E 33

Staring blankly at the door that had been slammed shut, Xia Wenzhuo turned to Xu Shan, his face full of frustration.

"What’s that supposed to mean! Me, a dignified Celestial Master… uh, dignified whatever, would I stoop to competing with him for a spot to sell buns?"

Halfway through his sentence, Xia Wenzhuo remembered he couldn’t reveal his identity, so he quickly corrected himself. His awkward remark successfully caught the curious attention of a passing elderly woman.

"Enough, shut up already. No one’s asking you to really sell buns."

Watching her cousin lose focus yet again, Xu Shan felt utterly drained.

She looked at Xu Hong'an, who was frowning in thought beside her, with a hint of expectation in her voice.

“Third Uncle, did you notice anything?”

Hearing this, Xu Hong'an shook his head, his expression slightly heavy.

He sighed and said in a deep voice, “No, everything that family said was true. They genuinely don't know anything.”

“Then what do we do…”

Upon hearing this, Xia Wenzhuo's face immediately scrunched up.

He glanced at Xu Shan, his expression showing some hesitation.

“Sis, do you still remember why we came here in the first place?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Shan frowned.

“What do you mean? Just say it straight.”

Xia Wenzhuo carefully glanced at Xu Hong'an and cautiously said,

“That Wang Youqian, isn't he the local boss in Lin'an? Why don't we ask him for help? As long as that elder is still in Lin'an, he should be able to find him faster than we can.”

Hearing Xia Wenzhuo’s suggestion, Xu Shan hesitated.

“Well…”

Going to Wang Youqian would indeed be quicker, but doing so would expose the reason for their visit to Lin'an, wouldn't it?

Neither the Xia family nor the Xu family are major cultivation clans. In fact, only after joining forces did they gain a modest position in the capital.

Before they set off for Lin'an, their parents repeatedly warned them not only to avoid offending that elder but also to carefully conceal their whereabouts, so as not to be discovered by other families.

It wouldn't matter much if they failed to recruit the elder, but if they accidentally revealed the elder's secluded location and another family managed to recruit him, it would be a huge loss.

Xu Hong'an, also realizing this, pondered for a moment before finally deciding not to agree immediately.

“Let's try looking ourselves first. Since the elder is proficient in formations, his residence must be surrounded by many intricate arrays. Let's keep an eye on the spiritual energy fluctuations around Lin'an in the coming days. Following those fluctuations should lead us to something.”

Xia Wenzhuo and Xu Shan nodded in agreement.

As they were discussing, they suddenly heard a commotion coming from the staircase below them.

“Huh, hostility!”

Could it be that their whereabouts had already been exposed?!

Xu Hong'an suddenly became alert and looked down with a puzzled expression.

“The hostility is coming from below. Be on guard. The source seems weak, but it might be a trick by the enemy. Be extra cautious…”

Before he could finish his sentence, the weak source of hostility from the stairs showed itself—it was a group of security guards, armed with batons, rushing towards them.

They had received calls from residents, reporting that a group of suspicious people had been lurking in front of an apartment on the 7th floor for a long time and had gotten into a heated conflict with the occupants.

One of the occupants was so frightened that they slammed the door shut, yet the group still refused to leave. In just a few minutes, the security office had received several complaints from residents. The situation was dire!

Now, it was time for them to step up and protect the neighborhood and its residents!

Gripping their batons, the security guards stared at Xia Wenzhuo and the others with wary and fierce eyes, as if they were looking at dangerous criminals about to commit a violent act. Their expressions were full of bravery and resolve.

“Don't move! Hands up!!”

Watching the head guard's shout, which lit up all the sensor lights across three floors, Xia Wenzhuo felt that he might die from embarrassment on the spot.

Wiping his face, and following the signals from Xu Shan and Xu Hong'an behind him, he reluctantly stepped forward and tried to explain,

“Uh, big brother, this is all a misunderstanding. Let me explain…”

“Hah, a misunderstanding? You three have been squatting outside someone's door for half the day, haven't you?”

The head security guard, his voice hoarse from shouting earlier, wore an expression that clearly said, “I've seen through your little tricks,” and his tone was resolute.

“Don't give me that nonsense. If you have something to say, say it back at the security office. You scared my residents; are you going to compensate them for emotional distress? Every day, it's always something useless. Now, move it! No funny business. All of you, to the security office!”

Faced with these unyielding security guards, Xia Wenzhuo and the others had no choice.

To avoid revealing their high and noble identities as celestial masters, the three of them stiffly maintained their composure, forming a line as they walked toward the security office under the curious gazes of the neighborhood uncles and aunties.

---

While the trio was standing there, enduring the security guards' lecture on “following the law and not disturbing others' rest,” Lin Wan opened his eyes in the small training room.

He looked down at the pile of rare treasures spread all over the floor, stacked in layers, now turned into useless waste, and his eyelid twitched in pain.

