Jin Yuyan’s face was calm.

"Whether this matter is true or false still needs verification."

"Even if he’s only a Super Grade, and even if he has the power, he has no reason to do this... He’s surrounded by my people..." Yue Dewen spoke out.

"...." Jin Yuyan said nothing, gently raising his hand, he threw out a scroll painting, which landed in front of Yue Dewen.

The painting unfurled, rolling itself open to reveal a portrait Yue Dewen was exceedingly familiar with.

It was... Zhang Rongfang!

"According to the comprehensive investigation by Snow Rainbow Pavilion, Ran Xinyue whom you sent, is a member of the Righteous Alliance’s Reverse Time Society.

Meanwhile, all Grandmasters who previously opposed Zhang Ying have mysteriously vanished.

In Citong, many investigated individuals claimed to have personally seen Zhang Ying confronting and fighting with the Grandmasters.

Yue Dewen, you’ve been blinded by your desires... A twenty-something Grandmaster, late-stage Nascent Soul, also making progress in Alchemy, managing a Great Port effectively..."

Jin Yuyan’s voice was calm, but each word was as deeply engraved as a knife, cutting into Yue Dewen’s heart.

"The Eastern Sect, Reverse Time Society, knew you wanted an exceptional disciple, so they catered to your desires... They created such a ’peerless genius.’ And now, this genius might be assisting others in secretly slaughtering our Grandmasters..." Song Yize chimed in.

"At twenty-something years old, unless coming from a grand sect, royal family, or great nobles, most common families might not even know their letters.

And he can perform Alchemy, achieve Martial Arts Grandmaster level, Cultivation of Literature reaching Nascent Soul Perfection... And yet he tells you he comes from a barbaric Confucian family? Even with deep family roots, his parents died early, and he wandered for a year in between, who taught him? Can one person have such terrifying talent in both literary and martial arts? ... With such a background... you actually believe it?"

"So now the first thing we need to do is, upon receiving the news now, immediately control Zhang Ying! From him we can surely uncover more clues about the Reverse Time Society and other behind-the-scenes forces!" Qian Gong agreed.

Yue Dewen was speechless.

Actually, Zhang Rongfang’s Cultivation of Literature is not Nascent Soul but Refining God....

But he no longer spoke.

Because looking at it from this angle, indeed... whether it’s Refining God or not is unimportant... What’s important is, how was the bone age disguised?

He picked up the painting, gently unrolled it, looking at Zhang Rongfang’s calm half-body likeness.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind, but no matter how absurd the facts were, he still couldn’t find a single flaw about Zhang Rongfang.

Not a single one!

"No matter what, I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with him! Let’s set this matter aside for now! We’ll discuss it again after a detailed investigation later!"

With a swoosh, he put away the painting, his tone decisive.

"Rest assured, if the investigation later reveals he’s truly involved, I’ll give you all a fair account on his behalf!"

"But for now, he won’t be a problem!"

*

*

*

Peak of Linghua Mountain.

Zhang Rongfang slowly stood up, lifting his head to look at Ostend standing across.

In the recent exchange, he’d lost again, but compared to last time, he had been able to hold up under the opponent’s final style for most of an hour.

This already far exceeded the scope of hundreds of moves.

With their speed of attack, they might exchange two to three hundred moves in a minute.

"Senior, can we continue?" Zhang Rongfang looked worriedly at Ostend opposite him.

Unlike him, after this five-day and five-night frenzied exchange.

Ostend was nearing the brink of exhaustion.

He still maintained the final style, but his physique had obviously shrunk considerably.

His skin was entirely red and wrinkled, gasping for breath, his body constantly inhaling essence with every breath.

"I... I..." Ostend wanted to speak, but the enormous consumption left him mentally exhausted.

As he opened his mouth, his mind went blank, not knowing what words to say.

"..... You shouldn’t force yourself, better rest for a while." Zhang Rongfang sighed, looking toward Emperor Jiang embroidering not far away.

Emperor Jiang appeared gentle, sitting on a stone chair as if a well-mannered lady.

Seems he’s in Jun’Er state now.

"Senior Emperor Jiang. May I know if I have now met your requirements?" Zhang Rongfang asked aloud.

At the moment, he was a bit worried about the situation below the mountain, for he had stayed here for more than half a month, with his only dependable information channel being Ran Xinyue.

But Ran Xinyue was ultimately not his close aide; as a Grandmaster of the Sect, who knows what thoughts lingers in her heart.

"In fact, as early as the morning before yesterday, you had already met my requirements. So you can leave at any time, but before you go, I still want to ask: Can you impart your Immortal Way to others?"

Emperor Jiang stopped what he was doing and seriously asked.

"I’ve never tried, but... maybe I can give it a try when I return this time." Zhang Rongfang hesitated, thinking of the Blood-exchanged Tiger Ding Yu.

If anyone is most likely to master the Immortal Way, it’s probably Ding Yu.

"Should you succeed, be sure to inform me." Emperor Jiang said solemnly.

"Certainly!" Zhang Rongfang nodded.

He recalled the initial days climbing the mountain when facing Ostend, he had to constantly harm himself just to cause the opponent a bit of harm.

If the opponent activated the final style, he’d be instantly killed.

But things were different now...

Even facing Ostend’s final style, he could contend without losing ground.

