Above the Cangzhou, peaks rose one after another, embodying a natural beauty. An ancient sect had stood here for thousands of years.

Two figures were walking along the path, heading towards the mountain peak in front of them.

One of them was a handsome young man with an upright bearing, exuding a transcendental aura.

On the other side was a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in brocade clothes, he was looking at the young man beside him with a calm expression and a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Ye Tianyi, after many years, I never thought you've already reached the sixth level of Yuan Condensation. I'm really astonished!" the middle-aged man said.

The young man was called Ye Tianyi, and the place they were at was called the Cangyun Sect.

This sect had seven main peaks, each guarded by a peak master.

The duo were climbing one of those peaks, namely Qingyun Peak.

Ye Tianyi happened to be Qingyun Peak's direct disciple.

Upon hearing the praise, Ye Tianyi shook his head and said, "Uncle Master Lin Po, you flatter me. My realm is nothing remarkable."

"You don’t need to be modest. My direct disciples are simply unwatchable compared to you. I really envy your master, who has such disciples like you. Qingyun Peak will be worry-free for thousands of years!"

Lin Po spoke, his tone full of envy, and not a hint of flattery.

Hearing this, Ye Tianyi couldn't help but ask: "By the way, Uncle Master, ten years ago, my master took a disciple when he returned to the sect. He said that this little junior brother of mine was extraordinarily intelligent, and that ordinary talents could not compare to him. He mentioned that not even one could be found in the entire Cangzhou in a hundred years, is he truly as amazing as my master has claimed?"

"Who? Lu Changsheng?"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this name, Lin Po subconsciously furrowed his brow, lost for words momentarily.

After hesitating for a while, he slowly began to speak.

"I'm not in a position to state any judgements. You should find out for yourself. But there's a saying that rings true!"

"What's that?"

"Not to mention a hundred, but even after five hundred years, Cangzhou couldn't produce such a man!"

Hearing this, Ye Tianyi expressed curiosity, "It seems that my little junior is not simple!"

"He really isn't..."

"Is he in the sect now?" Ye Tianyi inquired.

"Right over there!"

Startled, Lin Po pointed at the distance under an old pine tree.

On a reclining chair, a young man dressed in white was leisurely laid, rhythmically waving a folding fan in his hands, while holding and savoring a cup of clear tea.

The scene was especially delightful.

In front of him, several figures were standing with burlap sacks in front, shimmering in the sunlight, all filled with shimmering spirit stones.

"Senior Brother Changsheng, this month's quota of spirit stones from Cangyun City has arrived. Would you like to count them?"

One of them spoke, a flattering smile on his face.

Lu Changsheng took a sip of his tea, calmly saying, "No need to bother, I trust in your work!"

Upon hearing this, smiles broke out on their faces.

Lu Changsheng continued, "However, there's something you need to give your attention to."

"What is it?"

"A few of the shops seem to have found a new backer. They haven't handed over the spirit stones for the past two months. This matter I'll leave to you guys!"

"They must be tired of living if they even dare to owe the Elder Brother spirit stones!"

"Bastards, I will burn down their shops tomorrow!"

One by one, they expressed their indignation while advocating for Lu Changsheng - a picture of respectful protection for their Elder Brother.

Lu Changsheng waved his hand, "No need to go that far, I am a soft-hearted person, I can't stand to see violence or blood. Just have them hand over the spirit stones within three days!"

"What if they don't hand it over?"

"If they don't hand it over, won't you take it yourselves? Don't know what is valuable? Still need me to teach?" Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow.

They all suddenly realized. Yeah, if others don't give, won't they rob themselves? If they couldn't do even this, what were their cultivation levels for?

However, these words fell into the ears of Ye Tianyi and Lin Po.

It was business as usual for Lin Po who was unfazed, but sweat stood out on Ye Tianyi's forehead.

"Elder Uncle, is he really my Junior Brother?"

"Rest assured, it definitely is!"