Oh no, his thousand-year-old great pearl, his century-old fire essence, and his thousand-year-old coldwood… all originally radiant, had now turned dull and ugly!

Lin Wan, who loved flashy things, felt heartbroken. He stared at the pile of ash-grey remnants for a while before forcing himself to look inward instead.

Better to check his strength. He's become so much stronger, so these treasures didn't die in vain!

Letting out a long breath, Lin Wan clenched his fist and felt the surging power coursing through his body, his heart swelling with pride.

Finally, he had restored his physical body to the strength of the Ascension stage!

Feeling the unparalleled power within him, Lin Wan's thoughts began to stir.

Now that he had returned to his peak condition, and being in his own domain, could he… perhaps, finally beat Luo Zixuan into the ground?

As Lin Wan thought of Luo Zixuan, who used to be under his thumb, soon to be pinned down and overwhelmed by him, his heart raced with excitement.

He pushed himself up from the bed, preparing to confront Luo Zixuan for a duel. However, just as his feet were about to touch the ground, he hesitated for a moment.

His pristine, delicate toes lightly touched the dusty remnants of discarded treasures on the floor. Lin Wan felt conflicted but ultimately decided to gather all the items into his storage ring.

After all, they had once been so brilliant and valuable; it would be such a shame to just abandon them.

Puffing up his cheeks, Lin Wan thought ruefully.

Once he got up, Lin Wan transformed into a whirlwind of joy, rushing toward Luo Zixuan's location.

“Luo Zixuan, let’s battle!”

Hearing this, Luo Zixuan paused for a moment, then an overwhelming surge of joy and excitement erupted within him.

“Are you challenging me?”

Although he didn't know why, the mere thought of a challenge sent waves of exhilaration crashing through Luo Zixuan, impossible to suppress.

Upon hearing the word “challenge” from Luo Zixuan's lips, Lin Wan instinctively shivered, a dull ache forming in his ribs.

Then he stopped, suddenly realizing—this was a different time than before!

Now, he was at his peak condition, on his home turf, while Luo Zixuan had lost his memory and couldn't even use his spiritual weapons.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Time to rise up and sing, to avenge the past humiliation, and let that scoundrel Luo Zixuan experience the fear of being overwhelmed!

With this thought, Lin Wan felt a twinge of shame for his earlier instinctive cowardice.

Ha, let’s see how long you can keep smiling.

He looked at the overjoyed Luo Zixuan, sneering coldly before launching his attack.

“Absolutely, let’s have a proper, proper challenge!”

Luo Zixuan didn’t detect any oddity in Lin Wan’s words. He faced Lin Wan, who wore an expression of rage, and happily charged forward.

Boom—

The two palms collided, and moments later, one figure was sent flying back at incredible speed.

???

Lin Wan looked around, stunned as the scenery whirled past him. He suddenly realized the unbelievable truth—he had been knocked back by Luo Zixuan!

How could this be? In the cultivation world, even facing Luo Zixuan at his peak, he had never been this humiliated. When had he ever suffered such disgrace?

Could it be that he had underestimated him just now?

With this thought, Lin Wan frowned and exerted all his strength, launching another strike at Luo Zixuan.

Meanwhile, after sending Lin Wan flying, Luo Zixuan stood there in a daze.

Why did something feel off?

Luo Zixuan furrowed his brows, deep in thought, as his dormant memories began to resurface. Moments later, he realized what was wrong.

He looked at the determined Lin Wan charging toward him and hesitantly adjusted his power, recalling the force from his memories.

As expected, when he restrained his strength, the outcome was more balanced; Lin Wan didn’t get sent flying as far as before.

Unfortunately, while his strength was moderated, his acting skills were lacking.

Feeling the difference in strength compared to before and noticing the hesitation on Luo Zixuan’s face, Lin Wan quickly understood everything.

“Luo Zixuan, are you acting?! So you were just pretending all this time??!”

Lin Wan was left dumbfounded, anger and disbelief roiling in his chest, leaving him dizzy.

“Good, good, you’re really something!”

“Ze Zhi…”

Seeing Lin Wan nearly exploding with rage, Luo Zixuan panicked.

He was about to speak when a jarring ringtone suddenly pierced the air.

“Damn it, what time is it?!”

Lin Wan reached out and grabbed his phone from the air, glancing at the screen showing 7:45. His expression changed drastically, and he panicked visibly.

“Just wait; I’ll deal with you when I get back!”

Glaring fiercely at Luo Zixuan, Lin Wan grabbed his backpack and dashed toward school.

Just as the class bell rang, Lin Wan hurried into the classroom under the watchful gaze of the Chinese teacher.

Before he could even sit down, his homeroom teacher, Mr. Li, appeared at the classroom door.

“Lin Wan, come outside with me.”

Seeing Mr. Li’s grim expression, Lin Wan, who had hurried in just on time, felt bewildered.

??? He hadn’t even been late; why was he being pulled out for a reprimand?

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