Chapter 2: Farewell

  "Yes, Master!"

  "Leave the world with many good deeds! Do not harm humanity! If Master Zhang knows you're causing trouble for humans, he will definitely not let you off lightly!" Zhang Sanfeng's originally kind expression turned extremely stern, and his voice suddenly rose by an octave.

  "Disciple, you must strictly follow the master's orders!" Zhang Sanfeng had never spoken to him with such severity before, and Zhang Hupan was momentarily at a loss for words, hastily responding with a mix of fear and reverence.

  Zhang Sanfeng saw Zhang Huban's flustered appearance and felt a twinge of sympathy in his heart. However, Zhang Sanfeng knew the world was full of dangers, while Zhang Huban's heart was as pure as a blank sheet of paper. Afraid that Zhang Huban would take the wrong path, he could only sternly warn him with a heavy heart, even using a hint of divine power to leave a deep imprint on Zhang Huban's spirit.

  Zhang Sanfeng still looked nervous, Zhang Sanfeng put on a serious expression and patted Zhang Huban's shoulder: "Alright, no need to be so tense, just remember the teachings of your master today. But if someone bullies you, don't lose face for me, Zhang Sanfeng! As long as the opponent hasn't reached the state of distraction, even with your current level in the early stages of Yuan Ying, you absolutely won't lose to them. After all, I, your master, have achieved martial arts enlightenment and am not comparable to those old antiques who only know how to cultivate!" At this point, Zhang Sanfeng couldn't help but think back to his past days of swift revenge and roaming the cultivation world with pride, suddenly feeling heroic. In fact, Zhang Sanfeng had every reason to be proud - in his youth, he created his own martial art, founded Wudang from scratch, achieved enlightenment through martial arts at a young age, and dominated the cultivation world for hundreds of years, becoming a legend. Even his four disciples who hadn't entered the Yuan Ying stage yet were quite famous in the cultivation world.

  "Disciple knows, disciple will definitely not tarnish Master's reputation!" Zhang Huban replied firmly.

  Then Zhang Sanfeng handed over some Wudang Sect matters and some worldly precautions. Finally, Zhang Sanfeng looked up at the sky, took a look around the Xuanwu Immortal Realm where he had lived for hundreds of years, and finally fixed his gaze on his only disciple beside him. His eyes became a bit blurry, and his hand couldn't help but gently stroke Zhang Hu's head, only to realize that his disciple, who was still learning to speak at that time, was now as tall as him. He sighed, changed his hand to lightly pat Zhang Hu's shoulder, "There is no banquet in the world that does not disperse, Master is leaving now, you must take good care of yourself!" As he spoke, he slowly stretched out his right hand, opened his palm, and a ancient-style ring with intricate carvings of birds chirping appeared in the palm of Zhang Sanfeng's hand.

  Zhang Sanfeng gently took Zhang Houban's hand and put the ring on his thumb. "This ring has accompanied me for 500 years, and now I will pass it on to you. This ring is called Qiankun Ring, which means 'inner universe' and can be used as a storage container. It is also known as Qiankun Circle, an extremely hard and top-notch magical instrument. Take good care of it. This is also the highest token of Wudang's generations, all the masters of Wudang know about this ring. Before you go down the mountain, take a trip to Wudang and see how it has developed. If you have time, help take care of it too, after all, Wudang was founded by our master."

  "Yes, Master!"

  "Now, as your master, I will teach you the incantation to use this ring!" Then, a series of incantations flooded into Zhang Huban's mind. Zhang Huban followed the incantations and lightly recited them with his intention, and suddenly the ring disappeared into his thumb, instantly giving Zhang Huban the feeling that he was connected to the Qiankun Ring in flesh and blood.

  "Alright, I should leave now. I look forward to meeting you in another space!" As soon as the words left his mouth, a sudden distortion occurred in the sky, and a narrow slit appeared out of thin air above him, emitting a dazzling white light that made it impossible for anyone to gaze directly at it. The sudden burst of white light caused even Zhang Huabao, who had already reached the initial stage of Yuan Ying cultivation, to experience temporary blindness. When his vision recovered, he found that Zhang Sanfeng was nowhere to be seen, and only saw the narrow slit in the sky slowly shrinking before disappearing! Tears flowed uncontrollably as a heart-wrenching wail echoed through the mountain valley for a long time. The animals in the valley and the birds in the sky seemed to understand that Zhang Zhenren, who had always protected them, had left, and they all let out a collective, mournful cry towards the heavens. The sound pierced through the clouds, passing through the ancient immortal array, and became a thunderous roar that was rarely heard in a hundred years, echoing in the mortal world.

  Since Zhang Sanfeng left, Zhang Huban's mood has been unable to calm down for a long time. In his free time, he would touch the chair where his master used to sit and practice with the Qiankun Seal left behind by his master. The Qiankun Seal treasured many immortal pills, wonderful medicines, celestial family artifacts, and cultivation secrets. Every time Zhang Huban saw the Qiankun Seal and the treasures that Zhang Sanfeng had cherished for a lifetime inside it, he couldn't help but think of his master's deep affection for him.

  One year later, on a clear morning, an ordinary-looking young Taoist priest reluctantly looked at the simple thatched cottage in front of him, the misty mountains surrounding it, and the flying waterfall. He let out a long whistle. All the birds and beasts in the valley gathered in front of the young Taoist priest and quietly stood there. If a beast tamer were to see this scene now, he would be shocked and would definitely ask the young Taoist priest to be his master.

  "Fellow practitioners who are cultivating here, I must take my leave. My master has called me to cultivate my Taoist heart in the secular world. From now on, I entrust you all to take care of this place. In the future, I will bring a few Wudang disciples to cultivate here as well, and please take good care of them too!" After finishing speaking, Zhang Hu Pan bowed deeply to the birds and beasts before him.

  "Master, the world is a treacherous place, you must be careful. If you're in trouble, just send us a signal and we'll come to help, even if it means risking our old bones!" said an elderly tiger with a low, powerful voice, its entire body as white as snow.

  Zhang Huban wasn't surprised at all to hear the tiger say this, because they were fully qualified and capable of saying such things. The birds and beasts in front of them weren't just ordinary creatures, but old demons who had cultivated for thousands of years, some of whom had even reached a level equivalent to the human Jingshen realm, only one step away from breaking through the void. The tiger was indeed a master who had cultivated to the Jingshen realm.

  Tears blurred Zhang Hupan's vision once again, just like they did a year ago. Zhang Hupan knew that these monsters, considered to be the most ferocious by humans, were not actually bad and some were even kinder and more innocent than humans. Zhang Hupan had grown up riding on the back of a tiger and being carried by a crane, so it could be said that the "monsters" in front of him were his seniors.

  Although Zhang Hupan considered these monsters to be his seniors, they did not dare to consider themselves as such. This was because these beastly demons had been rescued by Zhang Sanfeng from some self-proclaimed superior cultivators who took it upon themselves to subdue and eliminate them. Not only that, but he also brought them to this mountain filled with spiritual energy to cultivate, where they received the careful guidance of the great master Zhang Sanfeng himself.

  Now that Zhang Sanfeng had passed on the Qiankun Ring to Zhang Hupan, it was clear to all of them that from now on, Zhang Hupan would be the master of this valley and the representative of Zhang Sanfeng in this world. Although Zhang Sanfeng did not consider them as his disciples or servants, these grateful beastly demons had long considered Zhang Sanfeng as their master in their hearts, and now they considered Zhang Hupan as their new master.