"Your strength doesn’t seem as impressive as your mouth," Xu He said, walking over to stand right in front of Mo Qi.

"What I hate most in this world are so-called geniuses like you. You rely on a sliver of talent and look down on everyone, thinking you’re above the rules."

Xu He’s expression turned savage.

"A Core Disciple? Heh. What gives you the right to be on equal footing with us Elders? There’s no respect for seniority. It’s a tragedy! Wang Chen was just like this, and now, so are you!"

Mo Qi was speechless. ’Looks like this Xu He has quite a backstory,’ he thought.

Though he didn’t know who this Wang Chen was, he could tell Xu He had suffered a major loss at his hands and hated him immensely for it.

’Then again,’ Mo Qi thought, ’it’s pathetic that Xu He has lived for so long yet still doesn’t understand the rules of survival in the Martial Arts World.’

’With a mindset like his, it’s a wonder how he ever managed to cultivate to the Peak of the Vajra Realm.’

If Mo Qi had known that the Wang Chen whom Xu He mentioned was Wang Hao’s father, one could only wonder what he would have thought.

"I know that geniuses like you all share similar traits: a laughable arrogance, a refusal to submit even in death. You’ll definitely keep your mouth shut during my interrogation."

After a pause, Xu He added, "But that’s fine. I’ll go capture that girl and bring her back. I refuse to believe you won’t talk then."

With that, Xu He turned to chase after Jin Sanpang and the girl.

"Don’t!"

Not knowing where the strength came from, Mo Qi managed to wrench one hand free from the strange Energy suppressing him and grabbed tightly onto Xu He’s leg.

"Wait! Just ask whatever you want to ask! Please don’t overestimate me; I’m not arrogant at all."

’This guy Xu He must have a screw loose,’ Mo Qi thought. ’He loves jumping to conclusions.’

’Have you been reading too many epic hero stories, old man?’

’You haven’t even asked a single question and you’ve already decided what kind of person I am. Who the hell told you I’d rather die than submit?’

’Who was it? Come on out! I promise I won’t beat you to death!’

Xu He was stunned. Mo Qi’s reaction was completely unexpected, the exact opposite of what he’d predicted.

"You’re willing to tell me your secrets?" Xu He asked, his face a mask of disbelief.

"I am!" Mo Qi, still on the ground, nodded furiously. He even managed to free his other hand and used both to cling to Xu He’s leg.

"I’ll definitely tell you everything I can! And for the things I can’t... well, you just have to rough me up a little. The second I feel any pain, I’ll spill the beans. Why go after some girl? That’s such a waste of time!"

In order to buy time for Jin Sanpang and the girl, Mo Qi had completely abandoned all shame.

’Pestering, bluffing, and bullshitting... who can’t do that?’

Xu He was dumbfounded. ’Are you really the same Mo Qi who ignored Wang Xinglong and killed Wang Hao in a rage?’

’Are you really the same Mo Qi who faced down authority, refused to bow, and dared to use Yang Ming’s influence to force both Wang Xinglong and me to concede?’

’This guy is just a spineless clown!’

"Fine, then," Xu He said in a low voice. "I’ll ask you. Why can’t you condense True Essence, yet you’re still so powerful and even possess a Domain? Tell me all your secrets!"

Mo Qi breathed an inward sigh of relief, seeing that he had managed to placate Xu He for the time being.

"You should’ve just said so! If you had told me earlier you wanted to know all this, I would’ve told you long ago. If you don’t say anything, how am I supposed to know what you want to know? But if you *do* say something, then I definitely won’t *not* tell you. But if you *don’t* say anything, then I can’t tell you. See my logic?"

Xu He looked completely baffled, dizzy from Mo Qi’s rambling.

"What is all this nonsense? Are you going to talk or not?"

Mo Qi said quickly, "Don’t rush me! You asked a lot all at once. Let me sort out my thoughts and figure out how to explain it."

