Chapter Forty-Four: The Quiz of Wits

Hahaha...

"Not bad, not bad. Congratulations, you answered correctly!" Qing Po's mellow, time-worn laughter rang out.

This answer caught Qing Po off guard, yet he could not refute it, for his former master possessed such a temperament; although he had reached unprecedented heights, he still lived a reclusive life, so Qing Po allowed the answer to pass.

"Too easy. Can't you give me something more challenging?" Tianming shook his head disdainfully.

It wasn't that he looked down on this spirit; after all, in his own world, these were simple axioms. Yet Tianming knew this was an era of cultivation.

Simplicity had its own reasoning here, but it happened to benefit him.

"Fine. In that case, I won't hold back anymore!" A stern voice echoed.

Unable to endure such mockery, Qing Po bristled in irritation.

"Please proceed, senior," Tianming nodded respectfully.

His expression regained its composure as he closed his eyes and focused his mind...

"Hmph! Second question: Since your birth until now, what is the largest shadow you have ever seen? Be careful in your answer—the shadow refers not to a person, but to a very special existence..." Qing Po spoke quickly.

Seeing the youth's arrogance below, Qing Po snorted coldly.

"Night," Tianming interrupted calmly before Qing Po finished speaking.

"Why?" Qing Po asked in surprise.

He had never encountered such an answer before and was momentarily dumbfounded, though fortunately the boy could not see his expression.

"Because the night is the shadow of the Celestial Star everywhere." Tianming smiled, spreading his hands with meaning.

"Sigh! Third question: On a message paper is written an order. Yet, those who understand the text are absolutely forbidden to read the command aloud. So, what is written on the paper?"

Sighing, Qing Po quickly sidestepped the topic, not wanting to dwell on it—after all, it was rather demoralizing.

"Because the paper says, 'Do not read this text aloud!'" Tianming replied, his eyes turning slightly.

Since the trustworthy recipient can understand the text, it must be a secret document, but judging from the previous questions, it clearly wasn't so simple. If the order can't be read aloud, then what is written must be meaningless; thinking along those lines, the answer is obvious.

Of course, Tianming's quick responses were thanks to the selfless contributors from Earth who had provided such answers!

Otherwise, even if the questions were simple, Tianming would still need to think them over—after all, he was only an ordinary person.

Very good!

"There is something which the buyer knows, the seller knows, but the user does not know. What is it?" Qing Po asked again.

"A coffin, for once you're dead, you naturally don't know what it is."

Tianming continued to answer.

"A wandering cultivator, after drifting for half a year on the vast sea, finally finds a continent. The moment he steps upon it, what is the thing he most wants to do next?"

"Step with his other foot..."

Another swift answer, nearly making Qing Po cough up blood.

...

After a series of rapid, mechanical questions from Qing Po, Tianming soon reached the sixth question. But he was unwilling to continue, as the questions were too easy, and since answering five correctly was enough to pass, why go any further?

"Senior, I've answered five questions correctly. Can I now...?" Tianming frowned slightly, looking up with anticipation.

"No," Qing Po said anxiously.

Not a single question had tripped him up, leaving Qing Po embarrassed.

"...Shouldn't there at least be a reason? Are you trying to cheat?" Tianming mused.

He couldn't help but feel a headache—being too competent was its own curse!

"Alright then, if you answer all the next five questions correctly, I'll give you a heavenly-grade pill. How about it?" Qing Po hurriedly added.

Though Qing Po spoke easily, his aged voice carried a trace of helplessness.

"That's more like it," Tianming muttered under his breath.

In that instant, joy surged in Tianming's heart. He could now gain more experience—but how much would a heavenly-grade pill grant him?

Ahem!

Just as Tianming was daydreaming, an old cough startled him awake...

"Sixth question: Once, a Golden Immortal-level expert entered the Wild Heaven Forest to hunt monsters. He carried only three flying knives and believed that nothing in existence could survive all three of his blades. He came upon the domain of a creature called the Mighty Ape God."

Upon seeing the intruder, the Mighty Ape God beat its chest and approached. The expert threw his first flying knife—thunder shook the heavens—but the ape caught it with its left hand. He threw the second—clouds blanketed the sky—again, the ape caught it with its right hand. Finally, he threw the last blade—thunder roared, sand flew, winds howled...

But regrettably, the last knife was caught in the ape's enormous mouth. Witnessing this, the Golden Immortal fell into despair, realizing this opponent was beyond him. Yet at that moment, a miracle occurred—the Mighty Ape God suddenly died, and the expert was utterly astonished.

How did the Mighty Ape God die, and why was the expert surprised? You have ten minutes to answer," Qing Po's voice slowly faded...

Uh...

Tianming...

The information was overwhelming, leaving him silent. How exactly did the Mighty Ape God die?

Was there another expert helping?

Or perhaps the ape was ill?

Yet after much thought, Tianming still found these explanations unsatisfactory. Setting aside the possibility of help, if a Golden Immortal couldn't defeat it, who could slay it in the blink of an eye, and moreover astonish the Golden Immortal?

"Still can't answer? Give up now. Within ten minutes, it's impossible for you to solve this!" The old voice carried a hint of gloating.

This question had puzzled Qing Po for centuries; he had guarded this place for a millennium and never witnessed anyone who could answer it, for it was posed by his previous master—a being from ancient times!

"...Who says I can't answer?" Tianming gritted his teeth.

Nothing irked him more than being underestimated. Though he couldn't solve it yet, Tianming believed that when the time came, the answer would reveal itself. Every question has many possible answers, just like Schrödinger's cat—uncertain until the end, but eventually resolved.

"Don't force yourself, youngster. There's no shame in letting go. Is a heavenly-grade pill really worth it?" Qing Po chuckled, a hint of schadenfreude in his tone.

This question was meant to be last, but to suppress the stubborn youth, Qing Po took it upon himself to ask now.

"Whoo!"

His mind a muddled mess, Tianming took a deep breath, then sat down cross-legged, closing his eyes to ponder...

Give up?

Impossible. In his dictionary, ever since he acquired the Universal Dora, Tianming never learned the meaning of surrender. Trying to distract him was a fool’s errand—hadn't he heard enough harsh words in that other world?