"Senior brother, who do you think would believe your story?"

Feng Bingwen was truly speechless at the words and actions of this senior brother Qingyuan. He knew that all the disciples of Taishangdao were good at slacking off, but he never expected that this true disciple would actually go to such lengths. He had absolutely no shame.

"What's the problem? Who would question it?"

Zhang Xiu looked lazy as he reached out and flicked the withered leaves and mud off his Taoist robe.

"Fellow disciples, elders of the sect..."

"No, junior brother."

Before Feng Bingwen could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the Taoist priest from Qingyuan. The cultivator, who looked like an old farmer from the countryside, smiled at Feng Bingwen.

“You haven’t been in the sect long enough, so you don’t understand the style of us Taishang Dao cultivators. There are probably no more than ten people in the sect who care about this matter. Even if they hear about it, they will just laugh it off and not investigate it further, much less question it. We Taishang Dao disciples are not so bored.”

"this……"

Upon hearing this, Feng Bingwen was stunned. After careful consideration, he showed agreement, but then immediately raised an objection.

"But if this matter gets out of the sect, it will surely be discussed by many cultivators. Wouldn't that make Senior Brother extremely embarrassed? The affairs of the Supreme Dao will not be ignored by outsiders!"

"Let them talk if they want, what does it have to do with me?"

Zhang Xiu smiled nonchalantly, completely unconcerned; he truly didn't care about such external fame.

"Senior brother is truly..."

"Hey, no need to flatter me. I'm definitely not as good as you say."

This Taoist priest, who showed no regard for his own dignity, interrupted Feng Bingwen once again.

"The reason I don't care is because with my current cultivation level, I have a lifespan of five hundred years. Once I overcome the tribulation and reach the Cave Profound Realm, I will have a lifespan of a thousand years."

Your senior brother is quite confident in achieving the Cave Profound Realm. With that, I have a lifespan of a thousand years, so why should I care about the opinions of those cultivators in the outside world?

In just a hundred years, most of those cultivators will turn into dust. And five hundred years from now, how many people in this world will still remember Zhang Xiu, who was once defeated by Daozi in a single move? Nobody will remember!

"The mindset of an immortal!"

Feng Bingwen silently muttered a sentence in his heart, but did not say it out loud. Compared with his senior brother, his consciousness and thoughts were undoubtedly still at the level of a mortal, and did not match his current realm.

But this has nothing to do with him, because his strength was not achieved through arduous cultivation step by step. His advancement speed was far too fast, not to mention ordinary cultivators, even for those cultivators with exceptional talent.

The rapid increase in power has resulted in the mind not being tempered enough over time, remaining at the original level, which is extremely rare in the cultivation world.

“So, junior brother, you don’t need to worry about this. We cultivators can die content if we hear the Dao in the morning. What we seek should be the Great Dao, not fame and fortune that will vanish like smoke. Those are meaningless.”

"Been taught a lesson!"

Feng Bingwen bowed respectfully. Although he did not actually fight with this senior brother, his words still made Feng Bingwen feel that he had benefited greatly and was deeply moved.

"Haha, junior brother, you're too young. I'm just telling you this from the perspective of a pioneer. It doesn't really mean much. What others say is always theirs. Only when you experience it yourself can you make it your own path!"

"yes."

At this moment, Feng Bingwen fully demonstrated what it means to be humble and polite. Although the two were already at the same level, in some aspects, the accumulation of knowledge and experience of his senior brother was something that Feng Bingwen could not catch up with.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior brother!"

"It's just idle gossip. I hope you don't mind my nagging, junior brother."

"How could I possibly find it unacceptable!"

"Alright, junior brother, you've stayed here long enough. It's time to go challenge your next senior brother."

"Then I shall take my leave."

Feng Bingwen was a sensible person. Seeing this, he didn't say anything more. He turned around and transformed into light, flying towards the next true disciple's cave. He was in peak condition and was not injured at all.

However, Feng Bingwen didn't see that after he turned and vanished in a flash of light, the Taoist priest who sat cross-legged on the back of the yellow ox, resembling an old farmer, took out a jade seal from his robes.

