Shatter the Darkness with Thunder!

In an instant, several gazes as sharp as blades stabbed toward Zhang Xuan in unison, as though to pin him to the spot.

Zhang Xuan swallowed, cold sweat trickling down his spine.

He had only lost his "memories," not his brains!

Pies didn't fall from the sky, but traps just might.

This sudden turn of events robbed Zhang Xuan of any desire to argue with these people about whether their master had killed himself.

Forcing himself to calm down, Zhang Xuan waved his hands with a bitter smile. "That won't do. What virtue or ability does your junior brother possess to shoulder such a heavy burden...?"

But before he could finish, Jiang Jiu, standing behind him with a delighted expression, cut him off.

"Sixth Junior Brother, don't turn it down. You're someone born without spiritual roots, one in ten thousand. Master adopted you when you were little and raised you as his successor, the next Celestial Master."

"Without spiritual roots?" Zhang Xuan asked instinctively. "Raised as the next Celestial Master? Raised to do what?"

"To successfully receive the Celestial Master's Ordination, of course!" Jiang Jiu explained patiently, as though discussing something utterly ordinary.

This was the first time Zhang Xuan had heard the term "Celestial Master's Ordination." It sounded... pretty damn awesome!

One look at Zhang Xuan's expression told Jiang Jiu that he must have forgotten the Celestial Master's Ordination, too.

"The Celestial Master's Ordination is the cultivation method passed down through generations of Celestial Masters. Only the Dao Head of the Celestial Master's Mansion may receive it, and its requirements for transmission are extremely strict..."

At this point, Jiang Jiu paused, apparently considering his wording. "Before receiving it, each prospective Celestial Master is forbidden from learning any cultivation methods. Even everyday techniques, like the Thunder Guiding Art I used earlier, are off-limits. Before the transmission, they must disperse their cultivation and be as unblemished as a blank sheet of paper. Only then can they receive the Celestial Master's Ordination without any outside interference."

"Before receiving the transmission, every prospective Celestial Master is kept under strict protection and forbidden from coming into contact with anything related to cultivation. Aside from reading, practicing calligraphy, and cultivating their character each day, they simply wait for that day to arrive—to receive the Celestial Master's Ordination and become the new leader of the Celestial Master's Mansion."

Jiang Jiu's voice grew increasingly impassioned. "And you, Sixth Junior Brother, are the next Celestial Master of the Celestial Master's Mansion. You will lead us in upholding the righteous path and eradicating all demons and evils under heaven!"

Zhang Xuan mulled this over for a moment. He thought he understood what Jiang Jiu meant. "So you're nominating me as the next Celestial Master because I possess the Celestial Master's Ordination?"

Put that way, it made sense. It wasn't that his fellow disciples didn't want to become the Celestial Master—they couldn't!

Zhang Xuan had no idea what being the Celestial Master entailed, but the thought that he could wield supernatural powers like Jiang Jiu's [Thunder Guiding] sent a surge of excitement through him.

He didn't know why he was so excited, either. Perhaps he had an innate yearning for such supernatural power!

If that was truly the case, accepting the position of Celestial Master might not be such a bad idea.

Yet the moment Zhang Xuan finished speaking, the hall fell into deathly silence.

You could have heard a pin drop!

The sudden silence, along with the awkward expressions on his fellow disciples' faces, gave Zhang Xuan a faint whiff of conspiracy.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing that all his fellow disciples seemed to have taken up the Buddhist Sect's practice of silent meditation, Jiang Jiu sighed. With a deeply regretful expression, he slowly said, "Sixth Junior Brother, our venerable master... never got the chance to pass the Celestial Master's Ordination on to you..."

"—before he passed away."

The corners of Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched. He fell silent for a long while...

Half joking, he said, "Without learning the Celestial Master's Ordination, I'm just an ordinary person. Surely you wouldn't force your junior brother to become the Celestial Master and deal with these demons and evils you keep talking about?"

The hall remained deathly silent. No one answered.

