Library of Heaven's Path

by Little Merger

Traversing into another world, Zhang Xuan finds himself becoming an honorable teacher. Along with his transcension, a mysterious library appears in his mind. As long as it is something he has seen, regardless of whether it is a human or an object, a book on its weaknesses will be automatically compiled in the library. Thus, he becomes formidable. “Emperor Zhuoyang, why do you detes

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Library of Heaven's Path #Chapter 1153 - Meeting Elder Xu Once More - Read Library of Heaven's Path Chapter 1153 - Meeting Elder Xu Once More Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 1153: Meeting Elder Xu Once More

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

While he was not the one who had orchestrated the incident, it was partly due to him that the Poison Hall had ended up in its current state. If they were handed over to the Master Teacher Pavilion, many self-righteous individuals would surely speak up against them, and it was hard to say what kind of fate would befall them in the future.

However, if they were to be taken to the Combat Master Hall instead, the situation would be entirely different.

Not only would the poison masters be able to resolve their current crisis, they would also be given a new identity that would allow them to walk in the open. Just based on these two benefits alone, the poison masters would not reject his proposal.

Additionally, if the Combat Master Hall could capitalize on the strength of the poison masters, their overall prowess would surely increase by leaps and bounds.

"That won't do!" Hall Master Xing's face twitched, and he hurriedly waved his hands to reject the suggestion.

"Why not?" Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.

"As you know, poison masters are used to living carefree lives. I fear that it would be difficult for our Combat Master Hall to control them. Furthermore, as you know, the cultivation techniques that they practice are unorthodox and depraved; master teachers look down upon this." Hall Master Xing shook his head. "No matter what, the Combat Master Hall is still a branch of the Master Teacher Pavilion."

In order to raise their cultivation, poison masters reared poisonous bugs, consumed lethal poison, and even used their life force to cultivate Gu. Most of their means had already breached the moral code of the master teachers.

Combat masters were a type of master teacher, so if they were to accept the poison masters, how would their peers view them in the future?

Combat masters did strive to obtain greater strength, but the means by which they did so were important as well. They had principles to follow, so they could not simply go around accepting everyone.

"That's simple. I'll teach them a new cultivation technique that is orthodox and upright. On top of that, I'll instruct them to heed Hall Master Xing's words, so you need not worry about being unable to control them," Zhang Xuan said.

It was indeed true that the horrific practices common in the cultivation of poison arts were unacceptable to the masses, but this was not a matter that was too difficult to resolve.

As long as he imparted his simplified Heaven's Path Poison Art to them, not only would they be able to advance their cultivation swiftly, there would also be no need for them to resort to unorthodox means anymore!

"This..." Hall Master Xing contemplated over the issue.

It might have felt as if the young man before him was making light of the matter, but having seen the other party's capability in person, he had absolute trust that the other party would be able to pull it off.

A person whose understanding of battle techniques was so deep that he could master a Saint low-tier battle technique to Consummation eleven breaths after first looking at the manual might really be able to alter poison cultivation techniques to make them orthodox.

If the person before him could resolve those two problems, accepting the poison masters into the Combat Master Hall was something that he could consider. After all, it was indeed the truth that the addition of poison masters to their ranks would bolster their forces considerably.

Putting everything aside, it was precisely due to the usage of poison that King Zhongqing had been able to rise to his current rank within a short twenty years.

At this point, Wu shi suddenly interjected. "While poison masters have a poor reputation, the fact that the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters have never ordered their elimination shows that there's a purpose to the existence of the poison master occupation and that they are willing to give the Poison Hall a chance. If Principal Zhang really has a way to convince the poison masters to work for the welfare of mankind, I'll report this matter to the headquarters and convince them of this matter. I believe that they would be glad to see this as well!"

Poison masters were the worst enemies to make, and at the same time, they were also the most reliable allies to have.

Their capability in group battles was nothing short of phenomenal. If they could assist in the fight against the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, mankind would stand a far better chance.

While the Poison Hall headquarters were well-concealed, the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters was bound to know where it was. Yet, over numerous millenniums, they still had not taken action against them as they did for the soul oracles. This was more than sufficient to show that they were not unpardonable.

Furthermore, these poison masters that were currently locked in the King Zhongqing Manor's underground prison had grown up on the island just beside Jingyuan City, and they had rarely ventured out of the island. They might have been poison masters, but they had never harmed anyone.

Since they had never harmed anyone or committed any evil deeds, would it not be a little presumptuous of them to kill them just because of their occupation? If so, what would become of the values that master teachers preached?

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"Alright!" Hearing Wu shi agree to the matter, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

While Hall Master Xing's cultivation was higher than Wu shi's, in terms of standing, the latter was still a notch higher. Since Wu shi had said such words, he must have had a feasible plan in mind to carry out the matter.

"Please wait here for a moment. I'll head to the underground prison to talk with the poison masters and see if I'm be able to convince them. If it does not work out, we'll just have to find some other way to deal with them," Zhang Xuan said.

"This... But Principal Zhang, what about your wounds?" Wu shi asked worriedly.

"Don't worry. With my constitution and your recovery pill, I'm fine now. It won't impede me from talking with them." Zhang Xuan waved his hand with a smile.

Recalling the various incredible means that the young man possessed, Wu shi knew that while the injuries the other party had sustained were considerable, they would not pose much of a problem for him. Thus, heaving a sigh of relief, he continued. "That's a relief. However, poison masters are known to be rather scheming, so allow me to follow you to the underground prison. This way, I'll be able to protect you if anything happens."

"It's fine. Given your current standing and identity, I fear that your presence will be pressurizing to them. It'll do for me to face them alone." Zhang Xuan turned down Wu shi's goodwill.

If he wanted to convince Xu You and the others to obediently join the Combat Master Hall and obey their words, he would surely have to reveal his identity as Sun Qiang to them. Naturally, this mustn't be done before Wu shi, or else the latter would learn about his identity as a poison master.

"This..." Wu shi hesitated for a brief moment before nodding. "Alright then, I won't enter the underground prison with you. However, we will be waiting outside, and once we notice that something is amiss, we'll immediately barge in and make a move!"

"I'll be relying on the both of you then," Zhang Xuan replied with a smile, knowing that the duo was worried about him.

Led by the master teacher from before, it did not take long for the crowd to arrive at the entrance of the underground prison.

Wu shi and Hall Master Xing stood guard outside while Zhang Xuan entered the underground prison alone.

The prison was dimly-lit and eerie. There were all sorts of powerful formations set up here and there to prevent the escape of the imprisoned cultivators.

Shortly after walking in, 'ge ge ge', Zhang Xuan's bones and muscles began rearranging themselves to assume the appearance of 'Sun Qiang'.

"Elder Xu..." Very soon, Zhang Xuan found Elder Xu, and just as the master teacher had said, it seemed like he had been subjected to harsh torture. He was clearly much skinnier than he had been two months prior, and his aura felt withered as well.

With just a look, it was apparent that his wounds were not light.

There were roughly a hundred other poison masters captured in the underground prison. As for the other members of the Poison Hall... it was hard to say whether they were alive or dead.

"Founder!" Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, Elder Xu and the others were stunned for a moment before agitation struck them.

The identity of the middle-aged man before them, Sun Qiang, had been verified by Poison Master Hai and Poison Master Bai of the headquarters. Thus, they had no doubts about his identity at all.

"I am not your founder, just a person who escorted her back then. It'll do for you to just address me as Sun Qiang," Zhang Xuan replied with a smile. "You have truly suffered a lot. Here are some pills to heal your injuries. Quickly swallow them to regain some strength."

He flicked his wrist and took out a couple of jade bottles before passing them around the poison masters.

He had plenty of pills from acquiring the storage rings of the Ten Kings of the Qingtian Lineage. As long as he infused some Heaven's Path zhenqi into each of the pills, it would grant them miraculous effects in recovering wounds and fatigue.

"Yes!" Without any hesitation, Elder Xu and the others took the pills and swallowed them.

As soon as the pill dissolved in their mouth, the Heaven's Path zhenqi contained within them swiftly flowed through their bloodstream to the rest of their body, and their wounds began healing at a discernable rate.

"This..." Noticing the changes in their bodies, Xu You and the others were startled. They could hardly believe what was going on.

The effectiveness of these pills was far, far more potent than the recovery pills that they concocted. As expected of the individual who had escorted the founder! Without a doubt, the other party must have inherited the founder's heritage!

After the poison masters had somewhat recuperated from their wounds, Zhang Xuan asked grimly, "What happened to the Jingyuan City Poison Hall?"

"The Poison Hall..." At this point, Xu You's eyes reddened in deep indignation. His voice grew slightly hoarse, as if there was something stuck within it. "... has been destroyed. We are the only ones who remain. Everyone else has been... killed."

As the ex-vice head of the Poison Hall, Ming Zhen knew all the secrets of the Poison Hall, and this included the flaws in their formations and defensive systems as well. Under his lead, King Zhongqing's forces had been able to sneak into the Poison Hall successfully without alarming anyone, taking the Poison Hall off guard. As a result, the Poison Hall was completely wiped out in the tragedy.

"Killed? You are saying that King Zhongqing killed everyone in the Poison Hall?" Zhang Xuan's face turned completely dark.

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He had thought that it would at least have been a roughly equal fight, with both sides suffering some casualties. Yet, from the looks of it, the situation seemed far worse than he had imagined.

"That's right... They attacked in the middle of the night. Caught off guard, we were swiftly encircled and subdued. That night, a river of blood flowed through the Poison Hall. Just like that, the ten thousand years of heritage of the Poison Hall was destroyed..." Elder Xu clenched his fists tightly, and his voice gradually grew more and more agitated. Eventually, it came to a point where he found himself unable to continue speaking anymore.

"This..." Zhang Xuan was at a loss for words. He had no idea how he should comfort Elder Xu's pain.

He had been to the Poison Hall as well, and on top of poison masters, there were many ordinary civilians. These civilians did not possess the talent for cultivating poison arts, so they spent their lives idly on the island. Who knew that they were not spared either!

The fear of poison masters wasn not completely unfounded, but these poison masters had spent the entirety of their lives on a remote island, isolated from the rest of their world. They had never ventured beyond their island to harm anyone, but King Zhongqing had callously stepped in and ruined the relatively peaceful world that they had constructed for themselves!

Initially, Zhang Xuan had wondered if he had gone too far by scheming against King Zhongqing in such a manner, but from the looks of it now, he regretted not doing worse!

A person like him deserved to die a thousand times over!

After taking a deep breath, Elder Xu continued. "After King Zhongqing massacred the entire Poison Hall, he rounded up all the poison masters ranked 5-star and above, sealed our cultivation, and imprisoned us here. Every single day, he would use cruel torture techniques on us to have us mass concoct poison for him!"

When he spoke of King Zhongqing, flames of fury burned in his eyes. If he could, there was no doubt that he would have ripped the other party in two without any hesitation.

"Mass concoct poison?" Zhang Xuan knitted his eyebrows. "What kind of poison is he concocting?"

In the Qingyuan Empire, King Zhongqing was definitely a figure worthy of the phrase ' beneath a single man, above the masses 1 '. Putting aside the incredible cultivation he possessed, he also wielded unbounded authority as well. If a person who wielded that much power wanted to deal with his political rivals, there was no need for him to go through the trouble of mass concocting poison at all.

Or to put it in simpler terms, King Zhongqing was up to something huge.

"It's the Scattering Breeze Powder!" Elder Xu replied.

"Grade-5 poison, Scattering Breeze Powder?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "Colorless and odorless, it is a poison that saps one of one's strength upon inhalation, rendering one powerless for a short period of time. However, its ability to drift freely along with the breeze allows it to incapacitate a huge number of people simultaneously, though it is only effective on those beneath Saint realm. How much of it did King Zhongqing demand?"

All in all, the Scattering Breeze Powder could not be considered a lethal poison, but its ability to spread far and wide made it extremely difficult to guard against.

"Ten tons," Elder Xu replied grimly.

"Ten tons?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

Just an ordinary jade bottle of Scattering Breeze Powder released into the air could knock out several hundred individuals. To produce ten tons of it... Was he planning to knock out an entire city?

What the heck did he need so much of it for?

Noticing Zhang Xuan's worry, Xu You swiftly explained, "He's the sworn enemy of our Poison Hall, so how could we possibly serve him? Thus, we refused to obey his orders."

At the same time, realization suddenly struck him, and he looked at Zhang Xuan with a peculiar gaze. "Fou... Elder Sun Qiang, how did you know that we are here? You weren't noticed by the guards when you came here, right?"

Even though Zhang Xuan's sudden arrival in the underground prison was perplexing to him, Elder Xu's trust in the other party remained unwavering, simply on the grounds that he was the man chosen by the founder.

As a poison master who had grown up in the Poison Hall, it was inevitable that he would have blind faith in the founder.

Nevertheless, he was still worried about the other party. Their deaths were nothing much, but if they were to implicate Elder Sun Qiang in this matter, they would have truly let the founder down!

"Don't worry, I have already subdued King Zhongqing, and he has been taken away by the Master Teacher Pavilion for interrogation. The reason I am here is to save you all!" Zhang Xuan replied.

"You have subdued King Zhongqing?"

"You are here to save us?"

The crowd stared at one another with shock gazes, not daring to believe what they had just heard.

They had thought that they were doomed to spend the rest of their lives rotting within this underground prison. Yet, never in their dreams had they thought that the elder who had delivered the founder back to them would come to save them, even exacting vengeance in their stead.

"Un. However, your current identities are a little awkward. It would be difficult for me to free you all given the present circumstances. Thus, I hope to give you all a new identity, but I'll need your consent for this matter," Zhang Xuan said.

"A new identity?" Elder Xu was perplexed by those words. "What would that identity be?"

The other poison masters also turned their sights over.

"Combat masters!" Zhang Xuan replied concisely.

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Chapter 1154: Wu shi's Analysis

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Combat master?"

The many poison masters stared at one another, unable to process what they had just heard.

"That's right. As long as you all become combat masters, you will be able to walk through the streets of Qingyuan City openly without fear, and you wouldn't have to fear anyone confronting you or causing you any trouble just because you practice poison arts. And more importantly, you need not fear the Master Teacher Pavilion anymore!" Zhang Xuan said with a light chuckle.

"This..." Hearing those words, the faces of the poison masters reddened, and they clenched their fists in agitation.

As poison masters, they had lived in the shadows for far too long. For the longest time, their greatest wish had been to stand in the light as themselves without being snubbed or shunned by others... If Elder Sun Qiang could really make this come true for them, that would be as good as granting them a second life!

"But... we aren't master teachers, are we truly qualified to become combat masters? Will the other combat masters really welcome us into their ranks? After all, we are poison masters..." Elder Xu asked apprehensively.

The other poison masters nodded in agreement as well, clearly harboring the same concerns.

The Combat Master Hall was a subsidiary of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and typically speaking, combat masters were talented individuals chosen amongst the master teachers. On the other hand, they were only a bunch of poison masters...

"It's true that most combat masters are master teachers as well, but from time to time, the Combat Master Hall would also recruit talents of other fields into their ranks to widen their scope. While we poison masters have a bad reputation, our fighting prowess with poison is exceptional too! The Combat Master Hall would surely welcome you into their ranks gladly! As long as you were to join the Combat Master Hall as one of their members, even if just as a reserve member, under their cover, no one would dare to say the slightest thing about you!" Zhang Xuan nodded with a smile.

The Combat Master Hall did have special rules when it came to recruiting top-notch talent, but those only applied to talents of around Zheng Yang's caliber. To be honest, Elder Xu and the others were still quite lacking.

Nevertheless, even if they couldn't become an official member of the Combat Master Hall, becoming a reserve member was still possible. It wouldn't be too late for them to apply to become an official member once they achieve some merit.

"That would truly be for the best. However... would our cultivation technique and means be rejected by the master teachers? They might accept us at the start, but as time passes... would they start to repulse and shun us?" Elder Xu asked in concern.

"I understand your concerns, but don't worry, the founder has already made preparations for this. Here are some cultivation technique manuals which the founder has prepared for you all. As long as you all were to cultivate accordingly to it, not only will the rate of advancement in your cultivation be faster than ever, you won't have to resort to unorthodox means anymore too!" Zhang Xuan said as he flicked his wrist and passed a few manuals over.

Those manuals contained the simplified versions of the Heaven's Path Poison Art.

Back then, he had written them down shortly after browsing through the books of the Poison Hall in hopes that he would be able to impart them to those of the Poison Hall.

Elder Xu and the others took the books doubtfully, but after flipping through a few pages, their faces swiftly flushed in agitation, and their breathing couldn't help but hasten.

Every single one of them here had at least devoted a hundred years of their life into the study of poison, so their eye of discernment in the field of poison was superb. The poison cultivation technique manuals Elder Sun Qiang had passed to them weren't too thick, and the words on them numbered fewer than a typical manual as well. Yet, every single word written on them was deeply meaningful, directing them towards the very essence of poison art itself!

If they were to cultivate according to it, it could be foreseen that both their mastery of poison and cultivation would swiftly improve, granting them far greater prowess than before!

Even without achieving a breakthrough, their fighting prowess would soar by at least two or three times easily!

"Thank you, founder, for bestowing us with these cultivation techniques!" Agitated, the poison masters began kneeling on the floor and kowtowing deeply to Elder Sun Qiang.

With these cultivation techniques, they would no longer have to go through the trouble to search for all kinds of venomous worms and lethal poison, or even commit depraved acts against their conscience!

"It's out of the kindness of Hall Master Xing's heart that you all are allowed to join the Combat Master Hall, so I hope that you will heed his commands in the future. Don't let your emotions get the better of you when it comes to dealing with official matters, or else, even I won't be able to save you!" Zhang Xuan said with a stern expression on his face.

"Yes!"

The crowd nodded.

As formidable as poison masters were in group battles, they were still insufficient to go up against the powerful combat masters.

Not only did combat masters wield extraordinary fighting prowess, more importantly, they had also tempered their physical bodies in many ways, granting them considerably immunity to most forces of nature, and this included poison as well... If a poison master were to face a combat master of the same cultivation realm, it was likely that the poison master would be killed even before he had a chance to utilize his poison.

Even if the poison master were to set up a trap in advance, it was also likely that the combat master would be able to push himself to slay the poison master before succumbing to the poison.

"Alright. After memorizing the content on the manuals, burn them. I'm sure that you understand the significance of these cultivation techniques, so I hope that they won't be passed them down to anyone else without my permission." Zhang Xuan instructed.

"Yes!" The crowd nodded.

Even though it was just a simplified version of the Heaven's Path Poison Art, it was still an astounding power to behold.

...

While Zhang Xuan was still busy convincing the poison masters, Hall Master Xing and Wu shi were standing outside the underground prison.

"Wu shi, how do you intend to account the matter of the Combat Master Hall accepting the poison masters to the Master Teacher Pavilion?" Hall Master Xing asked with a frown.

He had never intended to accept the request, but since Wu shi had spoken up in the stead of the poison masters, he eventually relented.

While his fighting prowess far surpassed the other party, admittedly, his ability to assess situations was still lacking as compared to the latter. After all, their responsibilities differed significantly from one another.

As the head of the Combat Master Hall, his responsibility lay in training combat masters and preparing them for war whereas Wu shi, as the vice head of the Master Teacher Pavilion, was in charge of maintaining the regional security and order.

And for that purpose, Wu shi had to be keen in assessing situations.

"Do you feel that Principal Zhang is bringing trouble to your Combat Master Hall?" Hearing Hall Master Xing's question, Wu shi shook his head and turned to him.

"This..." Having his thoughts pointed out so directly, Hall Master Xing couldn't help but shake his head awkwardly.

Those were indeed his thoughts.

Poison masters were known to be an individualistic and eccentric bunch, and it went without saying that it wouldn't be easy to manage such a group. If they were to join the Combat Master Hall, wouldn't it just erode the order he had established with great difficulty in the Combat Master Hall?

"It looks like you didn't understand Principal Zhang's true intentions! He's doing this for the sake of the Combat Master Hall and mankind!" Wu shi shook his head and sighed deeply.

"He's doing this for the sake of the Combat Master Hall and mankind?" A confused expression surfaced on Hall Master Xing's face. Wu shi's words were too deep for him to comprehend.

Those fellows were nothing but a huge trouble, so how could this be for the welfare of the Combat Master Hall?

"Hai, I knew that you wouldn't understand." A helpless smile flashed across Wu shi's face as he looked meaningfully into the distance, reminiscent of a wise elder who had seen through the world. "Let me ask you this then. How do you intend to deal with those poison masters? Will you imprison them, or will you kill them?"

"This..." Hall Master Xing was caught off guard by the question. He had to take a moment to contemplate over the matter before he was able to respond, "Those poison masters haven't erred or harmed anyone, so why do we have to imprison or kill them?"

The Master Teacher Pavilion aimed to lead mankind through virtue, not through tyranny. Naturally, they couldn't just punish an innocent bunch just because of their affiliation to the Poison Hall.

Not to mention, in the very first place, the poison masters were the victims of this incident as well! Given such, how could they possibly still harden their hearts to imprison or kill them? That would truly be going against their conscience!

"Indeed. We can't imprison or kill them. But their Poison Hall branch has been exposed and destroyed, so they can't return to it anymore. Are you certain that it would be safe to have so many powerful poison masters scattered throughout Qingyuan Empire?" Wu shi asked.

"This..." Hall Master Xing fell silent at those words.

It was easy to deal with the poison masters when they were gathered together as a group, but once they were to disperse and blend in with the countless civilians of Qingyuan Empire, it would be nigh impossible to find them anymore.

If those poison masters were to choose to harm others, their incredible mastery in poison would make it extremely difficult to trace the case to them. And even if they were to find the murderer later on, many lives would have already been lost then.

"If we could bring them into the Combat Master Hall, that would be effectively limiting their area of activity and preventing a catastrophe from happening. In essence, this is similar to a house arrest, but with a much better sounding name. Not only is it not detrimental to our reputation, it'll also display the magnanimity of the Master Teacher Pavilion. Truly two birds with a stone!"

"This..." Hall Master Xing widened his eyes in astonishment, unable to speak a word.

Upon hearing the other party's analysis, he realized that that was indeed the case.

If the poison masters were to join the Combat Master Hall, they would be bound by its rules as well. Naturally, they wouldn't be able to maintain the carefree lifestyle that they had previously. That would effectively limit their area of activity to Qingyuan City, thus preventing them from committing any harm out there.

"This is only the first aim behind Principal Zhang's suggestion. As for the second, I can tell you with certainty that he's doing it with the welfare of your Combat Master Hall in mind!" Wu shi said.

"You should still remember the fight against the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe twenty years ago, right?"

"Of course!" Hall Master Xing replied gravely.

Back then, the Qingtian Lineage had dispatched all of their forces to encircle the Combat Master Hall, and a bitter fight ensued. The Combat Master Hall had suffered great casualties in that battle, and even Hall Master Xing himself had nearly lost his life.

If not for Elder Qi, he wouldn't have been around anymore.

"Even though the Otherworldly Demons sprung a surprise attack, their forces were still insufficient to deal with the powerful forces of the Combat Master Hall. Yet, the Combat Master Hall still ended up being nearly forced into a corner... The reason for it should still be fresh in your mind." Recalling the tragedy back then, Wu shi's face turned grim as well.

The Otherworldly Demons had come prepared, but the defenses Combat Master Hall had never fallen lax. They were well-prepared to face the Otherworldly Demons, and under normal circumstances, even if the Otherworldly Demons had dispatched all of their elites into the assault, with the incredible might wielded by the combat masters, the battle should have still ended in an easy victory for the combat masters. There wasn't even any need for the Master Teacher Pavilion and the Qingyuan Empire's military to come into the picture...

And yet, despite the three powers making a move, the outcome was still a narrow and tragic victory!

It was due to that battle that Qingyuan Empire declined to become the weakest one of the Eight Great Conferred Empire. Even twenty years weren't sufficient for it to recover from the impact back then.

"It's due to the Supreme Scattering Breeze Powder!" Hall Master Xing clenched his fists tightly together.

Back then, their combat masters were unknowingly afflicted with a potent poison known as the Supreme Scattering Breeze Powder, and the poison depleted their combat masters of their fighting prowess. This opened up a huge opening for the Otherworldly Demons to strike!

Even he wasn't spared from the effects of the Supreme Scattering Breeze Powder.

This matter had been a huge thorn in his heart, and even the passing of twenty years wasn't sufficient for him to let go of it.

"Indeed. That poison drifted with the wind, and odorless and colorless, it was inevitable that no one noticed a thing. Even I hadn't expected them to have such a hand either. It was thanks to the keen-eyed Vice Pavilion Master Tian noticing it that the losses of the Master Teacher Pavilion were minimized. Due to that matter, he gained great prestige in the Master Teacher Pavilion and soared through the ranks!" Wu shi nodded.

"It's probably due to the matter that Principal Zhang wishes to bring the poison masters into the Combat Master Hall. Firstly, with the sharp senses of the poison masters to poison, they would be able to uncover any poison used by the enemy ahead of time, thus preventing such tragedy from happening again. Secondly, the creation of a Poison Division could also serve to further temper the combat master's immunity to poison. This way, even if the Otherworldly Demons were to resort to the same means once more, the Combat Master Hall wouldn't be as helpless as it was back then..."

"This..." Hall Master Xing was taken aback.

Indeed.

With the inclusion of poison masters into their ranks, even if they were to encounter the same matter as they did twenty years ago, they wouldn't be as powerless as they were back then.

Hall Master Xing contemplated for a while, and the more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that there was no drawback from bringing the poison masters into the Combat Master Hall. Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, he turned to Wu shi, and it took him a brief moment of hesitation before he could bring himself to ask, "Did Principal Zhang... really see this far ahead?"

These were all factors that he had never considered before. Despite the other party's severely injured state, he still managed to analyze so deeply into this matter... Was this for real?

"Principal Zhang's wisdom is not something the likes of us can fathom. It also took me a long moment of contemplation after hearing his request before realization struck me!" Wu shi replied meaningfully.

Initially, he also didn't think that the matter was really feasible either. However, when he tried to analyze deeper into the matter, he astonishingly realized that the potential benefits severely outweighed the drawbacks. This was truly a decision that only those of great wisdom would be able to come up with!

"This..."

Hall Master Xing ran through the situation in his head once more, and his admiration for Principal Zhang couldn't help but deepen further. Impressed, he remarked, "Principal Zhang is truly a living sage!"

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Chapter 1155: I Like You

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Elder Sun, we have memorized the cultivation technique you have imparted to us!"

An hour later, Elder Xu clasped his fist and reported to Zhang Xuan.

"Destroy those books then." Zhang Xuan replied with a wave of his hand.

Elder Xu and the others nodded, and with a powerful flick, the secret manuals disintegrated to ashes before scattering into the surroundings, as if they hadn't appeared in the first place.

"Elder Sun, where can we find you in the future? We wish to repay the favor to you!" Knowing that it was only a matter of time before the 'envoy of the founder' would have to leave, Elder Xu couldn't help but ask.

The other party had granted them a second life, and no words could possibly be sufficient to express the gratitude they felt towards him.

"Where to find me?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "There's no need for you to seek me. If I have any matter that I require your help for, I'll come and find you."

"Then..." Elder Xu hesitated for a moment before asking. "May we have the honor of knowing Elder Sun's true identity? This way, if you have any instructions for us in the future, even if you aren't able to meet us in person, you can simply send a messenger to us, and we'll brave through even the flames of hell for you!"

"This..." Zhang Xuan was intending to refuse that request of theirs as well, but looking into the expectant eyes of the poison masters before him, he found himself hesitating for a brief moment before eventually relenting, "Alright then. Actually, my true identity is the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Xuan... 's butler! However, I am a very low profile person, so I hope that you can keep this matter a secret!"

"Principal Zhang's butler?"

"I have heard of Principal Zhang. He's famed to be a once-in-a-thousand-years prodigy, and despite his young age, he was unanimously nominated to become the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!"

"So you're Principal Zhang's butler! Understood!"

"Senior Sun, rest assured. We will never speak a word of this matter to another soul..."

...

Upon learning of Zhang Xuan's 'true' identity, the poison masters quickly nodded their heads excitedly.

"Alright, let's leave the underground prison!" Zhang Xuan said with a wave of his hand.

Nodding, Elder Xu and the others began walking out of the door. After confirming that they had all left, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He reverted back to his original appearance before slowly heading out as well.

By the time he left the underground prison, the poison masters had already been brought back to the Combat Master Hall, leaving behind only Hall Master Xing, Wu shi, Luo Qiqi, and the others.

"Zhang shi..."

Seeing that Zhang Xuan was fine, the crowd heaved a sigh of relief before quickly gathering around him.

"I have already talked to those poison masters, and they will heed the commands of the Combat Master Hall in the future." Zhang Xuan smiled.

"Un! Principal Zhang, thank you for your words of wisdom!" Hall Master Xing clasped his fist and thanked.

"Words of wisdom?" Seeing the delight and gratefulness on the other party's face, Zhang Xuan was bewildered.

He had noticed Hall Master Xing's reluctance regarding the matter when he first proposed it, and he had been worried that the latter would abruptly change his mind halfway through. Yet, after returning from a short trip to the underground prison, the other party was suddenly thanking him for the matter?

Just what in the world had happened for the latter to change his mind so swiftly?!

"You're being too polite. This is part of my responsibility as a master teacher." Even though Zhang Xuan had no idea what was going through Hall Master Xing's head, humility had always been one of his dominant traits, so he quickly replied so.

On the other hand, seeing how humble Zhang Xuan was, not taking credit for his action at all, Hall Master Xing's respect for the other party deepened.

How in the world could there be such a selfless person in the world? Was he the living embodiment of altruism?

"Principal Zhang, may I know what you intend to do after this?" Wu shi asked.

"I intend to pay a visit to the Painter Guild and the Appraiser Hall to take the corresponding 7-star examinations so that I can be promoted to a 7-star master teacher." Zhang Xuan revealed his intentions without any reservation.

He was originally intending to head to the Appraiser Hall, but he was suddenly called here by King Zhongqing on the way... Thinking about it, he couldn't help but feel that it was a huge waste of time.

"Does Wu shi has any matter for me?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"To be honest, I was thinking that if Principal Zhang doesn't have any urgent matter at hand, it would be good if you could follow me to the Master Teacher Pavilion to discuss the results of my investigation..."

"The results of your investigation?"

"Un." Wu shi nodded. "According to what Zhang Yinqiu said, the master teacher who had duped him of the intelligence goes by the name of Chen Zhe, who happens to be the direct disciple of Vice Pavilion Master Tian as well. I have already arrested Chen Zhe, and he's currently imprisoned in our Master Teacher Pavilion. If Principal Zhang is free now, I would like to invite you over to meet him."

"This..." Zhang Xuan was slightly hesitant.

In truth, he wasn't too interested in this matter.

Since even Vice Pavilion Master Tian himself had been imprisoned, it would do for the Master Teacher Pavilion to slowly interrogate the both of them. At this point, it didn't really matter whether he were to be involved in the matter or not.

Just as he was about to turn down Wu shi's request, the latter suddenly smiled, "Actually, there's no need for Zhang shi to rush into taking the painter and appraiser examination. To tell you the truth, there will be an Appraisal Convention later on, and if you are free, I can bring you there along with me. The head of the Appraiser Guild and Painter Guild should be attending as well, and if I were to introduce you to them there, it should make things more convenient for you on their side."

"Appraisal Convention? What is that?" Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.

"From time to time, when new artifacts of unknown backgrounds are uncovered, a convention would be held over them so as to appraise the artifacts and see if they could be fixed. While it may appear to be an event for appraisers, over the years, it has gradually evolved into a high-class social event where most renowned and influential figures in Qingyuan City would attend." Wu shi replied.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before nodding, "Alright then."

He had departed from the Combat Master hall early in the morning, and after the events at the Terpsichore Guild and King Zhongqing Manor, it was already in the late afternoon now, nearing evening. Rather than fumble his way into the guild and waste more time, it would be far more convenient for him to first meet the heads of the Painter Guild and Appraiser Hall for the matter.

Hearing Zhang Xuan agree to the matter, Wu shi smiled in delight, "Great! I'll be leaving first to make some preparations then. I'll see you at the Master Teacher Pavilion later on!"

After which, he turned around and left.

Shortly after, Hall Master Xing and the others bade their farewell as well, leaving only Zhang Xuan, Sun Qiang, Luo Qiqi, and Yu Fei-er around.

Zhang Xuan turned to the other three and said, "You all should return to our accommodation at the Combat Master Hall."

"Yes!" Knowing that he had caused a huge trouble this time around, Sun Qiang quickly nodded obediently.

"Teacher, I have some doubts which I would like to ask you... May I know if it's convenient for you?" Luo Qiqi bit her lips as she looked at Zhang Xuan nervously.

"Of course, feel free to ask anything." Zhang Xuan replied with a kind smile.

Noting that Luo Qiqi had something private to ask, Sun Qiang and Yu Fei-er took their leave.

After confirming that there was no one around, Luo Qiqi set up an isolation barrier around them before asking, "Teacher, the affairs today have left some doubts in my mind, and I hope that you can answer them. I have been paying a close look to the earlier conflict... Vice Pavilion Master Tian and King Zhongqing have attempted to pin a crime on you using underhanded means, and I do agree that they should be punished for it... but is it really alright to frame them like that? Wouldn't that be going too far? Isn't it against the beliefs preached in the Way of Teacher?"

She had known Zhang Xuan ever since the time she had spent in Huanyu Empire, and for the longest of time, she had viewed the latter to be a role model for her.

From saving her in Wu Yangzi's underground chamber to risking himself to rescue Yu Fei-er to venturing into the dangerous Cloudmist Ridge to tame all of the saint beasts...

All of these matters only served to build the noble and selfless image of the young man before her.

With time, his image within her grew bigger and bigger, and she even began to think that he was just like the World's Teacher, a true master teacher through and through... Admittedly, he did resort to some schemes from time to time, but those were minor incidents, and they always concluded in a positive end.

But... everything she had witnessed today had overturned her view of him.

No matter what, Vice Pavilion Master Tian was a 7-star pinnacle master teacher, the vice head of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion... To directly oppose a respected elder was already an infringement of the formalities and values that master teachers believed in and embraced.

As such, she found that her faith was starting to waver.

Instead of replying to Luo Qiqi's doubts directly, Zhang Xuan asked her a question, "What does being a master teacher mean to you?"

"Master teacher... As teachers, we serve to clear away doubts and bring mankind to a greater height of prosperity. As role models, we strive to conduct ourselves honorably, displaying desirable values for others to emulate..."

"Wrong! Your interpretation is all wrong!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"Wrong? These are the commandments that all master teachers must learn to recite. There's no master teacher who doesn't know about it..." Luo Qiqi frowned in incomprehension.

"It's true that master teachers serve as teachers and role models to mankind, but we shouldn't neglect the fact that they are humans as well!" Zhang Xuan replied.

"Humans?"

"Un. As long as we remain human, we will have our own emotions and thoughts. That's simply our nature. Kong shi didn't create the Master Teacher Pavilion to churn out batch after batch of mindless puppets. Formalities and rules are there to guide, not to dictate. In situations where following rules and formalities go against one's conscience, it's fine to break free of it and do what one deems to be right." Zhang Xuan said.

"Master teachers should never aim to blindly follow existing conventions, that's what it means to stagnate and wither. Only when we open our mind and question freely will we be able to bring mankind to further heights, and that's what it means to be a master teacher!"

"This..." Luo Qiqi fell into deep thoughts.

"I have once met a cultivator whose father is a master teacher. From a very young age, he has deeply respected his father and heeded the latter's words obediently, devoting his entirety to cultivation. He had always regarded his father's words to be the absolute truth. However, his father has never managed to achieve a breakthrough before his death, and this matter had left a trauma in the cultivator's heart. Deep within, he felt that since his father was unable to achieve a breakthrough, there was no way he would be able to take the final step forward either... Under his father's looming shadow, even when he has accumulated sufficient zhenqi and knowledge to achieve a breakthrough, his attempts still ended in failure." Zhang Xuan said.

"That is what it means to have a fixed mindset! While we are master teachers, we are students in the long road of life as well. As students, we should expand our minds and doubt what we see and hear instead of blindly heeding the words of those who have come before us. Take the incident today for example, it's clear that Vice Pavilion Master Qing is at wrong, so why should I just take his words for it and accept his verdict?

"He has a far higher standing than me, and I have no way to going against him directly. As a result, I can only resort to other means in order to stand up against him and protect myself."

"Then... what if a formidable master teacher were to use rules and conventions to force me to accept his point of view?" Luo Qiqi asked with a gleam in her eyes.

"Follow your heart!" Zhang Xuan replied with a smile. "No matter how formidable a master teacher is, can he be any more formidable than Kong shi? In fact, even if Kong shi were to order you to kill a man, claiming that it's for the welfare of mankind, does that mean that you really should do it? Ultimately, you shouldn't allow others to dictate your actions. Look into your conscience, and determine what is right and wrong for yourself! As long as you disagree with the other party's words, you are always entitled to the right to reject his point of view! In the first place, if the other party is using rules and conventions to force you into submission, disregarding your own personal thoughts, he's already breaking the very foundations that make a master teacher. Since that's the case, there's no need to uphold formalities with the other party either!"

"This..." The light in Luo Qiqi's eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if realization had dawned upon her.

"Alright. In the end, those tricks are just means to protect oneself. I can't say that they are honorable, but sometimes, there is little choice but to resort to them. As long as you don't go overboard with them or utilize them to cause harm to the innocent, they aren't fundamentally at odds with the teachings of the Master Teacher Pavilion. There's no need for you to think too much into it." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

It was clear that the other party had cornered herself this time around.

Master teachers shouldn't be inflexible individuals who only knew how to abide by the rules. Different circumstances called for the application of a different set of standards, and master teachers should know how to flexibly adapt to the situation whenever it was required.

Luo Qiqi was a talented individual, but she was simply lacking in the adaptability that Hu Yaoyao and the others possessed.

"I understand!" Upon hearing the explanation, Luo Qiqi's eyes lit up. She raised her gaze to look right into Zhang Xuan's eyes and said, "Since teacher has already said so, I think that I should follow my heart as well. Teacher..."

"... I like you!"

"..." Zhang Xuan.

Chapter 1156: Zhang Jiuxiao

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

The sight before Zhang Xuan turned dark, and he nearly fell to the ground.

He thought that the other party was truly conflicted and lost, and yet, who could have thought that the other party was actually preparing a trap for him to jump into!

All along, he had always been the one to scheme against others, and never had he thought that he would actually be outwitted by a young lass...

To drop a bunch of philosophical questions first in order to lead him to tell her to follow her heart so that she would be justified to say what she wanted to say afterward...

Zhang Xuan cleared his throat and replied, "I like you too. I like everyone from the Xuanxuan Faction as well. If I didn't like you, why would I accept you as my apothecary student?"

To be confessed by his own student... How embarrassing!

"Teacher, you know what I mean. The type of like that I am referring to isn't that." Luo Qiqi stared at Zhang Xuan intently with her large eyes as she spoke.

"You should return to the Combat Master Hall first. I still have matters to attend to." Right after saying those words, without giving Luo Qiqi an opportunity to respond, Zhang Xuan turned around anxiously and flew in the direction of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

"Hahaha!" Watching the sight, Luo Qiqi couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Her teacher had always been a composed person. This was the first time she was seeing him in such a fluster.

"You were the one who told me to follow my heart. I might address you as my teacher, but we have never undergone an official acknowledgement ceremony... As long as I'm not your direct disciple, this isn't a problem at all!" Luo Qiqi muttered as her lips curled into a ravishing smile.

In the Master Teacher Continent, it wasn't appropriate for a student to harbor such thoughts about her teacher, so for a very long time, she had been suppressing her true desires. However, after her teacher's 'counselling', the dilemma that she had been facing finally cleared up, and a beautiful smile surfaced on her lips.

She might have addressed Zhang Xuan as her teacher, but since they hadn't gone through an acknowledgement ceremony, the teacher-student relationship between them had yet to be officialized.

Since that was the case, it wasn't against the rules for her to court the other party!

...

"Phew! That was a close shave!" After flying for some distance, Zhang Xuan came to a halt and wiped away his cold sweat.

While his actions may seem unprincipled time to time, he would never dream of laying his hands on his students. This was his moral boundary as a teacher and a belief he held firmly onto.

Are kids nowadays all that brave? Zhang Xuan shook his head.

It took many, many days of hesitation before he could build up the courage needed to confess to Luo Ruoxin, and that young lass actually just directly said that she liked him to his face...

My gosh, it was fortunate that he had fled quickly. Otherwise, wouldn't he die of embarrassment if she were to say anything more than that?

The world sure is becoming more and more open... Zhang Xuan looked at the sky and remarked deeply.

He had always conducted himself properly so as to not get into any messy relationship with the ladies. Yet, who could have thought that he would still end up being placed in such an awkward situation?

Just the thought of it left his head hurting.

How was he to face Luo Qiqi in the future?

"Forget it, I won't think about it anymore. I should head to the Master Teacher Pavilion first!"

Driving his Soul Depth, Zhang Xuan calmed his mind down before continuing on his way to the Master Teacher Pavilion. At that moment, however, he suddenly noticed a beautiful figure swiftly rushing towards him.

"Zhang shi!"

"Yu Fei-er? Didn't you return back to the Combat Master Hall?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

At this point, Yu Fei-er had already switched into a crimson dress which embraced her body tightly, fully displaying her alluring figure.

It must be said that this fiery-tempered princess truly had a beautiful physique. It might pale in comparison to Hu Yaoyao, but her perfectly-shaped hips which extended down to her slender legs was truly an eye to behold. At the same time, perhaps it was due to her intentionally concealing it in the past, but under the tight embrace of her dress, her chest looked far more voluptuous than before.

At this moment, her appearance was one that would leave the gazes of others lingering upon her.

"Zhang shi, there's a matter which I need to talk to you about." Yu Fei-er said with bit lips.

"Cough cough, I still have matters to attend to, so I'll talk to you some other time. Farewell!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand hastily as he prepared to take his leave.

"This won't do! Since you are willing to listen to Qiqi's words, why won't you listen to mine as well?" Yu Fei-er harrumphed unhappily as she swiftly grabbed Zhang Xuan's arm.

"This..." Cold sweat burst from Zhang Xuan's head.

No matter how low his emotional quotient may be, the very fact that the other party had specially changed her dress up and return for him was more than sufficient clue for him to figure out what the other party was going to say.

"I'm only going to say one thing to you. I'm willing to follow you wherever you go in the future, even if it's to the end of the world..." Yu Fei-er said.

She was one with a fiery temper, and she usually dealt with matters decisively as well. Nevertheless, it took all of her courage in order to say those words.

"I see." Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan was pondered for a moment before replying, "Very well, acknowledge me as your teacher then! As long as you become my student, I'll bring you wherever I go. Otherwise, you would only be able to follow me as my maid."

"You..." Yu Fei-er glared at Zhang Xuan furiously.

"Ah? Is that a no? I guess we'll just have to forget about this matter then. Alright, I still have things to attend to at the moment, so I'll be taking my leave first..."

Hu!

Once again, without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan pushed his Heaven's Path Movement Art to its very limits and disappeared on the spot.

"Hmph!"

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan left, Yu Fei-er's tightly-clenched fists finally opened up once more. With a smirk, she muttered, "I would like to see who will you choose, Qiqi or me!"

...

What the heck is this... Fleeing to a remote alley, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

Just one awkward situation was intolerable to him, and they just had to come in pairs... It was truly too pressurizing to face the confessions of other simultaneously...

If not for the recent rise in his Soul Depth, he might have just collapsed under the immense mental stress and lose his mind.

"It won't do to drag this matter out for too long. I have to find Ruoxin soon and show them that I already have a girlfriend so that they would give up on me!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Being too outstanding also came with its troubles too!

How vexing!

He really had to proclaim his attached status soon, or else, if everyone were to come confessing to him one after another, even a person of his Soul Depth wouldn't be able to take it.

Just fending off the two of them took everything that he got. If more were to come, he wouldn't have to cultivate anymore.

The next time I meet any ladies, I must accept them as my disciple in advance so that they wouldn't have any opportunity to harbor such thoughts... Zhang Xuan thought as he stroked his lower jaws.

Making his way forward as he contemplated over this matter, he soon arrived at the Master Teacher Pavilion.

The Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion was even grander than the Combat Master Hall. The majestic and towering building seemed to signify the dignity and standing of the number one occupation on the Master Teacher Pavilion. Even from a distance, Zhang Xuan could see many master teachers walking to and fro the building, and countless cultivators had gathered in the area in hopes of finding a suitable teacher to guide them along.

Zhang Xuan walked into a remote alley and swiftly switched into his master teacher robe and pinned on his master teacher emblem before making his way into the Master Teacher Pavilion.

Upon seeing the six brilliant stars gleaming on his chest, there was no one who dared to stop his passageway. Every single person that he walked by bowed to him respectfully.

While 6-star master teachers might seem nothing much to the topmost echelon of Qingyuan Empire, they were still formidable existences to the eyes of the common populace. Not to mention, a 6-star master teacher as young as Zhang Xuan, given sufficient time, was bound to become a 7-star master teacher as long as he didn't die prematurely.

"Zhang shi, can I have your autograph? I don't have any paper on hand, so why don't you sign it on my inner wear instead..."

"Hey, don't cut my queue, I was the one who came first! Zhang shi, just sign over here..."

"Scram to one side, Zhang shi is mine!"

...

Shortly after walking through the doors of the Master Teacher Pavilion, Zhang Xuan suddenly saw a huge group of girls rushing in his direction.

"I..." Zhang Xuan's face warped in astonishment.

There were plenty of idol-chasing crazed fans in his previous world as well, but this was the first time he had seen someone asking to have an autograph signed on her inner wear in public!

"Everyone, I understand your agitation, but... I am an upright person, and I am already attached too. Pardon me, but I won't be able to fulfill your wishes. Besides, as a master teacher, I hope that you will focus on my inner beauty instead of just my appearances..." Zhang Xuan waved his hand and said, but before he could finish his words, the group of ladies had already rushed by his side, heading out of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

"Lunatic!" One of the ladies in the group stopped for a brief moment turn to examine Zhang Xuan from head to toe before harrumphing in disdain. After which, she turned her flabby face back forward, and shaking her millstone-sized bottom, she charged forward along with the crowd while shouting, "Zhang shi, wait for me!"

In the direction where she was charging towards, Zhang Xuan soon spotted a white-robed young man standing not too far away with seven stars gleaming on his chest. The white-robed young man looked at the crowd apologetically and said, "Pardon me, but I still have important matters to attend to at the moment. I'll sign autographs for you all later on..."

"But we want it now!"

The group of ladies exclaimed resoundingly.

"Alright, alright..."

Despite the demanding attitude of his fans, the white-robed young man waved his hand patiently to calm them down. After which, he gracefully flicked his hand in the air for a few moments, and a floating name appeared.

"Suspended Imagery? He is a... 7-star painter?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

A painting could be divided into various grades—Reality Depiction, Spiritual Canvas, Infused Intentions, Breathtaking Verisimilitude, Spirit Creation, Spirit Wisdom...

Those who were able to produce works at the level of Spirit Wisdom were already worthy of becoming 6-star painter.

Up to 6-star, painters would require a paper as a medium for them to express their creative conceptions. However, upon reaching 7-star, they would be capable of producing their work in mid-air, painting their picture and words without anything to serve as a medium.

And the fact that the young man was capable of writing in mid-air showed that he had already comprehended the seventh level of painting—Suspended Imagery!

Zhang Jiuxiao...

Zhang Xuan read the name that the white-robed young man written, and his lips suddenly began twitching.

It turned out that the young man had the same surname as him, so naturally, others addressed him as Zhang shi as well...How embarrassing!

Indeed, there were plenty of people in the world who went by the surname of 'Zhang' as well. He wasn't the only 'Zhang shi' in the world.

Just that... his name went by a single character of 'Xuan', which meaning could be interpreted as only levitating a few inches off the ground. On the other hand, the other party's name is 'Jiuxiao', reminiscent of a roc soaring in the Nine Heavens... The conception behind their names was simply far too different 1 !

While Zhang Xuan was lamenting over how shallow his name was, he examined the two words, 'Zhang Jiuxiao', closely. Those two words carried a unique beauty and aura around them that seemed to draw one into a trance, rendering their minds incapable of anything but to appreciate the immensely beautiful words before them.

This was an ability that only 7-star painters could wield.

"Alright, I'll just leave a single autograph here, you can decide its allocation amongst yourselves. I still have some urgent matters to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave first..." After writing his name, Zhang Jiuxiao smiled at the crowd before turning around and leaving elegantly.

"He's simply too dashing!"

