Forty-one, Zixiao Palace

  The Kunlun Mountains, a colorful cloud suddenly rose into the sky and flew towards the high and distant sky curtain, disappearing in an instant.

  In the clouds, three ethereal Taoists stood before him, while a normally-looking Taoist sat behind them with an expression of mixed emotions. These Taoists were Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian and Xunzai, who had come from Mount Kunlun to attend a lecture at Zixiao Palace.

  Xun Daozi was truly overjoyed and saddened at the same time. Ever since that day when he was seen practicing Taiji outside the thatched cottage by Tongtian, Laozi and Yuanshi also knew about it, and Laozi ordered him to practice Taiji from the beginning for the three of them to see, Xun Daozi felt depressed. Every day, he was caught by Tongtian to demonstrate his moves, while Laozi and Yuanshi watched from the side. Every day, he fully cooperated with Tongtian to correct himself, feeling extremely humiliated in his heart!

  Originally, Xun Daozi was quite happy to exchange moves with Tongtian, although Tongtian's strength was much higher than his. If he were serious, a single finger could crush Xun Daozi to death. However, this was just an exchange of moves between master and apprentice, and even if Xun Daozi suffered some humiliation, it was nothing compared to the progress he would gain. But this time, Tongtian asked Xun Daozi to only use Taiji Fist in their exchange, and Tongtian himself would maintain his realm at the level of Taiyi Scattered Immortal, using fists and feet to exchange moves with Xun Daozi. Even Laozi and Yuanshi, who were watching from the side, wanted Xun Daozi to follow Tongtian's requirements in their exchange.

  Since you want to fight, let's fight then. After all, Tongtian is also using the Taizhen dispersing Xianjing's Dao law power, and it's a good opportunity for me to hone my skills in actual combat.

  However, this exchange was not good. The Heaven-Connecting Fist and Foot were also exquisite, but compared to his swordsmanship, they were truly mediocre. At first, Xun Daozi was struggling under the Heaven-Connecting's fierce and violent attacks, flailing about in a sorry state. But before long, he entered the realm of Taiji Boxing, and the situation changed. With Xun Daozi's current level of Taiji Boxing, it was not something that could be described by the phrase "not even a feather can be added, nor a fly land" used to describe when one has reached an extremely high level in practicing Taiji Boxing. At this time, Xun Daozi's Taiji Boxing had already shown signs of the Tao, and was no longer vulnerable to ordinary attacks.

  This time, Xun Daozi easily grasped a flaw in Tongtian's attack and with one move, "Lan Que Wei", he sent Tongtian flying out. Enraged, Tongtian got up and instantly used the ability of the Daluo realm, flashing his body and punching Xun Daozi several feet away, causing one eye to become a panda eye, then standing aside and laughing slyly.

  Laozi was also smiling on the other side.

  Seeing Xun Daozi getting up with a gloomy face, Tongtian hooked his hand at Xun Daozi again and said, "Come on, kid!"

  Xun Daozi opened up his stance and swiftly pounced, but after a series of loud crashes, Tong Tian, who was only at the Tai Yi Scattered Immortal Realm, was once again knocked out by Xun Daozi's powerful 'Single Whip' technique. Enraged, Tong Tian smashed Xun Daozi's other eye, making it a panda eye as well. Standing aside, he said, "It won't do, it seems that the Tai Yi Scattered Immortal Realm's attacks are not enough to deal with this kid. I need to raise my realm to the Tai Yi True Immortal Realm." Seeing Xun Daozi get up with a pair of black eye circles, Tong Tian burst out laughing, and Yuan Shi also couldn't help but laugh secretly.

  Xie Zhenyue stood up shakily and Tong Tian shouted: "Little one, get ready, I'm coming!"

  The dazed Xun Daozi was immediately knocked to the ground by Tongtian's two punches, "Bang! Bang!" Tongtian stood beside him, with a disdainful expression, saying: "You little brat can't even take a punch, get up quickly, get up quickly!"

  Xun Daozi climbed up, staring with panda eyes, looking at Tongtian with disdain. Tongtian chuckled and said: "Little boy, get ready, come on again!"

  Xun Daozi shook his head, then opened up his stance and gave Tongtian a provocative look. Tongtian chuckled and swung his fist at Xun Daozi again.

  This time, Xun Daozi clearly felt that Tongtian's speed was much faster, and the power of his fists and feet had also increased a lot. However, Xun Daozi, who had entered the Taiji state, could still respond freely and easily. In no time at all, he used one move, "Elbow Strike", to send Tongtian flying out. Tongtian's body lightly rotated in mid-air before steadily landing on the ground. He let out a hearty laugh, turned around, and pounced again.

