A flash of worry crossed Qingfengzi’s eyes.

"My name is Feihong. In terms of seniority, I am a generation above you, but there’s no need to call me ’senior’!"

"Yes! Greetings, Master Feihong!"

Qingfengzi said quickly.

The other high-ranking members of Kongtong couldn’t help but shout in unison, "Greetings, Master Feihong!"

A faint smile touched Master Feihong’s youthful face. He turned to the watery ripples on the cliff wall and quickly performed a series of Hand Formulas. A moment later, four longswords glowing with an eerie light slowly emerged from within.

In just a moment, they had all settled into his grasp, suspended in the air.

"Right now, the great tide has not yet turned. It costs an immense price to reach this place from Gui Xu, so teleporting these four swords was already incredibly difficult."

As Master Feihong spoke, he used his True Qi to send the four swords floating over to Qingfengzi.

Qingfengzi’s eyes lit up as he reached out and took the four swords.

"Since ancient times, our Kongtong Sect has been renowned throughout the Jianghu for its Artifact Refining. Who would have thought that the lineage of the Kongtong here would have been severed? It is truly saddening."

Master Feihong couldn’t help but shake his head, then added, "Of these four swords, two were forged from Extreme Cold Iron and contain Ice Power. If paired with Cold Ice Internal Strength, they can unleash double the might."

"The other two have been infused with Earth Essence, allowing them to store True Qi, and their might is equally unparalleled! Qingfengzi, I’ll leave it to you to arrange for disciples to practice with these four swords..."

"Yes, Master!"

Qingfengzi’s old face was flushed, having already accepted this new reality.

"Starting tomorrow, I will be teaching our Sect’s Martial Arts at Thunder Rock. All disciples are welcome to attend and learn."

Master Feihong’s words made everyone present ecstatic. There were only four Treasure Swords, not enough for everyone.

But teaching Martial Arts was something everyone could benefit from.

How much one learned would depend on their own abilities.

"Yes! We shall obey the Master’s decree!"

The voices echoed endlessly in the vast cave.

...

"In international news, large-scale protests and demonstrations have recently erupted in the East Ocean Country, demanding the government lift its restrictions on proselytizing by the Nine Erosion Sect..."

"American scientist Francis recently announced that after a decade of research, his team has discovered that Fighting Qi can alter the properties of matter under certain conditions... Through their experiments, his team successfully imbued a bullet with the Ice Cold Attribute. This is being hailed as a groundbreaking discovery..."

The phone’s news feed was flooded with a deluge of headlines, some real and some fake.

Busy people, sitting in their warm, heated rooms, browsed casually with a mix of curiosity and a desire to unwind.

They didn’t think much of it.

But to those who were paying attention, the frequency of these news reports was clearly becoming abnormal.

「Jeju City District」

Miao Miaomiao looked at her father in confusion.

"Dad, why are you sending me to the Taishan Sect? I’m doing just fine in school. What about my studies?"

"Listen to me. This is a rare opportunity. Do you think just anyone gets a chance like this? I’ve already spoken to the school. It won’t affect your graduation."

"Mom, can you talk to Dad? I don’t want to go. I already have the Charm Immortal Technique, so I’m not interested in any other Martial Arts."

"This is not up for discussion. And it’s not just about Martial Arts. Be a good girl and listen. You should consider this: Zhao Rui is only going to get more and more powerful..."

"Stop. Dad, I’ll go!"

Miao Miaomiao agreed without hesitation.

Father Miao: "..."

Just as Miao Miaomiao was packing for her trip to the Taishan Sect, Qingcheng Mountain was also welcoming a dozen or so "Children of High-ranking Officials" from the province.

"Senior Brother, this is..."

Daoist Yun Hao looked at Yu Zhengnan with a worried expression.

"Sigh... At the end of the day, we’re still a sect that exists in the mortal world. These arrangements came from above, so we’ll just have to accept them. All things considered, our group is small. I heard Mount Emei took in over fifty people!"

"What on earth is going on?"

"I don’t know either. Sigh... Ever since the old Sect Leader passed, our connection to the higher-ups has been severed. Junior Brother, you need to hurry up. I fear any delay will lead to complications!"

Daoist Yu’s face was etched with worry. In the past, when the old Sect Leader was still here, he never had to worry about such matters; he could just focus on his training and cultivation.

Now that the old Sect Leader was gone, the Court seemed to hold little regard for Qingcheng’s strength, consulting only with Mount Emei on many matters.

This made Yu Zhengnan feel like he was being led around by the nose.

"Yes, Senior Brother, I understand. What about Elder Zhao?"

"Ah, him!"

At the mention of that name, Yu Zhengnan couldn’t help but smile. "Truly, the heavens have blessed our Qingcheng!"

"No," Yun Hao corrected, "Qingcheng makes its own blessings."

