Chapter 441: The Old Celestial Master of Mount Longhu (First Update)

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"Senior brother, this is my first time traveling far and my first time flying, after all."

Huang Ming scratched his head and laughed.

He was an orphan, taken in by Baiyun Temple at the age of seven. After fifteen years of diligent cultivation, this was his first time leaving Beijing to visit another place.

"Let's grab a bite to eat. There's still plenty of time before the flight."

"Forget it, I just checked. The food here at the airport is insanely expensive."

"My treat—eat whatever you want."

"Hehe, I was waiting for you to say that!"

After grabbing a bite at the airport, the three boarded a flight to Jiangxi.

By around eleven o'clock, they had arrived at Shangqing Ancient Town on Mount Longhu, where the area was bustling with tourists from all over the country.

"Tickets are 260 yuan per person—our Baiyun Temple only charges ten!"

Even though they were participating in the Luotian Dajiao as practitioners, they still had to buy their tickets honestly.

Looking at the ticket price for Mount Longhu and then thinking of their own Baiyun Temple, Huang Ming felt an overwhelming sense of disparity.

"No wonder Mount Longhu is so wealthy. Their tickets are way more expensive than ours."

"Tourism Bureau sets the price, and most of the revenue goes into their pockets. Mount Longhu doesn't actually get much of it.

Compared to Mount Longhu, our Baiyun Temple is actually more autonomous. The front part of the mountain here is basically under the control of the Tourism Bureau," Liu Xingyang explained, adjusting his sunglasses.

"There are pros and cons."

George nodded thoughtfully.

While Baiyun Temple had cheap entry fees, the lack of revenue meant the Tourism Bureau wasn't too interested. The entire temple was mostly managed by the resident Daoist monks, giving them a lot of freedom.

Mount Longhu, on the other hand, was different. The front of the mountain was run by the Tourism Bureau, while the real Daoist practitioners could only cultivate in the back mountain.

Unless there was a special need, they rarely went to the front.

"Look, it's the old Celestial Master. Let's go greet him."

Not long after ascending the mountain, they spotted the current Celestial Master, Zhang Zhiwei, standing in front of a temple, making a peace sign while taking photos with visiting officials.

He was widely recognized as the top martial artist in the country.

As a fellow Daoist, Liu Xingyang naturally recognized the old Celestial Master and immediately led Huang Ming and George over.

George didn't have to go, strictly speaking, since he wasn't a Daoist himself.

However, he was still very interested in the old Celestial Master of Mount Longhu, the nation's top expert, and wanted to observe him up close.

"Baiyun Temple's Liu Xingyang greets the Celestial Master!"

Liu Xingyang stepped forward and made a Daoist salute, with Huang Ming and George following suit.

The Celestial Master smiled upon seeing Liu Xingyang.

"So it's Xingyang. How's your master doing these days?"

"Master is doing well—eating and sleeping just fine," Liu Xingyang replied respectfully.

Zhang Zhiwei stroked his snow-white beard.

"That's good. Seems he's got a few more years in him. These two—are they your disciples?"

"This is my junior brother, Huang Ming. And this is a friend of ours, a freelance practitioner who studied magic overseas," Liu Xingyang introduced.

"Studied magic abroad?"

Zhang Zhiwei glanced at George and noticed the small wooden wand at his waist, instantly understanding.

"You're a wizard, aren't you?"

"The Celestial Master truly has sharp eyes. My father does business in London, and I was admitted into a wizarding school over there. I studied magic for several years," George replied with a polite smile, keeping his aura restrained.

As the country's top expert—rumored to be over a hundred years old—it made sense that Zhang Zhiwei would know about foreign wizards.

"The school in London—must be Flamel Academy. I visited it during my travels around the world. How's Headmaster Taber doing these days?"

Hearing the name of the school, Zhang Zhiwei fell into a nostalgic reverie for a moment, before asking George about it.

George hadn't expected Zhang Zhiwei to know Headmaster Taber, but he nodded anyway.

"The Headmaster is doing well. Lately, he's been researching new sweater knitting techniques."

"Hah, that guy really hasn't changed.

Next time you go back, if you see him, pass along a message—tell him he's welcome to visit Mount Longhu anytime."

Zhang Zhiwei smiled fondly.

"If I see him, I'll certainly pass along your message."

George didn't mention that he had already dropped out of school and probably wouldn't be going back anytime soon. Still, he readily agreed.

Since Zhang Zhiwei and Taber were friends, there was no harm in using that connection to build rapport.

"Celestial Master, I'll take them to the back mountain to register. We won't disturb you any further."

After the greetings, Liu Xingyang led George and Huang Ming toward the back mountain.

The actual competition grounds for the Luotian Dajiao were located in the rear part of Mount Longhu—a restricted area not open to tourists. It hadn't been developed and didn't even have proper trails.

"Master Liu, Old Huang, you two go on ahead. Since it's my first time here, I want to look around the front mountain a bit. I'll join you shortly."

After walking a short distance, George suddenly stopped and halted his steps toward the back mountain.

Hearing this, Liu Xingyang and Huang Ming didn't think much of it.

"Alright, we'll wait for you in the back."

As Daoists, they had seen these temples countless times and had little interest.

But for someone like George—a rich second-generation kid who grew up abroad—it was perfectly natural to want to explore Mount Longhu a bit, just as he had done at Baiyun Temple.

"Interesting."

Once Liu Xingyang and Huang Ming were out of sight, George turned and looked at a girl squatting nearby, being coaxed into buying something, his face showing a spark of curiosity.

He had already studied her closely while speaking with Zhang Zhiwei earlier.

All he could say was: the title of "top expert in the country" was well-deserved.

Regardless of anything else, the sheer energy contained within Zhang Zhiwei's body far surpassed that of the Voldemort he'd encountered in London.

Even Taber—the "Dumbledore" of this world—was vastly inferior to Zhang Zhiwei.

George was surprised, but also found it reasonable. A man publicly known as the strongest should have energy of such magnitude.

What truly puzzled him, however, was that as he passed by the little girl crouching nearby, he felt an energy within her body not much weaker than Zhang Zhiwei's.

How could a seemingly ordinary girl possess a level of qi nearly on par with the Celestial Master himself?

That alone stirred George's curiosity—he wanted to stay and see who she really was.

"Divine artifact! Crimson Glazed Beads! This very string was crafted from the soul crystal extracted by my grandmaster after battling the Fire Qilin for more than eighty thousand rounds!

Today, not 98,000 yuan, not even 9,800—just 998, and it can be yours!"

By the roadside, a monk in kasaya robes excitedly hawked a string of red glass beads.

The girl squatting there instantly pulled out a wad of cash from her pocket and leapt to her feet in excitement.

"This is awesome! I want it! I want it! Sell it to me, sell it to me!"

"Uh... is she an idiot?"

George blinked and began to doubt whether he had misjudged his earlier perception.

(End of Chapter)