I was to be executed by Zhu Yuanzhang, and Empress Ma smashed Zhu Yuanzhang's jade seal.

"Please calm your anger, immortal."

It's Zhang Sanfeng.

He bowed deeply to Zhu Muying once again, displaying extreme humility.

"Your Majesty is a mortal with limited vision and cannot recognize the true form of an immortal. He has offended you in many ways. I hope the immortal will forgive him and not hold it against him."

His words sounded like he was pleading for Zhu Yuanzhang, but in reality, they were adding fuel to the fire.

What does "ordinary human eyes" mean?

What does it mean to "not recognize the true body of an immortal"?

What does "Don't stoop to his level" mean?

Every single word clearly tells everyone: Your emperor is just an ordinary mortal who doesn't recognize a great man. Arguing with a deity is just asking for trouble. Deity, you are magnanimous, so please don't hold it against him.

These words made Zhu Biao's heart pound with fear, made Li Shanchang break out in a cold sweat, and made Xu Da, Lan Yu, and others want to laugh but dare not.

Zhu Yuanzhang, kneeling on the ground, was so angry that he almost spat out another mouthful of blood.

[You cunning Zhang Sanfeng! You old Taoist priest!]

We invited you here out of kindness, treated you to the best food and drink, and almost gave you half of our kingdom!

【And you, you turned around and acknowledged our son as your master, and now you're turning around and kicking us while we're down?!】

[You just wait! Once we've recovered from this, the first thing we'll do is order the flattening of your Wudang Mountain! We'll send all your disciples and followers to Liaodong to eat sand!]

Zhu Yuanzhang was roaring furiously in his heart, but on the surface, he could only kneel there, daring to be angry but not daring to speak out.

Zhu Muying glanced at Zhang Sanfeng indifferently, without saying a word.

He could tell, of course, that Zhang Sanfeng was deliberately saying these things to provoke his cheap old man.

This old Taoist priest, who has lived for over a hundred years, may appear otherworldly and detached from worldly affairs, but deep down he is a man with a temper.

It must have been because he was disgusted by Zhu Yuanzhang's coercion, enticement, and threats while in the imperial carriage.

Now that I've got the chance, I naturally want to give them a proper "repayment".

Zhu Muying remained noncommittal about this small act of "retaliation".

He just found it somewhat amusing.

He shifted his gaze from Zhu Yuanzhang to Zhang Sanfeng, observing the legendary martial arts master with great interest.

"Master Zhang".

Zhu Muying spoke slowly, her voice remaining calm and even.

"This humble Taoist is unworthy of such praise." Zhang Sanfeng quickly bowed again. "Before the immortal, Sanfeng is but a junior student, a mere mortal. The immortal may simply address this humble Taoist by his name."

He adopted an extremely humble posture.

If those martial arts practitioners who revere him like gods were to see him like this, their eyes would probably pop out of their sockets.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Muying smiled noncommittally.

"Why have you come?" he asked.

This was a very simple question, but it made Zhang Sanfeng's body tremble violently.

He raised his head, and for the first time, his aged eyes revealed an emotion other than awe—excitement, and a kind of… fanaticism that was almost like the “Tao”!

"I've come to find answers!"

Zhang Sanfeng's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"Since childhood, Zhang Sanfeng has been cultivating Taoism. On the top of Wudang Mountain, he observed the sea of ​​clouds and comprehended Tai Chi. He believed that he had touched the ultimate truth of heaven and earth and the pinnacle of martial arts in the human world."

"However, for a hundred years, they have been trapped in the realm of Grandmaster, unable to take that final step and glimpse the true Dao of Heaven and Man."

"Last night, while I was meditating on the mountaintop, I suddenly sensed purple qi coming from the east towards Jinling, with golden lotuses covering the ground. A majestic heavenly aura and vast immortal energy swept across the heavens and earth!"

"This humble Taoist knows, this is... this is the legendary sign of a sage's birth, breaking through realms and ascending to immortality!"

