Under One Person: Sincerity Moves the Gods

Chapter 7 Master and Disciple Conspire

The next day, on the cliff.

Two figures, one tall and one short, stood facing each other.

It was Li Cunzhen and Zuo Ruotong who arrived as promised.

The lower house assessment ends at the end of the month, but it's only the middle of the month now, so although the results have been decided, they haven't been announced yet.

In addition, Li Cunzhen stated that he did not want to attract attention.

Therefore, Zuo Ruotong did not take the opportunity to announce in the side hall yesterday that Li Cunzhen was already her disciple.

The foundation-building techniques still need to be taught separately.

"Master."

Upon seeing Zuo Ruotong, Li Cunzhen bowed respectfully.

"Hmm." Zuo Ruotong nodded, gestured for Li Cunzhen to stand up, and then asked, "What do you think of your younger brother, Li Muxuan?"

Although, because of Li Cunzhen, Zuo Ruotong pays much less attention to other people compared to the original novel.

Despite being entrusted with a task, Zuo Ruotong will still treat each of the lower courtyard disciples with utmost care.

He was unsure whether or not to keep Li Muxuan and needed to consult with various parties.

Li Cunzhen is Li Muxuan's older brother, whom he grew up with, so naturally, he should ask about it.

"It's going too smoothly."

After thinking for a moment, Li Cunzhen revealed his true thoughts.

My younger brother is exceptionally intelligent, comes from a wealthy family, and is deeply loved by our parents.

Because of these, I've never really suffered any losses, even when I encountered setbacks growing up.

This led to a somewhat arrogant personality; he always thought he was right and never felt he was wrong.

This was the result of his own observation.

This is strikingly similar to Zuo Ruotong's evaluation of Li Muxuan in the original novel.

"Yesterday, the sect was discussing the future of this year's lower-level disciples..."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Ruotong lowered her head, and her eyes met Li Cunzhen's.

He had some reservations before, but now he knew that Li Cunzhen would never show favoritism to Li Muxuan just because Li Muxuan was his brother.

So he simply told Li Cunzhen what had happened in the side hall yesterday.

"That's how things are. Cunzhen, what do you think the Sanyi Sect should do about Li Muxuan?"

Finally, Zuo Ruotong posed the question to Li Cunzhen.

"I'll take it." Li Cunzhen answered without hesitation, "But we need to dampen his arrogance first."

Zuo Ruotong was somewhat surprised.

He really didn't expect Li Cunzhen to be so resolute, not at all worried that he would misunderstand him as having ulterior motives.

Such composure is worthy of a disciple I took in beforehand.

Zuo Ruotong looked at Li Cunzhen with the same satisfaction a mother-in-law would show her son-in-law.

But since the topic was Li Muxuan, Zuo Ruotong quickly turned her attention back to Li Muxuan.

"Oh? Let's not even talk about how to deflate his arrogance. What if he's still not sincere after we've deflated his arrogance?"

Li Cunzhen answered fluently as always.

"He's arrogant, and when something happens, he never considers whether it's his fault."

"After dampening his spirits, let him know that he is not omnipotent. In addition to questioning the environment, he will more or less consider whether it is his own problem."

"This kid is clever, and he's not a bad person at heart."

"As soon as this thought arises, you'll quickly realize where you went wrong."

"Whether I admit my mistake or not, at least I'll know I was wrong, which means I'll at least be honest with myself."

Zuo Ruotong listened, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

What a remarkable Li Cunzhen! At only seven years old, he possessed such a profound understanding of humanity and the concept of sincerity.

"Well said, 'Be honest with yourself.' Alright, how do you plan to dampen his arrogance?"

Li Cunzhen acted almost without thinking.

"When I took Lu Jin and me up the mountain, I told Li Muxuan directly that his performance was worse than Lu Jin's and mine, and that he needed to stay at the foot of the mountain for two years before he could come up. Then I just left him in the small town at the foot of the mountain."

"Don't be idle during this time. Tell him the method of Foundation Establishment, and compare your progress with that of your fellow disciples who started at the same time, namely Lu Jin and me, every now and then."

"Once he finds out that someone like me or Lu Jinli is faster than him, he naturally won't be so arrogant anymore."

