This celestial master cultivates both physical and magical arts; why did you provoke him?

Chapter 72 How come you, a Taoist priest, are all muscle?

Three days after that article was published.

Fang Zijian's article continues to gain traction, with readership exceeding 80 million, and the comment section remains as lively as during the Lunar New Year.

But Shane's life was not affected much.

Eat when you're supposed to eat, sleep when you're supposed to sleep, and catch ghosts when you're supposed to catch ghosts.

Today's lollipop is still strawberry flavored, and the rattan chair is still the same rattan chair. I live like a retired cadre.

He can lie down and do nothing, yet he's still a billionaire!

However, an unexpected person arrived.

That afternoon, Xia En was teaching his junior sister Ma Xiaoling a variant of the Five Thunderbolts Method in the courtyard.

Ma Xiaoling stood in the center of the field, her hands forming a mudra, fine beads of sweat glistening on her forehead.

Xia En lay on the wicker chair, a lollipop dangling from his mouth, occasionally offering a few pointers:

"Xiaoling, your hand gesture is wrong. Your middle finger should be half an inch higher than your ring finger."

"You're using too much mana too quickly. Slow down and be more steady."

"No, let's try again."

Ma Xiaoling was sweating profusely from practicing, but her eyes were bright.

She's a person who never gives up; the harder it is, the more she wants to practice.

Fang Zijian squatted on the steps scrolling through his phone, while Liu Ruyan sat beside him reading a book.

Shen Ye dozed off against the wall, clutching a porcelain jar, while Cuihua basked in the sun by the well.

Everything was peaceful.

Then, the courtyard gate was kicked open.

"Bang--!!!"

The door flew off, crashed to the ground, and shattered into several pieces.

Amidst the swirling dust, a tall figure walked in.

It was a man, at least two meters tall, bald, wearing a black leather jacket that revealed his bulging muscles.

He wore a gold chain around his neck, a gold watch on his wrist, and several gold rings on his fingers.

He looks like a villain straight out of a gangster movie.

But there was no trace of evil about him.

He was a person, an ordinary person.

Xia En stared at the broken door and remained silent for a moment.

"The door, 30,000 yuan. Pay up."

The bald man looked at him, grinning to reveal a set of gold teeth.

"You're Xia En?"

"I am."

"My name is Tie Niu. I'm from Mount Tai."

The bald man pulled a cigar from his pocket, put it in his mouth, lit it, took a deep drag, and said, "I heard you're a good fighter. I'd like to have a match with you."

Xia En took the lollipop out of her mouth and looked at him.

"Mount Tai? Are you a Taoist priest?"

"No. I practice martial arts. Bajiquan."

"Bajiquan?"

Ma Xiaoling stopped her hand gestures and looked at the bald man. "Are you a successor of Bajiquan?"

"Yes. The eighth-generation successor, Tie Niu."

The bald man cracked his neck. "I watched those videos online, like punching a zombie king or using lightning to wipe out hundreds of zombies. I don't believe it. Those are all special effects."

"I came here today to see for myself whether you are really that strong."

Xia En paused for a moment.

"You kicked down my door to test whether I was really that strong?"

"Yes. How much is the door? I'll pay for it."

Thirty thousand.

Tie Niu took out a wad of cash from his pocket, counted out 30,000 yuan, and placed it on the steps.

Is that enough?

Xia En glanced at the stack of money and nodded.

That's enough.

Tie Niu put a cigar in his mouth and assumed the starting stance of Bajiquan.

"Come on. Let's have a fight. If I win, I'll leave. If I lose, I'll accept it."

Xia En looked at him and remained silent for a long time.

Then he laughed, "Are you sure you want to fight me?"

"Sure."

Xia En stood up and handed the lollipop to Ma Xiaoling.

"Hold this for me, Xiaoling."

He took off his jacket, revealing a black work vest underneath.

It wasn't the loose kind; it was tight-fitting, clinging to his body and outlining his body's lines.

Fang Zijian raised his phone, ready to take a picture.

Then his fingers froze.

Liu Ruyan closed the book, her mouth slightly open.

Shen Ye opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in his silvery-white eyes.

Cuihua floated over from the well, peeking curiously at Xia En.

Xia En stood in the center of the yard, wearing a black work vest.

His physique was clearly visible under the tight vest.

Broad shoulders, a strong chest, well-defined abs, and thick arms.

Not the kind of muscles you build in the gym that look good but aren't actually useful.

It's the kind of skill that comes from real, long-term, high-intensity training.

Each muscle contains explosive power.

Ma Xiaoling's hand trembled, and she almost dropped the lollipop. "Senior brother...you..."

