Xu Ming looked at the note, his expression still tinged with confusion, and asked Fatty Lin, "Second Brother, what is the Boss trying to do? Why isn't he coming back, even though nothing seems to be wrong?" "Damn, how should I know? Can't you read it yourself? It's written clearly there; Brother Yi is off doing something unspecified?" Fatty Lin replied thoughtfully. "Alright, alright!" Ye Xiaohou waved his hand, saying with a smile, "Since we know the Boss is fine, at least it can ease our worried hearts a bit. Let's have a huge feast today, how about it?" Feng Shi smiled faintly upon seeing this; indeed, she was getting quite hungry, though it seemed she suddenly remembered something. She turned to Fatty Lin and said, "Li Qian still doesn't know the Young Master's whereabouts. Shouldn't you let her know, so she doesn't keep worrying?" "Right, I'll call her later. Let's go feast first; my stomach hasn't had a decent meal in months." "Exactly! Let's really feast today. Damn it, worrying about the Boss has ruined my appetite and sleep for months!" Xu Ming put down the note and raised his hand in agreement. "So, what should we eat?" Fatty Lin asked, staring at Xu Ming. "Eat well, of course! Steak, abalone, Dutch turbot..." Xu Ming kept listing them off, completely ignoring the expressions of disdain—as if he were terribly common—that Fatty Lin and Ye Xiaohou gave him. "Stop, stop, stop!" Ye Xiaohou seemed unable to bear it any longer and quickly called out. "What's wrong?" Xu Ming looked at him, puzzled. Ye Xiaohou rolled his eyes at him, turned toward the door, and said as he walked, "Anything is fine to eat. Third Brother is treating today, so Second Brother, don't be polite!" "Of course, I'll eat my fill," Fatty Lin said, his brow twitching, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. He glanced at Xu Ming and then walked out the door. "What the hell, you two are shameless rascals!" Xu Ming yelled out in exasperation. "Sorry, 'shameless' is just one variety of 'hooligan'!" Ye Xiaohou and Fatty Lin turned back simultaneously to tell Xu Ming this. Xu Ming froze for a moment, then snapped back to reality. He glanced at Feng Shi, who was chuckling softly, and offered an embarrassed, sheepish grin. "Heh heh, those two guys are actually right. Shameless is just a type of hooligan! Heh heh. Feng Shi, you come too; I'm treating today!" "Okay!" Feng Shi responded, her smile unwavering. She finally understood why Yang Yi once said that out of the four of them, Xu Ming was the one who always got the short end of the stick.

############################################## Meanwhile, Yang Yi, determined to investigate the Xuanmen sect, truly felt the urge to throttle that irresponsible old man, Mu Qingfeng. Damn it, he had a car, but insisted on traveling using Qinggong (Lightness Skill)! Even though they were on mountain roads, they were still passable by vehicle, leading Yang Yi to seriously suspect the old man was deliberately messing with him.

In fact, Yang Yi was entirely correct. Mu Qingfeng was currently chuckling to himself. The journey from the Dead Man's Cave to the Xuanmen Sect spanned hundreds of li; it was clear the old man intended to make the young Mr. Yang suffer a bit.

Mu Qingfeng, being at the Grandmaster level—a full tier above Yang Yi—felt no fatigue whatsoever. Furthermore, he wasn't worried about Murong Lianxue at all; after all, that little girl possessed innate martial talent. At only eight years old, she had already reached the lower stage of the Profound Level Grandmaster realm and had mastered the essence of martial arts from various nations. Although her daily demeanor showed the whims of a little girl, if she were to fight seriously, Mu Qingfeng might not defeat her easily in a quick bout.

"Damn his ancestors, that son of a bitch..." Yang Yi silently cursed Mu Qingfeng's entire lineage, though he didn't show it outwardly. Despite the mental restraint, his body involuntarily felt a wave of exhaustion. He had been running since leaving the Dead Man's Cave, and it had already been a full morning—it would be strange if he wasn't tired!

"Boy, do you want to rest a bit?" Mu Qingfeng looked back at Yang Yi with a deliberately provocative smile and asked. "Has no one ever taught you how to respect your elders?" Yang Yi cast a scornful glance at him, already aware that the old man was teasing him. "Well, you little brat!" Mu Qingfeng muttered inwardly, immediately realizing he couldn't push things too far. After all, this young man was the successor who would ensure his comfortable retirement. He stopped walking and said, "Let's rest for a while!" "Damn it!" Yang Yi glared at him without feeling the need to hide his annoyance and stopped, panting heavily.

