Not long after, the two returned to the courtyard where they lived by the West Lake.
As evening fell, Ning Beichen began to teach Liu Yilin a qinggong technique.
The qinggong was called "Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada," focusing primarily on speed, so that Liu Yilin could use it to escape when encountering enemies she couldn't handle.
With a splash.
Liu Yilin's toes tapped on the surface of the West Lake, instantly covering a distance of five meters. Another tap, and the calm water exploded with a bang. Liu Yilin covered another five meters, followed by a third splash as she appeared on the shore.
With "Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada," Liu Yilin could only manage three steps for now, but even these three steps were remarkable, allowing her to cross fifteen meters on the water. On land, the distance would be even greater.
Ning Beichen, looking at Liu Yilin with a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead, gave her a thumbs-up, his face almost carved with envy.
Ning Beichen had thought himself a prodigy for reaching the Grandmaster realm at his age, but seeing Liu Yilin's cultivation speed now, he dared not even consider himself that.
Damn it, it had only been one night!
Liu Yilin had mastered three steps of "Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada."
This was partly due to her low cultivation base; if she had his power, she might have mastered the entire qinggong in a single night.
"Tired?"
Ning Beichen handed her a clean towel and said.
"Thank you."
Liu Yilin took the towel and wiped the sweat from her face, gasping for breath.
The "Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada" consumed an immense amount of internal energy. Her internal energy was depleted after only three steps, but the effect was astonishing.
Before following Ning Beichen's tutelage, Liu Yilin had never imagined humans could achieve such speed, let alone the ability to 'walk on water.'
"Take a break, you've been practicing for several hours."
Ning Beichen brought over two bamboo chairs, placed them on the wooden platform by the lake, and sat down with Liu Yilin.
He then brought over a tea set. The two brewed tea while enjoying the lake scenery at night.
A sip of Maojian tea made Liu Yilin feel refreshed. The gentle night breeze made one feel lazy and disinclined to move.
In recent years, she had hardly had any proper rest. From primary school onwards, she had studied diligently, never slacking, and all her current achievements were hard-won; nothing had fallen into her lap.
However, Liu Yilin had never imagined that one day she herself would become a martial arts master from a Wuxia novel.
For someone who had been raised on materialism, the concept of martial arts was ethereal and scarcely believable.
It wasn't until Ning Beichen appeared that Liu Yilin realized how small her worldview had been. Materialism wasn't the sole truth, and gravity couldn't explain qinggong.
"Beichen, since martial arts exist in this world, why do so few people know about them? For instance, qinggong, if used in the Olympics, wouldn't winning gold be incredibly easy?" Liu Yilin asked curiously.
"Martial arts do exist, but very few people are truly capable of them, and not everyone has the aptitude. Like you now, would you participate in the Olympics?" Ning Beichen asked.
"No."
Liu Yilin thought for a moment and shook her head.
"Why?"
Ning Beichen asked her.
"Because in the eyes of normal people, if I used such abilities, it would be considered cheating. I would be seen as abnormal, and it would disrupt most established rules."
"It's okay to not follow rules, but breaking them is a grave sin!"
Liu Yilin, as expected of someone with a high IQ, immediately grasped the cause and effect.
"Exactly. Whether they are ordinary people, martial artists, or cultivators, everyone is human. All people must abide by human-made rules. Anyone who breaks them is a heretic."
"I once asked my master a question: since cultivators exist, why didn't they help when the country was in peril and families were destroyed?"
"Logically, cultivators are so powerful; they shouldn't have!"
"Let's not even talk about how powerful cultivators are, but surely one cultivator is equivalent to ten or a hundred ordinary people?" Ning Beichen took a sip of tea and looked at the lake.
"Yes, why?"
Liu Yilin was also very curious about this.
With cultivators being so powerful, if they intervened, perhaps they could change the tide of events, prevent much that shouldn't have happened, and save many who shouldn't have died.
"My master told me, how do you know they didn't intervene at that time?"
"I was stunned for a moment and continued to ask my master, 'Did they intervene?'"
"Guess how my master replied?"
Without waiting for Liu Yilin's answer, Ning Beichen smiled slightly and said, "The four ancient kingdoms have a legacy of thousands of years. Now, only the Eastern Ancient Kingdom's heritage remains unchanged. Do you think this is a coincidence?"
"My master's words made me understand. It wasn't that cultivators didn't intervene; it's just that most people didn't know they had."
"But cultivators are also human, not gods. In the face of overwhelming circumstances, even they can't change much. At best, they might kill a few more people, but it wouldn't affect the overall situation."
"Just like the incident with the Violet Orchid family that I resolved, do you think the world will know about it?"
"No, even the Violet Orchid family wouldn't publicize such matters, and the world would certainly remain ignorant of my existence."
"Furthermore, whether it's martial artists or cultivators, throughout history, 'knights errant who defy the law with martial prowess' have always been feared by those in power. No ruler wants to see uncontrolled strength emerge."
"In short, if you dare to show your face, I will suppress you. No one dares to violate this, and cultivators are no different."
"Another point, which you should also be aware of, is that cultivators are not invincible. When faced with high-tech firearms, cultivators are equally vulnerable. Perhaps the only difference is that an ordinary person might be killed by one shot, while a cultivator can withstand ten."
"But what's the difference? Both are dead, just slightly harder to deal with, not impossible to deal with."
"Moreover, it is incredibly difficult to become a cultivator. Among ten thousand people, perhaps not one has the aptitude for cultivation. Even if they have the aptitude, without the guidance of a famous master and financial support, cultivation is merely a fleeting path."
Ning Beichen spoke to Liu Yilin at length, words he had never shared with anyone before.
"If that's the case, then what is the point of cultivation?"