“Finally… let’s talk about the handling of the auditorium incident.”

Zhou Jiren habitually reached for a cigar, then thought about the fact that this was Lu Nanzhi's courtyard, and this lady didn't like strange smells… so he just kept it in his mouth without lighting it. “Zhou Yu’s case was a great achievement, but you should be clear that this achievement isn’t something you can hold onto right now, even if you’re an S-level.”

Gu Shen said softly, "I know."

"What compensation do you want?" Zhou Jiren narrowed his eyes and said, "I heard you squeezed a sum out of Cui Zhongcheng… Are you still short of sealing items?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Gu Shen's wrist.

The Six Fortune Hand Beads, which could offset a high-intensity impact, used to be an A-level sealing item, but were downgraded because of excessive consumption, now had only two remaining.

He had also heard that Gu Shen had taken an inconspicuous pointer from beneath the Huazhi.

Battles between transcendents could, of course, also rely on the number of "sealing items" to win. This was the so-called advantage of having a large family and a big business, a way of fighting where you could just throw out treasures and smash the opponent half to death.

However, within the Council, A-level sealing items were highly scarce. Being able to hold one as your main battle weapon was enough to match your own combat power…

The truly powerful still had to rely on themselves.

Sealing items were for auxiliary use.

The higher the rating, the stronger it was… but the powerful transcendents often sought not the highest-rated sealing item, but the one that suited them best.

“Teacher… what I lack may not be sealing items.”

Gu Shen gave a wry smile.

Since coming to Dadu, he had experienced many battles, from the fight on the Jiangtan against Qushui, to the desperate counterattack on Yuandan Street, to the escape from the Nanwan Building, and then the gunshot at last night's ball… Every battle was extremely dangerous.

And the biggest feeling Gu Shen got from it was…

His overall strength was too weak.

He was only at the third level of the Deep Sea Trial, and the combat power of the mental system was limited in the early stages… Due to the characteristics of the Blazing Fire, he was fearless in dream battles, but every strong attack and natural system transcendent he encountered along the way was several ranks higher than him.

The Dadu District… was originally the first district in Jiangnan, East Continent.

Powerful individuals gathered here!

Leaving aside Chen Mo and Song Ci, who were eleventh-level pre-titled transcendents second only to titled transcendents, there were also many high-level transcendents at the seventh and eighth levels of the Deep Sea.

He simply couldn’t interfere in high-level battles.

"Hmm… I understand what you mean."

Zhou Jiren nodded slowly.

It wasn’t that Gu Shen was weak.

But that the Dadu District… indeed had too many strong individuals.

There were only a few titled transcendents in East Continent. How many of them could be stationed in a certain city or district? The twelfth-level transcendents given titles within the Federation system had mandatory missions to carry out every year, and they spent most of their time on the move.

But Dadu had one permanent titled transcendent.

[Frost River] Gu Zhi, who had retired from the fortress… A combatant of his level shouldn't be in a peaceful and stable region under the current circumstances, unless this region was of great importance.

Gu Zhi could stay in Dadu because this district had a unique status in East Continent.

With a titled transcendent guarding it, even the most serious crises below S-level wouldn’t affect the normal operation of the Dadu District.

As a newcomer, Gu Shen’s speed of advancement and cultivation was already amazing, but in the high-level tasks in the Dadu District, he really couldn’t play a decisive role in the battles.

"I don't know what compensation to ask for… As far as I’m concerned, even now, I'm just an 'unworldly bumpkin' who doesn’t know what to take even when surrounded by gold and silver."

Gu Shen sighed.

"If I must decide on the compensation… I hope that in the future, I can practice all the breathing techniques that Gu Changzhi left behind in the Three Institutes."

“In fact, I just hope that I can become stronger, a little faster… become stronger.”

He laid his cards on the table. There was nothing to hide. After experiencing these battles, Gu Shen knew that the gap between him and those powerful transcendents couldn’t be filled with sealing items.

"…"

After hearing this, Tree-sensei softly hmm’d, and said nothing, but held out his palm.

A fallen leaf from the banyan tree drifted down and landed in his outstretched palm. The falling leaf seemed to fall into a lake, and slowly seeped into his palm.

Fallen leaves return to their roots.

“Remember what I said before?”

Zhou Jiren looked up and once again cast his gaze on the banyan tree.

"To be a towering tree, lasting a hundred years."

