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

45. 1409

Library of Heaven's Path #Chapter 1409 - Forging a Weapon - Read Library of Heaven's Path Chapter 1409 - Forging a Weapon Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 1409: Forging a Weapon

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

After appeasing the indignant puppet, Zhang Xuan headed up to the second floor.

The assessment on the second floor wasn't regarding beast tamer, formation master, or the other supporting occupations he was more skilled in but blacksmith.

As soon as he entered the room, he immediately saw a young man standing before a cauldron. Holding a fiery red hammer in his hand, he struck a metal ingot relentlessly. Gradually, the metal ingot took shape, and a cold glint reflected off of it.

The Tower of Master Teachers required him to choose eight different supporting occupations, and just so to save him from putting in additional effort in the future, the supporting occupations that he chose were all those which he hadn't obtained the 8-star emblem yet.

Ever since he had cleared the 6-star blacksmith examination in Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, he hadn't really touched it much anymore. This would be a good opportunity for him to raise his blacksmith rank up to 8-star.

Hu!

Noting Zhang Xuan's presence, the young man halted his hammering and introduced himself, "I am the Inceptive Sage of the Blacksmith Guild, Wu Youdao. The test I have for you is extremely simple. I have an ore over there, and as long as you can forge it into a Saint high-tier artifact within a single day, I'll deem you to have cleared my test!"

As the young man spoke, he gestured toward a weapon cauldron. In the weapon cauldron, Zhang Xuan found an ore floating amidst a fearsome inferno. The flames were so intense that heat waves rippled relentlessly from it, but even so, the ore still showed no signs of melting whatsoever.

"Is that the Violet Firmament Blazestone?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

The Violet Firmament Blazestone was known to be the hardest grade-8 ore to process. Even 8-star pinnacle blacksmiths would struggle to melt it down and refine it properly. Yet, the young man before him actually wanted him to refine such an ore!

It seemed like clearing the Tower of Master Teachers was truly not going to be easy.

Nevertheless, there was still an upside to this. While the Violet Firmament Blazestone was extremely difficult to process, it was an incredibly valuable material that could be easily forged into a Saint intermediate-tier weapon once refined and forged. Just by using a slightly more refined forging technique, it wouldn't be too difficult to forge a Saint high-tier artifact out of it.

In other words, the hardest aspect of the assessment lay not in the forging of a Saint high-tier artifact but the melting and smithing of the ore into a suitable weapon.

"Indeed. This serves to assess your understanding of processing ores and smithing. If you are unable to melt the Violet Firmament Blazestone within a day, I'll have no choice but to fail you." Wu Youdao replied with a wave of his hand before turning his attention back to forging his weapon, not bothering to pay any heed to Zhang Xuan anymore.

"Alright." Knowing that this was was a part of the assessment, Zhang Xuan immediately dived straight to work.

Ads by Pubfuture

He activated his Eye of Insight and began examining the Violet Firmament Blazestone carefully.

There was no problem with the heat conductivity of the weapon cauldron or the coal fueling the flames; it was just that the melting point of the Violet Firmament Blazestone was way too high. It would require the hottest of the earth flames in order to melt it, and that was a temperature that would be nigh impossible to reach even if a blacksmith were to pump his zhenqi into the flames as quickly as he could.

However, the young man hadn't given him a formation to retrieve earth flames to work with, so that would probably mean that he would have to find some way to cope with the current materials he had at hand.

This will be really troublesome...

It must be said that this assessment was far more difficult than what Zhang Xuan had expected.

Nevertheless, there's no way I could let something like this impede my footsteps!

Were it to be any other 8-star blacksmith, they might have really felt utter helplessness at the situation. However, to Zhang Xuan, this actually wasn't too much of a problem at all.

He had gone through all of the books in the Blacksmith Guild, so his understanding of smithing had already reached a level comparable to 8-star pinnacle blacksmiths, perhaps on par with some 9-star primary blacksmiths even. Even without using the Library of Heaven's Path, there were at least several dozen methods he had at the top of his head to melt the Violet Firmament Blazestone.

With a leisurely chuckle, Zhang Xuan walked up to the cauldron and tapped his finger forward. Several dozen surges of zhenqi immediately shot forth from his finger and shrouded the flames.

Tzzzzzzzz!

Surrounded by Zhang Xuan's zhenqi, the flames suddenly surged in intensity, as if someone had breathed life into it. The crimson flames began taking on a blue tint, and the astounding heat that it emanated caused even the surrounding air to warp slightly.

That is... a grade-8 Spirit Gathering Formation? Upon seeing the sight, Wu Youdao halted his forging and exclaimed in astonishment.

Most formidable weapons would have unique formations carved onto them in order to reinforce their durability and bolster their fighting prowess. For this reason, most expert blacksmiths were highly skilled in formations too.

But to be honest, while he had expected the other party to attempt to toss in some kind of flame catalyst in order to bolster the intensity of the flames, he hadn't thought that the other party would actually dive straight into constructing up a mini Spirit Gathering Formation!

Furthermore, the other party actually managed to construct such a small-scale Spirit Gathering Formation with just his zhenqi... And more importantly, he did it within such a short period of time as well!

Tzzzzz!

With the massive influx of spiritual energy, the temperature of the coal swiftly rose. However, it was still some way off from reaching the level of heat required to melt the Violet Firmament Blazestone. Even though the violet ore reflected a brilliant blue-tinted light, there didn't seem to be too much change to its physical state under the searing flames.

It's not a bad idea to intensify the flames in the weapon cauldron by concentrating spiritual energy into it, but it's still insufficient to melt down an ore of the tier of the Violet Firmament Blazestone... Shaking his head, Wu Youdao was just about to turn his attention back to his weapon when the leg of the young man opposite of him suddenly sprung forth, kicking the weapon cauldron straight.

Dang!

A resounding metallic clang reverberated through the weapon cauldron. In the next moment, the flames within weapon cauldron began swiftly converging together at a single point, as if there was some kind of compelling force attracting them together. It took just an instant for the massive outburst of flames to be compressed down to a size reminiscent of the tip of a sword, and it began slicing the Violet Firmament Blazestone up into innumerable pieces.

That is... a fire concentration technique? But such a technique would require the cauldron's unconditional assistance! How in the world did he manage to pull it off?

Once again, Wu Youdao found himself dumbstruck.

Ads by Pubfuture

Just as the name suggested, fire concentration technique was a skill that allowed one to focus the flames at a single point, thus driving the temperature up to an unbelievable degree. Indubitably, it was an extremely useful and effective technique, but unfortunately, it was a highly demanding exploit for both the cauldron and the blacksmith; the two would require a relationship of mutual trust and impeccable coordination in order to pull off a fire concentration technique. Considering that it had only been several dozen breaths since the young man opposite of him had only met the cauldron, how in the world did they manage to accomplish a fire concentration technique?

Just as Wu Youdao was completely flabbergasted by the situation, the weapon cauldron suddenly wobbled its massive body over to him and opened up its lid. A voice so deep that it was reminiscent of the rumbling of thunder echoed loudly in the room, "Lend me your Blue Incandescence Stone for a use!"

"Ah..." Not expecting his own weapon cauldron to speak to him in such a manner, Wu Youdao froze on the spot in shock. Before he could even answer, the weapon cauldron had already replied, "Thanks."

After which, without even bothering to seek Wu Youdao's agreement, it lifted up one of its tripod foot and stomped on the ground lightly.

Hula!

An ore immediately flew into its cauldron.

Xiong xiong xiong!

As soon as the flame came into contact with the Blue Incandescence Stone, the flames immediately burst forth, and the temperature began surging at an insane pace once more.

"You are going to snatch my ore for that guy's sake?" Wu Youdao's face twitched non-stop.

It had been many years since that weapon cauldron had acknowledged him as its master, and they had been constantly together ever since then. He was only lending it out for the other party's temporary use, and yet...

Not only did the cauldron coordinate perfectly with the other party to execute the fire concentration technique, it even helped him steal his ore!

Do you still know who your true owner is?

While he was leaping with rage, the cauldron suddenly turned to look at Wu Youdao once more and said, "I'll need your blood now."

After which, the cauldron suddenly leaped into the air and descended onto the young man vertically downward.

Pu!

Struck squarely on his chest, a pool of blood spurted forth from Wu Youdao's mouth and landed right within the weapon cauldron, and the flames intensified for the third time.

Tzzzzzzzz!

With the multiple surges in the temperature, the Violet Firmament Blazestonewas finally unable to retain its state any longer, and cracks began appearing on its surface. Following which, its tough exterior began to soften, showing signs of liquefying.

Seeing that it was a success, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. He swiftly shot forth a burst of zhenqi with a tap of his finger.

Hu la!

The ore in the cauldron immediately flew out, and with the hammer in hand, Zhang Xuan swiftly hammered on the ore with incredible deftness. Three breaths later, the forged weapon was plunged into a specially-concocted cold fluid.

A stream of white smoke rose amidst a resounding sizzle. Soon, Zhang Xuan fished out the completed product and remarked with a satisfied smile, "I'm done smithing!"

"You're done?"

Perplexed, Wu Youdao turned his head over to the completed product, and just a single look was more than enough to send his cheeks into endless spasms, "Is that... even a weapon?"

What that was placed on the table wasn't a sword or anything that he would consider as a weapon. It was a perfectly square brick.

Ads by Pubfuture

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1410: Grooming Log of the Brick Master Blacksmith

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Be it setting up a Spirit Gathering Formation to intensify the flames or concentrating the flames together to heighten the heat, the other party had already displayed a deep understanding of manipulation of flames, such that it was very likely that the other party was almost on par with him when in terms of proficiency in smithing.

But... why would he so slipshod when it came to forging the weapon?

That was a Violet Firmament Blazestone! It was an incredibly valuable ore even from the perspective of an Inceptive Sage like him! Even if it wasn't enough to forge a saber or a spear, there shouldn't be too much problem making a dagger out of it! And yet, of all possibilities, he chose to make a brick instead...

Wu Youdao's face twitched non-stop, and he felt himself getting a little short on breath from the sheer state of agitation he was in.

As the Inceptive Sage of the Blacksmith Guild, he had something that could be described as an extreme obsession with perfecting weapons. If there were to be the slightest millimeter of imperfection in his forging, he would simply melt down the entire weapon and redo it right from the start. In view that he was assessing another person's work, he had no choice but to tolerate slight imperfections in the other party's work... But this brick didn't have the slightest thing to do with a weapon at all, so how could he possibly accept this?

It was not as if the other party was a bricklayer, so why in the world did he choose to forge a brick?

"You can check on it. It should have reached Saint high-tier." Paying no heed to the frenzied look on Wu Youdao's face, Zhang Xuan said with a casual wave of his hand.

"Saint high-tier?" The last remark from Zhang Xuan was the very last straw for Wu Youdao. Unable to tolerate it any longer, he snapped, "What's the use of a mere brick even if it has really reached Saint high-tier?"

On the other hand, facing Wu Youdao's questioning, Zhang Xuan shook his head in disapproval, as if disappointed by the other party's inability to recognize a treasure before his eyes, before picking up the metal brick from the table and saying with a hint of pride, "Its uses are far greater than what you can imagine. It would be no exaggeration to say that it's the most formidable weapon in the world!"

However, those words only seemed to further fan Wu Youdao's rage, and it was to the point that he began laughing out of sheer anger, "The most formidable weapon in the world? Why don't you show me just what is so formidable about the brick you have forged?"

There should at least be a limit to one's lies! A perfectly square brick, bulky and heavy, lacking in reach and devoid of a sharp edge... How was one supposed to fight with such a weapon?!

"Do you still have any weapon forged out of Violet Firmament Blazestone? Whether my brick is truly strong or not, we'll be able to tell with a swift test!" Zhang Xuan replied calmly.

"You want to test out your brick? Hmph, let's do just that then!" As he said those words, Wu Youdao flicked his wrist and retrieved three weapons.

Saber, spear, and sword!

These were all forged out of the Violet Firmament Blazestone, and the overwhelming cold aura that emanated from them left one feeling as if one's skin had been pierced through and that one's blood was about to freeze over.

With just a look, it was apparent that all three of those weapons were of extremely high tier, wielding formidable strength.

The forging of these three weapons had taken Wu Youdao tremendous effort, especially with the processing of the Violet Firmament Blazestone.

"As long as any of these three weapons of yours is able to withstand the might of my brick, I'll consider it as my loss!" Zhang Xuan said with a smile.

"Very well. Let me see what kind of might does that brick of yours wield!" Hearing the arrogant words spoken by the young man before him, Wu Youdao harrumphed coldly.

With a flick of his wrist, his sword flew forth in Zhang Xuan's direction.

In the face of the incoming sword, Zhang Xuan didn't make any particularly large actions. Instead, with a simple fling of his sleeve, he flung his brick forward to fend against the sword.

Kacha!

The brick and the sword collided forcefully with one another, and in the next instant, the sword shattered into two with a resounding clang.

"This..." Wu Youdao widened his eyes in horror.

He had reforged this sword time after time in order to refine it into the sharpest and most resilient blade it could be. Yet, against a mere brick, it actually shattered in an instant! How could this be?

Hu!

To make things worse, the brick didn't stop after shattering the sword. It swiftly flew for the saber and spear floating behind Wu Youdao. 'Kacha! Kacha!', two crisp echoes sounded the end of the other two weapons that Wu Youdao had forged with great difficulty.

"Y-you..." Wu Youdao's teeth clattered at that sight, a little overwhelmed by the situation going on before him.

It was one thing for one of his weapon to be destroyed so easily, but for all three to be shattered by a simple brick so easily... No matter how slow-witted he was, it was more than obvious to him that there was something much deeper to the simple-looking brick before him!

It was at a completely different tier from the other weapons he had forged so far!

"A brick might lack a sharp edge, but its bulkiness allows it to overcome any weapon through sheer force." Placing his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan glanced at Wu Youdao with the air of an unfathomable expert.

"Weapons are tools intended to raise a cultivator's fighting prowess. Their forms are only of secondary concern, what's truly important are their might! While the Violet Firmament Blazestone allows for the forging of extraordinarily sharp weapons, there is a fatal flaw with such weapons—brittleness. They might still fare fine against other light weapons, but once faced with a heavy weapon, they would swiftly shatter like fragile crystals under the immense pressure exerted on them. Can a weapon that breaks in the middle of a battle be considered as a good weapon?"

"This..." Wu Youdao was stumped by those words.

He had used the Violet Firmament Blazestone to forge quite a few weapons, but just like what the other party had said, they were lacking in resilience. But he didn't view this lack in resilience as a major problem—after all, there was no way they could be too fragile as Saint high-tier weapons. Furthermore, the strength of a sword lay primarily in its sharpness and flexibility, and it would be impractical to expect it to be resilient as well.

He thought that all weapons forged out of the Violet Firmament Blazestone would face this fundamental flaw, but who could have thought that this problem would be resolved easily just by forging a simple brick!

"How is it? Have I cleared your assessment?" Seeing that Wu Youdao was in a state of complete shock, Zhang Xuan shook his head before asking.

He had always been a humble person, and his purpose here was to clear the trial, not to traumatize others, so there was no need for him to add salt to the other party's wounds.

"... Yes, you have cleared my assessment..." Wu Youdao replied in a deflated voice, a deep contrast against the confidence he had exuded earlier. With a frown on his face, he asked, "There should be no way to carve a formation on the brick, and furthermore, you were rather easygoing and leisurely in your hammerings too. So, how did manage to forge a weapon of this tier?"

Even with the superior sturdiness the brick wielded over his three weapons, it shouldn't have been possible for it to shatter all three of his weapons so easily. That could only mean that the other party's brick was of a far higher quality of his weapons.

In order to raise the tier of a weapon, the regulation of temperature within the weapon cauldron while the ore was being refined and the quenching process were of utmost importance. On the other hand, when it came to heightening its prowess, the forging process and carving of formations would be the key.

Generally speaking, the longer an ore had been hammered for, the more compact the material would be. Thus, weapons that had undergone a longer forging process would tend to be considerably more resilient.

However, the other party had taken three breaths to craft his weapon, using only half a breath to hammer each side of the metal ingot once in order to shape it into the form of a brick... So, how could it possibly be of higher tier than the weapons he had spent hours or even days forging?

"Are you interested in learning the secret behind my forging technique?" Zhang Xuan asked with a smile.

"Please enlighten me!" Knowing that the other party possessed capabilities surpassing him in the field of smithing, Wu Youdao clasped his fist and bowed humbly, not daring to pull his weight.

"Even though the forging of the brick would appear simple and crude to untrained eyes, there's actually profound knowledge in it. None of the hammer strikes were done haphazardly; they were carefully controlled to ensure that they are in alignment with the essence of smithing..." Picking the brick up, Zhang Xuan explained with a deep look in his eyes.

His understanding of smithing had already reached 8-star pinnacle—not to mention that what he had learned was the Heaven's Path Smithing Art—so even the most casual of pointers from him could be deeply insightful to any 8-star blacksmith.

Just by listening to Zhang Xuan's words for a while, Wu Youdao was left with nothing but awe and respect for him.

Despite the other party's young age, his explanation of smithing was concise and spot-on. Through simple words, the other party was able to bring out the most profound of concepts, leaving him feeling deeply enlightened, as if many epiphanies were striking him one after another.

Very soon, the intricacies behind the mysterious brick forging techniques were deciphered to Wu Youdao.

"Farewell!" After finishing his piece, Zhang Xuan bade his leave and began heading for the third floor.

Seeing the young man off with his gaze, Wu Youdao swiftly ran through what he had just learned, and his eyes gleamed in excitement, "So, my conceptualization of smithing has been wrong all along. From this day onward, I shall smith swords and sabers no more and dedicate the entirety of my time and effort into forging bricks!"

What swords, sabers, spears... All those meant nothing to the absolute brick!

Offering the heaviest of offense and the sturdiest of defense, what other weapons could possibly compete with the brick? This was a weapon that was worth dedicating his entire life into pursuing!

With such a thought in mind, Wu Youdao swiftly took out several ores and began forging.

On the other hand, the culprit who had just led a talented blacksmith astray was currently heading up a flight of stairs, wondering, I took almost ten minutes before I could clear the second floor... Is this a little too slow? I'll really have to speed up for the later floors...

And soon, he found himself standing before the Inceptive Sage of the Seer Guild.

What was unbeknownst to Zhang Xuan in this very moment was that he had unwittingly groomed a true brick master blacksmith. This was the very day that a certain man vowed that no other weapons other than a brick would be produced by his hands, and countless experts viewed it as the greatest of glory to obtain a brick personally forged by that man...

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1411: I Want To Change My Clothes

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Zhang shi!" Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, the Inceptive Sage of the Seer Guild quickly greeted him with a clasped fist.

"Is Elder Feng still doing well?" Zhang Xuan replied the greeting.

Back then, while he was in the Shrine of Seers, he had unwittingly destroyed the other party's treasure and tore down the entire place. In the end, he even caused the other party to be struck by lightning too, and that had left him feeling deeply guilt-ridden.

"He's in the midst of a seclusion at the moment." the Inceptive Sage of the Seer Guild replied. "He seems to be a little down at the moment for some reason..."

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan scratched his head awkwardly.

He could still remember the imposing air that Elder Feng carried with him when they had first met, and he couldn't help but feel that he was the cause of the other party's slump.

"I know that Elder Feng intends to take you in as his direct disciple, but still, as one of the guardians of the Tower of Master Teachers, I can't be going easy on you. This is to uphold the integrity and sanctity of the trial." the Inceptive Sage said.

"Of course, I understand." Zhang Xuan replied with a polite smile.

Of the supporting occupations he hadn't reached a proficiency of 8-star yet, poison master and soul oracle were automatically excluded from the list of choices, so he had no choice but to pick seer as well. While he hadn't read any books regarding the occupation, he didn't think that it would be too difficult for him to clear its trial...

"Good. The assessment will be very simple. The both of us shall be divining an event simultaneously, and as long as your conclusion is the same as mine, I'll consider it as your victory." the Inceptive Sage explained the rules.

It went without saying that the assessment for seers would be related to divining. While each seer possessed a different level of ability from one another, as long as their divination was right, they should still arrive at the same conclusion.

"Understood." Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Alright. I'll divine that you won't be able to clear the Tower of Master Teachers today." the Inceptive Sage said with a smile.

"You are going to divine that I won't be able to clear the Tower of Master Teachers today?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

This was a paradoxical statement. Clearly, the other party was intentionally setting up a trap for him.

If he were to say something that he would be able to clear the trial, that would be at odds with the declaration made by the Inceptive Sage, thus spelling his instantaneous disqualification.

But even if he were to agree with the Inceptive Sage and temporarily clear this floor, the Inceptive Sage still had the option to choose not to 'acknowledge' his victory later on as long as there was a valid reason behind it. In other words, even if he were to clear the remaining six floors afterward, the Inceptive Sage could still revoke his acknowledgement under the grounds of his inaccurate divination, and thus, resulting in the overall failure of the trial.

This sure was a scheming move.

As expected of the Inceptive Sage of the Seer Guild, he sure knew how to corner others effectively.

"Indeed. As long as you agree with my words, I'll let you pass right now." the Inceptive Sage said with a smile.

To be honest, even though it wasn't exactly the young man's fault, he still couldn't help but feel that the young man had some blame to play behind the Shrine of Seers' collapse and Elder Feng's slump. As the Inceptive Sage of the Seer Guild, he felt that he should get back at the other party a little.

Otherwise, what would become of their dignity as the most mysterious Upper Nine Paths occupation?

"Can we divine something else instead? Pardon me, but I don't think that I'll be able to answer that question of yours!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"Unfortunately, this is the only question I have for you." the Inceptive Sage said with a wave of his hand.

The other party possessed the Discarnate Constitution of Divination, which meant that it was impossible to predict anything that had him in the picture. As such, a competition with the other party would simply result in his divination running awry. Since that was the case, he decided to play it foul just this once.

And to be honest, he was also very curious to see how the young man whom Elder Feng was so obsessed with would deal with such a situation too.

"This is the only question you have for me? I see... Alright, I understand." Knowing that the other party was intentionally making things hard for him, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly.

With a thought, he accessed the Library of Heaven's Path in his mind.

Kacha!

Before the Inceptive Sage could process what was going on, his body suddenly went completely numb—a bolt of lightning had fallen on him. Following which, more and more bolts of lightning struck down furiously one after another on the Inceptive Sage, and before long, he was already lying on the ground convulsing non-stop.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Xuan immediately rushed forward with eyes widened in a mixture of astonishment and worry. "Have you revealed too many secrets of the heavens that you are suffering heavenly retribution at this moment?"

"I..."

Kacha! Kacha!

The Inceptive Sage could barely force out a single word before another two streaks of lightning fell upon him, causing his body to spasm once more.

"It seems like you aren't in a really good state to assess me at the moment. Since that's the case, it doesn't seem appropriate for me to impose on you any further. If you have no rejections, I'll be heading up first, alright?" Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

"No..."

Kacha! Kacha!

Under the furious assault of lightning bolts, even speaking a single word was extremely arduous to the Inceptive Sage.

"I'll thank you for your magnanimity then. If I have a chance in the future, I'll surely pay you a visit to relay my gratitude to you." Zhang Xuan clasped his fist before heading up the stairs.

If the other party didn't make things difficult for him, he still could have considered competing fairly with the other party. But since the other party was bent on cornering him, there was no reason for him to hold back either.

In the first place, the actions of seers could be considered as not too much different from petty theft from the eyes of the heavens, so the other party was just reaping what he had sowed.

"You..." the Inceptive Sage exclaimed in agitation, wanting to stop Zhang Xuan from heading up.

However, he noticed that the lightning bolt above him had grown more compact instead. Horrified, he hurriedly tried to flee, but he realized that no matter how agilely he moved, he was unable to escape from the lightning bolts at all. Eventually, the resigned him could only find a place which was more comfortable for him to lie at, allowing the lightning bolts to ravage him with deadpan eyes.

On the fourth floor was the Inceptive Sage of the Painter Guild.

The moment Zhang Xuan stepped in, it felt as if he had stepped into an illusory world. Majestic mountains towered around him, creating a particularly aesthetic sight.

Knowing that he was in an 8-star painting, it didn't take long for him to escape from it, thus clearing the assessment.

The supporting occupation for the fifth floor was terpsichore, the one for the sixth floor was appraiser, and the one for the seventh floor was demonic tunist, and the one for the eighth was apothecary...

Having read all of the books for those occupations, Zhang Xuan was able to clear those floors extremely quickly. In just a matter of minutes, he was already right before the final floor. Taking a deep breath, he walked toward his final assessment.

Since he had already cleared the prerequisite eight supporting occupation, all he had to do was to clear the final cultivation assessment and he would be able to be promoted as an 8-star master teacher.

Pushing the door and entering the room, as soon as Zhang Xuan got a clear sight of the person in the room, a tight knit immediately surfaced on his eyebrows.

"It's you?"

The person before him was no other than the person who was viciously pummeled by the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast before, the Zhang Clan genius who owed him five pinnacle spirit stones—Zhang Chun!

"The Tower of Master Teachers requires an 8-star master teacher to invigilate the trial. Both Luo Xuanqing and I were qualified to be the invigilator, but it just happens that he has recently made a breakthrough to Dimension Sundering realm, thus exceeding the cultivation realm allowable for one to serve as an invigilator here. So, I'll the one who is assessing you today." Zhang Chun chuckled softly.

With a flick of his wrist, he took out a jade container and flicked it over to Zhang Xuan's direction, "Here are the five pinnacle spirit stones that I owe you."

Catching the jade container, Zhang Xuan kept it into his storage ring without bothering to check on it. His eyes remained firmly on Zhang Chun as the knit between his eyebrows tightened.

Previously, he had the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast pummel the other party, so it could be said that there was a deep grudge in between the both of them. Now that there was such a good opportunity for the other party to exact vengeance, how could the other party possibly let him go easily?

The other party had already expressed his attitude clearly by returning the spirit stones— now that I owe nothing to you, I no longer need to have any reservations when dealing with you!

"May I know how will this assessment go?" Understanding this fact, Zhang Xuan heaved a deep sigh before asking.

"In order to become an 8-star master teacher, you need to possess strength equivalent to a Saint 6-dan Grand Dominion realm cultivator... Unfortunately, it appears that your cultivation realm is only at Half-Grand Dominion realm at the moment, so I'll have to assess your strength personally to ensure that it has reached the required mark."

A sharp glint flashed across Zhang Chun's eyes as he looked at Zhang Xuan with a slightly unnerving smile, "Rest assured, my assessment will be very easy. As long as you can withstand three punches from me, I'll consider it as your victory. If you fail to withstand it... I apologize, but I'm afraid that I'll have no choice but to fail you!"

"Withstand three punches from you?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

Considering how the other party had once fought him with his cultivation suppressed, the other party should have known his true fighting prowess. And to propose such a duel despite that... clearly, the other party had no intentions of suppressing his cultivation at all.

While Zhang Xuan had made considerable advancement in his cultivation and fighting prowess recently, he was still a far way off from matching up to the Saint 7-dan Phantasmal Space realm pinnacle Zhang Chun.

Zhang Xuan's mind swiftly whirred into action, but he was unable to find any way how he could clear this assessment fairly. Thus, after a slight moment of silence, he replied, "Fine by me. However, before the duel, I would like to change my clothes..."

"You want to change your clothes? Feel free." Zhang Chun was a little bewildered by Zhang Xuan's abrupt request, but he still waved his hands leisurely, not paying Zhang Xuan's request any mind.

After all, the crux of a duel lay in one's fighting prowess. It was not as if Zhang Xuan would be able to defeat him just by changing his clothes.

"Thank you." With a casual wave of his hand, Zhang Xuan set up an isolation barrier by the corner of the room and walked in.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1412: 8-star Master Teacher

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Not even twenty minutes have passed so far, right?"

"Within such a short period of time, he actually managed to reach the ninth floor. T-this..."

Before the Tower of Master Teachers stood a group of spectating master teachers and members of other occupations, and every single one of their teeth were clattering from astonishment.

Their initial thought was that even if the young challenger was able to clear the trial, most likely, he would take several days at the very minimum, needing to overcome many difficulties before finally reaching the top. Yet, who would have thought that he would actually be able to reach the top within less than twenty minutes!

This meant that he had received the recognition of the Inceptive Sages of the eight supporting occupations within just two to three minutes after meeting each of them. Was that not too fast?

"Even though he has successfully reached the final floor, I don't think things are optimistic for him," an elder standing not too far away remarked grimly.

"Why would you say so?" Luo Xuanqing asked.

This brother of his had truly surpassed his wildest imagination. All along, he had thought that there was no one who could possibly best his younger sister's record, but who knew that he would actually be able to reach the final floor so quickly?

The final floor was mainly a trial to assess the challenger's cultivation, and considering Zhang Xuan's frightening fighting prowess, it should be a walk in the park for him to clear the trial. Why would the elder say otherwise?

"From what I know, the person guarding the floor is Zhang Chun! I've heard that the both of them had some grudges with one another in the past," the elder said.

"Zhang Chun?" Hearing that name, Luo Xuanqing was startled. He could not help but clench his fists tightly together. "Why would it be him?"

He knew about Zhang Xuan's conflict with Zhang Chun as well, and if the latter was the one guarding the floor, it could prove hard for Zhang Xuan to clear the trial.

But under normal circumstances, considering that it was just a simple assessment of cultivation, it would suffice to find an ordinary 8-star master teacher to do the job. There was no need for a top-notch genius of the Zhang Clan to make a move himself.

"I'm not too sure about the details either, but it seems like he applied for the role himself," the elder replied.

As one of the core members of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Chun had a massive intelligence network all over the Sanctum of Sages, allowing him to remain up to date with the various affairs going on. Considering that he had a grudge with Zhang Xuan, it went without saying that he would apply to become one of the guardians of the Tower of Master Teachers.

"Damn it. If that fellow makes things difficult for Zhang Xuan, I'll surely give him a beating he will never forget once he comes out of the Tower of Master Teachers! If I don't make him bedbound for at least half a year, my surname won't be Luo!" Luo Xuanqing vowed viciously with gritted teeth.

He had been wanting to pummel Zhang Chun ever since achieving a breakthrough in his cultivation, but before he could make a move, he had ended up learning about his younger sister's affairs, and in the midst of settling the matter, he had been forced to summon his lightning tribulation.

In the end, before he could make a move, the other party had ended up making the first move!

If that darned Zhang Chun intentionally made things difficult for Zhang Xuan and failed him, he would never let that bastard go!

If he did not beat that fellow up till the point where even his parents would not be able to recognize him, his name would not be Luo Xuanqing!

"In the first place, the Tower of Master Teachers is known to be one of the hardest trials in the Sanctum of Sages. If Zhang shi clears it too easily, others will only question the legitimacy of the trial in the future..." Shaking his head, the elder was in the midst of his words when the ground suddenly began trembling.

Boom!

He quickly raised his head and saw a human-sized protrusion appearing on the walls of the ninth floor of the Tower of Master Teachers.

"Zhang shi has been beaten up!" the elder exclaimed.

Luo Xuanqing anxiously turned his gaze upward too.

Boom!

Another resounding explosion sounded, and the human-sized protrusion on the wall became even bigger. Stone fragments that had chipped off from the tower rained ceaselessly on the ground.

"Zhang Xuan," Luo Xuanqing muttered worriedly as he contemplated rushing in to save the other party. However, the next instant, he suddenly noticed something that made his eyebrows shoot up. "Wait a moment, that body shape... doesn't seem to belong to Zhang Xuan. The one who is being pummeled isn't Zhang Xuan?"

"It isn't Zhang Xuan?" Taken aback by those words, the elder turned his gaze upward once more, but before he could examine the protrusion on the wall clearly, the protrusion suddenly burst open.

Huala!

A silhouette burst forth from the protrusion, heading straight to the ground.

Peng!

He fell headfirst into the ground, leaving only a pair of legs trembling non-stop outside, reminiscent of a leek planted in the ground. Judging from the clothes and the body shape... he was none other than the top-notch genius of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Chun!

"How can this be?" The elder's mouth opened wide in shock.

He knew Zhang Chun's strength very well. Even at Saint 7-dan pinnacle, he wielded strength that was comparable to ordinary Half-Dimension Sundering realm experts. Yet, facing a mere Half-Grand Dominion realm cultivator, he was actually pummeled right down from the ninth floor, even to the point where he was unable to gather the strength to steady himself through his ability of flight.

The elder rubbed his eyes forcefully, and he had to take several good looks at the situation before he was finally able to convince himself that he was not seeing things.

The elder was not the only one who was flabbergasted by the situation. Even Luo Xuanqing's eyes were wide open.

Zhang Chun had been viciously pummeled the previous time he challenged Zhang Xuan with his cultivation suppressed. Could it be that he still had not learned his lesson and chose to suppress his cultivation yet again?

If that was the case, he really was a true masochist through and through!

Boom!

However, before he could think too much into it, the ground suddenly shook. A brilliant light burst converged from the surroundings toward the top of the Tower of Master Teachers, and a token materialized in midair.

8-star master teacher emblem!

"Congratulations to Zhang Xuan for successfully clearing the Tower of Master Teachers and being promoted to 8-star master teacher." The voice reverberated throughout the Sanctum of Sages, echoing loudly in everyone's ears.

"Zhang shi... has cleared the 8-star master teacher examination?" Within a certain room, Zhang Jiuxiao heard the voice from the sky and froze on the spot.

At the same time, the cultivating Chen Leyao's body also stiffened, and a hint of disbelief surfaced in her eyes.

The other party was only at Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle when they first arrived at the Sanctum of Sages, possessing a fighting prowess that was beneath hers. But in less than a single month, he was already an 8-star master teacher.

Even when witnessing everything unfolding with her own eyes, she still could not help but find it inconceivable.

Such scenes were happening throughout the entire Sanctum of Sages, especially with those cultivators who had entered the Sanctum of Sages together with Zhang Xuan. Shock was an understatement for what they were feeling at that moment.

Even Zhao Xingmo was completely rooted to the spot, incapable of speaking a word at all.

He had known from the very start that Zhang Xuan would accomplish great things in the future, but he had never thought that the latter would actually be able to become an 8-star master teacher within less than a month... and without attending a single lesson at that!

As an 8-star master teacher, that young man could already be considered a figure that stood at the very peak of the continent, qualified to enter the Inner Sanctum.

"Senior... sure is formidable!" Feng Ziyi's mouth was agape, too.

Previously, he had still thought that as long as he worked hard, considering that they were from the same lineage, he would be able to surpass the other party one day. However, the voice had clearly told him that the other party had already reached a level far beyond his reach, and it was nigh impossible for him to catch up now.

"It's no wonder Teacher would choose to take him in."

With the other party's talent, it was no wonder his teacher would take in another disciple even after telling him that he would be the only direct disciple that he would accept.

Hu!

Reaching out to grab the floating 8-star master teacher emblem, a unique energy surged into Zhang Xuan's body.

Of course, there was no way he would be a match for Zhang Chun given his current strength. The reason he had been able to defeat the latter so easily was because he had let his clone out to take his place.

