Chapter 162: Know the Enemy and Know Yourself, and You Will Never Be Defeated

Long before the martial tournament, the Yanlan Academy had already announced to the outside world that several formidable cultivators would be guarding the barrier. Only by defeating them would one have the opportunity to enter that mystical realm. Consequently, ever since then, many people, driven by various motives, launched a series of investigations into all of you, uncovering your every background and detail. However, in my view, those malicious and idle individuals merely grasped some superficial phenomena and insignificant clues, which are utterly useless.

As he spoke, Jing Luohan’s fingertips continuously traced the rim of his teacup, as if these were merely offhand remarks he held in low regard, containing no hidden meanings whatsoever.

"I wonder if Brother Jing has managed to unearth any important clues?" Yu Shang looked at Jing Luohan, who was solely preoccupied with playing with his teacup, and said with a smile. Yet, deep in his heart, he had already cursed the old foxes of the Yanlan Academy several hundred times. They were truly cunning and deceitful! To actually use the few of them as shields to protect the Yanlan Academy, and even release rumors far in advance, portraying them as peerless powerhouses without equal in heaven or earth. Their sole purpose was to draw everyone's attention toward them, leaving those malicious figures with no time to concern themselves with the Yanlan Academy, forcing them to investigate only these seemingly out-of-nowhere formidable rivals in secret.

In this way, everyone's gaze would be fixed upon them, allowing the Yanlan Academy to temporarily relax without having to live in constant fear and anxiety. Those people would also be intimidated by the few of them and not dare to act rashly against the Yanlan Academy, choosing instead to constantly search for their weaknesses in order to launch attacks. No wonder there were so many strange gazes directed at them while walking down the street just now; Yu Shang had initially thought it was simply because they were too eye-catching that people could not help but stare. Now it seemed that those people more or less already knew their backgrounds, which was why they felt secretly surprised upon seeing them walking so openly down the street, suspecting there must be some hidden conspiracy behind it.

"I have only gained some understanding of your appearances and personalities, and dabbled a bit in your rumored backgrounds. Beyond that, I do not know anything more than those people. Although walls have ears and secrets cannot be kept forever, if someone intentionally conceals something to keep others from finding out, it is not so easily discovered! Therefore, instead of racking one's brains searching for answers that may never yield a result, it is far better to have the chance to witness your true faces in person. If fate permits, perhaps we could become friends; if not, it would at least satisfy my curiosity. Isn't that much better than those who only judge you by your backgrounds?"

With that, Jing Luohan raised his porcelain cup and took a sip of tea, then smiled slightly with great satisfaction before turning his gaze back to the group.

"It seems you came here with a specific purpose waiting for us, young man. It's just that this lord is quite curious as to how you knew we would come to the Qingyu Pavilion today. Could it be that you are capable of foretelling the future?" Xiao Yin glanced at Jing Luohan from the side and teased him with a smile. This fellow was truly interesting, actually revealing his inner thoughts to them like this. Although he knew nothing of the young man's origins, he could not stir up even a hint of hostility toward him, and felt no desire to harbor suspicions either. Thinking of this, Xiao Yin glanced at Yu Shang beside him and chuckled inwardly. It seemed this brat shared the exact same thought!

"Although I cannot foretell the future, I can understand other people's minds to a greater or lesser degree. Since you are going to face so many formidable rivals, you must surely want to know both yourselves and the enemy to ensure victory. And the only place where one can inadvertently learn of an opponent's weaknesses is right here—the Qingyu Pavilion, one of the most representative places in the ancient city of Biluo that everyone wishes to visit. After all, when a person is relaxed, their Achilles' heel is inevitably exposed without them realizing it, and you can take advantage of this very point to discover your adversaries' martial weaknesses, thereby greatly increasing your odds of winning the tournament."

Jing Luohan’s words hit upon everything Yu Shang had been thinking, making him nod repeatedly. He had never imagined that this person could actually perceive what others were thinking; truly remarkable.

"So Brother Yu didn't just bring us here simply for relaxation, but more importantly, so that by knowing ourselves and the enemy, we could be invincible in a hundred battles! I never expected Brother Yu's temperament to be so meticulous, nor did I ever think that someone completely unknown to us could guess Brother Yu's thoughts out of thin air. This feeling is truly wondrous!" Lan Wu said excitedly to the group. Sometimes, even someone standing right before your eyes might remain a complete mystery regarding their current thoughts. Yet this Jing Luohan could divine someone's mind from afar—it was genuinely miraculous, and tinged with a slight sense of mystery. In short, coming to the Qingyu Pavilion was not in vain; it was truly endlessly interesting!

"You silly girl, you need to be a bit smarter in the future. When dealing with matters, don't just look at the surface; you must truly understand their inner workings. I really worry about what would become of you if one day I were no longer by your side to protect you!" Xiao Yin said with deep tenderness to the innocent Lan Wu. There was no need to worry about this silly girl's cultivation; fellow practitioners would not harm her in the slightest. But if someone were to attack her with schemes and plots, she would be left with no choice but to be manipulated by others, which was truly worrisome.

"I refuse! How happy it is to be an innocent and carefree person. If one had to live every day amidst precautions and conspiracies, wouldn't all the joy vanish entirely? Besides, I know you will always protect me and never let others take advantage of me, right? So why should I destroy my true nature, discard my genuine self, and present a carefully disguised version of myself to the world? That would be so exhausting!" Although Lan Wu was not skilled in scheming, her perspective on things was clearer than most. At least she dared to bravely be herself without being bound by the trivialities of this world. Living as she did, she was far freer and happier than anyone present.