The ladies who had demanded the autograph a moment ago couldn't help but fall into a daze upon seeing his smile.

"As expected of Zhang shi. Every time he comes to the Master Teacher Pavilion, there would always be a huge group of girls waiting for him, Compared to him, it's like we don't even exist at all!"

"Well, he's the number one genius of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, a one-in-five-hundred-year prodigy. Furthermore, given how cultured and refined he is, how can we compete with him?"

"Indeed, he's far beyond our league..."

A few master teachers lamented bitterly as they walked by the area.

"The number one genius of QIngyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion?" Zhang Xuan muttered beneath his breath after hearing their words.

Indeed, to be able to become a 7-star master teacher at such a young age and achieve such outstanding accomplishments as a painter, it was little wonder why so many ladies would go in a frenzy over him.

"Indeed, there are many talented prodigies in this world. I am not too bad myself, but I mustn't get complacent over it." Zhang Xuan warned himself.

( )

While he might have been able to advance his cultivation swiftly, he mustn't get conceited over the matter. Given how large the Master Teacher Continent was, there were bound to be outstanding geniuses who could match him somewhere.

While Zhang Xuan was deep in thought, the lady with the millstone bottom from before walking over once more and glanced at him disdainfully, "What are you looking at? Have you never seen a beauty in your life?"

"..." Zhang Xuan.

Chapter 1157: News on Luo Ruoxin

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

He had met plenty of beautiful women before, and he had just been confessed to by two of them a moment ago. But he had never met one with a millstone-like bottom before. To put it in slightly harsher terms, she could have served as a road roller.

Forget it!

However, Zhang Xuan did not pay too much attention to the matter. There was not any need to be angered by something as trivial as that, so he simply asked around for Wu shi's whereabouts before heading over.

Not too long later, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he quickly walked forward.

"Mu shi!"

The person whom he had spotted was no other than Mu Yuan!

After leaving Qiu Wu Palace, the other party had returned straight back to Qingyuan Empire. He had promised the other party to meet him when he came over to Qingyuan City, but who would have thought that they would bump into one another so coincidentally here?

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, Mu shi quickly clasped his fist and greeted with a smile, "Senior Uncle!"

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded. "You have achieved a breakthrough to Saint 4-dan?"

For a very long time, Mu shi's cultivation had been confined at Saint 3-dan due to the presence of metal attribute energy suppressing his strength, preventing him from achieving a breakthrough. Thus, he had remained as a 7-star high-tier master teacher for a very long time. Yet, in just a short month of absence, he had successfully made a breakthrough to the Primordial Spirit realm.

"Indeed. It's all thanks to Yang shi's guidance that I was able to take the final step forward," Mu shi replied with deep gratitude.

His encounter with Yang shi back in Hongyuan City might have been short, but it had been truly life-changing. If not for the latter's guidance, he might very well have remained stagnant at Saint 3-dan for his entire life, unable to advance any further.

After trading a few pleasantries, Mu shi asked, "May I know if Yang shi has come over to Qingyuan City as well? If possible, I would like to pay him a visit and thank him personally!"

It was his benefactor who had allowed him to walk out of the shadow of the past and neutralize the metal attribute energy within his body, thus allowing him to achieve a breakthrough. He had been wanting to thank the other party for a very long time, but it was unfortunate that the other party's whereabouts were truly elusive. Ever since that parting back then, he had not been able to gather any news on the other party.

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "My teacher's whereabouts are a mystery to me as well. Usually, he is the one who finds me whenever there is a need to..."

In essence, Yang Xuan's identity was just a background that Zhang Xuan had forged to instill fear and deference in the hearts of others. Otherwise, it was highly likely that the swift advancement of his cultivation would have roused the greed of others, and perhaps, some might even have attempted to kidnap him in the hope of uncovering his secret. However, with an unfathomable expert like Yang Xuan backing him from the shadows, the others would have to weigh whether it was worth offending an 8-star master teacher over Zhang Xuan's secret or not.

After all, putting aside the overwhelming strength that an 8-star master teacher possessed, more importantly, the Master Teacher Pavilion would surely be backing him as well.

Those who dared to offend an 8-star master teacher would risk being completely annihilated by the number one occupation on the Master Teacher Continent.

The very eradication of the entire soul oracle occupation should be sufficient to highlight the overwhelming might that the Master Teacher Pavilion wielded.

Since Zhang Xuan was relying on Yang Xuan as his trump card, naturally, it would be best to keep the other party as elusive as possible. The more times that 'Yang Xuan' appeared, the higher the chances that Zhang Xuan would make a mistake and give himself away.

"I was still planning to meet Yang shi once before my departure to thank him for his help..." Mu shi shook his head bitterly. "I guess it can't be helped!"

"Departure? Where is Mu shi going?" Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.

Mu shi was a master teacher of the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, where else could he possibly want to head to?

"After neutralizing of the metal attribute energy within my body and achieving a breakthrough in my cultivation, the words that Yang shi said to me that night have been lingering my mind. Thus, I made up my mind to return to the Mu Clan! I'm willing to accept any punishment that they issue to me, so long as they will accept me as one of their own once more!" Mu shi spoke with resolution.

Zhang Xuan was slightly dazed for a moment before nodding in realization.

Mu shi was actually from one of the Sage Clans, the Mu Clan. However, in his earlier years, he had unintentionally leaked the secrets of his clan to a lady whom he fancied, causing him to be exiled, thus landing him in his current plight.

"A fallen leaf should return to its roots. After so many days of wandering, I think that it's about time for me to return to my home. Even if I cannot receive their forgiveness and eventually lose my life there, at the very least, it will be better than spending my life aimlessly out here," Mu shi said deeply.

Zhang Xuan fell silent.

He did not have a family, so he could not really relate to those emotions. However, he could clearly sense Mu shi's resolution from the latter's eyes. It seemed like even if the Mu Clan sentenced Mu shi to death, the latter would still accept the verdict willingly.

Mu shi continued with a bitter look on his face. "I don't wish to remain an escapee for life."

"Escapee?"

"That's right. No matter what, the blood of the Mu Clan flows through my veins. There's no way I can truly sever my relations with them, so I think it's about time for me to face it. And to be honest, even though I didn't think much of it then when I first left the Mu Clan, the long years have given me more than sufficient time to reflect on the matter, and I regret my decision then. I really regret it..." Mu shi shook his head and sighed soulfully.

Looking at Mu shi's weathered face, Zhang Xuan found himself unable to find the correct words to console the latter.

It took a long while before the silence between the two was broken. Mu shi turned to Zhang Xuan and said, "Senior Uncle, I know that you like Luo shi, but I think that there are still some words that I should say to you."

He had witnessed the relationship between Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxin, and he had a clear idea of what was going on.

"Please speak," Zhang Xuan replied politely.

"To be honest with you, I am not too sure about Luo shi's exact identity either, but based on what I have observed thus far, there's a very high chance that she's related with a Sage Clan, the Luo Clan. If she truly is the young princess of the Luo Clan, unless Yang shi specially speaks on your behalf, it will be extremely difficult for you to wed her," Mu shi said.

"You aren't too sure about Ruoxin's exact identity either?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback by those words.

Based on what he knew, Mu shi was the one who had brought Luo shi to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. Thus, he had always assumed that Mu shi would know a lot about the latter. He had not expected to hear such words from Mu shi's mouth.

"It has been too many years since I left the Mu Clan and took root in Qingyuan City, so I am no longer in touch with the happenings there. However, judging from how Luo shi has been able to acquire strength that far surpasses mine despite her young age, there is little doubt that she's the famed genius of the Luo Clan. Not only does she wield the strongest artifact of the Luo Clan, she also boasts the purest bloodline. There's no way the Luo Clan will allow a person like her to marry an outsider!" Mu shi shook his head grimly.

"I understand that." Zhang Xuan lowered his gaze as he nodded slowly.

Guild Leader Han and Wu shi had told him about the matter previously as well.

He knew that it would be difficult for him to get together with Luo shi, but he had no intentions of backing down from the challenge.

As a Celestial Master Teacher and a Celestial Saint, he was confident that he would be able to become a man worthy of Luo shi!

If the heavens were to stand in his way, he would just have to crush the heavens!

Mu shi gazed at Zhang Xuan deeply for a short moment before nodding. "Alright then. Since you know about it, I won't say too much about it either. However, don't blame me for being too naggy. I just want to offer you one last word of advice: don't allow her to make a decision that she will regret in the future."

"Regret?" Zhang Xuan's heart jolted.

Those words had truly struck the depths of his heart. In truth, he had been considering simply snatching Luo Ruoxin away if the Luo Clan adamantly opposed their relationship. In any case, he was confident that it was just a matter of time before he gained sufficient strength to do so. However, after hearing Mu shi's advice, he could not help but rethink the matter. Yes, he might be able to get together with Luo Ruoxin using such a forceful method, but did he really want to leave her with such a deep regret for life?

As the young princess of the Luo Clan, she had probably grown up amid the loving care of her family and clan members. Without a doubt, she had deep feelings for her clan. Even if she were to choose him over her family in the end, there was no doubt that her decision would leave her with lingering regrets and a great deal of pain.

Clenching his fists tightly, Zhang Xuan said, "Don't worry, I'll make her family acknowledge me. I won't put her in a tough spot."

There was only one way for him to not put Luo Ruoxin in a difficult position, and that was to have the Luo Clan acknowledge their relationship!

It would be an uphill battle, but for Luo Ruoxin's sake, this was the only path that he could choose.

Seeing that the young man had made up his choice, Mu shi nodded. "I see... I wish you luck then!"

"Right, Mu shi, Ruoxin said that she had to leave because she had matters to attend to. Do you have any idea where she might have gone? Also, do you know where the Luo Clan is located?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Luo Ruoxin had left hurriedly the previous time, and she did not say where she was headed to or where he could find her. However, since Mu shi was from a Sage Clan himself, he might know a thing or two.

Mu shi contemplated for a moment before replying. "The Luo Clan is based in the City of Sages, Qufu. However, I think that it's more likely that she has headed to the 'Sanctum of Sages' instead of the Luo Clan!"

"Sanctum of Sages?"

"Gathered in the Sanctum of Sages are either the offspring of Sage Clans or the most talented prodigies of the entire Master Teacher Continent." Mu shi pondered for a moment before continuing. "Based on what I have heard, the young princess of the Sage Clan is a student of the Sanctum of Sages. However, it seems like she escaped from there a while back due to some kind of issue, and her whereabouts became unknown afterwards."

"She's a student of the Sanctum of Sages?" Zhang Xuan was astonished.

He had no idea what Luo Ruoxin's true strength was, but the fact that she had been able to easily bind the Leaving Aperture realm Skyleaf King was more than sufficient to prove that her strength had far surpassed his imaginations.

And yet, who would have thought that even an expert with strength like hers was only a student?

Wasn't the Sanctum of Sages a little too scary?

"Un. The Sanctum of Sages serves to cultivate the offspring of Sage Clans and young geniuses into top-notch experts of the Master Teacher Continent. Generations of the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters and the various influential Sage Clans have all emerged from the Sanctum of Sages. Senior Uncle, if you wish to have the Luo Clan acknowledge the relationship between you and Luo shi, it would be best for you to enroll into the Sanctum of Sages as well and make your name there. This way, no one will dare take you lightly despite your humble background!" Mu shi continued.

Zhang Xuan nodded upon hearing those words.

Even though it was known to most that he had a 'Yang shi' backing him, he himself knew better than anyone else that it was just a huge lie.

If he wanted to marry Luo Ruoxin openly, there was no way he could rely on Yang shi.

He could still use Yang shi to deal with smaller conflicts; the other party would not know better anyway. However, before the top master teachers in the continent, there was little doubt that his petty disguise would be unraveled in an instant. Against them, he would not even know how he died.

Given so, the Sanctum of Sages was indeed his best bet. No matter what, he had to give it a try.

Of course, most importantly of all, if he could enroll in the Sanctum of Sages, there was a good chance that he would be able to meet Luo Ruoxin sooner.

It was difficult for a new couple to spend even a day away from one another, let alone a month.

"May I know how I can enroll in the Sanctum of Sages?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"The semester for the Sanctum of Sages starts at around... the middle of the ninth month, and it usually recruits a new batch of students before that. Based on what I know, the Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilions have a slot each to nominate a candidate to enroll in the Sanctum of Sages, and as long as the candidate clears a test, they will be brought into the Sanctum of Sages!" Mu shi replied.

"The middle of the ninth month... Isn't that less than two months away?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up in alarm.

"Indeed, it's less than two months away. To be more exact, it's a month and seventeen days!" Mu shi replied.

"This..." Zhang Xuan frowned. "Then, may I know what the prerequisites are for obtaining the nomination slot?"

Since the Sanctum of Sages only accepted top-notch geniuses from all over the Master Teacher Continent, there was bound to be some fundamental prerequisite for enrollment.

"One has to be a 7-star high-tier master teacher at the very minimum and possess a cultivation at the Embryonic Soul realm!" Mu shi replied.

"7-star high-tier..." Zhang Xuan nodded.

He was currently just a step away from reaching the Embryonic Soul realm. As long as he could gather sufficient concentrated high-tier spirit stones and Saint 3-dan cultivation technique manuals to compile the corresponding Heaven's Path Divine Art, he would be able to achieve a breakthrough easily.

That would not be too much of a problem.

"However..." Mu shi hesitated for a moment before continuing. "The nomination slot for our Master Teacher Pavilion this year has already been allocated. It was a decision made by Pavilion Master Gou personally, so I fear that it might be difficult for you to obtain it!"

"It has already been allocated? Who is it?" Not expecting the slot to be taken, Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

At this moment, a figure suddenly emerged in his mind, and he could not help but exclaim, "Could the person you are talking about be... Zhang Jiuxiao?"

Mu shi nodded. "That's right, it's him. If I'm not mistaken, he should be an offspring from the Zhang Clan, another one of the Sage Clans."

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Chapter 1158: Heart Tempering Bridge

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Zhang Clan?" Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

Back then, Wu shi and Guild Leader Han had told him that the little princess of the Luo Clan was betrothed to a powerful Sage Clan, and said Sage Clan was none other than the Zhang Clan.

As such, he could not help but feel deeply uncomfortable upon hearing that name.

He might have been able to remain calm before any other matter, but just for this single matter, he could not maintain his composure.

If he could, he would not have pummeled Feng Xun so viciously after hearing that the latter had confessed to Luo Ruoxin.

Mu shi nodded. "This is still a conjecture on my part at the moment, but I do believe it to be so."

"Wait, that doesn't sound right." Zhang Xuan frowned as he recalled what Mu shi had said earlier. "Since the Sanctum of Sages serves to cultivate the offspring of Sage Clans, surely Zhang Jiuxiao should be able to enroll into it directly. Is there any need for him to come to the Qingyuan Empire to vie for this single slot?"

"The Sanctum of Sages is indeed much more lenient toward the Sage Clans. While the Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilions only acquire a nomination slot each year, each Sage Clan obtains at least ten slots each year at the very minimum. For behemoths like the Zhang Clan, they acquire at least thirty slots each year," Mu shi explained.

"However, for a clan as large as the Zhang Clan, thirty slots are only sufficient for them to send in the inner clan members with purer bloodlines. As for the clan members from the side families, whose bloodlines are thinner, they basically stand no chance whatsoever. As such, they scatter themselves among the Conferred Empire to vie for the other nomination slots in order to enroll into the Sanctum of Sages. Once they get in, they are entitled to the best cultivation resources and the most outstanding heritages. To the side families of powerful clans, this is an ideal opportunity for them to change their fate, so no one is willing to allow this opportunity slip through their fingers."

"With them around, doesn't that mean that the local prodigies of the Conferred Empires don't stand a chance at all?" Zhang Xuan asked in displeasure.

There was only a single nomination slot in each Conferred Empire, and if the side families of the Sage Clans sent their members over, wouldn't the local prodigies stand no chance at all?

"Survival of the fittest, this is something that can't be helped. If there is a prodigy in the Conferred Empire who can surpass the member of the side family, the prodigy will naturally obtain the slot. Otherwise, the nomination slot can only be given to the member of the side family." Mu shi shook his head.

Even the offspring from the Sage Clans were not above the rules. They dared not openly snatch slots from the Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilions, but they were still allowed to compete for it fairly.

If their skills surpassed those of the local master teachers of the Conferred Empire, the slot would only be allocated to them.

The Sanctum of Sages only accepted the strongest experts on the continent. If one was inferior to their competitors, it would only mean that they were not qualified to join the Sanctum of Sages. The rules were that simple, direct, and harsh.

"You're right." Zhang Xuan nodded.

This was just like the Combat Master Selection. As the students of his Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy had the strongest fighting prowess, it was natural that they would all be picked. The other three Master Teacher Academies had outstanding students as well, and many of them would have stood a chance had they not been put against the candidates of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

It was unfortunate for them, but they only had their own bad luck to blame.

That was how harsh the world of cultivation was.

Nevertheless, the presence of the Master Teacher Pavilion still brought around some degree of meritocracy. Even if an individual had a humble background, as long as they had sufficient talent and were willing to work hard, they would be able to make a name for themself as well. Take Zhang Xuan for example, despite being a mere orphan from the Tianxuan Kingdom, he had still been able to slowly scale up the ladder and eventually become the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

"While Zhang Jiuxiao is only from a side family of the Zhang Clan, the talent that he possesses is undeniable. Despite being only twenty-seven this year, he has already reached the astounding height of a 7-star high-tier master teacher, a Saint 3-dan pinnacle expert. His fighting prowess and capabilities are unmatched by any master teacher in the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Academy, so naturally, the nomination slot went to him," Mu shi said.

"To tell you the truth, the side families of Sage Clans don't possess a particularly high standing, and the resources that they are entitled to are severely limited as well. For one as young as him to have achieved such accomplishments, on top of possessing considerable talent, he must have put in quite a bit of hard work as well."

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded. He could relate deeply to that.

Indeed. Talent without diligence was futile. Even a prodigy would achieve little in their life if they refused to devote themself to their work.

Again, taking Zhang Xuan for example, it had taken him an entire year of blood, sweat, and tears before he was able to earn his current accomplishments. The difficulties he had faced over the year were truly hard to describe using words.

Zhang Xuan turned to Mu shi and asked, "I'll definitely have to head to the Sanctum of Sages, but how can I obtain the slot?"

Now that he knew that Luo Ruoxin was likely to be at the Sanctum of Sages, he definitely had to head there as well. Regardless of the means, he was determined to obtain the nomination slot.

"You only have one chance. In twenty days, the Sanctum of Sages will send an envoy over to escort the nominated candidate over. If you can successfully become a 7-star master teacher, obtain a cultivation of Saint 3-dan pinnacle, and defeat Zhang Jiuxiao in every aspect before then, naturally, the qualifications will go to you. The timing is extremely rushed, but I fear that there is no other way," Mu shi said.

"Twenty days?" Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before nodding decisively. "Alright."

If it was just two to three days, he have needed to rush a bit. However, twenty days was more than sufficient for him.

"Alright?" Mu shi looked at Zhang Xuan doubtfully. "If I recall correctly, your cultivation is still only at Saint 1-dan pinnacle. You are still two whole realms away from reaching Saint 3-dan pinnacle..."

"Oh, I accidentally made a breakthrough to Saint 2-dan pinnacle last night," Zhang Xuan replied with a smile as he leaked out a little bit of his cultivation.

Due to the unique nature of the Heaven's Path Divine Art, as long as he did not intentionally display his cultivation, not even Mu shi would be able to discern his current cultivation realm.

"Accidentally? You made a breakthrough to Saint 2-dan... pinnacle?" Mu shi's lips twitched wildly. He felt something stifling in his chest, and it took him a long while before he managed to sooth it. Sighing deeply, he remarked, "Senior Uncle sure is a talented individual."

Back when they were still in Qiu Wu Palace, the other party had only been at Saint 1-dan pinnacle. Yet, over the span of a single month, he had managed to advance a whole cultivation realm. The rate of advancement of his cultivation was truly unheard of in history!

"However, I fear that just this much might not be enough. There is a huge gap between the Spiritual Perception realm and the Embryonic Soul realm, and even if you do achieve a breakthrough within the next twenty days, it'll take at least several years before you will be able to fuse your soul into your Origin Soul perfectly!"

Mu shi was not too optimistic about Zhang Xuan's chances.

Beyond Saint realm, progressing past every single realm was like venturing into a whole new world. Even the most talented of prodigies would require several years before they were able to fully grasp a cultivation realm and advance to the next level. To be honest, attempting a breakthrough within a short twenty days... was nothing more than a pipe dream.

"And more importantly, Zhang Jiuxiao isn't an ordinary Saint 3-dan pinnacle cultivator. He has built up a powerful foundation, allowing him to match cultivators far stronger than he is. Ordinary Saint 4-dan cultivators are no match for him, and even I would only stand a fifty percent chance against him after my breakthrough," Mu shi explained with a frown.

As an ex-inner clan member of the Mu Clan, he had cultivated top-notch cultivation techniques and battle techniques, granting him strength far surpassing that of ordinary master teachers. Yet, despite his recent breakthrough to Saint 4-dan, the other party was still able to match him equally with his Saint 3-dan pinnacle cultivation. Just this in itself was sufficient to show how fearsome an existence Zhang Jiuxiao was.

"You stand a fifty percent chance against him?" Zhang Xuan asked contemplatively. A moment later, he added, "Mu shi, do you mind testing my strength?"

"Test your strength? Sure!"

Knowing Zhang Xuan's intentions, Mu shi took him to the training grounds within the Master Teacher Pavilion, and crossing his hands before his chest, he said, "Feel free to make a move. I have not reinforced my cultivation after my breakthrough yet, so ultimately, I am still a Primordial Spirit realm expert. It would be good for you to experience the true might of a Primordial Spirit realm expert so that you are mentally prepared. Don't worry, I won't use my full strength..."

Hu!

Before Mu shi could finish his words, a figure suddenly appeared before him, and before he could even process what was going on, he saw a fist abruptly flying for his chest.

"Hmm?"

Not expecting Zhang Xuan to be able to move so swiftly, Mu shi's eyebrows shot up. He swiftly tapped into the entirety of his strength, wanting to fend off the other party's punch. However, just as he was preparing his retaliation, he suddenly felt an overwhelming soul pressure assaulting him from the surroundings, preventing him to moving.

Peng!

The punch struck Mu shi's chest squarely, and he was knocked straight out of the training grounds before crashing heavily into the wall. Huge mouthfuls of blood spewed wildly from his mouth.

Following which, a young man's apologetic voice sounded in his ears. "I'm truly sorry! Mu shi, are you still fine? I already tried holding myself back earlier, using just a fifth of my strength, but I didn't think that you wouldn't be able to receive it..."

"Pu!" Mu shi's face paled, and another huge mouthful of blood spurted from his lips. He nearly fainted on the spot after hearing those words.

For a brief moment, he had thought that he was facing a Saint 4-dan pinnacle expert instead of a Saint 2-dan cultivator.

Against such strength, even five of him would not be an opponent for the other party.

Zhang Xuan quickly helped Mu shi up apologetically while asking with a doubtful look on his face, "Does that Master Teacher Zhang Jiuxiao only possess this much strength?"

"Cough cough!" Mu shi's face reddened, and he coughed out yet another mouthful of blood.

While the Mu Clan did not specialize in combat, no matter what, he still used to be one of the inner clan members who inherited the heritage of the main family. His fighting prowess should have been far stronger than his peers... and yet, he was actually subdued in a single punch by a master teacher whose cultivation was far lower than his.

Just the thought of it left him deeply stifled within.

It took a long while before Mu shi was able to calm himself down. With a face reddened in embarrassment, he said awkwardly, "Actually, Zhang Jiuxiao's prowess is slightly above mine. Nevertheless, with fighting prowess like yours, even if you don't achieve a breakthrough, you should be able to defeat him easily!"

If Zhang Xuan was already this powerful with a cultivation of Saint 2-dan, once he broke through to Saint 3-dan, Zhang Jiuxiao would probably stand no chance against him at all.

"Other than the requirement on my cultivation, what other prerequisites are there to enter the Sanctum of Sages? If possible, I would like to ask Mu shi to train along with me so that I can get a clear grasp of the standards..."

Mu shi's face warped in horror upon hearing those words, and he quickly shook his head. "I'm not free!"

Just a simple test of cultivation had nearly cost him his life. If that were to continue, he feared that the confidence that he had barely picked up would be shattered once more.

"What you have to do now is be promoted to a 7-star master teacher as soon as possible. That is the fundamental prerequisite for joining the Sanctum of Sages. If you do not meet this prerequisite, it'll be futile even if your fighting prowess exceeds that of Zhang Jiuxiao's!" Mu shi said.

Zhang Xuan nodded in response to those words.

This happened to coincide with his current goal. At the moment, he was just lacking two more supporting occupations before he was qualified to be promoted to a 7-star master teacher.

"Alright, I have already said all that I should say. I need to be on my way now, so farewell!" After saying those words, Mu shi turned around and left hurriedly.

He was afraid that if he remained any longer, he would be traumatized once more.

"Ah..." Not expecting Mu shi to leave so decisively, Zhang Xuan shook his head in disappointment.

Sighing deeply, he walked out of the training grounds and headed in the direction of Wu shi's residence, as pointed out by a master teacher from before.

Before Zhang Xuan could get far, he heard a series of ear-piercing shrieks in his ear.

"Zhang shi, you can do it!"

"Zhang shi, we believe in you! You will definitely be able to set a new record..."

Looking past the huge crowd, he saw a long stone bridge.

A man was standing right on top of the bridge with sweat flowing profusely down his face. It seemed like he was under immense pressure.

The man was none other than the offspring of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Jiuxiao!

What is he doing? Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

At this moment, a master teacher amid the crowd suddenly exclaimed loudly, "Zhang Jiuxiao is challenging the Heart Tempering Bridge?"

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1159 You Can Do It!

Translator:StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric "Heart Tempering Bridge?" Confused, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze over and saw that the one who had just spoken was a 6-star master teacher like him.

The other party seemed to be in his forties, and there was an aged look of a veteran on his face.

"Zhang shi's talent has allowed him to advance his cultivation swiftly, but that, in exchange, has made his mental fortitude his greatest weakness. As such, Pavilion Master Gou has sent him out to temper his mind well. He has returned from his journey just a while ago, and it seems like he's attempting to give it a try to see if he is able to break his previous record." the 6-star master teacher explained.

To be able to raise his cultivation realm to Saint 3-dan pinnacle and advance his master teacher rank to 7-star before hitting his thirties, Zhang Jiuxiao was indeed a formidable genius. On top of that, as he was from the Sage Zhang Clan, there was also nothing to pick about his background either. The only thing that was lacking about him was his mental fortitude.

This was also the reason why he had been working on it over the past month, hoping to achieve a breakthrough in it soon.

"Ahem, I am asking about the Heart Tempering Bridge, not Zhang Jiuxiao..." Zhang Xuan cleared his throat.

All he wanted to know was what the Heart Tempering Bridge was used for.

It didn't matter to him how powerful or weak Zhang Jiuxiao was. In his view, it was just the difference between one punch or two punch anyway, there was truly no need for him to go to the extent of analyzing his opponent's strength.

"The Heart Tempering Bridge is a unique artifact that assesses one's mental fortitude. Those who attempt to walk through it will be placed under immense pressure, and cultivators with weaker minds would find themselves succumbing to the pressure very soon. All in all, there are ten levels for the entire bridge, and even a typical 7-star pinnacle master teacher would find it hard to reach the end. Previously, Zhang shi has only managed to reach the fourth level. This time, he is intending to see if he will be able to surpass his previous record." The 6-star master teacher shot a perplexed glance at Zhang Xuan, but he still chose to explain it anyway.

There were no master teachers in Qingyuan Empire who were unaware of the existence of the Heart Tempering Bridge. For the other party to disregard the number one genius of their Master Teacher Pavilion and focus on a mere bridge instead... this had truly rendered him speechless.

"Fourth level?"

"Don't underestimate the Heart Tempering Bridge. The previous record of the Heart Tempering Bridge for cultivators beneath thirty is left behind by Ye shi two thousand years ago, but even he had only managed to reach the fourth level. The fact that Zhang shi is able to reach the fourth level is already a formidable feat in itself... However, Pavilion Master Gou has high hopes for him. He feels like reaching the fourth level isn't enough, so he tasked Zhang shi to work harder on his mental fortitude." the 6-star master teacher replied.

"I see." Zhang Xuan nodded.

"You aren't surprised by his achievement?" Seeing how nonchalantly the young man was acting, the 6-star master teacher couldn't help but feel a little stifled within.

When he first heard about Zhang shi's accomplishments back then, he had been so shocked that he fell into a very long moment of daze before he could finally regain himself. Yet, the fellow before him simply replied with a nonchalant 'I see', as if the achievement was nothing at all.

Did the other party not get what was going on, or was he feigning composure?

"Surprised? Why should I be surprised? Didn't you say that there are ten levels? He has only reached the fourth the previous time, so even if he did make some improvement over the past month, at the very most, he would only at the fifth or sixth now. That's still a long way to go before reaching the end." Zhang Xuan scratched his head in confusion.

Honestly speaking, he had never really cultivated his mental fortitude as well, so he couldn't relate to the difficulty and torture in tempering it.

What fourth level and fifth level, he had completely no notion of that at all. Since that was the case, what did he have to be surprised over?

"You..." Hearing those seemingly ignorant words, the 6-star master teacher staggered and nearly spurted blood. He quickly explained, "The fact that 7-star pinnacle master teachers would find it hard to reach the other end of the bridge means to say that it's a trial which even Saint 4-dan pinnacle experts are unable to clear. Just think about it, Primordial Spirit realm experts, despite the superior prowess of their Primordial Spirits granting them mental fortitude far surpassing that of ordinary cultivators, are still unable to reach the tenth level... Given so, the fact that Zhang shi, a Saint 3-dan cultivator, was able to reach the fourth level is already a frightening feat in itself!"

"Ah." Zhang Xuan replied indifferently. "So it's a formidable feat. Then... how should I react to this matter? Should I be shocked, or should I scream like the others over there?"

"Forget it..." Seeing that the other party was still unable to comprehend the significance of the feat, the 6-star master teacher shook his head helplessly and gave up.

At this point, he was really starting to doubt whether the young man before him had robbed the master teacher robe and emblem from elsewhere to put it on... To think that there would be a master teacher in Qingyuan City who wouldn't even know about the Heart Tempering Bridge, as well as the significance of a young man below thirty reaching the fourth level on it...

Just how lacking must his general knowledge be?

"Look, look! Zhang shi is about to overcome the fourth level!"

"Wah, you're right! Impressive, I feel like my admiration for him is shooting up swiftly!"

"As expected of my idol! Wuu wuu, I am so agitated at this moment that my tears are about to stain my pants wet!"

All of a sudden, the piercing shrieks abruptly crescendoed.

Zhang Xuan and the 6-star master teacher quickly halted their conversation and turned their gazes back towards the Heart Tempering Bridge.

There, Zhang Jiuxiao's figure could be seen gradually nearing the center of the bridge. Despite the tremendous pressure that the latter was clearly under—his body was shaking, and his robe was completely drenched in sweat—he did successfully hold on up to the point.

Is that the demarcation of levels? Seeing how exhausted Zhang Jiuxiao was, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but take a closer look at the bridge. There, he saw various red lines scattered across the bridge, and Zhang Jiuxiao had passed the fourth and was slowly making his way over to the fifth.

"As expected of the number one genius of our Master Teacher Pavilion! Despite only spending a month in the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows, his mental fortitude has already grown by such a great extent. At this rate, it might really be possible for him to reach the fifth level today!" the 6-star master teacher remarked in agitation.

"Marshlands of the Northern Meadows?" Hearing that phrase, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but frown.

It hadn't been long since he had arrived at Qingyuan City, but this must be his third or fourth time hearing of that location.

Vicious's body parts could very well be there, and it seemed like a soul oracle had settled there as well... Why would the number one genius of the Master Teacher Pavilion head to such a dangerous location to temper his mental fortitude?

"That's right. According to the rumors, there is a place known as the Ghost Cavern in the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows that raises one's mental fortitude immensely. It is extremely famous even in the surrounding empires, and there are many master teachers who would head to the Northern Meadows each year to seek it, hoping of training their mind. The fact that Zhang shi dared to challenge the Heart Tempering Bridge after spending less than a month there, even improving his record by an entire level, means that it's very likely that he might have found the Ghost Cavern!" the 6-star master teacher explained in excitement.

"Ghost Cavern? What's in there?" Zhang Xuan's curiosity was piqued.

The conventional methods that others use to temper their mental fortitude were the usage of inner demons, illusions, pain, and sourcing for inspiration for enlightenment... So what did the Ghost Cavern rely on to allow one's mental fortitude to increase swiftly, attracting so many master teachers to see kit?

"I have never been there before, so I'm not too sure either. However, I heard that there's a body of springwater there that deeply resembles the shape of an eye. Staring into it would allow one to peer into the deepest desires in their hearts, and the longer one stares into it for, the more desires would spring up. As long as one kills off the desires that are reflected in the springwater, their minds would grow more wholesome and resilient..." the 6-star master teacher pondered for a brief moment before responding.

"A body of springwater that can reflect one's deepest desires?" Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in astonishment.

"Indeed. I was also as shocked as you when I first heard of the matter, and I didn't believe it either. However, there are simply too many rumors that lend credibility to the case, so eventually, I could only accept it to be true. Also, another thing that is perplexing about the Ghost Cavern is that it doesn't seem to be fixed to one location. Instead, it moves around, and only the truly fortunate master teachers are able to find it. There were more than twenty master teachers who have headed to the Northern Meadows along with Zhang shi this time around, but Zhang shi was the only one who enjoyed a tremendous increase in his mental fortitude... It seems like the others simply just aren't as lucky..." the 6-star master teacher said.

"I see." Zhang Xuan nodded.

From the sounds of it, it seemed like the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows was truly a mysterious place. If he had some time after being promoted to a 7-star master teacher, he would really have to head over there to take a look himself.

While Zhang Xuan was deep in thoughts, excited shrieks continued resounding from the surroundings, and there was a single one which was particularly piercing.

"Look! Zhang shi has already reached the fifth level!"

Turning around, Zhang Xuan noted that the source of the sound had come from the millstone-bottom lady whom he had encountered just a few moments ago. The latter was staring at the Heart Tempering Bridge with gleaming eyes, and if she could, Zhang Xuan had no doubt that she would pounce on Zhang Jiuxiao at this very moment to bear his babies.

After which, he turned his gaze back to the bridge and saw that Zhang Jiuxiao had already passed the fifth red line. However, it seemed like he had reached his limit as well. His body was trembling so intensely that he could hardly move anymore, and it seemed like he would collapse at any moment.

"This is probably his limit..." Zhang Xuan noted.

Seeing that the show was over, Zhang Xuan was just about to leave the area when he suddenly heard a deeply displeased voice echoing from the other end of the bridge, "Send off our guest!"

Following which, the doors to a residence at the other end of the bridge suddenly creaked open, and two armored individuals walked out with awkward looks on their faces.

"It's Wu shi!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

He could tell in an instant that the displeased voice belonged to Wu shi. It seemed like he was in the residence on the other side of the bridge.

"I should head over to find him."

With this thought in mind, Zhang Xuan began walking towards the stone bridge without any hesitation, wanting to cross to the other side.

...

"Argh... Persevere, persevere! I must persevere on!"

On the bridge, Zhang Jiuxiao's sweat flowed profusely down his head. At this point, the vision before him had already blurred, and the only thing that was pushing him on was the tenacity in his mind.

But no matter how hard he tried to push himself, he was already completely sapped. This was the limit of his mental fortitude, and it was impossible for him to push any further.

Eventually, he could only give in, "Forget it, I'll just stop here today..."

Giving up, Zhang Jiuxiao turned around, only to see a young man with a 6-star master teacher emblem pinned on his chest walking over leisurely. From the faint aura that the latter emanated, he could vaguely discern that the latter was a Saint 2-dan pinnacle cultivator.

The young man walked up to him nonchalantly, nodded in approval, and pulled his arm down in an encouraging gesture, "You can do it!"

After which, he proceeded on to cross the bridge leisurely.

It was a trial which left his mind feeling as if it would succumb at any moment, and yet, the other party was able to clear it so easily as if it was a mere stroll down the streets...

"He cleared the tenth level so easily?"

The stupefied Zhang Jiuxiao stared at the sight before him with twitching lips.

He wasn't the only one who was flabbergasted by this inconceivable situation. The surroundings had suddenly grown so silent that one could literally hear a pin drop.

The 6-star master teacher who had been speaking to Zhang Xuan earlier had an expression on his face which suggested that he had seen a ghost.

The millstone-bottom lady had also halted her fervent cheer dance. In this instant, her mouth was widened even larger than her bottom...

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Chapter 1160: Bail

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

After leaving the Heart Tempering Bridge, Zhang Xuan shook his head in disappointment. "Damn, I thought that it would at least be kind of challenging..."

He had expected a challenge from the Heart Tempering Bridge, but when he walked across it, he had realized that... it was truly nothing at all. He did not feel the slightest resistance. It did not even jolt his soul in the slightest.

All he wanted to do was temper his mental fortitude and try raising his Soul Depth, but this simple wish just would not come true for him. When he went to the Trial of Inner Demons, his inner demons refused to appear. When he walked over the Heart Tempering Bridge, he did not feel the slightest thing... Why did life have to be so difficult!

Shaking his head in pity, Zhang Xuan walked toward the room where Wu shi's voice originated from previously and knocked on the door.

Walking in, he saw Wu shi seated in the middle with a livid expression. He did not seem to be in a good mood at that moment.

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan asked, "What's wrong?"

When he parted with Wu shi earlier, the latter had still had a smile on his face. It had not even been an hour since then, so why would his mood suddenly sour so quickly?

Hearing Zhang Xuan's question, Wu shi rubbed his glabella and said, "The two men earlier came on the orders of Emperor Chu Tianxing to demand King Zhongqing's release, so I chased them out."

"The emperor wants to have King Zhongqing released?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "Does he not understand the crime of slandering a master teacher?"

While Zhang Xuan might not have been a master teacher of the Qingyuan Empire, and his rank had not reached 7-star, he was still the principal of a Master Teacher Academy, and there were a hundred thousand master teachers standing behind him! Considering that the other party had been caught slandering him, wasn't Emperor Chu Tianxing taking him too lightly by demanding King Zhongqing's release without even investigating the matter?

If such a thing were to be approved, what would become of the Master Teacher Pavilion's dignity.

"I sent my men to explain the matter to Emperor Chu Tianxing right after capturing King Zhongqing," Wu shi said grimly.

No matter what, King Zhongqing was the First King of the Qingyuan Empire. Considering that the Master Teacher Pavilion had sent out all its forces to apprehend the latter, it might sour the relations between the Master Teacher Pavilion and the royal family if he did not deal with this matter properly.

"You have already explained this matter, but Emperor Chu Tianxing still sent his men over to demand King Zhongqing's release? Isn't he being far too brazen?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

King Zhongqing's act of finding the ex-vice head of the Poison Hall to frame him was a truly major crime, and yet, Emperor Chu Tianxing, despite knowing that such actions would offend the Master Teacher Pavilion, still demanded King Zhongqing's release. Just what in the world was going through the minds of the nobles of the Qingyuan Empire?

Did they not understand that even if it was the royal family of a Conferred Empire, once they lost the protection of the local Master Teacher Pavilion, they would spiral into a cycle of endless decline and soon face destruction?

Wu shi shook his head and sighed deeply. "I'm not too sure either, but I think that he might have been emboldened by Vice Pavilion Master Tian..."

For the authoritative vice head of the Master Teacher Pavilion to work together with a King to accuse a master teacher without investigating the matter properly was truly a huge oversight. The future of a master teacher could very well have been ruined due to it.

The only reason Zhang Xuan was fine was because they had rushed over in time. Otherwise, held captive by the duo, he would have been no different from a prey on the chopping board. As long as the duo pulled some tricks, he could very well have found himself pinned with an accusation that he would never be able to cleanse himself of.

Such matters happened far too frequently.

It was simply too easy to slander and accuse another of a crime, especially when two of the most authoritative individuals in the Qingyuan Empire were working with one another.

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded. He was just about to reveal his deduction when someone suddenly knocked on the door outside. Following which, a master teacher walked in and reported, "Teacher, Emperor Chu Tianxing of the Qingyuan Empire seeks an audience!"

"He has already arrived? Invite him in!" Frowning, Wu shi waved his hand.

He had chased away the envoys of Emperor Chu Tianxing just a few minutes earlier, but then the latter suddenly arrived personally. From the looks of it, it seemed like he had already been waiting outside for the results.

The master teacher backed out of the room, and not too long later, a middle-aged man dressed in a yellow robe walked in with widened strides.

Just like Wu shi, the middle-aged man's cultivation had reached Half-Leaving Aperture realm as well. His eyes carried an authoritative air reminiscent of a majestic tiger. With just a look, it was apparent that his unique aura had been cultivated by the many years he had spent in a lofty position.

"Wu shi!" As soon as the middle-aged man walked into the room, he quickly clasped his fist politely.

Although he was the emperor of the Qingyuan Empire, his standing still paled in comparison to Wu shi, a vice head of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

"Un. Take a seat." Wu shi gestured as he assessed the middle-aged man before him nonchalantly. "If Your Majesty is here to request King Zhongqing's release, I'll have to ask you not to waste your breath. Framing a master teacher is a grievous crime that our Master Teacher Pavilion is unable to pardon. I have already reported the matter to the headquarters, so if you continue insisting on this matter, I fear that the entire Qingyuan Empire might be implicated in this issue. Thus, I have to ask you to think twice before speaking."

Wu shi's words were not particularly sharp, but they were devoid of warmth. His tone had made it perfectly clear that there was no room for negotiation.

Instead of proceeding on to take a seat, Emperor Chu clasped his fist and spoke in an earnest tone. "It truly pains me to see King Zhongqing committing such foolishness, but Wu shi... you also know that I would have been killed long ago if not for him. Thus, regardless of how big a crime he has committed, I am willing to compensate the Master Teacher Pavilion for it. Thus, I beseech the Master Teacher Pavilion to give him and me an opportunity to apologize to Zhang shi personally and plead for his pardon..."

"Apologize? If apologies truly work, what would the world need our Master Teacher Pavilion for?" Wu shi waved his hands impatiently. "Send our guest out!"

"Yes!" The master teacher who had led Emperor Chu Tianxing in nodded before walking up to the latter. "Your Majesty, this way please!"

"This..." The expression on Chu Tianxing's face turned awkward upon hearing those words. He had prepared a long script to convince the other party of the matter, but it seemed like the other party was not intending to give him an opportunity to speak at all. Thus, sighing deeply, he turned around to leave the room. However, before he could step out of the room, a voice suddenly sounded.

"Wu shi, hold it for a moment. Didn't he say that he intends to compensate the Master Teacher Pavilion for the matter? I'm interested to hear how much he's willing to offer to save King Zhongqing!"

Emperor Chu Tianxing turned around and saw a young man in his twenties, dressed in the robe of a 6-star master teacher, seated not too far away from Wu shi.

The young man was none other than Zhang Xuan.

"Principal Zhang..." Not expecting Zhang Xuan to suddenly interject at this moment, Wu shi turned to look at the other party in bewilderment. A moment later, he closed his eyes and nodded before turning his gaze back to Emperor Chu Tianxing. "Since Zhang shi has already spoken on your behalf, I'll listen to your words."

"Zhang shi?"

Emperor Chu Tianxing swiftly understood what was going on. He quickly walked up to Zhang Xuan and bowed slightly. "King Zhongqing has truly erred in attempting to slander Zhang shi. As long as Zhang shi is willing to let bygones be bygones, I'm willing to build a new accommodation to house the students from the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy and unconditionally provide enough cultivation resources for a hundred years. On top of that, from this day forth, any student from Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy who drops by Qingyuan City will be able to receive a cultivation technique manual and a few small gifts as a token of our sincerity. We won't allow anyone of them to leave Qingyuan City empty-handed!"

Knowing that the other party was the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Emperor Chu Tianxing chose to center his offer around the academy instead.

As expected of the man who had the entire Qingyuan Empire in his grasp, he knew how to make an offer that was irresistible to the other party.

Naturally, as a principal of a Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Xuan's priority would be the welfare of his student, and to be honest, the terms that he had offered were truly generous.

With the backing of a Conferred Empire, it was only a matter of time before Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy became the top of the Four Great Master Teacher Academies.

"That's not enough," Zhang Xuan said nonchalantly.

"This..." Chu Tianxing was visibly taken aback by Zhang Xuan's refusal. However, he swiftly recovered and said, "Zhang shi, if you have any requests, feel free to raise them. As long as it's within the means of our royal family, we will accomplish it without the slightest frown!"

Zhang Xuan glanced at Emperor Chu Tianxing and said, "Simple. Add in another hundred concentrated high-tier spirit stones to your previous terms, and you can take back King Zhongqing right now."

He was currently severely lacking in cultivation resources. It was far more practical for him to receive concentrated high-tier spirit stones from the other party than to hold a King in custody.

In any case, he could easily get rid of King Zhongqing whenever he wanted to, so it did not matter whether the latter remained imprisoned or not.

"A hundred concentrated high-tier spirit stones?" Emperor Chu Tianxing widened his eyes in astonishment before a bitter smile surfaced on his lips. "Zhang shi, you must be joking. Even if we sold everything in our Imperial Treasury, we still would not be able to fork out that sum..."

In the first place, concentrated high-tier spirit stones were a severely lacking commodity in Qingyuan City. Even the Combat Master Hall, an organization that the Master Teacher Pavilion had devoted a large portion of its resources to, only had ten concentrated high-tier spirit stones in their reserves. No matter how wealthy the Qingyuan royal family was, there was no way it would be able to fork out ten times the sum in a single breath.

"Very well then, I shall give you a discount. Fifty concentrated high-tier spirit stones, and King Zhongqing will be yours to take away. This is my final offer, and if you can't fulfill that condition, I'll have to ask you to leave." Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

He also knew that the other party would be unable to afford 100 concentrated high-tier spirit stones. Nevertheless, he had chosen to ask for it so that he would have some room to bargain.

"This..." Chu Tianxing's lips twitched.

Fifty concentrated high-tier spirit stones still was not a sum that the Qingyuan royal family could afford.

Emperor Chu Tianxing contemplated for a long while before responding. "Zhang shi, to be honest with you, even with the ten-millennium reign of our Qingyuan royal family, we only have seventeen concentrated high-tier spirit stones at the moment... We did have quite a handful of it in the past, but most of them were bestowed to the princes and meritorious subjects. Is it possible for me to give all seventeen to you and make up for the rest with valuable medicinal herbs and ores?"

There was no way he would be able to fork out fifty concentrated high-tier spirit stones, but as long as the other party was willing, he would still be able to find substitutes for the rest.

"Alright then. Here are the ores and medicinal herbs I require, and as long as you are able to gather all of them, I can let King Zhongqing go with just seventeen concentrated high-tier spirit stones. Also, I require as many Saint 3-dan and Saint 4-dan cultivation technique manuals as possible. Make a copy of every single book in your library and pass them to me," Zhang Xuan said as he whipped out a brush and paper and swiftly penned down a list.

He was intending on making use of this opportunity to upgrade the Golden Origin Cauldron and Glacier Rain Sword. He already had the main materials, but he was still lacking a few supporting materials. If he were to search for them himself, who knew how long it would take before he was able to gather the required materials? It would be best if he could enlist Emperor Chu Tianxing's help for this matter.

"Very well." Emperor Chu Tianxing took the list and browsed through it. While there were some materials that seemed to be a relatively rare, with the prowess of an entire Conferred Empire, he should be able to gather all of them promptly. Thus, he accepted the request heartily.

After which, he flicked his wrist and passed a jade container over.

"Here are the seventeen concentrated high-tier spirit stones. Zhang shi, please take a look."

Zhang Xuan swiftly swept through the contents in the jade container and verified that the other party was not lying. Nodding, he stowed the jade container into his storage ring.

"Zhang shi and Wu shi, please give me a moment while I deal with the rest."

After saying those words, Emperor Chu Tianxing turned around and issued some instructions to his attendant.

As expected of the emperor of a Conferred Empire, his connections were truly astounding. In just two mere hours, the ores and medicinal herbs that Zhang Xuan had requested had been successfully gathered.

Even the books that Zhang Xuan had requested earlier were all stacked up neatly before him.

For those that they could not copy in time, the originals were brought over instead. All in all, there were roughly several hundred thousand books for Saint 3-dan and above ten thousand books for Saint 4-dan.

Zhang Xuan placed those items into his storage ring before nodding in satisfaction. "Alright, you may take King Zhongqing away now."

