Chapter 197 - The Scum Is Knowledgeable

Since the Cleansing Stone the contestants possess has a limited function, they1 didn't see what happened to Cheng Sheng and Xi Ming. 

"Second young master Chen! Please wait!" Xi Ming called when he saw Cheng Sheng's figure. He can tell it's Cheng Sheng since Cheng Sheng has an otherworldly aura. 

Cheng Sheng's brows raised as he stopped hopping on the mountains of rubble. He turned to Xi Ming. "Young master Xi, you're fast. As expected of the eldest disciple of the Shanliangde Sect!" he exclaimed. 

I don't dare. Xi Ming thought. One should boast in the face of a narcissistic person. "You said you know how these… beings appear." He said. 

Cheng Sheng crossed his arms as he stared at Xi Ming. "You believed me?" he asked. 

"…" should I haven't? Xi Ming thought. "Yes." He honestly answered. 

Cheng Sheng beamed. "You did right!" he said. "These creatures are projections of our mind." He told him. 

"'projections'?" 

"Yes." Cheng Sheng nodded. "They came from our mind. In short, we made them." He explained. 

Xi Ming was shocked. 

Cheng Sheng ignored him as he turned to the side. Suddenly, Fei Yin appeared! "Young master Xi. I already told you. I can't bear to kill my da shixiong." He said as he blinked his eyes at Xi Ming, appearing looking pitiful. 

Xi Ming's face was covered in dark lines and he killed 'Fei Yin'. 

"Brilliant!" Cheng Sheng said as he clapped his hands. 

The obedient Xi Ming. "…" my patience is about to run out. 

Cheng Sheng read Xi Ming's expression and he finally stopped fooling around. "The reason we can easily kill them is they're just projections." He said. "However, the reason they can attack us is that they were given a physical body." He explained. "However, they do not contain qi. Thus, even if they use our sword after copying it, they cannot use sword glares." He held Xiao Ling. "Of course, they cannot invoke our sword spirit, too." He added. 

Xi Ming looked at Cheng Sheng, awe filled his eyes. "Second young master Chen, you sure are perceptive." He praised him. He is honest with his words. 

Cheng Sheng just shrugged and turned, only to see Xi Xing. "Oh." He said as if he remembered something. 

Xi Ming's eyes widened. "Ah Xing?!" he exclaimed. He was about to move when his pupils shrank after he saw Cheng Sheng's sword flew and stabbed Xi Xing! "Second young master Chen!" he yelled. 

"Don't leave your place." Cheng Sheng told him as he raised his hand. "He's not Xi Xing." He told him. 

"What?!" Xi Ming said and looked at 'Xi Xing' who blankly looked at Xiao Ling piercing his chest. "Ah Xing… he's an impostor?" he asked. 

"I forgot to tell you something." Cheng Sheng said as he called back Xiao Ling. However, 'Xi Xing' didn't disappear. "These beings are brainless, and they operate through their instinct – " he said when 'Xi Xing' leaped and raised his sword to cut him. " – to kill." He said as he sliced 'Xi Xing' into two. The blood splattered to the sides. Not a drop fell on Cheng Sheng's body. 

Xi Ming was frozen in shock as he stared at 'Xi Xing' that instantly disappeared. "Ah Xing…" he called under his breath before he woke from his daze. "Wait. This one has blood but the other before didn't have." He said when he remembered his impostor in the pond earlier that Cheng Sheng killed. 

"Ah? Really? I didn't notice. They all look the same to me." Cheng Sheng shrugged. 

"…" second young master Chen… Xi Ming helplessly thought. It is reasonable Cheng Sheng wouldn't understand since he isn't from this secret realm. He should be considerate of him since they are in the same boat, and also be grateful since Cheng Sheng tells him his insights.

If Cheng Sheng didn't or if he was just alone right now, he would senselessly attack these impostors or that he would have already been deceived by them. 

"Morever – " Cheng Sheng said as he cleaned Xiao Ling with a Cleaning Talisman. " – they are attracted to people with higher cultivation. And, the higher the individual's cultivation, the more the information they can gather from them." He explained. For example, like Fei Yin's impostor earlier. The reason why it can call Cheng Sheng 'shidi' earlier and act like Fei Yin is because Cheng Sheng has a high cultivation. "They can copy more perfectly the person the most intimate in one's mind. Since, after all, it is us who creates them." He added. 

"So, the process to call them…" Xi Ming said. 

"One just had to think of them and they will appear." Cheng Sheng answered and resumed leaving. 

Xi Ming immediately followed behind him as he pondered. "But, wouldn't the person with a high cultivation would know it's an impostor even if the impostor perfectly copied their person1 since the impostor has no qi?" he asked. 

"What if that person has a very confused mind?" Cheng Sheng asked. "For example – " he said.

Xi Ming's eyes widened. "A Heart Demon!" he exclaimed. 

