Mistaken expert!

Qin Chen sat outside his wooden hut, lazily tending to the grilled fish over an open flame. The aroma was tempting, the weather was perfect, and life was good.

"Sigh... I wonder if I should've cooked this a little longer?" he muttered, flipping the fish.

Little did he know, at the same time, a group of young disciples was rapidly making their way up the mountain, their minds filled with awe and reverence.

Su Lingxi led the group of female disciples, her expression serious. The pendant in her hand glowed brightly, proving that the divine figure who had slain the Azure Fang Tiger was nearby.

"This must be a hidden expert," she murmured.

The further they climbed, the stranger the atmosphere became.

The mountain air was crisp and fresh, making their minds clearer than ever. Every step they took felt lighter, and even their breathing felt harmonized with the world.

One of the younger disciples clutched her chest. "I feel... I feel like my comprehension of cultivation just improved."

Another disciple gasped. "I can sense my sword, Dao, resonating with something here!"

Even Su Lingxi had to take a deep breath to steady herself. "Just his presence alone is enough to enlighten us? What kind of realm has this expert reached...?"

Behind them, Lin Yu's face darkened. His entire plan had been ruined, and now even Su Lingxi—the female lead he had been pursuing—was eager to meet this unknown figure.

"Who the hell is this guy?!" he clenched his fists.

Finally, they reached the peak and saw... a simple wooden hut.

There was no grand palace. No celestial array formations.

Just a small wooden house, a vegetable garden, a spirit fish pond, and a young man flipping grilled fish over an open fire.

Qin Chen sat there lazily, his long black hair slightly messy, his white robes loose, exuding a casual, carefree aura.

The wind gently blew past him, making his figure look otherworldly.

Su Lingxi and the disciples froze.

"T-This is the hidden expert?"

Before anyone could speak, Qin Chen sighed and shook his head.

"Sigh... The seasoning still isn't perfect. Maybe I should've cooked it for longer."

But to the disciples watching from a distance—his words held an entirely different meaning.

"The seasoning isn't perfect. Maybe I should've cooked it for longer?"

"Wait... is he using the act of grilling fish to comprehend the Dao?!"

"Cooking... represents the cycle of heaven and earth... Fire tempers the impurities... Could this be his way of refining the essence of the world?!"

A young female disciple gasped. "J-Just by watching him, I feel like my control over fire techniques has improved!"

Another disciple specializing in sword techniques felt her understanding of balance deepen.

Even Su Lingxi's fingers trembled slightly. "To use something so simple to refine one's Dao... He must have transcended worldly concerns!"

This was a true reclusive master!

Su Lingxi immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply.

"Junior Su Lingxi of the Cloud Jade Sect pays her respects to Senior!"

Qin Chen, still holding his grilled fish, blinks.

"...Huh?"

He finally looked up and saw several young women bowing respectfully.

"Uh... Who are you guys?" he asked, confused.

Su Lingxi hesitated. She hadn't expected him to ask such a mundane question.

"We were guided here by fate," she said carefully. "Senior, we witnessed your divine intervention when you slew the Azure Fang Tiger!"

Qin Chen frowned.

"Divine intervention?"

Then he suddenly remembered—

That random arrow he shot earlier.

His lips twitched.

"Wait… don't tell me they actually found that shot?"

He wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but at that moment—

[Ding! New Hidden Quest: Maintain the Image of an Expert!][Reward: ???]

Qin Chen: "..."

What the hell?!

So now he had to pretend?

He sighed and decided to go with it.

"It was merely an accident," he said casually, hoping they'd let it go.

But to Su Lingxi and the others, his words only made him seem even more unfathomable.

"To him, slaying a powerful beast in a single shot is just an 'accident'...?"

"This is the level of a true expert..."

"We are like ants before him..."

A deep silence filled the air as admiration shone in their eyes.

Qin Chen felt awkward under their gazes.

But before he could tell them to leave, Su Lingxi dropped to one knee, her voice full of reverence.

"Senior… We would be honored if you could grant us some guidance!"

Behind her, the other disciples also kneeled, their eyes filled with respect and admiration.

Qin Chen: "..."

What have I gotten myself into?!

Qin Chen stared at the kneeling group of disciples, his grip tightening on the grilled fish in his hand.

"They seriously want guidance?"

He was just a normal guy who got thrown into this body!

If he had to explain cultivation, he'd be exposed immediately!

"Wait, think, Qin Chen! Think!"

Suddenly, an idea struck him—

"If I just say something vague and profound, they'll interpret it themselves!"

So he sighed deeply and shook his head.

