Have You Ever Been Defeated, Old Celestial Master?

Zhang Zhiwei had never imagined he could defeat an immortal. The closer he drew to the immortal path, the more he could sense that insurmountable gulf. The difference between immortal and mortal was no empty phrase; the gap was simply too vast.

All he sought was to preserve a little of Mount Longhu's dignity.

To be defeated within a few moves would be far too humiliating for Tianshi Mansion.

If he could last several dozen moves, he would have crossed hands with an immortal; the journey would not have been in vain.

If he could withstand several hundred moves and contend for a long while, it would surely become a tale praised for ages. Though defeated, he would still have earned glory.

With the cauldrons smashed and the boats sunk, Qin's hundred passes would ultimately belong to Chu; by sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall, three thousand Yue warriors could devour Wu.

An Old Celestial Master with little lifespan remaining arrived bearing the "Three-Five Male-Female Evil-Slaying Divine Swords" and the "Yangping Zhidu Gong Seal." With every step he took, his momentum rose another notch. By the time he reached the mountainside, his essence, qi, and spirit had reached the greatest peak of his life, achieving ultimate sublimation!

Then, the Old Celestial Master suddenly halted. He discovered several people seated in the pavilion ahead, seemingly waiting for something.

There were several familiar faces in the pavilion, as well as several unfamiliar ones. There was even a foreigner.

"Junior Brother?"

Zhang Zhiwei slowly stepped forward and asked in confusion, turning his gaze toward Tian Jinzhong in hopes of receiving a reasonable explanation.

"Senior Brother, you've come out of seclusion." Tian Jinzhong, seated in a wheelchair, laughed heartily and pointed at Baron. "This is the disciple I recently took in. Isn't he gifted and clever?"

The Old Celestial Master:?

"This is Quanxing's acting leader. He concealed his identity, disguised himself as a Daoist attendant, and infiltrated Mount Longhu."

Tian Jinzhong looked again at Little Yuzi, who lay on the ground restrained and unable to struggle, a gag stuffed in his mouth. He sighed. "I've grown increasingly muddle-headed, to the point that he managed to deceive me completely. Fortunately, Perfected Lin and my disciple stepped in and dealt with this hidden danger before Mount Longhu fell into chaos."

The Old Celestial Master:??

"That's right. This Perfected Lin is also the Divine Bridge Immortal spoken of in the rumors. He wishes to discuss the Dao with you over a game of Go, with one battle deciding victory and defeat."

The Old Celestial Master:???

What exactly had happened on Mount Longhu during the three days he had been gone? The world had suddenly become so unfamiliar.

"Perfected Lin..." The Old Celestial Master sighed and was about to speak when he suddenly looked toward Feng Baobao at Lin Xian's side. Staring into her eyes, he said in considerable surprise, "Her divine radiance is concealed within."

One Divine Bridge Immortal was one thing, but why had another person with Heavenly Endowment appeared?

Had spiritual qi revived? Had the Inhuman World secretly evolved behind his back?!

"Old Celestial Master, please sit." Lin Xian smiled faintly and pointed toward the Go board, inviting Zhang Zhiwei to take a seat.

Zhang Zhiwei gave him a meaningful look, then calmly sat down. After glancing at the board, he was surprised for who knew how many times that day. After a long silence, he slowly uttered a few words: "Opening at Tengen?"

"Exactly!"

Lin Xian laughed loudly, and everyone in the pavilion laughed along with him. Their voices rang through the mountain pavilion and echoed across Mount Longhu.

He had not come to stomp weaklings. He had come to ask the Old Celestial Master to put on a show with him.

Lin Someone never played low-level matches. He only played crushing matches, displaying an invincible Dao heart.

Even at the peak of the Life Spring realm, he could have fought the Old Celestial Master. Yet out of caution and reverence for the Thunder Method, Lin Xian had delayed going up Mount Longhu.

Now, he had broken through to the Divine Bridge realm!

No matter how powerful Zhang Zhiwei was or how many methods he possessed, there was nothing to fear, because Lin Xian's style was above that of the Heaven-Connecting Daoist!

The system of the Inhuman World had its own unique strengths in Primordial Qi and cultivation of the mind. It was like Wang Chao in Dragon Snake, who had tempered both body and character to their limits on an Earth without spiritual energy, reaching the realm of shattering the void and seeing the divine without decay. He could be called the foremost person of his age.

But there was no road ahead. A true dragon was trapped in shallow waters. No matter if your state of mind matched Yuanshi's or your cultivation resembled Tathagata's, you were ultimately still a mortal. You would still die before modern weapons.