"Junior Brother Sun, Junior Brother Feng is already on his way to your cave. You should get ready!"

"Received. I am waiting patiently for this junior brother to arrive—oh, no, I am waiting for the next Dao Child of my Dao Sect!"

"Okay!"

Zhang Xiu nodded in response and was about to put away the jade seal when he heard a new divine thought enter.

"What's going on? Zhao Junxian is gone, and now Feng Bingwen has come. Can't these two, master and disciple, just settle down for a bit? Wouldn't it be better to just focus on cultivating the Dao and comprehending the Dharma? Why bother with all this tedious stuff?"

“Some things always need to be done by someone. It’s a good thing that I’ve been able to continue holding the position of Daoist Master of the Supreme Dao for two consecutive terms. It’s not good for this position to remain vacant for too long.”

A new divine thought intervened and responded.

Within the Supreme Dao sect, there are only so many people, and a large portion of them are in seclusion year-round. The number of active cultivators is probably less than a hundred.

Feng Bingwen's actions naturally attracted a great deal of attention. Although the Taishangdao sect was sparsely populated, it did not affect the transmission of information. In particular, when news related to them spread, they were always able to receive reports immediately, since each disciple was surrounded by a large number of followers.

“I think it’s fine too, but these two, master and apprentice, are always causing trouble for our generation of true disciples. Can’t we find someone else to do it?”

“We were inexperienced last time with Senior Brother Zhao, so we can just admit defeat this time. All Junior Brother Feng wants is a winning streak, so let him have it. We don’t care about that anyway. Once the Dao Master appoints him as the Dao Child, we can continue doing what we were supposed to do.”

"trouble!"

Hearing these conversations between his fellow disciples, Zhang Xiu smiled but did not participate. Instead, he put the jade seal away.

He had done everything he needed to do, and now he naturally returned to a state of quiet contemplation, living a life of seclusion and detachment from worldly affairs, with everything outside of him irrelevant.

At this moment, Feng Bingwen had already flown over a vast lake. The lake was boundless and the water was blue. Hundreds and thousands of islands were scattered throughout the lake. Looking down from above, one could feel that the scenery was ethereal and otherworldly, with a profound and distant atmosphere. Upon closer inspection, one seemed to gain some insight.

Just as Feng Bingwen stopped flying to admire the view of the thousand islands before him, a white-incandescent lightning bolt fell from the sky. The lightning flashed and its light was dazzling, making it difficult to look directly at it. Its light pierced through everything.

Boom—

The sky and earth trembled together, and even Feng Bingwen stopped flying and stood in mid-air. Only after the aftershocks of the heavenly lightning dissipated did he look at the place where the lightning struck.

However, in the eyes of the spirit child, he saw a scorched crater, tens of feet in diameter, covered with lightning and thunder, on a small island in the Thousand Islands.

Among them was a Taoist priest who looked extremely disheveled, sitting slumped down. His Taoist robe was completely charcoal-colored, and his face was covered with marks from lightning strikes, making it impossible to even see his features clearly. The crown that bound his hair on his head had also exploded.

"This senior brother..."

Seeing this scene from the air, Feng Bingwen sensed that the Taoist seemed extremely weak. Startled, he immediately descended from the sky to offer his assistance.

"Junior Brother Feng, I'm impressed!"

Before Feng Bingwen could even land, he saw the Taoist priest, who looked extremely disheveled and clearly ravaged by the lightning magic, shout loudly, his voice echoing across the land.

Feng Bingwen, who was checking what kind of healing pills he had on his body, was stunned when he heard this. Then he was stunned, his eyes widened slightly, and he looked at his miserable senior brother in disbelief. From his charred face, he could vaguely recognize that this was the third true disciple senior brother he was looking for, Sha Xuan!

"Senior brother, you..."

Feng Bingwen truly hadn't anticipated this scene. The actions of these senior disciples were all incredibly unconventional, exceeding his expectations. He never imagined that his senior disciple would play like this.

"Junior brother, please show mercy! My years of hard training have not been easy!"

