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

Zhou Sheng pondered in his heart that most of those who could enter Wudang as disciples had perfect innate qualities and long lifespans.

If we extrapolate from the interior, their lifespan is significantly shorter.

Aside from a low-probability accident, it's highly likely that this was the cause, so we won't pass on the Tian Tong Qi Men to them.

If large fireballs continue to appear, their lifespan cannot be calculated...

That means their lifespan will be affected by the Tian Tong Qi Men method, thus entering an unpredictable state.

The unknown likely represents something bad, so we will not pass on our Qimen skills to them.

But if their lifespans are not affected...

That means Tian Tong Qi Men is harmless to them and can be taught to them.

After careful analysis, Zhou Sheng had a thought and entered the inner vision to deduce the next step.

This time was much easier than the last; several small orbs of light appeared in front of him.

Zhou Sheng looked solemn, took a deep breath, and slapped away Hong Yin's ball of light, getting the answer: over a hundred years old.

Zhou Sheng's brows relaxed. "This kid is so long-lived? It seems that the Heavenly Connection Qimen has no effect on him. Let's try Xiao Lu's method next."

Upon opening it, it revealed that the person was over a hundred years old, even living longer than Hong Yin.

"Good lad, I didn't expect you to live such long lives without any problems. Let's try Xiao Fang's too."

Open the sphere of light, and you're over a hundred years old again.

Zhou Sheng was shocked: "Good heavens, are they all turtles? How come they all lived this long?!"

"Wudang has been feeding you all for so long, and we're still losing money on food!"

Zhou Sheng smiled, but couldn't help but complain.

Then, black energy surged from his body, enveloping him completely. Suddenly, the black energy contracted and took shape, transforming into an eagle with slanted eyes and a face somewhat resembling a shoehorn, which then flapped its wings and took flight.

In recent years, Zhou Sheng has been diligently practicing Tian Tong Qi Men, and has made great progress compared to before, but there is one thing he has always found difficult to overcome.

That is, when things are changing, there are always some minor details that are hard to take care of. For example, his slanted eyes are easy to show no matter how you try to control them. If you don't control them, sometimes even more features will be revealed, such as his long, narrow face.

In the past, he would deliberately make adjustments to make the changes look harmonious.

But right now, he has important things to do and is not in the mood for that at all.

The eagle circled once in the air and arrived at the top of Tianzhu Peak.

Tianzhu Peak is the main peak of Wudang Mountain. The Golden Hall, which enshrines the Zhenwu Emperor, is located here. Standing here, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Wudang Mountain.

Legend has it that this is also where the True Martial Emperor ascended to heaven.

Therefore, every ceremony celebrating ascension is held here.

Besides the ascension ceremony, many national-level prayer and sacrificial ceremonies are also held here.

Of course, that was all during the Ming Dynasty; no major events have been held here for a long time now.

Most Taoist activities are conducted at the Zixiao Palace on Zixiao Peak.

This time, as the sect leader attained enlightenment and ascended to immortality, Wudang opened its Golden Hall after a long absence, inviting all martial arts practitioners to come and witness the ceremony and congratulate the sect leader on his ascension.

Zhou Sheng hovered upwind of the Golden Palace.

The bells rang loudly below, and Taoist priests in various robes and formal attire all entered the golden hall with solemn expressions.

The newly appointed sect leader was dressed in a Taoist robe, with a vermilion pen and token, a wooden sword and a golden bell, and many other magical artifacts displayed in front of him...

They are rehearsing.

Taoist rituals sometimes involve hundreds of people. With so many participants, rehearsals are essential to ensure that every intricate step goes smoothly.

The vast majority of Taoist priests from Wudang participated in this ascension ceremony, including Hong Yin, Xiao Lu, and others. Only Zhou Sheng, that lazybones, was an exception.

Looking at the scene below, Zhou Sheng inexplicably recalled the conversation he had with the sect leader before he ascended to immortality.

The sect leader did not hide his ascension to immortality from them. Instead, he summoned them together and told them frankly that he would soon be traveling far away to see immortals and Buddhas, and would not be returning.

The people weren't idiots; they immediately knew something was wrong and tried to dissuade the sect leader, hoping he would stay at Wudang to oversee the overall situation.

The senior brother of the Wudang sect leader, the red-faced old Taoist priest who was about to become the new sect leader, made an even more sincere request.

If Master Sun wants to leave, he will not force him to stay. However, the world is in chaos and the future is uncertain. Wudang needs Master Sun to suppress its internal forces. Even if Master Sun really wants to leave, it is not too late to leave after this storm has passed.

This explanation was impeccable, but Master Sun did not agree.

He told everyone that he was invincible in the human world and wanted to raise his fist to the sky to visit the realm of immortals and Buddhas.

Upon hearing this, everyone was dumbfounded. If anyone else had said these words, they would have thought it was arrogant, but since it came from the sect leader, they believed it without a doubt.