After absorbing the energy from the lightning tribulation, his clone had become so strong that even a Saint 7-dan pinnacle expert like Zhang Chun was bashed right into the wall with a single punch. By the third punch, the latter had already been completely knocked out, falling down from the Tower of Master Teachers helplessly.

"I have finally reached 8-star."

Glancing at the emblem in his grasp, Zhang Xuan could hardly suppress the excitement in his heart. Just as he was about to stow it into his storage ring, his eyebrows suddenly shot up, and a token surfaced in his palm.

The Sanctum Head Token!

The token was emanating a warm glow, and it seemed like a seal placed on it was gradually undoing itself.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1413: The Location of Vicious' Upper Body

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

There were three conditions required to unsealing the Sanctum Head Token.

Firstly, his master teacher rank had to reach 8-star. Secondly, he had to cultivate his Eye of Insight up to the fourth realm, Demon Vanquisher. Thirdly, his cultivation had to reach Saint 8-dan!

He was still some way off from accomplishing the latter two, but with his master teacher rank reaching 8-star, he had already managed to activate a portion of the authority and strength harnessed within the Sanctum Head Token.

Knowing that this was not a good time for him to check on the changes in the Sanctum Head Token, he swiftly stowed both the token and the 8-star master teacher emblem into his storage ring before slowly descending down from the top of the Tower of Master Teachers.

"Zhang shi, congratulations on clearing the Tower of Master Teachers trial and breaking its record!" Zhan shi stepped forward and clasped his fist.

Even at this point, he still could not help but feel as if he was in a dream.

To clear all nine floors within twenty minutes, winning the acknowledgement of nine top geniuses of their Sanctum of Sages... that was a feat that even the little princess of the Luo Clan was incapable of!

"If I may ask, am I qualified to enter the Inner Sanctum now?" Zhang Xuan asked with a polite smile.

"Of course! If you wish to head there now, I can bring you over," Zhan shi said with a nod. "To tell you the truth, there isn't much of a difference between the Inner Sanctum and the rest of the Sanctum of Sages, perhaps except for the concentration in spiritual energy."

"I understand, but I would still like to head there. I'll be troubling you to lead the way then, Sanctum Head Zhan!" Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

At the other party's insistence, Zhan shi nodded with a hint of approval in his eyes. The young man had just challenged a major trial, but he still insisted on heading to the Inner Sanctum instead of resting. Perhaps it was the difference in attitude that made the difference between him and the rest of the students!

With such a thought in mind, he turned around and led the way forward, and Zhang Xuan quickly followed him.

"Zhang shi..." Seeing that Zhang Xuan was leaving, Luo Xuanqing hurried forward, wanting to talk to the young man about the matter concerning his younger sister. But at the last moment, he stopped himself.

Facing Zhang Xuan's perplexed gaze, he waved his hand and said, "It's fine. You should take a look around the Inner Sanctum first. I'll look for you later at night."

Considering that he was going to entrust the young man with a mission to kill the person whom his younger sister loved, he would have to ensure utmost secrecy for this matter. There were many experts present on the scene—some of them were adept in soul arts even—so it would be best for him to find the young man later on and speak to him in a more private environment.

After all, this was not a particularly honorable matter to speak of in public.

"Alright." Zhang Xuan swiftly assessed Luo Xuanqing carefully and noted that the other party's cultivation was already fully reinforced. He nodded with a bright smile before following Zhan shi to the Inner Sanctum.

The Inner Sanctum of the Sanctum of Sages was not located in any of the Five Halls but within a lake far away from the major infrastructure.

Zhan shi took out an insignia and waved it over the lake, and the seal cast over the lake swiftly came undone. Following which, a massive gate surfaced from the depths of the water, and particularly overwhelming spatial energy rippled forth from it.

"What formidable control of space!" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up in astonishment.

He had already comprehended the 3-dan Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, which granted him a deep insight into the essence of space. But to his shock, even with the Eye of Insight, he was actually unable to see through the gate before him! This could only mean that the person who had set up the door had achieved a level of spatial manipulation comparable to 4-dan Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel or perhaps even 5-dan!

Folded spaces created by experts of that caliber were extremely steady, such that putting aside perceiving it, even if he really found their folded spaces, he would be unable to open them without using 'keys' such as the insignia that Zhan shi had used.

"This is the insignia required to open the doorway to the Inner Sanctum. All students of the Inner Sanctum have one, and it serves as a representation of their identity," Zhan shi said as he passed the insignia over to Zhang Xuan.

Taking the insignia, Zhang Xuan lightly stroked its surface to feel its material before taking a closer look at it. There was a dense congregation of inscriptions on its surface, and surprisingly, these inscriptions bore a striking resemblance to the seal in the Subterranean Gallery that was used to cut off the otherworldly battlefields from the Master Teacher Continent.

They were marks of a Spatial Formation.

Dripping a droplet of blood on it to claim ownership of the insignia, Zhang Xuan placed it in his storage ring.

"Alright, let's enter," Zhan shi said as he led the way in, and Zhang Xuan quickly followed suit.

The moment Zhang Xuan stepped through the door, he felt as if he had been transported through space. Before he knew it, he was already standing within a building.

The very first thing that he noticed about his surroundings was that the concentration of spiritual energy was nearly twofold of that in the Sanctum of Sages. It was so concentrated that it felt as if it would form liquid spirit essence with just a simple grasp of his hand.

What was incomparably valuable in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy turned out to be commonplace here.

"It's indeed a blessed land for cultivation!" Zhang Xuan remarked.

The higher the concentration of spiritual energy, the faster one would be able to cultivate. With how dense the concentration of spiritual energy was, even if one did not actively cultivate, the spiritual energy would still dive into one's body through one's acupoints of its own accord, pushing one's cultivation up gradually.

If Zhang Xuan had been there right from the start, even without using a single spirit stone, he would still be able to reach his current level of strength within a single year... or perhaps even higher!

It was truly no wonder there were so many outstanding young experts in the Sage Clans. With decent talent and the best resources at their command, they would have to be a true sluggard to not achieve anything at all.

Noting Zhang Xuan's astonishment, Zhan shi explained with a smile, "The most valuable resource in the Inner Sanctum isn't the higher concentration of spiritual energy but the cultural atmosphere. Just by being here will grant one greater clarity of thoughts and a sharper spirit, thus enhancing one's rate of cultivation and learning!"

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment after hearing those words before nodding.

The Inner Sanctum had been set up by Ancient Sage Bo Shang personally many years ago, and he had infused Kong shi's will into this very space. This will had been further enhanced by the countless geniuses who had studied and cultivated there over the past several dozen millenniums, thus creating a unique atmosphere in the area that made one subconsciously desire to learn, cultivate, and reach greater heights.

After allowing Zhang Xuan some time to soak in the area's atmosphere, Zhan shi said, "Let's go and pay our respects to Sage Kui's sculpture first!"

"Sage Kui's sculpture?" Zhang Xuan asked with a hint of confusion.

"Even though the folded space was set up by Ancient Sage Bo Shang, it's mainly due to Sage Kui that it's survived up till now, grooming many generations of experts!" Zhan shi explained.

"As you know, folded spaces are inherently unstable, and this is especially so for spaces such as this that harness such concentrated spiritual energy. In order to prevent any mishap from happening, some kind of order must be actively sustained in here, and if not Sage Kui's efforts over the many years, the Inner Sanctum would have long collapsed!"

Zhang Xuan nodded in response to those words.

In a sense, folded spaces could be compared to balloons. If they were not maintained carefully, putting aside growing larger, they would even slowly deflate as time went by.

The only reason the Myriad Anthive Nest, for example, had been able to remain so stable so far was due to the Myriad Anthive Queen sustaining it. Otherwise, it likely would have collapsed long ago.

The same went for the Mountain Gate.

It was due to the dissipation of Sage Kui's will that resulted in its swift collapse afterward.

Considering how spiritual energy was even more aplenty within this folded space, it went without saying that it would be even more prone to instability. There was no way such a space could be sustained for several dozen millenniums without a powerful will guarding it.

Soon, the both of them arrived before a massive sculpture.

The sculpture was dressed in a long robe, and there was a particularly gentlemanly and refined look on his face. He shared the exact same appearance as the Sage Kui that Zhang Xuan had seen back at the Mountain Gate, and the aura that he exuded was incredibly powerful.

Even though the will within the sculpture was incapable of materialization, unlike the Sage Kui in the Mountain Gate, the sculpture seemed to harness some kind of spiritual power. With just a look, a cultivator would feel their thoughts suddenly becoming lucid.

"As expected of the First Sanctum Head of the Sanctum of Sages..."

To be able to instill a slight hint of deference within him just through a mere sculpture, there was no doubt that the strength that Sage Kui wielded back when he was still alive far exceeded that of the deputy sanctum head standing before him.

Zhang Xuan took a step forward and bowed deeply to pay his respect.

Putting aside how powerful Sage Kui was, just on the grounds that he had cultivated many generations of experts, allowing mankind to enjoy several dozen millenniums of relative peace and prosperity without fearing the invasion of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, he was indeed worthy of respect.

Not to mention, he had received the other party's heritage, the Divine Eyes of the Ninth Netherworld.

However, it was a pity that despite the books that he had read over the past few days, he had not been able to find any that were related to optic arts. Otherwise, he surely would have perfected the Divine Eyes of the Ninth Netherworld and cultivated it well.

"Master, I sense my upper body!"

While Zhang Xuan was deep in thought, Vicious' voice suddenly sounded in his head.

"Where?"

Part of the reason he wanted to enter the Inner Sanctum was to find Luo Ruoxin, but the other part was to help Vicious regain his strength. Hearing that his upper body had been found, Zhang Xuan's eyes could not help but light up in agitation.

"It's inside this sculpture," Vicious replied.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1414: Cultivation Technique Forest

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"In the sculpture?" Zhang Xuan was startled.

He found this matter a little hard to believe.

He would not have been too shocked if Vicious had told him that his upper body was placed within some ancestral hall or sealed deep underground, but to actually be hidden within Sage Kui's sculpture...

How could that be?

Sage Kui was the direct disciple of Ancient Sage Bo Shang, which meant that he was Kong shi's grandstudent. As the First Sanctum Head of the Sanctum of Sages, his hatred for the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was so deep-seated that it could be said to be carved right into his bones. If he could, he would have unhesitatingly wiped the entire Otherworldly Demonic Tribe off the face of the world.

On the other hand, as one of the strongest experts of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, Vicious' body was bound to harness extraordinary power even upon death. In order to prevent it from landing back in the hands of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, the Master Teacher Pavilion would surely seek to destroy it. Taking a step back, even if they were unable to destroy it, the least they could do was seal it off and hide it where no one would ever find it. But instead of doing that, it was actually placed in Sage Kui's sculpture.

Zhang Xuan could hardly comprehend the rationale behind such a course of action.

More importantly... despite storing Vicious' upper body within it, not only did the sculpture not harness the slightest killing intent, it was even exuding a particularly soothing and refined aura. How in the world was this done?

Zhang Xuan could not help asking, "Is it possible for you to have made a mistake?"

It was not that he did not want to believe Vicious, but this matter was simply too hard for him to believe.

The only reason he was able to hide Vicious' existence from others was through having the latter sealed in his Book of Heaven's Path. It should go without saying that Sage Kui could not possibly have possessed the Library of Heaven's Path, so there was no way he would have been capable of suppressing Vicious' strength to the point where even his Eye of Insight was unable to sense it.

"If it was before fusing together with my head, it might still have been possible for me to make a mistake, but now... there's no way I am mistaken!" Vicious replied affirmatively.

Before fusing with his head, due to his incomplete memory, he would still have been uncertain about many things. But in his current state, he was a hundred percent certain that his upper body was contained within the statue before them.

"This..." Hearing how certain Vicious was, Zhang Xuan frowned. "Let me take a look at it first."

He activated his Eye of Insight and examined Sage Kui's sculpture intently once more, and a moment later, he shook his head.

Even the generations of sanctum heads were unable to see through it; considering how the realm of his Eye of Insight was lower than theirs, it was not too surprising that he would be unable to see anything.

He stretched his hand out and touched the sleeves of the sculpture inconspicuously.

Hu!

A book materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path.

"A sculpture of Sage Kui forged personally by Sage Kui himself. Forged using Celestial Bluestone, it harnesses both Ancient Sage Bo Shang's will and Vicious' upper body. It is a vital keystone in stabilizing the space in the Inner Sanctum and regulating the spiritual energy in the air..."

The description and origin of the sculpture was jotted in detail in the book.

It's really inside! Zhang Xuan's eyebrows scrunched up further.

There was no way the Library of Heaven's Path could have made a mistake. Without a doubt, Vicious' upper body was really in the sculpture.

But still, to use the skeletal frame of an Otherworldly Demon expert to stabilize the Inner Sanctum and yet still prevent its killing intent from permeating the area... Just how did they manage to do it?

"Zhang shi!" Seeing that Zhang Xuan had fallen into a daze, Zhan shi called out loudly.

"Pardon me, I was so overwhelmed by Sage Kui's imposing disposition that I lost myself for a moment." Zhang Xuan quickly clasped his fist and apologized.

This matter concerned Vicious, so there was no way he could say it aloud before Zhan shi. Nevertheless, it felt like there was more to this issue. He would have to first make sense out of the matter first before making a move so as to prevent any unnecessary implications from occurring.

"It's fine, I understand that feeling. I was also stunned for quite a while myself when I first saw Sage Kui's sculpture. It really felt as if an ancestor was standing right before me, imparting valuable knowledge!" Oblivious to Zhang Xuan's true thoughts, Zhan shi let out a light chuckle.

Zhang Xuan nodded silently. At this point, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind. If Vicious' upper body has been sealed in Sage Kui's sculpture and is suppressed by Sage Kui's will, could this mean that it's unable to develop a new will?

Each of Vicious' body parts—be it the heart, finger, or head—had all birthed an individual consciousness of their own. However, under the constant suppression of Sage Kui's will, there was a good possibility that the upper body might not have been able to successfully birth a consciousness. This would mean that his Vicious would have a much easier time assimilating it.

Nevertheless, another major problem still stood in his way.

In order for Vicious to assimilate his upper body, the sculpture would first have to be destroyed. However, that could very well cause the collapse of the entire Inner Sanctum.

This was not an outcome that was acceptable to him. As the future sanctum head of the Sanctum of Sages, how could he destroy such a precious legacy left behind by his ancestors just like that?

"Zhan shi, may I know if there's anywhere like a cultivation technique library in the Inner Sanctum? My cultivation has recently reached Half-Grand Dominion realm, but I still haven't found a suitable Grand Dominion realm cultivation technique yet!"

"The Inner Sanctum doesn't have any libraries, but it does have the Cultivation Technique Forest, which contains the heritages left behind by the predecessors. Students who have just entered the Inner Sanctum are usually brought there, and as for what they receive, that is dependent on their luck!" Zhan shi said.

"Cultivation Technique Forest?"

"Indeed. The cultivation techniques that are qualified to be passed down in the Inner Sanctum are all of Saint high-tier or Saint pinnacle quality at minimum, but as you know, each cultivator possesses a constitution unique to them. Cultivating a cultivation technique that complemented one's strength could lead one to the very top whereas cultivating an incompatible cultivation technique could very well cause one's cultivation to go berserk. As such, a cultivator mustn't choose their cultivation technique just by the merit of the might it wields!" Zhan shi explained.

"The Cultivation Technique Forest is a place for cultivators to find out what cultivation techniques are suited for them and choose from them. All students in the Inner Sanctum get a chance to enter the Cultivation Technique Forest to select among the cultivation techniques they are compatible with. Once they have made their choice, they will be unable to change it anymore!"

"I see." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Cultivation techniques were similar to occupations in the sense that they would be suited to some people but not others. As such, cultivators would have to assess their own aptitude and choose the path they wished to tread on. Of course, advice from seniors could prove to be useful, but ultimately, no one would be able to make the choice for them.

This was also the reason Kong shi promoted the idea of teaching an individual based on their talents. There was no way a systematic lesson plan could possibly cater to all students, and this would lead to some of their talents going to waste.

"If you wish to give it a try, I can take you there," Zhan shi said.

"That would be deeply appreciated." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Other than learning of the location of Vicious' upper body, another important motive for him going to the Inner Sanctum was to raise his strength.

Since Luo Ruoxin had been placed under house arrest by the Luo Clan, there was no way she would be there. Rather than wasting his strength searching all around for her, it would be far more practical for him to raise his strength so that he would at least have the ability to protect her when the time came.

"Please follow me," Zhan shi said before leading the way forward.

Not too long later, they arrived in a place filled with stone tablets. Looking at it from afar, it really resembled a graveyard.

"This is the Cultivation Technique Forest. Every single tablet represents a certain cultivation technique. Drive your zhenqi and proceed through the forest slowly. Once you reach the end, the cultivation technique suited to you will jump out on its own," Zhan shi said. "There's no need to feel tempted by other cultivation techniques in there. If they are unsuited for you, they are bound to inflict some grievous side effects on you, which will limit your future accomplishments. It simply isn't worth it."

"I understand. You mentioned that the suitable cultivation technique will jump out on its own?" Zhang Xuan asked curiously.

This was the first time he had heard of a cultivation technique jumping forward on its own, and he found the notion rather intriguing.

Usually, he would be the one who would be actively seeking out cultivation technique manuals to compile a complete Heaven's Path Divine Art for him to cultivate, so he could not help but be a little curious as to just what kind of cultivation technique would be deemed suitable for him.

"That's right. The Cultivation Technique Forest doesn't just contain cultivation technique manuals but the wills of the predecessors as well. They are able to sense your constitution and your current cultivation technique as you walk through the forest, and if you aren't able to meet their prerequisites, you won't even be able to interpret the content on the stone tablet. This is a mechanism put in place to prevent greedy students from biting off more than they can chew," Zhan shi said.

Even though the young man before him was an 8-star master teacher, he was still much too young. So, Zhan shi could not resist warning him beforehand.

In response to Zhan shi's nagging, Zhang Xuan nodded with a smile. This was the usual concerned nagging that teachers would direct at their students. Thinking back, he often nagged at his students in such a way as well.

"Alright, I'll head in to take a look." Coming to understand what was with the Cultivation Technique Forest, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath and walked in unhesitatingly.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1415: Saint 6-dan Pinnacle

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

There was only one road through the Cultivation Technique Forest, and the both sides were completely filled with stone tablets. Taking a closer look, one could feel a few silhouettes moving on the surface of the tablets, seemingly practicing some sort of profound martial arts.

The movements of these silhouettes were extremely slow, and for some reason, it seemed as if they were cloaked with a layer of thin mist. Even if one were to examine the tablet closely, it would still be hard to perceive their movements distinctly.

However, Zhang Xuan didn't need to perceive their movements to learn what they were cultivating. All he really had to do was to direct a glance over at the stone tablets while muttering 'flaws!' in his mind.

Illusory Arcane Dragon Art, True Inferno Yang Formula, Xuanmin Ancestral Impact, Water Undulation Divine Art...

Books swiftly materialized in Zhang Xuan's mind.

There weren't just Grand Dominion realm cultivation technique manuals on the stone tablets; some were Phantasmal Space realm cultivation technique manuals as well. If one were to cultivate according to them, there was no doubt that one's cultivation would surely improve by leaps and bounds, granting one fighting prowess far exceeding that of their peers.

Those who were qualified to enter the Inner Sanctum were all geniuses, and those who were qualified to leave behind these cultivation technique manuals were, even more so, geniuses amongst geniuses, individuals who had stood at the top of their generation... Zhang Xuan thought as he slowly proceeded forward.

Through taking in the cultivation technique manuals into his Library of Heaven's Path, he was able to swiftly convert it into his own knowledge, thus allowing him to analyze the pros and cons of each cultivation technique swiftly.

While these cultivation techniques were far from matching up to top cultivation techniques like the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, to most 8-star master teachers, they could still be considered as invaluable treasures.

If any single one of them were to be taken out to the Master Teacher Continent, it would surely induce a massive fight over it as countless cultivators vied to lay their hands on it!

Of course, this could bring in the question of why the Inner Sanctum didn't open up the books to the public. The Sanctum of Sages did allow those whose main occupations were not master teacher to pick up a cultivation technique from the Cultivation Technique Forest as well so long as their main occupation had reached 8-star and they were qualified to enter the Inner Sanctum. Nevertheless, this didn't change the fact that it still wasn't accessible to most cultivators outside.

The reason for that was that the stronger a cultivation technique was, the more demanding it was on one's talent. If one simply didn't have the aptitude for the cultivation technique but still forcefully attempted to cultivate it, not only would one's cultivation not improve as swiftly as expected, more importantly. It could potentially leave major traumas on one's body, resulting in unpredictable consequences.

It was the same reason as why each occupation would only allow their members to view books corresponding to their current rank and below, and not those that were above their current rank. Without building up the necessary fundamental knowledge first, attempting to learn advanced content would, more likely than not, confuse one and possibly distort one's comprehension of the occupation.

There was an inherent tendency within humans to overestimate their abilities, so in order to prevent such tragedies from occurring, there was a need to regulate the flow of information and knowledge so as to ensure that they would only reach appropriate hands.

While others are spending numerous hours in here just to receive the recognition of one predecessor and obtaining his cultivation technique, I am already collecting nearly every single one of the cultivation techniques... Zhang Xuan thought gleefully.

There was a diverse range of cultivation techniques here, and most of the stone tablets here were infused with the will of the creator of the cultivation technique too. Even if Zhan shi were here, he wouldn't be able to learn all of the cultivation techniques either.

However, Zhang Xuan was different. Wherever his eye could reach, those stone tablets within his range of sight would be automatically compiled into a book within his Library of Heaven's Path, and even their corresponding flaws would become apparent to him. As such, he was able to learn the cultivation techniques even without receiving the recognition from their respective creators.

Slowly walking forward, Zhang Xuan relentlessly took in all of the cultivation techniques inscribed on the stone tablets around him.

Over several dozen millenniums, the Cultivation Technique Forest had accumulated more than a thousand cultivation techniques, so it took quite a while before Zhang Xuan finally reached the end.

Compile! Zhang Xuan willed.

Countless books quickly gathered together within the Library of Heaven's Path, fusing together to form the Grand Dominion realm and Phantasmal Space realm Heaven's Path Divine Art.

Swiftly flipping open the two books before him to take a look, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but shake his head in slight disappointment.

Just like what he had guessed, the Grand Dominion realm Heaven's Path Divine Art had been fully perfected, devoid of any flaws, but the Phantasmal Space realm cultivation technique still had quite a few mistakes here and there. Clearly, he hadn't collected sufficient Phantasmal Space realm cultivation technique manuals yet.

"How could Zhang shi... not receive the recognition of even a single predecessor at all?" Seeing that Zhang Xuan had walked out of the Cultivation Technique Forest without inducing the slightest bit of response from the stone tablets, Zhan shi frowned in bewilderment.

Be it in terms of talent or fighting prowess, the young man before him had already reached an astounding level. Why would he receive no recognition from the predecessors of the Cultivation Technique Forest at all?

"I haven't been driving my cultivation technique," Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

His goal was just to collect the cultivation technique manuals in the Cultivation Technique Forest, so he chose not to drive his cultivation technique. As a result of that, he hadn't received the recognition of any of the predecessors either.

Besides, the cultivation technique he practiced was the Heaven's Path Divine Art! Which predecessor's eyesight would be so bad as to dare to recognize him?

"You have to drive your cultivation technique while walking through the Cultivation Technique Forest in order to receive the recognition of the predecessors so that you can obtain their secret manuals! To simply walk through it just like that... You won't be able to obtain anything like that!" Zhan shi exclaimed anxiously.

"It's fine, I have already obtained what I wanted. May I ask if there's any silent chamber here where I can cultivate in? I would like to digest what I have just learned. I think I might be able to make a breakthrough in my cultivation." Knowing that it would be difficult for him to explain the matter to Zhan shi in a way that was acceptable to the latter, Zhang Xuan didn't bother delving too deeply into the matter either.

"There's a silent chamber right there. A Spiritual Gathering Formation has been inscribed in it; it can help you gather the surrounding spiritual energy." Zhan shi said as he pointed toward a specific direction.

Since the Cultivation Technique Forest was a place for cultivators to pick up a cultivation technique and learn, the Inner Sanctum had also provided some silent chambers nearby for cultivators who suddenly had a sudden stroke of inspiration to sit down and ponder over it.

Zhang Xuan directed a nod at Zhan shi before walking over to the silent chamber. He pushed on its entrance lightly and walked in.

Perhaps it was due to the presence of the Spirit Gathering Formation, the spiritual energy was even more concentrated than outside. At the same time, the silent chamber seemed to be made of some kind of unique material that completely isolated the space within from the external world, keeping all noises and even Spiritual Perception at bay, thus ensuring absolute silence to the cultivator inside.

Nevertheless, Zhang Xuan still swiftly took a look around the chamber, and only after ensuring that it was absolutely safe did he finally heave a sigh of relief. He flicked his wrist and took out the pinnacle spirit stones which Sun Qiang and Zhang Chun had given to him.

As his cultivation rose, the spiritual energy requirement of his Heaven's Path Divine Art had been steadily increasing too. Nevertheless, with ten pinnacle spirit stones on hand, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to push for a breakthrough straight for Grand Dominion realm pinnacle.

Grabbing the spirit stones tightly in his hand, he quickly went through the Grand Dominion realm Heaven's Path Divine Art once more as he conditioned his physical condition to his peak before finally starting his cultivation.

Gugugugu!

As if a lifted dam, spiritual energy swiftly gushed through the meridians in his body, and they were swiftly converted into Heaven's Path zhenqi, nourishing his entire body.

Kacha!

It didn't take too long for him to bash through his Half-Grand Dominion realm bottleneck, and his one-meter radius Dominion immediately began expanding, till the point that it covered a radius of ten meters around him.

Not only so, his Dominion was clearly much denser and heavier than that of ordinary Grand Dominion realm cultivators. Those who had unfortunately fallen into his Dominion would be completely frozen on the spot as if they had been shackled by heavy chains.

Even though its radius was only at ten meters, in terms of prowess, it was on par with even Grand Dominion realm pinnacle experts.

Continue!

Expecting at least this much from the Heaven's Path Divine Art, Zhang Xuan wasn't surprised in the least. With a slight smile, he continued his cultivation. Under the drive of his zhenqi, his cultivation swiftly rose, becoming stronger and stronger.

Grand Dominion realm primary stage!

Grand Dominion realm intermediate stage!

Grand Dominion realm advanced stage!

Grand Dominion realm pinnacle!

In just four hours, his cultivation had already reached Saint 6-dan pinnacle, just a step away from achieving a breakthrough to Saint 7-dan Phantasmal Space realm.

With the breakthough in his cultivation, his Dominion had grown larger enough to cover a radius of fifty meters, more than twofold larger than that of the twenty meters radius of an average Grand Dominion realm pinnacle cultivator.

Not only so, he also realized that the Dominion he created was an isolated space from the rest of the world. Any external Spiritual Perception that attempted to delve into his Dominion would be completely severed, as if falling into a folded space... From this phenomenon in itself, he could tell that his Dominion was already nowhere weaker than that of Saint 7-dan cultivators.

With my current strength, I should be able to subdue even Zhang Chun easily...Zhang Xuan thought with a smile.

With his cultivation reaching Grand Dominion realm pinnacle, the Phantasmal Space realm Zhang Chun was no longer a match for him anymore.

He didn't have to take a passive stance anymore.

But again, Zhang Chun probably hadn't recovered from being pummeled by his clone yet, and at the same time, Luo Xuanqing was also eyeing him tightly. Even if he didn't make a move, Zhang Chun probably didn't have any good days ahead of him anymore.

The spiritual energy harnessed within pinnacle spirit stones sure is immense! It took me only eight of them to up my cultivation by an entire realm!

It was no wonder why Luo Xuanqing, Zhang Chun, and the others were able to achieve breakthroughs so quickly, reaching such high cultivation realms at their young age. With such resources to support their growth, it would be hard for them to not to grow so swiftly!

While Zhang Xuan was busy raising his cultivation, Zhan shi was pacing outside the silent chamber with a tight knit between his eyebrows.

Whenever other students entered the Cultivation Technique Forest, they would drive their cultivation techniques to their limits, hoping to gain the recognition of as many predecessors as possible. Yet, that fellow simply took a walk through it before heading straight for the silent chamber...

Could it be that none of the cultivation techniques in the Cultivation Technique Forest caught his interest?

But that shouldn't be. Those are all Saint high-tier and Saint pinnacle cultivation techniques! It's more likely that he had driven his cultivation technique but failed to obtain the recognition of any of the predecessors... With such doubts in mind, Zhan shi turned his sights to the stone tablets by the side.

With just a single look, he suddenly froze on the spot.

The silhouette moving on the stone tablet had all stopped displaying their cultivation techniques. As if they were faced with something deeply frightening, they were shivering at the corner of the stone tablet, not daring to move or make any noise at all.

Suppression of Cultivation Technique, Inborn Deference of the Heart... This is the cultivation technique of an Ancient Sage? Could it be that... Zhang shi is the direct disciple of an Ancient Sage?

Zhan shi narrowed his eyes in astonishment as he clenched his fists tightly together.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1416: Accompany Me to the Zhang Clan

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Most of the cultivation techniques in the Cultivation Technique Forest originated from Sage Kui and the others' lineages, so if an Ancient Sage level cultivation technique were to appear, the wills in the stone tablets would swiftly be suppressed.

For all of these wills to suddenly become like that after Zhang Xuan passed through the Cultivation Technique Forest... it could not be that the cultivation technique that he practiced had already reached such a level, could it?

If that was the case, it would be understandable why he was not interested in any other the techniques in the Cultivation Technique Forest!

Then, the reason he still chose to enter it would be to... source some inspiration from them?

Has Yang shi already reached such a realm? Zhan shi pondered in awe.

Zhang Xuan was Yang shi's student, so the fact that he was able to learn a cultivation technique of such a tier should mean that Yang shi had reached such a realm himself. Otherwise, it would mean that they had obtained the heritage of a true Ancient Sage.

Regardless of which one it was, this was a matter that he could not afford to speak of lightly.

This matter mustn't be leaked, Zhan shi thought warily.

If his deduction was true, he would have to warn Zhang Xuan not to carelessly display his cultivation technique in public, or else once the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe or some other greedy cultivators noticed it, his life could very well be danger.

Even though he had already reached Saint 9-dan in terms of his cultivation, the truth was that he was still only a half 9-star master teacher. A true 9-star master teacher was an existence that had already transcended the limits of the Saint realm.

Rumor had it that those who had reached that level would have their bodies tempered by Celestial Flames, thus cleansing their physical body and soul once more and refining them to a higher level of existence. With that, they would enjoy a massive increase in their lifespan!

At such a level of cultivation, they would be immune to poison. Even if they had been afflicted with some kind of deadly poison in the past, the Celestial Flames would also torch it clean, leaving no trace of it behind.

It was for this reason that he had been trying his hardest to push for a breakthrough over the years, but unfortunately, despite his hard work, he had not been able to make a breakthrough to Saint 9-dan intermediate stage.

At his cultivation realm, there was a huge rift even between each cultivation stage within a realm. Each breakthrough would require a massive accumulation in one's cultivation before one could attempt to make the leap forward.

Jiya!

Just as Zhan shi was still deep in thought, the door to the chamber suddenly creaked open, and a figure walked out.

Directing a glance over, Zhan shi's eyes immediately widened into full circles, and he nearly collapsed on the spot. "Zhang shi, y-your cultivation..."

It was only four hours ago that the other party had entered the silent chamber, so why would his cultivation suddenly leap from Half-Grand Dominion realm to Grand Dominion realm pinnacle?

That was practically equivalent to an entire realm. Was that not a little too fast?

Noting Zhan shi's expression, Zhang Xuan explained, "I had a sudden stroke of inspiration, so I was able to make a swift breakthrough. However, I think my cultivation will slow down in the future."

With sufficient spiritual energy, the Heaven's Path Divine Art allowed him to advance his cultivation swiftly. However, as his cultivation grew stronger and stronger, the speed at which he could raise his cultivation was noticeably decreasing, so in a sense, his words could not be considered lies.

It took a while for Zhan shi to recover from his shock, and he could not help but give come advice. "It's good that you are able to advance your cultivation so quickly, but you mustn't rush things too much. If your cultivation increases too quickly, it could lead to your zhenqi becoming less compact and the foundation of your cultivation becoming unstable. That would lead to a great deal of trouble in the future."

In truth, it was not too difficult for a cultivator to raise their cultivation swiftly. Consumption of pills, Cultivation Impartation, and the awakening of unique bloodlines and unique constitutions; any of those would allow one's cultivation to reach unprecedented heights within a very short period of time. However, if one failed to reinforce one's cultivation firmly before making a breakthrough, it would lead to the foundation of one's cultivation becoming shaky, thus making it extremely difficult for one to push for a breakthrough in the future.

In a sense, this was similar to building a castle. If even the bottom layer was shaky and unstable, there would be a limit to how high it could rise in the future.

For this reason, even those who possessed unique bloodlines and constitutions would have to pause for a moment after accomplishing some breakthroughs to reinforce their cultivation firmly before pressing on.

"I know. I have reinforced my Half-Grand Dominion cultivation for roughly a day now, and it's already about time for me to make a breakthrough." Zhang Xuan nodded earnestly in agreement.

"A day?" Zhan shi's cheeks twitched, and he staggered backward weakly, nearly falling to the ground from shock. He could not help but ask, "How long have you reinforced your Saint 5-dan cultivation?"

Even for top-notch geniuses, it would take several months before they were able to fully reinforce their Half-Grand Dominion realm cultivation, and yet, the young man was actually saying that one day was enough. More importantly, he said such words with such a natural expression, as if saying this was to be expected!

Do you really need to be so traumatizing?

After a moment of pondering, Zhang Xuan replied in a regretful tone, "Saint 5-dan? I made my breakthrough to the Leaving Aperture realm the day that I enrolled in the Sanctum of Sages, but due to being plagued with work during that period of time, it ended up taking me roughly twenty days before I was able to make a breakthrough to Half-Grand Dominion realm."

"Twenty days..." Zhan shi's body began shaking intensely. Staring at Zhang Xuan intently, he asked, "Then... how long has it been since you started cultivating?"

"Since I started cultivating?" Not expecting such a question, Zhang Xuan did a quick calculation before replying, "Roughly thirteen months I think, a little more than a year!"

If he had not transcended over to the Tianxuan Kingdom but to the Sanctum of Sages, he would have been able to reach his current level of cultivation within just a month.

That was a hulking thirteenfold difference in time!

Just the thought of it was enough to leave him feeling deeply suffocated on the inside.

Zhan shi suddenly did not want to speak to the young man before him anymore.

To rise from Fighter realm all the way to Saint 6-dan pinnacle within just thirteen months, that was a speed that was even faster than the little princess of the Luo Clan! And yet, that fellow's expression seemed to be saying that he was discontented with the speed that he was cultivating at.

Is it possible for anyone to get even more spoiled than that?

