Chapter Two: Parting

"Your disciple obeys!"

"Go to the mortal world and do more good deeds! Do not harm the human realm! If your master finds out you are causing trouble, he will not let you off lightly!" Zhang Sanfeng's usually benevolent expression turned extremely stern, and his voice suddenly rose an octave.

"Your disciple will definitely abide by Master's command!" Having never heard Zhang Sanfeng speak to him so sternly, Zhang Hupan was momentarily at a loss and hastily responded with fear and reverence.

Seeing Zhang Hupan's flustered state, Zhang Sanfeng felt a pang of reluctance. However, Zhang Sanfeng knew how treacherous the human world was, and Zhang Hupan's heart was like a spotless white paper. Fearing that Zhang Hupan might go astray, he could only bear to issue a stern warning, even using a trace of divine power to imprint a deep mark on Zhang Hupan's spirit.

Seeing that Zhang Hupan still looked fearful and reverent, Zhang Sanfeng dropped his stern expression and patted Zhang Hupan's shoulder. "Alright, there's no need to look so nervous. Just remember my teachings today with your heart. But if anyone bullies you, do not disgrace my name, Zhang Sanfeng! As long as the opponent has not reached the Spirit Severing realm, even with your early Nascent Soul cultivation, you will absolutely not lose to them. After all, your master has achieved martial dao, unlike those old fossils who only know how to cultivate the Dao!" As he spoke, Zhang Sanfeng couldn't help but recall his past days of righteous vengeance and traversing the cultivation world, feeling a surge of heroic spirit. In truth, Zhang Sanfeng had every right to be proud. Back then, Zhang Sanfeng had created the martial dao, founded the Wudang Sect from scratch, and achieved martial dao at a young age. He had roamed the cultivation world for hundreds of years, unmatched by any, becoming a legend in the cultivation world. Even his four major disciples, who had not yet reached the Nascent Soul stage, were quite famous in the cultivation world, which was filled with experts.

"Your disciple understands, your disciple will definitely not tarnish Master's reputation!" Zhang Hupan replied with firm resolve.

Next, Zhang Sanfeng gave some instructions regarding the Wudang Sect and some precautions for the mortal world. Finally, Zhang Sanfeng looked up at the sky, then surveyed the Xuanwu Immortal Realm where he had lived for hundreds of years, before finally fixing his gaze on his only disciple beside him. His eyes became a little hazy, and his hand instinctively reached out to gently stroke Zhang Hupan's head, only to realize midway that his disciple, who was once babbling, was now as tall as him. With a sigh, he changed his gesture to a gentle pat on Zhang Hupan's shoulder. "There are no eternal banquets in the world. Master must leave now, take good care of yourself!" As he spoke, he slowly extended his right hand, opening his palm. A ring, ancient and exuding an antique charm, intricately carved with a scene of a hundred birds singing, appeared out of thin air in Zhang Sanfeng's palm.

Zhang Sanfeng gently took Zhang Hupan's hand and placed the ring on his thumb. "This ring has been with me for 500 years, and now I pass it on to you. This ring is called the Universe Ring, signifying that it contains a universe within. It can be used for storage. When enlarged, it is also known as the Universe Hoop, an incredibly hard top-tier magical artifact. Take good care of it. This is also the highest token of the Wudang Sect throughout the generations. The sect leaders of Wudang throughout history have all known of this ring. Before you descend the mountain, visit Wudang and see how it is developing. Help look after it when you have time, after all, Wudang was founded by me!"

"Yes, Master!"

"Now, Master will impart the incantation for using this ring to you!" Following that, incantations flooded into Zhang Hupan's mind. Zhang Hupan followed the incantations and softly recited them with his mind. As expected, the ring instantly vanished from his thumb, and Zhang Hupan felt an immediate connection, as if the Universe Ring was an extension of his own flesh and blood.

"Alright, Master must be going now. I look forward to meeting you in another space!" Suddenly, the space in the sky began to distort, and a visible crack appeared out of nowhere in the sky above, emitting a dazzling white light that made it impossible to look directly at. The sudden white light caused even Zhang Hupan, with his early Nascent Soul cultivation, to experience temporary blindness. When he regained his sight, Zhang Sanfeng was no longer beside him. He only saw the crack in the sky slowly shrinking and then disappearing! Tears immediately flowed uncontrollably, and a heart-wrenching howl echoed through the valley for a long time. The animals in the valley and the birds in the sky seemed to understand that the true master who had always protected them had ascended through the void, and they all raised their heads and howled in unison. Their cries pierced through the clouds and traversed the ancient immortal formations, transforming into bursts of thunderous roars, rarely heard by mortal ears, in the secular world.

Ever since Zhang Sanfeng left, Zhang Hupan's heart had been unable to calm down. In his free time, he would touch the chair his master used to sit on and refine the Universe Ring left by his master. The Universe Ring contained many immortal elixirs, magical artifacts, and cultivation techniques. Every time he saw the Universe Ring left by his master and the treasures Zhang Sanfeng had cherished for a lifetime within it, Zhang Hupan couldn't help but think of his master's deep affection and care for him.

A year later, on a clear morning, an ordinary-looking young Taoist priest cast a reluctant glance at the simple thatched cottage before him, the surrounding peaks shrouded in immortal mist, and the cascading waterfalls. Then, he let out a long cry. All the birds and beasts in the valley gathered before the young Taoist priest and then quietly stayed in front of him. If any beast masters were present, they would surely be astonished and would immediately beg to become disciples of this young Taoist priest.

"Fellow Taoists cultivating here, I must leave now. My master instructed me to cultivate my Dao heart in the mortal world. I entrust this place to your care. In the future, I will send some disciples from Wudang here to cultivate, and I ask for your continued care!" After speaking, Zhang Hupan bowed deeply to the birds and beasts before him.

"Master, the human world is dangerous, you must be very careful. If you encounter any difficulties, send us a signal, and we will help, even if it costs us our old bones!" A snow-white, incredibly majestic king of the forest, a tiger, said in a deep voice.

Zhang Hupan was not surprised by the tiger's words at all. They were fully qualified and capable of saying such things, as all the birds and beasts before him were ancient demons who had cultivated for thousands of years. Some had even reached the Spirit Nurturing realm, equivalent to humans, and were only one step away from Shattering the Void. The tiger was a master who had cultivated to the Spirit Nurturing realm.

Tears once again blurred Zhang Hupan's vision, just as they had a year ago. Zhang Hupan knew that these "monsters," considered ferocious by humans, were not evil at all. Some were even kinder and more innocent than humans. Zhang Hupan had grown up riding on the backs of tigers and cranes. It could be said that these "monsters" before him were his elders. Although Zhang Hupan considered these demons his elders, they absolutely dared not presume such a status. This was because these beast demons had all been saved by Zhang Sanfeng, who risked his life to rescue them from cultivators who considered themselves righteous and took it upon themselves to slay demons. He had also brought them to this spirit-rich immortal mountain to cultivate. They were not only able to cultivate peacefully here but also received the meticulous guidance of the grandmaster Zhang Sanfeng, making them half-disciples of Zhang Sanfeng. Now that Zhang Sanfeng had passed the Universe Ring to Zhang Hupan, it meant that from now on, Zhang Hupan was the master of this valley, the representative of Zhang Sanfeng in this world. Although Zhang Sanfeng did not regard them as his disciples or servants, these grateful beast demons had long since regarded Zhang Sanfeng as their master in their hearts. Naturally, their current master was Zhang Hupan. (To be continued)