The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

The training ground is located at the end of Chiwei Mountain. The starry sky is currently bright, and a gentle lake breeze is blowing. This makes the otherwise gray training ground seem somewhat out of place.

The training ground looked boundless, with deep trenches of varying lengths scattered around it.

Viewed from directly above, the center features a pair of lifelike dragons and phoenixes flying side by side. However, their gazes lack the sacredness and solemnity unique to mythical beasts, replaced instead by the gentleness and friendliness unique to mortals.

At this moment, two people were running in circles on the training ground. One of them was, of course, Wang Xiaofan, who was already panting heavily and exhausted...

But the other person was not Chang'an, but the white-clad gentleman who insisted on holding an umbrella even when running: Wu Zijin.

In a corner of the training ground: Chang'an and Master Zhang sat facing each other in front of a table of delicacies, drinking and chatting happily.

Chang'an said, "Senior Brother Zhang, I think they're about to die. They should have learned their lesson by now. Why don't we call it a day?"

Before he could even take a sip of his wine, Senior Brother Zhang straightened his back and said righteously, "What's wrong with young people suffering a little? Young people should suffer more! I'm doing this for their own good."

Chang'an laughed awkwardly, "Okay...okay, I only said that to test Senior Brother Zhang's composure, hehehehe."

Senior Brother Zhang smiled knowingly, raised his wine bowl, and said, "Cheers!"

"Hey, wait a minute..." Senior Brother Zhang had already finished his drink in one gulp.

Chang'an gave a wry smile, "Junior brother, I really... can't drink anymore..." His stomach was extremely bloated, and his head was a little dizzy.

Senior Brother Zhang wiped the remaining wine foam from the corner of his mouth. Although he was still smiling, his tone was already somewhat displeased: "How can a young man be so unable to hold his liquor?"

"Although the martial world is dangerous, its main focus is not on fighting and killing, but on human relationships and social interactions..."

He became increasingly serious as he spoke: "When you, my junior brother, enter the martial arts world in the future, you will find that being capable is sometimes not as good as being able to drink! If others drink and you don't, they will think that you are not giving them face. Even if you have no ill intentions, they will hold a grudge."

"Sigh..." He sighed again, patted Chang'an's hand, and said, "Your words are heartfelt, senior brother. Of course you don't have to drink today, after all, we're just trying to have fun, not risk each other's lives!"

Chang'an certainly dared not refuse to drink, but he just couldn't bring himself to put a drop in his mouth...

Just then, Wang Xiaofan staggered over to his side, covered in sweat and with his tongue lolling out, looking extremely pained.

Only when he saw the clear wine in Chang'an's bowl did his dead eyes begin to shine.

He was obviously dying of thirst; he would drink the wine in the bowl, even if it was poisoned.

Chang'an was certainly aware of this as well.

So when he raised his glass to Wang Xiaofan and said "Cheers!" he felt so fortunate and joyful that after he finished his drink, he proudly showed him the bottom of his bowl.

"Hahaha, good, good, good." After finishing the bowl, Chang'an seemed to see two Senior Brother Zhang praising him.

His courage had grown, and he called out, "Senior Brother Zhang, where exactly is this place? Why isn't there a single person here?"

Senior Brother Zhang took a small sip of wine and smiled, "Here? This is Shenfeng Mountain Palace."

Chang'an pouted, "Shenfeng Mountain Palace? Heh? Why doesn't Shenfeng Mountain Palace raise phoenixes, but instead raises mosquitoes?"

Senior Brother Zhang smiled slightly, "As long as you raise them well, even mosquitoes can turn into phoenixes."

Chang'an tilted his head. "Hmm? A mosquito turning into a phoenix? Isn't it a pheasant turning into a phoenix?" Chang'an then pointed at Senior Brother Zhang and said with a wicked smile, "I've never been to school. You can fool others, but don't fool me."

Senior Brother Zhang said, "Junior Brother, you must have heard of the Three Venerable Palace."

"Oh." Hearing these three words, he became a little more sober.

Senior Brother Zhang continued, "This Divine Phoenix Mountain Palace is the highest institution of learning among the Three Venerable Palaces. It's the place responsible for cultivating mosquitoes into phoenixes."

After saying that, he took another big gulp and said, "From now on, I'll have to trouble you, junior brother, to help us cultivate mosquitoes into phoenixes."

Chang'an didn't know whether the other person was praising or scolding him, so he could only keep smiling foolishly.

"Hey, Senior Brother Zhang, what are the requirements to be a mosquito here? Do I have to have sausage lips?" Chang'an asked.

