One or Two Slaps

Lu Jin stood opposite him, took a deep breath, suppressed the emotions in her heart, and activated the Reverse Life Technique to rush forward.

The two barely exchanged blows. Zhang Zhiwei used a single slap. That slap was devoid of any fancy moves; he didn't even fully unleash the Golden Light Mantra. He simply flipped his wrist, palm down, and gently patted Lu Jin's head.

The movement appeared extremely slow and casual, like swatting a fly that had landed on a table. But in Liu Jin's eyes, the trajectory of that palm strike was precise to the millimeter, making it impossible to avoid.

Lu Jin's mind went blank from the slap, and she swayed and knelt on the ground, her body automatically reversing the reversal of life.

Zhang Zhiwei turned around and pondered for a moment, realizing that his guess about Ni Sheng was pretty much right, but he seemed to have gone a bit too far.

Those who understood it were all taken aback.

The Celestial Master, enraged, roared at Zhang Zhiwei: "You beast, is this what you call stopping short of a fight?"

Knowing he was in trouble, Zhang Zhiwei quickly knelt down, his face full of embarrassment.

Zuo Ruotong stopped the Celestial Master, and Old Master Lu smoothed things over, saying, "Good! Good! The Celestial Master's Mansion has a successor!" He then took the opportunity to ask Lu Jin if she was alright.

Lu Jin rolled over and sat up, saying to the group of seniors, "Seniors, don't worry about Jin'er, I'm fine. There are always people more capable than you..."

Pleasant words poured out, but tears followed in quick succession.

There was a moment of silence, followed by a burst of laughter. Old Master Lu was also laughing: "My darling! He was beaten to tears! And he's still holding on!" He slapped his thigh with laughter, his tone showing no displeasure, but rather a sense of relief that "this child finally knows there are always people better than him."

Li Muxuan was laughing too. He laughed so hard he bent over, pointed at Lu Jin's nose and shouted, "Lu Jin, why are you crying! Get up and fight again!"

The parents all shut up and went to take care of their own children, and Lu Jin also made an excuse to change clothes and ran away.

......

"Hahaha, iconic scene! Little Lu Jin got beaten up and cried!"

"I know I shouldn't laugh, but he looks so cute when he cries."

"Everyone laughed, but Grandpa Lu laughed the most. He's my dear grandfather."

......

After the birthday banquet ended, Old Master Lu held Zuo Ruotong's hand and talked for a long time. Lu Xuan accompanied him, nodding from time to time. The guests took their leave one after another, and the carriages at the alley entrance drove away one after another, with red lanterns still hanging on the trees, gently swirling in the evening breeze.

Zuo Ruotong led Liu Jin, Li Muxuan, and Lu Jin out of the Lu family gate and into the woods.

Zhang Jingqing pulled Zhang Zhiwei aside and scolded him in the woods. Zhang Zhiwei thought that his master wanted to see and learn about the reverse life technique, which was why he was sent on stage, which made Zhang Jingqing furious.

Zhang Jingqing stood with his hands behind his back under the old camphor tree, with Zhang Zhiwei standing beside him. The wrinkles on Zhang Jingqing's usually stern and imposing face were deeper than usual. When Zhang Zhiwei saw Zuo Ruotong approaching, he straightened up slightly.

At this moment, Zuo Ruotong arrived with Liu Jin, and asked with a smile, "Master, are you still training him? You've been hiding this little gem, and we're only seeing him today. If you're not satisfied, you can have him."

As she spoke, she looked behind her and said, "My foolish disciple..." Liu Jin quickly hid behind her, revealing Lu Jin and Li Muxuan pulling and tugging at each other behind a tree. She scolded, "Come here! What do you mean? You came here yourself, don't act like a child!"

Lu Jin walked up to Zhang Zhiwei somewhat awkwardly and asked why he had won against him in such a humiliating way. Had his behavior displeased Zhang Zhiwei?

Zhang Zhiwei explained with some interest: The Reverse Rebirth Triple Stage is somewhat similar to the Golden Light Mantra of Longhu Mountain. It improves one's life cultivation by entering a certain state, but the Reverse Rebirth Triple Stage is much more complicated and is destined to have higher requirements for the practitioner. Otherwise, the mental state may be disrupted by external forces, causing one to quit the Reverse Rebirth.

