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

Zhang Jingqing knew that her apprentice had important matters to attend to, so she did not stop him. She simply reminded him, as usual, to think things through before acting and to be careful in everything he did.

Zhang Zhiwei bid farewell to his master, this time without bringing Tian Jinzhong or Zhang Huaiyi, and went alone to a secluded corner of the back mountain. With a thought, a lightning portal opened up out of thin air, and his figure transformed into a bolt of lightning, soaring into the sky and disappearing without a trace in an instant.

A few minutes later, the sky over Shanghai was clear and blue.

On an open space outside the Tiantong Church resettlement area, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck out of nowhere. When the lightning subsided, Zhang Zhiwei's figure had already appeared there.

Before long, four figures arrived upon hearing the news. The one in the lead was wearing a white tank top, revealing his lean but muscular upper body. He wore plastic slippers, had thinning hair, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. He was none other than one of the three newly emerging tycoons of Shanghai's underworld, "Fire Cloud Evil God".

Behind him followed a couple. The man was tall and thin, wearing a loose white shirt, with half a cigarette dangling from his mouth, looking sleepy and languid.

The woman had an exaggerated perm, an unlit cigarette dangling from her mouth, and a fierce look in her eyes; they were none other than the "landlord" and "landlady."

Wang Ai followed behind them, panting heavily as she ran.

This area was once known as "Pig Cage Alley," a notorious slum.

Since Wang Ai, acting on Zhang Zhiwei's orders, expanded it into a resettlement area for the staff and families of the Tiantong Church, after many years of construction, it has been completely transformed into a large and prosperous community.

The former core area of ​​Pig Cage Alley has been renovated and transformed into a high-end apartment building, where the landlord and landlady still reside.

Wang Ai had arrived earlier and informed them of Zhang Zhiwei's upcoming arrival.

Upon hearing the signature thunderous sound, they knew that Zhang Zhiwei had arrived and hurried over to greet him.

"Greetings, Little Celestial Master!" The three members of the Fire Cloud Evil God clasped their fists in unison, their expressions respectful.

"Oh my, Senior Brother Zhang, you've come so fast!" Wang Ai hurried over as well: "I just mentioned you and you're already here. I haven't even had time to prepare yet, and I haven't arranged any welcoming banquet or anything."

Zhang Zhiwei waved his hand casually: "He's not some big shot, no need for such pomp and circumstance."

"Little Celestial Master, you're being too modest," the landlord chuckled.

“That’s right,” the landlady said, taking the cigarette out of her mouth and stubbing it out. “If you’re not a remarkable person, then there’s no remarkable person in the world.”

"What instructions does the Little Celestial Master have for this trip to the Demon Capital? Who needs to be killed?" Fire Cloud Evil God asked impatiently, a murderous glint in his eyes.

Zhang Zhiwei waved his hand: "We don't need to kill anyone for now."

Upon hearing this, the Fire Cloud Evil God's face immediately revealed an undisguised disappointment. Known as the "Ultimate Killer King," he had been living a truly dull and tasteless life lately. Since submitting to the Little Celestial Master, he hadn't had a good time killing in a long time.

Zhang Zhiwei glanced at him and said calmly, "Bear with it a little longer. In a few days, I'll let you kill to your heart's content."

"Alright!" Fire Cloud Evil God perked up and laughed heartily, "Then I'll just have to endure it a little longer!"

"Let's kill to our hearts' content?" The landlord and landlady exchanged a glance, both sensing the gravity in each other's eyes.

They weren't idiots; they had their own judgment about the current situation. They had naturally seen the "Joint Declaration against the Japanese" published in the newspapers earlier.

Currently, a large part of Shanghai is actually under the control of Japanese pirates. Once a war officially breaks out, this place will inevitably become the center of the storm.

"Little Celestial Master... is he planning to relocate all the people in the Tiantong resettlement area?" After a moment of contemplation, the landlord finally voiced his concerns.

Zhang Zhiwei thought for a moment and said, "There are too many people in the resettlement area. Even if I wanted to relocate, many people wouldn't be willing to come with me. Let the people here stay here if they don't want to move."

“But what if war breaks out?” the landlady said. “The Japanese pirates might attack this place.”

“That’s possible,” Zhang Zhiwei nodded. “That’s why I came here this time to pack up and dispose of all the remaining light industrial factories of the Tiantong Church.”

“These things can’t be taken with us. Keeping them will only cause trouble for the people in the factory. It’s better to resell them and sever ties with the Tiantong Church. That way, even if war breaks out in the future, they won’t be easily affected.”

Upon hearing this, both the landlord and landlady felt a chill in their hearts.

"Little Celestial Master, has the situation gotten so bad that there's... no room for improvement whatsoever?" the landlord asked.

