Chapter 236: Numb

Inside the hall, there were six Grand Diviners in total, two men, two women, and two others without ordinary genders.

It was hard to tell if they were male or female, because they didn't even have human forms.

Rather than humans, they were more like some peculiar Incarnations.

Formless and insubstantial, one could only vaguely perceive a slight fluctuation, assuring them that something was indeed sitting there, and it wasn't their imagination.

Though unseen, one could still sense the person in that spot.

When the other party spoke, there was clearly no sound, yet one could ‘hear’ it.

When he acted, there was clearly no trace, yet one could ‘see’ him.

Moreover, one could describe what he did, have an impression of this thing, sense its temperament, and even vaguely perceive its appearance.

But when it came to truly describing what he looked like, the observer would suddenly realize.

Ah, it turns out I actually couldn’t see, touch, or hear this thing.

It was as if one could instinctively be aware, but the senses could not perceive it.

Quite peculiar.

However, the others seemed accustomed to such a situation.

And at this moment, everyone except Zhu Fengdan was laughing heartily, their expressions filled with comfort.

Another Grand Diviner picked up a cup of wine and drank it with satisfaction: “I see your Disciple, he is prudent, thoughtful in his actions, steady and magnanimous; he is truly a good child, but it’s a bit of a waste for him to be with you. Why not let him come to me? I will surely make him shine brightly!”

“Get lost!” Zhu Fengdan was so angry he didn’t even feel like drinking.

He was furious, but the other Grand Diviners chuckled.

Another Grand Diviner said: “I heard that Third Zhu hasn’t managed this Disciple of his since he took him in, letting him wander outside alone until he reached the Eighth Rank, only calling him back to Shaman God Mountain to prepare for the Tang Nation matter, and he’ll have to rush back to Tang Nation in at most a month to finish his studies at Imperial Academy, which will take at least three years.”

“He hasn’t managed his Disciple for a single day. Don’t you think that’s precisely why that kid is so excellent?”

Upon hearing this, the other Grand Diviners clapped their hands and laughed, and the entire hall was filled with joyous air.

Only Zhu Fengdan’s Face turned dark, yet he couldn’t refute it.

He was impulsive and reckless, but he wasn’t unreasonable.

He indeed hadn’t taught Li Qi, merely throwing textbooks at him and letting him self-study.

His original plan was for Li Qi to walk all the way back, probably reaching the Eighth Rank by then, and officially entering the mountain gate. Along the way, he would definitely have been tempered.

Tempered what? Of course, the Jianghu temperament.

From the unranked period, traveling all the way, triggering the Baiyue, and finally walking back to Shaman God Mountain, he would definitely undergo hardships and experience the vicissitudes of human relationships. After that, he would naturally shed the arrogance of a major sect Disciple. Only then, after imparting his skills, would Li Qi understand how to cherish them and study even harder.

Shedding arrogance would also make one more nimble and more in line with Zhu Fengdan’s temperament.

Only those who have suffered know how bitter suffering is.

Only after experiencing the coldness and warmth of human relationships does one realize how precious what they currently possess is.

Moreover, by rolling in the Mortal World, he would surely learn all sorts of Jianghu tricks, and he wouldn't have naive ideas. By then, he would be decisive in killing, skilled at boasting, and adept at fleeing for his life.

Zhu Fengdan had originally thought this.

But who knew, this Disciple was so excellent that he didn’t suffer at all on the way!

He entered the Ninth Rank in one year! Faster than most Young Masters.

His foundation was solid, his Heart-Nature stable, he counter-attacked a Seventh Rank from the Ninth Rank, and he independently designed and presided over a Grand Ritual without making any mistakes.

He had planned out his entire path to directly reach the Seventh Rank and cleared all obstacles. Now, there was no hindrance to his advancement to the Seventh Rank.

Jianghu temperament? What’s that?

Since Li Qi’s debut, he had always been treated as an expert and hadn’t picked up any Jianghu temperament.

On the contrary, he had always been strategic, and instead, he had developed some qualities of a superior.

Hard to bear.

It was completely different from what Zhu Fengdan had arranged.

However, he wasn’t the type to just lie down and take the mockery. Seeing the others so gleeful, he slammed the table: “So what? It’s a good thing my Disciple is promising. What if he’s not like me? Is there a rule that a Disciple must be like his Master?”

“You bunch of Yin and Yang people, how would you know the wonders of my teaching method? I know his extraordinary talent, so I impart cultivation methods to him, give him Divine Abilities, and bestow upon him protective Qi, letting him venture outside to be tempered by wind and rain before he can become a talent. What do you know?!”