"What's wrong?" Xia En looked down at herself, then looked up again, her expression calm.

"You...you have such muscles..."

"From practicing martial arts."

Xia En flexed his wrists. "I've been moving stones in the back mountains since I was a child, for over ten years."

Fang Zijian finally came to his senses and frantically pressed the shutter button.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Shane, you have abs! Eight-pack! Not a single one missing!"

Xia En glanced at him. "Are you bored?"

Fang Zijian shut up, but his hands didn't stop.

Tie Niu looked at Xia En's body, and the smile on his face froze.

He practices martial arts, and he can tell at a glance whether a person's body is truly capable of fighting.

Xia En's body wasn't the kind of physique you get from working out in a gym; it was a real, hard-won fighting machine.

Shane's muscles are well-defined, without an ounce of excess fat, and every muscle is perfectly proportioned.

It's not an exaggeration; it's powerful.

"You..." Tie Niu swallowed hard. "Are you really a Taoist master?"

"I am."

"How could a Celestial Master have such a body?"

Xia En thought for a moment.

"Because I am not just a Celestial Master. I am also a Body Cultivator."

Tie Niu fell silent.

He stopped his initial stance, took the cigar out of his mouth, and stubbed it out.

"I'm not playing anymore."

Xia En raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because I can't beat you."

Tie Niu looked at Xia En's body with a complicated expression. "I've practiced Bajiquan for twenty years and am confident I can beat most martial arts practitioners. But you're different. Your body wasn't built through martial arts training; it was forged through fighting."

"Every muscle in your body has been through real combat. If I fight you, I'm asking for it."

Xia En looked at Tie Niu and remained silent for a moment.

"You're quite honest."

"Those who practice martial arts don't lie to themselves."

Tie Niu stuffed the extinguished cigar into his pocket. "This trip was worthwhile. I saw with my own eyes what someone stronger than me looks like."

He turned and walked out.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Xia En.

"Shane, is it true that you punched the Zombie King to death?"

"real."

"No lightning magic used?"

"Used. Lightning magic plus physical skills."

Tie Niu paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Awesome. I'm impressed."

He strode out of the courtyard and disappeared into the alleyway.

The courtyard was quiet.

Fang Zijian held up his phone, his fingers still trembling.

Liu Ruyan closed the book, looked at Xia En, and blushed.

Shen Ye held the porcelain jar, his silvery-white eyes filled with shock.

Cuihua floated in mid-air, her chin almost falling to the ground.

Ma Xiaoling held the lollipop, looked at Xia En, and couldn't say a word for a long time.

Xia En sat back in the wicker chair, took the lollipop back from Ma Xiaoling, and put it in her mouth.

"What are you standing there for? Keep practicing."

Ma Xiaoling snapped out of her daze, took a deep breath, and resumed her hand gesture. "Senior brother."

"Um?"

"I really couldn't tell when you were dressed like that."

Xia En glanced at her. "What did you figure out?"

Ma Xiaoling blushed. "It's nothing."

She turned her head and continued practicing.

Fang Zijian squatted on the steps, looking at the photos he had just taken on his phone.

Wearing a black tight-fitting vest, Xia En stood in the middle of the courtyard, the sunlight shining on him, revealing his well-defined muscles.

He posted the photo on his WeChat Moments with the caption:

"You all think Xia En only knows lightning magic and talismans? You're wrong. He's also a physical cultivator. Eight-pack abs, he can punch through a demon. That's real strength."

The comments section exploded.

"Holy crap! Xia En has abs! Eight-pack!"

"That body, those lines... Is this a Taoist priest? Or a model?"

"One punch through a monster? Now I believe it."

"Wait, how come this young Taoist priest is all muscular?"

"Does the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain recruit Taoist priests or special forces soldiers?"

When the news reached Longhu Mountain, Zhang Jingxuan was drinking tea in the back hall.

Zhang Jingqing rushed in with her phone and showed him the photo.

Zhang Jingxuan glanced at it, paused for a moment, and then put down her teacup.

"When did this kid start practicing?"

Zhang Jingqing was taken aback.

"Master, you don't know?"

"I don't know. He's been strong since he was a child, but I've never seen him build muscle."

Zhang Jingxuan thought for a moment, "It was probably from moving stones."

Zhang Jingqing smiled. "Master, can moving stones give you eight-pack abs?"

"Yes. That rock on the back mountain weighs three thousand catties. He's been moving it back and forth every night for over ten years."

Zhang Jingxuan picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said, "You only see how powerful he is when he fights, but you don't see how hard he works when he's practicing."

Zhang Jingqing looked at Xia En's body in the photo.