"To be a brilliant epiphyllum, lasting only one night."

“Many people misunderstand this sentence… thinking that I am encouraging my disciples to go slowly and slow down. In fact, the cultivation of transcendents is a bumpy and arduous journey. Only one or two out of ten have the ability to go fast. Going slow is the norm.”

Zhou Jiren looked at Gu Shen and smiled. "And those who are qualified to enter the Court of裁决, those who are qualified to join my 'Towering Tree' sect, are all amazingly talented geniuses. Each of them can be very fast in the speed of transcendent cultivation… You are certainly no exception."

“That’s why I keep these words on my lips, reminding them all the time.”

"If you have the ability to walk fast, then you should walk slower."

Gu Shen was a little dazed.

He understood, and yet he didn't.

"Within the Court of裁决, there are several titled transcendents with considerable strength. If the East洲议会 decides to relax the limit on the number of 'Grand Judges,' then they will soon become new 'Grand Judges'... They have the strength and have also taught excellent disciples and students. It’s just that there’s no high or low in the Dao. Everyone has a different philosophy of cultivation, and the students and disciples they educate are also different."

"Zhu Wang's prized student, Han Dang. When he joined the Court of裁决, he created the Awakening of Insects' dream interpretation record, and advanced all the way, breaking the Court of裁决's record one after another… Now he has stopped at the eleventh level of the Deep Sea."

"And your senior sister Luo, who entered the Court of裁决 with him, and was taken in by me, had mediocre results in the Awakening of Insects' dream interpretation and had not yet shown her brilliance… Now, she has become 'Sky Eyes,' one of the youngest titled transcendents in East洲, and her strength will only be stronger than mine in the future.”

When Zhou Jiren said this, there was not much of a sense of boasting. The old guy, who was usually not serious, was serious this time.

“Being my disciple, you don’t have to ‘compete for the lead.’”

He paused and said, "I understand your current state of mind… Song Ci, Chen Mo, these young people are not much older than you. You see them shining brightly in Dadu, while your current strength is still so far behind, and you must feel a sense of loss in your heart. But in fact, there's no need."

Zhou Jiren took a deep breath.

He clenched his palm tightly.

The withered leaf had been integrated into his flesh and blood.

The energy of [Holy Wood] emanated from the old man's body, and Gu Shen once again felt that gentle, faint radiance… A warm current seemed to flow around him. Although it was already late autumn and early winter, the scattered yellow leaves in the small courtyard were rolled up by the wind. When they fell on Tree-sensei's body, they all melted away, as if returning to their proper home.

"Only by accumulating strength can one last for a long time."

"You can have both a hundred years of evergreen and a night of brilliance."

“…Watch carefully!”

A low shout.

Zhou Jiren met the gaze of the banyan tree. It was originally an evergreen tree, only slightly yellow in late autumn, but at this moment, under the illumination of [Holy Wood], its branches shook in an instant, as if returning to spring. The leaves grew wildly, and in an instant, there was a sparkling light flickering on the canopy. The banyan tree's years were unbelievably reversed, returning to the moment when its vitality was at its most exuberant!

“Without accumulation, crazy growth… is overdrafting your future.”

“If the foundation is rich, and then it blooms, what you will welcome is continuous, surging growth.”

The radiance gradually dissipated.

The warm breeze lingered in the courtyard for a long time.

Zhou Jiren withdrew his [Holy Wood]. He seemed to have turned into a tree-man, with layers of leaves growing on his cheeks, like paper, rustling in the wind, but as the radiance faded, he regained his previous appearance.

Gu Shen watched this scene… and fell into deep thought.

Zhou Jiren glanced inconspicuously at the master bedroom of the old house, and he said slowly: "Nan Jin left Dadu and came to the Court of裁决. She has been learning the saber from me for almost ten years, but she is only at the seventh level of the Deep Sea. It is not because she is not talented enough or does not work hard enough…”

“On the contrary. She is very talented and works hard enough.”

"With her talent, if she wanted to overdraft, she could naturally cultivate to a higher level, faster."

"But this should never be the path she should take."

"There is a good example in front of you… Chen Mo. Chen Mo followed Xiao to practice body techniques, and relied on the grant of 'spiritual link' to cultivate to the eleventh level of the Deep Sea in ten years… But so what? If he hadn't been lucky, he would have died in Xiao's calculations. Even if he is alive now, whether he can become titled transcendent in this lifetime is a big question mark." Zhou Jiren asked, "You think your strength is weak. Now that you have a body technique like this in front of you, do you want to practice it?"

