Chapter 74: Chapter 9: Riddle Man Defies Proud Junior Sister
“Senior Brother, do you like me?”

Xu Yinglian did not look at him, but calmly stared at the ground.

Qiu Changtian looked at her in surprise.

After a while, he suddenly smiled and said,

“The moon in the sky and the moon in the water, which is real and which is fake?”

The nervous Xu Yinglian immediately began to ponder rapidly.

The moon in the sky is naturally real, but it is unreachable;

the moon in the water is within reach, but ultimately an illusion.

So Senior Brother means to ask me whether I want to hear “pleasant lies” (implied by the moon in the water) or “unknown truths” (implied by the moon in the sky).

Pleasant lies, naturally, are that he likes me… but what is the point of such lies?

“The moon in the water is close at hand, yet it shatters upon touch, so why yearn for it?” Xu Yinglian said without hesitation, “Even if it is unattainable, I still wish to part the clouds to see the moon and glimpse the truth.”

Qiu Changtian blinked his eyes, then laughed,

“Junior Sister, what are you talking about?”

Did I misunderstand… Xu Yinglian frowned slightly and began to ponder again.

If the moon in the water and the moon in the sky are not referring to lies and truths, respectively, what do they imply?

“Well, let’s stop here for today,” Qiu Changtian said leisurely, “I’ll continue to teach you Daoist magic tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Xu Yinglian nodded slightly.

With her competitive spirit, she naturally wouldn’t simply admit defeat and directly ask Qiu Changtian for the answer to this conundrum.

She needed to return to her cave abode and think it over properly.

On the other hand, as Qiu Changtian once again rode the sword light to the Scriptural Repository, he heard the Kunlun Mirror ask curiously,

“What did you mean by the moon in the water and the moon in the sky just now?”

“It means nothing,” Qiu Changtian said after a moment of silence, “It was just a distraction to shift her attention away.”

Kunlun Mirror: ……

You can even wrap up a situation like that?

It wanted to describe him with a word, but couldn’t think of what that word was for a moment.

“When she realizes, she will eventually ask again,” the Kunlun Mirror reminded him.

“How will she realize?” Qiu Changtian scoffed, “My answer lies within this riddle.”

“If she can’t solve the riddle, it’s the same as admitting intellectual defeat to me. Do you think she will just concede and then ask me what this riddle really means?”

“Wow.” The Kunlun Mirror still couldn’t think of that word and could only express its complex feelings with an emotionless interjection.

“Next is the Daoist magic,” Qiu Changtian said confidently, “Junior Sister Xu’s Heart Demon arose because she was defeated by the power of my Daoist magic.”

“But what kind of Daoist magic can compare to the Thunder Method? The Thunder Method is extremely difficult to cultivate and very risky. If its power could be surpassed, Thunder Cultivators would have been extinct long ago.”

“Besides, Thunder Method deals damage in an instant, while the Great Bright Fire does sustained damage. Does she have water in her brain trying to compete with me in burst damage?”

“I think she has picked the wrong opponent. She needs to be beaten by an easier target to regain her confidence.”

“She indeed picked the wrong opponent,” the Kunlun Mirror thought to itself.

How did Xu Yinglian’s Heart Demon originate in the first place? Do you, you great villain, really have no idea?

Wait, if we really trace it back, it’s also because I selected him as the Savior which led him to bring disaster upon Junior Sister Xu.

Am I the villain myself?

The Kunlun Mirror fell into a confused state of self-doubt.

……

In the following days, Qiu Changtian sacrificed much of his time, taking Xu Yinglian around to visit and challenge the direct disciples of various elders.

“Senior Brother Liu, I’ve heard that you’ve recently mastered the ‘Scorching Sun Bing Fire Divine Skill.’ I came to seek guidance,” Qiu Changtian said with a smile.

Senior Brother Liu asked in confusion,

“I’m at the Refining Mansion rank, while you are only at the Marrow Cleansing Rank. Are you sure you want to seek guidance from me?”

“Yes,” Xu Yinglian said seriously.

Moments later, after a demonstration of Daoist magic near Congling, Senior Brother Liu’s expression had become stupefied.

The Great Bright Fire released by Xu Yinglian was on par with his Scorching Sun Bing Fire in terms of its destructive range, yet it boasted even greater power.

