This is a young server, with a clean and refined appearance, gazing at Zhang Yuanqing with a mix of madness, contempt, and the vacant intensity typical of someone with a mental condition. "Oh! So you're the senior master, I see. How come you didn't mention it earlier, so I could have pulled out the Italian cannon to welcome you?" Zhang Yuanqing immediately recognized the server as a mere "minor player." "Senior master?" Pure Yang's abbot studied Zhang Yuanqing intently, a mad smile playing at his lips. "That disciple took you as her disciple? Excellent! Truly excellent. I've been hesitating for a long time—whether or not to deploy my most accumulated, millennium-old technique against her. Now that you've become her disciple, there's no need for any precedence." A millennium-old technique? Seriously, the old stick-in-the-mud taking me as his disciple—doesn't he intend to have me take the brunt of the attack? Zhang Yuanqing raised an eyebrow. "You came to the banquet just to drone on about trivialities?" He noticed that the Pure Yang Master before him was not his true form, merely a low-level spiritual servant inhabiting the server's body, so he didn't immediately rush to act—he hoped to glean some information through conversation. Since this was just a minor servant, neither his uncle nor the Marshal had issued any warning. "No, it's a death notice, Prime Immortal. I will claim your life seven days from now," the Pure Yang Master laughed wildly. "You are destined to be my stepping stone as I reclaim my peak. Once I absorb your spiritual essence, I will enter the Spiritual Realm to avenge myself against that unruly disciple." With that, he raised his hand and struck it forcefully against his forehead. Zhang Yuan exhaled coldly, and the low-level spiritual servant inhabiting the server instantly turned to ash. The Pure Yang Master stood motionless, as if struck by lightning—his body stiffened, and before his hand even reached his forehead, he collapsed softly to the ground. Zhang Yuan walked to the toilet, pulled down his pants, and produced *Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea*, beginning to empty his bladder while thinking: "A death notice? The Pure Yang Master absorbed the third elder's spirit "If he truly intended to kill me, he would have reserved a decisive move for last, launching a quiet, stealthy attack. But this current course of action—this seems to have startled the very foundation, somewhat theatrical. 'Yet if he doesn't wish to kill me, but merely feints, what is his real purpose?' Zhang Yuanqing couldn't quite grasp the Pure Yang Master's intent. His master, after all, was always eccentric, unbound by conventional morality, and often did things that defied reason—so it wasn't unusual. Still, behind him stood the Sovereign of the Yin, and Ling Tu had just restored a significant portion of the Pure Yang Master's spirit. Now, the Master turns around and performs this very dramatic move. To say it's entirely without cause would be too forced. 'Let's observe the stars tonight...' Zhang Yuanqing shook his 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' and left the public restroom. ... After the evening banquet, Zhang Yuanqing spent thirty minutes on the terrace gazing at the stars. The celestial patterns indicated everything was normal. He not only divined his own fate, but also that of those around him—finding no one facing any imminent crisis." Then he snapped his fingers and arrived at the training hall, where he found Qian Gong practicing his cutting techniques day after day. Since the Observing Stars technique offered no insights, he relied on logical reasoning. Fu Qingyang stood in a bowing stance, holding his sword, each stroke emitting a sharp, resonant cry, and each one causing the muscles beneath his loose training robe to ripple. "Big brother, has your technique come closer to the Dao made any breakthrough?" Zhang Yuanqing asked curiously. "Not yet," Fu Qingyang replied calmly. "Sword technique requires gradual accumulation, or sudden enlightenment in life-or-death moments." He had only been promoted to Master for half a year, and during that time, his technique had already advanced significantly—there would be no further breakthrough in the near term. "You're doing well, Xiao Fu," Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, "but Xiao Zhang from next door is almost catching up to you!" He secretly felt pleased. Fu Qingyang glanced at him, his expression turning cold. "If you don't have anything to say, just go—don't interrupt me." Zhang Yuanqing quickly suppressed his pleasure and informed Fu Qingyang about the evening banquet. "I have a feeling something's off, "Fu Qingyang said coldly, 'You're almost surpassing me now—yet you still haven't made any progress at all.' ...Zhang Yuanqing bowed immediately, 'My lord is exceptionally bright and perceptive; I've just been drifting.' 