Even the sect leader's senior brother, the red-faced Taoist, was greatly surprised and hurriedly said that there were still opponents in the human world. Wasn't the little celestial master of Longhu Mountain an opponent?

We could invite him to Wudang Mountain for a friendly exchange or even to Longhu Mountain for a friendly exchange or guidance.

The Wudang sect leader, however, denied the red-faced Taoist's claim.

Zhang Zhiwei's Dao mind is clear and bright; he has no rivals, whether external or internal. He does not regard any being as a rival.

After resolving his inner conflict, he let go of everything and had no rivals left.

If you have no opponent but insist on finding one for yourself, why not just cut yourself down and fall back to a lower realm?

There was nothing left in this world for him to cherish.

The Wudang sect leader told everyone that the journey of a hundred miles is only half complete at ninety, and since he had made up his mind, they could not give up halfway.

He also instructed the red-faced Taoist priest to inform the Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing after he ascended to heaven, so that Zhang Jingqing could preside over his ascension ceremony.

The red-faced old Taoist priest heard the resolute meaning in his junior brother's words and his expression changed drastically, but he didn't say anything more.

Even using the name of Wudang couldn't coerce the sect leader, so he had no more excuses to keep the sect leader from staying.

The higher the cultivation level of a cultivator, the more likely they are to be like this; once they have made up their mind about something, they will never change it, no matter what.

Just like the Left Gate Master in the story, he could have lived for a while longer, but he was determined to leave. Even when Si Chong pleaded with the entire Sanyi Sect, he did not waver in the slightest.

Afterwards, the sect leader dismissed everyone, leaving only the red-faced Taoist.

As dusk fell, cranes cried out in unison on Wudang Mountain, and a white mist stretched across the peaks, rising straight into the sky, dazzlingly beautiful.

When they went to the sect leader's room again, the sect leader was no longer there.

…………

…………

After finishing his thoughts, Zhou Sheng looked at the people rehearsing below and made up his mind.

During the break after rehearsals, the Taoist priests rested.

He flapped his wings and descended from the sky, landing on his junior brother Hongyin's shoulder.

An eagle suddenly landed, and Hong Yin subconsciously used Tai Chi force to try to shake the eagle down.

Strangely, the force, once transmitted, seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving no trace. Hong Yin was startled, then realized that her senior brother Zhou Sheng was playing a trick on her.

This has happened many times before. Ever since my senior brother learned that strange technique called Tian Tong Qi Men, he's been playing tricks on them every few days.

They either turn into eagles and fly over their heads to poop on them, or they turn into tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves to scare them...

In fact, with their current cultivation level, they are no longer afraid of ferocious beasts such as tigers, leopards, and wolves.

But Zhou Sheng's transformation was far beyond that of ordinary wild beasts. He beat them half to death, making them think they had encountered a spirit who had obtained Qi. They were so frightened that they cried out for the spirit to spare their lives.

Then, a cloud of black mist rose up, and the terrifying elf transformed into their senior brother, laughing loudly at them. Only then did they realize they had been tricked.

Hong Yin touched the top of his head, didn't find any poop, breathed a sigh of relief, and whispered:
"Senior brother, what are you up to? Why weren't you at the rehearsal just now?"

Zhou Sheng pecked Hong Yin's ear with his beak and said bluntly:
"I intend to teach you the Heavenly Connection Qimen. Will you learn it or not?"

Hong Yin was stunned, wondering if she had misheard. It was impossible for her not to be envious of her senior brother's methods.

Not only him, but also Xiao Lu, Xiao Fang, and Xiao Song were very envious and had begged their senior brother to teach them many times, but their senior brother refused them all without mercy. No matter how shamelessly they begged, it was no use.

They were even mocked by their senior brothers, who called them stupid pigs and oxen, hopeless rotten wood, and asked what qualifications they had to learn this.

Even if he taught them, they wouldn't be able to learn it. Don't learn only half-baked skills and tarnish the reputation of this method.

That's a really blunt way of putting it.

But apart from Zhou Sheng's younger brother Zhou Meng, the other junior brothers didn't take it to heart.

Because they were used to it; Zhou Sheng was just that kind of guy, never holding back with his words, and his speech was always the most sarcastic and unpleasant.

But deep down he was good; in private he had been diligently studying Tian Tong Qi Men, trying to integrate it, deconstruct its contents, and then pass it on to his fellow disciples.

He never intended to eat it all by himself, and of course, he didn't explain it to his fellow apprentices.

"Senior brother, what did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly." He actually heard you clearly, but he couldn't believe it and even felt that his senior brother was playing a trick on him.

"Didn't you hear me? You're so stupid, I really doubt you can learn it?" Zhou Sheng said irritably.

"Are you serious?" Hong Yin asked rhetorically.

"Putting everything else aside, have I ever used such things to amuse you?" Zhou Sheng retorted.

