Three Chips

Shen Ye wasn't particularly shocked, but rather sighed, "Some things are cultivated with care but never blossom, while others are unintended but flourish. Those people from the Jiashen Rebellion were quite lucky—no, perhaps for them, it was a misfortune!"

"Virtue not matching one's position means that opportunities beyond one's station will backfire due to fate!" Zhang Zhiwei said with a low voice, "So, young friend, do you still want this opportunity?"

"If I am to bring peace to the world, in this day and age, who else but me!"

"Haha, young friend, you truly have great ambitions. I, an old man, am ashamed of my inferiority!" Zhang Zhiwei laughed upon hearing this, and in a daze, it seemed he saw Grandpa Chulan's spirited figure from back then in Shen Ye!

"Just a momentary boast, I've made Heavenly Master laugh!" Shen Ye said modestly.

Zhang Zhiwei laughed for a while, then looked over with sharp eyes. "Allow this old man to ask you one last question, young friend. Why do you wish to enter that Inner Scenery?"

Shen Ye replied without hesitation, "To seek the Dao!"

Zhang Zhiwei chewed on the words, savoring them, "Seek the Dao?"

Shen Ye nodded. "The more I cultivate, the more I realize my own insignificance! Zhuangzi said, 'My life has a limit, but knowledge has no limit. To pursue the unlimited with the limited is perilous!' Life is but a few short decades. To cross the sea of suffering and reach the other shore, one must find the right path from the very beginning! That's why I want to bathe in the origin of heaven and earth, to enhance my understanding, to enlighten my mind and see my true nature, and to find my own path!"

Zhang Zhiwei's heart trembled. "I never imagined that in this restless society, there would still be such devout seekers of the Dao as you, young friend!"

Shen Ye's eyes were pure, without the slightest hint of guilt from lying. "Please, Old Heavenly Master, grant my wish!"

Zhang Zhiwei sighed. "It's only right that you, as the winner of the Grand Heavenly Offering Ritual, should be granted the Heavenly Master's Degree. What's more, you've offered me two irresistible bargaining chips!"

Shen Ye smiled. "It seems Old Heavenly Master has already discovered them."

"Haha, though my eyes might not see through all worldly affairs, they aren't so dim with age." Zhang Zhiwei chuckled. "You must have already planned to leave Longhu Mountain after obtaining the key to avoid conflict between the Heavenly Master's Residence and the Wang Family—that's one. And concealing the relationship between Lingyu and that young lady, even actively helping Lingyu remove her Inner Demon—that's two!"

Shen Ye nodded slightly. "Old Heavenly Master sees clearly, but to be precise, there should be three chips."

"Three?" Zhang Zhiwei was quite surprised. "What's the third one?"

Shen Ye didn't state it directly but looked out the window. Flashes of fire flickered occasionally, and sounds of fighting could even be heard. "It must be Quansheng making their move!"

"Petty individuals, incapable of great things!" Zhang Zhiwei shook his head, clearly looking down on them.

"While they are indeed a group of petty individuals, Old Heavenly Master has underestimated them this time. Their true objective is actually the truth of the Jiashen Rebellion!"

"The truth of the Jiashen Rebellion? Those scoundrels dare to touch Jinzong?" Zhang Zhiwei's expression changed drastically, and the power that suddenly erupted from his body made Shen Ye's heart pound.

"Don't worry, Old Heavenly Master, I've already sent someone to protect Old Tian there," Shen Ye said calmly. "This is the third chip I offered!"

Zhang Zhiwei already felt guilty towards his martial brother. When his martial brother's safety was involved, even nearly a hundred years of mental cultivation couldn't keep him calm. He smashed through the wall with a palm and leaped out, leaving only a sentence echoing in the room: "If what you say, young friend, is true, then I, an old man, owe you a tremendous favor this time. But I am anxious, allow me to go and check!"

This sudden turn of events startled the two Daoist priests guarding outside the hall, but they had also heard Old Heavenly Master's last words and didn't believe there was any conflict between the two.

At this moment, Shen Ye walked out of the hall and stood at the gap in the wall.

The two Daoist priests hurriedly asked, "Layman Shen Ye, what on earth is going on?"

"It's a long story," Shen Ye said dismissively, then looked down at Hua Yue, who was waiting below. "Yue'er, how many little mice are outside right now?"

Hua Yue looked around. "Thirteen, but after Old Heavenly Master broke the wall, the commotion here attracted a few more."

"Mice? Could it be?" The two Daoist priests' expressions suddenly changed, and at that moment, a chilling laugh came from the surrounding forest.

"Old Yuan, we've been underestimated!"

"Heh heh, after all, he's the next Heavenly Master; of course, he wouldn't look kindly upon us sewer rats!"

More than a dozen figures emerged from the forest, but the only two Shen Ye noticed were an old man and a fat one.

The old man seemed to be in charge of the group, toying with a string of prayer beads in his hand. "Esteemed quasi-Heavenly Master, you are of noble status. Surely, you won't stoop to our level, will you?"

