Starting from the pharmacy, he grew into a martial saint among men.

At this moment, even if Chu Hong was calm, he was so excited that he was breathing rapidly.

He stepped forward, bowed, and said:

"Disciple Chu Hong greets Master!"

Whether or not someone is a successor is not important; to be able to form a connection with such an accomplished person is already a great blessing.

Moreover, with his master as his backer, others would have to think twice before plotting against him, which is a great thing.

Meanwhile, Song Qingshan and Song Yue were also staring longingly at the strange man.

Song Qingshan was filled with trepidation, secretly hoping that the strange man would forgive his "sins".

The strange man glanced at Song Qingshan and said calmly:

"Although I couldn't find a successor for myself, having a disciple in name is not bad either."

"When you pass the test."

With a flick of his finger, an invisible force struck Song Qingshan.

Five years of ban, lifted in one day.

Song Qingshan trembled violently, his internal energy circulating freely without any stagnation.

He knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face.

"Thank you, senior. Congratulations on finding your disciple!"

Song Yue also immediately knelt down, moved to tears of gratitude.

The strange man nodded, and with a gentle wave of his hand, pushed the two out of the dilapidated temple.

"Bang!"

The temple doors slammed shut, leaving only a steady voice echoing:

"You may go now and take care of yourselves."

Although Chu Hong was left in the dilapidated temple, he remained calm and showed no panic.

Seeing Chu Hong's calm demeanor, the strange man nodded approvingly.

"Normally, a disciple who is only registered in name is not allowed to enter my inner circle or receive my teachings; but since you are pleasing to my eye, I will make an exception and pass on my unique palm technique to you."

"Go and practice diligently. If you achieve some success within five years, you can come to Qingming Mountain to find me, and I will formally accept you as my disciple."

Chu Hong respectfully cupped his hands in gratitude:

"Thank you, Master. I will certainly practice martial arts diligently and live up to your expectations."

"Hmm." The strange man waved his hand dismissively and casually tossed out a sheet of gold paper.

Chu Hong put it away carefully without even looking at it.

The strange man tossed out another jade pendant and a porcelain bottle, and continued:

"I bestow upon you a protective item; if you encounter a life-or-death crisis, crushing it will save your life."

"With one Rebirth Pill, even the most severe injuries can be completely healed in an instant, as long as one is still alive."

"The rest is up to you."

Chu Hong thanked him again, bowed and accepted the jade pendant and porcelain bottle, but when he looked up again, the strange man had already disappeared.

Only one echo lingered:

"Practice your martial arts diligently. I, Xiang Wuchen, will be waiting for you at Qingming Mountain."

Chu Hong bowed again.

Although his master left just like that, he was not disappointed.

Whether it's a registered name or a genuine transmission.

Ultimately, he has to forge his own path.

-----------------

"Squeak~"

Chu Hong pushed open the dilapidated temple door and stepped out.

The scene outside the door startled him.

Outside, all sorts of carriages and horses lined the streets.

County magistrate, heads of various clans, martial arts school owners...

All the leaders of various factions in Yunxi County are here.

As soon as Chu Hong came out, everyone's eyes fell on him as if they were physical.

It was so heavy he could hardly breathe.

But when he thought of his identity, Chu Hong straightened his back and calmly looked at the group of people.

"Chu Hong... is Senior still inside?" Song Qingshan stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

This question has captured everyone's attention.

They all wanted to know the answer.

Chu Hong shook his head and said calmly, "Master has already left. Please return."

"Master? Young friend, you have truly become the successor of your predecessor?!" the magistrate asked, his voice filled with inquiry.

But if Chu Hong is truly the successor, then why not take him with you?

But if not, why would Chu Hong address him as "Master"?

Chu Hong waved his hand and said, "I am not a successor. I am only accepted as a disciple by my master."

Call ~

Everyone involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief.

If they are not the heirs, their descendants will still have a chance.

The magistrate was about to ask more questions when a loud voice rang out.

"Uncle Huang, seniors, don't be fooled by him! He's not some nominal disciple; it's all a scam!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Pang Hai, dressed in silver-white clothes, gracefully walking out.

His eyes were deep and his expression was cold.

Approaching him, he pointed at Chu Hong, then gestured towards the Song family's direction, his tone sharp:

"This was all a scheme orchestrated by the Song family to lure us out of the city. They want to wipe out our entire Yunxi region!"

boom!

These words struck like a thunderclap, reaching the ears of all the factions.

Everyone was shocked.

