Void III

Reopening the Imperial Examination? Zhang Rongfang was startled.

This is no ordinary matter. Confucian Sect is inherently opposed to gods and Gods and Buddhas, Returning Cause in the past, it was deliberately suppressed and reduced, forced to hide like a rat.

Even Chen Junchen, the most prominent Confucian Sect scholar at the time, was defeated and disappeared.

Now that a pinnacle figure like Chen Junchen is no longer around, what virtue or ability does Confucian Sect possess to stir up such a great trend? This was the first thing that came to Zhang Rongfang's mind.

When he heard that Master Yue had been refuted by the debate and left speechless, and had retreated to the Heavenly Sincerity Palace, his first thought was that there must be something wrong with Lao Yue.

This is either a case of excessive leniency or the emergence of an unparalleled figure in the Confucian Sect.

But such a person couldn't have appeared without any prior warning. The only possibility is that someone deliberately pushed Confucian Sect to the forefront.

As for whether this person is Lao Yue or someone else, it's hard to say.

Putting aside these lines of thought, regardless of the circumstances, he himself was actually of the Confucian Sect origin. The fact that Confucianism was relegated to a lower category and grouped with monks and Daoists meant that his and his sister's social standing had fundamentally improved. That could be considered a good thing.

In reality, throughout history, whether in past or present lives, only a very small minority of the Confucian Sect intellectuals have been so degraded.

Because this is illogical.

In such times, those who possess literacy and knowledge should not be so humble.

Therefore, this should be the normal phenomenon.

Zhang Rongfang then inquired with these people about various aspects of the Confucian Sect.

"Brother Zhang, how have you been these past few years?" Wan Yanlu suddenly interjected.

"Not bad. How about you? Have you found a satisfactory Ruyi yet?" Zhang Rongfang asked with a smile.

Although he is now far beyond the level he was at in Tanyang, this reunion with an old friend felt like a return to the time when he helped her lose weight.

That faint sense of familiarity instantly bridged the gap between the two, which had previously felt somewhat distant and unfamiliar.

"No, after Tanyang left, I became an apprentice to learn martial arts and then entered Chongyang Academy. Back then, if it weren't for Brother Zhang, I probably wouldn't have been able to get to where I am today." Wan Yanlu's pretty face was slightly red, and as she spoke, she began to lower her head slightly, seemingly a little shy.

When she received Zhang Rongfang's weight loss course, her entire Lower Capital was almost massaged and exposed.

Although she wasn't particularly attractive at 600 pounds, now that they thought about it, seeing her like this caused a slight change in the expressions of everyone around her. Especially Zhang Shuoyang; everyone appreciates beauty, and he hadn't expected Wan Yanlu to become so beautiful, thus missing his chance.

But it's not too late to make amends! But before he could even show his feelings, he saw that Wan Yanlu clearly had someone else in mind, which was troublesome.

The other two young men were also feeling uneasy. Although they had no interest in the beautiful women, for some reason, none of the beauties in their group were interested in them, and then suddenly they were snatched away by a guy of unknown origin.

That feeling is just as unpleasant.

"Brother Zhang, may I ask where you work? Would you mind getting acquainted with me?" Zhang Shuoyang immediately stood up and looked at Zhang Rongfang without hesitation.

His sudden rise seemed somewhat abrupt, disrupting the delicate atmosphere between Zhang Rongfang and Wan Yanlu.

"I wouldn't dare say I'm high-ranking. I've just settled down in a small town and run a small clinic," Zhang Rongfang replied with a smile.

"A medical clinic? Judging from your accent, you're from Pingyu Road too. Could it be Taihe Medical Clinic? Or Chongsheng Medical Clinic?" Zhang Shuoyang pressed.

These two clinics are considered major brands among chain clinics on Pingyu Road.

Its industries are spread throughout the railway and even most of the province.

"Speaking of which, my father and the head of Taihe Medical Clinic often drink together. I wonder if you know them?" He spoke in one breath, perfectly in line with his previous style.

They all pretend to casually reveal their family background, leaving others with no choice but to admit defeat and bow their heads in envy and jealousy.

"Taihe Chongsheng? No, it's just a small, ordinary clinic," Zhang Rongfang explained with a smile.

He also noticed Zhang Shuoyang's hostility towards him, but he didn't take it to heart.

"Alright, you guys continue heating up your food. I'm going back to rest for a bit."

Having learned the situation, he had achieved his goal and prepared to leave.

Seeing his reaction, the students from the Academy all thought he had bowed his head and admitted defeat, and had turned and fled in panic to avoid losing face in comparison.

Zhang Shuoyang's eyes revealed a hint of composure and smugness as he looked at Wan Yanlu beside him.

Wan Yanlu was both anxious and angry. Knowing Zhang Ying's true identity, she listened to their conversation and her heart was pounding. She was afraid of causing trouble and angering Zhang Ying.

Seeing Zhang Ying preparing to leave, she felt a sense of relief, but also a slight reluctance.

"Brother Zhang," she suddenly called out.

"What?" Zhang Rongfang turned around.

"Can we keep in touch often in the future?" Wan Yanlu asked earnestly. "I have missed my brother very much ever since I left Tanyang."

"Of course. But be careful." Zhang Rongfang smiled and tossed out a black jade pendant.

Each of these jade pendants contains a drop of his blood, which can be used as a location marker and a token of his identity.

Anyone of Blood Descendant can sense the scent of blood within the jade pendant. It has now become a standard marker of the Human Immortal Temple.

After catching the jade pendant, Wan Yanlu wanted to say something, but saw that Zhang Rongfang had already left and returned to his campfire.