Oblivious to the thoughts running through Zhan shi's mind, Zhang Xuan asked, "Sanctum Head Zhan, do you have any Saint 7-dan cultivation technique manuals? Can I borrow them for a look?"

Since his cultivation had already reached Grand Dominion realm pinnacle, he needed to look around for Phantasmal Space realm cultivation technique manuals. If he could perfect the Saint 7-dan Heaven's Path Divine Art, he just might be able to use the last two pinnacle spirit stones to push for another breakthrough.

In any case, the higher his cultivation was, the safer he would be.

"Saint 7-dan cultivation technique manuals? I'm afraid that I don't have any of those with me at the moment. If you really need them, you can head over to the Corridor of Puppets. You'll be given a chance to choose from a collection of secret manuals if you clear the trial there," Zhan shi replied.

A Saint 9-dan cultivator like him would have no use for Saint 7-dan cultivation technique manuals, so naturally, he would not carry them with him.

"I see. Thank you for your suggestion." Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had been to the Corridor of Puppets twice, and considering the devastating destruction that he had caused over there, he felt really embarrassed to head there once more.

However, since the other party did not have any Saint 7-dan cultivation technique manuals with him, it would not be good for him to keep asking. Just as Zhang Xuan was about to ask another question, Zhan shi's eyebrows suddenly shot up. He flicked his wrist, and a Communication Jade Token appeared in his palm.

Taking a glance at the Communication Jade Token, he frowned in confusion. "Why would he be contacting me?"

Zhan shi tapped his finger on the Communication Jade Token, and the confusion on his face deepened. "Wait, he isn't looking for me but... you?"

"Someone is looking for me?" Zhang Xuan was startled. "Who is it?"

"Jian Qinsheng," Zhan shi replied.

"Jian Qinsheng is looking for me?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

Jian Qinsheng was the descendant of the Third Sanctum Head, Jian Liushui, and Zhang Xuan had learned the Flowing Water Swordsmanship from him.

After unintentionally pummeling the Jian Qinsheng the previous time around, he had not heard any news from the other party. Why would the other party suddenly be looking for him at this moment, not to mention, even contacting Zhan shi to get to him?

"Let's head out. He's waiting for you outside," Zhan shi said.

"Alright." Zhang Xuan did not know why Jian Qinsheng was looking for him, but it was thanks to the latter allowing him to browse through his collection of sword manuals that he had achieved his current mastery of swordsmanship.

He felt deeply grateful to the other party's generosity, so naturally, he would not turn down a meeting with the other party.

The two of them quickly left the Inner Sanctum, and as soon they stepped out of the door, they saw Jian Qinsheng standing in a gazebo just by the side of the lake. Upon seeing the both of them, Jian Qinsheng's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked up to them.

"Zhan shi, Zhang shi!" Jian Qinsheng clasped his fist and greeted.

After trading some pleasantries, Zhang Xuan got straight to the topic at hand. "May I know the reason behind your visit?"

"This... Actually, I do have something that I need to trouble you on!" Jian Qinsheng spoke up with slight awkwardness in his tone.

"Zhang shi, are you willing to accompany me to the Zhang Clan?"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1417: The Zhang Clan's Clan Assembly

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"You want me to accompany you to the Zhang Clan? Which Zhang Clan?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Is there a second Zhang Clan? It goes without saying that I'm referring to the number one Sage Clan in the world!" Jian Qinsheng harrumphed. "I'm about to head there soon, and I hope that Zhang shi can accompany me there."

"Me?" Zhang Xuan was unable to keep up with the situation. "Pardon me, but why would you need me to head there with you?"

It was not like he was from the Zhang Clan, so there was no point in him heading there, right?

Besides, it was just a moments ago that he had given Zhang Chun a good pummeling, and to run to the enemy's home base right after... He still had many good years ahead of him, and he did not want to die a premature death just yet!

"Well, it's like this..." Jian Qinsheng's face flushed slightly red before he started speaking. "In truth, I have some history with the Xingmeng Sword Saint of the Zhang Clan, and I once vowed that I would groom a successor who would surpass his. You should have met my students; none of them are really strong enough to shoulder this burden, so I can only hope for Zhang shi to make a move in my stead."

If he had not really been cornered to this point, he never would have troubled the other party.

As fellow swordmasters, he and the Xingmeng Sword Saint had been rivals in the Sanctum of Sages, and they had competed with one another frequently. Eventually, he had become an elder of the Sanctum of Sages whereas the latter had returned to his clan to serve as the deputy clan head. In view of their identities, they could not compete like they did back then anymore, so they agreed on competing through their students instead.

And in the previous few battles, his students had lost tragically.

The talent and bloodline of those in the Zhang Clan were simply too powerful. Even their aptitude toward swordsmanship was also far stronger than that of his students.

Initially, he had given up hope on this matter, but upon meeting Zhang Xuan, one of the few aspiring, young swordmasters outside of the Zhang Clan, he had suddenly seen a ray of hope. Unwilling to simply accept his loss just like that, he had chosen to buck up the courage to ask Zhang Xuan this favor.

Compared to the young man before him, all of his students were like frogs in a well. In fact, in terms of swordsmanship mastery, even he was not a match for the young man.

"What you mean is that you want me to challenge the Xingmeng Sword Saint in the capacity as the successor to your swordsmanship?" Zhang Xuan finally understood what was going on.

He had seen Jian Qinsheng's students, and indeed, it would be rather embarrassing to bring them out in public.

Even the strongest Senior Xie had been utterly defeated by him with just a strand of hair, completely unable to retaliate.

"That's not it. You wouldn't be able to stand against the Xingmeng Sword Saint even with your current proficiency in swordsmanship. What I hope for you to do is to challenge his successor," Jian Qinsheng said awkwardly.

Considering how the other party had not learned the slightest thing about swordsmanship from him—on the contrary, the other party even provided him valuable pointers to bringing his swordsmanship to another higher level—it was indeed a little embarrassing for him to ask the other party to act as his successor.

"This..." Taken off guard by the abrupt request, Zhang Xuan found himself at a loss.

Even though he was extremely displeased with how the Zhang Clan was treating Luo Ruoxin and wanted to teach them a lesson, he would still rather challenge them in his capacity as Luo Ruoxin's boyfriend than as Jian Qinsheng's successor.

Instead of turning down Jian Qinsheng's request immediately, Zhang Xuan frowned. "Elder Jian, if you wish to turn the tables on the Xingmeng Sword Saint, you should be able to win fair and square soon enough if you use the modified version of the Flowing Water Swordsmanship that I have given you to groom your successor. It shouldn't take too long for the effects to show, so there shouldn't be any need for you to be in such a rush, right?"

Out of guilt for destroying Jian Qinsheng's residence and unintentionally severely injuring the elder, he had altered the Flowing Water Swordsmanship and handed the manual over to Shui Qianrou.

Given Shui Qianrou's aptitude toward swordsmanship, as long as she cultivated the modified manual strictly, there should be a massive leap in her fighting prowess very soon. Considering how she was Jian Qinsheng's direct disciple, the honor and glory that he would derive from the victory should be far greater.

After all, even though it had only been less than a month since Zhang Xuan had come to the Sanctum of Sages, considering the various commotions surrounding him and his current identity as 'Yang shi's student', it was likely that the Xingmeng Sword Saint would swiftly realize that he was not Jian Qinsheng's student.

Once that happened, it would render Jian Qinsheng's efforts meaningless.

"The sword art that you have imparted to us is truly formidable, such that even I have benefited greatly from its ingenuity. If Shui Qianrou studies it diligently, she should be able to improve swiftly within a short period of time. However, I am indeed in a rush. The Zhang Clan's Clan Assembly is just about to start, and if I were to miss this one, I don't know how much longer I'll have to wait for the next opportunity," Jian Qinsheng said.

"Clan Assembly?" Zhang Xuan was bewildered. "What does the Zhang Clan's Clan Assembly have anything to do with the challenge between you and the Xingmeng Sword Saint?"

This is a private grudge between you and the Xingmeng Sword Saint, right? Is there really a need for you to confront the other party during their Clan Assembly?

Or does this mean to say that you intend to wreak havoc in the Zhang Clan?

But if the Zhang Clan could be bullied so easily, there is no way it would have been able to survive so long and retain its position as the number one Sage Clan on the Master Teacher Continent!

"All of the top geniuses of the Zhang Clan would be returning to attend the Clan Assembly, so we'll be able to challenge their strongest sword practitioners if we challenge them at this event. Only when their best sword practitioners have been defeated can this be considered a victory for me!" Jian Qinsheng explained.

"And most importantly of all, if my successor can defeat all of the sword practitioners of the Zhang Clan during such an occasion, I will be able to embarrass the Xingmeng Sword Saint and force him to acknowledge his loss to me!"

"This..." Zhang Xuan was rendered completely speechless.

However, there was indeed some sense into what Jian Qinsheng was saying. If he wanted a good platform to defeat the Xingmeng Sword Saint once and for all, the Zhang Clan's Clan Assembly was definitely a good opportunity to do so.

If he could triumph over the Xingmeng Sword Saint before the entire Zhang Clan, he would be able to cleanse all of the humiliation that he had suffered thus far.

Of course, if he lost in such a setting, his reputation would be swept into the gutters.

"That's equivalent to putting your reputation and honor on the line. The stakes are simply too high; I fear that I'm unworthy of your confidence." Zhang Xuan pondered for a while, but eventually, he still decided to turn down the offer.

As much as he wanted to get back at the Zhang Clan, he did not dare gamble with Jian Qinsheng's reputation and honor. While everything would be great and wonderful if he won, he could not bear to imagine the consequences if he lost.

As confident as Zhang Xuan was in his strength, the implications behind this matter was simply too big. As an outsider to the grudge, he was unwilling to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.

"Ah..." Hearing Zhang Xuan's rejection, a bitter smile surfaced on Jian Qinsheng's face. "It seems like my request is really a little too abrupt. It was indeed a little inappropriate of me to attempt to involve you in my private affair, and I apologize for that."

He had only met Zhang Xuan once, and he had not imparted anything to the young man at all. On the contrary, it was the young man who had corrected the flaws in his cultivation, so in that sense, the young man could even be said to be his benefactor.

And instead of repaying the kindness of his benefactor, he had made such an inappropriate request to the other party. It was understandable why the young man would turn down his request.

"Elder Jian, you needn't feel disheartened. If there's still some time, I can offer some pointers to Shui Qianrou's swordsmanship, and hopefully, she will be able to bring you glory during the Clan Assembly!" Zhang Xuan offered with a smile.

"I'm afraid that there's no time for that anymore. The Zhang Clan's Clan Assembly will be held a month from now, and I'll have to start making my way over now in order to make it in time." Jian Qinsheng shook his head.

Considering how the young man before him had been able to see through his flaws and offer pointers to correct them, there was no doubt that Shui Qianrou's fighting prowess would improve immensely under his guidance. However, it was a pity that time did not allow it.

"The Zhang Clan's Clan Assembly will be held a month from now?" Zhang Xuan was slightly intrigued. "Shouldn't the Clan Assembly be usually held during festive seasons and the like? Why now?"

He seemed to recall Zhang Jiuxiao saying that the Clan Assembly would be held during the start of the new year, and it would only be the eleventh month a month later. Did they bring their Clan Assembly forward?

"I heard that some unexpected situations occurred. It seems like the Zhang Clan decided to hold their Clan Assembly earlier to discuss the bringing forward of the matrimony with the Luo Clan!" Jian Qinsheng paused for a moment before adding, "However, that's just speculation on my part."

"The Zhang Clan intends to bring forward the matrimony with the Luo Clan?" Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in astonishment.

"Indeed. According to the rumors, it seems like the little princess of the Luo Clan has someone she likes, and that has provoked the ire of the Zhang Clan. Thus, they decided to bring forward the matrimony from the third month of the next year to the start of the year so as to prevent any unexpected situations from occurring." Jian Qinsheng told Zhang Xuan everything that he knew about the matter.

"Start of the year?" A bolt of lightning flashed across Zhang Xuan's mind as his clenched fists trembled intensely in agitation.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1418: Zhang Jiuxiao Acknowledges a Teacher

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

If it was the third month of the next year, considering how it was only the start of the tenth month at the moment, he would still have had five months to prepare. Given how swiftly his cultivation was growing, it would not have been too difficult for him to become the sanctum head of the Sanctum of Sages by then. However... if it was the start of the next year, he would only have two months to prepare. Time would simply be too tight for him!

It was just a moment ago that he had heard that the Luo Clan had grounded Luo Ruoxin, and the next instant, the Zhang Clan had already brought their Clan Assembly forward. Were they really in such a rush to marry Luo Ruoxin?

Those shameless bastards!

Zhang Xuan's face turned livid, and he felt raging fury burning in his chest, threatening to blow up at any moment.

Ever since his transcension over to this world, other than the incident where Lu Chong was nearly killed while trying to save him, he had never been so angry before.

To think that the number one Sage Clan of the Master Teacher Continent would completely disregard a young lady's feelings and forcefully push her into a marriage. How were they any different from petty bandits?

He had not wanted to blow things up out of proportion, but since they were this shameless, there was no need for him to hold back.

"Zhang shi..." Noticing the huge fluctuations in Zhang Xuan's emotions, Jian Qinsheng and Zhan shi were startled.

8-star master teachers possessed a transcendental state of mind, and they would be able to remain perfectly composed even as mountains collapsed right before their eyes. Yet, why would the young man get so agitated all of a sudden?

Realizing that he had accidentally allowed his emotions to flow through, Zhang Xuan quickly reined in his rage and replied, "I'm fine."

Then, he turned to Jian Qinsheng and said, "Elder Jian, when are you heading off to the Zhang Clan?"

"Ah?" Not expecting the young man to ask such a question, Jian Qinsheng was dazed for a brief moment before he quickly replied, "I have already prepared an aerial saint beast, and I'm intending to set off right after this."

"Very well. I'll accompany you to the Zhang Clan," Zhang Xuan said affirmatively.

Hearing those words, Jian Qinsheng traded glances with Zhan shi. The situation was changing so quickly that he found himself being unable to keep up with it.

It was just a moment ago that the young man had said that he was unworthy of his confidence, clearly expressing his reluctance to be involved in this mess. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he had suddenly agreed to follow him to the Zhang Clan.

"After some careful thought, I feel that there's a dire need to teach the Zhang Clan a lesson and bring our Sanctum of Sages' Flowing Water Swordsmanship the glory that it deserves!" Zhang Xuan exclaimed with a grand wave of his hand.

Aren't you intending to hold a Clan Assembly to discuss the matter of marrying Luo Ruoxin at the start of next year?

Very well... I shall make sure to wreak havoc such that you won't even have time on your hands to broach that subject during the Clan Assembly!

"This..." Jian Qinsheng was deeply moved by Zhang Xuan's words.

Bliss had simply come too quickly to him. He had never thought that Zhang Xuan would suddenly accept his proposal just like that.

Just that... he was competing with the Xingmeng Sword Saint to settle a private grudge between the two of them. What did this have to do with the Flowing Water Swordsmanship of the Sanctum of Sages?

Despite the doubts in his mind, Jian Qinsheng was still delighted to have Zhang Xuan onboard with him.

The young man before him had comprehended two different Sword Quintessences, so it was likely that his aptitude in swordsmanship far exceeded even that of the Xingmeng Sword Saint's. With the young man making a move, he should be able to crush the Zhang Clan's morale and cleanse the shame that he had been put through over the years.

"It's truly wonderful that Zhang shi is willing to accompany me to the Zhang Clan. When would be a convenient time for you to set off?" Jian Qinsheng asked.

"I'll have to make some preparations beforehand, so let's set off tonight!" Zhang Xuan replied.

Luo Xuanqing had said that he had some business for him, and this could very well concern Luo Ruoxin. Thus, he felt that he should first listen to what Luo Xuanqing had to say before heading off to the Zhang Clan.

Hearing those words, Jian Qinsheng heaved a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Very well. I'll be waiting for you in my residence, so come and find me there once you are ready!"

Zhang Xuan nodded in response before turning to clasp his fist toward Zhan shi. "Sanctum Head Zhan, I'll be taking my leave now."

"Un." Knowing that Zhang Xuan's mind was already made up, Zhan shi did not bother to dissuade the young man out of this. Instead, he said, "If the Zhang Clan makes things difficult for you, let me know. Rest assured that the Sanctum of Sages will definitely stand up for you!"

Zhang Xuan nodded with a smile in response to those words.

He had half expected Zhan shi to try and stop him, but looking at it once more now, how could the deputy sanctum head of the Sanctum of Sages possibly be a cowardly person who was afraid of trouble?

As one of the two major subordinate powers of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, if the Sanctum of Sages were to cower in fear before a mere Zhang Clan, it really would not be worthy of the standing and prestige that the world had accorded it!

Hu!

Having made up his mind, Zhang Xuan quickly bade farewell and left. Not too long later, he arrived at his residence.

As soon as he landed on the ground, he was immediately welcomed by Sun Qiang.

"Young Master, Zhang Jiuxiao is here. He has been waiting for you for some time now."

"Jiuxiao? I'll go and take a look" Frowning, Zhang Xuan quickly made his way over to the main hall.

Entering the main hall, he saw Zhang Jiuxiao pacing around the room with an anxious look on his face. The latter visibly heaved a sigh of relief upon noticing him. He hurriedly walked up to him and clasped his fist. "Zhang shi!"

"Is this regarding your Clan Assembly?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"How did you know?" Zhang Jiuxiao was startled.

"Let's put that aside for now. Are you here for that?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"That's right. I'm here to thank you for the guidance that you have offered over the past few months. There's no way I would have ever been qualified to attend such a major event without your help. To tell you the truth, I'm here to bid you farewell. My clan has already sent a saint beast over, and it's currently waiting outside for me. Most likely, I won't return to the Sanctum of Sages until next year," Zhang Jiuxiao said.

As a member of the side family, he should not have been qualified to attend such a major event of the Zhang Clan, but under Zhang Xuan's guidance, he had successfully enrolled into the Sanctum of Sages as a student. That was the only reason that he had been invited to the Clan Assembly too.

As tight as his schedule was, he still felt compelled to pay one last visit to Zhang Xuan to express his gratitude prior to leaving. After all, none of this would have happened without the latter's help.

"You didn't mention this the last time we met. Why are you leaving for your Clan Assembly all of a sudden?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Despite his composed exterior, his heart was actually beating in trepidation. He was hoping that he would not receive the answer that he expected.

"To be honest with you, I'm not too sure either. I only received the notice to set off today. Those of the younger generation who are invited to the Clan Assembly must return to the clan within a month's time. I'm not too clear about the details, but it seems like they will be conducting some kind of selections. Zhang shi, you also know that I don't possess much standing in the Zhang Clan. It's already a huge blessing for me to even be invited into the Clan Assembly; there's no way that they would inform of something as confidential as that," Zhang Jiuxiao said awkwardly.

It was not that he wanted to hide anything from Zhang Xuan, but he was truly ignorant of the matter.

"Alright, I understand." Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "Take care of yourself. Most likely, I will be heading to the Zhang Clan too, so if you find out anything, do make sure to inform me!"

"Zhang shi, you're going to attend the Clan Assembly, too?" Zhang Jiuxiao was startled.

"Un, I'll be heading there to settle some affairs," Zhang Xuan said. "This matter could very well draw the hostility of the Zhang Clan, but don't worry, I won't put you in a difficult position."

Fearing that the other party would think that he was asking him to spy for him, Zhang Xuan swiftly reassured the other party to allay his fears.

"Zhang shi, please don't say such words. It's only due to your guidance that I am what I am today. Otherwise, I could very well still be the self-assuming young man that I was back in Qingyuan City!" Zhang Jiuxiao exclaimed in agitation.

These were his earnest feelings. If not for the young man before him generously imparting invaluable knowledge to him, putting aside enrolling into the Sanctum of Sages, he would not have been able to clear Zhao Xingmo's selections at all!

It was precisely due to this that he was filled with veneration for the young man before him.

"You're too kind. As friends, it's only right for us to help one another," Zhang Xuan said.

"I would love to be friends with Zhang shi, but I know that I'm not good enough for that. Be it in terms of talent, knowledge, or eye of discernment, I am far beneath you. In fact, Zhang shi, I hope that you can take me in as your student!" Zhang Jiuxiao stepped forward and lowered his head deeply.

This was something that he had been thinking about since a very long time ago.

Having received the other party's pointers in his swordsmanship and cultivation, the other party could already be considered half a teacher to him. At this moment, since he was already on the verge of leaving, he could not hold this urge of his back anymore.

"You want me to take you in as my student?" Not expecting to hear such words from Zhang Jiuxiao, Zhang Xuan widened his eyes slightly in astonishment.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1419: Help Me Kill a Man

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

While he might have offered a fair number of pointers to Zhang Jiuxiao, he had viewed the latter as a friend rather than a student all along. Who would have thought that the incomparably prideful genius would actually want to become his student instead?

"That's right!" Zhang Jiuxiao replied with a resolute gaze.

The others might not know much about the young man before him, but having been with the latter ever since his time in the Qingyuan Empire, he still knew a fair bit about him. For one, he knew that, of the young man's students, Zheng Yang had become the Progeny of Combat of the Combat Master Hall, Zhao Ya had become the young court chief of the Glacier Plain Court, and Yuan Tao was the most talented offspring and possibly the next clan head of the Yuan Clan.

Those were the only three students of the young man that he knew about, but just the three of them were already more than enough to shake the Master Teacher Continent at its core!

And it was one thing for his students to be formidable, but more than that, the young man himself was the only man to become a Celestial Master Teacher in the past several dozen millenniums after Kong shi!

Not to mention, he was the direct disciple of the most esteemed grand elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

There was no doubt that the young man possessed unimaginable potential within him. If he could become the young man's student, he would be able to soar into the boundless sky along with him instead of remaining as a nobody in his clan.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before saying, "I don't go easy on my students. Are you certain that you want me to be your teacher?"

"Yes, I am certain!" Zhang Jiuxiao replied.

"Very well. From today onward, you shall be my student!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Even though Zhang Jiuxiao's talent and bloodline were not on par with Zhang Chun, Zhang Feng, and the others, the greatest merit that he had over the rest of them was that he was incredibly tenacious. Under his guidance, the other party would surely be able to reach great heights.

However, he was only going to take in Zhang Jiuxiao as his student and not his direct disciple.

With so many uncertainties surrounding his life at the moment, he was not ready to commit to accepting another direct disciple.

"Thank you, Teacher!" A hint of slight disappointment flashed across Zhang Jiuxiao's eyes when he heard Zhang Xuan address him as his student rather than his direct disciple. Nevertheless, he quickly kneeled onto the ground and kowtowed.

Being the student of a Celestial Master Teacher was a great honor as well. To him, this meant much more than becoming a core member of the Zhang Clan.

"I have a cultivation technique here. I want you to practice it well and reach Grand Dominion realm pinnacle before we reach the Zhang Clan!" With a tap of his finger, Zhang Xuan transferred a cultivation technique into Zhang Jiuxiao's mind.

Currently, Zhang Jiuxiao was only at the Leaving Aperture realm, a huge way off from reaching the Grand Dominion realm. While Zhang Xuan had offered the other party pointers in the past, those pointers were intended to resolve the flaws in his cultivation rather than to enhance it. After all, Zhang Jiuxiao was not part of his lineage, so he was not obliged to impart anything to the other party.

But now that he had imparted a simplified version of the Heaven's Path Divine Art to the other party, as long as he had ample resources, it would not be too difficult for him to push for a breakthrough of two cultivation realms within a month.

In a sense, this could be considered a trial for Zhang Jiuxiao as well. If the other party could not even achieve this much, he would not be worthy of being his student!

Hearing that he had to reach Grand Dominion realm pinnacle within a single month, Zhang Jiuxiao's cheeks visibly twitched. However, he swiftly gritted his teeth and replied solemnly, "Teacher, I won't let you down!"

The higher one's cultivation realm was, the more difficult it was to raise one's cultivation realm. Even for the geniuses of the Sanctum of Sages, it would take several months of cultivation for them to push for just a breakthrough in their cultivation stage. Nevertheless, since his teacher had already given him the instruction, he would just have to accomplish it regardless of the cost!

Boom!

Seeing the resolve in Zhang Jiuxiao's eyes, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to issue a few more instructions, his mind suddenly jolted. A book had floated out from the shelves in the Library of Heaven's Path, and it slowly flipped open, revealing a golden gleam within it.

A golden page?

It had been so long since Zhang Xuan had taken in any students that he had nearly forgot that the Library of Heaven's Path still had such a function.

The power harnessed within each formed golden page was immense. Back then, he had planted one within Wei Ruyan in order to ensure her safety in the Poison Hall, and eventually, it had actually succeeded in killing one of the Four Eminences with ease. With the golden page as a trump card, there was no longer anything for him to fear in the Zhang Clan!

Hmph, Zhang Clan, just you wait! This time, I won't rest until my reputation as the God of Destruction is imprinted deeply into every single one of your minds!

Zhang Xuan's clenched fists trembled in agitation as a vicious glint flashed across his eyes.

...

Not too long after Zhang Jiuxiao left, Luo Xuanqing came over.

Upon seeing that Zhang Xuan was in his residence, Luo Xuanqing heaved a sigh of relief. Using a particularly complex set of hand seals, he sealed the surrounding space tightly before walking up to Zhang Xuan.

"Brother Zhang. As you know, I don't like to beat around the bush, so I'll just get straight to the main issue at hand. I want you to kill a man for me."

"You want me to kill a man for you?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

He had thought that the matter that Luo Xuanqing was going to talk to him about was regarding Luo Ruoxin, but who would have thought that the latter would actually ask him to kill a man instead!

As a master teacher and a member of civilized society, he believed that violence should always be the last resort, and he always made sure to conduct himself as such.

Putting aside the couple of unfortunate accidents that would happen every now and then, the only time that he had truly played the role of an aggressor was when dealing with the Xuanyuan Kingdom.

"If possible, I would not make this request of you. But as long as this man remains alive, our Luo Clan will never be able to live in peace!" Luo Xuanqing shook his head and sighed deeply.

He would not make a move if there was another option, but this was a direct order from the First Elder, and he himself knew what was at stake. There was simply no way around it.

For his younger sister's sake, he would have to carry this out!

"What kind of man could possibly wield so much influence over the Luo Clan?" Zhang Xuan was astonished.

As the second strongest Sage Clan on the Master Teacher Continent, the ranks of the Luo Clan were filled with countless experts. And yet, there was actually a man in the world who could leave them feeling so uneasy? Just who could this incredible figure be?

Surely, he would be helpless before a person whom even the Luo Clan struggled to deal with!

"Do you still remember what I told you about my younger sister the previous time we met?" Luo Xuanqing asked.

Zhang Xuan nodded in response.

"She's currently grounded in our clan. I recklessly summoned my Dimension Sundering Ordeal in hopes of gathering sufficient strength to save her, but... it's a pity that I'm still far too weak," Luo Xuanqing said with a solemn expression on his face.

Zhang Xuan nodded once more.

Even if the other party did not explain it to him, he had already guessed as much.

"Like I told you the previous time, the reason she's being grounded is because the clan found out that there's someone whom she already likes, and I requested you to help me investigate his identity, right?" Luo Xuanqing continued.

"Yes, I still remember that. I thought that there isn't any concrete news concerning that man yet," Zhang Xuan said with a frown.

The last time that the other party had spoken to him about this matter, he had nearly been shocked out of his wits. Fortunately, it seemed like Luo Ruoxin had not revealed his identity.

Nevertheless, that matter still left him feeling deeply pressured. Eventually, in order to save time and become an 8-star master teacher as quickly as possible, he had ended up challenging the Tower of Master Teachers.

"I have managed to gather new intelligence regarding the matter. During the period that my younger sister disappeared, she seems to have resided in a place known as the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy for quite a long period of time. I suspect that that man might be there as well, so I hope that you can head down there and root out that man," Luo Xuanqing said.

"The Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy..." Zhang Xuan's lips twitched inconspicuously upon hearing those words, and his pupils narrowed slightly. With a slightly astonished voice, he asked, "It can't be that you want me to kill that man, can it?"

Judging from where the flow of the conversation was heading, it appeared that Luo Xuanqing was about to request him to assassinate himself!

He really had no idea what he should make of this situation.

While others might not know who the rumored lover of the Luo Clan's little princess was, how could he possibly not know who that man was!

It was already hard on him to be asked to investigate and uncover his own identity, and now, he even had to assassinate himself as well. This was ridiculous!

"As expected of my brother! You understand me well!" Luo Xuanqing nodded in satisfaction.

"Why do you want to kill him?" Zhang Xuan asked with a frown. "Won't the little princess be upset if he were to be killed?"

Luo Xuanqing claimed that he doted on his younger sister, but here he was, plotting to kill the man his younger sister loved. Was that not hypocritical?

Was it that difficult to simply grant her this simple wish?

Would he only be happy after sending his younger sister down a road of tragedy, marrying a man who had never once appeared after their engagement?

"I know that she'll be upset, but this involves..." Luo Xuanqing exclaimed in agitation, but halfway through, he suddenly froze. After which, he shook his head with a deep sigh, clearly not wanting to delve any deeper into this topic.

He raised his head to look at Zhang Xuan once more and said, "Just tell me whether you are willing to do it or not. As long as you root out that man and kill him, I'll accord you the position of at least an elder in the Luo Clan!"

"Elder?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I don't need anything like that. I only want to ask if the little princess knows if you are aiming to kill the man she loves. You do know that once she finds out about the matter, this will become a permanent rift in the relationship between the two of you. You'll never be able to go back to the old days anymore."

"I understand all of that, but... I have no choice!" the discomposed Luo Xuanqing cried out with reddened eyes.

"How can there be no other choice? At this rate, she'll become nothing more than a pawn for power! Why can't she pursue her own happiness? Does she really have no choice but to marry that young prodigy from the Zhang Clan?" Zhang Xuan exclaimed fervently.

Under Zhang Xuan's relentless questioning, Luo Xuanqing finally snapped. "Yes! She has no choice but to marry the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan! There's no other option for her to choose!"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1420: Xingmeng Sword Saint

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Why?" Zhang Xuan asked lividly.

To have to push his younger sister down a path that he knew she would never be happy with... No matter what, the Luo Clan was still one of the most powerful Sage Clan in the Master Teacher Continent. They might be second to the Zhang Clan, but they were definitely not subordinates of the Zhang Clan. Shouldn't they at least possess dignity worthy of their positions?

Honestly speaking, if he had not heard the news directly from the Young Master of the Luo Clan, he would have thought that he was hearing fake news!

That is your own younger sister! How can you possibly sacrifice her for a mere political marriage?

Realizing that he had lost himself in the moment, Luo Xuanqing forced himself to calm down before replying quietly, "There are some things that you aren't qualified to know given your current standing and identity. Even I only have a partial understanding of the matter.

"I only know that in order to push forward this marriage, our Luo Clan has already sacrificed far too much. If it fails to go through, not only will our Luo Clan be in deep trouble, even mankind could very well find itself facing a catastrophe!"

"Mankind?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in skepticism.

To say that the failure of the marriage going through would actually result in a catastrophe for mankind, was this for real?

Was it not making a mountain out of a molehill?

No matter how he looked at it, Zhang Xuan just could not help but find Luo Xuanqing's words utterly nonsensical.

Judging from the look on Zhang Xuan's face, Luo Xuanqing could tell that the other party would not agree to his request if he did not make things clear today. So, he hesitated for a short moment before saying, "On the account that you are a trustworthy person and a brother of mine, I can share the news with you. However, this matter has major implications, so you mustn't speak of it to another soul. Otherwise, it could possibly lead to a disastrous outcome!

"In truth, the marriage between the Zhang Clan and the Luo Clan concerns the secret behind the Celestial Amulet of Legacy!"

"Celestial Amulet of Legacy?" Zhang Xuan's eyes slowly widened in astonishment as he heard those four words.

He had heard of the Celestial Amulet of Legacy before. It was an artifact left behind by Kong shi, and it served as a key to the Temple of Confucius where the Great Codex of Spring of Autumn lay. Was the marriage between the Zhang Clan and the Luo Clan really that important?

If Kong shi's most powerful artifact was really at stake, then saying that the entire fate of mankind was at stake would really be no joke!

"Indeed! However, I only heard of this news while eavesdropping on the conversation between our First Elder and clan head, so unfortunately, I'm not too sure about the exact circumstances surrounding the matter," Luo Xuanqing replied grimly.

That is my younger sister we are talking about! How can I possibly be willing to shove her into the embrace of a person she has no fondness for?

If not for the complicated circumstances surrounding the issue, putting aside him, not even the elders of the Luo Clan would allow this marriage to go through! After all, given his younger sister's talent, there was a good chance that she could surpass even their ancestors!

Once that happened, what would the Zhang Clan count for?

Nothing at all.

Well, that was unless the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan was even more powerful than her.

But again, such a possibility was only minuscule at best. After all, in so many years, the only one whom he had seen come close to matching up to his younger sister was the young man standing before him, Zhang Xuan.

"Given what is at stake, regardless of whether it's me or my younger sister, this is a responsibility that we won't be able to escape from. More importantly, this matter involves her as well. In any case, that man has to be killed at all costs. However, I can't do it myself, and there's no one other than you that I trust enough to entrust such an important task in!" After saying those words, Luo Xuanqing directed a deep gaze at Zhang Xuan.

"This..." Zhang Xuan found himself at a loss for words.

He knew that Luo Xuanqing was in a difficult position.

Even though he was close to Yuan Xiao, Bi Hongyin, and the others, it was unfortunate that they were affiliated with other major powers. They could be trusted under normal circumstances, but if there was a conflict of interest somehow in the future, they could very well choose to sacrifice their friendship to support their own clan. After all, they would soon take on important roles within their own clans, and by then, they would be responsible for the overall welfare of their clan. With such a heavy responsibility on their shoulders, they would have no choice but to sacrifice their personal will at times.

Considering that the reputation of the Luo Clan and Zhang Clan were at stake for this matter, it would not be a good idea to entrust this matter to them.

And after eliminating them from the picture, the only one who could be trusted and would not have any conflict of interest was him.

"What's your choice?" Luo Xuanqing asked intently.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to accept your request." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Even if there are many things at stake, what does that have to do with me?

Why should I sacrifice my everything in order to fulfill others?

Besides, to make me assassinate myself... How do you expect me to accept such a request?

"I want to know why."

A deep frown appeared in between Luo Xuanqing's forehead. He thought that the young man would accept his request unhesitatingly, but he had been rejected instead.

Zhang Xuan paused for a moment, and eventually, he still decided against revealing his identity. "To tell you the truth, I have some urgent matters at the moment, and I need to head over to the Zhang Clan right now. I don't think that I'll have the time to head down to the Qingyuan Empire and assassinate that man."

Even if he wanted to reveal his identity, this was not the right moment to do so! If he had to do it, it should be done before the Zhang Clan with him carrying the air of a conqueror!

"You need to head over to the Zhang Clan? For what?" Luo Xuanqing was visibly surprised to hear that news.

