One person said: The essence of Wuhou Qimen lies not in Qimen, but in Wuhou.

What puzzled many of the young people in the audience even more was that, between the two old-school giants, Lü Ci and Wang Ai, sat a short, young Taoist boy dressed in a faded, coarse cloth robe.

The young Taoist priest stood ramrod straight, his posture upright, and his expression solemn, like a model soldier who had just entered the system.

"Chu Lan...who's that young Taoist disciple?" In the front row of the stands, Wang Ye rubbed his bloodshot dark circles and winked sharply to the side, "Why is he sitting among the Ten Elders? His status is higher than the two of us combined?"

Cold sweat streamed down Zhang Chulan's forehead as he stared intently at the young Taoist's profile, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Little Yu... wait, isn't he the young Taoist who serves Second Master? Why is he sitting there?!"

Zhuge Qing squinted, his fingers flying across his knees as he rapidly calculated, but the moment he touched upon cause and effect, he was violently shaken away by a powerful force of national destiny. He could only shake his head with a wry smile: "Don't bother guessing. This game of chess this morning is beyond the comprehension of us mere mortals."

Just as whispers were swirling and undercurrents were stirring throughout the room—

"Da...da...da..."

The steady, long footsteps echoed slowly from the entrance passages on both sides of the training ground.

The once noisy stands instantly fell into dead silence!

At the entrance of the passageway on the east side, the old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei, dressed in a coarse black Taoist robe, with his white eyebrows lowered and his hands naturally tucked into the wide sleeves of his robe, stepped into the arena with leisurely steps.

The old man had a kind face and did not exude any terrifying aura. However, with each step he took forward, the entire training ground seemed to sink several inches, and an indescribable sense of grandeur and heaviness made everyone feel suffocated.

Meanwhile, on the west side of the passageway, Ding Shian strode into the arena!

He was dressed in a tight black outfit, his muscles bulging like cast iron, radiating a pure, intense, and undisguised overwhelming fighting spirit! His tiger-like eyes were fixed on the old master opposite him, his breathing was heavy, and his whole body was trembling slightly with excitement!

The ultimate challenge against heroes!

This scene, unfolding vividly before their eyes, finally convinced all the extraordinary individuals present of the utterly absurd announcement!

The old Celestial Master stood in the center of the arena, slowly drawing his hands from his sleeves and bowing slightly in all directions. His voice was calm and gentle, yet resonated clearly in everyone's ears like a resounding bell:

"Fellow practitioners, I am Zhang Zhiwei, and I am honored to hold the position of Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain."

This grand Taoist ritual was made possible by the care and guidance of various national departments, and fellow practitioners from all walks of life gathered together to discuss the inheritance of traditional culture.

The Quanxing lineage originated from Yang Zhu of the pre-Qin period, who was one of the pioneers of Daoist scholarship. However, over the course of a thousand years, the Daoist tradition has been obscured.

Today, at the invitation of the cultural working group, I have the opportunity to exchange skills with Ding Shian, a young man from the Quanxing sect, to demonstrate the Dao through martial arts and jointly promote the healthy development of Daoist culture.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Fangxu on the podium abruptly stood up, straightened his suit, and replied in a highly authoritative official tone:

"Thank you for your great responsibility, Master Tian! This cultural exchange demonstration competition was guided by the National Cultural Tourism Project Team and organized by Nadutong Company."

The aim is to break down sectarian biases and implement the construction of compliance in the new era of the supernatural world.

Next, please welcome Comrade Gong Qing, representative of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, to speak!

boom!

A representative of the entire sect?! Gong Qing?!

Zhang Chulan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in the stands, while Lu Linglong, Feng Xingtong, and the others were filled with shock!

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the young Taoist boy sitting in the seat of the Ten Elders calmly stood up, walked to the front of the stage, and performed a standard ancient Taoist Zi-Wu incantation in an extremely proper manner.

Gong Qing's expression was solemn as he spoke in a loud voice:

"Gong Qing, a young man from Quanxing, has met fellow practitioners all over the world! Quanxing originated from Yang Zhu, the patriarch of the Warring States period. The original tenet of the school was 'preserving one's true nature and not letting material things burden one's form,' advocating not to harm oneself or others."

It is a great pity that later generations of disciples went astray, deviating from their original intentions and becoming a scourge on social order! Today, on behalf of all members of Quanxing, I solemnly promise to the nation and the world: From this day forward, Quanxing will undergo comprehensive reform, abide by laws and regulations, accept the guidance of the Party and the state's policies, and accept the supervision of all the people! We thank the Old Master for disregarding past grievances and granting Quanxing the opportunity to see the light of day again!

