Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Seeing that Zhang Zhiwei seemed somewhat displeased with the banner, the crowd holding it stopped and pointed at Lü Ci.

"It was Erbi who gave the instruction!"

Lu Ci's face froze instantly; it was indeed his suggestion.

What do you mean? Does Senior Brother Zhang not like this?

What an idiot! Sure enough, there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names... Zhang Zhiwei stepped forward and reached out to squeeze the banner.

The quality is also very good; it's brocade, the core fabric used in imperial edicts issued by ancient emperors. You can tell that they put a lot of effort into it.

He patted Lü Ci on the shoulder and said, "Holding up something like that is no different from taking a dump in the street. Don't be so flamboyant next time, be more subtle."

He wouldn't blame Lü Ci for such a small matter; as the saying goes, flattery will get you everywhere. If someone says they don't like being flattered, they're probably just pretending.

Zhang Zhiwei is just an ordinary person. He can feel good when he hears a few reasonable compliments, but if the praise is too exaggerated, then it won't work.

"Senior Brother Zhang, I understand. I'll definitely pay attention next time," Lü Ci said quickly.

Zhang Zhiwei continued, "Quickly take down the banner, otherwise Master will say that I've corrupted the atmosphere of Longhu Mountain."

Zhang Jingqing: "..."

How come they've even learned to steal words?
Lu Ci glanced at Zhang Jingqing and, seeing his expressionless face, felt a chill run down his spine and quickly put the banner away.

Considering that Lü Ci was an outsider, Zhang Jingqing didn't say anything.

Seeing Zhang Zhiwei chatting and laughing, his fellow disciples quickly gathered around him, asking him a barrage of questions to show their concern.

"Senior brother, how are you feeling?"

"That calamity fire was truly terrifying. Senior brother, were you injured or anything?"

"Senior brother, you were so impressive just now! That scene is something you only see in myths and legends."

Zhang Zhiwei shook his Taoist robe to indicate that he was unharmed.

At this moment, Zhang Jingqing also came over and asked:
"Last time you used lightning to temper your meridians, and this time you're using tribulation fire to temper them. How does it feel?"

Zhang Zhiwei said, "It was even more explosive than last time, it almost cooked the eight extraordinary meridians."

"However, like the lightning calamity, destruction also contains a trace of life. As long as you can withstand the scorching heat of the tribulation fire, that trace of life will be integrated into your body, bringing great benefits."

"I have some special methods that allow the damaged meridians and extraordinary tendons to recover quickly during the tempering process, so they can continue to be tempered by the tribulation fire and absorb that bit of new life power from it."

"This has made the foundation of my life much stronger and more solid."

"However, in the process, I inevitably suffered some damage, and my life cultivation level has regressed considerably, which will take a considerable amount of time to recover."

Everyone was shocked to hear this. The Three Calamities were major tribulations, and it was already difficult for ordinary people to survive them safely. It was already rare to gain even the slightest benefit from them. Yet, Senior Brother Zhang was able to benefit from them repeatedly.

Wouldn't the benefits he gained from this heavenly tribulation be more than the combined benefits of many tribulations that others have undergone?
Not to mention that their cultivation speed is dozens of times faster than that of humans.

The resources they acquire during their cultivation are dozens of times more than those of others.

Most importantly, these resources were not obtained through a master's school, a family, or even luck, but through their own supernatural abilities, which they forcibly extracted the power of creation from heaven and earth.

This is also why Zhang Zhiwei enjoys high prestige in Longhu Mountain and is admired by everyone.

It's not scarcity that's the problem, but inequality. If someone rises to prominence because of the master's favoritism or special treatment, no matter how powerful their methods are, their fellow disciples will find it hard to truly believe them.

When Lü Ci looked at Zhang Zhiwei, her eyes lit up, filled with stars, and she exclaimed inwardly.

Brother Zhang is practically a god when it comes to seizing resources and taking advantage of the Heavenly Tribulation. As the saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black." My decision to shamelessly stay at Longhu Mountain was absolutely brilliant.

In the past, he often introduced Zhang Zhiwei to outstanding women in his clan, hoping to bring them together and make his senior brother Zhang one of his own.

She even told the other women that if they could turn Zhang into one of their own, she would be willing to kneel and greet him every day.

Unfortunately, since Senior Brother Zhang was a Taoist practitioner and didn't have many worldly desires, this method wouldn't work, so he discussed it with his brother.

Since the mountain won't come to see me, then I'll go to see the mountain.

If we can't get Senior Brother Zhang to Lujia Village, then he can just stay on Longhu Mountain; the effect will be the same.

Of course, it's not fair to call him lazy; he did work hard. He contracted most of the fields in Longhu Mountain, which was equivalent to a hundred farmhands.

