"..."
Zhong Ming's relentless eating left Liu Wanyu, Jiang Xiaoyu, and Jiang Yue at a loss for words.
However, everyone quickly composed themselves.
Jiang Yue: "Fairy Liu, please, have a seat."
While inviting Liu Wanyu to sit, Jiang Yue also asked why she had come.
Liu Wanyu didn't hide her intentions.
"Young Master Jiang, Young Master Zhong Ming, you haven't been cultivating at the spring recently. Have you perhaps gained some special insights into the Longxi Breathing Method?"
After speaking, she added, looking quite embarrassed:
"Of course, I know that such insights are very precious. I won't ask for free. If you have them, I am willing to purchase them with Spirit Stones."
At this, Jiang Yue glanced at Zhong Ming.
But before they could answer, a clearly impatient voice rang out.
"Hmph. As if they could think of a better method. Cultivating at the spring and in the stream—that's a secret that Master Mo Shuying told us."
"Wanyu, don't be fooled by these two."
Hearing Wei Jie's challenge, Zhong Ming didn't get angry. He never let the doubts of others trouble him.
'Think what you will. I'll just focus on my own cultivation.'
But while he didn't care, Liu Wanyu clearly frowned upon hearing Wei Jie's words.
"Young Master Wei, please refrain from calling me by my given name. We are not that close."
"Furthermore, exchanging Cultivation Insights with others is my own business. I don't believe I need to report my actions to you, Young Master Wei."
Liu Wanyu's rejecting attitude and cold voice made Wei Jie panic. "I... Wan... Miss Liu, that's not what I meant."
Showing no intention of listening to his explanation, a calm but cold Liu Wanyu said directly:
"Young Master Wei, since you don't believe them, please leave. This is a transaction between myself, Young Master Jiang, and Young Master Zhong Ming."
"..."
Being told to leave so bluntly made Wei Jie's expression darken.
He was someone who cared about face. In the end, after shooting a vicious glare at Jiang Yue and Zhong Ming, he turned and left.
This scene made Zhong Ming sigh.
'Women really are trouble. Even when I keep such a low profile, I can't seem to avoid these unexpected disasters.'
While Zhong Ming was sighing, Liu Wanyu brought up the transaction again.
Jiang Yue, of course, wouldn't make the decision on his own. Instead, he gestured to Zhong Ming.
"Miss Liu, there's no use asking me. Whether or not to tell you depends on Young Master Zhong Ming's decision. He is the one who comprehended those special Cultivation Insights."
Her fair, jade-like fists tightened slightly at his words.
'They really do have special Cultivation Insights. So that's why Jiang Yue holds Zhong Ming in such high regard. It's not for no reason.'
Though she was experiencing intense emotions inwardly, Liu Wanyu's expression remained composed on the surface.
However, her attitude toward Zhong Ming became much more gentle and polite.
"Young Master Zhong Ming, I am sincere in my desire to purchase..."
Before she could finish, Zhong Ming nodded.
"I can give you these Cultivation Insights."
Having already sold them once, Zhong Ming had no psychological barrier to selling them a second time.
But he also clarified beforehand, "I'm not sure if these insights will be useful to you. Also, my price for these Cultivation Insights is very high. Do you still want to buy them?"
"I do."
Liu Wanyu answered without a shred of hesitation.
—Like Jiang Yue, she yearned for an A-level Rating. As such, she wanted to grasp anything that could increase her chances of getting one.
Seeing her determination, Zhong Ming stopped being coy and stated his request.
"I don't want Spirit Stones, nor do I want Elixir Pills. I want books. Books that record Cultivation Insights for the Longxi Breathing Method... You should have some of those, right? If not, you can spend Spirit Stones to exchange for them at the Longxi Peak Scripture Pavilion."
"Deal."
Once the deal was made and a contract was established with Jiang Yue as a witness, Zhong Ming told her what he had figured out.
And just like Jiang Yue, when Liu Wanyu heard that the core mystery of the Longxi Breathing Method was the dragon, her eyes lit up.
"The dragon... Yes, that has to be it. Longxi, Longxi... Of course, the dragon is the key..."
Having understood something crucial, she became even more enthusiastic toward Zhong Ming.
Afterwards, feeling that Wei Jie's temperament was too impetuous and that he wasn't someone to be relied on, Liu Wanyu didn't even return to his side. Instead, she sat down with them and started to talk.
