The moment he saw Chu Xiaolian, he was already set on him.
A fallen genius!
Freshly annulled engagement!
Humiliated by everyone!
And a f*ckin guru was hiding on his body!
This was the perfect setup for the protagonist of a novel for teenagers!
The main point was that on this guy's body, there was a Fire Spiritual Root that Li Hanguang needed.
His admiration was something that Li Hanguang had to get!
...
For sure, getting Chu Xiaolian's admiration was no easy task.
Toward such a cocky and arrogant teenager, being kind to him may only arouse his rebellious impulses.
In order to win his admiration, the best way was to act tough and speak like a fool!
Li Hanguang paid close attention earlier. During his whole conversation with Chu Xiaolian, his Admiration Points rose the fastest while he was talking bullsh*t.
And in the field of bullsh*ttery, Li Hanguang had never been surpassed by anyone else in this world!
"Now that I am in this world, I will slaughter all enemies!"
"Aces at the end of the Celestial Path, all powers will dissipate in the sight of Hanguang!"
"Who dares claim to be undefeatable? In the era of Hanguang, all will be conquered!"
"Even with the world and the Unyielding Sword Celestial Sect on my shoulders, I, Hanguang, will still be invincible!"
"Rulers are not to be humiliated! Praise the name of Hanguang and you shall be blessed with life everlasting in Nirvana!"
If it were not for the inappropriate context, Li Hanguang would definitely let Chu Xiaolian know about the fear of being dominated with the supreme art of bullsh*ttery.
Besides, Li Hanguang discovered another thing.
The guru on Chu Xiaolian's body seemed to love listening to these nonsensical conversations.
He was a Sword Sage!
What was a Sword Sage? A powerful being that was above his father, the Vast Ocean Swordsmaster!
The stronger the person, the harder it usually was to obtain their Admiration Points.
The reason was that Admiration Points did not just consider favorability, but also "adoration," "respect," and "sense of inferiority" to a certain degree.
However, on their first meeting, Li Hanguang already acquired 25 Admiration Points from the Righteous Hero Sword Sage.
Evidently, the only part of him the guru was immediately impressed with was his bullsh*t.
So far, the effectiveness of gaining Admiration Points like this was pretty high!
"Maybe I can use this as an entry point to try and harvest that old guru!"
After all, the once Holy Son of Taicang must have a lot of good stuff on him!
Getting even a single piece of his belongings would still be a hell of a profit!
...
Chu Xiaolian had no idea that in Li Hanguang's eyes right now, he was cattle to be milked.
He could only feel his fighting spirit rushing into the sky!
Every sentence that came from his Senior Brother's mouth was able to hype him up!
"A Golden Core into the abdomen, my sword points toward Yuehua at Jade Lake!"
"Mu Yuehua, take a bath and wait for me at the Jade Lake!"
Sitting cross-legged on a bed in the disciples' dormitory, Chu Xiaolian's eyes were brimming with fighting spirit. "I will defeat you and prove that I'm qualified to follow Senior Brother!"
"No! Not just follow him, I will stand shoulder to shoulder with him and maybe even surpass him! This is my way!"
All of a sudden!
A jesting voice sounded in Chu Xiaolian's mind.
"You…wish to surpass him?"
Chu Xiaolian was shocked. He saw the ancient ring on his index finger glowing faintly red.
In the midst of the otherworldly glow, an old man in black clothes with white hair and beard emerged.
Chu Xiaolian looked at the old man in black vigilantly. "Who are you? Why are you inside my ancient ring?"
The old man in black had a faint smile on his face. "You can call me Elder Yan. My identity is not important."
"What's important is that I can give you the power and make you a Celestial Swordsman with no equal!"
"A Celestial Swordsman with no equal? Like Swordsmaster Zhu Yan?"
"She is no unrivaled Celestial Swordsman. If you become my apprentice, within 20 years, you'll be able to defeat her with a flick of your finger!"
'Within 20 years...defeat Swordsmaster Zhu Yan with a single flick of my finger?'
The weight of confidence in the old man's speech was too much that Chu Xiaolian simply could not believe in it.