"I was in a state of great turmoil at the time, and my Daoist heart was unstable. I even thought that I had made a mistake in my cultivation and had developed a demonic illusion."

At this point, a bitter smile appeared on Zhang Sanfeng's face.

"Therefore, I descended the mountain overnight and traveled day and night to Jinling, just to see with my own eyes whether there really exists a higher realm that transcends the limits of martial arts."

"This humble Taoist priest seeks an answer!"

"I want to know, what is the ultimate goal of the 'Dao' that we cultivators pursue throughout our lives—is it a real existence, or... just a vague and ethereal fantasy!"

His voice grew increasingly impassioned, and flames seemed to burn in his cloudy old eyes.

This is the most sincere and fervent cry of a seeker of the Way when he sees the embodiment of the "Way" he has believed in all his life.

Although the civil and military officials present could not understand what he was saying, they could feel the shock that came from the depths of his soul.

For the first time, they realized that beyond the power struggles and intrigues of ordinary people like themselves, there was another group of people who spent their entire lives pursuing something more ethereal and grander.

After Zhang Sanfeng finished speaking, he bowed deeply to Zhu Muying once again.

"Having witnessed the divine form of the immortal today, Sanfeng... Sanfeng has no more doubts!"

"The Great Dao is not an illusion! The path to immortality is within reach!"

"Zhang Sanfeng's century of cultivation has only revealed itself today to be nothing more than a frog in a well, a firefly's light, how could it dare to compete with the bright moon!"

"Many thanks to the immortal for showing Zhang Sanfeng the way forward!"

As he spoke, tears streamed down his face, and he trembled with emotion.

He bowed willingly and completely.

Zhu Muying's very existence proves the existence of "Tao"!

This brings him more joy and satisfaction than any elixir or martial arts manual.

However, just as he bowed down, preparing to listen to the "immortal's" teachings...

Zhu Muying merely glanced at him indifferently, and then, in an almost cruelly calm tone, uttered a sentence that nearly shattered his Dao heart on the spot.

"Who told you this is martial arts?"

boom!

This statement had a thousand times greater impact on Zhang Sanfeng than the previous "Land Immortal" or the oppressive golden light!

Zhang Sanfeng suddenly raised his head, and his face, which had just been flushed with excitement, turned deathly pale in an instant.

"Immortal... Immortal... What... What do you mean by this?"

His voice was starting to stutter.

Not martial arts?

How is this possible?!

Breaking through realms and ascending to immortality, purple aura coming from the east, golden lotuses covering the ground—aren't these all signs recorded in Taoist classics of martial arts cultivation reaching its peak, shattering the void, and ascending to immortality in broad daylight?

Although the realm of this "immortal" before him was countless times more profound than he had imagined, in the final analysis, he should have come from the path of "martial arts"!

If... if even this isn't martial arts...

Then what was Zhang Sanfeng's arduous cultivation over the past hundred years?

A tremendous fear, enough to shatter his worldview, instantly gripped his heart.

He felt that his rock-solid Dao heart, which he thought had seen through the illusions of the world, had actually developed a crack at this moment.

Zhu Muying looked at his expression, which looked like he had been struck by lightning, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly again.

This is exactly the effect he wanted.

He revealed his true form not only to intimidate his cheap father.

More importantly, I want to see what kind of chemical reaction will occur when the power system of this world encounters a "dimensional reduction attack" from a higher dimension.

Zhang Sanfeng, the pinnacle of martial arts prowess in the world of Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, was undoubtedly the best... test subject.

"Martial arts?"

Zhu Muying's tone carried a hint of amusement and disdain.

"By drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and refining it into internal strength, one can open up the eight extraordinary meridians and cultivate to the extreme. At this point, one's lifespan is no more than two hundred years, and one can sever rivers with a wave of the hand. This is the mark of a Grandmaster."

"This is your understanding of martial arts, isn't it?"

With just a few simple words, he clearly summarized the martial arts system of this world.

Zhang Sanfeng nodded subconsciously, then quickly shook his head, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Because everything Zhu Muying said was correct!

