Am I really a cultivation prodigy?”
At that moment, Ximeng’s small mouth was wide open, and her beautiful eyes were also wide in disbelief.
Clearly, Su Chen’s words had completely shocked her.
“Exactly, Ximeng! You’re one in ten thousand—no, one in a million!”
“On the surface, it seems like you haven’t grasped the Emotional Cultivation Technique…”
As he spoke, Su Chen’s thoughts became increasingly clear, and he suddenly shifted the tone of his speech.
“But in truth, you’ve already taken this technique to heights that no one before you has ever reached!”
“Turning the formless into form, the infinite into finite, and the lawless into a method—this is the ultimate realm of the Emotional Cultivation Technique!”
“To see mountains as mountains and waters as waters is merely the first and shallowest level. Even the second realm—where mountains are not mountains, and waters are not waters—is just scratching the surface.”
Just as Su Chen was preparing to delve deeper into his philosophical explanation, Ximeng’s body suddenly trembled.
A look of realization appeared in her brilliant eyes.
“Master! I understand now!”
Before Su Chen even finished describing the second realm, Ximeng suddenly exclaimed with intense excitement.
“Uh…”
Su Chen was stunned.
‘She already understood?’ He still had seven or eight more realms to go!
Well, not that it really mattered.
“Ximeng, to grasp something in an instant, to infer ten truths from one—that is the mark of a true cultivation genius!”
Su Chen nodded sagely, speaking with great conviction.
At that moment, Ximeng’s confidence and determination reached an all-time high.
Her master truly was someone she could always trust—and everything he said must be right!
“Ximeng, but remember—don’t become arrogant. Emotional cultivation is merely the beginning. Beyond it lies Vision Cultivation, and even higher than that—Faith Cultivation!”
“The stronger and more unwavering your faith, the more powerful and resilient your body and spirit will become!”
Su Chen continued his earnest guidance.
Other than his dry, invincible strength, his greatest talent was in misleading people—no, rather, in ‘imparting wisdom and resolving doubts.’
“Master… Faith, huh…”
At that moment, a spark of determination flashed in Ximeng’s eyes.
If she had to name one thing she believed in with all her heart—it was this: to protect her master!
And in that very instant, something incredible happened within her.
Her conviction was so strong that it triggered the ancient and immutable power of the “Azure Sea, Clear Skies” faith!
Everlasting are the green mountains, flowing are the rivers, and under the clear skies and azure seas, my heart remains steadfast each night!
Such a belief had been realized by sages of the past, but whether it could ever be achieved again in the future—no one could say.
Within her sea of consciousness, a majestic and boundless image of azure seas and clear skies began to unfurl.
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