Senior Brother Zhang paused for a moment before saying, "Junior Brother, I think you should know that the influence of the Three Venerable Palace has already spread throughout the entire Tang Dynasty."

"Therefore, most of the disciples here come from the various factions and sects that the Three Venerable Palace has placed in different places, or they are the sons or outstanding disciples of those sect leaders. They come here to learn skills, hoping to go back and carry forward their sects and bring glory to their ancestors."

"Oh..." Chang'an nodded blankly, as if he remembered many, many things.

Senior Brother Zhang leaned closer and whispered with a wicked smile, "That's what they say, but actually it's to keep these people around so that the forces in various places can work for the Three Venerable Palace without worry."

"Oh...right, speaking of which, something just came to mind." Chang'an then showed the three palace tokens that Lu Xiaosan had given him.

Upon seeing this, Senior Brother Zhang spat out a mouthful of liquor and almost fell to the ground.

"Hey hey...! No need to kneel, no need to kneel."

After Senior Brother Zhang shakily sat back down, Chang'an pointed to the four beast heads on the token and asked, "You must recognize this token, right? Three Palaces, Three Palaces, why are there four beast heads on the token?"

Senior Brother Zhang quickly smiled ingratiatingly, his attitude softening considerably: "Junior Brother, look..."

The crane with eyes as clear as water refers to the three palace masters: the Immortal Venerable.

Chang'an murmured, "She is the master of the Three Venerable Palace, so wouldn't she be able to command the entire martial arts world?"

Chang'an chuckled and asked, "What is the esteemed name of that immortal... cough cough, Palace Master? How much do you know about her?"

Senior Brother Zhang shook his head. "I only remember the last time I saw the Palace Master, the years had not yet left their mark on her. At that time, her strength was still unparalleled, and her appearance was still breathtakingly beautiful."

"Sigh... It's a pity that no one has heard anything about her for a long time, let alone seen her..."

"Where is she now? What is she doing?" After saying this, Senior Brother Zhang fell into a state of melancholy.

It goes without saying that Senior Brother Zhang must have witnessed the Palace Master's unparalleled elegance and has been captivated by her ever since.

Chang'an was slightly puzzled. "Anything else?"

Senior Brother Zhang snapped out of his daze and laughed, "You can ask your master about the rest."

"Divine Venerable One: Kang Ping Le?"

Senior Brother Zhang nodded and pointed to the majestic tiger head on the token: "This is your master, the strongest of the four Venerables, and naturally the strongest human in the world. This is why he is qualified to take charge of the highest academy of the Three Venerable Palaces: Divine Phoenix Mountain Palace."

"If we could get even a single move from our master uncle, it wouldn't be difficult to dominate the world. Besides, you're his disciple now, junior brother."

Chang'an stared blankly, unsure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

Senior Brother Zhang cleared his throat and pointed to the sinister snake head on the token, saying, "This is the Demon Lord of the Three Palaces!"

Chang'an's eyes lit up. "How is it?"

Senior Brother Zhang sighed softly, "This Demon Lord is elusive, appearing and disappearing like a dragon. The people of the Three Palaces haven't seen him for many years..."

"Haven't seen you in a long time either?"

Senior Brother Zhang smiled helplessly, "I am not talented enough to have ever seen the Demon Lord since I can remember. Only a very few elders in the palace have had the honor of witnessing his demeanor."

Chang'an hurriedly asked, "So, the Three Venerables Palace must have been established a long time ago...?"

Senior Brother Zhang said, "As far as I know, the Three Venerables Palace was founded during the Shangyuan era, which is about forty years ago. And the four people on the token are the founders."

"I see."

Senior Brother Zhang finally breathed a sigh of relief, "These three Venerable Ones are the origin of the Three Venerable Palaces."

"Hmm? That's not right, there's still the Wolf Head we haven't talked about." Chang'an said in confusion.

Senior Brother Zhang took a breath, a smile on his face, and his tone became much more relaxed: "This one, I mean, is the Venerable Hero."

Seeing the admiration and praise in Zhang Shixiong's eyes, Chang'an asked, "Have you ever had the honor of meeting this chivalrous master?"

Senior Brother Zhang shook his head. "I have never met this Venerable Hero, but I know that he must be very powerful."

"Is it because this person has also reached the Venerable realm?"

"Hahahaha." Senior Brother Zhang laughed loudly, "I don't know if the Venerable Hero has the strength of a Venerable."

"But I know that if someone can be called a knight-errant, then that person must be extraordinary!"

Chang'an nodded sincerely, "Especially someone who is called the Venerable Knight."

Senior Brother Zhang regained his righteous spirit and said, "The Heroic Venerable may not be the strongest of the four, but he is definitely the most remarkable."

