Chapter 27: Invisible Posturing is the Most Lethal

Little Lou was acting like a lovesick girl.

Watching Zheng Tuo’s serious demeanor, a few drops of saliva even escaped her mouth.

Two hours later.

Zheng Tuo stretched his aching shoulders and inspected all the materials once more.

To be honest, most of them did not meet his expectations.

"Senior Sister, please help me exchange these for a new batch of materials. Thank you."

Zheng Tuo was very polite.

Little Lou wiped her saliva and looked at the materials divided into two piles on the table.

She picked up a Flame Rod from the larger pile and examined it repeatedly, but saw nothing wrong with it.

Then, she took out several other types of materials and inspected them thoroughly, yet found no flaws.

"Junior Brother, there is nothing wrong with these materials. Why do you want to exchange them?"

Little Lou thought to herself: if she replaced these materials, it would not only be a hassle but would also imply that her work was faulty. She might even get scolded by Elder Tie.

She certainly didn't want to be scolded.

Zheng Tuo knew she would say that.

He raised his hand and picked up a material called a Flame Rod.

"Look, Senior Sister," Zheng Tuo pointed at the Flame Rod.

"A Flame Rod is crafted from the trunk of a Fire Mulberry tree. Logically, it should possess complete Fire Mulberry patterns. Look at this one; although the patterns are clear, they are clearly damaged. Furthermore, look at the color of this rod—it is paler than a normal Flame Rod. I venture to guess that this rod was harvested before it reached maturity. Using such a rod to construct a formation will significantly diminish its power, and in severe cases, it could lead to instability or even dangerous consequences like explosions."

Using his proficient professional knowledge, Zheng Tuo explained everything to Little Lou with great patience.

Little Lou looked at the Flame Rod in her hand.

She couldn't tell if Zheng Tuo was telling the truth or lying. He certainly sounded very impressive. And since he was so handsome, even if he was right...

However, "Junior Brother, according to the regulations, any material with a defect rate of no more than five percent is considered usable and will not affect its function."

Having worked at the exchange for many years, Little Lou knew some basic knowledge.

"That applies to ordinary people. For me, it is far from enough. Please exchange them for me, Senior Sister. Thank you."

Zheng Tuo remained patient, even though she was showing some resistance.

"Alright, wait a moment."

Little Lou thought it over. Since Elder Tie had told her to cooperate, she would cooperate. If something went wrong, she wouldn't be held responsible.

Soon, she brought out an equal amount of materials based on the quantity he had rejected.

Zheng Tuo put on his glasses and continued his meticulous inspection of the materials.

Little Lou sat opposite him, looking bored and idle.

Her talent was mediocre. She had thought joining the Falling Immortal Sect would improve her situation, but in reality, she had simply become part of the masses.

Or rather, like most disciples of the Falling Immortal Sect, she had average talent, no background, and nothing but a heart full of passion. Once that passion cooled, they were no different from mortals—perhaps just living a little longer.

As for attaining immortality?

Pfft! That was for the geniuses.

Therefore, many chose to marry and have children, placing their hopes in the next generation. After all, the offspring of two cultivators would surely be more talented than they were. Perhaps that was their destiny.

Little Lou fiddled with her favorite bracelet and looked at Zheng Tuo as he carefully selected his materials.

The more she watched, the more pleasing he became to the eye. He was refined, spoke gently, was quite handsome, and held a promising profession as a Formation Master. Most importantly, he had only been in the sect for a year—he was an easy target.

"Senior Sister! Senior Sister! Senior Sister!"

Zheng Tuo looked at the lovestruck Little Lou with utter helplessness. He tried his best to make his appearance look unattractive, yet he still attracted the opposite sex so easily. It was truly a headache.

"Ah..."

Little Lou was startled awake, her face flushing red for once.

"Junior Brother, do you want to exchange more materials?"

"Yes."

"Fine, wait a moment."

Ten minutes later, Little Lou placed the new materials in front of Zheng Tuo.

Zheng Tuo thanked her and continued his serious selection.

It had to be said, the formation materials of the Falling Immortal Sect were truly poor. But there was no helping it; the sect was only a medium-sized sect, and the resources it could command were limited. The gap between them and the super-sects was far too vast.

After making Little Lou exchange materials ten consecutive times, Zheng Tuo finally selected some materials that were somewhat satisfactory.

Seeing that the selection was complete, Little Lou stepped forward, attempting to help him.

"Junior Brother, let me help you."

"Wait!"

Before she could finish, a dull *thud* echoed.

Little Lou was sent flying on the spot.

"Uh... Senior Sister, are you alright?"