Mo Qi furrowed his brow, feigning a look of deep contemplation.

In reality, he felt nothing inside. In fact, he was trying not to laugh.

’They say desire blinds a man, and isn’t it the truth?’ he thought. ’Since Xu He is so desperate to know my secrets, he’s bound to be led around by the nose.’

After a moment of contemplation, just as Xu He’s patience wore thin and he looked about to erupt, Mo Qi finally spoke.

"Let’s take these one by one. First, why I can’t condense True Essence but am still so strong."

"That’s simple. You saw the results of the entrance exam—my Spirit Root Talent is zero. Of course I can’t condense True Essence. *Sigh.* It pains me just to talk about it. As a respected Elder, you wouldn’t understand. With no talent for Cultivation, I was scorned everywhere I went. Life was just so..."

"Enough!" Xu He cut in, his face dark as he saw Mo Qi rambling. "Tell me why you’re so strong!"

"My strength is just an illusion!" Mo Qi sighed, putting on a profound act.

As expected, this piqued Xu He’s curiosity.

"Oh? And how is that?"

Mo Qi said, "With your discerning eye, you must have noticed long ago. Compared to other Cultivators, my Cultivation Techniques, Martial Techniques, and even my general combat methods are all far weaker and more limited. I’m just a bit stronger and have slightly faster reflexes."

Xu He nodded. He had observed Mo Qi’s fights before.

Aside from the "Basic Staff Technique," he hadn’t used any other Cultivation Techniques or Martial Techniques.

From a professional’s perspective, his fighting style was basically just brute force.

"Honestly, I was just born with superhuman strength. There’s no secret to it," Mo Qi added at the perfect moment.

’Born with superhuman strength?’

Xu He was startled. ’Could it be a special physique? A bloodline talent?’

’No, that’s impossible!’

’If he had a special physique, he should have been able to condense True Essence long ago.’

’Besides, when Mo Qi fought, there were no signs of any bloodline phenomena.’

Xu He remained noncommittal about this explanation.

"Now, tell me about your Domain."

Mo Qi said, "I swear, I have no idea how it happened myself. I was just doing my usual cooking, dicing vegetables. I guess I’d been holding a knife for so long that one day, while I was chopping... poof! I suddenly figured it out."

"Heh." Xu He sneered. ’Gaining a Domain from dicing vegetables? Do you take me for a three-year-old?’

"Last two questions. Why are Yang Ming and Yu Liang so dead set on protecting you? And was Yang Ming’s breakthrough related to you?"

"Of course not. I was just a cook before, you knew that," Mo Qi said, naturally refusing to admit anything. "They were probably just won over by my cooking."

’One is a Void Realm expert, and the other is the Void Sect’s chief Alchemy Master... and they were won over by your cooking?’

’If you’re going to make up excuses, could you at least put some effort into it? Make them believable, at the very least.’

"So, you’ve just been messing with me from the very beginning?" Xu He said coldly, his eyes narrowing.

He had asked a whole series of questions, and it was as if he’d asked nothing at all.

"Not at all!" Mo Qi cried, feigning innocence. "If there’s anything about my explanations you don’t understand, I can explain it to you slowly..."

"That won’t be necessary!" Xu He cut him off with a sneer. "Trying to stall for time? Did you think I couldn’t tell? You severely underestimate the speed of someone at the Peak of the Vajra Realm. I thought I might be able to get something out of you, but it looks like I’ll have to do things my way!"

With that, Xu He shook off Mo Qi’s hands and prepared to chase after Jin Sanpang and the girl.

"You’re not going anywhere!" Mo Qi roared.

Xu He stopped and shot him a disdainful glance. "You’re lying on the ground like a dead dog. How exactly are you going to stop me?"

"You said I underestimate the speed of someone at the Peak of the Vajra Realm. Well, let me tell you—you’ve also underestimated the abilities of Mo Qi!"