End of December 1184.
Tanyang has changed drastically.
A mysterious force massacred multiple factions in the city, wiped out the Secret Teaching, and then quickly withdrew, disappearing without a trace.
All that remains is devastation.
A few days later, in early January.
The Li Family.
Li Ran stood in front of the study desk, moved the Inkstone Screen on the desk to the other side, and unrolled the scroll in her hand.
The scroll was covered with tiny characters.
This was the memorial he was preparing to submit to the Imperial Court. He had been writing it for several days, but it was still not finished. Looking at the contents on the table, Li Ran sighed, gently picked up his pen, and began to add to the key parts.
The lady behind "Master" Zhang Yiran looked at him with some concern.
"Is this really necessary?"
"Now that Tanyang is in turmoil, with countless dead and injured, if I, as the head of the Ministry of Justice, remain silent, what will become of me in the future?" Li Ran did not finish her sentence.
Although he was scheming at times, he was still shrewd when he saw many of his friends suddenly suffer misfortune and their entire families perish.
The emotions in my heart are hard to control.
He continued to record and add to the notes about the new events that had occurred in the past few days.
The Cloud Smoke Death Warrior of the Golden Wing Tower acted with impunity, while the Thousand Households Office Army outside the city did nothing.
The various departments of the Government Office offices could barely protect themselves.
A pall of gloom hung over the city, and rebellion seemed imminent.
Knock knock knock.
Suddenly, there was a rapid knocking on the door.
"Master! Breaking news! Breaking news! Lord Sun's Mansion... Lord Sun's Mansion... is deserted!"
A servant called out urgently from outside the door.
"What?!" Li Ran's body trembled.
He had originally planned to join forces with State Governor Sun Qinghong to submit a petition, but now, outside the study, Li Huoyun, at the other end of the corridor, was holding a handwritten Daoist Daoist Scripture and was about to use it Daoist Scripture calm his mind. He was also stunned when he heard this news.
He watched his father hurry out, leading First Squad of men, and before leaving, he instructed the officials in the mansion to guard the surrounding area.
Chaos is beginning to emerge in the city, and many people are trying to take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble.
Li Huoyun's mind was in turmoil. He had sent people to the homes of several friends and his elder brother Zhang Ying, but Great Capital.
"Even the State Governor has run away?" He couldn't imagine what state Tanyang had reached at this point.
"Young Master, someone just shot a letter through the door!"
Suddenly a maidservant hurried toward him, holding a pale yellow envelope in her hand.
Li Huoyun took it and examined it carefully.
The cover reads: To be opened by Huo Yun.
*** Wan Yanlu plunged heavily into the pond at home and began to swim vigorously.
As her martial arts training increased and her exercise levels rose significantly, her weight decreased at a visible rate.
These past few days, I've been losing weight at a rate of several kilograms per day.
With a series of splashing sounds, Wan Yanlu swam vigorously, his sweat seeping out and merging into the water.
Zhang Ying hadn't come for quite some time, and as she swam, she worried about Zhang Ying's condition.
Her relationship with Zhang Ying is quite complicated and subtle.
At first, she admired the other person, then developed a bit of infatuation, and then, after learning that her weight could be saved, she had a more complicated feeling.
Despite being a 600-pound woman, she is still a young girl, and she feels shy when large areas of her skin are exposed.
But this shyness gradually faded away and became a habit as Zhang Ying continued to train, correct, and guide her.
She gradually opened up to herself.
Day by day, I gradually adapted to this kind of training and this kind of life.
But suddenly, Zhang Ying stopped coming.
"Miss! Someone has delivered a letter!"
Soon, a personal maidservant approached hurriedly, carrying a letter in her hand.
"It says it was a gift from Young Master Zhang Ying."
Upon hearing Wan Yanlu immediately swam to the shore, slowly climbed ashore, and swayed his body a few times.
She took the dry towel from the maid, dried her hands, and draped it over her shoulders.
"Give me."
The envelope was torn open, revealing neat lines of handwriting inside.
"They're gone." Wan Yanlu had heard too many news of people leaving these past few days. She never expected that even Zhang Ying would leave. She held the Letter Paper, remained silent for a moment, and looked at the rippling pond. Suddenly, she felt a faint sense of loss.
***In one month.
Heavenly Maiden Tong Zhang sparred with Zhang Rongfang every day.
Each time, it was defeated in an instant.
Her golden needles may seem light and airy, but when they burst out, their penetrating power is quite frightening.
Even without using hidden weapons, her speed and agility made it impossible for Zhang Rongfang to touch her, let alone hit her.
In terms of both movement and speed, he was far inferior to his opponent.
Besides sparring, the Heavenly Maiden also had many different medicinal prescriptions brought to him to help regulate his body and speed up his recovery from his injuries.
In just over half a month, Zhang Rongfang had recovered almost completely from the injuries he had sustained.
Afterwards, Golden Wing Tower mobilized a large amount of martial arts materials for him to read and study.
Another half month has passed in the blink of an eye.
The Golden Wing Tower is a hidden stronghold.
In the training ground, two figures swiftly dodged and weaved, like two eagles swooping back and forth.
Zhang Rongfang's hands moved like hooks, relentlessly grabbing down at the Heavenly Maiden.
But no matter how fast he sped up, he could only catch a glimpse of the remaining shadow.
This situation has been going on for a long time, and he has long been used to it.
Before long, the Heavenly Maiden suddenly paused, raised one hand, and lifted it from below his hand.
Both of them raised their arms together.
