"Are you sure this is the place?"
"I'm sure!"
Chen Jiang nodded vigorously and said, "Back then, the Taoist priest lived in a small Taoist temple in this place."
"When was that? A few years ago?"
"Uh, about five years ago."
"… "
Chu Yuntian was speechless. Five years ago, the Taoist lived here, but he might not live here for five years. The hope that had been ignited in Chu Yuntian's heart was extinguished by a bucket of cold water.
"All the gods, the Three Pure Ones, Tathagata, God, and the God of Death, please bless that Taoist priest to live here."
This Taoist priest is the only one who can help him reach the Grandmaster level. It can be said that his life and death may depend on this person.
After walking for about ten minutes, a dilapidated Taoist temple appeared in their sight.
The temple was surrounded by various weeds, some of which were as tall as a person. From a distance, only the roof could be seen.
"Is this place really habitable?"
Chen Jiang also showed an embarrassed look on his face and said, "Maybe, maybe the Taoist priest has left here. Master Chu, are we still going in?"
"go!"
Chu Yuntian said unhappily. He had walked for several hours and finally got here. Now that he was at the door, he would be even more unhappy if he didn't go in.
Although he knew that the Taoist priest would not live here, Chu Yuntian still planned to sit in the Taoist temple and take a rest.
Because the ground was full of weeds and there was not even a path, it was very difficult to walk. The two walked for several minutes to finally reach the Taoist temple.
The temple is very old, and because no one has lived there for many years, there are spider webs on the door. The whole temple is very quiet, and entering the temple will give you goose bumps.
In the Taoist temple, there stands a huge statue of the Three Pure Ones. However, due to no one taking care of it, the statue has lost its former glory.
"Mr. Chu, I think this place is quite scary. I think we should just leave." Chen Jiang was a little scared, so he wanted to leave here as soon as possible.
"Let's go!"
Before, Chu Yuntian had imagined that the Taoist priest might still live here, but after coming in, he found that he was overthinking. Since there was no one he was looking for here, there was no point in staying here any longer.
"Layman, since you are here, please burn some incense for the Three Pure Ones before you leave."
“Ghost!”
The sudden sound scared Shen Jiang so much that he almost jumped up. Chu Yuntian kicked him on the butt and said, "What kind of ghost is this in broad daylight!"
"But… "
"Whoever is playing tricks here, get out of here, Master Chu."
After hearing Chu Yuntian say this, Chen Jiang realized that it was not a ghost, but someone pretending to be a ghost. Thinking of his performance just now, Chen Jiang's face was horrified and he said, "Which grandson dares to scare your Grandpa Shen and Grandpa Chu here? If you don't get out, we will find you later. Can we beat the shit out of you?"
"Layman, you have too much anger in your heart. You should let the Three Pure Ones resolve it for you."
“Here!”
When the voice sounded, Chen Jiang quickly determined the location of the voice. The other party was hiding behind Sanqing. No wonder they didn't notice it just now.
So Chu Yuntian and Chen Jiang quickly ran to the back of the statue, and then they saw an old man lying there with his legs crossed and his hands resting on his head.
"Old fellow..."
Chen Jiang just started to curse, and the next moment, he was like a duck with its neck pinched. All the words were stuck in his throat, and even his face turned red.
He, who had been so arrogant just now, now showed a respectful look on his face and said, "Master...Master!"
Seeing Chen Jiang's arrogant and respectful appearance, Chu Yuntian guessed that the man in front of him should be the Taoist master that Chen Jiang mentioned. He also hurriedly saluted the sloppy Taoist and said, "I, Chu Yuntian, greet the Taoist master."
"It's been five years, and I didn't expect that there are still people coming to Tianhuo Taoist Temple."
Chu Yuntian thought to himself, this shabby place is full of weeds and there is not even a road. Who would be willing to come here if they have nothing better to do.
But he didn't dare to say what was in his mind, and said with a smile: "We have also heard of the great name of Tianhuo Taoist Temple for a long time, and came here because of its reputation. After seeing it today, it is indeed extraordinary... It is indeed unique!"
Originally Chu Yuntian wanted to say it was extraordinary, but he couldn't see anything unusual about this shabby place, so he quickly changed his words.
The Taoist priest glanced at Chu Yuntian and said, "You are such a smooth talker. You came here because of its reputation, but you don't even know the name of the Taoist temple. What reputation do you admire? Let me ask you, do you know the name of this Taoist temple?"
"The Heavenly Fire Taoist Temple!"
"Bah, I said the Heavenly Fire Taoist Temple, and you said it was the Heavenly Fire Taoist Temple. I just lied to you. Its real name is the Cloud Fire Taoist Temple."
"… "
Chu Yuntian's heart was filled with a thousand horses. He had seen people who cheated him before, but he had never seen such a cheating person. You deliberately dug a pit, who wouldn't jump into it
Not wanting to retreat with the stinky Taoist priest, Chu Yuntian said again: "Master, I came to you this time to ask for a favor. I hope you can help me with a favor."
