The old man saw Li Guanyi nodding in agreement and smiled, then said,

"Shuangtao can come too, what about Changqing?"

Xue Changqing waved his arm dismissively, saying, "I won't go, Grandpa. Your conversations are always so boring. I want to stay here and continue shooting!" He was full of enthusiasm, like a child who had just received a beloved toy, gripping his bow and arrow, his internal qi surging.

After finishing his last shot, his palm had already begun to tremble slightly, but at this moment, he had started to recover and could draw the bow again.

Li Guanyi raised an eyebrow and still advised, "Too much is as bad as not enough, be careful not to hurt yourself."

The old man noticed Li Guanyi's gaze and casually said, "Our Xue family's unique internal cultivation method, the Divine Bow Heart Method, is unparalleled in the world, and Changqing has been practicing qi since he was five, achieving some results. You need not worry about him."

"This kid has a stubborn nature; since he enjoys practicing, let him be. Young master, please go ahead."

"I am quite curious and have many things I want to discuss with you."

The old man had already turned and walked out through the main door.

The White Tiger followed lazily behind.

Li Guanyi moved along with the White Tiger's manifestation, maintaining himself within the optimal range for the accumulation of jade liquid in the bronze cauldron.

He suspected that the cauldron's accumulation ability and absorption range were related to his own strength.

It was now clearly stronger than the absorption capability during the Mountain God Temple phase.

Xue Shuangtao warned her younger brother Xue Changqing again, then hurriedly caught up and closed the door. The sound of arrows shooting gradually faded, muffled outside the door; it seemed the old man had been quietly listening at the entrance.

Xue Shuangtao leaned in and grabbed her grandfather's arm, asking curiously, "Grandpa, when did you arrive?"

The old man patted his granddaughter's head and smiled gently, "Ah, I've been here for a while. I was afraid it would affect Changqing's archery, so I didn't go in. None of you noticed me."

"However, I've never seen such arithmetic skills from a young master before. If everyone could do this, wouldn't everyone be a divine archer? Able to hit every target?"

Is he planning to have me teach all the Xue family disciples?

Li Guanyi replied, "That's impossible."

"The success just now was only because it was a fixed target, and Changqing has the Xue family's techniques. Besides, this is the training ground for the Xue family disciples. What if it rains? What if the wind picks up? And the bows and arrows here are already calibrated."

"And the key point is, if you hold a bow and face an opponent, the opponent is not a target; they will move."

The old man asked with great interest, "Then why did you tell Changqing that arithmetic can assist martial arts?"

Li Guanyi answered, "It's just teaching according to the student's aptitude."

"Why is that?"

"Since he enjoys martial arts, guiding him to learn arithmetic from that direction will naturally yield twice the result with half the effort."

The old man laughed in surprise, "Teaching according to the student's aptitude? That's a fresh perspective; I've never heard it before."

"Is that something you created yourself?"

Li Guanyi replied, "I heard it from an old man with the surname Kong before coming here."

The old man pondered this phrase and finally sighed in admiration, "These four words surpass the so-called private schools and tutors of today by an unknown margin. The world is indeed vast; there are such figures, and I have never heard of them."

"Then, where did you learn your arithmetic, young master?"

As he asked this, the old man smiled, and the White Tiger manifestation glanced at Li Guanyi, seemingly curious but without malice. Li Guanyi felt a stir in his heart and smiled casually, "That was naturally during my escape; I met an old man on the road who taught and guided me."

Xue Shuangtao's eyes widened as she looked at the boy who lied as naturally as breathing, seemingly recognizing a new side of Li Guanyi.

Your sword techniques were taught by an uncle on the road, and your teaching methods were taught by an old man on the road.

Even your arithmetic?

She could guess that such words were mere excuses.

Her grandfather held great authority in the entire Xue family, and no one had ever spoken in such a tone. She couldn't help but worry that her grandfather might get angry, but she heard the old man burst into hearty laughter, appearing quite pleased, saying, "Hahaha, it seems you have many teachers, young master."

"I must meet this teacher of arithmetic one day!"

Li Guanyi thought to himself that those who taught him arithmetic were probably in another world, dealing with midterm and final exams, frustrated by mischievous students, holding a thermos of goji berries, saying, "You are the worst class I've ever taught."

Living a mundane and peaceful life, with computers and cola, made him envious of that daily routine.

How could I let you meet that 'teacher of arithmetic'?

Unless a master of arithmetic falls from the sky and lands on my head.

The young man thought this but only smiled and replied, "If there's a chance, definitely."

The old man laughed heartily but did not take it to heart.

Li Guanyi originally could not enter the inner courtyard, but today, with the old man leading the way, naturally, no one dared to stop him. Along the way, he saw courtyards of various sizes, some with shadow walls at the entrance, adorned with intricately carved dragons and tigers on carriages, while others were more simple.

He knew this was where the guest elders resided.

The Xue family had separate residences for guest elders, which made the other members of the Xue family envious.

However, upon entering, it seemed there were differences even among the guest elders.

The inner courtyard was surrounded by high walls, clearly separating the Xue family's inner and outer areas, with battlements like those of a city wall. Servants wielding long staffs and wearing weapons walked atop, their steps steady, indicating they all had martial skills.

Li Guanyi quietly contemplated.

Truly a powerful clan.

Truly, in this chaotic world.

