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

48. 1505

Library of Heaven's Path #Chapter 1505 - Reporting to the Master Teacher Pavilion Headquarters - Read Library of Heaven's Path Chapter 1505 - Reporting to the Master Teacher Pavilion Headquarters Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 1505: Reporting to the Master Teacher Pavilion Headquarters

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Time ticked by. A crack of light appeared over the eastern horizon, and the brilliant sun slowly rose into the sky. Gradually, You Ruoxin regained consciousness. She struggled to her feet, and when she saw the endless waste that extended as far as she could see, her body staggered a little.

The Glacier Plain Court had existed on the Master Teacher Continent for many millenniums, and it had been through its fair share of tragedies. There were even a few battles that had resulted in more than half of their disciples dying, but despite all those crises, the City of Glacier had always survived and continued standing firm. While some buildings might be destroyed by the enemies from time to time, it would only be a small portion of the entire city. Yet, at that moment, everything had been torn to the ground, reduced to debris...

While none of the disciples and elders had lost their lives, they were all severely wounded. From the looks of it, it seemed like none of them would be able to recover without at least half a month of recuperation.

"For an individual to be able to summon lightning and wield such immense strength..." You Ruoxin could not help but shudder when she recalled the sight that she had seen the previous night.

In all honesty, she had never really thought of Zhang Xuan as a threat. After all, a Phantasmal Space realm cultivator should have been nothing more than an ant compared to her. With her strength, she could crush dozens of them with just a flick of her finger, but the other party turned out to possess a trump card far stronger than her wildest imagination!

With just a Dimension Sundering Ordeal, he had reduced the Glacier Plain Court to such a state... If he underwent his Macrocosm Ascendancy Ordeal, would the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters be torn down as well?

"First Elder... the Glacier Plain Court has been completely destroyed!" Struggling to You Ruoxin's side, the Second Elder shook her head with a look of desolation.

"Indeed, it's all destroyed," You Ruoxin replied in a daze.

Having served as the de facto leader of the Glacier Plain Court for so many years, she had thought that she would be able to bring it to greater heights under her leadership. Yet, as if fate was playing tricks on her, her attempts to achieve her ambition had ended up reducing it to ruins instead.

"As long as our disciples remain, we'll have a chance to rise back up. From this day onward, Zhang Xuan shall be the greatest enemy of our Glacier Plain Court. Any disciple who spots him is to kill him on sight!" You Ruoxin spat with gritted teeth.

"Yes!" the elders and disciples who had just awoken replied resoundingly.

You Ruoxin turned to the awoken Elder Qu and said, "Elder Qu, you witnessed what happened with your own eyes. That Zhang Xuan has kidnapped our young court chief and destroyed the entire Glacier Plain Court. I hope that you can report his heinous sins to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters so as to put a bounty on his head!"

"Rest assured, I'll report this matter as I have seen and have him brought to justice!" Elder Qu nodded as he rubbed his glabella.

Despite being a master teacher, Zhang Xuan had disregarded the rules and acted as he pleased.

A person like him had to be punished severely. Otherwise, if everyone wreaked havoc just because they possessed a bit of strength, the entire Master Teacher Continent would swiftly be reduced to chaos!

...

Peng!

After flying for some time, Zhang Xuan finally reached the limits of his strength and plummeted to the ground.

While the Sanctum Head Token had blocked off some of Elder Qu's desperate attack, a portion of the shockwave had seeped into his body, and even at that moment, it was still tearing apart the vitality in his body, worsening his injuries.

If not for the energy that Zhao Ya had infused into his body, putting aside summoning the Dimension Sundering Ordeal, he might have simply died on the spot.

Even so, he still found himself coming to the limits of his body after just flying for a night.

Of course, he could have chosen to ride on the Inferno Qilin as well, but the problem with that was that the latter's fire aura was simply too conspicuous. While it did fly fast, it would also make it easier for them to be tracked down.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan was different. Possessing the Heaven's Path zhenqi, he was to perfectly conceal his aura. On top of that, through the Eye of Insight, he was able to check if he had accidentally left behind any tracks and erase them in advance, thus making it difficult for even real 9-star master teachers to find him.

Struggling to his feet once more, he found that he was standing in the midst of a primitive jungle. Seeing that there was no one in sight, he heaved a sigh of relief.

Zhang Xuan lowered his head to gaze at the young lady in his embrace. Her eyes were still tightly shut, and even though she was breathing, it was extremely frail, almost as if she would stop breathing at the slightest trauma.

"Zhao Ya, since I have said that I'll save you, I'll definitely do it!"

If not for Zhang Xuan holding her throughout the entire journey, sustaining her vitals with his Heaven's Path zhenqi, she might have already departed from the world.

Placing her lightly on the ground, Zhang Xuan placed his finger on her meridians and willed, "Flaws!"

Weng!

A book materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path, and Zhang Xuan quickly browsed through it.

