Who taught him to practice swordsmanship like this?

Su Baichen watched in disbelief as the demonic cultivator completed his operation, leaving Zhou Cong lying there like a corpse with his brains completely scrambled.

"Good lad, you've got some skills... Now, that demonic cultivator's reputation is probably going to be ruined."

The mysterious young man suddenly exclaimed in admiration, "If this matter were to spread, the demonic path's plot to exploit the power of humanity would be greatly affected."

"Well done!"

Su Baichen scratched his head, stepped forward, and gently shook Zhou Cong's head when no one could see him.

He could even hear the sound of water inside!

Looking at the light pink liquid flowing from Zhou Cong's nose and ears... good heavens, even his brains are coming out!

He took two steps back, laughing and crying at the same time, and said, "To be honest, senior, my original intention was just to make Zhou Cong wake up early and point the finger at the demonic cultivator as an assassin, so as to disrupt the mutual trust between the two sides."

The implication was that they never expected the demonic cultivator to be so ruthless, not even checking whether Zhou Cong's illusion had been dispelled.

The mysterious young man chuckled and said, "Do you find it strange? But to me, it's nothing strange at all."

"The cultivation of demonic arts has always been about nurturing venomous insects to cultivate talent."

"They cultivate demonic energy under extreme emotions from a young age, and they are more or less extreme and difficult to control."

Su Baichen understood immediately; it was just that his habit of being irritable had damaged his brain.

The mysterious young man added, "In such situations, they often develop a habit: absolute confidence in their own judgment, believing that only someone stronger can subdue them..."

"Just now, after the demonic cultivator confirmed that Zhou Cong was under your illusionary control, no matter how he behaved, if the demonic cultivator's judgment remained unchanged, then no matter what others said, it would be useless."

"But you made Zhou Cong think that the demonic cultivators came to kill him... So from the demonic cultivators' perspective and understanding, Zhou Cong is still in an illusion."

Su Baichen pondered for a moment and then realized something: from the perspective of a demonic cultivator, he was clearly trying to save someone but was being treated as an assailant. This must be because the other party was not thinking clearly and had been bewitched!

For an extremely self-centered demonic cultivator, there's no such thing as putting himself in others' shoes or trying to understand them. Any situation that doesn't conform to his understanding is considered problematic.

Su Baichen then realized that his accidental actions had actually perfectly exploited the demonic cultivators' character flaws, thus completing a classic "correction"...

He remarked, "So it makes sense that they are the 'demons'."

The mysterious young man chuckled: "To be honest, in my opinion, these 'demons' are just simple-minded barbarians in front of you. You're the one who's like a little devil."

Su Baichen didn't seem to care at all, and instead asked, "May I ask how you are addressed, senior?"

The mysterious young man paused for a moment: "Only now do you think to ask about my background?"

"I'm not telling you, I'm going to make you suffer!"

This person might have some issues.

Su Baichen clasped his hands in a gesture of farewell and said helplessly, "Then we shall meet again someday."

The mysterious young man felt a little uncomfortable. He wanted to see Su Baichen get his comeuppance, but the young man casually put him down.

"Very well, then let's meet again someday."

The mysterious young man eventually chose to let go, then with a laugh, he turned around and disappeared from Su Baichen's sight.

Su Baichen pondered this for a moment...

He then took out a jade talisman and immediately released a message.

He came here to cause trouble without notifying the cultivators stationed at Changchun Palace. Now that something like this has happened, they should at least inform them.

A moment later, another jade talisman flew over.

Su Baichen caught it; it contained only an address.

He looked around and realized it was outside the city.

The demonic cultivators are causing trouble inside the city, so why are the people from Changchun Palace outside the city?

Su Baichen immediately headed out of the city.

Then, outside the city, I saw a temple called "Shanmiao Temple".

Upon seeing the familiar architectural structure, he knew that the people from Changchun Palace must all be here.

He stepped forward... and just as he reached the entrance, the gate of the Taoist temple opened by itself.

Inside the main hall of the Taoist temple, beneath the shrine, sat three people sitting cross-legged.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that he recognized all three of them! They were Guanlan Sword Maiden of the Sword Sect, Master Bo Xuanding of the Yang Sect, and finally, Elder Chen of the Five Elements Sect, who had once taught him Qi Refining at Changchun Palace and then falsely accused him of having already mastered the art.

Su Baichen quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Disciple Baichen greets Senior Uncle Xuanding, Senior Uncle Guanlan, and Senior Uncle Chen."

The three nodded in agreement.

Then the expressions on the three of them turned strange.

Elder Chen spoke first: "Although we had some misunderstandings back then, it was from that time that I knew you were destined for greatness... Now that I see you, it is indeed true. At such a young age, you have already entered the Qi Refining Realm. Given time, my Changchun Palace will surely have another prodigy."

His compliments were heartfelt, and it was clear that he wanted to get closer to Su Baichen and ease the tension from their earlier relationship.

Su Baichen naturally nodded in acknowledgment, not wanting Elder Chen to feel awkward.

As for easing tensions?

Is it really necessary? We're all on the same side anyway, there's no need...

Su Baichen said that he is still very broad-minded, but he will remember what happened back then for the rest of his life.

"Junior Brother Chen, don't rush to praise him, something's off about this kid!"

Xuan Ding Zhenren suddenly spoke up.

Even the Sword Maiden of Guanlan agreed, saying, "Although I taught this boy swordsmanship, after only a few months, he already exudes the aura of a true swordsman... Isn't this talent simply too outstanding?"

Master Xuanding shook his head and said, "No, I'm not talking about his swordsmanship, but his Qi Refining cultivation... Compared to when he first entered the Qi Refining stage a few months ago, he has now clearly completed the initial nurturing of the Twelve Meridians! It's no exaggeration to describe his cultivation progress as progressing by leaps and bounds."

He paused, then suddenly said, "Go back to the mountain and don't get involved in what's happening here."

"If you can return to the Yin Sect and cultivate in seclusion, you can complete the Great Circulation of cultivation in less than a year, and even the Transfer of the Furnace is highly promising."

Unexpectedly, Master Xuanding gave such a suggestion, which surprised the other two elders.

Su Baichen took a deep breath and said helplessly, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Uncle, but I came down the mountain to sever my worldly ties. If I go back like this, how will I sever these ties?"

Master Xuanding further advised, "Why sever worldly ties? Why force a severance?"

"You can keep your worldly ties and come to visit the mortal world from time to time."

Su Baichen was taken aback. He realized that these highly skilled seniors seemed to have different understandings of cultivation than some common knowledge.

However, he still shook his head in denial: "No, just as my senior uncle said, if I wanted to retain my worldly ties, I shouldn't leave at this time."

Master Xuanding also showed a helpless expression, and could only say, "Alright, tell me what exactly made you insist on coming to the eye of the storm... and what did you do that you're so eager to report to us?"