Chapter 4601 — The Difference Between Geniuses

"Oh? And who, pray tell, should I be punishing, Grandfather?" Shangguan Tianxia let out a noncommittal chuckle.

There was, in truth, something to what Shangguan Lan'er said. As the pavilion master of the Soaring Heavens Pavilion, he was known far and wide for his iron hand—if some great personage had in fact been the target of that "no eye for talent" remark, he might well have seen fit to make a real example of the offender. But since no whisper of this had reached his ears, it clearly did not concern any of the great houses, and so there was no cause to take it to heart.

"Ma Dangfeng—the Azure Cloud Pavilion disciple who styles himself the top new talent king. He maligned you in front of a great crowd, and deserves to be punished for it," Shangguan Lan'er declared with perfect confidence.

"Ma Dangfeng?" Shangguan Tianxia pondered a moment before recalling that such a person did seem to exist. "Would that be the new talent at the Nascent Soul stage?"

"That's the one! The man is utterly overbearing. Today, in front of a great many Azure Cloud Pavilion disciples, he nearly strangled Senior Brother Lu Bianren of the Azure Cloud Pavilion to death on the spot. Luckily I happened along. Grandfather, don't you think such a man is simply odious?" Shangguan Lan'er tattled.

"Is that so? And the other Azure Cloud Pavilion disciples—did they all simply stand by and watch him die?" Shangguan Tianxia was briefly taken aback; when Shangguan Lan'er nodded firmly, he shook his head with a sigh. "This Yu Zhenyang—capable enough, to be sure, but he simply will not attend to the affairs of his own Azure Cloud Pavilion. When the disciples are all of this stamp, the Azure Cloud Pavilion rising again under his hand—that will be a hard road indeed."

"Exactly! And that's not all—he also proclaimed that you, Grandfather, have no eye for talent, that you mistook our little junior brother, that good-for-nothing, for a genius. He even said that to prove it, he would go to South Island himself and destroy our little junior brother. Oh, I could simply die of fury!" Shangguan Lan'er huffed, hands planted on her hips. Shangguan Tianxia and Wei Zhao were the two people she cared for most in all the world, and now this Ma Dangfeng had trampled them both underfoot at once. If she wasn't fit to explode with rage, who was?

"Oh? So the man is arrogant, yes—but not entirely without a brain. He has made himself a shield to hide behind," Shangguan Tianxia observed with a smile.

"A bit of cheap cleverness, that's all. What sort of shield is that? Grandfather, you aren't truly thinking of letting this drop, are you?" Shangguan Lan'er frowned.

"Heh. Since he has put it that way, it would be awkward for me to pursue the matter even if I wished to. It has become a matter between him and Wei Zhao; until there is a result, it would be unseemly for me to take a position," Shangguan Tianxia said, shaking his head with a smile.

"What? Then his scheme has succeeded! Grandfather, you are far too indulgent with this Ma Dangfeng!" Shangguan Lan'er broke off mid-sentence, then eyed Shangguan Tianxia up and down with sudden suspicion. "Grandfather, has this Ma Dangfeng caught your fancy as well? Do you think he too is a genius?"

One look at Shangguan Tianxia's expression, and Shangguan Lan'er knew at once she had blundered. She should have known better than to think a man of her grandfather's temperament would ever trouble himself over a nobody like this. By lodging her complaint, she had only brought Ma Dangfeng to her grandfather's notice—and perhaps that had been the fellow's true intention all along.

"No, he is not," Shangguan Tianxia said, still smiling.

"Not?" Shangguan Lan'er, mired in her own chagrin, was caught off guard. "Isn't he the top new talent king? And a Nascent Soul expert besides. By all accounts he's even stronger than our little junior brother..."

Shangguan Lan'er truly could not stand Ma Dangfeng, but credit where it was due: judged purely on hard credentials, this so-called top new talent king was no self-inflated braggart—he genuinely had the goods. Even measuring Wei Zhao against him, it would be hard to come out ahead; one might well end up the loser.

"This Ma Dangfeng is indeed the top new talent king, and indeed a Nascent Soul expert," Shangguan Tianxia said, shaking his head and smiling. "But that does not make him a true genius. The reason he could become the new talent king is that he crushed the field with the absolute power of the Nascent Soul stage. Every opponent he met in the inner sect tournament was a Golden Core disciple—naturally none could bar his path. But think on it, little Lan'er: what if his opponents had likewise been Nascent Soul experts? Would he still have any absolute advantage to boast of?"

"Ah?! Right—I see it now! The reason our little junior brother is a top genius is that he can face foes above his own level with ease. But this Ma Dangfeng cannot!" Shangguan Lan'er clapped a hand to her forehead, suddenly delighted.

"Exactly. That is the gap in potential—one far greater than any gap in present strength." Shangguan Tianxia nodded. He had never truly observed Ma Dangfeng, nor even laid eyes on him, yet he could state with certainty that the young man was incapable of the overlevel fighting Wei Zhao managed.

The reason was simple: a Nascent Soul expert who could fight above his level would never deign to notice a Golden Core expert at all, much less scheme specifically to deal with one. His gaze must always be fixed upward—only so could he grow stronger. Otherwise, fighting above one's level was simply out of the question. As the old saying went, the stage is only as vast as the heart.

"Hehe, I knew it—how could a loathsome creature like that compare with our little junior brother? The man isn't fit to carry his shoes!" Shangguan Lan'er was finally in high spirits again. Had anyone else said such a thing, she might have doubted it—but coming from her grandfather's own lips, it was certain as certain could be.

"As unfair as it sounds, that is indeed the way of it. Strength alone signifies nothing. Never mind a mere Nascent Soul expert—even a Mystic Ascension expert would be no more than an ant in my eyes, not worth a second thought. But Wei Zhao is different. The potential in his future is not simply a matter of reaching the Mystic Ascension stage," Shangguan Tianxia said with a nod.

"I understand. But if that is so, Grandfather, why not intervene? Our little junior brother's potential is vast, true, but for now he is only at the Golden Core stage. If Ma Dangfeng finds him, he will still be in grave danger. It is rare for you to hold someone in such regard—you cannot let a wretch like Ma Dangfeng snuff him out halfway." Shangguan Lan'er clung to Shangguan Tianxia's arm and wheedled.

"It does not matter. Whether Ma Dangfeng goes to South Island or not makes no difference to Wei Zhao," Shangguan Tianxia said with a faint smile.

"No difference? How can that be?" Shangguan Lan'er was utterly baffled. She might secretly hold Ma Dangfeng's sort in contempt, might think the man unworthy to be mentioned in the same breath as Wei Zhao—but he was a Nascent Soul expert all the same, and at Wei Zhao's present strength, meeting him would still be a fearsome headache, would it not?

"Do not forget—on South Island, Wei Zhao was hunted by a Mountain-Opening stage heretic of the Old Sect of the Western Hills..." (To be continued) R466