Having an Insight

The night air was cool like water.

In a quiet courtyard, Daoist Fu Feng sat calmly, sipping tea. It was a top-grade immortal tea offered by the Crimson Tide Sect, yet Fu Feng couldn't taste its flavor. His mind was preoccupied with a few names, turning them over and over. Now, another name had joined them, one that shouldn't have been there: Wei Yuan.

Thinking of Wei Yuan, Daoist Fu Feng felt uneasy. He placed his teacup down with some irritation, intending to walk around the courtyard. The Crimson Tide Sect's courtyards were quite elegantly arranged.

As soon as he set the teacup down, Daoist Fu Feng's body stiffened. He slowly stood up, forcing a smile. "Junior Brother Zhang... Sheng! If you need anything, just say the word, and I'll come visit..."

Zhang Sheng strode into the room, as if he hadn't heard Daoist Fu Feng's greeting, and sat down in a nearby chair.

At that moment, Sun Yu also appeared at the doorway, calling out, "Don't be rash! We can discuss anything!"

Seeing Sun Yu's panicked expression, Daoist Fu Feng's heart skipped a beat. He stole another glance at Zhang Sheng and was shocked. "Junior Brother, your Dao Power has recovered?"

Zhang Sheng said calmly, "Although Senior Brother and I haven't interacted much, Senior Brother should understand me. I'm here today because I only want to know one thing: how Yuan'er's score was determined."

Daoist Fu Feng's expression shifted several times. He inwardly lamented, Just what I feared would happen. Although he had been cultivating for far longer than Zhang Sheng, sitting next to him now felt like being beside a peerless immortal sword; his every hair stood on end. He suddenly recalled Zhang Sheng's past deeds, and his heart pounded faster.

Daoist Fu Feng forced a smile. "Why are you suddenly concerned about this, Junior Brother? This evaluation was quite fair..."

He couldn't finish his sentence. Looking at the composed Zhang Sheng and the standing Sun Yu, his expression gradually turned serious. "Junior Brother, you are determined to know?"

Zhang Sheng said calmly, "This is a struggle for the Great Dao. I will not yield an inch!"

Daoist Fu Feng sighed and recounted the entire process of the Dao Assessment and Literary Assessment evaluations. He admitted that he had given Wei Yuan a slightly lower score than he should have, to prevent Wei Yuan from entering the top three of Taichu Palace, and confessed all of this.

After hearing his words, Sun Yu stamped his foot and sighed, "It's mainly those two scholars who are detestable! But Senior Brother Fu Feng, you... alas!"

Zhang Sheng listened and finally said, "Thank you, Senior Brother, for telling me the truth."

Zhang Sheng stood up and walked to the desk. He spread out paper and brush, dipped the brush in ink, and then said, "For the past six years, my Dao Power was sealed, allowing me to observe the world with a calm heart. Although I had moments of enlightenment, it is thanks to the various noble families today that I have this."

Zhang Sheng picked up his brush and began to write. The moment his brush tip touched the paper, the sky outside suddenly turned stark white as lightning flashed across the night sky!

Zhang Sheng seemed oblivious. His brush moved like a dragon and snake, and in moments, he had written a magnificent Dharma Idol technique. With every character he wrote, his face grew paler, becoming ashen in the blink of an eye. Halfway through, thunder roared again, and a thick bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, hitting the Crimson Tide Sect's protective mountain array! The entire sect trembled, and the protective array almost scattered under the might of heaven and earth!

Zhang Sheng grunted, and blood trickled from his nose.

"Junior Brother! Your injury..." Sun Yu exclaimed in alarm, reaching out to help him. But halfway, he snatched his hand back as if shocked.

Zhang Sheng seemed not to hear. His brush continued to move. After an unknown amount of time, with a final stroke and a hook, he wrote the last character.

A drop of blood fell, blooming on the paper like a blood flower, with flecks of starlight shimmering within it.

Seeing that Zhang Sheng made no attempt to hide it, Sun Yu and Daoist Fu Feng both looked at the blood-stained cultivation technique. Sun Yu's eyes were immediately stung by the four characters at the beginning.

