He Transmigrated Into The Body Of A Useless Little Disciple, Whose Innermost Thoughts Were Overheard By Demonic Master! - Chapter 4

Xie Rong turned his head to look at Lin Mingsi and, seeing the deep concern in his senior brother’s eyes, shook his head slowly and earnestly. “Senior Brother, I do not think life should be calculated that way. A person can have an endless lifespan, but if they repeat the same thing day after day, year after year, what is the point? The lives of ordinary people may be short, but their experiences are brilliant and magnificent. Senior Brother, do you truly think that repeating the same days is meaningful? Even if I struggle to reach the Golden Core stage, what then? I would still have to toil for the Nascent Soul stage. I have always felt lost; is that kind of repetitive, frustrating cultivation really the life I want? I see you have reached the Golden Core stage, yet you do not seem happy. Once you reach Golden Core, you crave Nascent Soul, and once you reach Nascent Soul, you will still be dissatisfied.”

Even if I live a long time, I will still die, Xie Rong thought to himself. Whether it is early or late, it ends in death, so why find so much trouble for myself? I will treat every day as if it were my last, eating what I want and playing as I please. That is the only way to live without regrets.

When Xie Rong and Lin Mingsi arrived at the back mountain, Xuan Yue, who was in the main hall, had heard Xie Rong’s internal complaint about Lin Mingsi’s cooking and his subsequent nonsense about the sea of clouds and the meaning of life. Hearing Xie Rong’s thoughts about life and death, Xuan Yue was almost angered into laughter. He could not fathom how Xie Rong’s brain functioned; it was filled with such illogical, twisted reasoning. If Xie Rong had been born in the Demon Realm, he might have been a prime candidate for a demon cultivator.

Sensing that Lin Mingsi’s state of mind was unstable, Xuan Yue turned invisible and followed them to the back mountain. He noticed the spiritual energy quietly gathering around Lin Mingsi and shot a look of surprise at Xie Rong. For over a hundred years, he had tried countless methods to comfort Lin Mingsi, all to no avail. He had never expected Xie Rong’s twisted logic to trigger an epiphany in Lin Mingsi. Xuan Yue frowned slightly. What exactly had Lin Mingsi realized? He hoped he would not decide to give up cultivation and lie down waiting for death.

Xie Rong could not sense the movement of spiritual energy and assumed Lin Mingsi was simply daydreaming. Coming out of his trance, Lin Mingsi grabbed Xie Rong’s wrist, his expression grave. “Little Junior Brother, that way of thinking is wrong. I never knew you viewed cultivation this way. No wonder your cultivation level has never progressed. With such thoughts, you are on the verge of falling into qi deviation. I must go back to prepare for the Nascent Soul tribulation. Wait here for me until I emerge from seclusion.”

After Lin Mingsi left in a rush, Xie Rong sat there, confused. What happened? Senior Brother broke through? How? I am just a bit lazy; how did that lead to qi deviation? I practice very diligently; I practice for two hours every single day!

Xuan Yue, hearing this string of internal thoughts, could no longer suppress his agitation. He used his spiritual energy to pluck a spiritual fruit from the tree above Xie Rong’s head, letting it drop right onto him. After being hit, Xie Rong hugged his head and let out an “Ouch,” then picked up the half-ripe fruit, looked at the tree, and smiled. “Thanks for the treat. I just finished my bun and was feeling a bit thirsty. A seven-ripe fruit—the sour and sweet taste is perfect for quenching thirst.”

Watching Xie Rong’s carefree attitude, Xuan Yue flicked his sleeve and returned to his room. He feared that if he stayed any longer, he would be unable to resist slapping his useless, stupid disciple. Was something wrong with Xie Rong’s brain? Thinking dry cultivation was boring and comparing mortal lives to cultivators—he even found the mortal life more interesting! It was simply toxic. Xuan Yue felt that Xie Rong had described himself perfectly: he was truly in a state of giving up.

Lin Mingsi’s sudden breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage surprised everyone, but they assumed it was a case of thick accumulation leading to thin hair—a sudden epiphany after long practice—and no one linked it to Xie Rong. During the tribulation, Lin Mingsi remembered to use the lightning energy to temper his body, only taking medicinal pills when he could no longer hold on. With every strike of lightning, Xie Rong’s heart trembled.

Cultivation requires a tribulation just to move from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core. Does the Heavenly Dao not permit human cultivation? Since it is said that cultivation is an act against Heaven, is it not better to just live a good life? Why go against Heaven?

Hearing these doubts, Xuan Yue could not help but fix his gaze on Xie Rong. He often wanted to peel open Xie Rong’s brain to see what kind of nonsense was stored inside. Seeing that Lin Mingsi’s breakthrough was stable, Xuan Yue returned to his hall. He could not block Xie Rong’s thoughts; he could only find peace by putting enough distance between them.

