Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

The student surpasses the teacher.

The student surpasses the teacher, yet is different from the teacher!
This thought struck the Imperial Advisor like a thunderbolt.

At this moment, the Imperial Advisor lost interest in the role-playing game. He turned and left the temple, returned to his room, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and fell into unprecedented contemplation.

Inside the room, only the faint sounds of the city outside the window and the silent surge of emotions remained.

Meanwhile, in a noodle shop in Chongqing, Zhang Zhiwei, who was slurping up pea and minced meat noodles, suddenly felt something and looked in the direction of Tiantong Steel Plant.

He sensed the Grand Preceptor's unusual behavior. Although he could still sense the Grand Preceptor's presence, he could no longer use his ability to read the Grand Preceptor's thoughts.

The last glimmer of the Grand Preceptor's thoughts that he could glean flashed through his mind.

The student is different from the teacher.

Immediately, the words his master had once spoken to him flashed back to him.

The mind is like a monkey, difficult to tame. To overcome this hurdle, one must travel, experience, and temper one's mind, allowing one's essence to be internalized and rounded, sharpening one's edge into a smooth circle, smoothing out and rounding out the cruelty, ferocity, restlessness, and all kinds of demonic unease in one's heart.

He didn't try to temper his mind as his master had instructed; he was just trying to beat his mind.

During the fight, he did not impose any restrictions on the Mind Monkey, allowing it to grow unchecked.

In fact, the Imperial Advisor has indeed been growing and improving over the years, but his progress is far slower than Zhang Zhiwei's, which is why he has never seemed to pose any threat and even appears silly and funny.

But if this growth rate were applied to an ordinary superhuman, it would be a world of difference.

During the National Preceptor's progress, Zhang Zhiwei did not interfere much. He even allowed the National Preceptor to participate in his cultivation, which, in a sense, was intentionally allowing his inner demons to grow stronger.

But in the end, the Imperial Preceptor did not raise a tiger that would turn against Zhang Zhiwei, as his master and uncles had feared. Unbeknownst to him, the Imperial Preceptor gradually honed himself, and without Zhang Zhiwei's interference, he reached the realm that his master had spoken of.

At this moment, it wasn't Zhang Zhiwei who subdued his restless mind.

Rather, it was the restless mind that subdued itself.

The Imperial Advisor is no longer the restless mind, nor the inner demon.

He became someone who was both one with Zhang Zhiwei and not one with him, independent yet not independent.

What seems contradictory is actually quite harmonious.

Just like Buddha and Vidyaraja, Zhenwu and tortoise and snake, etc.

"It was an unexpected stroke of luck; I never imagined the Imperial Advisor would reach this level. Now, he truly is the Imperial Advisor."

Zhang Zhiwei smiled and continued eating his pea and minced meat noodles. He really liked this dish; in fact, he preferred it to the numbing and spicy hot pot.

After finishing a bowl of steaming hot pea and minced meat noodles with bright red chili oil, Zhang Zhiwei felt completely refreshed.

He put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and did so in a manner as ordinary as any other ordinary diner in the marketplace.

The noodle shop was bustling with activity, filled with the vibrant atmosphere of everyday life.

He didn't rush to leave, but instead poured himself a bowl of soup and slowly drank it, his gaze casually sweeping over his surroundings.

Not far from the noodle shop, there was an old banyan tree. Under the tree, a vendor carried a small basket on his back and held a small hammer and a small shovel in his hand, knocking away without making any noise.

But people of this era understand what this means, especially children.

A little girl with pigtails grabbed her mother's hand and ran to the vendor, pestering her mother to buy something.

The mother couldn't refuse, so she took out a few copper coins and handed them over.

The vendor put down his basket, opened the layers of packaging, took out a large piece of golden solid, then picked up a small hammer and shovel and gently tapped the edge of the solid.

"Ding!!"

A small, stone-like solid fell, and a sweet aroma filled the air.

The vendor wrapped it in a thin sheet of oil paper and handed it to the little girl.

The little girl happily took it and carefully licked it, her face full of happiness.

Zhang Zhiwei watched this scene with a faint smile on his face. The yellow solid was actually maltose. There were far fewer snacks in this era than in later generations. For many people, that small piece of yellow solid was the sweetest memory of this era.

Then, his gaze fell on the fortune teller on the street, who was eloquently persuading a woman with a worried expression.

He also saw several furtive figures making a shady deal in a dark alley corner.

Good and evil, beauty and ugliness, hope and despair, are playing out simultaneously in every corner of this city.

