Aptitude

“What did you come to me for?” Tianyan lay back on the bed, her face turned sideways, eyes blinking in confusion. “What do you mean?” Xu Yuan paused, taken aback as well. What did she mean, what did he mean? After spending nearly twenty years together in the illusion realm, was she really not aware of his situation? The two gazed at each other on the bed in silence as only the sound of falling rain echoed around them. Tianyan slowly sat up on the bed. Looking at his expression, she hesitated, her brows knitting slightly. “Xu Yuan, you... it can't be that you can't learn it, right?” Xu Yuan sat up as well and clicked his tongue. “Well, how should I put it... That's pretty much what I mean.” Hearing his confirmation, the hesitation in Tianyan's eyes transformed directly into astonishment. “Why can't you learn it?” Faced with the girl's genuine, heartfelt bewilderment, Xu Yuan felt rather uncomfortable and cleared his throat. “Ahem, is that so strange? This is the Heaven-Deducing Art, after all.” “But you have an Innate Dao Body.” Tianyan looked at him, parting her lips as she stated as if it were the most natural thing in the world: “In the entire history of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, there have been five individuals with an Innate Dao Body who cultivated the Heaven-Deducing Art. Four of them were conferred—” At this point, she seemed to realize something and stopped short. “—conferred the title of Tianyan?” Xu Yuan finished for her in a low voice. Tianyan's clear, captivating eyes blinked, and she nodded, replying softly: “Mm. The only one who failed was because they died prematurely halfway through.” Speaking of this, Xu Yuan suddenly nudged her with his shoulder and asked in an intrigued whisper, “Hey, what was your original name then?” Tianyan gave a soft humph. Feeling the warmth of his shoulder through his clothing, she murmured softly, “Me? I've been called Tianyan since childhood.” “Since childhood?” Xu Yuan let out a questioning murmur and asked under his breath, “I seem to remember that you must master all Five Heaven-Deducing Chapters before you're conferred the name of Tianyan.” A proud, self-satisfied smile surfaced on Tianyan's delicate face. Raising a slender jade finger, she tapped her head, sounding as though she were showing off: “Indeed. When I was a child, Master took me to comprehend the Heaven-Deducing Stele, and the methods of all Five Heaven-Deducing Chapters were branded directly into my mind.” Having said this, Tianyan paused for a beat and steered the conversation back: “So why can't you learn it? Me imparting the technique to you should be far simpler than comprehending the Heaven-Deducing Stele.” Lies never hurt; sincerity is the sharpest blade. Xu Yuan felt his fragile heart had been brutally stabbed by Tianyan. Giving up completely, he resigned himself and said: “Well, it's probably because my Innate Dao Body was induced through post-natal medicinal concoctions, so my comprehension ability is terrible. Whenever I try to comprehend what you left in my mind, I get dizzy. Every single time.” “.......” Tianyan tilted her head, her gaze still filled with immense perplexity. It was as if she were asking: The food has already been chewed up and brought right to your mouth—can someone really still not know how to eat it? “Tsk.” Xu Yuan clicked his tongue and reached out directly to pinch Tianyan's fair, tender cheek. “I told you my comprehension is poor. Why else would I come ask you?” “.......” Tianyan reflexively wanted to swat his hand away, but after seeing the look on his face, she let him do as he pleased. She was a little worried he might feel hurt and despondent over his lack of aptitude. Tianyan's delicate cheek was pinched up for a moment, remaining utterly adorable. After giving it two gentle pinches, just as Xu Yuan went to withdraw his hand, Tianyan suddenly lifted both small hands and softly held his larger outstretched hand. Looking at him, she weighed her words carefully and offered soft, gentle comfort: “I didn't mean it that way just now. I was only puzzled because, based on your comprehension in the Charm God Illusion realm, you should have been able to comprehend the Divine Soul Chapter.” “Hm?” Xu Yuan felt the girl's soft, tender fingertips. Tianyan pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze, gently explaining: “In your fifth year in the illusion realm, you comprehended Dao Charm. In the twelfth year, you fused the Dao Charm into yourself. Although the comprehension needed for Dao Charm differs slightly from cultivating the Heaven-Deducing Art, they are largely the same in principle.” Xu Yuan parted his mouth, an odd expression in his eyes. Seeing his look, Tianyan thought he did not believe her, and her voice rose slightly: “I speak the truth. Once you remember—” “It was that slow?” “.......” Tianyan fell silent. Xu Yuan furrowed his brows slightly, deep in thought as he muttered: “I recall Xu Changge reached Body Integration at thirteen, became a Grandmaster at sixteen, and took three years to comprehend Dao Charm.” At this, Xu Yuan glanced at the silent Tianyan. “Do you know how long it took Xu Changge to break through to the Origin Realm?” “At the capping age of twenty,” Tianyan said, her tone turning slightly colder. “Seems your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion paid quite a bit of attention to him.” Xu Yuan nodded and let out a soft sigh. “Twenty years old... comprehending Dao Charm for seven years and already achieving Dao fusion into his body. How could I have been so much slower than that guy? Tsk, sigh...” “.......” Tianyan said nothing more, directly flinging his hand away. She felt so foolish—foolish enough to worry that this shameless bastard's pride would be hurt by a lack of aptitude. “Hm?” Xu Yuan rubbed his shaken-off hand and looked back at her. “What's wrong?” “Nothing.” Tianyan's eyes were cool and her voice frosty. “I just think there's no need for you to compare yourself with Xu Changge. Your elder brother's and your Ran Qingmo's aptitudes and root bones are once-in-a-century, even once-in-a-millennium prodigies. Constantly comparing yourself to them does no good for your state of mind.” Hearing this, Xu Yuan smiled, feeling relieved. “True enough. Five years to comprehend the Dao is already considered quite fast.” “It is indeed fast.” Tianyan gave a slight nod, then shifted her tone. “However, in reality, you might be even slower—or you might never comprehend the Dao in your entire life.” “.......” Xu Yuan was speechless. “Judging by your current comprehension, in the Charm God Illusion realm, you must have inherited Jinghe's innate talent.” “That's just your guess. How could that be—” “Why couldn't it be? “If you still possessed the aptitude you had in the illusion realm back then, you would certainly have been able to comprehend the Divine Soul Chapter I imparted on your own.” Speaking up to this point, Tianyan's gaze once again resembled someone looking at trash. Her cool voice carried a hint of mockery: “After all, the Tianyan transmission method is the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion's final resort to ensure the pavilion master's lineage remains unbroken. Its requirements for aptitude and comprehension are not high.” Her words were sharp as blades, drawing blood with every stroke: “Heh... Of course, when I say 'not high,' that is only relative to true geniuses.” As her voice fell, Xu Yuan lowered his eyes, appearing slightly downcast. Tianyan slowly stood up. Glancing at the look on the bastard's face, she said clearly: “Stop putting on an act in front of me. If you have the time for that, you might as well take off your clothes.” “.......” Hearing this, Xu Yuan's eyes instantly snapped up. Their gazes locked for a split second, and in the next moment, the girl before him reared back her translucent, bare foot in flustered irritation. And then— Thud! “Hiss—” The bone of his shin felt as though it had cracked. “Hmph.” With a soft huff, Tianyan looked down at him from above for several breaths before turning around. Facing away from him, she instructed: “Don't let your mind wander to useless nonsense. I'm merely going to use your Zhongji acupoint to impart the technique to you. Hurry up and take off your clothes, and call me once you're done.” And pausing for a beat, the girl in the palace dress facing away from him seemed to recall something else. Her voice took on a sharp, icy resolve: “Also, I meant your upper garments! If you dare expose that thing, I'll chop it off!”