Why do I have so many masters?

This county town, situated on the border of Fufeng County and far from the county city, should have been desolate. Yet, there was a grand street where every inch of land was measured by gold. On this street, the finest spot was not some pavilion or lofty tower, but a small courtyard made of bluestone.

The courtyard, though small, displayed intricate attention to detail everywhere.

With every step, the view changed, capturing the grace of Jiangnan Road.

The scenery was uniquely charming, yet at this moment, it merely served as a backdrop.

A young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, sat lazily at one side of the stone table, her elegant countenance complemented by a trailing red dress that spread on the ground, revealing a pair of bare feet, delicate and fair, lightly tapping on the surface of the stone stream.

With her right arm propped on the table and her hand supporting her chin, her eyes adorned with gradually darkening red makeup, captivating and splendid, a pair of misty eyes were fixed on the man opposite her.

The man wore an old grey garment, a green umbrella propped beside him, his eyes gentle.

His fingers were long and clean.

But with bowed head, he did not even glance at the graceful beauty beside him. The woman's palm gently rested on the man's arm, and as if awakened from deep thought, he raised his eyes slightly toward the enchanting woman, smiled faintly, and lifted his left hand to stroke her cheek.

She was mildly surprised, and then a feeling of delight emerged within her.

With that thought, her eyes gently closed as she slightly raised her jade-like face, adopting a posture of yielding, yet her brow furrowed slightly, inviting sympathy.

But the man's fingers did not descend upon her tempting red lips; instead, he positioned them on her forehead and frowned slightly, nudging twice before finally exhaling comfortably, his features smoothing out as he said:

"That's better."

The woman, puzzled, opened her eyes and touched her forehead, then lifted her gaze to observe her reflection in the courtyard's stream. Her face, as beautiful as a blooming flower, had a blemish on her forehead where the original scattered red plum blossom makeup was now tweaked to three petals on the left and three on the right, stark and neatly arranged in the center, completely devoid of beauty.

She couldn't help but laugh ruefully, and complained:

"Sir..."

The middle-aged man looked up, a bead that seemed more than jade in his hand, and earnestly said:

"It looks better this way."

The woman bit her lower lip, stood up, and stamped her delicate white feet in resistance, but they merely pressed down an inch above the void. She turned around and said:

"Sir, you are really too much."

"When you came to see my precious collection, did Lian'er ever refuse you?"

"Not even half a word of praise was said, why tease me like this?"

The man in grey shook his head and laughed wryly:

"My words, every single one, come from the heart; none are in jest."

"I hope the young lady will not blame me."

She had never been angry to begin with, and after pushing back twice, she turned around, sat down again, and the two exchanged a few words from time to time. The woman's eyes, full of laughter, fell on the bead and she asked:

"Sir, you have been studying it for so long."

"Have you discovered anything?"

The man sighed lightly and laughed:

"It's not so easy."

"Besides, if it were that easy, this object would not be called a 'Lost Treasure', nor would it have been worth a special visit."

The woman nodded in agreement and replied:

"Indeed, the true beauty of a 'Lost Treasure' lies in its unfathomable nature."

"If it could be deciphered with ordinary methods, then the 'Lost Treasure' would certainly lose much of its allure."

Convinced, the man nodded deeply in agreement, his palm toying with the bead when suddenly he said:

"Then, Miss Lian'er, may I try infusing it with inner strength?"

The woman made a welcoming gesture with her hand and laughed lightly:

"Of course."

The man thanked her with a smile, gripped the bead in his right hand, his expression became somewhat concentrated as he channeled his extremely pure inner strength into it.

The woman watched with a smiling countenance as the man exerted his effort.

The object was one she had specially sought out, knowing that inner strength could hardly elicit any reaction from it.

Just then, a gleaming radiance suddenly flashed across the bead. The woman looked slightly startled, while the man showed a trace of joy. He intensified his inner strength, and the bead's brilliance grew brighter, ultimately transforming into a streak of light that shot up towards the sky, making it impossible to track any longer.

The man laughed heartily and, following the trail, soared into the heavens.

...............

Just across a street from here.

Wang Anfeng in a blue robe walked slowly, pondering his plan.

He had lured the Seventh Rank Martial Artist here, then he would return to Shaolin Temple.

He would surely be lying in wait at this place, and during this time, it should be enough for Elder Gong Yu to arrive.

The young man exhaled, his heartbeat gradually slowing down. The feeling of danger still lingered, yet at the same time, an odd sense of calm and confidence began to surface from within.

It was like being in Copper Man Lane, where the opponent revealed an opening, and his wooden sword quivered slightly in his hand.

The calm before delivering the final blow to the adversary.

It was very similar, yet entirely different.

It seemed even more real.

At that moment, the Buddha Beads on his right wrist suddenly emitted an intense heat. The young man looked slightly shocked, as if he saw a streak of light flashing by, his eyes briefly became vacant, and at that moment, the heat from the Buddha Beads on his wrist abruptly receded.

The young man stood still for a brief period, his vision gradually clearing, his heart filled with anxiety. He lifted his right hand, trying to return to Shaolin Temple.

But from his ears, there came a crisp female voice he hadn't heard in a long time.

"Beep—detecting the unknown... unknown..."

"The system has begun to reintegrate."
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"The game is entering maintenance mode... maintenance duration, twelve hours."

Wang Anfeng's pupils suddenly constricted, a strong sense of discomfort arose in his heart, as if he had lost something very important. He felt light and unsteady, his step lacked firmness, and his state of mind was in extreme turmoil.

He stood dazedly for a long time.

After taking several deep breaths, the young man managed to suppress the chaos in his heart, comforting himself.

It's just twelve hours.

In the beginning, didn't he also need a day's break before being able to return to Shaolin Temple?

With this thought, his mind somewhat settled, but he still worried whether the Masters had encountered any trouble. Ultimately uneasy, after fretting over it for a long time, he suddenly realized that he was still in the midst of danger.

Just now, to lure the other party, he was still dressed in a blue robe.

The black clothes and mask that could conceal his scent were all left in Shaolin Temple.

Without the Green-Maned Horse and without the Shaolin Vigorous Step Technique, escape was impossible.

The young man's pupils contracted sharply, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

A dead end.

In Shaolin Temple.

A Jade Bead radiated light, making Heaven and Earth unreal, but as the bead glowed, it unbelievably drew strands of mystical force into this semi-transparent world.

The originally illusory world began to possess a trace of insignificance reality.

Extremely subtle, very minute.

Nevertheless, for an illusory world born from a fortunate coincidence, this was an unspeakably fortuitous opportunity.

To truly become a world with its own charm, one that could be called a Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands, with the potential to give birth to all living beings was a great opportunity. The mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas of the entire world were rejoicing instinctively.

The sky carried auspicious clouds, the earth produced Lost Treasures.

The Luo Water saw a mystical turtle come ashore, its back carrying auspicious signs.

Nine times of Yin, nine times of Yang; eighty-one counts, as the numbers connect to the Dao.

Phoenixes at Mount Qi cry in harmony, their graceful dance signaling prosperity.

A male phoenix cries six times; a female cries six times—thirty-six sounds in total, their calls heard by Heaven.

The entire illusory world of Jianghu was filled with celebration and joy. Yet a figure in a blue robe stood with a sword amidst Heaven and Earth.

His black hair danced wildly, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins.

The sound of the sword was piercing and frantic.

Without the slightest hesitation, he struck down towards that so-called opportunity.

"Get the hell away from me!!"