Zhang Zhiwei didn't "observe" the fates of these people; he simply watched, observing the simplest and purest joys and sorrows of this mundane world.

His eyes remained calm, devoid of joy or sorrow, yet not numb. It was a clarity that saw through the essence beneath the surface, a clarity that encompassed all things without being burdened by them.

See the world, see all living beings, and then see yourself.

Zhang Zhiwei took out a silver dollar, gently placed it on the table, and then slowly stood up without disturbing anyone, naturally merging into the bustling crowd outside the door.

…………

…………

The next day, before dawn, Zhang Zhiwei put on the Nine-Cylinder Mask and gathered all the "Zhang Mazi" (a nickname for Zhang Zhiwei) in a place called Niutou Mountain.

There used to be a band of bandits here, but they were taken in by Zhang Zhiwei last night and have now become part of "Zhang Mazi's" huge gang.

At this moment, hundreds of people stood in the open space in front of Niutou Mountain Village, each looking fierce and menacing.

These are all the assets that Zhang Zhiwei has "hard-earned" recently, enough to support several hundred people. If so many pockmarked men come down the mountain, which landlord can withstand being robbed?

Zhang Zhiwei's gaze swept over the rabble, and he selected an elite squad composed of Quanxing members, ordering them to wear protective armor and make a trip to Zhao Family Village. He wanted them to make a big fuss, letting everyone know that 'Zhang Mazi' had arrived.

After all, the reputation of "Zhang Mazi" was so terrifying, created by the Tang Clan and himself, that ordinary bandits couldn't handle the situation.

As for the vast majority of the rest, they remained on the mountain, serving as both the backdrop for cheering and the actors waiting to be "annihilated."

The team received their orders, slapped their "Swift Armored Horses" covered in talismans onto their legs, put on identical cylindrical masks, and instantly became as light and agile as swallows. Like ghosts, they darted down the mountain and headed straight for the pre-arranged Zhao Family Village.

……

Meanwhile, on a secluded hillside outside the Zhao residence, Liu Mang, Fan Pengju, and a dozen or so of the most prominent landlords and gentry from Sichuan were each holding a telescope they had acquired from the West, nervously watching the commotion below.

Just then, a group of people wearing mahjong tile masks suddenly appeared around the Zhao residence.

"They're here! They're here!" a landlord exclaimed, his voice trembling.

The other landlords raised their binoculars and stared intently. They saw a group of people wearing mahjong tile and rice tube masks, each with superhuman agility, leaping across rooftops and scaling walls at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye, leaving only blurry afterimages. The several-meter-high courtyard wall was utterly useless before them.

"My goodness! Is this...is this even human?"

"No wonder we couldn't wipe them out no matter how many troops we sent. With their speed and agility, the main army is still on its way, while they've already crossed mountains and disappeared without a trace."

"If we hadn't hired the Little Celestial Master, how would we have fought them?"

The landlords were all terrified. The resentment they felt at being extorted had vanished, replaced by a deep sense of fear and relief.

Master Zhao was terrified and his face turned ashen.

Seeing the horde of men rushing towards his manor like hungry wolves, Master Zhao could no longer contain himself. He rushed to "Zhang Zhiwei" and pleaded with a tearful voice:

"Little Celestial Master! Little Celestial Master! Please help quickly! If you delay any longer, all my savings will be gone!"

However, the actor playing Zhang Zhiwei, aka "National Master," didn't even lift his eyelids, and his tone remained flat and emotionless.

"Master Zhao, please calm down. You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. What's rushing in now is just a small advance force. We haven't even found 'Zhang Mazi's' main force, his lair, yet. If we act now, wouldn't we be alerting them? We need to follow this group, trace the clues, and find their lair before we can wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

"But...but my family business..." Master Zhao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, beating his chest and stamping his feet. The news that Zhang Mazi was coming to visit his family came too suddenly, and he had no time to transfer his family property.

Other landlords nearby also offered their "consolation":
"Brother Zhao, please consider the bigger picture!"

"Yes, sacrificing your family for the happiness of all of us... uh, it's like ridding Sichuan of a great scourge!"

"Money is just an external thing; as long as you're alive, that's all that matters!"

Hearing these sarcastic remarks, Master Zhao was so angry he almost vomited blood, but he was helpless and could only watch as the group of "Zhang Mazi" rushed into the Zhao mansion like a whirlwind.

Soon, shouts from guards, the clash of weapons, and shrill screams echoed from inside the mansion, followed by the chaotic sounds of ransacking, smashing, and destroying porcelain and other valuables.

