I'm caught in the cycle of endless competition, you're waiting for me in the apocalypse.

Fengtian Pavilion

"Master Zhang is merciful."

"Ah, Master Chen, you are so compassionate."

The various masters of Taoism were all bowing and exchanging words of compassion.

The main hall inside the pavilion was already filled with abbots and Taoist priests from various sects, as well as heads of prominent families. Such a gathering was a sight to behold only once in a century.

The Taoist priests, with their dignified and otherworldly airs, introduced their disciples and grand-disciples. Prominent families also recommended their filial sons and virtuous grandsons. In short, the atmosphere was peaceful and harmonious.

"Hey, Lao Qi, where's your Mingxuan?" Wei Jiacheng walked up to Qi Shengyuan.

"He said he went to pick someone up and will be there soon. Where's your Wei Ran?"

"Look, he's over there, standing right next to Master Zou." Wei Jiacheng pointed to the center of the venue, where Wei Ran, dressed in a sky-blue modern Chinese suit, stood next to a middle-aged man with his hair tied up and wearing a sky-blue gradient Taoist robe. He was frequently bowing to the other masters around him.

"Ah Ran has grown up quite a bit, exuding a commanding presence. Look at these young people, and then look at us, we really can't deny that we're getting old."

"Who says otherwise? Sigh, do you even know why a rallying order was issued this time?"

"I don't know, it must be something important. I don't think there's ever been such a large-scale gathering before."

“Yes, things are about to change… Isn’t this your Mingxuan? And the girl next to him is An Zongping’s Xinxin, right…” Wei Jiacheng looked at the registration area.

Qi Shengyuan also looked over, his eyes lighting up: "Is this the daughter of the old An family? Is it the original one, An Xin?"

"Yes, that's her. Looking at her now, the girl is even prettier. I need to call my silly son over here." Seeing this, Wei Jiacheng quickly waved to An Xin and then looked back at Wei Ran.

Qi Mingxuan also saw his father and Wei Jiacheng standing together, so he took An Xin and walked over.

“Dad, Uncle Wei.” Qi Mingxuan nodded. “Xinxin, this is my dad, Qi Shengyuan. You know Uncle Wei.”

"Hello, Uncle Qi and Uncle Wei, I'm An Xin. Good evening, everyone." An Xin greeted them sweetly and slowly made a round bow to show her respect.

"Good, good! Old An's daughter is very well raised. Come, come, this is a gift from your uncle." As he spoke, he took off the fine warm jade from his waist. The jade was carved with a dragon, which was very lifelike.

"Ah, this is too precious, Uncle Qi, I can't accept it."

"Sigh, you've already called me Uncle Qi, so this is just a small gift. It would be too formal for you not to accept it." Qi Shengyuan quickly placed the warm jade in An Xin's hand and gave Qi Mingxuan a wink.

"Xinxin, take it. The old man has plenty of these things, they're not worth much."

Qi Shengyuan's lips twitched upon hearing this. He thought to himself, "You spendthrift! This is a piece of warm jade, a priceless treasure that's hard to come by! I only gave it to you because you were so attentive, picking people up and accompanying them. And you dare say it's worthless! You'll drive me crazy sooner or later!"

Although Qi Shengyuan cursed inwardly, he still smiled and said, "That's right, one should not refuse a gift from an elder. Anxin, you should accept it quickly, or your uncle will be ridiculed by this brat."

“Then Anxin will respectfully accept your offer!” Anxin bowed again, her beauty and grace striking.

Wei Ran, who was in the center of the venue, had already been attracted by An Xin who had entered. Seeing her being led to meet people by Qi Mingxuan, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious. After exchanging a few words with Master Zou, he came over.

"Xinxin, you're here... You look so beautiful today!"

"Thank you, Ran. You look radiant and stylish today too!"

"Oh, really? Thank you."

Wei Jiacheng was speechless when he saw his simple-minded son scratching his head and grinning foolishly in front of An Xin. At this rate, when would he ever marry such a wonderful wife? To ease the awkwardness, he said, "Aran, why don't you take us to meet your master and the other masters?"

“Oh, right, okay, Uncle Qi, An Xin, come with me. My master is over there, I’ll introduce you.” Wei Ran gestured for them to follow.

Upon arriving at Master Zou's side, Wei Ran bowed deeply to the Taoist priests and elders, and then said, "Uncle Qi, this is my master, Master Zou of Qingshan Temple. Master, this is the head of the Qi family, Qi Shengyuan. This is my father, whom you have met before."

"Master Zou is merciful."

"Master Qi, Master Wei, may you be blessed."

"Master Zou, please forgive my ignorance. I am Qi Mingxuan."

"Master Zou, you are merciful. This junior is An Xin." Qi Mingxuan and An Xin each bowed deeply.

Master Zou nodded in acknowledgment, his words and actions exuding an aura of transcendence and unfathomable wisdom, inspiring awe and reverence. He gazed steadily at the young man before him, neither servile nor arrogant, his bearing extraordinary, radiating golden light, and nodded in satisfaction. Then he looked at the young woman before him; truly, her beauty was otherworldly, her temperament refined and noble, her entire being radiant with light. He looked again, unsure, and gazed a little longer…

"Young friend, who is your teacher?"

"Me? No, Master Zou, I have never taken a master." An Xin couldn't very well say that she had the Di Ting companion and the blessing of the Fortune Scroll, could she? She understood the principle that possessing a treasure is a crime.

"Oh~ Judging from your aura, you must have already reached the mid-to-high level of Qi Refining." Master Zou's words shocked everyone present.

"I don't know either, I just learned meditation and mindfulness from online videos. I do feel my mind is calmer and my head is clearer." An Xin watched as more and more people gathered around, not daring to say anything more, her scalp tingling.

