Calculation (Part 1)

Zhang Rongfang let out a long breath, touched the edge of the mask, and felt the cool metallic texture, which calmed him down a little.

Standing on the beach, gazing into the distance.

The sea at night resembles a sheet of black oil. Only a sliver of silvery white, reflecting the moonlight in the distance, appears thick and viscous.

In their first exchange, he used the highest multiplier of his available Heavy Mountain for the first time.

Even now, his right arm is still in a tearing pain, clearly indicating that all the muscles and blood vessels have been damaged.

However, he didn't care.

With nearly 200 health points, his current regenerative ability is extremely terrifying.

Raising his hand, he could see the tiny cracks on his palm, left by the violent impact, slowly closing and repairing themselves.

This exaggerated resilience is so remarkable that it is visible to the naked eye.

It should take less than ten minutes for the arm injury to fully heal.

Then the body expels dead blood and damaged tissue, and new flesh grows back.

He recalled the moment just now, the scene when he used the Tenfold Heavy Mountain.

Extreme explosive power results in extreme speed.

In that instant, his speed of attack reached a point where even he himself could not control it or see it clearly.

He couldn't even feel the existence of his own hands at that moment, and it wasn't until after it was over that he felt the pain and tearing sensation.

"It seems this move can only be used as a core trump card. Using it once will cripple an arm in a short period of time."

After moving his arms, Zhang Rongfang clearly felt that his right arm was extremely sluggish and could only move it a few times with difficulty.

"My strength now clearly surpasses that of the Three Void Spirit Networks, but I don't know how I'll perform when I fight a Grandmaster."

What he can be certain of now is that Kong Ding is definitely a grandmaster.

However, he had never actually fought a grandmaster, so he couldn't grasp their true strength or what a fight would be like.

The grandmaster is said to be flawless and without any weaknesses.

And what about himself? What if he has some fatal weakness or shortcoming that he hasn't discovered?

According to rumors, a direct confrontation with a grandmaster could have fatal consequences.

Moreover, once he makes a move, if a grandmaster sees through the mistake, he might not be able to perfectly intercept and kill the opponent. That would be the result. This is also the key reason why he has never led a group to surround and kill Kong Ding.

'Back then, when the Taijing Zi of the Sensing Gate was surrounded and killed by so many experts, he still only left with injuries.'

My current strength and influence, if mobilized, might not be stronger than that of Princess Yongxiang and others back then.

"We can't rush it. Let's wait a little longer." Once his life force reached two hundred, he lowered his hand, turned around, and headed back towards the Aloeswood Palace.

***"What!? Grand Initiation Master Hui Jue is dead!?"

Aloeswood Palace.

Zhang Rongfang knocked over the teacup beside him, his expression one of utter horror, and jumped up from his chair.

He stared intently at Kong Ding, who looked exhausted, across from Kong Ding.

"Master Kong Ding, are you sure you're not joking with me?"

"I thought it was just a joke." Kong Ding out a long breath, his eyes sharp. "From the moment Hui Jue engaged the opponent to his death, it took less than thirty breaths. I had arranged with him to wait nearby and provide immediate support as soon as I received the message. But who would have thought... it was too fast... really too fast."

He still can't imagine that even if he went all out, he might not be able to fight Hui Jue for that long.

Thirty breaths! Without an extremely powerful burst skill, it would be impossible to kill a Three-Void Spirit Network with the potential to become a Grandmaster so quickly.

Kong Ding recalled the exaggerated blood hole in Hui Jue's chest and realized that the person who did it must have mastered an extremely terrifying explosive power technique.

He raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Zhang Rongfang.

"Zhang Ying Daozi, I know you were formerly from the Eastern Sect Golden Wing Tower of the Western Sect. But if you can do your best to help me find out Kong Ding owe you a great favor in the future!"

Zhang Rongfang paced back and forth a few times, his brows furrowed.

A short while later, he suddenly stopped.

"Grand Initiation Master, it's not that I'm unwilling, but I'm also completely clueless. There are very few clues we can find now. It seems that the Rebel Sect has already left Citong and is hiding itself. If we want to find them, we can only wait for them to reappear and start making moves again."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "However, there's another idea."

"What's the idea?" Kong Ding's expression shifted, and he quickly asked.

He and Hui Jue: one was obsessed with martial arts and possessed exceptional fighting skills, while the other was quick-witted and Essence Aperture in handling affairs.

When two people work together, they can compensate for each other's weaknesses and amplify each other's strengths.

Now that Hui Jue is dead, he may be capable of killing, but he is completely inept at solving mysteries.

He was at a loss, but when he returned, he couldn't face Hui Jue's master.

Left with no other choice, he could only turn to the most quick-witted person around him with the widest range of information.

That is, Zhang Ying of the Great Dao Sect, who has been doing his best to help them.

"Grand Initiation Master Hui Jue is extremely powerful. In fact, there are very few people in the entire Citong region who could kill him in a short time. If we could investigate them one by one..." Zhang Rongfang suggested.

"The entire Citong... what if there were any movement? With Hui Jue's strength, I'm afraid only a Grandmaster could accomplish that," Kong Ding voice. "But does Citong have any Grandmasters?"

"Why not? How did Princess Yongxiang die back then?" Zhang Rongfang suddenly replied.

Taijing Zi! Suddenly, a name flashed through Kong Ding's mind.

"Impossible. Taijing Zi comes from the Sensing Gate, and given his background, it's impossible for him to Hui Jue."

"What if it's a passing grandmaster? Or what if it's a group of people working together?" Zhang Rongfang guessed.

"It's possible that multiple masters cooperated while passing by, but I didn't find any trace of combat at the scene. From beginning to end, it was just a moment."

