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

If that's the reason, then setting a population red line to control the number of superhumans is quite reasonable... Zhang Zhiwei thought to himself.

He wandered around the cave for a while. After the Wudang sect leader ascended to heaven, the Wudang Taoists did not touch the furnishings inside. Everything here was pretty much the same as before.

He stroked some of the stone furniture in the cave with his hands. Perhaps because the Wudang sect leader had been meditating and cultivating here for a long time, his Qi was leaking out and seeping into some of the stone utensils, making them harder than iron.

The red-faced old Taoist noticed Zhang Zhiwei's actions: "What are you looking at, young friend Zhiwei?"

He had previously referred to Zhang Zhiwei as "Little Celestial Master," which was corrected by Zhang Jingqing.

"Little Celestial Master" is just a nickname given by outsiders in the martial arts world. Zhang Zhiwei has not yet officially inherited the position of Celestial Master, so calling him "Little Celestial Master" is inappropriate.

Besides, he's just a junior, so there's no need to be too polite; just call him whatever you like.

Upon hearing this, the red-faced Taoist priest said "I apologize for being presumptuous," but he did not truly treat Zhang Zhiwei as a mere junior, as Zhang Jingqing had suggested.

On the path of spiritual cultivation, those who have attained enlightenment come first. Zhang Zhiwei's level of cultivation has already far surpassed his.

Furthermore, since they belong to different sects, it would be presumptuous of them to act like elders in front of Zhang Zhiwei.

But if he were to associate with Zhang Zhiwei on equal footing, then where would he place his teacher Zhang Jingqing?

After a moment's thought, the red-faced Taoist came up with a compromise: he would address Zhang Jingqing as an old friend and Zhang Zhiwei as a younger friend, each being a friend to the other, which would not be considered overstepping the bounds.

"I was wondering, after Master Sun ascends to immortality, can he still manifest again?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

The red-faced old Taoist glanced at Zhang Jingqing beside him. Seeing that Zhang Jingqing showed no intention of speaking, he pondered for a moment and said:

"It should be able to manifest, right? Didn't you see the True Martial Emperor manifest before, young friend Zhiwei? It just depends on whether junior brother is willing to manifest," the red-faced old Taoist said.

Actually, he couldn't say for sure about this question either, since his level of understanding was not high enough and he had never truly touched this path; everything could only be guessed.

At this moment, Zhang Jingqing spoke up: "When the sect leader severed all karmic ties and ascended to heaven, it meant that he had let go of everything."

“Since he has already let go, he will naturally not appear here again without reason, unless someone with a connection to him performs a ritual to communicate with heaven and contact him.”

"However, it's uncertain whether he will respond."

Zhang Zhiwei nodded. Not responding is his duty, while responding is a favor.

In fact, even in the Zhengyi sect, which is known for its rituals and exorcisms, most of the patriarchs and deities in its lineage do not respond to imperial edicts.

Only a few will respond, so they often take advantage of these few to fleece people.

The most typical example is Zhao Gongming.

He is the one who issued the talismans and edicts of the Five Mighty Warriors of Shangqing, he is the God of Wealth, he is the Dharma Protector Marshal, he is the Thunder God General...

Many talismans use him as their head.

It is precisely for this reason that Zhao Gongming is highly respected in Taoism, and everyone holds him in high esteem.

Wudang is not known for commanding ghosts and gods, and Master Sun is arrogant and aloof, so it is probably impossible for him to be ordered to do anything.

Although Zhang Zhiwei had little contact with the Wudang sect leader, he inexplicably had a feeling that if he performed a ritual, he might be able to summon the sect leader, Master Sun, to manifest.

He even felt that although the causal link between him and Master Sun had been severed, they would still have contact someday in the future.

This was a kind of preordained intuition, which arose right after he asked the question of whether Master Sun would manifest again.

Although Master Sun has severed all ties with himself.

But because I mentioned him just now, did that create another causal link without my knowledge?

There are gods watching over us; we must not speak nonsense.

In the past, parents would remind their children at night not to utter the names of ghosts or spirits.

All of these are to avoid creating a cause and effect and then being noticed.

Li Bai has a poem that perfectly illustrates this point: "A perilous tower rises a hundred feet high, one could pluck the stars with their hand; I dare not speak loudly, lest I startle the celestial beings."

Of course, the feeling that Zhang Zhiwei just had was not a deduction, nor does it mean that it will definitely happen.

He can choose whether or not it happens.

If you follow this thread of intuition step by step, you can turn the intuition into reality.

He could also learn from this and avoid future interactions with Master Sun.

This feeling... Zhang Zhiwei guessed that it might be because Master Sun had glanced at his own destiny line.

But he didn't look deeply; he only glanced at it before looking away.

Perhaps "withdrawing one's gaze" isn't the right word to describe it...

