Chapter 11: Chu Feng — Looks Like I'll Have to Keep Making Things Up
"Master, your disciple has returned."
Xiao Chen stood respectfully in the courtyard, bowing deeply to Chu Feng.
This journey had given him a clearer understanding of his own strength—and made him feel even more grateful and reverent toward his master.
Chu Feng smiled. "Not bad. You've been gone a month and already broken through a minor realm. Seems like you had quite a few fortuitous encounters, didn't you?"
Xiao Chen replied, "Reporting to Master, I wasn't particularly lucky this time. No real encounters—just killed a few True Fate realm beasts and gathered some spirit herbs along the way."
"Oh?" Chu Feng raised a brow. "Then… did you bring back any of that True Fate beast meat?"
Meat from a True Fate realm beast was top-tier delicacy.
Back when the old headmaster was still around, Chu Feng had managed to grab a few bites—he still remembered the taste.
After the old man left, Chu Feng only occasionally got his hands on some Dao Foundation beast meat, but the difference in quality was night and day.
"I did bring some back," Xiao Chen answered honestly, though he didn't understand why his master cared more about the meat than the herbs or beast cores.
"Well done! Your master has no hobbies other than good food. Take it out—I'll cook something delicious for you."
Chu Feng's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Master, you know how to cook?"
Xiao Chen looked surprised.
"Of course. Our Miscellaneous Dao Institute has every kind of book. Cooking beast meat is child's play for me."
Naturally, Chu Feng wasn't about to tell his disciple that he had to learn to cook just to survive here. Not to mention, his cooking skills from his previous life were quite decent too.
"Understood, Master. I'll take it out now."
Xiao Chen opened his storage pouch.
In an instant, piles of beast meat filled the courtyard like a small hill.
Chu Feng circled the mound, carefully picking out the finest cuts.
"Come. I'll show you how to prep this meat."
Xiao Chen blinked. "Master, do we even need to learn this kind of thing in the Miscellaneous Dao Institute?"
Chu Feng chuckled. "We study everything in the Miscellaneous Dao Institute. Besides, cooking is a form of cultivation too. Training mindlessly only leads to qi deviation. Balancing effort and rest makes you truly stronger."
Xiao Chen hadn't expected there to be such depth to something like cooking.
Still, if his master said so, it must be true. He quickly pushed aside his doubts and followed his master to process the meat.
Soon, the two were busy in the kitchen, with Xiao Chen assisting Chu Feng.
It wasn't long before Xiao Chen was completely stunned by Chu Feng's knife work.
His movements were effortless and elegant—it didn't feel like he was just preparing food, but creating art.
Every stroke of the knife seemed to carry a trace of elusive intent.
When Chu Feng finished, Xiao Chen stared at him with pure admiration in his eyes.
"What's the matter? I just sliced some meat. No need to look at me like that."
Xiao Chen said, "I just didn't expect Master's knife technique to be so incredible. You even infused your knife with intent while chopping."
"That's not blade intent," Chu Feng waved it off. "It's just a side effect of my sword intent reaching the perfected stage—skill spills into other areas."
"So that means Master's understanding of swordsmanship is about to reach an even higher level?"
Xiao Chen asked, his tone full of awe.
"Still a long way to go," Chu Feng replied with a cryptic smile.
"Master, how did you cultivate your sword intent to the perfected stage?"
Xiao Chen asked curiously.
???
Chu Feng paused. He couldn't exactly say, 'Oh, I didn't. The system gave it to me.'
But as a proper master, he had no choice but to make something up.
"It's simple. One phrase: savor the flavors of life, and you'll comprehend the great Dao naturally."
Xiao Chen looked confused. "Master, your disciple is dull. Please explain further."
Chu Feng hadn't expected to take in a hardworking disciple who actually wanted to understand everything.
'Looks like I'll have to keep making stuff up.'
"Savoring life's flavors means understanding sword intent through life's smallest details..."
"For example," Chu Feng said seriously, "when you chop wood or slice food, every swing should be infused with sword intent. But you must control it perfectly—don't let the sword intent spill out and shatter the food or split the logs into dust.
If you can do that, your sword intent will rise to the next level."
"As for 'comprehending the Dao through nature,' that's even simpler. Every cultivation technique or combat method we use today was created by ancient sages through observing the world around them and drawing insight from all things in nature.
If you too can observe the heavens and the earth, and perceive the underlying truths, then your path in sword cultivation won't be far behind."
Hiss...
Xiao Chen drew in a sharp breath. His master's words were short and to the point, yet each one was filled with profound truths about cultivation.
"Thank you for Master's guidance. I will not disappoint you!"
Chu Feng smiled and patted Xiao Chen's shoulder. "Good. I have high hopes for you."
'Anyway, I'm not going to admit that I made all that up on the spot. Whether you can comprehend anything from it… that's up to your talent.'
Half an hour later—
A table full of delicious food was ready.
Xiao Chen couldn't stop himself from drooling as the aroma drifted into his nose.
'Master really wasn't lying!'
Chu Feng sat at the head seat and raised his chopsticks. "Don't just stand there drooling. Let's eat."
"Yes!" Xiao Chen had been holding back long enough. With his master's word, he dove in without hesitation.
He started eating politely at first—but very quickly, that went out the window. Soon he was devouring everything in large bites without a care for his image.
…
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of the Wendao Academy's outer sect tournament arrived.
That morning, Chu Feng—rare for him—woke up early instead of sleeping in.
Xiao Chen had also dressed carefully in his Miscellaneous Dao Institute robes.
Today, he was representing his entire sect. Naturally, he couldn't go looking sloppy.
Chu Feng sized him up carefully, nodding in satisfaction as he admired his disciple—whose looks were only a little below his own.
"Let's go."
With that, he began walking down the mountain.
"Um, Master," Xiao Chen called out suddenly.
"What is it?" Chu Feng turned his head.
"Aren't we going to fly there on swords?" Xiao Chen asked, confused.
'Damn, I forgot I'm supposed to know how to fly a sword.'
Chu Feng's foot nearly curled in embarrassment. If shame had form, he could've carved out a mansion with his toes.
But he recovered quickly.
"Disciple, let me ask you—what's the reputation of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute in the eyes of others?"
"An institute that doesn't understand cultivation," Xiao Chen replied instinctively.
After all, in everyone's eyes, they were nothing more than a useless master-and-disciple duo.
Chu Feng smiled. "Exactly. If we flew in on swords, we'd blow our cover. That's why I decided we'll walk there today. After you shock everyone with your performance in the tournament, we'll fly proudly from then on."
The moment those words landed, Xiao Chen's heart was filled with deep emotion…
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