Climbing to immortality step by step

Chapter 119 Xingde Hand Talk

With lingering trepidation, Liu Suiyun asked, "Shiniang, are you saying there won't be unlimited tea anymore? Please, no! I haven't caused any trouble at Baicao Peak!"

Shen Yaqin smiled mysteriously before answering, "Don't worry, once you're back at Chonghua Peak, the tea will still be unlimited—just no more snacks! But let me tell you, the Linghua Sect is already planning to have Miss Shen Que challenge you, to compete in spirit planting techniques."

Liu Suiyun was stunned. "Little Sparrow? I didn't provoke her! Besides, with my crude methods, isn't it bullying to compare her spirit planting skills to mine? If it were a contest of Daoist magic, I might stand a chance. But I've only been at Chonghua Peak for half a month, and she's been practicing spirit planting for years! No, I can't do it!"

He felt utterly hopeless about the upcoming challenge. Shen Yaqin, however, continued, "The Linghua Sect has been riding high on Shen Que's genius, bullying our Shenxiao Sect for years in spirit planting! Baicao Peak has been suffocating under her reign. Can you believe that nearly a thousand men were defeated by a little sparrow? Now, with the recent triumph regarding the Sanyang Grass, they won't stop boasting to the heavens!"

And boast they did. Baicao Peak, seizing the rare opportunity to finally stand tall, took every chance to trample on Linghua Sect and Shen Que. Articles with titles like "A Hundred-Year Genius Falls in a Day: Shenxiao's Baicao Peak Reclaims the True Legacy of Spirit Planting," "Leading Sales Across the Sky Realm: Only Shenxiao Baicao," and "The Truth Behind the Top-Selling Spirit Plants: Exposing the Secrets of a Certain Sect's Genius" flooded the airwaves.

Not only did they praise Baicao Peak to the skies, but they also dragged Linghua Sect and Shen Que down into the dirt. Countless sensationalist articles appeared, claiming to reveal truths that made the entire Linghua Sect seethe with anger. It was said that Shen Que herself was driven to tears.

Amid all this praise, Liu Suiyun's name naturally came up, blown up in legend. In these stories, Liu Suiyun could barely recognize himself. According to the tales, six generations of his family had mastered the art of spirit planting, making him a veritable old-school spirit planter—no, a venerable doctor.

Patients—no, cultivators—who had been duped by Shen Que and her sect would flock to Liu Suiyun, only to be cured of their ailments on the spot, their unmentionable afflictions vanishing. Liu Suiyun had allegedly even proposed a revolutionary new system of spirit planting, advancing the field by a hundred years. Even if Linghua Sect chased them for the next thirty years, they wouldn't catch up.

There were even stories about planting peach trees that bore fruit in a day and spirit grass flourishing overnight—endless legends. The furious Linghua Sect had made a note of Liu Suiyun's name, and now they were planning for Shen Que to challenge him openly: "Let's see which of your spirit planting skills is superior! Honestly, I don't think my little apprentice stands a chance!"

Liu Suiyun nodded repeatedly. "Shiniang, even if we agree to the duel, can't we delay it for a year or so? I have no confidence right now. After just half a month of learning, I can't even pass your tests, how could I handle this Little Sparrow?"

Shen Yaqin became serious. "Shen Que is only at the tenth level of Qi Refining, while you're already at the eleventh. How can you have no confidence at all? If you were given more time, would you have the confidence to defeat her?"

Suddenly invigorated, Liu Suiyun's eyes sharpened like lightning. "Give me six months—no, a year—and I'm confident I can surpass that Little Sparrow. At the very least, I'll cause her a lot of trouble."

Shen Yaqin, knowing her disciple's potential, smiled. "Now that's the spirit of a Chonghua Peak disciple! Fine, let's return to Chonghua Peak. Not only will there be unlimited tea..."