"Her injuries are too severe. Every last one of her meridians had crumbled..." Zhang Xuan shook his head hopelessly.

Zhao Ya's condition was worse than he had thought. Due to her forcefully driving her zhenqi, her frozen meridians had ended up shattering into countless fragments. If there was anything fortunate about the situation, it would be that the effects of the Heaven Sealing Lock had vanished as well.

In other words, while shattering her meridians, she had succeeded in shattering the Heaven Sealing Lock with her strength, resolving its threat.

"If it's a cut or a tear, the Heaven's Path zhenqi would still be able to repair it, but her meridians have shattered completely, ceasing to exist," Zhang Xuan murmured with an awful complexion.

The Heaven's Path zhenqi's restorative property far surpassed that of any medicinal herbs or pills... but despite its seemingly miraculous effects, it did not have the ability to recreate meridians out of nothing.

Even the most skilled of blacksmith would be unable to forge a weapon without tools and ores.

This was exactly what was going on with Zhao Ya.

Given that her meridians had been completely destroyed, how could the Heaven's Path zhenqi heal something that was no longer there?

"Without meridians, I won't be able to drive my zhenqi through her body effectively, and that'll make it much more difficult to treat her..."

In a sense, meridians were like the capillaries of the body; they could be found everywhere so that the bloodstream could transport oxygen to every cell in the body. The destruction of the meridians was somewhat similar to the collapse of the roads. The Heaven's Path zhenqi would not be able to get around her body easily, thus slowing down the treatment significantly.

"Let's try using the silver needles!"

Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out a couple of silver needles and infused a surge of his zhenqi on each of them before flicking them away.

Weng weng weng weng!

Several hundred silver needles immediately pierced into the acupoints of the young lady.

"Cough cough..." Zhang Xuan swayed on the spot before falling back down onto the ground.

His injuries were not light, and he was in no state to expend too much energy. While attempting to save Zhao Ya, he had also nearly depleted himself dry.

Knowing that he could not afford to collapse at this moment, he swiftly took out a pill and swallowed it. A while later, when he felt that some strength had returned to his body, he quickly turned his sight to the young lady once more.

After infusing several hundred surges of zhenqi into Zhao Ya's body via the silver needles, her complexion alleviated significantly. However, due to the severity of her injuries, she was still a long way off from regaining consciousness.

"The trauma to her body as a result of the collapse of her meridians is simply too great. If she ever wants to recover her strength as a cultivator, her meridians will have to be reconstructed..."

A deep frown surfaced between Zhang Xuan's brows.

As formidable as his medical skills were, this was his first time meeting with such a situation. There was nothing like this detailed in the medical books, so he was also at a complete loss as to what he could do.

At this point, it was not a matter of whether he knew how to reconstruct meridians or not—such a matter was completely unheard of in the Master Teacher Continent in the very first place!

A glint flashed across Zhang Xuan's eyes. "But just because it's unheard of doesn't mean that it's impossible. All I have to do is be the first one to achieve it!"

So what if no one had achieved it in the past?

If no one had done it before, he would just have to be the one to break new grounds then!

"But... what can I use to replace her meridians? The material must allow zhenqi to pass through it without any obstruction, be sufficiently flexible and resilient, and be able to store energy."

Meridians were similar to expressways tailored for zhenqi. In order to reconstruct them, the first thing that Zhang Xuan had to do was find a material suitable to replace it.

But what in the world had the properties necessary to replace meridians and yet not harm a person's body?

After some contemplation, Zhang Xuan was unable to come up with anything good, so he could only shake his head helplessly.

"It seems like I should drop by the Blacksmith Guild or Physician Guild to take a look..."

If it were to come down to it, he might have to try fusing several materials together and forge out a new set of meridians for her. However, the problem was that his forging abilities were simply too unremarkable! Forging a brick was already the limits of his ability, let alone forging something that had to be small, delicate, precise, and allow zhenqi to pass through without any obstruction. That was really asking the impossible of him!

Besides, it was not even certain yet if meridians could be replaced by other materials. So, he would have to hit the books to determine his next course of action.

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Chapter 1506: Zhao Ya Regains Consciousness

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

After coming up with a rough idea as to how he could treat Zhao Ya, Zhang Xuan felt the burden in his heart alleviating slightly. He continued his acupuncture treatment, infusing tens of thousands of zhenqi surges into Zhao Ya's body before her condition finally stabilized.

It had been said time and time again, but Zhao Ya was truly in a horrible condition. Had it been any other physician in Zhang Xuan's place, even if the person was a 9-star pinnacle physician, they would still have found themself utterly lost as to how to help Zhao Ya. Pills would not work as there were no meridians to diffuse the medicinal energy, and the usual zhenqi circulation methods would not work for the same reason.

Even with the miraculous Heaven's Path zhenqi, Zhang Xuan could only infuse it bit by bit through the silver needles into the injured parts of her body to slowly induce her recovery.