This scene made Wei Jie's expression, watching from a distance, grow even uglier, almost ferocious.
However, all he could do was fume in impotent rage.
Although the Seven Profound Sect sends those with C and D ratings to serve in the Demon Suppression Bureau, its coordination with the government shows that the Seven Profound Sect is, at its core, a righteous sect.
In a sect like this, fighting among fellow disciples is an absolute taboo.
Therefore, there was nothing Wei Jie could do at the moment.
However, while he couldn't attack them directly, he could certainly curse them behind their backs.
"To actually believe a lowly Lower-class Youth... Jiang Yue, you really are an idiot."
"Liu Wanyu, you're a fool too..."
He had been watching Zhong Ming's group the whole time and saw Liu Wanyu sign a contract with Zhong Ming in the end. This told him that Zhong Ming was the one who had come up with the Cultivation Insights.
Harboring a deep disdain for the lower class, he naturally didn't believe Zhong Ming could have comprehended anything worthwhile.
He was furiously cursing Jiang Yue and Liu Wanyu.
And his subordinates, who followed him because they were optimistic about his Talent, naturally joined in the cursing.
"Boss, calm down. Don't stoop to the level of those idiots."
"Exactly, Lord Wei, it's not worth it."
Someone else said with a smile:
"Young Master Wei, you should be happy. The current situation is actually more advantageous for you, my lord."
That last sentence caught Wei Jie's attention. "What do you mean?"
Lu Mingfeng: "My lord, it's just as you said. How can a mere Lower-class Youth like Zhong Ming compare to the Master? Whatever he's comprehended must be utter nonsense."
"Jiang Yue and Miss Liu Wanyu are foolish to believe Zhong Ming's lies. As such, they will surely be left far behind by you, my lord, who is walking the correct path."
"At that time, Jiang Yue will be no match for you, my lord. And Miss Liu Wanyu will also learn who was right all along."
"HAHAHA..." Lu Mingfeng's seemingly logical words made Wei Jie burst out laughing. "You're right! This situation is actually a good thing for me. Zhong Ming, I should even thank you! If it weren't for your deception, I wouldn't be able to pull so far ahead of Jiang Yue and Liu Wanyu... Huh?!"
Logically speaking, Lu Mingfeng's words made some sense. Zhong Ming's understanding of the Longxi Breathing Technique could never surpass that of Master Mo Shuying.
Because of this, Wei Jie's face was full of excitement upon hearing this.
But the joy on his face lasted only for a moment.
—As he was marveling at Zhong Ming's audacity, he glanced back toward Jiang Yue's group and discovered that after Liu Wanyu, another woman had approached Zhong Ming and begun to talk with him.
And Wei Jie recognized that woman.
"Is that... Miss Orchid, from Yi Yunya's side? Why did she go over there? Could it be that Miss Yi Yunya also believes Zhong Ming's lies..."
At this moment, Wei Jie desperately wanted to dismiss Zhong Ming as a fraud.
However, though he was impetuous and looked down on Zhong Ming for his lower-class background, he wasn't a complete fool.
When it was just Jiang Yue getting friendly with Zhong Ming, he could curse Jiang Yue for being stupid. When Liu Wanyu went over too, he could still say she was being deceived.
But as the saying goes, once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern. With even the most outstanding person in their class, Yi Yunya, seeking out Zhong Ming, he could no longer deceive himself.
"Could it be that I'm the one who's wrong? Did Zhong Ming really comprehend something...?"
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
At this point, Wei Jie's mentality began to shift.
Jiang Xiaoyu's perspective was changing as well.
'Yi Yunya... even that great miss is seeking out Zhong Ming. Is his Talent really that amazing?'
...
While the others were stunned, Zhong Ming himself was also quite surprised by Orchid's arrival.
"You're looking for me?"
"My lady is looking for you."
"...Let's go."
Zhong Ming didn't want to get involved in trivial matters; he just wanted to cultivate in peace.
However, he knew even better that as long as one is alive, contact with others is unavoidable. And if he wanted to improve faster, he couldn't avoid the need to earn resources.
Therefore, Zhong Ming wasn't opposed to interacting with others.
But interaction was one thing; whether it became a deeper exchange depended on what the other party wanted, and what price they were offering.