“No.” Zhang Zhiwei’s answer was direct: “The reason I didn’t take them with me is because this is Shanghai, where foreign powers are deeply entrenched. Even if things change in the future, the Japanese pirates won’t dare to go too far and won’t go so far as to exterminate them. If this were any other place, I would have forcibly packed them all up and taken them away long ago.”

"And... what about the church?" the landlady asked again.

“If you observe carefully, you should notice that the core members of the church have already gradually left. As for ordinary believers, who doesn’t have a religion? It’s not a big problem,” Zhang Zhiwei said.

"Tian Tong Medical Clinic is moving out too, right?" The landlord sighed.

“That’s right,” Zhang Zhiwei nodded, “They all have to leave.”

He dared to leave some of his immortals in Northeast China to fight the Japanese pirates, but in Shanghai, a place with no natural defenses, he really couldn't leave any behind. Otherwise, if they were targeted, he wouldn't even have a chance to escape.

Wang Ai also spoke up: "I have already made arrangements in Chongqing. Tiantong Medical Clinic will be relocated there in its entirety. Not only Chongqing, but I have also arranged places in Chengdu, so that we can open clinics in multiple locations."

"Then... what about us?" the landlord muttered to himself.

"Why don't you move too?" Zhang Zhiwei said. "Anyway, it's all about living in seclusion, so where doesn't matter where you go?"

The landlord and landlady exchanged a glance, both hesitant. Although they had come here to live in seclusion, they had spent decades here, and the thought of leaving suddenly filled them with reluctance.

"Think about it yourselves." Zhang Zhiwei didn't insist, and then said to Wang Ai, "Let's go, Fatty, take me to see the Tiantong Church. I need to leave something there."

"Alright, Senior Brother Zhang, please come with me."

Immediately, the two turned and left, leaving only the landlord and landlady with worried expressions, and the Fire Cloud Evil God still fantasizing about wreaking havoc.

Zhang Zhiwei and Wang Ai arrived at the headquarters of the Tiantong Church.

This place was originally a cathedral of the Catholic Church. After Zhang Zhiwei expelled his forces, Wang Ai renovated it and turned it into the headquarters of the Tiantong Church.

Over the years, the Tian Tong Church has been engaged in extensive charity work, and coupled with the various urban legends left behind by the "Tian Tong Master," it has attracted a large number of believers in this area.

Even though Wang Ai had moved most of his core forces to Chongqing, the number of believers here was still quite considerable. Many believers from other places, especially from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, traveled long distances to burn incense and pray for blessings.

Upon arriving at Tiantong Cathedral, Wang Ai said, "Brother Zhang, with your permission, I passed on the 'Shoveling the Earth' technique. Many believers can practice it, and we've even set up a morning exercise department, leading the believers in practice every morning. Many members of the current church protection team were selected through this method. It's almost time for morning exercise; would you like to go and take a look?" "Then let's go," Zhang Zhiwei said.

Soon, they arrived at the bell tower at the top of the church and looked down from the railing.

At this moment, believers were arriving from all directions, flowing into the huge square in front of the church like streams.

Looking at the crowd swarming below like ants, Zhang Zhiwei slowly said, "This place is less my achievement and more your hard work. Will you be sad to see it all destroyed?"

"To say I'm not upset at all would be a lie," Wang Ai sighed. "But what can I do? Fortunately, things aren't bad in Chongqing either, which is some consolation."

"By the way, how is Chen Zhen?" Zhang Zhiwei suddenly remembered this person.

“This kid is doing very well abroad,” Wang Ai said with a smile. “He even gathered a group of Chinese people and managed to create a Chinatown from the local gangsters. He’s also the one who’s looking after our businesses there.”

Zhang Zhiwei nodded: "This kid is quite capable."

“If he can return and receive guidance from you, Senior Brother Zhang, he will surely have a brighter future,” Wang Ai said.

"I'm not exaggerating. It all depends on his own fate," Zhang Zhiwei said, waving his hand.

“By the way, Senior Brother Zhang, I’ve discovered a promising talent during my trip to Shanghai,” Wang Ai said.

"What good prospects?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

Wang Ai's expression became somewhat excited: "The people I left here to teach said that a while ago, a believer named A Xing suddenly obtained Qi. This person's talent is terrifying. As soon as he obtained Qi, he possessed strength far beyond that of ordinary people. Even the few good people I left here together were no match for him."

“Ah Xing…” Zhang Zhiwei pondered, “Does he also know the Tathagata Palm?”

Wang Ai was startled and blurted out, "Senior Brother Zhang, how did you know? This is a technique he uses as soon as he obtains Qi."

“I guessed,” Zhang Zhiwei said casually.

