At the very heart of the Tiger Fiend Sect's headquarters in Yanggu County stood a spacious residence.
Its outer walls were red, its tiles green, and its beams and pillars exquisitely carved. Inside, the courtyards were deep and secluded, with rockeries, ponds, rare flowers, and unusual plants—all quietly proclaiming wealth and status.
Nearly every disciple who had been in the sect for any length of time knew this was the residence of Yang Duan, the Sect Master of the Tiger Fiend Sect.
According to Yang Duan's routine, after spending five shichen practicing martial arts each day, he would return to his residence to take care of sect affairs.
Today, as usual, after sitting in meditation before the waterfall for half a day, Yang Duan slowly made his way back to his residence, surrounded by several guards.
Before he even got close, he sensed a man in his forties or fifties waiting outside his residence from far away.
With a question in mind, Yang Duan took a single step. His figure seemed to shrink the distance, silently crossing dozens of meters in the space of a breath to arrive before the man.
The man, who had been patiently waiting in place, suddenly saw darkness before his eyes. A tall, sturdy figure had appeared in front of him and asked, "Yang Lie, shouldn't you be at the Martial Arts Hall? What brings you here?"
That's right—the man waiting at the gate was Yang Lie, who had come to report on Fang Can.
Seeing Yang Duan return, Yang Lie was overjoyed. "Grandfather, you're finally back. Your grandson pays his respects."
Yang Duan's expression remained calm as he watched Yang Lie bow.
He looked only a little over thirty, tall and broad-shouldered, with a jade thumb ring on his right hand. He even appeared younger than Yang Lie.
But as a Second Turn powerhouse who had taken two steps along the Heaven Ascending Path, he had gained three hundred years of life. At only ninety years old, he was in the prime of his life, so having a grandson in his forties or fifties was perfectly reasonable.
If he managed to take a few more steps along the Heaven Ascending Path in the years he had left, living for several more centuries would be no trouble.
It was precisely because the two were blood relatives that Yang Lie, despite having only reached the fifth level of the Mysterious Pass, could take on the important responsibility of running the Martial Arts Hall, where the sect trained its future core disciples.
"Go on, then. What do you need me for?" Yang Duan asked calmly, looking at Yang Lie as he bowed before him.
"Grandfather, I've found an unparalleled genius in the sect," Yang Lie said solemnly.
"Oh? An unparalleled genius?" Yang Duan's voice rose slightly.
"That's right. He's been in the sect for only a few days, yet he's already developed a sense of qi and is close to reaching the first level of the Mysterious Pass. He also defeated every disciple in the Martial Arts Hall just by watching them. And what's even more incredible..."
Yang Lie's expression turned grave. "He developed a Heart Manifestation before reaching the first level of the Mysterious Pass."
As Yang Lie explained, Yang Duan's brows twitched with each new detail. When Yang Lie mentioned the Heart Manifestation, he couldn't help but ask in disbelief, "Are you trying to fool me? Is this person you're describing even human?"
"Grandfather, it's all true." Yang Lie nodded emphatically. "Hall Master Li brought him here. His name is Fang Can, and he's still in the sect. If you don't believe me, we can summon him right now."
Yang Duan frowned as he watched Yang Lie speak with such conviction.
If all this was true, then even the legendary Divine Monarch of Great Yan would have to sit at the children's table. Could some old monster be pretending to be young?
At the thought, he turned to a guard beside him and ordered, "Bring me Li Fengtian. I'll question him myself."
An incense stick later, Li Fengtian arrived at the residence, still utterly confused. He saw Yang Duan sitting in a Grandmaster Chair, staring at him. "What's Fang Can's background?"
Then Yang Duan added, exasperated, "Why do you keep bringing things into the sect? Last time you went out, the Shape-Shifting Sect set you up and you brought back a spy. I still haven't settled that with you, and now you've brought someone else in."
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Li Fengtian had reined in his usual boldness in front of Yang Duan and looked a little embarrassed. "That kid's a spy? He doesn't seem like one to me."
"Of course he isn't a spy. What sect would use a monster like that as a mole?"
Seeing that Li Fengtian clearly had no idea what was going on, Yang Duan repeated Yang Lie's explanation.
As he watched the other man's jaw drop almost to the floor, Yang Duan understood: this reckless fool really didn't know a thing.
"Now tell me everything that happened when you met Fang Can," Yang Duan said.
Before long, Li Fengtian had roughly recounted the events of the second and third chapters of the book. Yang Duan was even more bewildered.
Unknown origins, strange clothing, extraordinary talent, handsome appearance, found wandering in an alley...
Every detail was strange. How could Li Fengtian bring someone like that back to the sect so casually? Had the Heaven Ascending Path given him power while making his brain atrophy?
"Big Brother, what should we do now?" Li Fengtian scratched his head sheepishly in front of Yang Duan. "Fang Can really is extraordinarily talented. We can't just kick him out, can we?"
After all, he was the one who had brought Fang Can in, so he couldn't help feeling protective.
"We absolutely have to kick him out. If we don't, are we supposed to keep him around for the New Year?" Yang Duan said irritably. "Our little Tiger Fiend Sect can't contain someone like him. The sooner we send him on his way, the better."
"Why, Big Brother? Fang Can's so talented. It'd be a shame to kick him out just like that," Li Fengtian protested.
"Because he's so talented. If he doesn't die young, he's bound to achieve great things—but he'll bring even greater trouble. People like him are just like the King of Hell: wherever they go, people die."
Yang Duan continued, "If he attracts a powerhouse of the Third Turn or higher, our Tiger Fiend Sect won't escape unscathed. Do you want to wait until he's mastered his divine arts and then have him avenge us?"
"And with talent like his, he'll definitely be on the next Hidden Dragon Ranking from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. If we don't kick him out, do you want to wait for those Righteous Path fanatics, eager to recruit talents, to come eliminate evil?" Yang Duan laid out the risks to Li Fengtian in no uncertain terms.
"Well... well..." Li Fengtian awkwardly scratched his head. He couldn't bring himself either to agree with the Sect Master's suggestion or to reject it.
Seeing his subordinate's indecisiveness, Yang Duan waved a hand helplessly. "All right, go on. I'll handle Fang Can."
Watching Li Fengtian leave dejectedly, Yang Duan turned to a guard nearby. "Go summon Fang Can. I want to meet him in person."
As he watched his subordinate leave, Yang Duan gently closed his eyes. No one knew what he was thinking.
Meanwhile, in his small residence, Fang Can awoke from a deep sleep and got up to stretch.
His eyes were bright and alert. The sleep had fully restored the Heart Manifestation he had expended that morning—and even strengthened it a little.
Without the slightest hesitation, he walked outside, took some pills, and resumed practicing his fists, hoping to further strengthen his body and reach the threshold of the Mortal Shedding Body.
After breaking through to the first level of the Mysterious Pass, Fang Can's punches had grown even more forceful. The gusts from his swinging arms sent the willow branches several meters away whipping wildly.
He had practiced outside for a while when he suddenly stopped. A man was racing toward him from a distance.
The man rushed up to Fang Can at top speed, then came to an abrupt halt. "The Sect Master summons Fang Can to his residence."
"So it's finally happening?" Fang Can stopped his movements. "Sorry for the trouble, senior brother. Please lead the way."
Before you continue