"The Dao is vast and ever-changing. Seeking guidance from others will only limit your own understanding."

The disciples' eyes widened in shock.

"The Dao is vast and ever-changing... Seeking guidance will only limit us..."

Su Lingxi trembled slightly, feeling as if a hidden layer of wisdom had been unlocked within her mind.

"He's telling us not to rely on others... to forge our own Dao!"

Even Lin Yu, who had been standing in the back with a gloomy expression, couldn't help but feel shaken.

"No wonder I could never surpass my peers... I was always looking for a teacher instead of forging my own path!"

But then—

A young disciple hesitated before speaking up.

"Senior… I understand that seeking guidance may limit us, but we are truly at an impasse! Please, grant us a technique to comprehend the profoundness of our own path!"

The others nodded furiously.

"That's right! Even if we have to figure it out ourselves, we need a starting point."

Qin Chen almost choked on his own breath.

"A technique?!"

He had no idea how to make a real technique!

His mind raced.

Then, a stroke of genius hit him—

"Wait… I've read hundreds of cultivation novels!"

With utmost confidence, Qin Chen copy-pasted an entire basic breathing technique from a novel he'd read back on Earth.

"The 'Heavenly Flow Breathing Technique'—this should be vague enough to sound mysterious!"

He lifted his hand, preparing to casually pass down the technique.

But before he could even blink—

[Ding! A nonexistent technique has been detected! Creating a matching technique!]

[The 'Heavenly Flow Breathing Technique' has been added to the system's storage!]

[30 levels of mastery detected. 10 copies have been added to the system's pocket!]

Qin Chen: "...?!"

His casual nonsense had just been manifested into reality?!

Qin Chen felt his soul leave his body for a moment.

He had just bullshitted a technique from a novel—and now it actually existed?!

More importantly—30 levels of mastery?!

"Isn't this beyond god-tier?"

"No, wait! Didn't I just copy-paste it?!"

"How the hell did it get enhanced?!"

Meanwhile, Su Lingxi and the disciples watched in awe as Qin Chen casually flicked his fingers, sending out floating golden scrolls containing the technique.

Each scroll glowed with divine brilliance, exuding an unfathomable pressure.

Su Lingxi's heart raced.

"A technique given so casually... yet its aura surpasses even my sect's core techniques?!"

A young disciple hesitated before reaching out to grab the scroll.

BOOM!

The moment she touched it, a storm of enlightenment erupted in her mind!

Her body trembled violently as an unparalleled comprehension of Qi surged through her veins!

Her breathing instinctively aligned with heaven and earth, and her cultivation surged uncontrollably!

"AHHHHHH!"

In an instant, she broke through two major realms!

Peak Foundation Establishment → Early Core Formation!

The other disciples paled.

"W-WHAT?!"

Su Lingxi's fingers trembled as she clutched her own copy.

"If just touching it caused that, then this technique…!"

Her entire world shattered as she realized the truth.

"This is a technique... beyond the heavens themselves!"

Even Lin Yu, the so-called "hidden protagonist," felt his legs go weak.

"This level… It shouldn't exist!"

Meanwhile, Qin Chen sat there blankly.

"W-What just happened?!"

"Why did that girl start screaming?!"

Then, his system calmly gave him another notification—

[Ding! Congratulations! The 'Heavenly Flow Breathing Technique' is now recognized as a divine-tier inheritance. System has enhanced it accordingly.]

[Host has received an additional 10 copies!]

Qin Chen: "..."

At that moment, he realized something terrifying.

"Does this mean... whatever I bullshit into existence will become real?!"

"And not just real—super-enhanced?!"

"I need to be careful with my words from now on."

But before he could process this crisis, Su Lingxi suddenly stood up, her eyes shining with determination.

"Senior… You have already given us far more than we deserve!"

The other disciples immediately kneeled again, their voices filled with gratitude.

"Thank you for your divine guidance!"

Even Lin Yu was forced to lower his head, unwilling to offend an existence that could create a technique beyond god-tier with a mere wave of his hand.

Qin Chen just smiled awkwardly.

"Uh, no problem?"

Inside, he was screaming.

"How the hell did things escalate this much?"

But before he could tell them to leave, Su Lingxi took a deep breath.

"Senior… Would you allow us to serve you?"

Qin Chen almost choked on air.

"SERVE ME?!"

"Wait—hold on—why are things going in THIS direction?!"

[Ding! New Hidden Quest: Accept Disciples Who Will Spread Your 'Dao'!][Reward: ???]

Qin Chen: "..."

"System, you little—!"