The Ascension Cliff was closed, but the practitioners coming for the core launch could easily get into this place without buying a ticket. Besides, as the organizer, Shan Yi, the Spiritual Cat Deity, had already prepared everything for the ceremony.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Ascension Cliff, someone he knew very well came to pick them up.

“Doctor Ning, hello again,” said Wu Xiaolin in a clear voice. His bright eyes and good features gave him a refreshing and clear look.

And there was also Liu Xian’er. Standing alongside Wu Xiaolin, she looked at Ning Tao with a smile on her face. She had a delicate face and a slender figure and the detached aura made her stand out from ordinary girls.

“There’s something I’ve always been curious about. Who is your master? Bai Sheng or Wu Yue?” Ning Tao ventured. At the same time, he activated the state of looking and smelling.

He intuitively believed that there must be no good guys around Wu Yue but to his surprise, what he found on Wu Xiaolin and Liu Xian’er was good energy instead of evil energy.

“Doctor Ning, does it really matter who’s our master?” Liu Xian’er asked with a friendly smile on her face.

Ning Tao stopped his diagnosis and said, “No, of course not.”

Wu Xiaolin glanced at the four people standing beside Ning Tao and asked, “So, who are they?”

“They’re my bodyguards. Is there any problem?” said Ning Tao.

Wu Xiaolin smiled and said, “Doctor Ning, please don’t be joking. Even Bai Sheng is no match for you. I don’t think anyone could hurt or threaten you.”

It was obvious that Bai Sheng was not their master because Wu Xiaolin called him directly by his name. Thus, it must be Wu Yue.

Liu Xian’er coughed as if to remind Wu Xiaolin of something. Then she added, “Doctor Ning’s friends must be reliable. Please follow me.”

Ning Tao nodded and said, “Please lead the way.”

The gate of the Ascension Cliff was opened, and a shuttle vehicle parked behind the gate was turned on. It seemed that they were going to take the car.

“Wait a minute!” said a familiar voice behind him.

Ning Tao looked back and saw Zhang Chengdong, the imperial Qing physician, and some other people, including Bai Shengsheng, the White Hare Spirit, Sure-to-be-Immortal Liu Qiangzhong, Lei Zhenzi from Lingxiao Sect, and Wolf from the Northwest. He had met all of them in the flea market of Liu Shiba and they were also members of the Practitioners’ Club.

“Ah, Group Manager! What a coincidence!” Bai Shengsheng, the White Hare Spirit said with great excitement.

“Group Manager, you’ve become even more handsome since we met last time in Beidu!” said Lei Zhenzi from Lingxiao Sect.

“Group Manager, please organize a party for us! We can have fun and know more about each other. By the way, I think there should be an administrator in our group. I have rich experience and I‘m quite qualified for this work.” Sure-to-be-Immortal Liu Qiangzhong volunteered.

“Group Manager…”

The group of practitioners came over and talked to him without stopping.

Ning Tao said with a smile, “We’re all friends. Please just call me Doctor Ning. Let’s come together to the Ascension Cliff.”

Bai Shengsheng, the White Hare Spirit, glanced at Ruan Tianyin and asked Ning Tao, “Could you please introduce these friends to us?” She was a fair-skinned beautiful lady but was still outshined by Ruan Tianyin.

Ning Tao said, “They are my friends. This is Ruan Tianyin, this is Zhang Qianshu, this is Wang Laoba, and this is Man Zuli. They’re all Taoist fellows from Hainan.”

Lei Zhenzi from Lingxiao Sect leaned over to Ruan Tianyin and said with great joy, “Miss Ruan, do you have a boyfriend?”

Ruan Tianyin frowned and answered sourly,” It’s none of your business. Stay away from me or I’ll beat the shit out of you.”

Lei Zhenzi from Lingxiao Sect was taken aback by her response.

Liu Xian’er and Wu Xiaolin stood aside, watching Ning Tao chatting and joking with the group of practitioners silently. They invited them to the bus upon hearing the order of Ning Tao. Luckily, the shuttle bus was used to take tourists up the mountain, so there were enough seats for Ning Tao and his four friends and fellows of the Practitioners’ Club.

They talked and laughed all the way to the Ascension Cliff. At the end of the road was a narrow path, zigzagging up the mountain. There were also white candles on both sides of the stone path, and its light also led up the mountainside in the dark night, giving them the impression that they were on the way to heaven.

“Doctor Ning and my fellow practitioners, please follow me.” Wu Xiaolin made a gesture and led the way.

“It must be expensive to book the whole scenic area and buy all these candles,” said Bai Shengsheng, the White Hare Spirit. She looked around with great curiosity.