"Thank you, Zhang shi." Emperor Chu Tianxing quickly turned to Wu shi, and upon seeing the latter nod in agreement as well, he heaved a sigh of relief. After which, he followed a master teacher down to the underground prison, to where King Zhongqing was locked up.

As soon as Emperor Chu Tianxing left, Wu shi immediately turned a perplexed look to Zhang Xuan, uncomprehending of what the latter was up to. "Principal Zhang..."

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Chapter 1161: Chen Zhe's Death

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Do you feel that I shouldn't have released King Zhongqing?" Taking Wu shi's expression into sight, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly.

"Emperor Chu Tianxing's offer might be alluring, but I don't think that it's a good idea to accede to his request." Wu shi nodded. "Master teachers mustn't be sullied. This isn't a matter about compensation but pride. If a precedent were to be set, it might send out a wrong message about the Master Teacher Pavilion's stand, and others might begin to emulate King Zhongqing's actions..."

After the affairs that they had gone through together in the Qiu Wu Palace, he had come to know the young man before him as an extremely wise and discerning individual. As such, while he didn't agree with the latter's decision, he didn't interject during the discussion earlier on because he knew that the latter would surely have his considerations for making his decision. However, with Emperor Chu Tianxing's departure, he couldn't hold back his intrigue any longer.

"I'll explain the matter to you, but before that, I would like to ask Wu shi a single question... Will you speak of the matter concerning Celestial Master teacher to any other master teachers in your Master Teacher Pavilion?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Upon hearing those words, Wu shi's face immediately turned grim. He quickly set up an isolation barrier around him before assessing his surroundings to confirm that there was no one around. Only then did he respond with a soft voice, "Principal Zhang, you must be absolutely careful when you speak of this matter! To respond to your question, due to the huge implications regarding the matter concerning Celestial Master Teacher, there's an absolute need to maintain a silence restraint on the matter. If word were to be leaked to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, it could result in a disastrous outcome. Therefore, even if it's to the headquarters, I would choose to maintain my silence."

He knew that the young man before him was a Celestial Master Teacher.

However, this matter mustn't be spoken of lightly to others. If news were to fall into the wrong hands, it might cause the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe to send its forces frenziedly after the other party. Putting aside the devastating destruction that would occur as a result of that, more importantly, it might result in the premature downfall of the master teacher before him.

If that were to happen, he would become a sinner of history.

"I share the same thoughts as you. However... Vice Pavilion Master Tian revealed the existence of a Celestial Master Teacher right before me."

Back when Vice Pavilion Master Tian was interrogating him at King Zhongqing Manor, the other party had once said these words: "From what I know, even a Celestial Master Teacher has recently appeared in the world, so I don't think that the revival of the founder of the Poison Hall is something too absurd to believe..."

Back then, he had already realized that something was amiss.

There was no master teacher who didn't understand the significance of those three words. It was the first time that Vice Pavilion Master Tian was meeting him, and yet, the other party actually revealed such an important news to him... This was a clear breach of the silence restraint.

That was also the main reason why he didn't hesitate in dealing with Vice Pavilion Master Tian.

"You are saying that Vice Pavilion Master Tian knows that... you are Celestial Master Teacher?" Wu shi's face darkened.

"From the looks of it, that doesn't seem to be the case. If anything, he seems to be trying to sound me out instead." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Judging from the other party's tone, it didn't seem like the other party knew of the matter yet. However, the fact that the other party raised the term 'Celestial Master Teacher' before him showed that the other party harbored some doubts regarding his identity. However, given how calmly he was able to respond to the other party, not showing the slightest bit of fluster, he should have been able to dispel the doubts in the other party's mind.

"That's a relief. However, Principal Zhang, you must be careful. Next time, no matter where you head to, you must make sure to bring either me or Hall Master Xing with you for your own safety!" Wu shi advised gravely.

As long as the news hadn't leaked, Principal Zhang would only be seen as an incredible prodigy in the eyes of others. An uncommon existence, yes, but there were still a handful of others just like him in the world as well.

However, if others were to learn that he was a Celestial Master Teacher... that would truly be a catastrophe.

"For the time being, there's no need to resort to such measures yet. Such extreme actions would be as good as confirming the suspicions of others." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

If he were to utilize all of the means he had in his hands, he was confident that he would be able to fare much better than with the protection of the duo. On the other hand, if the duo were going to be tagging around him, it wouldn't be convenient for him to utilize those means, and it would place him in a more dangerous position than before.

"This..." Wu shi hesitated.

Indeed. If he and Hall Master Xing were to follow the other party day in and day out, even those who hadn't doubted the matter previously would start getting suspicious. That would be as good as giving themselves away!

"There's something wrong with Pavilion Master Tian, and King Zhongqing has colluded with the Poison Hall to concoct huge quantities of poison—I have a feeling that those two matters are related. Also, there is something amiss about Emperor Chu Tianxing paying a visit to you personally and paying such a heavy price just to bail King Zhongqing... I don't believe that he would go so far just to repay the latter for saving his life!" Zhang Xuan analyzed grimly.

Hearing those words, Wu shi suddenly widened his eyes in realization.

The royal palace was a cold-blooded place where blood brothers would murder one another for authority. For the most esteemed man in there, the emperor, to risk offending the Master Teacher Pavilion and pay such a heavy price just to save a mere official... that was indeed something worth looking deeper into.

"Since we know that there's something wrong with them, instead of stifling ourselves over here to figure out what they are up to, why don't we just release them temporarily and have them untie the dead knot for us before deciding on our next move?"

They might have captured King Zhongqing, but their clue effectively ended right there. However, if they were to let King Zhongqing go, it might just lead them to something unexpected.

"You're right, that's indeed a good solution..." Coming to a realization, Wu shi nodded his head in admiration.

As expected of Principal Zhang! While he was still engrossed by the situation before him, the other party had already thought many steps ahead!

At the current moment, their investigation had already hit a bottleneck. There was no more clue for them to look into, and even if they were to interrogate King Zhongqing and the others, there was no way the other party would reveal their plan to them. However... if they were to release their grasp and allow the other party to do as they pleased, it was likely that the other party would attempt something and give themselves away in the midst of doing so.

"Un. Alright, I'll leave the rest to you. There's still some time before night time, and if it's convenient, I would like to pay a visit to the Master Teacher Pavilion's library to take a look."

It would suffice to have Wu shi deal with the investigation, it made no difference whether he participated in it or not.

For the time being, his priority was to compile the Saint 3-dan Heaven's Path Divine Art and raise his cultivation up to the required level, so that he could surpass that Zhang Jiuxiao and successfully claim the nomination slot to enter the Sanctum of Sages.

"Alright, I'll bring you over then!" Knowing that Principal Zhang liked to read books, Wu shi stood up with a smile to lead the way. At that moment, however, anxious knocking suddenly sounded on the door.

"Come in!" Wu shi said with a frown.

The master teacher who had just left a moment ago rushed into the room with a panicked look.

"What's wrong?" Wu shi asked.

For a 6-star master teacher to lose his bearings, there was no doubt that something huge must have happened.

"Teacher, bad news! Chen Zhe... he has died!" the master teacher gulped down a mouthful of saliva and said.

"Chen Zhe has died?" Wu shi narrowed his eyes in astonishment.

Chen Zhe was the master teacher who had duped Zhang Yinqiu of the details concerning the ancient domain back then and leaked it to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. He was the key to uncovering the other traitors within the Master Teacher Pavilion, and he had been locked in the most secure prison in the Master Teacher Pavilion, such that even his cultivation had been sealed. So, how could he suddenly pass away all of a sudden?

"I'm not too sure about the reason behind his death either. When I checked on him earlier in the morning, he was still perfectly fine. However, when I took another look at him while releasing King Zhongqing earlier, I realized that he has already breathed his last..." the master teacher exclaimed anxiously.

Chen Zhe was Vice Pavilion Master Tian's direct disciple, a 7-star low-tier master teacher. His abrupt death was no joking matter.

"Let's head over to take a look!" Wu shi said grimly. He turned to Zhang Xuan and asked, "Principal Zhang, will you follow me to take a look as well?"

The eyes of the young man before him was far more discerning than his own. The other party could very well notice something that he had missed out.

"Alright." Zhang Xuan nodded.

He also found the matter perplexing as well.

In the Master Teacher Pavilion's prison, putting aside killing any prisoner, even suicide should have been impossible, so how did Chen Zhe possibly lose his life there? This was truly eerie.

Following behind the 6-star master teacher, it didn't take long for them to arrive at a cold chamber. In there, they saw a middle-aged man lying motionlessly on the ground, his body frigid cold. He had already breathed his last.

Instead of walking over to assess the corpse, Zhang Xuan first examined the surroundings instead.

An airtight formation had been set up around the room, preventing one's Spiritual Perception from reaching in. As such, it was impossible to send any information in or out. It would be impossible for those within the chamber to communicate with those outside it.

After which, Zhang Xuan walked up to the corpse and activated his Eye of Insight.

"He doesn't have any physical wounds, but his soul has already dissipated entirely." Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed in astonishment.

The cause of the other party's death was no other than the dissipation of his soul!

"His soul has dissipated entirely?" Taken aback, Wu shi quickly placed his hand on the other party's corpse to extend his consciousness into the other party's body. A moment later, his face turned livid.

Clearly, he had come to the same conclusion as well.

"Could it be the same soul nabbing technique as before?" Frowning, a thought came into Zhang Xuan's mind.

Previously, Cang Xu of the Twin Bandits of the Northern Meadows had attempted to use a soul nabbing technique to kill him, but the Spirit Awakener Guild's building had crushed him to death at that very moment, thus resulting in his failure.

He had analyzed the soul nabbing technique carefully after gaining possession of the other party's memory via Soul Search, and it bore striking resemblance to the means of the soul oracles. It aimed to draw a cultivator's soul out of his body and confine it, thus rendering him completely powerless to one's whims...

Once the technique were to succeed, the body, left without a soul, would slowly wither away and die.

Could Chen Zhe have been killed using such a method?

"Could it be that Vicious has imparted this technique to someone else other than Cang Xu?" Zhang Xuan contemplated doubtfully.

However, even if that was the case, why would the practitioner of the technique want to go through the trouble of killing Chen Zhe? Or could it be that Chen Zhe had something to do with Vicious and the soul oracle as well?

"Let's bring his corpse over to Division Head Qiu of the Combat Master Hall and have him help us analyze the situation." After examining the corpse for a while longer, Wu shi was still unable to make sense of the situation, so he stood up and said.

"Alright!" the 6-star master teacher replied.

Division Head Qiu was the head of the Soul Division, and he possessed deep knowledge in the study of souls. While Wu shi might not be able to determine anything from the corpse, perhaps Division Head Qiu might be able to see something that they couldn't in it.

"There's no need for that." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

The soul within the corpse had already vanished, so there was no point in finding Division Head Qiu anymore.

"Principal Zhang..." Wu shi looked at Zhang Xuan anxiously and said. "Chen Zhe's death effectively means that we have lost our evidence to deal with Vice Pavilion Master Tian. Even though Vice Pavilion Master Tian has made a move on you, the evidence we have at the moment isn't sufficient to indict him for attempting to frame you. In other words, we don't have any reason to imprison him any longer!"

No matter what, Vice Pavilion Master Tian was a 7-star pinnacle master teacher, the vice head of the Master Teacher Pavilion. Previously, it was due to his direct disciple leaking critical intelligence to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe that he was implicated and imprisoned for the matter. However, with Chen Zhe's death, there was no longer anyone who could possibly point Vice Pavilion Master Tian to be the culprit of the matter, so naturally... they would have no reason why keep the other party imprisoned any longer.

As for the crime of slandering and accusing Zhang Xuan, he could dump it all onto King Zhongqing, and the remaining could be overlooked just on his prestigious identity in itself!

"Since we no longer have any right to imprison him, just let him go then." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

If not for the fact that he had discovered that there was a fatal flaw in Vice Pavilion Master Tian's Primordial Spirit through his Library of Heaven's Path, which would hinder him from effectively executing any soul art, he would have truly doubted if Vice Pavilion Master Tian had killed his own student.

"Let him go?" Wu shi was taken aback. "But Principal Zhang, the humiliation that you have suffered because of him..."

"There's no need to be bothered about that matter. In view of Vice Pavilion Master Tian's standing, it won't do us any good to keep him imprisoned for an extended period of time, especially when we don't have sufficient evidence on hand. Furthermore, it hasn't been long since you have been promoted to a vice pavilion master yourself, so you can't afford to forcefully make a move against Vice Pavilion Master Tian yet." Zhang Xuan shook his head and said.

At the current moment, it was imperative for them that Wu shi remained in power. Otherwise, there would be powerless to stand against Vice Pavilion Master Tian.

"Alright then." Seeing that there was some sense in what Zhang Xuan said, Wu shi could only reluctantly nod in agreement. "Then... what should we do next?"

"What do you think that we should do?" Zhang Xuan returned the question with a smile.

"I think that we should announce Chen Zhe's crimes publicly and turn everyone against Vice Pavilion Master Tian. This would put Vice Pavilion Master Tian in a disadvantageous position, and we would be in a better position to make a move against him." Wu shi contemplated for a moment before saying.

The news regarding Chen Zhe's betrayal was currently known by only a very small group. If they could pin a crime on Chen Zhe at this moment, Vice Pavilion Master Tian, as Chen Zhe's teacher, would be placed in a precarious position as well.

Otherwise, Vice Pavilion Master Tian would truly be getting away scot-free from the entire matter.

"Wrong! That course of action won't work!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"It won't work? What should we do then?" Wu shi was taken aback.

"Simple. We should have Chen Zhe buried with the grandest of master teacher ceremonies. On top of that, we will compensate his family and accord them with the highest compliments. We shall dub him as a true master teacher, the role model whom everyone should learn from!" Zhang Xuan replied with a mysterious smile.

"Ah? What kind of solution is that?" Wu shi was stunned by Zhang Xuan's unexpected suggestion.

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Chapter 1162: The Poisoned King Zhongqing

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Chen Zhe was the person who revealed the intelligence from Zhang Yinqiu to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, causing the latter to nearly be unable to return from the Qiu Wu Palace. A person like him should be deeply condemned by the Master Teacher Pavilion, and yet, Principal Zhang was proposing to offer the highest of compliments to him?

This was too bizarre!

On the other hand, seeing that Wu shi didn't comprehend what he was driving at, Zhang Xuan shook his head and explained, "At this point, Chen Zhe's crimes are only known to a handful within the Master Teacher Pavilion. This is actually disadvantageous to us. In order to officially indict Chen Zhe of a crime and justify his arrest, we'll need to convince the entire Master Teacher Pavilion of our case, and that would require more evidence than just Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu's testimony. However, that is one thing that we are lacking at the moment. If we were to disregard that and forcefully pin an accusation on Chen Zhe, it will appear as if we are trying to conceal our depraved actions instead. On top of that, the fact that Chen Zhe has even passed away in the Master Teacher Pavilion plays against us as well. Think about it, we have captured Chen Zhe, but Chen Zhe ended up dying in captivity. What do you think the others would think about the matter?"

"This..." Wu shi fell silent.

It was normal for others to sympathize with the weak, but whether the weak was truly weak or not was often one thing that couldn't be clearly seen on the surface.

If they were to really attempt to pin a crime on Chen Zhe, as long as someone were to work behind their backs and fabricate a story to accuse Wu shi of abusing his authority to deal with Chen Zhe, the common populace would be unable to discern which point of view was true. In such situations, the tendency was for them to naturally sympathize with the victim, Chen Zhe.

By then, the tables would be turned. Their advantageous situation would turn into a deeply disadvantageous one in an instant.

"On the other hand, if we were to declare that he has died and bestow his family with huge riches for the matter, the other party might think that news has been leaked and panic. By then... the other party might very well do something that would give themselves away. As long as we can lure the other party out, the rest would be simple. As for Chen Zhe, it wouldn't be too late to indict him of his crime then." Zhang Xuan said.

"I see..." Wu shi came to a realization.

That was indeed the best plan they had at the moment.

Not only would it resolve the adverse effects brought about by Chen Zhe's death, it could also potentially bait the other party out. Truly two birds in a stone.

"I'll have it done now!" Nodding, Wu shi quickly turned to the 6-star master teacher beside him to issue instructions.

"What else should we do?" After making arrangements, Wu shi asked once more.

"For the time being, this should be enough. Tonight, we'll still be attending the Appraisal Convention that you spoke about... Don't worry, we have already placed the bait dangling before them. Now, we just have to wait to hook something up." Zhang Xuan smiled.

Wu shi nodded before falling silent.

After leaving Chen Zhe's cell, Zhang Xuan headed straight for the Master Teacher Pavilion's library.

With Wu shi's identity token in his hand, he was qualified to access the Saint 3-dan and Saint 4-dan cultivation techniques in there. In less than two hours, he had already collected everything into his Library of Heaven's Path.

After that was done, he took out the books which Emperor Chu Tianxing had given him and collected them into his Library of Heaven's Path too.

Compile!

The Library of Heaven's Path jolted, and two new books materialized before Zhang Xuan's eyes.

They were the Saint 3-dan and Saint 4-dan Heaven's Path Divine Art.

Swiftly browsing through them, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in excitement.

"They have both reached the level of Heaven's Path, I can cultivate them straight now!"

This seemed to be the first time he had collected the Heaven's Path Divine Art for two realms in advance. With these two, he would be able to make a breakthrough on the spot to Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm!

"However, the sky seems to be getting dark. I should first head over to the Appraisal Convention with Wu shi before cultivating..."

Zhang Xuan glanced out of the windows and saw that the sun had already set. The Appraisal Convention that Wu shi had mentioned previously should be starting any time soon, so he couldn't afford to spend any time on cultivation for the time being. Thus, he stretched his back lazily and walked out of the library.

In any case, everything would be simple once he had the required cultivation techniques. At most, it would only take him two hours or so, or at the very worst, four hours... Either way, he could have it done very quickly.

Besides, there was no such thing as a cultivation bottleneck to him. Once he cultivated, the technique would surely reach the mastery of Consummation.

Thus, for the time being, it was more imperative for him to bring all of his supporting occupations to 7-star and become a 7-star master teacher first.

"Principal Zhang, let's set forth!" Wu shi said with a smile upon seeing Zhang Xuan walking towards him.

After which, the duo headed out together.

...

While Zhang Xuan and Wu shi were heading to the Appraisal Convention, in a vast hall in the royal palace...

"Damn it, damn it!"

King Zhongqing paced around the room as he clenched his teeth tightly in fury. Hatred burned within his eyes like raging inferno, as if they would burn down everything in its sight.

"Enough! You sure have gotten brazen to attempt to make a move against a 6-star master teacher without making ample preparations!" Chu Tianxing harrumphed coldly.

"Your Majesty, I..." King Zhongqing quickly clasped his fist to explain himself.

"Forget it, you don't have to explain anything to me. Just learn from this lesson and make sure that you never commit it in the future. Know that it took me a heavy price to bail you out!" Chu Tianxing waved his hand impatiently.

"I apologize for my inept." King Zhongqing lowered his head and said.

"Alright, that's enough of that. For the next few days, you should remain in my royal palace to cultivate and reflect on where you have gone wrong. During this timing, you can't afford to have anyone finding any more handle on you, or else no one will be able to save you!" Chu Tianxing instructed.

"Yes!" King Zhongqing nodded. "Don't worry, there shouldn't be any more problems. The main issue at hand lies with that Zhang Xuan, he really isn't an easy fellow to deal with. Furthermore, his cultivation is much higher than we have previously anticipated..." As King Zhongqing spoke about Zhang Xuan, he couldn't help but grit his teeth furiously. However, as soon as he said those words, his face suddenly paled, and his body began shaking uncontrollably.

"This is bad..." King Zhongqing narrowed his eyes as goosebumps rose all over his body.

"What's wrong?" Chu Tianxing frowned.

"I-I have been poisoned! Pu!" King Zhongqing's body began convulsing non-stop, and large mouthfuls of blood spurted from his mouth. He felt as if all of his organs were about to shatter anytime soon.

"Poisoned? How did you get poisoned?" Chu Tianxing's eyes widened in alarm.

King Zhingqing had been beside him for the last few minutes, so how could he be suddenly poisoned without any warning?

"I have no idea either!"

The immense pain rendered King Zhongqing incapable of standing on his feet, and he rolled around the ground wildly, hoping that it would alleviate his pain somehow. Cold sweat trickled down his entire body, and no matter how he contemplated over the matter, he simply couldn't recall when he was afflicted with the poison.

"Did you eat or drink anything today?" Chu Tianxing asked anxiously.

For even King Zhongqing, a Saint 4-dan pinnacle expert, to be unable to tolerate it, the poison was truly fearsome.

An individual who had such a potent poison in his possession and could poison King Zhongqing without the latter noticing had to be a 7-star pinnacle poison master at the very least!

But if such a figure had appeared by King Zhongqing's side, he would have known it. Why did he have no impression of it whatsoever?

"Today..." King Zhongqing began recalling everything that had happened earlier, "That Zhang Xuan has fed me several gourds of fine wine, and that Sun Qiang has sprinkled salt and pepper over my body..."

There couldn't be anything wrong with the food in his King Zhongqing Manor, and he hadn't touched the food in the Master Teacher Pavilion either. The only thing left was Zhang Xuan's wine and Sun Qiang's condiments.

"Sprinkled salt and pepper over your body?" Chu Tianxing was stunned.

What the heck was that?

However, he knew that this wasn't the time to be asking about that. With a deep frown, he remarked, "From the looks of it, the culprit seems to be that Zhang Xuan... Just that, what kind of poison is this? Men, summon Royal Physician Sun over!"

"Yes!" A guard quickly bowed and rushed out of the room.

Not too long later, an elder entered the hall.

"Your Majesty!"

"Un. Royal Physician Sun, King Zhongqing has been poisoned, and I would like you to analyze what kind of poison it is and treat him..." Chu Tianxing instructed.

Royal Physician Sun was a 7-star pinnacle physician specially employed by the royal court, and his comprehension of the Way of Medicine had already reached a profound level. If anyone could treat King Zhongqing, it had to be him!

"Your Majesty, rest assured, As long as the poison isn't beyond grade-7, I'm confident that I'll be able to resolve it easily!" Royal Physician Sun smiled, revealing a row of perfectly yellow teeth.

With a flick of his finger, he swiftly weaved his zhenqi into thin threads, which swiftly wrapped itself around King Zhongqing in the shape of a sphere.

This was his exclusive diagnosis and treatment method—Sonar Diagnosis Cocoon.

By linking his zhenqi threads to the vitals and acupoints of the patient, he would be able to take a closer examination on the patient's condition through the vibrations through the zhenqi threads, and thus, making an accurate diagnosis of the patient's condition.

"Hm? There's something really weird about the poison..." Royal Physician Sun analyzed King Zhongqing's condition for a moment, and a deep frown surfaced on his forehead.

"Weird?" Chu Tianxing's face darkened. "Can he be treated?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured. Even though the poison is elusive and nearly indiscernible, I should be able to figure what is going on by sending my zhenqi threads into King Zhongqing's body through the Zhenqi Thread Diagnosis Method, and from that, resolve the poison!" Physician Sun said confidently.

"Hurry up then!" Seeing King Zhongqing's face turn ghastly pale, as if he would succumb to the poison at any moment, Chu Tianxing urged.

"Yes!" Royal Physician Sun nodded. Taking a deep breath, he flicked his fingers forward.

Tzzzzzzz!

A surge of zhenqi shot from his fingers into King Zhongqing's glabella, and it swiftly dived its way into the latter's meridians.

The Zhenqi Thread Diagnosis Method involved sending zhenqi threads into the body of the patient to examine the latter's inner condition to determine the source of the injury or illness, thus allowing the physician to treat the issue at its root.

Since the Sonar Diagnosis Cocoon wasn't sufficient to determine the lethal poison which King Zhongqing was suffering from, he could only resort to this method.

Hu!

Before long, his zhenqi had already made its way around the King Zhongqing's body, but there was still no lethal poison to be seen. Perplexed, Royal Physician Sun retracted his zhenqi and contemplated with a deep frown.

He had checked every nook and cranny within King Zhongqing's body, but there was not a trace of any poison to be seen. Yet, the other party's internal organs were corroding, clearly the doing of a lethal poison. These contradicting situations had left him deeply bewildered.

"How is it?" Chu TIanxing asked anxiously.

"There's something really bizarre about the poison. I need some time to think of a solution..."

Halfway through his words, Royal Physician Sun's face suddenly turned ghastly pale. His body abruptly fell heavily onto the ground before convulsing wildly. Huge mouthfuls of blood spurted wildly from his mouth, rendering his face a shake paler each time. "Darn it, I was poisoned as well..."

As he said those words, his body convulsed a few more times before he passed out altogether.

"This..." Chu Tianxing was astonished.

It was just a moment ago that the other party declared confidently that he would be able to resolve the poison, and yet, before he could even determine what kind of poison it was, he had already passed out...

The other party was already the most formidable physician in the royal palace, but he still ended up succumbing to the poison.

Against a lethal poison which could affect even a 7-star pinnacle physician unknowingly, what could they possibly do?

"Your Majesty... I have a handful of poison masters imprisoned in my manor... Bring one of them over..." King Zhongqing uttered weakly.

"Hold on, I'll send my men to bring them over!" Chu Tianxing said before turning to his men to issue some commands.

Under the orders of the emperor, the guards swiftly made their way over to the King Zhongqing Manor, and not too long later, they returned with a black-robed young man.

He was no other than Butler Qin!

"Old Master, the poison masters in the residence has been released by Zhang Xuan!"

"Released?" Pu!"

At this point, King Zhongqing was already withered internally and externally. At this moment, he didn't even have the strength to move around anymore, as if an old man languishing on his deathbed.

"There are no poison masters left, and the physicians aren't capable of treating it either... I'll go look for Zhang shi personally! To think that a master teacher would actually resort to such underhanded tricks..." Chu Tianxing roared lividly.

He had to pay such a heavy price in order to bail King Zhongqing out. If the latter were to die of poison shortly after, wouldn't his Qingyuan royal family become a laughingstock of the populace?

"Zhang shi? Poison?" Upon hearing those words, Butler Qin swiftly turned to Chu Tianxing and asked with his head lowered, "Your Majesty, was our Old Master poisoned by Zhang Xuan?"

"It must be him! No one else had a chance to strike other than him!" Chu Tianxing harrumphed in anger.

"If he's the one behind the poison..."

Butler Qin paused for a brief moment as confidence emerged on his face, "I know how to alleviate the poison!"

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Chapter 1163: Butler Qin's Unique Poison Neutralization Technique

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"You know?" Chu Tianxing and King Zhongqing looked at Butler Qin in bewilderment.

It was a poison that even the 7-star pinnacle Royal Physician Sun was helpless before, even passing out after being afflicted with the poison himself, so how could a butler who didn't know the slightest thing about poison possibly know how to alleviate it?

"To be honest, I was also afflicted with the poison a while back, but I managed to keep it under control using a certain method," Butler Qin replied.

Hearing that his subordinate had been poisoned by Zhang Xuan as well but managed to overcome the poison, King Zhongqing immediately exclaimed, "Is that true? What are you waiting for then? Hurry up and treat me!"

"Yes, Old Master! The treatment might be a little painful, so I ask you to bear with it," Butler Qin said grimly as he stepped forward.

"I have been through innumerable life and death situations. What kind of pain have I not suffered before? Rest assured and do it!" King Zhongqing replied proudly.

Back in his time, he had charged into many a battlefield and survived against the odds. No matter how painful a poison neutralization process was, how could it compare to the experiences he had been through on the battlefield?

"As long as you are able to cure my poison, I'll immediately promote you to the official head butler of my manor, granting you authority to mobilize anyone within the manor..." Before King Zhongqing could finish his words, he suddenly saw a palm enlarging swiftly before him, covering his entire sight in an instant.

Pah!

The slap struck King Zhongqing's face squarely, and the stinging pain threatened to tear his cheeks into two.

"You..." Not expecting his subordinate to slap him instead of treating him, King Zhongqing felt so furious that he was on the brink of insanity. However, before he could even finish his words, another slap had already flown right for his face.

Pah! Pah! Pah! Pah!

A series of consecutive slaps left King Zhongqing's face swelling up as if a crimson bun.

Butler Qin had exerted his full strength in those slaps, such that he was already panting from exhaustion. He carefully raised his gaze and looked at King Zhongqing. "Old Master, are you feeling better now?"

"Better your head! You bastard, I'm going to kill you!" With his eyes reddening in rage, King Zhongqing stood up with a belligerent air around him.

To think that he, the First King of the Qingyuan Empire, would actually be pummeled by his own subordinate, not to mention, in front of Emperor Chu Tianxing at that. And as if that was not enough, the other party even had the cheek to ask him if he was feeling better after.

Better your head!

That is as good as a rapist asking his victim if it felt good!

I'm going to beat you into the ground, you bastard!

King Zhongqing was so furious that it also seemed as if smoke was pouring out of his head.

"You still aren't feeling better yet? Old Master, worry not! I still have another trick up my sleeve..." On the other hand, Butler Qin didn't expect the slaps to not work, so he hurriedly tried to appease the other party first.

"You still have another trick up your sleeve?" King Zhongqing was taken aback for a moment upon hearing those words. Before he could even process what was going on, he saw Butler Qin taking off his shoes, and in the next moment, a leg emanating an exceptional scent flew right toward his face.

Peng!

The impact of the kick left King Zhongqing's face distorted into the shape of a fried dough twist before he flipped around two and a half times in the air and collapsed heavily onto the ground.

Butler Qin had experimented on himself when he found the effectiveness of the slaps a little lacking, and he had to admit that the kick did have miraculous effects against the poison. In an instant, the pain vanished from his body like a receding tide.

He had been planning on treasuring this secret art as his family heirloom, vowing to only pass it down to those of his lineage. However, since the Old Master required it, he had no choice but to take it out.

"I'll kill you..." Seeing the teeth that had dropped to the ground and the amazing stench that filled his nostrils, King Zhongqing nearly went insane on the spot.

He had ordered his subordinate to treat his poison, but not only did the latter do nothing of that sort, the latter even dared to slap and kick him. Unforgivable!

Standing up furiously, he glared at his subordinate with a piercing glare, ready to tear the fellow before him into two.

But before he could make a move, Chu Tianxing suddenly spoke. "King Zhongqing, your poison... has been cured?"

"Poison?"

Those abrupt words jolted King Zhongqing out of his rampage. All of a sudden, he realized that the pain from the lethal poison had really receded after the slaps and kick.

Overwhelmed by astonishment, the rage from a moment ago completely vanished from his mind. He quickly asked Butler Qin in bewilderment, "This... What is going on?"

Butler Qin clasped his fist and explained the matter. "Old Master, earlier today, when you asked me to invite Zhang Xuan over to the manor, we had a small verbal conflict, and he discreetly planted a poison in me. I had a physician look at the poison, and the latter said that not only is the poison indiscernible, it will even corrode one's inner organs, putting one in unbearable agony. However, he did inform me of a way to alleviate the poison, and that is to hit one's face. The more vicious the strike is, the more effective it will be against the poison. That's also why I brazenly made a move against you, and I beg for your pardon!"

"The poison is alleviated through slapping? There's actually such a poison in the world?" King Zhongqing and Chu Tianxing glanced at one another in disbelief.

They had never encountered or heard of such a bizarre poison in the world.

"That's right!" Butler Qin replied affirmatively.

"To actually concoct such a poison, that Zhang Xuan sure is a depraved individual..." King Zhongqing's lips twitched furiously as he cursed, but halfway through his words, his body suddenly jolted. He felt that excruciating pain from before slowly returning to his body.

"This is bad; it's acting up once more. Quick, hit me again!" Recalling that unbearable pain, King Zhongqing could not help but tremble in fear. He never wanted to experience such a sensation ever again.

He quickly pulled Butler Qin over as he stuck his face out to the other party and exclaimed in desire, "Harder!"

...

"To think that it could work this way as well..."

Shortly after walking out of the Master Teacher Pavilion, Zhang Xuan suddenly chuckled beneath his breath.

Wu shi turned around and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"It's nothing," Zhang Xuan replied calmly with a smile.

When he had been curing King Zhongqing's wounds earlier in the latter's manor, he had secretly slipped a sliver of his will into the other party's body. It was concealed within his Heaven's Path zhenqi, making it difficult for even a Primordial Spirit realm expert to notice it.

He had made it such that in fixed intervals or whenever the other party insulted him, the Heaven's Path zhenqi would turn into lethal poison and ravage the other party's body. It was precisely because he had left such a hand that he did not hesitate to have King Zhongqing released.

In any case, King Zhongqing's life and death hinged on a single thought of his, so it mattered not whether the other party was imprisoned or not.

Initially, he had only chosen to spare Butler Qin in case he might require a pawn to use in the near future, but who would have thought that the latter would actually end up believing in his 'Face Slapping Treatment Method'?

That actually worked to his advantage for the time being, so he decided to go along with it. After all, even though he had set King Zhongqing free for the moment, he was still more than willing to see the other party suffer, especially after seeing with his own eyes what the other party had done to Sun Qiang and the Poison Hall.

Under the control of the sliver of will he had slipped into the other party's body, he was able to create the impression that slapping one's face would be able to alleviate the corrosion of the poison. Of course, the slapping would not actually cure the poison—in truth, the Heaven's Path zhenqi was just switched back from its poisonous state temporarily...

The poison would recede under vicious slapping and act up if the slapping were to halt for some time. He could probably entertain himself for quite a few days with that.

However, it was another question whether King Zhongqing would be able to last that long or not.

After communicating with the will that he had hidden within the other party's body for a moment, Zhang Xuan decided to put aside the matter and follow behind Wu shi. Not too long later, they arrived at a massive trading hall.

Zhang Xuan took a look at the surroundings, and after confirming his location, he could not help but ask in bewilderment, "Isn't this where the Appraiser Hall is located?"

Based on the directions from Hall Master Xing, the location they were currently at should have been the Appraiser Hall, so why was a huge trading hall standing before them instead?

"You should also know about how intricately linked the Appraiser Hall is with trade. Many businesses rise in the vicinity of its establishment, so it was inevitable that it eventually developed into a trading hall," Wu shi explained with a smile.

"That's true." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Appraisers were capable of determining the authenticity of artifacts, and in the Master Teacher Continent, authenticity had always been a problem for both buyers and sellers alike. Receiving an appraiser's certificate on a good was equivalent to having a guarantee on the quality of the good, and naturally, sellers would be able to sell it at a higher price. At the same time, knowing that the authenticity of the good had been verified by an expert, buyers could also purchase it with their mind at ease.

Thus, it was inevitable that businesses would gradually sprout in the vicinity of the Appraiser Guild, and as time passed, a trading hall would be constructed around it, thus becoming the center of commerce within the city.

"Actually, there is something that has been on my mind for quite some time already. If I'm not mistaken, the Appraisal Convention that you spoke of should be an event to verify the authenticity of precious artifacts. However, if that's the case, why would the head of the Painter Guild attend the convention as well?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Since the main focus of the event was appraising, it was peculiar that those of another occupation would be there as well.

"As you know, appraisers deal with artifacts of all sorts. Tonight, one of the artifacts that will be appraised is a painting left behind by the Sorrowless Old Man," Wu shi explained.

"Sorrowless Old Man?"

"He's the most famous painter in the history of the Qingyuan Empire. An extremely talented individual, he was an 8-star painter before he reached three hundred years old. Unfortunately, on the third day after his three hundredth birthday, he vanished without a trace. As for where he went, no one knows for sure. However, there are rumors that he was killed by his enemies," Wu shi explained.

"Three hundred years old? Isn't that age considered young for Saint realm cultivators? Why would others address him as the Sorrowless Old Man?" Zhang Xuan asked in confusion.

Even Hall Master Xing and Wu shi were at least five hundred years old. In comparison, three hundred years could really be considered young among Saint realm cultivators, so that title seemed to be a little inappropriate.

"It is said that in the earlier years of the Sorrowless Old Man, his talents in cultivation and painting were unexceptional. Even as he approached 180, he was still nowhere near to reaching Saint realm. However, his talents suddenly blossomed one day. Within a short ten years, his mastery in painting surged all the way to 7-star, and he managed to advance his cultivation to Saint realm as well. Nevertheless, due to his late breakthrough, he still retained his old appearance despite his lengthened lifespan, and it was because of his old appearance that others addressed his as the Sorrowless Old Man," Wu shi explained.

"I see..." Zhang Xuan nodded.

The average lifespan of a Transcendent Mortal was around two hundred, and typically speaking, a 180 years old Transcendent Mortal cultivator stood no chance of achieving a breakthrough at all. To suddenly be enlightened in the Way of Painting and successfully advance to Sainthood at his age, it must be said that the Sorrowless Old Man was indeed a legend.

While chatting, the duo entered the trading hall.

The trading hall was far larger than Zhang Xuan had expected. There were all sorts of artifacts on display, and a huge crowd was walking back and forth between the vendors, seeking the items they required.

Curious, Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight and scanned through the array of items on display. A while later, he could not help but shake his head in disappointment.

There were a couple of items that could be considered a treasure to Transcendent Mortal cultivators, but to him, they were completely useless.

"Most of the items on the first floor of the trading hall are miscellaneous goods that have not yet been appraised, so they are relatively inexpensive. Most of those on this floor loiter with the hopes of stumbling on a treasure. It would be best if they could hit the jackpot, but even if they do not, they won't make a big loss either," Wu shi said.

"It's from the second floor onwards that the artifacts have been appraised. While their prices are slightly pricier, there's at least a guarantee on the authenticity of the goods. Does Principal Zhang want to take a look around the trading hall first?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "There's no need for that."

What he lacked the most at that moment was concentrated high-tier spirit stones. Other than that, there was not any particular artifact that he required.

As for medicinal herbs, ores, and the sort, he had already gotten what he needed from Emperor Chu Tianxing, so there was no need for him to go to the trouble of purchasing them.

Since there was nothing he required, there was no need for him to browse through the items in the trading hall either.

"Since that's the case, let's head straight for the fifth floor then. The Appraisal Convention is being held there." Nodding with a smile, Wu shi led the way forward.

Walking through the crowd, it did not take long for them to arrive on the fifth floor.

Instead of stores, there was a vast hall on the fifth floor.

Before Zhang Xuan could enter the hall, he suddenly spotted two men walking over, and upon seeing one of their faces, he could not help but halt for an instant.

The person was none other than the young man whom he had encouraged earlier in the day—the offspring of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Jiuxiao!

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Chapter 1164: Evocative Vividness

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Dressed in a light green robe, Zhang Jiuxiao had a look deeply reminiscent of a scholar. Pinned on his chest was not the emblem of a master teacher but that of an appraiser, and the seven stars gleaming on the emblem signified the outstanding skills he had in the field.

The one that came along with him was an elder who appeared to be in his sixties. The aura that he emanated revealed his Saint 4-dan cultivation, and there was a 7-star appraiser emblem on his chest as well.

That fellow... is an appraiser as well? Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

Having witnessed Zhang Jiuxiao conducting calligraphy in the air, he knew that the latter possessed exceptional proficiency in painting. He had not expected the latter to be a 7-star appraiser as well.

As expected of the number one genius of the Qingyuan Empire, he was indeed no simple figure.

Upon seeing the elder, Wu shi quickly walked up to him and greeted with a smile, "Guild Leader Mu, it has been long since we last met!"

"Wu Rufeng, were you not going to pay me a visit if I didn't send you the invitation to the Appraisal Convention? Have you long forgotten about the many years of friendship between us?" The elder patted Wu shi's shoulders and berated him jokingly.

"Of course not! I was already planning to pay you a visit but then you sent me the invitation," Wu shi replied with a smile.

Hearing the conversation between the two, Zhang Xuan noted internally, This elder seems to be the head of the Appraiser Hall.

Considering the 7-star appraiser emblem and how Wu shi addressed the other party, it was not too difficult to figure out the other party's identity.

While he was assessing the guild leader before him, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a gaze falling on him. Raising his head, he saw Zhang Jiuxiao staring at him with a slight hint of enmity in his eyes.

To be honest, the hostility the other party emanated was so vague that it would have been nearly indiscernible for anyone else, but with his Soul Depth of 25.1, which was comparable to an 8-star master teacher, it was still rather easy for him to perceive it.

He is hostile toward me? Why? I don't think I have offended him before. Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

The both of them had only met once back on the Heart Tempering Bridge, and he had even cheered the other party on with a 'You can do it!' It was one thing for the other party not to reciprocate his goodwill, but to carry enmity against him on top of that... what the heck was the other party up to?

Just as Zhang Xuan was lamenting how difficult it was to be a good person nowadays, the young man walked up to him and clasped his fist. "I am Zhang Jiuxiao, how may I address you?"

"I am Zhang Xuan."

"Zhang Xuan? Are you the newly appointed principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy? I have heard much of your talent!" Upon hearing the name, Zhang Jiuxiao came to a realization. "It's no wonder you possess such exceptional mental fortitude, being able to cross the Heart Tempering Bridge with ease. It's indeed impossible to govern an entire academy without an exceptional state of mind."

He had been wondering whom the 6-star master teacher who had broken his record was, and upon learning of the other party's identity, he felt as if the burden in his heart had been lifted.

He had heard bits and pieces of Zhang Xuan's affairs, and the latter was indeed worthy of being considered a prodigy among geniuses.

However, the other party was still only a 6-star master teacher, no matter how talented he was. Against him, a true 7-star master teacher, the other party was clearly still far from a match.

"It's due to the appreciation of the teachers and students in the academy that I accepted the position of the principal in the first place. To be honest with you, I am intending to resign soon," Zhang Xuan replied humbly.

Since the old principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Yinqiu, had returned, he had been wanting to step down, just that the others had been unwilling to accept his resignation.

"Resign? Well, I guess that's to be expected. Despite your talent, your young age still limits your experience. It wouldn't reflect too well on the academy to have a master teacher as young as you as its principal." Zhang Jiuxiao nodded in agreement.

Not expecting his words of humility to be taken for real, Zhang Xuan shook his head with a helpless smile.

It was the norm in such social settings to keep up pleasantries. More than manners, it was a sign of politeness and respect for the other party. He could tell that Zhang Jiuxiao was trying to put him down, and while he would not go to the extent of getting into a squabble with the other party over something as inconsequential as this, he was not interested in putting up with it either. Thus, he chose to take his leave instead.

However, before he could do so, the other party continued speaking. "Since Wu shi has brought you to this Appraisal Convention, it must mean that he has a high opinion of you. Is Zhang shi an appraiser as well?"

Out of politeness, Zhang Xuan replied, "Yes, I have learned a little bit of appraising in my spare time."

"May I know what your current rank in it is?" Zhang Jiuxiao asked curiously.

"I am currently a 5-star appraiser," replied Zhang Xuan nonchalantly.

The previous Appraiser Hall that he had been to was in Honghai City of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. Over there, the highest emblem he could receive was only 5-star, so he had been stuck with it until now.

"5-star? I see. Given your current age, it's actually not too bad. At the very least, it does show that you have some talent in the field. As long as you work diligently on it, it might be possible for you to overtake me in the future!" Zhang Jiuxiao nodded.

"To tell you the truth, 5-star appraisers are actually unqualified to attend the Appraisal Convention, but it seems like Wu shi has specially brought you here to expand your horizons."

"Seems so," Zhang Xuan replied casually.

"Un." Zhang Jiuxiao nodded before continuing. "The Appraisal Convention this time around is far grander than the previous few. The Appraiser Hall has invited many leading figures in their own occupation this time around, so it's very likely that a few valuable treasures might appear later on. Since it's fate that we have met, and the both of us have the same surname, 'Zhang', why don't you follow behind me later on, and I'll show you around? If there's anything you don't recognize or know of, you can ask me. We are all master teachers, and as your senior in the field of appraising, it's only right for me to offer you a few pointers here. Hopefully, my words will be of some help to you in pushing for a breakthrough to 6-star."

"I'll be counting on you then," Zhang Xuan replied.

It did not seem like the other party had any bad intentions in mind, so Zhang Xuan did not think that there was any need to create unnecessary acrimony between them.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony. While I am a master teacher as well, I have devoted quite a bit of my time to studying appraising, and I do have a some reputation of my own in the Qingyuan Empire Appraisal Hall as well," Zhang Jiuxiao replied calmly, but the slight hint of pride in his tone was unconcealable.

He had been feeling rather traumatized by the other party after the affairs at the Heart Tempering Bridge, so he could not help but feel exceptionally refreshed after returning the favor.

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded.

He was just about to speak when Wu shi and Guild Leader Mu suddenly both turned their sights over, and the latter spoke with a smile on his face. "I was too busy speaking earlier that I forgot to introduce him to you both. As all of you are master teachers, I believe that I need not specially introduce him. Zhang Jiuxiao over here has studied appraising under me for three years, and within this short period of time, he has already achieved 7-star proficiency in the occupation. His talent in this field is truly fearsome, an outstanding youth indeed."

Wu shi nodded upon hearing those words before saying, "Guild Leader Mu, this young man over here is my friend, Zhang Xuan. Don't underestimate him just because of his young age; he's truly an exceptional genius. He was previously intending to look for you to take the appraiser examination, but since we coincidentally met one another here, I thought that it would be good to introduce him to you."

"Your friend? I thought that he is your junior?" Guild Leader Mu was taken aback.

Wu shi was almost eight hundred this year, so he had automatically assumed that the twenty-year-old lad whom he had brought with him to the Appraisal Convention would be a new student that he had accepted recently or a close junior. Who would have thought that the other party was his friend instead?

The fact that Wu shi chose to address the young man as his peer showed how high an evaluation he had of the other party's capability.

"Principal Zhang is a man of great talent. It's already a great honor for me to have him as my friend, so how could he possibly be my junior?" Wu shi quickly waved his hand to deny the claim.

The young man before him was a Celestial Master Teacher and a Celestial Saint. To be honest, he already felt as if he was being a little conceited to address the other party as his friend, so he nearly died of a heart attack when Guild Leader Mu asked if the other party was his student.

"Oh?" Noting that his old friend was not say those words out of humility, Guild Leader Mu could not help but take another good look at Zhang Xuan, and the casual attitude he took before slowly turned into graveness. "A friend of Wu shi is a friend of mine too. Principal Zhang, feel free to look for me if you ever require any help concerning appraising."

Having known Wu shi for many years, Guild Leader Mu knew that the other party was an austere man who viewed formalities with grave importance. The fact that he was willing to address a person as young as Principal Zhang with such deep respect showed that the latter was no ordinary figure.

Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and replied, "Guild Leader Mu, you are being too polite!"

"There's no need to stand on ceremony with me. Wu shi and I have been close friends for many years!" Guild Leader Mu said with a smile. He turned to Zhang Jiuxiao and said, "Jiuxiao, I know that the both of you are around the same age, but since Principal Zhang is a friend of mine, you will have to address him as Senior Uncle. Alright, hurry up and greet him."

Zhang Jiuxiao nearly vomited blood. He reluctantly voiced those two words from his mouth. "Senior... Uncle..."

It was just a moment ago that he had said that he would show the other party around the Appraisal Convention to teach the other party a thing or two. His face turned so red that it looked as if he would burst into flames at any moment.

"Un." Guild Leader Mu nodded. "Wu shi and Brother Zhang, it seems like most of the guests have arrived. Allow me to bring you two to your seats."

"Alright." Wu shi nodded.

Thus, the group began making their way into the hall.

The hall spanned roughly thirty meters from one end to the other, and there was a long rectangular table stationed at the very center. Both ends of the tables were already surrounded with all kinds of finely-dressed gentlemen and ladies, and most of them seemed to be roughly around the age of Guild Leader Mu.

Zhang Xuan spotted two familiar figures amid the crowd—Guild Leader Ruan of the Spirit Awakener Guild and Guild Leader Wei of the Terpsichore Guild.

Guild Leader Mu first brought Wu shi and Zhang Xuan to their seats before heading to the principal seat of the rectangular table and gestured to them. "Alright, please take a seat. "

"Un." Zhang Xuan and Wu shi sat down side by side.

Zhang Jiuxiao also walked up to one of the seats as well, but Guild Leader Mu frowned at that moment and said, "Jiuxiao, you shall stand behind me."

"Yes!" Zhang Jiuxiao's face twitched slightly, but he quickly nodded and took his place behind Guild Leader Mu.

He was initially thinking that with his standing as a 7-star appraiser, he would at least be able to vie back some dignity from the other party, but who would have thought that before he could really do anything, he would already be suppressed to the point where he could hardly raise his head before the other party?

After settling everyone into their seats, Guild Leader Mu looked at the person sitting on the other end and said, "Since everyone is here, my friend over there, can you take out your artifact now?"

That person was wearing a copper mask, making it impossible to distinguish his facial features. Nevertheless, from his skin, one could roughly tell that his external appearance should be one of a middle-aged man in his late forties.

