Chapter 302: Politics 101

It seemed like both Mu Ran and Xiao Wu were aiming for the same thing in the coming days. Han Xuhan had already gotten quite a fright from his meeting with Mu Ran, and now, listening to this laid-back fellow trash making the same statement...

Han Xuhan didn’t even make the decision actively. He simply blurted out the first set of words to come to his mind.

"Courting Death!"

Needless to say, Xiao Wu, in the midst of his passionate declaration, choked on his own spit and stared at him blankly.

"What did you say?"

"...I mean, listen to yourself, martial brother," Han Xuhan struggled to explain his outburst. "You’ve been speaking exactly like those characters in tragic epics before they horribly die in the next battle!

"These characters exist just to portray a grim atmosphere and bleak scene, providing the audience with emotional upheavals as they’re killed off. Why are you consciously putting yourself in their shoes? You don’t want to follow their footsteps and die in this damned tournament, do you?"

"...."

Xiao Wu opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out in the end, giving Han Xuhan a chance to push on.

"Martial brother, we must always be careful with our words, especially when speaking with such spirit and honesty. Otherwise, we’ll end up triggering karmic chains of events that we cannot break out of!"

"Xuhan, I don’t think that’s how karmic chains get trig-"

"Oh no no no. Listen, listen to me first." Han Xuhan refused to let this guy have the final say.

"Having a purpose in life is all fine and fancy, but it’s not like you need to sacrifice the little joys of life for a purpose! I get that the world is harsh, and your goals might be too difficult, and your path could be filled with adversities.

"But what are we cultivators if not the pursuers of powers beyond imagination? To become a transcendental being, can we truly succeed by letting the obstacles of the mortal world reshape who we are? The boatsman who knows only how to navigate his way in the shallow rivers shall never survive in the abyssal sea!"

"Okay, what the hell are you even talking about-"

Flabbergasted, Xiao Wu tried to interrupt his blood-boiling speech, composed of random lines on Monastic Cultivation that he had found in the sect’s archives. But the protest fell on deaf ears.

"Of course, you might think my words don’t make sense right now. But trust me, trust our sincere, sacred friendship that is untainted by any sort of benefit-oriented interests, hidden intentions, or intentional manipulations! It’s not as if I’d want to cause you any harm!"

Xiao Wu’s eyes twitched. He hadn’t originally thought Han Xuhan could want to cause him harm, but now that he himself had brought it up for no reason, it sounded a little suspicious...

"Live better, Brother Wu. Unless you’re sure of a great reincarnation after death, you must treat this as your only life. Does living like a machine, trying to become a weapon without any definite guarantee of success, count as a nice, enviable life?

"I’d not have advised you to find alternative paths if you seemed like the sort who’d be happy and satisfied with your current lifestyle. But clearly, you’re frustrated with your life as it is.

"I’m not telling you to stop working hard to achieve those faraway goals of yours. I’m telling you to find some ways for yourself to be happy while doing so. Don’t worry so much about the distant future. Focus on the present a bit more, and find some short-term goals to keep your hunger satisfied.

"Think about it for a second, the apprenticeship tradition of our sect is at our doorstep right now, followed by the worldwide tournament. Don’t you think you could sync these two events for a shot at your goal?"

"Ah... What was my goal again?" Xiao Wu asked in a daze.

"To reclaim the lost glory of your ancestors, and..."

"And to prove to those bastards that our bloodline is worthy of cultivating the—" Xiao Wu abruptly stopped, realizing that he had never revealed this matter to Han Xuhan. He almost broke out in a cold sweat.

’Fuck! Almost got baited by this little demon! And after this whole speech, isn’t he just telling me almost the same thing I said?’

Han Xuhan felt a pang of disappointment. The mission on Xiao Wu given to him by his system was very close to completion now. A few more words, one more secret, perhaps, would be enough to complete it. Unfortunately, Xiao Wu wasn’t so easily fooled.

Recovering his wits, Xiao Wu cleared his throat and said, "I understand your point, martial brother. Thanks for the advice. I’ve already decided what I’m going to do. Now, I must get going!"

He didn’t want to extend this conversation a moment longer. Who knew where else a trap like that had been set up, waiting for him to just open his mouth and get himself into a troublesome mess?

"Oh? You’ve already decided on a plan? Is there a specific skill you’re going to cultivate through the apprenticeship ceremony?" Han Xuhan asked insistently.

"I think... I’ll try learning a Spirit Manifestation technique from an Elder. Even if nobody in this sect can teach that type of skill, there are bound to be some books and manuals in the archives related to Spirit Manifestation. The worldwide tournament... I want to have some fun in it, hehe."

’Good, good, good!’ Han Xuhan congratulated him in silence.

’As long as you don’t take this tournament too seriously, things will be safe for both you and me. Together, we trashes must stay out of the whirlwind raised by the true children of destiny!’

Without a clue of Han Xuhan’s inner thoughts, Xiao Wu started striding away quickly, his face blooming with a somewhat relieved smile, only to be stopped by Han Xuhan, whose face held a smile too, although for a much different reason.

"Wait up, not so fast! What a coincidence, martial brother!"

Xiao Wu turned around with a confused expression. "Huh? What coincidence?"

"I know just the person you need right now. He’s extremely skilled in this art of Spirit Menstruation... What was it again?" Han Xuhan belatedly realized that there were still many difficult, unheard-of words in this foreign language that he had only recently mastered.

"Manifestation, it’s called Spirit Manifestation," Xiao Wu answered in a suspicious tone.

"Yeah, exactly! You know how much Elder Kong Ye favors me, don’t you?"

"I do. What about it, though?"

"Just this morning, he let it slip that he was extremely skilled at techniques related to spirits. Manifestation of one’s spirit, in particular, is something he is really, really good at. No other Elder in this sect is remotely close to his level of skill in this area. He agreed to teach me any skills in that domain if I take him as my master!"

"Then why isn’t he well-known for it? Shouldn’t he be famous if he’s that good? I know a thing or two about Spirit Manifestation myself. But I’ve never heard of his expertise."

Xiao Wu’s words of doubt were hardly unexpected. But Han Xuhan had prepared his own reply long before this conversation even took place.

"Exactly! I didn’t quite believe him at first either. But then he revealed that he had actually kept it a secret because his techniques come from a legacy of a long-lost sect, now deemed forbidden, yet sought after by cultivators far above his own strength.

"Even more importantly, he wants to wait till all the Elders have chosen their apprentices, so that the remaining ones really value the chance he extends toward them and work hard for it."

Xiao Wu’s interest was finally piqued. With a gleaming light of greed behind his eyes, he said, "Since you’ve brought this matter up, do you have a way to help me become his apprentice as well?"

"Indeed. That’s why, martial brother, you’ll owe me a favor from hereon."