"The Zhang Clan is holding its Clan Assembly very soon, and Jian Qinsheng hopes that I can challenge the Xingmeng Sword Saint's successors so as to exact vengeance for the humiliation he has suffered in the past," Zhang Xuan explained.

"Jian Qinsheng? That old sword freak? I do recall him having a grudge with the head of the Zhang Clan. Indeed, this is a good opportunity to put down the Zhang Clan, so you should definitely go." Luo Xuanqing was dazed for a moment before nodding in realization.

"What happened between the two of them? Is their grudge really just due to the difference in the Sword Quintessences they have comprehended?" Zhang Xuan asked curiously.

The Sword Quintessence that Jian Qinsheng had comprehended was relating to the Flowing Water Swordsmanship, a defensive Sword Quintessence. Even though he had never seen the Xingmeng Sword Saint's swordsmanship before, it should be safe to assume that the Sword Quintessence that the latter had comprehended was vastly different from Jian Qinsheng's.

Otherwise, the Zhang Clan's genius, Zhang Xu, would not have been rejected by the will of the Third Sanctum Head.

"Actually, it isn't that complicated. Do you know where the title 'Xingmeng Sword Saint' originated from?" Luo Xuanqing asked.

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

All he knew about the Xingmeng Sword Saint was that the latter was the incumbent head of the Zhang Clan, the father of the young prodigy. As for his true name and the origin of his nickname, he really did not know a thing at all.

"Could it be that his name is... Zhang Xingmeng?" Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.

It would be truly hilarious if the head of the Zhang Clan, one of the top experts on the Master Teacher Continent, had such a feminine name.

"Of course not! In truth, the 'Xingmeng' in 'Xingmeng Sword Saint' refers to two different individuals. It's derived from taking the 'Xing' character from the name of the head of the Zhang Clan and the 'Meng' character from his wife's. When addressed separately, they are known as the Xing Sword Saint and the Meng Sword Saint. However, due to the overwhelming prowess from the combined might of their swordsmanship, which struck fear even in the hearts of the elders of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, they eventually came to be collectively known as the Xingmeng Sword Saint!" Luo Xuanqing explained.

Hearing that, Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in astonishment.

In order to become an elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, one's cultivation needed to have exceeded Saint 9-dan, and yet, the both of them were still able to instill deep fear into the hearts of such experts. It was already beyond Zhang Xuan's imagination how powerful they could possibly be.

"Indeed. Back then, the both of them traveled across the entire Master Teacher Continent as a pair, and there was nearly no one who could match them. Even your teacher is filled with praise for them! Eventually, the Xing Sword Saint inherited the position of the deputy clan head and received the deepest heritage of the Zhang Clan, thus pushing his strength and swordsmanship to greater heights. On the other hand, the Meng Sword Saint has rarely appeared since then, and as time went by, her previous reputation ended up being heaped on the Xing Sword Saint instead, resulting in very few knowing of her existence," Luo Xuanqing explained.

As a core member of the Luo Clan, Luo Xuanqing was well-informed on those who stood at the top echelon of the Master Teacher Continent.

"I see. However, what does that have to do with Elder Jian Qinsheng? Could it be that he lost tragically to the Xing Sword Saint back then?" Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.

If there was not a deep-seated grudge between the both of them, there should not be a need for Jian Qinsheng to make use of the Zhang Clan's Clan Assembly to get back at the Xing Sword Saint, right?

That was almost as good as declaring his hostility toward the entire Zhang Clan!

"Lost tragically? Tragically is an understatement..." Luo Xuanqing shook his head.

"If the news I have is accurate, it would appear that Elder Jian Qinsheng used to be a fervent pursuer of the Meng Sword Saint!"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1421: Revelation

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Fervent pursuer..." Zhang Xuan was stumped into silence.

He had thought that it was just a simple rivalry, but to think that there would be so much drama behind it!

Then again, he should have thought of it.

Only such an emotion could possibly lead to so many years of persistence from Jian Qinsheng. For example, if he were to steal Luo Ruoxin away, the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan would surely challenge him frenziedly for decades or even centuries to come!

In the first place, those who practiced swordsmanship tended to be extremely obstinate and unyielding individuals, so how could they possibly be able to keep an open mind to other things?

"Indeed. I really have to say kudos to Jian Qinsheng's obstinacy. Even now, he's still unwilling to find another mate. Forget it, let's not talk about them anymore. Well, I do understand that it's important for you to head over to the Zhang Clan." Luo Xuanqing was deeply conflicted.

Killing the man whom his younger sister had fallen in love with was important, but he was not willing to let such a good opportunity to humiliate the Zhang Clan go either.

Due to his younger sister, he had been tirelessly finding ways to put them down, and this was clearly a darn good occasion to do so!

"Indeed. Pardon me for not being of any help to you in this matter." Zhang Xuan shook his head. A moment later, he raised his gaze once more and asked deeply, "Is it the Luo Clan's or Zhang Clan's intention to kill that man?"

"Is there a difference between the two? Even if we don't make a move, the Zhang Clan will very soon make a move too. By then, things would only get far more troublesome." Luo Xuanqing shook his head.

Ever since his younger sister had admitted her love for that man, that man's fate had already been sealed.

There was no way that the Zhang Clan and Luo Clan could allow this ticking time bomb to continue existing.

"Zhang Clan..." On the other hand, hearing that the Zhang Clan had intentions to kill him too, Zhang Xuan clenched his teeth in fury.

How can they have the cheek to call themselves the number one Sage Clan of the Master Teacher Continent when all they do is commit such despicable acts... Wait a moment, they are shameless, that's why!

It was one thing to force Luo Ruoxin to marry the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan, but now, they were even intending to kill him as well. Just how lawless could they get!

"It's fine." Luo Xuanqing sighed deeply. "It goes without saying, but you must keep all of this a secret. No matter the circumstances, it mustn't reach the ears of another soul!"

"Don't worry, my lips are tightly sealed!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "Actually, I think that it would be good for you to discuss this matter with the little princess before making a decision. Otherwise, this incident could drive a wedge in the relationship between you and your younger sister."

"Un." Luo Xuanqing was silent for a moment before nodding slowly. "I'll think about that."

The main issue was that his younger sister was still grounded, and he had no way to contact her, or else he definitely would have found a way to do so.

"I'll be taking my leave first then!" Zhang Xuan clasped his fist before heading for Jian Qinsheng's residence.

Luo Xuanqing watched as Zhang Xuan vanished in the night sky before he shook himself out of his daze. He left the residence, too, but instead of returning back to his own accommodations, he headed to the Hall of Integrity.

Walking up to the counter, he instructed, "I want detailed intelligence about the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. It's an organization located in the Qingyuan Conferred Empire."

Since he was unable to engage Zhang Xuan's help for that matter, he had no choice but to do it himself.

"Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy? Noted! Young Master Luo, please give me a moment. I'll look it up right now!"

The attendant was a young lady in her early twenties, and recognizing Luo Xuanqing, she did not dare show the slightest bit of disrespect toward him. She quickly rushed into a room, and not too long later, she returned with a book in hand.

Any information concerning master teachers would have to be submitted to the headquarters, and considering that the Sanctum of Sages was a subsidiary organization of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, there were various channels that they could use to procure the information.

"The Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy is located in Hongyuan Tier-1 Empire, and the strongest expert there is only at Saint 1-dan pinnacle." The attendant began to recite the information in the book.

"Only Saint 1-dan pinnacle?" Luo Xuanqing's cheeks twitched.

Were his younger sister's eyes not a little too poor?

Even the strongest expert in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy was only at that level! Just what charm did that man possess to be able to win her fancy, such that she would even go against the Luo Clan and Zhang Clan for him?

"It's a low-ranked Master Teacher Academy capable only of grooming 6-star master teachers, so it's inevitable that the cultivators there would be slightly lacking," the attendant hurriedly replied.

"Where is it located?" Luo Xuanqing asked.

"It's located more than a million li away from here. Saint 8-dan beasts require roughly half a month of flight in order to reach there. Here is a map for your reference," the attendant said as she took out a map and showed it to Luo Xuanqing.

"Half a month? That's still fine." Luo Xuanqing heaved a sigh of relief.

If he could get to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy within half a month, he should be able to eliminate that man ahead of the Zhang Clan.

With a quick scan, Luo Xuanqing swiftly memorized all of the details on the map before turning around to leave. However, before he could walk out of the doorstep, he suddenly recalled a matter and turned around to ask, "Do you happen to have any information on some of the more outstanding master teacher from the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy in recent years?"

Considering how his younger sister liked that man and was even full of praise for him, even if that man's cultivation and master teacher rank were only so-so, he should still at least possess some exceptional talent in some fields!

In a small place like the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, he should be able to shine like a pearl amid pebbles, catching the eyes of everyone.

The attendant pondered for a moment before replying, "I'm afraid that I'm unable to access that information with my level of clearance. If Young Master Luo isn't in a rush, I can invite an elder over to help you check on the matter!"

She was only an attendant of the Hall of Integrity, so she could only look into more general information. In order to obtain more detailed information such as the names of the master teachers residing in a location, they would require the clearance of an elder.

After thinking about it for a brief moment, Luo Xuanqing nodded.

If he could find out the identity of the man whom his younger sister liked, he could assign others to do the job in his stead, thus avoiding the long journey down to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

He waited for roughly an hour on the spot before an elder hurriedly walked out from one of the inner rooms of the Hall of Integrity.

Whether it was Luo Xuanqing's standing as a core member of the Luo Clan or his notorious title as the King of Destruction in the Sanctum of Sages, he was not someone whom ordinary managerial elders could afford to offend.

The elder hurriedly walked up to Luo Xuanqing and retrieved a book from his storage ring. He took a moment to swiftly flip through the entire book before he closed it and said, "Young Master Luo, I have browsed through the records of all notable master teachers in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy over the past five years, and there is indeed one who enjoys great fame and prestige there."

"Enjoys great fame and prestige? Tell me more!" Luo Xuanqing's eyes immediately lit up.

"This master teacher came to fame roughly half a year ago. He originates from a humble Unranked Kingdom, and with his own strength, he slowly paved his way up through the ranks. He has successfully crashed two Master Teacher Pavilions, and he has foiled a major ploy from the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and slain ten Otherworldly Demon Kings and one Otherworldly Demon Emperor, thus contributing immensely to mankind!

"Furthermore, he has successfully built a kingdom into an empire and groomed many talented students. Eventually, he even became the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!" the elder said.

"No doubt about it, he must be the person I am looking for!"

Only their ancestor had ever successfully crashed a Master Teacher Pavilion before. The fact that the other party was able to do it too showed that he was a man of great talent. That aligned with his younger sister's description.

Most likely, that fellow was the person whom his younger sister liked!

"What's that person's name? Is he still in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy?" Luo Xuanqing asked.

"This... Young Master Luo, I'm afraid that I don't have the authority to track down his recent whereabouts. But as for his name, I think I should still be able to find it. His name is..."

As he spoke, the elder flipped open the book once more and took a closer look at the records. A moment later, his eyes narrowed in astonishment.

"Zhang Xuan!"

Chapter 1422: I Thought Of You As My Brother, But You Flirted With My Younger Sister?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Zhang Xuan?" Luo Xuanqing's eyes narrowed as well. He anxiously turned his gaze over to the elder and asked agitatedly, " Which Zhang and which Xuan? 1"

" Zhang, as in the Zhang with the side characters of 'bow' and 'long', and Xuan, as in the Xuan from hanging on a noose. 2 " the elder explained.

"The both of them have the exact same name? This... can't be possible... right?" It was as if an explosion had occurred in Luo Xuanqing's mind. With widened eyes, he staggered backward weakly, his face pale with disbelief.

That name was identical to that of his good brother. They couldn't possibly... be the same person, right?

He had only hung out with Zhang Xuan because the young man's temperament was to his liking, and to him, all that really mattered was that the young man wasn't from the darned Zhang Clan. As such, he had never thought of looking into the young man's origin.

Could he really be from Qingyuan Empire too?

If that was truly the case...

Wouldn't that mean that the man he had been looking for was the very same person he had called his brother all this while?

Luo Xuanqing's body trembled uncontrollably as the various scenes of how he came to met Zhang Xuan flashed across his mind.

The first they met, the young man had said "Your sister" to his face and ended up being pummeled into the ground. After the incident, the young man suddenly became exceptionally nice to him, never hesitating to offer a helping hand in his time of need. And all of this, it went without saying that he attributed them to his personal charisma...

But could it actually be because of his younger sister?

"Young Master Luo..." Noticing the huge fluctuations in Luo Xuanqing's mood, the elder couldn't help but quiver in fear, fearing that the other party would vent his anger on him.

"I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me." Luo Xuanqing exhaled deeply and calmed himself down. "I would like to look into the background of a student from our Sanctum of Sages' Elite Division."

"It should be much easier to obtain information on a student in the Sanctum of Sages. Young Master Luo, whose background do you want me to look into?" the elder asked.

"I want you to look into a student who has just enrolled into the Sanctum of Sages just earlier this year, Zhang Xuan!" Luo Xuanqing said.

"Actually, there's no need to look up that. Zhang shi is the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy that I have just spoken about." Hearing that name, the elder couldn't help but chuckle softly, and he remarked in admiration, "Despite coming from an Unranked Kingdom, Zhang shi has managed to progress this far within a short period of time, successfully becoming an 8-star master teacher when he had just barely stepped into his twenties. Due to his legendary accomplishments, Zhang shi is regarded as the new idol amongst the student populace of the Sanctum of Sages. In fact, the young lady who has attended to you earlier is his loyal fan!"

"Idol? Fan?" Luo Xuanqing quickly turned his gaze toward the young lady who had attended to him earlier and saw that the latter's eyes were twinkling in reverence upon hearing her idol's name being called. It was to the point that he could almost imagine saliva streaming down the corner of her lips.

"Damn it!" Luo Xuanqing bellowed furiously as he stabbed his fingers deep into the flesh of his palm. In this moment, he felt as if a million ants were running across his scalp, and unimaginable rage bubbled furiously within him.

In less than a month after coming to the Sanctum of Sages, that fellow had actually seduced so many young ladies, converting every single one of them into his devoted fan. Given how his younger sister had no experience with the opposite gender, it was no wonder why she would end up falling into that fellow's trap!

More importantly, you even acted so innocently before me... Zhang Xuan, just how much more shameless can you get?"

Luo Xuanqing couldn't stop his lips from quivering in shock. He felt like he had fallen into the other party's trap right from the very start.

"He intentionally got close to me in order to obtain news about my younger sister... This won't do. I must kill that despicable bastard!" Frenzied with fury, killing intent billowed through Luo Xuanqing's veins.

Previously, he was still a little hesitant at the notion of killing his younger sister's lover, but now that he knew who that man was and the despicable means that man resorted to, he couldn't suppress his fury any longer.

All along, you are the person whom my younger sister likes, and yet, you feigned ignorant whenever I brought up the topic, acting as if you were an outsider to the matter. To think that I actually thought of someone like you as my brother...

This must be the greatest stain of my life!

More importantly, I even foolishly told you everything I knew...

"It's no wonder why he turned down my request... How could he possibly kill himself?"

The more Luo Xuanqing thought about this matter, the more infuriated he became. If his emotions could materialize, the area around him would be swiftly overwhelmed by a raging inferno and burned down to cinders.

"This isn't good... Hurry up and get Elder Ge over! Tell him that the King of Destruction is going to destroy the Hall of Integrity!" Seeing that the young man's strength was on the verge of bursting forth, the elder's face immediately paled in fright, and he hurriedly turned his head around to instruct the female attendant.

As a managerial elder, his cultivation was only at Saint 7-dan, a long way off from matching up to Luo Xuanqing. If they were to go head-to-head with one another, there was no way he would be a match for the other party.

Sensing the dangerous aura shrouding around the young man before him, he couldn't help but recall the various 'incredible accomplishments' of the young man before him. At this point, there was little doubt that the young man was going to do something very soon.

"Yes, elder!" the attendant hurriedly nodded. But as just as she was about to turn around and leave, Luo Xuanqing suddenly appeared right before her eyes. With reddened eyes, he roared, "Tell me, why do you revere that Zhang Xuan so much? Is he stronger than me? Is he more good-looking than me?"

In terms of strength, he was a Saint 8-dan expert whereas Zhang Xuan was only at Grand Dominion realm pinnacle. In terms of looks, that fellow was no different from a Fighter 1-dan to his Saint 9-dan! He just couldn't understand why others would idolize that fellow instead of him!

"I-I-I... Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Feeling the immense pressure that Luo Xuanqing was emanating, the young lady's face paled in fright, and she began to bawl uncontrollably.

"Let go of her!" the elder bellowed angrily.

"I..." It was only in this moment that Luo Xuanqing finally regained his rationality, but even that was insufficient to quench the indignance that he felt inside.

To show a look of reverence when speaking of Zhang Xuan, only to be scared into tears when facing him... Why? WHY?!

The elder could guess what Luo Xuanqing was thinking of just by the look on his face, and he suddenly felt completely speechless.

Just by that terrifying look on your face, it would take a miracle for any girl to like you!

Take a look at Zhang Xuan! Even before the most frightening lightning tribulation, he was still able to stand firmly with a composed smile on his face, diving into it fearlessly and eventually send it fleeing even...

Now, take a look at yourself! How can you ever begin to compare with him?

"Forget it, I'll kill that fellow right now!" Knowing that he wouldn't be able to get an answer out of the female attendant's mouth, Luo Xuanqing spat coldly as he dashed straight for Jian Qinsheng's residence.

Now that he had found out that Zhang Xuan was the culprit who had seduced his younger sister, there was no reason for him to hesitate anymore! There would be more than enough time for him to think the matter through after smashing that fellow's head into the ground!

It didn't take long before he was standing right above Jian Qinsheng's residence, and he bellowed loudly, "Luo Xuanqing is here to pay a visit to Elder Jian!"

His deep voice reverberated deafeningly throughout the entire residence, reminiscent of the rumbling of thunder.

"Luo Xuanqing, what are you up to this time around?" A mere instant after Luo Xuanqing's loud voice echoed throughout the entire residence, an infuriated voice suddenly sounded.

Following which, a beautiful figure flew over.

Shui Qianrou!

"Qianrou... What are you doing here?" Luo Xuanqing was so surprised to see the young lady that the imposing disposition he carried a moment ago began withering away.

"Jian Qinsheng is my teacher, so there shouldn't be any problem with me living in his residence, right?" Shui Qianrou harrumphed coldly. "Like I have told you before, I don't have the slightest bit of feelings for you. If you continue harassing me like this, I'll have no choice but to call on my clan to deal with you!"

"I..." Luo Xuanqing was rendered speechless.

The truth was that when he boasted to Zhang Xuan back then that he had a beautiful girlfriend, he wasn't entirely lying—it was just that his 'beautiful girlfriend' of his hadn't accepted his confession yet!

And the 'unbelievably beautiful girlfriend' he had referred to then was none other than Shui Qianrou!

Luo Xuanqing was intending to say that he wasn't here for Shui Qianrou but Zhang Xuan, but the latter's words triggered the intense feelings of indignance within him once more, and he exclaimed, "Just what kind of man do you like? I can always change if there's anything I'm lacking in!"

Given the outstanding and dashing man he was, why didn't the other party like him? He simply couldn't understand it!

"What kind of man do I like?" Shui Qianrou harrumphed coldly. "The man that I like must possess unparalleled talent in swordsmanship. He must possess utmost discerning eyes that are capable of seeing through and complementing all of my flaws, and more importantly, he must be able to impart to me profound swordsmanship..."

"Impart to you profound swordsmanship? It can't be that..." Luo Xuanqing suddenly widened his eyes as he shook his head in disbelief, hoping that everything was just his imagination.

"That's right, I like men who are like Zhang Xuan! As for you..." Shui Qianrou waved her hands disdainfully, "You should just give it a rest!"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1423: The Little Princess' Request

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

" You bastard! " Luo Xuanqing's rage finally reached the peak and exploded.

It was one thing for the younger sister whom he doted on so dearly to be seduced by that fellow whose emotional quotient could be said to be pretty much zero, but to think that the goddess whom he had been infatuated with for so many years would actually be full of admiration for him too... At this moment, no words could begin to describe how crazed he felt on the inside.

I treated you as my brother, but you ended up seducing my younger sister and the person I love... Unforgivable!

"Zhang Xuan, you better scram out here right now!" Unable to hold it back any longer, Luo Xuanqing roared in fury.

Seeing how the other party's words were getting more and more overboard, daring to threaten Zhang shi even, Shui Qianrou finally snapped, "Luo Xuanqing, Zhang shi has already left for the Zhang Clan together with my teacher. If you continue causing trouble around here, don't blame me for activating the Sword Formation!"

What the heck is wrong with you?

I have already made everything clear to you, why are you still going on a rampage over here?

Previously, you claimed that as long as I were to meet someone I like, you would give up and back away quietly... I should have already made it very clear to you that I like Zhang shi, so why are you still causing such a huge commotion here, even threatening to beat him up?

Do you really think I dare not activate the formation on you?

If you were to continue causing trouble here shamelessly, I don't mind teaching you a lesson!

After receiving Zhang Xuan's pointers, Shui Qianrou had become more highly regarded by Jian Qinsheng, such that she was even imparted with the method to control the formation inscribed into the residence.

"He has already left? Hmph, I'll just have to chase him back then!" Making a quick calculation, Luo Xuanqing realized that it was indeed very likely that Zhang Xuan had already left.

Thus, he immediately flitted off in the direction of the Zhang Clan without any hesitation.

"That madman..." Not expecting Luo Xuanqing to come over in the middle of the night to cause such a huge uproar, only to leave before finishing his piece, Shui Qianrou was rendered speechless.

She would have to be an utter fool to fall for a person that lacking in maturity!

In the end, Zhang shi was the only one who could really be thought of as perfect.

Well, he would have been even more perfect if his words could have been any nicer... But again, geniuses tended to have extremely individualistic personalities, and she was perfectly fine with his personality too...

Oblivious to Shui Qianrou's fangirling, Luo Xuanqing dashed straight for three days and three nights, till the last droplet of zhenqi within his body had been depleted. But even so, he was still unable to find any traces of Zhang Xuan and the others.

Before long, he was completely sapped of his strength and had no choice but to come to a halt, and in the next instant, a mouthful of fresh blood spurted from his mouth.

He had been too overwhelmed with rage earlier that he was completely oblivious to his current physical state, but as soon as he came to a halt, he felt a feeling of weakness swiftly consuming his entire body, placing him on the verge of fainting.

Even as a Saint 8-dan expert, he was still incapable of maintaining flight at full speed for three days straight without any rest.

Not to mention, the consecutive shocks he had sustained earlier had caused his zhenqi flow to descend into severe disarray. If not for the strong cultivation foundation that he had built up over the years, his cultivation could have very well gone berserk.

From the looks of it, it seems like there's no way I'll be able to catch up with them anymore... Seated by the edge of a cliff, Luo Xuanqing panted heavily as he thought with gritted teeth.

Jian Qinsheng and Zhang Xuan had left on an aerial saint beast. As fast as he may be, if he couldn't see any traces of them after chasing them for so long, it didn't seem too plausible that he would be able to catch up with them anymore.

But... not only did that fellow dupe him, he even seduced his younger sister and his goddess! It would be hard to quell the burning rage within his heart if he couldn't at least give the other party a beating he would never forget.

Should I contact my clan and have them liaise with the Zhang Clan to deal with that fellow? A thought suddenly popped up in Luo Xuanqing's head.

As long as he told his clan that the person whom his younger sister liked had gone to the Zhang Clan, they would surely be able to make ample preparations to trap and eliminate that fellow! With the two most powerful Sage Clans moving in unison to deal with him, there was no way Zhang Xuan would be able to get away!

But somehow, the thought of Zhang Xuan dying made the usually decisive him hesitate a little somehow.

But the First Elder has also instructed me to get close and avoid any conflicts with him. Furthermore, he's the direct disciple of Yang shi too... Luo Xuanqing was in a dilemma.

It was imperative for him to accomplish the missions assigned to him by the clan, and the First Elder did give him two clear missions. One was to get on close terms with Zhang Xuan, and the other one was to kill the man his younger sister liked!

But now that the two of them turned out to be the same person... was he to get close to him, or should he kill him?

At the same time, he suddenly felt that it might have been a little too rash of him to conclude that Zhang Xuan was the person whom his younger sister liked. While it was true that the latter was from the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy too, it could have just been a coincidence.

All of these thoughts swarmed Luo Xuanqing's mind at once, leaving him feeling deeply lost all of a sudden.

At this moment, his eyebrows suddenly shot up. He flicked his wrist, and a Communication Jade Token appeared in his palm.

Tapping his finger on it lightly, there was a light 'Hu!' before an incomparably beautiful and seemingly flawless figure appeared before his sight.

"Sis... Aren't you grounded by the clan? How did you manage to contact me?" Luo Xuanqing widened his eyes upon seeing the other party, and he asked in agitation.

The person who was at the other end of the Communication Jade Token was no other than his younger sister, the little princess of the Luo Clan!

"The clan might have grounded me, but sending out a message is nothing too difficult to me." the young lady replied.

After assimilating the Dimension Silencer, her comprehension of space could be said to have reached a level comparable to their founder. If she wanted to, she could easily decipher the seal which the First Elder and the others had set up without alerting them.

"That's a relief! I happen to have something I need to verify with you..." Heaving a sigh of relief, Luo Xuanqing was just about to begin speaking when the young lady before him anxiously waved her hands and interjected.

"Brother, I need you to hear me out first. Even back when we were still young, you have always been very doting of me, looking out for me at every corner and secretly getting me what I want, and I am really grateful for that. There is one thing which I really need your help, and I hope that you can offer me your strength!"

Luo Xuanqing could roughly fathom what his younger sister was about to say, but facing her pleading and desperate eyes, he hesitated for a brief moment before eventually nodding in agreement, "As long as it's within my means, I'll do my best to help you."

For his younger sister, he would even tread up a mountain of blades or dive into a sea of flames for her if he needed to!

Hearing those words, relief visibly flickered across the young lady's face. "As you know, I already have someone that I like... Our clan has already dispatched some men to the place where I have been to, and there's no doubt that they will attempt to kill him. I hope that you can protect him. Please, don't allow any harm to come to him!"

"You want me to protect him?" Luo Xuanqing's eyes widened in astonishment.

"That's right." The young lady nodded. "He's only an ordinary cultivator. He shouldn't lose his life just because I like him. This isn't fair for him!"

She turned her gaze toward Luo Xuanqing, and with an expectant and pleading look in her eyes, she said, "Brother, you know that I have never pleaded anyone for anything, but just this once... I'm pleading with you, please protect him!"

"I..." Luo Xuanqing's clenched fists trembled uncontrollably. He wanted to tell her that he had already promised the clan to kill that fellow, but in the end, he still held himself back at the very last moment.

In the end, he still couldn't bear to see his younger sister unhappy.

He took in several deep breaths before nodding in resignation, "I'll protect him..."

"I knew that you are the best! I'll be entrusting him to you then." A beautiful smile reminiscent of a flower bloomed on the young lady's lips. "No matter what, please look after him and don't allow anyone to hurt him..."

"I'll have to go now. Even though I'm able to send messages out, the others might notice that something is amiss if I do so too frequently, and that could cause unnecessary complications."

As she said those words, the young lady's silhouette began to flicker, and it seemed as if her image would dissipate at any moment soon.

"Wait a moment! You told me to protect the person that you liked, but you haven't told me what his name is and where he is at the moment." Even though he had a good idea whom the person was, he still wanted to verify it with his younger sister.

"His name Zhang Xuan, and he's currently in Qingyuan Empire!" the young lady's voice drifted across with a tone filled with saudade and fondness before gradually dissipating along with her silhouette.

"As I expected!" Hearing his younger sister's confirmation, Luo Xuanqing's face turned frighteningly livid. "Zhang Xuan..."

Even Luo Xuanqing himself was unable to clearly discern his current emotions, whether it rage or indignance that he was feeling. But these emotions swarmed relentlessly to his mind and to his heart, leaving him feeling as if he would explode from them.

...

"Ah choo!"

Amidst the sky, Zhang Xuan was seated on the back of a saint beast when he suddenly sneezed. Rubbing his nose, a confused look appeared on his face.

"Is someone thinking of me again? Being too outstanding sure is troublesome, hai!"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1424: Studying the Sanctum Had Token

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

He had been sneezing ever since he left the Sanctum of Sages. The person who was thinking of him sure was persistent!

That's why I should maintain a low profile at all times. Otherwise, if Luo Ruoxin realizes that so many people like me, she won't be happy, Zhang Xuan thought with a nod.

And to be honest, he had indeed been much more low profile ever since he entered the Sanctum of Sages. The only time he had been high profile was when he challenged the Tower of Master Teachers.

Otherwise, how could the Cultivation Technique Forest and even the entire Inner Sanctum still be intact?

He had already been actively trying to play it cool!

Ah, it sure is tiring maintaining a low profile, Zhang Xuan thought as he rubbed his glabella.

If not for his wish to maintain a low profile, he would have simply taken Vicious' upper body out. At the very least, he would not have just stopped with challenging a mere Tower of Master Teachers and breaking a couple of records.

Do you know how difficult it was to suppress myself?

However, this worked out fine as well. It was aligned with his humble personality anyway.

Having spent a year as a cultivator, he understood the deep importance of maintaining a low profile. If he had gone around boasting about his strength and trump cards like his clone did, he probably would have already died.

After a brief moment of thought, he flicked his wrist, whipped out a token, and began assessing it closely.

It was the Sanctum Head Token that he had received from Sage Kui.

The first layer of the seal on it had unraveled back when he received his 8-star master teacher emblem after clearing the Tower of Master Teachers. However, he had not had the time to examine it closely back then. Since he had some time on his hand now, it would be a good opportunity to study its changes.

At this very moment, the Sanctum Head Token was emanating a warm glow. Stroking it lightly with his hand, he could immediately feel a will surging into his consciousness. Even though his physical body remained motionless in the real world, he felt as if his consciousness was being dragged into a peculiar space.

Hu!

The next thing he knew, Sage Kui was standing right before him with a faint smile on his lips.

"You sure became an 8-star master teacher fast. The rate at which you are growing has far surpassed my imagination!" A hint of approval could be heard in Sage Kui's voice. "How far have you cultivated your Divine Eyes of the Ninth Netherworld to? Let me take a look!"

"Regarding that... to be honest, I haven't started cultivating that optic art yet," Zhang Xuan replied awkwardly.

There were simply so many errors in that optic art that he could not bring himself to cultivate it. In fact, after he had obtained it, he could not even be bothered to give it a second glance.

Hearing those words, Sage Kui frowned. "If you don't cultivate the Divine Eyes of the Ninth Netherworld, how are you going to remove the seals on the Sanctum Head Token and be officially inaugurated as the new sanctum head?"

The most crucial requirement for becoming the real sanctum head was the cultivation of the Eye of Insight to the realm of Demon Vanquisher, and it was impossible to reach that level without cultivating the optic art.

"I do want to cultivate it, but the Divine Eyes of the Ninth Netherworld is a little... Never mind! Do you have any optic arts with you? If possible, I would like to borrow a couple of them for reference purposes!" Fearing that Sage Kui would be unable to take the trauma if he criticized the Divine Eyes of the Ninth Netherworld once more, Zhang Xuan swiftly changed his words.

The cultivation of the Divine Eyes of the Ninth Netherworld would only be a viable option to him after he successfully upgraded it into a Heaven's Path battle technique. After all, he had no intention of cultivating a battle technique only to end up becoming color blind or even completely blind at that!

"Only my teacher, Ancient Sage Bo Shang, has the ability to create a battle technique as profound and abstract as optic art. There's no way you will be able to find another optic art out there on the Master Teacher Continent!" Sage Kui shook his head. "May I know which part of the optic art you are confused about? Feel free to speak of it, and I'll slowly explain it to you."

"It's fine. I'll try deciphering it myself for now." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

It seemed like, in terms of capabilities, Sage Kui still came nowhere close to comparing to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. The latter's fragmented souls were still capable of communicating with one another whereas the Sage Kui in front of him was clearly unaware of his conversation with the Sage Kui in the Mountain Gate examination.

"It's fine?" A displeased look materialized on Sage Kui's face. "What do you mean by that? In order to become the next sanctum head, you must cultivate the Divine Eyes of the Ninth Netherworld! I have spent many years cultivating that technique, and my insights will allow you to swiftly grasp the technique! Or perhaps, do you think that your understanding of the technique is even deeper than mine?"

"Elder, that's not what I mean. To tell you the truth, there's a doubt that has been in my mind for a while that I would like to clarify with you." Knowing that Sage Kui's time was probably limited, Zhang Xuan did not want to waste time talking about the Divine Eyes of the Ninth Netherworld. At this point, he suddenly recalled what he had noted back at the Inner Sanctum, so he decided to make use of this opportunity to obtain some answers.

"Feel free to speak!" Hearing that Zhang Xuan had a question to ask him, Sage Kui flicked his hand behind his back grandly and assumed the image of a powerful expert.

"If I'm not mistaken, there's a skeletal frame of an Otherworldly Demon Emperor in a sculpture of yours in the Inner Sanctum. I'm curious to know how you managed to suppress its aura to the point where it's almost indiscernible." Zhang Xuan revealed his doubts.

He had been wondering about this matter ever since leaving the Inner Sanctum, but he was just unable to make sense of it.

Since Sage Kui's will had appeared before him once more, this would be a good opportunity for him to seek an answer to that.

"You know that there's a skeletal frame of an Otherworldly Demon Emperor in my sculpture?" Sage Kui's eyes widened in astonishment. In an instant, the image of a powerful expert that he had just built up shattered, and disbelief could clearly be seen on his face.

"Indeed. If I'm not mistaken, the Otherworldly Demon Emperor was an ancient figure in your era known as Vicious!" Zhang Xuan elaborated.

Considering that Sage Kui was Kong shi's grandstudent, he should have heard of Vicious.

"You... know of Vicious?" Sage Kui's cheeks began twitching.

"How did you manage to seal his upper body in your sculpture without any hint of his aura leaking out?" Zhang Xuan asked once more.

"This..." Sage Kui was stunned. Hearing the affirmative tone behind the young man's voice, Sage Kui hesitated for a brief moment before sighing deeply. "Since you have already seen through this much, I guess there's no harm in telling you the truth. You're right, the skeletal frame that is sealed in that sculpture in the Inner Sanctum indeed belongs to Vicious. Many years ago, when I first found it, a will had already developed within it. In order to prevent its resurrection, I could only make use of Kong shi's strength to suppress it."

"Kong shi's strength?"

"Yes. The Inner Sanctum is located in the very center of the formations of the Five Halls, and by using Kong shi's personal handwriting and the fortune harnessed in this very land, I was able to suppress it thoroughly, to the point where it's rendered completely helpless to retaliate," Sage Kui explained.

Hearing that, Zhang Xuan swiftly went through the relative position of the Inner Sanctum to the Five Halls, and indeed, the Inner Sanctum was located at the very center of their formations.

That would explain why it was so rich in spiritual energy and the overwhelming academic aura that lingered there.