By the time he was done, a day had already passed.

Other than occasionally going around to find some wild fruits, mashing them up, and feeding them to Zhao Ya to alleviate her hunger, he spent most of his time treating Zhao Ya and himself and recovering his cultivation.

Fortunately, his hard work paid off. He finally managed to expel the ravaging might from Elder Qu's attack that had seeped into his body and successfully healed his injuries. At the same time, he also managed to accustom himself to his Saint 8-dan Dimension Sundering realm primary stage cultivation as well.

"The last round of acupuncture! As long as I succeed, Zhao Ya should be able to regain consciousness!"

Seeing that the sun was rising once more, Zhang Xuan quickly conditioned his own state before taking his silver needles out. Gazing down on the peaceful face of the young lady lying not too far away, he flicked his wrist.

Huala!

Several hundred silver needles immediately floated before him, and he stroked each of them lightly as if playing the zither.

As Zhao Ya's meridians had been completely destroyed, making it impossible for her body to transport zhenqi around, Zhang Xuan had no choice but to infuse his Heaven's Path zhenqi directly into the wounded areas of her body. After a day of hard work, she had mostly recovered from her injuries. As long as nothing went wrong, he would be able to stimulate her nerves after this final round of acupuncture and rouse her from her deep slumber.

"Go!"

The silver needles infused with unique energy surged forth and pierced into Zhao Ya's body. Not daring to loosen up in the slightest, Zhang Xuan raised his hands and clapped them together.

Pah pah pah!

A series of resounding claps timed impeccably to produce a certain beat sounded in the air. It was a simple but strangely intoxicating melody, reminiscent of demonic tunes. As it echoed in the forest, the fingers of the unconscious young lady twitched a little. Following which, her curled eyelashes fluttered a little before her eyes gradually opened.

"Teacher..." Struggling to sit up, Zhao Ya looked at the young man before her with a hint of wonder in her eyes. "I'm... alive?"

With her meridians completely destroyed, she had thought that she would die without fail. However, it seemed like the merciful heavens had given her another chance to meet with her teacher.

"Don't worry. I'm around—I won't let death claim you so easily!" Zhang Xuan replied with a gentle smile.

Wei Ruyan's condition had been much worse than this back then, but he had still successfully treated her.

With the Library of Heaven's Path to uncover all flaws and the Heaven's Path zhenqi to heal all wounds, given sufficient time, Zhang Xuan would surely be able to bring anyone back from death's embrace!

"Un!"

Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhao Ya managed to wobble up to her feet, but due to the feeble state she was in, she was still unable to maintain her balance too well.

Zhang Xuan quickly stretched his hand out to support her before sighing deeply. "I have managed to stabilize your condition for the time being, but due to the collapse of your meridians, the zhenqi you have cultivated so far has ended up dissipating. However, you don't have to worry. I'll find a way for you to recover your strength as soon as possible!"

"Thank you, Teacher," Zhao Ya replied with a faint smile.

She was already very thankful to the world for allowing her to remain in this world and see her teacher once more.

Whether she could recover her cultivation or not was no longer important to her; she was already satisfied with what she had received. Whatever else fate had in store for her, she would accept it graciously.

Zhang Xuan quickly took out the spring water and wild fruits that he had harvested and passed them over for Zhao Ya to consume, and only then did the young lady regain some strength. She scanned her surroundings doubtfully and asked, "Teacher, where are we? Aren't we in the Glacier Plain Court? How did we get here?"

She remembered seeing the First Elder and Elder Qu closing in on her teacher menacingly... Given how disadvantageous the situation had been for her teacher back then, how did he manage to get away?

"I'm not too sure where we are at the moment, but as for how we managed to get here, I'll fill you in on the details later. For the time being, we have to move."

After saying those words, Zhang Xuan lifted the young lady up and wrapped her amid a layer of zhenqi before flying into the distance.

Not too long later, they arrived in a small city.

While Zhao Ya was unable to tap into her cultivation anymore, after mostly recovering from her injuries, she was still able to move around without much trouble, just like an ordinary human.

"We are in Longyuan City..."

After asking some passers-by, they managed to figure out their current location.

"I have seen Longyuan City on the map before," Zhao Ya said. "It's roughly thirty thousand li away from the Glacier Plain Court and several thousand li away from the Empire Alliance."

"Oh? So, this city is in close proximity to the Empire Alliance." Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

That night, he had fled in a fluster, and he had even changed directions eight times midway in order to ensure that any trackers sent after him would not be able to find him easily. As a result of that, even he had no idea which direction he had headed in.

Perhaps it was due to the breakthrough in his cultivation to the Dimension Sundering realm that resulted in a significant boost in his speed, but despite the detours that he had taken, he had still managed to fly thirty thousand li away in a single night.

