Chapter 22: My master, the old man, is quite terrifying, isn't he?

"Master Zuo, is Brother Lu not with you?"

"No, I had Jin'er return home early. After all, he has rarely had the chance to go home since he joined my sect. With Master Lu's birthday celebration coming up, I simply gave him some time off—first, so he could spend more time with his family, and second, so he could help out around the house during this period."

"I see." Zhao Zhen nodded in understanding.

"Zhao Zhen, I heard that a man claiming to be the leader of the Quanzhen sect was present at the Yinghe Restaurant that day?"

"Yes, his name is Wugen Sheng. Judging by how Yuan Jingui and Wang Yaozu addressed him, there is no doubt he is the leader of the Quanzhen sect."

"You have had contact with this Wugen Sheng. What do you make of him?"

"It is hard to say. The situation that day was unusual. Wugen Sheng tried to force me to use the Golden Escape Flowing Light technique to help them escape, but I eventually managed to slip away using a ruse. During that time, I didn't have much interaction with him, so I truly cannot say what kind of person he is."

"Is that so? After all these years, another leader has appeared among the members of the Quanzhen sect. I wonder if it will be a blessing or a curse..."

As Zuo Ruotong was lost in thought, two figures approaching from the distance suddenly caught his attention.

"Celestial Master, long time no see."

"Haha, Master Zuo, long time no see."

Zhao Zhen looked up and saw a middle-aged Taoist with a long, thick beard and wearing blue Taoist robes walking toward them with a commanding presence. From how Zuo Ruotong addressed him, Zhao Zhen immediately identified him: Zhang Jingqing, the 64th Celestial Master of the Tianshi Mansion on Mount Longhu.

Following closely behind Zhang Jingqing was a tall, young Taoist wearing faded, tattered robes, who looked rather unkempt at first glance. The moment Zhao Zhen saw this young man, his eyes narrowed involuntarily.

Zhang Zhiwei—the future 65th Celestial Master, the Daoist of Heaven’s Path, the undisputed ceiling of combat power in this world.

I never imagined we would meet in such a way.

As Zhao Zhen pondered this, Zuo Ruotong and Zhang Jingqing exchanged friendly greetings.

"Master Zuo, is this your disciple? His energy is well-contained, yet his eyes flash with sharp brilliance. His cultivation is quite impressive for such a young age."

"My apologies, Celestial Master. If I could, I would truly love to take him as my disciple. However, when I first met this young friend, he already had another master."

"Junior Zhao Zhen greets the Celestial Master." Zhao Zhen bowed respectfully with clasped hands.

"Oh? Zhao Zhen?" Zhang Jingqing was startled for a moment, and then a peculiar look flashed in his eyes as he looked at Zhao Zhen. "Are you the Zhao Zhen who has been visiting various sects lately? Duan Chuan's disciple?"

"Yes, Celestial Master."

"Since you are Duan Chuan's disciple, you must be aware of the relationship between me and your master, right?"

"The junior is naturally aware of it, which is why I have dared not set foot in the Tianshi Mansion all these years," Zhao Zhen replied, neither humble nor overbearing.

"Knowing that, and having recognized my identity just now, why didn't you use that Golden Escape Flowing Light technique to flee for your life? Aren't you afraid that I might finish you off right here and now?"

As soon as Zhang Jingqing finished speaking, an unprecedented pressure swept through every part of Zhao Zhen’s body.

*Crack, crack, crack!*

For a moment, Zhao Zhen could almost hear his joints creaking.

So strong... Is this the weight of a Celestial Master? This pure killing intent—could it be that he really intends to kill me here?!

At this moment, Zhao Zhen finally understood why his old man, the moment he saw these two from the Tianshi Mansion, would rather cough up blood than fail to immediately use the Golden Escape Flowing Light to run away. The Tianshi Mansion lineage is full of people who act on impulse and play by no rules!

Thinking of this, Zhao Zhen gritted his teeth and channeled all his *Qi* to resist the pressure, which made him feel slightly better.

"If I were to kill you here today, would you accept it?" Zhang Jingqing continued in a flat tone.

"Although my master is a member of the Quanzhen sect, I have not joined the sect myself, and I believe I have never committed any heinous acts. If even a dignified Celestial Master is limited by prejudice and kills indiscriminately without regard for right and wrong, then I can only accept my death today. But even if I die, I will never accept it in my heart!"

By the end, Zhao Zhen was practically shouting, as the mounting killing intent was making it almost impossible to breathe.

It was at this moment that Zhang Zhiwei, who had appeared sleepy and indifferent to everything happening around him, finally opened his eyes a little wider.

"Hahaha..."

As the pressure on Zhao Zhen vanished instantly, Zhang Jingqing suddenly burst into laughter. He turned to Zuo Ruotong and said, "Master Zuo, this little fellow is quite interesting. Now I finally understand why you wanted to take him as a disciple."

"It seems the Celestial Master approves of this child?" Zuo Ruotong, who had been silent by the side, finally spoke with a smile. It was clear he had known all along that Zhang Jingqing was intentionally testing Zhao Zhen.

"Pretense or genuine, if one can grit their teeth and keep going even with a blade to their throat, what does the distinction matter? That old rascal Duan Chuan has indeed taken in a good disciple."

With that, Zhang Jingqing turned his gaze back to Zhao Zhen, who was drenched in sweat and gasping for air like a survivor of a catastrophe.

"Little fellow, my apologies."

After a long while, color finally returned to Zhao Zhen’s pale face. "It is fine, Celestial Master. After all, I am the one who chose a Quanzhen heretic as a master."

"Even Confucius feared the younger generation, and a man should not underestimate the youth. It is precisely because I can see your potential that I hope you do not walk the path of evil. A person’s true nature is often revealed in dire straits. Had you revealed your true, base character in the face of life and death just now, even here at the Lu family's banquet, I would have struck you down on the spot."

"Then it seems I have passed your test, Celestial Master?" Zhao Zhen pulled the corners of his mouth into a strained smile.

"You are indeed different from your master, which is why I hope you keep this precious heart of yours. You don't need to be so afraid of my Tianshi Mansion in the future; remember to come up the mountain and visit when you have time."

With that, Zhang Jingqing smiled and gently patted Zhao Zhen on the shoulder, then turned to Zhang Zhiwei behind him. "Zhiwei, help this little brother for a moment."

"Got it, Master." Zhang Zhiwei nodded and stepped forward to support the swaying Zhao Zhen.

"Little brother, how is it? My master is quite terrifying, isn't he?"

Zhao Zhen looked up at Zhang Jingqing, who was walking side-by-side with Zuo Ruotong, and gave a strained smile. "He is indeed quite terrifying..."