I changed the world.

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Guan Zeping wiped the sweat from his forehead, paused to regulate his breathing, and his heavy panting gradually subsided. He glanced back at the disciples following behind him, all of whom were also flushed and panting heavily, clearly not in much better condition than him.

As a disciple of the contemporary Celestial Master Zhang Sicheng, Guan Zeping was undoubtedly addressed as "High Master" when he went out. Even though he always said that monks do not seek vanity, at Guan Zeping's level, he usually associated with high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he lived a life of luxury.

He usually stayed comfortably in the temple, doing his homework, occasionally accompanying a benefactor who came to Danding Mountain for "purification" or to offer incense to preach and discuss metaphysics, or going out to participate in some metaphysical exchanges. Generally speaking, given his status, all he heard were words of flattery.

In fact, in private, Guan Zeping had already accumulated a considerable fortune and secretly purchased several residences in various places. Of course, he still had to stay on the mountain to serve his teacher and fulfill his filial duty, since the old master was getting old and needed his disciples to serve him.

However, for some reason, the Celestial Master suddenly had this idea and sent his disciples to search for some "masters" everywhere. Guan Zeping dared not refuse the decree from his master, so he had no choice but to lead the team. He had been traveling for more than a month, and he was not the only one among his fellow disciples. They were ordered to go to the remote and secluded mountains and forests near Dan Ding Mountain to search in all directions, especially to visit those who had built huts and lived in seclusion, to confirm whether there were any truly skilled "masters" among them.

Before setting off, the teacher specifically summoned me and repeatedly instructed me to be humble, respectful, and courteous during this trip, and not to show the slightest arrogance or haughtiness, otherwise I would not be lenient, and I must remember this well...

Seeing the teacher's solemn tone, Guan Zeping naturally dared not slack off. These past few days, he had been visiting various villages and venturing into the depths of the mountains, places rumored to be frequented by hermits. He spent his days either climbing mountains or on his way to climb them. Before he knew it, more than a month had passed since he left the temple. He had not only become noticeably darker-skinned, but he also felt he had lost a significant amount of weight, and even his belt was now a notch tighter…

However, despite collecting numerous legends and tales, not a single actual "master" has been encountered...

It's not that there weren't any, but we did see quite a few reclusive scholars who discussed metaphysics and Taoism, but none of them were the kind of people the teacher was looking for—those with "immense supernatural powers."

In the phone call with his senior brother the other day, Guan Zeping heard his senior brother's slightly anxious tone and felt that his senior brother seemed to know something. However, since his senior brother had long held sway and was unwilling to say more, Guan Zeping, as his junior brother, could not ask too many questions.

However, to be honest, perhaps distance makes the heart grow fonder. Others, regardless of nationality or social standing, often felt that Dan Ding Mountain had a long and illustrious history, and the Celestial Master lineage was a thousand-year-old family, possessing countless powerful and miraculous techniques. Even those who weren't followers of the Xuanmen (Taoist school) often held a certain inexplicable awe when it was mentioned. However, Guan Zeping knew his own limitations. Although he wasn't one of the Celestial Master's most core disciples, he had followed him for a long time. In his view, while the Celestial Master was indeed highly learned and well-versed in Xuanmen classics, the idea that he possessed any supernatural powers was pure speculation; he was simply an ordinary old man.

Not to mention the Celestial Master himself, even the entire Dan Ding Mountain has never seen a single person who is supposedly "hidden in plain sight" in all these years.

With a sigh, Guan Zeping looked up again at the winding mountain path before him. He couldn't help but wonder if his teacher was getting old and losing his mind, and was thus having wild thoughts and finding an excuse to torment his disciple... But it was never good for a disciple to slander his master behind his back, so Guan Zeping wisely suppressed his chaotic thoughts.