Gu Shen was silent.

He thought of Chen Mo's demeanor in the battle on the Jiangtan… which was indeed fascinating.

But if there really was such a body technique that overdrafted the future, and it was placed in front of him, he would definitely not practice it.

He shook his head.

Zhou Jiren laughed heartily. From the first time he saw Gu Shen, he knew… this kid cherished his life.

“But Lu Nan Jin is different. If there was such a body technique in front of her, she would really practice it, and she would practice it without hesitation… So in these years, the biggest difficulty is not how to make her go faster, but how to make her go slower.”

These words were obviously not meant for him to hear.

Gu Shen also glanced slightly in a certain direction of the old house.

There seemed to be no movement there… but in fact, the lady had already woken up and was listening silently at this moment.

The speaker was intentional, and the listener was attentive.

Her sister had been in the Court of裁决 for ten years, and Lu Nanzhi also wanted to know what had happened in these ten years.

"With Lu Nan Jin's identity and means, it is not difficult to obtain a 'shortcut.'" Zhou Jiren said lightly, "There are plenty of methods in the Court of裁决 to overdraft life, and there are ruthless techniques to sever meridians. It's just that I told her… No matter how much an ant overdrafts itself, it can't bring down an elephant. If you want to kill an elephant, at least make yourself an elephant."

Yes…

Senior Sister was indeed a ruthless person.

It could be seen from the choice to draw her saber and clash with A-009 that she was a complete lunatic in battle, completely disregarding what price she would pay.

"She has been holding back her energy, wanting to vent it when she returns to Dadu."

"Now… she is back. She looks like she is only at the seventh level of the Deep Sea, but in fact, the power she releases after going all out is definitely more than just that. Perhaps Lanqie can kill a ninth-level transcendent of the Deep Sea, perhaps it can kill a tenth level." Zhou Jiren said meaningfully to Gu Shen: "After all… the transcendent trials provided by the Deep Sea area are only the extent to which transcendents explore and develop their own transcendent powers. No one says that the number of trial levels in the Deep Sea area can represent the transcendent's combat power."

Gu Shen was stunned.

Yes… He had a feeling of enlightenment.

Because of the permission binding, everyone was conducting transcendent trials in the Deep Sea area, and they were all frantically increasing their trial level numbers… In the final analysis, this was just a program developed by the Council government to condense computing power. Before the birth of the Deep Sea area, transcendents had already been born, and they had already begun to explore their own transcendent abilities.

And at that time, who would care about a virtual number?

Obviously, increasing the level number in the Deep Sea area… was essentially a meaningless behavior.

Because it was just a false name, not a substance.

And this was precisely the cultivation idea of Tree-sensei's lineage… The combat power in actual combat was only weakly related to the number of levels in the Deep Sea area.

A transcendent who had comprehended and explored 50% of his own transcendent abilities could reach the sixth level in the Deep Sea trial, but it didn't mean… that he could use all of these powers in "actual combat."

The real transcendent cultivation… was not seeking the so-called "Deep Sea area" level number at all.

It was life-and-death fighting, with no life, no death, with victory and no defeat.

“Transcendent cultivation… is not closing your eyes and thinking hard.”

"If transcendents who grow up in a greenhouse have no way to survive real life-and-death battles, then no matter what level they reach in the transcendent trials in the Deep Sea area… they will always be weaklings."

Zhou Jiren said calmly, "So… do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Gu Shen shook his head and nodded again.

Zhou Jiren said, "Then let's take Lu Nan Jin as an example again… She is now at the seventh level of the Deep Sea. In the case of burning everything, she can kill a ninth-level Deep Sea. Is she strong?"

Gu Shen said cautiously, "...Yes."

Fighting across levels, and being able to kill a transcendent two levels higher.

This was already an extremely consolidated actual combat faction.

"No."

Zhou Jiren looked expressionlessly outside the courtyard and said, "In any case, after a seventh-level Deep Sea burns everything and kills a ninth level, she will die… and the dead person will only be the dead, not the strong."

Lu Nan Jin, who was wearing a suit and leaning against the entrance of the Lion Lane residence, lowered her eyes silently.

She knew.

The teacher's words were for her to hear.