Chapter 206: Foolish Cultivation Techniques

Li Banfeng lay on the bed, and Sun Tiecheng stood by his side.

His hands were clasped together, and he wore a simple, honest smile, maintaining his trustworthy demeanor. His tone remained plain and unaffected, as if he were simply chatting with Li Banfeng: "I really didn't expect you to be a Sloth Cultivator. I've never seen anyone cultivate both as a Travel Cultivator and a Sloth Cultivator. Logically, these two Daoist schools shouldn't be able to be practiced together. Had I known you were a Sloth Cultivator, I wouldn't have invited you to the assessment. Sloth Cultivators have too much of an advantage in Fool's City. Your success in the assessment was purely by trickery."

"Sloth Cultivators counter Fool Cultivators?" Li Banfeng asked weakly.

"You didn't know that?" Sun Tiecheng pursed his lips, clasped his hands, and squatted on the ground, speaking with an honest, humble expression. "Then just pretend I never brought it up..."

That humble, honest appearance was incredibly deceptive.

Sun Tiecheng continued, "I just told you that you passed the assessment. Perhaps you don't yet understand what that means. It's actually quite similar to reclaiming new land. Surviving on a plot for three days counts as passing the new land assessment. Surviving and walking out of Fool's City counts as passing the Fool's City assessment. I have three rewards for you, rewards others wouldn't even dare to dream of..."

Li Banfeng's gaze was unfocused; he was on the verge of falling asleep. Sun Tiecheng waved his hand, and a gentle breeze swept over, waking Li Banfeng.

"For the first reward, I'll reserve a plot of land for you in Fool's City. Of course, it won't be as large as new land. Do you want to choose it yourself, or should I pick for you?"

"No," Li Banfeng said, uttering just two words.

"Why not?" Sun Tiecheng asked, slightly curious.

Li Banfeng couldn't be bothered to explain. A plot of land in Fool's City? Was he crazy? Li Banfeng would rather die than return to that place. Besides, who gave him the right to assess him? Why was he assessing him specifically?

"You can't refuse. I put so much effort into this. You have to accept it, whether you want to or not." His tone was no longer as simple or honest.

Sun Tiecheng waved his hand again, dispelling some of Li Banfeng's weariness. Li Banfeng took a deep breath and sat up from the bed. The inherent cost of a magic treasure was an iron rule, an extremely difficult one to break. Even his wife had no good way to counter the cost of magic treasures. This person could easily counteract some of the Judge's Brush's cost, which clearly showed his high status. His offer to give Li Banfeng a plot of land just now proved that he was likely also a local deity of the first tier. Was it possible he was even higher than a local deity?

"Who exactly are you?" Li Banfeng was no longer so lethargic.

"I am Sun Tiecheng, a very honest person. To be frank with you, over the years, only two people have passed my assessment. This is a rare opportunity, and you have no reason not to cherish it." At this moment, Sun Tiecheng's tone was more like that of a seasoned sage.

"Who was the other person who passed the assessment?"

Sun Tiecheng shook his head, "I won't tell you, and I won't tell him about you either."

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, then asked, "How many people have participated in your assessment?"

"Tens of thousands. I've lost count. They all remained in Fool's City."

Li Banfeng thought of the flesh-and-blood specters. He understood the source of that flesh and blood.

"Why did you choose me?"

Sun Tiecheng replied, "Initially, I didn't intend to choose you. I always selected people without cultivation, as they were more useful to me. But they weren't capable enough. Once they entered Fool's City, they couldn't get out, and most didn't even survive for two hours."

All the people who died in Fool's City previously had no cultivation. No wonder Honglian didn't consume the scattered flesh and blood on the ground. Tens of thousands, he said, as if it were a trivial matter.

Sun Tiecheng suddenly adopted his honest persona again, squatting by the bed. "After expending so much effort and achieving nothing, I had no choice but to find someone capable, so I chose you."

Li Banfeng still didn't understand. "How did you know I was capable?"

"Anyone who can open up a ten-li plot in new land must be capable."

"You came to Proper Village just to trick me into Fool's City?"

"I originally intended to trick Ma Wu. I didn't even notice you at first. But after staying in Proper Village for a few days, I learned from Shui Yongquan that you were the one truly in charge, and you were also the one reclaiming the land."

