Chapter 22: That Year I Was Eighteen, Standing Like a Lackey

Along the way, Zhang Xuan did not reveal too much.

It was only when he ascended Jade Emperor Peak that Zhang Xuan was greatly astonished.

At the summit, there was not a trace left of the mountain peak that should have been shattered by the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin crashing down, nor of the Five-Colored Altar that should have been exposed.

Zhang Xuan took out his Mobile Phone to search for information, and the Relevant Departments stated that on the day the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin fell, an uncontrolled satellite in the sky had malfunctioned and crashed onto Jade Emperor Peak of Mount Tai.

As for the talk of the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin, it was entirely fabricated; foreign forces, unwilling to give up their designs on us, deliberately fabricated it...

The satellite landing had unearthed some ancient ruins, and professional archaeologists had spent many days packing everything up and taking it away, while simultaneously doing their best to restore the ecology of Jade Emperor Peak...

The corners of Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched involuntarily, and he sighed at the powerful restoration capabilities of the "infrastructure maniacs."

If not for those who had personally experienced the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin incident that day, anyone else coming to Jade Emperor Peak on Mount Tai would only think the so-called Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin on the internet was a rumor, a fabrication.

"Who said Jade Emperor Peak was damaged? I think it's completely fake. Those self-media marketing accounts really don't care about anything for the sake of traffic."

"Hey, what era do you think it is that you still believe in those feudal superstitions? Now is the 21st century, the era of technology, the era of biology."

"Praying to God and Buddha every day—where are there really any Immortals or Buddhas?"

Among the tourists passing by his ears, some were also discussing the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin incident that had occurred not long ago, but most wore expressions of disdain.

Hearing is false, seeing is believing.

It was spread all over the internet with vivid details, but they came to the scene to take a look, and there was nothing there.

Jade Emperor Peak is perfectly fine right here; there isn't a single problem.

Climbing up the mountain, Zhang Xuan did not show many traces; like many tourists, he did not choose to climb back down, but waited until after seeing the morning sunrise.

Waiting until eight o'clock, when the cable car started operating, he bought a ticket and rode down the mountain directly.

But the further down he went, the more uneasy and uncomfortable Zhang Xuan felt in his heart.

In the Chat Group, he was imposing and mysterious, invincible.

After stepping out of the Chat Group, he discovered that there were countless people in the Cultivation World stronger than him; for most people, having the Nine Yang Divine Art at Great Completion was too much of a waste.

At the very least, on the way along Tai Mountain, he had seen no fewer than ten people whose realms exceeded his, and if there were hidden figures, it went without saying that he could not sense them at all.

"That year I was eighteen, standing like a lackey..."

"Ah, I'm more than eighteen, so that's fine!"

Zhang Xuan mocked himself, but still felt a weight in his heart.

In the Chat Group, he used others' reputations to bolster his own, spending a great deal of effort to get a tiny bit of petty profit from various protagonists, and he was smug about even that.

But in reality, compared to true powerhouses, he was still far too lacking.

At the same time, relying on spoilers could only net him some petty profits; he could not achieve more substantial rewards.

"If I continue to spoil the plot, I won't be able to exchange it for much gain, and instead, I'll just invite suspicion. If one day someone questions me and makes the Chat Group Owner or an Administrator manifest their divinity in public, then I'll be finished."

The facade had already been put up, and if Zhang Xuan were to go into the group and admit it directly, he couldn't bear it.

At that point, his reputation would truly be ruined.

"Looking at it now, if I follow the tropes from my original memories, the growth speed is too slow and the rhythm is too poor. I still have to put my previous crazy ideas into practice..."

Many of Zhang Xuan's early operations came from the web novels in his past-life memories.

They were indeed actionable, but the growth speed was truly too slow, and Zhang Xuan felt that such actions were really not good enough.

At the current pace, it was not certain he could become a Great Saint in two hundred years, let alone go into a Forbidden Zone to stir up trouble; he would just be fodder for a Forbidden Zone Supreme.

Since this path was not working, or rather, not moving fast enough, Zhang Xuan decided to change his approach.

On the way down the mountain, Zhang Xuan opened the backend of the Chat Group; among the many functions in the backend, there was one that had always been there but had never been used before.

World Travel!

Previously, this function was completely useless because the Chat Group was full of alt accounts—fakes, with not a single real person.

But now it was different; there were already many people from different worlds in the Chat Group, so using this function of the Chat Group was very convenient, as he could go to different worlds.

World Travel was simple and fast to use; Zhang Xuan had set it so that only the Group Owner and Chat Group Administrators could use it.

In reality, it would be the same even without this permission setting; currently, the Chat Group had not opened the function for traveling between different worlds, and other Chat Group members could not travel to other worlds either.

But Zhang Xuan was taking precautions, fearing that some stubborn people might insist on running to the Group Owner's or Administrator's world to experience the charm of a supreme powerhouse.

At that point, the secret would be revealed and the ruse would be exposed.

"I need to be bolder, and my thinking needs to be more open!"

"Since Earth is so dangerous and I dare not display my extraordinary abilities at will, I can try going to other worlds. At the very least, with my strength of the Nine Yang Divine Art at Great Completion, I would be basically invincible in the world of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber."