Hong Yin's spirits lifted. "Senior brother, we begged you so much before, but you wouldn't teach us. Why are you suddenly going to teach us this time?"

"Now that the sect leader is gone, it's time for us disciples to step up. I don't need to say anything more, do I?" Zhou Sheng said.

"I understand, senior brother. How many people do you plan to pass on your skills to?" Hong Yin didn't think that her senior brother would only pass on his skills to her alone.

“If you need someone with good talent, call on Xiao Lu and Xiao Fang, and I’ll teach them both,” Zhou Sheng said.

These individuals can be considered among the top five disciples of Wudang in the contemporary era.

"Should we call Xiao Song along?" Hong Yin asked.

Xiao Song's real name is Song Mian. He is one of the best disciples of Wudang in this generation. He is no worse than Hong Yin and others, and he has a good relationship with them.

It's worth mentioning that Song Mian is also one of the thirty-six thieves in the story. Among the thirty-six thieves, Wudang has two.

“Xiao Song isn’t interested in Qimen Dunjia; it’s not his thing, so we won’t inform him,” Zhou Sheng said.

"Where's Xiaomeng?" Hongyin asked again.

“He…” Zhou Sheng paused and said, “He’s an idiot, a blockhead. He won’t learn even if you teach him. Just ignore him.”

"Xiao Meng is still very smart..."

"To learn or not to learn?"

"Learn, learn, learn!"

Hong Yin readily agreed, got up and found Xiao Lu and Xiao Fang, and called them to the cave in the back mountain.

Unlike the Taoists of Longhu Mountain, the Taoists of Wudang mostly prefer to cultivate in caves. For example, the head of the Wudang sect cultivates in the Prince Cave.

This is where Zhou Sheng secluded himself for cultivation, and he also studied the Tian Tong Qi Men (a form of divination) here.

Inside the cave, Xiao Lu and Xiao Fang looked at Hong Yin.

"Senior Brother Hong, isn't this where Senior Brother Zhou is in seclusion? Why did you call us here so mysteriously?" Xiao Lu asked, looking puzzled.

"I……"

Just as Hong Yin was about to speak, a cloud of black mist surged up from the cave.

Zhou Sheng emerged from the black mist: "Didn't you want to learn Tian Tong Qi Men before? Now, I plan to teach Tian Tong Qi Men to you."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lu and Xiao Fang were overjoyed. They had witnessed the wonders of Tian Tong Qi Men firsthand and had long dreamed of learning it.

“However, let’s make it clear beforehand that there are conditions to learning,” Zhou Sheng said.

"What conditions?"

"You agree under whatever conditions."

Several people nodded.

"First of all, this Qimen Dunjia was created by Senior Brother Zhang Zhiwei. I was only responsible for helping to organize and compile it."

"I am similar to Feng Hou, the founder of Qimen Dunjia, who was born from Feng Hou. Senior Brother Zhang is the Yellow Emperor who commanded Feng Hou."

"The reason I didn't pass it on to you before wasn't because I was stingy or wanted to keep it to myself, but because I promised Senior Brother Zhang that I wouldn't pass this technique on to anyone else..."

"But now that the sect leader has ascended to heaven, and the situation in the world is not good, our Wudang sect needs some means to protect the sect, so I intend to break my promise and pass it on to you."

Upon hearing this, the three were startled. "What if the Little Celestial Master blames us?"

Zhou Sheng waved his hand and said, "You don't need to worry about this. I will explain it to the Little Celestial Master. Just focus on your cultivation."

"Next, I will first explain to you the general principles of Tiantong Qimen cultivation."

"Senior brother, aren't you going to look at that Qimen Dunjia diagram?" Hongyin asked.

“If there are no basic principles, mental techniques, or annotations, even I can’t understand the diagrams just by looking at them. Before you look at the diagrams, I will explain them to you first so that you have a basic understanding. Then, I will explain them to you word by word,” Zhou Sheng said.

"What about the ascension ceremony?" Xiao Lu asked.

"With this, why bother with the ascension ceremony? Are you worried that Master won't be able to find a replacement Taoist priest?"

Hearing Zhou Sheng's words, the three of them felt relieved, sat upright on the ground, and listened intently, afraid of missing any detail.

Then, Zhou Sheng began to explain the general principles to them.

"The Heavenly Connection Qimen Dunjia has 4,320 formations. It divides the year into eight solar terms according to the Eight Trigrams. Each solar term has three phases, and the year generally has twenty-four phases. Each phase has three pentads: Heaven, Earth, and Man, and the year generally has seventy-two pentads..."

On the other side, at the front gate of Wudang Mountain, in front of the "Zhishi Xuanyue" archway, which is known as the first gateway to Wudang.

"Boom" a loud noise.

A bolt of lightning struck the earth, causing the sky to collapse and the ground to cave in. When the lightning dissipated, a huge, dark crater appeared on the ground.

Two burly Taoist priests appeared in the pit. (End of Chapter)