Chapter 37: Everyone thinks Li ming is a genius
After finishing the Pill Exam, Li Ming finally returned to the Azure Sky Sect. The news of his strange victories had already spread everywhere.
"Did you hear? He beat ten disciples without even lifting a finger!"
"No, no, I heard he just sneezed and won!"
"You’re both wrong. My cousin swore he used some secret heaven-shaking art!"
Li Ming walked through the gates, rubbing his nose. "Huh? Why are people staring at me? Did I forget to wash my face again?"
Disciples along the path stepped aside, whispering nervously. Some even cupped their fists at him respectfully.
Wu Jian, his old rival, glared from a distance. His fists were clenched, but he didn’t step forward. How... how did that fool climb so high?
Li Ming waved cheerfully. "Oh! Wu Jian! Did you eat yet? I’m starving."
Wu Jian almost coughed blood on the spot.
Lan Yue, standing among the crowd, covered her mouth to hide a smile. "This Li Ming... he doesn’t even realize what’s happening."
And so, while the entire sect treated him like a dangerous hidden genius, Li Ming himself thought only one thing:
I hope they serve food soon...
----
The training ground was busy. Disciples were shouting, swinging swords, and showing off their new skills.
Li Ming? He was sitting on the grass, staring at an ant.
"Wow... you’re so small, but you carry food bigger than your head," he said seriously.
From far away, disciples whispered.
"Look at him. He’s meditating!"
"He must be learning the Dao of Ants!"
"What a genius..."
Li Ming sneezed. The ant flew away. He stood up, dusted his pants, and muttered, "Lecture’s over."
The disciples gasped.
"He ended the session the moment the ant left. That’s too deep!"
---
Elder Qin arrived. "Show me your new skills!"
One disciple cut a rock in half. Another girl flashed across the field with lightning speed.
Then Elder Qin pointed. "Li Ming. Your turn."
Li Ming froze. "Me? But I only... brewed tea."
Everyone laughed. "Tea again? He’s hopeless!"
Elder Qin sighed. "Fine. Show us your tea."
---
Li Ming set down a teapot. Steam started rising. Suddenly—BOOM!—the pot spat out a huge cloud of steam.
"AHHH! I can’t see!"
"My sword—where is it?!"
"Who’s stepping on me?!"
The whole field was chaos.
When the steam cleared, everyone was staring at Li Ming.
Elder Qin’s eyes went wide. "That technique blinded the whole field... even me!"
The disciples trembled.
"He... he’s a genius!"
"He turned boiling water into a battle skill!"
Li Ming scratched his head. "Uh... I just forgot to turn down the fire."
But no one believed him.
---
Later, Elder Qin called him aside.
"Stop hiding your power. The sect won’t waste a talent like you."
Li Ming blinked. "...What power?"
Elder Qin slapped a jade token into his hand. "This is a Core Library Token. Only top talents get it. Use it well."
Li Ming’s eyes lit up. "Do they have cookbooks?"
"...Leave before I faint," Elder Qin groaned.
---
When the sect heard about the token, everyone was shocked.
"He got the Core Token?!"
"Only geniuses get that!"
"He’s too scary..."
Li Ming walked into the library, grabbed the first scroll he saw, and read it.
Thirty-Six Heavenly Steps.
The librarian gasped. "That’s one of the hardest movement skills! Even core disciples can’t learn it!"
Li Ming panicked. "Wait, can I pick another—"
Too late. Everyone was already whispering.
"He dares to pick Heavenly Steps?"
"Truly fearless..."
Li Ming sighed. I just wanted something simple...
---
That night, he tried the scroll.
"Step one: move forward with qi," he read.
He stepped on a pebble, slipped, spun around, and somehow landed twenty meters away.
His eyes widened. "Did I... teleport?"
Hidden disciples watching nearly fainted.
"He mastered the first step instantly!"
"He went even farther than the manual!"
"He’s a monster!"
Li Ming scratched his head. "Really? I just fell..."
---
Bonus Bit
In bed that night, Li Ming sighed.
"Why does everyone think I’m amazing? I just fall down a lot..."
His stomach growled.
"Forget it. Tomorrow, I’ll ask the library if they have... bread."
To be continued...