  A series of loud crashes ensued as Tongtian was once again sent flying by Xun Daozi's "Hand Sweeping Pipa" move. This time, Tongtian's face couldn't help but fall, and he brought out some real strength to charge forward and fiercely pound Xun Daozi. Oh, how miserable Xun Daozi looked! His entire body was covered in bruises - one patch of blue here, one patch of purple there - it seemed as though his bones had been shattered by the pounding. The pain on his body was unbearable.

  After beating Xun Daozi, Tong Tian seemed to have vented enough of his anger. He stood aside and laughed "heh heh" as he looked at Xun Daozi who was beaten like a dead dog.

  Laozi shook his head and walked over to hand a pellet of medicine to Xun Daozi, letting him take it, then returned to the house to treat his injuries.

  Xun Daozi took the elixir, opened his mouth and swallowed it, thanked Laozi, bid farewell to his master Yuanshi, ignored Tongtian, and returned to his thatched cottage in a depressed mood to meditate and heal his wounds.

  Dai Xun led the way as they left, but Laozi and his three companions had a glint in their eyes and a smile on their faces. They entered Laozi's hut together, discussing something in hushed tones.

  On the second day, early in the morning, Xun Daozi had just woken up from his meditation, and all the wounds on his body had disappeared without a trace. His spirit was refreshed, and before he could even get out of bed, the door to his room was pushed open from the outside. In walked Tong Tian, grinning strangely, and called out: "Young one, hurry up and come outside with me for a spar!" His face was full of excitement.

  Xun Daozi helplessly lifted his leg and got down, just as he stood up, he was pulled out of the door by Tongtian. As soon as they went out, they saw that Laozi and Yuanshi were already standing on the empty ground outside the house.

  Xun Daozi freed his hand from Tongtian's grasp, walked over to Laozi and paid respects. Laozi and Yuanshi smiled at Xun Daozi and nodded in approval. Yuanshi spoke up: "Why don't you go ask your Master Tongtian for guidance? Use your Taiji Fist to exchange moves with him!"

  Xun Daozi could only respond with some depression, walking to an empty place to open his stance and stand firm, waiting for Tongtian's attack.

  Tongtian walked up to Xun Daozi with a mischievous grin, suddenly shouted "Take this!" and kicked out at him.

  Xun Daozi faced Tian Tong's kick, and with his qi mechanism pulling, Xun Daozi immediately moved his body, using a technique that arrived after it was launched. He barely managed to catch Tian Tong's swift kick, but his body still stumbled backward several steps before stabilizing. Although he had caught Tian Tong's kick, he hadn't been able to completely dissipate the force of the incoming attack.

  Only then can the power of retreat and elimination be removed.

  Xun Daozi was somewhat astonished, Tongtian's power used today is much greater than yesterday. He himself has not yet entered the Taiji state and was unable to adjust his own strength in response. Nor does he know what kind of real strength Tongtian will use to exchange blows with him today?

  Tongtian kicked the Seeking Dao child back with one foot, not chasing after him. He chuckled and said: "Little kid, how's that?" In fact, he was slightly surprised in his heart: it was only when he used the power of 'Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm' that he could kick him back a few steps. This little kid really couldn't be measured by ordinary standards. This Taiji Fist is indeed exquisite and powerful. Let's see what this kid will do today, and there's actually some anticipation in his heart!

  Xun Daozi once again opened up his stance, quickly immersing his mind in the Taiji state. The heavens and earth seemed to have disappeared, leaving only the Taiji. This was Xun Daozi's first time actively entering the Taiji state; previously, he could only enter it after being guided by the fist techniques. This was a major breakthrough for Xun Daozi.

  Tongtian also sensed that Xun Daozi was different from before. At this moment, Xun Daozi was perfect and flawless, as if he had merged into a mysterious space, with mysterious tracks surrounding his body, and a faintly majestic aura.

  The old man standing beside him, Yuanshi also showed a different color, and immediately turned into a joyful face. Xun Daozi this time has entered the state of the three old men looking at Xun Daozi playing Tai Chi for the first time. This time it is obvious that Xun Daozi actively entered, rather than being brought in by the fist when the boxing technique unfolds, so that after the boxing, he wakes up and asks about it, with a face full of ignorance.

  These two days, the three of us let him use Tai Chi to fight against Tongtian, also wanting to see if he can enter that state in battle. From the previous day's battle between Tongtian and him, it seems that he can indeed enter that state in battle, but each time there is a need for an entry process, needing to first exchange blows and be drawn into the fist's momentum before entering. In this case, if the opponent is prepared, they can completely defeat him before he even enters the state, killing him.