"That's right." Zhao Ya nodded.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a brief moment before saying, "Since the Empire Alliance is in the vicinity, let's head over there!"

The problem regarding Zhao Ya's collapsed meridians had to be treated as soon as possible, and a city as small as Longyuan City was unlikely to have the necessary resources required for her treatment. On the other hand, the Empire Alliance was the very center of the Conferred Empires, and in terms of its overall development, be it in terms of military might or economic prowess, it could be said to almost be on par with the current Sanctum of Sages.

Perhaps, he might just be able to find the materials and books necessary to reconstruct Zhao Ya's meridians there.

Zhao Ya nodded in agreement.

She would follow wherever her teacher went. After all that she had been through, she no longer wanted to be apart from her teacher anymore.

Knowing that he had gotten into a fair bit of trouble recently, and it would simply be asking for trouble to appear before others in their original appearance, Zhang Xuan proposed, "But before we make our way over, we'll have to alter our appearances a bit..."

Zhao Ya gave a nod of agreement.

Zhang Xuan's disguise was relatively easy. Having cultivated the Heaven's Path Golden Body, he was able to move his muscles freely to alter his appearance. On the other hand, due to Zhao Ya's lack of cultivation, it was slightly more troublesome for her. Nevertheless, by using a couple of unique artifacts, they still managed to conceal her ravishing looks.

...

While the duo was heading toward the Empire Alliance, the Teleportation Formation in the Sanctum of Sages suddenly shook, and several figures materialized on the spot.

They were the group that had taken to detour from the Zhang Clan to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters before teleporting over—Yang Xuan, Sword Saint Xing, Sword Saint Meng, and First Elder Zhang Wuheng.

"What happened? Why is it so messy around here?" Walking out from the portal, Yang shi assessed his surroundings with a deep furrow on his forehead.

The Sanctum of Sages was the number one academy on the Master Teacher Continent, and it was one of the two major subsidiaries of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, placed on equal footing with the Combat Master Hall. But at that moment, its buildings had been torn down, and pillars of smoke could be seen here and there. It was almost as if the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had just been there!

"Zhan Tiancheng pays respect to Yang shi!" Zhan shi quickly rushed forward and lowered his head in embarrassment. He had no idea how he should explain this matter to the other party. "Regarding this..."

He had already mostly recovered from his injuries, but the very thought of a mere Phantasmal Space realm student being able to corner him so far was enough to leave him so stifled that he could have spurted several liters of blood out.

More importantly, that fellow was actually Yang shi's direct disciple!

How was he supposed to explain this matter to Yang shi?

"Zhan shi, I requested you to hold Zhang Xuan here by hook or by crook. May I know where he is at the moment?" Zhang Wuheng asked anxiously.

"Zhang Xuan..." Upon hearing that name, Zhan shi's face twitched, and unquenchable fury surfaced in the depths of his eyes. "He slipped past our defenses and fled!"

"He fled?" Zhang Wuheng was taken aback. "This is the Sanctum of Sages! How did he manage to get away right beneath your nose?"

"He constructed a Teleportation Formation and teleported right through our defenses, how was I supposed to stop him? The current state of the Sanctum of Sages is also all his doing!" Zhan Shi spat through gritted teeth.

"You said that Zhang Xuan constructed a Teleportation Formation? Tell me more," Yang shi requested with a deep frown.

"Yang shi, I know that Zhang Xuan is your direct disciple, but that man really has no regard for the rules of the Master Teacher Pavilion at all. I wouldn't have wanted it to come to this if I had a choice, but this is already far beyond what I can tolerate. I have already reported this matter to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, and I seek your understanding for this matter!" Zhan shi clasped his fist and bowed slightly.

Yang shi shook his head and clarified, "You have misunderstood. Zhang Xuan isn't my student!"

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Chapter 1507: Yang shi Meets Sun Qiang

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"He isn't your student?" Zhan shi was taken aback.

The other elders in the area were dumbstruck as well.

The news that Zhang Xuan was Yang shi's direct disciple had caused a huge stir a while back, such that there was probably no one else in the Sanctum of Sages who did not know of the matter. Why would Yang shi deny it?

"It's been less than a day since I first heard that name. I only have one student—Feng Ziyi!" Yang shi clarified with a shake of his head.

It seemed like Zhang Xuan's disguise was really impeccable. To think that even a master teacher of Zhan shi's caliber had been fooled by his words!

This made Yang shi even more curious about the young man.

Just what kind of capabilities did that fellow who had barely achieved a breakthrough to the Phantasmal Space realm possess that he could leave the Zhang Clan and the Sanctum of Sages in a state of unrest? Not only so, he had even managed to utterly convince everyone that he was his direct disciple!

Seeing that Yang shi was not joking, Zhan shi swiftly realized that he had been fooled, and he furiously bellowed, "That would explain everything... Who would have thought that the fellow would actually be so bold as to impersonate as Yang shi's student and go around fooling others! That's another heinous crime that he has committed! He must be severely punished so as to send out a stern warning to the others!"

