Zhongwen spoke softly, “At that time, my senior brother saw the master subdue Zhang Yuchong. While he was still hesitating and preparing to greet the master, suddenly that Ahnu, from behind, launched something unknown, then immediately withdrew in haste.”
“My senior brother felt that as soon as that object appeared, it drained all the true energy around. And where the master and Zhang Yuchong stood, colorful lights simultaneously emerged from all directions, indicating some kind of formation was in place. My senior brother grew anxious and shouted loudly, ‘Master, be careful!'”
“The master was startled, while Zhang Yuchong, who had been subdued at the moment, suddenly flew into a rage, saying, ‘Despicable coward! So you were plotting against me all along!’ Before the master could react, Zhang Yuchong seized the opportunity to break free from the restraint and then immediately cast a talisman directly onto the master!”
Everyone gasped at this point. According to this account, Zhang Yuchong must have mistaken Ahnu’s sneak attack as being aimed at him, so he certainly decided to risk his life to severely wound Mei Hua Zhenren. Tian Shi talismans are famous for their straightforward power and immense strength. Being struck directly by one would severely wound even a loose immortal, potentially costing half their life.
“At that moment, the master roared in anger and immediately unleashed the protective Five Elements Thunder. But just then… the colorful formation beneath him began to rotate, and the master’s protective thunder… instantly exploded!”
Taking a sharp breath, Tao Zhongwen continued, “When my senior brother reached this point, I immediately understood everything. It must have been that rascal Ahnu who had previously set up a Yin Five Elements Thunder Formation underground. While the master and Zhang Yuchong were locked in a stalemate, he suddenly activated it. Naturally, neither the master nor Zhang Yuchong knew what was happening and thus ceased holding back. The master’s protective thunder certainly activated as well. At that moment, with Yin and Yang clashing, Ahnu, manipulating from the side, immediately caused the master’s protective thunder and the underground formation to explode together…”
After hearing this, Mei Qing mentally calculated and realized that according to Tao Zhongwen’s explanation, it was indeed feasible. The Divine Thunder Technique is divided into the Five Elements, which mutually restrain and balance each other, controlled purely by one’s inner energy. However, if someone had secretly prepared an inverted Yin Five Elements Thunder Formation underground in advance, given that both formations originated from the same source and were of similar nature, with someone guiding slightly from the side, the Five Elements’ Yin and Yang could transform and generate, instantly triggering an explosion of surrounding energy. Such power would even force a retreat from a Golden Immortal of the Grand Luo Heaven.
However, there were several prerequisites for the formation’s creator: one must be extremely familiar with the Divine Thunder Technique and accurately know Fan Wentai’s cultivation level and the location of his appearance. Any missing element would make this impossible. Only someone very close to him could use such a formation to plot against him.
Tao Zhongwen said with hatred, “My senior brother was greatly alarmed and immediately sent me a message. But the surrounding energy was in chaos, making it impossible to deliver. At that moment, Ahnu also noticed my senior brother and immediately released a magical artifact to attack him. My senior brother, caught off guard, was forced into a desperate struggle. By the time I arrived, I saw exactly what had happened.”
Everyone was shocked after hearing this. Although few knew the exact cultivation level of Shao Yuanjie back then, as the Imperial Master, he naturally possessed formidable skills. Moreover, many sects had encountered the brothers of the “Six Plums” and experienced their abilities firsthand. Now it turned out that even with the combined strength of the two brothers against Ahnu, Shao Yuanjie barely managed to break through the enemy’s artifact at the cost of his own cultivation. Thus, Ahnu’s cultivation level must indeed be astonishing.
Tao Zhongwen continued, “We chased him down and saw that the scoundrel actually returned to our sect’s mountain. However, during the pursuit, my senior brother’s injuries flared up, forcing us to slow down. By the time we returned to our sect, we learned that Ahnu had already come and gone, and no one knew where he had fled. Of course, our third junior brother had just arrived, and he witnessed this with his own eyes.”
Everyone knew that Tao Zhongwen’s “third brother” was Liu Xing, the host of the gathering, who stood nearby. All eyes turned toward him.
But he remained expressionless, seemingly deep in thought. His gaze was fixed far away toward the back garden, as if completely unaware of the many eyes upon him.
“After that,” Tao Zhongwen sighed, “there was no further news of that villain. My senior brother eventually succumbed to his injuries, underwent the Bingjie rebirth, and no one knows where he is now. I, entrusted with the emperor’s heavy responsibility and honored as the National Master, have never dared to forget my master’s vengeance for even a single day. Yet that Ahnu had seemingly vanished into thin air. Despite my exhaustive search, not a single trace of him could be found.”
There was a long silence among the crowd before Li Daoding, the Wuding Zhenren, spoke slowly, “Master Dian, what is this sect matter you mentioned today that you wish to resolve publicly before all the Daoist cultivators here? Could it be that you have finally found Ahnu?”
“Correct,” nodded Tao Zhongwen. “After years of tireless searching and with the blessings of the Three Purities and the protection of my master, I have finally found where that villain has been hiding!”
“Who is it?” Li Daoding frowned. “Please, Master Dian, enlighten us.”
Tao Zhongwen suddenly turned his head, fixed his gaze unwaveringly on Mei Qing, and pointed directly at him, saying, “It’s him—Mei Qing!”
Everyone turned their eyes toward Mei Qing upon hearing this. Mei Qing himself was greatly surprised, but after a moment’s thought, he seemed to understand something. Yet he did not immediately refute the accusation, merely gazing silently at Tao Zhongwen.