At this moment, Zhang Jingqing stepped forward, reached out and grasped Zhang Zhiwei's wrist to take his pulse. After confirming Zhang Zhiwei's condition, she said:
"Judging from your pulse, it does look rather bad, but your innate Qi is becoming increasingly abundant. In general, this tribulation is like hammering a piece of refined iron. After removing the impurities, your body will inevitably shrink, but it won't be a big deal. The key to tempering your life lies in this word 'tempering.' After a period of recovery, your overall cultivation will advance even further."

Zhang Zhiwei nodded and said, "It will indeed take a considerable amount of time to recover."

Zhang Jingqing then said, "Speaking of which, with such a huge expenditure of energy this time, your foundation must have improved considerably, right?"

"Want to give it a try?" Zhang Zhiwei asked with a smile.

"Let's give it a try." Zhang Jingqing stretched out her hand behind her: "Bring me your sword!"

A peach wood sword was shoved into his hand.

Zhang Jingqing: "…………"

Zhang Zhiwei: "…………"

It was Zhang Yi who presented the sword. Because he was standing opposite his master, Zhang Zhiwei could see clearly that Uncle Yi Qian originally intended to hand over his own sword, but Uncle Zhang Yi took the initiative and stuffed a peach wood sword into his master's hand.

Zhang Jingqing stared blankly at the peach wood sword in her hand. Was this something a human could do?

He turned and threw the peach wood sword at Zhang Yi: "You're using this to test Zhang Zhiwei? Who can't accept such a test?!"

Zhang Yi caught the peach wood sword and whispered, "If we don't use the peach wood sword, are we going to use the Seven Star Magic Sword? What if we break it?"

"It's like the emperor isn't worried but the eunuch is. Even your senior brother isn't worried, so why are you so anxious? Here, senior brother, take this sword." Yi Qian tossed the Seven Star Magic Sword in his hand to Zhang Jingqing.

Zhang Jingqing caught the sword, weighed it in his hand, and thought the sword seemed a bit overkill. He had originally intended to borrow a sword from his junior brother.

"Senior brother, you're not going to test Yi Qian's sword, are you?" Zhang Yi asked in surprise.

Although the high-ranking masters of Longhu Mountain all use the Seven Star Magic Sword.

However, there are differences between different magic swords.

Yi Qian's magic sword is among the best of his generation.

Even Zhang Zhiwei's Dongfeng Greatsword was obtained from Yi Qian.

Using Yi Qian's magic sword to test Zhang Zhiwei is no different from using Dongfeng Greatsword to test him.

Zhang Jingqing scratched the blade with her finger; it was exceptionally sharp!
Speaking of which, he had tested the sword with Zhang Zhiwei when Zhang Zhiwei underwent his tribulation last time.

However, at that time he used ritual implements specifically for Taoist rituals, which were not comparable to the Seven Star Magic Sword used for magical duels.

Not to mention the natal magic sword that Yi Qian had nurtured for decades.

"Zhang Yi is right, using this sword is a bit of a stretch."

He was about to toss the magic sword to Yi Qian and find a more ordinary seven-star magic sword when he heard Zhang Zhiwei say:
“Master, I’m not that delicate. It’s okay if I get injured. Just hit me directly.”

Since Zhang Zhiwei had said so, Zhang Jingqing didn't stand on ceremony with him. With a flick of her wrist, she thrust out her sword, piercing Zhang Zhiwei's wrist.

Zhang Jingqing's attack was extremely measured. Even if Zhang Zhiwei couldn't block this sword strike, it wouldn't cause serious injury; at most, it would leave some superficial wounds.

However, the result surprised Zhang Jingqing.

The sword thrust forward with force, but failed to penetrate.

The feeling transmitted from the sword was not the hardness he had after using the Golden Light Mantra for defense; instead, it gave him a feeling of powerlessness, like trying to poke tough cowhide with a wooden stick.

There's even a feeling that no matter how hard you try, you can't break through or breach their defenses.

Everyone else who witnessed this scene, whether younger or older, was completely dumbfounded.

They all saw it clearly: Zhang Zhiwei didn't use golden light; he resisted purely with his physical body.

His physical body was completely unharmed, without even a scratch.

"The power of Master's sword strike was so great that even I couldn't block it with the Golden Light Mantra, yet Senior Brother managed to block it with his bare body. It's truly unbelievable."

"Senior brother, are you using external martial arts techniques, or are you relying solely on your physical body?"

"Didn't you hear Master say that this was to test Senior Brother's foundation? Since it's about foundation, naturally no tricks were used!"

"To block the attack of a divine weapon without using any special means is simply incredible!"

"There must be some reason behind this that we don't know!"

A group of people were talking about it.

Of all these people, Yi Qian was the most surprised.

He had nurtured this magic sword with his Qi for decades, and he knew its sharpness best.

Even without the addition of Qi, it can cut iron like mud.

But it couldn't pierce Zhang Zhiwei's arm.

May the Heavenly Venerable One above witness this brat's thick skin!
Yi Qian felt a pang in his heart as he watched.

