109(1) : The Acceptable Answer

"Well well well, what a pleasant surprise ! It seems unnecessary to further drag things out under the guise of secrecy when all four of you seem to have decided to come clean to each other and pursue the same skills ! You, Mu Ran, you're the only one who hasn't yet expressed the urge to tackle multiple skills at once under my tutelage . Are you sure you want to keep it that way ?"

Among the four disciples, Han Xuhan was the only one to not become extremely confused upon hearing Kong Ye speak . As the orchestrator of the entire mishap, Xuhan knew he had screwed up, but there really wasn't any feasible way to solve the problem now . He simply decided to maintain his silence and looked at Kong Ye with an innocent expression .

"What ? Everyone is pursuing multiple skills ?" Mu Ran whipped his neck around and faced Xuhan instantly .
"Underling, didn't you say you wanted to learn astral warfare just now ?"

His smile strained, Xuhan decided to 'confess' .
"Boss, I'm not so incredibly intelligent that I could come up with that safety measure for you on the spot . I originally had my own plans too . Brother Xiao Wu and I had a serious conversation a while ago where we both had decided to learn the art of spirit manifestation . So I guess I ended up pursuing two different skills in that way ."

Mu Ran nodded, his expression pretty understanding . Kong Ye maliciously grinned at Xuhan while nobody was looking at him . Han Xuhan felt more relieved than anything . At least his cover wasn't blown, although Xiao Wu did look rather suspicious .

Turning to look at their new master, Mu Ran solemnly said,
"in that case, I too wish to study multiple skills under your tutelage, provided you do not have a problem with it . Do you, master ?"

Xuhan sneakily elbowed the idiot in the back hoping he'd tone down that arrogance in his tone . Elder Kong sure didn't look particularly gratified to see his disciples going to extreme lengths in taking advantage of him .

"Ah, how refreshing it is to see youths like you four being so passionate when it comes to cultivation ! Why not, why not...Of course I'm willing to impart to you whichever skills you are interested in . But are you sure you have what it takes to meet my standards ? Because when I teach a skill, I expect my student to become the best in that discipline, surpass even myself in terms of prowess and make their names renown all over the world . Are you confident that you have what it takes ?"

Kong Ye spoke rather viciously, giving off the vibe of a man who had nothing left to lose . Xuhan and co. exchanged awkward looks with each other, all four of them unable to sense what the other three were trying to express silently . The silence was broken by Mu Ran in the end who declared ,
"of course, trust in me, master . I am absolutely confident in achieving this . Just teach me your skills and I'll surpass you so fast that you'll regret ever teac- I mean, you'll be proud of me even on your deathbed !"

Han Xuhan despondently shook his head . His martial brother was beyond cures . Why did he even think he had a chance to reduce Mu Ran's fatality anyway ? The best he could do was to stay out of the line of fire .

"While I cannot claim to have the talent to reach your standards, master, I too promise to do my very best and make you proud . Maybe one day, my name as your disciple shall resound as loudly as martial brother Ran throughout the world ."

This boastful claim came from Yuen Zhou, who had a faint smirk surfacing at the corner of her mouth as she spoke . Although she didn't sound as overbearing as Mu Ran, it undoubtedly came off as pretty bold .

His expression unreadable, elder Kong Ye gazed at Xiao Wu, who pushed his chest out proudly before speaking his piece .

"You heard me already back inside the room, master . I WILL do whatever it takes to reach that goal, regardless of the adversities that befall me, regardless of how many enemies block my way . I shall reach a height in the art of spirit manifestation that'll birth legends of my prowess at the most distant corners of the world of cultivation !"

All eyes turned toward Han Xuhan simultaneously as Xiao Wu's atmospheric speech ended .
Han Xuhan scratched the bridge of his nose absent mindedly and sighed . He had just remembered a wise saying, a wise saying that couldn't be credited to Mu Ran .

"I have absolutely zero confidence in being able to achieve even a fraction of your standards, master . Hell, I doubt I'll actually work very hard to achieve those goals either . But I promise to serve as a living example of how terrible a fate my martial siblings shall face should they fail to live up to their claims . So I guess I'll just hang around and have fun ." 

Honesty is the best policy . Why lie when nothing is stopping you from speaking the truth ?

Absolute silence hung inside the room . Han Xuhan's peers looked thunder-struck at his audacity....no, in fact, Mu Ran was starting look like he had had a revelation of some sort . He was nodding subtly, as if approving what Xuhan's powerful words . A wizened smile was slowly crawling into his face .

Fortunately, elder Kong intervened before Mu Ran could verbally support his underling . Unfortunately....elder Kong's words turned out to be even more stunning .

"How disappointing ! Among the four of you, only little Xuhan, the one with the worst potential, can see mountain Tai ! I guess always being the worst in many aspects helps in cultivating such a mindset . But regardless of that....only Han Xuhan's answer was actually acceptable in my book . The rest of you seem to have no idea what you're boasting of . Hahaha, the upcoming tournament will see to that issue ! For now, I'll still accept your pleadings and teach you multiple skills....IF you earnestly call me MASTERRR !"