Heaven and Earth Madman!

Daoist Fu Feng, with his higher cultivation, continued to read. Every word, every sentence, struck his mind like thunder and lightning. After reading only half of it, Daoist Fu Feng couldn't help but exclaim, "This is a secret technique of fortune? But it's so overwhelmingly powerful, who could possibly use it?"

"Yuan'er can."

Sun Yu said, "This... I'm afraid that's not possible, is it?"

Daoist Fu Feng also said, "I've met Wei Yuan. He is indeed exceptionally talented, but he's still a bit short of being able to wield such a secret technique of heaven and earth. Junior Brother, this secret method of yours is unprecedented, but precisely because of that, if one's fortune is even slightly insufficient, or if one wields it with the slightest carelessness, it would lead to utter ruin and death!"

Zhang Sheng extended a finger. A wisp of black energy slowly rose from his jade-like fingertip. As soon as this black energy appeared, Sun Yu and Daoist Fu Feng's faces instantly changed, as if they saw their own imminent demise! The feeling was so real that no matter how firm their Dao hearts were, they couldn't help but tremble.

Zhang Sheng said, "This is what sealed my Dao Power for six years. With this, Yuan'er will be able to wield the Heaven and Earth Madman."

Looking at the wisp of black energy on Zhang Sheng's fingertip, Daoist Fu Feng felt both admiration and fear. "What kind of fortune is this? I've never heard of it before!"

Sun Yu, however, said, "This is a supreme treasure of heaven and earth! If Junior Brother were to use it himself, your cultivation would soar for at least three years, and becoming a Dharma Idol in the future would be as easy as picking something from your pocket! It's too much of a waste to use it to help someone else wield a secret technique of fortune."

"It's merely an external object. What's there to waste?" Zhang Sheng picked up the cultivation technique and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye.

Sun Yu felt a lightness at his waist; the waist token that allowed him free passage was gone. Daoist Fu Feng gazed in the direction Zhang Sheng had disappeared outside the door, lost in thought. "Junior Brother is truly exceptionally concerned about this disciple."

Sun Yu asked, "What are Senior Brother's plans for tomorrow?"

Daoist Fu Feng gave a wry smile. "I was still hesitant before, but now that I've seen the Heaven and Earth Madman, I will do my utmost tomorrow."

"Aren't you afraid of blame from those few families?"

Daoist Fu Feng spread his hands. "At worst, I'll just return the immortal silver and treasures I received, and then use all my own wealth to compensate. It's just losing some money. But here, one person wrote the Heaven and Earth Madman, and another can wield it. My immortal path ahead is still long. Do I need to think about how to choose?"

Sun Yu sneered, "As expected, all of you from Tian Ji Hall are so smooth, always knowing how to play both sides!"

Daoist Fu Feng laughed heartily, showing no shame. "I call this following the will of heaven! I can't explain it to you fools from Xuan Ming Hall who are clueless about the Dao. Our paths differ, and we cannot conspire together!"

Sun Yu really couldn't do anything about Daoist Fu Feng's thick skin, so he said, "Then I'll have to trouble Senior Brother tomorrow."

Daoist Fu Feng said, "Rest assured, Junior Brother! The Martial Assessment relies most on the evaluator's performance. Just watch my skills tomorrow!"

However, after saying this, Daoist Fu Feng suddenly remembered the Heaven and Earth Madman technique, and his expression changed. "Perhaps... I won't be needed tomorrow."

Sun Yu, lost in thought, suddenly sighed, "What a pity!"

Daoist Fu Feng echoed his sentiment, his flesh aching all over. "Indeed, it's a pity!"

Inside the dormitories, many examinees were rushing around, forming alliances and making final efforts for tomorrow's Martial Assessment.