"This can't even hurt him? Is this kid about to achieve physical immortality?!"

Zhang Yi also looked surprised.

Although he and Yi Qian seemed to be at odds, they actually had a good relationship, so he was very familiar with the power of Yi Qian's sword.

“Master, your sword strike just now wasn’t heavy, and you didn’t even use any Qi. This time, I’ll go for it a little harder so I can test my limits,” Zhang Zhiwei said.

"Since that's the case, then I'll grant your wish."

Zhang Jingqing and Li Yan gripped the sword hilts, flicked their wrists forward, and the longswords rang out. Three sword lights slashed down, striking Zhang Zhiwei's body and producing several muffled sounds like rattan hitting leather.

Zhang Zhiwei looked down at his arm. He had felt a little pain, but it hadn't broken through his defenses; it had only damaged the surface of his skin, leaving a few white marks.

It seems that if I used a little more force, or if I infused the blade with true energy, I should be able to cut through it. This should be about my limit...

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhiwei looked at Zhang Jingqing, just about to speak.

Even when the master held the sword in front of his eyes with one hand, made a sword incantation with the other, and then swept his fingers across the blade, the entire longsword shone and emitted a dangerous aura.

Clearly, failing to break through Zhang Zhiwei's defenses twice in a row had angered Zhang Jingqing. He planned to give Zhang Zhiwei a solid, hard blow to break through his tortoise-shell-like skin.

Seeing this, Zhang Zhiwei quickly waved his hand and said:

“Master, stop, stop. I already know what to do. There’s no need to try anymore.”

Although he was one with life and had undergone two tribulations to forge an indestructible body, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was invincible against ordinary weapons.

However, if he were to be stabbed by a divine weapon that gathers Qi at its sharpest point without using any protective measures, it could still pierce through his body.

He's not a masochist; since he's bound to succeed, there's no need to try again.

"You're quite clever, kid..." Zhang Jingqing extended his sword behind him, and the Seven Star Magic Sword transformed into a stream of light, flying into Yi Qian's scabbard. He commented:
"Your physique already surpasses most of the martial arts schools that rely on physical strength; your life force is frighteningly deep."

Using physical strength to test the foundation of one's life force may not be so accurate for others.

But Zhang Zhiwei is different. He is one with his body and soul, and his physical body and soul progress together. They share the same fate, and he suffers the same fate. Therefore, he can be tested in this way.

Yi Qian said, "Not the vast majority, but all of them. No martial arts sect would dare to take my magic sword head-on with their bare body like this, unless they use a magical escape technique to protect themselves."

He still has this bit of confidence.

"So, even without the Golden Light Spell, Zhiwei can move freely through a hail of bullets?" Zhang Yi said.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingqing gave Zhang Yi a disgruntled look:
"If you don't know how to teach, don't teach blindly!"

"The Golden Light Mantra is our signature skill. No matter what unexpected situation arises, whether it's offense or defense, the first thing we do is use it."

“It’s not just Zhang Zhiwei, it’s the same for everyone.”

Zhang Jingqing looked at the disciples behind her.

"I will definitely remember Master's instructions."

Everyone responded one after another.

Zhang Jingqing nodded, and then he asked the people in the alchemy room to get some pills for Zhang Zhiwei to recover, and asked the people in the dining hall to prepare food to celebrate for Zhang Zhiwei.

Everyone cheered upon hearing this, thinking that thanks to their senior brother, they could have another good meal.

Afterwards, everyone checked the surroundings and, to confirm that there was no risk of flooding, returned to the dining hall to wait for the meal.

This feast consisted of a set meal of three meat dishes and three vegetable dishes per person, though it couldn't compare to a banquet.

But when they thought that this was the Celestial Master's standard, everyone ate happily.

After finishing his feast and chatting with his fellow disciples for a while, Zhang Zhiwei returned to Tianmen Peak for seclusion.

Although this tribulation improved my life foundation, it also caused considerable losses, and I need to recover to my peak condition as soon as possible.

He sat cross-legged under the crooked tree, using the Saintly Thief technique to devour the Qi of Heaven, Earth, and Man like a whale sucking in water, even briefly causing a surge of primordial energy.

During this process, the crooked tree absorbed some vital energy and gained tremendous benefits.

Those who come to offer incense at the Tiantong Temple below Tianmen Peak also benefit.

Because of its proximity to Tianmen Peak, Zhang Zhiwei's breathing exercises caused a large amount of Qi (vital energy) from Heaven, Earth, and Man to gather in this area.

This is something even purer than the primordial Qi in the Qi Array at the entrance of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Even if ordinary people cannot actively absorb it, as long as they are in this environment, they can passively absorb a little bit, which can cure all diseases and strengthen their bodies.

The effect was immediate, and many believers in the area felt it that day.

In no time, the Tian Tong Temple became increasingly famous, attracting more and more believers. (End of Chapter)