Prominence invites trouble! Perhaps I stayed in Green Water City for too long, and too many people learned about me. I told Ma Wu to try his best to keep things hidden, and he did his best, but some things seemed impossible to conceal.

Li Banfeng gritted his teeth. "You're truly sinister."

Sun Tiecheng stood up, his plain face etched with defiance. "Speak with a conscience. I advised you all along the way not to fall for any tricks. It was your own stubbornness that insisted on staying in Fool's City."

Indeed, he had advised Li Banfeng all along not to be tricked. Not to fall for the ointment seller's trick. Not to fall for the fortune teller's trick. This created an illusion for Li Banfeng, making him believe that this honest, humble hunter was on his side, always looking out for his interests. Consequently, Li Banfeng never once considered Sun Tiecheng to be a fraud.

"What is the purpose of your assessment? Do you want to increase Fool's City's popularity and turn it into a righteous land?"

Sun Tiecheng's expression grew serious, his demeanor once again shifting to that of a sage. "The Old Land cannot become a righteous land again. Even if there are legendary methods, they are not something mortals can achieve. I merely want to find someone to continue the Fool Cultivation, to truly perpetuate it, rather than letting it linger on like walking dead as it does now."

Li Banfeng was startled. He had said earlier that he always used people without cultivation for his assessments. People without cultivation were more useful to him. What was the reason behind this? It was because people without cultivation found it easier to join his Daoist school!

"You want me to join Fool Cultivation?"

Sun Tiecheng nodded. "I'm a straightforward person, and yes, that's what I intend. The world has sought to eradicate Fool Cultivation, but I want this Daoist school to still have living cultivators."

Li Banfeng repeatedly shook his head. "I cannot join your Daoist school. I already cultivate two."

Sun Tiecheng still nodded. "That's where my dilemma lies. In your current state, cultivating three Daoist schools simultaneously would undoubtedly lead to your death. But I can wait. I'll let you enter once you possess that level of strength."

Could such a thing actually be feasible? I am currently a fourth-tier Dwelling Cultivator. If I were to add another Daoist school, I would be an unranked beginner. With a four-tier gap between two Daoist schools, I would die instantly. What feasibility was there?

Li Banfeng couldn't be bothered to think about future matters; he focused on the present. In terms of strength, I definitely can't defeat him. He and I aren't even on the same plane of existence. Even my wife, as she is now, might not be his match. I need to figure out a way to escape from him first.

"Since you think so highly of me, then wait a few more years for me. Once I have the ability, we can talk about joining," Li Banfeng said, resisting his weariness as he stood up from the bed.

Sun Tiecheng nodded. "Don't rush. The matter of joining can wait. We haven't finished discussing the rewards yet."

"I don't want a plot of land in Fool's City. If I enter Fool's City again, I might not come out alive."

Sun Tiecheng nodded. "That's why I have another reward for you: I'll teach you a technique."

"A Fool Cultivation technique?"

Sun Tiecheng nodded.

"I'm not a Fool Cultivator. Can you still give me a technique?" Li Banfeng didn't understand how this worked.

Sun Tiecheng looked pleased. "Others can't, but I can."

What level was this person, exactly? Even local deities couldn't do something like this, could they? Would learning a technique from him affect me? Probably not. If he wanted to harm me, he'd have many ways...

Li Banfeng began to fret again. It seemed he had fallen victim to a Fool Cultivator's trick once more. Forget it. If he wanted to harm me, I couldn't stop him anyway. Learning a technique wasn't a big deal.

Li Banfeng agreed.

Sun Tiecheng smiled at Li Banfeng. "Choose a technique. Any one you like. Just tell me the tier."

"Tier ten!" Li Banfeng answered decisively.

Sun Tiecheng's cheek twitched. He looked at Li Banfeng and said, "If I teach you a tier-ten technique, will you be able to learn it?"

Li Banfeng snorted, "Then why call it 'any one you like'?"

Sun Tiecheng stared at Li Banfeng for a moment. "I am a person of status, do you know that? I've killed tens of thousands, do you know that? I am your senior, do you know that? Is it appropriate for you to speak to me like this?"

