First Trial, Part One

Zhang Rongfang did not answer his question.

The man remained staring at the stone house, motionless.

"Senior?"

Zhang Rongfang spoke up again.

Still no response.

He turned to look at Ran Xin Yue. She shook her head at him, indicating that she didn't know either.

Zhang Rongfang turned his head, calmed down, and simply waited quietly to the side.

Since you need someone's help, you should take the initiative to show your willingness to help.

Neither of them made any further moves, simply waiting quietly.

Time flows on, but the wind still howls.

The clouds and mist on the mountaintop slowly dissipated.

The sunlight bathed the entire mountaintop in a golden glow.

"Senior," Zhang Rongfang finally spoke again.

"Who are you calling?" the man actually spoke up immediately this time.

"Are you talking to me?" He turned his head slightly, looking this way. Compared to before, there seemed to be something strange in his eyes.

"That's exactly it. Junior, I'd like to ask you some questions about how to deal with Doubtful Cloud Mist." Zhang Rongfang nodded, but he was still a little unsure about the other person's sudden change in demeanor.

"Why do you want to know these things? Aren't you a disciple of the Daoist Sect?" the man asked.

"To win. To protect the people and things I want to protect!" Zhang Rongfang replied.

"Is this your resolve?"

"Yes."

"But why can't I feel it?" The man turned his gaze and looked at the stone house again.

"How can I make you feel it?" Zhang Rongfang squinted.

"If you want to do something, and you only have a one in ten chance of succeeding, would you go all in? You wouldn't."

The man put down the wine jar, stood up, and turned around.

"I really don't know how." Zhang Rongfang nodded slightly.

"Like now, someone has spoken to me about you," the man said softly. "He said you are very strong, very talented."

He suddenly laughed, but the laugh was somewhat enigmatic.

"But what I see in you is that you are very weak."

"It seems you have a lot of confidence in yourself, senior," Zhang Rongfang said calmly, without changing his expression.

"Whether you're weak or not, you'll only know by trying. In today's world, I consider myself quite weak. But it's not up to just anyone to say that."

He stepped forward.

"It's not my place to speak?" The man was slightly taken aback by the words. "It's been a long time since anyone dared to speak to me like that." His eyes were unfocused, as if he were recalling something from many years ago.

"If you wish to verify this, senior, you are welcome to spar with me personally," Zhang Rongfang said in a deep voice.

"Alright." The man smiled. He took a step forward, about to walk towards Zhang Rongfang, but suddenly stopped.

"No, my husband should have already prepared lots of dried flowers for me; I can't let his kindness go to waste. But why does he never come up to the mountaintop? He always comes after I've left."

That strange quality from before reappeared in his eyes.

Zhang Rongfang suddenly remembered that kind of temperament; it was exactly like the way someone looks when they love someone to the extreme!

And it was the woman's expression! He felt a chill run down his spine and scrutinized her again.

Sure enough, upon closer inspection, it became clear that the man's words, actions, subtle movements, and demeanor all resembled those of a gentle woman.

Before Zhang Rongfang reply.

The man began rummaging through his clothes, and soon pulled out a large pile of dried flowers. He carefully picked them up, and with a light touch of his toes, he floated down to the front of the stone house as if flying.

With a light tap of his finger, the stone door silently slid open to the left.

The person went inside in the blink of an eye. Not a single trace was left behind.

The man spread the dried flowers on the wooden bed and lay down on it without any concern for the mess.

"My husband, I'm waiting for you right here. Why... why do you never come to see me?!" His expression gradually darkened, and his eyes even began to redden.

Zhang Rongfang and Ran Xin Yue felt heartbroken watching from the sidelines.

A grown man with a thick beard was actually putting on a charming and gentle act, like a tender woman.

"Senior?" Zhang Rongfang suppressed his nausea and called out loudly again.

"Whatever your conditions are, as long as I can fulfill them, just name them."

Whoosh! In an instant, the man's eyes widened, and his previous allure vanished completely.

"I told you to keep your voice down!!" He sat up abruptly from the bed, and in a flash, he rushed out of the stone house.

The speed was so fast that neither Ran Xin Yue nor Zhang Rongfang could react in time.

Almost instantly, the man was in front of Zhang Rongfang.

He raised his hand, his five fingers forming a claw, and reached towards his chest and abdomen.

This move was so fast that it far surpassed the speed of any opponent Zhang Rongfang had ever faced before.

He was horrified. When he realized the other person was gone, he immediately raised his hand to block in front of him.

I can't see it! I can't see it at all!!

Zhang Rongfang could only see a blurry, indistinct image.

It's impossible to see where the opponent is making their move.

He simply went all out and started throwing punches wildly, trying to force the person back.

After all, he could see that the other person was right in front of him.

Unfortunately, all his punches and kicks missed their mark.

Between the punches and kicks, the man's arm, as if calculated beforehand, precisely passed through the gaps and landed steadily between Zhang Rongfang's chest and abdomen.

Bang!

A ring of air exploded.

Zhang Rongfang staggered back seven steps, a mouthful of blood welling up in his throat, which he forcefully suppressed.

It was just one move, yet he was injured. The opponent's attack shouldn't have been like that! It shouldn't have been so fast that he couldn't see it clearly! Only when the speed far exceeds dynamic vision would it be possible to not see clearly.

