109(2) : Nothing Is That Simple

Han Xuhan had a nonplussed look on his face as he surveyed the faces of his peers for some hints as to how to react to Kong Ye's declaration , because he didn't trust his own brain to come up with an appropriate reaction .
Then he came to a sudden realization about what he had just done .

He had gone against the norm, subverted expectations of others publicly, and done something bold and brave....

A shiver ran down his spine as Xuhan understood just how close he had come to becoming enveloped by the protagonist halo, even though it had been a rather smart decision to speak honestly just then .

No no no....He had to avoid those pitfalls ! Next thing he'd know, he'd be one of the black horses of the tournament, getting constantly set up against overpowered opponents with a customized moral compass . He couldn't let that happen !

Meanwhile, Xiao Wu seemed more perturbed by something else entirely .

"Er...master, I already called you master . Do I gotta say it again ?"

"Ah, you're excused . But you three are not !" Kong Ye pointed at Han Xuhan, Mu Ran and Yuen Zhou , his expression bleeding impatience and anticipation so intense it made the three have second thoughts about complying to his commands .

"What is it ? Weren't you all so eager just a minute ago ? What happened to that spirit of yours ? Go on and say it . Repeat after me, MASTERRR !!!"

"Er...Master !"

"Master !"

"Master !"

Xiao Wu looked on with a twisted shade of schadenfreude on his face as his martial siblings repeated the phrase with varied types of complicated expressions .

Yet their compliance seemed to enrage Kong Ye for some reason .

"Not sincere enough ! Are any of you having second thoughts ? Is there anyone among you harbouring ill intentions ? Why can't I hear the sincerity inside your heart ?"

Exchanging confused looks, they tried again .

"Master !"

"Master !"

"Master !"

"Still not honest enough ! Again ! Xiao Wu, demonstrate to them how you did it ."

"Aw come on..." Xiao Wu began to speak in protest .

"Is there a problem ? Did your sincerity leave your heart as soon as I promised to give you the Spirit Manifestation technique ?"

Xiao Wu sighed and tried to demonstrate by passionately repeating the word .

Repeatedly, they were made to call the man 'master' . Only after a dozen attempts did Kong Ye finally stop commanding them to repeat themselves .

"Did it work this time ?" Xuhan asked hopefully .

"......" Kong Ye stared ahead with an empty gaze, completely ignoring Xuhan's question .

"He did that inside the room too when I called him master . Apparently, he's trying to glean our sincerity through some archaic techniques that entirely escapes my comprehension ," Xiao Wu said after a moment of silence .

Han Xuhan inspected the faces of his peers as Kong Ye seemed to fall into a very lengthy, dazed stupor trying to glean the sincerity of their call this time .

Mu Ran, predictably, looked pissed . As soon as their eyes met, he leaned toward Xuhan and made some wild gestures with his eyebrows . Xuhan had no idea what he was trying to imply . It could've been anything ranging from 'Yo underling, this guy dares disrespect me'  to 'I think I have a new kink' .
But he nodded along emphatically anyway, trying to emulate Mu Ran's bizarre facial gestures .

Satisfied, Mu Ran leaned back and stared at Kong Ye suspiciously .
Then Xuhan proceeded to inspect Yuen Zhou, whose eyes were glued on Kong Ye, a chilly atmosphere radiating off her face that made Xuhan want to pray for Kong Ye's future wellbeing . It was clear as a day that she had felt offended .

Xiao Wu, however, looked rather resigned to his fate . The burly youth showed no curiosity towards their master, standing there ramrod straight with his gaze embroiled in deep thoughts .

"YESS ! OH YEEAHHH ! WOOOOHOOO!!"

The sudden shout nearly made him jump . The source of the sound turned out to be Kong Ye, who had finally stopped daydreaming . The ecstasy on his face made Xuhan do a double take . What exactly had happened to make their master happy ? Did everybody call him 'master' sincerely ? That wasn't something to be so delighted about, was it ?

"You lot seem truly sincere, judging by my calculations . Fine then, I'll not hold back any longer ."

With a demented smile, Kong Ye retreated inside the room where he had interviewed Xiao Wu . Xuhan and co. stood where they were, feeling more and more confused as seconds turned into minutes yet Kong Ye didn't return .

Nearly half an hour later, Kong Ye finally popped out of the room holding a giant stack of scrolls in his arms .

"Since all four of you seem interested in astral warfare, I've delved into my collection of ancient tomes and retrieved two different techniques for you, my disciples . Both techniques focus on cultivating one's astral body . Have a look and choose whichever you personally prefer . Your master excels at both ."

Kong Ye then dumped six scrolls on a table and divided them into two parts, one for each technique .

"And there is also a really neat Divination skill available among my collections . My mastery of it isn't half bad . So that's two of the three techniques ," he added while piling up the rest of the scrolls .

"Why does the ink on the scrolls look so fresh ? It almost looks like somebody has just written these manuals ." Yuen Zhou said inquisitively .

"It's a magical spell . I'll teach that to you later if you want ."

"Master, where is the spirit manifestation technique you promised to teach me ?" Xiao Wu asked, alarmed .

"Ah, that's a slightly complicated issue . I, your master, have mastered so many different skills that I can't even carry the written versions of them around because the number of scrolls involved is astronomical . While I did learn a few spirit manifestation techniques in the past, I don't have the manuals on me in person . I could of course write down the details of the ones I have memorized . But that raises a few safety issues that I'm sure you don't want to face . So wait a day or two for me to contact some friends and ask for their help in transferring the manuals here . You'll be free to practice it afterwards . Sounds good ?"

Xiao Wu nodded, looking slightly disappointed . Meanwhile Mu Ran and Yuen Zhou practically leaped toward the scrolls on the table like starving predators inside a chicken coop . But right before their hands could touch the scrolls, Kong Ye caught them by the sleeves in the blink of an eye .

"Heheh...did you think this entire process is that simple ?" He said in a smug tone .