“Unlike you, who protect your Disciples by your side, lead them into the sect, solidify their foundations, and then release them only after they reach the Seventh Rank, what’s the use? A bunch of flashy but useless people, don’t they still need to be tempered outside? I’m telling you, your teaching method is a pile of shit! If you’re not convinced, I won’t bully you. If you can’t beat me in a one-on-one, then let your Disciples try!”

“Wisdom, Divine Ability, Divine Ability, Knowledge, foundation, Cultivation! Anything, you each pick your Disciples, even a relay battle is fine. My Disciple will take on all of you!”

Zhu Fengdan slammed the table and roared angrily!

Though he hadn’t considered whether Li Qi was willing or not.

Are you kidding? If my Master is being humiliated, isn’t it natural for you, Disciple, to come and help me save Face?

But immediately, a Grand Diviner advised: “Third Zhu, don’t go mad. We naturally know your Disciple is promising, but children have their own Dao, and we Masters cannot try to make them like ourselves by pulling up the sprouts to help them grow. If you drag him out now to confront his fellow Disciples, do you really want him to end up like you?”

Zhu Fengdan, however, stood up directly and waved his hand: “Bah! Like me? What about me? Just because the Shaman God said my Dao was wrong, does that mean I’m truly wrong!? Nonsense! My Dao, what the Shaman God says doesn’t count! You say I can’t teach Disciples, then let’s see, let’s see who is more formidable, those you taught by hand, or my Disciple!”

As soon as his voice fell.

A strange wind suddenly blew.

At this moment, Li Qi had just bid farewell to Yu Mengniang, happily holding that wisp of Dao Resonance in his hand.

This Dao Resonance was indeed extremely important to him.

His Human Body Minor Heaven and Earth, seemingly with a solid foundation, was actually already filled by a single province, bloated and difficult to improve further.

How absurd was a single province? Just look at his previous clash with that black-and-red-skinned Young Master.

The opponent was directly sent flying by him.

His Human Body Minor Heaven and Earth also entered an overloaded state because of this.

If he could comprehend the effect of this Dao Resonance and apply it to his Human Body Minor Heaven and Earth, he would be able to accommodate more, resolve the current overloaded state, and proceed more easily.

He didn't covet this thing; he just truly needed to learn from it.

Holding the Dao Resonance, he had just separated from Yu Mengniang when suddenly, Li Qi felt a strange wind assault him!

He immediately became alert! He activated the Dao Resonance, extending a hundred zhang around him within inches, and at the same time, immediately used the Five Mountains and Four Cardinal Points technique to firmly root himself to the ground!

Mountains overcome wind. With the Five Mountains and Four Cardinal Points technique, it was as if he had a wind-fixing stake tied to him; ordinary gusts of wind would not move him.

But as the strange wind approached Li Qi, he had no power to resist at all and was directly swept away!

Almost in an instant, he was immediately lifted high into the sky, and before he could react, he was swept along and carried into a grand hall.

It was so fast that he didn't even notice how far he had traveled.

When he could finally react to his surroundings again, he was already inside a grand hall.

In the hall, thousands of gauze lanterns hung at varying heights.

The colorful array illuminated it like daylight, the hall doors were wide open, with three rows of white jade stone steps descending seven levels, covered with purple silk, burning various fragrant incense, and draped with cloud-patterned brocade curtains.

Newly crafted ritual vessels were placed nearby, the numbers of Bian, Dou, Fu, and Gui were all according to the traditional rites.

The rafters in the hall gleamed with candles, and the furnishings were exquisite, but they looked like something Mortals would use. Although luxuriously decorated, Li Qi could build it himself if he had the money; there was nothing particularly special about it.

If there was anything special...

It was the six beings above.

Li Qi could only see four.

But his True Knowledge Dao Resonance could ‘see’ the other two.

The six Grand Diviners each had different temperaments.

Two Grand Diviners sat upright, meticulously and precisely.

The Ritual Patriarchs (Clan Master) was in charge of the rites of establishing the state, internally managing the internal disciplines of Shaman God Mountain, and externally responsible for communication and arrangements with various subordinate forces. He also controlled money, food, and supplies, so he basically had this temperament, being a standard management position.

Two Grand Invoker, including his own Master, one male and one female. His Master was spirited and radiant, though he seemed a bit angry, with a large palm print on the table.

The other female Grand Invoker appeared dignified and steady, but exuded an indescribable affinity, like... a mother?

Although she was also very beautiful, she wasn't stunningly so, but that affinity made it difficult for people to feel hostility towards her.

