This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

"Master..."

Qingfeng quickly stepped forward and stood beside Li Daoxuan.

His gaze unconsciously fell on Li Daoxuan's legs, and seeing that he was firmly planted on the ground, a strong sense of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Master, your leg..."

Li Daoxuan waved his hand without saying a word.

Qingfeng stood obediently behind him, unable to hide his excitement.

Mingyue and the Wang siblings also ran over, overjoyed.

However, everyone else present was completely baffled.

No one noticed how the young man appeared; it was as if he had fallen from the sky and arrived here out of thin air.

Even more strangely, the tense atmosphere seemed to dissipate the moment the young man appeared.

Even Yan Changfeng, the leader of the Ba Dao Sect, stood still, staring at the young man without saying a word.

Little did they know, Yan Changfeng was already filled with horror.

The moment Li Daoxuan appeared, a faint pressure enveloped him, making him feel as if he were being watched by some ferocious beast, causing this veteran expert at the half-step Grandmaster realm to dare not make the slightest move.

So much so that Yan Changfeng remained silent when Li Daoxuan questioned him.

Li Daoxuan's gaze swept over Yan Changfeng, then over the unconscious Jiang Wei on the ground, and finally landed on Yang Haotian.

A meaningful smile slowly appeared on his lips.

He didn't say anything more to these people, but turned around without any guard, his back to the two half-step Grandmaster experts, facing his four disciples, and smiled warmly:

"Let's go home for the New Year..."

The four smiled and nodded, then didn't look at anyone else present again, and followed Li Daoxuan toward the county town.

Seeing this, the onlookers remained completely silent, watching them leave quietly.

It wasn't until Li Daoxuan and his group disappeared into the distance that the scene finally seemed to awaken.

Yang Haotian and Yan Changfeng were startled, and almost simultaneously began to pant, covered in cold sweat.

They looked at each other and saw the shock in each other's eyes.

They are all people who have seen big events, and their strength and mental fortitude far surpass those of ordinary people.

Even though Li Daoxuan did nothing but glance at them briefly after he appeared, they were so intimidated that they stood rooted to the spot and dared not make any move.

This is not a difference in strength, but a crushing defeat on a spiritual and even life-level scale.

"Is that Qingfeng's master?"

"He doesn't look very old, how skilled could he be?"

"I can't tell, but what's strange is why Yan Changfeng and Yang Haotian let Qingfeng leave without saying a word?"

"It really is a bit inexplicable..."

The surrounding audience was buzzing with discussion.

Seeing that there was no excitement to be had, they dispersed in twos and threes.

Today's trip was definitely worthwhile.

Not only did we witness the rise of a rising star in the martial arts world who is even more extraordinary than Young Master Wei, but we also saw a clash between two half-step Grandmasters.

These are all valuable insights and topics for conversation when navigating the world in the future, and you can even boast about them to others.

As for Li Daoxuan, who appeared last, although his entrance was quite unique, he didn't attract much attention from these martial arts figures whose skills and judgment were terrible.

At most, they were just curious about how Li Daoxuan had managed to teach a disciple like Qingfeng.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, only the people from the Ba Dao Sect and Fu Yang Manor remained at the scene.

Yan Changfeng and Yang Haotian exchanged a glance, their expressions grave.

Yan Changfeng then instructed his disciples to send Jiang Wei back to the mountain gate to heal his injuries.

Yang Haotian also dismissed his disciples.

In the end, only these two important figures remained on the once bustling banks of the Luoying River.

"Do you think... he's already reached the Grandmaster realm?"

Yan Changfeng asked in a deep voice.

Yang Haotian frowned and fell into deep thought.

"Judging from his age, he's at most in his early twenties."

The meaning of this statement is quite obvious: there have been very few masters in their early twenties throughout history.

How could such a small place as Anyi County, or even such a small place as the Great Zhao Kingdom, possibly possess such a monstrous talent?

But... if he wasn't a grandmaster, how could that young man possibly exert such immense pressure on the two of them?

As for Grandmasters of the Seventh Realm... they didn't even have that thought.

That was a miracle that had only occurred once in the entire history of the Great Zhao Kingdom, more than 270 years ago, during the reign of the founding emperor of the Great Zhao Kingdom.

After this brief exchange, the two fell into a long silence.

Their purpose in coming here was to investigate this suddenly appearing expert.

Even though they had assumed the other party was extremely powerful before they arrived, they still hadn't expected the other party to be so strong.

They originally thought that the other party was at most like them, a reclusive half-step grandmaster.

But when this expert actually appeared in front of them, they were unsure whether they should go and disturb him.

After a long while, Yang Haotian sighed.

"Go and meet them. No matter what, the message still needs to be conveyed."

Yan Changfeng's gaze slowly sharpened, and he nodded.

A sliver of hope still lingered in my heart.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the way back to the courtyard, the four disciples followed Li Daoxuan. Whether it was the lively and active Wang Jingshu or the calm and experienced Qingfeng, they couldn't help but look down at Li Daoxuan's striding legs.

Especially Qingfeng, because he took care of Li Daoxuan's daily life in the beginning, he knew better than anyone how serious Li Daoxuan's leg was, a disease that even talismans could not cure.

Although his insufficient skill in drawing talismans was also a factor, it was enough to prove just how serious Li Daoxuan's leg injury was.

Moreover, Li Daoxuan was in a wheelchair when he last came out of seclusion, so how come he can move around as before in the blink of an eye?

Li Daoxuan noticed their gazes and smiled, saying:

"What? You're not used to seeing your master fully recovered?"

The four little ones quickly waved their hands and kept offering their congratulations.

Li Daoxuan seemed to be in a good mood, with a smile always on his face.

Upon returning to the courtyard, before even entering, Li Daoxuan stopped at the doorway.

Then he turned to the Wang siblings and said:

"Yangming, Jingshu, it's New Year's Eve today. You should go home early to celebrate the holiday with your parents and family."

Although they longed to chat with their master, who had been in seclusion for a long time, the Wang siblings knew their place and immediately bowed respectfully to say goodbye.

After they left, only Li Daoxuan and Qingfeng Mingyue remained in the courtyard.

Qingfeng glanced back at the open courtyard gate, thought for a moment, and asked:

"Master, would you like some tea?"

Li Daoxuan gave a light snort and said:

"Would you like some more tea? We're already being accommodating by letting them in."

Mingyue stood to the side, covering her mouth and laughing.

Qingfeng scratched his head sheepishly, then laughed and said:

"Well... I'll go cook now."

Li Daoxuan nodded and said:

"Go."

Qingfeng skillfully grabbed an apron, slipped into the kitchen, and began preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.

His nimble movements made it impossible for anyone to associate him with the astonishing young man who had just defeated Young Master Wei with a single sword strike.

Yang Haotian and Yan Changfeng were even more so when they saw this scene.

The two stood at the courtyard gate, exchanged a glance, and then said in unison:

"Yang Haotian (Yan Changfeng), the master of Fuyang Manor (and the master of Badao Sect), requests an audience."