But why is it that, no matter how good my eyesight is now, I shouldn't be completely unable to see clearly?

Countless doubts flashed through Zhang Rongfang's mind.

The opponent is indeed very fast, but not to the point of being a generational difference!

This was something Zhang Rongfang instinctively sensed; something else, some other factor, was influencing his perception.

"Jun Er, where are you!?" At this moment, the man did not pursue, but looked around as if searching for something.

He wandered around nervously, running all over the mountaintop. Judging from his shouts, he was probably looking for his wife.

"Senior, what you just said..." Zhang Rongfang took a deep breath, waiting for his internal injuries to heal slowly, before speaking again.

"Just now, I think I heard my husband calling me?" Suddenly, the man's expression changed, and his eyes became charming and gentle.

He looked around in confusion. "That's right. He always does this. Right, what did you just say?" The man looked at Zhang Rongfang again, as if he wasn't the one who had just made the move.

"This junior wishes to inquire about the Doubtful Cloud Mist matter from the senior," Zhang Rongfang replied, taking a deep breath.

"Doubtful Cloud Mist. I know that." The man nodded, about to speak.

Suddenly his expression changed.

"You disturbed my wife! You're the one who disturbed her! That's why she left without waiting for me!! It was you!!"

"Senior, I..." Zhang Rongfang tried to explain.

"Shut up! I'm going to kill you!!" the man roared, taking a step forward.

Zhang Rongfang quickly stepped back, focusing intently on his vigilance.

But in that instant, she stopped moving and her expression changed back to gentle and charming.

Where were we? My memory is getting worse and worse. Sorry.

"Doubtful Cloud Mist over us!" Zhang Rongfang breathed a sigh of relief and offered a reminder.

"Yes, I know that. Speaking of which, the last time we were together..."

Suddenly, the man's expression changed again.

"Jun Er!! You've made me unable to see Jun Er anymore, I'm going to kill you!!" He lunged forward, raising his palm to strike.

With a whoosh, the movement came to an abrupt halt, and the man's expression returned to its gentle and alluring state.

Where were we?

Zhang Rongfang was speechless. He finally understood why so many people kept their distance from mentally ill people, especially a strong martial artist with a mental illness who could experience extreme emotional fluctuations at any time.

If it weren't for him, even a Worship God Grandmaster would probably have died on the spot.

That inexplicable feeling, that sense of bewilderment from not being able to see clearly, didn't seem like I really couldn't see clearly at all.

It's more like a visual disturbance.

I'm so tired. I'm watching the man opposite me, whose expressions are changing faster and faster, and who seems increasingly anxious.

Zhang Rongfang unconsciously took a few steps back. He returned to Ran Xin Yue's side and asked in a low voice.

"Is there any way to deal with him?"

"No. This senior's regular schedule is only in the morning; the rest of the time is supposedly the same." Ran Xin Yue shook her head helplessly.

"What's his name? Does he have any reputation? Why have I never heard of him before?" Zhang Rongfang felt that with the other party's strength and skills, he was definitely not an unknown person.

"It has a name, but it's not very good," Ran Xin Yue shook her head.

"Go ahead and say it."

"Third on the Crimson List, Di Jiang." Ran Xin Yue lowered her voice again.

"They really dare to take it," Zhang Rongfang narrowed his eyes. He naturally knew Di Jiang's identity and background.

This is a mythical bird with six legs and four wings, no mouth, no eyes, no nose, and is good at singing and dancing.

However, in mythology, Di Jiang represents the connection between the heavens and the human world.

It cannot see, hear, or taste anything; it only cares about making its own singing and dancing sounds.

It describes something that lives forever in its own world. Yet its very existence is of paramount importance, connecting heaven and earth.

"That's certainly a vivid description," Zhang Rongfang nodded. "But how are we supposed to communicate with them now that they're like this?"

"I wonder if we can only wait until tomorrow morning?" Ran Xin Yue asked hesitantly.

"How long does he stay awake each morning?" Zhang Rongfang asked.

He saw that Di Jiang was talking to himself, tears streaming down his face. He wondered what was wrong with him now.

"He eats in the morning, but no one has calculated the time. Actually, it's when God Dijiang is awake that he is in the most danger," Ran Xin Yue said hesitantly.

"Is there any other way to bring him to his senses?" Zhang Rongfang frowned.

"Perhaps... go up and fight him?" Ran Xin Yue wasn't sure either. "I remember that people in the Extreme Realm expend a lot of energy once they enter battle. If we can reduce his dangerous state a bit, maybe he can calm down and communicate?"

"..." Zhang Rongfang recalled the Extreme Realm Grandmaster he had encountered before. Once the Extreme Realm was activated, it did indeed consume a great deal of energy.

"Let's give it a try." He decided to put it into practice; after all, he had thick skin and recovered quickly. He could heal from injuries very fast.

"Sir, remember to protect your head," Ran Xin Yue quickly reminded him.

She knew Zhang Rongfang was far more powerful than her, but she didn't know exactly how much more powerful.

Di Jiang is also a renowned expert among the top experts of the Great Ling Realm. If these two were to actually fight, it would be a spectacle that ordinary people would rarely see!