Wei Yuan, as usual, kept his door shut, focusing on comprehending the Southern Vermilion Bird Unclear Technique, occasionally getting up to practice it. Although the technique stated that secret fortune techniques couldn't be used frequently, Wei Yuan found that no matter how much he used it, the formless entity within his body, which the secret technique referred to as fortune, remained completely unaffected. It was the same amount as before, and he didn't know what the Southern Vermilion Bird Unclear Technique was actually drawing upon. The technique also specifically noted that it consumed a great deal of energy, making Wei Yuan even more confused about where the consumption was.

While he was concentrating, Wei Yuan suddenly felt something and turned around. He saw Zhang Sheng standing in his room, though he didn't know when he had arrived.

He quickly bowed and asked, "Why has Master come?"

Zhang Sheng had actually been watching him for a while. "You've cultivated the Southern Vermilion Bird Unclear Technique well. However, the situation has changed. You need to switch to cultivating this technique now."

Zhang Sheng handed the Heaven and Earth Madman to Wei Yuan, then a wisp of black energy floated from his fingertips. He said, "This strand of external fortune once sealed my Dao Power for six years. It is immensely powerful and absolutely dominant, making it the most suitable for activating the Heaven and Earth Madman. I am giving it to you now. Soon you will experience soul-tearing pain, the burning of the inferno, and the chaos of Heavenly Devils within your heart. You must endure."

Wei Yuan nodded and said, "Disciple is not afraid of pain."

Zhang Sheng, knowing Wei Yuan's character, then pointed a finger at Wei Yuan's forehead, sending the strand of fortune over.

Wei Yuan felt a cool sensation enter his mind, then it dispersed throughout his limbs and bones, vanishing like a drop of water into the ocean.

Under Zhang Sheng's concerned gaze, Wei Yuan stood there, and nothing happened.

"Did your soul tear?"

"Did the inferno burn your heart?"

"Did illusions cloud your mind? Did Heavenly Devils dance within?"

Zhang Sheng asked several times, but Wei Yuan shook his head each time.

Zhang Sheng had envisioned countless possibilities, even preparing to protect Wei Yuan's Primordial Spirit at all costs if the situation became critical. Yet, he never expected that nothing would happen.

But no matter what, nothing happening was always a good thing. Although Zhang Sheng was puzzled, he set his doubts aside for now and began explaining the Heaven and Earth Madman to Wei Yuan.

This secret technique for fortune integrated Zhang Sheng's experiences and observations from his six years of walking the mortal world as a commoner. Fueled by the injustices he encountered, it fused the heartlessness of heaven and earth with wild, violent ferocity. It demanded extremely high fortune and could easily affect the practitioner's temperament and state of mind.

Zhang Sheng explained meticulously until Wei Yuan grasped everything.

Wei Yuan had developed wisdom very early. Hearing Zhang Sheng mention that the situation had changed, but without specifying the exact changes, he hadn't asked. It wasn't until Zhang Sheng finished teaching him the Heaven and Earth Madman that Wei Yuan finally asked, "For tomorrow's Martial Assessment, what am I supposed to do?"

Zhang Sheng stood with his hands behind his back and said, "Level them for your master!"

"Who are they?"

"Everyone!"

As he left the dormitory, Zhang Sheng's face had turned ashen, and a faint scent of blood began to emanate from his nostrils. Zhang Sheng had already been injured from breaking through his previous limitations prematurely, and creating the Heaven and Earth Madman had further damaged him by drawing upon heavenly secrets, exacerbating his injuries. He could barely hold on. After teaching Wei Yuan, Zhang Sheng immediately returned to his room to meditate. The next morning, both master and disciple had a major battle ahead of them.

As dawn broke, the Immortal Mountain became bright once more. Several ten-zhang-long immortal cranes circled the distant immortal peaks. A group of examinees had already left their dormitories and, urged on by the Daoist priests, were heading towards the examination hall.

Hundreds of prayer mats had already been arranged inside the hall. Great snakes were coiled around the giant pillars at each corner, their glassy eyes lazily watching the examinees enter.

As usual, all the examinees saw their assigned numbers and took their seats.

The elder Daoist priest stood at the head of the hall, forcefully struck a small bronze bell beside him, and then announced in a loud voice, "Martial Assessment, begin!"