Volume 1, Chapter 28: The Holy Lord of Taixuan Is Not Himself

"Please, take a seat."

The Holy Master of Taixuan looked at the three men, then glanced at the disciples standing behind them. He could not help but be stunned.

"Is it that cold? Why are you all wearing so much?" the Holy Master asked, puzzled.

"Uh..."

They could spout nonsense to Li Hanzhou, but in the presence of the Taixuan Holy Master, they were extremely nervous and dared not say a word. This was the ruthless man who had snatched the Prajna Axe back from Divine Ox Mountain. His strength was formidable, and he was the very goal they strove to reach in their cultivation.

Lu Tianxing, however, understood their thoughts instantly, for he, too, had once been stripped bare. At the thought of this, Lu Tianxing’s teeth itched with resentment. In the Taixuan Holy Land, he had been a prodigy, with countless female disciples secretly admiring him and vying to be his companion. Yet, ever since that incident, there wasn't a single female disciple left who would give him a second glance. Lu Tianxing had come today simply to see the detestable Liu Dongyue get the living daylights beaten out of him by the disciples of the three sects. He was here for the satisfaction.

"Why is the Master of this Longevity Temple not present?" The Holy Master of Taixuan took the seat in the center.

"Holy Master, the Master of the Longevity Temple has gone to brew tea," Zhao Wuxing said politely.

"The Temple Master is brewing tea himself?" Lu Tianxing, sitting to one side, sneered. "This small sect is truly pathetic. They don't even have a single servant. I haven't seen more than a handful of disciples since I arrived. To call this a sect is an insult; it’s not even as populous as a common trading house."

"Not only that, the Temple Master himself has no cultivation whatsoever," Nie Shengyu of the Yueshan Sect added, his expression full of disdain. In this world where power was the only law, having no cultivation was naturally something to be looked down upon.

"No cultivation?" The Taixuan Holy Master found this strange. A sect leader with no cultivation—wasn't that odd?

"Holy Master, since the Longevity Temple Master has no cultivation, we only need to drop a few hints later, and he will surely hand over the Prajna Axe quite easily," the Grand Elder said with a chuckle. "Had we known it would be this easy, you wouldn't have needed to come yourself; I could have handled it alone."

"That is true," the Taixuan Holy Master nodded.

Just then, Li Hanzhou walked in from outside.

"The tea is ready."

Upon entering and seeing an extra group of people, Li Hanzhou paused. "I wasn't aware more guests had arrived. I haven't brewed enough tea."

The moment the Taixuan Holy Master saw Li Hanzhou, his eyes widened!

It was him!

The Taixuan Holy Master could never forget this face! Because just a few days ago, it was Li Hanzhou who had killed Zhao Qianqiu outside White Cloud City!

The Heavenly Dipper Five Thunder Array! The Thousand-Life Ghost Lotus! The Grand Phenomenon Technique!

The Taixuan Holy Master had not expected to encounter Li Hanzhou here. So, he was the Master of the Longevity Temple!

"Temple Master Li!" Liang Sheng of the Tyrant Blade Sect frowned. "Is it not a bit discourteous to fail to pay your respects upon seeing the Taixuan Holy Master?"

"The Taixuan Holy Master?" Li Hanzhou looked at the man, surprised to find that this was the renowned leader of the Taixuan Holy Land.

"Brother Li, please, no need for formalities," the Taixuan Holy Master said, quickly rising to his feet. "There is no need to address me as Holy Master. My name is Jiang Yixuan; just call me Brother Jiang."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was stunned.

*Brother Jiang?*

The leaders of the three sects looked at one another. They had known the Taixuan Holy Master for years and never even knew his name; every time they saw him, they had to address him with the utmost reverence as "Lord Holy Master." How was it that with Li Hanzhou, he not only introduced himself but insisted on the familiar "Brother Li" and "Brother Jiang"?

What was going on?

"Oh, Brother Jiang," Li Hanzhou set down the tea and said, "I will go brew two more cups."

"No need, Brother Li. They did not come here to drink tea. Since everyone is here, if there is to be a sparring match, let us begin quickly. There is no need to waste tea on them," Jiang Yixuan said with a smile.

The three sect leaders: "..."

*How is it a waste for us to drink a cup of tea? Lord Holy Master, what on earth are you talking about?*

"Very well!"

Liang Sheng, the leader of the Tyrant Blade Sect, slammed his hand onto the table and declared, "Since the Holy Master has said so, let us begin the disciples' spar. We would like to see what kind of martial arts your Longevity Temple has to offer!"

Liang Sheng had expected that by saying this, he would provoke Li Hanzhou into a fit of anger, leading to a heated confrontation. Instead, Li Hanzhou walked over, crouched down, and began to inspect the table Liang Sheng had just slammed.

The table was brand new. Seeing that there were no cracks, Li Hanzhou breathed a sigh of relief.

"Liang Sheng, be careful when you slam the table," Jiang Yixuan reprimanded him.

Liang Sheng was left speechless. Why was the atmosphere so strange today? Li Hanzhou of the Longevity Temple was a weirdo, and the Taixuan Holy Master was acting just as strangely.

"Pardon me for asking," Li Hanzhou said, not in a hurry to begin the match. "How should this sparring be conducted? Just a friendly bout? Is there any sort of wager involved?"

"A wager?" The three men were taken aback. The Longevity Temple was so poor it was practically transparent; did he really expect to gamble on something?

"Does Temple Master Li mean to suggest we bet on the outcome?" Zhao Wuxing looked at Li Hanzhou with a strange expression. Was there actually someone who went out of their way to give away their belongings?

"A wager makes it more interesting, doesn't it?" Li Hanzhou chuckled. Why pass up an opportunity to make money?

"Very well. Temple Master Li, what do you propose we bet?" Liang Sheng asked.

"If our Yueshan Sect loses, we shall gift our sect's cultivation manual, 'Mountain-Shaking Palm,' to your Longevity Temple," said Nie Shengyu, the Yueshan Sect leader.

Li Hanzhou thought about it—a cultivation manual would be useful for his disciples.

"If the Zhao family loses, we shall provide thirty Pulse-Expanding Pills," said Zhao Wuxing.

"Our Tyrant Blade Sect possesses a 'Tyrant Blade.' While it may not be a divine weapon, it is a rare treasure. If we lose, we will gift this blade to the Longevity Temple."

"Splendid, splendid," Li Hanzhou readily agreed. These things should be worth a decent amount of money.

"Now, Temple Master Li, what will you offer if you lose?" Zhao Wuxing asked. "We have no interest in the Longevity Temple's cultivation methods."

"Indeed. If you cannot put up something of value, this wager cannot be established," Liang Sheng added.

"Hmm." Li Hanzhou pondered. None of the three families had used money, so perhaps it would be inappropriate for him to offer cash. What to gamble? The Thousand-Life Ghost Lotus? The Tang Sect would surely come looking for trouble. The Grand Phenomenon Technique? They wouldn't dare accept it even if he offered.

*Ah, I have it.*

"I also have a decent blade here; let this be the stake for this match," Li Hanzhou said, pulling a sword from his storage pouch.

Hearing that Li Hanzhou was producing a blade, everyone present showed expressions of disdain. What kind of good blade could a wretched place like the Longevity Temple possibly have? The members of the Tyrant Blade Sect were particularly scornful; they were a sect of blade-wielders, and to bring out a blade in their presence was like showing off one's axe before Lu Ban.

However, the moment *Autumn Funeral* was unsheathed, the very air in the room seemed to freeze.