Was it because of the 2,000 Spirit Stones he had given?
Or was it because Old Man Cao had eaten his roast chicken?
An entity at the Nascent Soul level wouldn't truly be attracted by these things. Everyone acts for a reason. Even going to defecate is because you feel the urge, not because you squat by the roadside without any urge to defecate.
So what was the reason for Old Man Cao's actions?
To cultivate a peerless Magic Practitioner!
A peerless Sword Cultivator might not be able to break the shackles, but what if a peerless Magic Practitioner was added?
If he wasn't mistaken, then Old Man Cao was the State Preceptor of Da Xia.
Chen Qiu stood silently in his original spot, not speaking. Regardless of whether the truth was really as he suspected, he could be certain of one thing: There must be something about him that Old Man Cao was unaware of, such as his Seven-colored term.
Then he gazed at the distant sea and said softly, "Didn't you say you had met the State Preceptor? Tell me more about him."
The scholar furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, and then recalled, "The State Preceptor is a very young man, but he has existed for a very long time, as though he has never aged. His skin is very delicate, but his pupils are murky, lacking the clarity of a young person."
"He looks like an old man, and his methods are also very mature, showing none of the air of a young person."
"There's also a White entry that's complete nonsense. The more people he deceives, the faster his Cultivation grows."
Chen Qiu chuckled softly without replying. Everything matched up perfectly.
Murky pupils were inevitable. That body was probably just one that Old Man Cao used to walk the outside world. With Old Man Cao's age and wisdom, no matter how much he disguised himself, he could not disguise his eyes.
Liking to deceive matched up too.
When he was in Wendian Market,
he had a chance encounter called "Heaven's Treasury," which contained many deeply discounted treasures. At that time, an Evil Cultivator suddenly appeared intending to snatch their treasures, and he ended up being blasted to death by a Self-Destruction Term Chen Qiu used.
After returning to Wendian Market, he learned from the captain of the guard at that time that an old diviner had told the Evil Cultivator that heading west that day would bring good fortune, and the west was the direction he was in.
The Evil Cultivator died at his hand.
Old Man Cao deceived an Evil Cultivator and liked to deceive.
Furthermore, when someone had asked Old Man Cao for divination, Old Man Cao told him to kowtow three times towards the east every morning. This, too, was a deception, and if there were any method that easily deceived people, it was definitely prophesying and divining for others.
Everything matched. It all matched.
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"Let's go, let's head back."
Chen Qiu smiled, turned around, and walked back towards the city carrying his walking cane. He was not in conflict with the State Preceptor. Since Old Man Cao wanted to create opportunities to cultivate him into a peerless Magic Practitioner, he didn't mind.
After all, Old Man Cao's intention was merely to break the shackles of Da Xia.
And it didn't conflict with his own.
When his Cultivation reached the peak of the Golden Core Great Perfection, he wasn't willing to just watch his own lifespan run out, he also wanted to achieve the Nascent Soul through his own efforts.
As long as he got enough benefits, he didn't mind being a pawn.
If Old Man Cao thought he could completely control him,
Then he was gravely mistaken.
The scholar and Fat Long exchanged glances, seeing the confusion in each other's eyes. Why was Brother Qiu still smiling so happily after guessing that he might just be a pawn? Still, they shook their heads and quickly followed Chen Qiu back into the city.
By now, the city gate was filled with many Sect Disciples, all of whom looked at Chen Qiu with a mix of respect and awe.
Jealousy only exists when someone is slightly better than you.
When someone could effortlessly crush you to death, any normal person would certainly not harbor the negative emotion of jealousy.
Soon night fell, and midnight arrived.
The daily blessing from the "Heavenly Pride Leaderboard" had already been deposited. A Jade Box magically appeared again in the Storage Ring. Sitting cross-legged on the inn's bed, Chen Qiu looked at the pills inside the Jade Box and a trace of surprise flitted across his eyes.
The pills in the Jade Box looked extremely familiar.
They looked almost identical to the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, only the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy was stronger, and the pills themselves looked more lustrous.
Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, and not just one, but ten.
Chen Qiu laughed, realizing that the biggest gain from this Heavenly Pride Leaderboard might not only be the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure but also these Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. After reaching the Golden Core stage, there had been virtually no way to rapidly advance his Cultivation progress.
Killing demon beasts was basically useless now, and consuming pills no longer improved Cultivation.
He had been preparing to slowly spend time.
Then the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill appeared.
The blessing from the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard was daily, meaning that every night at midnight, he could collect ten Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. Coupled with methods like the Spirit Gathering Array, this could significantly accelerate his cultivation progress.
He didn't know how much Cultivation Progress this single Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill could enhance.
Chen Qiu exhaled lightly, a hint of anticipation in his eyes as he swallowed the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes tightly, and started to operate his mental method to rapidly absorb the medicinal power of the pill.
The Chen Qiu sitting on the bed exhaled a long breath, feeling the immense Spiritual Energy in his Dantian and inspecting his bodily Dantian through introspection.
'Cultivation': Golden Core Stage first layer (5.1%).
Then, he couldn't help but chuckle softly.