The old ancestor of the Xue family chatted leisurely with Li Guanyi. The old man was quite humorous, and with Li Guanyi's past experiences, he responded and conversed without being servile or overbearing, occasionally making clever remarks, which made the old man's smile grow wider. The passing guest elders and Xue family women were quite astonished.

They wondered what status this young man had to be conversing with the Xue family ancestor.

Anyone who saw the Xue family ancestor instinctively felt smaller, as if encountering a deity, trembling and cautious, afraid of making mistakes, rarely speaking as freely as this young man.

The old man pointed to a courtyard and asked, "What do you think of this courtyard, young master?"

The courtyard had three entrances and exits, with pavilions and waterside pavilions inside, making it quite outstanding.

Li Guanyi replied, "Very good."

A hint of a smile appeared on the old man's face as he continued forward, "That courtyard belongs to a guest elder. He has been in the realm for a long time and married a woman from our Xue family branch, so he is allowed to bring his family to live in the Xue family. If you like, young master, you can do the same."

"There are thirteen branches of the Xue family, and among them, there are many women of your age, with even more of exceptional beauty."

Li Guanyi asked, "Are you implying…"

The old man walked leisurely ahead, casually inquiring, "You should be able to hear that I am asking if you would like to become a guest elder of the Xue family."

Xue Shuangtao was taken aback, her eyes wide.

Thirteen years old, a guest elder?

Li Guanyi deliberately said, "But isn't the rule that only those who enter the realm can serve as guest elders?"

The old man laughed heartily, "What a childish thought! My words are the rules of the Xue family."

"Our Xue family has distanced itself from the court and battlefield for three hundred years, and since then, we have been engaged in commerce. Young master, what do you think is the most important point for a merchant?"

"It is vision and courage!"

The old man looked at the young man, his white eyebrows raised, his eyes gleaming like a fierce tiger, grinning as he said, "Just like in battle, one must seize the opportunity to strike to survive and achieve merit. The same goes for commerce; if one is overly cautious, they can only make ends meet."

"Since ancient times, great merchants and great heroes have all been great gamblers!"

"Win the gamble, and one can amass wealth and fame; lose the gamble, and one can lose everything and bear the infamy for eternity!"

"When I was six, I won a bet against a history book, reading it until my eyes were red and swollen. In the past one hundred and twenty years, the Chen Kingdom has risen and fallen, while my Xue family's wealth has tripled. These eyes have never lost a bet. This time, seeing you so joyful, I plan to gamble once more and place my bet on you."

Li Guanyi asked, "What does the old ancestor wish to bet on?"

Walking at a leisurely pace, the old man had already led him and Xue Shuangtao to a lotus pond. The lotus flowers had yet to bloom. The old man turned and pointed at Li Guanyi, saying,

"At thirteen years old, you have mastered arithmetic, encountered many great individuals, and your internal cultivation is nearly complete. Your behavior and style have their own rules. I bet on your future; you will surely become renowned in this region. I bet that within ten years, you will be a talented assistant to the world!"

"Providing timely assistance is far better than embellishing with luxury."

"Understanding the bet is not weaker than secretly forming connections."

"Today, seeing you so happy, I simply laid everything out and asked you, what do you think?"

The old man spoke openly, exuding a bold demeanor.

Xue Shuangtao held her breath, momentarily afraid to interject.

Li Guanyi replied, "Of course, I would be eager to accept, but the old ancestor has only seen me twice. Aren't you afraid of losing the bet?"

The old man pointed to the house, not answering but asking in return, "My Xue family has a collection of a thousand volumes, encompassing everything—Confucian arts, major literary works, poetry, scriptures, Buddhist and Taoist texts, as well as histories of mountains and rivers, geography, and divination. If I allow you to borrow, what would you choose?"

Li Guanyi looked at the White Tiger, which was focused on him, and gave his answer.

"Histories of mountains and rivers, geography, and divination."

The old man asked, "Why?"

"In order to open my eyes."

"Open your eyes to see what?"

Li Guanyi gazed at him and said, "Open my eyes to see this world."

The old man then laughed heartily, like a fierce tiger howling under the moon on a mountain peak.

Striding forward, he casually pushed open the Listening Wind Pavilion and said, "Li guest elder, please!"

As he pushed the door and entered, the interior was quite simple.

The old man walked in with large strides and personally brewed tea. Li Guanyi felt that the jade liquid in the bronze cauldron had reached ninety-eight percent, just like the previous Crimson Dragon, now stuck and unable to move. To break through to the final stage, he would likely need to perform a manifestation-level ultimate skill imprint, just like Yue Qianfeng before.

But how could he achieve that?

He vaguely sensed the formation of a blurry White Tiger on the bronze cauldron.

Yet it had not stabilized, nor did it need to emerge like the Crimson Dragon.

Just as he sat down, his gaze was drawn to an object.

It was a bow.

An ancient battle bow!

Exuding a chilling aura, it was placed prominently on the high platform in the center of the Listening Wind Pavilion.

Li Guanyi felt the blurry White Tiger on the bronze cauldron suddenly converge, as if about to roar.

A strong impulse surged within him—

Grip it tightly!

That was—

The young man saw the inscription beside the bow, a surge of sharp weapon energy.

【Heavenly Cloud Shaking Bow】!

(End of this chapter)