Chapter 57 The Flames of Rebellion—Guo Ziyi Burnt the Traitors

　　The onlookers watched in awe as Zhang Taixu and Liu Chengyuan engaged in their duel, their movements as flawless and intricate as a celestial dance. It was a spectacle that left all who witnessed it breathless with admiration. Above all, Xuanmiao stood transfixed, her mind racing. She had not seen Liu Chengyuan for but a few short years, yet the progress in his martial prowess was nothing short of astounding. Meanwhile, sheseemed to have stagnated, her own abilities no nearer to the greatness she once hoped for. “Could it be that the method her master had so often quoted—’Read the book a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself’—was, after all, a fallacy?”　　Xuanmiao could not help but glance toward her master. To her surprise, the abbess regarded the duel with an expression of marked disdain, as though the skill displayed by the two combatants was scarcely worth her notice.　　Perplexed, Xuanmiao thought to herself, “The martial prowess of these two is of such a calibre that not even our own sect leader could claim certain victory against them. And yet, Master looks upon them with such evident scorn—what could be the reason for her contempt?”　　Zhang Taixu, curious to test the depths of Liu Chengyuan’s inner strength, began to circulate his energy according to the esoteric verses of the Form and Spirit Sitting and Forgetting Divine Art—”Unaware of the body within, unknowing of the universe without; united with the Dao, all thoughts cast aside. Should one attain the stillness of forgetfulness, spirit and breath shall naturally abide.” With that, he sent his internal force coursing through the myriad meridians, gliding smoothly past the Three Passes, until it emerged in a single, ethereal palm strike—light as mist, yet charged with the essence of harmony— ‘Union with the Dao’.　　Sensing his intent, Liu Chengyuan, who bore no wish to humiliate the Shangqing Sect, responded in kind. With deliberate grace, he met the incoming blow with a technique aptly named ‘Harmony Above All’—a gesture of skill and goodwill, striking not with dominance, but with balance.　　Zhang Taixu felt a gentle warmth flow from his palm, coursing through his limbs and marrow, suffusing his entire being with a sense of deep, almost transcendent well-being. It was unmistakable—Liu Chengyuan had received his strike, tempered it