"Hearing the young lady say this makes me feel as though I have received a sudden divine enlightenment, and I have figured out quite a lot. You are entirely right; one must live out their true self in this lifetime. Why should one go against their own will for meaningless matters and force themselves to live a life they utterly detest? What fun is there in such days, and what meaning is there in such an existence? Rather than restraining oneself and living in fatigue, it is far better to open one's heart, cast aside unimportant things, and truly live out oneself."

Upon hearing this, Jing Luohan sighed with admiration toward the group. He had never expected a young girl to utter such philosophical words; indeed, none of these people were ordinary.

"It's just that sometimes you simply cannot be your true self or walk your own path according to your heart's desires. There are simply too many things in this world that bind us, things we cannot let go of, forget, or shake off. The only thing one can do is to press forward unhesitatingly, marching on without a shred of regret. For sometimes, a single look back will not only alter one's own destiny but also implicate many innocent people who should never have been connected to it in the first place. We cannot drag them down for the sake of our own selfish desires. Since it is Heaven's will, why ask for trouble by making meaningless struggles?"

Leng Huaiyi kept casting sidelong glances at Xun Mishuang as she spoke these words, wanting to see how she would react. Unfortunately, she acted as though she had heard nothing at all, not even blinking her eyes. Her calm expression revealed no response whatsoever.

"Everyone has a path they must walk, even if it is not what they truly desire. Yet one must accept their fate and keep walking, because once you stop, the lives that once rested in your hands will be sacrificed in vain due to your lack of persistence, and by then it will be too late for regrets. In truth, no matter which path you take, as long as you walk it with a clear conscience, it is the right one for you. In this lifetime, one does not necessarily have to walk the path they yearn for. Because what you want is not necessarily what suits you; it all depends on which path allows you to walk more comfortably and lead straight to your destination."

Lan Bingxian could not help chiming in from the side. For some reason, every time she discussed her inner thoughts with the group, she gained a deeper understanding of her own heart and grasped the thoughts of others more profoundly.

"I suddenly feel that conversing and chatting with all of you allows me to understand areas I have never touched upon or angles I have never stood from. My views on certain matters have also slightly changed; at least I now better understand the differences between my own views and those of others on the same issue, who is right and who is wrong. Or perhaps, neither side is wrong at all, because everyone is merely thinking according to their own train of thought, and whatever is deemed right or wrong is merely a form of self-consolation given by the parties involved."

Jing Luohan said happily. His smile was genuine and deeply infectious, prompting the others to smile along with him.

"Actually, listening to you speak is also a new way of perceiving the world for us. After all, absorbing ideas from different positions is a good thing. At least it allows us to understand that everyone has their own mindset. Since you have no right to force someone to change, you might as well gradually learn to accept their completely different way of handling things! Perhaps by the day you fully understand another person's mind, you will discover that changing your perspective on things from time to time isn't such a bad idea after all."

It was evident that Yu Xiaoran also greatly appreciated Jing Luohan. Instead of unleashing his usual sharp tongue, he chatted with him quite earnestly.

"To be honest, there seems to be a sort of magic emanating from you, young man, one that makes it impossible for people to ignore you and inexplicably draws them close. Ordinarily, I've never seen them speak so wholeheartedly and confide so many inner thoughts to a stranger. Yet you have made them chat away to this extent surprisingly without a shred of wariness toward you; it is truly rare."

Yin Boxuan joked. This fellow truly had a unique charm—not only did he step forward to help the wronged, but his speech was also well-mannered and gentle. Even he found it impossible to resist the sense of affinity radiating from him, and looking at the others, they seemed to have been infected by it as well.

"That is because I genuinely want to make friends with all of you, without involving any conspiracies or interests, purely for the sake of chatting and discussing things. Furthermore, I will not deliberately treat you coldly due to differences in your statuses. When we are together, you are you and I am I, unconnected to any forces behind us, concerning purely personal affection and righteousness. Besides, you know very well how I think in my heart. It is precisely because I lack the ulterior motives of those malicious people that you feel no need to guard against me and are willing to sit down and raise a cup to drink with a stranger like me."

Jing Luohan spoke very calmly, yet his words struck right at the heart of the group. At that moment, Yu Shang could not help sighing inwardly: fortunately, this person was not their enemy; otherwise, in a head-on clash, this battle would have been terribly difficult to fight. He only hoped that his figure would not appear on the tournament grounds later on, or the final outcome might take an unexpected turn.

"You really speak your mind without any reservation or taboo. Aren't you afraid that knowing too much about other people's minds will bring unnecessary disaster upon yourself? You must know that in this world, very few people enjoy being seen through by others, yet you so brazenly blurted out what was in people's hearts. Doing this makes you somewhat dangerous; in my view, it's better to keep things hidden in your heart and speak as little as possible!"

Yan Xuesu smiled as she said this to Jing Luohan, yet an unintentional trace of threatening undertone laced her words. It seemed she did not like others seeing through her quite so thoroughly!

"Precisely because the people drinking with me today are all of you, I have hidden nothing of what is in my heart and spoken of everything I know. If it were anyone else, I would not reveal a single half-sentence. Please rest assured, young lady, I am well aware of what should and should not be said."

Jing Luohan did not mind Yan Xuesu's attitude toward him at all. He simply flashed his signature smile once more and gently replied.