Chapter 131: Hoodwinked

"Go ahead! What do you want to ask?"

Zhang Pu suddenly spoke in the tone of a great-grandfather addressing a pampered grandson, leaving Lin Zhifa momentarily stunned. Internally, however, Zhang Pu was laughing heartily.

Lin Zhifa was genuinely confused, but no matter how he looked at Zhang Pu, he appeared to be nothing more than a mere kid. He concluded that his earlier impression must have been nothing more than his own overactive nerves: could a mere boy really be trying to take advantage of him?

Lin Zhifa proceeded to ask.

He asked who Zhang Pu’s master was. He truly never expected that there were still immortal cultivators on this Earth.

Zhang Pu did not answer immediately, but instead asked, "How do you know about immortal cultivators?"

Lin Zhifa looked at Zhang Pu intently, his eyes darting around. "To be honest with you! I am not actually from this world!"

"Are you a ghost, then?" Zhang Pu exclaimed, feigning shock.

Lin Zhifa’s face darkened. "Nonsense, is that all you know—ghosts? In this world, and beyond it, there are so many miraculous things and extraordinary people. How much do you really know?"

As he spoke the final words, Lin Zhifa seemed to be lamenting something.

Was he lamenting his own fall, as if he had been helplessly cast down to this Earth? He sounded like some character from a myth who had been banished to the mortal realm… Oh! No, he was probably a demon in his past life! How could he possibly be an immortal? What a joke!

Zhang Pu scoffed internally, then deliberately played the fool. Regardless, he felt that acting like a student allowed him to exhibit a certain level of immaturity in front of his adversary.

"What kind of extraordinary people? Are there really immortals in this world?" Zhang Pu asked.

Lin Zhifa glared at him, speaking as if it were obvious. "Aren't you a cultivator? Didn't your master tell you these things?"

So, he was convinced that Zhang Pu was the disciple of some high-level master, never suspecting that Zhang Pu was the master himself, reborn. It seemed Lin Zhifa’s mind wasn't very sharp, Zhang Pu thought to himself.

Since that was the path he wanted to take, Zhang Pu decided to play along. He would roll with it and see where it led.

"No, he hasn't!" Zhang Pu replied. "My master didn't tell me about these things. He only told me not to ask anything yet, but to focus solely on practicing the methods he taught me. He said that one day, all the questions in my heart would gradually become clear."

Lin Zhifa fell into deep thought, still not doubting Zhang Pu’s words.

"Where is your master?" Lin Zhifa asked suddenly.

"My master lives in seclusion in a great mountain!" Zhang Pu said.

"Which mountain?" Lin Zhifa pressed.

"A nameless mountain!" Zhang Pu replied. "I don't know the name of the mountain either. My master always told me not to ask anything, not even his name. I am just to call him 'Master'."

Zhang Pu deliberately put on a pained expression, projecting an air of helplessness regarding Lin Zhifa's questions.

Lin Zhifa was momentarily speechless. Could he say Zhang Pu was lying? If he himself had already decided that the other party’s master was a recluse of high status, then this response from Zhang Pu seemed perfectly reasonable.

Lin Zhifa realized that if he wanted to see Zhang Pu’s master, he would have to force the boy to lead the way. He also understood that if he asked what Zhang Pu was practicing, the boy would likely claim ignorance again.

But that was fine; he could force him to demonstrate it!

This kid was the most formidable student he had ever encountered. Not just a student—even many martial arts masters might not be his match, all because he was an immortal cultivator.

But how much could he really learn from an ignorant child who happened to be a cultivator? Lin Zhifa suddenly felt frustrated.

"Demonstrate the technique you used against me earlier," Lin Zhifa said after a moment of thought.

"You really want to see?" Zhang Pu asked, suddenly sounding eager.

*I'll trick him,* he thought, *by playing along with his own scheme!*

"Yes!" Lin Zhifa nodded firmly.

Zhang Pu knew Lin Zhifa still believed he was incapable of exerting any real power and only wanted a glimpse of his methods. However…

Zhang Pu began to chant the incantation.

"Huh—" Suddenly, Lin Zhifa looked toward some objects nearby that were beginning to emit a faint glow.

"This is..." Lin Zhifa leaned closer to Zhang Pu.

Zhang Pu almost blurted out the name "Sun and Moon Formula."

"Can you see clearly?" Zhang Pu changed his tone instead.

"Wait," Lin Zhifa said, his eyes still fixed on the shifting light of the objects around them. "I didn't hear what you were chanting just now."

"It's a secret mantra!" Zhang Pu said. "I can't recite this loudly because this technique is quite unique. Lean your ear closer!"

Back on the mountaintop, Lin Zhifa had seen with his own eyes that Zhang Pu’s technique could absorb the essence of the stars and moon. He had been truly shocked then, but he was relieved that Zhang Pu’s cultivation was still shallow, allowing him to suppress and seal the boy.

Just now, Lin Zhifa had noticed that as Zhang Pu exerted his power, the glowing objects he had placed nearby were reacting again.

Lin Zhifa leaned in, thinking to himself that he should learn this skill as well. He wasn't inexperienced, but this technique was truly extraordinary.

"Listen carefully—"

Suddenly, as Zhang Pu intentionally raised his voice, Lin Zhifa felt as if he had fallen into some bizarre trap.

At first, he thought it was an illusion, but when a massive ring of light seemed to seal him in, he realized something was terribly wrong.

Zhang Pu didn't hesitate; he instantly encased Lin Zhifa in the light ring and began manifesting orbs of light, slamming them fiercely at Lin Zhifa from point-blank range!

"You brat, you're trying to trick me..."

As Lin Zhifa’s furious voice rang out, boundless fog suddenly surged. Within the thick mist, Zhang Pu sensed a massive power struggling to break free from the net he had cast.

This demon—his energy was terrifyingly vast! Zhang Pu thought he had to find a way to finish this. If the opponent broke free and escaped, this was his territory; he held the home-field advantage. It would be impossible to fight or capture him later.

The fog grew thicker! Zhang Pu thought of the poisonous mists used by those who practiced dark-attribute spiritual energy.

Zhang Pu exerted every ounce of his energy.

However, the fog seemed truly toxic. If he hadn't been channeling his energy, he might have had enough left for self-immunity, but now, his "immune system" was fully committed to resisting Lin Zhifa’s counterattack.