Cheng Sheng nodded before his brows knitted. "But…" he said as he placed his fingers on his chin while he hopped through the sea of rubble. 

"What is it, second young master Chen?" Xi Ming asked. 

"I've been trying to call founder, but he wouldn't respond." Cheng Sheng said. 

"Huh?" Xi Ming said. Does he mean sect leader Xie? He thought. 

"You see, I wanted to share the fortunes in this secret realm with founder, but he wouldn't respond." Cheng Sheng said before he smiled when he saw Xi Ming just became more confused. "I am trying to see if the secret realm is limited to copy only the people inside and not the people outside." He explained. 

"So… you're trying to summon sect leader Xie's impostor?" Xi Ming asked. 

"Yeah." Cheng Sheng said. 

"… sect leader Xie wouldn't appear, right?" Xi Ming asked. 

"If he could, we would've already seen founder earlier." Cheng Sheng said. 

Xi Ming sighed in relief. No matter if it was an impostor, but a sect leader's presence makes him feel more pressured. "Ah." He said when he remembered something. 

"Hm?" Cheng Sheng said. 

Xi Ming's expression turned serious. "Say… what would happen to a person with a Heart Demon if he wouldn't see the person in his mind in this realm?" he asked. 

Cheng Sheng was puzzled at first before his eyes widened when he understood. "A Heart Demon born out of an unrequited love, eh?" he said as he grinned. 

Xi Ming didn't know how to respond. He just waited for Cheng Sheng to speak. 

Cheng Sheng didn't disappoint him. "If he kept calling his person, even if it'd be just an impostor, but the person didn't appear…" he said. "… he'll start to mistake the person nearest to him as the person in his heart." He explained. 

Xi Ming held his breath. "How would that happen?" he asked. 

Cheng Sheng tried to think. "Since his mind started to become confused, but his person wouldn't come out, the first person that would appear in his sight is the person he'll mistake for the person in his mind." He explained. 

Xi Ming suddenly froze and stopped. 

"What's wrong?" Cheng Sheng asked. 

"… second young master Chen." Xi Ming called. "I know you already noticed." He said when he saw Cheng Sheng slowly smiled. 

"I am just good at reading people's emotions." Cheng Sheng told Xi Ming. 

Xi Ming stared at Cheng Sheng before he helplessly sighed. "You are right." He said. "Jing Cheng has a Heart Demon." He told him. "And, as his friend, I wanted to help him." His face is serious. 

Cheng Sheng isn't surprised. No matter how many people would claim the Shanliangde Sect and the Zunjingde Sect are truly enemies, but no one would mistake the current generation's friendship. "Young master Xi." He called. "You know how I work. To be fair, something has to be exchanged for the hard work I'll bear." He told him. 

Xi Ming is speechless of how Cheng Sheng could still fish in troubled waters. "I'll pay you when we get out of the secret realm." He told Cheng Sheng. "I just want you to help Jing Cheng." He said. He can't bear to see Jing Cheng falling in grace. 

"Because I'm deeply moved by your display of friendship, I'll help." Cheng Sheng said as he took out his Cleansing Stone. 

"Thank you." Xi Ming sighed in relief. He knew Cheng Sheng knows a lot of things, thus he might know how to suppress one's Heart Demon. "What are you going to do with your Cleansing Stone?" he asked. 

"In order to help a person, one should know where he is first?" Cheng Sheng asked. 

"… I apologize for being mindless." Xi Ming said. "Second young master Chen, it only shows a map of the secret realm, but not the location of the other contestants, unlike in the third stage." He told him before he paused. "Second young master Chen knows how to locate a contestant?" he asked in surprise when he realized it. 

"I'm not omnipotent." Cheng Sheng said as he stared at his Cleansing Stone. 

"… then, what are you doing?" Xi Ming asked. He cannot comprehend Cheng Sheng's actions. 

"If I'd say I'm admiring the Cleansing Stone's magnificence, would you believe me?" Cheng Sheng asked. 

Xi Ming didn't dare answer. 

Cheng Sheng finally let Xi Ming off of his sarcastic remarks since he likes Xi Ming's temper. "In the earlier stage, the Alliance's disciples' Cleansing Stone can see the contestants in the map. However, our Cleansing Stone can't." he said as he looked at his Cleansing Stone. 

"You are saying…" Xi Ming said. 

"The Cleansing Stone is one of the precious resources. The Alliance wouldn't waste the Cleansing Stone. I am guessing they are recycling the Cleansing Stones that were used by the previous contestants, as well as the Cleansing Stones used by their disciples before." Cheng Sheng explained. 

"You mean…" Xi Ming's eyes widened.

"Yes – " Cheng Sheng said as he blinked and his pupils turned silver. He opened his Spiritual Sense. " – they just concealed the location of the other contestants." He grinned when multiple specks of light appeared in the map of his Cleansing Stone.