Suddenly I realized that my junior's success was not accidental.

He put in dozens of times more effort than the average person to get where he is today.

Fang Zijian's post on WeChat Moments was screenshotted and circulated on various platforms.

The headlines are getting increasingly exaggerated:

"Photos of Shane's eight-pack abs revealed"

"The Celestial Master of the Celestial Master's Mansion is actually a muscular hunk."

"With dual cultivation of physical and magical techniques plus physical cultivation, just how strong is Xia En's body?"

Xia En's name has once again topped the trending searches.

Xia En, the person in question, is currently lying in the courtyard of Qingheju, sucking on a lollipop and looking at the sky.

Ma Xiaoling was practicing her kung fu, Fang Zijian was scrolling through his phone, Liu Ruyan was reading a book, Shen Ye was dozing off, and Cuihua was sunbathing.

Everything was peaceful, except for the occasional peeking into the yard.

They all came after seeing the photos.

Xia En sighed. "Fang Zijian."

"Um?"

"Your post on WeChat Moments has caused trouble."

Fang Zijian shrank his neck guiltily.

"I just... wanted to share something."

"Share what? Share my abs?"

Fang Zijian was speechless.

Xia En took the lollipop out of his mouth and looked at the sugar residue left on the stick.

"Forget it. There's no turning back now."

He threw the stick into the trash can, "but next time you send me my photos, you need my permission first."

Fang Zijian nodded repeatedly.

Ma Xiaoling stopped practicing and looked at Xia En. "Senior brother, don't you like being famous?"

"dislike."

Why?

"Because I've become famous, more people are coming to me. I'm too busy to handle it all."

Ma Xiaoling smiled.

"That's a good thing. More business means more money. The Celestial Master's Mansion can build more houses."

Xia En glanced at her. "When did you become so eloquent?"

"I learned it from you."

Ma Xiaoling smiled so much that her eyes curved into crescent moons.

Xia En shook his head and continued to look at the sky while sucking on his lollipop.

That evening, Fang Zijian received a private message.

It was posted by Tie Niu, and it only contained one sentence:

"Reporter Fang, please tell Xia En that I, Tie Niu, am convinced. If you ever need my help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

Fang Zijian showed this private message to Xia En.

Xia En glanced at the phone and handed it back to Fang Zijian.

"Reply to him, 'Come over for tea sometime. The door is fixed.'"

Fang Zijian relayed this sentence to Tie Niu.

Tie Niu replied with a single word: "Okay."

Fourth day.

Xia En's eight-pack abs are still generating buzz online, and people occasionally pretend to pass by and peek inside Qingheju Restaurant.

Xia En didn't care; he ate and slept as usual, and continued to enjoy his lollipops.

But Ma Xiaoling couldn't take it anymore.

She felt that those people were disturbing her senior brother's peaceful cultivation.

"Senior brother, should I go and chase them away?"

Ma Xiaoling stood at the gate of the courtyard, hands on her hips, looking like a little tiger guarding its food.

"What are you rushing for? They're all ordinary people, not evil beings."

"But they were spying on you!"

Xia En glanced at her. "Are we monkeys in a zoo? Peeking?"

Ma Xiaoling couldn't help but laugh, but she was still sulking.

"They can't do it this way anyway."

Xia En sighed. "Let them be. The hype will die down in a few days."

As it turns out, Shane was wrong.

The hype didn't subside; in fact, it intensified due to another event.

the phone is ringing.

This time it wasn't Chen Guodong; it was an unfamiliar number.

Xia En answered the phone, and a man's voice came from the other end, low and urgent, filled with obvious fear:

"Is this Master Xia En? My name is Zhao Tiejun, from the Jiangzhou Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics. We're excavating an ancient tomb in the western suburbs, and... something terrible has happened. The things inside the tomb have escaped."

"It's not a zombie, not a ghost, it's... I can't really explain it. It's huge, incredibly huge. Three of our people have been taken by it, and their fates are still unknown. Captain Chen Guodong said only you can handle it, please come quickly!"

Xia En sat up. "The location."

"On the north slope of Phoenix Ridge in the western suburbs, there's a newly dug tomb-raiding tunnel; that's where we went down."

"I'm going there now."

Xia En hung up the phone and stood up.

Ma Xiaoling had already changed into her work clothes, with a demon-slaying staff at her waist and a makeup case in her hand.

She looked at Xia En, her expression calm.

"Senior brother, I'll go with you."

……

Xia En nodded.

The two walked out of Qingheju.

Fang Zijian chased after him, shouting, "I'm going too!"

Xia En stopped and turned to look at him.