Chapter 224: Chen Shun’an, Show Me Your Limits!
And Zhang Wei also quickly walked over, respectfully bowing as he said,
“I have seen Master Zhang.”
Red Fifth Master looked at Zhang Xuling with some curiosity, not knowing this person’s identity, but seeing that Zhang Xiangling and the others treated Zhang Xuling so cautiously, he couldn’t help but cup his hands in greeting.
Only then did he head toward Chen Shun’an’s seclusion place, the quiet room of the Martial Arts Hall.
Tian Xuan Saint had left, most likely it was danger rather than fortune; such good news should still be promptly informed to Brother Chen, lest he worry in his mind, suffer Qi Deviation, and ruin the major matter of his seclusion.
It was just a pity that he had no fate to join hands with Brother Chen to slay immortals together; that was truly a regret.
“Master Zhang, do you know that just now a martial artist with True Intent Perfection manifested a Nascent Spirit and actually defeated Tian Xuan Saint!”
Zhang Xiangling followed by Zhang Xuling’s side, chattering away.
“Master Zhang, does this count as killing enemies across realms? Tian Xuan Saint back then entered the path by slaying one bandit…”
Zhang Xiangling was extremely excited all the way.
But Zhang Xuling remained coldly indifferent throughout, as if everything was not worth mentioning.
“By the way, Master Zhang, have you seen Chen Shun’an? Has he comprehended the Six Sceneries Rotation True Cultivation Manual? Can he catch your eye and be accepted into your sect?”
Zhang Xiangling then curiously asked.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuling shook his head, his voice flat,
“I have seen him, but it is not him. The one who comprehended the Six Sceneries Rotation True Cultivation Manual is someone else; I already have a lead.”
“Ah?”
Zhang Xiangling was somewhat disappointed, her small mouth pouting as she drooped her head.
She naturally had unwavering faith in Master Zhang’s judgment, but she was still a bit regretful.
Zhang Xiangling mustered her courage and probed again,
“But Chen Shun’an is after all a Three Refinements Martial Body, and now he is preparing to slay mind thief; should we give him a chance? Not to mention participating in the year-end grand celebration, at least include him in the Zhang Family’s cultivation?”
Zhang Xuling smiled faintly and said,
“You are the family head’s daughter; why ask me about these matters? Decide for yourself… Right, Zhang Wei, what news have you found? Among the Four Great Daoist Academies, besides Yue Shan Daoist Academy, who else has come?”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Wei quickened his steps to fall beside Zhang Xuling and reported in detail,
“Besides the black-clothed old woman from Fu Rang Sacred Cult a few days ago, Fengchi Daoist Academy has already sent an immortal; it should be that sea-stirring silver dragon Wu Wudi. Behind Filial Gentleman Wang Zhicheng, the one standing should be him.”
“Yue Shan Daoist Academy has that famous speaker Yu Xiaoquan who opened a six-inch immortal vein. As for Pan Hu’s high cultivator, besides appearing in Wuqing County some time ago, he has recently been in secluded cultivation in the Daoist Academy.”
“Longguang Daoist Academy is as usual, with no response, seemingly uninterested in early recruitment of talented persons, and naturally won’t send anyone to West Mountain to participate in the Grandmaster Record.”
“Additionally, there is Caobang’s Stone Chamber Nunnery transport chief Zhu Tao, Libao Trading Company’s young landlord Jiang Dahua; behind these people, there are traces of immortals from Yue Shan Daoist Academy and Fengchi Daoist Academy respectively.”
“Presumably, these young talented persons pushed to the forefront will all go to West Mountain, using Master Tie Yu’s leftover record to temper themselves… to adapt in advance to the year-end grand celebration.”
Zhang Xuling nodded and said, “I understand.”
“By the way, Master Zhang…”
Zhang Wei carefully asked, “I wonder what countermeasure you have for that great demon in Funiu Water Marsh?”
Although Zhang Wei was not a native of Wuqing, he had after all shared a few drinks with the old master of Zhang Village and was unwilling to see the lives in Wuqing County suffer.