"Quansheng's Yuan Tao?" One of the two Daoist priests recognized him, his face changing drastically. "Everyone, be careful! The enemy is very strong!"

Yuan Tao's expression was strange. "I say, did you forget something? The one up there is a ruthless person who can kill even Wang Ai and the Four Maniacs!"

The two Daoist priests were stunned. Oh right, in that case, they were the ones at a disadvantage?

Shen Ye folded his arms, looking down from above. "Since you know that, why do you still dare to appear before me?"

Yuan Tao twirled his prayer beads and chuckled. "I, an old man, am confident that escaping won't be an issue. As for the young ones beside me, they don't seem to believe in your strength."

Hearing Yuan Tao say this, a young man in black beside him finally couldn't hold back. "If we keep dawdling, Old Heavenly Master will be back! Hey, you up there, copy down a copy of the Heavenly Ascension Talisman and the cultivation method for Spirit Binding and General Dispatching for us! You've already offended the Wang Family, and if you keep clashing with us Quansheng endlessly... Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, the young man in black let out a scream.

Everyone turned to look, only to see a "Shen Ye" emerge from behind him.

Before they could react, four more "Shen Ye" appeared, surrounding them from all directions.

Yuan Tao, who had always appeared calm and collected, finally changed his expression and couldn't help but curse, "Puppets? How many more trump cards are you hiding, you little devil?"

Meanwhile, in Old Tian's room.

Xu San and Xu Si from Nadou Tong, along with Zhang Chulan and Feng Baobao, protected Old Tian behind them, confronting a young Daoist priest with a few freckles on his face.

"Tsk tsk, I thought we'd only lure out a few small mice, but we've caught a big fish instead, wouldn't you say? Quansheng's acting sect master, Gong Qing!" Xu Si's voice was lazy, but there was a hint of lingering fear in his eyes.

If Old Tian were to die at Quansheng's hands, how much chaos would Old Heavenly Master's fury unleash?

Gong Qing looked surprised. "How did you know about my actions? Logically, even Gao Ning and the others didn't know I was lurking here!"

"We have no need to explain to you!" Xu San said coldly. "If you don't want to die, then get lost!"

"Get lost?" Gong Qing's expression was playful. "I thought you were going to try and capture me!"

"Capture you? There will be plenty of opportunities later!" Xu Si said calmly. "Don't even think about taking advantage of the chaos to abduct Old Tian!"

"As expected of Nadou Tong's North China regional head, you're certainly clear-headed!" Gong Qing sighed, turning to look outside the door, where a figure exuding a terrifying aura floated down.

"What a pity, it's too late. But perhaps this ending isn't so bad after all!" Gong Qing muttered to himself, then struck his own forehead with a palm, taking his own life!

"To force Quansheng's acting sect leader to commit suicide—is this the deterrence of the contemporary Heavenly Master?" Xu San and Xu Si's pupils constricted. Even they had only heard of the Heavenly Master's prestige, but never truly witnessed the Heavenly Master in action.

"Hmph! He got off easy!" Zhang Zhiwei snorted, looking at Tian Jinzhong. "Jinzong, are you alright?"

"Little Yu'zi..." Old Tian first sighed looking at Gong Qing's corpse, then shook his head. "I'm fine, thanks to Chulan and the others."

"Haha, it's all thanks to Junior Uncle Shen Ye for giving us the heads-up." Knowing Shen Ye was about to become the Heavenly Master, Zhang Chulan changed his address without any psychological burden. "By the way, Grandmaster, weren't you imparting your teachings?"

"He told me what happened here, and I was still a bit worried, so..." Zhang Zhiwei said, suddenly looking in the direction of the Heavenly Master's Residence.

Golden light burst forth, flames shot skyward, and deafening roars echoed in the distance.

"Quansheng again?" Zhang Zhiwei's face darkened. Leaving behind a "Take care of Jinzong," he quickly rushed towards the Heavenly Master's Residence.

With his cultivation, he returned to the Heavenly Master's Residence in just over a dozen breaths, moving at full speed.

Then, he saw a pile of corpses and six Shen Yes.

After a brief explanation, Zhang Zhiwei looked at Yuan Tao, who had died with his eyes open, and couldn't help but sigh, "Why bother? Coming here in the middle of the night just to throw your life away!"

Then, he looked at the real Shen Ye: "If the Wang Family knew you had this ability, they probably wouldn't even dare to seek revenge. Come, this old man will formally impart the Heavenly Master's Degree to you!"

Some readers might say that the protagonist's background is an ancient tribe, but in his conversation with the Old Heavenly Master, he quoted Mencius and Zhuangzi. Wouldn't that raise suspicion?

Answer: Of course he would study after coming out. Otherwise, how would he speak the language of later generations?

Will the Old Heavenly Master die after imparting the Heavenly Master's Degree?

Answer: From Zhang Chulan's words, the Old Heavenly Master might die, lose his powers, or suffer other misfortunes after imparting the Heavenly Master's Degree. But this is just a hint, not a true transmission, so it shouldn't be a big problem. Anyway, that's how I've set it (òó).