"Everyone present here is a reputable figure of Qingyuan City, and I see that even Vice Pavilion Master Wu is here today, so naturally, I have no qualms regarding your credibility. However, I think that there is still a need for me to put the ugly words at the forefront and make my stand clear. I only wish for my artifact to be appraised so as to decipher the secret hidden within it. Regardless of what is discovered in the process, I wish to make it very clear that I have no intentions of selling my artifact to anyone else. However, be assured that I will handsomely reward those who help me in deciphering it," the copper-masked figure said. ( )

His voice was slightly scratchy, a sign indicating that he had intentionally altered his voice so that no one would be able to recognize him.

"Rest assured, the friends that I have invited to the Appraisal Convention this time around are trustworthy individuals!" Guild Leader Mu nodded.

The copper-masked figure nodded. "Un, I trust Guild Leader Mu's judgement."

He flicked his wrist, and a scroll appeared in his hands. He unfurled it carefully, and a beautiful scene opened up before everyone's eyes. A lush mountain peak filled with the cries of birds and beasts alike was paired with a tranquil flowing river; it was a calming sight.

The crowd found themselves unable to distinguish whether the sight before them was true or not. It was as if a mountain was truly erected not too far from where they were, and they could even vaguely feel a warm, humid breeze on their faces.

"This is... Evocative Vividness, the work of an 8-star painter!"

Upon seeing the painting, an elder rose to his feet in agitation. His eyes reddened, and his body trembled uncontrollably. Putting together the fact that he was wearing the robe of a painter and the seven gleaming stars on his painter emblem, it was likely that he was the head of the Painter Guild whom Wu shi had spoken of previously.

"Evocative Vividness?" Zhang Xuan asked in confusion.

"Evocative Vividness is the ability of an 8-star painter. Those who have achieved this realm are able to produce paintings that are extremely lifelike, making it extremely difficult to discern it from reality. A painting that has achieved such a level is capable of absorbing spiritual energy in order to sustain the spirit within and even cultivate. With sufficient time, it might even be able to leap out of the painting and exist as an independent lifeform!" Wu shi explained with a suppressed voice.

"So formidable?" Zhang Xuan was astonished.

He discreetly activated his Eye of Insight in order to assess the painting before his eyes closely.

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Chapter 1165: The Proud Zhang Jiuxiao

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Without taking a closer look at the painting, it would appear as if one was watching the scenery through one's windows, a little distant but nevertheless clear. Through the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan was able to perceive the details of the painting with greater clarity, and to his shock, he found that he was able to even perceive the veins of every single leaf in the painting.

It's almost as if it's real! Zhang Xuan was astonished.

Even to him, the painting was extremely lifelike. That was truly fearsome. If one were to hang it on a wall, those who passed by it would never think that it was a painting. Instead, they would view it as a real window.

Zhang Xuan examined the painting from the top to the bottom, and a deep frown surfaced on his forehead. But... it doesn't seem like there's any seal on this painting?

The copper-masked figure had said earlier that there was a seal on the painting, but even with the Eye of Insight was activated, he was still unable to see what was amiss about the painting.

It seems like my cultivation is still too low. I am still able to see through paintings of the seventh level with my current skills, but paintings of the eighth level are still a little beyond me!Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Even though his Eye of Insight had been upgraded after undergoing the fourth acknowledgement of the Celestial Master Teacher, it was a pity that his cultivation was still simply too low, being at only Saint 2-dan.

A painting of the eighth level was produced with the might of a Leaving Aperture realm expert. As such, even with the Eye of Insight, it was not surprising that Zhang Xuan could not see through anything at all.

"Is there a seal on the painting?"

"Such a lifelike painting, it is apparent that it is infused with the essence of Evocative Vividness. If there's truly a seal on it... what could it possibly be sealing?"

"I have no idea either. However, since the other party was willing to bring out such a valuable painting to have it appraised in public, he must have noticed something peculiar about it!"

...

Zhang Xuan was not able to notice what was wrong with the painting, and the others in the room also had confused frowns on their foreheads. With hushed voices, they discussed the matter among themselves, unable to figure out what was wrong.

At this moment, the perplexed Guild Leader Mu stood up and asked, "May I take a closer look?"

"Feel free!" the copper-masked figure said nonchalantly.

"Thank you."

Guild Leader Mu walked up to the painting before whipping out a magnifying crystal ball. After which, he began examining the painting bit by bit carefully.

As he was the most capable appraiser in the room, the others waited with bated breaths for his conclusion, fearing that they would interrupt his work.

A moment later...

Guild Leader Mu turned a doubtful gaze toward the copper-masked figure and asked, "Friend, can you tell us where exactly the seal is located or what form it takes? This way, we can be spared from making blind guesses here and there and focus our attention on deciphering it instead."

Upon hearing those words, the copper-masked figure replied with a hint of disappointment in his voice, "Guild Leader Mu isn't able to tell?"

If the other party could not even discern the seal, how could he possibly be able to decipher it?

"Allow me to take a look!"

The head of the Painter Guild also stood up and walked toward the painting in order to assess it more closely.

The method by which a painter examined a painting was very different from that of an appraiser. Instead of taking out a crystal ball to scan the details of the painting, the head of the Painter Guild took out a brush instead and began drawing in midair.

Noting the look of confusion in Zhang Xuan's eyes, Wu shi explained telepathically, "He's trying to comprehend the intentions of the painter through retracing his painting process."

"I see." Zhang Xuan nodded.

In a sense, this was similar to backtracking.

By backtracking on the painting process, one would be able to better analyze the focus of the painter when they was working on it, and through so, one could deduce their intentions and discern the location of the seal, assuming that it existed in the first place.

As the head of the Painter Guild analyzed the painting process, the frown on his forehead seemed to gradually tighten. A while later, he turned around to explain his findings. "The painting flows fluidly, and there is not a single inconsistency to be found in the painting. To put it simply, the painting was completed in a single seating and is wholesome. A seal on a painting would have introduced some incongruous factors to it, affecting its overall impression, but that isn't the case with this painting over here."

Hearing the evaluation of the head of the Painter Guild, the copper-masked figure flung his hands furiously and harrumphed in displeasure. "If there was no seal on the painting, do you think that I would go through so much effort to invite all of you here? Do you think that I am doing this just because I have too much time on my hands?"

He had thought that with all of the top figures of Qingyuan City gathered together, they should be able to discern the anomaly in the painting in a single look. However, from the looks of it, it seemed like he had overestimated their capabilities.

It seemed like an eighth level painting had truly exceeded the caliber of the Qingyuan Empire.

"Allow me." Wu shi stood up and walked over.

Not too long later, he shook his head and returned to his seat.

With his eye of discernment, he could tell that there was something extraordinary with the painting, but he could not discern where the supposed seal was at all.

Very soon, everyone within the room had already taken a look at the painting, but they shook their heads helplessly.

Seeing that the crowd was gradually becoming impatient, Guild Leader Mu waved his hand and said, "Alright, friend, we won't get anywhere at this rate. We might be unable to tell where the seal is, but with the wisdom of the masses, we should still be able to offer some useful input on the matter and possibly unravel the seal that you speak of. You should just tell us where the seal is."

From the looks of it, it seemed like the seal was very exquisitely hidden, and it would require careful examination over long periods of time in order to discern where it was. Instead of wasting their time on this, it would be more efficient for the other party to just reveal where it was so that they could begin working on deciphering the seal.

"Alright then." Seeing that no one was able to discern where the seal was located, the hint of disappointment in the eyes of the copper-masked figure deepened. Perhaps it was because he had no better solution than this, he sighed deeply and nodded before pointing to the clouds at the bottom of the mountain.

"The seal is hidden amid the clouds! If I'm not mistaken, there's a painting that lies beneath the clouds, and there is some kind of secret concealed within it. However, I am unable to figure out how the clouds can be removed from the painting," the copper-masked figure said.

"The clouds?"

The crowd swiftly turned their gazes back to the painting.

The painting depicted a mountain range with towering peaks that shot beyond the clouds. The middle portion of the mountains were mostly concealed amid bundles of drifting, wispy clouds. They had thought that it was just a detail of the painting, but it was actually the seal?

Intrigued, Zhang Xuan also examined the clouds with his Eye of Insight, but he was unable to discern anything peculiar about them.

After examining the painting for a moment, the head of the Painter Guild couldn't help but ask, "How can you be certain that the clouds are the seal?"

The crowd also swiftly turned their gazes over.

Shaking his head, the copper-masked figure instructed, "Bring me a torch."

An appraiser standing by the entrance of the hall backed out of the room, and a moment later, he returned with a torch.

The copper-masked figure took the torch and lightly placed it against the painting. Under the searing flames of the torch, the mountain range was dyed in an orange glow, and the lush greenery was swiftly reduced to ashes. Only the clouds remained as they were.

"This..."

The head of the Painter Guild narrowed his eyes in astonishment. "For only the clouds to remain unaffected by the flames of the torch... that means that the clouds were not part of the original painting. Judging from the effect, I deduce that there was an interval of at least thirty years between the completion of the painting and the addition of the clouds. How could I have failed to notice it?"

Under normal circumstances, if the painting was truly wholesome, any change to the painting should have affected its entirety. Yet, for only the clouds to remain unaffected by the flames of the torch, it meant that the clouds had been added a significant period after the completion of the rest of the painting. If that was the case, it was understandable why the copper-masked figure would view it to be a seal.

" The brush strokes for the painting of the clouds must have been slightly more forceful in order to allow it to blend in better with the rest of the painting, thus making it harder to notice 1 . However, considering how wholesome the painting remained even after the addition of the clouds, it stands to reason that they were added in by the original painter himself," Guild Leader Mu interjected.

The crowd nodded.

Only the original painter could possibly add clouds into the painting without introducing any incongruous factors into the painting.

"But... even if we know that the clouds are the seal, there is no way we can 'remove' them."

The crowd fell silent once more.

Even if they knew that the clouds were added after the completion of the painting and that they were likely a seal, they had no way of separating the two. After all, the clouds had already fused with the rest of the painting.

Seeing that the crowd was still helpless after he revealed the position of the seal, the copper-masked figure shook his head. "It seems like I have overestimated the Qingyuan Empire..."

Sighing, he was just about to put away the painting when someone suddenly spoke up.

"Can you allow me to take a look at it?"

The copper-masked figure raised his gaze and saw a young man walking toward him.

The young man was none other than Zhang Xuan.

He was also a little intrigued by the painting, and since the others were unable to discern anything peculiar about it, he wanted to take a closer look to see what was going on.

However, before Zhang Xuan could reach the painting, another voice sounded behind him. "You are only a 5-star appraiser, what can you possibly see from the painting? Allow me to do it instead!"

After which, Zhang Jiuxiao stood up and walked proudly toward the painting.

He brushed his finger lightly across the painting and pondered for a moment before saying, "I have seen such eighth level painting before, and I also know how the seal works."

Seeing how confident Zhang Jiuxiao was, the copper-masked figure clasped his fist and earnestly requested, "You know how the seal works? If that's truly the case, I humbly request you to remove the seal on the painting. I'm willing to reward you generously for this favor!"

"This seal is known as the Sealing Cloud Pin. It utilizes a unique method to conceal the layer beneath it without harming the foundation of the painting. If I'm not mistaken, the seal has been imbued with an individual spirit, or else the clouds would have surely fused together with the rest of the painting with sufficient time!" Zhang Jiuxiao analyzed confidently.

"Sealing Cloud Pin?"

The copper-masked figure and the crowd turned to look at Zhang Jiuxiao in bewilderment. They had never heard of such a skill before.

Zhang Jiuxiao placed his hands behind his back and spoke proudly. "I once witnessed a person undoing this seal back in my clan, so I know how it can be deciphered."

"Your clan?"

"You don't know? The number one genius of Qingyuan City is actually an offspring of a Sage Clan, the Zhang Clan!"

"An offspring of the Zhang Clan?"

"That explains a lot! With a background like his, even if he's just from the side family, he's bound to have seen things that we can hardly imagine ourselves."

...

Hearing that Zhang Jiuxiao had a way to decipher the painting, an excited commotion broke out amid the crowd, and many looks of admiration were centered on him.

Upon hearing that the other party was from the Zhang Clan, the copper-masked figure froze for a brief moment before clasping his fist to ask, "So, how should the Sealing Cloud Pin that you spoke of be deciphered?"

"Simple. In order to resolve the seal, we have to find an individual who specializes in soul arts. Using his soul as a medium, we will draw out the spirit harnessed within the clouds."

"An individual who specializes in soul arts?" the copper-masked figure asked doubtfully.

"Indeed. Once the spirit harnessed within the seal is drawn out, we'll be able to remove the seal easily," Zhang Jiuxiao said.

The copper-masked figure hesitated for a brief moment before asking, "May I know how skilled the individual must be in soul arts?"

"That individual must have fine control over their soul, and their soul must not be too strong. Otherwise, that might cause severe damage to the painting, turning the eighth level painting into a piece of scrap paper. More importantly, that individual must know where the spirit is concealed, so he must have a deep understanding of painting."

"This..." The copper-masked figure was stunned. "Where in the world can we find a person like that?"

It was easy to find individuals to satisfy a single one of the conditions, but to find one that satisfied all three conditions... Was there even such a person in Qingyuan City? ( )

Zhang Jiuxiao chuckled. "There's no need to look any further."

Standing upright, he emanated a lofty but valiant air, reminiscent of a true hero. "I happen to fit the criteria!"

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Chapter 1166: Durians

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"You?"

The eyes of the copper-masked figure lit up, and he unwittingly clenched his fists tightly by his side.

The crowd was also astonished to hear those words.

"That's right!" Zhang Jiuxiao said confidently as he tilted his head upward. At this moment, he felt as if he had really soared into the Nine Heavens.

He couldn't even begin to describe how deeply indignant he felt when he saw that Zhang Xuan was granted a seat when he, the number one genius of Qingyuan Empire, had to remain standing before others. Now that he finally had a chance to stand up and shine, he could hardly hold back his excitement.

"Zhang shi, I beseech you to help me remove the seal from the painting!" the copper-masked figure clasped his fist and said.

At this moment, he had put down the haughty attitude that he had maintained even before Wu shi and the others.

"Rest assured!" Zhang Jiuxiao said confidently as he made his way over to the painting. He whipped his brush before pausing for a brief moment. After which, he suddenly turned his head around and said, "Zhang shi, I might have to trouble you to help me grind some ink for me."

Zhang Xuan turned to glance at his sides to see whom Zhang Jiuxiao was talking to, but the latter's intent gaze on him seemed to suggest that he was the chosen one. Taken aback, he asked in bewilderment, "You are talking to me?"

"Indeed. I will have to focus my attention on resolving the seal, so I earnestly require your help for this matter. You wouldn't turn down my request, right?" Zhang Jiuxiao said with a faint smirk on his lips.

Back at the Heart Tempering Bridge, the other party had outdone him so utterly that he couldn't even keep his head up in public anymore. Not to mention, just a moment ago, he was forced into calling the other party 'Senior Uncle'.

This was a rare chance for him to strike back, so naturally, he was going to make full use of it. He was going to show the other party that a genius like him wouldn't be outmatched by just anyone.

"Very well then."

Zhang Xuan could easily see through Zhang Jiuxiao's intentions, but he still chose to agree to the matter with a nonchalant shrug.

In the first place, it wasn't any big deal to be grinding some ink for the other party. Besides, he was interested in the 8-star painting as well, and he was curious to see if Zhang Jiuxiao would really be able to break the seal or not.

Thus, he walked up to Zhang Jiuxiao, whipped out an inkstone from his storage ring, and began grinding some ink carefully.

"Un." Seeing the young man before him working obediently without daring to utter a single word of complaint, Zhang Jiuxiao felt indescribable exhilaration rushing through his veins.

Taking a momentary breather to calm himself down, he dabbed his brush into the ink before tapping it lightly on the painting.

Weng!

Contrary to expectations, the ink on the brush didn't blot the painting. Instead, it floated in midair, covering the white clouds in the painting.

Suspended Imagery!

Under Zhang Jiuxiao's skillful movements, it took only a few instants for another layer of clouds identical to those on the painting to appear above it. After that was done, he scrutinized the clouds carefully, probably attempting to identify the location of the spirit infused amongst the clouds. Then, with a casual wave of his hand, he retracted the ink back into the inkstone before focusing his soul energy into the painting.

"Hm? His soul energy is exceptionally pure. He must have cultivated some kind of secret art relating to the soul..." Zhang Xuan noted.

While the other party's soul was nothing compared to him, it still stood out among other cultivators. Based on Zhang Xuan's analysis, it was likely due to the cultivation of some sort of secret art from the Zhang Clan.

For a clan with as powerful as the Zhang Clan, even its side family was not something that ordinary clans could hope to match. Be it the things that one could see there, or the secret arts that they had in their possession, they were truly nothing short of extraordinary.

With such thoughts in mind, Zhang Xuan discreetly stretched his hand towards the painting and touched it lightly.

Weng!

A book immediately materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path.

Zhang Xuan was just about to take a look at it when he suddenly noticed Zhang Jiuxiao's face turning ghastly pale, and cold sweat was pouring down his face.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.

At this point, the crowd also seemed to have noticed that something had gone wrong.

They could sense that Zhang Jiuxiao's current state wasn't simply due to exhaustion.

Peng!

Before the crowd could even ask about the matter, a tinge of red abruptly appeared on Zhang Jiuxiao's pale face, and in the next moment, he suddenly staggered back eight steps before spewing a mouthful of blood.

Worried, Guild Leader Mu immediately rushed up to him.

"I'm fine. I just didn't expect the spirit in the painting to retaliate so violently..." Zhang Jiuxiao shook his head, but halfway through his words, he suddenly realized that the room was bizarrely quiet.

He raised his head and saw Guild Leader Mu staring at him with a look of horror. Perplexed, he asked, "Teacher, what's wrong?"

Even if he had failed in undoing the seal, surely the other party didn't have to look at him with such an expression, right?

"Y-your head... There are durians growing out of your head!" Guild Leader Mu exclaimed in shock.

"Durians?" Zhang Jiuxiao was taken aback by those abrupt words.

"There is a tail on your bottom as well!" Another elder amidst the crowd exclaimed.

"Ah?"

Zhang Jiuxiao quickly turned around to look at his bottom, and the sight he saw left his eyes narrowing into slits, and he nearly blacked out on the spot.

There was a crimson tail extending from his bottom, and it was extremely furry, reminiscent of green foxtail. At the same time, through his Spiritual Perception, he also noticed the large spiky lumps that bore a striking resemblance to durians were emerging from his head one after another, and it didn't take long for them to fill his entire head. To make things worse, they were showing signs of flowering...

"What's going on?" Zhang Jiuxiao's face paled in disbelief as he subconsciously took several steps back.

At this point, he was already on the verge of insanity.

All he had done was to attempt to break the seal on the painting, so why would such an issue suddenly happen to him?

"From the looks of it, it seems like a plant spirit has taken root within your Primordial Spirit. Fortunately, it seems to be an ordinary plant spirit, or else the growth of the plants would be much faster than this..." Seeing through the root of the problem, Guild Leader Ruan spoke up and explained.

As a 7-star pinnacle spirit awakener, she had heard of such a situation before. However, it was still rather shocking to see it in person.

"Plant spirit? What's going on?" Zhang Jiuxiao asked anxiously.

The situation was really driving him insane.

All he had wanted to do was to resolve the seal and bring some dignity back to himself, and yet, before he could achieve anything, such a thing ended up happening to him instead. Durians were actually growing out of his head, and there were already four of them now!

"It is probably the retaliation of the spirit in the painting. You tried to get rid of it, so it got even with you." Zhang Xuan shook his head in sympathy.

He had seen this situation of Hall Master Xing before as well. He had tried to mend the rift in the other party's Primordial Spirit through spirit enchanting it, but he failed to destroy the spirit in time... As a result, he ended up bearing fruits on his head and blooming flowers on his bottom.

For such a situation to occur with Zhang Jiuxiao at this moment, there was no doubt that it had something to do with the spirit within the painting. Most likely, the latter had attempted to get rid of the spirit, only to get done in himself instead.

"What do I do?" Zhang Jiuxiao's face paled in despair.

He was the number one genius of Qingyuan Empire, the idol of countless young women. How could he possibly walk around with durians on his head? He would become the laughingstock of the town!

"It's very simple, you just have to get rid of the spirit that has taken root within you." Zhang Xuan explained in composure.

He had panicked a little when he saw it happen to Hall Master Xing the previous time around, but the past experience had truly tempered his mind well. At this point, he no longer felt anything towards the matter anymore.

"Get rid of the spirit? How can I get rid of it?" Zhang Jiuxiao looked at Zhang Xuan anxiously, as if a desperate man clutching onto his final straw of hope.

"Simple. Bare open your soul to me, and I'll help you check for the spirit and destroy it." Zhang Xuan said.

Even someone as powerful as Hall Master Xing was unable to deal with the plant spirit by himself, let alone Zhang Jiuxiao. This was already the most effective and easiest way to get rid of the spirit.

"You want me to bare open my soul to you? That won't do..." Zhang Jiuxiao swiftly shook his head.

As an offspring of the Zhang Clan, he had many secrets concealed within him, especially within his soul. Given such, how could he possibly bare his soul to a random stranger?

One must know that baring one's soul was effectively no different from standing completely nude before another.

There was no way he could do that!

"That won't do? I guess that can't be helped then. Let me take a look at what the spirit within the painting is first, and I'll see if I can concoct some kind of medicine that could isolate and kill the spirit within you." Zhang Xuan said.

It was a little more troublesome, but as long as he could figure out what kind of spirit it was, he was confident that he would be able to concoct a corresponding poison to deal with it.

Back then, he had raised it as one of the potential solutions to Hall Master Xing as well, but it was a pity that the latter didn't agree to it.

"Alright. You should go on and take a look at the painting then!" Zhang Jiuxiao heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing that he didn't have to bare his soul before urging the other party forward.

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded nonchalantly before turning his gaze towards the painting. His eyes were fixated on the painting, but his mind had already slipped into the Library of Heaven's Path to take a look at the newly compiled book.

After taking a quick look, a frown emerged on his forehead.

"Did you notice anything?" Noticing Zhang Xuan's expression, Wu shi asked in intrigue.

Instead of answering Wu shi's question, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze towards the copper-masked figure and asked, "Where did you obtain this painting from?"

"I have only invited all of you over to decipher the seal for me. I don't think that I'm obliged to tell you the background of the painting." the copper-masked figure replied curtly.

"You're right, you are indeed not obliged to tell me the background of the painting." Zhang Xuan placed his hands behind his back and replied.

"The Marshlands of the Northern Meadows is an extremely humid place. An 8-star painting it might be, but having spent two thousand years in a place like that, it is already permeated with an air of dampness. It's not apparent from a distance away, but it's quite easily discernible at close proximity."

"You..." Even with his face concealed, the shock of the copper-masked figure was palpable.

To be able to deduce the history of the painting just through the slightly damp aura around the painting, wasn't the other party's eye of discernment a little too formidable?

Before the copper-masked figure could recover from his state, Zhang Xuan had already continued, "The Marshlands of the Northern Meadows is a treacherous land, but many cultivators still flock there in hopes of stumbling upon treasure. It's not too surprising that you were able to find the work of the Sorrowless Old Man there. There's one thing that I have to concede that you are right about. It's indeed suspicious that the Sorrowless Old Man would suddenly conceal what he has drawn within the mountains thirty years after he has created the work... Judging from that in itself, it must have been quite a huge secret."

The eyelids of the copper-masked figure twitched slightly as he narrowed his eyes, "It doesn't seem like we are getting anywhere at this rate. If none of you are able to decipher the seal, I'll be taking my painting away with me then."

"Who says that none of us are able to decipher the seal?" Zhang Xuan spoke up.

"Since you don't want me to speak about the origin of the painting, I can't be bothered to waste my breath on it either. I'll talk about the painting itself then. The canvas for the painting is specially created by fusing the skin of the Emeraldhorn Fish and White Reindeer together, and the ink used is a compound between the Sapphire Stone and Goldensource Water. It's due to the usage of these precious materials that there isn't the slightest wear and tear on it despite spending two thousand years under damp condition. On the contrary, the artwork is getting more and more lifelike and touching as the years go by."

"Judging from the changes in the ink color, it seems like it has been three years since you unearthed the painting from the ground, and it should have been 2142 years since the painting is created. Judging by the timing, I stand to believe that it's the work of the Sorrowless Old Man back when he's around 270 years old. When he eventually added the clouds on the painting, he was already close to three hundred. In other words, the addition of the clouds could very well be the last thing he did before he went missing. As for whether he was killed or kidnapped, there is no way to say for sure now."

"This..."

Everyone was astonished by the analysis.

By the side, Guild Leader Mu couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock.

Even he was unable to determine the history of the painting despite examining it for a long time earlier, and yet, the young man was actually able to detail the history of the painting with just a short glance. Wasn't his appraising capability a little too fearsome?

On the other hand, the durian-head Zhang Jiuxiao's body also staggered upon hearing those words. At this point, he really felt like bursting into tears.

Didn't the other party say that he was a 5-star appraiser?

On normal days, he wouldn't even spare a second glance to other 5-star appraisers, and yet, why did it feel that the other party was even more formidable than a 7-star appraiser like him? /

"The Sorrowless Old Man had already reached Leaving Aperture realm prior to his disappearance. With his outstanding painting skills, his painting was still able to reach the level of Evoking Vividness even with the addition of those clouds, making it extremely exceptionally difficult the decipher the seal he has put up..."

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Chapter 1167: The Ink Slab Won't Grind Itself

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Assuming that you are right, what does determining the material of the canvas and the age of the painting have to do with deciphering the seal?" the copper-masked figure interjected Zhang Xuan.

"There's indeed no direct relation between them, but such analysis allows us to deduce the reason why Sorrowless Old Man has decided to leave behind a seal on the painting, as well as to determine possible flaws and deficiencies in the seal." Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

"To claim that you are able to determine the flaws and deficiencies within a painting through just the age of the painting itself, aren't you being a little too conceited over there?" Zhang Jiuxiao tilted his head upward and harrumphed. Due to him speaking too forcefully, the durians on his head shook violently, seemingly ready to fall to the ground at any moment.

Even though the crowd had remained silent, the looks on their faces showed that they agreed with Zhang Jiuxiao's point of view. Being able to accurately determine the age of painting did prove that one was an outstanding appraiser, but that piece of knowledge had nothing to do with the seal at all.

"Don't impose your ignorance upon others." Zhang Xuan replied nonchalantly. He took a sweeping glance across the room before eventually halting his gaze upon a certain figure. "If I'm not mistaken, you are the head of the Painter Guild, right?"

"Indeed. My name is Meng Chong." Guild Leader Meng stood up and clasped his fist politely.

"Guild Leader Meng, pardon for troubling you, but may I ask what kind of painting style was in trend in the Qingyuan Empire Painter Guild two thousand years ago? What kind of brush stroke was preferred then?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"This..." Guild Leader Meng contemplated for a moment before replying, "Two thousand years ago, the painting style that was popular within Qingyuan Empire was the [Anchored Painting Style]! This style consists of determining the specific size and outline of the objects within the painting before slowly painting them over a layer after a layer. Usually, one would first spread a layer of ink over the entire paper before slowly painting it on a layer after a layer. Every single layer must be done with utmost preciseness, and the margin of allowed errors is minimal. It is an extremely intensive process, but it allows for the creation of extremely vivid and wholesome paintings!"

Just like anything else, painting styles would also gradually change over the years. Each era had their unique mark which differed greatly from the other.

It was based on such differences that allowed appraisers to be able to identify the era which a certain artifact was produced.

The Anchored Painting Style was in trend two thousand years ago, and many painters had chosen to adopt that style in their painting. Of them, the most notable figure was definitely the Sorrowless Old Man.

It was for this reason that everyone immediately guessed that it was the work of the Sorrowless Old Man when they first saw the painting.

"Indeed, it's the Anchored Painting Style." Zhang Xuan nodded. "While the Anchored Painting Style allows for extremely vivid and wholesome paintings, there is a huge downside to it as well. The ink used in the painting must be equal throughout so that the painting remains flat as the sides of a knife. Otherwise, the painter would be mocked for his lack of skill..."

At this point, Zhang Xuan gestured to the painting, "However, this painting is of the equal thickness throughout, be it the sky, greenery, mountains, or clouds."

Everyone swiftly extended their Spiritual Perception towards the painting in order to perceive it with greater clarity, and a moment later, they nodded in agreement.

That was indeed the case.

If the other party hadn't spoken about it, they might not have noticed this anomaly.

"So what if the painting is of equal thickness?" the copper-masked figure harrumphed impatiently. "What I need is for the seal to be deciphered, not an analysis of the painting!"

"Calm down and listen to my words first. They contain the crux to deciphering the seal in the painting." Zhang Xuan turned to the copper-masked figure to appease him before continuing on, "Like what I have said earlier, the Sorrowless Old Man had worked on the painting on two separate occasions, and there was an interval of thirty years for those two occasions. In other words, the painting was already complete the first time that he had worked on it. Based on the standards of the Anchored Painting Style, the painting must have already been flat then... Thirty years later, in order to conceal some kind of secret, the Sorrowless Old Man intentionally added white clouds onto the mountains. Since he was painting over his work then, there should have been a difference in the thickness of the painting between the clouds and the remaining portions."

Hearing those words, the crowd turned their attention back to the clouds once more, and a moment ago, bewilderment seeped into their eyes.

"The painting is of equal thickness throughout even for the portions with the clouds..."

"How could this be?"

Such voices could be heard throughout the hall.

As spoken by the voices in the hall, the clouds were of equal thickness with the rest of the painting. Just looking at the painting by itself, there was nothing that suggested the painting had been worked on twice.

"I believe everyone should be able to tell that the painting is of equal thickness throughout. What this means is that he had shaved off a layer of the painting prior to adding on the clouds!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"This..."

The crowd widened their eyes in disbelief.

"To shave off the original work and add something different to it? Is this even feasible in practice?" The head of the Painter Guild, Meng Chong, expressed his skepticism towards the matter.

As a 7-star pinnacle painter, he fully understood the difficulty in pulling such a thing off in practice.

Since the Sorrowless Old Man was working with ink, as most painters did, the matter wasn't as simple as simply painting over the previous layer. Ink that had seeped into the canvas from painting the previous layers would affect the new layer that had been painted over, causing unpredictable distortions in the painting over time. Yet, the painting before him showed no distortions of that sort... Theoretically, by careful calculation and fine control of one's brush stroke, it might be possible to pull something as complicated as that off, but anyone with the slightest understanding of painting would understand that it was nigh impossible to carry out in practice!

"You're right, but what if he were to use Suspended Imagery on the painting instead?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Suspended Imagery? But that would make it a separate entity from the painting!" Guild Leader Meng Chong replied.

Suspended Imagery referred to the capability of painting in midair. However, if the clouds were to be painted using suspended imagery, it wouldn't fuse in with the rest of the painting. In other words, if one were to just move the canvas, the two would separate from one another. However, it was clear from the painting itself that the clouds had fused in with the rest of the painting.

"That would indeed be an issue, but just like what Zhang Jiuxiao had said, a spirit had been infused into the painting. If I were to just make an analogy, if the previous painting and the clouds are two different sheets of paper, the spirit would be the binding factor between them, allowing them to fuse without interfering with one another!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"I see!"

The crowd came to a realization.

They were still a little confused previously when Zhang Jiuxiao said that there was a spirit within the painting, but after listening to the explanation, they finally understood what was going on.

'But after all you have said, haven't you come to the same conclusion as me?" Zhang Jiuxiao harrumphed.

He was still wondering what kind of astounding theories the fellow would come up with, but after going one big round, the other party still ended up stumbling on the same conclusion as him.

"That isn't really the case." Zhang Xuan said. "You have accurately identified the presence of a spirit within the painting, but do you know the reason behind it and how it can be dispelled?"

"I..." Zhang Jiuxiao's face turned crimson upon hearing those words.

The only reason why he knew that there was a spirit within the painting was because he had once witnessed an elder deciphering something similar back in his clan... As for the reason why a spirit was infused into the painting and how one could resolve the issue, he was honestly not too sure.

If he had truly understood the issue, he wouldn't have ended up sprouting durians on his head either.

"Since there is a spirit binding the two, it is nigh impossible to separate them. If one were to do it forcefully, it might even result in the destruction of both paintings. To make an analogy, that is equivalent to attempting to tear apart two pieces of paper which have been bound together with glue for several thousand years. Even one were to succeed in pulling them apart, would the remains of the painting still be discernible?" Turning his attention away from the conceited Zhang Jiuxiao, Zhang Xuan continued his analysis.

"This..." Hearing those words, the face of the copper-masked figure twitched slightly before falling silent.

His purpose of undoing the seal was to find out what was hidden beneath the clouds. As such, it would be pointless to him if the layer beneath were to be destroyed as well in the midst of separating the painting from the clouds.

After a moment of silence, the copper-masked figure turned to Zhang Xuan and asked, "Zhang shi, is there a way to separate the clouds while ensuring that the painting remains intact?"

Since the young man was able to make sense out of the situation, perhaps... he might just be able to accomplish what others had failed at.

"Since I walked up here and said so much, naturally, I am confident in resolving the issue." Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

"Oh? I beseech you to enlighten me..."

The eyes of the copper-masked figure lit up upon hearing Zhang Xuan's words, and he quickly clasped his fist earnestly.

"It's actually rather simple." Zhang Xuan nodded.

"If the Sorrowless Old Man had used any other binding factor in order to fix the clouds to the painting, it would have been truly difficult to separate the two. However, since he had chosen to use a spirit instead, it actually plays to our advantage. The spirit infused into the painting is similar to a plant spirit, it would only develop or act in very specific manners. In this case, it would be to bind the two parts of the painting together. In essence, it wouldn't be wrong to say that the spirit possesses no sentience. I believe that Guild Leader Ruan should be aware of it as well."

"Un." Guild Leader Ruan nodded.

Most plants possessed spirit, which controlled their intake of nutrients to facilitate their growth. However, unlike the animal spirits, they didn't have a sense of self, which disallowed them from roaming around freely and averting disasters on their own accord.

"It was due to the lack of sentience that the spirit was able to sustain the monotonous work of binding the two paintings together for two thousand years. Thus, if I were to grant the spirit sentience, do you think that it'll still be able to carry out its job as well?" Zhang Xuan said with a smile.

"This..."

"If the spirit is granted sentience, it'll view the clouds above the painting as a tumor plaguing the painting, rendering it extremely uncomfortable. It would surely struggle to get rid of the clouds above it!"

"That seems to be the case, but... granting sentience to the spirit wouldn't be an easy task, would it?"

"It doesn't seem like it would be easy to pull that off..."

...

With a direction pointed out for them, the eyes of the crowd lit up. However, at the same time, they had also come to a bottleneck as well.

Enchanting spirit into a weapon was easy, but granting sentience into a spirit which had laid dormant for more than two thousand years was clearly something not as simple.

"It's indeed something not too easy to carry out in practice, but I happen to be able to do it." Zhang Xuan smiled.

"Zhang shi, I implore you to help me. If you are able to do so, I'll surely reward you handsomely for this!"

The copper-masked figure bowed deeply to Zhang Xuan.

Previously, he had thought that the crowd of Qingyuan Empire was inept, being unable to even discern the presence of the seal of the painting. However, after hearing Zhang Xuan's analysis, he couldn't help but find himself in awe of the other party.

To be able to find the root of the problem within such a short period of time and deduce a feasible solution to it, his wisdom and eye of discernment were indeed extraordinary!

"Rest assured, I'll help you on this matter. However, I still need to make some preparations beforehand in order to ensure that the painting wouldn't be damaged in the process." Zhang Xuan said.

"Of course, of course!" The copper-masked figure nodded. "May I know what Zhang shi requires? If there's anything that requires my help, I'll try my best to satisfy your needs."

Speaking was always easier than doing. If it was so easy to decipher the seal, he wouldn't have been helpless before the painting despite having obtained it for so many years.

"I don't need anything for the time being." Zhang Xuan replied with a shake of his head.

He paused for a brief moment before flicking his wrist and taking out a brush. After which, he explained, "It would be difficult to enchant the painting as it is. In order to do so, I would have to either destroy the conception of the painting or carve an opening in it so as that I can extend my consciousness into it. However, doing so would inevitably cause some damage to the painting, so I would like to seek your pardon regarding this issue."

"Don't worry, feel free to do anything that you deem necessary."

What he truly valued was the secret hidden beneath the seal. In his view, no matter how valuable the painting was, it couldn't be more important than what lay beneath.

"That would be great." Heaving a sigh of relief. Zhang Xuan was just about to dab the brush in his hand into some ink when he suddenly halted for a brief moment. Then, he turned around to look at Zhang Jiuxiao and bellowed.

"What are you waiting for? The ink slab won't grind itself!"

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Chapter 1168: Kong shi's Silhouette

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"You..." Hearing that bellow, Zhang Jiuxiao's body staggered, and he nearly vomited blood.

It was just a moment ago that he had asked the other party to grind some ink for him, and in the blink of an eye, the favor had been returned to him. This face slap had come way too quickly!

Overwhelmed with agitation, a durian from his head plopped to the ground. Zhang Jiuxiao was just about to give Zhang Xuan a tongue-lashing when the other party's voice sounded once more.

"I will have to focus my attention on resolving the seal, so I require your help with this. For something as important as this, surely you won't turn down my request, right?"

Zhang Jiuxiao's face immediately turned black. All the words that he had intended to say choked up in his chest, rendering him completely speechless.

It seemed like... those were the words he had said to the other party before.

He had just stood majestically before the crowd, as if a hero paving the way forward, but now... with their identities switched all of a sudden, he suddenly felt a stinging pain on his face.

Karma really comes around... As frustrated as Zhang Jiuxiao was, he knew that the other party was getting back at him for what he had done earlier. Even though he was extremely furious, he still obediently stepped forward and began grinding some ink.

Seeing that, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

To be honest, he was not one to bear grudges.

That was because he never had to remember one.

He could sense the other party's hostility toward him, and since that was the case, there was no need for him to act like a good man any longer...

Not to mention, a person from the Zhang Clan was planning to take Luo Ruoxin as his bride.

One must know that even Feng Xun had nearly died from his hands just by confessing to Luo Ruoxin!

While he had no idea where the Zhang Clan was and did not yet have the strength to get them for that matter, that did not stop him from obtaining a small down payment first.

After Zhang Jiuxiao was done grinding the ink, Zhang Xuan was just about to begin painting to destroy the conception of the painting so that he could extend his consciousness in when a thought suddenly came to him.

He turned to Guild Leader Meng Chong and asked, "Guild Leader Meng, do you have any 7-star painting books on you? I need as many of them as possible. I intend to quickly browse through them in order to analyze where I should enchant the spirit to minimize the damage to the painting."

"You want to browse through painting books right now?" Not expecting the young man to request books from him at this crucial moment, Guild Leader Meng was taken aback for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't have many books on me at the moment. However, if you really need them, the Painter Guild just happens to be located in the vicinity. I can fetch some for you right now."

"I'll be troubling you then." Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and bowed.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony," Guild Leader Meng Chong replied before walking out of the room. Not too long later, he returned to the hall, and with a flick of his wrist, a huge pile of books appeared before him. All in all, there seemed to be several dozen thousand of them.

As the head of the Painter Guild, he had the right to take the books in the Painter Guild out at his whim. He had not been too sure which books Zhang Xuan required, so to be safe, he had taken most of the books and brought them over.

Zhang Xuan walked up to the pile of books and swiftly swept over them with his gaze. After which, he picked up one of them and casually flipped through it as he delved his consciousness into the Library of Heaven's Path.

7-star Heaven's Path Paint Art! Zhang Xuan smiled in satisfaction before flipping through the book in his hand.

It was based on the astounding prowess of the 6-star Heaven's Path Paint Art that Zhang Xuan was able to pull off Suspended Imagery. In truth, he had never gathered the required books to learn the 7-star Heaven's Path Paint Art before.

A short hour later, he had managed to fully comprehend the essence of the 7-star Heaven's Path Paint Art.

Exhaling deeply, Zhang Xuan finally placed down the book in his hands.

At this moment, his comprehension of painting had already reached the level of 7-star pinnacle, which was comparable to most 8-star primary painters.

"Zhang shi, can we start now?" the copper-masked figure asked anxiously.

The young man before him had picked up an unimpressive-looking book among the huge pile and dazed off for a whole hour. This period of time had felt like an eternity to him, and it was more than enough to turn his anticipation into anxiety.

"I'm done."

Nodding confidently, Zhang Xuan took in a deep breath before making his way toward the painting. Activating his Eye of Insight once more, he took another good look at the painting before him.

If the painting had been a complete enigma to him a moment ago, with the flaws he had seen in the Library of Heaven's Path and his enhanced understanding of painting at the moment, he was already able to see roughly what was going on with the painting, and many aspects that had bewildered him previously had become clear.

"I'm going to start now."

Without wasting any words, Zhang Xuan dabbed his brush lightly into the inkstone, soaking it with ink. After which, he positioned his brush carefully before moving it majestically.

Hu hu hu hu!

In the blink of an eye, a painting appeared right before everyone's eyes, floating peacefully in midair.

"What profound Suspended Imagery this is!" Guild Leader Meng remarked with a mix of astonishment and awe.

The unskilled revel in the commotion while the experts assess the mastery. 1

Zhang Jiuxiao had pulled off Suspended Imagery previously as well, but he had only brought out the bare basics of its capability. On the other hand, the young man before him had managed to infuse a beautiful conception on top of the Suspended Imagery, a clear indication that he had achieved incredible mastery in the Way of Painting.

"Profound?" Guild Leader Mu was surprised to hear that Guild Leader Meng had such a high opinion of Zhang Xuan. He could not help but ask in curiosity, "How does he compare to you then?"

"To tell you the truth, even I wouldn't be a match for him. Every single stroke of his Suspended Imagery further enhances the artistic conception that he's trying to build, allowing him to create a painting so vivid that it feels as if it will leap out at any moment. He has already accomplished a level of mastery very close to that of an 8-star painter!" Guild Leader Meng said with a look of helplessness.

As reluctant as he was to admit it, the fact was that the other party's proficiency in painting was far higher than his.

It was no wonder he was able to see through the crux of the painting in a single look. In the Qingyuan Empire, there was probably no one who could compete with him.

"This..." Upon seeing this sight, Zhang Jiuxiao's eyelids began twitching alongside his lips.

He felt as if the world had collapsed on him, and he was very close to suffering from a mental breakdown.

He could not help but recall how he had said that he would offer Zhang Xuan some pointers earlier. At this point, it could not have been any clearer that the other party had already achieved a level far beyond him in both appraising and painting!

To say such big words before a true expert... If it was possible for anyone to die of embarrassment, he was probably going to join the list of victims very soon.

Hu hu hu!

Before everyone's astonished gazes, Zhang Xuan finally placed his brush down. A door stood right before his eyes.

"A door?"

"Why did he draw a door?"

"The view that we are receiving of the 8-star painting is actually similar to looking the scenery beyond a window. While the mountain range in the painting may seem to be in close proximity to us, it's actually another massive world within the painting itself. If one attempted to traverse through the painting with one's consciousness, it would take an eternity to arrive at one's destination. As such, it is imperative to first open up to a door leading to one's destination within the painting prior to extending one's consciousness in."

...

With Guild Leader Meng's explanation, everyone's initial astonishment swiftly turned into nods of realization.

The group that had gathered for the Appraisal Convention tonight consisted of the top figures of Qingyuan City. While most of them were not painters themselves, they still had a certain degree of understanding of the field.

The painting left behind by the Sorrowless Old Man had achieved the level of Evoking Vividness, and the striking verisimilitude of the painting had left everyone with the misconception that the mountain range in the painting was very close to them. In order to enchant the spirit infused within the painting, it was imperative for one to come into proximity with it first, so a passageway needed to be constructed beforehand.

Hu!

After putting his brush down, Zhang Xuan placed his hand on the door that he had just painted and pushed it forcefully.

Huala!

The door swiftly imprinted itself onto the painting.

Hong long!

In an instant, the mountain range seemed to suddenly magnify right before everyone's eyes, and the freshly painted door seemed to open a passageway into it.

After doing this, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He turned to Wu shi and said, "Wu shi, I'll be going in now. I'll have to trouble you to protect me."

As unlikely as it was for anyone to assault him on this occasion, Zhang Xuan still felt that it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Alright."

Wu shi stepped forward and took a position by Zhang Xuan's side.

Reassured, Zhang Xuan finally took a seat on a ground before extending a sliver of his consciousness toward the door.

Upon entering the door, he immediately felt a damp air gushing right at his face. Paying no heed to it, he swiftly traversed forward, and before long, he arrived at the midpoint of the mountain.

White clouds covered the mountain peak, making it impossible to see anything beneath it. He extended his consciousness further into the clouds, and in an instant, his surroundings suddenly turned completely dark.

He knew that this was a result of the lack of sentience of spirit infused within the painting. Thus, he began to enchant the space.

Hu!

He lit up twenty sparks consecutively before adeptly fusing them together. At this point, the space was nearly fully lit up, just a breath short from triggering the spirit's sentience.

Even so, the light still illuminated the scenery beneath the clouds, and the entire mountain appeared before Zhang Xuan's eyes clearly.

It was a lush mountain forest, not much different from the other parts of the painting. However, at the very center of the mountain, beneath the bright rays of the sun, a vague figure could be seen. Despite his faint silhouette, he emanated an aura that commanded the veneration of others.

This... Upon seeing the figure, Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed in astonishment.

He had seen the figure before.

Kong shi!

At this very moment, Kong shi was standing quietly on the mountain, exuding a peaceful and harmonious air. But at the same time, his figure felt a little indistinct, as if his presence was just a mere illusion that would vanish at a touch.

This is... a sight that the Sorrowless Old Man saw? Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly in agitation.

It went without saying that the Kong shi amid the mountain forest was only part of the painting, but... the Sorrowless Old Man had accurately captured the distinct aura that Kong shi commanded, and that was not something that one could simply conceptualize from mere thoughts.

In other words...

It was very likely that the Sorrowless Old Man had seen this sight himself, and too striking a sight it was—he could not resist painting it.

Wu shi said that the Sorrowless Old Man was an untalented individual in his earlier years. It was due to a sudden enlightenment in his 180s that his cultivation and mastery in painting abruptly soared. Is it possible that this was the result from seeing Kong shi's silhouette?

Wu shi had once told him about the history of the Sorrowless Old Man, and his history truly felt like something that had leaped right out from a fantasy novel.

For such a massive change to occur to him all of a sudden, there was no doubt that he had stumbled upon a life-changing encounter.

Perhaps... it might have been the sight of Kong shi that had granted him sudden enlightenment, allowing him to advance his cultivation and understanding of painting swiftly. Out of gratitude, he had decided to dedicate this painting to Kong shi.

However, anything that is related to Kong shi has great implications. He knew that trouble would come knocking on his door should others learn that he had stumbled upon Kong shi's silhouette. Or perhaps, trouble might have already been at his doorstep, so he decisively chose to conceal the secret beneath a layer of clouds. Nevertheless, it still did not stop tragedy from befalling him, Zhang Xuan deduced.

Having undergone four Celestial Master Teacher acknowledgements, it did not take long for him to connect the dots and make sense of the situation.

It was a mystery why Kong shi's silhouette had abruptly appeared in the mountain, but without a doubt, it was bound to be something huge. After all, Kong shi was the World's Teacher. All that was associated with him was anything but ordinary.

If news leaked to those with malicious intentions, it could very well spell a calamity.

As an 8-star painter, a Leaving Aperture realm expert, it was impossible for the Sorrowless Old Man to not know this fact.

But ultimately, this was still a masterpiece beneath his brush, and he could not bring himself to destroy it. He had hesitated for thirty years before he eventually decided to seal away a portion of the painting. However, that did not stop death from creeping upon him.

If Kong shi's silhouette has appeared in this land, it is very likely that there is a hidden ancient domain similar to the Qiu Wu Palace located in this area. Let me take a closer look. / update by

Having thought things through, Zhang Xuan quickly made his way toward Kong shi's silhouette.

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Chapter 1169: Bathing Beauties

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The Sorrowless Old Man seemed to have had a clear view of the situation, and that was reflected in his painting as well. Despite being in the world of a painting, the area where Kong shi's silhouette was located was depicted in elaborate detail.

Very soon, Zhang Xuan arrived at the destination.

Before him stood a massive rift with white rocks scattered around the area.

The rocks seemed to be made of a rare material that he had never seen before.

Zhang Xuan was just about the enter the rift to see what was within when Kong shi's silhouette suddenly wavered, and with a light whoosh, he vanished without a trace.