"Back then, when Vicious fought against Kong shi, his strength had already reached a level surpassing all Ancient Sages on the Master Teacher Continent. At his peak, he was an entity whom none of us could match. In order to prevent his resurrection, I could only make use of all resources I had at my disposal to suppress him." Sage Kui shook his head.

After which, he turned a doubtful gaze to Zhang Xuan and asked, "The aura of the skeletal frame should have been suppressed to the point where it's completely indiscernible. How did you manage to notice it when your Eye of Insight is only at the third realm?"

There had been several generations of sanctum heads prior to him, and their mastery of the Eye of Insight had far exceeded his, but even so, they had been unable to notice the presence of the skeletal frame. Yet, the young man before him had actually noticed that something was in the sculpture and was even able to discern what it was clearly. How in the world did he manage to do it?

"I only managed to notice it by coincidence," Zhang Xuan replied perfunctorily, not bothering to explain.

"Regardless of how you noticed it, listen to my advice and don't even try to touch it. Even Saint 9-dan cultivators might not necessarily have the strength to stand against it." Seeing that Zhang Xuan was unwilling to talk too much about the matter, Sage Kui did not probe. Nevertheless, he still felt compelled to issue a warning.

"What if I have the confidence to tame the skeletal frame and prevent it from doing harm? Would it be fine if I take it out?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Given that he possessed the Book of Heaven's Path, not to mention that Vicious' head was under his control, he was very certain that he would be able to take down Vicious' upper body too. However, he was just unsure if there was any way that he could retrieve the upper body without resulting in any adverse consequences for the Inner Sanctum.

"You want to tame Vicious' skeletal frame?" Hearing those words, Sage Kui was clearly startled for a moment before he shook his head. "It's good that you intend to contribute to mankind, but I can tell you for certain that it's impossible. Even Kong shi failed to do it back then, so do you think that you'll really be able to do it?"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1425: Who Is the Sanctum Head?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

It was no wonder why Sage Kui didn't believe Zhang Xuan was able to do it. If even Kong shi was unable to accomplish that deed, there was little hope that anyone in the Master Teacher Continent would be able to do so.

Just the fact that Vicious was able to trap Kong shi back then was more than enough to show how powerful he was. Considering how Zhang Xuan's cultivation was only at a mere Grand Dominion realm pinnacle, it wouldn't make any difference no matter what kind of incredible means he had up his sleeves.

"You don't believe me?" Noting Sage Kui's expression, Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly and said, "Follow me!"

After saying those words, he retracted his consciousness back to his physical body and went into his Myriad Anthive Nest. Then, he grabbed the token tightly once more.

Boom!

A massive head appeared within the Myriad Anthive Nest. It floated quietly in midair, emanating a frightening aura.

"Master." Vicious greeted.

"T-this..." Sage Kui's will flickered wildly, nearly dissipating on the spot.

Having once suppressed Vicious, he could identify the latter's will and body with ease. Even though the massive head was a celestial designer artifact, the will and life within it was indubitably Vicious'.

To think that the legendary Vicious who had Kong shi trapped for three whole months in the ancient era would actually end up serving a young lad as his master...

"I have successfully tamed his heart, finger, and head, and I'm in the midst of collecting his other parts. Since his skeletal body with you, is there any way I can retrieve it safely? I think this would also be much safer in the long run as well." Zhang Xuan said.

Naturally, the best case scenario was for him to retrieve the skeletal frame without causing the collapse of the Inner Sanctum.

In the very depths of his heart, he didn't like causing destruction at all. Wherever it could be avoided, it should be avoided. Besides, once he became the sanctum head, the Inner Sanctum could be said to be under him as well, and destroying his own home base didn't seem like a very good idea...

"T-this... This can't be happening!" Sage Kui was still overwhelmed by the sheer shock of what he had seen, and his body flickered in and out of existence.

"He's already right before your eyes, and I believe you can tell for yourself whether he's really Vicious or not." Seeing Sage Kui's excessive reaction toward such a trivial matter, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but shake his head in disapproval.

How in the world can you be shocked at every single thing? Are you sure that you are really Kong shi's grandstudent... Somehow, it feels like you are a countryside bumpkin who hasn't seen the larger world outside yet!

No matter how formidable Vicious was when he was alive, he had been divided into many pieces after his death, and every individual part wasn't particularly powerful. As such, it shouldn't come as much of a shock that he managed to tame them.

It took some time before Sage Kui finally recovered from his shock. With a bitter smile, he said, "Since you are capable of taming him, I guess there should be no harm handing the skeletal frame over to you. However, the seal to decipher it is rather complicated, so it might be quite troublesome on your part..."

"Please enlighten me." Hearing that there was a method to retrieve Vicious' upper body without causing any destruction, Zhang Xuan hurriedly clasped his fist.

"I sealed the skeletal frame using a spatial secret art so as to fuse it entirely with my sculpture. If you wish to separate the both of them, you must destroy it and..." In the midst of his words, Sage Kui's will flickered once more, and before he could finish his words, he had already vanished from the spot with a light 'hu!', as if an extinguished candleflame.

It seemed like the shock he had received had far exceeded his tolerance limit, causing him to dissipate on the spot.

"You..." Zhang Xuan was frenzied.

Just what in the heck was wrong with these ancestors? How in the world could each of them be so unreliable?

Kong shi disappeared in the midst of his words, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu did so too, and now, even this fellow was doing it too...

Was it some kind of tradition for them to do that, or was this just a twisted sense of humor they had back in their era?

Forget it... Even though Zhang Xuan felt deeply stifled, he knew that there was no point for him to lose temper now especially since Sage Kui was already gone.

Thus, he could only rub his glabella and turn his eyes back to the Sanctum Head Token.

After the removal of the first seal, it had visibly become more smooth and radiant, and ripples of powerful energy could be seen flowing on its surface, reflecting the massive might that it wielded.

Is this... a Saint pinnacle artifact? Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in excitement as he stroked its surface with his fingers lightly.

He wasn't too sure just what tier the item was, but he was certain that it was far stronger than the Lingxu Sword in his possession.

If the two of them were to clash with one another, it was almost certain that the one to shatter would be his Lingxu Sword... Just from that in itself, it could be seen that the token was definitely a Saint pinnacle artifact at the very minimum.

But perhaps it was due to the presence of the seal, despite its high tier, there wasn't the slightest hint of spirit infused into the token. Its only unique property seemed to be its resilient exterior and its peculiarly sharp tip.

Nevertheless, it could still display exceptional might when utilized in the right situation.

Even a Saint 8-dan cultivator could be easily cornered by the prowess of a Saint pinnacle artifact! As long as he were to use it well, he might be able to slay even the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast!

As expected of the personal artifact of the sanctum head, it was indeed no ordinary treasure.

I wonder what kind of changes would happen to the token once I unseal the second layer of seal...

The changes in the token after the unsealing of its first seal was already quite a huge surprise in itself, so Zhang Xuan couldn't help but wonder what would happen once the second seal was unsealed too.

While Zhang Xuan was chatting with Sage Kui and examining the Sanctum Head Token closely, in the Premier Hall of the Sanctum of Sages,where generations of sanctum heads and deputy sanctum heads resided, brilliant rays of light began bursting forth in close intervals, and the flurried chimes of a bell could be heard booming across the entire area.

"What's happening?" Zhan shi, Elder Ge, and the others hurriedly rushed over to the grand hall as they exclaimed in astonishment.

As a representation of the authority of the Sanctum of Sages, no one would ever dare to fool around here. Just what in the world could have happened to induce such a huge commotion?

"It's coming from the sculptures of the preceding sanctum heads!" an elder exclaimed.

Everyone hurriedly turned their sights over and saw the many sculptures of the many generations of sanctum heads shaking non-stop. The deafening bell chimes were echoing from them.

"The trembling of the sculptures should be a representation... of their shock? But what could have happened to leave them in such a state?" Elder Ge muttered in astonishment.

Every single generation of sanctum head was a top-notch expert, possessing experience and eye of discernment that far surpassed any other cultivator in the Master Teacher Continent. It was unimaginable just what kind of major incident could have happened to have placed them in such a state.

This was inconceivable!

"Could this mean... the Sanctum Head Token has surfaced?" A thought suddenly came to Zhan shi's mind, and he muttered softly with a pale face.

"The Sanctum Head Token has surfaced? Do you mean that the Sanctum of Sages is about to usher in another true sanctum head?"

The many elders gathered in the area hurriedly turned their sights to Zhan shi.

Only a true sanctum head candidate would have the right to wield and control the Sanctum Head Token. If that artifact had surfaced once more, it would spell that the real sanctum head was on the rise as well.

"That's right... That person should have received Sage Kui's approval and successfully removed one of the seals on it. Otherwise, it shouldn't be possible for such a huge commotion to occur." Zhan shi nodded.

"But in order to become the sanctum head, one must possess the Eye of Insight! Just who could that person be?"

The faces of the crowd reddened in agitation.

Each time a real sanctum head appeared, the overall prowess of the Sanctum of Sages would surge forth, as if entering an era of swift development. It would be truly beneficial to them with a true sanctum head were to appear at this moment and lead them forward, especially during this era which felt like the calm before the storm!

"The sanctum head candidate's identity won't be revealed until he fully awakens the Sanctum Head Token..." Zhan shi said grimly.

It was a tradition for the sanctum head candidate to conceal his identity until the inauguration ceremony. This served as a mean to protect the sanctum head until he gained the strength to protect himself.

Given the huge commotion that had occurred, it seemed like the sanctum head candidate had received the approval of the preceding sanctum heads, but the fact that he hadn't revealed his identity yet likely meant that he wasn't fully ready to succeed as the next sanctum head yet...

A moment later, Zhan shi instructed, "Go and check who recently made a breakthrough to Saint 8-dan or successfully became an 8-star master teacher..."

As the deputy sanctum head, he was still aware of the various conditions required to remove the seals on the Sanctum Head Token.

"Alright!" one of the elders hurriedly backed out of the room, and soon, he returned with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Reporting to Zhan shi, Yang shi's student, Feng Zyi... has challenged the Tower of Master Teachers and cleared it!"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1426: Connate Sainthood

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Feng Ziyi also successfully cleared the Tower of Master Teachers?"

A wave of silence swept across the crowd. Zhan shi and the others were rendered speechless.

In the several dozen millenniums since the creation of the Tower of Master Teachers, there had only been three people who had managed to clear the trial. Just what in the world had happened recently? There had been two consecutive challengers, and both of them had actually cleared it.

"How long did he take?" one of the elders could not resist asking.

Zhang Xuan had used roughly fifteen minutes, so how long did Feng Ziyi take to clear it?

"Almost an entire day," the elder who had gone out to investigate earlier replied.

"A day... His record might be beneath that of Zhang shi, but it's definitely an outstanding achievement. Considering how the wills of the sanctum heads began reacting right after he became an 8-star master teacher... could he possibly be the sanctum head candidate?" Zhan shi deduced.

"I think it's very likely!"

The other elders swiftly nodded in agreement.

Even though Zhang shi had cleared the Tower of Master Teachers very quickly, there was no peculiar phenomenon occurring right after he cleared it. On the other hand, just moments after Feng Ziyi became an 8-star master teacher, the wills of the sanctum heads began trembling in shock. Could it be that he had received Sage Kui's recognition and become the only current candidate to the position of the sanctum head?

"But considering how Feng Ziyi is Yang shi's direct disciple, it's only a matter of time before he returns to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters. Why would Sage Kui choose him as a sanctum head candidate?"

"I have no idea either. However, Sage Kui's wisdom is not something that the likes of us can fathom, and perhaps, he might have seen something far beyond what we can see."

"To be honest, if a sanctum head does appear in this generation, I would think that the likelihood of Zhang shi being him is higher. According to the rumors I have heard, he's Feng Ziyi's senior, and on the whole, the capability and the potential that he has displayed far surpasses that of the other students."

"One of the requirements to becoming a sanctum head candidate is the possession of the Eye of Insight. No matter how talented Zhang shi may be, even if he's on par with the little princess of the Luo Clan, as long as he doesn't possess the Eye of Insight, all would be for naught!"

"That's true..."

Frowns emerged on the elders' faces as they heatedly discussed the issue with one another.

Both Zhang Xuan and Feng Ziyi were possible sanctum head candidates. It was still impossible for them to confirm which of the two it would be, but most of them were leaning toward Feng Ziyi.

"I think there's at least a 90% chance that it's Feng Ziyi. Zhang shi would likely be the one to succeed Yang shi's position in the future, so there wouldn't be a problem for Feng Ziyi to take on the role of our sanctum head."

In the first place, the elders were all working on speculation, so even after a lengthy discussion, they were still unable to come to a conclusion.

Eventually, Zhan shi stepped forward and said, "Alright, there's no point debating this anymore. We have narrowed the potential sanctum head candidate to just two people, and that's good progress. For the time being, make sure that none of what we have discussed today gets leaked. Also, none of you are to show any disrespect to the two of them, and make sure to satisfy every one of their requests wherever possible."

The elders nodded. "Understood!"

...

The Zhang Clan was located a far distance away from the Sanctum of Sages. Even when riding on Jian Qinsheng's tamed aerial beast, it would still take nearly an entire month to get there.

With too much free time on his hands, after he was done examining the sanctum head token, Zhang Xuan began reinforcing his cultivation.

It took him three days to fully reinforce his Grand Dominion realm pinnacle cultivation, and after that, he spent a couple more days retempering his physical body and Primordial Spirit. Afterward, he suddenly found himself at a complete loss over what he should do.

Eventually, he ended up spending most of his time discussing swordsmanship with Jian Qinsheng, and the latter benefited greatly from his unique and sharp insights regarding swordsmanship.

With that leisurely atmosphere, twenty days passed in a flash.

"We should be reaching the Zhang Clan in around two days' time." Studying the meandering mountain range and long rivers beneath them, Jian Qinsheng swiftly deduced their location, and he could not help but tremble in agitation.

Just two more days, and he would be able to cleanse himself of the humiliation that he had suffered so far. He would be able to trample that haughty and boastful Xingmeng Sword Saint beneath his feet. Just the thought of it was sufficient to leave surges of exhilaration coursing through his body.

"If we barge in on the Zhang Clan's Clan Assembly and challenge them on such a grand occasion, wouldn't it be in breach of the master teacher's value of 'propriety'?" Zhang Xuan asked Jian Qinsheng.

As much as he wanted to teach the Zhang Clan a lesson, he was also well aware of his identity as a master teacher. He had to pay careful heed to his standing and act within the scope of what was deemed appropriate by society.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not the one who initiated this challenge. On the contrary, they were the ones who invited me over to challenge them. The Zhang Clan's Clan Assembly is more than just an occasion for the members of the Zhang Clan to gather and discuss major affairs; more than that, it's also used as a platform for the Zhang Clan to reinforce their prestige and influence as the number one Sage Clan in the Master Teacher Continent!" Jian Qinsheng harrumphed coldly.

The Zhang Clan would usually send out invitations to others to attend their Clan Assembly.

The motive was simple—to display the overwhelming might of the Zhang Clan to the rest of the world!

If it had been in the past, Jian Qinsheng would have surely become nothing more than a stepping stone to further the Zhang Clan's reputation. But now that he had Zhang Xuan, a one-of-a-kind genius who had successfully grasped two Sword Quintessences, on his side, no matter how powerful the younger generation cultivators of the Zhang Clan were, who could possibly be a match for him?

"Do they send out invitations to all major powers?" Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.

"I'm not too sure either, but that does seem to be the case. For every Clan Assembly that they've hosted so far, they invited many people from all walks of life to participate. There were demonic tunists, apothecaries, blacksmiths, beast tamers... Most occupation guilds received a couple of invitations, and they dispatched their most outstanding juniors to attend. While the pretext was to have them observe the Clan Assembly, in truth, it was to allow those of the younger generation to spar with one another and further their experiences."

Even though Jian Qinsheng did not like the Zhang Clan, he still could not help but remark, "Even though it's clear that they were utilizing the Clan Assembly as a platform to boast of their prowess, they are indeed a force to be reckoned with. There are simply too few in the younger generation who are able to match their counterparts in the Zhang Clan!"

"Most occupation guilds received a couple of invitations?" At this point, Zhang Xuan could not help but recall what he had heard from Bi Hongyin back then.

Back then, when the young prodigy was born, it seemed like they had invited quite a few renowned figures from the various occupations, and her teacher happened to be one of them.

"The previous Zhang Clan's Clan Assembly happened twenty years ago, during the young prodigy's full month celebration. Back then, the few students of mine were all defeated by a single person." Recalling the situation back then, a bitter look appeared on Jian Qinsheng's face.

Just the direct disciple of the Xingmeng Sword Saint had been enough to render all of his students completely helpless, and that incident had truly shredded his dignity into many pieces.

That matter had been on his mind throughout the years, bubbling furiously inside of him without any avenues to release it.

If not for meeting Zhang Xuan, there was a good chance that he would never have been able to exact vengeance in his entire lifetime.

"The young prodigy's full month celebration... Speaking of which, since you attended the previous Clan Assembly, did you meet the young prodigy?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Of course I did! Even though he was still very young then, there was an imposing air shrouding him, as if the essence of the heavens was infused right into him. Just a glance at him left me trembling at my core, feeling deeply ashamed of my form."

Recalling that sight from twenty years ago, Jian Qinsheng could not help but fall into deep thought. "Really, I just can't understand why the Xing Sword Saint would be blessed with such luck. Not only does he possess amazing aptitude in swordsmanship, he also sure has a way with giving birth. I can tell you that never in my life have I seen a child as talented as that boy!"

"A child who's just barely a month old... just what kind of talent could he possibly have? Isn't that a little too exaggerated?" Zhang Xuan's complexion did not look too good.

If that child was really as outstanding as Jian Qinsheng made him out to be, his name would have resounded throughout the Master Teacher Continent by now. How could he not have appeared publicly even once?

"Exaggerated?" Jian Qinsheng shook his head. "It's no exaggeration at all."

"Oh?"

"What I'm saying really comes from the bottom of my heart. If you don't trust me... let me ask you this. Have you ever heard of Connate Sainthood?" Jian Qinsheng asked.

"Connate Sainthood?" Zhang Xuan frowned, unsure of what that term was referring to.

"It refers to a person born intrinsically with Saint realm cultivation," Jian Qinsheng said.

"Born with Saint realm cultivation? H-how could that be?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in astonishment.

It had taken him a great deal of effort in order to cultivate to Sainthood—just the fact that it had taken him more than six months to do so said a lot about the matter! And yet, there actually existed individuals in the world who were born with Saint realm cultivation? Surely not even the heavens would be so biased toward an individual?

At the very least, there was not a person whom he knew who was a Connate Saint, and this included Luo Ruoxin as well.

"Indeed. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw it either, but the truth is as such," Jian Qinsheng remarked deeply.

At this point, he could not help but recall something, and he remarked, "It might seem weird to say this, especially since the young prodigy was only a month old when I saw him, but I must say that there's really some degree of resemblance between you and him..."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1427: It's Him?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"There's some degree of resemblance between me and the young prodigy?" Zhang Xuan was startled for a moment before he shook his head bitterly. "How could that be?"

He had already checked it with Zhang Jiuxiao's blood essence, and it had already been proven that he was not a member of the Zhang Clan.

Besides, if he really was the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan, how could he have ended up as an orphan in the Tianxuan Kingdom without a single person looking for him at all?

Furthermore, the fact that the young prodigy was a Connate Saint further disproved that hypothesis. Zhang Xuan could still remember that he had only been at Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm when he first transcended to the Master Teacher Continent, so how could he possibly be the young prodigy?

Well, the young prodigy might have been a person blessed by the heavens... but so what?

He would make sure that anyone who dared vie with him for Luo Ruoxin would end up crawling around the floor, searching for his shattered teeth!

"I'm not saying that you are from the Zhang Clan, just that the look in your eyes really resembles that of the young boy I saw back then. But of course, considering how long it has been since then, I think my memory could be failing me too." Jian Qinsheng shook his head and chuckled softly.

Considering the talent that the young prodigy harnessed, he would surely be put under the tightest guard of the Zhang Clan and put through the strictest of education. There was no way that he would have been allowed to roam outside and become an itinerant cultivator!

Unless the Zhang Clan had their heads kicked by a donkey, there was no way that they would allow such a thing to happen!

...

While Jian Qinsheng was chatting with Zhang Xuan on the back of the aerial saint beast, a figure was swiftly flitting toward the cloud-shrouded Zhang Clan, and it did not take long for him to arrive at its doorstep.

The figure handed a name scroll over and clasped his fist.

"Yang shi's butler Hu Yiwei requests an audience with the head of the Zhang Clan!"

It was none other than the man who competed with Sun Qiang for the position of Yang shi's butler, the Left Guardian of the Poison Hall, Hu Yiwei.

In this instant, he looked completely exhausted, and even his aura seemed to be a little unstable.

After leaving the Sanctum of Sages, he did not rush off to look for Yang shi but headed for the Zhang Clan. Looking back, he had been flying for roughly an entire month now.

"Please give me a moment!" Hearing that the visitor was Hu Yiwei, one of the guards hurriedly rushed in, and not too long later, he returned and ushered Hu Yiwei in. "Elder, this way please!"

"Yes." Hu Yiwei followed the guard into the courtyard, and after a few twists and turns, he finally arrived at a rather spacious room.

In the room, a middle-aged man sat on the main seat, and there was a fatigued look on his face. Upon seeing Hu Yiwei, the middle-aged man stretched his hand forward and said, "Brother Hu, it has been long since we last met. Please, take a seat."

"Paying respects to the Xing Sword Saint!" Not daring to carelessly take a seat even at the other party's invitation, Hu Yiwei respectfully clasped his fist and bowed down.

He was a 9-star poison master who was capable of causing devastating damage with a wave of his hand, but before the middle-aged man, he dared not pull his weight.

Putting aside swordsmanship, just in terms of fighting prowess, he was far from a match against the middle-aged man standing before him.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony!" The middle-aged man waved his hand.

"I'm here to ask about my master's whereabouts. Half a year ago, when I parted with him, he said that he was heading for the Zhang Clan." Hu Yiwei lifted his head and asked, "May I know if he's here at the moment?"

"Yang shi is indeed here, but he's currently in seclusion. I'm afraid that this wouldn't be a good time to contact him," the middle-aged man replied.

"Seclusion?" Hearing those words, a hint of anxiety flashed across Hu Yiwei's face. It seemed like he had something to say, but he had no idea how he should bring it up.

"What's wrong? Feel free to speak your mind..." Seeing through Hu Yiwei's thoughts, the middle-aged man frowned.

Hu Yiwei hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth with determination and revealing, "It's like this... Just a while ago, I found a talented young man who is in his early twenties, and while I'm not too sure about it, I seem to have vaguely sensed the presence of the Innate Fetal Poison that I planted twenty years ago!"

"The Innate Fetal Poison that you have planted?" Hearing those words, the middle-aged man immediately stood up from sheer agitation, and his body trembled non-stop. Seemingly unable to believe what he had just heard, he anxiously asked, "Are you certain about it?"

"It has been years since I planted the poison, and it has been whittled down to the point that it's extremely weak, but still, I don't think I would make a mistake recognizing it. I'm quite certain of it," Hu Yiwei said with an affirmative nod.

"What's his name, and where is he now?" the middle-aged man asked in agitation.

His previous composure had vanished without a trace, and his voice had become a little hurried.

"His name is Zhang Xuan, and he's currently in the Sanctum of Sages," Hu Yiwei said.

"Zhang Xuan? His name is a little off, but his surname is still Zhang." The middle-aged man frowned for a moment before a thought seemed to have suddenly struck him, and his eyes lit up in excitement and agitation. "It must be him. There's no doubt about it—it must be him! Quick, invite him over to the Zhang Clan..."

Halfway through his instruction, the middle-aged man suddenly halted for a moment before shaking his head. "No, that would take too long. I'll head over there myself!"

As he said those words, he walked down from his seat as he whipped out a Communication Jade Token and sent a message through it. Not too long later, a middle-aged lady flew over in a fluster.

Even though age had left its marks on her, one could still vaguely see traces of the ravishing beauty that she had been in her youth from her face and figure.

On top of that, she also carried a sharp disposition reminiscent of an unsheathed sword that would split one in two in an instant.

The Meng Sword Saint, Wang Mengya!

"There's news on him? Is that true?" With reddened eyes, Meng Sword Saint questioned him with a deeply apprehensive look, as if frightened to raise her expectations only to have everything come crashing down on her once more.

The middle-aged man gestured to Hu Yiwei and said, "Brother Hu said that he encountered a talented young man in his twenties in the Sanctum of Sages, and he sensed the Innate Fetal Poison that he planted back then in him."

The Meng Sword Saint anxiously turned her gaze toward Hu Yiwei to seek confirmation.

"Madam, I can swear on the heavens that my words are true." Hu Yiwei bowed deeply to the Meng Sword Saint before swiftly going through what he had said earlier once more.

By the end of it, Meng Sword Saint's body was already shaking uncontrollably, and her eyes were glistened with tears. With a hoarse voice, she turned to her husband and said in agitation, "It must be him; it's definitely him! I'll be heading off to the Sanctum of Sages right now. Are you coming with me?"

"Of course I'm coming as well!" the middle-aged man exclaimed.

"The Clan Conference is just about to begin. Aren't you afraid that your old ancestor will be angry if you, the clan head, aren't around?" The Meng Sword Saint harrumphed.

"We have given up so much for the clan that we should at least be entitled to this much selfishness! We have been searching for him for so many years, and this is the only time we have received concrete news on his whereabouts. If anyone stops me from making my way over, I swear that I'll slice him into shreds!" The middle-aged man flung his hand backward furiously as a domineering aura flowed forth from him.

The Sword Intent that poured out from him at that instant felt as if it would soar into the heavens and pierce through the boundless sky.

"Indeed, we have already done enough for the clan... So many years have passed since then, and we still don't know whether he's living well or starving." At this point, Meng Sword Saint found herself unable to continue any further, and she lowered her head quietly.

Droplets of tears dribbled down from her cheeks to the floor.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders and said, "Let's go."

Then, he waved his free hand.

Boom!

A furious roar sounded, and a saint beast swiftly appeared right before them. With a leap, the Xing Sword Saint and the Meng Sword Saint leaped onto its back.

"Brother Hu, I hope that you can keep what you have just said confidential. Also, I hope that you can keep our whereabouts a secret as well!" Standing on top of the aerial beast, the middle-aged man clasped his fist.

"Xing Sword Saint, please rest assured. I won't speak a single word of this matter before others!" Hu Yiwei nodded.

He knew that the unbelievably powerful couple standing before him would surely chase him to the end of the world until he was finally escorted to his grave should he reveal a single word about the matter, so without the slightest bit of hesitation, he accepted their requests.

"You have my gratitude for that. If that person you spoke of is the person we have been searching for, the both of us will surely pay you a visit another day to thank you," the middle-aged man said. "Also, you need not worry about Yang shi. He's currently cultivating in the Zhang Clan, and I can tell you for certain that his safety is guaranteed. You can stay here without worry; I have already informed him to look for you once he's out of his seclusion!"

"Thank you, Xing Sword Saint!" Hu Yiwei clasped his fist.

"Un." The middle-aged man nodded before tapping his feet lightly.

Hula!

The next instant, the saint beast immediately surged forth toward the skyline, heading in the direction of the Sanctum of Sages.

Shortly into their flight, they saw a saint beast flying in the opposite direction as them.

Recognizing the saint beast, the middle-aged man's eyebrows knitted together.

"It's Jian Qinsheng's Cloudlight Saint Beast!"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1428: The Five Classifications of Swordsmanship

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Jian Qinsheng, that obstinate fellow? Let's take a detour around him. If we bump into him, we will end up wasting a great deal of time. Right now, I only want to meet Zhang Xuan."

The Meng Sword Saint nodded in agreement.

"Alright."

Knowing that an encounter with Jian Qinsheng would probably dredge up all of their old grudges and stall them significantly, the middle-aged man tapped his feet lightly.

The aerial saint beast that they were riding on immediately dived into the clouds, disappearing without a trace.

"Hmm?"

In the portable room on the Cloudlight Saint Beast, a deep frown suddenly appeared on Jian Qinsheng's forehead.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Under normal circumstances, no one would keep their Spiritual Perception active at all times, so he did not notice the saint beast ahead of them diving into the clouds.

"It seems like a rather powerful aerial saint beast that was in our path has flown away." Jian Qinsheng shook his head. "It's fine! It's good that it didn't notice us, or else we would have been in deep trouble."

As the head of the Zhang Clan, the Xing Sword Saint had multiple saint beasts under his command, and the one that he was currently riding on happened to be one that Jian Qinsheng did not recognize. On top of that, they were quite some distance away from one another, so Jian Qinsheng was unable to accurately discern the people riding on the saint beast.

There was, however, only one thing that Jian Qinsheng was certain of—the saint beast that had just moved out of their path possessed far greater strength than the Cloudlight Saint Beast that he was currently riding on.

To wield greater strength and yet simply turn around and leave, it was likely that the other party had not noticed them. Otherwise, they would have been in for a tough battle.

Even though his cultivation had reached Saint realm and he could fly freely without fear of plummeting to the ground, it was still rather disadvantageous for them to fight against a powerful aerial saint beast in the skies. If it was possible to avoid a fight, it would be best to do so.

"That's fortunate!" Having understood this, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

Deciding not to pay too much heed to the saint beast that had been in their path earlier, Jian Qinsheng swiftly confirmed their location and said with a chuckle, "We're not too far away from the Zhang Clan anymore. As long as we speed up a little, we should be able to arrive in half a day's time!"

"Elder Jian, since we are going to compete with the Zhang Clan in the field of swordsmanship, may I know what outstanding sword practitioners there are in Zhang Clan and what kind of Sword Quintessence they have comprehended?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Know one's strength and one's opponent, and one would attain a hundred victories in a hundred wars! He did not think that there were any sword practitioners in the same cultivation realm who were capable of matching him, but it was still best to tread carefully. Otherwise, if he ended up being defeated by those small fries... what right would he have to challenge that young prodigy and vie for Luo Ruoxin's hand in marriage?

He only had a single goal for this trip to the Zhang Clan—establishing dominance!

As such, nothing could go wrong.

Even if that young prodigy appeared in the Clan Assembly, he would ensure that the other party learned of his prowess!

"Currently, in the younger generation of the Zhang Clan, the person who possesses the deepest understanding of swordsmanship is Zhang Xu. The Xingmeng Sword Saints once offered him pointers in his swordsmanship." Jian Qinsheng harrumphed. "He's also the fellow who came to my residence before, wanting to access my library, only to be chased away by me."

"Zhang Xu?" Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before nodding.

He had heard of the matter between Zhang Xu and Jian Qinsheng from Shui Qianrou, and it was precisely due to that incident that led to him thinking that Jian Qinsheng had an eccentric temper.

From the looks of it now, it was rather clear that it was not on a whim that Jian Qinsheng chased Zhang Xu away. Given the deep grudge between him and the head of the Zhang Clan, it was only natural that he would not be too fond of the offspring of the Zhang Clan.

"That's right. In total, Sword Quintessences can be divided into five main classifications. The Old Sword Maestro's devastating offensive swordsmanship and Ancestor Liushui's impregnable defensive swordsmanship correspond to Strength and Defense respectively. Other than that, there are also Dexterity, Speed, and Void," Jian Qinsheng explained grimly.

"Void?" Hearing a foreign term, Zhang Xuan could not help being confused.

He could roughly comprehend what Dexterity and Speed entailed, but what would Void be?

"To be honest, I don't have a clear grasp of what Void is at the moment either. In the present day and age, it could be said to be somewhat like a legend among sword practitioners. Rumor has it that Kong shi reached this level back then, and with just a casual swing of his blade, even if his swing wasn't fast, was lacking in strength, and was riddled with loopholes, his slash would still, by some inexplicable phenomenom, be able to overcome his opponent's move with ease!" Jian Qinsheng explained.

"Only that which is truly non-existent can be considered as void. If my guess fails me not, in order to comprehend a Void Quintessence, one must fuse the other four Quintessences together. However, just comprehending a single Quintessence would already take a sword practitioner an entire life's worth of time and effort. To comprehend four at once... to be honest, other than Kong shi, I don't think that there's anyone in this world who is capable of doing that."

"I see." Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had comprehended two Sword Quintessences, and in the field of swordsmanship, he was by no means weaker than Jian Qinsheng. Even though the latter's description was very vague, he was still able to form a decent picture of what the latter was talking about.

While Sword Quintessence was commonly known as the pinnacle of swordsmanship on the Master Teacher Continent, it did not mean that it was the end of the road for sword practitioners. Those who had achieved Sword Quintessence would only come to realize that there were limitations to the current path of swordsmanship that they were pursuing, and there was still a greater peak above them. Most likely, the Void Sword Quintessence was a concept that would push one closer to that peak.

"The Sword Quintessence that the Zhang Clan specializes in is Speed. The swordsmanship that they execute pushes their speed to the extremes, to the point where the concept of time seemed to fall apart. It is due to this that the Zhang Clan's swordsmanship is deeply feared on the Master Teacher Continent."

"Speed?" Zhang Xuan's face turned grim.

The Zhang Clan's unique bloodline was capable of controlling the flow of time—he had experienced that for himself, and without a doubt, it was an incredible ability.

Most likely, the Speed Sword Quintessence that they comprehended had something to do with their unique bloodline.

As the saying goes, of all martial arts in the world, there is no might that cannot be overcome; only true speed stands undefeated!

Speed would always be one of the crucial factors that determined the outcome of a battle.

For example, as powerful as Zhang Xuan's Sea Severing Sword was, it required lengthy preparation before it was ready for execution. If his opponent moved fast enough, it was possible to his opponent to interrupt him in the midst of his preparation.

"Indeed. The speed of their swordsmanship tears down the very boundaries of time, such that even the Flowing Water Swordsmanship wouldn't be able to hold its grounds too long against it before being breached. On top of that, any attempts to launch a counterattack would only be rendered futile by their absolute speed. This is also the reason my students suffered a tragic loss the last time around." Jian Qinsheng shook his head.

Even though he knew where the foundation of the Zhang Clan's swordsmanship lay, he simply was not able to find a sure-proof way to break it.

"If that's the case, doesn't it mean that it's impossible to achieve victory?" Zhang Xuan frowned. If even you are completely helpless against the Zhang Clan's swordsmanship, even if I'm slightly stronger than you, it should be impossible for me to win against them too, right?

"It wouldn't be easy to achieve victory, but it's definitely not impossible. Other than the Void Sword Quintessence, the remaining four types of Sword Quintessences are able to curb one another. By itself, it would be difficult for your Strength Sword Quintessence to stand against the overwhelming speed of the Zhang Clan. However, if it is used together with the Flowing Water Swordsmanship as well, there is a good chance that you will be able to overcome their Speed Sword Quintessence!" Jian Qinsheng said.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan frowned in confusion.

It was just a moment ago that he felt that it would be difficult for him to achieve victory because it would simply take too long for him to charge up sufficient momentum to launch the Sea Severing Sword. How would the Flowing Water Swordsmanship make any difference?