But he dared not admit it, because he had a strong premonition that what the other person was about to say would completely overturn his understanding.

Sure enough, Zhu Muying continued in that calm tone:

"A frog at the bottom of a well, with its limited view of the sky, dares to speak presumptuously of the great principles?"

"Do you know that beyond this world, there are three thousand great worlds and countless small worlds?"

"Do you know that the 'internal strength' you're so proud of is nothing more than the crudest, most superficial form of energy on the path of cultivation, an energy that has been eliminated countless epochs ago?"

"Do you know that true cultivators live on wind and dew, absorb the essence of the sun and moon, open their inner palaces, condense golden elixir, cultivate their primordial spirit, and live as long as the heavens? Plucking stars and seizing the moon are merely trivial matters for them?"

"All you've ever touched in your entire life is the frame of the first threshold on the path of cultivation."

"Does this even deserve to be called 'the Way'?"

Every word Zhu Muying uttered was like an invisible hammer, striking Zhang Sanfeng's Dao heart with devastating force.

The blow left him dizzy and utterly devastated!

Three thousand great worlds, countless small worlds...

It feeds on the wind and dew, and breathes in the essence of the sun and moon...

He opened up his Purple Palace within his body, condensed the Golden Core, and cultivated his primordial spirit...

May you live as long as the heavens, and pluck stars from the sky and seize the moon...

Every word Zhu Muying uttered was like a thunderclap from another world to Zhang Sanfeng, exploding wildly in his mind and shattering his martial arts worldview, which he had painstakingly built up over a hundred years, leaving it in ruins.

"puff……"

Zhang Sanfeng could no longer withstand the terrifying impact of this information flow from a higher dimension. His mind was thrown into chaos, his blood surged, and just like Zhu Yuanzhang, he spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.

However, what Zhu Yuanzhang vomited was blood of rage from a sudden burst of anger.

What he spat out was his shattered Dao Heart... his life essence blood!

His body swayed, and his venerable face aged by more than ten years in an instant, as if all his energy and spirit had been drained away at that moment.

He wasn't hurt by Zhu Mu-ying's intimidation, but rather by the grander, more terrifying, and more real world contained in Zhu's words... He was terrified!

"Purple... Purple Mansion... Golden Core... Primordial Spirit..."

Zhang Sanfeng collapsed to the ground, utterly bewildered, unconsciously muttering these words he had never heard before.

He felt like a villager who had lived his whole life in a small mountain village and believed that the mountain at the entrance of the village was the end of the world. Then one day, someone told him that beyond the mountain was an endless ocean, and beyond the ocean was a vast starry sky.

The shock of having one's worldview completely overturned is devastating.

His pride of over a century, his arrogance as a grandmaster of martial arts, was shattered in this moment.

He always thought that he had already reached the summit and only needed to take one more step to ascend to immortality.

But now he realized that he... he hadn't even reached the foot of the mountain yet!

He didn't even know which mountain was correct!

He's spent over a hundred years cultivating himself on dogs!

"Haha...hahahaha..."

Zhang Sanfeng suddenly looked up and laughed loudly, his laughter filled with endless sorrow and self-mockery.

"I see... I see..."

"A frog in a well...the light of a firefly...well said...well said!"

He was laughing, and then tears started streaming down his face.

A wise and enlightened man who had lived for over a hundred years, who had seen through life and death and the illusions of the world, was now crying like a child, heartbroken and devastated.

Everyone else in the bedchamber was stunned by what they saw.

They couldn't understand why Zhang Zhenren, who had just been so reverent towards His Highness the Prince of England and even dared to contradict the Emperor, had become so erratic and deranged after hearing just a few words from His Highness the Prince of England.

What exactly did His Highness the King say to him?

Could it be... some kind of malevolent curse?

Only Zhu Yuanzhang, kneeling on the ground, felt a deeper fear after his initial schadenfreude.

Even a living god like Zhang Sanfeng was driven mad by a few words from him, his Daoist heart shattered...

[This rebellious son... just what... just what kind of monster is he?!]