With a hiss, a golden needle was held firmly in Zhang Rongfang's throat by a small hand.
"That trick again."
Zhang Rongfang was covered in sweat and helplessly raised his hand to admit defeat.
"My lord, I've already reached the Ninth Grade, so why is my movement technique still so much inferior to yours? Just what realms lie above the Ninth Grade?"
"The Ninth Grade are merely a system established by the Ling Ting to help everyone identify their own position. Above these ranks are experts who transcend the ranks."
Among these people were some of the strongest figures from various sects, top masters who could be called grandmasters.
Tong Zhang withdrew the golden needle and explained.
"Actually, there's no specific division above the Super Grade. Grade and realm aren't fixed gaps. In the Great Ling, many Super Grade are below Grandmaster but above Ninth Grade."
"How so?"
"Because a master must innovate and have no weaknesses before they can establish their own school."
"The Super Grade can only be considered an innovation, but it's not without weaknesses," Tong Zhang explained.
"Grandmaster." Zhang Rongfang had a clear understanding of the situation. "Just how strong is a Grandmaster? Could you explain a little about it, sir?"
"To establish a sect, one must hold Hundred-Day Arena and accept challenges from all directions. Only by standing firm can one be qualified to establish a sect."
Tong Zhang said softly.
"In this process, if your martial arts have even the slightest flaw or weakness, any shortcoming or imperfection, countless people will find it and defeat you."
Therefore, all grandmasters are absolutely unparalleled powerhouses.
"Hundred-Day Arena?"
"There are victories and defeats among grandmasters, but once you cross that level, unless you are besieged or offend the Ling Ting, you will be in almost no danger," Tong Zhang explained.
"So what level are you at?" Zhang Rongfang couldn't help but ask curiously.
"I am not a grandmaster. My path is different from theirs." Tong Zhang shook his head.
"Don't follow my example. My path is destined to end badly."
She seemed reluctant to discuss her direction.
She looked up at Zhang Rongfang, whose appearance had changed drastically.
"These past few days, I have been treating you with special Treasure Medicine because of your injury, and now it seems that your physique has changed quite a bit."
Zhang Rongfang, who was originally tall and strong, recovered from his injuries thanks to a large amount of medication, but his size shrank considerably.
However, it's not a true shrinkage; his weight hasn't changed. Instead, it's more like he's compressed to increase muscle density.
The muscles that used to look like bubbles have now become more refined and well-defined.
"You've basically mastered the key points of the Golden Roc Secret Record. So, it's time for me to officially leave."
Before Zhang Rongfang could finish speaking, she gently clapped her hands.
Soon, a dark-skinned, mute servant approached carrying a wooden tray.
Inside the tray was something that looked like a light black vest.
"This is the Scale Light Inner Armor. Wearing it will prevent injury to vital parts of your torso."
She clapped her hands again.
Another woman, carrying a new tray, also approached.
Tong Zhang picked up a small purple bottle from inside.
"Three Saint One Pill can stop bleeding and save lives in cases of severe injury."
The third tray arrived quickly.
The above is a Feather Token.
"This is a Spirit Grade token from Wushan City." Tong Zhang picked up the Feather Token and handed it to Zhang Rongfang.
"My request of you is to focus on hiding and cultivating yourself. Do not reveal your identity, and wait until the day I come to find you in person."
"And if I can't come, someone will give you a Purple Stone Lotus. Then, someone will tell you everything."
"But I..." Zhang Rongfang was confused. He didn't know anything and hadn't agreed to anything.
"It's alright. If nothing happens within three years, you can decide for yourself," Tong Zhang said without going into details, his tone calm but tinged with a hint of helplessness.
Zhang Rongfang had inquired about this matter several times, but each time he received no answer.
"You are going to Wushan City. I will leave tomorrow morning. After that, you will go to take up your post on your own."
Your official Daoist Registry will be preserved for you. But remember, for three years, do not touch anything you shouldn't."
She gave him another reminder.
"Three years from now, perhaps everything will be different, but perhaps everything will remain the same. By then..."
She spoke in a language no one could understand, her eyes gradually becoming blank as she walked away into the distance.
Zhang Rongfang had already gotten used to it.
He remained where he was, picked up the Scale Light Treasure Armor, and gave it a gentle shake.
This Treasure Armor felt soft to the touch, containing fine, metallic-like threads, yet it was inexplicably tough.
The Treasure Armor has subtle stitching marks on the side, suggesting it was altered from a smaller size.
"Young master, it's time for your meal." Wei Li's soft voice came from behind.
Zhang Rongfang sighed inwardly.
After a month of living together, he was starting to get used to life here.
After accumulating three attribute points, he used the power of the Golden Wing Tower to collect many medicinal formulas and experiment with the effects of various supplements on himself.
Finally, it was discovered that the factors affecting the absorption of Attribute Points were not related to supplements, but rather to the body's own absorption capacity.
No matter what medicine he takes, it's almost always one drop every ten days.
Some of these medications are even slower.
Unable to increase his speed with Attribute Points, he turned his attention to other equipment.
He never expected that as soon as he revealed such a thought, Tong Zhang would send him a set of Scale Light Treasure Armor.
"We have already arranged a carriage to Wushan City for tomorrow. Young Master, you can start making any preparations you need in advance," Wei Li continued from behind.
"Will my sister also go to Wushan City?" Zhang Rongfang asked in a deep voice.
"Yes. Your sister moved there with her whole family half a year ago."
"As instructed by the master, young master can choose which identity to enter Wushan City under," Wei Li stated.