She sighed, recalling the feeling of Zhang Ying massaging and relaxing her body, and a deep emotion welled up in her heart. At the same time, a blush naturally rose on her face.

Her behavior made the men's hearts race, and they lowered their heads, not daring to look at her any longer.

On the other side, Zhang Rongfang carefully examined the last piece of mural and determined the assembly sequence and steps.

He immediately got up and walked towards the back of the temple.

Behind the temple, there is a small vegetable garden, indicating that the people here usually cultivate some vegetables and fruits for their own consumption.

But by this time, the fields were already desolate.

'Are you going to start now?' White Scale asked in his mind.

"Of course. By the way, will it affect those people outside?" Zhang Rongfang asked.

"No, they are too weak to be involved in this level of perception and combat," White Scale replied.

'Let's begin then.'

Zhang Rongfang listened to the faint voices coming from the temple ahead and walked all the way to the very end of the field, to the foot of a temple wall.

He flicked the soil from under his feet and immediately picked out an irregular, bronze-colored fragment.

This was the last fragment of the White Scale Core Statue that he had previously discovered.

Then, he took out pieces of the Statue fragments he had found and collected from the package he was carrying on his back.

"Assemble according to the pattern on the murals outside," White Scale reminded him.

'Good.'

Zhang Rongfang felt a faint sense of anticipation.

Recalling the content of the mural, he pieced together the fragments one by one from bottom to top.

There were more than thirty pieces in total, and it only took less than half a minute.

Click.

The moment the last piece was pieced together perfectly.

White Scale couldn't help but let out a long, joyful cry.

'Are you ready?' she asked loudly in Zhang Rongfang's mind.

"Of course." Zhang Rongfang spent so much time on this step.

"Be careful. Once you enter the Void, you will be moving with your own physical body. If you are injured in the Void, you will suffer twice the damage in reality. Be careful!" White Scale warned.

"Even in your own Void, you must be careful?" Zhang Rongfang asked doubtfully.

"The Void is where I live, a place of my own thoughts. I'm not sure what changes will occur if you come in. After all, you're different from the others," White Scale answered honestly.

"Okay." Zhang Rongfang looked up at the sky, which was overcast and a light drizzle had begun to fall.

How long will it take?

He looked down at the White Scale statue of the One-Eyed White Python.

I don't know.

"Then, let's begin." Zhang Rongfang focused his mind and carefully sensed his surroundings.

Soon, a faint silver-pink Spirit Thread slowly emerged from between the Statue's eyebrows.

The Spirit Thread shattered, evaporated, and turned into grayish-white mist.

The wisps of mist slowly enveloped Zhang Rongfang, quickly transforming him into a mist figure.

Not long, ten seconds, or twenty seconds.

The fog slowly dissipated, revealing that the interior was now completely empty, devoid of anything else.

Only the Core Statue belonging to White Scale remained, standing silently in its original place.

"Brother Zhang?" Not long after, Wan Yanlu came in from the front temple, his eyes filled with a strange expectation, and called out softly.

She simply walked around the Backyard but couldn't find any trace of Zhang Rongfang.

She regarded the One-Eyed White Python Statue in the corner as a decoration in the temple, assuming it was there all along, and paid no attention to it.

"Strange, he was just here a moment ago." Wan Yanlu was slightly disappointed. After confirming that Zhang Rongfang was not there, he could only turn around and return to the front hall.

***In the darkness, I could see and hear nothing around me.

There was only endless darkness.

The eyes seemed to have lost their function and purpose, and even their existence seemed to have been lost.

From the moment the fog dissipated, Zhang Rongfang found himself in this predicament.

'Is this the Void? Indeed, it is the ultimate void, utterly empty. There is nothing there, not even light; hence the name Void. It truly lives up to its name.'

Although he couldn't see anything, his body sensed that he was falling.

It is falling rapidly downwards.

I don't know how much time has passed.

Ten minutes, half an hour, or an hour? Zhang Rongfang finally saw a glimmer of white light below.

It was a circular, white, rapidly approaching halo.

Or rather, it's a white, circular exit.

Whoosh!

In an instant, he rushed through the circular exit, as if entering a pool of icy water.

Call!!

The light in front of me suddenly became bright.

Zhang Rongfang opened his eyes wide and looked around carefully.

The surrounding area was a dark metal passageway on both sides.

Directly in front of him was a door, on which was clearly engraved a pattern: One-Eyed White Python.

The pattern glows with a white light, soft yet bright.

"Come in," White Scale's voice echoed in his mind. "Don't worry about your surroundings; what you can't get past is also part of the Void."

Zhang Rongfang squinted and carefully looked at both sides.

The passageways on both sides were very large and high, and the ground had a slight curve, so his line of sight could only extend to the end of the passageway at the bend.

The entire metal tunnel is about ten meters high and about ten meters wide, with a round top and a flat bottom, and its cross-section should be a semicircle.

Zhang Rongfang's eyes flickered, and with the help of the Dark Light Vision, he saw a special symbol in a corner of the passage, just like the one on the Sea Dragon God fragments he had seen before.

He couldn't understand or recognize the symbol, but it felt strangely familiar.

"Come in quickly. You can't stay in the gap for too long, or you'll be forcibly sent back," White Scale's voice urged.

"Okay." Zhang Rongfang reached out, grasped the handle of the metal door in front of him, and pushed it forward.

Click.

The door opened inwards.

In an instant, a tremendous pulling force drew Zhang Rongfang in.

He stumbled, and in a flash, he found himself on a slope filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers of all colors.