"The last thing you lack now is to forge the strongest will!" Emperor Jiang said calmly, "That requires you to organize, plan, and move forward fully towards the path you desire."

"On this matter, I’ve got some suggestions." Ostend chimed in. "You can enter the ring restriction."

"? Restriction?" Zhang Rongfang seemed to have an inkling.

"Indeed, just like when I established the ring back then, the setting focused on cultivating those who specialize in controlling essence flows of special martial arts practitioners. Then, I swept away all who challenged, eventually forging an invincible belief!"

Ostend slightly displayed a proud look.

"..." Previously, Zhang Rongfang had a question about how so many Grandmasters whose strength wasn’t remarkable could maintain a steady mentality without wavering?

Now it seems... the invincible mindset is cultivated this way?

Whatever aspect one excels in, that’s the only aspect one allows on stage.

’Perhaps, I could go on the stage and compete with others in recovery speed from injuries!?’ Zhang Rongfang thought, both amused and helpless.

"Don’t laugh, although this seems a bit like cheating, it is still a method," Ostend said indifferently.

At this moment, he looked at Zhang Rongfang, his gaze completely different from the beginning.

After realizing what a terrifying martial arts talent the other party was, he no longer had any thought of competing against him.

Instead, he sought ways to build a relationship with him.

Especially now....

"Next, there’s nothing more I can teach you..." he shifted his gaze to Emperor Jiang.

Their agreement was that within a month, Zhang Rongfang had to withstand fifty moves from Emperor Jiang in his normal state.

And now...

"Come..." Emperor Jiang stood up.

In fact, at this stage, Zhang Rongfang was only a step away from becoming a Grandmaster, with his terrifying physical prowess and absurdly rapid martial arts advancement.

The previous agreement was no longer as important.

But an agreement is an agreement, and no matter what, he should still go through with it.

At this moment, on the mountain peak, a gentle breeze swept by.

Zhang Rongfang’s expression became solemn as he stared directly at Emperor Jiang.

The two stood opposite each other, while Ostend silently stepped back a bit.

The airflow swept up sparse dust and grass debris from the ground.

"Blood Lotus!" Zhang Rongfang’s body suddenly expanded, large patterns of crimson spreading from his back, covering his entire body.

In the blink of an eye, his body had grown to four meters.

But this time, his Blood Lotus form had a completely different aura than before.

If the previous Blood Lotus was ferocious, savage, and terrifying,

then now, even at four meters tall with a frame as massive as a beast,

he still exuded the aura of a peak expert, calm as a mountain, majestic in demeanor.

No longer relying solely on brute force and speed to overwhelm the opponent.

Instead... first observing with his eyes, then....

’Seize the initiative!’

’Seize the initiative!!’

In an instant, the two figures flickered simultaneously, disappearing from their spots, charging at each other.

Preemptive strikes against preemptive strikes!

Their arms constantly moved, but before they could exert half their strength, they swiftly retracted.

There was no sound of collision, only two figures rapidly circling, spinning.

They seemed to be exchanging blows.

Yet eerily, there was no sound of impact.

Unlike the two, Ostend was even more nervous, sweat slightly visible on his forehead, watching the changes in the scene intently.

At this point, Zhang Rongfang’s martial arts had already evolved from the Talismanic Skill of the Great Dao Teaching, incorporating many martial arts he had learned, and fully exploiting his natural physical talents.

Finally, combined with the terrifying explosive power of the Golden Toad Skill’s Heaven-Devouring Stage,

he forcefully elevated his physical speed to an overwhelming degree.

Though he hadn’t attained the rank of Grandmaster, he nonetheless reached a level comparable to that of a Grandmaster.

"No flaws... his speed of improvement is too fast. Just yesterday I pointed out a flaw to him, and today it’s completely revised and integrated into his instincts... too fast...!"

Despite having seen it many times, Ostend still felt overwhelmed.

This speed of integrating improvements into instincts was something he had never seen anyone else achieve....

It’s not just about talent, but a comprehensive quality in many other aspects. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Before long, the first sound of collision finally echoed in the scene.

Bang!!

Zhang Rongfang suddenly retreated, with a bloodstain appearing on his arm.

In contrast, Emperor Jiang slowly lowered the Love Saber, a drop of blood dripping from the tip.

He, however, stood unmoving, looking down at his chest front.

There was a cut as if made by a blade.

Caused by Zhang Rongfang’s sharp fingertip slicing through.

"Your martial arts have already formed their own system. Next, it’s about integrating it with your essence qi spirit while shaping your will to become stronger."

Emperor Jiang sheathed his saber, suddenly let out a soft sigh, and turned toward the stone house.

"You... may descend the mountain."

May... descend the mountain....??

Zhang Rongfang stood there, the series of exchanges he had just experienced brought him a deeper comprehension of seizing the initiative against the enemy.

The Extreme Realm’s seizing the initiative focused more on dodging and finding flaws.

While Ostend’s worship direction of seizing the initiative emphasized defense, open and close.

Numerous insights rolled and surged in Zhang Rongfang’s mind.

Through this tempering, countless moves that were useless and unsuitable for him were all streamlined in his mind.

Standing there, he took a deep breath.

All techniques finally stopped operating in his heart, completely streamlined to twelve moves.