Li Cunzhen knew his younger brother's temperament very well and quickly came up with a solution.

Zuo Ruotong then began to consider the feasibility of this plan.

Soon, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Okay, let's do it this way."

Zuo Ruotong readily agreed.

There are two reasons why he was so quick to agree.

Firstly, he originally intended to take Li Muxuan under his wing.

This person is not a bad person by nature, and has great talent. As the head of a family, how could he not want to take in such a promising talent?

Secondly, the feasibility of this plan is quite high.

Although Li Cunzhen put it simply.

But after a moment's thought, Zuo Ruotong discovered an extremely interesting aspect of the plan.

That is to tell Li Muxuan that his performance is worse than others, and then leave him out in the cold.

Such treatment would undoubtedly greatly ignite Li Muxuan's competitive spirit, given his high self-esteem.

At this point, give him the cultivation method and tell him that there will be a competition.

He will undoubtedly cultivate with an unprecedented level of seriousness, driven by a desire for revenge and to prove himself.

The more serious he is, the stronger the sense of defeat he will feel when he is outdone by others.

This makes it more likely that they will recognize their mistakes.

After all, if it's just a competition that didn't require much thought, it's a far cry from a life filled with countless successes.

Li Muxuan will most likely continue to do as he pleases, considering himself a prodigy.

Therefore, Li Cunzhen designed the segment before the competition where those who performed poorly would be left out.

The goal was to arouse his competitive spirit and ensure that nothing went wrong.

Of course, there is an even more important prerequisite for this plan.

That means that either Li Cunzhen or Lu Jin has a faster cultivation speed than Li Muxuan.

On what basis does Li Cunzhen believe that either he or Lu Jin must have cultivated faster than Li Muxuan?

Lu Jin and he weren't familiar with each other.

It seems my behavior yesterday gave me away.

Zuo Ruotong glanced at Li Cunzhen and immediately guessed the source of Li Cunzhen's confidence.

Thinking of this, Zuo Ruotong's heart, which had been at ease because of Li Muxuan's proper arrangements, began to pound again.

Exceptionally intelligent, from a wealthy family, and deeply loved by her parents...

The conditions that gave rise to Li Muxuan's arrogance were almost identical to those of Li Cunzhen, and Li Cunzhen was even better in some aspects.

Now he has learned that his talent for cultivation is extraordinary.

Zuo Ruotong suddenly realized that perhaps he also needed to find a way to deflate Li Cunzhen's arrogance.

Although Li Cunzhen is not arrogant yet.

However, to prevent problems before they arise, we can't let this little guy have it too easy; we need to let him know that there are always people more capable than him.

Thinking of this.

Zuo Ruotong remembered that she had visited the Celestial Master's Mansion at Longhu Mountain a few days ago.

He discussed some matters with Zhang Jingqing, the contemporary Celestial Master.

In her spare time, Zhang Jingqing seemed to be mentioning that the Celestial Master's Mansion had a newly accepted disciple whose talent was said to be one in a hundred years.

Forget it, even if we need to dampen their spirits, that's a matter for the future.

Let's get down to business first.

Zuo Ruotong pulled her wandering thoughts back and took out a small book with a yellow cover from her bosom.

"This is the foundation-building mental cultivation method of my Sanyi Sect, and it is the foundation of all cultivation. Take it back and study it carefully. If there is anything you don't understand, come up the mountain and ask me."

"The so-called foundation building is..."

"Once you successfully establish your foundation and sense that innate Qi, you can begin cultivating the Threefold Reversal of Life."

Zuo Ruotong first taught Li Cunzhen the Foundation Building Technique, and then explained the process and significance of Foundation Building to him in detail.

Although Li Cunzhen had learned about the concept of Foundation Establishment in his previous life, the past and present lives were different worlds after all, and it was hard to guarantee that there would be some subtle differences, so he listened attentively.

In addition, Zuo Ruotong briefly talked about cultivation after Foundation Establishment.

There are no clearly defined realms like in previous online novels; one can only constantly hone one's life force and solidify one's foundation.

After finishing explaining these things, Zuo Ruotong suddenly spoke.

"Show me how you practice."