The Taoist, looking disheveled and lacking any semblance of the true lineage of the Supreme Dao, roared. His voice, which shook the heavens and earth and seemed capable of shattering mountains, contrasted sharply with his faint aura, which resembled a candle flickering in the wind, silently mocking Feng Bingwen's discerning eyesight.

"Brother Sha, you're overacting!"

Feng Bingwen could no longer hold back. He said in a low voice, "He hasn't even arrived yet, and this senior brother has already done this to himself and then framed him. This method is really dirty."

"Yeah?"

Upon hearing Feng Bingwen's words, Sha Xuan, the true disciple of the Supreme Dao, remained unfazed, casually rising from the ground and brushing the charred ash and mud off his Daoist robe before asking a question in return.

"I think I acted pretty well."

"Nobody will believe that!"

Feng Bingwen originally intended to say that, but when he thought about the lazy nature of the Taoist practitioners in the Supreme Dao, he realized there was no need to say it aloud, so he simply kept it to himself.

“My cultivation is far inferior to that of my senior brother. Even if I am skilled in thunder magic, how could I possibly defeat you to the point of begging for mercy? Therefore, my senior brother’s behavior is truly unreasonable.”

"You're right."

Upon hearing this, Sha Xuan nodded, indicating his agreement with Feng Bingwen's idea. However, the next moment, he encouraged Zhou Shen's magical power, and his aura surged like a tide.

“Feng Bingwen is exceptionally talented, and I am ashamed to admit that I am inferior to him. In this sect, no one can rival him. The position of Daoist Child belongs to him, and this is what everyone hopes for.”

The terrifying sound made Feng Bingwen's ears ring. His divine sense, extending beyond his body, could even see ripples spreading across the lake from the small island they were on; the entire island was shaking from the sound.

"Senior brother, please stop talking!"

Feng Bingwen was utterly exasperated. This senior disciple, whom he had never met before, was far more troublesome than the kind and amiable Senior Brother Zhang Xiu.

"If you keep talking, I'm going to disappear underground."

"Haha, Junior Brother is a proud young man who aspires to become a Dao Child. How can you be so shy? Once you become a Dao Child, how can you represent our Dao when you travel outside?"

Sha Xuan, whose body was covered in lightning strike marks, stepped forward and patted Feng Bingwen's shoulder forcefully, leaving a very clear black fingerprint on his Taoist robe.

"What you say is absolutely right, senior brother. I am ashamed of my own inferiority. How about I recommend you as my Daoist disciple?"

A smile appeared on Feng Bingwen's face, as gentle as a spring breeze, which was pleasing to the eye and mind.

"Junior brother, what are you saying? How could I possibly be qualified to be the rightful Dao Child?"

Whether it was a misperception or not, just a moment ago, Feng Bingwen saw a look of terror on this senior brother's face—a pure terror of wanting to sneak off but being afraid of being caught and forced to do something.

"Senior brother is joking. Any one of you would be more qualified than me!"

Feng Bingwen spoke sincerely. Putting aside everything else, the lightning bolt that just fell from the sky had made him feel a chill in his heart. And this lightning bolt was struck by his own hand, so he must have stopped.

"Don't talk nonsense. I'm the least qualified. As for them, hey, they're not bad!"

"Senior brother, won't you fight me?"

Feng Bingwen inquired earnestly.

"We have already fought, and I have been defeated by your thunder magic."

Vidal Sassoon replied.

"In that case, I shall take my leave!"

"Take care, junior brother!"

A bright smile appeared on the Taoist's dark face. Feng Bingwen did not want to get entangled with him any longer, so he shook his head and took his leave. There was nothing he could do; the man simply refused to fight him and even fabricated a story.

The moment Feng Bingwen turned to leave, the disheveled Taoist stopped acting. The black charred skin fell off his face, and in an instant, a Taoist who looked like he had been carved from jade appeared on the island, handsome and ethereal.

"I've lost! Feng Bingwen has won three matches in a row. You all need to hurry up and help this junior brother reach the position of Dao Child as soon as possible so that we can have some peace and quiet!"

