Wang Xuan began to accept Old Chen's viewpoint that the flow of time in the inner realm matched that of the outside world. Perhaps it was indeed a case of mental thought transcending its limits, existing in a special moment of clarity, where the physical body's metabolism surged dangerously, with telomeres undergoing mutations.
After exiting the inner realm, he felt invigorated, with no trace of the passage of time's weariness. Instead, his spirit was increasingly tranquil. Despite the mysterious factors replenishing him, if he had truly lived several decades longer, there would inevitably be signs of mental aging.
The suburban estate was vast. Under the moonlit night, Wang Xuan strolled, observing the reed-filled pond reflecting the stars and moon, then gazing toward the brightly lit city on the distant horizon. He felt the reality of the world more deeply; he should not dwell on the thoughts of the inner realm but seize the opportunities of the present.
Whether it was the striking and terrifyingly powerful red-clothed demoness or the proud and aloof sword fairy, they both seemed intent on approaching the present world. Wang Xuan sensed some of their emotions, and since the celestial beings were like this, he had every reason to grasp tightly to his current existence. He wanted to explore the path of old arts in the present world.
Returning to his room, he soon fell into a deep, high-quality sleep. However, that night, many were restless. They estimated that Old Chen wouldn't make it through the night and calculated that the time was nearly up.
In the morning, people rose early, almost as if in tacit agreement, all dressed in dark clothes, predominantly black, with serious faces and somber expressions. Many believed that, given Old Chen's condition, it was time to issue an obituary.
Only Wang Xuan had the mood to enjoy a self-service breakfast in the dining room, fully focused with a hearty appetite. The others were distracted and whispering to themselves.
Throughout the morning, Wang Xuan saw everyone wearing grim expressions. He was speechless, realizing that they had already entered a "meeting" state!
During this time, he saw Big Wu, who, clad entirely in black, looked even paler, while her curvy figure appeared stunning against the solemn black attire. Old Wu was also present, sighing repeatedly. Upon seeing Qingmu, he walked over and silently patted his shoulder, managing to refrain from uttering the words "take care."
Qingmu looked dazed, unsure of what to say. To outsiders, he appeared sorrowful, his face resembling ash.
Old Wu said softly, "I've contacted a high monk from the ancient temple outside An City; a car is on its way to pick him up and should arrive shortly." He expressed his willingness to help and even arranged for monks from Pufa Temple to come here for the rituals to help Old Chen move on.
Upon hearing this, Qingmu nearly choked on the water he had just drunk, coughing violently, tears almost welling up. What could he say? He quickly took another sip to calm himself.
In the morning, exclamations came from Old Chen's hospital room as he suddenly kicked his legs, his pulse weakening to the point of being nearly undetectable, which sent medical staff into a frenzy. They discreetly communicated to the outside that the patient was not doing well.
Soon, representatives from all sides rushed over, filling the estate with vehicles, while the helipad was crowded with small ships. Many prominent figures arrived, including the second-in-command from relevant departments and high-ranking elderly men, all hurrying into Old Chen's room.
The others, dressed in black, formed a somber crowd inside and outside the courtyard, from men to women, old to young, all bearing sorrowful expressions. Cameras captured the scene, documenting the event for the news.
Wang Xuan internally scoffed, thinking that Old Chen was being quite vindictive. Ever since learning that a group was preparing for a "meeting" in advance, he suspected Old Chen was planning a form of "social revenge," marking each familiar face down in his little notebook.
Sure enough, Old Chen ended up sleeping soundly and deeply, causing all those significant figures and representatives to wait for him all morning.
Some elderly gentlemen with high status and advanced age found themselves in considerable discomfort after standing for an entire morning, eventually being helped out of the hospital room.
As for those waiting outside, they grew weary, repeatedly glancing inside. Hadn't the doctor said the patient was near death? Why hadn't anything happened after waiting all morning?
By noon, expressions were somber as people left in an orderly manner.
Late at night, after a day of slumber, Old Chen was unable to sleep any longer, began kicking his legs, and momentarily stopped breathing for five minutes, but was revived. Even so, he was weak and his breaths intermittent, his face as pale as wax, looking as if he had become a half-dead person.
Medical staff quickly notified everyone, believing this time it was for real, urging those who wanted to see him one last time to hurry.
A swarm of people arrived, only to leave expressionless by one a.m.
The following day, before dawn, medical staff noticed Old Chen kicking his legs again but refrained from sending a notification. After a round of ineffective resuscitation, they waited until he had been without breath for half an hour before confirming his death and sending out the news.
For some reason, they all felt a sense of relief, exhaling deeply. Unlike the usual desire to revive a patient, this time, they hoped for Old Chen to depart in peace.
Those who had spent a sleepless night were soon hurriedly coming back.
...
By mid-morning, around nine, several small ships began to leave the estate, taking with them figures of significant status.