"You are cornered by your own train of thought!" Seeing how even the usually knowledgeable young man would have his moments of foolishness, Jian Qinsheng could not help but chuckle softly. "By itself, the Flowing Water Swordsmanship isn't sufficient to fend off the Zhang Clan's swordsmanship for too long, but all you need is just to stall your opponent for several breaths! As long as you can gather sufficient strength during this period of time to launch the Old Sword Maestro's ultimate technique, you should be able to subdue your opponent easily!

"The Speed Sword Quintessence is formidable, but it isn't infallible. Before the might of your sword art, there's no doubt that you will be able to easily subdue your opponent!"

"This..." Widening his eyes in realization, Zhang Xuan could not help but burst into laughter.

Indeed! He had been thinking of the two Sword Quintessences as separate entities, so he had failed to consider this point.

As long as he could use the two Sword Quintessences with one another, their might could be brought up to a whole new level.

The tight defense of the Flowing Water Swordsmanship and the crushing power of the Old Sword Maestro's sword art...

As long as he could buy sufficient time to launch the Sea Severing Sword, no matter how fast his opponent was able to move, the other party would still be rendered completely powerless under the relentless onslaught of sword qi!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1429: Arriving at the Zhang Clan!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"So, when fighting with those of the Zhang Clan, you can use the Flowing Water Swordsmanship to first protect yourself as you prepare for a counterattack with the Sea Severing Sword. As long as you time your blade well, even Zhang Xu will struggle to match you!" Jian Qinsheng said.

Even though none of his students were able to deal with the sword practitioners of the Zhang Clan, the young man before him had the ability to do so.

As someone who had comprehended two different types of Sword Quintessences, the young man's mastery of swordsmanship was far above his. As long as the young man was able to complement his two Sword Quintessences with one another impeccably, he would be invincible among his peers.

Even if the young man faced the Xingmeng Sword Saint at the same cultivation realm, Jian Qinsheng was confident that the young man would be able to eventually achieve victory!

Unless the Xingmeng Sword Saint had managed to comprehend two Sword Quintessences as well, he would not stand a chance against the young man at all.

"However, I would also like to highlight that Zhang Xu is only the strongest sword practitioner from the Zhang Clan who has enrolled into the Sanctum of Sages, so he might not necessarily be the best sword practitioner in the Zhang Clan. Thus, you mustn't underestimate your opponents once we are there!"

At this point, Jian Qinsheng's expression suddenly turned grim. "This is especially so for the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan. So far, there's still no concrete news about him yet, and if I'm not mistaken, there's a good chance that he might appear in this Clan Conference. After all, this is a good opportunity for the Zhang Clan to build up the reputation of the young prodigy ahead of the marriage with the Luo Clan's little princess!"

"Young prodigy?"

"Indeed. The previous Clan Conference held by the Zhang Clan was during the young prodigy's full month celebration, and it served as a declaration of strength to the rest of the world. In the twenty years since then, there has been absolutely no news about the young prodigy, so I suspect that this is an intentional ploy from the Zhang Clan in order to build a powerful entrance for him. As long as the young prodigy is able to display overwhelming strength during this Clan Conference, the prestige of the Zhang Clan will be brought to an entirely different level!" Jian Qinsheng said.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

The other party was right.

Considering the usual shameless shenanigans that the Zhang Clan resorted to, this was indeed something that sounded like what they would do.

Intentionally hiding the young prodigy from view so as to create some controversy and confusion, only to bring him out at the crucial moment so as to solidify their reputation once and for all.

Connate Saint... To be honest, it would be a lie if Zhang Xuan said that he did not feel the slightest bit of stress at having to face the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan.

After all, Luo Ruoxin had been able to reach a realm far higher than the current him despite not being a Connate Saint. Considering the talent and resources that the young prodigy had at his disposal... just what kind of realm could he have reached by now?

Noticing the unnatural look on Zhang Xuan's face, Jian Qinsheng attempted to console him. "You don't have to worry too much about the young prodigy. It isn't much for you to lose to him. Not even Kong shi was born as a Connate Saint; even if you can't compete with him, no one will say anything about it!"

However, Jian Qinsheng's consolation only served to make Zhang Xuan's complexion even more awful.

Losing to that fellow who was only good for bragging?

Dream on!

"Elder Jian, do you happen to have any Phantasmal Space realm cultivation technique manuals?" Zhang Xuan asked grimly.

He had already reinforced his Saint 6-dan Grand Dominion realm cultivation for more than twenty days. Since it was likely for the young prodigy to appear, he would really have to think of a way to make a breakthrough in preparation of a fight against the other party.

Otherwise, he probably would not stand a chance at all.

"Phantasmal Space realm cultivation technique manuals? I only happen to have one of them, and it was left behind by my ancestor." Knowing that the young man had an interest in reading, Jian Qinsheng was not surprised by the request at all.

With a flick of his wrist, he took out a book and passed it over.

"Thank you!" Zhang Xuan took the book and collected it into the Library of Heaven's Path.

It was indeed a Phantasmal Space realm cultivation technique manual, and it was of a particularly high tier. What was unique about this cultivation technique was that it harnessed Sword Intent, so it was probably a unique cultivation technique passed down in the other party's lineage.

With a thought, Zhang Xuan swiftly compiled the various Phantasmal Space realm cultivation technique manuals that he had together.

There's still a flaw in the Saint 7-dan Heaven's Path Divine Art... Zhang Xuan frowned.

He had already gathered quite a few Phantasmal Space realm cultivation technique manuals a while back and compiled them into a Heaven's Path Divine Art, but due to the limited number of books in his possession, there had still been several flaws with it.

Perhaps due to the high tier of the cultivation technique manual from Jian Qinsheng, it had managed to resolve most of the flaws, leaving just a single one behind.

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to take a closer look at the flaw and ponder on how it could be resolved, he suddenly heard Jian Qinsheng's voice once more. "Oh right, I almost forgot about it. You won't be challenging the Zhang Clan under the identity as my student but as my senior from the same lineage!"

"Senior?" Surprised by those words, Zhang Xuan raised his head to look at Jian Qinsheng.

"You were able to learn the Flowing Water Swordsmanship just by studying the '剑 (Sword)' character on the wall; this is a feat that even I'm incapable of pulling off, so naturally, I am unqualified to have you treat me as your teacher. Since that's the case, it's much better to have you come as my senior instead. This way, it will be less likely for us to get exposed," Jian Qinsheng said.

Considering how his mastery of swordsmanship was not even close to matching up to the young man's, it would clearly be inappropriate to have the young man play the role of his student.

Just the fact that the young man had learned the Flowing Water Swordsmanship through comprehending the '剑 (Sword)' meant that the young man had inherited his ancestor's most direct heritage. From such a viewpoint, it was not exactly wrong for him to address the young man as his senior.

Understanding Jian Qinsheng's intentions, Zhang Xuan nodded.

To him, the identity that he used to enter the Zhang Clan did not matter at all. As long as he could teach them a lesson, he would not mind anything at all.

After explaining what needed to be explained, Jian Qinsheng said, "Alright, I think you should rest for a moment. Things will get really hectic once we arrive at the Zhang Clan."

Zhang Xuan nodded silently before closing his eyes to condition his state.

Not too long later, his body suddenly jolted, and soon after, he felt an immense pressure crushing down on him from the air. He hurriedly opened his eyes, and soon, he heard a voice booming across the air. "May I know which friend is approaching? Please report your name so that we can register you."

Through the windows, Zhang Xuan could see several old men standing atop another aerial saint beast some distance away, and they were currently looking at them with clasped fists.

It was difficult for him to gauge how powerful they were from where he stood, but he could sense that their power had locked down the surrounding space, making it impossible for them to barge past them.

"I am Jian Qinsheng from the Sanctum of Sages. I have been invited here by the Xing Sword Saint, and here is my invitation letter!" Jian Qinsheng flicked his wrist and tossed a jade token over.

One of the elders caught the jade token and examined it carefully before replying, "Ah, so it's Sword Saint Jian! I'm deeply apologetic for our rudeness. This way please!"

"I'll be troubling you then!" Nodding, Jian Qinsheng prompted the saint beast beneath him to slowly continue moving forward.

Zhang Xuan took a look at the scenery ahead, and he soon noticed a massive city appearing on the horizon.

This city was located against the mountains, which bestowed it with a majestic aura. There were many formations erected all over it, such that it would be nigh impossible for Saint 9-dan or even real 9-star master teachers to breach it.

"The base of the Zhang Clan is also known as Dracotiger City. The formations cast over the city were personally set up by the ancestor of the Zhang Clan, and the prowess they harness is unimaginable," Jian Qinsheng explained through zhenqi telepathy. "The group that we encountered earlier are the elders of the Zhang Clan. Even though it might appear that they are welcoming their guests, the truth is that they are flaunting their strength to the rest of the world so as to construct an inviolable image."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Through tapping into the prowess of the surrounding formations, the elders emanated an aura that felt as if they wielded absolute control within the area. Those whose mental resilience was slightly weaker might even have found themselves feeling deferential toward the Zhang Clan, giving up all thoughts of resistance against them.

And once this thought was born within one's mind, it would be hard to overlook it anymore.

"What huge airs they are putting up! To be flaunting their strength even to their guests... Really, where did they learn their manners?" Zhang Xuan harrumphed coldly as the glanced at the massive formations ahead of him.

Proper etiquette dictated that a host should offer the most earnest welcome to their guests, but instead of doing so, the Zhang Clan chose to put down their guests instead. This felt extremely distasteful to Zhang Xuan.

Very well! Since this is the game you want to play, let's see how far you can go!

Staring at the formation intently, Zhang Xuan willed in his mind, Flaws!

Hu!

A book materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1430: Challenging the Formation

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Grade-9 Defensive Formation Dual Spirit Heaven Dominating Formation, set up by the old ancestor of the Zhang Clan. The formation harnesses the might of both dragons and tigers, and for this reason, it's also known as the Dracotiger Formation. The might of the formation makes it difficult for Saint 9-dan cultivators to overcome it. Flaws: No.1, it requires a high input of spiritual energy in order to sustain the formation. No.2, the heart of the formation is sustained by a Dragon Spirit and a Tiger Spirit. While this allows the formation to be more flexible to different situations, it also means that the formation will be swayed by the wills of the two spirits. No.3..."

Information concerning the formation surged into Zhang Xuan's mind.

All in all, there were seventeen flaws to the Dual Spirit Heaven Dominating Formation.

As a grade-9 formation, it had already developed its own spirit. As time went by, the spirit would gradually grow stronger and stronger, and it would instinctively remove or mitigate any perceived flaws that it noticed. As a result of that, even if one knew the flaws of the formation, it still would not be easy to exploit them.

This formation can be considered one of the stronger ones even among grade-9 formations, Zhang Xuan grimly remarked in his heart.

The formation turned out to be far stronger than he had expected.

While he had not seen the blueprint of any garde-9 formations yet, the might and transformations harnessed within the formation before him had already far surpassed his imagination.

I'll have to study it carefully first.

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to take a closer look at the Dual Spirit Heaven Dominating Formation, the elder who had spoken to them earlier suddenly flew over and clasped his fist.

"Esteemed guests, please hand over your storage rings. Please rest assured that we'll seal them right before you so as to ensure that we won't inspect or take anything from them, and we'll return them to you when you leave."

"You want us to hand over our storage rings?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

Several of his secrets were concealed within his storage ring, and he brought it wherever he went. Yet, to have to hand it over just to enter the Zhang Clan... was this not a little too domineering?

The elder nodded. "Indeed. This is a rule in the Zhang Clan—if you wish to step across the Dracotiger Formation, you'll have to hand over your storage rings. Don't worry, the Zhang Clan has everything you need. You will be able to use our items easily once you familiarize yourself with them, so there's no need to worry."

Noticing the awful look on Zhang Xuan's face, Jian Qinsheng took out his storage ring and passed it over to the elder as he explained the matter telepathically to him. "This isn't a rule imposed just by the Zhang Clan; most major blessed lands have such restrictions as well. Outsiders are expected to take off their storage ring, and in more extreme cases, they might be prohibited from bringing their weapons along."

He had been to the Zhang Clan before, so he was well aware of the rules.

Many other major organizations, such as the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, enforced similar rules, too.

Firstly, it was a symbol of respect to the host. Secondly, it was to avoid possible menace from getting into the base.

Many years ago, there had been a master teacher who had been blackmailed by the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe to bring a storage ring filled with a massive army of Otherworldly Demons into one of the strongholds of humanity. That incident had resulted in huge losses for that stronghold, and they had almost completely been wiped out.

Considering that the Zhang Clan was the number one Sage Clan of the Master Teacher Continent, they were definitely one of the major targets that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe would want to bring down. Even if they were confident in their strength, it would still be best for them to maintain a high level of wariness.

Watching as the elder took the ring from Jian Qinsheng and sealed it without peeking into what was inside, Zhang Xuan asked with a frown, "What if I refuse to hand over my storage rings?"

Stored in his ring was Vicious' head, the Qiu Wu Palace, and many other secrets; he could not afford to let any one of these secrets get exposed!

Even though the elder had said that he would only seal the storage ring, there was still a good chance that something might go wrong should he leave the storage ring with the other party. Furthermore, considering that the purpose of his visit was to challenge the Zhang Clan, there was no guarantee that the latter would not attempt to peek into his storage ring after a falling out, and that could place him in grave danger.

As unlikely as those scenarios were, Zhang Xuan still felt that the Zhang Clan was too shameless to be trusted.

"It's fine if you don't want to leave behind your storage ring. As long as you can clear our 'Formation Trial', you'll be permitted to bring your possessions into the Zhang Clan," the elder replied nonchalantly, not showing the slightest hint of anger at Zhang Xuan's rude question.

It appeared that there were quite a few guests before him who had refused to leave behind their storage rings too, and the elder was accustomed to dealing with such problems.

"Formation Trial?" Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.

"The Zhang Clan has a Defensive Formation which is able to detect and fend off both cultivators and spatial artifacts. If anyone attempts to barge through the formation with a storage ring in possession, they will find themself completely suppressed by the formation, even if they are a Saint 9-dan cultivator. Formation Trial simply means walking through the formation with a spatial artifact in your possession," Jian Qinsheng said.

While he was speaking, another group of cultivators, who were unwilling to hand over their storage rings just like Zhang Xuan, began making their way toward the Defensive Formation.

Recognizing the other party's identity, Jian Qinsheng said in a hushed voice, "That's an elder from the Empire Alliance. He wields strength that's on par with me."

Hu la!

The instant the elder stepped into the formation, his surroundings immediately burst into flames. A golden-crimson dragon of flames dived down from the heavens, and its sharp talons tore through the air, crushing the space around the elder so tight that it robbed his ability to breathe.

Shocked by the destructive might wielded by the formation, panic visibly appeared on the elder's face. He hurriedly flicked his wrist to draw a sword before swinging it desperately, sending a furious torrent of sword qi forward.

Despite the elder's lack of composure, the strength that he wielded was remarkable. Not even the mighty Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast would not dare face him straight on.

Even so, the strength that he commanded was trifling before the massive flame dragon. In just two clashes, he was already struck in the head and plummeted straight down from the sky, charred.

At the same time, under the raging assault of the flames, the storage ring that he wore also exploded, and the possessions that he had stored within it fell and scattered all over the ground. Due to the lingering heat and shockwave from the clash with the flame dragon, quite a number of them ended up sustaining severe damage.

After which, the flame dragon dissipated into nothingness, and the formation reverted to its original form. One of the Zhang Clan elders walked over to the Empire Alliance elder with an impassive look on his face.

"Now that you don't have a storage ring anymore, feel free to enter."

The Empire Alliance elder meditated for a moment to recover from the injuries that he had sustained before walking into the Zhang Clan with an awful look on his face.

And as expected, the formation didn't launch any attacks toward him anymore.

"Jian Qinsheng's face paled upon seeing that sight, and he quickly turned to Zhang Xuan. "Zhang shi, you should hand your storage ring over. They will definitely prepare a suitable sword for you later on, so you don't have to worry about not having a suitable weapon for the fight.

An elder whose strength was on the same level as him did not even manage to survive two blows in the formation before being knocked out! Even if the young man before him was a prodigious swordmaster, his cultivation was simply far too lacking. He would surely be ravaged should he challenge the formation!

The elder shot an impassive glance at Zhang Xuan and said, "Hand over your storage ring or attempt to barge through the formation—the choice is up to you. However, I would just like to say that the Zhang Clan won't be responsible for the consequences."

He believed that the young man would know what was best for him, especially after witnessing what had happened to the Saint 8-dan elder from the Empire Alliance.

"The Zhang Clan won't be responsible for the consequences?" Zhang Xuan raised his head and asked earnestly, "Are you certain?"

The elder frowned upon hearing such a bizarre question, unsure of what the young man was getting at. Nevertheless, he still nodded. "I'm sure."

"Are you qualified to speak on the behalf of the entire Zhang Clan?" Zhang Xuan continued asking.

"Cough, cough, Zhang shi. The elder over there is the Third Elder of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Wuchen." Horrified, Jian Qinsheng hurriedly explained to Zhang Xuan, "Given his position, he's definitely more than qualified to speak on the behalf of the entire Zhang Clan!"

"The Third Elder of the Zhang Clan? His words should carry some weight then." Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before nodding slowly.

A smile crept on his lips as he turned to the Zhang Wuchen and said, "I have made up my mind. Since you have said that the Zhang Clan won't be responsible for the consequences, I shall... challenge the Formation Trial!"

In the Zhang Clan, the ranking of the elders was decided by their strength, and the seniority of their positions was proportionate to the authority that they wielded. Considering that the elder before him was the Third Elder of the Zhang Clan, he certainly had the authority to speak on behalf of the entire clan.

"You are going to challenge the Formation Trial?" Jian Qinsheng's face paled. With a deeply anxious look on his face, he urged, "Zhang shi, you mustn't!"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1431: Dragon Spirit Tiger Spirit

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

In this very moment, Jian Qinsheng felt as if the world had gone insane.

It was just a moment ago that you saw a Saint 8-dan expert attempting to barge through the formation, only to be roasted crispy on the surface and succulent on the inside, ready to be plated and served. Despite that, you still made the decision to challenge the Formation Trial too... Is it really worth going that far for a storage ring?

Furthermore, it's not as if it isn't going to be given back to you!

This is just a temporary deposit, and the same rules apply to everyone as well. There is really no need for you to cause trouble right now; we aren't even in the Zhang Clan yet!

You'll only die tragically at this rate!

"Be my guest!"

The Third Elder, Zhang Wuchen, didn't expect that the young man before him would be so insolent. He nonchalantly gestured for the young man to go ahead while standing idly on the spot.

Nodding, Zhang Xuan began making his way over to the formation.

"Zhang shi!" Jian Qinsheng rushed forward to stop Zhang Xuan.

"It's alright, I'm just giving it a try." Knowing that Jian Qinsheng was worried about him, Zhang Xuan assured him with a bright smile.

Jian Qinsheng stared at Zhang Xuan for a moment, and through the determined look in the young man's eyes, he could tell that the young man had already made up his mind. Thus, he could only sigh deeply and take a step back, "Be careful."

The formation's attack only served as a warning against those who infringed on the rules of the Zhang Clan, so Zhang Xuan's life wouldn't be in any danger. At most, he would only suffer some pain.

Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan leaped forward and flew for the formation.

Hong long long!

In the instant that he stepped into the formation, a massive dragon immediately materialized. However, it wasn't a flame dragon this time around but a water dragon.

The dragon formed in the formation wasn't a real dragon but a spirit. It harnessed the power of the Five Elements, thus allowing it to change its form and attribute at will.

The congregation of water formed a being reminiscent of a true dragon, and as soon as it appeared, a towering wave immediately covered half of Zhang Xuan's vision. At the same time, an overwhelming pressure weighed down on the surroundings, causing the earth to tremble ever so slightly non-stop.

Flames could burn everything down to cinders, creating barren lands where no life could survive in. Flood was equally frightening as well. The excessive concentration of water vapor in the air left one feeling as if one's lung would burst, leaving one sputtering for oxygen.

"It's a water dragon..." Jian Qinsheng's face turned pale, and his body trembled in agitation.

Over 90% of a human's body was made up of water, so those who commanded water would actually be able to cause far more damage to a human as compared to those who commanded flames.

"This is the punishment for your arrogance!" Zhang Wuchen flung his sleeves backward and harrumphed coldly.

Even the renowned swordmaster, Jian Qinsheng, whose name was sung alongside that of their clan head had chosen to obediently hand over his storage ring, and yet, this fellow just had to choose the difficult way out of this... It was as if he was asking to be walloped!

Knowing that the formation would surely teach the arrogant young man a lesson, Zhang Wuchen couldn't be bothered to look on any longer, so he turned to Jian Qinsheng and asked, "Sword Saint Jian Qinsheng, is he your student?"

"He... is my senior!" Jian Qinsheng replied awkwardly.

On the journey here, he had spent much time conversing with the young man on the subject of swordsmanship, and he had benefited greatly from the young man's deep insight. Despite the difference in their age, the young man could already be considered as half a teacher to him.

He dared not even contemplate the possibility of the young man being his student, let alone say something as ridiculous as that out loud.

This was also the reason why he changed his mind eventually, deciding to have Zhang Xuan appear before others as his senior instead.

"Senior?" Zhang Wuchen's eyebrows shot up in amazement. "That young man is your senior?"

Seniority in the lineage usually came with the connotation of being more powerful and skilled. Just what qualifications could that young man possibly have to be considered as Jian Qinsheng's senior?

"Third Elder, I'll have to ask you not to look down on him. My senior might be still young and weak, but with sufficient time, he'll surely astound the entire continent!" Noticing Zhang Wucheng's doubt, Jian Qinsheng shook his head and said.

"Astound?" Zhang Wuchen couldn't help but sneer. "To challenge the formation when he knows that he doesn't stand a chance at all, is that how he astounds others?"

Even a Saint 8-dan pinnacle expert was left on the verge of death from the powerful assault of the formation, and yet, a mere Grand Dominion realm cultivator like him still insisted on challenging it. No matter how one looked at the matter, it was pretty obvious that the fellow had a screw loose in his head!

Astound... More like aghast!

"Is the Third Elder doubting my words?" Noticing the disdainful look on Zhang Wuchen's face, Jian Qinsheng frowned in displeasure.

"Of course..." Zhang Wuchen harrumphed coldly.

Just as he was about to remark that Jian Qinsheng's judgement had been clouded by his age, he suddenly stiffened up on the spot. His eyes were fixated at the sight in front of him, and his pupils dilated into large circles. The words he had been wanting to say choked his throat, leaving him feeling so suffocated that he could die of asphyxiation.

"What's wrong?" Noticing that there was something wrong with Zhang Wuchen's expression, Jian Qinsheng traced his gaze and looked over as well, and in the next instant, his body also stiffened.

In the formation, not only did the massive water dragon not assault the young man who dared to challenge the formation, it was even rubbing its huge head against the young man's robe, as if an adorable pet!

On the other hand, the young man snapped his finger, and a wooden stick that he had conjured out of nowhere suddenly flew outward. The water dragon immediately turned around and dashed out to catch the wooden stick between its teeth before dashing back to pass it into Zhang Xuan's hands. Then, it stuck out its tongue playfully, as if a dog fawning upon its owner.

But with a displeased expression, Zhang Xuan shook his head in disapproval and tossed out the wooden stick once more, "Too slow, faster!"

Sou!

The water dragon burst forth once more, and this time, before the wooden stick could even fall on the ground, it had already caught it in between its teeth and flew back to Zhang Xuan.

"This is more like it..." Zhang Xuan finally gave it a nod of approval. "Alright, retract the formation. I want to enter."

Roar!

The water dragon hurriedly nodded, and it raised its talon and swiped it down forcefully. In the next instant, a surge of flowing water appeared beneath Zhang Xuan's feet, and it extended along with his footsteps like a bridge.

"Junior, we can go in now." Noting the new identity he had adopted, Zhang Xuan beckoned for Jian Qinsheng to enter as well before placing his hands behind his back and walking forward leisurely.

"You..." Not expecting the formation spirit to fawn on him as if a lapdog, Zhang Wuchen's face turned incredibly livid. He hurriedly flew toward the formation while exclaiming in a fluster, "Wait a moment..."

"Noisy!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand in displeasure.

Kacha!

In the next moment, Zhang Wuchen saw the massive water dragon diving straight toward him with alarming speed. Completely caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Zhang Wuchen didn't even manage to react before he was struck head-on and smacked right down onto the ground.

"This..." Watching as Zhang Wuchen convulsed helplessly on the ground, Jian Qinsheng felt a hoarse sensation at the back of his throat. With rather stiff movements, he walked into the formation in a daze and followed behind Zhang Xuan, as if a puppet under control.

Back in the Sanctum of Sages, he had heard several rumors that the young man was a rare prodigy in formations as well, and from the looks of it now, the rumors were definitely no exaggeration.

To think that the young man would be able to tame the Dracotiger Formation which the old ancestor of the Zhang Clan had set up personally in the blink of an eye...

Just how many more insane abilities did he have up his sleeves?

...

"Third Elder!"

The other elders in the surroundings saw the earlier happenings as well, and they hurriedly rushed over to pluck Zhang Wuchen out of the ground.

"That fellow actually tamed the formation spirit? How in the world did he manage to do that?" Straightening his back, Zhang Wuchen gazed at the young man who was leisurely making his way through the formation, and his teeth couldn't help but clatter in disbelief.

The Dracotiger Formation was formidable, but there were still cultivators in the world who would be able to pass through the formation easily even if they didn't hand over their storage ring. One such person was the grand elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, Yang shi!

Each time he came here, it was as if the formation couldn't register his presence at all, allowing him to pass through it without any obstruction.

There were also those who were able to barge right through it through sheer force. The head of the Yuan Clan boasted a defense so powerful that he was impervious to the attacks of the formation spirits, allowing him to walk right through the formation unharmed.

But never had anyone managed to tame the formation spirit into a loyal lapdog and even play fetch with it... This was really challenging the boundaries of his rational mind!

However, there was one thing that the young man had overlooked—the formation spirit of the Dual Spirit Heaven Dominating Formation was constantly changing. Just because the young man had managed to tame a single spirit didn't mean that he had gained absolute control over the entire formation yet.

"Even if he has managed to win over the Dragon Spirit, there's still the Tiger Spirit ahead..." Zhang Wuchen muttered beneath his breath.

And as if responding to his words, a ferocious tiger suddenly materialized in the air. Raging inferno wrapped around its body, granting it a presence reminiscent of a Qilin.

It was the other spirit of the Dual Spirit Heaven Dominating Formation—Tiger Spirit!

It was formidable that the young man had managed to tame the Dragon Spirit, but the Tiger Spirit was the stronger of the two, and it was known for not conforming to authority as well.

Zhang Wuchen was deeply interested to see just what the young man would do in the face of such a situation.

Roar!

The moment the Tiger Spirit materialized in the air, it immediately let loose a ferocious howl and tore its claws down upon Zhang Xuan.

The overwhelming strength behind the Tiger Spirit's attack caused the structure of the surrounding space to collapse, and as if a calamitous tornado, a ferocious surge of might crushed right down on Zhang Xuan.

In the face of this surge of might, a hint of trepidation surfaced in the eyes of the water dragon as it trembled on the spot, not daring to take a single step forward.

The two spirits in the Dual Spirit Heaven Dominating Formation weren't of equal standing and strength; there was a clear hierarchy between the Tiger Spirit and Dragon Spirit.

Just as Zhang Wuchen thought that the young man would be subdued by the Tiger Spirit, the young man suddenly took a single step forward and tapped his feet lightly on the ground.

Boom!

Amidst a deafening rumble, and the entire formation began shaking non-stop. At the same time, the Tiger Spirit hurriedly retracted its attack, and it began trembling in fear.

The Dual Spirit Heaven Dominating Formation shrouded many towering and majestic buildings and the instability of the formation caused the buildings below to shake intensely as well, seemingly ready to be collapse into rubble at any moment.

" No! The many millenniums of heritage of the Zhang Clan! " Zhang Wuchen's eyes widened in horror.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1432: The Magnanimity of the First Elder

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Tens of thousands of years of prosperity had allowed the Zhang Clan to grow to a scale that was even larger than that of the capitals of Conferred Empires. Even though the Dual Spirit Heaven Dominating Formation had been constructed against the mountain and covered a vast area, it only guarded the entrance to the city.

Nevertheless, the prowess of the formation was not to be underestimated. It was only under its protection that the Zhang Clan was able to remain standing for so many years, overcoming multiple crises without anyone successfully shaking its core.

Thus, everyone thought that as long as the formation erected by the old ancestor stood, the city would be unshakable. Yet, who could have known that a mere Grand Dominion realm pinnacle fellow would actually be able to render it on the verge of collapsing with just a stomp of his feet?

"Stop it!" Zhang Wuchen yelled in agitation.

However, it was already too late. With one last violent tremble, the formation finally reached its very limit and burst apart, bringing down innumerable buildings along with it.

A cloud of dust swept across the area, and countless shadows flitted out from the many buildings in a hurry, staring dumbfounded at the devastation before them, completely oblivious to what was happening.

Padah!

Zhang Wuchen suddenly felt strength receding from his entire body, and he collapsed weakly to the ground.

In this moment, he finally understood why the young man asked if he was able to speak on the behalf of the Zhang Clan. It seemed like he had known that this would happen right from the start!

The collapse of their Defense Formation and the destruction of innumerable buildings... Even if he was the Third Elder of the Zhang Clan, this was not something that he could take responsibility for!

It would be no joke to say that this was a tight slap to the Zhang Clan's face, an irredeemable botch on its reputation!

At the same time, Jian Qinsheng could not help but flinch at the destruction before him as well.

It was true that he hated the Xing Sword Saint for stealing the person he loved, and he desired nothing more than to embarrass the Zhang Clan. However, to destroy the other party's Defense Formation before even officially entering the city and even bring about the collapse of so many buildings, raising such a huge commotion...

Even he was unable to avoid feeling frightened jitters in his heart.

He could not help but wonder if it was really the right choice for him to have invited the young man along.

"This..." Zhang Xuan was also a little startled by the happenings before him, but unlike the rest of the crowd, he quickly nodded in realization.

He had never seen any grade-9 formations in action before, so he did not have a clear gauge of their strength. He had not thought that the collapse of the formation would actually bring about such a powerful explosion.

But, so what? What was done was done. In the first place, his goal was to wreak havoc in the Zhang Clan, and since the so-called Third Elder had said that the Zhang Clan would not take any responsibility for whatever happened in the formation, there was no reason for him not to pull his punches.

He should just let himself loose!

If he could not force the so-called young prodigy out to face him, he would not be called Zhang Xuan!

...

"Third Elder, what's happened?"

A powerful gust of wind blew over, and following which, a figure suddenly appeared right before the scene of devastation. His face twitched upon seeing the extent of the destruction before him, and he hurriedly turned to question Zhang Wuchen.

"First Elder, I was collecting the storage rings here when a person who is supposedly the senior of the Sanctum of Sages' Jian Qinsheng suddenly insisted on challenging the Formation Trial, and the next thing I knew, this had already happened!" Zhang Wuchen swiftly went through the events that had just occurred.

"This was caused by someone who challenged the Formation Trial?" The First Elder was also visibly stunned by the matter.

He quickly turned his sights over to Zhang Xuan, only to see the young man looking back at him with a nonchalant expression. There was not the slightest hint of nervousness or fear that would usually be on the face of one who had done wrong. A frown emerged on his forehead as he asked, "May I know who you are?"

"I am Zhang Xuan, Jian Qinsheng's senior. I came to the Zhang Clan this time around to test the Zhang Clan's famed swordsmanship," Zhang Xuan replied calmly.

"Zhang Xuan?" The First Elder muttered the name beneath his breath before waving his hand lightly. He turned to another elder and said, "Wuzhen, bring Zhang Xuan and Sword Saint Jian Qinsheng to our guest rooms to rest."

"What? But First Elder..." Hearing the First Elder instructing Zhang Wuzhen to bring the culprit behind the destruction to their guest rooms, completely paying no heed to the collapsed formation and buildings, Zhang Wuchen could not help but panic.

"Enough. Since our esteemed guest has cleared the Formation Trial in accordance to the rules, regardless of the outcome, we'll have to accept it," the First Elder lectured.

The First Elder had an impassive expression on his face that made it extremely difficult to read his mood, so it was hard to figure out whether he had truly chosen to let this matter go or was simply suppressing his rage.

Zhang Wuchen clenched his fists tightly for a moment before eventually relenting with a nod. "Yes."

As indignant as he felt, there was nothing he could do either.

In the Zhang Clan, the word of the First Elder was the law. No one would dare to question his command.

On top of that, the clan head had needed to leave a while ago on urgent business, so the one who truly called the shots in the Zhang Clan at the moment was the First Elder.

"First Elder, it'll take us several months in order to reconstruct the destroyed formation." One of the elders could not help but ask, "In the meantime, what do we do about the storage rings of the guests?"

The formation was used in order to determine whether the guests had brought any spatial artifacts along with them. Now that it had been destroyed, it would be hard for them to check the guests who arrive subsequently. What should they do?

"All those who have traveled far and wide to come to the Zhang Clan are our esteemed guests. The collection of the storage ring is more of a formality from our old ancestor rather than a safety concern, and all this while, I have thought that it was rather inappropriate to treat our guests so rudely.

"Because it has been part of our tradition for so many years, I didn't want to abruptly bring up this matter and cause contention within the clan. However, since our young friend over here has helped us destroy it, this could be a blessing in disguise. There's no need to rebuild the formation. Please return the storage rings that all of you have collected so far to the guests," the First Elder said with a smile.

"Return the storage rings? But..." Not expecting the First Elder to make such a call, the elder's face warped in horror.

Considering how many outsiders there were visiting the Zhang Clan, would they not be in deep trouble if even one of them bore malicious intentions toward them?

"There's no need to worry. Since our Zhang Clan is famed as the number one Sage Clan in the Master Teacher Continent, I believe that no one will overstep their boundaries here either!" The First Elder flung his sleeves majestically, revealing deep confidence and pride.

"This... Yes, I understand!" Feeling the powerful aura that the First Elder was emanating, the elder hesitated for a moment before eventually nodding.

As expected of the First Elder of the Zhang Clan, he does have the magnanimity of a large clan. Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had thought that he would be criticized for his actions, but it seemed like the other party had no intentions of doing so. Not only that, he even made use of this opportunity to implement such a change.

Through doing so, not only would he be able to preserve the reputation of the Zhang Clan as the number one Sage Clan on the Master Teacher Continent, at the same time, the world would also be awed by his magnanimity. This was truly two birds in a stone.

On top of that, it would also reinforce the strong image of the Zhang Clan, thus instilling deference in others.

It seems like the Zhang Clan isn't all that bad. The young prodigy of the Zhang Clan could learn a thing or two from his elders, Zhang Xuan remarked internally.

