Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

Great Wild Goose Frost, the pale dawn moon hangs high.

At night, the moonlight flows like a river of silk, spilling across the earth.

At this moment, a burly Taoist was inside the room, his brush strokes rapid and powerful, as if recording something important.

"Main body, why are you making this so complicated? With your current True Technique cultivation, once fully unveiled, apart from those two old geezers from the Heavenly Star Sect and Moon Concealing Sect who could spar a bit with you, who else could last even one round against you?"

"When the time comes, with your cultivation revealed, can that so-called Star Jade still be denied to you?"

"As for the other forces, that's even simpler—you want something, just take it! Why bother with all these flowery, unnecessary tricks? This makes you, Master Peng Jiao, look like a fool."

Just as the Taoist was moving his brush like the wind, within his Sea of Consciousness, the Three Corpse Primordial Spirit of Peng Jiao began its incessant chatter, rambling on until Yi Chen was utterly exasperated.

Left with no choice, Yi Chen reluctantly placed the White Jade Brush on the brush stand and courteously began explaining to the Three Corpse Primordial Spirit in his Sea of Consciousness:

"Peng Jiao, stop barking like a dog!"

"It's not that I don't want to show off right now, it's precisely because those two old geezers from the Heavenly Star Sect and Moon Concealing Sect can exchange a few moves with me. That's why I'm taking this route—openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chen Cang Pass!"

"You're always full of crude thoughts; have you not considered what exactly I'm condensing? The Heavenly Star Sect's old ancestor's reincarnated body didn't condense the All Stars Dao Fruit in the end—what happened? Did the All Stars Dao Fruit mutate, or does it have some secret involvement outside?"

"Haven't you heard enough stories where the third one gets taken out first to stir things up when the eldest and second are fighting?"

"What if those two old geezers turn hostile right away? At that point, you still want to mess with the Four Great Kingdoms? What if the two in the East Continent and those two bastards in the Western Lands decide to team up and kick this outsider, me, out of the game first?"

In the Sea of Consciousness, Yi Chen's spiritual manifestation started shouting furiously at the Three Corpse Primordial Spirit.

With every increase in pitch, the figure of the Three Corpse Primordial Spirit shrank slightly.

After a while, the gray Primordial Spirit finally shrank its neck dejectedly and replied:

"Why are you shouting so loudly? Master Peng Jiao was just discussing it with you!"

"Besides, what you're describing is the worst-case scenario. The potential futures I mentioned aren't entirely impossible…."

However, before the gray Primordial Spirit could finish speaking, Yi Chen interrupted again!

"You yourself said it's just a possibility, not a certainty. Right now, my True Technique is only at the twenty-seventh layer. Are you seriously suggesting I put my fate in the hands of those two ambiguous Dao Fruit cultivators in the East Continent? Put my trust in… in them? Screw that!

"What, am I supposed to turn into a beggar like Yi Chengzi?"

"Haha, as long as we keep lying low and hiding our light for as long as possible, probing the foundations of those East Continent elites. When the moment is right, we can clean them out in one fell swoop."

"By then, as the two of us approach the twenty-eighth layer of True Technique, we'll have picked every piece of meat clean off the bones. Only then will we truly be in a position to either advance or retreat with ease."

"When we manage to break through to the twenty-eighth layer in one go, hahaha, will it even matter if they voluntarily hand over the Star Jade at that point?"

"Tell me, Peng Jiao, would you rather be a groveling lackey watching the faces of others, or a master who makes others watch yours?"

In the Sea of Consciousness, Yi Chen's voice, filled with disappointment at iron not turning into steel, boomed out as he began instructing the gray Primordial Spirit further. Fine, shimmering light emitted by Yi Chen's spiritual form even splattered onto the face of the Three Corpse Primordial Spirit.

"Of course… of course, I want to be the master."

"If you want to be the master, then first be the lackey; you start as the servant then rise to the master, just like you put on socks before shoes. So, Peng Jiao, why are you in such a hurry? We'll play along with them a little longer~"

"Why the hell are you covering your face like that?"

"You spit spiritual saliva on my face."

"What, you're still not satisfied?"

"No, it's not dissatisfaction; I'm just… spreading it evenly!" Master Peng Jiao said meekly, his head bowed.

Yi Chen: "....."

"Main body, why aren't you saying anything?"

"Nothing much, Master Peng Jiao, you really live up to being my Three Corpse Primordial Spirit!"

"With such shamelessness, you'll definitely achieve great things in the future!"

"Hehe, it's all thanks to your solid foundation, main body!"

"I s… swear…."

"My mother is your mother, main body. Think carefully before speaking to Master Peng Jiao!"

"!@#￥%"

In the room, the stiff figure of the burly Taoist suddenly flushed red with warmth.

After a long moment, Yi Chen finally ended the argument with his ridiculous Three Corpse Primordial Spirit. Regaining his composure, he spread open a large roll of xuan paper and resumed his vigorous calligraphy.

The first sheet.

"Nothing anyone promises you in this world counts. Only what you yourself can ensure counts!"

After a moment's thought, Yi Chen tore up the xuan paper, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it perfectly into the distant wastebasket.

Pausing midair with his brush, he eventually wrote:

"A man's greatest opponent is, in fact, himself!"

Tonight, the Great Qin State Preceptor played a high-level match indeed.

Folding the second xuan paper sheet neatly and storing it in the storage ring, Yi Chen finally opened the window.

The night breeze was refreshing, carrying the earthy fragrance into the room.

At this moment, the moon had already disappeared behind the clouds.

Perhaps it had hidden itself during his heated bickering with his Three Corpse Primordial Spirit.

....

....

The following day, laughter rang out from the various prominent families in the Qian Country, mingling with Yi Chen's repeated praise, and interspersed with the Taoist's delighted sighs.

"Family Head, this is remarkable—what an incredible treasure!"

"It's easy to judge treasures, but judging human hearts is hard."

"The way of treasure appraisal lies in observing form and color but even more in perceiving spiritual charm…."

Using his identity as the Heavenly Star Sect's prodigy and his glib tongue, Yi Chen became a celebrated guest across the prominent families of Qian Country in Azurewood City, where the burly Taoist from the Heavenly Star Sect enjoyed a meteoric rise in reputation.