A Blood-Moving Realm has arrived in the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes.

The sky was so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Yang Guo quickly took out his tinderbox, grabbed a handful of weeds, and gathered some dry branches and leaves to hastily tie them into a simple torch.

By lighting the torch, Zhang Huaicai could barely make out his surroundings.

Before them lay a natural stone cave, inside which was a stone bed, whether carved by human hands or formed naturally, with some dry grass spread on it, and nothing else.

"Senior, where is this place...?" Zhang Huai asked.

"This is where I live in seclusion. It's getting late, and you won't be able to get down the mountain tonight, so why don't you stay here for the night?"

Yang Guo quickly bowed and thanked him, "Thank you, senior!" Zhang Huai also bowed in greeting.

The strange man spoke slowly and deliberately:

"The reason I'm willing to help you is firstly because I've been living alone here for too long. I found your conversation with that young girl quite interesting, and you two are just to my liking. You'll keep me company and help me pass the time."

"I wonder... how long have you been living in seclusion here, senior?" Zhang Huai asked tentatively.

"How long?" The strange man looked up, scratched his chin, and pondered, "I probably... I should... have been living in seclusion here around the tenth year of the Xining era."

"The tenth year of the Xining era?" Zhang Huai wasn't very familiar with history, so he turned to Yang Guo, "Brother Yang, do you know when the tenth year of the Xining era was?"

At this moment, Yang Guo's mouth was agape, his face filled with shock. After he recognized Uncle Guo, he was taken to Peach Blossom Island. Aunt Guo did not teach him martial arts, but instead taught him a lot of literary knowledge. He had a deep impression of the reign title "Xi Ning Ten Years".

Yang Guo ignored Zhang Huai and asked again, still dazed, "Senior, have you really been living in seclusion here since the tenth year of the Xining era?"

"You brat, would I lie to you?"

The eccentric man was quite dissatisfied with Yang Guo's doubts.

"Brother Yang, tell me! What time is this?"

Zhang Huai was so anxious about Yang Guo's appearance that he scratched his head and cheeks.

Yang Guo maintained his dazed expression, slowly turning his head towards Zhang Huai, and said, word by word, "The tenth year of the Xining era, which was about a hundred years ago. The emperor in power at that time was... Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu. The famous Wang Anshi reforms took place during that period."

Now it was Zhang Huai's turn to be dumbfounded. He looked at the strange man with disbelief.

This person has been living in seclusion here since the tenth year of the Xining era. How old did he live?

"I wonder... how old were you when you went into seclusion, senior?" Zhang Huai asked tremblingly.

"Hiss... You've stumped me with that." The strange man stroked his graying beard. "I was probably thirty or forty back then? It's been so long, I can't remember."

Thirty years old, or forty years old!

This answer made Zhang Huai's mouth gape even wider and his eyes widen in shock.

By that calculation, the strange man in front of us is about 140 years old, a real old monster!

"By the way, may I ask your esteemed name, senior? I am Yang Guo, courtesy name Gaizhi. This is my sworn brother, Zhang Huai."

Zhang Huai quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "I am Zhang Huai, courtesy name Anzhi."

"Hmm, the names are all nice. But I can't quite remember what my name is. It's been a long time since anyone called me by my name; most people just call me Master Lü."

"This humble one greets Master Lü!" the two said in unison, bowing.

"Alright, alright, enough with the formalities." Master Lü waved his hand impatiently. "I called you here for two reasons besides wanting someone to amuse me. First, judging from your faces, you two are destined to be cursed and lonely, and wherever you go, you will stir up trouble."

Face reading? As a modern man, Zhang Huai naturally didn't believe in such metaphysical theories. Yang Guo was also skeptical, after all, the person in front of him was an old monster who had lived for many years.

"What guidance do you have for me, Master?" Yang Guo asked humbly.

"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. If I tell you so much, I'm afraid I'll lose another ten years of my lifespan, and I don't want to die young. You only need to remember to stay true to yourselves, not to be elated by external gains or saddened by personal losses, and that will be enough."

Zhang Huai thought to himself: So you really think you can live for another ten years or so?

"There's one last reason, and the most crucial one," Master Lü said, shifting his tone and pointing at Yang Guo.

"I just saw you fighting that girl, and the movements subtly hinted at the style of the Nine Yin Manual. Do you know Wang Chongyang?"

"Senior, the name of Wang Chongyang, the Central Divine, is known to everyone in the martial arts world. He is ranked first among the Five Greats. I have the utmost respect for Senior Wang Chongyang."

Yang Guo's words were by no means flattery. Although he disliked the behavior of the Taoist priests of the Quanzhen Sect, he greatly admired Wang Chongyang, who was dedicated to resisting the Jin dynasty.

His ambition was to become a godfather like Uncle Guo and Wang Chongyang, but he didn't know if he would ever have that opportunity in his lifetime.

"Central Divine Power? That's quite a prestigious title," Master Lü said nonchalantly. "When he came to me seeking guidance on the Nine Yin Manual, he was about your age."

Wang Chongyang was actually instructed by this strange man? This is a plot not found in the original work! Zhang Huai silently kept it in mind—you must know that Wang Chongyang's Innate Skill and Quanzhen Swordplay were both his own creations.

"How is he now?" Master Lü asked.

"I have never met Master Wang, but I know that he passed away many years ago at the age of fifty-eight."

"Sigh! I knew it from that kid's face; I knew he wouldn't live long. And it was true. Heaven is jealous of talent! He was one of the most talented martial artists I've ever seen."

The old man's tone was full of regret.

"Alright, let's not dwell on those past events. Let's get to the last important matter."

Suddenly, Master Lü pulled Yang Guo in front of him, channeled his powerful internal energy, and probed into his body.

Yang Guo was shocked and instinctively tried to circulate his internal energy to resist, but his meager internal energy was like an ant trying to shake a tree in front of the old man, not worth mentioning.

"Relax, it's just a test of your physical constitution!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Guo knew that resistance was futile and had no choice but to give up.

A moment later, the old man withdrew his internal energy.

"Hahaha! Good! Good! Good!"

The old man exclaimed "Good!" three times, his face full of praise. "His meridians are unobstructed, and his bones are exceptionally strong. He's truly a fine prospect for martial arts! Given time, he'll surely become the next Wang Chongyang!"

"Thank you for your kind words, senior!"

Yang Guo felt a surge of secret joy. To be praised by such a master was a great honor for him.

"And you, come here!"

The old man pointed at Zhang Huai again, "I noticed you earlier. I saw you fighting that girl. Although you don't know any martial arts and have no internal strength, you have superhuman strength and a powerful physique. I have high expectations for you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Huai felt a surge of excitement.

He also wanted to know how good his martial arts talent really was.