Zhang Zhiwei imagined that if it were him, once he decided to look at something, would he only glance at it and then look away?
Unless it's something you can see through at a glance, or something you can't see through due to some uncontrollable factors.

Based on his own assessment of his abilities, Zhang Zhiwei felt that the second option should be chosen.

If he were truly seen through, he couldn't possibly fail to sense it; after all, even Hu Tu in the story could sense it.

So... what did the sect leader see? A fireball? Or something else?
It's hard to say for sure; perhaps we can ask Master Sun in person when we have some interaction with him.

"Ah!"

At that moment, Zhang Jingqing suddenly sneezed.

Zhang Zhiwei gathered his thoughts and looked at his master.

Master's cultivation is profound. Even at his current age, his innate Qi is still abundant. He could live for several more decades without any problem. How could he sneeze?

Moreover, in all the years he had been a disciple, he had never seen his master sneeze.

"Master..."

He was about to ask.

Zhang Jingqing waved her hand and laughed, "Some old man is talking about me."

Zhang Zhiwei: "…………"

The red-faced old Taoist seemed to be deep in thought. He glanced back at the stone chair where his junior brother often sat, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

"Let's go to Tianzhu Mountain and see how the ascension ceremony is going. This time, we have to give Old Sun a grand celebration and make him look his best!"

Zhang Jingqing walked out of the Prince's Cave with a smile.

"Master, this way please."

The red-faced old Taoist priest quickly led the way.

Prince Cave is located on Zhanqi Peak, and Zixiao Palace is also located here.

The Golden Hall of Wudang is located on Tianzhu Peak. The vertical drop between the two peaks is more than 600 meters, but they are not far apart. If you use light-footed skills, you can get there quickly, but if you walk, it often takes half an hour.

However, Zhang Zhiwei and his group did not make it at that time.

Because the arrangement between the two peaks is quite ingenious.

The Prince's Cave in Zixiao Palace symbolizes the starting point of one's own seclusion, while the Golden Hall represents the ultimate pursuit of becoming a saint. The various arrangements within the palace subtly reflect the concept of ascending to immortality.

Since the purpose was to preside over the ascension ceremony for Master Sun of Wudang, it was especially necessary to complete the process on foot. The group had excellent stamina, and even without using magic, they reached the golden summit of Tianzhu Peak in just a quarter of an hour.

At this moment, over a hundred Wudang Taoist priests of various generations stood in the square outside the Golden Hall.

These Taoist priests each performed their duties meticulously, practicing the rituals to be performed the next day.

The young Taoist priests were led by Zhou Meng, who was practicing the Tai Chi Chuan style modified by Master Sun. Their movements were fluid, graceful, and balanced.

Zhang Zhiwei noticed that among these young Taoist priests, several were excessively immature, probably no more than eleven or twelve years old. They wore ill-fitting, oversized Taoist robes and practiced boxing in a rather professional manner, but their boxing techniques contained no trace of Tai Chi essence; they were merely superficially similar.

The red-faced old Taoist priest noticed Zhang Zhiwei's gaze and explained:
"Those are Zhou Meng's disciples who were recently accepted. The little guys haven't mastered Tai Chi yet, so they're making a fool of themselves."

"Zhou Meng has already taken on apprentices? That's really fast!" Zhang Zhiwei exclaimed.

"It really is fast," the red-faced old Taoist said with a hint of nostalgia. "I still remember when Zhou Meng first joined the sect, he followed his brother around like a little puppy, barely able to walk straight. In the blink of an eye, he has started taking on disciples as well."

Zhang Jingqing said, "Speaking of which, you're already over thirty, it's time to take on disciples. Have you thought about how many disciples you want to take on, and what the requirements are for taking on disciples?"

“I’m planning to take in about ten or eight new students. Does Master have any recommendations for this year’s ordination?” Zhang Zhiwei asked.

Ten, eight... Zhang Jingqing was quite satisfied with Zhang Zhiwei's answer.

I remember last time I asked Zhang Huaiyi, that bastard actually said he only planned to take in one or two, and I scolded him on the spot.

If everyone in the manor has the same idea as him, the more disciples he takes in, the fewer disciples he takes in, and he even goes so far as to have a single lineage for the sect. How can the sect then expand and multiply?
If the only disciple destined to pass on the tradition is unlucky enough to die young, wouldn't that endanger the thousand-year-old heritage?!

“Ten or eight would be great. With your abilities, you’ll surely have a remarkable number of them,” Zhang Jingqing said. “When you were recruiting new students this year, you were in seclusion, and all the talented ones were already chosen. Next year, when we recruit new students, I will let you choose first.”

A "Lusheng" is a disciple who has been accepted by Taoism but has not yet been formally ordained.

“Okay then!” Zhang Zhiwei said with a smile.

At the same time, the arrival of the Celestial Master and the Junior Celestial Master startled the Taoist priests who were rehearsing. All the Taoist priests stopped their rehearsals and came to pay their respects.