“What do you mean by that, Master Dian?” Li Daoding, unable to contain himself, asked, “We have just learned that Mei Qing is the disciple of Zhang Daoyou and Master Ku, and although his cultivation is high, he seems no more than twenty years old. At the time of your master’s passing, he would have been only five or six years old. How could this be?”
Everyone nodded in agreement, feeling that Tao Zhongwen’s claim was indeed somewhat sensational.
Tao Zhongwen let out a “Ha ha” laugh, shaking his head, “Esteemed cultivator friends, the thoughts you all have now were exactly the same as mine back then. Otherwise, how could I have allowed this scoundrel to hide under my nose for so many years without realizing it? Probably, you all still don’t know much about this Mei Qing. Perhaps I should take this opportunity to introduce him a bit more. Would that be acceptable?”
Lu Bing and Liu Xing both looked at Mei Qing. Zhang Shisan remained silent, but Master Ku recited a Buddhist chant, “Amitabha.”
Seeing that Master Ku seemed about to speak, Mei Qing laughed aloud and said, “I never expected Master Dian to take such an interest in a humble nobody like me. It truly makes me feel honored. If Master Dian is willing, please speak freely. Perhaps this will even bring me a bit of recognition, for which I would be deeply grateful.”
Tao Zhongwen sneered coldly, “Indeed, this one is scheming and calculating. Even now, he dares to remain so arrogant! Esteemed cultivator friends, this young man is known as Mei Qing, styled Sanqing, hailing from the capital. His ancestors were hereditary Wu De Generals of the fifth rank. However, Mei Qing was born under an unfortunate star, and both his parents passed away shortly after his birth.”
He paused, then looked at Mei Qing again with a cold smile and continued, “Although Mei Qing inherited his family’s prestige and was hereditarily appointed as a Wu De General, he had no fortune to enjoy it. Because Mei Qing, in truth, was an idiot!”
After Tao Zhongwen said this, everyone’s faces showed surprise. However, they all thought there must be more to the story, so no one asked questions and simply continued to watch Tao Zhongwen.
“Of course, you must have already guessed that the Mei Qing back then was not the same Mei Qing standing before us now,” Tao Zhongwen’s voice grew louder. “It was precisely this young man who suddenly ceased being an idiot overnight—no longer an idiot at all, but completely transformed. First, he became well-versed in all the classics, skilled in identifying antiques, and gained some reputation in the capital’s antiquities trade. Later, he suddenly changed his ways and, somehow, joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard last year, even becoming a commander!”
“However—”
Here, his voice dropped, and he looked at Lu Bing, saying slowly, “At that time, Mei Qing still appeared no different from an ordinary person, neither cultivating the Dao nor having established his foundation. Commander Lu, I suppose you won’t deny that, will you?”
Lu Bing’s face darkened, and he merely grunted without denying it.
Tao Zhongwen nodded and continued, “So here was a Mei Qing who had never practiced cultivation, nor had he taken a master or joined a sect, and who had been an idiot since childhood. Suddenly, at the age of twenty, he awakened to the Dao and established his foundation overnight.
Moreover, his subsequent progress was even more astonishing. Wuding Zhenren, with your discerning eyes, perhaps you can tell us all what level of cultivation Mei Qing has now reached?”
Wuding Zhenren Li Daoding showed a look of shock and doubt on his face, slowly nodding and speaking softly, “Although Mei Daoyou is still very young, his clear aura has gathered in the Three Primordials, his spiritual infant has achieved the Purple Mansion, and his energy is vibrant yet restrained… Moreover, purple flames have appeared at his crown, indicating that he has already passed through the Qi Cultivation into Spirit Transformation stage and has become a true Zhenren.”
As soon as Li Daoding finished speaking, the crowd was thrown into an uproar.
Mei Qing’s cultivation level was already among the top few within the gathering. Therefore, very few among the crowd could discern his true level. However, given his extremely young age, even though some cultivators present might not match his level, they had all been practicing cultivation for a long time, so they could tell that he had not used any Daoist technique to alter his appearance but was genuinely very young.
Therefore, when most could not perceive his cultivation level, many assumed that perhaps he had received some artifact from a senior sect member to conceal his power or had practiced a similar technique. No one had imagined that Mei Qing’s cultivation surpassed most of those present, which was why they could not fathom his true depth.
“One year… one year…” someone murmured, and everyone shared the same thought: one year to progress from Foundation Building to Qi Cultivation? Such speed is beyond unheard of—it’s something no one would dare even imagine!
“Even so, it still doesn’t seem to prove that Mei Qing is that Ahnu, does it?” Li Daoding said softly. “Although Mei Qing’s cultivation speed is astonishing, it only shows that he has had some extraordinary and unimaginable experiences. It doesn’t necessarily connect him to Ahnu.”
Lu Ze also interjected, “That’s right. Didn’t that Mongolian shaman gain his current cultivation level after just sleeping on a tree? How can we say others couldn’t do the same?”
At this point, Lu Bing could not speak out, so Lu Ze, seeing the unfavorable situation for Mei Qing, immediately chimed in with a few remarks to try to defend him.
Tao Zhongwen nodded and said, “If it were only this, I could only marvel at Mei Qing’s unique fortune or suspect he had been possessed by some divine entity. However… heh heh, if this Mei Qing, by sheer coincidence, happens to be proficient in nothing but the Daoist techniques of the Plum Sect, then there are some things that become hard to explain, wouldn’t you agree?”
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