This was truly taxing for him. Having just stepped into the Profound Level Grandmaster realm, he hadn't even had time to adjust before Mu Qingfeng hurried him toward Xuanmen to take up his duties. However, after catching his breath, Yang Yi noticed something. Qinggong was much like running, only requiring the exertion of internal energy. It seemed he had nearly depleted his internal energy just now. After taking a deep breath, he instantly felt his energy surging, and he looked back at the smugly smiling Mu Qingfeng with surprise.

"Looks like you figured it out," Mu Qingfeng said with a noncommittal tone. Yang Yi gave him a look of disdain and replied, "You still have a shred of conscience left. I'm finally about to finish absorbing that sixty years of accumulated power." "Hahahaha!" Mu Qingfeng burst into loud laughter and said nothing more.

Xuanmen was one of the four great sects of Huaxia, structured like a monastery similar to the Shaolin Temple. It housed at least ten thousand people, large and small. Externally, it was protected by four distinct 'vein chords' (maixian). As disciples of Xuanmen, they naturally employed a certain sect art: landscape arrangement.

The so-called four vein chords were the four great mountains encircling Xuanmen, standing majestically like proud, bald vultures. Most astonishingly, clear water sources flowed on these imposing, vulture-shaped mountains, and the people of Xuanmen relied on this water system for survival. Naturally, to prevent outsiders, or even enemies, from contaminating the water sources, Xuanmen assigned an extreme number of guards to patrol those mountains.

Beside the vulture-shaped mountains lay a vast, open hillside. Whether for martial arts practice or guard duty, the Xuanmen members ran laps around these four mountains every morning. Moreover, this area frequently hosted sparring matches—sometimes one-on-one, sometimes one-hundred-on-one, and even one-against-one hundred matchups, illustrating the intensity of their rigorous training.

"Is this Xuanmen?" Yang Yi asked blankly, gazing at the area that resembled an otherworldly paradise. "En, follow me," Mu Qingfeng said, appearing quite self-satisfied by Yang Yi’s stunned expression. He then led Yang Yi and Murong Lianxue into Xuanmen.

At that very moment, inside Xuanmen's Martial Arts Hall, a middle-aged man stood firm. He possessed an innate aura of nature and radiated the distinct atmosphere of a martial artist. With one fist clenched and the other hand open, his movements—such as pivoting, striking, splitting kicks, lunging punches, and flying palms—were executed with flawless mastery of various martial arts forms. He finished, shifted his internal energy, and exhaled a shallow breath of turbid air.

Just then, a disciple ran in, calling out, "Senior Martial Uncle, Senior Martial Uncle!" "What is it? Why the commotion? Have some decorum!" the middle-aged man asked in a steady voice. "It’s... it's the Sect Master has returned." "What...?" The middle-aged man was momentarily stunned. "The Master is coming back?" "Yes, and the Sect Master has brought a strange man with him!" "A strange man?" The middle-aged man frowned deeply and called to the disciple, "You come with me to greet the Sect Master." "Yes!" The disciple responded and left.

A short while later, Yang Yi, guided by Mu Qingfeng, entered Xuanmen and realized that this sect was truly magnificent. Its decorations were in no way inferior to the expensive skyscrapers outside, and the entire place exuded a faint, ancient aroma.

"Let's go; I'll introduce you to my disciple first." "Oh!"

Just as Yang Yi finished speaking, a middle-aged man leading a disciple walked towards them. He called out, "Disciple pays respects to Master!" "Heh heh, Xuanhao, you've arrived at the perfect time. I was just looking for you," Mu Qingfeng chuckled, addressing the middle-aged man. "Oh! What instructions do you have for me, Master?" the middle-aged man asked with profound respect.

Yang Yi inwardly recoiled. Everything about this man—his speech, his movements, even the severe expression emphasized by his attire—seemed utterly unlike a modern person.

Mu Qingfeng seemed to sense Yang Yi's thoughts and chuckled, saying, "Xuanhao has been here his whole life, so his speech and mannerisms don't strongly resemble those of modern people. Therefore, you must adapt to the local customs." "Uh!" Yang Yi blinked in surprise, then smiled without speaking, staring intently at the middle-aged man for a long moment.

He wasn't the only one staring; the middle-aged man was also scrutinizing him, inwardly alarmed: Who is this person? So young, yet I cannot discern his depth?

Mu Qingfeng smiled faintly, finding the silent, competitive tension between the two highly amusing. He then said, "Let me make an introduction. This is Yang Yi, the new Sect Master of our Xuanmen!" "Sect Master?" Xuanhao jolted, shouting out in utter disbelief.