"Yes, Grandmaster Wu, we respect you, but you can't make things so difficult for us," one person said.

Another chimed in, "Sigh, just when the mood was good... Well, Grandmaster Wu, I've just remembered something urgent at home, so I won't be able to stay any longer. Waiter, come here, let's settle the bill. Grandmaster Wu, we'll be taking our leave!"

With those words, the people who had been enjoying the pleasant atmosphere simply put down their wine glasses and went their separate ways. Only the heavily intoxicated Wu Yougui was left leaning against his chair, watching their departing backs, unable to rise.

"Damn! This bunch of bastards!" he cursed.

It was deep into the night when Wu Yougui finally sobered up a bit. He staggered out of the hotel and, walking along the deserted streets, felt a profound loneliness.

"What a pitiable state we are in!" he lamented. "Why have our national Martial Arts declined so? Why is it used just for brawling now? How come there are so few Martial Arts masters? Isn't it because the masters don't pass on their knowledge and the disciples have nothing to learn? Pathetic, truly pathetic!"

「Wudang Mountain.」

Upon learning that his martial nephew needed a significant number of Martial Arts secret manuals to break through to Great Grandmaster, Liu Pan had made the arduous journey, struggling to climb the mountain.

He had kept watch at the gate all night, his eyes rimmed with black, finally enduring until the Wudang Mountain Taoists opened the gate. By then, his clothes were thoroughly drenched by the morning mist, and a biting wind whipped across the mountaintop, making him shiver.

After announcing himself, he was led inside to meet the leader of the Wudang Sect. He stated his purpose.

"PFFT!"

A snicker suddenly rang out in the room. Liu Pan turned his head and saw it was a disciple who looked to be only about ten years old, so he paid him no mind.

He simply continued to look at the Wudang Sect leader. "May I ask the leader if..."

"PFFT!"

Another snicker, louder this time, came from the same young child. Liu Pan couldn't help but feel somewhat irritated.

He was about to suppress his anger and ignore it.

However, the child, seeing he was getting away with such impertinence without reprimand—his master and senior brothers seemingly giving their tacit approval—dropped all pretense and burst out laughing loudly.

Unable to endure it any longer, Liu Pan finally asked, "Child, why do you keep laughing while I'm speaking with your master?"

"Of course, I'm laughing at your naivety!" the child answered without any restraint, shaking his head. "Our Wudang's ancestor, the revered Zhang Sanfeng, was a prodigy, unique through the ages. He only achieved the status of Great Grandmaster at the age of seventy. And now, some unknown person pops up, wanting to imitate our ancestor and become a Great Grandmaster too—even asking us to lend him books! Don't you think that's ludicrous?"

"Hold your tongue! Show some respect!"

Only when the child was nearly finished speaking did the Wudang leader, who had remained mostly silent, finally rebuke him, telling him to be quiet. Then, he turned to Liu Pan with a smile. "The words of a child, lacking discipline. Please don't take it to heart."

To hell with you! Liu Pan cursed inwardly. Why ask the child to hold his tongue only now? What were you doing before? Aren't you just using this child to voice your own thoughts? Is this the attitude befitting the Daoist legacy of Wudang? If Zhang Sanfeng could become a Great Grandmaster, why can't Zhang Beixing?

"As for this Grandmaster Zhang you speak of," the Wudang leader continued, "I haven't heard of him. Perhaps he is a newly promoted Grandmaster? Information is scarce up here in the mountains; please forgive us."

Liu Pan didn't reply. With a stern face, he stood up. He didn't want to be humiliated here for nothing, so without another word, he simply said, "Farewell." Then he turned and left without looking back.

Seeing his reaction, the Wudang leader made a show of trying to detain him but didn't even shift from his seat.

Liu Pan ignored him completely, just snorted, "Blind as a bat," and went straight into the deep mountains towards the tourist area.

The Wudang disciples shook their heads repeatedly, looking down on him with extreme disdain.

Perhaps other Martial Arts schools had little concept of the 'Great Grandmaster' title because it was too remote, more like a legend, and utterly irrelevant to them.

But for Wudang Mountain, the title of Great Grandmaster was a matter of prestige, a symbol.

Because Wudang had Zhang Sanfeng seven hundred years ago, the Perfected Man.

And now, someone actually wanted to be considered on par with their own ancestor? Wasn't that grossly overestimating oneself? In these several hundred years, not a second Great Grandmaster had emerged from Wudang Mountain, yet an outsider wanted to try?

That's why the Wudang Cultists had such an attitude; they found it preposterous, feeling as if Zhang Sanfeng had been defiled.

「As for Chen He Gao, there was even less to say.」

As soon as the martial practitioners of Hang City heard that this notorious 'egg-kicking lunatic' had arrived, they didn't care about his purpose. They simply slammed their doors shut and, no matter how much Chen He Gao knocked, remained unmoved.

「At the headquarters of the Great Xia Martial Arts Association.」

The president of the Northern River Province Martial Arts Association sat tensely, his hands clenched tightly.

Beside him sat the presidents of the Martial Arts Associations from the other provinces. Among them, the president from Southern Province frowned in thought for a moment, exchanged a glance with the others, then shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, President Liang. We can't accept your request to share Martial Arts. Secret manuals are the most important treasures of each sect. We cannot ask them to hand over their Martial Arts for a nebulous Great Grandmaster, nor can we compel them to do so. We hope you can understand."

Hearing their words, even though he had been mentally prepared, President Liang still trembled. His figure seemed somewhat hunched as he sighed and said helplessly, "I understand. I'm very sorry for calling everyone here over this matter, troubling you all and taking up your time."

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