Protagonists are all lonely stars?

At the very center of the Tiger Fiend Sect headquarters in Yanggu County lies a spacious residence.

The outer walls are built with red bricks and green tiles, featuring carved beams and painted rafters; within the compound, the courtyards are deep, filled with rockeries, ponds, and exotic flowers, concealing a sense of hidden wealth.

Almost every disciple who has been with the sect for a while knows that this is the residence of the Tiger Fiend Sect leader, Yang Duan.

According to his daily routine, after spending his leisure time following five hours of martial arts practice, he would return to the residence to handle sect affairs.

Today, as usual, after sitting in meditation before the waterfall for half a day to gain insight, Yang Duan walked slowly back to his residence, escorted by several guards.

Before he even got close, he sensed from a distance that a man in his forties or fifties was waiting in front of his gate.

Filled with curiosity, Yang Duan took a step forward, his figure seemingly shrinking the distance as he crossed dozens of meters in a single breath, arriving silently before the man.

The man waiting patiently in place only felt the world go dark before a tall, sturdy figure blocked his path, saying, "Yang Lie, you aren't at the Martial Arts Hall; why have you run all the way here?"

Yes, the man waiting at the gate was none other than Yang Lie, who had come to report on the situation regarding Fang Can.

Seeing Yang Duan return, Yang Lie said with great joy, "Grandfather, you have finally returned. Your grandson pays his respects."

Looking at the bowing Yang Lie, Yang Duan's expression remained calm.

His appearance was that of a man in his early thirties—tall, broad-shouldered, and thick-waisted, with a jade thumb ring on his right hand—making him look even younger than Yang Lie.

However, as a second-turn expert who had taken two steps on the Heaven Ascending Path and extended his life by three hundred years, his true age was currently only 90. He was in his prime, so having a grandson in his forties was perfectly reasonable.

In his remaining years, if he could take a few more steps on the Heaven Ascending Path, living for several more centuries would be no issue at all.

It was precisely because they were blood relatives that Yang Lie could shoulder the heavy responsibility of managing the Martial Arts Hall, which cultivated the sect's future core members, despite his mere fifth-level Mysterious Pass cultivation.

"Speak, what is the matter that brought you to me this time?" Yang Duan looked at the bowing Yang Lie with a calm tone.

"Grandfather, I have found a peerless genius within the sect," Yang Lie said solemnly.

"Oh, a peerless genius?" Yang Duan's voice deepened slightly.

"Yes, this person has generated a sense of qi within only a few days of joining, his realm is approaching the first level of the Mysterious Pass, and he defeated all the disciples in the Martial Arts Hall just by observing them. Even more terrifying is..."

Yang Lie said gravely, "He manifested a Heart Manifestation before reaching the first level of the Mysterious Pass."

As Yang Lie spoke, Yang Duan's brows twitched with every sentence, and when he heard about the Heart Manifestation, he couldn't help but question, "Are you trying to deceive me? Is the person you are describing even human?"

"Grandfather, it is absolutely true." Yang Lie nodded vigorously. "The person was brought in by Hall Master Li; his name is Fang Can. He is still in the sect now. If you don't believe me, you can summon him immediately."

Looking at Yang Lie's firm demeanor, Yang Duan knitted his brows together.

If all of this were true, then even the legendary Divine Monarch of Great Yan would have to sit at the children's table; could it be some old monster pretending to be young?

Thinking of this, he looked at the guards beside him and ordered, "Go call Li Fengtian here; I want to question him myself."

An incense stick of time later, Li Fengtian arrived at the residence, completely bewildered, only to see Yang Duan sitting in a grand armchair, staring at him: "What is the background of that Fang Can?"

At this, Yang Duan said irritably, "Why do you always like bringing things into the sect? Last time you went out, you brought back a spy set up by the Shape-Shifting Sect, and I haven't even settled that account with you yet. Now you've brought someone else in."

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Li Fengtian suppressed his boisterous nature in front of Yang Duan and said sheepishly, "That kid is a spy? He doesn't look like one to me."

"Of course he isn't a spy. Which sect would use such a monster as an undercover agent?"

Yang Duan looked at the clueless Li Fengtian and repeated Yang Lie's explanation.

Watching the other man's mouth hang open until it could barely close, Yang Duan realized that this brute truly knew nothing.

"Now, tell me everything that happened when you met Fang Can," Yang Duan said.

Not long after, as Li Fengtian recounted the contents of the second and third chapters of this book, Yang Duan became even more confused.

Unknown origins, strange attire, extraordinary talent, handsome appearance, abandoned in a small alley...

Every single detail was bizarre. How could he dare to bring such a person into the sect so casually? Had the power granted by the Heaven Ascending Path caused his brain to degenerate?

"So, Big Brother, how should we handle this?" In front of Yang Duan, Li Fengtian scratched his head with a sheepish grin. "That Fang Can truly has extraordinary talent; we can't just drive him away, can we?"

"Of course we have to drive him away. Should we keep him for the New Year?" Yang Duan said irritably. "With a person like this, our small temple of the Tiger Fiend Sect cannot accommodate such a big Buddha. It is best to send him away as soon as possible."

"Why, Big Brother? Fang Can has such good talent; wouldn't it be a pity to just drive him away?" Li Fengtian urged.

After all, he was the one who brought the person in, and he couldn't help but feel a bit protective.

"It is precisely because his talent is so good that if he doesn't die young, his future achievements will surely be immense, but the trouble he brings will be even greater. People like him are like the King of Hell—death follows wherever they go."

Yang Duan said, "If he attracts a third-turn expert or higher, our Tiger Fiend Sect will definitely not be able to escape. Do you expect him to avenge us after he masters his divine arts?"

"Furthermore, with such talent, his name will definitely be on the next Hidden Dragon Ranking of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. If we don't drive him away, are we waiting for those righteous sects who love talent to come and 'eliminate demons and defend the path'?" Yang Duan pointed out the severity of the situation to Li Fengtian.

"This... this..." Li Fengtian scratched his head in embarrassment. Regarding the sect leader's proposal, he found it difficult to either agree or refuse.

Seeing his subordinate's indecisive manner, Yang Duan waved his hand helplessly. "Fine, you go first. I will handle the matter of Fang Can."

Watching Li Fengtian leave dejectedly, Yang Duan looked at the guard nearby. "You go and summon Fang Can now; I want to see him personally."

Watching his subordinate leave, Yang Duan closed his eyes gently; no one knew what he was thinking.

On the other side, in his small residence, Fang Can woke from his deep sleep and stood up to stretch.

His eyes were bright and spirited; this sleep had restored the Heart Manifestation consumed that morning and even pushed it a step further.

Without hesitation, Fang Can stepped outside and, after taking some medicinal pills, began practicing his fist techniques, attempting to further improve his body and reach the major threshold of the Mortal Shedding Body.

As his realm broke through to the first level of the Mysterious Pass, the fist techniques Fang Can wielded appeared even more fierce; the force of his swinging arms caused willow branches several meters away to sway wildly.

After practicing outside for a while, Fang Can's movements came to a sudden halt, because in the distance, a man was rushing toward him at high speed.

The man arrived before Fang Can at top speed, then abruptly stopped his footsteps and said, "The sect leader has ordered: summon Fang Can to the residence for a talk."

"Has he finally come?" Fang Can stopped his movements and said, "I will trouble you to lead the way, Brother."