After the tribulation, Lin Mingsi was at his last breath. Gu Xingchen hesitated but eventually stepped forward to support him. Lin Mingsi glanced at Gu Xingchen, pulled his arm away weakly, and smiled at him. “Thank you, Second Senior Brother, but it would be better to have the Junior Brother help me. With the celebration fast approaching, I should not delay your cultivation.”

The spot where Lin Mingsi landed was not far from Xie Rong. Upon hearing the call, Xie Rong ran over and, without a hint of hesitation, draped Lin Mingsi’s arm over his shoulder, letting Lin Mingsi lean most of his weight on him. Gu Xingchen watched them for a moment and chuckled. “The relationship between Senior and Junior Brother is indeed as close as ever.” Lin Mingsi cast a complex look at Gu Xingchen and agreed faintly, “Second Senior Brother is right.”

Finally, Xie Rong spent a low-grade spirit stone to hire a crane to carry them back to the cave dwelling. After dropping Lin Mingsi off, Xie Rong tried to leave, but his sleeve was caught. Lin Mingsi said solemnly, “From today on, you will move in and live with me.”

Xie Rong’s eyes widened in shock. “Senior Brother, were you confused by the lightning? Did you really just say you want me to move in with you?” In the cultivation world, even Daoist partners did not always live together, let alone fellow disciples.

Lin Mingsi looked at Xie Rong with deep concern, his voice weak but firm. “I am not confused. Little Junior Brother, you have no idea how serious your current problem is. Be a good boy and move in; otherwise, I cannot rest easy.”

Lin Mingsi had always lived for the sake of cultivation, but after hearing Xie Rong’s words at the back mountain, he was filled with concern. He did not want to see Xie Rong die a foolish death; he wanted to live longer and guide Xie Rong onto the right path. He had someone to care about now, and his cultivation was no longer just about breaking through—it was about protecting someone he cared for. Knowing Xie Rong had a soft heart, Lin Mingsi clutched his chest, putting on a pained expression. “Little Junior Brother, I am in great pain. You are the only person in the sect I can trust.”

Xie Rong’s refusal was already at his lips, but upon seeing Lin Mingsi’s vulnerability, he found himself agreeing before he knew it. If I were an ancient emperor, Xie Rong thought, I would definitely be a ruler who loses his mind for love.

Lin Mingsi’s dwelling was large, featuring a meditation room, an alchemy room, and a study filled with knowledge jades. Seeing the jades, Xie Rong asked, “Senior Brother, can I move into the study? There are so many jades here.”

Knowledge jades in the sect required contribution points to copy and view, and as a true disciple of Xuan Yue, Xie Rong received one thousand points—worth one thousand high-grade spirit stones—per month. Everything in the sect cost points and stones, and one thousand was barely enough. Xie Rong knew he lacked the aptitude for techniques, so he rarely went to the library to trade for jades. With so many here, he was not about to pass up the bargain.

Lin Mingsi, surprised by Xie Rong’s excitement, replied, “Move in if you wish. These are just common knowledge jades I copied from the sect. I need to stabilize my cultivation; you cannot be idle like before. You must practice diligently.”

Xie Rong nodded lazily. He practiced for two hours every day—one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and occasionally an extra half-hour at night—which he considered very diligent. After Lin Mingsi entered meditation, Xie Rong tidied the study and began reading the techniques. He made a note of every character he did not recognize, waiting to ask Lin Mingsi later. Lin Mingsi knew his memory was terrible, so forgetting past characters was nothing strange.

After ten days of meditation, Xie Rong had studied dozens of introductory jades for the Five Elements. He practiced for ten days, but he could not even produce a spark. “What do you mean ‘perceive the fire-type spiritual energy’? I have Water, Wood, and Earth roots—forget not perceiving fire, why can I not mobilize the Earth spiritual energy I can perceive? When I practice, the Water, Wood, and Earth energies love me, so why do they refuse to listen when I use them? Do they have tempers?”

Lin Mingsi, ending his meditation, heard Xie Rong’s frantic muttering. With his divine sense, he saw Xie Rong frowning at the jades, actually suspecting the spiritual energy of having a temper. He did not interrupt, but seeing Xie Rong try to cast a spell, he was left speechless. Xie Rong’s hand signs were wrong, and he failed to coordinate the internal spiritual power with the signs. Without the reinforcement of spiritual energy, the seal was bound to fail.

Lin Mingsi sighed, put away the jades, and stretched. “Study time is over. Time to sleep.”

Lin Mingsi stared in shock as Xie Rong happily walked to the bed, tucked himself in, and fell asleep. One did not need to sleep after the Foundation Establishment stage, nor were they affected by the cold or heat. Lin Mingsi drew a breath—had Xie Rong really been sleeping every night all these years? No wonder his cultivation level never budged! Lin Mingsi decided to observe Xie Rong’s practice time.

The next day, Lin Mingsi watched Xie Rong get up slowly, eat breakfast slowly, brew tea, and finally start practicing. He sighed in relief—until an hour later, when Xie Rong stopped to cook lunch. Although food was only for taste after the Foundation Establishment stage, Xie Rong insisted on three meals a day, regardless of the impurities in the food.