So when he slapped Lu Jin on the head, he was shaking his upper dantian and disturbing his mental state. He had to be very careful with this, and he had already given it his all, so he didn't have the energy to use any other means.

Zuo Ruotong was instructing Lu Jin that he was so focused on the fight itself, without considering the underlying strategies. At the same time, she praised Zhang Zhiwei: "The fact that he can do these things means that he could easily defeat Lu Jin."

Zhang Zhiwei feigned modesty and said, "That's right! If it is..." He was about to say "you" when he glanced at Liu Jin. A strange survival instinct surged within him, and at the same time, he became curious about this person.

He changed his tune, saying, "If it were this senior brother who created the reverse life state, I would never dare to take shortcuts."

Zhang Jingqing breathed a sigh of relief at Zhang Zhiwei's sudden enlightenment, and at the same time asked with some curiosity: "Master Zuo, you've kept this person well hidden. This young fellow Daoist seems full of spirit and energy, but I haven't heard much about his reputation."

Zuo Ruotong had actually realized that Zhang Zhiwei was referring to her. She recalled Zhang Jingqing's words about tempering arrogance and thought about her own apprentice's personality.

He also had a playful thought: "The mischievous disciple Liu Jin is not young anymore. If the Celestial Master doesn't mind, he can spar with Fellow Daoist Zhang."

Seeing Zuo Ruotong's confidence, Zhang Jingqing became even more curious: "I couldn't be happier. Zhang Zhiwei, you're a few years older than Lu Jinxu, and this young friend is also a few years older than you. It's perfect."

Liu Jin had no choice but to interrupt, saying, "I will obey my master's orders, but I also have a small request."

The three looked at him curiously.

"I have another junior brother who is truly arrogant. He doesn't realize I'm the same age as him and refuses to learn his lesson despite repeated admonitions. I'd appreciate it if you could teach him a lesson, Junior Brother Zhang."

Zuo Ruotong laughed and looked at Li Muxuan, also asking the Celestial Master for his consent: "I won't trouble two masters with one matter." The Celestial Master agreed.

Li Muxuan glanced at Zuo Ruotong and Liu Jin, then at the tall, silent young man across the table. His expression shifted from surprise to excitement, then to a complex mix of "Master, are you trying to trick me?": "Master, did you see how tall he is? His hands are bigger than my face." Zuo Ruotong didn't respond, only adding, "I was just giving you pointers."

Li Muxuan's expression changed from complicated to resigned: "Fine."

He walked to Liu Jin's side, his smile unusually absent, replaced by a very complex expression—not fear, but clarity, as if he had already foreseen the ending.

Liu Jin didn't speak, but simply nodded to him. That nod was more effective than any encouragement. Li Muxuan took a deep breath and walked into the arena.

Li Muxuan stood on the field, facing Zhang Zhiwei. He was prepared; unlike Lu Jin, he didn't block head-on. Instead, he began to dodge the moment Zhang Zhiwei raised his hand. He activated the first level of Reverse Life in his legs, maximizing his speed, and floated to the side and back like a gust of wind.

Zhang Zhiwei activated the Golden Light Mantra, instantly disappearing from Li Muxuan's sight. He suddenly reappeared beside him, placing a palm on Li Muxuan's lower dantian. Taking advantage of Li Muxuan's momentary loss of breath, Zhang Zhiwei also struck Li Muxuan's upper dantian with a palm strike.

Snapped!

Clean and swift. Li Muxuan's block was completely shattered by the second palm strike, and he fell backward, landing hard on his backside, kicking up clouds of dust. He sat on the ground, panting heavily.

Li Muxuan sat on the ground, grimacing and rubbing his arm. He turned over and stood up, bowing respectfully: "Thank you for your guidance."

Then he turned to Liu Jin and shouted, "Senior brother! He's too fast, you can't escape!"

Everyone's gaze turned to Liu Jin. Liu Jin replied expressionlessly, "If you can't run away, then endure it; if you can't endure it, then tough it out. What do you think reversing life is for?"