Zheng Tuo looked completely innocent. As a cautious person, how could he focus on work without being prepared? He had long since quietly activated the defensive systems of his Bronze Ring and Bronze Mirror. Any physical or magical attack that approached him would be repelled.

Little Lou's attempt to lend a hand was identified as a physical attack, so she was instantly bounced back. Fortunately, it was just a repulsion without a follow-up strike; otherwise, something serious might have happened.

"I'm fine, I'm fine..."

Little Lou scrambled to her feet, looking disheveled and dazed, her hair in disarray. There was nothing more embarrassing than losing one's composure in front of a boy one had a crush on.

"You're done checking, right? Let's go."

Little Lou wanted to leave immediately; she was mortified.

"Senior Sister, uh... I want to check them a few more times."

This was Zheng Tuo's consistent personality: caution was paramount. Since he wasn't short on time, there was no harm in being steady.

"Still checking!"

"Junior Brother, it's already dark. Do you plan to stay up all night?"

Little Lou found his extreme caution baffling. They were just materials for a formation; did he really need to be this meticulous? It wasn't like he was picking a wife.

"So, Senior Sister, you should head back first. Come again tomorrow morning."

Zheng Tuo actually intended to stay up all night. The formations he planned to set up were not just one or two, but hundreds. He intended to wrap the entire Falling Immortal Mountain in a protective shell. Not even a mouse, a butterfly, or an ant would be able to enter without his permission. Therefore, his caution was necessary.

Looking at Zheng Tuo's serious face, Little Lou thought for a moment.

"Fine, consider it my bad luck. I'll stay with you tonight."

As she spoke, Little Lou took out a meditation mat, sat down, and began her cultivation by chanting the Falling Immortal Mantra.

Zheng Tuo said nothing and continued using his specialized glasses to inspect the materials.

The next day.

The sun rose in the east.

Having inspected materials all night, Zheng Tuo took off his glasses.

"Ah..."

He yawned and stretched.

Suddenly, Zheng Tuo froze, his raised hands trembling, his face filled with a sense of existential dread.

"Sigh..."

Did it have to be this casual?

Yes, you guessed right. He had broken through again.

He had gone from the fourth stage of the Qi Refining stage to the fifth. For the now-accustomed Zheng Tuo, it was an indescribable feeling. Perhaps... it was a sense of grievance.

Other people's cultivation journeys were inspirational films, comedies, romances, or even documentaries. His, however, was a horror movie. Because you never knew when you would break through. There was no reason, no logic. A yawn and a stretch, and boom—a breakthrough. It was incredibly tedious.

Forget it. Forget it.

He packed up the materials on the table, greeted Senior Sister Little Lou, and prepared to head home.

"Junior Brother, can I ask you a question?"

Little Lou had a doubt she needed to resolve.

"Please, Senior Sister."

Zheng Tuo was also curious. This Senior Sister had secretly watched him no less than a hundred times during the night. Was she... planning to knock him out and steal his materials?

"Ahem... Junior Brother, you spent the entire night checking the quality of formation materials. In such a tedious process, why didn't you get distracted even once? Tell me, how do you manage to be so focused?"

Little Lou asked very seriously. She truly wanted to know the reason why such a young junior brother could focus so intensely on a single task. She knew many people, including geniuses like Lyu Danchen, but among everyone she knew, no one possessed Zheng Tuo's almost mesmerizing level of concentration.

Zheng Tuo was momentarily stunned. He had never actually thought about this. He was just cautious. He didn't like doing things he wasn't certain about. Since he could achieve one hundred percent certainty, why not? It was just a matter of wasting a little time.

Cultivators lacked many things, but the one thing they never lacked was time.

As for focus? Zheng Tuo thought carefully.

After a long silence, Zheng Tuo turned his head, his gaze deep as he looked toward the rising sun in the distance. As the warm sunlight spilled across his handsome face, he softly uttered two words

"I like it."

In truth, in his heart, "liking it" was only a small part of the reason. More than that, it was likely because of his caution. To put it bluntly, he liked staying low-profile, developing steadily, avoiding unnecessary risks, and not engaging in group battles unless necessary.

Of course, he wouldn't say that directly. He could only use the word "like" to express his core philosophy. As for why? It made him sound more profound.

"Like..." Little Lou whispered.

"Yes! If it weren't for liking it, who would want to endure such loneliness?"

Zheng Tuo raised his hand, patted Little Lou on the shoulder, and walked away into the morning light.

"Like... what a strange word!"

Watching Zheng Tuo leave, Little Lou seemed to have realized something.

Can "liking" something truly lead a person to such selfless focus?

Could it be... that her own path was truly wrong?