All this while, he had been conflicted about Zhang Xuan's identity, which had put him at a loss as to how he should deal with that fellow. However, since it had been clarified that the fellow was actually not Yang shi's student, there was no need for him to hesitate anymore.

"You said that he should be severely punished?" Hearing those words, Yang shi looked at Zhan shi with a bizarre expression on his face as he asked, "Do you not know who he is?"

"Who he is? Who could he possibly be?" Zhan shi flung his sleeves furiously. "No matter who he is, as long as he isn't your student, I'll make sure that he pays the price for daring to wreak havoc in the Sanctum of Sages!"

"Whatever pleases you... I just hope that you don't regret your decision later on!" Yang shi shook his head before falling silent.

He had only heard of the appearance of the token from the First Elder's description, so there was no way that he could say for sure whether it was truly the Sanctum Head Token or not. In other words, everything was still his speculation at that point.

He did not think that it would be appropriate for him to make claims that were yet to be verified.

"Yang shi, what do you mean by that?" Hearing the words of the other party, Zhan shi could not help but look at him doubtfully.

"Forget it, there's no point talking about it for now." Not wanting to linger on this topic, Yang shi swiftly scanned the surroundings before asking, "You said earlier that Zhang Xuan constructed a Teleportation Formation and fled through it. How did it happen?"

"It's like this..." With an embarrassed look on his face, Zhan shi swiftly went through the events that had occurred.

"You say that he borrowed your formation flags and made use of the energy from the attack from your Formation of the Sages in order to construct and activate a Teleportation Formation, and he fled through it..." Yang shi, the First Elder, and the others looked at one another in astonishment.

They could understand the words individually, but when those words were strung together, they formed gibberish that they simply could not comprehend.

With their level of cultivation and comprehension of the spatial laws, they were well aware of how difficult it was to set up a Teleportation Formation.

It was still a minor matter if one failed to construct it within a short period of time, but more importantly, if one made the slightest error in its construction, one could very well be torn to shreds by the flow of space!

The combined might of the elders enhanced by the Formation of the Sages was already a perilous danger to deal with, and yet, he was still able to turn this threat into a supporting force to help him construct the Teleportation Formation and flee. Not only so, he even had the leisure to set up a self-destruction sequence in the formation...

Was that still humanely possible?

Sword Saint Xing and Sword Saint Meng turned toward Yang shi, and understanding the intention behind their gazes, Yang shi shook his head and replied, "I'm incapable of doing that!"

He did wield incredible might, worthy as being dubbed the strongest man of the new generation, but despite that, he was still incapable of setting a formation impeccably within a short period of time in the face of danger.

"Then, do you know where he teleported off to?" Sword Saint Meng asked anxiously.

The more outstanding Zhang Xuan proved himself to be, the more convinced she was that the young man was her child. Hearing that she had missed him once more, she could not help but feel deeply anxious inside.

"He destroyed the Teleportation Formation utterly, leaving no trace at all. I have no way of knowing where he went," Zhan shi replied with a shake of his head.

"Bring me to where the Teleportation Formation was," Yang shi instructed.

"Yes. This way, please!"

Zhan shi led the way, and very soon, they arrived before a massive pit. The explosion of the formation had left behind charred marks on the walls of the pit.

Floating in the air above, Yang shi examined the pit for quite a while before saying, "I can only roughly estimate the distance of the formation from the lingering energy in the area. He has teleported several million li away, but as for the direction and destination of where he's heading to, I'm afraid that's beyond my current capabilities to determine!"

"He teleported several million li away? He couldn't have returned back to the Zhang Clan, could he?" the First Elder exclaimed with a face pale in horror.

While that fellow was by no means strong, he had too many mysterious means up his sleeves that made him a difficult opponent to deal with. Given that they had come all the way to the Sanctum of Sages, the Zhang Clan was somewhat vulnerable at the moment. If that fellow returned to the Zhang Clan and wreaked havoc, it would be hard to say whether those remaining in the clan would be able to stop him or not!

"Since he has left the Zhang Clan, I don't think that the possibility of him returning is too high," Yang shi said.

Since Zhang Xuan had already teleported from the Zhang Clan to the Sanctum of Sages, it made little sense for him to teleport right back. After all, that would be too risky.

And more important than that... given the state that the Zhang Clan was in, was there anything else that he could destroy?

Sword Saint Meng pondered for a moment before asking, "Does Zhang Xuan... have any kin, or perhaps, people that he's close with? Judging from what you've all said, it seems likely that he's heading to find someone whom he's close with."

"He doesn't have any kin as far as I know... Oh right, he does have a subordinate right here in the Sanctum of Sages. I'll have him apprehended right now!" Zhan shi's eyes lit up upon stumbling across a potential clue, and he hurriedly issued some instructions.

