Looking at the broken tree, Shu Han was completely stunned.
A Celestial Tier manual, without Heart Technique assistance, and no cultivation support.
Adding on that Su Changqing was in possession of this manual for merely an hour, the result!!
Did he really learn it???
"Is the Sword Dao really this simple?"
An absurd idea rose in Shu Han's mind as he took the manual from Su Changqing's hand and studied it seriously.
After a while...
"Hiss... what do these little drawings mean?"
"Can you really learn swordsmanship from this?"
"Without a Heart Technique, what exactly is used to activate it...?"
Just from a simple flip through, Shu Han already had a hundred thousand questions in his mind.
He finally confirmed one thing.
It wasn't that the Sword Dao was too simple, but that Su Changqing was too terrifying!
"So... our junior disciple isn't a scholar prodigy, but... whatever he learns, he's a prodigy!"
Shu Han stood dumbfounded on the spot.
Although these two sentences seemed similar, the implications were extremely terrifying.
In other words, if Su Changqing reads, he's the reincarnation of a literary emperor.
If Su Changqing learns swordsmanship, he's a Sword Immortal incarnate.
Even if he learns martial arts, he'd be the Martial Ancestor of his era, standing atop the peak!
"How fortunate I am..."
Shu Han couldn't help but sigh to the sky, "To have the blessing of becoming Chang Qing's senior brother."
On the side, Brother Er Niu laughed as he transmitted a message to Shu Han: "Well? Did you see our Young Master's swordsmanship talent?"
"Still reading, reading what? As long as the Young Master practices the sword, he can conquer Sword God Mountain in less than five years."
Upon hearing this, Shu Han regained his composure and scoffed: "Sword God Mountain? Five years?"
"Do you believe that if Chang Qing went to the Central Plains now, he'd achieve greatness in the scholarly way in less than a day?"
The teacher had already told him about Chang Qing's imposing presence and the immense righteous aura stored within the statue of the literary emperor.
Even without those, just based on Chang Qing's four arts of the Confucian School, he could dominate the literary world.
"Achieve greatness in the scholarly way? You're exaggerating, bookworm," Brother Er Niu said speechlessly.
A scholar without a shred of righteous aura achieving greatness in the scholarly way?
If he believed that, he'd truly be a fool.
"If you keep calling me a bookworm, I might just beat you up!"
Three black lines appeared on Shu Han's forehead as he spoke through gritted teeth.
"Oh? Daring to threaten a Sword Cultivator?"
"Both of us are in the Fourth Realm, and you, a scholar, want to arm-wrestle a Sword Cultivator? Got itchy skin?"
Brother Er Niu looked Shu Han up and down with a smirk.
"If you have the guts, don't leave later!"
"Heh, whoever runs is a coward!"
...
Su Changqing, who was studying the manual, didn't notice that the two people beside him, who looked calm, were about to start a huge argument.
As the sky darkened, Su Changqing put away the manual, stretched lazily, and said:
"It's too late, let's go home first. Brother Er Niu, I'll return this manual to you tomorrow."
"It's my first practice, so it's still a bit unfamiliar."
After speaking, seeing Brother Er Niu not reacting, Su Changqing waved his hand in front of Brother Er Niu's eyes.
"What are you daydreaming about?"
"Um..."
Brother Er Niu, who had been arguing fiercely, snapped back and smiled, "It's nothing; I'm not in a hurry. You can teach me in a couple of days."
Su Changqing didn't suspect anything, nodded and looked at Shu Han, smiling faintly:
"Let's go, come to my house, it's almost dinnertime. Brother Er Niu and I will treat you to a good meal, Senior Brother."
Just as he finished speaking, Brother Er Niu quickly said: "I'll skip it for now; I have some other things to do later."
After saying that, he gave Shu Han a challenging look, the meaning of which was obvious.
Shu Han's face turned dark, and he said to Su Changqing: "Another day, Junior Brother, I just remembered I have something important to report to the teacher."
Su Changqing's face immediately turned serious, "Since it's an important matter, it shouldn't be delayed. Tomorrow, tomorrow Brother Er Niu and I will welcome you again, Senior Brother."
...
They agreed and parted ways.
