Chapter 188: Three Questions, Chen Shisan’s Teacher

Chapter 188 – Three Questions, Chen Shisan’s Teacher

Releasing a heavy sigh at the agonizing silence of the three youths, Chen Changsheng finally spoke.

“From this moment on, each of you must ask one question.”

“Chen Shisan, you are first!”

Seeing Chen Changsheng single him out, Chen Shisan pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Sir, why did I lose during my second strike?”

“I recall your words: over ninety percent of cultivators who store their life-bound weapons in their bodies are destitute wretches.”

“You also instructed that when encountering such people, I should just brutally beat them without hesitation.”

Noting the faint frustration in Chen Shisan’s eyes, Chen Changsheng chuckled. “You did memorize my words, but you completely failed to comprehend them.”

“I said over ninety percent of such cultivators are destitute. I never claimed all of them were.”

“Unfortunately for you, Qian Baoer belongs to that remaining ten percent.”

“I foresaw your defeat beneath her life-bound weapon. I even calculated the exact extent of your injuries.”

“But do you understand why I intentionally dug this pit for you?”

Hearing this, Chen Shisan thought seriously for a moment before shaking his head. “I do not know.”

“I threw you into that pit to brand a lesson into your flesh.”

“Your nature is far too unyielding. Once your sword leaves its sheath, you never turn back.”

“A blade wielded with such singular intent is incomparably sharp, but it is also exceptionally easy to snap.”

“Since I cannot teach your sword to retreat, I must force you to be cautious—cautious to the extreme—before you ever draw it.”

“To put it simply, before your blade leaves the scabbard, you must ask yourself: is this strike truly necessary?”

Chen Shisan lowered his head, chewing on these words in deep thought. Finally, he looked up. “Sir, I understand.”

“Good. Let us walk while we talk.”

“I am taking you to find a teacher. He is perhaps the only existence in this world fit to instruct your swordsmanship.”

“Where is this person?”

“The Middle Heavens. If it were not for you, I truly would rather avoid seeking him out…”

Listening to this exchange, a bitter envy coiled within Tian Xuan’s heart.

At the exact same age, Chen Shisan was treated as a disciple, meticulously guided by a supreme expert, while he was nothing more than a disposable tool.

Perhaps this was the cruel reality of differing destinies.

“Tian Xuan, what is your question?”

Chen Changsheng’s voice abruptly shattered Tian Xuan’s melancholy thoughts.

Startled, he looked up to find that the conversation ahead had already concluded.

Chen Changsheng was now staring directly at him.

“Senior, I…”

“Do not call me Senior. Address me as Sir, just like Chen Shisan.”

Chen Changsheng’s interruption caused Tian Xuan to freeze in shock.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Speak the question weighing on your mind. You likely have far more to ask than Chen Shisan.”

Hearing this, Tian Xuan fell into a profound silence.

This was not merely a question; it was an unprecedented opportunity.

He could inquire about trivial survival tactics, or he could probe into monumental, world-shaking secrets.

Whichever path he chose would fundamentally dictate his future destiny.

After a long while, Tian Xuan finally opened his mouth. “Sir, is Mount Buzhou the true cause behind the decline of the Western Continent’s demon race?”

“Indeed. Mount Buzhou was driven directly into the core dragon vein of the Western Continent.”

“With the passage of time, the spiritual essence of the demon race is continuously suppressed, growing weaker by the day.”

“Otherwise, given the ancestral strength of your Xuan Bird clan, a mere merchant guild like Wan Tong could never have pushed you to the brink of extinction.”

Receiving this confirmation, Tian Xuan tightened his fists and asked softly, “Sir… once Mount Buzhou is toppled, can our race return to its former glory?”

“Highly unlikely. Mount Buzhou is the handiwork of the Desolate Heavenly Emperor.”

“This means the grand scheme suppressing the Western Continent was orchestrated by him. Do you truly believe an emperor of his caliber would stop at just one method?”

“Leveling Mount Buzhou will only grant the demon race a momentary gasp of air. To truly break the shackles, we must unravel the entirety of his ancient array.”

“I lack the time for such an undertaking right now. You will simply have to wait.”

Tian Xuan nodded solemnly, sealing his lips.

He did not ask how to fight the Desolate Heavenly Emperor’s grand design, nor did he ask about humanity’s continuous crusade against his kind.

This was Tian Xuan’s choice—a brutally practical, deeply oppressive choice focused purely on immediate survival.

“Baoer, what is your question?”

Concluding his exchange with Tian Xuan, Chen Changsheng turned a cheerful gaze toward Qian Baoer.

“Senior, may I also call you Sir, just like them?”

“Of course you may.”

A spark of pure joy ignited in Qian Baoer’s eyes at this validation.

While she remained oblivious to Chen Changsheng’s true origins, she knew he possessed unfathomable might.

The exact status of Chen Shisan and Tian Xuan remained unspoken, but she was sharp enough to realize both youths had been specifically chosen by Sir.

She alone was the outlier—a tagalong who bought her way into the group through her father’s wealth.

Without the backing of Wan Tong, she would not even have the right to breathe the same air as this man.

Now, obtaining his personal acknowledgment filled her with immense relief.

“Sir, out of the three of us, who is the strongest?”

Looking at her fiercely competitive eyes, Chen Changsheng let out a light laugh. “I cannot say who among the other two is the strongest, but you are undeniably the weakest.”

“Ah?”

Qian Baoer’s face immediately scrunched in utter confusion. She shot a sideways glare at Chen Shisan.

Her expression practically screamed: I crushed this kid in a single blow! How could he possibly be stronger than me?

Despite the sheer disbelief boiling in her chest, Qian Baoer remembered the obvious favoritism Chen Changsheng showed the boy. Swallowing her pride, she asked tactfully.

“Sir, I shouldn’t be that weak, right? Perhaps you wish to reevaluate?”

“There is no need for reevaluation. You are the absolute weakest.”

“And spare Chen Shisan your glares. While he will inevitably surpass you, the Dao he walks is forged in unimaginable agony.”

“You could never endure his Path.”

“In fact, you could not survive Tian Xuan’s Path either.”

Hearing this grim assessment, Qian Baoer nodded slowly, only half-comprehending the gravity of his words.

A lingering doubt gnawed at her: if Chen Shisan was destined for supreme strength, why must his journey be fraught with suffering?

Harboring this innocent confusion, Qian Baoer trailed behind the three men as they embarked on their arduous trek.

It would be many years before Qian Baoer truly understood the bloody weight of Chen Changsheng’s prophecy.

……

“Sir, is there truly a master meant for me out here?”

Staring at the barren, wind-scoured wasteland, Chen Shisan’s voice dripped with skepticism.

During their long journey, casual conversations with Tian Xuan had slowly filled the gaps in Chen Shisan’s cultivation knowledge.

He now understood that the Paramita realm was far more terrifying than Chen Changsheng implied, and that the world of Immortals was deeply entrenched in powerful lineages and supreme inheritances.

“Of course there is. Do you dare doubt my word?”

Tossing back a casual reply, Chen Changsheng resumed his manic sprinting across the craggy hills, his eyes glued to an ancient compass.

He had been sweeping the terrain like a madman for thirty-eight consecutive days, dragging the entire group through this godforsaken wilderness without rest.

“I found it!”

Alerted by Chen Changsheng’s sudden shout, the three youths swiftly closed the distance.

However, the moment Qian Baoer laid eyes on the unearthed object, all the blood drained from her face.

“Sir, this is an omen of absolute terror! Bury it back quickly!”

……