The Grand Invoker was in charge of matters concerning the governance of all gods in heaven and earth, requiring both dignity and revered appearance. This meant that the Grand Invoker must be able to command all gods, not by force, but by authority, capable of serving as a bridge between Divine Spirits and people. Only those whom both sides respected could become Invoker.

As a Invoker, Li Qi believed that to achieve this, one needed to embody ‘Righteous Path’ and ‘righteousness’ to earn the trust of all gods and the recognition of all people.

But this wasn't absolute. Clearly, his Master didn't think so, and that female Grand Invoker probably differed from Li Qi as well.

This was the difference in their Dao.

However, there was no right or wrong in this; it was merely the path they chose.

A true error in the Dao was when the chosen method contradicted the goal, leading to a wild goose chase, which would be a major mistake that could shake the Dao foundation.

There were also two other ‘air people’ whom Li Qi couldn't identify, but judging by their appearance... they should be Grand Diviners?

Why would Grand Diviners appear like this? They should have normal bodies. Was their true body not present?

No sooner said than done, Li Qi only scanned the situation before him in his mind, then immediately performed the Disciple's礼 (li, ritual/etiquette), bowing to the six Grand Diviners before him: “Greetings, Master! Greetings, Grand Diviners!”

He put his Master first.

Evidently, this gesture pleased Zhu Fengdan greatly. With a wave of his hand, Li Qi’s vision blurred again, and he found himself standing right beside him.

Before Li Qi could even speak, Zhu Fengdan directly said: “My Disciple is here. Where are yours?”

The other Grand Diviners, however, either waved their hands or shook their heads, their opinions surprisingly unified.

“My Disciple is in secluded cultivation; don’t disturb him.”

“Who has time to fuss about such trivial matters with you every day? You act unreliably, but do you think we do too? Dragging the children here for this matter, what do you take them for?”

“My child is foolish, not comparable to your Disciple. Bringing him here to compete with you would surely be embarrassing. If his pure, sincere Heart-Nature is ruined by this competition, will you compensate? You play by yourself. My child is destined for late success; he just needs to work diligently in the early stages and not chase after false fame.”

“My Disciple is an extension of my Dao, not a tool for comparison. I will not let him get involved in such matters.”

“My Dao requires meticulous study of calculation methods, which are profound and difficult. My Disciple is diligent in thought and slow in action, not good at fighting, only skilled in diligent study and meditation, so he won’t participate in this physical contest.”

The Grand Diviners each spoke, but not one of them agreed.

Li Qi listened from the side.

Based on the Great Diviners’ conversation, he pondered for a moment, guessing what was happening.

Given his Master’s personality...

Could it be that...

Master was planning to use him to humiliate them, beat up each of these Great Diviners’ Disciples, and then he would stand with hands on hips, laughing heartily, looking down on everyone, feeling incredibly pleased, and then leave swaggering with him?

Holy cow, thinking about it, it's highly possible!

It’s perfectly normal for Master, with his personality, to do something like that.

However... he should only make this choice after being provoked.

Provoked by what?

The only ones who could provoke them here were these Grand Diviners. There must have been some conflict between them normally, but not to the point of arguing upon meeting, so something must have happened in between.

These few shouldn’t be the Grand Diviners behind those Young Masters who stopped him. If they were, with his Master’s personality, they would have already started fighting.

So, the current situation is—

These Grand Diviners aren't the ones who stopped him; the evidence is that Master hasn't made a move.

However, due to some unknown matter, Master had a conflict with these Grand Diviners, and Master plans to use him to defeat their Disciples to win this round.

What was that matter?

If the dispute could be resolved by Disciples... then it should also have arisen because of Disciples, otherwise it wouldn’t involve him.

But he wasn't present just now.

In an instant, Li Qi understood.

Oh no, was he being watched by these few the whole time just now?

At this thought, Li Qi immediately stepped forward: “Grand Diviners, please hear what this junior has to say!”

The other Grand Diviners, including Zhu Fengdan, all smiled.

That smile sent a shiver down Li Qi’s spine.

Wait, these Grand Diviners all seem to be able to read minds.

According to Master, ‘when one’s cultivation is profound, another’s Heart-Nature becomes perfectly clear.’

His thoughts must have all been read!

At this moment, a Grand Diviner kindly said: “You, child, are indeed quick-witted. Don’t worry, just speak. When you speak, we will not observe your Heart-Nature.”

He seemed to be in a very good mood as he said: “We’d like to see how you persuade Third Zhu without making us angry. Don’t try to please us by making Third Zhu back down; he will really hit you, so be careful.”

Li Qi looked back at his Master.

He was stumped.

How to resolve this?