Chapter 335 - 161: ’Number 1 in Qi Dao’ Purple Mist Sect Leader, 30 Years Ago, Ancestral Master Wang Xuanyang, as Resplendent as the Blazing Sun

As long as that behemoth, the Dragon Elephant True Sect, stayed out of it...

In the path of the Martial Artist, which lineage could possibly contend with them!?

And yet, under these circumstances, over more than a decade, three successive generations of Grandmasters and their disciples have all met their premature end at the hands of this one master and his apprentice!

Who could possibly swallow that insult?

You have to understand, putting a bounty on Ji Xiu's head in the Gold-Selling Cave was a decision made by the School. Even their Purple Mist Sect Leader personally approved it!

The prowess of that founding leader of the Purple Mist Sect, with his Qi Dao True Skill, is reputed to be the 'best' in the entire Jiangyin School.

The old man survived the era of the Three Yang Sect with his Purple Mist Secret Manual, but he was only second-best in Jiangyin.

Then he outlived the Celestial Blade era, but he was still suppressed by Wang Xuanyang and remained Jiangyin's second-best...

Now, he has finally endured long enough to come out on top. His power is profound. Even when that Dragon Elephant True Inheritance disciple arrived, he had to respectfully pay his respects to the old man first, giving him ample face!

Although the Daoist School is only the Outer Sect, the Grandmasters we lost were the real elites of our faction!

The Sect Leader has long coveted the Celestial Blade School's Golden Turtle Island. Now, having agreed to a condition from that Dragon Elephant True Inheritance disciple and gained the True Sect's support, he's poised to contend for the title of 'Jiangyin First-class School'.

If the old man finds out about such a blunder...

How could he possibly let it slide?

Eyes spitting fire, Zhou Changming left the Black Market. His chest heaved with emotion. As this thought crossed his mind, he didn't return to the Daoist School. Instead, holding in his rage, he headed straight for the island outside the city, intending to go to the School's main headquarters!

He...

...was going to see the Purple Mist Sect Leader, one of the 'Six Great Peaks'!

...

Meanwhile, a similar scene.

Was unfolding at the Medicine Shop and the Fishing Trade.

Medicine Shop Master Huang Ai watched as a Steward clad in the Black Market's attire delivered a letter.

After reading it, he remained silent for a long time before snapping his smoking pipe in two.

As for Fishery Master Chen Jing, his expression was just as grim as Huang Ai's. After a long moment, he let out a heavy sigh.

"Have someone..."

"Go to the Beicang Marquis's Mansion and invite Little Brother Ji from Anning County."

"His master, Duan Chenzhou, was a promising young talent from my Fishing Trade back in the day. There's some history there. His apprentice has been here for about a month, and as the Lineage Master..."

"...it's about time I met him."

"Some rifts are formed unintentionally. The man is already gone; there's no point in holding on to the past."

"Remember... prepare a small gift."

...

「Beicang Marquis's Mansion.」

After Xie Zhinan and Xie Fuyao had left, one after the other.

Ji Xiu, in front of Xiao Mingli and Li Xuanyi, turned to Granny Shi with curiosity. He asked how his master, Duan Chenzhou, had come to know a proud daughter of a Giant House like 'Master Xie' back in the day.

At this, a smile bloomed on Granny Shi's aged face.

"That matter... This old woman saw it with her own eyes back then. I do know a thing or two, and I suppose there's no harm in telling you."

Both Granny Shi and Li Xuanyi had seen how Ji Xiu had sided with Xiao Mingli just now without a moment's hesitation.

Because of that, their impression of the boy who had only recently arrived at the Marquis's Mansion had improved greatly. At the very least, they no longer saw him as an outsider, but had truly accepted him.

A nostalgic look appeared in her cloudy eyes, tinged with a hint of shame. She couldn't help but speak.

"If we're to speak of that, we must first speak of your Ancestral Master, Wang Xuanyang."

"Boy, before that, let me ask you a question."

"What kind of person do you think your Ancestral Master was?"

Ji Xiu was taken aback. He hadn't expected this turn. He stroked his chin, pondering for a moment before answering with some certainty.

"My Ancestral Master surpassed the Six Great Limits and lived for so long. Every person I've met, every rumor I've heard, as long as it describes the old man..."

"...they all speak of his legendary experiences. It is said he never knew a single defeat in his entire life."

"He must have been a Grandmaster of his generation, something like 'white-haired and elegant, with the gravitas of Mount Tai,' right?"

'Although Chen Hex and Duan Chenzhou's evaluations of Wang Xuanyang were polar opposites, Ji Xiu's understanding was that a fierce and domineering personality should be more or less correct.'

But Granny Shi flatly denied it.

"No."

"Completely wrong."

Huh?

Ji Xiu was stunned.

'Completely wrong? How can she be so sure?'

'Then what did my Ancestral Master look like? What was his personality?'

'He remembered that everything in the Celestial Blade School had been 'borrowed' by the old man, piece by piece...'

Ji Xiu speculated for a moment, then suddenly became uncertain again.

'Looked at this way, his Ancestral Master might really have been some shameless, heretical master who acted completely as he pleased!'

However, before he could open his mouth...

...he heard Granny Shi say, word by word:

"Your Ancestral Master, Wang Xuanyang."

"Was a 'Banished Immortal'."

"He was..."

"...the 'Eternal Pride Sun', the likes of which this old woman has never seen in all her life."

"His face never aged. He wasn't the crabby, white-haired old man you described."

"Quite the opposite."

"Back then, in all of Cangbei, there was no one more handsome than your Ancestral Master, Wang Xuanyang."

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have caused the Dragon Maiden to fall for him and the Celestial Maiden to bow her head."

Granny Shi gave a wry smile.

"Those over thirty years of age cannot enter the Juvenile Dragon Stele rankings."

"And at his peak... your Ancestral Master was ranked ninth in the world on the Juvenile Dragon Stele."

"For half a jiazi after that, he wandered for half his life, yet his appearance remained that of a young man."

"As for the fated connection between your master and Xie Fuyao..."

"Strictly speaking, it was also arranged personally by your Ancestral Master."

"Back then..."

She hadn't even finished the second half of her story, but the first part alone was enough to leave Ji Xiu utterly stunned.

Even Xiao Mingli and Li Xuanyi, who were standing to the side, exchanged a look of surprise.

'This is completely different from the 'Vast Sea Celestial Saber' they had imagined...'

'Completely different!'

'And yet, it somehow seemed to make perfect sense!'