Su Changqing held the manual, walking slowly, all the way. But just when he was about to reach the village, a loud noise suddenly came from the distant sky.
Rumble!
The sky changed color, and dark clouds gathered overhead, causing Su Changqing to quicken his pace.
"It was just a moment ago, bright with the stars and moon, and now it's about to rain?"
Su Changqing muttered, and upon entering the village, he saw only a few scattered people, which puzzled him even more.
"Why are there so few people in the village today? Could it be because it's going to rain?"
Su Changqing shook his head, didn't think more, and headed straight home.
But little did he know.
At that moment, deep in the sky over Cyan Mountain Village, two youths were engaging in an intense battle.
One wore a linen robe, wielding a three-foot green blade, the sword striking like roaring waves, sweeping across hundreds of miles.
The other dressed in a green shirt, holding a brush with dark ink, upon each stroke, mountains appeared, towering peaks like a great seal suppressing the world.
They fought fiercely, each showcasing their Divine Techniques.
And in places out of sight for the two, a group of people from the Su family were cheering excitedly.
"What a great opportunity, Brother Er Niu, chop him!"
"Oh my, what's wrong with this kid, struggling so much against a scholar!"
"Haha, that rascally kid, you shouldn't chop there! If it gets damaged, won't Mr. Li come to find him?"
"That's right! Punch him in the face; hitting the face is fine..."
The bunch of Su family bigwigs, who had been cooped up in Cyan Mountain Village for over a decade, finally saw something amusing and not only didn't stop it but instead watched happily.
When the scene got exciting, they laughed loudly, and when Brother Er Niu got hit, they jumped and cursed.
And in the study, Li Qingchen held his teacup, walked to the window, and gazed at the distant sky.
"Don't lose face, little Literary Saint, show those Martial Artists a thing or two."
Li Qingchen smiled at the corner of his mouth, drinking his tea in one gulp.
Who said scholars don't compete?
Even scholars care about their reputation...
...
Cyan Mountain Village.
Su Nan lay in the courtyard, watching the distant sky, murmuring something softly.
"Damn, couldn't hit even with such a good opportunity?"
"Hey, nice! That punch was great, give that little scholar a black eye!"
"Oh dear, tsk-tsk, that hit with the brush must've hurt a bit..."
Ye Shu, from inside the house, came out without notice, first looking at the sky with curiosity, then looking at Su Nan with amused disbelief,
"Behaving childishly at your age, watching kids fight?"
Su Nan grinned, "Just passing the time, haven't moved for over ten years, my body is getting rusty."
"Lack of propriety," Ye Shu rolled her eyes at Su Nan, and then asked, "How's the sect building going? It's been almost a year now."
"Everything is under control."
Su Nan stretched out his hand, slowly clenching his fist, and said with a smile: "The sect is named 'Little Immortal Sect,' and a group of people have already moved in."
"The Sect Leader, elders, deacons, and some Inner Sect and Core Disciples, all are chosen from the top tier. Now only the Outer Sect Disciples remain."
"Because my requirements are a bit high, Outer Sect Disciples need to be selected like top sects choose their Inner Sect Disciples, so it takes some time."
"It's just right to wait for Chang Qing, and when the time comes, let them enter the sect together. I need to properly educate the soon-to-be cultivating Chang Qing!"
Su Nan was no fool. Although Li Qingchen didn't elaborate, he also sensed a significant change in Chang Qing's physique.
He seemed to have underestimated Chang Qing's talent.
But precisely because of this, it needed to be suppressed!
"How do you plan to discipline Chang Qing?" Ye Shu asked curiously.
"Heh..."
Su Nan chuckled mysteriously: "A while back, I snatched that 'Ancient Stone Tablet' for potential assessment from the Celestial Demon Sect."
"That thing can assess a cultivator's comprehensive potential, and if the potential is ranked in the top hundred, it can grant an ancient blessing."
"However, it exclusively excludes the scholarly way, perfect for Chang Qing."
As if imagining an amusing scene, Su Nan laughed like an old fox,
"You say, if Chang Qing discovers his potential is at the bottom, would that make him strive harder in cultivation?"
Ye Shu hesitated at these words, wanting to say something.
Chang Qing... does he really only have talent in the scholarly way?