“No matter. This matter has another explanation; it is not as dangerous as it appears on the surface, and it won’t have too great an impact on the people of Wuqing.”
Zhang Wei understood and felt relieved.
Although it wouldn’t have too great an impact, it would still have some impact.
But that was already the mercy exclusive to the immortals.
Zhang Xuling said this faintly, then walked alone into the secluded courtyard.
Zhang Xiangling and Zhang Wei stood silently in place, bowing respectfully to see Zhang Xuling off until his figure completely disappeared, before they each departed.
In the secluded courtyard, Zhang Xuling pinched a spell formula, and a flash of spiritual light appeared.
The courtyard suddenly fell into dead silence, as if cut off from the heaven and earth outside.
Zhang Xuling strode forward, lowered his head, and sat cross-legged on the cushion.
Sandalwood smoke curled up, outside the window white snow fluttered through the courtyard like flying flowers.
“Hahaha…”
Abruptly, in the dead-silent courtyard, a strange and suppressed burst of laughter rose from soft to loud.
“Hahaha, it’s actually him!!! Haha, heh heh heh heh, Six Sceneries Rotation, Chong He Martial Tendon Body, Acquired One Qi Body; he actually obtained two martial bodies gathered in one person!!”
“He has at least a fifty percent chance of breaking through to Martial Dao Grandmaster!”
“Even Tie Yu, Zhou Haichuan, and Big Black Hat at their peak back then were no more than this!”
The most crucial thing was…
The laughter abruptly stopped.
The expression on Zhang Xuling’s face suddenly became somewhat strange.
He recalled not long ago, Chen Shun’an tiptoeing and hiding on Tian Xuan Saint’s must-pass road, ambushing her.
It felt extremely familiar, with a strong sense of déjà vu, as if he had seen it somewhere…
This kid is just like me!
A hint of appreciation flashed in Zhang Xuling’s eyes.
He had seen plenty of those with exceptional talent.
But those with exceptional talent plus excellent conduct, deeply versed in the way of self-preservation, even engraved into their bones, were few.
His survival to this day and cultivation to the Qi Absorption realm was not due to how high his talent was.
It was endurance!
Caution!
Stop when the time calls for stopping, act when the time calls for acting; neither too early nor too late in motion or stillness, and the path is illuminated.
This was the supreme method of cultivating immortality!
Those more talented than him, progressing even faster, had almost all perished, turned into piles of white bones.
Heavenly pride?
In the cultivating immortality world, it was the most common and the most dangerous!
And also the most likely to be targeted by high cultivators.
Therefore, Zhang Xuling was very satisfied with Chen Shun’an’s seasoned approach, always tightly concealing his own cultivation, blending light and dust.
Even having reached True Intent Perfection, he still mingled among a group of second-rate and True Intent initial stage martial artists.
He has affinity with my Tai Xuan Spiritual Mushroom Peak…
Zhang Xuling sat cross-legged in meditation, inhaling and exhaling heaven and earth Dao Rhyme, breathing spiritual Qi; around his body, green light mist roiled and surged, occasionally transmitting the rustling sound of root systems wriggling. In the mist faintly appeared a several-zhang-tall spiritual mushroom immortal grass, five colors brilliant, radiant as cloud brocade.
A few traces of sharpness gradually appeared in his eyes.
“Let me clear away all the obstacles on your path to achieving the grandmaster position that shouldn’t be there!”
“Chen Shun’an, let me see just how far you can go!”
……
Taking advantage of no one around.
Red Fifth Master quietly arrived at the quiet room of the Martial Arts Hall.
At this time, the outside clamor had not yet dispersed; the martial artists of the Martial Arts Hall were still patrolling everywhere. Plus, with Red Fifth Master’s strength, as soon as he circulated his breath-concealing technique, no one noticed at once.
As the distance to the quiet room grew closer.
Red Fifth Master suddenly became somewhat agitated.
