Liu Guanyi Had Done It!

At first light, the Daoist priest responsible for patrols had already arrived at the competition grounds.

"Yawn~"

Yawning, he walked into the grounds with bleary eyes, only to freeze in disbelief at the sight before him.

"Th-this... I... I, I..."

At that moment, Wang Zhuo sat cross-legged in the center of the grounds, in a state of meditative absorption.

His white Daoist robe was spotless, and several sparrows perched on his shoulders, palms, and head, chirping away.

Egrets, wild rabbits, spotted deer, and monkeys gathered around him.

"I... holy f-... Blessings of the Immeasurable Heavenly Lord..."

The priest's pupils contracted sharply. Trembling, he looked at the animals, then at the vegetation growing beneath his feet.

He broke into a run, reaching the center of the grounds and turning around and around as he surveyed his surroundings.

Green grass, fresh flowers, and lush vegetation teemed with life.

Red, blue, purple, green-flowers bloomed in a riot of colors!

Vines climbed the wooden walls of the grounds, encircling the entire round arena, covered in dazzling blossoms.

Spring bestowed its bounty, and all things shone with life!

The priest murmured, "Morning dew on leaves, spirit beasts at his side."

He stood there for a long time, only coming back to his senses when an egret swept past in graceful flight.

"I have to go. I have to go!" the priest murmured, hurrying away from this fantastical arena toward the Daoist compound.

In the faint morning light, Zhang Zhiwei and the other two had just finished breakfast and were exercising.

"Keep your mind calm and your spirit still... Old Lu, you seem to be in a good mood."

"Heh, heh, I've found a treasure. It'd be hard not to be." In excellent spirits, Lu Jin joined in the morning exercises.

"Something's wrong! Something's wrong!"

Just then, a trembling shout came from outside. Both men stopped and looked toward the figure sprinting toward them from nearby.

Zhang Zhiwei flicked his sleeve. "What's all this shouting first thing in the morning? Where's your decorum?"

"Old Celestial Master! Something's wrong, Old Celestial Master!" The priest scrambled over and collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. He had clearly used his True Qi to race over.

"Don't panic, Yujing. Take your time," Zhang Zhiwei said calmly.

Yujing wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and pointed behind him, his face filled with shock. "It's the competition grounds-the arena I'm responsible for!"

"Liu Guanyi... Liu Guanyi seems to have done it!"

"Done it?" Zhang Zhiwei's eyes widened, his aged face full of confusion. Clearly, he had not understood what that meant.

"Done what? Don't tell me he attained the Dao and ascended?" he asked, half joking.

But Yujing showed not the slightest hint of humor. He hurriedly stood up and pointed behind him. "Old Celestial Master, please come and see! You'll understand once you take a look!"

Zhang Zhiwei nodded. "All right. Young people these days get worked up over the smallest things. Not an ounce of composure."

Lu Jin, who had merely been watching the commotion, immediately turned serious upon hearing Liu Guanyi's name.

"What exactly happened? Hurry and take us there!"

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm still here! I'm still here!"

Seeing that the three were about to leave without him, Tian Jinzong hurriedly shouted after them. Only then did Zhang Zhiwei turn back to push him along.

On the way, Yujing still had not recovered from his shock and kept muttering to himself, "He did it. He really did it. He really has done it."

"Enough about doing it. Just lead the way." Lu Jin forcibly suppressed his impatience, wishing he could sprint straight over to see.

When the four reached the arena, even Zhang Zhiwei could not help widening his eyes, staring in disbelief at the sight before him.

Lu Jin looked around as though he had seen a ghost, much as Yujing had earlier.

"Wh-what happened here?!"

Tian Jinzong murmured in disbelief, "Could he really have done it?"

"Grandmasters, all three of you believe me now, don't you? I really wasn't lying." Yujing pointed a trembling finger at the figure sitting cross-legged in the center.

"Liu Guanyi really has done it."

Zhang Zhiwei slapped him on the head and scolded, "Done what? He's gained enlightenment. All this was caused by the True Qi escaping from his body. It was so full of vitality that he couldn't control it, and it spilled out."

"Tell them the matches here can be postponed until the afternoon. Don't disturb Liu Guanyi for now."

Lu Jin clenched his hands, his eyes fixed on the scene before him. The young man's words from last night still rang in his ears.

I was heaven and earth, and heaven and earth were me.

I was the Dao, and the Dao was me.

He had thought the boy had simply spoken in a sudden moment of inspiration. He had never imagined that he had truly grasped their meaning.

Not far away, that figure sat cross-legged without moving an inch, like an ancient stone in the mountains or a green pine on a cliff, letting the birds and beasts gather around him.

Lu Jin took a step forward, wanting a closer look, but Zhang Zhiwei pressed a hand onto his shoulder.

"Old Lu, stop looking. You might break the boy's meditative state."

"Right... right, right. I was too hasty." Lu Jin came to his senses, shaken by what he might have done.

If he really had broken the boy's meditative state, it would have been a grave offense.

Zhang Zhiwei pushed Tian Jinzong's wheelchair. "Let's go. Leave him here to contemplate on his own. That boy Zhang Chulan is about to compete too."

"You..." Lu Jin looked at Wang Zhuo, then at Zhang Zhiwei. With a sigh, he followed them away.

Right now, he truly wished he could stay there and serve as the boy's guardian.

The day's competition could only be described as very strange.

At the entrance stood a huge wooden sign bearing large brush-written characters.

[No loud talking during today's matches. Speak softly at all times.]

No one knew what was going on, but seeing the stern expressions on all the Mount Longhu priests' faces, they could only comply to avoid breaking the rules.

"What's going on? We're not even allowed to talk loudly today?"

"Who knows? But something feels off. Something big must have happened."

"Could the Old Celestial Master have gained enlightenment?"

"Bullshit. Even if he did, he wouldn't do it at the competition grounds."

Everyone talked as they walked, deliberately lowering their voices to whispers. The priests did not intervene, leaving them to speculate.

Even they themselves had no idea what had happened; they had simply hung the sign there.

The normally bustling grounds were especially quiet today-astonishingly so.

Even Zhang Chulan found it strange. The spectators who normally wanted nothing more than to curse him to death were unusually quiet today.

"How strange. One notice, and none of them dare raise their voices."

Sitting cross-legged opposite him, Wang Ye ate a steamed bun. His face and body were covered in dirt and leaves, leaving him looking utterly bedraggled.

"Don't change the subject. You still haven't answered my question, Zhang Chulan."

"You already know my answer."

After Zhang Chulan's match ended, Zhang Zhiwei and Lu Jin brought Feng Zhenghao and his family to the arena where Wang Zhuo was.

At the sight before him, even Feng Zhenghao, who had always prided himself on his composure, nearly dropped to his knees.

Spring had arrived overnight, awakening all things!

"This... what is this?"

Zhang Zhiwei nodded. "Liu Guanyi seems to have entered a state of enlightened meditation. It's very subtle, rather like when old Daoists like us meditate in seclusion."

"Do you want to compete or not?"