Damn it... Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

He had thought that Kong shi's silhouette would at least be able to last a little longer, but it seemed like he had misjudged the situation.

Logically speaking, the silhouette should have been able to sustain itself for a much longer period of time, but the earlier forceful insertion of a door into the painting had destroyed its artistic conception, resulting in the erosion of its Evoking Vividness quality.

Forget it, at least I know about this rift. Now, I just have to figure out where this mountain is located!

Once he found out where the mountain was, he would just have to find the rift and venture into it to take a look himself.

There should not be many similar mountain ranges in the world, so it would not be too difficult to find it.

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to fully enchant the spirit and leave the area, a thought suddenly came to his mind. Thinking about it, the copper-masked figure seems to be a little too fixated on destroying the seal. No matter what, this is still an eighth level painting. It is bizarre that he is going to the extent of destroying an eighth level painting just to pursue something as elusive as this. I wonder, is it possible that he knows that Kong shi's silhouette is beneath the clouds?

In the first place, the copper-masked figure's desire to conceal his identity was a little suspicious in itself. On top of that, he would go to the extent of destroying such a valuable historical work just to find out what lay beneath the seal...

Wasn't he afraid that he would destroy a treasure just to obtain something insignificant in return?

Did he already know for certain that what lay beneath the clouds was something significant?

Regardless, if he sees that Kong shi's silhouette has vanished after the seal is released, he will surely be suspicious about the matter. Zhang Xuan fell into deep thought.

He could not tell how powerful the copper-masked figure was at the moment, but considering how he dared to act arrogantly before Guild Leader Mu and the others, it was very likely that he was a powerful expert.

If the other party were to learn that he had accidentally caused Kong shi's silhouette to dissipate, would the other party exact vengeance on him for the matter?

Considering that this is a matter related to Kong shi, it's best for as few people to know about it as possible...

It was best to take caution with anything relating to Kong shi, or else, he could very well end up in the same plight as the Sorrowless Old Man.

Since that's the case, perhaps I should make some alterations myself... Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before creating a brush with his consciousness. He leaped into the air and began to paint.

At this point, he had no choice but to do this in order to avoid trouble.

It did not take too long for him to finish his painting, and he heaved a sigh of relief. He sealed the painting that he had just created where Kong shi had appeared earlier before returning to the clouds to finish the enchantment process.

Hong long!

As soon as he lit up the final spark, his surroundings began to tremble intensely. Knowing that he had succeeded in enchanting the spirit, he swiftly retracted his consciousness out of the painting through the door and back into his body.

Hu!

Exhaling a mouthful of turbid air, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes once more.

Seeing that Zhang Xuan had come to, the copper-masked figure quickly rushed forward and asked anxiously, "How is it?"

With a pale face and a feeble voice, Zhang Xuan replied, "It was difficult, but I managed to successfully pull it off. However, I seem to have overexerted myself in the midst of doing so. If there were a hundred concentrated high-tier spirit stones before me at this moment, I would be able to recover a little..."

"A hundred concentrated high-tier spirit stones?" The mouth of the copper-masked figure twitched upon hearing those words. "I don't have that, but if you have truly helped me unseal the painting, I'll surely compensate you fairly!"

Even the Qingyuan Empire royal family only had a couple of concentrated high-tier spirit stones in their hands, so how did this fellow manage to ask for a hundred of them so unabashedly?

On the other hand, hearing that the copper-masked figure did not have any concentrated high-tier spirit stones with him, Zhang Xuan sighed in disappointment. Shaking his head, he walked up to the painting and tapped it lightly.

"Wake up."

Hu!

Shortly after those words were spoken, the painting suddenly moved. It arched itself backward, as if a person stretching after waking from a long slumber.

"This... He actually managed to enchant the entire painting?"

The mouths of the crowd twitched upon seeing this sight.

After stretching its back, the painting seemed to slowly scan its surroundings warily before abruptly dashing out.

"Humph, where do you think you are going?" With a harrumph, the copper-masked figure raised his hand, and the surrounding space was immediately sealed.

Half-Leaving Aperture realm!

Zhang Xuan was able to tell the other party's cultivation as soon as the other party made a move. The other party was a Half-Leaving Aperture realm expert!

It was no wonder the other party dared to snub the many guild leaders and powerful figures gathered within the hall.

Upon realizing that its escape route had been sealed, the painting could only return indignantly.

"Allow me to negotiate with it," Zhang Xuan said.

He walked toward the painting and stretched a finger toward it.

As the person who had enchanted the painting's spirit, there was a special intimacy between them. As such, the painting did not avoid Zhang Xuan's finger.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan relayed a thought to it.

Weng!

Upon understanding Zhang Xuan's intentions, the painting suddenly shook itself, and the clouds shrouding the mountain range abruptly shuddered, as if a tornado was forming within them. The clouds gradually thinned, revealing patches of the world that lay beneath.

"It's working!" Upon seeing this sight, the eyes of the copper-masked figure and the crowd in the hall lit up in excitement.

This was the first time that they had seen such a seal, and to witness it being deciphered right before their eyes, even the calmest of them all could not suppress their agitation any longer.

Geji! Geji!

As the painting continued shaking itself vigorously, the white clouds on it shuddered more and more vigorously. Before long, unable to withstand the intense shaking, it finally flew off the canvas and fell with a loud splat onto the ground.

Seeing that the seal had finally been removed, everyone quickly focused their gazes on the painting, curious to see lay beneath.

Even Wu shi could not help but pay close attention to the painting at this moment. He wanted to see what it was that would leave the copper-masked figure so desperate to decipher the painting.

However, what lay beneath the clouds consisted only of lush greenery and glistening lakes. As beautiful as they were, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about them as compared to the rest of the painting.

"Wait a moment... What's that?"

Someone amid the crowd suddenly shouted at this moment, and everyone quickly turned their gazes over once more.

By a rift near the center of the mountain, surrounded by countless bizarrely-shaped stones, a natural hot spring could be seen. Several beautiful silhouettes were currently soaking in it delightfully.

Too far away, those beautiful silhouettes were extremely blurred. Nevertheless, with but a glance, it was apparent that they were extraordinary beauties.

"This..."

The crowd had been wondering what kind of wondrous artifact or astounding secret would be hidden so securely beneath the clouds. Who would have thought it was a group of beautiful ladies bathing? They could not help but freeze on the spot.

It was too unexpected!

"I get it! The Sorrowless Old Man must have stumbled upon a group of bathing ladies while he was venturing through the mountain range, and in a moment of inspiration, he swiftly painted the scenery before him. However, he soon realized that it was extremely disrespectful of him to peek on others while they were bathing, and ashamed by that encounter, he decided to seal away a portion of his painting!"

"I was wondering why the Sorrowless Old Man would go through so much trouble to put a seal on it and ruin the artistic conception of his masterpiece. So, this is the true reason behind it!"

"Hahaha, to be able to paint those bathing beauties with such amazing semblance, the Sorrowless Old Man is indeed a passionate individual!"

...

At this point, the crowd could not help but burst into laughter.

They had thought that there was bound to be some kind of earth-shattering secret hidden within the painting, considering the effort that the Sorrowless Old Man had put into sealing it away, but surprisingly, what he was trying to conceal was just a dark history.

"This... Impossible! This can't be!" the copper-masked figure exclaimed in disbelief.

He had put in so much effort to acquire and decipher the painting, and yet... it turned out to be just a group of ladies bathing? The vast difference between reality and his expectations left him feeling as if his mind would descend into insanity at any moment.

"There must be another seal within the painting, right? There's no doubt about it—there must be one!"

The agitated copper-masked figure hurriedly rushed up to the painting and extended the consciousness of his powerful Primordial Spirit into the painting, wanting to see what had happened.

Hu!

Feeling the immense pressure from the elder before him, the painting leaped in shock. He quickly hid himself behind Zhang Xuan fearfully.

"Tell me! Is there still a seal within the painting!" The eyes of the copper-masked figure turned crimson, and a powerful soul reverberation rippled from his Primordial Spirit.

"Enough! Look at how frightened Little Painting over here is!" Zhang Xuan bellowed as he gently consoled the eighth level painting. After which, he turned back to the crowd and said, "Just as everyone has seen, the secret lying beneath the seal is a group of bathing beauties. It seems like the Sorrowless Old Man was peeking on others bathing, and unable to find a way to vent his emotions, he decided to pick up his brush instead. While it may seem a little dishonorable, it is perfectly normal for all humans to feel inherently attracted to beautiful individuals. It's actually no big deal at all, so you need not get so agitated."

Noting the other party's attitude, it was clear that he knew what actually lay beneath the painting.

Facing such a situation, he could not help but heave a sigh of relief for his wise decision back then.

If he had not added in the hot spring of beautiful ladies to fill the void, he might have very well given himself away!

"Pardon me, I was too reckless." Hearing those words, the copper-masked figure took a deep breath and swiftly calmed himself down. After which, he clasped his fist and bowed. "Ever since I discovered the presence of the seal, I have been wanting to find out what lay beneath it. Even though the result turned out to be a disappointment for me, I'm still grateful to you all for helping me resolve this lingering regret."

Right after saying those words, he flicked his wrist, and a pile of high-tier spirit stones appeared right before him.

Even from a rough estimation, there had to be at least a dozen thousand within the pile.

"These spirit stones are a token of appreciation for your help. Please, feel free to take them."

After saying those words, the copper-masked figure turned to Zhang Xuan. "Zhang shi, I am full of admiration for the astounding mastery you have achieved in the Way of Painting despite your young age. Here is a book left behind by the Sorrowless Old Man, named the 'Ten Deciphers of Painting'. Detailed within it are the various painting techniques that he is the most skilled in. I hope that this will prove useful to you."

After saying those words, he swiftly grasped forward and retrieved the painting before clasping his fist. "I'll be taking my leave now. Farewell!"

Then, without further ado, he stood up and rushed out. In the blink of an eye, he had already vanished from everyone's sight.

From the looks of it, it seemed like he feared that others would go after him for the treasure that he possessed, so there was not the slightest hesitation in his movements at all.

"..." Looking at the book in his hands, Zhang Xuan could not help but fall speechless.

The other party had mentioned earlier that he would be handsomely rewarded if he were to decipher the seal, but this...

What the heck was this?

He could not help but feel a little choked up within.

"Is that really... the Ten Deciphers of Painting? Zhang shi, it might be a little presumptuous for me to ask this of you, but will you sell the book to our Painter Guild?"

In contrast to Zhang Xuan's speechless expression, by his side, Guild Leader Meng's gleaming eyes were completely fixated on the inconspicuous book that Zhang Xuan held in his hands.

The Sorrowless Old Man was the most formidable painter from the Qingyuan Empire. While he had only lived for a short three hundred years, he had made great contributions to the Painter Guild, bringing it an era of prosperity.

Of the heritage that he had left behind to the Painter Guild, there was one that stood out—the Ten Deciphers of Painting. It was a painting manual that he had begun working on in his later years. However, he had gone missing before he could finish the book, and mysteriously, the book had vanished from the surface of the world as well. The Painter Guild had devoted great resources into finding it, but there was not the slightest clue to be found.

Who could have predicted that it would be in the hands of the copper-masked figure, and he would even give it to Zhang shi for free!

"You wish to buy the book?" Zhang Xuan glanced at the book in his hand and instantaneously recorded its contents into the Library of Heaven's Path. After which, he tossed it over generously and said, "Since you want it, I'll give it to you."

"I-is this really alright?" stammered Guild Leader Meng as he caught the book with his trembling hands. "Zhang shi, allow me to thank you on behalf of the entire Painter Guild! You are truly generous to give away a book that is easily worth fifty concentrated high-tier spirit stones just like that! I am impressed."

"What did you say? Fifty concentrated high-tier spirit stones?" Zhang Xuan felt as if the world was spinning around him.

"Indeed!" Guild Leader Meng replied.

"Pardon me, but I won't be giving you the Ten Deciphers of Painting anymore." Zhang Xuan quickly snatched back the book from Guild Leader Meng's hands.

"Pay up."

"..." Meng Chong.

"..." The crowd

Chapter 1170: A Visit in the Night (1)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

In the end, Guild Leader Meng did not pay the fifty concentrated high-tier spirit stones. After all, there was no way he could fork out that much money. After promising to bring Zhang Xuan around the Painter Guild, he quickly snatched the book back and hid it in his storage ring.

Zhang Xuan could not help but lament how the noble values of the past were gradually eroding with time.

"Zhang shi, we didn't contribute much to the unsealing of the painting, so we won't be accepting any of the high-tier spirit stones here," Guild Leader Mu said as he passed over a storage ring filled with the high-tier spirit stones that the copper-masked figure had left behind.

He had gathered everyone here today in hopes of combining the wits of the masses to decipher the secret of the painting, but they had ended up contributed nothing at all. The case ended up being resolved by the sole efforts of the young man before him. While the high-tier spirit stones were the compensation that the copper-masked figure had offered to all of them, they were too embarrassed to accept any.

"Alright then."

Zhang Xuan initially refused it, but seeing that the crowd was unwilling to accept the high-tier spirit stones, he could only reluctantly take it.

Actually, these spirit stones were not of much value to him. However, considering that he could possibly exchange them for concentrated high-tier spirit stones in the future, he chose to take them.

At this point, Guild Leader Mu suddenly stepped forward and remarked, "Zhang shi's capability in appraising is truly exceptional. If I'm not mistaken, you are an appraiser, right?"

Considering how the other party had been able to sharply determine the year in which the painting had been created and deduce the solution to deciphering the seal through analyzing its creation method, there was no doubt that he was a skilled appraiser as well.

Zhang Xuan nodded. "That's right. I'm a 5-star appraiser at the moment. Actually, I was intending to pay the Appraiser Hall a visit to take the 7-star examination, but I haven't yet found the time to do so."

"With eyes as sharp as yours, there's no need to for you to take the examination. I'll apply for a 7-star appraiser emblem on your behalf straight afterward," Guild Leader Mu replied with a smile.

At this point, he could see why even a prestigious figure like Wu shi would regard the other party as his brother.

With the other party's capability, it was clear that he would clear the examination perfectly, so there was no need to waste their time on such formalities.

Guild Leader Meng also hurriedly stepped forward and said, "I'll apply for a 7-star appraiser emblem on your behalf as well."

Judging just from the Suspended Imagery that the other party had performed earlier, it was apparent that the other party's proficiency in painting was far above his. Even 7-star pinnacle painters would struggle to be a match for him! Naturally, he was more than qualified to be promoted straight to 7-star.

"Thank you!" Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

It seemed like his trip here was not wasted. Not only did he manage to bring his painting up to the level of 7-star pinnacle, he had even managed to obtain two 7-star emblems simultaneously.

With this, he had finally gathered the supporting occupations required for his promotion to 7-star master teacher. Once all the emblems arrived, he would be qualified to apply for the nomination slot to the Sanctum of Sages!

"Guild Leader Mu, may I know where the library of the Appraiser Hall is located?" Zhang Xuan asked with a polite smile. "If it's possible, I would like to take a look at your books."

Since he had already come to the Appraiser Hall, it would be good to take this opportunity to collect all their books into the Library of Heaven's Path as well.

"Of course, of course." Guild Leader Mu nodded. "That isn't a problem at all!"

He was just about to lead the way forward when a conflicted voice sounded. "Teacher, Zhang shi... May I trouble the both of you to help resolve this thing first?"

It was only upon hearing the voice that the duo suddenly recalled that there was still a certain figure whose head was blooming durians.

Over the past hour, Zhang Jiuxiao had flourished well. Another nine durians, along with a dense congregation of lush leaves, had sprouted on his head, and the tail behind him had grown longer and more bulky, reminiscent of a valiant tiger...

"Give me a moment." Zhang Xuan pondered briefly before whipping out a brush and penning down a prescription. He passed the prescription over and said, "Concoct the medicine according to the way I have stated and consume it—it should be able to destroy the spirit within your body. The process will be a little painful, but you must endure it."

Since the other party was unwilling to bare his soul open to him, Zhang Xuan could only resort to poison in order to deal with the spirit.

It was fortunate that he had gotten a close glimpse of the spirit earlier when he entered the painting, so he knew what kind of poison had to be concocted in order to kill it.

The poison that Zhang Xuan had prescribed was a relatively simple one, such that even ordinary cultivators would be able to concoct it. However, it was extremely damaging to the body, dealing excruciating pain to those who consumed it. Whether Zhang Jiuxiao would be able to endure the pain or not would be dependent on him.

If Zhang Jiuxiao felt that the poison was too dangerous, he could always choose to keep his head of durians. In any case, that would only affect his appearance; it would not make too much of a difference to his physical functions. In fact, his transformation into a plant might even enhance certain functions of his...

Considering the fact that the other party was from the clan of his love rival, there was really no reason for Zhang Xuan to do this for the other party. It was already a great mercy that he had offered this much help in the first place.

"Thank you..." Zhang Jiuxiao took the prescription with a conflicted expression on his face. Nevertheless, he still bowed in gratitude.

After dealing with this matter, Zhang Xuan and Wu shi bade everyone else farewell before following Guild Leader Mu to the library of the Appraiser Hall.

Appraisers were valued for their knowledge. In order to be a good appraiser, one had to have some understanding of everything, be it knowledge on other occupations, history, geography... Investigating the background of an artifact was the foundation to determining the authenticity of a certain artifact. As such, there were several dozen million books within the library of the Appraiser Hall.

Walking between the shelves, it took Zhang Xuan four whole hours before he managed to collect everything. By the time he was done, it was already late at night.

He swiftly compiled the 6-star and 7-star Heaven's Path Appraising Art and internalized them.

Before long, his understanding of appraising had reached the level of 7-star pinnacle. Even without the Library of Heaven's Path or the Eye of Insight, he was able to easily discern most artifacts of Saint intermediate-tier and below without any errors.

Returning from the Library of Heaven's Path, he began reflecting on what had happened earlier.

This was the first time he had come to an Appraisal Convention, and it had truly have been a fruitful trip. Not only had he managed to advance his knowledge to the level of a 7-star appraiser and painter and obtain the 7-star emblems of those two occupations, more importantly, he had learned that Kong shi's silhouette had once appeared on the peak of a mountain. If there was a chance in the future, he should really investigate this matter.

Perhaps, he might be able to uncover something special.

"Zhang shi!"

As soon as Zhang Xuan walked out of the library, he saw Guild Leader Mu walking toward him.

Even though it was the middle of the night, it seemed like the other party had not gone to rest yet.

There was a young man following behind Guild Leader Mu with a slightly conflicted look on his face—Zhang Jiuxiao.

The durian head and tail that had been on Zhang Jiuxiao's body a few hours ago had vanished without a trace, but in place of that, his face and body were slightly swollen. Most likely, that was the aftereffect of consuming the poison. The swelling looked a little glaring, but it would swiftly fade after some rest.

After trading some pleasantries, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and took his leave.

A starry night sky welcomed him as he stood outside the Appraiser Hall. It felt as if someone had used a needle to pierce through the night sky, leaving behind innumerable holes for light to pass through.

The bustling streets from a moment ago had become a little cold, with nary a person in sight. Stretching his back lazily, Zhang Xuan began making his way toward the Combat Master Hall.

But before he could get very far, goosebumps suddenly rose all over his body.

He could clearly sense that someone was following him, but regardless of whether he used his Spiritual Perception or his eyes, he was unable to find the other party.

Hu!

Sensing that the person following him was a dangerous individual, possessing strength far beyond him, he swiftly executed the Heaven's Path Movement Art and dashed forward. In a single breath, he flitted over a distance of ten kilometers. But despite that, he was still unable to shake off the feeling of being 'eyed'.

Anxious, he turned around and saw a black-robed man standing not too far away.

For the other party to be able to catch up even though he had pushed his Heaven's Path Movement Art to its very limit—not to mention the fact that the other party was able to prevent even his Spiritual Perception from noticing the other party—there was no doubt that the black-robed man standing before him was a true expert!

This was the very first time Zhang Xuan had encountered this situation, and it left cold sweat drenching his back.

Nevertheless, he did not panic. He began assessing the figure before him carefully.

It was not possible to see the face beneath the other party's black robe, but his very presence seemed to meld into the essence of the world itself, leaving him with an impression that the other party would vanished at any moment.

Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight to get a closer look of the other party, but he was unable to discern the other party's cultivation at all.

In other words, the other party wielded strength beyond the Leaving Aperture realm Hall Master Xing... or perhaps, beyond the Leaving Aperture realm even!

When did such an expert appear in Qingyuan City?

"There's no need for you to be so wary around me. If I wanted to kill you, you would have long been killed."

It was an extremely deep and resounding voice.

As nervous as Zhang Xuan was, he knew that there was no way he would be able to escape if the other party wanted to kill him. Thus, he clasped his fist politely and replied, "Elder, you were waiting for me?"

It was shortly after leaving the Appraiser Hall that he had sensed that the other party was following him, which meant that the other party had probably been waiting for him.

But instead of answering his question, the black-robed man placed his hands behind his back and said, "To be able to sense me so swiftly even though I only leaked out a hint of an aura, it seems like you are quite a talented individual.

"I have been following you since sunset, and I saw how you managed to decipher the seal on the painting. Despite your young age, you have quite a keen pair of eyes. Not bad."

"You have been here since sunset?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in alarm.

He had been paying close attention to his surroundings all this while due to the happenings with King Zhongqing earlier in the day, and yet, despite his enhanced wariness, he had still been oblivious to the fact that the other party had been following him.

This was too frightening!

"If I may ask, I would like to inquire why elder has been following me all night."

At the same time, Zhang Xuan secretly activated his Library of Heaven's Path, but no book was compiled.

Until the other party executed a battle technique, he would be unable to discern the other party's background.

"It's nothing much, I just want to know if you have the qualification and capability for what you seek." The black-robed man harrumphed as he finally raised his head, revealing the appearance of an old man in his sixties.

It was a foreign face. Zhang Xuan was certain that he had never seen the other party before.

Peng!

In the next moment, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a choking sensation in his chest, as if some kind of force had struck him. At the same time, the space before him suddenly compressed together, as if someone was forcefully denting it, trapping him in place.

As if a caged beast, no matter how he struggled, he was unable to free himself.

"This..." Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed further and further.

The fact that the Library of Heaven's Path had not compiled a book meant that the other party had not executed a battle technique. And yet, the other party was still able to wield such strength, rendering him completely helpless...

Just how strong could the other party be?

Saint 5-dan pinnacle?

6-dan?

Or was it 7-dan?

In any case, the other party was a figure whom he could not stand a chance against at this moment.

Despite knowing the deep danger he was in, Zhang Xuan knew that the more threatening a situation was, the more he should not panic. Thus, driving his Soul Depth, he began speaking with a unique aura in his voice. "Elder, if you are only seeking me to display your strength, there's really no need for you to do so. I am a mere Saint 2-dan cultivator. I won't understand it no matter what you show me."

The gap between him and the other party was simply too great. The only thing he had that could possibly match the other party was his exceptional Soul Depth. If he could leave the other party in a short trance, he might be able to buy sufficient time to flee from this situation.

However, seeing through Zhang Xuan as if he was transparent, the black-robed elder chuckled softly. "Your Soul Depth is not too bad, but you're still a little lacking to be using Impartation of Heaven's Will on me."

Those words immediately sent chills down Zhang Xuan's spine. With an earnest smile on his face, he swiftly waved his hand and said, "Elder, how could I dare do something as rude as that? It is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

To be able to see through his Impartation of Heaven's Will, it seemed like the other party's Soul Depth was beyond his as well!

It was fortunate that he had not recklessly forced his way through. Otherwise, the other party's retaliation could very well have cost him his life.

"You do have some wits, but it's meaningless against me," the black-robed elder replied indifferently.

"How could I dare flaunt my little wits before you? Elder, your ability to track me without catching my notice and seal my movements so easily must mean that your Soul Depth has reached a level far beyond my imagination. If I may request, could you display a battle technique for me?"

At this point, Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed. "I have come from a humble place, and I have never met a person as strong as you. I truly respect experts like you, and if you could just accede to this request of mine, my life would be truly fulfilled!"

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Chapter 1171: A Visit in the Night (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The black-robed elder harrumphed coldly. "Humph, you do have quite a glib tongue. Do you take me as one of those naive, young ladies who fall for your words easily?"

"Naive, young ladies? Falling for my words?" Zhang Xuan hurriedly waved his hands earnestly, denying the accusation. At the same time, an inconspicuous frown surfaced on his head.

He could vaguely feel that the black-robed elder was referring to something with his words, but he had always conducted himself properly, never getting involved with any women. What could the other party possibly be getting at?

If others were to hear that, they might just think that he was a playboy!

"I will just get straight to the point with you."

With his hands behind his back, the elder slowly closed in on Zhang Xuan.

In that instant, Zhang Xuan felt as if a massive mountain was slowly making its way toward him, and the immense pressure that he felt seemed to sap the air from his lungs.

This pressure weighed on both his mind and his body, rendering him completely powerless. It was apparent that the other party wanted him to know the gap between them and force him to submit.

"Humph!" With narrowed eyes, Zhang Xuan drove his Heaven's Path zhenqi, and the pressure on him alleviated significantly.

As powerful as the other party was, there was no presence more imposing than the heavens.

"Hmm? Interesting!" Seeing that the other party was able to endure his pressure so easily, an interested gleam surfaced in the eyes of the black-robed elder.

"To be able to endure my pressure so easily, you must have some kind of formidable artifact on you. It seems like you have quite a doting teacher there."

"I am my teacher's only direct disciple, so he does treat me quite well," Zhang Xuan replied.

The other party was too fearsome. With his current strength, he stood no chance at all. Even escape seemed unlikely at this point. Thus, he could only place his hopes in his teacher, 'Yang Xuan', to deter the other party from doing anything overboard.

The black-robed elder looked at him and asked, "May I know whom your teacher is?"

Zhang Xuan nodded. "My teacher goes by the name of Yang Xuan."

Upon hearing the name, the black-robed elder's eyes narrowed menacingly, and he harrumphed coldly. "Yang Xuan? Young man, I still have a rather favorable impression of you. Don't lose it by lying!"

Suddenly, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt as if he was standing above a sinkhole and an unknown power would consume him at any moment.

Gritting his teeth to withstand the devastating might crushing him, Zhang Xuan asked, "Lying? Elder, why would you say such words?"

"I have met Yang shi once, and he has already long retired from worldly affairs. As far as I know, he has never accepted any students, and yet, you say that you are his student? Are you honestly expecting me to believe such words?" the black-robed elder said with a threatening edge in his voice.

"You have met... Yang Xuan?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up in alarm, and for a moment, he found himself in a daze.

'Yang Xuan' was a name that he came up with spontaneously back then. In other words, it was a fictional character that he had fabricated... and yet, the black-robed elder was saying that he had met Yang Xuan?

It couldn't be that there was really a master teacher going by the name of Yang Xuan in the world who coincidentally wielded unfathomable strength as well, could there?

That would be too much of a coincidence!

"Alright, I have no interest in whose student you are. I am here only to offer you a warning. It's good to dream big, but a human should know his own place and limits. If you attempt to pursue things that are unreachable to you, not only will you bring pain upon yourself, you will also hurt those around you as well. By then... things will not be resolved with just mere words. And I cannot promise that those whom you associate with will remain unharmed in the process as well."

"Know my place and limits? Pursue things that are unreachable?" Zhang Xuan was confused as to what the other party was saying. Just as he was about to ask about it, his eyes suddenly widened in astonishment. "You are... from the Luo Clan?"

The threat, coupled with the previous words about naive, young ladies...

Could the other party be Luo Ruoxin's family?

Only a clan as powerful as the Luo Clan would be in command of experts who could subdue him without using any battle technique at all.

The pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit together perfectly.

While he and Luo Ruoxin had never told anyone that they had gotten together, it was not surprising that a family as powerful as the Luo Clan would be able to uncover that.

"Quite a keen mind you have there." The black-robed elder harrumphed, not denying the matter. With a lofty look on his face, he gazed down at Zhang Xuan as if looking at a mere ant and said, "By this point, you should be aware that she's the little princess of our Luo Clan. She carries heavy responsibility on her shoulders. I advise you not to have any thoughts toward her. Someone like you will never be good enough for the Luo Clan!"

"Someone like me will never be good enough?" Zhang Xuan subconsciously clenched his fists tightly together.

"Indeed. The Luo Clan is one of the top three Sage Clans on the Master Teacher Continent, and there is no one who doesn't know that our little princess wields immense power. As long as she wills it so, anyone whom she favors will be able to rise to the top of the world. You might have some wits, and your talent isn't too bad either, but if you think that you are qualified to get together with our little princess, I suggest that you take a closer look at yourself. A toad lusting over the flesh of a swan will never end well!" the black-robed elder sneered in disdain.

Who were they?

One of the behemoths of the Sage Clans, a top-notch power on the Master Teacher Continent!

On the other hand, the other party was just a bumpkin from a remote place. Even if he possessed exceptional talent, he was still nowhere near to matching up to the peak.

In the first place, they were existences from two wholly different worlds.

"Who are you to judge my worth?" The other party's words left a surge of fury rising in his chest. He could not accept the other party saying that he was not good enough for Luo Ruoxin, and he raised his head proudly and bellowed, "So what if you are from a Sage Clan? A higher starting point doesn't give you the right to look down on others.

"A day will come when even Sage Clans like yours won't catch my eyes!"

So what if the other party was from a Sage Clan?

So what if the other party wielded strength far greater than him at the moment?

As a Celestial Master Teacher, he would eventually reach heights that no one had seen before.

Perhaps, in a few decades time, the supposed Sage Clans would be little more than mere ants before him.

"Many conceited fools have uttered such words in the past as well, but the Luo Clan's position still remains unshakeable in this world." The elder harrumphed with a cold glint in his eyes. "I have met countless talents in the world, and there are plenty whose talents you don't even come close to matching. Yet, there was not a single one of them who managed to shake the Luo Clan.

"So, I advise you not to bring trouble upon yourself. I hate to pull my weight before my juniors or to incur the dislike of our little princess, but if you still don't back down, it's my responsibility to give you a good reason to do so."

Hong long!

As soon as those words were spoken, the stars up above suddenly seemed to plummet from the sky. Unimaginable might crushed down on Zhang Xuan, threatening to smash him into pieces.

Under the overwhelming strength of the power, Zhang Xuan found himself unable to breathe. As if an ant standing before a giant, he felt utterly vulnerable.

"Swear on your identity as a master teacher that you won't see her, and I'll spare you," the black-robed man uttered coldly.

Zhang Xuan felt as if someone was grabbing his neck tightly, and the feeling of death encroaching on him felt more vivid than ever. He struggled with all his might, but he was unable to struggle free.

Damn it! This won't do... At this rate, I might really die!

The other party's strength was omnipresent around him; there was nowhere he could escape to. It was as if a guillotine was hanging above him, ready to claim his life at any moment.

While the other party had not shown any killing intent yet, he hated the feeling of having his life in the hands of another. It felt as if his entire existence was banking on the whims of another, and he abhorred such a feeling of helplessness.

His fingernails sank deep into his flesh, causing a stream of blood to drip down his hands. For the first time, he vividly felt the need for power in this world. Without power, there was truly nothing at all.

Dignity!

Love!

Master teacher rank!

All of that was meaningless if one did not have absolute power to protect them!

Ever since his transcension to this world, things had always gone favorably for Zhang Xuan. While the situation might have gotten a little dangerous from time to time, he had always been able to overcome any adversity with his wits. This was the very first time he had felt completely helpless and powerless.

He could not help but realize that if the person before him harbored malevolent intentions, no amount of words would get him out of this situation.

For the first time, he desperately craved greater strength. Only with greater strength would he be able to embrace and protect those whom he held dear.

Zhang Xuan anxiously sent a message to Vicious discreetly. "Vicious, what is the strength of that fellow? Are you able to deal with him?"

With his current strength, he stood no chance against the black-robed elder. His only hope lay in the person who had once stood at the very pinnacle of the Master Teacher Continent.

"Master, his cultivation has probably reached Saint 7-dan. I have yet to recover my true strength, so I fear that I won't be a match for him," Vicious replied with a hint of anxiety in his voice as well.

If his master was killed, he would dissipate on the spot as well. This was the effect of the Soul Contract between them.

If he wished to survive, he would have to do his best to ensure the safety of his master.

"I have to find a way to make him execute a battle technique. Only with some information on him will I be able to find a way out of this situation," Zhang Xuan replied, unsurprised by Vicious' response.

Saint 7-dan, that was a level that had nearly reached the peak of the Master Teacher Continent. With such strength, even the entire Qingyuan Empire would be helpless before him!

Vicious was currently only a mere heart and a finger, so it was natural that he would not stand a chance against an expert of the other party's caliber.

"I should be able to force him into executing a battle technique, but I fear that my killing intent might be a little too strong. He could easily discern that I'm an Otherworldly Demon, and that might get you into greater trouble," Vicious replied.

Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth and replied, "I'll give you the permission to devour Kong shi's writing, so do it!"

Back on the Saint Ascension Platform, he had received Kong shi's personal handwriting. Schemed by Lu Feng back at the Master Teacher Academy, a third of it had been consumed for his clone to act as Kong shi. To deal with Vicious' finger, another one-third of it had been consumed. Thus, only a third of the original text remained in the booklet.

This was the last time he could use this card.

It was a heavy price to pay, but after consuming Kong shi's writing, not only would Vicious' aura become much stronger, he would also be able to morph his aura into that of a true master teacher, and that was what Zhang Xuan required to resolve the precarious situation he was in.

"Alright!" Vicious replied.

Kong shi's writing, which he had kept in his storage ring, gradually faded line after line, and at the same time, Zhang Xuan felt a powerful aura surging within him.

Boom!

The following moment, an aura reminiscent of a rampaging dragon burst into the surroundings, dissipating the power that had gathered in the area in an instant.

At the same time, Zhang Xuan felt the invisible shackles around him vanish without a trace, as if a fish onshore who had managed to make its way back into the water.

"Hmm?"

On the other hand, not expecting the young man before him to suddenly release an aura so powerful that even he was unable to withstand it, the black-robed elder's body stiffened.

Not daring to get careless before such a powerful force, he swiftly executed a defensive technique to ward off the aura.

Barely after he successfully protected himself from the burst of aura, the young man before him suddenly raised his head to gaze straight at him. Deep within his eyes, ripples reminiscent of a torrential river could be seen.

At the same time, a deep and ancient voice sounded. It was spoken in time with the movement of the young man's voice, but eerily, the voice sounded as if it had come from the heavens.

"When have I grown so weak that even a mere Saint 7-dan brat dares to threaten my student?

"Who do you think you are?"

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Chapter 1172: The Engagement

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Boom!

The powerful aura that had burst forth from Zhang Xuan's body left the black-robed elder feeling as if the heavens and earth had shattered, and the sun and moon had fallen. In that instant, he thought that he had witnessed the end of the world.

Under the suppression of the overwhelming aura, the black-robed elder's body froze in fear as his mind whirred to a stop.

In just the blink of an eye, it was as if a deity had descended from the heavens. The inviolable aura that the other party emanated had dispelled any thought of retaliation in his mind. Not only so, he felt as if his knees would cave in at any moment, as if his body instinctively wanted to worship the figure before him.

It took a while before the black-robed elder could speak once more. With quivering lips, he asked weakly, "You are... Yang shi? No, that's not right. A will that Yang shi has left behind?"

For the aura of the young man before him to surge so abruptly, there was only a single possibility. In order to protect his own student, Yang shi had specially left a sliver of his will in the latter's body. Only in the face of absolute crisis would he show himself.

"If I didn't appear, were you going to kill my student?"

There was no difference in the external appearance of the young man, but it was as if another person had taken control of the body. Be it his disposition or his voice, it was completely different from before.

This was especially so for his gaze. Cold, impassive, and unfathomable, as if a lofty deity from the heavens. Before this powerful figure, the black-robed elder dared not move in the slightest.

He feared that the slightest movement could instantly bring death upon himself.

Even though he was a Saint 7-dan cultivator, he knew that before those who stood at the very pinnacle of the Master Teacher Continent, his strength was not even worth a mention.

Even the hostile intent from an expert of that caliber was too much for him to bear, let alone facing one in a proper battle!

Despite his trembling body, the black-robed elder asked with a hint of doubt in his voice, "Are you really... Yang shi?"

He had once had the honor of meeting Yang shi, and the latter's voice did not sound like that. On top of that, his aura felt a little different as well. It did not seem likely that they were the same person.

"Luo Chengxin, are you doubting me?"

The young man took a step forward.

Huala!

In an instant, the aura intensified, and the surrounding air crackled furiously. It was as if even the world was unable to withstand the overwhelming strength emanated by the young man before him.

"I dare not!"

The face of the black-robed elder paled, and he quickly clasped his fist and lowered his head respectfully. At this point, he did not even dare to breathe loudly.

He had only felt such overwhelming pressure from the old ancestor. Who could have thought that the other party wielded such immense strength as well?

And more importantly, he was certain that he had never said his name throughout the entire encounter, not even once! Yet, the other party was still able to identify him correctly. This meant that the other party knew who he was!

To call himself Yang Xuan on top of that... could he really be that legendary figure?

But... he had only met that legendary figure once, and before that figure, he was even less than an ant. It was only because of the old ancestor that he had been able to meet that figure, and he did not even dare to report his name for fear that he would sully the other party's ears.

So how could the other party possibly know his name?

"You dare not? It doesn't seem that way to me."

Completely different to the humble young man from a moment ago, the person that stood before him at this moment carried an air of disdain for all lifeforms, as if a being who had transcended the world.

"The Luo Clan's bloodline is powerful, and the 'Art of the Dimension Silencer' is a masterpiece. Despite your fortune of being born in the Luo Clan, you still managed to make a wreck of yourself. You have reversed the Yin-Yang of your San Jiao 1 Yin Meridians and introduced filth into your zhenqi, resulting in your inability to concentrate your strength. Not only that, your Seven Acupoints of Primordial Chaos are plagued with turbidity, and three of them are even reversed.

"During your breakthrough to the Primordial Spirit realm, the shortcut you attempted to take ended up damaging your foundation, resulting in the corruption of your internal state. Yet, instead of devoting your time to resolving these problems, you chose to head down here to take advantage of my student. Is it because you think that you are too powerful?"

At this point, a faint, disdainful smile surfaced on the lips of the young man. "Shall I play with you?"

Shivers immediately ran down Luo Chengxin's spine as he quickly lowered his head in abject fear.

The terms that the other party had used, the San Jiao Yin Meridians and the Seven Acupoints of Primordial Chaos, would seem like utter nonsense to any other cultivator, but they left him shaking non-stop, as if he had heard something terrifying.

Those were the unique terms used only in their Luo Clan's Art of the Dimension Silencer!

The Luo Clan's bloodline granted the offspring of the Luo Clan with exceptional talent in spatial manipulation. In fact, its ultimate treasure, the Dimension Silencer, was a powerful artifact that could bring about the complete freezing of space.

It was due to this reason that the Art of the Dimension Silencer was completely different from other cultivation techniques, tailored solely to those with the Luo Clan's bloodline. San Jiao, Seven Acupoints... these were terms that only the core members of the Luo Clan would know of.

Yet, the young man before him spoke of them so easily as if they were nothing at all, accurately identifying the flaws in his cultivation even! This had left his entire body turning freezing cold, and sweat trickled down his back endlessly.

If he had been doubtful whether the other party was Yang shi or not a moment ago, at this moment, he dared not harbor such thoughts.

Regardless of whether the other party was truly Yang shi or not, the other party was definitely of the same caliber as their old ancestor. Otherwise, it was impossible for the other party to see through the problems in his cultivation with a single look.

As one of the inner clan members of the Luo Clan, he had been guided by top-notch master teachers from birth, but limited by his talent, it was inevitable that he erred in his cultivation from time to time. As these errors accumulated, even though it did not hinder him from exerting his strength, it had capped his cultivation. At this point, it was already nigh impossible for him to achieve a breakthrough to higher realms.

This was not uncommon among those of the Sage Clans. After all, no matter how formidable a teacher one had, it was impossible for a teacher to constantly overlook one's cultivation, not to mention that even advanced master teachers 2 were not infallible either.

Besides, if a cultivator could really avoid erring in one's cultivation, wouldn't he be able to advance through the cultivation ranks easily without facing any bottlenecks? That was clearly daydreaming!

But... while it was true that he had errors in his cultivation, it would be difficult for most master teachers to discern it. To be able to see through him with a just a glance, that was clearly the prowess that only 9-star master teachers wielded!

"I-I-I dare not to!" Luo Chengxin's body trembled uncontrollably upon that realization.

"Humph, if I had not left a sliver of my will in the body of my student, I might have just lost a student today!"

The young man gazed down at Luo Chengxin coldly in his eyes, as if contemplating whether he should have the latter killed for his insolence.

"I... I didn't intend to make a move on Zhang shi!" Luo Chengxin gulped down a mouthful of saliva as he hurriedly explained, "I watched our little princess grow up, and no matter how reckless I am, I would not dare hurt the person she loves, or else she would hate me for life! No matter what, the relationship between her and Zhang shi is impossible, and I fear that she will be hurt if the both of them get any further involved with one another. That's why I chose to seek Zhang shi to convince him to step away from the matter."

"Humph! Are you saying that my student is unworthy of the Luo Clan?" the young man said once more, his tone laced with threat this time around.

"That's not what I mean..." Luo Chengxin shuddered in fear as he hurriedly explained, "Yang shi, you should know the current circumstances surrounding our Luo Clan as well. The matrimony between our little princess and the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan cannot be changed. At this rate, the both of them will only be hurt in the end. If that is going to be the case, it will be better for us to end it at this point in time to reduce the heartbreak!"

The young man narrowed his eyes. "Their matrimony cannot be changed? Is that due to your Luo Clan or the Zhang Clan? If it's the latter, I'll find their old ancestor and talk to him about the matter!"

Luo Chengxin quickly shook his head. "The betrothal between the two was decided twenty years ago. The little princess is also a victim in this matter!"

"Decided twenty years ago?" The young man frowned. "Tell me about it."

"I believe that Yang shi should have heard about the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan as well. Even before his birth, he was said to possess the purest bloodline in the Zhang Clan. Twenty years ago, during the birth of that young prodigy, scarlet clouds covered the entire sky, and a sacred ray of light descended from the heavens. Even Kong shi's tablet rose into the air, as if acknowledging the arrival of his peer.

"On that very day, the old ancestor of the Zhang Clan sought the old ancestor of our clan, and the both of them agreed on this betrothal," Luo Chengxin said. "The marriage ceremony was scheduled for the third month of next year, and this matter can no longer be changed by anyone!"

"Third month of next year?" The face of the young man darkened, and with a frosty voice, he uttered, "Does a mere marriage ceremony really require an auspicious day to be chosen twenty years prior?"

"It's not really a matter of it being auspicious or not." Luo Chengxin shook his head with a bitter smile. "Rather, it seems like there's something huge tied to it. Our old ancestor has already declared this decision to be final, and no one dares go against his orders..."

"Due to this matter, our little princess has caused a huge ruckus in our clan for quite a while, but as this matter was a promise between the old ancestors of both clans, she was unable to change anything. Eventually, she snuck out of the clan and sealed her cultivation such that no one would be able to find her. I was only able to find her recently, and by the time I did, I realized that she was already deeply in love with Zhang shi. That's why I decided to talk Zhang shi into backing down!"

"Something huge is tied to their marriage? What is it?"

"I am not qualified to know of the inner secrets of our clan. I only happened to overhear bits and pieces of it, so I don't know much about it either. However, it should be something very important. After all, as one of the top three Sage Clans, there's no need for our Luo Clan to bow down to the Zhang Clan," Luo Chengxin replied.

"Since it's an engagement decided on at birth, is there a reason why the little princess of your Luo Clan is unwilling to marry the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan?" the young man asked.

Considering that it was a marriage decided at birth and that both clans were of equal standing, it was likely that the little princess of the Luo Clan and the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan had grown up side-by-side, so the relationship between them should not have been too bad. For the little princess to go to the extent of escaping from her clan in order to escape the betrothal, was she not afraid of falling out with her family?

Or was there something about the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan that was so repulsive to her that she would go to such lengths just to avoid marrying him?

Hearing those words, Luo Chengxin could not help but glance at the young man before him with a peculiar look. It felt weird for a figure as powerful as Yang shi to be so interested in the gossip of their clan.

Naturally, he did not dare say those words aloud, and he quickly replied the other party's question. "It's just a guess on my part, but I think that our little princess might have rebelled because she's unwilling to marry a person she has never met before. The young prodigy of the Zhang Clan is a rather mysterious figure. He has been in seclusion ever since his birth, and unlike most offspring of the Sage Clans, he has not attended the Sanctum of Sages either. Not a single person of our Luo Clan has seen him before, and this includes our old ancestor as well. Based on what I have heard, it seems like he is busy undergoing some kind of unique inheritance at the moment."

"No one has seen him before?" The young man could not help but frown upon hearing those words.

To set an engagement without bringing out the person in question... the Zhang Clan sure was bizarre.

"Indeed. There are many rumors floating around about that young prodigy. Some say that he doesn't possess the talents that he is rumored to possess. Some say that he has failed in awakening his talent, and out of embarrassment, the Zhang Clan chose to hide him from the world."

Luo Chengxin sighed. "There are even some who say that he vanished from the world shortly after his birth, and the Zhang Clan has been trying to find him ever since then. In any case, there does not seem to be anyone aside from those of the Zhang Clan who have seen that young prodigy before."

Thinking about it, the little princess sure was a pitiful person.

To have to shoulder the fate of the entire clan at such a young age, even forced to marry a person she had never seen before, it was no wonder she would feel so repulsed and rebel.

The young man harrumphed coldly. "The Zhang Clan sure knows how to put on airs. To make a betrothal between the two clans and yet hide their own offspring, I have gotten a glimpse into their shamelessness today.

"And that young prodigy as well... I really should teach them a lesson about etiquette!"

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Chapter 1173: Entering the Qiu Wu Palace

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Luo Chengxin had spoken of the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan as a being who wielded unfathomable power in the world, but as the person who possessed the Library of Heaven's Path, Zhang Xuan was confident that he would be able to crush the other party with sufficient time and make him doubt his own existence.

For no reason other than the fact that he had caused Luo Ruoxin so much grievance over the past few years!

Anyone who dares to touch my woman will have to suffer my wrath!

Noting the killing intent in Yang shi's eyes, Luo Chengxin shuddered once more. With a wary tone, he said, "Yang shi, since Zhang shi is your student, I shall not impose on you any longer. I'll take my leave..."

If only that he had known that Yang shi had left his will within the young man's body, he would have never dared to come over and warn the latter...

"Go." The young man waved his hand.

"Thank you, Yang shi..." Luo Chengxin quickly turned around to flee. But barely after taking a few steps, he suddenly halted and hesitated for a moment before fearfully turning around. Mustering all the courage he had, he said, "Yang shi, pardon me for saying this, but I hope that you will talk Zhang shi into letting her go. Our little princess has suffered too much while growing up, and I really hope that she won't be hurt by this matter."

Those words left Zhang Xuan with a deep frown on his face. But knowing that the other party was really thinking for Luo Ruoxin, he shook his head and said, "I'll think about it. You may leave now."

"Thank you, Yang shi." Heaving a sigh of relief, Luo Chengxin quickly left the area.

Watching as the other party disappeared into the distance, Zhang Xuan finally heaved a sigh of relief himself. That earth-shattering aura vanished in an instant, and as if a deflated balloon, he felt so weakened that it was difficult to even lift his own arm.

That was a close shave. I was nearly unable to hold on anymore! Zhang Xuan patted his chest in relief.

Even though Vicious was able to exert an incredibly powerful aura after consuming Kong shi's writing, the fact was that he could not maintain the state for too long.

It was fortunate that his Soul Depth was only slightly beneath the other party's, allowing him to avoid giving himself away.

It was also fortunate that he had dashed out of the city to a remote location earlier, or else with the abrupt emanation of such a powerful aura, it would have surely drawn the attention of the experts within the city.

Alright, I should hurry up and leave. If that fellow finds that something is amiss and returns, I won't be able to deal with him again, Zhang Xuan thought as he quickly rushed back to the Combat Master Hall.

Not too long later, he finally returned to his accommodation. The tension in his mind finally snapped, and a weariness similar to a soldier who had just fought a war consumed him, lulling him into a deep sleep. However, he forced himself to remain awake so as to ponder over the information he had just received.

Even though he had managed to beguile the other party through his means, he knew that luck had a factor to play in it as well. Putting on a disguise before experts of the other party's caliber was no different from dancing above a bed of knives; a single wrong move could very well have cast him into oblivion.

Had it not been for his superior mental resilience, he would have long been seen through.

Taking a seat on the ground, Zhang Xuan meditated for roughly two hours before the exhaustion finally receded from his body.