The young prodigy of the Zhang Clan was engaged to Luo Ruoxin, but not once had he appeared before Luo Ruoxin or done anything for her at all. This had reinforced the reprehensible image of the young prodigy in Zhang Xuan's mind, which also led him to feel that the Zhang Clan was a den of despicable individuals. After all, they allowed the young prodigy to act as he pleased, showing completely no regard for others at all.

However, after seeing how the First Elder dealt with the situation, he suddenly felt that his perception might have been mistaken.

Perhaps, the Zhang Clan was not completely irredeemable.

Maybe, the young prodigy was just an exception.

The elder whom the First Elder had instructed earlier, Zhang Wuzhen, walked up to Zhang Xuan and Jian Qinsheng and said, "This way please."

Seventh Elder, Zhang Wuzhen.

"Thank you." Nodding, Jian Qinsheng quickly followed behind the other party, and Zhang Xuan followed suit.

After the three of them left, Zhang Wuchen walked over to the First Elder and asked doubtfully, "The formation is a symbol of the Zhang Clan's many years of history. Are you really going to let it go... just like that?"

"What else are you going to do? Are you going to teach him a lesson?" The First Elder shot a glance over.

Zhang Wuchen's face flushed crimson upon hearing those words.

"As a clan of master teachers, our Zhang Clan must pay careful attention to rules and propriety. If we don't even follow our own rules, how can we expect others to follow them? Since Zhang Xuan was able to overcome our formation with his own ability, we have no choice but to let it go. No, not only should we let it go, I also want you to make this matter known to every single member of our Zhang Clan so that they can learn from it," the First Elder said.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1433: Is It Not Him?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Make this matter known to every member of our Zhang Clan?" Zhang Wuchen was taken aback for a moment before his eyes narrowed in realization. "You mean to... incite our clan members?"

As the entrance formation to the Zhang Clan, the Dual Spirit Heaven Dominating Formation could be said to be a symbol of the Zhang Clan's dignity. If it was made known that it had been destroyed by a twenty-year-old lad, the other clan members would surely be trembling with rage.

Hearing those words, the First Elder chuckled softly as he remarked with a deep look in his eyes, "The Zhang Clan has been in a high position for far too long. It's about time to stir the pot a little so as to get them riled up. Only when every single individual of the Zhang Clan is powerful can the Zhang Clan truly prosper and incite fear in others. In comparison to that, the destruction of the formation is nothing at all."

"I understand." Realizing the First Elder's intentions, Zhang Wuchen nodded in awe.

As expected of the First Elder. Every single move that he made was profound and meaningful, bringing the greatest benefit to the Zhang Clan.

The seeming infallibility of the Defense Formation had left the members of the Zhang Clan feeling so safe that they were beginning to lose their wariness. However, this was only a false sense of security, and this could pose a great danger to the Zhang Clan. If enemies were to assault the Zhang Clan, they would surely strive to swiftly uncover and exploit the flaws in the Defense Formation like Zhang Xuan did.

It would have been sheer foolishness if the members of the Zhang Clan were to stand idly and leave their fates up to the resilience of the Defense Formation.

On the contrary, without the formation, the members would be forced to constantly keep their guard up, ready for a battle at any time. It was exactly such an environment that would place the Zhang Clan in a much safer position.

In a sense, this was similar to learning how to swim. If one relied on swimming floats all the time, there was no guarantee that they would be there when one truly needed them. It was only by taking away the floats that would one be able to truly learn to swim.

If the Zhang Clan hoped to retain its position as the number one Sage Clan in the Master Teacher Continent, it would do much better investing in its talents than its defense formations and whatnot. In crucial situations, it was always the people who made the difference.

"Go and have it done." Seeing that Zhang Wuchen understood what he was getting at, the First Elder also chose not to explain any further. He was silent for a brief moment before adding, "Also, I want you to look into Zhang Xuan's background."

"Yes, First Elder!" Zhang Wuchen nodded before turning around and leaving.

Not too long later, he returned with a jade token in hand.

As the number one Sage Clan in the Master Teacher Continent, their intelligence network was not to be underestimated. It was a walk in the park for them to uncover Zhang Xuan's profile, which was well detailed in the Master Teacher Pavilion's records.

"A new student of the Sanctum of Sages this year, and he successfully cleared the Tower of Master Teachers within fifteen minutes. On top of that, he pummeled Zhang Chun and Zhang Feng and is brothers with Luo Xuanqing. Wherever he steps, destruction follows." Reading the details on the records, the First Elder's lower jaw nearly fell to the ground.

Even the most talented genius of their Zhang Clan was incapable of such a fate, so how did the young man manage to pull it off?

"Yang shi's student... Yang shi has been in our Zhang Clan for more than half a year now, so when did he take in this student of his?" The First Elder frowned in thought.

Even though Yang shi's whereabouts remained a huge mystery to the world, as the First Elder of the Zhang Clan, he was still privy to some inside information.

Yang shi had been in seclusion in their Zhang Clan for half a year, and he had not left since then. Just when did the other party take in such a formidable student whose talent outshone even that of the geniuses of the Zhang Clan!

"Yang shi does have a student, and if I'm not mistaken, his name should be Feng Ziyi," Zhang Wuchen said.

"I know of Feng Ziyi—I have met him once. He's indeed quite a talented young lad, but even so, his aptitude is only slightly above that of Zhang Chun and the others. If Yang shi truly had such a talented disciple, why haven't I heard of him before?" The First Elder was deeply perplexed.

Yang Xuan had close relations with their Zhang Clan, and if he truly had such a talented disciple, there was no reason the Zhang Clan would be completely unaware of it!

"Possessing unparalleled talent and having the surname of Zhang, could he possibly be..." Suddenly recalling a matter, an excited glint flashed through Zhang Wuchen's eyes.

"Impossible," the First Elder interjected affirmatively. "I saw his soul lantern extinguishing with my own eyes a year ago. There's no way he could still be alive."

"But... the clan head and Sword Saint Meng have been reluctant to believe that news, and they are still searching for him even now. In fact, isn't the reason they left in such a hurry earlier because they obtained some news concerning him?" Zhang Wuchen said hesitantly.

"Even if they aren't able to divine the future, experts of their level still possess intuition far beyond that of ordinary cultivators. They are able to sense things just by their gut feeling, and given how certain they are that he isn't dead... there might be a good chance that he's really alive!"

Hearing those words, the First Elder pondered for a moment before replying, "The bond of blood is an inexplicable relationship. It is true that cultivators of their caliber are able to perceive the status of those who are closely related to them, but I was the one who was monitoring his soul lantern, and there's no doubt that it has extinguished. Considering that he was just an ordinary mortal, there's just no way he could have survived!"

At which point, the First Elder released a deep sigh filled with lamentation, and he stared at the sky above, deep in thought. A moment later, he muttered quietly, "I guess there's no harm trying.

Turning his gaze back to Zhang Wuchen, he continued. "Check where Zhang Xuan is from and whether he has any family members or not."

"Understood!" Zhang Wuchen clasped his fist politely before leaving.

This time, he was gone for a while longer. It took roughly four hours before he finally returned. "Reporting to the First Elder, Zhang shi comes from a remote kingdom in the Qingyuan Empire, where not a single master teacher exists. Furthermore, according to the records of the Master Teacher Pavilion, it appears that he's an orphan without any kin, and he happens to be twenty this year!"

"Remote kingdom... Ancient domains? Could it be..." The First Elder widened his eyes in astonishment, not daring to believe what he had just heard. "But that shouldn't be possible!"

He shook his head vehemently as he paced around the room. A moment later, he suddenly turned his gaze toward Zhang Wuchen and instructed, "Wuchen, I want you to find a way to get Zhang Xuan into the 'Blood Reservoir' and see if there's any resonance."

"The Blood Reservoir is a place where the offspring of the Zhang Clan are able to awaken their bloodline, but you should also know the circumstances surrounding that person. Even if he isn't dead, it's impossible for any resonance to occur between him and the Blood Reservoir," Zhang Wuchen said in incomprehension.

"I know that, but he's not a person whom we can gauge by normal standards. He's the most talented person our clan has seen in the past several dozen millenniums. His very presence in the Blood Reservoir should be able to trigger some kind of phenomenon. As long as there's the slightest reaction, we should be able to confirm his identity," the First Elder replied.

"I see... Consider it done." Zhang Wuchen nodded.

"Make sure to conduct this in utmost secrecy. Don't let anyone learn of it, and this is including Zhang Xuan. Observe him from the shadows, and report any movements he makes to me," the First Elder said.

Zhang Wuchen nodded once more before taking his leave.

The First Elder watched intently as Zhang Wuchen's figure disappeared into the distance. An unreadable light flickered in the First Elder's eyes as he seemed to muse over something of vast importance, and a moment later, he began making his way toward the depths of the Zhang Clan.

Not too long later, he arrived before a door.

It was an average-sized round door, and it was seamlessly shut with the rest of the chamber.

From the outside, it would appear that there was nothing extraordinary about this chamber, but when one tried to extend one's Spiritual Perception in, one would realize that it was completely impossible to perceive what was inside. It was as if the interior of the chamber was completely isolated from the rest of the world.

The First Elder paced outside the stone chamber for a while. He considered knocking on the door, but eventually, he held himself back.

According to what Yang shi said, he should be coming out in a few days' time. It would be unwise to interrupt him at this crucial moment. If something were to go wrong with his cultivation, not even I would be able to bear the consequences, the First Elder thought as he retracted his hand, shaking his head quietly.

Yang shi was currently in seclusion within the stone chamber before him. The First Elder intended to come over to see if Yang shi was out of his seclusion so that he could inquire about Zhang Xuan's background, but seeing that the doors were still tightly shut, he eventually gave up on the idea.

Yang shi's seclusion this time around was simply too important, such that even despite the First Elder of the Zhang Clan, he did not dare interrupt the other party abruptly. Otherwise, if the other party's efforts ended in failure due to him, he would become a sinner of mankind.

However, it was fortunate that Yang shi had said before that his seclusion would only last half a year at most, so the other party should be coming out very soon.

With such thoughts in mind, the First Elder turned around and slowly walked out.

...

Meanwhile, after receiving the orders from the First Elder, Zhang Wuchen immediately headed for the guest rooms.

After that speculation surfaced in his mind, he could not help but wonder about the capabilities that Zhang Xuan wielded.

Flitting swiftly ahead, before he reached his destination, he encountered the flustered Seventh Elder anxiously heading his way. As soon as the latter noticed him, the latter exclaimed in desperation, "Third Elder, a disaster has happened!"

Zhang Wuchen's heart skipped a beat as an ominous sensation loomed above his heart. "What happened?"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1434: Greetings, I Am Kong shi

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"I don't know how to explain the situation to you... Third Elder, follow me! You'll know once you see it for yourself!" Elder Wuzhen struggled internally to find a way to describe what he had just seen, and eventually, he chose to simply bring the other party to the disaster instead.

Swiftly dashing forward, the two of them soon arrived at the guest rooms.

As the number one Sage Clan of the Master Teacher Continent, the Zhang Clan would welcome many challengers and visitors alike every year into their city. The so-called guest rooms were actually an entire district covering a huge area, allowing them to accommodate many guests concurrently.

Right after arriving in the square just outside the guest rooms, Zhang Wuchen could not help but notice something that was simply too visibly different from before. He halted in his footsteps and pointed in a certain direction.

"Where did the sculptures go?"

What should have been erected in the square was a row of sculptures of the notable ancestors of the Zhang Clan. Every single one of them had achieved incredible feats in their lifetime, making great contributions to mankind. As such, sculptures had been created of them so that generation after generation of the Zhang Clan's offspring would honor their deeds.

The reason the sculptures had been placed in the square near the guest rooms was to show off the massive contributions that the Zhang Clan had made to mankind, and that they had played a huge role in ensuring the continued peace of the Master Teacher Pavilion throughout the many years.

Strength was not the only reason the Zhang Clan had been able to rise to become the number one Sage Clan. More importantly, it was their willingness to charge into the depths of danger and sacrifice themselves for the sake of mankind that had enabled them to rise to their current standing.

The deference that the guests had toward the Zhang Clan was not just due to their strength; it was due to their accomplishments and contributions too.

And yet, all of the sculptures that represented that had actually vanished without a trace, leaving behind a massive hole in the ground. What in the world had happened?

"This is the very matter that I wanted to tell you..." With a face that was twisted like a bitter gourd, Elder Wuzhen looked as if there were a million words that he wanted to say but did not know where to start. After a long moment of contemplation, he eventually gestured forward and said, "Forget it, I think you should just take a look for yourself!"

Seeing Elder Wuzhen's reaction, Zhang Wuchen felt even more perplexed. He quickly walked forward, and a short distance away from the square, he heard a hoarse and rather rigid voice.

This voice did not sound as if it had come from a human. Rather, it seemed like it was produced by some kind of mechanical system, and it felt extremely unnatural.

"Books and plays sway the heart—settle on the road that paves straight ahead. Kindness and evil come in circles—alas, the path to virtue remains tough indeed!"

The hoarse voice continued. "I am Zhang Lingran, the 157th generation of offspring of the Zhang Clan. I lived in the era more than twenty thousand years ago, and my greatest achievement was charging into the Subterranean Gallery alone to slay three Otherworldly Demon Emperors, thus foiling their plan to invade the Master Teacher Continent. I have also slain four Saint 9-dan beasts with a single slash of my sword and fought with the Malevolent Eminence for seven days straight before eventually defeating him. Since everyone is interested to hear, why don't I share those incidents in greater detail with you?"

"Zhang Lingran? Ancestor Lingran?" Hearing that voice, Zhang Wuchen's lips immediately twitched in astonishment.

He quickly walked over, and at the bend, he saw a bunch of guests surrounding a sculpture.

As if someone had breathed life into it, the sculpture began sharing the various ups and downs in his life, and his lively expression had the crowd around him completely captivated. From time to time, thunderous applause would echo from them.

"This..." Zhang Wuchen's eyebrows leaped around the place, and he nearly fell to the ground.

The reason there was a plaque placed next to each of the sculptures was to inform the onlookers of the outstanding contributions that they had made in their lifetime. But to think that they would actually come to life and recite those contributions themselves!

Suppressing the urge to go on a frenzy, Zhang Wuchen stared intently at the sculpture of Ancestor Lingran.

The latter's hands and legs were flying around the place, gesturing desperately like a storyteller as if he was afraid that the crowd would not be able to understand his descriptions. Unfortunately, this also meant that the lofty aura he had assumed just a moment ago had vanished without a trace.

"I am Zhang Xiaosuo, the 212th generation of offspring of the Zhang Clan. I was once the deputy clan head of the Zhang Clan, and the battle techniques I have created have spread far and wide across the Master Teacher Continent, practiced by countless cultivators even to this day..."

"I am Zhang Mofeng, the 225th generation of offspring of the Zhang Clan. I left many astounding records in the Sanctum of Sa... Hey, don't run away! You'd better stop right now and listen to my story, or else I'm going to beat you up..."

Moving ahead, Zhang Wuchen saw two more sculptures. One of them was explaining his affairs to the audience around him, just as Ancestor Lingran was doing, whereas the other one was chasing a guest furiously, just a short step away from tearing the other party's ears to force him to listen to him.

"What the heck is going on?" Zhang Wuchen scratched his head in complete bewilderment.

Proceeding ahead, he saw one of the ancestral sculptures sitting on one of the guests, reciting his story with a ferocious look on his face. Unable to stand it any longer, he turned around and demanded an explanation from Elder Wuzhen.

These ancestral sculptures were physical representations of the outstanding accomplishments and contributions achieved by the Zhang Clan over the years, and they formed the basis of the Zhang Clan's prestige and reputation. It was one thing for them to come to life, but to be bragging about their own accomplishments...

Not to mention, they were even pummeling those who were unwilling to listen to their story.

"E-earlier, I brought Zhang shi here to i-introduce the various glorious accomplishments achieved by our a-ancestors," Elder Wuzhen said with a pale face. Perhaps out of astonishment, he was stuttering a little. "T-then... this just somehow happened!"

"How could this just happen somehow?" Zhang Wuchen bellowed furiously. "I want you to recount everything that happened earlier to me thoroughly. Don't even leave the slightest detail out!"

"Y-yes! After I introduced him to the sculptures, I suddenly recalled some matters and lamented at how our heritage is slowly fading away. None of those of the younger generation are interested in learning about the affairs of the ancestors, and they have barely any respect or admiration for them," Elder Wuzhen explained slowly.

Those of the younger generation were much more impetuous than their predecessors. He had brought many guests to visit the sculptures, but very few of them would choose to stop by the sculptures and patiently read the various accomplishments achieved by the Zhang Clan's ancestors. Most of them felt that there was no purpose in listening to the deeds of the dead.

This had left Elder Wuzhen deeply displeased for a very long period of time, which eventually led to him complaining about the matter to Zhang Xuan.

"After saying those words, Zhang shi said that he had a way to reverse such a situation, so... he began touching each of the sculptures in order to enchant them," Elder Wuzhen said with a deeply stifled face.

Looking back, it seemed like he was the trigger behind this incident. If not for his lamentation, the other party would not have made such a move.

It truly was a calamity. After those sculptures were enchanted, they had begun stopping the guests to explain their deeds to them... and what was worse was that the guests were forced to listen! The entire area had descended into chaos.

"This..." Zhang Wuchen nearly spurted blood.

The sculptures had been left here in order to let the guests know of the various accomplishments and sacrifices that the Zhang Clan had made for mankind, but for them to be pulling the ears of others and reciting their tales gleefully... how was that different from boasting?

"Wait a moment... There should be quite a number of sculptures in the square, right? Do you mean to tell me that he enchanted all of them in a single breath?" Zhang Wuchen suddenly realized that, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

There had to be at least a hundred predecessors who had their sculptures, names, and accomplishments left in the square, so it would have been impossible for even a 9-star spirit awakener to enchant all of them. Yet, it seemed like he had succeeded in enchanting all of them. To make things even more exaggerated, every single one of them was actually capable of independent thought!

"Indeed, and that's not all..." Elder Wuzhen suddenly recalled a certain matter, and a shudder ran through his body.

"That's not all?" Zhang Wuchen felt as if his mind was going to explode from the sheer scale of trouble this was.

He quickly followed behind Elder Wuzhen to a certain area, and the latter suddenly stopped and gestured in front. "Regarding that... it's right ahead. I simply don't dare to comment too lightly on this matter, so you should take a look for yourself."

With eyes filled with doubt, Zhang Wuchen walked forward, and shortly after passing by a bend, before he could even scan his surroundings, a deep and heavy voice suddenly sounded in the air.

"Greetings, I am Kong shi..."

Putong!

Zhang Wuchen fell onto the floor.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1435: Fearsome Spirits

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

As a clan of master teachers, on top of their ancestors, it was natural that they would also pay respects to Kong shi as well. Earlier, Zhang Wuchen had been so shocked to see all of the sculptures coming to life that he had not even contemplated this possibility—or rather, such a thing was simply too ridiculous for him to believe to be true.

So, the sheer horror he felt upon hearing that voice nearly jolted his Primordial Spirit into dissipation.

He anxiously turned his head, and his heart nearly stopped. He saw Kong shi's sculpture standing before a group of guests, introducing himself warm-heartedly.

Zhang Wuchen felt hoarseness at the back of his throat, and he widened his eyes in shock as he asked, "He enchanted Kong shi's sculpture as well?"

In this very instant, he saw the entire world spinning around him.

That was Kong shi, the man whom no human on the Master Teacher Pavilion did not respect! Even if it was just a sculpture of him, no one would even dream of desecrating it in the slightest. And yet, to actually enchant it...

"It's not just Kong shi," Elder Wuzhen said as he pointed in another direction

Zhang Wuchen quickly turned his head over and saw the founding father of the Zhang Clan seated on the ground, lecturing a group of guests. The founding father clearly grew more and more passionate as he spoke, to the point where there was absolutely no doubt that saliva would have splattered out of his mouth had he possessed any in the first place.

"Ridiculous! This is completely ridiculous!" Zhang Wuchen bellowed in frenzy.

The reason the sculptures were erected in the square was to display the Zhang Clan's strength and contributions to the rest of the world. While the sculptures were indeed speaking of true incidents, still... this was simply too embarrassing!

This was not just a showcase anymore but cheap bragging!

And most importantly of all... why in the world did that fellow enchant Kong shi's sculpture too?

Was there a single person in the Master Teacher Continent who did not know of Kong shi's existence? Was there any need to introduce him at all?

The predecessors of the Zhang Clan were awe-inspiring figures who induced respect in those standing before them, but in that very moment, with them reciting their accomplishments blatantly in such a manner, they seemed more like proud kids showing off their accomplishments.

Where was the honor in this?

What would become of their reputation?

"Destroying the formation as soon as he arrived, and playing with the ancestral sculptures in the guest area and making them out to be fools... That fellow is clearly here to wreak havoc!" Zhang Wuchen was so angry that he was on the verge of exploding.

While most guests were there to challenge the Zhang Clan, the deference in their eyes was clear; it was almost if they were entering the royal palace to meet the emperor. This was because, regardless of whether they were able to triumph over the offspring of the Zhang Clan or not, there was still no denying the strength and influence that they wielded in the Master Teacher Continent.

Yet, not only was that fellow devoid of the slightest respect for the Zhang Clan, he even brought mayhem over, causing the situation to spiral out of control.

That darned b*stard...

"There's no way he could be that person! There's just no way that he could be..." Zhang Wuchen shook his head relentlessly.

Those of the Zhang Clan had always been upright and honorable individuals, so how could that person possibly pull off something like that?

Therefore, there was just no way on earth that he could be that person.

And as long as he was not that person, he would be able to teach the other party a lesson, carving deep in his mind that the Zhang Clan was not to be humiliated by anyone!

"Get the spirit awakeners of our clan over and have them destroy the spirits in the sculptures." After some time, Zhang Wuchen finally calmed down, and he swiftly issued a set of instruction to resolve the situation.

Naturally, since it was possible to enchant spirits into objects and artifacts, it was possible to destroy the spirits as well. However, it would be best to have spirit awakeners do the job, or else there was a good chance that they could accidentally damage the sculpture.

Elder Wuzhen hurriedly nodded before relaying the instruction to another member of the Zhang Clan.

Soon, two elders rushed over to the scene in a hurry.

"Third Elder, Seventh Elder!" the two elders greeted.

"Elder Wu and Elder Mo, we'll be troubling you on this matter." Zhang Wuchen clasped his fist.

The reason the geniuses of the Zhang Clan were skilled in most of the major occupations was because they had recruited plenty of experts from each of those occupations. Both Elder Wu and Elder Mo were 9-star spirit awakeners, and they were famed figures even in the Spirit Awakener Guild headquarters.

"Don't worry, Third Elder. This is no major issue!" Elder Wu chuckled as he stroked his beard leisurely, emanating an air of confidence. "I'll have the spirits in the sculptures destroyed right now and have the sculptures return to where they should be!"

"Un." The Third Elder nodded.

Even though he was extremely assured by the prowess of the two elders, he still felt that he should oversee the situation by the side. After all, these sculptures had been passed down through the generations by the predecessors. There was simply no replacement for them.

"Let's deal with this one first..." Elder Wu took a look around the place before walking over to Zhang Lingran's sculpture.

His Primordial Spirit dove out of his glabella and dived into the sculpture.

Hu!

Zhang Lingran's sculpture immediately stopped speaking, and it froze motionlessly on the spot, as if the spirit within it had been completely destroyed.

"Alright, it's done!" Returning his Primordial Spirit to his body, Elder Wu chuckled softly.

Spirit enchantment was an extremely delicate process, such that even 9-star spirit awakeners would have to proceed with it carefully, especially when dealing with important artifacts. However, if it was just destroying spirits, they could do it with ease.

Seeing how simple the process was, the Third Elder heaved a sigh of relief.

Since the sculptures of the predecessors would not be damaged in the process, it should be safe to leave them be. As long as the spirits were destroyed swiftly, the damage to Zhang Clan's reputation would be kept to the bare minimum.

"I'll be troubling the both of you with this matter then," the Third Elder said once more politely.

"This is no trouble at all; there's no need to stand on ceremony! I'll have all of the spirits destroyed swiftly, too." Elder Wu waved his hand casually, and he began making his way over to the other enchanted sculptures.

However, halfway through his motion, he suddenly caught sight of the frozen Elder Mo in his peripheral vision. Glancing over, he saw that the latter's eyes were widened in horror.

Perplexed, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Your head..." Elder Mo exclaimed anxiously.

"My head?" Bewildered by that remark, Elder Wu swiftly scanned his body with his Spiritual Perception, and the next instant, his knees caved in, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

He found that innumerable cacti and flowers had sprouted on his head, and they were growing bigger and bigger by the moment at an ever-increasing rate!

Coming to realize what was going on, Elder Mo exclaimed in agitation, "You didn't manage to destroy the spirit completely earlier! It managed to dive into your Primordial Spirit, and it's planning on vying with you for the control of your body!"

Previously, Elder Wu had sent his Primordial Spirit into the sculpture to destroy the spirit within it, and he thought that he had succeeded. Little did he know that not only was the spirit not destroyed, it had even made use of this opportunity to sneak a seed of itself into his Primordial Spirit to take root.

Just that single moment of carelessness was more than sufficient to place Elder Wu in the precarious situation that he currently was in.

Of course, with Elder Wu's strength, it would be impossible for the spirit, which was much weaker relatively to him, to successfully possess his body. Nevertheless, it was still embarrassing for him to walk around with a head covered with cacti and flowers. This would be more than enough to provide him with an entire lifetime worth of shame!

"Damn it!" Coming to realize what had happened as well, Elder Wu's body trembled in fury. As if responding to his rage, the cacti on his head also quivered non-stop

He swiftly scanned his Primordial Spirit, and a moment later, he said, "This spirit has taken root in my Tianhai acupoint, so I won't be able to deal with it alone. I need you to help me destroy it using your 'Qinzhen's Ethereal Destruction Art'!"

"Very well!" Elder Mo nodded.

He walked up to Elder Wu, and taking in a deep breath, he sent a rapid wave of soul energy into the latter's Tianhai acupoint.

Padah!

With a sound reminiscent of a needle popping a balloon, it sounded like something had been destroyed.

Elder Wu swiftly inspected his Primordial Spirit before heaving a sigh of relief. "Phew, it seems like it has been completely destroyed this time around... Ah?"

Before he could finish his words, he caught sight of a cactus sprouting on Elder Mo's head. Lush like a bright green hat, it covered the entirety of Elder Mo's head.

"Y-you..." Elder Mo was also shocked beyond words.

All he had done was use his soul energy to vanquish the spirit. Fearing that the spirit would plague him, he had even made sure to retract his soul energy immediately upon contact! How in the world did he fall for the spirit's assault, too?

"What in the name of heavens is going on here?" Elder Mo was really on the verge of tears.

While other spirit awakeners were able to easily destroy any spirit just by suppressing it with their Primordial Spirit, they had actually ended up being possessed by it instead. As 9-star spirit awakeners, this was a situation that never should have happened to them!

Yet, both of them had actually fallen for the same thing.

Just who in the world was the culprit that had enchanted such an irksome and troublesome spirit?

Just as the duo was completely crazed by the situation before them, not knowing what they should do, the cacti on their heads suddenly shuddered a little before voicing out a series of words that vaguely sounded like human speech.

"I am Zhang Lingran. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"..." Elder Wu.

"..." Elder Mo.

"..." Zhang Wuchen.

Chapter 1436: Zhang Ziqing

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

It took a very long time before Elder Mo finally managed to eliminate the cactus fully from his head. The two 9-star spirit awakeners stared at the many sculptures not too far away, and apprehension and fear inconspicuously flickered across their eyes.

They had complete confidence in their spirit enchantment ability, but they had never met with something as bizarre as this before. There were many different spirit enchantment techniques in the world, so there were significant variations to the spirits that each spirit awakeners could create. Each of these variations had their own strengths and flaws, but when it came to the spirits in the sculptures before them... it was hard for even them to believe it, but it seemed like the spirits were completely flawless!

No matter what kind of means they used against the spirit, the spirit would be able to put up its guard against it and even retaliate!

It was to the point where they almost felt utterly helpless before it.

"Is there any other way to resolve this issue?" After waiting for almost an hour but having none of the spirits of the sculptures destroyed, Zhang Wuchen couldn't sit still anymore.

"This..." Hearing those words, Elder Wu's face immediately flushed red in embarrassment. He awkwardly turned to Zhang Wuchen and clasped his fist, "Third Elder, I'm afraid that the both of us aren't skilled enough to resolve this situation. Pardon me if I may ask, but in which master spirit awakener's hands were these sculptures enchanted?"

"They were enchanted by... a sword practitioner from the Sanctum of Sages, Zhang Xuan!" Zhang Wuchen replied awkwardly.

"Zhang Xuan?" Elder Wu and Elder Mo traded glances, and they could see the confusion in each other's eyes.

They did know a thing or two about the few extraordinarily talented spirit awakeners in the world, but never had they heard of this name before!

Furthermore... a sword practitioner? What the heck was that?

"His spirit enchantment differs vastly from the style that we have learned, so I'm afraid that there's very little that we can do to help. If I may suggest, Third Elder, why don't you look for the person in question? Most likely, he's the only one who will be able to stop all of these sculptures." Elder Wu hesitated for a moment before saying.

Considering how even 9-star spirit awakeners like them were helpless before these sculptures, most likely, only the person in question would have the capability to stop the sculptures.

Hearing those words, the Third Elder couldn't help but rub his glabella.

To think that the lofty Zhang Clan would be unable to resolve the problem bought about by a young lad! If it were to be made known to outsiders that they had to plead with the other party to resolve the situation, it would surely impair the Zhang Clan's reputation.

But from the current look of things, they would only be in a worse position if they were to allow the sculptures to continue messing around.

"Wuzhen, lead the way..." Sighing deeply in resignation, Zhang Wuchen waved his hand and said.

Knowing how serious the mater was, Elder Wu hurriedly led the way forward.

The Third Elder quickly followed too, and after a moment of hesitation, Elder Wu and Elder Mo decided to follow too.

They were interested to see the man who was able to enchant a spirit so powerful that even was able to render them completely helpless against it.

"Zhang shi and Jian Qinsheng have come here to challenge the Zhang Clan's swordsmanship, so they are staying in the competitors' residences." Elder Wuzhen explained while making his way over.

There were countless visitors who would come to the Zhang Clan every single day. Some came to challenge the Zhang Clan whereas others came to pay a visit... In order to better differentiate between the types of visitors, the locations of their accommodations were divided by the intentions behind their visit.

Considering how Jian Qinsheng had a private grudge with their clan head, it went without saying that the place he resided in was the challengers' accommodation.

There were also many other experts living in those accommodations, and their field of specialties ranged from swordsmanship, spearmanship, and saber arts to fist arts, palm arts, so on and so forth... You name it, there they would be.

Of course, there were also plenty of occupational experts too.

"Quick, let's go over and take a look. Someone is challenging Zhang Ziqing!"

"Zhang Ziqing? You mean the talented young lady who's renowned as the number one genius painter in the Zhang Clan?"

"Indeed! She started learning painting when she was just three; by seven, she has reached Infused Intentions, Breathtaking Verisimilitude by nine, Spirit Wisdom by twelve, Suspended Imagery by fifteen, and while she's only eighteen this year, and she's already capable of painting at the level of Evocative Vividness! Even the head of the Painting Guild is filled with praises for her! He views her as the number one genius in painting in the past several thousand years... Not only so, there are hardly any peers who could compete with her in zither and chess either. Just who could be so blind as to challenge her?"

"I'm not too sure either, but it seems to be a guest named... Zhang Xuan. From what I heard, that fellow saw that there were several people vying for her paintings, so he walked up to take a closer look. It seemed like he said some awful sounding words that caused Zhang Ziqing's rage to flurry, thus eventually leading to the challenge!"

"Awful sounding words?"

"I'm not too sure about it either, but that fellow seemed to have said that her foundations in painting were pathetic, and he even offered to teach her. Given that Zhang Ziqing is the number one genius of the Painter Guild, one of the famed prodigies of the Zhang Clan, it's only natural that she would be enraged by those words..."

As Zhang Wuchen headed forward, he could hear the surrounding crowd discussing heatedly.

"Let's head over to take a look..."

They had come here to find Zhang Xuan, but who could have thought that the young man would get himself embroiled in another mess before the matter regarding the sculptures could even be settled yet?

Following the footsteps of the crowd, they soon found Zhang Xuan standing in the midst of a square. Jian Qinsheng was standing by the side with his hand on his forehead, revealing a look of distress. The other star of the show, Zhang Ziqing, was glaring at Zhang Xuan with a face reddened in fury, and her body was trembling non-stop.

"You wish to compete with me in the field of drawing?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up nonchalantly as he asked. "What are the stakes? If there are no stakes, I have no interest in wasting my time with a nameless nobody."

He had heard that there were many people vying for the work for this young lady, so he came here in hopes of seeing a work that could astound him. However, after taking a closer look, he couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment.

It was indeed amazing that the young lady of her age was able to draw out a Evocative Vividness painting, but at the same time, it was precisely due to her young age and lack of experience that caused her conceptualization to be extremely immature, resulting in her expression of emotions being rather forced and awkward even.

In a way, this was similar to how most beautiful poems from his previous world that were able to last through the ages were those that were crafted from the poet's own experiences and emotions. Only through personal experience would one really be able to create a work so vivid that others would be able to image and conceptualize, granting it great meaning and thus longevity through the ages. On the other hand, those who drew solely through imagination would risk their feelings and imagery being underdeveloped, and as a result, it was inevitable that their conceptualization would be slightly lacking,

Had it been anyone else, given Zhang Xuan's low profile personality, he wouldn't even have bothered to waste his words. It was in view that the other party was a genius of the Zhang Clan that he couldn't resist giving a few feedbacks.

But who could have thought that the other party would suddenly rage at him like that?

"You..." Zhang Ziqing stared at Zhang Xuan so intensely that it almost felt like her eyes could kill.

The young man before her was simply too maddening. It was one thing for him to say that her painting was a complete nonsense, but to claim that she was a nameless nobody on top of that... Know that I, Zhang Ziqing, am a famous figure even in the Painter Guild! I'm a person whom no one in the upper society didn't know of... Just who do you think you Zhang Xuan are?

To declare that you wouldn't compete with me without anything on the stake... Are you even qualified to be saying such words?

"Fine, I'll place a stake! This picture is known as the "Winter Snow Treading Portrait". This is a masterpiece I have drawn last year in winter. As long as you can triumph over me, I can give it to you for free!" As angry as Zhang Ziqing was, she could tell that the young man might really walk away if she were to refuse to make a bet.

Thus, she flicked her wrist, and a scroll appeared in her hands.

Unrolling it freely, a world of drifting snow and utmost coldness materialized before her eyes. It felt as if one would sink into that endless world of chill with just a single look.

Seeing her taking out that painting, the crowd released shock exclamations before looks of envy appeared of their faces.

"For Ziqing to be provoked into taking out that painting, it seems like she's really angry this time around!" Zhang Wuchen remarked while stroking his beard.