'Not the demeanor of someone in command,' Fu Qingyang turned and continued cleaving the sword, paying no attention to him. Zhang Yuanqing sat cross-legged by the side, patiently waiting. After about a minute, Fu Qingyang, who had been practicing the bow-step sword strikes, suddenly said, 'He wants to intimidate you!' 'Intimidate me?' Zhang Yuanqing thoughtfully replied. While practicing his slashing movements, Fu Qingyang added, 'If your target were someone else, there'd be no need to disturb the peace. Since he's spoken directly to you, there must be a purpose behind it. You just secured a favorable position from Lingtuo—surely you're afraid of retaliation. And Pure Yang Master, who benefited from the last hunting campaign, recently absorbed the essence of the third abbot, now dares to enter the enemy camp and issue a death notice to you. Under normal circumstances, what would you do?' Zhang Yuanqing spoke without hesitation: "To show respect to the Sovereign of the Yin, I will retreat—either into the guild's instance or have my backer keep watch and protect me." Fu Qingyang nodded: "That must be their intention, though I still haven't quite figured out why they've chosen to act this way." Pausing, he added, "Ling Tu is the Sovereign of the Yin. He may have observed something in the long stretch of time ahead—something that cannot be analyzed through mere reasoning or insight. Hmm... the timeline is seven days, which isn't particularly distant. Yuan Shi, what have you been planning lately?" "My most pressing desire right now is to have a child with your sister!" Zhang Yuanqing murmured to himself, then said with a furrowed brow, "So, my recent plans might directly impact Ling Tu's interests." But he couldn't immediately eliminate me, so he deliberately arranged for the Master of Pure Yang to appear and intimidate me, hoping I'd grow suspicious and either retreat into the sect's guild副本 or stay at home under the protection of the Chairman... My recent plans, however, are closely tied to Ling Tuo... Zhang Yuanqing narrowed his eyes sharply: "I think I now know what it is. Unless something unexpected happens, I'll be heading to the capital tomorrow to inquire about the Tong Zhou Association with Elder Zhao." Fu Qingyang paused his strikes and looked over. Their eyes met, and both expressions grew serious. ... The next day. A taxi stopped at the entrance of an old alleyway. A young man wearing glasses and a mask paid the fare and stood by the roadside, gazing at the historically styled alley. If one had to say how historically rich the atmosphere was, it wasn't particularly profound—rather, the scent of the 1960s and 1970s lingered more strongly. Zhang Yuanqing stepped into the old alley that he had only seen in TV dramas—gray walls, black tiles, weathered double wooden doors. A few households still retained their original hand-operated well structures, as if walking through Beijing in the 1900s. Just a few steps in, he spotted Xiao Zhao emerging from the corner, his expression serious. "That makes sense…" Zhang Yuanqing sighed, "I understand your desire to personally witness this. Then let's go together." Zhao Chenghuang led the way, saying, "Grandfather has been handling affairs outside these past few days, but when I just called him to inform him that you wished to see him, he immediately agreed. I think he was concerned that if I brought you down to the basement, the guardian spirit servants might not be able to handle you, so he decided to come himself." A few minutes later, Zhao Chenghuang brought him to the entrance of a quadrangle courtyard. He lightly tapped the beast-head door handle twice: "Grandfather, Master Yuanshiben has arrived." The creaking, rusted wooden door opened on its own. Zhao Chenghuang guided Zhang Yuanqing inside. The courtyard covered over a hundred square meters, featuring locust trees, a well, and three one-ridge brick houses arranged in a row. A tea table and wooden chairs were set beneath the locust tree. Sitting upright with a stern expression and silver hair, Elder Zhao was calmly preparing tea at the table. Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward, gazing at the face that bore a resemblance of three or four parts to Zhao Chenghuang, and bowed respectfully, "Zhao Elder." "Sit down!" Zhao Elder nodded slightly. They took their seats. Zhao Elder arranged the already warmed tea bowls, lifted the teapot, and poured in a deep brown tea infusion, saying, "You've come just in time—try it." Zhang Yuanqing lifted the bowl, took a light sip, and praised, "The tea is clear and pure, slightly bitter but not astringent, with a sweet aftertaste that lingers—excellent tea, truly excellent tea." Zhao Elder nodded with satisfaction. "Do you know much about tea?" "Not really—I was just making things up earlier." Zhang Yuanqing was honest. Zhao Elder understood his meaning, speaking calmly and deliberately: "You encouraged Chenghuang to visit my basement. By my nature, I should have sent you out by now. But he has been deeply favored by you, and I remember that kindness. You may ask anything you like, but I'm not certain I'll answer you." "Zhao Elder," Zhang Yuanqing said directly, " "The Tongzhou Association..." Zhao Elder was clearly taken aback, glanced at Zhao Chenghuang, and then exclaimed, "Have you come specifically for this matter?" At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing clearly sensed a sense of astonishment and surprise in Elder Zhao's demeanor, so he gently asked, "In Zhao Elder's opinion, what were we here for?" Zhao Elder didn't respond immediately, but instead said, "What would you like to know about the Tongzhou Association?" Zhang Yuanqing openly recounted his entire investigation into the Tongzhou Association to Zhao Elder, then asked, "Do you think the attack on Huo Zhengkui was carried out by someone specific? Besides the three Grand Masters, do you know of any other members who hail from the Tongzhou Association? I heard from Jiang Master that one of the branches of the Tongzhou Association experienced an internal conflict, resulting in the deaths of all its members—do you know of this?" He poured out all his questions in one go. Master Zhao lifted his teacup, took a slow sip, and with a face once stern and rigid, softened into a touch of nostalgic remembrance, speaking gently: "Nearly a hundred years have passed. If you hadn't mentioned it, I'd have almost forgotten about the Tongzhou Association. In fact, the Tongzhou Association was a rather loose and discreet organization. We had to constantly conceal ourselves—balancing our duties of covert assassinations while also preventing the evil faction's spiritual realm travelers from sweeping us all away in one fell swoop. I joined the Tongzhou Association simply because there was no official body at the time in our region, and the wars were relentless, leaving the spiritual realm travelers scattered and fragmented. The Tongzhou Association, under the banner of patriotism, rallied talented individuals and scholars, and with ample funding, quickly took root and flourished across the nation. Back then, communication was underdeveloped. Outside of the headquarters, few knew the exact list of members, let alone the number of branches nationwide. The larger branches boasted skilled practitioners and could maintain their reputations over time, while the smaller ones—established and then dissolved—remained completely quiet throughout their existence. The fellow members of the Together-We-Sail Association that I know have all but vanished—those remaining, you all are familiar with. Ah, it's been so long, communication has always been poor, and the Together-We-Sail Association may have deliberately chosen to conceal itself, even from the half-gods themselves. Zhang Yuanqing said solemnly, "I checked the records of the Five Elements Alliance. The earliest entry in their archives listing names of those promoted through combat and slaughter dates back to 1956. You, however, became a Sovereign before that time. Therefore, you were capable of launching an attack on Huo Zhengkui." Zhao Elder set down his teacup, his gaze sharp and focused. "At that time, the number of Sovereigns was indeed small. But according to your logic, every surviving half-god is suspect—including the half-gods from the Spiritual Realm families." "But only you were a member of the Together-We-Sail Association." "How do you know they weren't?" Zhang Yuanqing carefully sensed Zhao Elder's emotional state—there were no clear cracks, yet Zhao was an advanced Sovereign and a particularly strong spirit-being, a Day-Wanderer. Seeing Tai Gao and Yuan Shi Tian Zun facing off, Zhao Chenguang said, "Grandfather, I have one more question." Zhao the Elder turned his gaze and picked up the teapot, pouring fresh tea into the cup that had just been finished. "As for the final matter, I'm fairly certain about it—the one that fractured due to internal strife was the North China branch. The internal conflict was merely a rumor; the truth was quite different."