Zhang Chengdong, the imperial Qing physician explained, “It’s said that the core is worth 50 million yuan. He must be a billionaire and it’s just a snap for him to book the cliff for the core launch.”

“50 million yuan? Are you sure? I know we practitioners have accumulated some money over the past years, but 50 million is absurd. Who the hell would spend so much money to buy a core? I don’t think it’s worth that unless it can make us immortal,” said Wolf from the Northwest with anger.

“Perhaps the new core produced by Spiritual Cat Deity really has that effect,” said Bai Shengsheng, the White Hare Spirit.

“Wow, that’s too crazy,” said Lei Zhenzi from Lingxiao Sect.

There was a burst of laughter on the road.

Ning Tao had already realized that these practitioners were not very serious in the WeChat group, and now he found out that it was the same for them in the real world. But he was very relaxed being with these guys. There were no intrigues or conspiracies and they could say anything they wanted without a second thought. This was real life for a man!

The mountain road became steeper as they went up the stairs. When looking down from a high place, one could find that the Ascension Cliff was shrouded in white fog. It looked weird and Ning Tao believed that it was presented by Wu Yue or Spiritual Cat Deity with some magic tool or tactics.

The final stretch of the road was covered with a red carpet and there were more candles on it. In the candlelight, he could see a large group of people standing on top of the mountain. They would have come here earlier if it weren’t for the online taxi driver. Now, it seemed that he and his friends were obviously late.

“Doctor Ning, we’re almost there,” said Wu Xiaolin.

Ning Tao nodded and said, “Fellows, please go ahead. I have to talk to my friends for a while.”

“Doctor Ning, please come quickly. We’ll wait for you there,” said Sure-to-be-Immortal Liu Qiangzhong. He was the one who talked to Ning Tao the most along the way. Obviously, he was eager to be recognized and become the administrator of the group.

After the practitioners left, Ning Tao stopped and said,” Although I don’t think they dare to do it tonight, we’d better be careful. You two need to follow me and don’t get lost.”

“How… dare they! I… will.. kick his… damn… ass!” Wang Laoba clenched his fists and said brutally. There were thick calluses in his hands and no one would doubt his physical ability to smash a car into pieces.

“I’m a little nervous,” said Ruan Tianyin in a soft voice.

Ning Tao smiled and comforted her,” Don’t worry. I’ll be here with you. Let’s go.”

The four fish monsters followed Ning Tao up the mountain.

Ascension Cliff was almost the highest among all Wu Dang Mountains and one can easily see all the other small peaks once he reached the top. On one side of the mountain peak was a plunging cliff and over the ages, many practitioners had jumped off the cliff to pass through their fatal trails but only ended up being smashed into ashes. Very few had succeeded, but they had disappeared since then and no one knew where these household names were.

While going up the stairs, Ning Tao observed the crowds gathering on the top of the mountain and the surrounding environment. He sensed some low spiritual energy around here, which was quite normal since the Ascension Cliff had always been the first choice for practitioners to pass through their trials. But the cliff had already turned into a scenic spot and the energy would soon disappear.

There was a huge makeshift platform on the top of the mountain and most people were standing there. Others were looking out over the cliff or sitting cross-legged on the edge, pretending to practice their skills. Ning Tao began searching the crowd for Wu Yue and Spiritual Cat Deity. Although he had never seen Spiritual Cat Deity before, he could recognize him if he was there.

However, he saw two familiar faces instead of Wu Yue and Spiritual Cat Deity.

Tang Zixian and Master Fakong were coming toward him.

“Amitabha.” Master Fakong chanted Amitabha Buddha and said, “How have you been, Patron Ning?”

Ning Tao smiled and said, “I’m fine. Good evening, Master Fakong.”

“Amitabha.” Master Fakong chanted once again. This was probably the most frequently used word in his life.

Tang Zixian looked at Ning Tao and asked, “Why do you come so late?”

Ning Tao replied, “There were traffic jams on the road.”

“A traffic jam at this hour?” Tang Zixian obviously did not believe him. She glanced at Ruan Tianyin and the other three fish monsters and was about to ask, but Master Fakong spoke again.

“Patron Ning, I’ve invited Reverend Miexin this time. She might arrive soon.”

“Is Reverend Miexin coming too?” Ning Tao asked with surprise.

“Amitabha, yes,” said Master Fakong.

Tang Zixian then asked, “Doctor Ning, who are these people?”

Ning Tao said, “They are my friends from remote places. They don’t talk much, sorry about that.”

Tang Zixian frowned but didn’t ask other questions. Obviously, Ning Tao was not willing to introduce these people, and she would be humiliating herself by asking more.

At this moment, someone standing on the edge of the cliff cried out, “Hey, look—”