He had thought that Sun Qiang was Yang shi's butler, so despite the mess that Zhang Xuan had caused earlier, he still did not dare apprehend the latter. However, since Yang shi had already clarified that he had no relationship with Zhang Xuan, there was no longer any need for him to hold back.

"Yes, Zhan shi!"

Without any hesitation, Elder Ge and the others swiftly flew into the distance.

"Since Sun Qiang is Zhang Xuan's subordinate, can you bring him here? I would like to hear some things from him," Sword Saint Meng said.

She wanted to verify whether Zhang Xuan was her son or not, and as Zhang Xuan's butler, that Sun Qiang person should know a lot about him.

It did not take too long for Elder Ge and the others to bring a rather plump man back with them.

The plump man had his strength completely sealed, and his bulging cheeks flew around the place as he struggled to break free of his restraints. As soon as the plump man caught sight of Zhan shi, he shouted furiously, "Little Zhan, what do you mean by this?"

"Audacious!"

Previously, it was because Sun Qiang was Yang shi's butler that Zhan shi had overlooked the other party addressing him in such a rude manner. However, having learned that it was all a lie, he could not help but feel rage seething through his body when he heard the plump man's words.

"Indeed, how dare you so audaciously apprehend me? Let me go right now, and I might still be able to overlook your insolence. Otherwise, once our Old Master learns of this matter, not even Zhan shi will be able to save you anymore!" Sun Qiang roared in anger.

Are these fellows insane?

Don't they know who I am? How dare they make a move on me? Unforgivable!

"Old Master? Hahaha!" Seeing how the plump man was still sticking to his act, trying to scare them with lies built upon thin air, Zhan shi could not help but burst into laughter. He gazed down on Sun Qiang with a scornful look and sneered, "Tell me then, who is the Old Master whom you speak of?"

"Our Old Master is Yang shi, Yang Xuan, a grand elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion, as well as one of the strongest experts on the Master Teacher Continent! Just who in the world gave you the guts to lay your filthy hands on me, Yang shi's butler? Do you want your head to roll? Hurry up and let me go!" Sun Qiang harrumphed coldly.

"Hahaha, hahahaha!" Thinking about how he had actually been scared by those ridiculous words in the past, Zhan shi could not help but laugh in fury.

Yang shi was standing right before him, and yet, that fellow still dared to continue impersonating his butler. Were there no limits to that fellow's arrogance?

Hearing the conversation between the two of them, Yang shi finally came to the limits of his tolerance. He walked forward and asked, "You said that you are Yang shi's butler? Do you know what Yang shi looks like?"

"You want to know our Old Master looks like? Our Old Master is one of the top experts in the world, and his appearance is the greatest secret of the Master Teacher Pavilion! You want to know how he looks like..."

At that point, Sun Qiang's lips curled up into a sneer, and with a voice filled with derision, he continued.

"Are you worthy of knowing?"

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Chapter 1508: Sun Qiang's Breakdown

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

While Sun Qiang was not a master teacher, having spent a long period of time with Zhang Xuan, he was still aware of most of the rules concerning master teachers.

Their Old Master, Yang Xuan, was one of the top experts of the continent, but even the strongest of experts would have their own weaknesses that others could exploit. In order to prevent the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe from designing a trap to deal with them, the appearance, strength, cultivation techniques, battle techniques, and other private information of those experts were made classified secrets that only the top echelon of the Master Teacher Pavilion was privy to.

Yet, an old fogey who came out of nowhere actually had the cheek to ask him for those details! Was he unaware of the rules?

"You are asking if I am worthy?" Yang Xuan could not help but chuckle softly upon hearing those words.

He had never thought the day would come when someone would ask him if he was worthy of knowing his own appearance.

"What are you laughing at? Now that you know that I'm Yang shi's butler, you should hurry up and release me! Otherwise, if the Old Master hears of this, none of you will get off the hook easily!" Sun Qiang bellowed angrily.

"I'm afraid it's impossible for what you have said to occur." Yang shi shook his head as he looked at Sun Qiang with a pitiful gaze. "There's no point letting this farce run any longer than this. Sun Qiang, I am the Old Master whom you have speaking of all this while, Yang Xuan!"

Sun Qiang was taken aback for a moment before he finally understood what Yang shi was saying. In an instant, he exploded. "Yang Xuan? How dare you impersonate the Old Master in front of me? Don't you know that it's a heinous crime to pretend to be a high-ranked master teacher?"

He had been with the Old Master for almost a year now, so he was familiar with the latter's looks and habits. Yet, this old fogey who had popped out of nowhere actually dared claim to be the Old Master.

Hu!

Barely after Sun Qiang stopped roaring, a token appeared right before his face.

"This is the master teacher token that represents my identity. You may have a look at it," Yang shi replied calmly.

