Ye Ping had never ridden a flying sword before.
In fact, until this very morning, he'd never even left Willow Leaf Village. The farthest he'd gone was to the old river bend, where he once tried to race a duck and lost.
Now, with the wind howling in his ears and the ground a blur beneath him, Ye Ping clung to the back of Elder Li Qinghou like a startled monkey.
"Big brother, big brother, are you sure this plank won't fall?" Ye Ping shouted over the wind.
Li Qinghou's face twitched. Plank? This is a seventh-grade spirit sword forged by the Icefire Pavilion's master artisan, valued at ten thousand spirit stones!
But the more he listened, the more Li Qinghou felt his admiration deepen.
To address this supreme artifact so casually, without fear or reverence… truly, this boy has transcended material attachments. Even I dare not treat the Clear Void Sect's treasured blades so indifferently.
He stroked his beard and chuckled. "Fear not, little friend. With your latent talent, even the heavens would not dare let you fall."
Ye Ping blinked. "Really? That's good then. Hey, big brother, when do we eat?"
Li Qinghou's expression froze.
How pure. Even in the face of soaring across the skies, his only concern is filling his belly. Such single-minded focus… This must be the natural state of one who seeks the dao.
He coughed lightly. "Soon. When we reach the sect, you shall feast upon spirit fruits and immortal delicacies."
Ye Ping's eyes sparkled.
"Immortal steamed buns too?"
"…Naturally."
**
By noon, the towering silhouette of Clear Void Sword Sect appeared on the horizon.
A range of snow-capped mountains stretched into the clouds. Waterfalls cascaded down emerald cliffs. Ancient pines clung to rocky outcroppings, their roots drinking from the mist itself. Among the peaks were pavilions and flying cranes, and disciples darting about on swords like shooting stars.
It was a sight to make mortals weep in awe.
Ye Ping stared, his mouth hanging open.
"Big brother… is this heaven?"
Li Qinghou smiled. "Not quite. But for you, it soon shall be."
As they descended onto a wide stone plaza, dozens of figures turned to look. Outer sect disciples in white robes, inner sect elders, and even a few venerable old men seated cross-legged in meditation opened their eyes.
An arrival like this was rare.
Li Qinghou held up a hand.
"Listen well! I, Li Qinghou, have returned from a fated journey, bringing back a peerless genius hidden among mortals — a youth of unparalleled potential, destined to shake the heavens!"
Gasps rippled through the square.
Another elder, an old man with a long white beard, raised a brow.
"Oh? Even you found someone worth that praise? Let's have a look."
He approached, followed by several others.
Ye Ping stood there, scratching his head, blissfully unaware of the stir he'd caused.
"Senior Brother Qinghou, are you certain?" the old man asked, stroking his beard.
Li Qinghou tossed him the jade talisman, its surface still glowing with Ye Ping's name.
The old man's eyes narrowed.
The Heavenly Fate Divining Talisman… it rarely activates, and never falsely. Could this simple-looking boy truly be…
But even as doubts rose in his mind, memories of past prodigies came to him — some born with divine halos, others cloaked in the guise of fools.
He nodded solemnly.
"We must be cautious. Talents like these often conceal themselves. Let us test him."
**
Soon, in the sect's testing grounds, a large crowd gathered.
Ye Ping stood in the center, holding a small spirit stone someone had given him. He squinted at it, then licked it.
"Blegh! Big brother, it's salty."
An inner sect disciple's jaw dropped.
"Unbelievable… to taste the flow of spirit Qi with one's tongue. What a refined sense!"
Another murmured, "He's already beyond our level. Only a true expert could perceive the mineral composition of spirit jade through taste!"
A ripple of admiration passed through the crowd.
Ye Ping, still clueless, wiped his mouth.
"Can I go now? I'm hungry."
Li Qinghou beamed. "Not yet, little friend. Let's test your qi sense first."
A formation of seven glowing stones was placed before Ye Ping.
"Pour your spiritual energy into the stones. The brighter they shine, the stronger your innate talent."
Ye Ping tilted his head.
"What's spiritual energy?"
Everyone froze.
A second later, Li Qinghou laughed.
"Such modesty! He refuses to reveal his strength before us. This is true wisdom!"
The old elder from before nodded approvingly.
"Good. Then allow me to assist."
He sent a wisp of his own qi into Ye Ping's palm.
"Now, little friend, release it into the stone."
Ye Ping felt a warm tingle in his hand and, in his confusion, clenched his fist.
CRACK!
The spirit-testing stone shattered like brittle glass.
Dead silence.
An outer sect disciple gulped. "H-he shattered a middle-grade spirit-testing stone…!"
Another added, voice trembling, "Even our sect master can't break one bare-handed."
Ye Ping panicked. "Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean to break your rock, big brother!"
Li Qinghou's pupils shrank.
What raw power… to accidentally shatter a spirit-testing stone with a mere clench. And he even apologizes so sincerely… Truly, the demeanor of a future sage!
He turned to the others. "There is no need to test further. This youth is indeed destined for our Clear Void Sword Sect!"
Cheers erupted.
"Another peerless genius has joined our ranks!"
Even the old elders were left speechless.
Ye Ping scratched his head.
"Do I get food now?"
Everyone laughed heartily.
**
That night, Ye Ping was given his own courtyard, normally reserved for the top ten inner sect disciples. His room was filled with rare spirit fruits, golden steamed buns, and wine that shimmered like liquid moonlight.
Ye Ping happily stuffed his face, believing this was the standard meal for newcomers.
Meanwhile, across the sect, disciples whispered in awe about the fool-turned-genius.
By the time dawn arrived, legends had already begun to spread.
"Did you hear? The new genius single-handedly shattered a testing stone."
"And tasted spirit Qi with his tongue!"
"They say even the sect master has summoned him."
In one day, the biggest fool from Willow Leaf Village had become the most talked-about prodigy in the Clear Void Sword Sect.
And so began the daily life of Ye Ping, the Heavenly Fool, whose every clueless act would be forever mistaken as profound wisdom.
A simple boy, unknowingly walking the path of legends.