Where his flames had scorched the rocks, leaving noticeable chunks and gravel, the area Xu Yinglian targeted had almost melted into glass.

This… Junior Sister Xu really was at the Marrow Cleansing Rank?

A cultivator at the Marrow Cleansing Rank, whose True Qi has not yet been purified into Yuan, how could their Daoist magic be so terrifyingly powerful!

Could it be that all the 280th generation disciples are monsters?!!

Xu Yinglian calmly withdrew her Daoist formula, acting as if defeating Liu, a Refining Mansion Rank senior brother, in Daoist magic was not something worth being surprised about.

Qiu Changtian then said with a smile,

“Senior Brother Liu’s Scorching Sun Bing Fire is truly fierce and aggressive. As a junior, I have been watching from the side and have a few questions to ask…”

He asked his questions one by one, all basic ones often encountered when deploying Daoist magic.

Senior Brother Liu patiently answered each question, and Qiu Changtian nodded slightly in thanks, then also shared some of his insights about using Thunder Method, asking Senior Brother Liu to guide and correct his understanding.

With this exchange, Senior Brother Liu no longer felt the embarrassment and awkwardness of losing to a junior. Instead, he silently marveled at Qiu Changtian’s proficient social skills, which made one feel refreshed like a spring breeze, truly deserving of the praise he received from the entire sect as the current generation’s Chief Disciple.

Standing to the side, Xu Yinglian seemed to be listening to their conversation, but inside, she was feeling both shocked and delighted.

Delighted that she had indeed defeated Refining Mansion Rank Senior Brother Liu.

Shocked because her victory had come with Qiu Changtian’s guidance.

With just over a dozen words, it was as if he had poured enlightenment into her head, allowing Xu Yinglian to make a leap in her understanding of Great Bright Fire, almost like a qualitative jump.

However, what she could not understand was why Qiu Changtian’s knowledge of the Fire System Daoist Magic was so profound?

Wasn’t Thunder Method his usual practice?

Of course, Qiu Changtian wouldn’t tell her that he had mastered an ancestral immortal art of the Five Elements category, the “Acquired Great Five Elements Extermination Divine Light,” which allowed him to offer unique enlightenment and pointers on the application of Great Bright Fire to Xu Yinglian.

Thus, as Xu Yinglian pondered silently on her side, Qiu Changtian, who was interacting with Senior Brother Liu, heard an incessant string of prompts from the Kunlun Mirror:

[Invincible Character Setting, Synchronization Value +1.]

[Invincible Character Setting, Synchronization Value +1.]

[Invincible Character Setting, Synchronization Value +1.]

…

Qiu Changtian: ???

Wait, Junior Sister Xu was the one who had a successful show, so why is my Synchronization Value rising?

Unable to comprehend it, after saying goodbye to Senior Brother Liu, he took Junior Sister Xu back to Golden Ridge Cave Abode.

Having continuously defeated those she had thought unbeatable in both swordsmanship and Daoist magic, Xu Yinglian’s expression had now completely normalized, returning to her original cool and aloof demeanor.

There was no lingering shadow in her eyes anymore, and her confidence was through the roof.

Even if she couldn’t defeat Senior Brother Qiu for the time being, she was now confident that she could beat 99% of the Foundation Establishment Rank disciples of Kunlun Taiqing Sect. Senior Brother was just the final guardian she needed to challenge.

In summary, she was extremely happy.

After escorting Xu Yinglian back to her cave abode, Qiu Changtian turned to leave but was suddenly called back by her:

“Senior Brother.”

“What is it?” Qiu Changtian turned back and asked.

“That…” Xu Yinglian hesitated to speak.

She wanted to ask Qiu Changtian what the meaning of “the moon in the sky” and “the moon in the water” was, but she didn’t want to admit to her senior brother that she couldn’t solve his riddle.

“Ahem.” Finally, Xu Yinglian coughed and said unnaturally, “Thank you for your effort.”

Qiu Changtian smiled faintly and then said in all seriousness,

“It’s nothing, after all…”

“…how could the junior sister of I, Qiu Changtian, be second to anyone other than myself?”

[Invincible Character Setting, Synchronization Value +1.]

The Kunlun Mirror lamented.