That was Swordsmaster Zhu Yan he was referring to! Her existence was ranked number two among the Five Great Elders of the Unyielding Sword Celestial Sect!
Born as Taicang Residence's greatest talent, she trained under famous teachers for centuries before reaching such powerful heights.
And this fella before him was saying he could help him surpass Swordsmaster Zhu Yan in 20 years?
Those were some high-sounding sentiments!
...
After a moment of silence, Chu Xiaolian asked, "If I wish to surpass my Eldest Senior Brother, Li Hanguang, how long would it take?"
The old man in black became quiet.
After quite some time, he said calmly, "Perhaps a hundred years, maybe a thousand years, or maybe never in your lifetime."
Chu Xiaolian was shocked!
For a figure like Swordsmaster Zhu Yan, he dared claim that he could help him surpass her within 20 years.
But to surpass Li Hanguang, he said that he would need a hundred or maybe a thousand years?
Or maybe never in his lifetime?
Chu Xiaolian took a deep breath. "Is Senior Brother's aptitude really that horrifying?"
According to the rumors, he only had a top-grade Water Spiritual Root.
His talent was not much better than Chu Xiaolian!
Elder Yan said calmly, "You have no idea how extraordinary he is."
"I can feel the flourishing Spiritual Energy of the four elements, Metal, Wood, Water, and Earth, around that kid."
"That means he has at least four types of Spiritual Roots, and all of them are no less than high grade. Among those four, a few are top grade.
"Most importantly, even I can't completely see through his cultivation base!"
"Not only is he exceptionally talented, but also he is in possession of a great treasure."
What?!
Chu Xiaolian was startled. He could not believe that.
Four Spiritual Roots, each of which was not lower than high grade, and a few were actually top grade?
"H-he only has a top-grade Water Spiritual Root, doesn't he?"
Elder Yan laughed. "One's innate Spiritual Root doesn't mean anything."
"There are countless miraculous treasures all over the world. Should one acquire a supreme medicine, it will allow one to reinvent themselves and gain more Spiritual Roots."
Chu Xiaolian asked curiously, "So he has taken such a medicine?"
Elder Yan nodded and then shook his head.
He said calmly, "Don't you think that such a medicine is easy to get."
"Even the forces of the Unyielding Sword Celestial Sect's level can only depend on luck when it comes to finding such medicine.
"Besides, taking such medicine is extremely painful and dangerous. It's like having your skin ripped off while you're having a muscle cramp and having your marrow extracted while your bones are being hacked to pieces. You will wish that you are dead."
"Even if you can resist the pain with great perseverance, you may not be able to succeed. There is a high probability that you will explode and die."
Chu Xiaolian was blown away. "Having your skin ripped off while you're having a muscle cramp and having your marrow extracted while your bones are being hacked to pieces?"
No extra description was needed.
These examples alone were enough to send a chill down one's spine!
At this moment, Chu Xiaolian would rather believe that Li Hanguang innately had four Spiritual Roots.
Enduring such pain once would have to be described as "newborn calves being unafraid of tigers."
But enduring it three times in a row was simply too terrifying to consider!
Elder Yan said with emotion, "Now do you know how extraordinary he is?"
"If you are not a person with great perseverance, how can you endure the extreme pain one time after another?
"If you are not a person with unmatched courage, how can you face the fear of death one time after another?"
"If you are not a person with unrivaled fortune, how can you successfully transform your spiritual roots one time after another?"
"None of these three can be absent!"
Chu Xiaolian muttered to himself, "Senior Brother, he…he's that great of a person? It's ridiculous that I almost suspected he was bragging before this!"
Elder Yan nodded seriously. "Everyone has belittled before him."
"Even in the Holy Lands that are above all, he will be treated and trained as a core talent."
"That young man may one day become a Great Sage!"
...
Great Sage?
Listening to Yan Chixiao's evaluation of Li Hanguang, Chu Xiaolian became lost in thought for a very long time.
If Li Hanguang was in front of him at this time, he would clearly see this guy's Admiration Points soaring to a significant height.
Within a fraction of a second, it had been raised to above a hundred points!