"Hmm, my configuration is about the same as Zhang Wuji's, only with the Nine Yang Divine Art at Great Completion, but I lack corresponding combat techniques. Once I get the Universe Shift, my combat techniques will basically be complete."

After the Nine Yang Divine Art reaches Great Completion, one's mind is agile and Internal Energy is endless, but there is a great lack in terms of combat.

The difference lies in the Universe Shift; after the Nine Yang Divine Art reaches Great Completion, it is equivalent to a person with infinite strength.

But this person with infinite strength does not know how to use it—at least, they are very clumsy—whereas the Universe Shift allows one to use every bit of the power within their body perfectly.

After mastering the Universe Shift, all martial arts under heaven can be picked up at will; one can see through them at a glance and use them instantly.

In the original plot, Zhang Wuji's Nine Yang Divine Art was almost at Great Completion, yet he was still just a second-rate character in the martial arts world, not even considered mainstream, and was beaten everywhere.

After learning the Universe Shift, he fought the Seven Great Sects alone on Bright Peak, becoming practically invincible under heaven.

Zhang Xuan had originally wanted to ask Zhang Sanfeng to help him get the Universe Shift, but Zhang Sanfeng still had the demeanor of a Grandmaster; for martial arts like the Nine Yang Divine Art that were left behind in a cave in the Kunlun Mountains, he was willing to send his disciples to retrieve them.

But for a sect-protecting martial art like that of the Ming Cult, which was also stored in the secret underground passage of the Ming Cult's Bright Peak, Zhang Sanfeng would not go to retrieve it.

Following the normal process to travel through worlds and getting it himself was a good choice.

Sneaking into different worlds, obtaining benefits, and then one day suddenly jumping out to amaze everyone.

But after thinking about it, Zhang Xuan still felt it wasn't safe enough.

He was not the protagonist of the original work, Zhang Wuji; he didn't have such good luck.

He did indeed have the Nine Yang Divine Art at Great Completion, but he didn't even know where Bright Peak was; in the original work, Zhang Wuji was able to walk into the secret underground chamber by chance through Xiao Xiaozhao, and then obtain the Universe Shift by chance.

Zhang Xuan did not think he could do the same.

Besides, is Universe Shift the most urgent priority right now?

It is a top-tier cultivation method, alright.

Compared to those true figures practicing in the Cultivation World, no matter how well one trains Internal Energy, and no matter how awesome Universe Shift is, it is useless; others can just casually...

Huh, Zhang Xuan suddenly froze when thinking of this, realizing he had missed something.

With his current strength and realm, having only practiced Internal Energy, he could walk around Mount Tai and discover a dozen or so people who had practiced cultivation; there was no reason those dozen or so people, whose strength and realms were stronger than his, could not discover him.

"Chat Group, do you still have some hidden settings?"

The Chat Group transmitted the corresponding rules amidst a hazy blur.

The Chat Group Owner is inherently shielded by the Chat Group from the karma of all heavens and myriad worlds; as long as the Chat Group Owner intends to remain hidden, then no one under heaven will notice the Chat Group Owner.

Of course, this is not invincible.

If Zhang Xuan insists on jumping into someone's face and punching them twice, then no matter how hidden or low-profile he is, he will still be discovered by others.

"Ah, this!"

Zhang Xuan felt excited for a moment, then felt he was being too excited.

This ability is dispensable; the Chat Group's prestige is quite high, equivalent to sharing a bit of authority with him.

Walking between myriad worlds without being tainted by karma is indeed a top-tier ability, but the key is that Zhang Xuan himself cannot support this authority.

"What is the use of this ability? I am not the Ancestor Minghe from the Primordial World, who possesses the two swords, Yuantu and Abi, which kill without being tainted by karma."

Minghe is top-tier and awesome; for someone like me now, who is untainted by karma, has no connection to the heaven, earth, and all things, and is a figure outside the three realms and not within the five elements, it is not of much use.

"Can't you just give me a golden body shield and make me invincible?"

Zhang Xuan complained wildly, while the response given by the Chat Group remained mechanical.

If descending to the Lower Realm in the flesh, the Chat Group has no way to keep the Group Owner in an invincible state.

If it is a Divine Sense projection, creating a shadow in the world below as if it were cast down from the nine heavens, the Chat Group can guarantee that the Group Owner will not be killed by any existence.

Zhang Xuan felt a surge of joy upon hearing this, but the next moment, after understanding the specific abilities and concepts of the projection, his face darkened.

A projection, as the name implies, is truly an existence just like a shadow.

Aside from being able to speak and walk, it has no special abilities whatsoever.

"What use do I have for this ability... eh, it might not be useless after all."

Zhang Xuan rubbed his chin; since a projection cannot die when sent to any world, letting the projection scout the way and find paths is not a problem at all.

If he were to go to the world of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, using a projection to scout the way would be a quite good choice, but after understanding the specific abilities of the projection, Zhang Xuan could not help but frown again.

A projection basically has the strength of an ordinary person, basically equivalent to a mortal.

Even saying it is a mortal might be overestimating it; relying on such an existence, while it is true that it won't die, wanting to obtain good divine arts or secret manuals is too delusional.

"I still need to think more and see if there is any room for maneuver."

In a hotel at the foot of Mount Tai, Zhang Xuan rubbed his chin and fell into deep thought.

(End of this chapter)