Usually, he would have gotten angry at seeing another person using his name and acting all self-important, but he did not. This was because he could hear the conviction in the plump man's words.

In other words, the plump man was not putting on an act at all. He truly believed in what he was saying, and that meant that he was also a victim of the entire deception.

If that was the case, could it be that someone had impersonated him and accepted Zhang Xuan as his student... and the both of them were victims of the lies another person had cooked up?

Yang shi suddenly felt more determined than ever to uncover the truth.

Sun Qiang shot a wary glance at Yang Xuan before slowly turning his attention to the token. On the token, he saw two huge characters, 'Yang Xuan', inscribed on it. These two characters had an imposing aura to them that it seemed to pierce right into one's soul.

"I am Yang Xuan, a grand elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters. Your Old Master is the one who has impersonated me!"

"This..." Sun Qiang suddenly fell silent as a frightening realization crept into his mind.

Slowly, his body began to shudder uncontrollably.

The reason he had dared to throw his weight around was in view of the fact that they were in the Sanctum of Sages, and the persons-in-charge were master teachers. As long as they were master teachers, they would have no choice but to defer to his identity as Yang Xuan's butler. On top of that, even though the Young Master did cause a huge fuss, he had not made any mistakes. In view of his identity, they would not dare do anything to him. So, the Sanctum of Sages was paradoxically the safest place for him to be.

He had never thought that the foreign-looking old man before him would actually be Yang shi. If that was the case, who was the fellow whom he had met previously?

The shock at having been told such a huge lie made his body turn completely cold, and he could not help but doubt everything that he had held faith in.

Ever since the Old Master had chosen him back in the Tianxuan Kingdom, he had followed him all the way up the ranks. Many things had happened along the journey, but every single time, the Old Master would appear at the most crucial of moment and save them from the crises that they were in. It did not take long for the Old Master to take on an indomitable image in his mind, becoming his faith and hope. In fact, when he first heard of Yang Xuan's title as one of the strongest cultivators on the Master Teacher Continent, he had never, even for a single moment, doubted that the Old Master would be a fake.

Yet, the old man before him was telling him that the Old Master was the impersonator. In an instant, it was as if his entire world had collapsed.

"Impossible... This can't be true... You are lying to me!" Sun Qiang's face paled, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

"What is so impossible about this? It's time for you to open your eyes to reality! Someone as esteemed as Yang shi would only take in top-notch experts like Hu Yiwei as his butler! Just think about it, what right does a weakling like you have to become Yang shi's butler?" Elder Ge sneered coldly.

"But..." Sun Qiang tried to refute, but he could not find the words to say.

Noticing the traumatized state that Sun Qiang was in, Sword Saint Meng swiftly realized that if she did not pose her question now, she might no longer get a chance to do so. So, she quickly interjected and asked, "Sun Qiang, how old is your Young Master, Zhang Xuan, this year? Do you know his birthday?"

"Impossible... How could someone as formidable as our Old Master possibly be an impersonator?" However, Sun Qiang simply shook his head non-stop, as if he could not hear Sword Saint Meng's words at all.

"Alright, there's no point asking him anymore. He has always believed himself to be my butler, and the revelation that the person whom he has been following all this time is a fake has caused his world to shatter into pieces. Given his current state, he won't be able to respond coherently to any of your questions!" Yang shi shook his head and sighed.

In the days that he had spent roaming around the Master Teacher Continent, he had seen many such cases. There were some individuals who had hypnotized themselves into believing that they were something that they were not, to the extent that they had even adjusted their behavior and actions to correspond with their beliefs as well. Clearly, the plump man before him was also one such person.

Given that his Old Master had introduced himself as Yang Xuan right from the start, it was inevitable that the other party would simply take that for granted. Lies weaved upon a lie, he eventually placed himself into a non-existent identity, playing a character that he believed to be his own calling. As time went by, it became harder and harder for him to jump out of that identity, to the point where the truth was no longer something that he could accept.

"But..." Sword Saint Meng began to protest anxiously.

"There's no need to panic. I understand how you feel, but no matter how many rumors you hear, there's no way you can be certain whether Zhang Xuan is your son or not. The only effective way for you to verify it is to meet him in person!" Yang shi said.

No matter how many rumors one heard, the only way to verify if something was true was to check it with one's own eyes.

Since that was the case, it did not really matter whether Sword Saint Meng was able to question Sun Qiang or not. Eventually, she would still have to meet Zhang Xuan personally in order to confirm his identity.

"But... where did he go?" Sword Saint Meng exclaimed anxiously.

"I don't know either, but as long as we continue looking, I believe that we'll be able to find some traces of him," Yang shi said.

It was impossible for anything to appear or vanish without leaving any traces. As long as they investigated carefully, they would be able to find some clues to where Zhang Xuan was heading.

"Hmm?" All of a sudden, while Yang shi was clarifying some details regarding the incident with Zhan shi, his eyebrows shot up. He flicked his wrist, and a Communication Jade Token appeared in his hands.