  At this moment, however, Xun Daozi simply opened his arms in a Taiji stance and entered that profound state. The three Laozi were both shocked and delighted.

  At this time, Tongtian launched a fierce attack, but this time only two moves, Tongtian was hit by Xun Daozi's "Embracing Knee Twisting Step" and slapped with one palm. Tongtian, who was knocked back several steps, saw Xun Daozi still embracing Taiji standing, still immersed in that mysterious state. Without saying a word, he launched an even more fierce attack again.

  This time it was faster, Tongtian only launched one move and was caught by Xun Daozi's move "Like Sealing Like Closing", and then he was thrown out with a move "White Crane Spreads Its Wings".

  Tongtian was depressed this time, his own Taiyi Jinxian realm's fist and footwork were actually unable to deal with this little kid, and he was often counterattacked. If he really was a Taiyi Jinxian, it was possible that he would be injured by him. But if he used his Daluo realm cultivation, it would be too embarrassing. Tongtian was somewhat conflicted.

  The old man next to him also felt a bit stunned: This Xun Daozi is really special!

  Yuanshi's face was full of smiles.

  Finally, Tongtian decided to use his own swordsmanship to deal with Xundaozi. He controlled the boundary at the same level as Xundaozi's 'Taiyi Scattered Immortal Boundary', and exchanged blows with Xundaozi using his swordsmanship. In Tongtian's opinion, even if he was in the same boundary as Xundaozi, he should be evenly matched at the very least.

  It was unexpected that Tongtian used his most proud swordsmanship, but still ended up being defeated and humiliated. Even when he released his sword energy, he couldn't gain any advantage. When Tongtian released his sword energy, Xun Daozi's Taichi-inspired fist style also activated the heavenly spiritual power to counter Tongtian's sword energy. Tongtian's sharp sword energy was surprisingly helpless against Xun Daozi's fist style, which summoned various fist techniques that took shape with the spiritual power. Sometimes, Tongtian would even be caught off guard by the attacks brought about by Xun Daozi's fist style and become flustered.

  Perhaps due to the reason of using sword energy, Xun Daozi's punches at this time are no longer purely fist techniques, but also have a divine appearance. When he throws out a single whip style, a huge steel whip shadow appears in the air, carrying the power of heaven and earth to smash his opponent; if he throws out a hammer-named move, a huge hammer shadow appears; that terrifying power makes people who see it believe that if they were hit by one move at the same level, they would either die or be crippled.

  In the end, Laozi and the other two could not help but come to a conclusion: as long as Xun Daozi was in that mysterious state of mind, Taiyi's realm was invincible. This conclusion also made Laozi and the other two both surprised and delighted. As for Tongtian, he simply gave Xun Daozi a good beating.

  After that, Tongtian grabbed Xun Daozi every day to exchange moves. At first, he used various divine techniques of Taiyi Realm to attack, including fists, feet, clubs, knives, guns, and swords, calling out to Xun Daozi. As long as Xun Daozi couldn't enter the mysterious state in time, he would be beaten by Tongtian until he entered the Taiji state to turn the situation around. However, in the end, he couldn't avoid being hit by Tongtian's divine technique of Daluo Scattered Immortal Realm, which was euphemistically called: improving his ability to survive in front of Daluo Scattered Immortal Realm cultivators.

  Laozi, Yuanshi also had to look every day, until finally, Laozi would give Xun Daozi a pill of medicine and let him take it back to his house to heal.

  After the three of them returned home, Laozi and his two companions would return to their thatched cottage, where they may or may not have discussed the Tao.

  Xun Daozi's miserable days lasted until today, when Xun Daozi walked out of the thatched cottage and made preparations to welcome the disaster. However, he saw Tongtian ignoring him, while Yuanshi walked up to him, handed him a purple-golden calabaza, and a waistband made from the calabaza vine, saying: "Your calabaza and calabaza vine have been refined by your master, you should take them well. The Zi Xuan Palace is about to open its lectures, today you will follow me and your Shibo, Shishu to the Zi Xuan Palace to listen to the Daozu's lecture on the Dao. This journey is extremely far, you can sacrifice this calabaza and waistband along the way. If there's nothing else, we'll set off."

  This made Xun Daozi recall the days of being trampled, and he truly felt a sense of sorrow. But what brought him joy was that Yuan Shi and the other two had taken him to the legendary Zi Xiao Palace, a sacred place in the hearts of countless powerful beings. He never thought that he would be able to set foot there himself, and his excitement far outweighed the slight sadness and anger he felt.

  At this time, Xun Daozi, who was hiding behind Yuan Shi's three people, shouted in his heart: Zi Xuan Palace, I'm coming!...