"Junior Brother, have you ever mentioned these matters to a second person? Including Qing Feng and Ming Yue," Yi Chen asked Qing Yunzi seriously.
He thought more profoundly than Qing Yunzi, indeed his Junior Brother lived up to the Dao name their master gave him, as his future was certainly bound for greatness.
But a genius who has not yet grown up, no matter how exceptional his talents are, is nothing but a scoop of yellow soil once killed in his infancy.
The taller the tree in the forest, the stronger the wind that pulls it down.
This was something Yi Chen deeply understood.
After all, in his previous life, he was too outstanding and ended up being sent to this world by a dumper truck...
"Ah... no, I have been waiting for Senior Brother to come back so you would be the first to know. I didn't tell Qing Feng or Ming Yue," Qing Yunzi said, looking at the serious-faced Yi Chen with a bit of surprise.
"That's good, Junior Brother, you don't know how dangerous the world can be."
"The hidden mastermind targeting our Hidden Dragon Temple still hasn't been found out. If others learn of your talent, Junior Brother, I'm afraid you might fall victim to an assassination."
"This..."
"However, it's not a problem. Come closer, I cannot teach you the Grand Dao of Pure Yang nor the practice of the Power of Taiyin, but I can teach you the ways of 'Survival Wisdom.' Follow my instructions, and you can avoid many disasters and calamities, and directly enter the realm of a True Monarch."
In this world, Daoist cultivation generally has four major realms: Refining Essence into Qi, Qi Refinement into Spirit, Refining Spirit and Returning to Void, and Refining Void into Dao.
One who refines the Spirit and returns to the Void may be called a True Monarch.
Yi Chen's master declared that he had only barely managed to reach the mid-stage of Qi Refinement Realm, still tens of thousands of miles away from reaching the realm of a True Monarch.
The realm of a True Monarch is the cultivation level that countless high-level cultivators dream of.
Upon hearing this, Qing Yunzi's eyes couldn't help but shine brightly, "Senior Brother, is this 'Survival Wisdom' truly so powerful? Why have I never seen it mentioned in the classics by any of the former sages?"
"Heh, it is certainly powerful, our master just didn't understand the wisdom of survival; always wanting to confront any evil spirit he saw. That's why he met his doom before his time. You should listen to your Senior Brother," Yi Chen said.
"As for Li Changshou... forget it, you would not understand even if I told you. Just remember the twelve-character maxim of 'Survival Wisdom.'"
Yi Chen cleared his throat at this point, and Qing Yunzi, very observant, brought him a cup of clear tea, which Yi Chen accepted before he continued:
"These twelve characters are easy to know but difficult to execute. You must remember them, and they are,"
"'Pretend weakness to hide strength, avoid karma when possible, sense danger and evade.'"
"Talent only indicates your potential. A genius who dies young is still nothing more than a pile of rotting flesh."
"Junior Brother, come with me. Today, your Senior Brother will teach you what's called life's bitter trials."
"Senior Brother, what does life's bitter trials mean?"
"Don't worry; you'll understand soon."
.....
.....
Half an hour later, outside the Hidden Dragon Temple.
Qing Yunzi sat on the grass with a bruised and swollen face, while Yi Chen, with his torso bare, exhibited bulging muscles with light purple Pure Yang Inner Qi surrounding him, casting a large shadow in the moonlight behind him.
"Junior Brother, have you realized it yet? Do you still feel self-satisfied, thinking you're strong? Throughout history, geniuses are as common as carps crossing the river, but how many of them actually become True Monarchs?
"Look at you, Junior Brother, with your dual spirit awakenings, you are sure to surpass Senior Brother in future achievements, yet now aren't you being pinned to the ground and beaten by your Senior Brother?"
"The world's bitter trials are much more ruthless than your Senior Brother's moves," Yi Chen said with a serious and instructive tone.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible. My Inner Qi from the Minor Pure Yang Skill has already partially transformed into Pure Yang Divine Power. How could I be completely unable to fight back?" Qing Yunzi hastily spit out the dust and weeds from his mouth, squinting through his swollen eyes, his expression clearly filled with life's doubts.
Yi Chen struck several handsome poses under the moonlight and said to Qing Yunzi,
"That's naturally because, little brother, your purity is too low! Just look at these big muscles of your big brother."