I need to possess the strength to stand against the Zhang Clan by the third month of next year!

Recalling the conversation that he'd had with Luo Chengxin earlier, Zhang Xuan could not help feeling greatly pressured.

Judging from the other party's tone, it seemed like the marriage was not just to create a bridge between the both clans; it also involved an extremely important matter as well, thus fixing it in stone. Not even the beloved little princess of the Luo Clan, Luo Ruoxin, had a say in the matter!

As talented as Zhang Xuan was, it was too dangerous for him to reveal the fact that he was a Celestial Master Teacher to others. After all, he could not tell for sure what the Luo Clan and Zhang Clan's attitude toward a Celestial Master Teacher would be, so until he had sufficient power to back up his identity, it was best to keep it under wraps.

Thus, he was not intending to play the card unless it really became necessary.

So, if he really wanted to marry Luo Ruoxin openly, he would have to swiftly raise his cultivation and his standing!

By the third month of next year, he needed to possess sufficient strength to stand toe-to-toe with the Zhang Clan!

Only then would the Luo Clan take him seriously and consider their relationship.

Otherwise, there was no way they would offend the Zhang Clan and choose a 'supposed' genius over a prodigy whose very birth had caused Kong shi's tablet to levitate in the air.

There is still another eight months or so. I am currently only at Saint 2-dan pinnacle. If I wish to gain enough power to negotiate with the Luo Clan and the Zhang Clan, I must at least cultivate to the same level as Luo Chengxin... Saint 7-dan, Zhang Xuan thought as immense pressure weighed down on him.

Even though he had taken less than a year to advance from the bare bottom to Saint 2-dan, he knew that it would be harder and harder for him to advance higher from this point onward!

Not only would it be harder for him to find the necessary cultivation technique manuals, more importantly, there was a lack on cultivation resources as well!

In the past, a couple of low-tier spirit stones were enough for him to advance several realms at once, but now... he was not even certain how long concentrated high-tier spirit stones would suffice for him before he would require pinnacle spirit stones!

And more importantly, advancing one's cultivation in Saint realm required one to cultivate one's soul and mind as well. Sufficient spiritual energy was only the minimum requirement to achieving a breakthrough at this point. Without accomplishing the required state of mind, it was impossible to achieve a breakthrough.

Tempering one's state of mind had to be done over a long period of time; it was not something that could be accomplished within a short period of time.

As such, even though it was only five realms, he knew that it would be extremely difficult for him to cover the gap within just eight months. Even he did not have absolute confidence in being able to pull it off! Thus, all he could do was work himself down to the bone and make every single second he had count.

"I must hurry up and cultivate... Ruoxin, wait for me. I won't let you suffer any grievances," Zhang Xuan muttered with unwavering resolution.

After his conversation with Luo Chengxin, it was not hard for him to imagine how difficult it had been for Luo Ruoxin to accept his confession back then.

Since the other party had chosen him over everything else, as a man, he could not possibly let her down.

No matter what, he was determined to have her marry him openly. He did not want her to suffer the fate that Mu shi had suffered over the past few centuries.

If the Zhang Clan stood in his way, he would just have to trample them!

With this newfound determination in his mind, he felt his mind suddenly clearing up. His soul seemed to have undergone some kind of change, and his soul energy became even purer than before.

Time to cultivate... At the very least, I should try to aim for Saint 4-dan before daybreak!

Sitting on the floor once more, Zhang Xuan began browsing through the Saint 3-dan and Saint 4-dan Heaven's Path Divine Arts, which he had compiled previously.

He had already successfully compiled them back at the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion earlier, but in a rush to attend the Appraisal Convention, he did not have time to look through them.

After internalizing the content of both manuals, he flicked his wrist and whipped out the 17 concentrated high-tier spirit stones that he had obtained from Chu Tianxing.

At his current level, even high-tier spirit stones were no longer effective on him anymore.

Calming his mind, he drove the zhenqi in his body before turning his consciousness toward his Origin Core.

Saint 3-dan Embryonic Soul realm was also known as the Origin Soul realm, and it served to fuse one's Origin Core with one's soul to create an embryonic Primordial Spirit.

The hardest aspect in this breakthrough was to shatter one's Origin Core and facilitate its fusion with one's soul in order to create the embryo.

There were many cultivators who were unable to overcome in this challenge, resulting in the stagnation of their cultivation.

Having cultivated the Heaven's Path Divine Art, even though bottlenecks were pretty much nonexistent in his cultivation, it proved to be a problem for him at this point. As his Origin Core had been tempered to the level of perfection, it was incomparably resilient. It would take a lot more effort for him to shatter his Origin Core compared to other cultivators.

Soul!

With a thought, Zhang Xuan channeled his soul toward his Origin Core.

There were two steps to achieving a breakthrough to the Embryonic Soul realm.

Firstly, the cultivator had to fuse their soul together with their Origin Core. Secondly, the cultivator had to shatter the fused Origin Core and facilitate its development into an embryo.

According to the description in the Heaven's Path Divine Art, I just have to open a small door in the Origin Core to fuse my soul together with my Origin Core.

Going through the content of the Saint 3-dan Heaven's Path Divine Art, Zhang Xuan focused his attention on his Origin Core and created a small passageway in it.

After which, his soul swiftly dived into the passageway to enter his Origin Core.

Kacha!

But barely after diving in, its movements suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

This is bad... My soul is stuck!

Zhang Xuan's soul was simply too big. After undergoing the Saint Ascension Ordeal, it had returned to its original size of ten meters. While his Origin Core was much stronger than that of other cultivators, it was still too small to house his soul!

He had never thought that he would face such a problem in his cultivation.

While it was possible for one to morph the size of one's soul, there was a limit to doing so. This was just like how an elephant would never fit into a walnut no matter how it squeezed itself together.

After struggling for a very long to no avail, Zhang Xuan could only retract his trapped soul with a conflicted look on his face.

He already had the required concentrated high-tier spirit stones, and his Heaven's Path Divine Art had also been perfected, but... his soul had turned out to be too big to enter his Origin Core! If that was the case, he would not even be able to complete the first step of his breakthrough.

At this rate, would he be unable to even achieve a breakthrough to Saint 3-dan?

What should I do...

Zhang Xuan gave it a few more tries, but each time, his soul ended up being stuck without fail. There was even one instance when he was nearly unable to pull out his trapped soul. At this point, he felt like he was going to burst into tears.

It had not been easy for him to gather so much drive to cultivate, and he had put his mind to achieving a double breakthrough to the Primordial Spirit realm... but he had already encountered a bump at the very first step of his cultivation.

There's no error in the Heaven's Path Divine Art, but due to me cultivating my soul, it's not suitable for my current state... Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella.

In the previous realms, the cultivation of his zhenqi and soul were separate, so he had not faced such a problem to date.

But the Embryonic Soul realm required the fusion of the both of them.

Typically speaking, zhenqi cultivation and soul cultivation were considered two different branches. Both paths would lead to the peak, so there was little point in pursuing both paths simultaneously.

Furthermore, the flaws in the cultivation techniques of the soul oracles made it impossible for one to cultivate both simultaneously.

By perfecting the cultivation techniques of the soul oracles, Zhang Xuan had managed to achieve the impossible, developing his physical body and soul simultaneously. There had not been many problems in the earlier stages, but it was proving to be a problem for him at this moment.

What should I do now?

Retracting his consciousness from his dantian, Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella in frustration.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

In the past, he had been able to advance easily just by compiling the knowledge of the predecessors through the Library of Heaven's Path... but treading on a path that none had walked on before... there was no one he could see for help.

It's no wonder Kong shi said that I have to pave my way forward myself if I wish to achieve greater heights. Blindly following the wisdom of the predecessors might bring me to greater heights in the short term, but it'll only narrow my future path, possibly bringing me to a dead end even. Perhaps, he might have even predicted the problems I would face in my cultivation!

Back in the Qiu Wu Palace, Kong shi had warned him that he should not just follow the teachings of the predecessors but seek his own individual path instead.

He had kept the other party's teachings in mind, but it was only at this point that he truly understood what it meant.

Walking my own path... how can I do so?

In the face of such a situation, with no one whom he could learn from, he could not help but feel completely lost. With a deep frown on his forehead, he fell into deep contemplation.

Walking one's own path was easier said than done. That was equivalent to venturing into uncharted territories, an extremely dangerous feat.

After a long moment of contemplation but still coming up with nothing at all, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

Should I head to the Qiu Wu Palace to take another look? Perhaps, I might be able to find something that Kong shi left behind that will bring me some inspiration...

Flicking his wrist, a sphere appeared in his palm. Unique patterns reminiscent of a map were carved on top of it.

Back then, he had kept the entirety of the Qiu Wu Palace in the sphere through fusing the map together with it, allowing him to bring it around anywhere he went.

Let me go in to take a look!

As the master of the sphere, he could easily open a passageway into it. With a thought, he vanished from the spot.

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Chapter 1174: Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Hu!

In the next moment, he was already standing before the tablet erected right outside the Qiu Wu Palace.

The tablet was a gigantic high-tier spirit stone in itself, and it had left him deeply moved back then that he had even considered stealing it. But now... high-tier spirit stones were already completely useless to him, so it no longer held as great of an allure to him anymore.

These words... they have actually reached the level of Evoking Vividness! Zhang Xuan exclaimed as he looked at the three large words, 'Qiu Wu Palace'.

Back then, his proficiency in painting wasn't too high, so he wasn't able to accurately discern its level. However, looking at it once more now, he was very certain that those three words had reached the eighth level.

As mere words, the feelings that evoked from them were unable to match up to an entire painting, but nevertheless, if one were to stare at it for too long, they might find themselves sinking uncontrollably into a trance.

Hm? Those words... Why does it seem like there is something strange about them?

After a short look, just as Zhang Xuan was about to take his leave, he suddenly exclaimed with a frown.

He didn't think that there was anything peculiar about those three words initially, but after staring at them for some time, he suddenly felt his zhenqi jolting within his body. To his shock, his zhenqi had suddenly begun flowing on its own accord.

It's the circulation pathway for the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm! Feeling his zhenqi flowing under the effects of the three words, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but fall in a dazed state.

He recognized the circulation pathway which his zhenqi was moving at to be the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, which he had learned in Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's trial back then. But why would he have such a reaction just by looking at those three words?

Let me give it a try... Allowing his zhenqi to move freely, Zhang Xuan raised his palm and lightly thrust it towards the tablet

After resolving all of the flaws of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, raising it to the level of a Heaven's Path technique, he had gained the ability to manipulate the strength of battle technique freely at his will. Even though he had struck the tablet squarely, the latter didn't sustain the slightest damage at all.

Weng!

As soon as his palm struck the tablet, those three words suddenly emanated a blinding glow. With a stagger, Zhang Xuan vanished from the spot.

When he opened his eyes once more, he found that he had entered another space. The space wasn't too large, and the area was filled with all kinds of inscriptions.

"Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel?" Zhang Xuan read the line of words right before him, and his eyes narrowed in astonishment.

When those inscriptions were placed together, they formed a unique secret art known as the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel.

Just by reading its content, Zhang Xuan could tell that it was an incredibly profound technique, far exceeding any other secret art he had learned thus far.

Could this be... the heritage of the Qiu Wu Palace? A thought suddenly struck Zhang Xuan's mind, and he couldn't help but gasp.

Back then, after being traumatized by him, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's will ended up vanishing before it could reveal where the heritage was located. U.p..dated by BoxNo

Zhang Xuan had thought that the heritage was a gone case after that matter, but who could have thought that it would actually be hidden within a tablet at the entrance?

All who had entered the Qiu Wu Palace had headed straight for its deepest regions in hopes of acquiring the greatest treasure within it. What an irony it was for the most valuable heritage to actually be located in the most conspicuous and open place instead!

However, it seemed like the key to entering this place was to execute the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm. Without knowing the battle technique, even if one were to stand before the tablet and notice its peculiarity, one would still be unable to enter it and obtain the heritage.

"The Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel views the space of heavens and earth as two separate entities, and it seeks the manipulate the two through calculations made through the Number of Grand Transformation 1 ..."

While those inscriptions looked foreign to Zhang Xuan, for some reason, he was still able to fathom the meaning behind them.

"Similar to the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, this secret art is also divided into 5 dans. Those who have mastered the fifth dan will be qualified to stand at the very peak of the world, possessing strength not beneath mine..."

Taking the inscriptions into sight, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in excitement.

Initially, due to his possession of the Library of Heaven's Path, he wasn't particularly concerned about obtaining Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage. However, after looking through the inscriptions, he was glad that he had stumbled upon the heritage eventually. The Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel was truly a powerful technique. If he were to cultivate it well, he would be able to gain a strong grasp over the spatial laws, allowing him to manipulate space skillfully.

With that, his fighting prowess could easily be enhanced manyfold.

If I could just cultivate the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel to 2-dan pinnacle, I would at least be able to escape from Luo Chengxin even if I were to encounter him once more...Zhang Xuan thought in agitation.

So far, Luo Chengxin was the strongest expert he had encountered, a true Saint 7-dan expert. Even if he were to use all of his means, he still wouldn't stand a chance against the other party, and even fleeing was out of the question... But with the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, everything would be different.

Even if he were to just master the secret art to 2-dan, he would still be able to struggle free of the other party's spatial seal and make his escape!

However, it seemed like the secret art had an exceptionally high requirement on one's zhenqi capacity as well. From the looks of it, it seemed like it would be impossible to cultivate it to 2-dan without possessing the cultivation of Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle.

After scanning all of the inscriptions and successfully collecting them into the Library of Heaven's Path, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

Let me see if I can compile it into the level of Heaven's Path!

Over the past few days, he had collected an astounding number of battle technique and secret art manuals. Perhaps, if he were to compile the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel with them, he might just be able to perfect the secret art.

Compile!

A book materialized before Zhang Xuan's eyes.

Flipping open the book, the knowledge contained within the manual flowed into his mind.

I have managed to perfect the 1-dan Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, but I'm still a far way off from perfecting the 2-dan...

While he had only managed to perfect the 1-dan Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, the results were well within his expectations. Overall, he was still satisfied with the outcome.

While the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel formed an entire whole, it was subdivided into multiple dans with increasing levels of profoundness.

So far, the most powerful battle technique he had collected so far was only at Saint intermediate-tier. As powerful as Qingyuan Empire was, the battle technique manuals that it had was still insufficient for him to perfect the entire Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel.

In fact, it was already a huge blessing that he was able to perfect the 1-dan of the secret art here.

Let me try cultivating the secret art...

Zhang Xuan swiftly internalized the 1-dan Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel before backing out of the space within the tablet. He swiftly searched for a quiet location in the Qiu Wu Palace before whipping out his concentrated high-tier spirit stones to cultivate the secret art.

The Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel was a technique that granted one the ability to manipulate space, so in the strictest sense, it couldn't be considered as a cultivation technique or battle technique.

If one were to fully master the secret art, one would be able to manipulate space and traverse through it freely. In fact, it was possible to cover a distance of over a hundred million li within a single day through it.

All in all, the secret art could be divided into five realms, which were namely Compress, Traverse, Control, Creation, and Destruction.

One who masters the 1-dan Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel would be able to compress space, allowing one to cover a distance of a hundred meters in a single step... If used well in battle, it could allow one to catch one's opponents off guard and launch a surprise assault or escape from a cornered situation!

Going through the cultivation technique in his mind, Zhang Xuan drove his zhenqi, and before long, he entered a unique trance. In this state, his comprehension of spatial laws swiftly deepened.

A long time later, he opened his eyes once more and stood up. Then, he took a single step forward.

Hula!

His figure suddenly vanished on the spot and appeared at a distance of a hundred meters ahead.

I succeeded? Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Cultivating the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel wouldn't raise his cultivation, but it would deepen his understanding over the spatial laws. If paired with his Unbounded Treader, he would be able to flit from place to place like a specter!

With my current speed and grasp of spatial laws, I should be able to match even Vice Pavilion Master Tian in a battle...

WIth Zhang Xuan's current fighting prowess, he could already be considered an invincible existence amongst Primordial Spirit cultivators. Even so, it was still difficult for him to go up against Half-Leaving Aperture realm experts like Vice Pavilion Master Tian.

However, after learning the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel and gaining a deeper understanding of space, Half-Leaving Aperture realm experts no longer posed as great of a threat to him anymore. With his enhanced understanding of space, even if the other party were to use his Primordial Spirit to suppress him, he would still be able to easily struggle free. On top of that, as long as he were to play his cards well, he could abruptly appear before his enemy and deal out a lethal blow before the latter could process what was going on.

More importantly, after learning the 1-dan Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, I am already able to set up some basic Spatial Formation. While the Spatial Formations I can create is still severely limited on many aspects, it has the ability to isolate individuals within it from the rest of the world, as well as to... compress matter! Zhang Xuan chuckled in delight.

It was due to his soul being too big that he was unable to fuse it into his Origin Core, but with the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, as long as he could find a way to set up a Spatial Formation to compress his soul, his soul should be able to enter the passageway of his Origin Core and successfully fuse the two together.

However, Zhang Xuan's delight didn't last for too long. Looking at the powdery remains of the concentrated high-tier spirit stones on the ground, he couldn't help but rub his glabella and lament, As powerful as the secret art is, the depletion of zhenqi... is really a little unacceptable...

Just to cultivate the 1-dan Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, he ended up using up the 17 concentrated high-tier spirit stones which he obtained with great difficulty.

Without a doubt, the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel was an invaluable secret art, allowing one to comprehend the essence of space... However, the depletion that resulted from its cultivation was equally fearsome as well.

Initially, he had been thinking that with the concentrated high-tier spirit stones he had at the moment, it should suffice for him to reach Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle at the minimum, but before he ended up expending all of them before he could even start. How stifling!

I really must find a way to earn more money... Zhang Xuan thought as he stood up and left the Qiu Wu Palace.

In any case, at least he had managed to resolve the problem regarding his soul being unable to enter his Origin Core. All he had to do now was to find a way to earn more concentrated high-tier spirit stones!

Ahhh, the days without money sure sure was difficult to endure!

But where can I earn more concentrated high-tier spirit stones? Returning back to his room, Zhang Xuan lowered his head and pondered instead of anxious heading out.

Even if he wanted to earn concentrated high-tier spirit stones, he had to have a concrete direction first. Considering that the Qingyuan royal family only had 17 and the Combat Master Hall could only afford to take out 10... Where else in Qingyuan City could he possibly find more concentrated high-tier spirit stones?

I should go and ask Hall Master Xing! Knowing that it would be futile for him to wrack his brain over it since he didn't have much of an understanding of Qingyuan City in the first place, Zhang Xuan stood up and began heading over to Hall Master Xing's residence.

By this point, the sun had already risen at the horizon. The brilliant rays of the sun pierced through the coldness of the night, bringing warmth to the world.

It didn't take long for Zhang Xuan to find Hall Master Xing.

At this point, the latter had already mastered the Vitreous Heart Tempering Sutra. Over the past few days, his Primordial Spirit had become even purer, and his aura felt denser than before.

At this rate, it shouldn't be long before Hall Master Xing was ready to face the Leaving Aperture Ordeal and push for a breakthrough to Leaving Aperture realm primary stage.

"Hall Master Xing, how are Elder Xu and the others? I hope that they aren't causing you any problem."

Yesterday, Elder Xu and the others were brought away from those of the Combat Master Hall, and given that a day has passed since then, they should have been settled down by now.

"They aren't causing any trouble, but... something weird did happen. Yesterday, Butler Sun happened to pass by their quarters, and shortly after, all of them suddenly chose to join the Xuanxuan Faction as well..." Hall Master Xing said with a perplexed look

The poison masters were far more compliant than he expected them to be, but if he had to point out something weird about them, it would be their excessive respect towards Zhang Xuan's butler.

Sun Qiang's strength was unremarkable, but for some reason, the poison masters from the Poison Hall would bow respectfully to him whenever they met the latter.

As such, that butler extended an invitation to the poison masters to join the Xuanxuan Faction as well, and naturally, that bunch accepted the offer and became members of the Xuanxuan Faction as well.

But of course, that wasn't at odds with them being members of the Combat Master Hall, so it wasn't really a big problem.

"I see... Anyway, I'm glad that they aren't causing any trouble. They have been through a lot, so I hope that you can treat them kindly. They do possess expertise in a field that the Combat Master Hall is lacking in, so it would be good to have the other combat masters to interact with them, allowing them to learn from one another." Zhang Xuan nodded.

"That is my intention as well... Right, Principal Zhang, the other Conferred Empire Combat Master Halls will be coming over for a friendly spar a few days later, so if you have some time, I would like to invite you to conduct a few lectures for our combat masters." Hall Master Xing said.

"The other Conferred Empire Combat Master Halls will be coming over for a friendly spar?"

"That's right. They should be arriving in three days' time." Hall Master Xing nodded.

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Chapter 1175: All at Once

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "How many Combat Master Halls will there be? Will they be... bringing many concentrated high-tier spirit stones with them?"

He was currently about to go insane from a lack of money. If the Conferred Empire Combat Master Halls that were coming over for the friendly spar were wealthy, he could try to think of a way to earn some from them.

As soon as the words 'concentrated high-tier spirit stones' came out of Zhang Xuan's words, Hall Master Xing could immediately guess what the other party was thinking about, and a helpless smile surfaced on his lips. "There are three Conferred Empire Combat Master Halls coming over. They are of the same tier as our branch, so it's unlikely that they will have many concentrated high-tier spirit stones on them!"

"Same tier?"

"Indeed. There is a total of eight Conferred Empires under the Empire Alliance. Four of them belong in the upper tier whereas the remaining four, which includes our Qingyuan Conferred Empire, belong to the lower tier. The ones that are coming over for the friendly spar this time around belong to the latter group. The friendly spar is actually a selection exercise for us to select twenty candidates out of the four Combat Master Halls for the opportunity to train in the Qianchong Conferred Empire," Hall Master Xing explained.

"In previous years, our Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall has only been able to acquire two slots at maximum, putting us at the lowest rank among the four Combat Master Halls. But this time around, seeing that our combat masters have made massive improvements after training with the Xuanxuan Faction, I hope to try to vie for a few more slots."

"Train at the Qianchong Conferred Empire? Is there some kind of blessed land for cultivation there?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Back then, he had headed to the Huanyu Empire in order to access the Cleansing Lake, which was said to be beneficial to soul cultivation. Could it be that the Qianchong Empire had something similar to that as well?

"Speaking of blessed lands, there is indeed one of them there. The Qianchong Empire has a sword pool, which harnesses boundless sword intent and sword art. If a cultivator tempers themself in the sword pool, it will sure enhance their fighting prowess by leaps and bounds. As such, this slot is very important to our Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall. On top of that, the headquarters also reward the Conferred Empire Combat Master Halls according to the number of slots they obtain. The more slots a certain Combat Master Hall obtains, the more resources it will be entitled to!" Hall Master Xing said.

"Resources?" That single word triggered Zhang Xuan's interest, and his eyes immediately lit up.

"Indeed. In the previous friendly spar, the Chongyuan Conferred Empire obtained the most slot, and the headquarters rewarded them with a hundred concentrated high-tier spirit stones," Hall Master Xing replied.

"You said... a hundred concentrated high-tier spirit stones?" Zhang Xuan's hands began trembling in excitement.

If he were to obtain so many concentrated high-tier spirit stones, it would definitely be more than sufficient for him to push for a breakthrough straight to the Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle!

"That's right." Hall Master Xing nodded. "To be honest with you, while it's called a friendly spar, in essence, it could be regarded as a military display for the Combat Master Halls as well. Each Combat Master Hall will send out the strongest expert for each cultivation level and pit them against one another, and to the side that obtains the most victories, the headquarters will not hesitate to award them more resources. In a sense, it serves to motivate the subordinate Combat Master Halls and combat masters to work more diligently than ever."

Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

If one were to view the Combat Master Hall as an army, this friendly spar would be similar to a tournament among the different units.

In times of peace, competition could pressure the Combat Master Halls and their combat masters into pushing themselves to greater heights. Otherwise, without any concrete aims and goals for them to strive for, the morale and discipline of the combat masters could gradually slacken.

"If Principal Zhang can help offer some pointers to our combat masters and help them clinch the top position, I am willing to share half of the awarded concentrated high-tier spirit stones with you. That's already the most that I can give you within the limits of my authority, so I am really unable to share any more with you..." Hall Master Xing said.

The young man before him did not just possess superior fighting prowess, granting him nigh invincible might among his peers, his comprehension of combat and battle techniques had also achieved an unfathomable level.

While he rarely offered any guidance to others, his pointers were always spot-on, leaving one deeply enlightened by his teachings. If they could really engage his help, the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall could very well surpass its previous results and reach a new peak.

It was with this in mind that Hall Master Xing had offered Zhang Xuan such generous terms upon seeing the latter.

"Deal!"

Before Hall Master Xing could finish his words, the young man before him had already interjected decisively.

Was there any need to hesitate over the matter?

What he was lacking at this very moment was concentrated high-tier spirit stones! Putting aside half of the total reward pool, even if Hall Master Xing had offered him just one-third of it, he would still have accepted the request without any hesitation.

Seeing that Zhang Xuan had agreed to the request, Hall Master Xing heaved a sigh of relief. "It's settled then! If nothing goes wrong, the men from the other three Combat Master Halls should be arriving within three days. Principal Zhang, I'll leave the training of the combat masters completely in your hands, so feel free to do whatever you want. Don't worry, I'll order them to abide by your commands unconditionally!"

"You said earlier that the friendly spar is a fight among the strongest cultivator of each cultivation realm. May I know what the specific cultivation levels for the friendly spars are, and have the candidates been chosen yet?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"All in all, there are twenty candidates, and the cultivation levels range from Chrysalis realm primary stage to Spiritual Perception realm pinnacle—all in all, twenty cultivation stages. We have already chosen the candidates," Hall Master Xing replied.

Chrysalis realm, Half-Saint, Nascent Saint, Void Pursuit realm, and Spiritual Perception realm, and each realm consisted of primary stage, intermediate stage, advanced stage, and pinnacle. This added up to twenty cultivation stages.

Each Combat Master Hall would dispatch their strongest expert for each of the cultivation stages for the friendly spar, and the ultimate winner in that class would be entitled to the nomination slot.

"Where are they? Bring me over to meet them." Since Hall Master Xing had already chosen the candidates, the remaining part was rather simple. He would just have to find what each individual was skilled in and offer the other party pointers in that aspect so as to maximize the other party's fighting prowess.

"They are currently in the training hall." Hall Master Xing smiled as he quickly led the way over.

The training hall was located in the vicinity of the Martial Arts Division, and it was a place where combat masters sparred with one another in their free time. The hall was extremely spacious. There were four dueling platforms erected at the very center with a spectator stand at the outer perimeter. At the same time, there were also seclusion chambers for combat masters to rest in between battles as well.

Even before entering the training hall, the sound of swift air currents could be heard in the air. It seemed like there were quite a few people sparring within the training hall. Excited cheers and anxious shouts could be heard here and there, creating a lively atmosphere.

Walking into the training hall, Zhang Xuan swiftly saw two combat masters clashing with one another on one of the dueling platforms. Elegant moves sprung forth from both parties one after another as their immense strength collided again and again, drawing in fixated gazes on them.

Surrounding the dueling platform was around a dozen combat masters. Whenever they saw a formidable move being executed, they would cheer in excitement.

Zhang Xuan took a swift look through the group, and to his astonishment, he found two familiar faces—Shi Hao from the Inner Breath Division and Jiao Tan from the Martial Arts Division.

These two were top-notch geniuses from the Combat Master Hall, so it was not too surprising that the both of them had made it onto the list of candidates to participate in the friendly spar.

"Hall Master Xing, Zhang shi!"

Upon seeing the two figures walking over from the entrance, the crowd quickly halted what they were doing and clasped their fists respectfully.

Hall Master Xing stepped forward and said, "There's no need to stand on ceremony. I believe that all of you should be familiar with Principal Zhang, so I shall not waste any time introducing him to you all again."

The crowd nodded.

In the past few days that Zhang Xuan had spent in the Combat Master Hall, he had paid a visit to all the divisions and caused a huge ruckus in each of them. They would have to have been living under a rock to have not heard of him.

A person who consecutively broke the records of every single trial in the Combat Master Hall, and by an inconceivably large margin at that, at this point, they were filled with nothing but admiration and awe for the other party.

"Our Combat Master Hall has high expectations for the friendly spar with the other Conferred Empire Combat Master Halls that will be coming here in three days' time. In view of that, we have specially invited Principal Zhang over here to conduct special training for all of you. I expect all of you to cooperate fully with him, got that?"

"Yes, Hall Master Xing!"

Upon hearing that Zhang Xuan was going to train them, the eyes of the combat masters immediately lit up in excitement.

They had witnessed the astounding might of the Xuanxuan Faction with their very own eyes.

To be taught by the person who had transformed an ordinary Master Teacher Academy filled with ordinary master teachers into a power whose fighting prowess exceeded combat masters of the same cultivation... They could not help but shudder in excitement as they imagined how their fighting prowess would soar within the next three days!

"Principal Zhang, why don't you come up here and say a few words as well?" Hall Master Xing invited with a smile.

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded. Without wasting any time on pleasantries, he flicked his wrist and whipped out some rope before saying, "Hall Master Xing, please tie my hands up."

"Ah?" Hall Master Xing was stunned.

"Please tie my hands up."

Hall Master Xing had no idea what Zhang Xuan was up to, but the latter must have had his own reasons for making such a request. Thus, without any further hesitation, he pulled Zhang Xuan's hands behind his back and tied them firmly together.

Struggling a little, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction when he confirmed that he was unable to break out of his binds. Then, he leaped onto the stage and said, "Suppress all of your cultivation to Chrysalis realm primary stage and... come at me together!"

After saying those words, Zhang Xuan swiftly suppressed his Saint 2-dan pinnacle cultivation down to Chrysalis realm primary stage before standing patiently at a corner of the dueling platform.

"You want all of us to attack you together?"

"Zhang shi, you intend to fight all of us with your hands bound?"

"Is this for real?"

"Zhang shi, I admire your strength, but to think that you will be able to fight against all of us with your hands bound... I have to say that you are really taking us too lightly!"

...

Seeing Zhang Xuan's actions, the faces of the combat masters flushed crimson, and they could not help but narrow their eyes slightly in anger.

No matter what, they were the geniuses specially picked out by the Combat Master Hall to participate in the friendly spar, the strongest combat masters in their power class.

It was true that Zhang Xuan possessed strength far surpassing theirs, and one-on-one, they would stand no match at all. However, to challenge all twenty of them with his hands bound... Was he not mocking them?

"Why? You dare not accept my challenge?"

Despite Zhang Xuan's provocations, none of the twenty candidates dared step forward. Thus, Zhang Xuan glanced at them leisurely and continued. "Since that's the case, I'll leave behind two footprints here. If anyone of you can make me take a single step away from here, I'll consider it my loss!'

As he spoke, he stepped lightly on the ground, and two footprints appeared on the sturdy ground of the dueling platform.

"What pure zhenqi..."

The crowd widened their eyes at that sight.

Given that the dueling platforms would have to endure the might of the cultivators fighting above it, they had been constructed with the most resilient of materials. On top of that, there were also several seals cast over them, such that even Saint realm experts would struggle to make a mark on them. Yet, despite lowering his cultivation to Chrysalis realm primary stage, the other party had left such a clear imprint on the dueling platform just by stepping lightly on it.

Only a cultivator with unbelievably pure zhenqi could possibly concentrate their strength to their feet to such an extent!

"The purity of Zhang shi's zhenqi is indeed incredible. However, to defeat all of us while neither using your hands nor moving your feet... even for an expert of your caliber, that should be an impossible task!"

After a short moment, a combat master suddenly harrumphed before leaping onto the stage. "Why don't I test it out first? If you are able to defeat me even like that, we will go against you all at once!"

The combat master was none other than Shi Hao!

He was the young man who had suppressed his cultivation for twenty whole years to achieve a new record for the Trial of Inner Breath, only to be outdone by Zhang Xuan a few moments later. After that traumatizing experience, he had managed to achieve a breakthrough, and he was currently a Saint 2-dan intermediate stage expert.

Hearing Shi Hao's suggestion, the remaining combat masters nodded in agreement.

As fellow peers, they were aware of the immense strength that Shi Hao wielded, and they trusted deeply in his capabilities. Through watching the battle between him and Zhang Xuan, they would be able to discern the fighting prowess of the latter with his hands bound and feet in place.

Geji! Geji!

After stepping onto the stage, Shi Hao wasted no time with words and swiftly suppressed his cultivation to Chrysalis realm primary stage, just like Zhang Xuan.

"Zhang shi, please guide me!" Shi Hao said with narrowed eyes.

Raising his hand, he sent a powerful burst of zhenqi toward Zhang Xuan before charging forward.

Even before Shi Hao's figure reached Zhang Xuan, the burst of zhenqi he had sent prior had already arrived.

Shi Hao knew of the strength that Zhang Xuan possessed, so he did not hesitate to devote his full strength to the burst of zhenqi. Under the immense might of the burst of zhenqi, even the sturdy ground of the dueling platform could not help but tremble uncontrollably.

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Chapter 1176: Infinitesimal Maneuver

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Not bad!"

Seeing how Shi Hao was no longer relying on brute force as he had done previously after the past few days of training, Zhang Xuan nodded in approval. Facing the other party's assault, he stood his ground firmly and tilted his body slightly.

Huala!

Shi Hao's palm strike flowed right past Zhang Xuan's shoulders, missing by just a hair's breadth.

This evasion was truly beautifully carried out. A split second earlier, and the other party might still be able to alter the trajectory of his strike to launch a different attack; a split second later, and he would have been injured by the other party's strike.

"This is... Infinitesimal Maneuver?"

Beneath the dueling platform, Hall Master Xing narrowed his eyes in shock.

"Hall Master Xing, what is Infinitesimal Maneuver?" an uncomprehending combat master asked doubtfully.

"Infinitesimal Maneuver is the act of precisely calculating the might, timing, and trajectory of an opponent's offense and making the corresponding maneuvers to neutralize the offense. Through doing so, one is able to dodge any attack with ease and even prepare a counterattack in advance, allowing one to turn the tables in an instant," Hall Master Xing explained.

The fundamental principle behind Infinitesimal Maneuver involved dodging attacks at the very last moment so that the opponent would not have chance to alter their offense, and at a close proximity, one would be in a good position to launch a counterattack and turn the tables.

The theory behind Infinitesimal Maneuver was simple, but it was too difficult to carry it out in practice. Not only did one need to have an exceptional eye of discernment and sharp reflexes, more importantly, one's state of mind needed to have reached a certain mark as well.

Ultimately, humans were living beings, not puppets that would blindly follow orders. Inevitably, a cultivator would feel nervous and uncertain when a sword was right before them, and there would be an instinctive desire to protect themself and distance themself from the sword.

"Even among Leaving Aperture realm experts, I only know of a very small handful who have reached such a realm, and even I have not reached this level yet. I honestly didn't expect Principal Zhang to have achieved this level," Hall Master Xing remarked in awe.

"Leaving Aperture realm?"

The crowd was astonished. No wonder Zhang Xuan was so formidable, shattering all the records in the Combat Master Hall! His talent in martial arts had indeed far exceeded theirs.

While the crowd was still shocked by the matter, Zhang Xuan, who had just dodged Shi Hao's palm, began to launch his counterattack. At this point, Zhang Xuan was already close to Shi Hao as a result of latter's palm strike, and with a slight jerk of his shoulder, he lightly struck the other party's chest.

Hu!

Before Shi Hao could even react, his figure had already retreated into the distance before crashing onto the ground.

Shi Hao swiftly got up, and with a pale face, he clasped his fist and bowed. "I have lost..."

He knew that the other party had gone easy on him, or else things would not have ended so easily. If the other party had willed it so, he could have died from that shoulder jerk itself.

Zhang Xuan turned to the remaining combat masters and said, "Come at me all at once."

Huala!

This time, the remaining combat masters leaped onto the dueling platform without any hesitation.

A young man amid the combat masters bellowed, "Let's surround him and use our fastest battle techniques to overwhelm him. I don't believe that he will be able to dodge every single one of our attacks!"

He was none other than Jiao Tan.

As the genius of the Martial Arts Division, he had a deep understanding of combat. With just a look, he was able to instantaneously identify what Zhang Xuan's flaws would be with his hands tied.

The remaining nineteen combat masters swiftly took their positions around Zhang Xuan, and when a loud "Move!" was shouted by Jiao Tan, all of them executed their fastest battle techniques simultaneously.

Sou sou sou sou sou!

The loud whirring of wind sounded on the dueling platform. In that instant, it was as if countless arrows were raining down from the sky, covering Zhang Xuan entirely.

"Let's see how he will deal with such a situation," Hall Master Xing muttered as he stared at the situation on the dueling platform intently, not daring to blink.

Every member of the Combat Master Hall had learned all sorts of collaborative formations, which allowed them to collaborate with one another under any circumstances, regardless of how many people they had, thus synergizing their offense together and exerting a fighting prowess far beyond what they could achieve individually.

Despite having suppressed their cultivation to Chrysalis realm primary stage, the simultaneous offense of the nineteen combat masters was truly fearsome. Even a Nascent Saint would have been crushed into a lump of meat in the face of their combined might.

Intrigued to see how the talented Zhang Xuan would neutralize this situation, Hall Master Xing drove his strength as a Leaving Aperture realm cultivator, and everything on the stage seemed to slow down for him. He could perceive even the slightest of gestures made by anyone on top of the dueling platform with perfect clarity.

Fist, finger, palm, head, leg... All sorts of attacks from the nineteen combat masters simultaneously fell upon Zhang Xuan. They were all the most talented geniuses of the Combat Master Hall, and under the incredible might of their collaboration, even the surrounding air seemed to have been thrown into a state of disarray, producing a series of sonic booms in the air.

Seeing the storm-like offense carried out by the nineteen combat masters, Hall Master Xing unwittingly imaged himself in Zhang Xuan's position, and his body shuddered slightly in apprehension.

Even with his current fighting prowess, he knew that he would not stand a chance against that barrage of attacks if he suppressed his cultivation as well.

Looking intently to see how Zhang Xuan would deal with such a situation, he saw the latter standing still on the spot instead, not moving in the least. It was as if he had not even realized the precarious situation he was in!

This attack could deal significant damage to him even if he didn't suppress his cultivation, but he still isn't planning to avoid it? Hall Master Xing was appalled.

However, in the next instant, his eyes suddenly narrowed in astonishment.

He realized that the other party was not standing still on the spot at all. On the contrary, the other party was moving so quickly and slightly that it was imperceptible to the naked eye. Even with his Spiritual Perception, he was only able to make out bits and pieces of it.

Hualala!

Due to Zhang Xuan's slight movements, the attacks of the combat masters ended up falling empty. Astonishingly, despite the encirclement that they had put up, they were not able to land even a single blow on the unmoving Zhang Xuan!

"This... This..." Hall Master Xing felt his throat running dry.

Back when he, Division Head Liao, and Division Head Wei had assaulted the other party at the Trial of Inner Demons, he clearly had not been that formidable. How could he suddenly have grown so much more powerful within three short days?

In this instant, it seemed as if the young man had absolute control over the space around him. Regardless of whether the attack had come from the front or the back, he could perceive it with absolute precision and move accordingly.

"Alright, it should be my turn now."

At this moment, a nonchalant voice suddenly sounded from the dueling platform.

That voice carried a quality that seemed as if it had come from the primordial era, reverberating deeply in his mind, leaving him feeling light-headed.

Sh*t, this is a demonic tune! Hall Master Xing widened his eyes in alarm.

He was just about to warn the combat masters on the dueling platform when he saw that the eyes of the nineteen on the stage were glazed. It was already too late; they had fallen in a trance.

Huala!

Following that, instead of making use of this opportunity to launch an assault, Zhang Xuan swept a nonchalant gaze over the combat masters.

His movements were poised and dignified, reminiscent of an emperor assessing his soldiers authoritatively or a strict teacher staring down on students who had skipped class.

This seemingly simple gesture effected endless fear and deference within the hearts of the combat masters.

Putong!

One of the combat masters who had a lower Soul Depth could not take it any longer and caved in to Zhang Xuan's gaze. He kneeled down onto the floor and pleaded for forgiveness. "I was wrong, please forgive me. I will not dare to do it again."

While the other combat masters did not cave in directly, their bodies were wobbling on the spot, an indication that their minds were swiftly approaching their limits.

"There's no need to continue the battle any longer. You have all lost." Hall Master Xing quickly leaped onto the dueling platform to halt the duel. After which, he subconsciously turned his gaze toward Zhang Xuan once more to assess the young man.

Facing the assault of nineteen men with his feet planted on the ground and hands tied behind his back, he was still able to fend off the storm-like barrage of attacks easily. Not only so, with just a single sentence, he had incapacitated all of them, and with a gaze, he had forced all of them into submission.

This was too fearsome!

"Yes!"

It was only after hearing Hall Master Xing's bellow that everyone finally recovered from their trance. At this point, their robes were already completely drenched with sweat. Facing Zhang Xuan once more, they subconsciously took a step back out of fear.

They did not even realize when they had fallen into a trance... If the other party had borne ill intentions toward them, they would have been corpses by now!

Paying no heed to the shocked combat masters, Hall Master Xing walked up to Zhang Xuan and asked in bewilderment, "Principal Zhang, you should have utilized the means of a terpsichore earlier, right?"

The other party's words had been imbued with the ability of a demonic tunist, that he could be certain of, but that sweeping gaze at the very end... he was not too sure, but it deeply resembled the ability of terpsichores.

"That's right." Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Terpsichores... are able to command such a powerful presence as well?" Hall Master Xing frowned in incomprehension.

In his mind, terpsichores were scantily-dressed ladies who beguiled others through their dances, but Principal Zhang's gestures were reminiscent of a regal emperor, and his eyes carried authority that none would dare defy. Were terpsichores capable of doing this as well?

"The abilities of a terpsichore are not just centered around charm. If that was all there was to the occupation, Kong shi would not have allowed this occupation to be classified as a unique occupation in the first place. Those who have reached the peak of terpsichorean arts are capable of influencing others with just a simple gaze or gesture, granting them unthinkable fighting prowess in battle," Zhang Xuan said calmly as he undid the ropes behind him with a slight jerk of his hands.

If terpsichores had to rely on their physical features and alluring dances to charm and attack other cultivators, they would have been unworthy of being one of the unique occupations.

As the saying went, 'the greatest sound is silence, and the greatest form is formless."

If the heritage of terpsichores had truly been that shallow, there was no way it would have been able to withstand the trial of time.

"I am enlightened," Hall Master Xing replied with his face slightly reddened in embarrassment.

To be honest, as a combat master, he had always looked down on the terpsichore occupation. He had thought that they were a shallow occupation that used their physical traits to charm others, but the situation had clearly shown him that there was no such thing as an occupation being unworthy of respect; there were only people who were unworthy of respect.

Turning his attention away from Hall Master Xing, Zhang Xuan turned to the candidates once more and said, "Despite coming at me together, none of you managed to touch me. Is there anyone who disagrees with the results and would like to give it another go?"

"We dare not..."

"We are completely in awe of you!"

"Zhang shi, we beseech you to teach us well!"

...

The crowd looked at Zhang Xuan with impassioned, fiery eyes.

If they had only been impressed by Zhang Xuan's talent previously, after that battle, they had no choice but to acknowledge that they were inferior to the young man in every respect.

It was almost as if they lived in two different worlds.

To be able to learn from a person like that was indubitably something extremely fortunate.

"Un." Seeing that the attitudes of the crowd had changed, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

The reason he had chosen to have his hands and feet bound to fight with those combat masters was not to show off but to shake their confidence and win their trust instead.

This would be extremely important if he wanted to induce a metamorphosis in them within just three days.

"Since no one wants to spar with me anymore, I'll begin the training exercise. Every single one of you will have a different task to deal with, and you must accomplish it within three days. If you fail... don't blame me not getting cruel!"

The crowd nodded. "Yes!"

"Un. All of you are different from the members of the Xuanxuan Faction. Their eye of discernment and combat sense were not too strong when they first joined the organization, so I could simply impart everything I knew to them. You guys are different. Having internalized countless battle techniques, my lectures on combat sense will likely have minimal effects on you. So, I can only resort to another method."

Seeing the crowd agree to it, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, took out a few pieces of paper, and swiftly jotted down twenty different training plans.

"Alright, I have designed the training plans specially for each of you. Cultivate strictly according to your!"

The combat masters took the training plans and swiftly lowered their gazes to look at them excitedly. However, barely after taking a look, their eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets from shock.

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Chapter 1177: Eccentric Training Regimes

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

In the Elder Hall of the Combat Master Hall...

"Hall Master Xing has gone to find Principal Zhang?" Division Head Wei frowned.

Division Head Liao nodded. "Indeed. If I'm not mistaken, Principal Zhang should have started training our combat masters by now."

"With Principal Zhang's help, I am reassured. Even average master teachers in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy have become experts on par with us, combat masters, after just a few sessions of tutelage; his capabilities are truly nothing short of being phenomenal!"

"My thoughts exactly! It might just be three short days, but with his help, the fighting prowess of our twenty candidates would surely advance by leaps and bounds. Perhaps, we might really be able to bring about a miracle this time around," Division Head Liao remarked.

Having interacted with the Xuanxuan Faction previously, he had a clear understanding of how frighteningly effective Zhang Xuan's teachings could be. In just a few short months, not only was the fighting prowess of the Xuanxuan Faction enhanced significantly, their comprehension of combat had also achieved a level comparable or perhaps even exceeding theirs!

"Shall we secretly take a look at how the training is going?" Division Head Wei proposed out of curiosity.

"Secretly take a look?"

"Un. To be honest, I'm interested to see how Principal Zhang intends to train that lot. If we could learn a thing or two from him, we could emulate his methods and groom generation after generation of powerful combat masters!" Division Head Wei stroked his beard with an excited gleam in his eyes.

"Your words do makes sense... Alright, let's head over there together!" Moved by the idea as well, Division Head Liao stood up.

The training regimes that Zhang Xuan had prepared for the combat masters were not confidential, and as a division head of the Combat Master Hall, it was not a big deal for them to 'watch over' the training of the combat masters anyway.

Thus, the duo hurriedly made their way over to the training hall.

"Hmm? Why is the door open?"

The first thing that they noticed upon arriving in the vicinity of the training hall was that its massive doors were wide open. Typically speaking, when a training session was in place, the doors should have been tightly shut.

Glancing at one another in confusion, the duo walked into the training hall, only to find that there was not a single silhouette to be found in the vast room. It was as if the twenty candidates had vanished into thin air.

"Where are they?"

The two division heads looked at one another in bewilderment.

They had been informed earlier that the special training would be conducted in the training hall, so they had expected to see a lecture when they walked in. But this... did they change the location at the last moment or something?

The duo scanned every nook and cranny of the training hall, but none of the twenty candidates were in sight. A moment later, Division Head Wei raised his finger toward one of the isolated chambers and said, "Why don't we ask the cleaner over there? He might know a thing or two."

Following Division Head Wei's finger, Division Head Liao saw a cleaner dressed in dirty clothes scrubbing a toilet bowl within the isolated chamber earnestly.

"This friend over here, did you happen to see a group of combat masters train... ing..."

Before Division Head Wei could finish his words, the cleaner scrubbing the toilet bowl suddenly turned around, and upon getting a clear look of the other party's face, his lips suddenly began twitching

He was one of the candidates who would be representing their Combat Master Hall in the friendly spar, Shi Hao!

Through the exceptionally vast capacity and dense zhenqi that Shi Hao possessed, he had become a famous figure throughout the Combat Master Hall. For such a figure to be scrubbing toilet bowls... and not to mention, the friendly spar was only three days away. He should have been cultivating at that moment!

Upon seeing the duo, Shi Hao quickly clasped his fist respectfully. "Division Head Wei, Division Head Liao!"

"W-what are you doing here? Where are the rest? Didn't Hall Master Xing invite Principal Zhang to lecture you all?" Unable to hold back his shock, he shot straight to the question at hand.

"This is the training regime that Zhang shi has set for me. He has ordered me to clean every single toilet bowl in the Combat Master Hall within three days," Shi Hao replied.

"Clean all of the toilet bowls in the Combat Master Hall within three days?" The two division heads widened their eyes in shock.

All in all, there were more than ten thousand people in the Combat Master Hall, and the visitors from the Xuanxuan Faction added another ten thousand to the number. In order to house twenty thousand men simultaneously, it was a given that there were many public facilities. Even by the lower estimates, there had to be at least a thousand toilet bowls throughout the Combat master Hall!

Was it even possible to scrub so many toilet bowls within three days? Taking a step back, even if it could be done, what about the friendly spar? Did Shi Hao not need to cultivate?