They had reached their limits, unable to endure another day of this relentless ordeal, with no sleep since the previous night. In the end, Old Chen had returned to life again, still not dead—who could withstand this?!
"Qingmu, if anything comes up, let me know. The old man is heading back to recuperate!" An elderly man was helped onto a ship.
Old Chen, against all odds, had yet again proven resilient, leaving many of the high-status elderly feeling exhausted and nearly ill themselves. Each side stood in silence.
Many quietly packed their belongings, embarking on their journey home, unable to cope with such an overwhelming character.
"Old Chen's tenacity is incredible, filled with a deep affection for this world, unwilling to part with it. He's been fighting against death day and night, and has come back from the brink multiple times!"
Some people expressed their admiration, completely convinced, while a multitude felt a desire to retract their floral tributes.
Still, others remained, and during this time, certain events unfolded. In the field of old arts, people engaged in exchanges and validation, drawing crowds of onlookers.
Many expressed their awe and reflection, recognizing Old Chen as a grandmaster of old arts, as practitioners shared their experiences and validated their teachings in the estate—another form of farewell to Old Chen.
"Someone's plotting something." In the hospital room, Old Chen, upon receiving the news, made a keen judgment. However, he was unconcerned, feeling that he had transcended being a grandmaster and now had enough confidence. Even if the strongest figures in the new arts field were to infiltrate the estate, he would remain unafraid and was actually looking forward to it.
This time, he planned to lie low for several months, intending to accomplish some major tasks and see if anyone would come out to stir up trouble. He was especially eager to see which people he could rely on and which were backstabbers. However, what he anticipated the most was whether the top figures in the new arts field would come to the old world. If they showed up with intentions to kill him, he wouldn't mind taking them out directly!
Yet, he didn't expect signs of trouble to emerge so quickly.
"If anything happens, Little Wang, you handle it. Your strength is quite impressive now!" Old Chen remarked, evaluating Old Wang, who had mastered the third style of the Five-Page Golden Book, noting his formidable attack power.
At this stage, Wang Xuan didn't want to attract attention and was naturally reluctant to take action. Besides, this was dirty and tiring work; one misstep could lead to chaos.
After all, representatives from various factions had not all left. Many firmly believed Old Chen was on the verge of death and stayed behind to bid farewell.
For instance, Comrade Wu had already pre-ordered a floral wreath days in advance, along with a multitude of monks, yet it all seemed futile, resulting in numerous scornful remarks from Big Wu.
Old Chen spoke leisurely, "Aren't you planning to venture into deep space? Use your remaining strength one last time. Also, don't you think that with the name Wang Xiao, your current achievements are too high-profile? Just temporarily freeze that identity. Before it's all over, you don't need to worry; shine as you wish and strike as you wish, which will help test your strength. Even if, in the near future, your true identity is uncovered, I believe you won't care about these records anymore. With your cultivation speed, you should be in a higher realm by then. Besides, I'm still around, so it's only right to protect the path-bearers."
"I think that once my identity is revealed or when we meet again after a while, I'll truly become your path-bearer," Wang Xuan replied.
"Ha, that's great, Old Wang, such confidence!" Old Chen shot him a glance, realizing that Wang, who called himself a 'master,' was getting a bit too cocky. Should he take the chance to educate him before it was too late?
Wang Xuan pondered the prospect of going into deep space while contemplating the potential impact if his identity was revealed. He figured Big Wu would be the first to react.
Then he frowned again, considering that those who wanted to keep him in the old world and block his path to the new star would likely be unhappy. Would they step up their tactics?
And who exactly was the true culprit trying to kill him? Would they intensify their efforts?
Thus, after some thought, Wang Xuan politely declined Old Chen's offer. He believed it was better to keep a low profile.
"I'll solve all those problems for you this time," Old Chen replied calmly. After surpassing the grandmaster level, he had grown increasingly confident.
"Soon, I'll have a private discussion with the relevant departments. Your issues are nothing to worry about." He smiled as he added, "You wanted to know about the levels of the old arts path, right? After this, I'll tell you all about it. I'm close to being able to send dreams to others."
Wang Xuan's eyes widened. "Old Chen, we just took down a white tiger demon, and now you want to cause some chaos yourself?!"
Old Chen said, "What are you thinking? This is just a little technique from the old arts path that I'm currently working on."
Not long after, Qingmu entered, his face ashen, his chest heaving violently. Old Chen immediately stood up and lightly pressed his palm against Qingmu's chest, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
"What happened?" Old Chen asked in a deep voice.
Wang Xuan approached to check on Qingmu's injuries. Although Qingmu was currently very strong, he had still been heavily injured.
"I was injured while sparring with the Black Tiger and the Kite, who have been accompanying me on exploration missions for years. When I went to retrieve them, I was set up..."
Qingmu, naturally experienced, initially thought he could take the person away without issue. However, someone had been waiting to spring a trap. In front of everyone, it looked like a light sparring match with no serious harm.