This set of official self-criticisms and positive energy declarations flowed so smoothly that it completely shut down the brains of the hundreds of young superhumans in the stands.

The Quanxing... swore an oath to abide by the law in front of the whole world?!

Zhao Fangxu didn't give anyone time to process the absurdity. He decisively announced in a clear tone, "This is an exchange of skills, but we'll stop here when we've reached a point. Please prepare yourselves—the exchange begins!"

Swish!

The air inside the arena suddenly tightened!

The old master stood with his hands at his sides, smiling as he looked at the burly man a few meters away. His tone was as gentle as if he were inviting a junior to have tea: "Ding Shian, be ready to make your move at any time. I'm old and slow, so please go first."

Ding Shian took a deep breath, and the fervor in his eyes exploded instantly!

He didn't hold back, nor dared he! Facing this legend who had lived for over a hundred years, holding back even the slightest bit would be an insult to his own life!

"Ding Shian of the Quanxing Sect, I have learned a great deal from the Celestial Master!!"

boom!!

The bluestone ground beneath Ding Shian's feet crumbled and disintegrated in an instant, turning into dust that filled the sky!

A violent and unparalleled burst of pure white Qi erupted from his entire body, the shockwave sweeping across the surroundings like a hurricane, causing the iron railings separating the front rows of the stands to shake violently! The essence of dozens of martial arts styles, including the Earthly Fiend Step, the Vajra Arm, and the Splitting Palm, was compressed into his right fist in the blink of an eye!

"Drink it all!!"

Ding Shian let out a roar that shook the heavens, and with a powerful push of his legs, he leaped dozens of meters into the air like a cruise missile launched from its barrel!

Using the immense force of his descent from the sky, and facing the rising golden rays, he concentrated all the power he had cultivated throughout his life into his right fist. With a piercing roar that tore through the air, he crashed down from the sky like a Vajra King!

This punch embodies the dignity and Daoist spirit of a hero of our time who faces death with unwavering resolve!

The overwhelming sense of oppression was so intense that even the younger generation in the stands couldn't breathe!

however--

The old celestial master, standing in the very center of the deep pit, didn't even blink once from beginning to end, nor did he move an inch from his splayed feet.

Just as Ding Shima Anna's devastating punch was three feet away from his head.

The old master simply raised his withered, large right hand.

hum.

There was no earth-shattering roar or even violent air currents erupting within the training ground.

On everyone's retinas, they only saw a faint, thin golden light flicker almost imperceptibly, and then the terrifying, world-destroying power suddenly vanished into absolute nothingness!

Time stood still.

The thousands of people in the stands stood up in unison, their gasps merging into a horrifying scream!

Right in the center of the training ground.

Standing at 1.9 meters tall with muscles as hard as iron, Ding Shian was lifted into the air by the old master with just his right hand, like a pheasant with its neck choked!

That thin, withered hand covered in age spots was now clenched together, gripping Ding Shian's entire skull like an iron hoop!

Ding Shian was suspended in mid-air with his legs dangling, his right fist still in a downward punching posture.

But there was no longer a trace of Qi flowing in his fist.

His eyes were bloodshot and bulging, almost torn at the corners, and a painful and desperate gurgling sound came from his throat.

In the one-millionth of a second that the aged hand touched the top of his head, a terrifying golden light, as vast as the sky pouring down, pierced through his eight extraordinary meridians in an instant with a tyrannical manner that completely disregarded the laws of physics and the common sense of meridians!

His Qi gate was forcibly severed.

His protective qi shattered like paper.

His proud mastery of various martial arts styles and the physical strength he had honed over decades were as fragile as a grain of sand before this palm!

Hard control...

This is not a friendly competition; it's a one-sided, godlike, and utterly crushing defeat!

The entire room fell silent!

(One chapter will be updated first.)

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately, and my condition isn't great, but I have to persevere no matter how difficult it gets.

As the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony comes to this point, I don't want to be perfunctory, nor do I want it to end badly—I will write every scene that should be lit, every plot line that should be drawn, and every person who should come, chapter by chapter, to give it a complete conclusion.

The Luo Tian Grand Ceremony directly resolves the entire original story, thus bringing it to a close.

This journey will leave no loose ends and no regrets.

Finally, I must get into the department!

Thank you all for your continued support.

Every time you follow the update, every comment, and every vote you give is what gives me the confidence to grit my teeth and keep going.

This chapter will be the first one.

Let's witness together the final outcome of the Luo Tian Grand Ritual (Wu Hou).