Under One Person: I Have a Billion Taoist Gods Within Me

34. They're going to fight! They're going to fight!

Li Yuan rose very slowly, as if he were simply stretching out naturally from meditation.

His moon-white Taoist robe fluttered gently with his movements, without deliberately displaying any imposing aura or making any contrived pauses.

He stood up, standing before the main table, under the spotlight of countless gazes from across the courtyard.

However, at the very moment he stood up...

Everyone "sensed" a certain change.

The change was so subtle that it was imperceptible to anyone who was not highly perceptive.

It's not like Zhang Zhiwei's grand, sweeping movements that change the world and surge with thunderous intent.

Rather, it is something more subtle and fundamental.

It was as if a stream that was flowing peacefully suddenly realized that it was flowing into a larger river.

It's as if the air that was breathing alone suddenly finds itself breathing in and out with the entire universe.

Li Yuan stood there, still the same Li Yuan.

Wearing a moon-white Taoist robe, with his hair tied up with a jade hairpin, he had a refined and handsome face and gentle eyes.

But the "standing there" at this moment is somewhat different from the "sitting there" just now.

The lights in the courtyard seemed to dim for a moment.

It wasn't truly dim, but compared to that moon-white figure, the light of the lamp suddenly seemed somewhat "superfluous."

The hustle and bustle in the courtyard seemed to fall silent for a moment.

It wasn't true silence, but compared to the stillness of that moon-white figure, all the sounds suddenly seemed somewhat "noisy".

The people in the courtyard seemed to be in a daze for a moment.

It wasn't a genuine daze, but rather, looking at that moon-white figure, I suddenly felt—

He stood there, as if he had been standing there for a very, very long time.

Longer than this courtyard, longer than this birthday banquet, longer than the clamor filling the courtyard.

So long that one forgets he had just gotten up.

So long that people forgot he had been sitting quietly the whole time.

Zhang Zhiwei stood in the center of the courtyard, his gaze fixed on the moon-white figure.

Those eyes, which usually carried a hint of laziness and nonchalance, were now surprisingly bright.

It wasn't because of excitement, nor because of fighting spirit.

Rather, it's because—

He "saw" it.

I saw what I had been waiting for.

It all began when he entered the courtyard, when he sat at the table idly turning his teacup, and when he lazily dealt with the challenges.

He had been waiting.

Waiting for someone who can truly make him "serious".

He's waiting for someone who truly deserves his "action".

Now, that person has stood up.

Zhang Zhiwei suddenly laughed.

That smile was completely different from his usual somewhat carefree one.

It was a pure laugh that came from the heart.

"Senior Brother Li Yuan."

Zhang Zhiwei spoke again, his voice clearer and more solemn than before:

"Junior brother has been waiting for this moment for a long time."

Li Yuan slowly walked out of the main table and along the path leading to the center of the courtyard, step by step, toward Zhang Zhiwei.

His steps were extremely steady and slow, each step taken with composure.

It was as if we were not heading towards a potentially earth-shattering "confrontation," but rather towards an old friend with whom we could have a meaningful conversation.

When he stood about three zhang away from Zhang Zhiwei.

Two figures, one in grey and the other in moonlight, stood facing each other in the brightly lit courtyard.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone held their breath.

Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing sat upright at the main table, his gaze falling on the two young figures, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

There was relief, anticipation, and also a hint of worry.

Thankfully, Zhiwei has finally met a peer he can truly take seriously.

What we look forward to is what kind of sparks will fly between these two most extraordinary figures of the younger generation.

The concern is—

He glanced at Zuo Ruotong beside him, then at Li Yuan in the distance, before finally fixing his gaze on Zhang Zhiwei.

Zhiwei, this child, is too sharp-edged.

However, my friend Li Yuan is unfathomable.

If a fight really breaks out, regardless of who wins or loses, it might not be a good thing for today's birthday banquet.

Zuo Ruotong seemed to have read his mind, turned slightly to the side, and whispered:

"Rest assured, Celestial Master."

"Neither of these two... are people who act impulsively."

"Just now, Daoist Li Yuan had a spiritual exchange with your disciple at Chengxin Water Pavilion. I personally witnessed his calm mind and lofty realm."

"Although your disciple is very sharp-tongued, he is not someone who doesn't know his place."

"Today's 'match' will probably not be what we imagined."

Upon hearing this, the Celestial Master nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on the two figures.

Bai Ling sat quietly beside Li Yuan's seat, a hint of amusement on her beautiful face.

She glanced at the two people facing off in the arena, her beautiful eyes sparkling, and thought to herself:

That young Taoist priest is quite something.

"Their brilliance and extraordinary fortune are rarely seen in the world."

"only..."

Her gaze fell on Li Yuan, and her smile deepened.

"Dao Zi's Dao Yuan is far more profound than he imagined."

Guan Xiugu held her daughter's hand tightly, but her eyes were fixed on the scene.

Xiao Guan Shihua felt a little pain from being gripped so tightly, but dared not make a sound. She just stared wide-eyed at the two older brothers she admired so much, who were about to "fight".

Wang Ai's chubby face was practically overflowing with excitement.

He tugged at his father Wang Wang's sleeve and muttered to himself:

"Father! Father! They're going to fight! They're going to fight!"

Wang Wang glared at him, but did not reprimand him; he simply whispered:

"Watch closely."

"If you can understand even a little bit of this 'battle,' you can avoid taking ten years of detours when you go back."

Wang Ai nodded vigorously, and the excitement on Xiao Pang's face gradually subsided, replaced by a rare seriousness.

Lu Ren sat upright at the table, his gaze calmly fixed on the scene.

Lu Ci, standing beside him, was already trembling slightly with excitement.

"Big brother, who do you think will win?"

Lu Ren remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head:

"This isn't about winning or losing."

Lu Ci was taken aback: "What kind of question is that?"

Lü Ren did not answer.

He simply stared at the two figures in the arena, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

This is... a question of the Tao.

In the center of the courtyard.

Zhang Zhiwei looked at Li Yuan standing in front of him. In those bright eyes, there was no provocation, no hostility, only a kind of almost pure "expectation".

"Senior Brother Li Yuan."

He spoke again, his voice even calmer than before, yet carrying an unprecedented solemnity:

"Junior brother has a question that's been bothering him for a long time."

Li Yuan nodded slightly, his gaze gentle: "Please speak."

Zhang Zhiwei looked directly at him and spoke each word clearly:

"My senior brother just said that you were there the whole time."

"Junior brother thought about it for a long time, but couldn't figure it out."

"You were sitting there the whole time, doing absolutely nothing."

"But this courtyard full of people, this courtyard full of atmosphere, this courtyard full of power—"

He paused, raised his hand, and casually pointed around:

"Yet it seems like everything revolves around you."

"It's not about revolving around where you're sitting, it's not about revolving around you as a person."

"It revolves around the way you 'exist' as a person."

"You did nothing, yet you 'saw' everyone without them even realizing it."

"Those you've seen, whether it's Junior Brother Lu just now, or the two young masters from the Wang and Lü families before, or that one from the Huode Sect—"

His gaze fell upon Li Yuan, and the light in his eyes grew even more intense:

"Their hearts seem to have settled down a bit."

"Their paths seem to be clearer now."

"You didn't teach them anything, yet they all learned something."

"Senior brother—"

Zhang Zhiwei took a deep breath and asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time:

"How did you do that?"

"How do you manage to make a difference simply by being 'present'?"

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone was stunned by Zhang Zhiwei's question.

This is not a challenge, not a challenge, and not even any form of "fight".

This is a true "questioning the Way".