Chapter One: Expelled from Mount Mao Sect

"What do you mean, Master? I don't understand," Zhang Xiao stood there, stunned. Seeing this, the Ethereal Daoist’s eyes brimmed with the loving kindness and reluctant affection of an elder. "I've watched you grow. Your potential is still far from fully realized, but neither I nor anyone in the entire Mount Mao Sect can teach you anything further. If you stay, you'll only endure suppression and ostracism, perhaps even become a discarded pawn like Wang Yanbo."

Wang Yanbo! At the mention of his name, Zhang Xiao suddenly shuddered. "What happened to Wang Yanbo?" The Ethereal Daoist shook his head. "You already know his fate, don't you?"

Zhang Xiao trembled at these words, sitting in silence. The Ethereal Daoist continued, "Such is the cruelty of the sect. For its interests, the founder’s disciple must disappear from the world. Go, child—seek your own realm, and never let yourself become a pawn you cannot control again." With that, the Ethereal Daoist turned to leave. Zhang Xiao, alarmed, cried out, "Master!"

The Ethereal Daoist paid no heed to Zhang Xiao’s shout, his figure fading swiftly from sight. A clear voice echoed in the distance, "Every meeting must end in parting; fate rises and falls as flowers bloom. Go now!"

Zhang Xiao heard this, his heart trembling and mute. "Fate rises and falls as flowers bloom," he thought. Had his own flower bloomed now? Staring after the Ethereal Daoist’s departing figure, Zhang Xiao knelt, bowing three times in a grand gesture. "Master, your disciple departs. I will carve out my own world and prove myself."

With these words, Zhang Xiao strode from the Pavilion of a Thousand Machines, heading for the teleportation array at the mountain’s foot. This time he neither used supernatural speed nor rode a magical artifact; he walked, step by step, like any ordinary person, occasionally pausing to observe the scenery.

"Brother, wait," came a voice—Qing Song appeared from nowhere. "Take care, Brother." Qing Song, Zhang Xiao’s closest companion, was deeply saddened upon learning that Zhang Xiao would be expelled, and could only see him off here.

Zhang Xiao smiled at Qing Song, "No need to escort me, lest Master cannot find you and punishes you. If fate allows, perhaps we’ll meet again." Though he said this, Zhang Xiao knew in his heart that the chance was slim, perhaps nonexistent; he might never set foot in Mount Mao again.

Qing Song nodded. "I hope next time I see you, Brother, you’ll have reached the Nascent Soul stage." After a brief, reluctant conversation, the two brothers parted, their years of camaraderie making the farewell bittersweet even as Zhang Xiao was determined to leave.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Zhang Xiao was startled to see a young man in white standing beside the teleportation gate, holding a golden brush, writing something on a sheet of paper. It was none other than Zhou Yuan, soon to be the supreme leader of Mount Mao.

Zhou Yuan glanced at Zhang Xiao. "Brother leaves the mountain, so I’ve come to see you off. At this parting, I have nothing else to give, so I offer you a calligraphy and painting." With a gentle flip of his palm, Zhou Yuan cast the newly finished artwork toward Zhang Xiao.

Zhang Xiao took the painting and saw that the figure depicted was himself. Beside the portrait, a single line of bold script: "Sharpness exposed, steel bends and breaks."

Zhang Xiao tucked away the painting. "Fine words, fine art. In return, let me give you a line." With that, Zhang Xiao leapt onto a nearby stone wall, fingers as a brush, swiftly carving. When he landed, fragments of stone fell away, revealing eight grand characters: "Man proposes, Heaven disposes."

They shone brilliantly on the stone wall. Zhou Yuan and Zhang Xiao gazed at each other, then burst into laughter. "Take care," Zhang Xiao said, cupping his hands to Zhou Yuan, striding into the teleportation array.

Watching Zhang Xiao's departing figure, Zhou Yuan turned his gaze to the eight characters he’d left. His expression flickered between light and shadow. An inner disciple approached respectfully, "Brother, what does this mean?"

Clearly Zhou Yuan’s confidant, he patiently explained, "I gave him a painting to mock his excessive brilliance and lack of restraint, and he responded by mocking me with these eight characters. You can figure out the meaning yourself." With that, Zhou Yuan left, the disciple staring at the words with growing confusion.

In truth, the phrase was not only for Zhou Yuan, but also for Zhang Xiao himself. Yet outsiders, unaware of its origin, could not guess its deeper meaning.

After leaving Mount Mao, Zhang Xiao arrived at the Z City branch, distributing the treasures won from the Nine Sects Tournament to Xia Cheng and Xia Tan—items he neither needed nor valued.