Zhang Xuan slowly swept his gaze over everyone before finally settling on Jiang Jiu. He knew his expression must have been horribly stiff. "Third... Senior Brother, you can't be serious?"

Jiang Jiu gave an awkward smile. "Sixth Junior Brother, this was Master's last wish. There's nothing we can do..."

Before he could finish, Zhang Xuan had already taken to his heels and tried to run outside. As though he had been expecting this, Jiang Jiu reacted swiftly, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around him.

"Fuck you! Whoever wants to be the Celestial Master can have it! I'm sure as hell not doing it!" Zhang Xuan shouted as he struggled.

"Sixth Junior Brother, this is unseemly. Don't be like this. There's no need."

All Zhang Xuan wanted now was to make his escape. No need? Hadn't they seen how miserably the actual Celestial Master behind him had died? This was clearly a high-risk profession where he could lose his life at any moment!

What was more, the fellow disciples standing around him all looked strange and had icy gazes. Not one of them seemed easy to get along with.

Especially that Jian San. He didn't even care that his own master had died; he was simply desperate to settle on the next Celestial Master. It was hard for such behavior not to give Zhang Xuan other suspicions...

Jian San, who had remained silent all this time, looked increasingly displeased. The three-foot-long unsheathed sword in his hand trembled slightly, as though ready to erupt at any moment.

Seeing this, Jiang Jiu inwardly cursed. His second senior brother had a violent temper. If he really started fighting, things would get troublesome. Jiang Jiu immediately prepared to use a technique to quiet Zhang Xuan down.

But just then, Zhang Xuan suddenly stopped struggling.

"Huh?" As though something had occurred to him, he abruptly turned toward Jian San. "Right, how did you determine that Master was dead?"

Jian San's brows knitted tightly, as though Zhang Xuan's question baffled him. "His breath is gone, and all five pulses are still. Naturally, he has shed his mortal form and departed this world!"

Anyone with even a passing knowledge of medicine could have reached that conclusion. Jian San didn't understand why Zhang Xuan would ask such a question.

Zhang Xuan heaved a heavy inward sigh and looked with pity at the old geezer kneeling on the meditation cushion...

Master, these bargain-bin disciples of yours are so filial. So very filial! Resuscitation never even crossed their minds!

The blood that had flowed from the seven orifices of the man kneeling on the cushion had yet to clot. Clearly, the poison had only taken effect recently...

After a moment's thought, Zhang Xuan turned to Jiang Jiu. "Third Senior Brother, do you have any techniques that can produce a large amount of lightning?"

Jiang Jiu extended a hand, and brilliant lightning instantly burst from his palm. "Will Palm Thunder do?"

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. As he laid his master flat on the meditation cushion, he told Jiang Jiu, "Use Palm Thunder to strike Master's chest, right over his heart."

All the fellow disciples around him looked strange. Only his third senior brother, Jiang Jiu, who had brought him here, seemed somewhat approachable. And for some reason, Zhang Xuan felt that Jiang Jiu's words and actions toward him all carried a hint of flattery...

So Zhang Xuan decided to ask him to help resuscitate their master!

Though he didn't understand Zhang Xuan's intentions, Jiang Jiu did as he was told.

Amid sparks and lightning, Jiang Jiu fired off three consecutive blasts of Palm Thunder, then wiped away his sweat. "Little Six, that should be enough, right? He's already..."

"—charred."

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Jiang Jiu felt that his master's already hideous face looked even more terrifying now.

"Keep blasting. As long as we bring Master back to life, once I learn the Celestial Master's Ordination and become the next Celestial Master in truth as well as name, I'll appoint you deputy head." Zhang Xuan leaned close to Jiang Jiu and spoke quietly.

Jiang Jiu's "four eyebrows" began trembling uncontrollably. "For... real?"

"My word is worth a thousand pieces of gold."

The Daoist's eyes suddenly lit up. His hands formed seals so quickly that they left afterimages. In an instant, blazing lightning burst from his palms, fiercer than any previous blast!

"Shatter the darkness with thunder!"