"Rest assured..." Ye Tianyi's mouth twitched at the corner, bewildered by what he just heard.

What happened to the excelling talents they had talked about, the 'ones in a hundred years'?

Other disciples would practice day and night, neglecting sleep, even the guru who served as the benchmark did the same.

On the contrary, his younger disciple acted as if he was in retirement, spending his days sleeping, strolling, and drinking tea. He showed no interest in scriptures and martial arts, never thinking about serious cultivation, even practicing is just something he does occasionally when he has time..

What's more, he managed to persuade these inner disciples to be his minions in fetching spiritual stones from the City of Sky Cloud for him.

Upon seeing this, Lin Po comforted, "Nephew, you'll get used to it eventually."

"Is this really all he does on a daily basis??" Ye Tianyi couldn't help but ask, still clinging to the slimmest hope.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Po seriously replied, "Of course, he also occasionally does other things."

"What kind of things?"

"For instance, every month when the outer sect disciples distribute spiritual rice, he is always on time, carrying two sacks and leaving. When inner sect disciples distribute elixir, he arrives early with his basket and leaves. When direct disciples distribute spiritual stones, he takes your senior brother's place, and every half a month, he would definitely visit the elder saying his senior is in serious need of spiritual stone for his practice..."

Lin Po related Lu Changsheng's decade-long dedication, never missing a beat.

Upon hearing these, Ye Tianyi's face darkened, barely holding himself back, he asked, "Does anyone ever intervene? Doesn't senior brother do anything?"

"I have never seen anyone do anything about it," Lin Po consoled. "After all, as a direct disciple, carrying a couple of sacks of spiritual rice really isn't a big deal. The senior outer sect elders wouldn't risk offending your master. As for elixirs and the like, the sect can afford his small demands. And about the spiritual stones, maybe it is indeed for your senior brother, who knows!"

Lin Po comforted again.

Ye Tianyi's eyes twitched. He was a man of integrity with big aspirations, a strict tutor, but the results were far from satisfactory from his own teachings...

"Tianyi, don't worry about it. Without your guidance, they focused too much on their cultivation and neglected discipline. Now that you're back, you can gradually teach them properly!" Lin Po consoled him.

Ye Tianyi nodded, resolute in his determination to properly educate his younger fellow disciple.

Seeing this, Lin Po suddenly called out, "Long Life!"

Note: Long life is the English literal translation of the character's Chinese name, Lu Changsheng

Hearing the shout, the few people under the pine tree turned back.

Seeing Lin Po, the others trembled and, frighted, hoisted up their hemp sacks and ran up the mountain.

Lu Changsheng, on the other hand, remained calm, slowly stood up with a smile on his face.

"Uncle Lin, what brings you to Qingyun Peak today? Is there something you need from my elder brother?"

Lu Changsheng slowly walked over after saying this.

Ye Tianyi observed Lu Changsheng closely, but was taken aback.

He saw a young man of about seventeen or eighteen. He was handsome, wearing white clothes. His eyebrows were sharp like sword edges, his eyes glittering like stars. He somehow carried an indescribable feeling of ethereality.

But he really couldn't understand how such an attractive individual could end up being such...a character.

Watching this, Lin Po couldn't help but say: "I merely ran into your second elder brother while on my way back to the sect and decided to have a chat with him!"

"Second elder brother?" Lu Changsheng raised his eyebrows, looking at the youth next to him.

Speaking of which, he hadn't actually met this elder brother before.

"Still not going to bow to your second senior brother?"

Lin Po spoke, Ye Tianyi put his hands behind his back, bearing a sense of arrogance. He was indeed very upset and refused to look at him, hoping to establish some authority to ease his future teachings.

However, surprisingly, Lu Changsheng simply grinned and slowly said, "Second senior brother, have you eaten?"

In an instant, Ye Tianyi froze. His mouth gaped open, but he couldn't manage to utter a single word.

...