The magistrate frowned, unable to grasp the key point:

"Xiao Hai, what makes you say that?"

Pang Hai grinned, pointed at Chu Hong, and said in a cold voice:

"First, given that there are so many people who meet the requirements according to the Song family's criteria, why choose Chu Hong? This is quite intriguing."

"Secondly, what merits does Chu Hong possess that make him stronger than those with superior aptitude and exceptional comprehension? Yet he succeeded nonetheless; it's too much of a coincidence."

"Third, according to rumors, the senior will only lift Song Qingshan's confinement once he finds a successor."

"But Chu Hong is merely a nominal disciple; logically, there's no way he could have restored Song Qingshan's strength. Yet, he did. Doesn't everyone find that strange?"

As they spoke, Pang Hai arrived at the entrance of the dilapidated temple and gave Chu Hong a defiant look:

"I am amazed by the series of coincidences, but if we take the events in Huang'an County into account, everything makes sense."

"Because Chu Hong and the Song family are both spies of the Worry-Free Sect. They have been plotting for many years to lure us out of the city today."

"If I'm not mistaken, there are probably already powerful members of the Worry-Free Sect lying in ambush around here!"

"Isn't that right, Junior Brother Chu!"

"You're talking nonsense! That's utter rubbish!" Song Qingshan roared in fury upon hearing this.

They were eager to take action and capture Pang Hai immediately.

But as soon as he made a move, the Zhao family head and the others immediately intervened and held him down firmly.

Unable to move.

Chu Hong stood at the entrance of the dilapidated temple, slightly surprised.

Unexpectedly, before he could even uncover Pang Hai's identity, he was framed by him instead.

However, he remained calm and composed, watching Pang Hai's performance with a detached expression.

"Hahaha, kid, you're right. You actually guessed the scheme of my Worry-Free Holy Sect."

Just then, sinister laughter erupted.

Suddenly, a large number of Worry-Free Cult members appeared from all directions.

The instructors, altar masters, and deacons were all present, forming a layered encirclement.

The leader was dressed in a moon-white robe, exuding a vast and imposing aura that dominated the entire scene.

When Magistrate Huang and his entourage saw the moon-white robe, they were immediately shocked and filled with apprehension.

"Lin Chenzhou, the Venerable Haoyue?!"

This is the first realm above Transformation Realm, the Condensation Realm expert!

They had never seen him in person, but they had heard that he was extremely fierce and that his white robes were never stained with blood.

But his men had accumulated countless bones from three counties.

Chu Hong secretly sensed the unfathomable aura of the newcomer and felt a chill run down his spine.

The jade pendant quietly landed in his hand; if anything unusual happened, he would crush it to save his life.

Lin Chenzhou walked up to the group and nodded approvingly to Pang Hai:

"Young man, my Worry-Free Holy Sect needs someone like you. How about you come and work for me?"

"The small Yunxi County is too limited and not suitable for a true dragon like you."

Pang Hai straightened his face, stood at the very front with an air of righteous indignation, and refused decisively:

"Wishful thinking! I, Pang Haining, would rather die than associate with the Worry-Free Sect!"

"Commendable courage." Lin Chenzhou nodded and smiled, seemingly quite appreciative of Pang Hai.

He turned to look at the various forces in Yunxi County.

Whether it's neutral force or hidden force, they're nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs in front of him.

But his goal was not to massacre, but to bring these forces under the banner of the Worry-Free Cult.

He glanced around casually, his tone indifferent, yet he exerted unparalleled pressure on everyone.

"Two choices. First, submit to the Worry-Free Sect, and we will be one family, so there's no need to talk about life and death today."

"Secondly, if you oppose me, then..."

He flicked his finger.

With a loud "boom," the dilapidated temple behind them collapsed.

"Your family and your power will vanish like it!"

Everyone was pale-faced, heads bowed, seemingly plotting something.

"No, I absolutely refuse! No matter how much you threaten me, I will never join a cult like yours!" Pang Hai declared righteously, shouting his rebuke.

Chu Hong stood still, like an outsider.

He held the jade pendant in silence, watching the performance quietly.

It must be said that Pang Hai has a talent for acting.

Although some parts were done too forcefully, no one noticed anything amiss at the moment.

At this moment, Pang Hai suddenly turned his head, pointed a finger at Chu Hong, and said in an icy tone:

"Chu Hong, now that things have come to this, what do you have to say?"

What is there to say?

Chu Hong's heart skipped a beat. Was it finally his turn?

He remained calm and waved to the crowd:

"Chief Zhou, it's your turn to step in!"