Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

The Buddha's carriage descended slowly in the morning light.

The Jinshan Temple complex emerged from below the clouds, its bluish-gray rooftops gleaming faintly with gold in the morning glow.

A person was standing on the stone steps in front of the mountain gate.

The man stood straight as a pine tree, motionless in the morning light.

This man was none other than Zuo Qianhu, a military officer of the imperial court.

He wore a dark blue coarse cloth military officer's robe, covered with brown leather armor, and a worn-out copper-buckled belt around his waist.

A broad-bladed longsword was slung across his right shoulder, its hilt wrapped in dark red old cloth strips, blackened by sweat. Several short swords were also strapped to his back, their hilts protruding from his shoulder, arranged neatly.

Zuo Qianhu waited for Shen Jue's return at the entrance of Jinshan Temple.

As Shen Jue's longtime friend, he naturally knew Shen Jue's habits.

He also knew that Jinshan Temple was Shen Jue's base of operations, and he would never leave it for too long or too far.

The Buddha's carriage landed on the open ground in front of the mountain gate. The eighteen Arhats simultaneously finished their practice, and their footsteps landed without making a sound.

The golden light slowly receded, like the tide receding.

Shen Jue stepped out of the Buddhist carriage and immediately spotted the black-robed military officer on the stone steps. A smile immediately appeared on his lips.

"Brother Zuo," he said with a smile.

"You've emerged from seclusion?"

Zuo Qianhu nodded slightly, stepped down the stone steps, and stopped three steps away from Shen Jue. He knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a salute.

"Brother Shen." His voice was low and hoarse, concise and to the point.

"You deserve this bow from Zuo."

"What a magnificent and divine skill this is?!"

"With such martial arts skills, it will be no difficult task for me, Zuo, to quell the chaos and restore order to the world!"

Shen Jue looked him up and down, accepted the bow, and then his gaze swept over the aura around him, his smile growing even wider.

"Not bad," Shen Jue nodded, her tone carrying a hint of approval.

"The Grandmaster possesses five vital energies, and Brother Zuo has already mastered one of them."

"Truly exceptionally gifted, no less than those great figures of the past."

Even with Shen Jue's enlightening infusion of martial arts and internal energy, Zuo Qianhu was able to cross the threshold of the Grandmaster realm in just two days after obtaining the "Breathing Technique 2.0".

His skill level is worthy of his reputation as the strongest mortal martial artist in all the heavens and myriad worlds.

Zuo Qianhu showed no change in expression despite the praise. He stood up and calmly replied, "What are your plans next, Brother Shen?"

Yan Chixia jumped down from the Buddhist carriage, his gaze falling on Commander Zuo.

He is a swordsman, so naturally he can also recognize knives.

Although the black-robed military officer in front of him had a restrained aura, the sword intent emanating from him was like the north wind in the dead of winter—cold, sharp, and undisguised.

Yan Chixia had lived half his life, and he had never seen such a powerful swordsman.

"Who is this?" Yan Chixia asked.

"Commander Zuo," Shen Jue casually introduced.

"The imperial court's commander of a thousand households is tasked with eradicating evil spirits among the people, so naturally he should be included."

Zuo Qianhu stood up and turned to face Yan Chixia.

Their gazes met in the air, one like a sword, the other like a knife. Although both concealed their sharpness, the invisible collision of their auras still caused the surrounding air to freeze slightly for a moment.

Zuo Qianhu's gaze lingered on Yan Chixia's face for only a moment before shifting to the Xuanyuan Divine Sword in his hand.

A barely perceptible glint flashed in his narrow eyes, before he returned to his expressionless demeanor.

"Could you be Yan Chixia, the number one swordsman in the world?" Commander Zuo asked, his voice still low and hoarse.

"Legend has it that the number one swordsman in the world was once a ruthless judge who was famous throughout the twenty-six provinces of Guandong and Guangxi."