But afterward, he felt something was off; he had encountered a master whose practice in the old arts was devious and powerful. Those seemingly harmless exchanges had now left him feeling extremely unwell.
Old Chen said coldly, "The Tongyou Palm, once mastered, produces a corrosive secret power. On the surface, it seems fine, but internally it can turn black. If it's not treated promptly, it can easily lead to serious issues, causing the internal organs to rot."
As he finished, his voice turned ice-cold. "They couldn't even wait for me to die before they targeted my disciple. With Qingmu's identity, he will receive treatment and won't die in the short term, but this is a chronic injury, and his health will surely be a concern in the long run."
"Too much! If I, Old Chen, die, so be it, but I'm still alive and have broken through!" Old Chen was filled with killing intent.
He understood that since someone had attacked, injuring Qingmu was merely a pretext, and there were certainly various other methods in play.
Wang Xuan said, "There could be many motives behind targeting Qingmu, making it difficult to judge."
The current situation was complex; it could stem from a struggle for interests or a personal grudge.
For example, it might be an old rival kicking someone when they were down, bullying a lineage with no one left to defend it. It could also be an internal power struggle within the exploration organization. Moreover, it could simply be a test to see how various parties would react.
Wang Xuan shook his head. "It's really hard to guess, as there are too many possibilities. It could even be that the top figure in the new arts field has appeared, suspecting that Old Chen is unharmed, and has someone strike Qingmu, leaving him half-dead to see if you react."
Old Chen's face darkened. He could naturally think of these things, and the more he pondered, the more murderous intent filled the air. If he didn't survive this time, it meant that someone, for some purpose, was willing to casually cripple Qingmu, even letting him die from internal rot?
"Little Wang, I can't go out right now, and I'll need to lie low for a while. This time, you go take action without holding back. No matter who it is, you can unleash your fury. If something goes wrong, I'll cover for you; it won't be a problem, even if the sky collapses!"
Old Chen's words were chillingly resolute, showing he was genuinely angry.
Wang Xuan sighed. "With Old Qing in this condition and you playing dead, I'll have to be the one to step out."
Since Old Chen had noticed Qingmu's situation, he naturally wouldn't let anything happen to him. He performed some manipulations on Qingmu and then patted him a few times, resolving most of the issues—there was no doubt that a transcendent grandmaster had acted.
Old Chen was very assertive. "I can't go out for a while, but it's true that someone needs to establish the authority of the old arts and show everyone outside that geniuses and powerhouses in this field are emerging one after another. No one can stop it. Little Wang, you can assert your authority today!"
Wang Xuan walked with Qingmu to the large reed pond behind the estate, where there was ample grassland and many people were gathered to watch the old arts practitioners spar.
"Brother Mu, are you here to spar with me formally?" a middle-aged man smiled and said.
Earlier, the two had exchanged a few casual strikes, and no one had noticed anything unusual.
"I'd better pass; I'm not in good shape. You can spar with Little Wang instead," Qingmu replied calmly.
Wang Xuan's arrival drew much attention, with many eyes turning towards him.
He felt a surge of realization; not long ago, he had considered various possibilities but had overlooked himself. He suspected that the other party might have intended to lure him out from the start.
Since he was already here, and since he had to temporarily "freeze" the Wang Xiao identity, he had nothing to worry about. He stepped forward, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then engaged in combat with the man.
"Tongyou Palm!" During their exchange, Wang Xuan directly identified the secret technique the man was using, shocking everyone. This was a body technique known for its extreme toxicity and insidious nature. The looks directed at the middle-aged man instantly changed.
After exchanging a few simple blows, Wang Xuan nodded to himself, recognizing the man's prowess. The secret power produced by the Tongyou Palm was astonishing and truly extraordinary.
"Little Wang has made his move; let's go take a look!" Big Wu was at the edge of the reed pond, accompanying Old Wu as they watched the sparring. The Wu family sought someone to practice the old arts, so they naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity.
After a few strikes, Wang Xuan didn't hesitate anymore. Not wanting to hold back, he delivered a swift kick, like lightning, sending the man flying six or seven meters away, breaking several of his ribs!
In the distance, Zhong Qing, with a fresh face and exquisite beauty, looked astonished at the kick. She turned to an elder beside her, seemingly seeking confirmation with her gaze.
"That was the body technique from the Snake-Crane Eight Dispersion Hands, the Dragon-Snake Tail. He just got the secret manual, and he's mastered it so quickly? His talent is truly... terrifying, even better than the old Chen back in the day!" the elder murmured.
He recognized the power behind that kick, capable of shattering several tons of heavy rock. The young man had controlled his strength exceptionally well, with his mystical energy penetrating flesh, bones, and organs, delivering a terrifying yet exquisite level of lethality.
"He's mastered a move so quickly?" Little Zhong was stunned by the confirmation and walked over lightly.
Wang Xuan narrowed his eyes, sensing someone approaching with hostility. Today, he would likely have to unleash his full strength.