About to make direct contact with this Brother Chen for the first time, Red Fifth Master felt like an old friend reunited after many years in a foreign land.
He had too many words, too many questions, he wanted to ask Chen Shun’an.
If not for the wrong time and place, he even wanted to swear a blood oath, become sworn brothers with this Brother Chen, and be bros!
But…
Upon reaching the building complex on this side of the quiet room, Red Fifth Master followed the map and found the one belonging to Chen Shun’an.
Down the long stairs, through the corridor.
He was just about to cough twice to give prior warning, lest he disturb Chen Shun’an in seclusion.
The door opened.
The door of the quiet room cracked open slightly.
Puzzled, he pushed the door and entered, only to see the inside empty and deserted, with no sign of Chen Shun’an.
He quickly noticed the ground: that deep pit melted by who-knows-what.
“What is this thing? Why would Brother Chen’s seclusion create something like this?”
Sensing the residual blazing fire intent in the deep pit, Red Fifth Master couldn’t help but feel a palpitation.
The key was…
Why was the quiet room also filled with a wisp of Nascent Spirit intent somewhat similar to that extremely pure and extreme yang just now?!
An extremely absurd and terrifying guess suddenly emerged in Red Fifth Master’s mind.
“I understand, I get it! It’s him…”
Red Fifth Master’s eyelids twitched violently.
The next instant, an indifferent voice sounded by Red Fifth Master’s ear.
“What do you understand?”
Zhang Xuling appeared soundlessly in the quiet room, merely grabbing at the air; the thin fire Qi and Nascent Spirit intent permeating the quiet room surged back and condensed at his fingertips, gathering into a soybean-sized, bright and translucent bead.
He merely blew lightly, and with a thunder-like explosion, the light scattered completely, leaving no trace.
Looking at Zhang Xuling’s pair of cold eyes, Red Fifth Master jolted, and blurted out involuntarily,
“I don’t understand anything!”
“Very good.”
Zhang Xuling was very satisfied and was about to shift his gaze away from him when he seemed to notice something, exclaiming in surprise, his gaze focusing back on Red Fifth Master.
The next instant, an overwhelming and irresistible terrifying spiritual sense swept over Red Fifth Master, and Zhang Xuling’s voice echoed eerily,
“No wonder you seemed familiar; Big Black Hat Top, how are you hiding here? Hmm, Nascent Spirit differentiation? As expected of the one who aspires to seek the martial path and refuses to ascend to immortality, the most outstanding Martial Dao Grandmaster within three hundred years…”
“Forget it, go your way, but don’t ruin my affairs, or don’t blame me for not sparing you.”
With that said, without regarding Red Fifth Master’s reaction, Zhang Xuling gracefully departed.
Not knowing how much time passed, Red Fifth Master finally recovered from that suffocating confinement with no power to resist.
He was like a fish falling back into water, gasping heavily, drenched in sweat, nearly soaking all his clothing.
And strangely, he seemed not to have heard the words Zhang Xuling had just said.
Zhang Xuling’s words were said to the existence following behind him.
“What just happened?”
Red Fifth Master was somewhat dazed.
Then, by his side, that strange voice neither male nor female sounded again,
“He discovered me and said some words to me.”
Red Fifth Master suddenly understood and pondered for a moment before saying,
“Is his strength very strong? Compared to you, how is he?”
That voice was silent for a long while, then cautiously replied,
“Don’t provoke him.”
……
“Landlord, this is the course of tonight’s events.”
“You mean, you had just arrived not long ago, hadn’t even seen Tian Xuan Saint’s figure, and everything was already over?”
Candlelight flickered, casting a dark yellow glow on the books in the study room.
Zhao Guangxi sat on the pearwood chair, looking at the trusted subordinate before him, brows tightly furrowed, tone full of shock and doubt.
He waved his hand, making the maids and guards on both sides move away from the study room; without his orders, they were not to approach.
The maids and guards were deathly silent, bowing as they retreated; the door gently closed, blocking out the outside noise.