Looking at his son, who sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed with an indifferent expression, as if he had only done a trivial thing, Zhu Yuanzhang felt for the first time what it truly meant to be powerless to reverse the situation.

Zhu Muying looked at Zhang Sanfeng, who seemed to have gone mad, without a trace of pity in her eyes.

The Dao heart only becomes stronger through repeated breaking and rebuilding.

If he can't even withstand this much impact, then Zhang Sanfeng's career is over.

He said all this not because he really wanted to discourage him.

Instead, I wanted to plant a seed in his heart.

A seed named "Sendou".

Although spiritual energy is scarce in this world, it is not entirely absent.

Otherwise, a remarkable person like Zhang Sanfeng, who could touch upon a trace of the laws of heaven and earth through martial arts, would not have been born.

Zhu Muying wanted to see what kind of flower this seed would eventually bloom after taking root and sprouting in the world's most advanced "soil".

He waited quietly.

Waiting for Zhang Sanfeng to recover from his breakdown.

After a long while, Zhang Sanfeng's laughter and crying gradually subsided.

He slowly got up from the ground and hastily wiped the snot and tears from his face with the wrinkled sleeve of his Taoist robe.

His eyes, which were originally cloudy but deep, were now bloodshot, but deep within them, something new seemed to be breaking through the soil.

He looked at Zhu Muying again, but his eyes no longer held the awe and worship they once did.

Rather, it is a kind of... a purest, most primal... longing that students feel when facing their teachers, or believers when facing their gods!

A thirst for knowledge!

A yearning for the Great Way!

"thump!"

Zhang Sanfeng knelt down again.

But this time, he knelt more devoutly and more... willingly than ever before.

He respectfully performed the three kneelings and nine kowtows ceremony to Zhu Muying as her disciple!

Every movement was as precise as if it were from a textbook.

"Disciple Zhang Sanfeng, ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth, presumptuously spoke of the Great Dao. Please forgive me, Immortal Master!"

He stopped calling him "immortal" and instead addressed him as "immortal master"!

A word difference is a world of difference!

"Immortal" is a respectful term, representing awe and distance.

"Immortal Master" is an honorific title, representing...the lineage!

He wants to become an apprentice!

This move once again caused everyone present to gasp in shock.

The founder of the Wudang School, a martial arts legend who lived to be over a hundred years old, actually... wants to become the disciple of the current emperor's prince?!

If this gets out, the entire martial arts world will be in an uproar!

Zhu Yuanzhang's lips twitched violently as he watched this scene.

You shameless old man!

We offered you the position of Imperial Advisor, but you kept making excuses!

[Our son said a few words to you, and you're already eager to become his apprentice?!]

Is our emperor really that lacking in prestige?!

Zhu Yuanzhang felt he had been insulted beyond measure.

Zhu Muying looked at Zhang Sanfeng, who was kneeling on the ground with a devout expression, waiting for her answer, and slowly shook her head.

"I do not accept apprentices."

His voice remained as calm and unquestionable as ever.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Zhang Sanfeng's face.

But he did not give up.

"Immortal Master, I know that with my dull and dull aptitude, I am unworthy to enter your tutelage."

"This disciple does not ask that the Immortal Master personally impart the Great Dao; I only ask... I only ask to be a Daoist disciple under the Immortal Master's tutelage, serving tea and water, sweeping the courtyard, and occasionally listening to a word or two of the Immortal Master's teachings. That would be an immense honor, enough to die without regret!"

As he spoke, he kowtowed again, slamming his head heavily onto the ground.

In his pursuit of the Dao, he completely abandoned his more than 100 years of self-respect.

This persistence and this temperament earned Zhu Muying's high regard.

He paused for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

His hesitation made everyone present hold their breath.

Especially Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao.

Zhu Yuanzhang was afraid that he would agree.

Just kidding! If that old fox Zhang Sanfeng really becomes my disciple, wouldn't they become one of us? How am I supposed to deal with this rebellious son then?

Zhu Biao was also afraid that he would agree.