"Indeed. That is the single painting that Ziqing fancies the most, and she has always regarded it as her prized possession. There was once a master of the Painter Guild offered fifty pinnacle spirit stones for it, but even so, she still refused to sell it!" Elder Wuzhen nodded.

The painting was the work Zhang Ziqing produced under her best state, and it was unknown when she would be able to create a masterpiece of this caliber once more. As such, she treasured this painting as if it was her child, and even the elders of the Zhang Clan didn't get too many chances to see it. Yet, to think that she would take it out as a stake for this challenge... It seemed like she was really provoked this time around.

"You sure as a stingy fellow!" On the other hand, Zhang Xuan was still wondering what Zhang Ziqing would put on the line when he saw that it was only a painting, and he couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment. "Don't you think it's embarrassing for a genius of the Zhang Clan like you to try to hoodwink me with such an inferior painting? Let's just do this instead. If you were to lose to you, you have to give me one pinnacle spirit stone!"

"One pinnacle spirit stone?" Those words made Zhang Ziqing subconsciously clench her fists tightly together. Spitting through gritted teeth, she asked, "Are you certain?"

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded nonchalantly.

To him, the possession of the greatest value was spirit stones. As for a mere painting... he could always draw it out himself whenever he wanted it, so it held little value to him.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1437: Wu Dao Mirror

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Seeing how that fellow was unable to see through the value of her work and simply deemed it as an inferior good, Zhang Ziqing harrumphed angrily. "Fine, one pinnacle spirit stones then! If you lose, I won't demand anything but a formal apology."

"Apologize? That's impossible." Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I have never lost in a challenge before. If you wish to challenge me, hurry up and get along with it. I still have much more important things to handle, so I don't have much time to spare you."

"You... Fine!" Zhang Ziqing took in a deep breath and suppressed her emotions before looking at Zhang Xuan once more. "Just like how it's impossible to objectively determine which martial art is superior, it's also extremely difficult to discern between the quality of paintings of the same level. After all, everyone's preferences are shaped by their experiences and personality, so naturally, what appeals to each person can be vastly different. In order to ensure the fairness of our challenge, I have an artifact here known as the 'Wu Dao Mirror', and it's able to accurately determine the superiority and inferiority of a painting without the slightest discrepancy!"

As she said those words, she whipped out a round copper mirror, and it immediately floated quietly in the air.

"Wu Dao Mirror?" Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

"Indeed. This is an artifact created by the founder of the Painter Guild, Founder Wu Dao. It's capable of discerning the true level of a painting accurately. Even though the artifact I have over here is just an imitation, it's still more than enough to discern paintings of our level!" Seeing how the young man did not know this at all, Zhang Ziqing's displeasure and scorn visibly deepened.

The Wu Dao Mirror was an artifact that had been created by the founder of the Painter Guild, and it was capable of discerning the level of any painting in the world. Of course, the original artifact was stored within the guild, so the one in Zhang Ziqing's possession was just an imitation created by an expert. Nevertheless, it was still more than capable of impeccably discerning paintings of the eighth level.

"Can you allow me to take a closer look at the artifact?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Here you go!" Knowing that the other party would surely have to check the artifact in order to ensure the fairness of the assessment, Zhang Ziqing flicked her wrist, and the Wu Dao Mirror flew over.

Zhang Xuan placed his finger on the mirror momentarily before pushing it back to Zhang Ziqing, saying, "Alright, I'm done checking on it. Can we begin now?"

A book materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path, and a swift glance through it allowed him to confirm the capability of the artifact in assessing the level of a painting.

"You're already done examining the mirror?" Zhang Ziqing was taken aback.

It was just a moment ago that they young man did not even know what the Wu Dao Mirror was, and yet, after the briefest contact with the mirror, he had already pushed the mirror back to her, saying that he was done checking on it.

Are you kidding with me?

"This Wu Dao Mirror you have over there was created by 9-star Painter Zhi Yang three hundred years ago. It was forged out of the Golden Pearl Ore, and there are thirty-seven formation marks harnessing the power of painting conceptualization inscribed on the mirror. The spirit infused into the mirror embodies Elder Zhi Yang's deep comprehension of paintings, so it will indeed be fair to use this artifact as the judge for this competition!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Y-you... How did you know?" Zhang Ziqing was astonished.

This Wu Dao Mirror had been stored in the Painter Guild ever since it was forged, and only upon hearing that the Zhang Clan's Clan Conference was coming up and that there would be challengers did she apply with her teacher to take it out.

It had taken her great effort in order to assimilate the artifact before she was able to learn this information, and yet, with just a single glance, the other party was already able to recite it with ease.

Not even her teacher was capable of this!

"Oh. I happen to be an appraiser too, so I was able to recognize it with just a look," Zhang Xuan replied with a casual wave of his hand.

"Appraiser?" Zhang Ziqing was even more bewildered upon hearing this.

Given that the other party had not even heard of the Wu Dao Mirror before, it was a ridiculous notion for him to be able to identify the background of the Wu Dao Mirror in her possession.

This isn't an ability that appraisers possess! Who do you think you are trying to fool?

Then again, Zhang Ziqing knew that this was not the time to dwell on such matters. Thus, she flicked her wrist, and a piece of white paper appeared on her table.

Different from the xuan paper that painters usually used, this white paper had a glossy surface that seemed as if ink would be unable to soak through it.

"This is known as the 'Legacy Paper'. It's made out of the fresh blood of saint beasts and tempered using the Legacy Rock. Paintings that are made on it are able to easily last a dozen millenniums without the slightest loss in color. For this reason, every single sheet of Legacy Paper is worth a huge fortune," Zhang Ziqing said.

At the back of the crowd, Zhang Wuchen nodded.

Paper to a painter was rather similar to a sword to a sword practitioner. The higher the grade of paper was, the more the conceptualization in their artwork would be able to be brought out.

The Legacy Paper was considered a prized possession to all painters in the world. Due to its low production, even 9-star master teachers would only choose to use them on important occasions. The fact that Zhang Ziqing was willing to take it out for this challenge reflected how seriously she took the matter.

A thought flashed across Zhang Wuchen's mind, and the truth suddenly dawned on him.

Most likely, the news of the formation collapsing has reached her ears, and it just happened that the other party criticized her painting at this moment. Thus, she decided to take this opportunity to teach the other party a lesson!

The news that the Defense Formation of the Zhang Clan had been destroyed by Zhang Xuan four hours ago had already spread far and wide across the entire Zhang Clan. Those of the younger generation should have already heard of the matter by now.

As a person who took pride in her identity as a member of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Ziqing surely felt angered by Zhang Xuan humiliating the Zhang Clan. As such, she decided to use this matter to teach that young man that there were just some people in the world whom he could not afford to offend!

Otherwise, considering that this was the guest area, how could she, as one of the top geniuses of the Zhang Clan, possibly come here? Not to mention, to so 'coincidentally' get into a fight with Zhang Xuan at that?

Coming to realize this, Zhang Wuchen immediately did a quick scan around the room, and a moment later, he shook his head.

Noting Zhang Wuchen's actions, Elder Wuzhen could tell what he was thinking, and he sent a telepathic message over. "With all of them here, it seems like Zhang Xuan will be in for some misfortune."

"This is fine, too." Zhang Wuchen harrumphed. "It's about time for that fellow to learn that the members of our Zhang Clan are no pushovers so that he will learn to tone down that haughtiness of his."

Most of the top figures of the younger generations had come over to watch the show, so it seemed like the First Elder's plan was working as expected.

Given that Zhang Xuan was here to challenge the Zhang Clan in the first case, it was perfectly fair for the younger generation of the Zhang Clan to challenge him back!

Hu!

While the both of them were secretly talking to one another, Zhang Ziqing flicked her wrist, and a brush materialized in her hand.

"That's the 'Empyrean Saint Fox Brush', made using the tail of the Empyrean Saint Fox! In terms of value, it far exceeds that of the Legacy Paper!"

"To take out two invaluable treasures, one after another... it seems like the fellow whom Zhang Ziqing is facing is going to be utterly humiliated!"

"That might not necessarily be the case. Considering how he chose to accept Zhang Ziqing's challenge despite having seen her mastery in painting, it's likely that he has some skills in painting as well. Perhaps, he might have artifacts that are even more formidable than that!"

"Well, that's true too..."

Upon seeing the brush that Zhang Ziqing had taken out, a huge commotion immediately broke out amid the crowd.

Those who had been invited there by the Zhang Clan were all the top talents in their fields. While they might not necessarily have been painters, they would still have heard of some of the more renowned artifacts in painting.

The Empyrean Saint Fox Brush happened to be one such artifact. Even when looking across the entire Master Teacher Continent, there were very few brushes that could compete with it.

"The time limit is when this incense finally burns out. If you fail to complete your painting by then, it will be considered as your loss," Zhang Ziqing said casually as she took out an ink slab.

As she dabbed her brush in the ink slab, she lightly flicked her finger, and the incense stick at the center of the courtyard immediately lit up, emanating a slight fragrance.

Since this was a challenge between the two of them, it was a given that there should be a time limit. Otherwise, one party would be able to postpone the challenge indefinitely under the pretext that they had not finished their painting yet.

"Very well," Zhang Xuan replied.

Judging from the rate at which the incense was burning, it appeared that they had less than an hour to finish their painting. And to be honest, it was no easy task to create a satisfactory painting within an hour's time.

"Let's begin then." Seeing that the young man had agreed to it, Zhang Ziqing lightly tapped her brush on the Legacy Paper, and a beautiful stroke of ink flowed out from the tip.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1438: Zhang Xuan Is Going to Get Serious

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"That is... the Snowearth Painting Technique!"

"Legend has it that back then, while Founder Wu Dao was observing the swallows in the air, he noted how their claws sunk deeply into the snow-laden earth, and inspired by that, he created the Snowearth Painting Technique. Paintings that are produced using this painting technique tend to have deeper conceptualization, and even before the final artwork is completed, just the painting process itself is enough to grip the hearts of the viewers!"

"This painting technique has been passed down through the years, but only a small handful of incredibly talented painters are able to learn it. Who could have thought that not only would Ziqing be able to learn it, she's even able to execute it so smoothly? Without a doubt, this duel is going to end in our victory!"

"From the looks of it, unless that fellow is able to produce a painting of the ninth level, or else there's no way he would be able to achieve victory..."

...

A commotion broke out in the surroundings.

The instant that the young genius of the Zhang Clan made her move, the crowd was immediately captured. Be it her brush, paper, ink, painting technique, or even state of mind, there was simply no flaw that one could pick with her painting. It was so impeccable that even naysayers could only sigh in awe at that sight.

Not bad. Zhang Xuan also nodded in approval.

As an 8-star painter himself, his eye of discernment far exceeded that of the crowd. Naturally, he was able to tell that the young lady before him would not be an easy opponent to deal with.

In fact, her skills were even above that of the Inceptive Sage of the Painter Guild, whom he had faced back at the Sanctum of Sages.

Even though there were plenty of incredible geniuses all over the Master Teacher Continent gathered in the Sanctum of Sages, the Inceptive Sages there did not necessarily represent the pinnacle of their corresponding occupation.

For example, even though Zhang Feng was the Inceptive Sage of the Spirit Awakener Guild, wielding incredible spirit enchantment abilities, if he competed with the genius who had just entered the Spirit Awakener Guild headquarters, Wang Ying, he would still pale slightly in comparison. Otherwise, the elders of the Spirit Awakener Guild would not have had to lower themselves to seek Zhang Xuan's help.

The same applied here.

Even though the Inceptive Sage of the Painter Guild in the Sanctum of Sages was a rare genius in painting, it was still rather clear that he paled in comparison to Zhang Ziqing.

Huala!

Zhang Ziqing's brush seemed to dance nimbly in the air, creating a sight that pleased one's eyes. Despite her relaxed movements, every single movement that she made was pinpoint accurate, impeccably controlled without the slightest deviation. Every single brush stroke that materialized on the piece of paper seemed to emanate an intoxicating radiance, drawing one deeper and deeper into the world that Zhang Ziqing was creating under her hand.

"Zhang shi... She has already drawn so much! You should get started, too, or else you might really lose the challenge!" While Zhang Xuan was still leisurely observing Zhang Ziqing, an anxious voice suddenly sounded next to him.

Turning his head, he saw Jian Qinsheng clasping his forehead helplessly.

"There's no need to panic." Zhang Xuan took a glance at the incense stick and saw that there was still plenty of time for him to work, so he waved his hand leisurely, paying no heed at all to Jian Qinsheng's concern.

He was an efficient painter, capable of finishing a painting within just ten to twenty breaths. There was no need for him to rush at all.

On the other hand, Jian Qinsheng suddenly recalled that the young man before him had defeated the Inceptive Sage of the Painter Guild in the Tower of Master Teachers, so he decided not to say too much about the matter. "It's good that you're confident. Cough cough, Zhang shi, is it fine if I discuss something with you meanwhile?"

"Junior, feel free to speak your mind!" Zhang Xuan said.

Jian Qinsheng pondered for a moment to sort out his words before speaking carefully. "It's like this. You're currently a representative of the swordsmanship of our Sanctum of Sages, so if possible, can you not dabble too much in the other supporting occupations?"

To be honest, he was starting to regret bringing that fellow here!

They should have been there to challenge the Zhang Clan's swordsmanship, but before they could face any of the Zhang Clan's sword practitioners, the young man had already torn down the other party's formation and enchanted all of their sculptures. And now, he was even challenging one of the Zhang Clan's geniuses in painting.

Formations, enchantment, painting, and appraising... at this rate, will anyone still remember that you are a sword practitioner?

So, I'm begging you, can you pay some heed to your identity before doing anything else?

You are currently my senior! Is it really fine for you to be showing off in the other occupations as well?

"This... I guess I have been acting a little carelessly ever since arriving in the Zhang Clan." Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan scratched his head in embarrassment. "Pardon me, it seems like I have been lacking thought in my actions."

He had been so focused on trying to put down the Zhang Clan that he almost forgot the primary reason he was at the Zhang Clan. He was supposed to challenge the top sword practitioners of the Zhang Clan so as to cleanse Jian Qinsheng's humiliation, and it was indeed inappropriate of him to allow his attention to wander to other stuff. Others would think that he was just a jack of all trades, specializing in nothing at all.

Seeing that Zhang Xuan had caught his drift, Jian Qinsheng nodded in relief. "It's fine. It'll do as long as you remember our primary purpose here."

While he did feel a little uncomfortable at seeing the young man dabbling in other occupations and provoking the Zhang Clan at every turn, by no means was he mad at the young man. Rather, his feelings were still more sided toward gratitude. After all, if not for the young man, there was a good chance that he never would have found an opportunity to get back at the Xing Sword Saint.

"I understand. I'll keep that in mind." Zhang Xuan nodded.

At this moment, a resounding round of applause suddenly broke out around them.

"Amazing! She's already going to finish her work soon!"

"What marvelous artwork! Fairy Ziqing, would you consider selling your painting to me?"

"To be able to finish such a beautiful piece within a short period of time, as expected of the top genius of the Painter Guild!"

...

Impassioned discussion could be heard from the surroundings. Zhang Xuan glanced over and saw that Zhang Ziqing had already put down her brush, and a completed painting showed its form to the world.

It was a bamboo painting.

There was no other greenery or plant to complement the beauty of the bamboo, but what was particularly striking about it was how each of the towering, emerald bamboo culms seemed to rise out of the surface of the painting. They shuddered in response to the light breeze whisking across the square.

It felt like each of the dozen or so bamboo culms had their own life and emotions, their own unique form and soul. As such, despite the lack of any other complementing details in the painting to act as contrast with the bamboos, the painting did not feel monotonous at all. If anything, each individual bamboo seemed to contrast with one another.

To be able to bestow your painting life... Not too bad! Zhang Xuan nodded in approval.

He had thought that he would be able to win with just a casual drawing, but from the looks of it, things would not be as easy as he thought.

The young lady's caliber was much higher than he had expected.

Painting did not necessarily have to be complicated. Just because a painting was more colorful and intricate did not mean that it would be of a higher level. Just like how the greatest sound was soundless and the greatest form was formless, most masterpieces tended to be exceptionally simple as well.

In a sense, this was similar to how it was easier to gauge a chef's ability through having them prepare the simplest of dishes.

In fact, the simpler the painting was, the more it would reflect the painter's capability.

If one were to just take a brief glance at her artwork, its simplicity would make it appear to be just at the level of Reality Depiction. But in truth, if one examined it closely, one would realize that every single one of these bamboo culms was so detailed that it was almost as if they were all alive. Rather than calling it a work of art, it would be more accurate to say that new lives had been created.

If not for Zhang Ziqing's young age and the limitations of her cultivation, she would have already been able to produce pinnacle artwork and take the final step forward to become a real 9-star master teacher.

It's no wonder others said that it would be difficult to triumph over her without a painting of the ninth level, Zhang Xuan thought.

Given the quality of Zhang Ziqing's artwork, it would really require a true ninth level painting in order to outdo her.

"What? Does Zhang shi intend to admit defeat?"

While Zhang Xuan was deep in thought, a young lady's voice sounded.

Turning his head over, he saw Zhang Ziqing looking at him with a cold sneer on her lips.

She finally understood why the young man chose to gamble with just a pinnacle spirit stone instead of with her painting. Considering how valuable her painting was, the young man might not necessarily have been able to come up with something of equivalent value to it once he lost!

In the end, he was just preparing an escape route should things not go in his favor.

"Admit defeat? Why would I do that?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I do acknowledge that your painting is not too bad, and out of respect for you as a painter, I'll be getting serious."

As he said those words, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and whipped out a sword. He test-swung it in the air before shaking his head and stowing it back into his storage ring. After which, he took out another sword and swung it, but he also shook his head and placed it back into his storage ring.

He repeated the same action another three times before he finally seemed to have found a sword to his liking. He swiftly scanned his surroundings before stomping his feet lightly on the ground.

Hula!

A stone next to his leg flew up, catching everyone's attention in an instant.

"I'm going to start now," Zhang Xuan said casually as he drove his sword toward the stone.

"You aren't going to use a brush or the Legacy Paper to compete with me... but a mere sword and stone?" Zhang Ziqing widened her eyes in disbelief.

In an instant, she felt as if the other party was intentionally trying to humiliate her, and a burst of rage surge through her veins.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1439: It's Zhang Xuan's Victory?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

She was the number one genius of the Zhang Clan, as well as one of the top geniuses of the Painter Guild. It was already an insult for her to lower her standing to compete with a nameless nobody, but the other party was even taking the entire challenge as a joke, doing whatever he pleased without any regard.

Is this what you meant by getting serious?

Which painter doesn't use a brush and paper in their painting but a sword?

While Zhang Ziqing was feeling so stifled that she could have exploded on the spot, Jian Qinsheng's body also trembled upon seeing the sight, and he nearly spurted blood.

It was just a moment ago that he had told the other party that he had come here as a representative of the Sanctum of Sages' swordsmanship when the next moment, he really used a sword to paint.

The blade of a sword was sharp and cold, making it far more difficult to draw and paint using it compared to a brush.

My intention was only to remind you of your own identity and responsibility so that you wouldn't lose sight of your goal due to these insignificant matters.

I didn't ask you to make things difficult for yourself and put yourself at risk of losing a challenge!

The young lady is equipped with the Empyrean Saint Fox Brush and Legacy Paper, and she has even executed the formidable Snowearth Painting Technique. On the other hand, as if an ordinary sculptor, you chose to carve a stone instead. Do you really have to take the challenge so lightly?

In this moment, despair was written all over Jian Qinsheng's face. Without a doubt, it was their loss this time around.

He could not even bear to bring himself to look on anymore.

"Could that fellow's brain possibly be rusty?" Zhang Wuchen was also shocked to the point where he could not close his mouth.

He had seen plenty of lunatics, but he had not seen one who was so mentally challenged before!

To paint using a sword... just what kind of lunacy was that young man up to this time around?

"Most likely, he feels that he's unable to surpass Ziqing, but at the same time, he doesn't want to embarrass himself," Elder Wuzhen hypothesized.

"That could possibly be the case." After some thought, Zhang Wuchen was still unable to decipher Zhang Xuan's intentions, so he could only nod in agreement.

As the number one painting genius of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Ziqing's aptitude in painting far surpassed that of her peers, and her skills were on par with most veteran 8-star pinnacle painters. Even if the young man had successfully cleared the Tower of Master Teachers, the crowd still did not think that it was likely for him to emerge victorious.

Since the young man was unable to win, the only way he would be able to save some of his pride was to mess up the entire challenge. This way, even if he lost, he could still shirk the responsibility to his brush and paper.

Coming to realize the young man's motive, Zhang Wuchen shook his head as he shot the young man another glance, and once again, he found himself in a flabbergasted position.

Wielding a sword in his hand, Zhang Xuan's sword tip was more than a chi away from the stone. He swung his arms non-stop, covering the stone with a barrage of sword qi. But for some reason, all of the sword qi seemed to brush past the stone, not leaving the slightest mark on it.

To the crowd, it appeared as if he was possessed by some kind of spirit. There was not a single person in the square who could comprehend what he was up to!

"Could that fellow possibly... have gone mad?"

"I think so, too. Otherwise, why the heck would he suddenly dance with his sword at this moment?"

The only expressions that could be seen on the crowd's faces were dumbstruck looks.

Most of them were from privileged backgrounds, and they had been blessed with the opportunity to see all kinds of painting techniques from master painters. Some painters preferred a more refined painting method, some adopted a wilder painting technique, some were fond of a more flirtatious painting style, and some chose a more stable and dignified painting manner.

With Zhang Ziqing, for example, every single one of her brush strokes was elegant, making it a pleasure to behold. On the other hand, the young man before him was dancing around wildly as if he was suffering from a stroke, and to make things worse, he was not leaving the slightest mark on the stone at all. Did he come here just to fool around?

Even Zhang Ziqing could not help but rub her eyes, wondering if she was seeing things.

It was just a moment ago that the young man had haughtily declared that he had never lost in any challenges before, and all of a sudden... he had suddenly become a madman prancing around the area?

"I'm done!"

While the crowd was still in a stunned state, the young man exhaled deeply and wiped off the sweat from his forehead before wearily flicking his sword back into his storage ring.

Hula!

The stone fell onto a table not too far away, just beside the Bamboo Painting that Zhang Ziqing had created.

"You're done?" Zhang Ziqing exclaimed in astonishment.

She subconsciously glanced at the incense stick that she had lit earlier, and it happened to extinguish at this very moment.

The young man did manage to finish his work on time, but... just what the heck was with that stone?

I'm competing with you in the field of painting, not sculpting! Furthermore... even if we were competing in the field of sculpting, you have to at least leave some marks on the stone in order for it to even be considered a 'sculpture'. Every single person here can testify that your sword hasn't touched the stone at all, so... what the heck are you up to?

More importantly... all you did was randomly swing your sword for around ten to twenty breaths? You didn't even do anything at all, so how did you get so tired that even your face has turned pale?

Even if you want to act, at least do it in a more convincing situation than this! It's almost as if you are taking all of us for fools!

Unable to stand it, Zhang Ziqing turned to Zhang Xuan and said, "Are you certain that this is the work you wish to challenge me with? If you aren't done yet, I don't mind giving you more time!"

Since she was competing with the young man, it would only be worthwhile for her if she defeated the young man when the young man was in his peak state. If the young man's condition had been a little off in the past hour, she did not mind giving him another chance to showcase his true capability.

"There's no need for that. I'm already done painting," Zhang Xuan said with a chuckle. He gestured forward gentlemanly with his hand and said, "We should get the Wu Dao Mirror to check on our work now."

"Check?" Seeing the smile on the young man's face, Zhang Ziqing's cheeks could not help but quiver in frenzy.

All you did was carry a slab of stone over! Even though you did swing your sword wildly for roughly twenty breaths, you didn't leave the slightest mark on it. Do you honestly think your slab of stone is able to match my pinnacle eighth level painting?

I really want to pry open your brain and see where you get your confidence from!

"Indeed." Zhang Xuan nodded. "Of course, if you admit defeat, we can simply skip the checking phase."

"Admit defeat?" Zhang Ziqing nearly burst into laughter.

You want me to admit defeat to a mere stone?

You must be off your rocker! Have you not taken your medicine today?

"Indeed! You should have seen with your own eyes how much effort I put in to complete this masterpiece. I think it would be impossible for me to produce a second one like this within a short period of time!" Zhang Xuan said with an air of solemnity. He gazed into the distance, and the solitude of a man who stood at the top of the world could be seen reflected in his eyes.

"Effort?"

"Masterpiece?"

The crowd nearly fell to the ground hearing those impetuous words.

The young man did not even leave the slightest mark on the stone, such that not even the slightest dent or chip could be seen. If this could be considered a masterpiece, then even a dog could be considered a master painter!

And the young man still had the cheek to say effort...

Effort my ass!

Seeing how fearless the young man was, Zhang Ziqing harrumphed in displeasure. "Are you sure you want to use the Wu Dao Mirror?"

"Of course!" Zhang Xuan exclaimed with a wave of his hand, assuming the disposition of a true expert.

"Very well... I'll make you concede to me!" Zhang Ziqing harrumphed coldly.

She waved her hand, and the Wu Dao Mirror appeared once more. She stretched her finger forward and tapped the Wu Dao Mirror lightly, and a brilliant ray of light immediately reflected from the mirror.

"Junior Zhang Ziqing beseeches the Wu Dao Mirror to help assess the mastery of the paintings we have before us!"

Hu la!

In an instant, the Wu Dao Mirror was brought to life. It emanated a radiance of seven colors, which swiftly shrouded the Bamboo Painting.

A short moment later, a voice emerged from the Wu Dao Mirror.

"Bamboo Painting. The bamboo culms are infused with life, and a breeze whispers amid the mountain, thus placing the painting in harmony with nature. It's neither abrupt nor excessive, a truly rare pinnacle eighth level masterpiece!"

Upon hearing the judgement, Zhang Ziqing visibly heaved a sigh of relief, and a look of pride surfaced on her face.

The fact that she had received such an appraisal from the Wu Dao Mirror meant that even if her Bamboo Painting still was not at the level of her 'Winter Snow Treading Portrait', it did not pale too much in comparison to it.

Knowing that everything was in her grasp, Zhang Ziqing shot Zhang Xuan a haughty glance. "Humph, let's see how the Wu Dao Mirror will judge your work!"

Tzzzzz!

After assessing her work, the Wu Dao Mirror began scanning the stone on the table too.

All of a sudden, it paused for a brief moment before resuming its scanning once more.

As if it could not fully perceive the artwork before it, it scanned the stone for the third time.

Only then did it finally come to a halt, and the voice from before appeared once more. "This painting is truly a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. I hereby judge this painting to be superior to the one from before!"

"Superior?" Zhang Ziqing staggered on the spot, and her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

She could not help but wonder if she was hearing things.

Why would the Wu Dao Mirror suddenly say such incomprehensible words?

That shabby stone had just been picked off the street, so how could it be a one-of-a-kind masterpiece?

"What is going on here?"

Zhang Wuchen and the others were dumbstruck, too.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1440: M-Marriage?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Wu Dao Mirror, you said that... I have lost?" Unable to accept what she had just heard, Zhang Ziqing asked once more.

"Indeed. Even though his artwork utilizes the simplest drawing method, it harnesses the very essence of painting. I can tell you that this is a feat which even the average 9-star painter would be incapable of. Your painting is indeed not too bad, but it pales far in comparison to his." Wu Dao Mirror replied.

Artifacts on such a level already possessed their own consciousness and were able to interact with humans.

"But all he did was to swing his sword a few times, and he didn't even leave a single mark on the stone... How could this be something which even 9-star painter would be unable to match up to?" Zhang Ziqing felt like clawing her hair in frenzy.

You can't just spout nonsense like that! All of us are looking over here!

Everyone here can testify that all that fellow did was to pick up a mere stone and swing his sword at it... Not the slightest bit of his sword qi had nicked the stone, and the stone looked the exact same as when he had picked it up. Where was the drawing you spoke of then?

"Come closer and examine it carefully, you will surely be able to notice its ingenuity." Noting Zhang Ziqing incomprehension, the Wu Dao Mirror simply left these words behind before falling silent. Its voice carried a dreamy tone to it, seemingly still deeply immersed in the beauty of the artwork it had just seen.

Zhang Ziqing hesitated for a moment before walking over to the table. She lowered her gaze to examine the stone in closer detail.

There was still some dirt stuck to the surface of the stone, but other than that, there was nothing particular to note about it,

"There's nothing here at all..." Even after a close-up look, Zhang Ziqing was still unable to find any marks that could have been left behind by the earlier burst of sword qi, so she couldn't help but feel even more perplexed.

Thus, she released her Spiritual Perception to take an even closer look at the stone.

What that was not visible to the eye, perhaps, it would be visible to her Spiritual Perception.

"Hm?"

As soon as her Spiritual Perception wrapped itself around the stone, Zhang Ziqing's body visibly stiffened, and her body began trembling non-stop, "T-this..."

Her lips quivered ceaselessly, fully displaying her disbelief at what she was seeing.

"What's wrong?" Noticing the peculiarity with Zhang Ziqig, Zhang Wuchen and the others frowned as well.

They extended their Spiritual Perception toward the stone too, and what they saw left them frozen on the spot.

"Indeed. This stone is an artwork which I drew out using my sword. The stone that I picked up earlier has, in fact, been reduced to dust and is currently stored in my storage ring, and the one right before your eyes is a painting..." Seeing that they had managed to notice what was different about his stone, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly.

While it might appear as if he was just wildly releasing a barrage of sword qi earlier, leaving nary a mark on the stone at all, in truth, he was creating an exact replica of the stone that was earlier seen.

Back when he was just a 7-star painter, he had already comprehended Suspended Imagery, allowing him to paint on mid-air. Naturally, now that he was an 8-star painter, his proficiency in it was much higher than before.

Even though the painting was created by sword qi, it would still be difficult even for a 9-star painter to discern its true form without taking a closer look with his Spiritual Perception.

It was to the point where even the two elders of the Zhang Clan, Wuchen and Wuzhen, despite watching the entire process from the start to the end, didn't notice the slightest anomaly with the stone. They couldn't have imagined that the stone that was picked up from the ground had already vanished altogether, and what was right before their eyes was actually a painting!

"To think that we didn't notice that the stone is actually a painting..."

"Ziqing was able to grant life to the bamboo, making it appear real, but he has already transcended that level. Under his deft hand, the distinction between reality and painting has been torn down, confounding everyone with his artwork..." Coming to realize the situation, Zhang Wuchen and Zhang Wuzhen were trembling in disbelief.

Real 9-star painters were indeed capable of producing artwork that seemed so lifelike that it completely fused into the real world, making hard for one to determine what was real and imaginary. Just that... no one thought that the young man would be capable of the same feat too.

Could it be that he was already a 9-star painter?

If that was the case, wasn't it a little too terrifying?

"I... have lost!" Zhang Ziqing reached out to stroke the stone, only to find that its texture was also of no difference from that of a real stone. Without using her Spiritual Perception, there would really be no way for her to discern that it was just a mere drawing.

In that instant, her face flushed completely pale.

All along, she had thought the other party was just messing around, but who could have thought that he had been painting seriously? Furthermore, his artwork was of such a high caliber that no one was able to discern it.

It was no wonder why the Wu Dao Mirror had declared the match to be her loss... She did indeed lose, and it was an utter defeat at that. From the very start, she never stood a chance against him.

"If you are able to create an artwork of such a tier with just your sword... just what kind of paintings would you be able to produce with a brush in hand then?" Unable to take it any longer, she turned her gaze to the young man and said.

Previously, when the other party said that he was going to get serious, she thought that he would really go all out. Yet, contrary to her expectations, he whipped out a sword instead of a brush. If the young man was already able to produce such an artwork far beyond her capabilities with a sword in hand... she really shuddered to imagine just how formidable his painting prowess would be with a brush in hand.

"I wasn't lying to you when I said that I was going to get serious. I did give my everything in this painting, and I wasn't going easy on you by using a sword." Noting the young lady's astounded face, Zhang Xuan explained with a smile. "I must admit that you have a deep understanding of painting. Otherwise, I would have simply painted with just a blade of grass instead of with my sword. Actually, as long as you put your heart into your painting, it doesn't really matter whether you are wielding a brush or a sword."

"Blade of grass?" Hearing that the young man was actually intending to use something like that to compete with her, Zhang Ziqing's face twitched a little. "How were you intending to paint with that?"

"Simple." Zhang Xuan quickly took a look at his surroundings before tapping his finger lightly. In the garden not too far away, a blade of grass flew over and fell into his palm. Following which, he flicked the blade of grass lightly.

Hu la!

The water in a nearby pond immediately rose up and lightly soaked the blade of grass. Following which, he began moving the blade of grass slowly in the air.

Tzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

The surrounding air grew increasingly viscous along with Zhang Xuan's movements, and in just a short moment, a majestic flowing river appeared before everyone's eyes. It raced rapidly with a ferocious roar, and it felt as if it would overflow and flood the entire square in an instant.

"Using just water, he was able to draw out a river flow using Suspended Imagery?" Zhang Ziqing gulped down a mouthful of saliva.

She would always need to use the most valuable brush and ink in her artworks as she felt that these were necessary tools in order for her to truly bring out the essence of her painting and pieces that she would be satisfied with. However, after watching the other party's creation, she realized that her line of thought might have been too shallow.

Painting didn't necessitate the use of a brush. Look closely, and the entire world would be a brush and a canvas! There was no element which one couldn't incorporate into one's painting!

So, this was a true prodigy's interpretation of painting... as well as the true essence of painting.

"The conception behind this river painting of yours is also of a much higher level than my Bamboo Painting!" Zhang Ziqing shook her head and sighed deeply. As reluctant as she was to admit it, the young man was indeed far ahead of her in the field of painting.

Even this river painting which he had created at a whim was far more profound than the Bamboo Painting which she carefully produced with all her might.

"Ah, you need not get so disheartened. I was able to deepen my understanding of painting significantly while drawing out the stone, and that's the only reason why I'm able to create a decent painting with just a blade of grass now..." Zhang Xuan explained.

He hadn't drawn much after assimilating 8-star painter books, and the earlier drawing of the stone was the first time he had drawn seriously in a long while. This practical experience had granted him a much deeper insight into painting, thus bringing his mastery to a deeper level.

And it was with this experience that he was able to surpass Zhang Ziqing with a work he painted at a whim.

"You managed to deepen your understanding of painting while drawing out the stone?" Zhang Ziqing nearly keeled over.

She had always prided herself on her unparalleled talent in painting, but it seemed like she was really no match against the young man before her. The gap between them was so huge that for the first time in her life, she felt a hint of despair and helplessness, as if she was in a race, facing a rival whom she would never be able to catch up with.

All of a sudden, a young man amidst the crowd shouted out, "Fairy Ziqing, I remember that you once said that if anyone of the younger generation surpasses you in the field of painting, regardless of whom the person is, you would marry him without any hesitation... Does that vow still holds now?"

"This..." Zhang Ziqing was visibly stunned by that remark for a moment.

She couldn't help but turn her gaze to Zhang Xuan, and a frown slowly deepened itself on her forehead.

Report chapter Comments