“Oh, you little girl, such a good seed, you can’t just learn from those random people online. Come here, I am Zhang Zhiyuan from Lancang Temple, come and learn from me.”

"I am Chen Hai from Xuanyin Temple, little girl, come and learn from me."

……

A group of Taoist priests, with their sage-like demeanor, heard that this young girl had already reached the advanced stage of Qi Refining simply by following a video meditation, surpassing the cultivation levels of their disciples who had spent years or even decades in the process. They believed that with systematic learning, this girl was destined for great achievements. Therefore, they all abandoned their previous aloofness and reluctance to accept disciples, and extended olive branches to An Xin.

An Xin looked around nervously and asked Di Ting in the Sea of ​​Knowledge for his opinion.

“Xinxin, actually with me and the Scroll of Fortune, you don’t need to take anyone else as your master. But to walk in this world, lineage and companions are very important. Within the Xuanmen, they can make things twice as easy for us. If we must find someone among these people, then this Daoist Zou is quite capable and can see your cultivation level at a glance.”

"Okay, I see."

An Xin bowed again and said, "I am deeply grateful for the kindness of all the masters. I came here specifically to see Master Zou, and my friend is also a disciple of him, so..."

"Yes, yes, Xinxin is my good friend. She's here to see my master." Wei Ran had been anxious because so many people wanted to take Xinxin as their disciple, but now that she said she was here to see her master and might even join his sect, the thought of spending every day with her filled him with joy, and he spoke first. Then he looked at his master, his face clearly saying: Master, hurry up, take me as your disciple!

Master Zou was both amused and exasperated by his foolish disciple. He finally nodded and said to An Xin, "Little one, are you truly sincere in wanting to become my disciple?"

“Yes, An Xin wishes to become a disciple of Master Zou of Qingshan Temple.” She bowed again, respectfully and devoutly.

“Alright, then come to my Qingshan Temple, perform the apprenticeship ceremony, and become my personal disciple.”

"Master, please accept my bow." And so, in front of everyone, An Xin inexplicably became a disciple.

"Alright, alright, from now on you will follow your master closely."

"Yes! Your disciple obeys."

At this moment, Qi Shengyuan and Wei Jiacheng exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with the same shock. In just a short while, this girl from the An family had become an apprentice, and amidst a scramble among the Xuanmen masters… This is incredible! Her future achievements are sure to be extraordinary. They're even more eager to take her back as their daughter-in-law.

At this moment, Qi Mingxuan's eyes flickered, as if he was deep in thought.

Meanwhile, An Xin followed behind Master Zou, walking alongside Wei Ran. Wei Ran had a constant smile on his face, his lips curving into an uncontrollable grin. He would occasionally shield An Xin from the crowds or offer her food, showing her utmost care.

Master Zou was delighted, having just taken on a delicate and exceptionally talented young girl as his disciple. He introduced her to everyone he went, and seeing the envious and jealous looks on the faces of his fellow Xuanmen practitioners filled him with immense satisfaction.

"Clink... Clink!" A series of clinking sounds came from the high platform, where a handsome man stood.

"Esteemed masters of the Xuanmen, esteemed heads of families, good evening." The man's voice boomed as he took charge of the proceedings. "Today, all of you great masters have gathered here because of the Xuanmen's rallying order. Now, let's invite Master Zou of Qingshan Temple to give us an opening introduction."

Master Zou ascended the steps with an ethereal grace, stood on the platform, and surveyed the surroundings. Once the entire audience was silent, he spoke: "Thank you all for taking the time to come today, fellow practitioners and family heads. This matter concerns the great path of the world, and I hope you will generously offer your guidance so we can discuss this important matter together."

Master Zou continued unhurriedly, “As you all know, our world is currently experiencing a spiritual revival, but it is coexisting with an external ghost world. We have discovered that this ghost world is attempting to corrode the boundary wall and seize spiritual energy. A certain amount of ghosts and resentful energy have already poured in from the gaps in the boundary wall. As you all know, if the two worlds merge, the consequences will be unimaginable.”

"hiss……"

"Whoosh..." A collective gasp filled the room.

"Thank you for the introduction, Master Zou. Now, please welcome Master Zhang and Master Chen to the stage." Seeing the solemn atmosphere in the room, the host said, "Next, we will have a Q&A session. You can discuss this matter with the masters on stage. It's always good to be prepared, so please don't panic."

The host, seeing someone raise their hand, immediately said respectfully, "Master Fang, please."

"Taoist masters, please have mercy. According to you, in what form will ghosts and monsters affect us? If we unfortunately encounter one, should we ask someone to exorcise it or ask for a talisman to ward off evil?"

"Master Fang, these ghostly matters should of course be prevented first, such as by requesting talismans for family members or employees to avoid ghostly harassment. However, we hope that each family head can first check their respective groups and companies to see if they have been invaded by ghosts or other people." Master Zhang, with his flowing white hair, had the demeanor of a master, and his calm words inspired awe.

"What? Ghosts and monsters might invade?" The Fang family head knew his profession was most likely to come into contact with ghosts and monsters, so upon hearing Master Zhang's words, he immediately became alert. "Master Zhang, what makes you say that?"

"Patriarch Fang, you may not know this, but our Xuanmen sect has recently received several requests for exorcisms. These requests come from various businesses and families, and some individuals have even been possessed by ghosts. We are still investigating the specific reasons, but we hope that all the patriarchs present will take this as a warning."

"Master, please be merciful. We will certainly be vigilant and strengthen our defenses." At this moment, the head of the Fang family had already made up his mind. After the meeting, he would invite Master Zhang to stay at his home for a while and provide guidance.

"Master, please have mercy. What will the Xuanmen do next?" A family head asked in a panic, before even raising his hand.