Daoist Master Zhang

After Wang An finished combining and refining this strand of wondrous qi.

His keen senses, aided by the small feng shui field, quickly picked up a qi far stronger than an ordinary person's, disturbing one corner of the field.

This was actually something he had discovered over the past few days while studying and observing feng shui fields.

Even an ordinary person, upon entering a feng shui field, would affect the whole with their own energy field or spiritual yang qi.

Just like now, Wang An sensed that the owner of this qi was heading toward the dam.

He knew someone would come to investigate the situation here.

"This person is most likely a class holder. An ordinary person couldn't have refined qi to this extent."

But this was exactly what Wang An wanted. He had always fought alone and lacked contact with others.

He didn't know how far the country had progressed in developing classes.

And he himself was limited by his horizons and perspective.

Now there was actually no class suitable for him to take, so the Class Change Stones in his possession kept piling up.

Aside from setting up feng shui fields, he had no other use for them.

He had caused such a huge commotion this time not only to gather and refine water qi, but also to make contact with other class holders and see how they were doing.

So Wang An had planned this long ago.

As for safety and exposure, after all three of Wang An's attributes broke past 2.5, he could control his muscles and alter his facial features. Today's facial recognition could never find him.

Only iris recognition, a more advanced technology, couldn't be fooled by changing his features.

Before the person arrived, Wang An quickly collected the Class Change Stones he had placed earlier to speed up the gathering of water qi; there weren't many, only seven or eight.

At his current level, aside from activating a feng shui field when taking a class, he could set up a simple field in a day or two.

The thick fog over the dam dispersed, leaving only wisps of mist scattered among the mountains and waters.

A middle-aged Daoist approached slowly, his long beard flowing. He wore a dark blue Daoist robe, held a horsetail whisk, and had a jujube-wood plaque engraved with Daoist script and cloud talismans on his chest.

Standing on the dam, the Daoist gazed into the depths, then looked around. His fingers formed a seal as he calculated the fate and five elements of the place.

"How strange. There are no towering mountains or perilous peaks here, no deep pools or dragon veins. Why, then, does it show signs of sheltering the wind and gathering qi, of a dragon soaring into the heavens?"

"How very strange. Even the feng shui dragon veins in the restricted zone only revealed part of their celestial aspect because of the meteorite. This place..."

Just as the middle-aged Daoist was about to say something more, he fell silent and raised his head, staring fixedly at a young man emerging from deep within the mountain forest.

The young man wore black-and-white casual clothes, and his long hair was simply tied back. As he walked, he seemed light and buoyant, as though he were treading on clouds rather than soil.

His skin was fair with a rosy tint, and his bearing was tall and upright. When he walked through wisps of mist, he didn't stir them in the slightest.

Most striking of all were his eyes, which glimmered faintly with a profound light, as though observing the laws governing all things in the world.

Seeing such a bearing, the middle-aged Daoist blurted out involuntarily,

"Blessed with the beauty of heaven and earth, successful in foundation establishment, a body without leakage."

He immediately felt he had spoken out of turn. Stepping forward, he cupped his hands and introduced himself.

"Fellow Daoist, I am Zhang Mingqing, a high-ranking elder of Mount Longhu."

Seeing how courteous the visitor was, Wang An returned the greeting according to Daoist etiquette.

"Daoist Master Zhang, I am An Ran. I've merely practiced a few little tricks on my own. They can't compare to the Celestial Master Mansion's long-standing inheritance."

Zhang Mingqing was somewhat surprised by his modest words.

Then he recalled that reaching the stage of foundation establishment without leakage through self-study and self-cultivation would have been impossible without a well-cultivated temperament.

"Ah, young friend An, you've reached foundation establishment and attained a body without leakage at such a young age. You're no ordinary person; there's no need to be so modest."

"May I ask what you're doing here, young friend An?"

"And what brings you here, Daoist Master Zhang?"

The two looked at each other, an unreadable look flashing in their eyes.

"Oh, in that case, young friend An, you must be a class holder as well."

"I'll speak plainly. I have taken the Daoist class of [Mighty Covenant Master] and received promotion and ordination in the scriptures and registers of the Supreme Orthodox Unity Covenant and Might."

"I came here recently at the Special Administration Bureau's request to investigate the abnormalities in this place."

"Young friend An, you've come from deep within this mountain forest, so you presumably know what abnormalities are there. Could you tell me?"

Seeing how frank Daoist Master Zhang was, even telling him outright what class he had taken, Wang An grew curious about what bonuses this [Mighty Covenant Master] provided.

But this was, after all, important information belonging to the man's sect. They had only just met, so it was better not to ask rashly.

Coming back to his senses, he told him about some phenomena he had observed from outside.

"Daoist Master Zhang, over the past few days of observation, I've gradually noticed that the mist in this area grows thicker from the outskirts toward the depths beyond the dam, as though something were gathering?"

What young friend An said coincided with some of Zhang Mingqing's own guesses.

He had come here to carry out a task for the Special Administration Bureau, to investigate what was causing the abnormalities.

This place was close to a residential area. If mutated creatures like those in the restricted zone appeared, it would cause enormous trouble.

Wang An saw his thoughtful expression and didn't know what he was thinking. He merely asked about something that interested him.

"Daoist Master Zhang, I wonder whether the Celestial Master Mansion has cultivation methods, talismans, or spells that can be taught to others. I'm willing to exchange information on how to take a class for them."

Zhang Mingqing was somewhat surprised that this young friend was willing to trade valuable information on taking a class.

"Young friend An, don't assume that class holders can perform divine abilities and spells. Without the support of supernatural power, even renowned orthodox methods are like rootless duckweed, impressive only in appearance."

Hearing this, Wang An laughed, realizing that Zhang Mingqing had misunderstood and thought he was pursuing those supremely mysterious divine abilities and spells.

"Daoist Master Zhang, I merely wish to use the principles behind some Daoist talismans, incantations, and spells to organize what I've learned and develop an effective method of internal refinement that can withstand testing."

"People like us who have succeeded in foundation establishment naturally feel even greater awe toward the vast heavens and earth. Without the support of supernatural power, performing wondrous arts is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

Zhang Mingqing grew more and more surprised by young friend An. He actually wanted to use Daoist methods to develop an inheritance of his own.

And he too knew how small and fragile the human body, a little world unto itself, was compared with the great world of the universe.

"Since you're willing to exchange information on taking a class, young friend An,"

"Then I'll say this upfront: I need to make the relative values clear to you."

"If it's class information already recorded by Mount Longhu, or if the information is of too little value, you won't be able to exchange it for any orthodox methods."

"Rest assured, Daoist Master Zhang, I understand. Your sect can list the classes it already has, and I'll provide one you haven't recorded."