Only when the greater environment changed could a trapped dragon rise to the heavens and become a sovereign patriarch.

That change could be the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, natural vital energy, life essence, or even genetic medicine and life energy extracted through technology. Together, they were known as Acquired Essence.

Inhumans tempered their Primordial Essence, replenished their life energy, ascended into immortals, and gained longevity. This was the cream of the cream of their system. Yet when it came to the use of Acquired Essence, the One Person Method was not even fit to carry the Shrouding Method's shoes.

Because the defining trait of the Shrouding the Heavens Universe was battle!

Shrouding the Heavens people, Shrouding the Heavens souls, everyone in Shrouding the Heavens was hardheaded. Either I beat you to death, or you beat me to death.

On the Emperor Path, heroes contended and myriad races rose together. Immortal, indestructible bodies clashed, and amid slaughter soaked in blood and tears, countless Dao methods, divine abilities, divine arts, and Immortal Scriptures were born.

This was a dimensionality-reduction strike.

From the moment he broke through to Divine Bridge, the outcome had already been decided.

"Celestial Master, have you ever been defeated?"

Lin Xian spoke calmly as he picked up a white stone and placed it at Tengen, the center of the board. A vast aura of the Divine Bridge realm erupted from him. Silver-white runes glimmered faintly between his brows, outlining Divine Runes of Dao laws. In a daze, it seemed as though a supreme divine being stood behind him, walking across a bridge, seated high amid the clouds, overlooking the mortal world and scorning all living beings!

Opening at Tengen? Not even a dog would play there.

There had always been a saying in Go: corners are gold, sides are silver, and the center is grass. The closer one played to the center, the harder it was to develop and the faster one died. Even national champions dared not play at Tengen.

Yet victory and defeat on the board were often decided beyond the board.

Who played Go without a helmet on?

"The Go Sage of the Great Han, Han Jingdi."

A thought flashed through the Old Celestial Master's mind. He decisively abandoned the game and conceded, cupping his fists in a bow. "Senior, your skill is superior. Zhang has lost."

"Lost? Good, good. Since you've lost, let's discuss how to build the stage and make the Luotian Grand Ceremony..."

Lin Xian laughed heartily, preparing to pull the Old Celestial Master into discussing how to create a massive iconic scene, one that would make tomorrow's Luotian Grand Ceremony go down in history and be praised by tens of thousands.

But as an ethereal voice sounded, Lin Xian stopped moving.

[Main Quest: Defeat the Old Celestial Master on Mount Longhu]

[Progress: Completed]

[Evaluation: Ordinary]

[Reward: Tranquilizing Mind Divine Spell]

"An ordinary reward, the Tranquilizing Mind Divine Spell... Can this boss be farmed repeatedly?"

Lin Xian's eyes lit up as though they shone with light. He looked at the Old Celestial Master as if he were an enormous treasure trove, then abruptly changed his tone. "Celestial Master, let's... have a fight instead!"

The Old Celestial Master:????

How did this man change his face faster than turning a page?

"Senior Brother, perk up! That's the spirit! Don't disgrace yourself! We both came from Mount Longhu, so what are you afraid of?" Tian Jinzhong shouted from the side, delighted to fan the flames. Then he instructed his newly accepted disciple, "Baron, remember to record a video and send a copy to Old Lu."

Since the Divine Bridge Immortal had not shown any hostility and Zhang Zhiwei's life was not in danger, everything was negotiable.

Tian Jinzhong also wanted to see how his senior brother, undefeated for a hundred years, would be beaten up. Let him have a taste of defeat too!

"Fight, fight!" Feng Baobao also shouted, dancing with excitement as though she were watching a show.

"Then come!" The Old Celestial Master retreated several hundred steps, drew a deep breath, and with a make-or-break mindset, pushed his cultivation of life and fate to its limit. Golden light burst from within him, enveloping Mount Longhu and Tianshi Mansion in an instant with boundless radiance.

"All flash and no substance!"

Lin Xian shouted and struck out with his palm. Unprecedented life essence erupted from him as his body instantly reached its peak condition. Infinite divine strength surged forth, like a divine elephant swinging its trunk or a heavenly dragon lashing its tail—irresistible and unstoppable!

Ultimate strength, ultimate flesh, ultimate power—destroying everything in its path and shattering all divine abilities and techniques.

One force shattered ten thousand methods!

Rumble...

Like splitting bamboo, the protective golden light burst apart like glass. Fragments flew everywhere as Zhang Zhiwei was sent flying like a bullet, crashing into another cliff. Rocks tumbled and dust billowed.

The Old Celestial Master in his normal state had been instantly defeated in one move. There was nothing more to say.

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