Lu Xun continued reading his book while casually answering Lu Yu's questions without even looking up. He truly regarded Lu Yu as a little child, not taking him seriously at all.
Soon, Lu Yu approached him again, but Lu Xun maintained his posture, offering a few solutions without lifting his head. He didn't notice the increasingly dark expression on Lu Yu's face.
Lu Yu had many questions. At first, Lu Xun could easily answer them while reading, but as time passed, some of Lu Yu's inquiries made Lu Xun pause and think. However, he still didn't find them overly challenging.
Finally, when Lu Yu presented a genuinely difficult case, Lu Xun closed his book. This one required some thought. He looked up at Lu Yu and said, "You're here to test me, aren't you? But if you're doing this on behalf of Zhuge Kongming, you should come up with something more substantial. This kind of test won't show how much I've improved recently."
Lu Yu's face turned completely red. The question he had just posed had stumped him when he asked Wang Lie, so out of frustration, he brought it to Lu Xun.
To be honest, Lu Yu was now thoroughly convinced of Lu Xun's abilities. However, Lu Xun's remark hit him hard. Even if he hadn't fully grasped the situation, he could tell that Zhuge Liang far surpassed the person in front of him. How could he compete when the person in front of him was already abnormally strong, and Zhuge Liang seemed almost divine by comparison?
One thing Lu Yu had learned well was knowing when to advance and when to retreat. After realizing that he was far from being a match for Lu Xun, he quickly admitted his earlier frustration with being ignored and sought to draw Lu Xun's attention back.
"Do you want to know how much of a genius Zhuge Kongming is?" Lu Xun smirked. Lu Yu nodded vigorously like a pecking chicken.
"Though I hate to admit it, the difference between me and Zhuge Kongming is like that between a firefly and the bright moon. The gap is immense, so large that I can't even fathom the depths of his abilities," Lu Xun said with a bitter smile, though his expression also held a trace of admiration. "That guy is a monster."
To Lu Xun, Zhuge Liang left a deeper impression on him than even his own teacher, Chen Xi. Although Zhuge Liang appeared calm and composed, his brilliance was unmatched—beyond any description.
Lu Yu felt a chill in his heart. If Lu Xun's level of genius already made him feel inadequate, then what kind of monster was Zhuge Liang, who Lu Xun admitted to being far inferior to? No wonder Wang Lie had called him unparalleled, beyond compare. It seemed that Zhuge Liang truly was that extraordinary.
"You might not believe this, but Zhuge Kongming taught me everything I know. My teacher thought I was too weak and had Zhuge Kongming guide me first. But at this rate, I don't think I'll surpass him, let alone graduate from his teachings," Lu Xun revealed, leaving Lu Yu utterly shocked.
"I just tried to provoke Zhuge Kongming," Lu Yu said with a twitching face. "I think I might have just signed my own death warrant."
"Don't worry, he won't trouble you. Right now, he's busy dealing with Fazheng and has no time to bother with you," Lu Xun waved dismissively. "Here, take this book. I need to get back to my studies. Even though it's unlikely, I still want to try my best."
With that, Lu Xun buried himself in his studies again. He planned to solidify his foundation before putting his knowledge into practice. He wouldn't challenge Zhuge Liang until he was fully prepared, especially after witnessing Zhuge Liang's overwhelming superiority.
Seeing Lu Xun quickly return to his focused state, Lu Yu picked up the book Lu Xun had handed him and began reading. If his talent couldn't match others, there was nothing he could do. But if he didn't put in the effort, that would be his own fault.
After thoroughly reviewing his book, Lu Xun looked up and saw Lu Yu deep in thought. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll help wherever I can."
"Who wrote this book?" Lu Yu felt a strong urge to study under the author of this work, as it resonated deeply with him.
"It's an anonymous work from Cai Da's collection," Lu Xun replied calmly. "Cai Da has many rare books. It's said that when the old Lord Cai was alive, he had a collection of tens of thousands of scrolls."
"Wasn't it thirty thousand scrolls?" Lu Yu asked, his jaw dropping.
"Who knows? The entire Taishan Library has over a hundred thousand scrolls, most of which Cai Da transcribed himself," Lu Xun said, glancing at Lu Yu. "You'll definitely go to Taishan. When you do, you can ask Zhuge Kongming about it."
"What a shame," Lu Yu said regretfully. The ideas expressed in this book aligned perfectly with his own thoughts. If he could fully inherit this school's teachings, he was confident that he would experience a breakthrough in his growth. Unfortunately...
"If not, you can always ask Zhuge Kongming. There's nothing he doesn't know. Even if you ask him how to make something, he could explain it in detail," Lu Xun said with a wry smile.
Worried that Lu Yu might provoke Zhuge Liang again, Lu Xun advised, "Zijia, you'd better not challenge Zhuge Kongming. He awakened his spiritual talent at our age, and according to my teacher, Zhuge Kongming's spiritual talent is one of the most terrifying in the world!"
Lu Yu felt cold sweat trickling down his back. He knew what spiritual talent was and couldn't help but mutter, "Is that guy even human?"
"Who knows? Just don't get yourself into trouble. But don't worry—he's a good person. Although he sometimes sets inhuman standards because of his abnormal strength, he doesn't go out of his way to target others," Lu Xun said, recalling how all the foundational knowledge he had worked so hard to master seemed insignificant to Zhuge Liang.
Unbeknownst to Zhuge Liang, both Lu Xun and Lu Yu had mentally classified him as an abnormal person. However, it made no difference to him.
For Zhuge Liang, aside from completing his spiritual talent and marrying Huang Yueying, nothing else seemed too significant. His knowledge was already sufficient; now, he just needed experience.