Building a Martial Dao Celestial Family by Laying Low

Evening.

The back mountain of the Martial Arts Academy.

Chen Shouheng once again arrived at the Shabby House Inn.

He knocked on the door, but there was no response from within.

The courtyard was silent, save for a few mountain sparrows hopping and chirping on the branches.

He stood quietly outside the gate, waiting.

The sun began to set.

The faint sound of footsteps came from a bend in the mountain path.

Qian Shijin, carrying a half-full medicine basket on his back, returned at a leisurely pace.

"Master Qian."

Chen Shouheng hurried forward a few steps and bowed in greeting.

Qian Shijin paused, his gaze falling upon Chen Shouheng. He didn’t seem surprised by his arrival, merely nodding. "Ah, it’s you. What is it?"

Chen Shouheng stated his purpose: "This junior has taken the liberty of disturbing you again. Elder Liu Zongying asked this junior to pass on a message. He is willing to exchange his family’s Divine Power Annihilation Finger for one year’s use of the Warming Divine Jade. I implore Master Qian to grant this request."

A faint flicker of reminiscence, as if from a lifetime ago, passed through Qian Shijin’s eyes before being replaced by indifference.

"The Silent Extinction Finger..."

He did not invite Chen Shouheng inside, remaining at the courtyard gate.

He repeated the name softly and shook his head. "If he had come to me with this Skill twenty years ago, this old man would have been tempted and willing to trade the Warming Divine Jade for it. But now, this Skill is like a wilted flower of yesterday—useless to me."

He looked at Chen Shouheng with a calm gaze. "Tell him the rules have not changed. If he wishes to borrow the Warming Divine Jade, he must trade something related to Divine Sense for it. Say no more on the matter."

With that said, he gave Chen Shouheng no further chance to speak, pushed open the wooden gate, and disappeared into the courtyard.

Then, with a soft CREAK, the gate closed.

Chen Shouheng was stunned, frozen in place.

He never imagined that the Divine Secret Skill the Liu Family held as their ultimate trump card, the one Liu Zongying saw as his last hope, would be utterly worthless in the other man’s eyes.

The mountain breeze swept by, bringing a slight chill.

Chen Shouheng let out a long sigh, turned, and left the way he had come.

He did not hurry back to his Dormitory.

Instead, he headed for the residence where Zhang Luyan lived.

The Taoist Law Institute.

Zhang Luyan sat upright behind a large rosewood desk and asked faintly, "What business do you have with this old man?"

Chen Shouheng untied the bundle on his back and presented it before the desk with both hands.

A corner of the bundle was lifted, revealing the gleaming, neatly stacked gold leaves inside.

"Master Zhang."

Chen Shouheng bowed. "This student has gathered the gift. I have come to ask for the secrets of the Divine Intent Pass. I implore Master Zhang to grant me his teachings without reservation."

Zhang Luyan glanced at the pile of gold leaves, his face showing no emotion—neither joy nor disgust.

After taking the gold leaves, he gave a slight nod and let out a barely audible "mm" from his nose. "Come forward."

Then, he casually picked up the teacup on his desk and dipped his index finger into the warm tea.

On the mahogany desk, he slowly wrote four words with the wetness.

Merging Spirit with Will.

After writing, he glanced up at Chen Shouheng and casually wiped the four words away with the corner of his sleeve.

Then he picked up his teacup again, gently blowing on the foam, a clear gesture of dismissal.

The study fell into a dead silence.

Chen Shouheng was completely stunned, his brow deeply furrowed.

He looked at the empty desk where the words had been wiped away, then at the expressionless Zhang Luyan sipping his tea, and an overwhelming sense of absurdity washed over him.

’What is this?’

’Three thousand taels of gold for just these four words?’

Seeing that he had no intention of leaving, Zhang Luyan’s tone turned cold. "What? Is there something else? Or must this old man invite you to stay for tea?"

"Master Zhang..."

Chen Shouheng tried his best to keep his voice calm. "What is the meaning of this? This student is dull... I truly cannot comprehend it. I ask that Master Zhang explain in detail."

Zhang Luyan set down his teacup, raised his eyelids, and fixed an icy gaze on Chen Shouheng’s face. "What, are these four words of truth not enough? Must this old man teach you how to break through step-by-step? A mere Profound Acupoint like you—are you worthy?"

Chen Shouheng felt the blood rush to his head, his face flushing crimson. "Master Zhang, when this student came for advice before, you said it yourself: for three thousand taels of gold, you would teach me the secret.

"But now... forgive this student for being blunt, but how is this any different from deception? If you are truly unable to teach me, then please return my gold, Master Zhang."

"Deception?"

Zhang Luyan sneered. "There’s no need to play dumb with me. You’re at the Profound Acupoint Cultivation level, yet you haven’t even condensed your own True Intent. Why are you so desperate to know the secrets of the Divine Intent Pass? Do you really take this old man for a blind fool?"

At this point, his voice grew even colder. "It is an ironclad rule of the Martial Arts Academy that Cultivation Techniques and secrets are only passed to disciples of the academy and must never be leaked. This is a major taboo. This old man took your gold as a small punishment to teach you a lesson, to make you remember.

"If you are not convinced, you can go to the Dean’s hall right now, or even find the Dean himself, and report the truth. Tell them that I, Zhang Luyan, took your gold and gave you four words. Let’s see if the Deans punish me according to academy rules, or if they expel you from the Martial Arts Academy."

Chen Shouheng’s face turned deathly pale.

At this moment, how could he not understand? He had fallen into the other man’s trap from the very beginning.

Zhang Luyan had seen through his intentions long ago and had deliberately led him into the trap.

Now, not only had Zhang Luyan swallowed a huge sum of money, but he also stood on the moral high ground of the academy’s rules, forcing Chen Shouheng to suffer in silence, unable to voice his grievance.

Humiliation, anger, regret, and powerlessness intertwined within him.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails nearly dug into his palms, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

Finally, he managed to squeeze a few words through his clenched teeth: "This student... understands. Farewell."

He spun around abruptly and stormed out of the room.

Chen Shouheng didn’t know how he managed to leave.

He walked in a daze on the bluestone paths of the Martial Arts Academy.

Zhang Luyan’s cold words and the image of those three thousand taels of gold echoed repeatedly in his mind.

"Three thousand taels..."

A bitter taste filled Chen Shouheng’s mouth.

Such an enormous amount of gold was like a heavy mountain, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.