Lend a Hand

"Daoist Wang, what exactly is going on with this kid? So fast? This is just too incredible!" a bearded Rank-8 Golden Body powerhouse asked the person beside him.

Standing next to him was a man with the refined air of a celestial being. Although he looked to be in his forties, he wore Daoist robes as if he were a member of the Daoist sect. After observing carefully, he shook his head, fell silent for a moment, and said, "I have heard that there is a type of martial artist who can be reborn. Do you think Zhang Tao could be one?"

Another middle-aged man holding a spear spoke in a muffled voice, "It's possible!"

Li Xianling glanced at them and said, "What are you guessing for? Zhang Tao is not a Reborn Martial Artist!"

Hearing Li Xianling's words, the others shrugged; they were just chatting idly.

Li Xianling looked at the seal in the sky and raised an eyebrow, because he had truly never heard of a manifestation like a seal. He had seen people manifest common weapons like blades, spears, swords, and halberds, or even buildings.

As for these manifestations, they were usually deep-seated obsessions within one's heart. For instance, if someone loved the sword their entire life, the manifestation would most likely be a long sword. But this seal—what was the significance of that?

"This seal, in ancient times, was a symbol of royal power. Commissioner Li, congratulations, you have a fine successor!" At this moment, Daoist Wang stepped forward and said.

Who didn't know that Zhang Tao was under Li Xianling's protection? Moreover, these experts all knew that Li Xianling intended for Zhang Tao to take over his position.

"Heh!" Li Xianling chuckled, though he didn't quite believe it in his heart. After all, this guy Zhang Tao had no concept of power.

"What incredible mental energy, the seal is so detailed! Wait, look!" At this moment, the bearded man shouted loudly.

The crowd looked up and saw that five figures wearing imperial crowns had appeared on the seal. These Heavenly Emperors were Taihao, the Flame Emperor, Shaohao, Zhuanxu, and the Yellow Emperor, representing the east, south, west, north, and center, respectively. On the rest of the seal, nine golden dragons were coiled around each other, forming a spectacular sight.

The crowd didn't know who these five emperors were, but they simply felt it was extremely imposing.

The lifelike manifestation of the Kongtong Seal appeared, but that wasn't all. Around the seal, many human figures emerged, as if they were guarding it.

Just when everyone thought it was over, something flashing with gold rushed out from the house below, and then, along with the manifestation, it was retracted. Even with Li Xianling's strength as a Rank-9 Grandmaster, he hadn't seen clearly what that object was.

Zhang Tao flew out from the room, cupped his hands toward the people in the sky, and then arrived beside Li Xianling, saying, "Commissioner, I have broken through!"

Li Xianling nodded with a smile, looked at the Heavenly Gold Lotus in Zhang Tao's hand, and immediately raised an eyebrow. Was it not used?

Zhang Tao returned the Heavenly Gold Lotus to Li Xianling. Li Xianling pondered for a moment before saying, "Keep it yourself. Rank-7 cultivation is a process of increasing mental energy and tempering the skull. Regardless of which, both require mental energy. With the help of the Heavenly Gold Lotus, you can complete the tempering at least several years early."

To this, Zhang Tao did not decline. To be honest, he felt he didn't need this thing at all; having the Kongtong Seal was better than any heaven-sent treasure.

"Zhang Tao, oh no, Grandmaster Zhang, I wonder when you will hold the Grandmaster Banquet? This old man is waiting!" the bearded man laughed.

Zhang Tao wasn't interested in holding a Grandmaster Banquet, so he said, "Senior Wang, let's skip the Grandmaster Banquet. I'll hold it when I become a Rank-9 Grandmaster next time!"

"Tsk tsk, I believe you can do it, but I'm afraid these old bones of mine won't be able to wait that long!" the bearded man shook his head. After all, no one knew when the Catacombs would riot. People like them were always on the front lines, and dying in battle was all too normal. He was only alive now because he was lucky.

"Senior will definitely be able to wait!" Zhang Tao said immediately.

"Haha, good, then I'll take your word for it. I'll be waiting!" The bearded man laughed and said no more.

Zhang Tao looked around; basically, all the Grandmasters in Kyoto had come, and outside, there were many Rank-7 Grandmasters watching the excitement.

When Zhang Tao saw one person, his eyes narrowed. It was this person who had been waiting in the shadows to ambush him when he went to the Magic City.

It just so happened that with so many people here, Zhang Tao wanted to test if he, having stepped into Rank-7, could take down such a veteran Rank-7 Grandmaster.

"Seniors, my breakthrough this time has disturbed you all, and I feel somewhat apologetic. Upon entering Rank-7, I suddenly had a flash of inspiration and created a divine ability. I invite you all to move elsewhere and help me critique it!" Zhang Tao said loudly to the people around him.

The Grandmasters who were about to disperse were stunned, and then they became curious. A divine ability? Was this kid Zhang getting arrogant? What is a divine ability? How could a Rank-7 create one?

Even Li Xianling was stunned. A divine ability? I know you're unreliable, kid, but you can't just mess around! Do you even know what a divine ability is? Even I, a Rank-9 Grandmaster, don't have one.

"Zhang Tao, don't mess around!" Li Xianling immediately sent a telepathic message. One had to know that Zhang Tao was the representative of the younger generation and had entered the rank of Grandmaster at the age of twenty—it could be said that he was unprecedented and would likely remain so. This was huge prestige; he shouldn't do anything reckless. If he left others with the impression that he was unreliable, that would be bad.

Hearing Li Xianling's message, Zhang Tao just blinked and said nothing.

Li Xianling immediately raised an eyebrow. Good fellow, this kid is looking to stir up trouble. What could it be? Although he wasn't sure, he decided to trust Zhang Tao and cooperate, saying, "Since Zhang Tao is interested and everyone is free today, let's go take a look!"

To display a divine ability, one naturally couldn't do it inside the city. Li Xianling took the lead and flew toward the mountains outside the city.

Everyone naturally followed. Seeing that the Rank-7 Grandmaster had no intention of leaving, Zhang Tao breathed a sigh of relief, thinking about how to deal with him.

After arriving at the mountain forest, Zhang Tao smiled and said, "Grandmaster Zhao, I'll trouble you for a favor!"

Zhao Changfeng was slightly taken aback. After looking around, he said, "Grandmaster... Zhang, what is it? What kind of favor?"

Zhang Tao smiled and said, "Just lend me a hand. Let's keep it friendly and stop at the point of contact!"

Zhao Changfeng hesitated immediately. He didn't really want to step forward, and he didn't know why Zhang Tao had singled him out. Could it be that he had discovered something wrong about that incident?

But he recalled it, and it seemed there was nothing wrong.