He Transmigrated Into The Body Of A Useless Little Disciple, Whose Innermost Thoughts Were Overheard By Demonic Master! - Chapter 5

Lin Mingsi watched Xie Rong eat his meal with such relish and frowned slightly. Did Xie Rong refine the impurities from the food he consumed? After finishing lunch, Xie Rong took a nap, practiced for an hour upon waking, and then occupied himself with various trivial matters. Even when he had ample time, he preferred to chat with the cranes outside rather than cultivate. At night, he would study techniques for half an hour, and once the time was up, he would immediately put away the jade slips and go to sleep, regardless of whether he had mastered the technique.

After observing Xie Rong’s daily routine, Lin Mingsi gritted his teeth and sighed repeatedly. No wonder he often bumped into Xie Rong outside the dwelling; he had thought it was fate, but it was simply because Xie Rong was too idle.

When Xie Rong opened his eyes the next morning, he saw Lin Mingsi sitting at the desk, looking at the Earth Spike Technique jade slip Xie Rong had studied the night before.

“Senior Brother, has your cultivation stabilized? I will go make you some breakfast.”

Knowing that Xie Rong usually spent half an hour preparing and eating breakfast, Lin Mingsi sent a streak of spiritual energy to guide Xie Rong to sit opposite him at the desk, his voice gentle but firm. “I am at the early stage of Nascent Soul, and you are at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Naturally, we do not need to eat every day.”

Previously, when he ran into Xie Rong eating, he thought it was just an occasional occurrence. He never imagined Xie Rong would waste precious time eating three meals a day like a mortal. He was determined to break this bad habit.

Xie Rong gritted his teeth slightly, thinking to himself, Food is heaven; I will starve without a meal! In the end, he did not cook, instead taking two spiritual fruits from his storage ring for breakfast. As he listened to Lin Mingsi explain the essentials of the Earth Spike Technique, Xie Rong kept stuffing food into his mouth. At that moment, Lin Mingsi realized that curing Xie Rong of his eating habits would be an incredibly difficult task.

Lin Mingsi explained the coordination between hand seals and internal spiritual energy. Xie Rong nodded in a half-understanding haze, then stood aside to practice. After ten seconds, Xie Rong pushed his hands forward, but nothing happened on the patch of ground in front of him. Xie Rong sighed and smiled at Lin Mingsi. “Senior Brother, my brain says I understand, but my hands say they do not.”

While he truly understood the theory, he realized how difficult it was in practice. He had paid close attention to the flow of spiritual energy, so why did he still fail? Lin Mingsi immediately spotted the problem. He had heard others say Xie Rong’s aptitude was poor, but he had assumed it was merely a lack of comprehension. Now, seeing Xie Rong struggle with the simplest technique, he realized his efficiency was perhaps lower than a six-year-old child’s.

Lin Mingsi felt no blame, only a surge of pity. Xie Rong’s absurd ideas must have stemmed from years of hard work yielding no results, leading him to eventually give up. Just as Xie Rong prepared to try again, Lin Mingsi gently took his wrist, using his own spiritual energy to guide him hand-in-hand. “The flow of spiritual energy cannot pause. You were slow in forming the seals, which caused your internal energy to slow down and wait; that is the mistake. Coordinating seals and spiritual energy is not difficult once you find the trick.”

Lin Mingsi taught him patiently, never losing his temper or calling Xie Rong stupid, no matter how many basic errors were made. However, he could not help but harbor deep suspicions: Xie Rong was not a beast cultivator, so why was his memory so chaotic and prone to forgetting simple common sense? Was he being targeted by someone?

That afternoon, Lin Mingsi left Xie Rong to practice in the cave while he went to the main hall where Xuan Yue resided. Xie Rong, though tired, decided to continue practicing, touched by the fact that Lin Mingsi had taught him without a single word of reproach.

Xuan Yue looked at the troubled Lin Mingsi and asked, “What is it?” He rarely saw Lin Mingsi so distressed. Even during the three hundred years he spent failing to break through, he had never seemed this worried.

Lin Mingsi bowed solemnly. “Master, Junior Brother’s memory is chaotic, and he is as forgetful as an elderly man. I suspect his sea of consciousness has been tampered with.” If there were no issues, why would a cultivator suddenly forget characters they had already learned or lose common sense? If he hadn’t verified it multiple times, he would have suspected Xie Rong had been possessed by a demon or monster.