Upon hearing this, a deep sense of apprehension flashed in Kong Ding's eyes.

This reminded him of the group of grandmasters in the Extreme Realm.

"However, these marks are very similar to the techniques of those Grandmasters at the Extreme Realm," he said in a low voice.

"Huh? A Grandmaster of the Extreme Realm?!" Zhang Rongfang was taken aback. "Why do you say that, Grand Initiation Master? As far as I know, even those at the Extreme Realm wouldn't exceed our limits, right? Those at the Extreme Realm aren't Worship God martial artists; their power couldn't possibly be that strong."

"You probably haven't been exposed to the Extreme Realm before. These people don't have super recovery abilities, their physiques aren't strong, and their minds aren't very clear either."

However, once they reach the Extreme Realm, their control over their bodies reaches an extremely high level. They can use more extreme techniques and weapons, unleashing their body's potential for a short time and unleashing tremendous power. However, they will be injured afterward.

"Oh?? Is that so?!" Zhang Rongfang's heart skipped a beat, curiosity rising within him. Wasn't this a bit like pushing the limits of the human body?

Those news stories from my past life about a frail mother lifting a car during an adrenaline rush—isn't that the same characteristic?

"Therefore, I suspect that this was most likely done by a Grandmaster of the Extreme Realm! The injuries on Hui Jue's body are consistent with the characteristics of Extreme Law Practitioner in the Extreme Realm!" Kong Ding's face was gloomy.

"Therefore, it is highly likely that there is a Grandmaster of the Extreme Realm Extreme Law in the vicinity."

"Extreme Law?" Zhang Rongfang had never heard of such a concept before. He was interested in asking about it.

But Kong Ding no longer wanted to say anything.

He stood up abruptly.

"I will report Hui Jue's death to True Buddha Temple truthfully. This matter can no longer be resolved as easily as before."

Two people who had previously Three Voids Worship God have died in succession. No matter what, Citong must provide an explanation!

"What does the Grand Initiation Master mean?!" Zhang Rongfang asked solemnly.

"Mobilize the Garrison and conduct a sweeping search of all suspicious individuals. Anyone who uses such a technique to unleash a burst of power, even at the Extreme Realm, will definitely suffer a hand injury that won't heal in a short time. So..." Kong Ding thought about it more and more and felt it was feasible.

Without realizing it, he glanced at Zhang Rongfang's hands, which were completely unharmed.

"If there's anything I can help with, I'll be happy to oblige!" Zhang Rongfang stood up decisively and said solemnly.

"Thank Daozi!" Kong Ding nodded earnestly.

The two then quickly began discussing how to investigate and respond.

Not long after, Kong Ding left Aloeswood Palace.

After Kong Ding left, Zhang Rongfang stood up, changed his clothes, and once again arranged for Chen Han to do other things. He then put on a human Leather Mask, changed his identity, and leisurely went down the mountain.

Having killed Hui Jue, it would be impossible for Kong Ding alone to uncover the truth.

This person does not possess the keen perception of Hui Jue, nor is his Hui Jue as clear.

Therefore, he can now more confidently stall for time.

After descending to the foot of the mountain, Zhang Rongfang took a car to a stone tablet shop in the city.

The shop is located in a remote area, and business is slow.

Deep inside the somewhat dimly lit shop, a tall figure, wearing a burlap apron, was carefully hammering away at the patterns on the stone tablet, one stroke at a time, with a carving knife in his hand.

"Old Zuo, you've finally opened the door." Zhang Rongfang's eyes flashed with relief when he saw this person.

After waiting for so long, the Thousand Stone Sect Master has finally returned to Citong.

After realizing that Kong Ding was also a Grandmaster, he wanted to try it out for himself to see what the difference was between a Grandmaster and the Three Voids Emptinesses.

But the only grandmaster he knew was Zuo Han.

"So, Jingrong Gongzi, is there something you need?" Zuo Han put down his hammer and carving knife, looking at Zhang Rongfang with a complicated expression.

At first, he only wanted to observe from the sidelines and lead the Thousand Stone Sect to protect the other party from the shadows.

This way, the entire Thousand Stone Sect won't have too much contact with the other party, making it easier to make contact or break away later.

Unexpectedly, in such a short time, many experts from the Thousand Stone Sect had already succumbed to corruption and were recruited.

Today, it is almost inextricably linked with the Aloeswood Palace.

Although the Sensing Gate also have many branches, each aligning themselves with a different major power.

However Zuo Han has always rejected this tendency.

But now, if it weren't for the fact that in the past two months, the martial arts skills of the basic disciples within the sect have improved at a rapid pace, far exceeding what they used to be, due to the consumption of elixirs and the increase in various auxiliary conditions.

Zuo Han even regretted getting in touch with Zhang Ying too early.

"Old Zuo, it's not easy to find you. I'm in trouble this time," Zhang Rongfang sighed. "Is there anything I can do now? Let's talk somewhere else?"

Zuo Han paused for a moment, then tapped on the table.

Suddenly, someone lifted the curtain and came out from behind the shop. It was a tall, handsome, and sunny young man.

The young man had well-developed and symmetrical muscles, bright and piercing eyes, and strong blood circulation.

"Keep an eye on the shop, I'm going out for a bit."

"Yes, Father," the young man replied quickly.

Zuo Han looked at Zhang Rongfang and introduced, "This is my daughter, Zuo Ying. If she ever encounters any trouble in the future, I hope you will lend her a hand."

"Of course!" Zhang Rongfang. The fact that the other woman had masculine features made him unconsciously take a second look.

The two immediately left the shop, one after the other.