"That's right. Furthermore, he has strictly ordered that I can only use this tool in the cleaning," Shi Hao said as he raised the item in his hand.

The sight of that item left the eyelids of the two division heads twitching wildly.

Astonishingly, what was in the other party's hand was not a scrubbing brush or anything of that sort but a feather duster!

The softness of a feather duster made it suited for cleaning dust, but to clear off the grime and filth that was firmly attached to the toilet bowl... Could it be done?

"Pardon me, division heads, but I don't have much time to spare. I have to finish scrubbing all of the toilet bowls within three days, or else a pitiful fate will be awaiting me. I have to get to work now!"

After saying those words, Shi Hao decisively turned away from the two and continued scrubbing the toilet bowl before him diligently.

"Ah... Alright then, we won't trouble you any longer. That... Do you know where the other combat masters are?" Division Head Wei asked.

Without raising his head, Shi Hao replied, "Jiao Tan is busy smacking flies buzzing around the bathroom outside, and Qin Xiao is trying to catch birds. As for the rest, I'm not too sure. However, they should be within the vicinity, so you can try looking for them."

"Smacking flies? Catching birds?"

The bodies of the two division heads swayed from side to side as the vision before them abruptly darkened.

Shouldn't they have been listening to a lecture at this very moment?

Weren't the combat masters supposed to be attending a crash course to raise their fighting prowess as much as possible over the next three days?

But... scrubbing toilet bowls, smacking flies, and catching birds... It was as if the world had gone bonkers!

Perplexed, the duo walked out of the training hall with confusion clearly written on their faces. They were intending to search for the fly-smacking Jiao Tan and bird-catching Qin Xiao when they saw a young man following behind a female combat master with a bright smile on his face.

"Big sister, don't leave. Why don't we explore the intricacies of the human body together..."

Pah!

"Hey! If you are unwilling, just say so. There's no need to resort to violence! That big brother over there, are you interested in exploring the intricacies of the human body together?"

"Scram!"

"Roger that!"

Upon seeing this sight, Division Head Wei subconsciously turned his gaze to Division Head Liao, and just as he had expected, the latter's lips were twitching wildly, and his face was so reddened that it seemed as if he would burst into tears at any moment.

"If I'm not mistaken, that young man over there is your student, Lu Jianling, right?"

"That's indeed my student. He has always been a rather shy and introverted person, so why... would he be chasing after ladies and uttering such brazen words? Not to mention, why in the world is he chasing after men as well?" Division Head Liao covered his face from the utter shame as he instinctively walked away in a different direction.

He was afraid that his student would actually run up to him and invite him to explore the intricacies of the human body together. His old heart would not have been able to take that blow!

On the other hand, Division Head Wei looked at the sight a little longer and gulped down a mouthful of saliva before catching up with Division Head Liao.

The duo continued walking forward, and before long, they saw a young man standing before a tree, driving his zhenqi furiously. He seemed to be undergoing some kind of intense training.

"This should be Dong Rui from the Guardian Division. He has managed to temper his physical body to an astonishing degree, such that swords and sabers will struggle to leave a scratch on his body," Division Head Wei remarked with a nod.

It was gladdening to see someone normal among the insanity.

Otherwise, if they were to continue seeing more madness before them, they feared that they would suffer a mental breakdown soon.

"Un." Division Head Liao heaved a sigh of relief.

He was just about to continue speaking when Dong Rui suddenly finished conditioning himself. He began scrambling up the tree with his four limbs, and upon reaching the very top, he... let go?

Paji!

He fell head first into the ground, reminiscent of a carrot planted in the earth.

Putong!

Dong Rui had to struggle a fair bit before he was able to pluck himself out. He applied some medicine on himself before walking up to the tree once more, conditioning his body, and repeating the cycle.

Paji!

Once again, he fell head first to the ground, and this time, blood sprayed out of his head.

"..."

The two division heads felt as if they were going insane.

What were they doing instead of training?

These combat masters were geniuses who they had specially picked out to participate in the friendly spar, and the Combat Master Hall had high expectations of them. Everyone was waiting for them to bring glory back to the Combat Master Hall, and yet, all of them had suddenly gone insane at this crucial moment!

Proceeding forward, they encountered more and more bewildering sights. One was sprawled within a bathing vat, acting like a corpse. One had buried himself in the ground, not moving in the least...

It did not take long for them to find all twenty geniuses, but it was like all of them had become psychopaths, carrying out actions that no sane human would ever do again and again.

Instead of the arrival of a miracle that they had anticipated, it seemed like a cataclysm had struck their Combat Master Hall instead!

"Hall Master Xing, what is going on?"

Unable to take it any longer, the two division heads headed straight to Hall Master Xing's residence, only to see the latter staring blankly into the sky.

Hall Master Xing turned around to look at them with a deeply helpless look. "I... have no idea either."

It was then that the duo realized that the head of the usually dashing Hall Master Xing was completely ruffled like a bird's nest. There were dark bags beneath his eyes, as if he had not slept for a few days straight.

"Principal Zhang is the one who made the call, and he requested that I not interfere in the training regime. I also have no idea what he's up to either!"

At this moment, Hall Master Xing was truly on the verge of a mental breakdown.

He had thought that Zhang Xuan would put their combat masters through some special intensive training, but the moment that he saw the papers listing the training regimes, he had nearly lost his mind.

Special it was indeed... but this was way too freaking special!

Are you sure that this can still be considered training? Are you secretly plotting the downfall of our Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall instead?

"You don't know either? Then... are we going to just let him fool around like that?" Division Head Wei exclaimed.

"I tried talking to him about the matter too, but he said that... if we don't trust him, we should have just trained the candidates ourselves. I also hesitated for very long before deciding to leave it be," Hall Master Xing replied with a bitter smile.

In his many years as the head of the Combat Master Hall, this was the first time that he had seen something as mystifying as this.

But since he had asked for Zhang Xuan's help, it was only right for him to trust the other party.

"But..."

The two division heads wanted to protest, but they had no idea where they should start.

A long time later, Division Head Wei finally found the words to speak. "Is Principal Zhang... really training our combat masters?"

"I have no idea either... but my thought is that since it's unlikely that three days of training by us will make any substantial difference in the results of the friendly spar. Therefore, we might as well just allow him to do as he pleases. Perhaps... who knows? There might really just be a miracle!" While Hall Master Xing said those words, his shaking head was more than enough to show his skepticism.

Their Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall had been in a weak position for a very long time. While they would be dispatching their greatest geniuses to participate in the friendly spar, it was still questionable whether or not they would be able to obtain even two slots.

Since that was the case, they might as well place their bets on Zhang Xuan and pray for a miracle. Considering the unthinkable feats that the latter had pulled off in the past, it was not out of the question!

"It seems like this is our only option at the moment..." Division Head Wei took a look around, but Zhang Xuan was not in sight, so he asked, "Oh right, where is Principal Zhang?"

"He just obtained his 7-star physician and appraiser emblem, and he said that he would be paying a visit to the Master Teacher Pavilion to apply for his promotion to 7-star master teacher," Hall Master Xing replied.

"Promotion to 7-star master teacher?"

The duo was slightly taken aback by those words.

We invited you to train our combat masters, and yet, after turning all of them into lunatics, you even ran off to the Master Teacher Pavilion by yourself!

Isn't this a little too much?

The two division heads looked up into the sky as well, and a very long time later, a deep sigh escaped from their mouths.

...

Just as Hall Master Xing had said, Zhang Xuan was currently in the Master Teacher Pavilion.

To him, training the combat masters was just a minor issue. What was more important for him was to be promoted to 7-star master teacher.

He needed that promotion in order to vie for the nomination slot to the Sanctum of Sages and find Luo Ruoxin. This was the only chance he had. Otherwise, once Luo Ruoxin was married in the third month of the next year, everything would be over.

Walking through the vast hall of the Master Teacher Pavilion, Zhang Xuan headed straight for Wu shi's residence.

Due to him having cleared the Empire Building, he could apply for his promotion to 7-star master teacher directly without undergoing the examination. It would be troublesome to explain that matter to the others, so he decided to find Wu shi immediately and have the latter clear it for him.

Before Zhang Xuan could enter Wu shi's residence, he heard the voice of an old man from within the room.

"Wu shi, if it wasn't for Vice Pavilion Master Tian noticing the trap laid by the Otherworldly Demons, our Master Teacher Pavilion might not exist. Yet, you had him captured over the trivial matter of slandering a 6-star master teacher? Don't you think that you are making a mountain out of a molehill?"

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Chapter 1178: Today, One of Us Shall Fall!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Pavilion Master Gou, Hall Master Xing of the Combat Master Hall and I witnessed this matter with our own eyes. There is concrete evidence to prove it!" Wu shi anxiously exclaimed.

"You said that there is concrete evidence to prove this matter?" The old man spoke once more. "As a master teacher, you should know better than to blindly trust your eyes! You have to carefully investigate the issue in order to discern fact from fiction, not to mention, this matter involves a vice pavilion master! If we go by your judgement and rule that our vice pavilion master attempted to frame a 6-star master teacher, what will become of the reputation of our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion?"

"This..." Wu shi's voice grew slightly hesitant.

In order for the local Master Teacher Pavilion to maintain order in the region, reputation was of utmost importance. If it was made known that a vice pavilion master had tried to oppress a lower-ranked master teacher, the credibility of the entire Master Teacher Pavilion would be doubted, and they would become the laughingstock of the world!

Wu shi paused for a moment before responding. "Pavilion Master Gou, I understand that our reputation is important, but even more so is fairness! As master teachers, we should conduct ourselves properly and remain neutral. If we side with our own master teachers for the sake of our reputation, how can we be qualified to pass judgement upon others?"

It was true that the reputation of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion would be sullied if Vice Pavilion Master Tian was convicted for the current accusations. However, if it was discovered that their Master Teacher Pavilion had willfully sided with their own men, it would cast doubt over the leadership of the master teachers over the Master Teacher Continent!

"Fairness? Are you trying to tell me that your words are the very embodiment of fairness? What I heard is that Vice Pavilion Master Tian has been wronged instead!" The old man harrumphed coldly. "Tian Qing, recount the matters that happened yesterday to me once more!"

"Yes!" Vice Pavilion Master Tian said from within the room. "It's like this. King Zhongqing is in charge of the defenses of the city, and after capturing the vice head of the Hongyuan Empire Poison Hall, he managed to acquire critical intelligence regarding the Poison Hall and successfully led an expedition to eradicate it.

"On top of that, he also learned that there was a particularly formidable poison master known as Sun Qiang hiding within the city, and there was a very good chance that the latter's existence could place mankind in danger. After investigating the matter, he found that Sun Qiang happened to be Zhang Xuan's butler!

"Given that a master teacher was involved in the matter, he knew that he could not act recklessly, so he came to seek my assistance in the matter. Thus, I invited Zhang Xuan over to King Zhongqing's manor in my name, but not only did Zhang Xuan refuse to cooperate with the investigation, he even forcefully freed Sun Qiang and made a move against the both of us..."

"Made a move against the both of you?" Wu shi's eyes shot up in displeasure. "Vice Pavilion Master Tian, don't you think that your words are ludicrous? Principal Zhang is a Saint 2-dan pinnacle cultivator whereas you are a Half-Leaving Aperture realm expert. Are you trying to tell us that Principal Zhang is so foolish as to pick a fight against someone more than two cultivation realms stronger than him?"

He could not tell anyone about Zhang Xuan's identity as a Celestial Master Teacher, but that did not mean that he would not fight against anyone who dared to frame him!

"The one who has attacked me wasn't Zhang Xuan himself but a cauldron in his possession. The cauldron is a Saint intermediate-tier artifact, and it wields strength comparable to mine," Vice Pavilion Master Tian replied.

"That only discredits your story further. Despite being a master teacher, you aren't able to match a mere Saint intermediate-tier cauldron?"

As powerful as a Saint intermediate-tier artifact was, without a person to drive it, it was unable to bring out its full prowess. For someone as powerful a Vice Pavilion Master Tian to be unable to match a mere Saint intermediate-tier artifact... wasn't this a joke in itself?

"Fine." Vice Pavilion Master Tian harrumphed coldly. "Since you insist that I have attempted to frame Zhang Xuan, let me ask you this... do I have any reason to pick on him?"

"This..." Wu shi are stumped.

"I am the vice head of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, as well as a 7-star master teacher. In terms of standing, he's nowhere near me. Do you think that it makes any sense for me to put my career as a master teacher on the line just to deal with a mere principal of a Master Teacher Academy whom I have no connections whatsoever with?" Vice Pavilion Master Tian argued.

This was exactly what had confounded Wu shi as well.

He could not understand why Vice Pavilion Master Tian would make a move against Zhang Xuan either.

A person who was seemingly superior to Zhang Xuan every way, at least on the surface... He should not have any reason to deal with Zhang Xuan!

This was the missing piece of the puzzle that he had been struggling to find all along!

"Wu Rufeng, what do you have to say?" Pavilion Master Gou said coldly.

"While I have no idea why Vice Pavilion Master Tian would deal with Principal Zhang, it's a fact that King Zhongqing and Vice Pavilion Master Tian were making a move on him when we arrived on the scene. If we were just a second slower, Principal Zhang would have been a dead man by now! Countless master teachers and combat masters witnessed that with their own eyes, so if Pavilion Master Gou doubts my words, I can bring them over to testify before you!

"Furthermore, the vice head of the Poison Hall whom Vice Pavilion Master Tian spoke about has already confessed that King Zhongqing and Vice Pavilion Master Tian forced him into complying with them to frame Principal Zhang!"

"Is the vice head of the Poison Hall you spoke about Ming Zhen?" Pavilion Master Gou asked.

"That's right!"

Pavilion Master Gou harrumphed coldly. "He died last night!"

"He's dead? But he's in the prison cell of the Master Teacher Pavilion... How could he have died?" Wu shi could not believe his ears.

"How am I supposed to know that? You were the one who captured him, and now you are telling me you do not know why he died in the Master Teacher Pavilion. Don't you think that you should be the one explaining the matter to me?" Pavilion Master Gou replied in a frosty tone.

"Pavilion Master Gou, are you... doubting me?" Wu shi's eyes widened in disbelief.

"It's not that I want to doubt you, but think about what has happened. Do you think that it's possible for me to not doubt you? You claimed that Chen Zhe has betrayed the Master Teacher Pavilion and requested for permission to capture and investigate him, and I granted you permission for that. Yet, he passed away in your custody! Given how secure the Master Teacher Pavilion is, there is no one who could have gotten to him other than you! If you had not used torture on him to force a confession, how could he have died?

"Furthermore, I have also investigated the affairs of that Zhang Xuan, and you seem to have gone through a life-and-death situation with him. Considering the deep ties between the both of you, I cannot help but suspect that you are intentionally siding with him in order to protect him, perhaps even making a false testimony in his favor!" Pavilion Master Gou harrumphed.

"It hasn't been long since you have been promoted to a vice pavilion master, so I understand that you might be eager to prove yourself to replace Vice Pavilion Master Tian. But no matter what you do, you need evidence! Look at the mess you have caused, and you still expect me to believe you?"

Seeing that Pavilion Master Gou was doubting him, Wu shi anxiously explained himself. "I swear on my name as a master teacher that I have been perfectly impartial in this matter, and I have no interest in usurping Vice Pavilion Master Tian's position..."

"Enough! I do not wish to talk about this matter anymore. I don't care how the both of you fight with one another, but you had better not do anything that will harm the reputation of our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion!" Pavilion Master Gou interjected coldly.

"It has been five hundred years since I became the pavilion master, and while I have not accomplished anything outstanding my time, I have not erred in my leadership either. It's already nearing my retirement date, and I hope to leave the Master Teacher Pavilion in peace. I do not want to retire as a laughingstock of the town, so I do not want to see anything happen till then. You hear me?"

Not expecting Pavilion Master Gou to suddenly pin such a severe accusation on him, Wu shi panicked. "Pavilion Master Gou, I am really not doing this for power! While I have braved through a life-and-death situation with Principal Zhang, I would not dream of willfully siding with him over something as important as this..."

"Enough! I have already said that I do not want to interfere in the matters between the both of you! You can do whatever you like, just do not make our Master Teacher Pavilion appear to be a joke before others!"

"But..." Indignant, Wu shi gritted his teeth, but seeing that Pavilion Master Gou was unwilling to listen to his words, he could only clench his fists and reluctantly reply. "Fine, I understand."

"Un, that had better be the case. Alright, send a man to bring Zhang Xuan over here right now to clear things up. If he's willing to listen, I can still consider giving him the benefit of the doubt. Otherwise, just on the grounds of insubordination alone, I will have him condemned for his entire life..." Pavilion Master Gou instructed.

However, before he could finish his words, a voice suddenly sounded. "There's no need to send anyone. I'm already here."

Following which, a young man walked in.

Zhang Xuan.

He had only gone there to take the 7-star master teacher examination, but who would have thought that he would hear those words instead? He could almost feel his blood boiling from the rage within him.

Initially, he had thought that Pavilion Master Gou had only been blinded by the words of Vice Pavilion Master Tian, but as he listened on, he had realized that the other party was just an incompetent superior who did not want the pot to be stirred so that he could retire in peace.

Horrified by Zhang Xuan's sudden arrival, Wu shi exclaimed in shock, "Principal Zhang!"

From the earlier conversation, he could tell that Pavilion Master Gou was deeply displeased with Zhang Xuan. This was truly a bad moment for the fellow to appear... If Pavilion Master Gou were to pass a judgement on the fellow in a rage, the fellow could very well be doomed!

At the same time, a cruel glint flashed across Vice Pavilion Master Tian Qing's eyes as he hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Pavilion Master Gou, this young man over here is the person who framed me, the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Xuan!"

"You are Zhang Xuan?" Pavilion Master Gou narrowed his eyes threateningly. "How dare a mere 6-star master teacher like you eavesdrop in our conversation? You audacious brat!"

"Audacious? I don't think I am as audacious as you are!" Zhang Xuan replied with a voice that was freezing like a winter's night.

"What did you say?" Pavilion Master Gou smacked the table out of rage as a powerful aura burst forth menacingly from him.

As the head of the regional Master Teacher Pavilion, his standing was unmatched by anyone in the Qingyuan Empire. Yet, a pesky principal of a small Master Teacher Academy had actually dared to speak to him in such a manner. This was a complete lack of respect for his elders, a blatant breach of the formalities among master teachers!

"Don't you have a clear idea as to what I just said?" Facing the other party's wrath, Zhang Xuan did not show a hint of worry or anxiety. With eyes filled with nothing but apathy, he said, "After so many years, you should know Wu shi's temperament better than anyone else. Vice Pavilion Master Tian has aided King Zhongqing in a scheme against me and my butler, and yet, instead of investigating the matter, you chose to side with Vice Pavilion Master Tian blindly in order to protect yourself, even coming over here to berate and put down Wu shi. Are you really that blind, or has water gotten into your head? How in the world can the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion be so unfortunate as to get a pavilion master as incompetent and useless as you?"

"Principal Zhang!" Not expecting the good-tempered Zhang Xuan to actually criticize Pavilion Master Gou openly, Wu shi was nearly scared of his wits.

From the very start, Pavilion Master Gou already had a bad impression of the other party. After saying these words, there was no longer room for reconciliation.

"You impertinent scoundrel, how dare a mere 6-star master teacher like you insult our pavilion master? Pavilion Master Gou, I shall have him apprehended for breaching the formalities of master teachers right now and cripple his cultivation!" Vice Pavilion Master roared furiously as he charged forward to nab Zhang Xuan.

"Qing Tian, you dare!" Wu shi bellowed furiously as he quickly stepped forward to protect Zhang Xuan.

"There's no need for that!" Zhang Xuan replied coldly as he waved his hand lightly.

Peng!

Before Vice Pavilion Master Tian could process what was going on, he was already smacked into the wall.

Following which, Zhang Xuan slowly advanced step by step, and with a gaze as sharp as daggers, he spoke with a voice that resounded clearly throughout the entire Qingyuan City.

"I have walked here step by step from Tianxuan Kingdom, and no one has ever dared to frame me for anything before!

"I, Zhang Xuan, as a 6-star master teacher and the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, hereby request permission from the headquarters to crash the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion!

"Today, one of us shall fall!"

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Chapter 1179: It Seems He Is Called Zhang Xuan

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

In the Appraiser Hall...

"How is it? My medicine is quite effective, right?"

In the lounge, Elder Qi spoke to the young man before him with a smile.

Looking into the mirror and seeing that his dashing appearance had finally been restored, the young man heaved a sigh of relief and clasped his fist. "Elder Qi, thank you for your help. If not for your assistance, who knows how long it would have taken for me to recover!"

"There's no need to stand on ceremony. It's my responsibility as a physician to help those in need," Elder Qi replied kindly.

"Jiuxiao, you really mustn't act recklessly in the future. Don't push yourself to do what is beyond your capability. Being embarrassed is just a small matter, but it would truly be a huge disaster if you were to lose your identity as an appraiser over it," Guild Leader Mu advised worriedly.

It went without saying that the young man was Zhang Jiuxiao.

The previous night, while the poison that Zhang Xuan had prescribed him was effective in eliminating the spirit that had taken root within him, it had caused his face to swell, leaving him unable to meet anyone. Thus, he could only stay overnight in the Appraiser Hall.

That morning, the swelling had still shown no signs of subsiding, so he could only invite the old guild leader of the Physician Guild, Elder Qi, over to treat him.

While Elder Qi's enemy wielded great influence, considering that it was in the middle of the day and the Master Teacher Pavilion was in the vicinity, his enemy would surely not be so brazen as to assault him at that moment.

"I understand." Zhang Jiuxiao nodded in response.

He had stepped out in the hope of winning the respect of others by deciphering the seal on the painting, only to end up leaving himself in a pitiful state.

When he had looked into the mirror and seen how his dashing face had been warped hideously... just recalling the matter was enough to send tears to his eyes. It was fortunate that he had been in the Appraiser Hall, so none of his fans had been able to see the state that he was in. Otherwise, he would have been too embarrassed to walk on the streets of Qingyuan City ever again.

Of course, more important was the rule surrounding appraisers that only allowed them to make three appraisal errors in their entire career. While the affair yesterday had not really been considered an appraisal, it had happened before many eyes, and once others learned of the matter, it would become a stain on his records.

It's all because of that Zhang Xuan... He clearly knew how to decipher the seal, but he chose not to speak just so to embarrass me... Recalling that seemingly innocent yet revolting smile of that fellow, rage swiftly surged through Zhang Jiuxiao's veins.

That fellow had already embarrassed him once on the Heart Tempering Bridge, and he had been banking on that matter to vie back some dignity. Yet, who would have expected that he would be beaten further down into the ground?

He must have done it intentional, no doubt about it!

As innocent and honest as that fellow looked on the surface, his instincts told him that the other party had done it intentionally to humiliate him in public!

As stifled as Zhang Jiuxiao was, as a 7-star master teacher, he was still able to conceal his emotions perfectly, so neither Elder Qi nor Guild Leader Mu noticed his inner thoughts.

"Elder Qi, can you tell me what poison my face is afflicted with?" Zhang Jiuxiao asked.

"It's a particularly potent poison, possibly reaching the level of grade-7. If it was not for the fact that I have been studying poison for the past few years, I might not have been able to treat you," Elder Qi replied with a frown.

It was not for no reason that he had chosen to flee to Jingyuan City after he had been poisoned by his enemy. He had heard that a Poison Hall was located there, so he had decided to try his luck.

In the twenty years he had spent there, while he had failed to cure his poison, he had managed pick up several means concerning poisons through interacting with a few local poison masters, which had allowed him to suppress the poison within him considerably.

Thanks to that, he had been able to survive long enough to meet Zhang Xuan.

His experiences had granted him a deep insight into poison. As long as a poison was not particularly potent, he would be able to resolve it with ease.

Hearing those words, Zhang Jiuxiao could not help but mutter aloud in astonishment, "The prescription that Zhang shi gave me was actually a poison? Could it be that Zhang shi is a poison master?"

The Poison Hall maintained a strict confidentiality over their poison formulas, so for Zhang Xuan to prescribe one to him so easily... Could it be that he was a poison master?

Hearing a familiar name, Elder Qi could not help but ask, "May I know who the Zhang shi you mentioned is?"

"Ah, Jiuxiao must be referring to the 6-star master teacher from the Hongyuan Empire who has recently arrived in our city, Zhang Xuan," Guild Leader Mu replied.

"Zhang Xuan? You all know him too? He's my benefactor! He's truly an incredible figure, isn't he? Not only does he wield phenomenal capabilities in the Way of Medicine, which far exceed my own, more importantly, he holds compassion in his heart. There's no way a person like him could be a poison master," Elder Qi replied.

"Benefactor? His capabilities in the Way of Medicine far exceed yours?" Zhang Jiuxiao was dumbstruck by those words.

That fellow has a Soul Depth higher than me? Fine, I'll accept it.

That fellow's capability as an appraiser is higher than mine? Fine, I'll accept that, too.

But for his capability in the Way of Medicine to be more formidable than mine as well... Just who is the 7-star master teacher here?

Ever since meeting that fellow, it seems like I have been leaping from one nightmare straight into another!

Zhang Jiuxiao heaved a sigh of relief. "It's fortunate that my master teacher rank is higher than his, or else I would really be utterly outmatched by him..."

But before he could finish his words, a voice reminiscent of the rumbling of thunder suddenly boomed in the air.

"I, Zhang Xuan, as a 6-star master teacher and the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, hereby request permission from the headquarters to crash the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion! Today, one of us shall fall!"

Hearing the news, Zhang Jiuxiao nearly collapsed to the ground. "What? He's intending to crash the Master Teacher Pavilion?"

Pavilion crashing was the act of challenging an entire Master Teacher Pavilion single-handedly.

Whether one had a conflict with a superior master teacher or had committed a sin, as long as one had not betrayed humanity, one would be able to absolve oneself of blame through successfully crashing the Master Teacher Pavilion.

To put it in simpler terms, once a master teacher had successfully crashed a Master Teacher Pavilion that they had a conflict with, the headquarters would no longer pursue the matter.

It was just a moment ago that Zhang Jiuxiao had consoled himself with the fact that he still had his master teacher rank to fall back on against Zhang Xuan, but then the latter suddenly challenged the entire Master Teacher Pavilion.

Was this for real?

Rushing out of the room, Zhang Jiuxiao saw a master teacher emblem flying straight into the sky before floating silently.

Deep within the Master Teacher Pavilion, from the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall, a pure and ancient aura surged into the sky and shrouded the emblem. Two words slowly morphed into appearance. 'Permission granted!'

"The headquarters... actually agreed to his request? A 6-star master teacher is going to challenge a 7-star Master Teacher Pavilion branch? Is this for real? This is going to make history!"

"If Zhang shi successfully carries out the pavilion crashing, the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion will lose all shred of its dignity and honor, and Pavilion Master Gou will become a laughingstock of all master teachers..."

Guild Leader Mu and Elder Qi were dumbfounded by the happenings before them.

"Teacher, Elder Qi, as a master teacher of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, I have a responsibility to guard its honor as well, so I'll be taking my leave. Farewell!" Zhang Jiuxiao clasped his fist before hurriedly flying back to the Master Teacher Pavilion.

Pavilion crashing was as good as causing trouble on the home turf of the regional master teachers. As one of the master teacher of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, he had to rush back to protect it!

"Zhang Xuan, no matter how talented you are, if you wish to bring down the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, you will have to get past me first," Zhang Jiuxiao muttered menacingly with narrowed eyes.

It was about time for him to return the favor for the two face slaps that he had suffered from the other party!

...

In the Qingyuan Empire royal palace...

A pig-faced middle-aged man was lying on a bed, panting heavily.

King Zhongqing.

After being viciously pummeled for an entire night, while he had managed to suppress the poison within his body for the time being, he had nearly been crippled in the process. If not for his superior physical resilience and the abundant supply of pills, he might have long died from the relentless beating.

In order to satisfy his needs, more than twenty guards had already had their turn with him, and every single one of their hands had swollen up and was trembling from frailty.

Butler Qin walked to King Zhongqing and politely enquired, "Old Master, how are you feeling at the moment?"

"I'm still fine for the moment... Right, remember to get rid of those guards who pummeled me. No one can learn of my condition, got it?" King Zhongqing harrumphed callously.

"Don't worry, Old Master. I have already made arrangements for that," Butler Qin respectfully replied.

"Good." Struggling to sit up, King Zhongqing began meditating to recuperate from his injuries. It took a while before the pain from the beating he had sustained finally alleviated. Turning his head toward Butler Qin once more, he asked, "Is there any news from Vice Pavilion Master Tian?"

"I have already informed Pavilion Master Gou of the situation surrounding Vice Pavilion Master Tian as you have instructed me to..." At this point, Butler Qin could not help but hesitate for a moment before continuing. "Old Master, will Pavilion Master Gou really save Vice Pavilion Master Tian? The crime of framing another master teacher is a serious matter. Will it really be worthwhile for him to protect Vice Pavilion Master Tian?"

"Don't worry, I know that old man very well. He'll definitely save Vice Pavilion Master Tian!" King Zhongqing sneered coldly. "As long as Vice Pavilion Master Tian remains in power, no one will be able to touch me. Humph, I will make sure Wu Rufeng and Zhang Xuan pay the price for their actions!"

"I see..." Butler Qin heaved a sigh of relief. He pondered for a brief moment before asking once more, "Old Master, what is Zhang Xuan's background? How can a 6-star master teacher manage to corner you and Vice Pavilion Master Tian to such an extent?"

"Regardless of where he is from, there's no way he will be able to escape with his life after offending Vice Pavilion Master Tian." King Zhongqing waved his hand leisurely. "You do not have to worry about this matter anymore; he will be a goner soon enough. Most likely, either today or tomorrow, he will be apprehended by the Master Teacher Pavilion and die an untimely death in the cells."

However, before he could finish his words, a resounding voice echoed deafeningly in the air, shaking the entire royal palace.

"I, Zhang Xuan, as a 6-star master teacher and the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, hereby request permission from the headquarters to crash the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion! Today, one of us shall fall!"

King Zhongqing was taken aback for a brief moment before hearty laughter boomed from his mouth. He was laughing so intensely that tears were beginning to form in his eyes. "A 6-star master teacher like him actually dares to crash the Master Teacher Pavilion? Hahaha, this must be the most hilarious joke that I have heard my entire life! He's bringing about his own doom! Given the prowess of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, not even an 8-star low-tier master teacher would dare challenge it. For a 6-star master teacher to dream of crashing it, he sure likes to dream big!"

There was no master teacher who was unaware of the difficulty in pavilion crashing. It was a nigh impossible feat to accomplish, and throughout the long history of the Master Teacher Continent, only a small handful of top-notch prodigies had ever succeeded in accomplishing it!

Yet, that fellow was so conceited as to think that he could succeed in it. It seemed like they had been worrying over that fellow for nothing!

Just as King Zhongqing was laughing heartily, Emperor Chu Tianxing suddenly walked into the room with widened strides.

"Your Majesty!" Overwhelmed with excitement, King Zhongqing immediately reported, "That Zhang Xuan has foolishly decided to crash the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion. With this, his days are already numbered!"

"I have heard the declaration, too. That will be one less worry for us." Emperor Chu Tianxing nodded, but there was still a hint of worry in his eyes.

As the emperor of a country, he always considered the worst-case scenario so that he would not be caught off guard by any abrupt changes in the situation. As unlikely as it was, he could not shake off the sliver of doubt nudging his mind. Thus, he could not help himself from asking, "Is there anyone who has succeeded in crashing the Master Teacher Pavilion before?"

"This... I'm not too sure either. However, we can call Bai shi over to ask him," King Zhongqing replied.

While the Master Teacher Pavilion did not interfere in the affairs of the empire that they were stationed in, the royal family would usually recruit some unaffiliated master teachers to bolster their ranks.

Master teachers had a choice to decide whether they wanted to join the regional Master Teacher Pavilion or not. If they joined, they would be granted several privileges, but in exchange, they would have a responsibility to the Master Teacher Pavilion as well. On the other hand, they could also choose to remain unaffiliated.

The Bai shi whom King Zhongqing spoke of was one of the unaffiliated master teachers, and he was currently serving as the Imperial Master Teacher of the Qingyuan Empire.

Emperor Chu Tianxing nodded before sending a subordinate to invite Bai shi over. Not too long later, an elder walked into the room.

"Bai shi, have you heard of any master teachers who have successfully crashed a Master Teacher Pavilion?"

"Hold on a moment, Your Majesty. I'll have my friend look into the matter," Bai shi replied.

Unaffiliated with the regional Master Teacher Pavilion, he was unable to access its resources as he liked. Thus, he could only ask his friend to do it in his stead.

Weng!

Not too long later, the jade token in his palm lit up. Bai shi swiftly took a look at it before clasping his fist. "Your Majesty, there are indeed cases where a Master Teacher Pavilion has been successfully crashed before. There are three such men in history who have succeeded in pulling off this feat."

"Three men?" Hearing that such a small handful of people had succeeded in the past, both King Zhongqing and Emperor Chu Tianxing heaved a sigh of relief in unison.

It had been several dozen millenniums since the Master Teacher Pavilion first came into existence. Countless geniuses must have come and gone throughout the many years of its existence, and despite that, only three had ever successfully crashed a Master Teacher Pavilion. This was more than sufficient to show the difficulty of the task.

Just by this fact alone, it was impossible for Zhang Xuan to successfully crash the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion.

Out of curiosity, King Zhongqing asked, "Who are those three men? Do you have their names?"

"I do. The first goes by the name of Luo Yuntian, and the second is Yuan Xi. They are both the old ancestors of Sage Clans, the Luo Clan and Yuan Clan respectively..."

"What about the third person?"

Looking at the name written on the jade token, Bai shi was visibly taken aback for a moment before he stuttered in astonishment, "I-it seems he is called...

"... Zhang Xuan!"

Chapter 1180: Zhang Xuan vs. Zhang Jiuxiao

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

'Gedeng!'

Both King Zhongqing and Emperor Chu Tianxing's hearts skipped a beat.

"Zhang Xuan? Which Zhang Xuan?"

"Zhang Xuan from Xuanyuan Conferred Kingdom." Reading on, Bai shi's lips began quivering in fear. "After which... he became appointed as the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!"

Considering how the previous declaration had resounded throughout Qingyuan City, they would have to have been deaf to not hear it. He had thought that the Zhang Xuan person, whoever he was, was courting his own death, and yet... to think that the other party had a history of successfully crashing a Master Teacher Pavilion!

He had thought that it was an ignorant novice, but it turned out to be an experienced veteran instead!

"The Master Teacher Pavilion in the Xuanyuan Conferred Kingdom should be a 3-star branch at the very most, so it's not too surprising that he was able to successfully crash it. Do you think that... he'll be able to crash our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion as well?" King Zhongqing asked hesitantly.

"I can't say for sure. However, since he has a previous experience in pavilion crashing, I believe that he should understand how difficult the matter is. Since he dares to challenge the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, it is likely that he is confident that he will be able to successfully crash it," Bai shi replied with an apprehensive frown.

Overwhelmed with anxiety, King Zhongqing howled in desperation, "There's no way he can succeed. He mustn't succeed!"

Bai shi shook his head and sighed deeply. "I don't know whether he'll succeed or not, but regardless of the results... the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion can be said to be a goner already..."

Injustice was rife in the world, even within the Master Teacher Pavilion. Despite the rules put in place by the Master Teacher Pavilion, it was unable to avoid it altogether. Throughout history, many geniuses had fallen not at the hands of powerful enemies but from the schemes of their peers.

The death of every single genius master teacher was a huge loss to the Master Teacher Pavilion, and it was in view of this that the Master Teacher Pavilion had implemented the system of pavilion crashing to serve as an avenue for these geniuses to redress their grievances.

Regardless of whether Zhang Xuan succeeded or failed, the very fact that the headquarters had agreed to his request meant that the headquarters held Zhang Xuan in high regard, and as a consequence of that, the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion would be effectively plastered with a label of incompetence and mistreating rising prodigies. The headquarters would summon Pavilion Master Gou for further investigation, and no matter how the investigation turned out, the latter's reputation would be ruined.

"There's no way he can succeed, there's just no way... Puu!" King Zhongqing roared with clenched jaws when he suddenly felt a pain in his chest, and fresh blood burst through his lips.

He quickly turned to Bai shi and pleaded, "Quick, beat me. Beat me up with all your might! I need it! I need it right now..."

"..." Bai shi.

"..." Emperor Chu Tianxing.

...

In the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion...

Seeing the two words in the sky, Wu shi felt his vision darken.

He did think that Pavilion Master Gou had displayed a lack of fairness in this matter, but still... no matter what, this was where he had grown up and spent several centuries in. He already considered this place his home, and he could not bear to see someone wrecking it.

However, he knew that it was already too late to say anything.

Given the present circumstances, Zhang Xuan had no choice but to choose this course of action.

Zhang Xuan was only a 6-star master teacher whereas Pavilion Master Gou was a 7-star master teacher, as well as the head of the regional Master Teacher Pavilion. If the latter really attempted to indict him for some crime, the only way Zhang Xuan could have possibly salvaged himself was through crashing the entire Master Teacher Pavilion.

Wu shi stood in a daze for a long while, and all the frustrations and helplessness he felt within him eventually materialized in the form of a deep sigh.

On the other hand, Pavilion Master Gou was so angered by the course of events that his entire body was trembling in rage.

Having served five hundred years as the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion, he was already nearing his retirement age. He had thought that he could spend the end of his career in peace and retire with a perfect record, but who would have thought that he would actually end up stepping on a huge landmine at the final juncture?

He knew that regardless of the outcome of the pavilion crashing, the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion's reputation was doomed to be sullied.

"You! Do you know what it means to crash a Master Teacher Pavilion?" Suppressing the exploding rage within him, Pavilion Master Gou glared at the young man before him with gritted teeth.

If looks could kill, the world would have withered there and then.

"You are asking me that question? Humph!"

As if there was lightning within his eyes, Zhang Xuan glared at Pavilion Master Gou with a frightening gaze as he spoke.

"For mankind, I, Zhang Xuan, descended alone into the Subterranean Gallery to mend the seal leading to the otherworldly battlefield!

"For mankind, I hunted down the Ten Kings of the Qingtian Lineage one after another, averting a potential crisis!

"For mankind, I have groomed the students of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy and granted them strength comparable to the combat masters!

"I have devoted my life to protecting mankind, putting myself in precarious situations time and time again, and I have never regretted my actions! And yet, the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion dares to humiliate me like this... I only hope that the headquarters give me an opportunity to redress my grievances! Since you are incompetent and useless, choosing to cover up for those who have sinned just to avoid stepping into muddied waters, I'll just have to use my own methods to resolve this matter!

"As for whether you are embarrassed by this matter or not... why should I care about that?"

" You! " Choked by Zhang Xuan's words, Pavilion Master Gou spurted a mouthful of blood.

He had thought that the figure whom he was dealing with was a mere 6-star master teacher, and a few words of criticisms would surely have made the latter bow obediently before him. Never in his dreams had he expected the other party to be such a fearless troublemaker!

"Pavilion Master Gou... I hate to say this, but you have really done wrong this time around." Wu shi closed his eyes and shook his head.

While others might have been unaware of it, he knew that the young man before him was a Celestial Master Teacher and a Celestial Saint, a figure whose standing was on par with Kong shi's!

Putting aside the head of a branch, even the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters would dare not humiliate the other party in such a manner!

Humiliating a figure like that was no different from undermining the authority of the heavens! If the other party were to take such an insult lying down, how could he possibly stand dignified before the masses ever again?

Hearing the words spoken by Wu shi, Pavilion Master Gou's face warped in fury, and he spat furiously through gritted teeth, "You said that I have done wrong? Humph, do you think that it'll be that easy to crash our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion? Sound the bells!"

Since things had already reached that point... there was no way that he would let the other party get away so easily!

Dong dong dong dong!

Shortly after his bellow, four resounding chimes echoed from the depths of the Master Teacher Pavilion, indicating the arrival of a pavilion crashing challenger.

Hong long long!

In just fifteen minutes, all of the 6-star and 7-star master teachers had returned to the Master Teacher Pavilion with grim expressions on their faces, as if soldiers preparing to march onto the battlefield.

"There are two steps to pavilion crashing. Firstly, the challenger must defeat all the master teachers in the Master Teacher Pavilion. Secondly, the challenger must successfully clear the Master Teacher Tower! Currently, all of the 6-star and 7-star master teachers in our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion are present here. If you wish to crash our pavilion, you will have to first trample past on their dignity!"

At which point, Pavilion Master Gou slowly swept over the gathered master teachers with his gaze before bellowing authoritatively, "Master teachers of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, someone has come to challenge our dignity. What shall we do?"

"Annihilate him!"

"Make him learn that our Master Teacher Pavilion is not a place for him to fool around!"

"How dare a 6-star master teacher act so brazenly as to challenge our Master Teacher Pavilion? See how I eradicate him with a flick of my hand!"

...

Upon understanding what was going on, the master teachers howled furiously.

Seeing that morale was high among the master teachers, Pavilion Master Gou nodded in satisfaction. "Good! Let's begin then!"

There were dozens of thousands of 6-star master teachers in the Qingyuan Master Teacher Academy, and their might was no joking matter when combined together. No matter how talented or powerful Zhang Xuan was, their forces were more than enough to grind him down eventually!

"Who will go first?"

"Allow me! As a member of the Master Teacher Pavilion, I wish to strike down the brazen fool who dares challenge us!"

Shortly after those words were spoken, a loud whiz sounded from the air as a young man descended from the sky.

Zhang Jiuxiao!

He had just rushed over from the Appraiser Hall.

"Good!" Pavilion Master Gou nodded.

Zhang Jiuxiao was the offspring of a Sage Clan, the Zhang Clan. Even though he was just part of the side family, his talent was unrivalled by any other in the Qingyuan Empire. On top of that, as a 7-star master teacher, he had many means up his sleeves. Without a doubt, it would be a piece of cake for him to deal with Zhang Xuan!

Pavilion Master Gou secretly sent a telepathic message to Zhang Jiuxiao. "There's no need to show him mercy. Let him learn the heavy price he must pay for daring to crash our Master Teacher Pavilion!"

"Pavilion Master Gou, rest assured. I know what to do!" With a frown, the aura surrounding Zhang Jiuxiao grew stronger and stronger as he turned to look at the young man not too far away with narrowed eyes.

From the moment he met the fellow the day before, the fellow had embarrassed him time and time again. Since that was the case, he would resolve this humiliation once and for all with a fight!

"A duel between master teachers can come in many forms—a challenge of Soul Depth, a fight in supporting occupations, a direct showdown, a lecture... Since you are the challenger, I have the right to choose the type of challenge," Zhang Jiuxiao said as he walked confidently toward Zhang Xuan before eventually stopping five meters in front of the latter.

As the offspring of the Zhang Clan, he had been able to take many shortcuts in his cultivation, resulting in his state of mind being less tempered than others. However, he was confident that his capabilities in all other aspects were top-notch, and he would not lose to anyone!

Since that fellow had dared challenge the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, he would make that fellow learned that he was not to be trifled with.

In no mood to entertain Zhang Jiuxiao, Zhang Xuan waved his hands impatiently. "Speak!"

"I choose a showdown, a duel to pit our strength against one another!" Zhang Jiuxiao sneered coldly.

A duel was the most direct and easiest way for him to establish his superiority. As a member of the Zhang Clan, he had cultivated many powerful battle techniques, so defeating a fellow whose cultivation was beneath his was truly no big deal.

"Jiuxiao, you mustn't!"

On the other hand, hearing that Zhang Jiuxiao was proposing to have a direct fight instead, Pavilion Master Gou immediately recalled how Zhang Xuan had sent Vice Pavilion Master Tian flying with a flick of his hand, so he quickly sent a telepathic message over anxiously.

Since even a Half-Leaving Aperture realm expert like Vice Pavilion Master Tian was no match for Zhang Xuan, how could Zhang Jiuxiao possibly stand a chance?

Zhang Jiuxiao shrugged the other party's worries away with a chuckle. "Pavilion Master Gou, rest assured! No matter what, I am an offspring of the Zhang Clan. While my cultivation is only at Saint 3-dan Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle, my fighting prowess has already far exceeded that level. To be honest with you, I have never revealed my true strength before."

As there was no peer who was a match for him, there had never been any need for him to use his full strength before. For the first time, he planned on displaying his true strength in public to teach Zhang Xuan a lesson!

Hong long!

His acupoints burst open simultaneously, and an overwhelming aura abruptly burst forth from him.

In the blink of an eye, his cultivation had already exceeded the boundary of Saint 3-dan pinnacle, reaching Saint 4-dan.

"Primordial Spirit realm? When did Zhang Jiuxiao achieve a breakthrough?"

"It seems like he has been concealing his true strength all along..."

"To reach the Primordial Spirit realm beneath thirty, he is truly fearsome..."

"He isn't the most formidable genius of our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion for no reason! There's no way that 6-star master teacher can possibly be a match for him!"

...

Seeing Zhang Jiuxiao's cultivation surge to Saint 4-dan in an instant, everyone was taken aback for a moment before admiration and respect seeped into the depths of their eyes.

"Zhang shi is so dashing. I knew that no one would be able to match him!"

At some point in time, the millstone-bottom lady had arrived in the hall, and hiding behind a pillar, she peeked on Zhang Jiuxiao coyly with stars twinkling in her eyes.

She knew that her idol was no ordinary person, but she had not expected him to be so extraordinary. Just by the momentum itself, he had already overwhelmed his opponent many times over. Watching this sight, her massive heart could not help but thump in excitement.

Hu!

Zhang Jiuxiao's aura eventually stabilized at Primordial Spirit realm primary stage. He clenched his fists tightly as he leisurely stretched his neck, causing crisp 'Geji! Geji!' sounds to echo in the room. After which, he turned to look at the young man before him with eyes filled with disdain. "Let's begin."

"Are you certain you are ready?" Zhang Xuan asked indifferently.

"Indeed. If you wish to use a weapon, feel free to do so. I'll catch anything that you send at me with my bare hands and show you the unbreachable gap between a mortal like you and a true prodigy!" Zhang Jiuxiao harrumphed coldly as he channeled his zhenqi toward his hands, creating a golden shimmer around them.

"Weapon?" A derisive smile emerged on Zhang Xuan's lips as he said impatiently, "I don't have time to waste on you. Since you are ready, I'll start now."

He was extremely busy.

Crashing the pavilion meant that one had to face all the master teachers associated with the Master Teacher Pavilion and overcome the many wills left behind by the preceding master teachers in the Master Teacher Tower. He had no additional time to waste on this fellow.

"I don't have time to waste on you either, so I'll end you in an instant!"

Seeing how Zhang Xuan was taking him lightly, the final string of sanity within Zhang Jiuxiao's mind finally snapped, and with a furious roar, he dashed forward.

"You want to end me? Try it then!" Without even bothering to dodge Zhang Jiuxiao's attack, Zhang Xuan raised his head, and a voice reminiscent of the crisp chime of a bell boomed.

"Kneel down!"

Boom!

It was as if thunder had rumbled within the room. In an instant, the momentum that Zhang Jiuxiao had built up for his offense vanished without a trace, and before anyone could process what was going on, the other party abruptly plummeted from the sky and crashed to the ground.

With his kneecaps firmly fixed onto the ground, Zhang Jiuxiao kneeled before Zhang Xuan with indignation and frenzy written on his face.

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Chapter 1181: You Think I Dare Not Pummel You?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"What?"

"This... How is this possible?"

Everyone's face warped in shock.

The millstone-bottom lady even fell to the ground in utter disbelief.

The idol whom she had revered for so long... was actually unable to even withstand a bellow from the other party, kneeling down without the slightest bit of resistance. What in the world was going on?

In an instant, the faith that she had carried for so long abruptly shattered.

"No, this can't be..."

While the crowd was staring at the situation with mouths agape, veins were popping up on Zhang Jiuxiao's forehead as frenzy overtook his mind.

He was a genius!

A peerless genius in the Qingyuan Empire!

How could he be subdued in a single shout? How could he kneel before another man so embarrassingly?

"You bastard, I'll slaughter you!" Roaring furiously, Zhang Jiuxiao pushed his hand against the ground forcefully and flew into the air. After which, he charged forward furiously once more.

He had come here to prove himself, not to be humiliated once more!

Seeing how the other party was still doggedly coming after him, Zhang Xuan bellowed once more. "Scram!"

Padah!

Zhang Jiuxiao plummeted from the sky, and this time, his body scrambled on the ground and fled away hurriedly.

"Jiuxiao, be careful! Your state of mind is your core weakness, and that is why he's using demonic tunes against you! As long as you shut off your hearing organs, you should be able to cope with his offense easily!" Pavilion Master Gou anxiously sent a telepathic message over.