Li Banfeng couldn't be bothered to argue with him. "I met a fortune teller in the city. That fortune teller had a technique that made people overthink things, a technique that made them incredibly conflicted."

Sun Tiecheng clasped his hands together again and squatted on the ground, reverting to his honest persona. "How about not learning that one? Let's pick another."

"Why can't I learn this one? The fortune teller said he was tier two, so the technique's tier shouldn't be too high, right?"

"It's not about how high or low it is. This technique... fine, I'll teach it to you!"

After hesitating for a long time, Sun Tiecheng finally agreed. "This is a tier-two Fool Cultivation technique, the Thousand Thoughts of the Fool."

Li Banfeng was startled; this matched the Judge's Brush's description.

Sun Tiecheng explained, "There's a saying: 'Even a fool's thousand thoughts will yield one insight.' But that's actually a deceptive lie. A fool's thousand thoughts don't necessarily yield an insight; instead, they lead to indecision and anxiety over gains and losses. They might seem to have thought everything through, yet they can't take a single step forward. This is why ordinary people cannot leave Fool's City."

Was this what the Judge's Brush meant by "overthinking"?

Sun Tiecheng continued, "The essence of this technique lies in speaking in a way that makes the other person conflicted. The more they trust you, the more they overthink, and the more entangled they become in considerations of gain and loss. Amidst their conflict, a little guidance will lead them to make decisions favorable to you."

Sun Tiecheng waved his sleeve, and a gentle breeze brushed Li Banfeng's face, causing him a slight pang of pain. It was somewhat similar to the pain he felt when he first joined the Daoist school and had powder sprinkled on him, but not as intense.

Sun Tiecheng cautioned, "The Thousand Thoughts of the Fool technique can be controlled with intent. However, while the technique is easy to learn, it's not necessarily easy to use. For a fool's thousand thoughts to work, you must understand what troubles them. If someone is starving and wants to eat, and you take them to a brothel, they won't react or become conflicted. To make them conflicted in that situation, you'd have to ask what they want to eat: meat or vegetables? Oily or vinegary? To use Fool Cultivation techniques, you need to put in some thought."

After a while, the pain subsided, and Li Banfeng asked, "You said the essence of the technique is making the other person believe me. What if they don't believe me?"

"Then find a way to make them believe you."

Li Banfeng nodded. "And how do I make them believe me?"

Just like why Li Banfeng himself believed an ointment seller? This was precisely why Sun Tiecheng was reluctant to teach Li Banfeng the Thousand Thoughts of the Fool technique. It was because this technique was best used in conjunction with a tier-one technique.

Sun Tiecheng pursed his lips, turned his head, and avoided looking at Li Banfeng. "I can only teach one technique."

Li Banfeng clasped his hands together and squatted beside Sun Tiecheng. "After all these years, only two people have passed the assessment. Shouldn't you show a little more consideration?"

"But I've already given you three rewards."

"Just one more then. Buy three, get one free—that's a common promotion."

"No way! You're not even part of my Daoist school, and you want to learn two of my techniques?"

"But I still have one reward left to claim, don't I?"

"The third reward isn't a technique."

"Then let's swap them."

Sun Tiecheng suddenly looked conflicted. He looked up, glaring angrily at Li Banfeng. "Are you using the Thousand Thoughts of the Fool on me?"

Li Banfeng gave a shy smile. "Well, I just learned it, didn't I?"

"Do you know how high my status is? Do you know how powerful I am? Do you know I've killed more people than you've ever seen? How dare you use that technique on me..."

Sun Tiecheng had indeed fallen victim to the technique. His wife had also been affected by the fortune teller's technique. The Fool Cultivation techniques could actually bypass tiers, which greatly astonished Li Banfeng. Was this why the major Daoist schools had besieged Fool Cultivation, even to the point of exterminating them?

Of course, conflict was merely conflict. Sun Tiecheng's true strength remained unchanged. If Li Banfeng were to attack and fight Sun Tiecheng, he still wouldn't stand a chance. After a long deliberation, Sun Tiecheng agreed.