The news of Zhang Xiao’s imminent expulsion stunned Xia Cheng and Xia Tan, leaving them at a loss, but Zhang Xiao appeared utterly unconcerned. Though he’d felt indignant upon first hearing the news, after calming himself, he realized the Ethereal Daoist had spoken rightly: staying in Mount Mao would only constrain him, and was no longer suitable. Instead, being expelled granted him a far broader world to soar through.

Thus, Zhang Xiao felt not anxious but especially at ease. After asking Xia Tan to prepare a secluded chamber, Zhang Xiao promptly entered closed-door cultivation.

This time, his focus was twofold: first, to take stock of his tournament gains. Aside from the treasures given to Xia Cheng and Xia Tan, only two items caught his eye—the formation plate dropped by Tian Long’er, and the jade pendant dropped by Song Qing.

Zhang Xiao first picked up the formation plate, studying it carefully. After a long while, a smile spread across his face—it was called the Ganges Sand Formation, a world unto itself and, remarkably, a killing array. Though its grade was inferior to the formation Tian Long’er had used to trap him, it was fully refined and much more powerful in practice. Had Tian Long’er truly wanted to trap him, she would have used this killing array.

This formation truly surprised Zhang Xiao. After storing the plate, he turned his attention to Song Qing’s jade pendant. It appeared utterly ordinary, devoid of any spiritual aura, yet Zhang Xiao was certain it was no simple trinket. When Song Qing died, he reached toward it, desperate to grasp it—proof of its significance.

Zhang Xiao scrutinized the pendant, but detected nothing unusual. Growing impatient, he sent his spiritual sense into it. He only meant to wrap it and see if any secrets lay within, but as soon as his spiritual sense touched the jade, it was absorbed inside. Alarmed, Zhang Xiao quickly withdrew his sense—knowing that spiritual sense is the root of one's soul, and losing a portion would be a grievous wound.

Yet once his sense returned, Zhang Xiao’s expression grew strange. He toyed with the pendant, thinking, "I have no idea what this pendant is for. Infusing it with spiritual energy or Buddhist power does nothing, yet my spiritual sense can enter—there must be a hidden secret within."

With this thought, Zhang Xiao pressed the pendant to his forehead, carefully guiding his spiritual sense inside. Soon, he opened his eyes, gazing solemnly at the pendant—it contained only a peculiar map. With the world’s geography now drastically altered, he could not recognize the location, though he was certain the map concealed a great secret. For now, he could only set it aside.

He checked the countdown for the Heavenly Punishment in his attribute panel—five days remained. Closing his eyes, Zhang Xiao began communicating with his avatar. Radiant Buddhist light shone from his brow, enveloping him. Time slipped by.

Meanwhile, the world had fallen into chaos. Since the Nine Sects Tournament, Mount Mao dominated, claiming half of all benefits. Nearly every disciple of the nine sects now knew Zhang Xiao's name—a legend who had eclipsed the heirs of all nine great sects.

Just as people were discussing him, Mount Mao released an even more shocking announcement: the chief, Kong Xuan, personally declared Zhang Xiao expelled. The news stunned everyone, even the elders and chiefs of the other eight great sects, who found it utterly baffling. In their place, they would never make such a foolish decision. Zhang Xiao's strength was undeniable—even if he threatened Zhou Yuan’s rise, there was no need to expel him. It was like letting a golden-egg-laying hen go, and earning a reputation for betrayal.

Such foolishness was unthinkable. Meanwhile, the eight other sects scrambled to track Zhang Xiao, determined to recruit him. Even if he failed to withstand the Heavenly Punishment, such a prodigy would not fall from a single ordeal. All eight sects dispatched their disciples, turning the world upside down.

Zhang Xiao, oblivious to the turmoil outside, sat in meditation in his secluded chamber, Buddhist light surrounding him. Waves of Buddhist sound resonated from within, and Zhang Xiao could clearly feel every part of his body—from flesh to bone and blood—vibrating in a strange rhythm with the Buddhist music. Muscles and bones became ever more tightly knit, and a faint golden hue appeared in his blood.

This phenomenon marked Zhang Xiao's mastery of the Diamond Immovable Body, breaking through to the fifth layer of the Brahma Zen Sutra. In the Golden Tower of Flying Clouds, the lightning summoned by Zhang Yifan had not harmed him—instead, aided by the thunder and Buddha’s Golden Wheel, his avatar had reached the fifth layer of the Brahma Zen Sutra.