While others were still wondering why Zhang Jiuxiao was listening to Zhang Xuan so obediently, Pavilion Master Gou had already fully comprehended the situation. Zhang Jiuxiao's greatest weakness was his state of mind, which resulted in him being powerless before the other party's demonic tunes.

It could be said that Zhang Xuan had already identified Zhang Jiuxiao's weaknesses, and he was playing on them to his advantage.

Hearing those words, Zhang Jiuxiao swiftly awakened from his frenzied state, and gritting his teeth, he forcefully shut off his sense of hearing. As expected, the effects of the demonic tune dulled significantly, allowing him to wrestle back control over his body.

Then, with a swift leap, he dashed straight toward Zhang Xuan to launch an assault.

On the other hand, seeing that Zhang Jiuxiao was determined to court his death, Zhang Xuan impatiently flicked his finger.

Peng!

" Ahhh! " A scream of agony echoed loudly in the air before Zhang Jiuxiao was smacked away like a pesky fly. He crashed right into the wall of the building before dangling weakly up there.

Zhang Jiuxiao was no weakling, but he was still far from a match for him.

After sending Zhang Jiuxiao flying, Zhang Xuan turned his attention back to the remaining master teachers, and placing his hands behind his back, he said, "To save some time, why don't all of you come at me together?"

"He wants to challenge all of us simultaneously?"

"Is he insane? He's only at Saint 2-dan pinnacle; even a Leaving Aperture realm cultivator wouldn't be able to withstand our combined offense!"

...

Hearing his words, everyone nearly lost their mind for an instant.

Everyone who had gathered within the room was a 6-star master teacher at minimum, and there were more than ten thousand of them there. Even the weakest of them was at Half-Saint realm, and their combined might was sufficient to tear apart the heavens and earth. Putting aside a mere Spiritual Perception realm pinnacle cultivator, even a Leaving Aperture realm expert like Hall Master Xing would not have stood a chance against them!

"None of you are going to make a move? Fine, allow me to go first then!"

Too lazy to waste his breath any more, Zhang Xuan walked up to the crowd, and his voice began echoing resoundingly in the minds of everyone gathered in the room.

"The key to cultivation lies in devotion, and the crux of the devotion to one's path lies in earnestness. Only with an earnest heart can one accomplish..."

Zhang Xuan began lecturing.

"What is he up to?"

"He seems to be lecturing about the essence of cultivation!"

"Huh? Isn't he going to fight us? Why is he conducting a lecture all of a sudden?"

...

The crowd had thought that the other party was about to dash right into their midst and fight them with all his might. Yet, contrary to their expectations, not only did he not make a move, he even began imparting an interpretation of cultivation to them, leaving every single one of them dumbfounded.

Just as they were perplexed, Pavilion Master Gou's anxiously shouted, "Everyone, be careful! He's using the Impartation of Heaven's Will. He's planning on making all of you submit to him!"

To be honest, Pavilion Master Gou was truly feeling deeply frightened at this point.

Even a genius as talented as Zhang Jiuxiao, dubbed as the number one prodigy of the Qingyuan Empire, had ended up falling from a mere bellow from Zhang Xuan. From just this, it could be seen that Zhang Xuan's Soul Depth was comparable to his own, if not above it!

Such formidable Soul Depth paired with the Impartation of Heaven's Will... in a group battle, there was no weapon more devastating than this!

Even poison masters were not as fearsome as that!

Against a poison master, the most one could lose was one's life. However, against a master teacher's Impartation of Heaven's Will, one would lose control of oneself and become the other party's student!

"Impartation of Heaven's Will? That does seem to be the case... I want to struggle against him, but... what he is saying is really true!"

"If I cultivate according to his words, my cultivation will surely be greatly enhanced within a short period of time!"

"I really couldn't have imagined that there is such an exquisite zhenqi circulation method in the world. This is too scary, too scary!"

...

Hearing Pavilion Master Gou's bellow, the crowd immediately attempted to struggle free of Zhang Xuan's Impartation of Heaven's Will, but their minds and bodies just would not listen to them. Instinctively, they desired to learn, and the other party's teachings were simply too valuable for them to miss out on.

"The rest of you, feel free to make a move on him. I'll listen to his words a bit first... Wait a moment! Don't do it now. Let him finish this part before making a move!"

"If any of you dare to touch him, I'll pummel you into the ground. This portion happens to be regarding the flaw of my cultivation. If I can resolve this problem, I will surely be able to make a breakthrough to become a 7-star high-tier master teacher!"

...

Such words could be heard amid the crowd. In the blink of an eye, the tense atmosphere had abruptly calmed down, turning into a leisurely academic exchange.

"..."

Watching the inconceivable sight before him, Pavilion Master Gou felt crazed. He did not even notice it when he plucked out several strands of his beard.

My brothers, wake up! He's crashing our Master Teacher Pavilion; this isn't the time to be learning from him!

"Pavilion Master Gou, at this rate, all of the master teachers of our Qingyuan Empire master Teacher Pavilion are going to become his students!" Vice Pavilion Master Tian exclaimed with a pale face.

He had just barely recovered from the other party's previous blow when he saw such a sight before him, and he was nearly shocked speechless.

"I know, but there's no way to break his Impartation of Heaven's Will unless he makes a mistake in his teachings!" Pavilion Master Gou's face reddened in anxiety.

The Impartation of Heaven's Will was a resonance induced by the alignment of one's teachings with the essence of the world. If there was the slightest error in one's teachings, the resonance would immediately be dispelled, and the crowd would recover from the trance they were in and regain their rationality.

"Are we to wait helplessly for him to make an error? Will he even make an error? Since he dares use the Impartation of Heaven's Will, he must have done his homework in advance," Vice Pavilion Master Tian said anxiously.

"But what else can we do?"

"Simple! We should just have Zhang Jiuxiao assault him from behind. In any case, they were supposed to be dueling with one another, and besides, he was the one who asked everyone to go at him a moment ago. Thus, this cannot be considered an unfair move! As long as we pull it off, we'll be able to break his Impartation of Heaven's Will, and by then... it will be impossible for him to successfully crash the pavilion," Vice Pavilion Master Tian sneered coldly.

Pavilion Master Gou hesitated for a brief moment before nodding. "Very well!"

If he, as the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion, were to break the other party's Impartation of Heaven's Will forcefully, he would surely be despised and mocked for his actions. However, it was different for Zhang Jiuxiao.

In the first place, he was supposed to be in a duel with Zhang Xuan, and as fellow peers, he did not have to pay as much attention to his standing compared to Pavilion Master Gou. Thus, it would not be a big deal if he made a move.

Having made up his mind, Pavilion Master Gou quickly sent a telepathic message to Zhang Jiuxiao.

As Zhang Jiuxiao had shut off his hearing organs, he was not as affected by the effects of the Impartation of Heaven's Will as the others. As soon as he heard Pavilion Master Gou's orders, a cold glint flashed through his eyes, and he nodded. "I'll do it right now!"

The single flick that had sent him flying had left him utterly humiliated. No matter what, he had to get one back on Zhang Xuan!

Huala!

Flicking his wrist, two long sword swords and four sabers appeared before his eyes, each of them commanding a powerful presence.

Two Saint intermediate-tier and four Saint low-tier artifacts!

Even Pavilion Master Gou only had a single Saint intermediate-tier artifact in his possession, and yet, Zhang Jiuxiao was able to whip out two of them in a single breath along with four other Saint low-tier artifacts. His fortune was truly astounding!

"Go!" Zhang Jiuxiao waved his hand furiously as he commanded his weapons.

Huala!

The six weapons flew straight toward the lecturing Zhang Xuan!

Zhang Jiuxiao was not intending to kill Zhang Xuan but to interrupt his Impartation of Heaven's Path.

A typical Saint intermediate-tier weapon wielded strength comparable to a Primordial Spirit realm expert whereas a typical Saint low-tier weapon wielded strength comparable to a Spiritual Perception realm cultivator. Against the simultaneous assault of all six weapons, even Vice Pavilion Master Tian would be pressured to deal with them.

This was the true strength that Zhang Jiuxiao wielded!

The origin of his confidence also lay in these six weapons. With them, there was no way any of his peers would be able to match him!

Not expecting Zhang Jiuxiao to be so despicable as to assault Zhang Xuan at this moment, Wu shi shouted in a panic, "Zhang shi, be careful!"

Considering that Zhang Xuan was in the midst of crashing the pavilion, Wu shi was not allowed to make a move to help the other party, or else that would be flouting the rules.

Hu la!

The six weapons flew forth in an arc, heading right for Zhang Xuan's back. However, the latter continued lecturing the crowd, as if he was oblivious to the movements of the weapons.

"... channeling the inner breath into the internal organs, like the spirit of a weapon enforcing its body. Other than tempering its body, a weapon can grow stronger through tempering its spirit as well. Even among Saint intermediate-tier artifacts, there are some that wield strength comparable to a Primordial Spirit realm expert, and others are on par with Leaving Aperture realm cultivators. This difference is not a result of the usage of inferior materials in its crafting or lack of tempering, but the weakness of the weapon's spirit!

"A weak spirit can easily be eradicated by its master, thus placing it in a deeply vulnerable position..." Zhang Xuan's voice sounded as spiritual energy began gathering in the area, forming beautiful, miniature flowers that slowly drift to the ground.

The weapons that were previously heading toward Zhang Xuan suddenly halted upon hearing those words.

Seeing the weapons that had been charging full momentum a moment ago abruptly coming to a halt, Zhang Jiuxiao panicked. Driving his zhenqi furiously, he loudly bellowed, "Kill him!"

Those weapons had already acknowledged him as their master, so there was no reason for them to disobey him. Yet, to abruptly halt in the midst of their assault, floating in midair silently... were his weapons listening to Zhang Xuan's lecture as well?

Wasn't the Impartation of Heaven's Will supposed to only be effective on cultivators?

When did the Impartation of Heaven's Will become effective on weapons as well?

Zhang Jiuxiao was completely dazed in this moment.

"Heart of a Teacher, Enlightenment Devoid of Discrimination," Pavilion Master Gou muttered in disbelief. His body began trembling uncontrollably.

A normal master teacher could cause a cultivator's zhenqi to circulate in accordance to the content of their lecture through their Impartation of Heaven's Will, thus convincing the cultivator to become their student.

But to make even weapons listen obediently to his Impartation of Heaven's Will, it could only mean that Zhang Xuan had already comprehended the Heart of a Teacher!

Those who had comprehended that ability could affect not only cultivators with their Impartation of Heaven's Will, even ordinary humans, animals, or even weapons would be influenced as well.

Seeing that none of his weapons were moving, the desperate Zhang Jiuxiao furiously bellowed, "Attack him! I said, attack him..."

Hu!

But before he could finish speaking, the Saint intermediate-tier sword that had flown forth previously suddenly retreated toward him.

Huala!

A burst of sword qi suddenly struck Zhang Jiuxiao, plastering him back onto the wall.

"Shut up, can't you just let me listen to this lesson properly? To be prattling on over there so noisily, don't you realize that you are being an annoyance? You think I dare not pummel you?" One of Zhang Jiuxiao's swords harrumphed coldly before turning its attention back to Zhang Xuan.

It floated silently in the air, reminiscent of an obedient little student before its teacher. From time to time, it would even tilt itself forward slightly, as if indicating that it had understood the content of the lecture...

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Chapter 1182: The Legendary Palm Art That Descends from the Heavens

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Zhang Jiuxiao burst into tears.

For real.

As an offspring of the Zhang Clan, he had seen plenty of formidable geniuses in his time, and he knew how fearsome they could be. Knowing that there was a natural gap between him and them, even if he was utterly crushed by their hands, he would at least still be able to accept it and swiftly recover from the mental trauma. But... to be pummeled and told to shut up by his own sword...

How was he supposed to accept something like that? His heart felt so pained that he could hardly breathe!

Was that still his weapon?

It was just a mere lecture; did it really have to betray him over something like that?

Compelled by his confusion, Zhang Jiuxiao released the seal on his hearing to hear what kind of amazing knowledge Zhang Xuan was lecturing about to make his sword willingly betray him. In just a few moments after releasing his hearing, his zhenqi had already begun moving according to the formula that the other party was explaining.

Zhang Jiuxiao was astounded by what he was hearing. This... What a formidable cultivation technique! It's on par with the top-notch techniques of the Zhang Clan! Is it really fine for him to impart such a formidable technique so easily?

As an offspring of the Zhang Clan, he had seen much more than ordinary cultivators, so it was inevitable that he would have a sharp eye for cultivation techniques and the sort.

He could tell that there was no fluff in the other party's lecture at all. Every single word was directed toward the crux of cultivation, words of wisdom in the truest sense. Just by assimilating the content of the lecture, he would be able to cultivate much easier and smoother than before. From that alone, it was already superior to most cultivation techniques out there.

As Zhang Jiuxiao's eyes started to glaze, he quickly bit his lips to regain his rationality. This won't do. I mustn't continue listening to his lecture, or else I will be indebted to him and become his student...

While his state of mind was nothing compared to Zhang Xuan's, it was still far superior to that of ordinary 7-star master teachers. On top of that, he was a significant distance away from Zhang Xuan as well. Thus, despite the formidable might of the Impartation of Heaven's Will, he was still able to force himself to retain consciousness.

Forcefully suppressing his desire to continue listening to the other party's lecture, he struggled out of the wall with some difficulty while contemplating on how he could ruin the other party's lecture.

Zhang Jiuxiao found that he was unable to stand up by himself after struggling for a while, and coincidentally, a lady with a millstone bottom suddenly walked over at this moment. Thus, he strenuously stretched his hand toward to the lady and said, "Come over here and help me for a moment..."

He knew that the other party was his loyal fan, infatuated with him to a crazed degree. Putting aside helping him up, the other party could remain excited for days just by catching a single look of him.

Pah!

But instead of being helped up, Zhang Jiuxiao found his face welcoming the millstone bottom instead.

Sou!

Crushed by the millstone bottom, he was sent flying into the wall once more, and huge mouthfuls of blood spewed wildly from his mouth.

"Shut up. If I see you interrupting Zhang shi's lecture again, I'll pummel you whenever I see you on the streets!" The lady with the millstone bottom harrumphed coldly before walking away.

"..." Zhang Jiuxiao.

First, the betrayal of his weapon, and now, the betrayal of his most loyal fan. Just what kind of magic did Zhang Xuan cast to be able to capture their hearts so utterly?

Traumatized by the happenings, his mental fortitude collapsed in that instant. Unable to suppress himself any longer, his zhenqi began moving according to the formula described by Zhang Xuan.

At the same time, his wounded strength and aura also began recovering swiftly.

The more he cultivated, the more intricate he felt the matter was, and the more glazed his eyes became.

After an unknown period of time, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and said, "Alright, I'll be stopping the lecture here today. If you have any doubts, feel free to approach me after class to clarify them."

"Yes, Teacher!"

The ten thousand or so master teachers of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion bowed down one after another, submitting willingly to the young man before them.

Even though the young man had not lectured them for too long, there was no doubt that they had benefited greatly from his lesson. Through his teachings, their cultivation would surely soar in the near future.

Even Zhang Jiuxiao had bowed down together with the crowd without any hesitation.

"It's over..." Seeing how the crowd was reacting, Pavilion Master Gou's face collapsed. In an instant, he looked as if he had aged several centuries.

He had thought that with the ten thousand master teachers of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, they would at least be able to obstruct the other party. Yet, in just a single lecture, they had ended up becoming his students.

If only he had known that Zhang Xuan was so formidable, he would have never been so foolish as to speak up for Tian Qing!

"It's your turn."

Just as Pavilion Master Gou was feeling suffocated within, the young man's voice sounded. Raising his gaze, he saw the other party staring right at Vice Pavilion Master Tian and him.

The first phase of pavilion crashing was to defeat all of the master teachers in the Master Teacher Pavilion, and currently, all of the other master teachers had become the other party's students, leaving only Wu shi, Vice Pavilion Master Tian, and Pavilion Master Gou.

Considering that Wu shi had a close relationship with the other party, there was no way he would make a move. Thus, he and Vice Pavilion Master Tian were the only ones who remained.

Tossing aside all of the miscellaneous thoughts in his mind, Pavilion Master Gou exhaled deeply before stepping forward. "Since everything has developed to this point, I'll be your opponent then!"

As he had already been humiliated, the embarrassment from having to make a move against a junior could not impede him any longer.

No matter what, he was a Leaving Aperture realm expert. While he had yet to undergo the Leaving Aperture Ordeal, his strength still far exceeded that of Vice Pavilion Master Tian and Wu shi.

As he made his way over toward Zhang Xuan, Pavilion Master Gou noticed that Vice Pavilion Master Tian seemed to be intending to join the battle as well, so he quickly shook his hand and harrumphed. "Tian Qing, you wait by the side and don't make a move. Even if our Master Teacher Pavilion is crashed today, we mustn't abandon our dignity!"

It was already embarrassing for a 7-star master teacher like him to make a move against a 6-star master teacher. If they had to go to the extent of ganging up on the latter on top of that, they would not be able to face anyone anymore.

"Yes!" A cold glint flashed across Tian Qing's eyes as he stepped backward and lowered his head silently.

When Pavilion Master Gou was standing only ten meters away from Zhang Xuan, Wu shi secretly sent a telepathic message over to the latter. "Principal Zhang, even though Pavilion Master Gou hasn't undergone the Leaving Aperture Ordeal yet, he still wields power far exceeding mine. You must be careful when facing him!"

He had taken into account everything that had happened over the past few days, and as unwilling he was to see Zhang Xuan crash the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, he knew that the latter was justified in doing so. Furthermore, considering the latter's identity, nothing could be allowed to happen to him!

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded.

The Leaving Aperture realm could be further divided into Quasi Leaving Aperture realm and True Leaving Aperture realm. Basically, Quasi Leaving Aperture referred to those who had already gained the ability to draw their Primordial Spirit out of their bodies but had yet to undergo the lightning ordeal.

Without undergoing the lightning ordeal, no matter how powerful one's Primordial Spirit was, its strength would still be limited. It was like how Zhang Xuan could have never wielded such astounding power at just Saint 2-dan if he had not undergone the Saint Ascension Ordeal back then.

Hall Master Xing and Pavilion Master Gou were both at Quasi Leaving Aperture realm. As powerful as they were, there was still a gap between them and True Leaving Aperture realm primary stage experts.

Nevertheless, their strength was still plenty fearsome. They were already capable of adeptly controlling their environment and wielding it to their advantage, making it difficult for any opponent whose cultivation was beneath them to match them.

"Make your move!" Facing the strongest opponent that he had encountered other than Luo Chengxin, a hint of graveness surfaced in Zhang Xuan's eyes.

Hula!

Without wasting his breath on words, Pavilion Master Gou raised his hand and thrust it forward forcefully.

His palm strike did not seem to be particularly powerful, but through the mystical capabilities of his Primordial Spirit, the space surrounding his palm strike became extremely viscous, making it difficult to dodge his attack.

Leaving Aperture realm cultivators are capable of controlling space to some degree, allowing them to hinder the movements of their enemies. If I had not learned Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, I would have been bound by that before I could do anything, Zhang Xuan remarked internally as he felt the changes in his surroundings.

As expected of the strongest fighting power within the Qingyuan Empire! Even without undergoing the lightning ordeal, their strength was still not something that a Saint 2-dan cultivator like Zhang Xuan could withstand.

Retreat! Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan stepped forcefully against the ground and leaped backward.

As long as Pavilion Master Gou had not reached True Leaving Aperture realm, the space that he could control would be severely limited. If Zhang Xuan could get out of the other party's range, the other party's technique would not be able to faze him.

"Do you think that you will be able to escape?" Sneering coldly, Pavilion Master Gou raised his hand and closed it forcefully. In the following moment, it felt as if the space within the room had abruptly caved in, and the momentum of Zhang Xuan's retreat was immediately stalled.

Battle Technique: Dominion of the Roaring Tiger!

Even though it was only an ordinary Saint low-tier battle technique, the strength that it displayed was comparable to a Saint intermediate-tier battle technique in Pavilion Master Gou's hands.

Tzzzzzzz!

A thin sheet of zhenqi revolved relentlessly in the surroundings, causing the air to become even more viscous than before.

Dragged back by that thin sheet of zhenqi, Zhang Xuan's speed plummeted once more.

With his strength, he should have been able to cover tens of meters within a single breath. Yet, under the effects of Pavilion Master Gou's multiple means, he could not even retreat half a meter within the same period of time.

"As expected of the head of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion..." Zhang Xuan remarked as he decisively halted his retreat. The following instant, his body blurred slightly before abruptly vanishing from the spot.

"What?" Seeing the other party vanish right before him, Pavilion Master Gou narrowed his eyes in astonishment. Before he could react, a figure suddenly materialized in front of him, and a palm flew forcefully toward his chest.

Zhang Xuan had decisively abandoned his retreat, choosing to use the momentum of the Dominion of the Roaring Tiger to charge toward him instead!

However, this was nothing to worry about. After all, the gap between them was simply so huge that it could not be bridged by tactics alone.

"Not a bad maneuver at all! If it had been anyone else, it just might have worked. However, it's a pity that you are going up against a Leaving Aperture realm cultivator!" Sneering coldly, a brilliant ray of light burst from Pavilion Master Gou's glabella before a Primordial Spirit drifted out into the air.

The next moment, Zhang Xuan felt as if his entire body had been bound. Even though his palm was just half a meter away from the other party, it was as if there was a world standing in between that half a meter. No matter how he pushed forward, his palm just would not advance any further.

Is this the strength of a Leaving Aperture realm expert? Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly together.

Even though he had learned the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, granting him some control over space, it was still insufficient for him to go head to head against an opponent as powerful as Pavilion Master Gou.

It looks like this is my limit! Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

Upon gaining a rough gauge of how powerful he was at the moment, he decided to get serious. In an instant, all the acupoints throughout his body burst open, and an overwhelming surge of zhenqi burst forth. The zhenqi swiftly morphed into thousands of palms superimposed upon one another before falling upon Pavilion Master Gou.

"Thousand Hands Rulai Palm? How can this technique be so powerful?"

"It seems like he has made some alterations to it, or else it couldn't possibly wield such power..."

Recognizing the move that Zhang Xuan was executing, the master teachers in the area were stunned.

The Thousand Hands Rulai Palm was a Saint intermediate-tier battle technique. While it allowed one to strike hundreds of palms consecutively, each individual palm strike was not that powerful due to the dispersion of energy. Against a stronger opponent, it would only be effective as a distraction.

However, this limitation did not seem to apply to Zhang Xuan at all. Every single palm within his thousands of palms was filled with devastating might that threatened to smash apart everything within its way. Even a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle expert would have been smashed into minced meat before it!

"Just how much zhenqi must he have to execute so many palms simultaneously?" a master teacher within the crowd exclaimed in shock.

Those words left the master teachers widening their eyes in shock as they swiftly made calculations in their minds. The unbelievable conclusion that they arrived at caused them to gulp a mouthful of saliva down their hoarse throats.

Indeed. To be able to execute thousands of palms with each palm strike wielding such devastating might... even if they were to learn this battle technique as well, there was no way that they would have enough zhenqi to successfully execute it.

Even if they sapped every last droplet of zhenqi from their bodies, they would not even be able to execute a quarter of the battle technique.

Siila!

Under the relentless waves of devastating palm strikes, the seals that Pavilion Master Gou had cast over the surrounding space were swiftly torn into shreds.

Following which, with a powerful leap, Zhang Xuan rose high into the air before abruptly turning 180-degrees and diving downward 1 , quickly accelerating. At the same time, he pulled his palm backward and thrust it forward powerfully.

Boom!

An immense palm print formed in front of Zhang Xuan's hand.

"T-this! Could it be..."

Upon seeing this sight, Zhang Jiuxiao face paled in shock as he turned to a nearby master teacher and asked anxiously, "Do you remember the legendary palm art that descends from the heavens?"

"I don't," replied the master teacher curtly.

"..." Zhang Jiuxiao.

Chapter 1183: No

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"You haven't heard of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm? Back then, unable to pay his final respects to his deceased mother due to compelling circumstances, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu created this technique out of deep sorrow. Due to the concept behind the technique, the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm is one of the few physical battle techniques that is able to faze a cultivator's soul! Legend has it that one of its moves consists of a palm art descending from the heavens," Zhang Jiuxiao quickly explained as he stared at the sight before him with the utmost shock.

As an offspring of the Zhang Clan, while the lacking purity of his bloodline made him unqualified to access the best cultivation resources within the clan, the experiences and relics that he had come into contact with in the Zhang Clan still granted him knowledge and an eye of discernment far superior to the master teachers of the Qingyuan Conferred Empire.

As one of the closest followers of Kong shi, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was indubitably a legendary figure of the Master Teacher Pavilion. While the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm was not the strongest battle technique that he had created, the unique properties of the technique still made it rather well-known.

Hu hu!

While Zhang Jiuxiao was explaining the palm art to the other master teacher, more and more power was gathering in front of Zhang Xuan's palm, stirring up a mini tornado in the surroundings. Everyone could not help but retreat before the powerful air currents.

A tree desires the calm, but the wind batters relentlessly; a child seeks to repay, but his parents wait not! 1

"Hmm?"

Seemingly recognizing the move as well, Pavilion Master Gou's body trembled in astonishment.

The person whom he respected the most happened to be Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, so naturally, he knew about the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm as well. His mind was almost blown when he saw Zhang Xuan executing the move!

He had searched for Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage for so many years, but to no avail. Who would have thought that the young man before him would be able to execute the battle techniques of his idol so easily, so smoothly, and so powerfully!

Huala!

In his moment of astonishment, the palm strike finally fell upon him.

Zhang Xuan possessed the Eye of Insight, and he had already achieved the level of Infinitesimal Maneuver as well. As such, he was able to grasp the flow of battle with perfect precision. It took a mere glance for him to notice the huge fluctuations in Pavilion Master Gou's emotions, and he instinctively knew that this was the ideal opportunity for him to strike.

Under the immense force of the palm strike, Pavilion Master Gou's Primordial Spirit was forcefully struck back into his body before he retreated eight steps back. His face reddened from the impact, and a mouthful of blood burst from his lips.

That single palm strike had dealt considerable internal injuries to him.

"The Leaving Aperture realm Pavilion Master Gou... was actually injured by Zhang shi?"

"But there is a three-realm difference between the two of them!"

"To be able to bridge this gap and match Pavilion Master Gou squarely, Zhang shi is too formidable!"

The other master teachers did not recognize the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, but upon seeing Pavilion Master Gou getting injured from Zhang Xuan's assault, their bodies could not help but stiffen in disbelief.

To them, Pavilion Master Gou was not only the most powerful expert of the Master Teacher Pavilion but a symbol of its invincibility as well. He was the sturdy pillar whom they could fall back on in times of crisis. Yet, in less than three blows, Zhang Xuan had already managed to push him back and deal considerable internal injuries to him. This was an immense shock to all of them.

"It's fortunate that we listened earnestly to his lecture instead of challenging him, or else... we might have been lying on the floor at this very moment!"

"Indeed. Thank god for Zhang shi's magnanimity..."

Wiping the cold sweat off their foreheads, the master teachers patted their wildly beating chest in relief.

Earlier, when they had submitted to Zhang Xuan's Impartation of Heaven's Will without putting up a fight, they had felt that they had let the Master Teacher Pavilion down. However, the sight before them had dispelled the deep guilt within them.

Against such strength, even if they had really challenged Zhang Xuan, there was no doubt that they would have been defeated as well! Their involvement would not have made the slightest difference to the ultimate outcome.

"Your move..." Frantically steadying his body, Pavilion Master Gou swiftly suppressed his internal injuries before turning to Zhang Xuan with an anxious look. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask the young man before him about the technique that he had just executed, but before he could finish his words, the young man had already charged up to him to continue his assault.

This time, the young man's palm strike was much more powerful than before. While it was not augmented by the momentum of his descent, the might that it wielded did not pale in comparison at all.

Humph, I'll take a look for myself to see if that is the real Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm or not! Knowing that it would be fatal if he allowed himself to be distracted in battle, Pavilion Master Gou swiftly put aside all of his miscellaneous thoughts and turned his attention back to the battle.

Previously, he had been relying on the abilities unique to Leaving Aperture realm cultivators to deal with Zhang Xuan, but this time, he wanted to rely on his own zhenqi and body and fight a proper battle with the other party.

Placing his palms together before his chest, ripples of shockwaves began spreading out one after another from the meeting of his hands, inducing a deafening sonic boom.

Saint intermediate-tier battle technique, Myriad Waves Layered Clouds!

Legend had it that a master teacher had created this battle technique when inspiration struck him while studying the flow of water within a river. Ripples of shockwaves would burst forth relentlessly like the river that flowed tirelessly, overwhelming the surroundings through its multiple layers just like the clouds concealed the sky.

Pavilion Master Gou had devoted countless years of his life to refining this technique of his, and he had long achieved a high level of mastery in it. The Myriad Waves Layered Clouds easily halted the advancement of Zhang Xuan's Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, keeping it firmly at bay.

However, Zhang Xuan did not back down just because of that. Instead, while continuing to exert force on his right hand, he raised his left hand and gathered the Power of the Stars on his fingertip before shooting a blinding ray of light forward.

"The Grand Constellation Finger?"

"A palm art in one hand, a finger art in the other?"

The crowd was stunned by what they were seeing. Even Zhang Jiuxiao was shocked speechless by the sight, not daring to believe his eyes.

A palm art and a finger art were two entirely different battle techniques, and the zhenqi circulation pathways required for executing the techniques were completely different from one another as well. It was possible to execute the palm art first before executing the finger art, or vice-versa, but... to execute them simultaneously on a hand each... that was a nigh impossible feat!

Putting aside them, not even Pavilion Master Gou would have been able to accomplish such a feat!

Wuuuuuuuuuu!

The Grand Constellation Finger swiftly tore a small hole in Pavilion Master Gou's Myriad Waves Layered Clouds, causing the might of the latter's battle technique to disperse swiftly like flowing water, thus undoing the defense that the other party had built up.

Kacha!

The Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm swiftly tore through Pavilion Master Gou's weakened defense with overwhelming might, forcing the latter to retreat in a fluster.

Incredible!

Not expecting that he would still be outdone despite having exerted his full strength, Pavilion Master Gou assessed the young man before him grimly. Swapping his palm with a fist, he charged forward once more.

Boom boom boom!

Both sides moved with incredible agility. Within less than a minute, they had already exchanged more than a hundred blows.

Watching the battle, one of the master teachers could not help but mutter to himself in absolute shock. "Pavilion Master Gou was known as an unparalleled genius in his earlier days, and he has mastered countless powerful battle techniques. In that series of exchanges previously, he must have used at least ten different battle techniques. Considering his background, it's understandable how he is able to pull that off, but... if my eyes are not playing tricks on me, Zhang shi seems to have used more than eighty battle techniques in the same period of time."

Pavilion Master Gou was already nearing nine hundred, so it was not surprising for him to have learned and mastered many battle techniques. But Zhang Xuan was only twenty years old! To execute so many formidable battle techniques with ease, it was apparent that he had a deep understanding of every single one of them...

How could that be possible?

"I have been counting, and he has used a total of 87 battle techniques so far," another master teacher added.

Those words swiftly caught the attention of others, and they widened their eyes in disbelief.

As combat masters, they knew how difficult it was to master every single battle technique. Yet, every single battle technique that the young man had executed was at a mastery of Major Accomplishment at the very minimum... Inconceivable!

"It seems like it's about time for the title of the number one genius of Qingyuan City to change hands!"

The crowd could not help but agree with that statement.

In the past, they had viewed Zhang Jiuxiao as a hurdle that they would never be able to overcome, but after seeing the young man before them, they realized that a true prodigy was actually an existence who was far beyond the comprehension of mortals like them.

Contrary to everyone's shock, Wu shi frowned in incomprehension at the sight before him instead. "Something is wrong..."

Another master teacher stepped forward to ask, "Wu shi, what's wrong?"

Wu shi contemplated for a moment, trying to put his finger on the feeling of incongruence that he felt. "Principal Zhang specializes in identifying the flaws of others and capitalizing on them to subdue his opponents, but he has not done so in this battle. Instead, he began displaying an array of battle techniques. It almost as if he's intentionally prolonging the battle to temper himself!"

While the other master teachers might not have been familiar with Zhang Xuan's abilities, he could not have been any clearer about them, especially after what they had gone through together in the Qiu Wu Palace.

The fellow had a remarkable eye that allowed him to accurately discern the flaws within the battle techniques or cultivation techniques of any cultivator, and he had always relied on this ability to catch his opponent off guard and subdue them in a single move.

But despite utilizing so many powerful battle techniques, that fellow did not center his attacks on Pavilion Master Gou's flaws. From this, it could be deduced that he was not intending to defeat the latter immediately. If so, there could only be one possibility... he was trying to temper his strength through battle!

"Tempering himself?" The master teacher could not believe what he was hearing.

If it was on any other occasion that someone had told him that a Spiritual Perception realm cultivator was battling a Leaving Aperture realm expert but was thinking of ways to temper himself through the battle instead of achieving victory, he would have surely thought that the other party was fool or a lunatic. However... with what was happening right before his eyes, no matter how inconceivable the matter was, he knew that it was the undeniable truth!

To actually be thinking of tempering himself while fighting against an expert three cultivation realms stronger than he was... just how confident was the other party in his fighting prowess?

Boom boom boom!

After trading three more blows, Pavilion Master Gou was suddenly forced back, giving Zhang Xuan a moment to catch his breath.

Just as Wu shi had guessed, he was intending to use Pavilion Master Gou to temper his mastery of the battle techniques.

It was not easy for him to find a worthy opponent who could take him at his full might. Furthermore, he had just learned many new battle techniques from the Combat Master Hall, so he wanted to test them out and heighten his mastery in them as well.

As expected of a Leaving Aperture realm expert, I'm indeed no match for him at the moment. Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed.

Even though his fighting prowess had risen after grasping the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, it would still be too difficult for him to match a Leaving Aperture realm expert until he achieved a breakthrough to the Embryonic Soul realm. Otherwise, just by the overwhelming gap in their fundamental capabilities and strength, it was nigh impossible for him to emerge victorious.

Nevertheless, while it would be difficult for him to achieve victory in a proper duel, there were actually many other ways he could subdue the other party.

Raising his palm and crushing it downward to halt the other party's advancement, Zhang Xuan snapped his fingers.

Sou sou sou sou!

More than a hundred flags suddenly materialized from Zhang Xuan's storage ring, and they swiftly took their positions around Pavilion Master Gou.

As soon as that was done, Zhang Xuan stomped on the ground lightly, and the formation instantaneously came to life.

He had achieved a proficiency comparable to 7-star formation masters in the field of formations back at the Qiu Wu Palace. Although it would be difficult to him to fight against Pavilion Master Gou with just his own strength, with the help of a formation, his chances of victory would be enhanced significantly.

Hula!

A mist swiftly shrouded the entire area, concealing Pavilion Master Gou within as well.

Zhang Xuan had set up two 7-star intermediate stage formations, and while they were not too powerful, it would still take Pavilion Master Gou more than ten breaths to undo them.

That period of time was more than enough for Zhang Xuan to subdue Pavilion Master Gou.

As the formation whirred into operation, the crowd found their vision completely blocked by the mist.

Kacha!

After fifteen minutes, the formation finally dissipated, and with a wave of his hand, Zhang Xuan returned all of the formation flags to his storage ring.

Seeing that the battle had ended so quickly, the crowd quickly turned their gazes toward Pavilion Master Gou, only to freeze the next moment.

The dashing Pavilion Master Gou from a moment ago had his head planted in the ground. His entire body was covered with blood and wounds, such that there was not a single spot of unblemished skin on his body.

It was apparent that he had come under a frenzied torrent of attacks within the short period of time, and it was doubtful whether even his closest kin would be able to recognize him given the current state he was in.

Huala!

Pavilion Master Gou plucked his head out from the earth. He did not seem to feel disappointed or humiliated by his loss. On the contrary, his eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation as he asked, "Zhang shi, may I ask if the technique you displayed earlier is Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm?"

"That's right." Zhang Xuan nodded, admitting to the matter.

"May I know... if it's possible for you..." Pavilion Master Gou hesitated. Gritting his teeth in determination, he continued. "... to impart the battle technique to me?"

"Why? You are interested in learning the technique?"

"That's right!"

"Then I won't teach you."

"..."

Chapter 1184: Pavilion Master Gou Admits Defeat

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

While a teacher should enlighten others without discrimination, Pavilion Master Gou had truly crossed Zhang Xuan's bottom line. For his own selfishness, he had chosen to disregard the truth and selfishly sided with Vice Pavilion Master Tian. The stronger a person like that was, the greater a threat to humanity they were.

Thus, how could he possibly impart Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Art to the other party?

Zhang Xuan was a kind and generous person, but that did not mean that he was undiscerning and naive.

He had a clear gauge of who he should accept as his student and who he should never accept as his student.

"Pardon me, I was getting ahead of myself..." Pavilion Master Gou's face sank in disappointment.

It was just a moment ago that he had forced the other party into crashing their Master Teacher Pavilion, so why would the other party be willing to impart his battle technique to him now?

He should be glad that the other party had not killed him on the spot!

"I have lost..." Pavilion Master Gou closed his eyes momentarily and shook his head. A moment later, he opened his eyes and announced, "Zhang shi has successfully cleared the first phase of the pavilion crashing!"

The first phase was to defeat all of the master teachers of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and given that Zhang Xuan had managed to get all ten thousand master teachers to submit to him and defeat the strongest Pavilion Master Gou, he had already cleared it.

"Hold it for a moment. I haven't fought with Vice Pavilion Master Tian yet, and I don't think it's right that we skip straight past him!" Zhang Xuan interjected.

"Even I am not a match for you, let alone Tian Qing. Thus, there's no longer any meaning in you fighting him," Pavilion Master Gou said.

However, Zhang Xuan did not seem to be convinced by that explanation. He was just about to argue when Tian Qing clasped his fist and said, "I am not an opponent for you either. I admit my defeat!"

A hint of disappointment surfaced in Zhang Xuan's eyes.

To be honest, he was still seething with rage with Vice Pavilion Master Tian. If only the other party had agreed to have a duel with him, he would surely have pummeled the other party deep into the ground, never to see the light of the day again!

But since Vice Pavilion Master Tian had admitted his defeat, there was no excuse he could use anymore.

After all, the act of pavilion crashing was bound by rules, and the entire process was supervised by the headquarters. It would not be good for him to intentionally kill another master teacher here.

"The Master Teacher Tower is over there. Follow me."

The Master Teacher Tower housed the wills of the strongest master teacher of each generation. Some of them had reached the level of 8-star low-tier, and there were those who had achieved accomplishments even higher than that. Naturally, it would not be an easy feat to overcome them.

As such, the first phase of pavilion crashing was actually considered a mere warm up.

The true test lay ahead.

This was the challenge that had halted the footsteps of countless geniuses in history.

Following behind Pavilion Master Gou, it did not take long for Zhang Xuan to see a seven-story tower looming over him.

Knowing that a great trial lay ahead, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath and gathered his concentration before making his way in.

As soon as Zhang Xuan's silhouette disappeared amid the darkness of the tower, a master teacher could not help but ask apprehensively, "Will Zhang shi... succeed?"

"It'll be very difficult. While our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion isn't ranked at the forefront of the Eight Conferred Empires, it has still produced four 8-star master teachers in history. Of them, He shi even managed to reach 8-star high-tier in his lifetime. With the extensive knowledge he possesses and the incredible power he wields, the will he has left behind in the Master Teacher Tower won't be that easy to overcome," another master teacher within the crowd replied.

The first master teacher nodded in agreement. "Indeed. 8-star master teachers are existences that are considered near the peak of the Master Teacher Continent. Be it their knowledge, state of mind, or comprehension of cultivation, it would be difficult for ordinary master teachers to match them."

"Jeez, I hope that Zhang shi will be able to clear the examination. If he succeeds, as his students, we will be able to share his glory as well!"

"I am also fervently praying for his success. It has been a long time since anyone has crashed a pavilion. If he succeeds, think about the fame that it will bring us! In the future, I'll be able to brag to my friends that my teacher is a successful pavilion crasher!"

The two master teachers spoke with looks of anticipation on their faces.

Pu!

Hearing the words of the duo, the severely wounded Pavilion Master Gou suddenly felt his injuries acting up once more, and fresh blood spurted wildly from his mouth. It took quite a while before he managed to calm himself down once more.

Master teachers of other Master Teacher Pavilions would lay down their lives to guard the honor and pride of their pavilion, so why were his master teachers wishing for Zhang Xuan's victory instead?

Do you even realize that this is your Master Teacher Pavilion too? Once he succeeds in crashing the pavilion, you will be humiliated, too! Glory your head!

Noticing the look on Pavilion Master Gou's face, Wu shi could immediately tell what the other party was thinking about, and he shook his head. "Those who conduct themselves morally will find help coming their way, while those who lack principles will find themselves isolated from the others. Pavilion Master Gou, regardless of whether Principal Zhang is able to clear the Master Teacher Tower or not, you have already lost the hearts of your men. Even if the headquarters do not pursue this matter, it is likely that no master teacher within the Master Teacher Pavilion will willingly follow your orders anymore."

While Vice Pavilion Master Tian's act of framing Zhang Xuan had been carried out discreetly, considering how the matter had blown up to such a degree, there was no way the truth could be hidden any further.

A person who stood bravely against an entire Master Teacher Pavilion in order to redress his grievances, as compared to a pavilion master who chose to overlook the evil of others just to save his own skin and retire peacefully... it was apparent with a single look whom the crowd would choose to side with.

Due to this matter, Pavilion Master Gou would be despised by all master teachers in the world, never to make a comeback.

"I..." Realizing the same, Pavilion Master Gou's face turned ashen in despair.

In truth, he had also realized that his days of glory were over from the moment the other party declared that he would crash the Master Teacher Pavilion.

But... he had not expected that those master teachers whom he had fought alongside with previously would abandon him so utterly either.

His eyes colored with desolation, Pavilion Master Gou gazed into the sky with a complicated look. "Have I... really done wrong?"

The initial hopes and dreams in bettering the world when he first became the regional pavilion master had eroded over the long five hundred years. Unknowingly, his priority had shifted into desperately protecting the authority and prestige that he held instead. Perhaps karma had truly come around to bite him.

With a suffocating sensation within his chest, he turned to Wu shi and asked, "What is the background of Zhang shi?"

"He's the most diligent and talented individual I have ever seen in the world," Wu shi replied with a brilliant gleam in his eyes.

A person who insisted on reading and bettering himself no matter what kind of circumstances he was in... Just Zhang Xuan's attitude toward studying was one that he should really strive to learn from.

Perhaps, it was due to how studious Zhang Xuan was that he was able to achieve what he had at such a young age, possessing strength far beyond his.

...

Zhang Xuan slowly advanced after entering the huge doors of the Master Teacher Tower.

Having challenged the Master Teacher Tower once back at Xuanyuan Kingdom, he knew the rules concerning it.

The wills of the outstanding predecessors of the Master Teacher Pavilion were deposited here, and every single one of them wielded superior strength. It was nigh impossible to defeat them in a normal duel, and due to that, the test would tend to concern the fundamental abilities of master teachers instead, such as lecturing, discerning flaws, offering pointers on battle techniques, and so on.

As such, what was tested in this second phase was not one's strength but how accomplished a master teacher one was.

Hu!

After proceeding for some time, an illusory figure suddenly appeared before Zhang Xuan. He was the guardian of the very first test, an 8-star low-tier master teacher who had risen from the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion 13,000 years ago, Zhao Zhen.

Seeing that the person who was crashing the pavilion was only a twenty-year-old, Master Teacher Zhao Zhen frowned. "To crash a Master Teacher Pavilion at such a young age, what kind of grievances have you suffered?"

"The incumbent pavilion master has sided with evildoers to sully my reputation just to preserve a clean record and protect his own position..." Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and began explaining the matter.

"There's actually such a matter? The Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion really is getting worse generation after generation! It is high time to do some internal reorganization!" Zhao Zhen harrumphed furiously before turning his sights back to Zhang Xuan once more.

"I know that you have suffered greatly from this matter, but as one of the guardians of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, I cannot let you pass me so easily. Otherwise, if everyone attempted to crash the Master Teacher Pavilion whenever something happened, the authority of the Master Teacher Pavilion will be undermined. I hope that you can understand that."

"I understand." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Seeing how earnest the young man was, Zhao Zhen nodded in approval.

"My test will be on discerning flaws in my battle technique. I will execute a battle technique, and as long as you can find a single flaw in it, you will have cleared my test."

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan's face brightened up. "Alright!"

On the other hand, seeing that the young man had loosened up instead after hearing the content of his test, as if it was already a done deal, Zhao Zhen frowned. "Don't think that it will be easy to find a flaw in my battle technique. I won't be going easy on you just because of your plight. I will be using my most prided battle technique, one that I have refined again and again in my lifetime in order to perfect it. While I cannot say that it's flawless, most 7-star pinnacle master teachers would need numerous months before they could find a single flaw!"

"I understand. Pardon me, but I am in a hurry, so can we get it over and done with quickly?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"You..." Displeased, Master Teacher Zhao Zhen flung his sleeves furiously.

As an 8-star low-tier master teacher, a test from him could not possibly be as easy as it sounded. Yet, that young man was taking him lightly, even saying that he wanted to get it over and done with as if everything was already in his grasp. Was he really that confident in clearing his test, or was he just another conceited fool?

"The battle technique that I will be using is known as the Autumn Breeze Intertwining Silk Hands. It's a technique that I came up with while observing the falling leaves being raked up by the autumn wind, only to be entangled in a spider's web. I'll first execute it once for you."

Master Teacher Zhao Zhen raised his hands and drew out fine zhenqi threads from the tips of his fingers. With elegant movements, he skillfully weaved it into a spider's web that entrapped everything within it. If someone was within the spider's web's area, they would surely find themself getting helplessly entangled if they tried to escape from the area.

"I have never executed this battle technique before anyone, so you need not try to find any shortcuts around this test. Also, do not even think that you will be able to pull the wool over my eyes; it won't work. My technique consists of ten moves, and each of them is stronger than the last. The one that I have just executed is only the first move, Entwining Threads of Golden Silk. After I am done executing all ten moves, I will give you four hours to contemplate over the matter. If you are able to find a single flaw in my technique, you pass. Otherwise, I will have to regretfully inform you that your pavilion crashing has come to an end," Master Teacher Zhao Zhen said as he executed the technique.

Typically speaking, he would grant those crashing the pavilion two days to analyze the intricacies in his battle techniques. However, the young man before him had spoken arrogantly, so he had chosen to narrow the timeframe to four hours instead so as to hammer down the other party's arrogance.

When the other party finally came to realize his own arrogance upon failing to come up with anything after four hours, he would loosen the time restriction.

Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, "There's no need to execute all ten moves or wait four hours; I can list your flaws now."

It was only in the spur of the moment from Pavilion Master Gou's humiliation that he had chosen to engage in pavilion crashing. His priority was still to be promoted to 7-star master teacher and find ways to earn more concentrated high-tier spirit stones to raise his cultivation. He did not have any time to waste here.

"You will list my flaws now?" Zhao Zhen was taken aback.

He had only used a single move, but the young man was ready to list his flaws? What utter nonsense!

"Your Autumn Breeze Intertwining Silk Hands does not look bad on the surface, wielding strength that would easily put it in the forefront of Saint intermediate-tier battle techniques. Upon mastering the technique, the zhenqi threads can be skillfully utilized in many ways to restrict an opponent's movements, making it an extremely difficult technique to deal with. However, it's unfortunate that it is riddled with quite a number of flaws. I did a rough count earlier, and it seems like there is a total of 37 flaws!" Zhang Xuan said.

"37 flaws?" Zhao Zhen's face darkened in rage.

I have only used the first move of my battle technique, and it's already questionable in itself whether you are able to find a single flaw from it or not. Yet, you are telling me that you have already found 37?

In an instant, the last traces of goodwill that Zhao Zhen felt toward the young man before him vanished.

"Indeed." Oblivious to Zhao Zhen's thoughts regarding him, Zhang Xuan thought that the other party was just skeptical about there being so many flaws in his technique, so he swiftly explained, "The creation of a battle technique must involve trial through practical battles as well to test its effectiveness and might. Considering that you have never imparted the battle technique to anyone else or tested it out in battle, I must say that it's already impressive that there are only 37 flaws in your battle technique."

"You!" Hearing those words, Zhao Zhen nearly exploded on the spot. With a livid face, he uttered coldly, "Since that's the case, why don't you tell me where the 37 flaws are? If you can't, don't blame me for getting nasty with you!"

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