He was upright and incorruptible, hated evil as if it were his enemy, and especially detested corrupt officials.

He paused, then added, "But that man was dissatisfied with the government and felt that his ambitions could not be realized, so he chose to resign from his official post and become a Taoist priest, and disappeared without a trace."

Yan Chixia was stunned for a moment, then grinned, revealing a set of white teeth in his thick beard.

"You're quite straightforward." He slung the Xuanyuan Divine Sword over his shoulder, strode forward, and reached out to pat Commander Zuo on the shoulder.

"Past events are not worth mentioning."

"But the old man likes dealing with straightforward people!"

Left Commander remained impassive, subtly shifting his body to the side, just managing to avoid Yan Chixia's rough, large hand.

His movements were minimal, appearing as if he had simply turned around to lead the way, whether intentionally or unintentionally, it was unclear.

Yan Chixia's hand, which had been slapping empty air, remained suspended in mid-air. He didn't feel embarrassed at all; he just laughed and withdrew it, carrying the Xuanyuan Divine Sword and striding after Commander Zuo.

Ning Caichen was the last to emerge from the Buddhist palanquin. He carefully stepped onto the solid ground, feeling his legs still a little weak.

The experience of flying in the sky was too exciting for him, a scholar. Even though Shen Jue said that he had already achieved a level of martial arts prowess that he could stand on his own, he still found it difficult to associate himself with the word "master".

Ning Caichen.

Shen Jue's voice suddenly came from behind him, and Ning Caichen was startled and quickly turned around.

Shen Jue had already walked to his side, a half-smile on her face, and said in a low voice, "I remember what I promised you on the Buddha carriage."

Ning Caichen's face flushed red instantly. He opened his mouth, wanting to explain something, but found that he couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

"Abbot, please don't misunderstand. I am truly concerned about the common people of the world..."

Shen Jue laughed heartily, flicked his sleeve, stopped teasing him, and strode toward the temple gate.

Left Commander led the group through the mountain gate and up the main path paved with bluestone until they arrived at the main hall.

Shen Jue sat down in the main seat of the hall and then turned his gaze to Commander Zuo.

He adopted a serious expression, as if he were discussing serious business.

"Brother Zuo," Shen Jue put down his teacup and asked, "Do you still remember your mission for this trip?"

Zuo Qianhu stood in the hall with his arms crossed, and nodded slightly upon hearing this.

His weathered face showed no extra expression; he simply replied in a deep voice, "Of course I remember."

"I have a deep impression of that letter sent to the Imperial Advisor."

Shen Jue nodded, then suddenly asked, "Master Yan, you've traveled the martial world for many years, have you ever heard of the current Imperial Preceptor, Pudu Cihang?"

Yan Chixia paused slightly as he wiped his sword. He raised his head, his thick eyebrows furrowed, and a rather disdainful expression appeared in his beard.

"Of course I've heard of it."

"That Grand Preceptor now wields immense power in the court."

"All the civil and military officials respected him greatly, and even the current emperor listened to his every word, saying, 'The Emperor and I are like fish and water.'"

Yan Chixia tossed the rag aside, his tone growing increasingly indignant: "This man claims to be a high-ranking Buddhist monk, spending all his time preaching in the court, saying things like 'Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot.'"

"The ridiculous thing is that those ministers who offended him disappeared one after another. Everyone with eyes could see what was going on, but no one dared to say a word against it."

"One of the reasons I resigned from my official post and went into seclusion back then was because I couldn't stand this fellow's behavior."

Left Commander stood to the side without saying a word, but his brows furrowed slightly.

As a military officer of the imperial court, although he despised the evil monk's behavior, he ultimately could not speak out about the government as freely as Yan Chixia.

After listening to Yan Chixia's words, Shen Jue nodded, and then said something that made everyone present change color suddenly.

"Pudu Cihang is a thousand-year-old centipede spirit."

The hall fell into a deathly silence.