Chang'an smiled helplessly, "So the Venerable Hero is no longer in the Three Venerable Palace?"

Senior Brother Zhang sighed, "The Venerable Hero believes that the Three Venerable Palace has gone against their original intentions, otherwise we wouldn't need to change our name to Three Venerable Palace now."

After saying that, he drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp, as if he was feeling distressed that he had never experienced the demeanor of the chivalrous master.

Chang'an asked, "Where did this Venerable Knight go after leaving the Three Venerable Palace? How is he now?"

"Since the Venerable Swordsman left, there has been no further news of him in the martial world..."

Chang'an exclaimed in surprise, "How could a chivalrous knight-errant have no news at all? Could it be that this person has already..."

Senior Brother Zhang, his eyes slightly tipsy, shook his head and said firmly, "The Venerable Hero is definitely not dead."

"Why are you so sure?"

Senior Brother Zhang pointed to Chang'an, "Because you, Junior Brother, can be a Venerable Hero."

Chang'an pointed to himself, exclaiming in surprise, "What have I done to deserve this...?"

Senior Brother Zhang shook his head. "It all depends on a person's single thought. Not only can you be a Heroic Venerable, but I can be a Heroic Venerable, and anyone can be a Heroic Venerable. So how could a Heroic Venerable possibly die? A Heroic Venerable will never die!"

After saying that, he filled his bowl again and drank it all in one gulp.

Chang'an was stunned for a long time before slowly smiling and saying, "I think I understand what you mean... Hehe, now it seems that these four are really interesting."

Senior Brother Zhang sighed, "It's a pity that three of them have disappeared without a trace. Now only Uncle Kang is left, struggling to keep the Three Venerable Palace afloat. Alas..."

"So?..." Chang'an asked.

"Therefore, we should do our best to help your master manage this place well."

"Um... I should..."

Senior Brother Zhang pointed towards the attic and said angrily, "At least they shouldn't be on the third floor right now, eating, sleeping, and playing without any restraint!"

Chang'an hurriedly said, "I...I'll go and call them out for a run right now!"

Senior Brother Zhang quickly pressed him down, smiling as he said, "How could I trouble you with such a thing, Junior Brother? Besides, that's not what I meant at all."

Chang'an paused for a moment before realizing, "Oh! You want me to go..." Before she could finish speaking, her face fell again.

Senior Brother Zhang smiled and nodded, "You are her junior brother, only you have a chance to persuade her."

Chang'an gave a wry smile: "Let's discuss this after I've found the cook..."

Senior Brother Zhang said righteously, "How could I trouble you, Junior Brother, to do such a trivial matter as adding a name!"

"Could it be that you...you...have already..."

Senior Brother Zhang said smugly, "That's right, and I've already brought food for the four of you. We're just waiting for you, Junior Brother, to personally lead the expedition!"

Chang'an was shocked. "Leave now?"

"Junior brother, do you intend to sleep on the mountain tonight?" Senior Brother Zhang asked with a smile.

Chang'an gasped, "You've revealed your true colors! You're ruthless!"

Senior Brother Zhang stroked his mustache and smiled mischievously.

As soon as Chang'an stood up, he saw Senior Brother Zhang raising his bowl and calling out, "Senior Brother is here to wish Junior Brother a speedy return! Cheers!"

Chang'an picked up the wine bowl with trembling hands. Just as he was feeling helpless, he saw Wang Xiaofan running over, half-dead.

So he still drank the bowl of wine, as a toast to Wang Xiaofan, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Alright, alright." As Senior Brother Zhang stood up, Chang'an noticed that Wu Zijing had already started walking around the field. In fact, he had been strolling around the field with an umbrella for a while, only running as fast as he could when he passed Senior Brother Zhang.

Just as Senior Brother Zhang was about to get up and discover his scheme, Chang'an suddenly smashed the wine bowl on the ground. This puzzled Senior Brother Zhang, but he didn't get up again.

Chang'an and Senior Brother Zhang looked at each other for a long time before Chang'an slowly said, "This wine is so delicious... I can't help myself... I'll have three more bowls!"

He had barely finished speaking when he poured himself a full glass of wine.

As he finished his second bowl, he noticed that Zijing had already started running again. It seemed that the fall he had just experienced had made him realize his good intentions.

But Wang Xiaofan seemed to have misunderstood, and took advantage of this moment to stroll around the field.

Seeing this, Chang'an hurriedly put down his bowl, "That's enough for now, farewell!"

He left in a daze, and after taking only two steps, he heard Senior Brother Zhang's roar, the roar he most wanted to hear.

"Wang Xiaofan! You still dare to walk! You run ten more laps!"