“No help!”
"… "
Chu Yuntian's cheeks twitched. He didn't even say anything, but the Taoist priest actually refused him, and was so decisive. He didn't know what to say.
It can be said that this was the first time that Chu Yuntian was humiliated like this. If someone else dared to speak to him in this tone, he would have slapped him in the face, and beaten him so hard that he wouldn't even recognize his own parents. But the Taoist priest in front of him was related to his life, so although he was unhappy, he had to hold it in, still smiling, and said: "Master Taoist, you are compassionate and sympathetic, you will definitely not stand by and watch someone die."
The Taoist nodded, looking like he agreed, and said, "That's a good point. I like to hear it. If you say ten thousand nice things, I can consider helping you."
"… "
Chu Yuntian rolled his eyes. He really wanted to slap the Taoist priest ten thousand times to let this shameless guy know that he also has a temper.
But I can’t beat him!
"Don't say ten thousand words. As long as the Taoist wants to hear it, I will say a hundred thousand words..."
So Chu Yuntian racked his brains to praise the Taoist priest, nodding his head and looking like he was right. He talked for an unknown amount of time until his throat became dry. Now he finally understood that flattery is a skill, and it is not something that ordinary people can do.
"Master, can you help me now?"
"Tell me, what do you want me to do for you?"
Seeing that the other party finally gave in, Chu Yuntian showed a look of joy on his face and said, "I heard that the Taoist priest is very powerful and has no rivals in the world, so I want the Taoist priest to teach me a move so that I can break through to the Grandmaster level."
“Cough cough cough!”
The Taoist suddenly started coughing violently, rolled his eyes at Chu Yuntian, and said, "Boy, you are really like a toad yawning, you are so arrogant. What do you think the Grandmaster level is? Can anyone break through it?"
"I think I can do it."
"Bullshit! You have no talent for martial arts. Even if you practice, you won't achieve much." The Taoist shook his head. He was not lying. Not everyone is suitable for learning martial arts.
If you want to learn martial arts, you must first have a good foundation, which is what people call talent.
Only those who are truly talented in martial arts can achieve success in their studies. Those who have no talent will not achieve much even if they study for ten or eight years, or even a lifetime.
Hearing the Taoist's words, a smile appeared on Chu Yuntian's face.
Only an expert can tell whether someone has talent or not, so he did not choose the wrong person. This Taoist priest is indeed a master.
"Master, talent is not important. I think hard work is more important. As long as I work hard, I will definitely become a master in the future."
"Learning martial arts does require hard work, but it also requires talent. Only with talent and hard work can one learn Chinese martial arts to a certain degree. To achieve great success, one needs opportunities and guidance from a famous teacher, and may even need to be tempered by blood and fire."
"What does it mean to have achieved some success in learning?"
"Practice your strength to the level of Ming Jin. With your aptitude, it may take decades to practice to the level of Ming Jin. So, there is no need for you to hang yourself on the path of martial arts."
The Taoist priest may be right, but that is for Chu Yuntian who has not used cheats. Today, Chu Yuntian has a bodyguard system. As long as he has enough gold coins, there is nothing he can't do.
The smile on his face grew brighter, and he asked, "Master, do you think it will take me decades of hard work to reach the Ming Jin level?"
"good!"
"Really?"
"when… "
The Taoist priest hadn't finished speaking when the rest of his words got stuck in his throat, and his face turned red. Because the aura emanating from Chu Yuntian not only reached the Ming Jin level that he said required decades of hard training to achieve, but even reached the late Ming Jin level, which was like a slap in the face.
"You...how did you do it?" The Taoist priest was still in a state of confusion. He racked his brains but couldn't figure out why Chu Yuntian, who obviously had no talent, could cultivate to this level at such a young age. At the age of twenty, he cultivated to the late stage of Ming Jin. How could he not have talent? He was simply a genius.
Chu Yuntian chuckled and said, "Although I don't have any talent, I work hard. There is nothing in the world that can't be accomplished with hard work. If you can't accomplish it, then work harder!"
The Taoist wanted to refute, but facts spoke louder than words, and no matter how much he said, it all sounded like a joke.
Soon, the Taoist calmed down and said, "Boy, since you have already cultivated to the late stage of Ming Jin, it means that you have a famous teacher to guide you. You came to me, aren't you afraid that your master will kick your ass if he finds out?"
"I don't have a master. I'm self-taught."
"Self-taught? Impossible!"
Chinese martial arts is not a TV drama, where you can become a master by simply falling off a cliff and picking up a martial arts secret book. Without a teacher to guide you, you will never be able to get started.
"Yes, I taught myself. Two months ago I was still a playboy, but I wanted to change my way of life, so I started practicing Chinese martial arts."
"Don't tell me that you have reached the late stage of Ming Jin after only two months of study."
"Yes."
“…” (To be continued)