Yun Hao’s eyes narrowed slightly as an image appeared in his mind: a hundred years ago, an elder of the Qingcheng Sword Sect had resolutely led his disciples down the mountain.

In those years, amidst a hail of bullets and the flash of blades, Qingcheng’s "heavenly blessing" had been earned with blood and flesh.

"It’s a pity about Elder Ge..."

"Zhao Rui’s arrival was Elder Ge’s will!"

"Yes, you’re right, Junior Brother. Come, let’s go find Zhao Rui. There are two sets of Martial Arts that I think will interest you."

With that, Yu Zhengnan stood up and headed down the mountain.

「About ten minutes later.」

In front of Longevity Cave, Zhao Rui was personally instructing a Daoist Child who was no more than twelve or thirteen years old.

"Shouzhen, you are truly gifted to have cultivated the incomplete Guiyuan Skill to this Realm. Now that you have the complete Heart Method Mantra, you must train even more diligently."

Zhao Rui said to the Daoist Child with a smile, already taking on the air of a senior.

"Elder, if I master this, will I be as powerful as you?"

"You’ll definitely be more powerful than me!"

"Mhm!"

The Little Daoist Child nodded vigorously and began practicing the technique, move by move, with sharp cries of exertion.

"You restored the Guiyuan Skill as well?"

Having overheard their conversation, Daoist Yu came striding quickly from around the cliff face outside the cave, his face alight with joy.

As he approached, he said to the Daoist Child, "Quick, demonstrate it for me."

The Little Daoist Child was startled. Seeing that it was the acting Sect Leader, he immediately offered a fist-cupped salute, then began to perform the Cultivation Technique that Zhao Rui had taught him with meticulous precision.

"Good, good! The Guiyuan Skill..."

"The ancestors are truly watching over us!"

Daoist Yu couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. Most of his disciples had suffered from Qi deviation while carelessly practicing the Guiyuan Skill.

It had become a constant weight on his heart.

"Here are the Martial Arts Heart Method Mantras I compiled. I typed them all out, word by word, so don’t lose them."

"And these Palace Meridian Maps—I drew every last one of them with software."

Zhao Rui reluctantly handed eleven bound volumes to Yu Zhengnan.

"Are these all of them?"

"Yes, all of them."

Seeing this, Daoist Yu’s hands began to tremble. Suddenly, he bent at the waist, giving Zhao Rui a deep, formal bow.

"What are you doing?"

Zhao Rui quickly helped him up.

"On behalf of all of Qingcheng, I thank you for your immense kindness, Elder Zhao!"

"It was nothing. Just consider it a lesson passed on from Elder Ge."

"Elder Ge..."

"Boundless Celestial Venerable!"

Daoist Yu uttered the holy name. Just as he was about to say more, a blood-curdling scream from a Daoist Child echoed from within Longevity Cave.

"AAAAH!"

"Not good!"

Everyone’s expression changed, and they instantly rushed into the cave.

Zhao Rui was the fastest, arriving inside in the blink of an eye.

"Shouzhuo, what happened?"

The first thing he saw was Shouzhuo tumbling out of the Crystal Stone Pool, clutching his head as if he’d taken a severe blow.

Zhao Rui struck one of his acupoints, then placed a hand on his back and channeled a dense stream of True Qi into his body.

’There’s nothing wrong?’

Zhao Rui was stunned. There was nothing amiss inside Shouzhuo’s body—no internal injuries, no abnormalities in his Meridians. And yet, Shouzhuo’s face remained pale, and sweat poured from him like rain.

’Could it be...!’

Without hesitation, Zhao Rui used his Charm Immortal Technique, invading the boy’s Divine Soul and attempting to probe his consciousness with its Charm Power.

"Get out!"

The instant Zhao Rui’s consciousness made contact with Shouzhuo’s Divine Soul’s sea of consciousness, a thunderous roar erupted in his mind.

This was no ordinary Sound Wave, but a voice that struck the Divine Soul directly.

’How dare they! To make a move right under my nose!’

How could Zhao Rui not realize by now that someone had launched a malicious attack against Shouzhuo, striking at his Divine Soul?

Without any further hesitation, he unleashed the full power of his Charm Immortal Technique, launching an assault on Shouzhuo’s sea of consciousness.

Instantly, an indescribable Divine Soul Power appeared, firmly guarding Shouzhuo’s sea of consciousness and blocking Zhao Rui’s attack.

This Divine Soul Power was incredibly profound, like gazing into an unshakeable abyss or a vast ocean.

"What is this?"

Yu Zhengnan and Yun Hao, who had just arrived, stared at Zhao Rui and Shouzhuo with shocked and bewildered expressions.

Seeing Zhao Rui’s grim expression as he stood with his eyes closed in silence, the two men didn’t dare to ask questions, merely standing guard with focused concentration.