Qing Yunzi: "..."
"Big brother, stop joking."
"Alright." After striking a few poses, Yi Chen also put away his playful expression and said seriously, "Actually, with your current strength, little brother, you should not have lost so miserably."
"You were all tied up at the start, and you were hesitant in your movements. During the fight, your attention was divided. What were you thinking about?"
"Even when a lion fights a rabbit, it uses all its strength. Fighting is not just about showing off your cultivation. Poisoning, throwing lime, spreading animal traps, fighting with brass knuckles, ambushing, ganging up, kidnapping someone's family to threaten them, all kinds of dirty tricks you can think of and those you can't, you might encounter them all in the future."
"With your current combat qualities, capsizing in the gutter is just a matter of time."
Under the moonlight, Qing Yunzi showed a thoughtful expression, then slowly nodded and bowed deeply to Yi Chen with respect: "Thank you for the guidance, elder brother."
Experience is shallow until one learns from reality. Qing Yunzi had grown a lot after being beaten severely, and he had also thought a lot.
The elder brother was indeed worthy of being the elder brother, truly knowing the art of playing the pig to eat the tiger. He had previously thought that the elder brother was just an ordinary person with a bit of divine power who barely reached the second level of the Minor Pure Yang Skill. Yet, he had never imagined that the elder brother had hidden so deeply.
And that strange pale purple Inner Qi emanating from the elder brother gave him a feeling both familiar and strange.
"Hiss, could it be that elder brother advanced the Minor Pure Yang Skill to the unprecedented fifth level?"
Qing Yunzi stared at the tall figure of Yi Chen under the moonlight, his eyes widening as he speculated quietly to himself.
"So this is playing the pig to eat the tiger? Elder brother, I've got it." Qing Yunzi gently patted the dust off his clothes with both hands.
Yi Chen walked over to Qing Yunzi, placed a big hand on his shoulder, and couldn't help but rub the big bump on Qing Yunzi's head again, causing Qing Yunzi to wince in pain.
"Little brother, your head and horns are outstanding, you, you are extraordinary," Yi Chen said with a hearty laugh.
"Remember what your brother told you tonight. Once you start a fight with someone, don't show mercy. Being kind to your enemy is cruelty to yourself."
"You must cultivate diligently. In the future, Hidden Dragon Temple will rely on you to carry the banner."
As the two of them walked and talked, they soon reached the courtyard wall. The moonlight poured down, and Yi Chen's face was half exposed in the moonlight and half hidden in the shadow cast by the wall, giving him a somewhat eerie look.
Qing Yunzi stopped walking, narrowed his panda eyes, and raised his head to look seriously at the bear-like Yi Chen, speaking deliberately, "Elder brother, don't worry, I'll find the Yang Spring for you, even if I have to search from the highest heavens to the yellow springs below, and cleanse that mark off you."
"The Yang Spring is the extreme yang of heaven and earth; it will surely help you recover to normal."
Looking at Qing Yunzi's serious eyes, Yi Chen felt a little moved, but couldn't resist grabbing another handful of the lump on Qing Yunzi's head:
"Good! That's the spirit!
In the future, once you become a True Monarch, take your elder brother with you. We'll wreak havoc together, slaying demons and eliminating devils. Remember, after you beat those ghosts and goblins half to death, let your brother finish them off. That way, your brother's affection won't have been wasted on you."
"Hiss, elder brother, be gentle. But why do I need to let you finish them off? Isn't it the same whoever kills them?"
"Of course it's different. Pretend your elder brother did a lot of bad things in his last life, feared his virtues weren't enough, and wanted to accumulate some good deeds for the next life."
"Oh, elder brother, I'm not afraid. I have plenty of merits. Just deduct from mine."
"Good lad...!" Yi Chen ruffled Qing Yunzi's hair for the third time, then said, "It's getting late, little brother, you should hurry back to your room to sleep."
Watching Qing Yunzi's retreating figure, Yi Chen looked up at the full moon and muttered to himself, "Don't worry, Elder Brother's life won't be taken by any monster without a price to pay."
"Yin Manor, just give me some time; I will dismantle your broken residence sooner or later."
Yi Chen clenched his fist fiercely at the full moon, his breath suddenly turning incredibly ferocious. The moonlight stretched his shadow long, making him resemble a humanoid demon.