Too Genius Li Yingling

Chu Xingchen had carefully studied the blueprint of the True Martial Hall.

No wonder the system wasn’t providing the materials—it clearly didn’t care about the cost!

Leaving aside everything else, just the main pillars of the sect’s grand hall required sandalwood spirit timber as the primary beams…

A single piece of that would cost several hundred spirit stones at the very least. There was no way he could afford to build it himself.

Still, while the grand hall remained a distant dream, the system’s Spirit Gathering Array was more than sufficient.

Yao Qin had been quite generous—after careful calculation, the spirit stones she provided amounted to roughly over 1,300.

Even after constructing the Spirit Gathering Array, there would be plenty left. It might not be enough to build the entire True Martial Hall, but at the very least, two side rooms for temporary lodging were within reach.

The construction of the sect had long been overdue.

After all, while Li Xingtian’s cultivation had progressed rapidly thanks to the blood-qi spirit stones, Li Yingling’s progress had remained stagnant.

His eldest disciple’s talent was being wasted.

Though the matter was now on the agenda, progress wasn’t exactly swift. Most of the obvious geomantic treasure sites were already claimed.

Even with Chu Xingchen’s cultivation at the Nascent Soul stage, he could easily declare "I don’t eat beef" in these parts—meaning he had the power to take what he wanted—but slaughtering others over a piece of land was hardly worth it.

Ruining his reputation in such a remote area wasn’t a wise trade.

Sooner or later, his sect would advance into the Central Continent, and at the very least, he couldn’t afford to be infamous before then.

Thus, the current priority was to seek out an undeveloped geomantic treasure site.

This task fell to Chu Xingchen and Li Xingtian.

Li Yingling would stay behind to look after Chen Baiqing and, in the meantime, teach her the cultivation manual provided by the system.

Chen Baiqing came from a poor background, was still young, and had absolutely no knowledge of characters—a complete illiterate.

For now, that manual was nothing more than a pillow for her to rest her head on while sleeping.

Just thinking about it gave Chu Xingchen a slight headache. His eldest disciple was a natural genius; Li Yingling had relied on sheer talent throughout her cultivation journey.

Li Xingtian relied on his past life’s knowledge.

As for Chen Baiqing… she could only rely on her senior sister.

Because when it came to teaching children, Chu Xingchen had zero confidence in himself.

Thankfully, Li Yingling had volunteered enthusiastically, which was at least something to be glad about.

As the sun dipped slightly, Chu Xingchen and Li Xingtian returned side by side.

Unsurprisingly, they had found nothing today. The few places with relatively abundant spiritual energy and no inhabitants were either barren wastelands or rugged terrains—difficult to develop into large-scale constructions, or at the very least, far more costly in spirit stones.

Still, there was no reason to be disheartened. After all, this was just the beginning.

With confidence, Chu Xingchen declared, "Next time, search the east. I’ve studied geomancy—there’s definitely a spirit vein there!"

"...Master, yesterday you said the east was definitely a desolate backwater."

"Damn it! Xingtian, have you been learning bad habits from Yingling? You never used to contradict me."

Li Xingtian glanced at his master, wanting to say "I learned it from you," but swallowed the words silently.

After all, his master could be petty at times. There was no need to invite trouble just for a moment of sarcasm.

Just then, they reached the courtyard gate.

Li Yingling’s slightly frustrated voice drifted out:

"No! Didn’t I teach you this character just a quarter-hour ago? Weren’t you memorizing it for a long time?"

Chen Baiqing’s choked-up voice followed:

"I—I’m sorry, Senior Sister…"

"Hey, hey, don’t cry! I’m not angry with you…"

The exchange made Chu Xingchen pause mid-step before pushing the gate open. It hadn’t been like this yesterday… He glanced at his second disciple.

"How about… we go out for a meal first?" he suggested.

Li Xingtian nodded obediently.

The two turned to leave—but before they could take more than two steps, the gate behind them swung open violently.

Li Yingling stood there, eyes burning with accusation as she glared at her master.

"Master! Junior Brother! Where do you think you’re going?"

"I just remembered a spot that might actually be suitable for the sect’s construction… I was just heading back to—"

Before Chu Xingchen could finish his excuse, Li Yingling grabbed his arm and yanked him inside.

"No more excuses! It’s your turn to teach!"

With a sigh, Chu Xingchen dragged Li Xingtian along by the shoulder as they entered the courtyard.

There, Chen Baiqing sat on a stone stool, wiping tears from her cheeks with small hands, her gaze fixed intently on the literacy primer before her.

Her attitude seemed earnest—was she truly this slow?

Chu Xingchen refused to believe Chen Baiqing was actually dull. Shaking off Li Yingling’s grip, he scoffed,

"Fine. Watch and learn how a master teaches."

With that, he pulled Li Xingtian toward Chen Baiqing.

Li Xingtian shot his master a helpless look. If you want to show off, why drag me into it?

The two stopped before Chen Baiqing, who was still sniffling softly as she mumbled the primer’s contents to herself.

Chu Xingchen reached out and gently patted her head.

"Come, good disciple. Tell me what you don’t understand—I’ll teach you."

Chen Baiqing peeked up at him timidly, then cautiously pointed at a character.

Chu Xingchen looked where her finger rested—then suddenly froze.

He snatched the book from the table and flipped to the cover.

"Huh? The Treatise on the Great Dao?!" He turned to Li Yingling, baffled. "Where’s the primer?"

"She memorized all of it yesterday! She’s been reviewing this one all day," Li Yingling sighed. "I memorized this Treatise on the Great Dao in two reads, but after all this time, she still hasn’t even recognized all the characters yet."

Chu Xingchen and Li Xingtian exchanged glances—and instantly realized who the real problem was.

"You’ve taught well. Now stop teaching," Chu Xingchen said flatly, placing the Treatise back on the table. "From now on, Li Xingtian will handle it."

"Me?" Li Xingtian blinked.

"Who else?" Chu Xingchen clutched his chest dramatically. "You two only have to focus on cultivation, while I have to think about the sect’s future—"

"Fine, Master. I’ll teach her."

Li Xingtian surrendered immediately. Arguing was pointless, and teaching his junior sister was technically part of his duties—though he had never taught anyone before.

He wasn’t exactly confident.

Picking up the Treatise on the Great Dao, he turned to Chen Baiqing, forcing his best approximation of a gentle smile.

"You’ve done well. I’ll teach you from now on."

Chen Baiqing peeked at her second senior brother—his smile was a little… terrifying.

But beneath that intimidating exterior, she could still sense his kindness.