"I am ready!"

When Feng Bingwen found his fourth true disciple, this disciple did not pretend to be his disciple and agreed to a duel with him, but the way the duel was very special.

Play chess!

“I have no particular hobbies in my life except for chess. My junior brother came to find me, so we can play a game together. If my junior brother can make me resign, then my junior brother will win.”

Faced with such a proposal, under normal circumstances, Feng Bingwen should have refused cleanly and decisively. Playing chess with a master of the true lineage is not a simple game of chess, and it is not something he is good at. To use one's weakness to attack the opponent's strength is a foolish move.

However, after winning three consecutive matches in the previous so-called competitions, Feng Bingwen had no more ideas. He just wanted to see what other tricks these true disciples of the Supreme Dao could pull.

"Can!"

Therefore, after thinking for a moment, Feng Bingwen agreed immediately.

Then, he looked at the senior brother in front of him who had a scholarly air about him and was even a little shy, and took out a chessboard and placed it between the two of them. The two of them then started playing chess in the air.

However, the two were playing an endgame game. Well, just as Feng Bingwen had expected, his senior brother started playing tricks again, and the game they were playing was not a normal game.

Right in front of Feng Bingwen, the senior brother set up a game of chess, in which the white pieces' large group had been completely destroyed by the black pieces, scattered in pieces. Even a layman like Feng Bingwen could see that the white pieces had no hope of winning.

Naturally, Feng Bingwen was playing with the black pieces, while the senior student in front of him, who claimed to love playing chess, was playing with the white pieces.

Once the so-called contest began, Feng Bingwen sat motionless on the cloud, holding a black piece in his hand, his face expressionless. The black piece's turn had passed, and now it was the white piece's turn.

Faced with this hopeless situation, Feng Bingwen approached his fourth disciple, who frowned deeply, holding the white pieces without moving.

This situation lasted for three days and three nights. The senior disciple kept holding the chess piece without making a move, while Feng Bingwen sat with him in the air, expressionless.

If an unsuspecting cultivator saw this scene from afar, they would think that Feng Bingwen was some kind of national-level master who had completely crushed and defeated his senior brother in the field he excelled at.

Snap!

The crystal-clear, jade-like chess piece was tossed back into the chess box. The seemingly frail, scholarly senior disciple, under Feng Bingwen's gaze, smiled and spoke.

"Junior Brother Feng, I can't think of a way to break this deadlock. You win this round!"

"Yes, thank you, senior brother!"

Feng Bingwen stood up blankly, gave a simple thank you, and flew away without saying anything more.

He was completely dumbfounded. These senior brothers were just too outrageous. He never expected them to do such a thing.

"Alright, Junior Brother Feng has already left me!"

After seeing Feng Bingwen off, the master of Go reported the results to his fellow disciples.

"Junior Brother Sun, what did you do to Junior Brother Feng? It's been three days already!"

"I didn't do anything, I just kept him around for one game of chess!"

"Play chess? Wouldn't Junior Brother Feng be doomed to lose?"

"I just resigned!"

"How is that possible?"

“I set up a game of endgame, the one I showed you. I let Junior Brother Feng play black.”

"I see! But Junior Brother Sun, isn't the price you paid a bit too high?"

"What price did I pay? I spent these three days thinking about how to break the deadlock in that game. How could it be a waste? It's just that Junior Brother Feng, who was delayed by me for three days, seems to be a bit angry."

"It's alright. Junior Brother Feng's next destination should be Senior Sister Song. Senior Sister Song is skilled in self-control and should be prepared. It'll be a good opportunity for him to vent his anger. What young cultivator wouldn't like that?"

"Hey, the way you're saying that makes it sound like something serious is about to happen."

"Actually, it's not impossible!"

At this moment, Feng Bingwen stood once again on the summit of a high mountain with a numb expression. Opposite him was a female cultivator who had once ridden a celestial horse. Although she was a female cultivator, she was dressed in a capable manner and had no ornaments on her body.

"Junior brother, are you skilled in combat?"

"ha?"

"Let's have a race!"