Soon, the group of "Zhang Mazi" swarmed through the Zhao mansion like locusts, looting all the valuables inside. Each of them, carrying bulging bundles, quickly retreated and fled towards Niutou Mountain in the distance.

Master Zhao's vision blurred, and he nearly fainted. He gripped Zhang Zhiwei's sleeve tightly, pleading, "Little Celestial Master! I beg you! You must avenge me and get back all the stolen valuables!"

"Noisy!"

Zhang Zhiwei tossed him far away with a flick of his wrist.

Master Zhao fell and was bleeding from his head, covered in dust and dirt. After getting up, he trembled and dared not speak.

The other landlords were also startled, silently recalling the identity of the person in front of them. This person was not some servant; they could not act recklessly in front of him just because they had been paid.

"Little Celestial Master, the other party is running so fast, how should we catch up with them?" Liu Mang, the shill, asked.

"Then you'd better hurry!"

After saying that, Zhang Zhiwei waved his sleeve, and several fine silver lightning bolts shot out like serpents, precisely wrapping around the waists of each landlord and "tying" them up.

"Ah!" The landlords were startled by this sudden turn of events, thinking that the little celestial master was about to attack them.

"go!"

"Zhang Zhiwei" shouted, and the lightning bolts tightened suddenly, pulling a group of pampered old men into the sky!

The wind whistled in their ears, and the earth rushed past their feet. They were being pulled by an irresistible force, speeding towards Niutou Mountain at an extremely fast pace!

Such miraculous skills terrified the group of landlords, who screamed in the air, exclaiming, "The Little Celestial Master has descended to earth!"

In no time at all, the group was "taken" to the foot of Niutou Mountain.

"This is Zhang Mazi's lair."

"Zhang Zhiwei" dissipated the lightning and placed the still-shaken landlords on a hilltop with a wide view opposite.

"Little Celestial Master, how will you go up and wipe them out?" someone asked in a trembling voice.

Zhang Zhiwei did not answer. His figure blurred, and his body suddenly burst with dazzling lightning. He transformed into a bolt of lightning that tore through the sky and crashed down into the Niu Tou Mountain stronghold!

"He...he just jumped over there?!"

On the distant mountaintop, the landlords watched the golden lightning bolt darting left and right among the bandits, their jaws nearly dropping to the ground in astonishment.

"Boom!"

The village gate, along with half of the village wall, was instantly reduced to dust by the raging thunder!
"Enemy attack!" Alarm bells rang loudly within the mountain stronghold, and countless people wearing cylindrical masks rushed out from all directions.

These bandits used various methods: some breathed poisonous flames, some wielded wind blades, some threw poisoned darts, and some wielded skeletal artifacts to summon ghosts...

In an instant, the village was filled with ghostly wails and howls, eerie winds blew, and all sorts of strange magical lights intertwined, making the landlords on the mountain shudder and tremble with fear.

However, the "Zhang Zhiwei" transformed from the Imperial Preceptor was surrounded by countless bolts of lightning, and every move he made was accompanied by deafening thunder, just like a real thunder god.

The methods of those Quanxing demons were like clay chickens and earthen dogs in front of him, utterly vulnerable!
He didn't even make many complicated movements; he simply waved his hand and took a step, and thunder would erupt from him.

Wherever fists and feet struck, lightning flashed, and the approaching bandits instantly turned into charred corpses, falling down amidst wisps of smoke.

"Little Celestial Master... His divine power is like a prison!" Liu Mang was captivated and murmured to himself.

"This...this is a complete disaster!"

"Little Celestial Master... is... is too amazing!"

The landlords had never seen such a scene before. Their faces turned ashen, their legs went weak, and they exclaimed that the Little Celestial Master's divine power was unstoppable.

But at that moment, another unexpected event occurred!

In the mountain stronghold, a tall figure, enveloped in heavy black energy, soared into the sky, confronting "Zhang Zhiwei".

"what is that?!"

"Could that be Zhang Mazi's leader?!"

The landlords stared in horror at the strange black mist.

Within the black mist, a tall figure wearing a nine-tube mask could be seen appearing and disappearing, exuding a sinister yet powerful aura.

"You scoundrel, prepare to die!"

With a clear shout, Zhang Zhiwei's body blazed with lightning. With a wave of his hand, the lightning bolts seemed to come alive, transforming into countless electric dragons and snakes that lunged at the black mist with bared fangs and claws.

The leader of the "Zhang Mazi" gang within the black mist was not to be outdone. He spread his arms, and the thick black mist rapidly condensed, transforming into countless ferocious, roaring black lions, which charged towards the lightning dragon-serpent! (End of Chapter)