Chapter 10: Discoursing on the Dao

Long Chen, standing to the side, wore a wicked smirk. It seemed everyone had been waiting for this moment, eager to make a dazzling impression at this grand assembly.

Qin Changsheng, however, felt that such opportunities for posturing had nothing to do with him. He continued to keep his head down, carving his stone tablet. Cultivation was a long and arduous process, especially for someone like him who could not seem to break past the Qi Refining stage.

"You lot can handle the posturing; I’ll stick to erecting monuments," Qin Changsheng thought, firmly defining his own role.

Fortunately, he could continue to grow even while stuck in the Qi Refining stage. Otherwise, he would truly have begun to wonder why he, a reincarnated soul, had been sent to a world where he possessed no cheat codes. The Longevity Tablet was, after all, a remarkable thing; it gave him boundless confidence, provided he lived long enough to accumulate enough layers.

He was incredibly patient and had no desire to exhaust his strength in petty rivalries with these people just for a fleeting moment of glory. He was like a traveler passing through this life, leaving behind a stone tablet at a certain point to prove he had once been there. To prove he had once bid farewell to someone—that, when looking back thousands of years later, he would still remember this past—that would be perfect.

Finally, it was time for Long Chen to take the stage for the discourse.

"Fellow Daoists, I am Long Chen, greetings to you all." Long Chen stood with his hands behind his back as he stepped onto the platform.

"That is Long Chen, the top genius of the Mountain-Sustaining Sect. They say his spiritual root grade reached the peak of the Saint-grade; his talent is only slightly inferior to the Fairy Yuyan."

"Tsk, tsk. As long as Fairy Yuyan doesn't appear, Long Chen has every reason to remain arrogant. I wonder whom he intends to challenge?"

The crowd buzzed with awe at the sight of the Mountain-Sustaining Sect’s Saint Son. At only thirty years of age, he was already at the peak of the Golden Core stage. Such talent was truly brilliant.

The elder of the Mountain-Sustaining Sect presiding over the cultivation assembly wore a satisfied expression as he saw Long Chen take the stage. "Saint Son Long Chen, whom do you wish to invite for this discourse?"

According to the rules, one could choose to address everyone or challenge a specific individual. Since Long Chen had come up voluntarily, he clearly had a target in mind.

Long Chen bowed to the elder and smiled. "The entire cultivation world knows of my deep affection for Ruoxi. Yet, only two days after I declared my intentions, she announced she already had a Dao companion. While I know she chose an outer sect menial as a shield to avoid marrying me..."

As expected, Long Chen paused and looked down at Qin Changsheng in the audience. "I believe that any shield Ruoxi chooses must have some merit, even if he is just an outer sect laborer who tends to herbs. There must be something special about him... and so, I wish to discourse with Qin Changsheng."

A massive uproar erupted as countless eyes turned toward Qin Changsheng. Everyone knew Long Chen would target him, but no one expected him to challenge Qin Changsheng publicly at the grand assembly—and explicitly reveal his identity.

An outer sect disciple of the Mountain-Sustaining Sect, and a menial laborer at that, tasked with managing herb fields. And not even a real partner to Nangong Ruoxi, but a mere shield.

A disciple roster appeared in his hand, and many looked up the name "Qin Changsheng" in the outer sect listings.

"He really is from the menial quarters?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Interesting."

Qin Changsheng was slightly taken aback. He looked up at Long Chen, who was watching him with a playful, mocking glint in his eyes.

"That Long Chen is intent on humiliating Qin Changsheng in front of everyone," someone whispered.
"Indeed. One is at the peak of the Golden Core stage, the other is merely in the Qi Refining stage—how is that a fair contest?"
"And Qin Changsheng is just a menial laborer. Isn't Long Chen being a bit too narrow-minded?"

The surrounding crowd murmured, casting looks of disdain toward Long Chen. Even if Qin Changsheng were just a shield, Long Chen’s actions were clearly excessive. Yet, Long Chen acted as if he heard nothing, smiling down at Qin Changsheng, waiting for a response.

Qin Changsheng slowly stood up and cupped his hands toward Long Chen. "It is my honor that Saint Son Long Chen wishes to discourse with me, but..."

He paused, then continued, "I am but a menial laborer from the outer sect. I am not skilled in such discourse, and with my low cultivation, I truly have nothing to offer in a debate with you."

"Saint Son, you are at the peak of the Golden Core stage. What meaning would there be in winning against me?"

A ripple of laughter spread through the crowd at his words. It was indeed ridiculous for a Qi Refining cultivator to discourse with a Golden Core peak expert.

"Qin Changsheng, if you are afraid, just say so. Why offer so many excuses?" Long Chen sneered, his eyes filled with contempt. "Besides, since you have accepted the position of Ruoxi's Dao companion, you should take responsibility, rather than hiding like a tortoise."

Qin Changsheng couldn't help but chuckle. This Long Chen was dead set on humiliating him and was even using Nangong Ruoxi to pressure him.

Qin Changsheng sneered inwardly. Long Chen had calculated well, but he wasn't a soft target. Perhaps it was time to see just how strong his "one-thousand-layer" Qi Refining cultivation really was.

"Since Saint Son Long Chen has extended such a gracious invitation, it would be rude of me to refuse," Qin Changsheng said slowly, wearing a meaningful smile. "However, since this is a discourse, there should be a wager, shouldn't there? I wonder if the Saint Son is interested in adding a stake?"

A wager? The crowd was stunned. Had Qin Changsheng lost his mind? He dared to ask Long Chen for a wager?

"Hahahaha! Very well. If it's a wager you want, then a wager you shall have," Long Chen laughed, his eyes full of mockery. "If you can win this discourse, I will gift you a High-Grade Spirit Artifact. How about that?"

A High-Grade Spirit Artifact! The crowd gasped. Such an item was worth one hundred thousand spirit stones. Long Chen was truly making a grand gesture. However, they were now even more certain that Long Chen was determined to humiliate Qin Changsheng. How could a Qi Refining cultivator possibly defeat a Golden Core peak expert?

"Since the Saint Son is so generous, I am reassured," Qin Changsheng said with a laugh, cupping his hands. "How does the Saint Son wish to proceed?"

"Since it is a discourse, we shall discourse through combat. I won't bully you; I will suppress my cultivation to the Qi Refining stage. We will condense our strongest understanding into a single strike, and victory will be decided by that. How about it?"

Long Chen’s expression remained natural; he didn't seem to feel that this was shameful at all.

"Is that true?" Qin Changsheng blinked, seemingly surprised.

In reality, what Long Chen proposed was no longer a "discourse." It was simply an opportunity to teach Qin Changsheng a lesson, as a true discourse was merely an exchange of hearts and minds. Yet, this "discourse" required using force to demonstrate one's mastery over power itself.