The Programmer Cultivator

”It has been a while, Little Friend Zhang. As for your Cultivation... I find myself increasingly unable to comprehend it. Every time we meet, your Cultivation seems to surprise me.” Li Cheng, his body as ethereal as smoke, floated beside the two of them and spoke to Zhang Deming.

Zhang Deming glanced at Li Cheng and said, ”I’ve just been lucky and had some resources, that’s all. I’m not worthy of such praise from an Elder.

”Compared to those so-called geniuses, my meager Cultivation is really nothing to look at. You, on the other hand, Elder Li, are as impressive as ever. You haven’t changed a bit.”

Li Cheng chuckled at his words. ”A Duality Cultivator at the age of twenty... that’s about the level of a candidate for Saint Son or Saintess of a Blessed Holy Land.

”For you to still be so modest, you truly put me to shame. I’ve muddled along for a millennium only to end up like this. When faced with someone like you, I hardly know how to compose myself.”

Zhang Deming’s expression faltered. ’Alright, old fox. Exchanging compliments is one thing...’

’...but while you’re flattering me, you’re also backing me into a corner. I don’t even know how to respond. If you had been this good at bootlicking when you were alive, you probably wouldn’t have ended up in this predicament!’

After a moment’s pause, Zhang Deming gave a wry smile. ”To be praised so highly by you, Elder, leaves me at a bit of a loss.”

Hearing this, Li Cheng’s expression froze, and he gave Zhang Deming a strange look.

Zhang Deming returned his gaze. Their eyes met, and in that instant, there was a flash of mutual understanding. Both decisively looked away and, by tacit agreement, dropped the subject, no longer continuing their exchange of flattery.

Li Cheng spoke up, ”It’s embarrassing to say, but my Duality Cultivation is barely holding on. I am no longer worthy of you calling me ’Elder’.”

Zhang Deming smiled. ”For Noble Disciples, we can just go by generation. You don’t need to worry about the matter of Cultivation, Elder. Junior Brother Li and I get along very well. Since you’re his ancestor, it’s only right that I call you ’Elder’.”

Li Cheng paused, not pressing the issue further. What Zhang Deming said was, in fact, true.

In a Sect, seniority was almost always determined by Cultivation. But in Noble Families, with a few strange exceptions, it was mostly determined by generation.

Of course, this was only about the title. On this cultivation-focused Hongmeng Planet, when it came to the right to speak and such, strength was what truly mattered. In a Noble Family, no matter how high your seniority, it was all for naught without strength.

Naturally, in Noble Families, high seniority often meant great strength, because the stronger you were, the longer you lived.

When you outlived your peers from the same period, the same era, and the same generation, one by one, you slowly became a big shot. The saying ”live long enough and you’ll see everything” was a perfectly normal reality in Hongmeng.

Being a great fighter couldn’t compare to being lucky. Being lucky couldn’t compare to living a long life. And living a long life couldn’t compare to being good at laying low. Most of the big shots in Hongmeng got there this way. Of course, this only applied to ordinary people; Demon Fiends were the exception.

For example, a Demon Fiend who was a great fighter, was lucky, *and* had a long life didn’t need to lay low. No matter how good you were at hiding, you couldn’t compete with a Demon Fiend like that.

The set of rules I just mentioned only applies to Ordinary people, Ordinary Cultivators.

Demon Fiends, the darlings of their era, cheaters, and the like—they’re all outside the bounds of common sense.

······

Li Cheng turned to look at Li Shifan and said, ”Very well, then. We’ll go with that in private for now.”

Zhang Deming smiled at his words. ”So, you’ve come out now, Elder... don’t tell me that Junior Brother Li’s so-called ’suddenly remembered method’ was referring to you?

”My memory isn’t perfect, but it’s not so bad that I’m forgetful.

”If I recall correctly, Elder, you once mentioned that your Lifebound Painting had a slight accident during a forced sublimation, consuming extremely precious things like Qi Fortune.

”If it was just to reach Duality a few years earlier, I don’t think damaging Junior Brother Li’s foundation like this was a wise decision. In that case, it would have been better to just wait a few more years.”

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Li Cheng’s deadpan face. ”Actually, this matter only took a turn for the better after we entered this place. And the opportunity came from you, Little Friend. I’ve come out now, shamelessly, to ask for a favor.”

At these words, Zhang Deming’s expression faltered and his eyes flickered. He recalled the scene during the earlier Combat where he had helped Li Shifan. With a flip of his hand, four beads appeared in his palm. Looking at them, he finally understood where that strange feeling from before had come from.

’No wonder these things looked like Soul Beads, yet also like Spirit Beads. Aren’t these the Painting Spirit Beads I read about before!’

It was just that he’d read through too much information, and the Painting Dao was notoriously frustrating, so it was normal that he had only given them a quick glance and couldn’t recall them right away.

”You want these, Elder?” Zhang Deming asked, looking at the four beads.

Hearing this, a rare flicker of intensity appeared on Li Cheng’s wooden face. He said, ”That’s right. I do want these Spirit Beads. With these, I won’t have to rely so heavily on Qi Fortune when I act in the future.”

Zhang Deming looked at the beads but didn’t agree immediately. Being on good terms was one thing, but being a sucker was another. It would be foolish to just hand them over without knowing their value.

Looking at the beads, Zhang Deming said, ”Elder, can you tell me more about these things?”

Li Cheng saw Zhang Deming’s attitude and didn’t mind. An Old Demon like him naturally understood what Zhang Deming was thinking.

And he wouldn’t destroy the relationship between his grandson and Zhang Deming over these items. Therefore, they both knew that he would either say nothing at all, or he wouldn’t lie.

Li Cheng didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked a question, ”Little Friend Zhang, how much do you know about the Painting Dao?”

Zhang Deming paused for a moment before replying directly, ”The Zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting... I don’t know much about any of the Elegant Sect’s hundred Miscellaneous Arts.”

Li Cheng heard Zhang Deming’s tactful answer and paid it no mind; he himself was well aware of how much of a pain the Painting Dao was. He continued, ”Then do you know what the main direction of development is for the Painting Dao in Hongmeng today?”