Are you talking just to talk, or are you showing your merit incense for some reason? Do you intend to morally coerce him?
That pointy-nosed, fur-faced Daoist, who does not seem like a sage but rather like a demon, suddenly sneered:
"In my life, I've only done good deeds, yet that doesn't necessarily mean I've cultivated any divine fruit. Your origins may fool others, but not me."
"A demon, no matter what good deeds you've done, cannot be trusted!"
Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and replied, "With all due respect, I cannot agree with your words. How can the affairs of this world, whether inside or out, be settled with a single phrase?"
"In my eyes, demons may not be demons, the holy may not be holy, and the person before you may not be a person."
The Skinny Daoist raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then what do you say is holy, and what is human?"
"I only know that people, when false, become demons; when objects have spiritual essence, they become spirits; when the human soul lingers, it becomes a ghost; when the chaos of heaven and earth suddenly turns abnormal, it becomes a strange phenomenon; when the god's spirit is improper, it becomes evil; when the human mind is deluded, it becomes a devil; and when one is inclined towards heterodoxy, it becomes a heretical path..."
"As for what is holy, it's beyond my current level of understanding."
"..."
The Skinny Daoist remained silent, and after pondering, he suddenly raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes, saying, "So young, yet full of theories. But you only know the surface, not the substance. Even if you cultivate your disposition, you cannot become holy."
Xu Qing clasped his hands and responded, "I am ignorant and seek your guidance, senior."
The Skinny Daoist seemed to have been waiting for these words. When Xu Qing asked for advice, he suddenly gestured for Xu Qing to come forward.
In this dream, Xu Qing was not afraid. He leaned in, only to see the fur-faced, pointy-chinned Daoist pull out a two-foot-long ruler from his sleeve and strike it on Xu Qing's forehead.
Xu Qing's face turned dark. He wanted to dodge but couldn't, feeling utterly frustrated.
Initially, he doubted the identity of this Daoist, but when the ruler appeared, Xu Qing was finally convinced of his suspicions.
The Skinny Daoist put away the ruler and licked his lips, as if savoring the taste.
"I'll tell you what is holy."
The Daoist's eyes glimmered, and his words were like gems: "Cultivate life and nature. Since you understand how to cultivate good results, you must know that a fist is the cornerstone of protecting the Way!"
"Cultivating only good results cannot make one holy!"
"Having only a fist without virtue is a demon!"
"Only good results with a fist can make one holy!"
Xu Qing suddenly understood. The Skinny Daoist before him was once all fists and no virtue.
He could not walk the Daoist's old path...
"What are you thinking?"
The Skinny Daoist suddenly narrowed his eyes. He felt that the look in the young man's eyes was somehow offensive.
That feeling was like a mother-in-law meeting her daughter-in-law for the first time and finding everything about her dissatisfactory...
"I'm thinking about how to make my fist big enough, hard enough, and holy enough!"
"Please teach me, senior!"
This kid...
He's too much on the right path.
The Skinny Daoist had seen many people who cultivated good results, and most were rigid and inflexible. But someone with such a lively mind as Xu Qing was rare.
The Skinny Daoist nodded approvingly, "What kind of Divine Techniques do you want to learn?"
"Naturally, the harder the better. Please teach me something formidable, senior."
"..."
The Skinny Daoist suddenly fell silent, feeling as though he had dug himself into a deep pit.
Originally intending to teach only external Divine Techniques, he had to change his approach: "I have here a teleportation Divine Technique that spans dozens of continents, a cloning Divine Technique with thousands of avatars, as well as the Body Fixation Technique, Indestructible Diamond Body, and the Water Avoidance Skill."
"Which would you like to learn?"
Xu Qing pondered, "I already have the teleportation Divine Technique spanning dozens of continents; I'm acquainted with the cloning Divine Technique; Indestructible Diamond Body is one of my skills; and I'm quite familiar with the Water Avoidance Skill."
"Only the Body Fixation Technique might be useful, but although it's practical, it's clearly not tough enough..."
"..."
The Skinny Daoist was immediately enraged:
"I thought you were sincerely seeking the Way, but it turns out you're nothing but a big talker, full of deceit and pretense!"
"If you know everything, why are you here? Leave quickly! If you tarry, beware your ancestor kicking you out with a beating!"
Xu Qing hurriedly explained, "I would not dare deceive you, senior; indeed, I lack nothing of these Divine Techniques."
As he spoke, Xu Qing demonstrated his dismemberment technique and Divine Travel Celestial Scripture to the Skinny Daoist.
"..."
The Daoist was left speechless and asked, "Where did you learn these Divine Techniques? No, if you learned these, you must have a famous teacher. Why come to me for guidance?"
With a gleam in his eye, Xu Qing replied, "There is something unknown to you, senior. Though I have a master, it is as if I have no master; though I have no master, it is as if I have a master."
The Skinny Daoist was puzzled: "How do you mean?"
Xu Qing spoke softly, "When I was learning, my master told me that where I go, might bring misfortune. If I cause trouble, I must not reveal my master's identity or where I learned these Divine Techniques. If I utter even half a word about my sect, my master would flay me, grind my bones, and banish my Divine Soul to the Nine Netherworld, never to return for aeons..."
"..."
The Daoist's eyelids twitched, and he was silent for a moment.
After a long pause, the Daoist took a deep breath and looked at Xu Qing, who was shrouded in merit and incense, like a bright moon hanging high.
Finally, he spoke, "I have a Transformation Skill here that, once mastered, can transform into mountains, rocks, trees, snakes, insects, tigers, and leopards. However, it requires one with a complete mastery of the Five Elements to practice it..."
Xu Qing's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "I happen to have mastery of the Five Elements, making me perfectly suited to this skill!"
"..."