His fourth brother had already become a terrestrial immortal, which was enough to shake the imperial court.

If we could take another Wudang patriarch who lived to be over a hundred years old as a disciple...

That force is terrifying!

So terrifying, it could shake his position as crown prince, and even his father's throne!

Just as everyone was anxiously awaiting his answer.

Zhu Muying finally spoke.

"The Way should not be lightly transmitted."

He said it calmly.

Upon hearing this, both Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Zhu Muying's next words made their hearts, which had just settled down, jump into their throats again.

"but……"

Zhu Muying looked at Zhang Sanfeng, a playful smile curving her lips.

"Since you're so sincere, I can show you a way out."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanfeng was overjoyed and trembled with excitement.

"Please enlighten me, Immortal Master! This disciple is all ears!"

Zhu Muying slowly stood up from the edge of the bed.

This was the first time he had stood up since waking up.

He was barefoot, stepping on the cold floor tiles, yet it felt as if he were walking on clouds.

He slowly walked up to Zhang Sanfeng, looking down at him with the gaze of a god from the heavens looking down on the ants of the mortal world.

"What you cultivate is martial arts."

"Using martial arts to attain enlightenment is a wrong path from the very beginning."

"Martial arts are the art of killing, the art of vying for power and strength. They emphasize fierceness and dominance, using force to prove one's path. When this path leads to its end, one either brings about one's own destruction or... slaughters all under heaven and becomes an enemy of the world."

"But what I cultivate is immortality."

He extended a finger, and a barely perceptible wisp of golden energy slowly swirled around the fingertip.

"Immortals are those who are carefree, live forever, follow the way of heaven, and understand nature."

"We don't cultivate internal energy; we only... steal from heaven and earth."

"We don't open up the meridians, we just... open up the world."

"We do not pursue power, because...we ourselves are the source of power."

"This is the art of immortality."

Immortal arts.

When Zhu Muying uttered those two words, the entire bedchamber fell into an even more eerie silence than before.

If the term "land immortal" only evoked shock and disbelief in people, then...

Then, the words "immortal magic" completely pulled them into a mythological world.

None of the people present, whether emperor, crown prince, or civil and military officials, had ever encountered these two words in their education or worldview since childhood.

They knew about martial arts.

They had also heard of internal strength.

But immortal techniques?

That's something that only exists in the mouths of storytellers, in those absurd and fantastical tales of the strange and supernatural.

But now, a living person, a prince they knew, stood before them, telling them in a matter-of-fact tone that he cultivated immortal techniques.

The impact of this on them is beyond words.

Everyone's brains seemed to have been formatted, a blank slate, unable to think.

Only Zhang Sanfeng, kneeling on the ground, had his eyes, which had just been dull and lifeless, suddenly burst forth with an extremely dazzling light when he heard the words "immortal techniques"!

"Immortal...immortal magic..."

His lips trembled, like a traveler who had trekked through the desert for decades and was about to die of thirst, finally seeing an oasis.

"May I ask, Immortal Master... what is... stealing from heaven and earth? What is... creating a new world?"

He used all his strength to ask the question.

This question was also the biggest doubt in the minds of everyone else in the hall.

Zhu Muying glanced at him and smiled faintly.

He did not answer directly, but slowly raised his right hand.

His hands were clean, long, with distinct knuckles, and his skin was as white as the finest mutton fat jade.

These are hands that play the piano, hands that write, hands that... don't look like hands that know martial arts at all.

Everyone's attention was involuntarily drawn to this hand.

Then they witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

Zhu Muying opened her palm, her five fingers slightly bent, with her palm facing upwards.

Then, he gently blew a breath into his empty palm.

"call……"

It's such a simple action, like a child playing.

next second.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth above the entire palace, no, the entire Prince Ying's mansion, and even the entire city of Jinling, all surged wildly in that instant!

Everyone felt that the surrounding air seemed to have become thick and heavy in an instant.

An invisible, powerful, and vast force was frantically converging on the bedroom of the Prince of England from all directions!