Zhang Zhiwei and Zhang Jingqing clasped their hands in response to the crowd.

"Master, everyone is here. Should we familiarize ourselves with the procedures first?" the red-faced old Taoist asked.

"Of course,"

Of course, the rituals for the ascension ceremony differ between Wudang Mountain and Longhu Mountain.

Naturally, one must first familiarize oneself with the rituals and procedures of Wudang, lest one embarrass oneself in front of fellow martial artists.

"Let's begin!" Zhang Jingqing nodded.

Originally, the ascension ceremony of Wudang should have been performed by him or a senior high-ranking master of Wudang.

But who made Zhang Jingqing the designated officiant for the ceremony before her junior brother's ascension to immortality?

Moreover, this ascension ceremony is also linked to his succession as sect leader, so he can't very well preside over it himself.

As for Wudang now... to be honest, it's really hard to find someone with enough prestige to accomplish these two tasks.

Zhang Jingqing is a Celestial Master and the teacher of the Junior Celestial Master. He has enough prestige and status to be willing to take action, making him undoubtedly the best choice.

Moreover, as the presiding officer of the ascension and succession ceremonies, he was essentially supporting Wudang and telling the martial arts world that the Celestial Master's Mansion and Wudang had an inseparable relationship.

Even if the Martial Saint is gone, anyone who wants to deal with Wudang will have to think twice before provoking them.

Zhang Jingqing stepped forward and, after familiarizing herself with the general rituals and procedures, began to lead the group of Taoist priests.

Zhang Zhiwei sat below watching. The overall tone of the ceremony was solemn and dignified, but it emphasized holiness, celebration, and even glory.

This is also a consistent practice of Taoism: whether a person has truly passed away or has not, Taoist priests will not hold a "funeral" in the secular sense.

However, commemorating one's spiritual achievements with logical rituals is essentially an affirmation of "life transcendence" rather than a mourning for "death," reflecting the Taoist view of life that "life is about conforming to nature, and death is about returning to one's true self."

Zhang Jingqing had presided over many ascension ceremonies and had a slight understanding of the rules of Wudang, so she was already very skilled and familiar with the process.

After two rehearsals, Zhang Jingqing waved to dismiss everyone.

The group of Taoist priests dispersed, and some older Taoist priests who had interacted with Zhang Jingqing in their youth went over to reminisce with her.

The Taoist priests who had given guidance to Zhang Zhiwei when he first arrived at Wudang Mountain then surrounded him.

"It's been many years since we last met, and Fellow Daoist Zhiwei has become even more unfathomable."

A middle-aged Taoist priest came over to pay his respects.

Zhang Zhiwei recognized the man. His name was Wang Zhongsheng, a disciple of the Wudang sect leader. He had given Wang Zhongsheng some pointers when Zhang Zhiwei visited Wudang last time.

According to Zhou Sheng, this person was a bit slow to understand things and often asked Master Sun some inexplicable questions. Then Master Sun would slap him and send him flying a hundred meters away, from Prince Rock to Zixiao Palace.

Zhang Zhiwei nodded at him. "Long time no see, how have you been?"

Wang Zhongsheng said, "Thanks to you, after you gave me some pointers last time, the number of times I got beaten by my master has decreased..."

Speaking of this, the thought of not having a master to discipline him anymore suddenly made him feel uneasy.

"Does your senior brother in Shanghai know about this?" Zhang Zhiwei asked. His senior brother was the landlord.

Wang Zhongsheng nodded: "I have already notified my senior brother. He is rushing over and should arrive tomorrow."

Zhang Zhiwei nodded. He was a bit oblivious, but he noticed the faint sadness on Wang Zhongsheng's face, so he didn't continue the topic. Instead, he asked:

"By the way, where is Zhou Sheng?"

He was a little surprised that this kid wasn't at the ascension ceremony.

"Little monkey, where's your brother?" Wang Zhongsheng called Zhou Meng over and asked.

Speaking of his brother, Zhou Meng looked disgusted.

"This guy is lazy every day. He's probably riding his donkey backwards again, wandering off somewhere to slack off."

"How infuriating! He's slacking off on something as important as the sect leader's ascension."

"Not only that, he also tricked Hong Yin, Xiao Lu, and Xiao Fang into leaving."

He was furious when he talked about it.

It wasn't that he wanted to be lazy, but rather that some of his closest fellow disciples sneaked out without calling him.

"Zhou Sheng called Hong Yin and the other two away..."

Zhang Zhiwei frowned. The Wudang trio... this combination... it's hard not to have some suspicions...

Just as he was about to ask for more details, two excited voices called out from behind him, one after the other:

"Senior Brother Zhang!!"

"Senior Brother Zhang!"

Both voices sounded somewhat familiar, but they were one after the other and overlapped somewhat, so he couldn't immediately recall who they were.

Turning his head, he saw three handsome, elegant men in white robes slowly approaching. (End of Chapter)