"Senior Brother Zhang, you truly have the ability to foresee the future!" Wang Ai exclaimed. "When I arrived earlier, I specifically asked Ah Xing about the Tathagata Palm."

"He said that a beggar sold it to him when he was a child. The beggar said that he had extraordinary talent and was a martial arts prodigy, one in a million, and that the task of maintaining world peace would be entrusted to him in the future..."

Wang Ai paused for a moment, then said, "I was thinking, isn't this the same story as the one told by the beggar that Tian Jinzhong encountered when he and Zhang Huaiyi came to Shanghai last time? We even went to look for him there, but we couldn't find him."

Zhang Zhiwei nodded and said, "That's right, that beggar is a master."

"Brother Zhang, can you find him now?" Wang Ai asked.

“Of course we can find him,” Zhang Zhiwei countered, “but what would we do with him?”

Wang Ai was taken aback. Of course, what did he want to do with him? Did he want to buy all the martial arts manuals in his possession?

As they were speaking, the melodious morning bell rang.

Hundreds of believers had gathered in the square of Tiantong Cathedral. Led by several clergy members, they all assumed their stances and began practicing the traditional earth-shoveling exercise, which is said to have been created by the founder of Tiantong Church.

The hundreds of people moved in perfect unison, and although there was no earth-shattering momentum, there was a vibrant energy flowing through them.

The morning mist, mixed with the steam rising from the believers' bodies, created a scene that, under the rising sun, possessed a natural and serene Taoist atmosphere.

“Senior Brother Zhang!” Wang Ai pointed to a young man in the crowd who was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, thin but with a clever air, and said, “That’s Ah Xing. Do you want to go and meet him? This guy is really something. The landlord and landlady both went to test him and said he is a once-in-a-century genius.”

"According to my prediction, his talent is even above that of Lao Lu and Er Bi. I have never seen a case where someone can defeat multiple experts as soon as they obtain Qi."

Zhang Zhiwei looked at the somewhat familiar face below and said, "This shows that his innate ability is very strong."

"But I haven't discovered that he has any innate abilities?" Wang Ai asked, puzzled.

“Not finding it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist,” Zhang Zhiwei explained. “Acquired superhumans have many top-notch skills, and innate superhumans sometimes also create some incredible and bizarre techniques.”

“I know that. For example, the shameless spirit of the gods is considered a kind of innate skill. What is Ah Xing’s ability?” Wang Ai asked curiously.

Looking down at Ah Xing, Zhang Zhiwei thought to himself: No wonder this kid is like an unkillable cockroach. He gets poisoned by snakes, stabbed with knives, and even has his head blown off by the Fire Cloud Evil God, but he always recovers quickly. So that's how it is...

Others may not be able to see through his true nature, but Zhang Zhiwei sees through him at a glance.

The boy's Baihui acupoint on the top of his head is open, with an invisible passage connecting the outside world on one end and his body on the other, like a bridge between heaven and earth.

This is somewhat similar to the Six Treasuries Immortal Thief, but not entirely the same. The Six Treasuries Immortal Thief can actively absorb and digest primordial Qi, and even store it.

Ah Xing's ability, to be precise, is more like a passive version of the "Stepping the Dipper" technique of the Liaodong Tiangang Sect.

"Stepping on the Dipper" allows users to open their body's acupoints and connect with heaven and earth through specific steps and stances, thereby absorbing celestial energy, which is natural energy, to maintain vigorous energy or repair physical injuries.

Ah Xing's innate ability is that he doesn't need to perform any special rituals; his body's acupoints are naturally connected to heaven and earth, allowing him to passively draw on celestial energy continuously.

This extraction is passive; he cannot actively "eat" like the Six Treasures Immortal Thief, nor can he store it. He merely inserts an invisible tube between his body and the world.

It's like a toilet at home. You press the switch, which only flushes the water out of the toilet. You can't control the upstream reservoir or even the amount of water in the toilet. Anyway, as long as the toilet is low on water, it will automatically flush to refill, and once it's full, it will stop.

Ah Xing is now like a "human toilet." Whenever his Qi is depleted, external natural energy will automatically flow into his body through that invisible channel to replenish it.

Under the influence of massive amounts of natural energy, his Qi is almost inexhaustible. As long as he is not completely destroyed in one blow, he can use this energy to continuously repair his body.

This is almost like having a near-immortal body; however, immortality is not the same as agelessness.

Because the energy of heaven and earth is not all primordial Qi.

In fact, the amount of primordial energy contained in the natural energy of heaven and earth is extremely small.

Ah Xing can only passively receive it; he cannot absorb it himself. It's hard to say how much innate Qi can flow into his body through that pathway.

However, one thing is certain: he will live a long life. (End of Chapter)