"The tier-one technique is called 'Irrefutable Speech.' What you say will make the other person believe you. All Fool Cultivation techniques require some cleverness. It's not that everything you say will be believed. For 'Irrefutable Speech,' you need to know how to 'carve' it, meaning you must add a bit of cunning. If a statement is completely false, the other person will be hard-pressed to believe it. But if you mix in even ten percent truth, the technique becomes much easier to execute. For example, the fortune teller told you some truths, which made it easy for you to believe him."

Li Banfeng recalled his encounter with the fortune teller. "He told the truth at first; I genuinely was seeking revenge. He predicted it very accurately."

"That's because I told him beforehand that you were seeking revenge."

Li Banfeng was speechless.

"The essence of the tier-one technique lies in unwavering conviction. You must firmly believe your own lies are true to deceive others."

After Li Banfeng learned the technique's essence, Sun Tiecheng brought up Fool's City again. "Now that you've learned techniques from my Daoist school, you should be able to adapt to Fool's City's customs. You must accept a plot of land. Choose a spot yourself."

Li Banfeng didn't want to go back to Fool's City to choose, so he casually said, "Pick a shop for me."

"A shop selling what?"

"Anything is fine."

"A butcher shop, then?"

"Fine, that's a legitimate business."

He agreed to anything; escaping was the priority.

Sun Tiecheng nodded. "Changsan Study House in the east of the city is yours."

"Study House? A bookstore?"

"Didn't I just tell you? It's a butcher shop."

A butcher shop called "Study House"—that was quite an elegant name.

Li Banfeng said, "I have other work outside; I can't manage the business here."

Sun Tiecheng had already considered this. "You don't need to worry about the business in Fool's City. I'll find someone to manage it for you." He waved to a distant figure, and the ointment seller approached. "Master, what are your commands?"

"His name is Tang Changfa. He'll follow you from now on. Changfa, address him as Seventh Master."

Tang Changfa stared at Li Banfeng, scrutinizing him. "You want me to follow him?"

Sun Tiecheng looked at Tang Changfa. "Is that a problem?"

Tang Changfa lowered his head. "No problem."

Sun Tiecheng continued, "From now on, Changsan Study House will be under your management."

Tang Changfa looked up. "I'm managing that place?"

"Are you disobeying?" Sun Tiecheng gave him another look.

"No, I'll obey!" Tang Changfa turned and headed back into the city.

Watching Tang Changfa's retreating figure, Sun Tiecheng sighed. "His flesh and blood need to be replaced; he's practically crumbling as he walks."

Li Banfeng was curious about this. "They are all specters. Why must they don a body of flesh and blood?"

Sun Tiecheng sighed. "Because only then can they believe they are still alive."

Li Banfeng looked at Sun Tiecheng. "Did you deceive them?"

Sun Tiecheng shook his head. "They deceived themselves. The crucial point of the tier-one technique is unwavering conviction. It's difficult to deceive oneself. They need flesh and blood, and they need a livelihood, to truly believe they are alive. Foolishness is one thing, deception is another; they are distinct. If, one day, they no longer believe they are alive, their souls will disperse, the specters will become ethereal, and the Fool Cultivation Daoist school will cease to exist."

Li Banfeng said expressionlessly, "Their flesh and blood were piled up from tens of thousands of people."

Sun Tiecheng shook his head. "Those people deserved to die. They had no real ability, yet they wanted to get rich in the Old Land. They thought the specters of the Old Land were like weeds, ready for them to harvest at will. They forgot that specters were once people. They got some talismans from Nightmare Cultivators and wantonly ravaged everything, living beings and ethereal spirits alike. When they saw so many specters in Fool's City, they wanted to break in, thinking these city-wide specters were just money on the ground, ready to be picked up. After they broke into the city, I advised them to leave quickly, but they didn't listen. They sought their own deaths. When you entered the city, I also advised you. But if any of them could survive, they would be truly capable and deserving of reward. You have three rewards; I've given you two, and now there's one left."

Li Banfeng was very curious about what the last reward was. Sun Tiecheng pulled a package from behind him and gave it to Li Banfeng. "I don't know what feud you have with Iron Sheep Mountain, but you can deal with this as you see fit."

Li Banfeng took the package, opened it, and found a human head inside.

Sun Tiecheng smiled. "The head of Rong Yeguang, the Great Overseer of Iron Sheep Mountain, is yours."