Xuan Yue wanted to say that Xie Rong’s sea of consciousness was fine, but he recalled the bizarre, unremovable contract and lost his nerve. The contract was forced upon Xie Rong; could it be that it had damaged his consciousness? Xuan Yue did not know what Xie Rong was like before, assuming the confusion was a recent development. After a silence, he said, “I am also unable to help in this matter. You must teach him patiently.”

Lin Mingsi was shocked that even his Master, a Great Ascension cultivator, could not help. If even the Master could not restore Xie Rong, the plot against him must be profound. Thinking of Xie Rong having a hidden enemy, Lin Mingsi became even more determined to teach him so he could have the means to protect himself.

After Lin Mingsi left, Xuan Yue frowned deeper. Recently, he had tried to draw out the bizarre contract, only to discover that it actually helped suppress the demonic energy within him; the demonic energy feared the contract. Yet, having an unknown entity in his consciousness, however helpful, made Xuan Yue uneasy.

“It seems I must visit the library.”

Since the plant was from outside the realm, the contract likely originated from there as well.

When Lin Mingsi returned, he looked at Xie Rong with even more pity. If even the Master couldn’t help, Xie Rong’s life might truly be ruined by this unknown plot. He now believed Xie Rong’s absurd thoughts were not signs of qi deviation, but a way for him to protect his own sanity after realizing he had no hope of cultivation.

Seeing Lin Mingsi return, Xie Rong smiled brightly. “Senior Brother, I have managed to cast the Earth Spike Technique!”

Lin Mingsi looked at the expectation in Xie Rong’s eyes and stroked his hair gently. “You did well, Junior Brother. Have you thought about what kind of cultivator you want to be?”

The Earth Spike Xie Rong had successfully cast was merely a small mound of dirt; it was not enough to trip anyone, let alone injure them. Xie Rong hadn’t thought that far ahead; he preferred his life of giving up.

“Junior Brother, why don’t I teach you swordsmanship?” Lin Mingsi was a sword cultivator himself. Though he couldn’t help Xie Rong comprehend sword intent, he could guide him to the basics.

Xie Rong looked at him, embarrassed. “Senior Brother, I am physically stiff and lack coordination. I probably won’t be able to learn sword moves.” He had tried to learn dance in his past life and had been mocked for his lack of grace; he assumed he would be the same with the sword.

Lin Mingsi, a man of action, took Xie Rong to an open clearing in the back mountain. As soon as they arrived, Xuan Yue heard Xie Rong’s thoughts.

Does the Senior Brother think I have no talent for techniques, so he is teaching me swordsmanship? What if he discovers I have no talent for the sword either? Will he be disappointed? Sigh, as long as I stay on Snow Cloud Peak as the Master’s true disciple, I can live freely until I die of old age. Even if the others dislike me, they will not bully me openly. The Senior Brother is too kind; he is probably worried I will be beaten to death at the celebration. He is overthinking it; if they pick me to spar, I will concede immediately. I can lose face, but I cannot lose my life. Life is the most important thing. The Master knows I am a failure anyway; he should be able to accept it.

Xuan Yue’s expression darkened as he listened. He gritted his teeth, silently cursing Xie Rong for having no ambition. He hadn’t even met his opponent, yet he was already thinking of conceding to save his life. How could a coward go far in cultivation? Opportunities would not simply fall into his lap.

Xuan Yue sighed and shook his head internally. Xie Rong’s mindset was too extreme; he lacked the courage to even gamble once. He ignored Xie Rong’s thoughts and continued his practice.

Xie Rong, however, felt a strange sense of familiarity the moment he held the longsword Lin Mingsi handed him. Lin Mingsi began with simple repetitions of striking and sheathing the sword. Though it was a boring process, Xie Rong’s eyes grew increasingly bright, as if he were enjoying it. Lin Mingsi watched in surprise; Xie Rong’s form and speed were already reaching the level it had taken Lin Mingsi three days to master back then.

Lin Mingsi’s eyes curved into a pleased smile. The Master had once told them that everyone excelled in different areas; some in talismans, others in alchemy. Xie Rong might simply not be suited for techniques, but he was a natural for the sword.