His Communication Jade Token was different from the ones held by other master teachers. It was made out of a crystalline material, giving it a transparent exterior. Vaguely, one could sense a powerful formation harnessing great energy embedded within the token.

The Communication Jade Token of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters was a tool that was powerful enough to allow one to communicate with others no matter where one was on the Master Teacher Continent!

However, it was a pity that an exorbitant price had to be paid to forge even a single one of these tokens, so only the highest-ranking master teachers were qualified to hold one.

"What's wrong?" Noticing the anomaly in Yang shi's complexion, the First Elder Zhang Wuheng quickly turned his gaze over.

"There's news on Zhang Xuan..." After reading through the information on the Communication Jade Token, Yang shi exhaled deeply before stowing the token back into his storage ring.

"Where is he?" Sword Saint Meng asked anxiously.

"The Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters have just received news that he has used my name to wreak havoc in the Glacier Plain Court and kidnapped their young court chief," Yang shi said.

"Used Yang shi's name? Kidnapped the Glacier Plain Court's young court chief?"

Everyone was stunned by the scale of what they had just heard.

Just what was that fellow up to?

Was he unaware of the extent of the influence that the Master Teacher Pavilion had over the Master Teacher Continent?

To be causing trouble everywhere he went, was he tired of living?

"That's right. From the looks of it, it appears that the Teleportation Formation leads right toward the Glacier Plain Court. I'm going over to take a look personally. Who's going to follow me? I'm afraid that if the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters get ahead of us, we might just lose the chance to meet him!" Yang shi said.

At this point, his curiosity toward Zhang Xuan was starting to become a little unbearable.

To think that that fellow would head to the Glacier Plain Court disguised as him... just what was his goal?

Hearing that the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters was likely to make a move, Sword Saint Meng pleaded anxiously, "Yang shi, may I ask you get the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters to hold back on this matter for now? Zhang Xuan... h-he's still young... it might just have been a moment of folly!"

The Master Teacher Pavilion was not the strongest power on the Master Teacher Continent for nothing. Once they made a move, not even the deities would be able to save Zhang Xuan.

"I'm afraid that even I am helpless before this matter. Unless your Zhang Clan, the Sanctum of Sages, and the Glacier Plain Court let this matter drop, the Master Teacher Pavilion is compelled to step in and resolve this conflict.

"Most likely, the news should have reached the top echelons of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters now, and the deputy pavilion master will be the one to make the final call. It's been a long time since I participated in the matters of the Master Teacher Pavilion, so I fear that I no longer possess the authority to overwrite his decision!" Yang shi shook his head.

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Chapter 1509: Empire Alliance

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"But..." Sword Saint Meng exclaimed in agitation

If Zhang Xuan was truly their son, would they still be able to protect him now that the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters had chosen to officially intervene in this matter?

"Calm down, dear. For the time being, we should try to find Zhang Xuan as quickly as possible. As long as we can get to him before the Master Teacher Pavilion, in deference of our standing, there might still be some room for reconciliation," Sword Saint Xing said as he grabbed his wife's hand and squeezed it to reassure her.

"Un, you're right." Sword Saint Meng took in a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Reverting back to her usual decisive and valiant self, she nodded. "If he's really my son, even if the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters get involved, they will have to step over my dead body to get to him!"

"Of course!" Sword Saint Xing replied with a smile. "It has been quite some time since the two of us last fought alongside one another. I think it's about time to remind the world of our prowess lest they forget! We shall let them know that anyone who tries to trifle with the son of the Xingmeng Sword Saints will have hell to pay for!"

By the side, the First Elder Zhang Wuheng and Zhan shi looked at the spirited couple before them, and their lips could not help but twitch slightly.

Was destruction actually a trait that was coded in the genes and could be inherited?

"There's a Teleportation Formation in the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters that leads straight to the Glacier Plain Court. Let's go!" Yang shi waved his hand.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly recalled something and turned his gaze to Zhan shi. "Spare Sun Qiang for the time being. Wait for me to clarify the situation before deciding on how he should be dealt with!"

No matter what, Sun Qiang was also a victim of this incident, and the many uncertainties tied into the matter made Yang shi reluctant to pass judgement for the time being. Besides, there might be some use in keeping Sun Qiang alive.

"I understand!" Zhan shi clasped fist.

Seeing that the other party had agreed to it, Yang shi nodded silently. The group returned back to the Teleportation Formation that they had come from, and with a brilliant flicker of light, they vanished from the spot.

...

Looking at the majestic city in front of him and the towering buildings that rose into the sky, Zhang Xuan muttered beneath his breath, "This is the Empire Alliance?"

In the forest just outside of Longyuan City, he had tamed a random aerial saint beast that he had caught and had it fly them to the Empire Alliance.

At this moment, the two of them had already altered their appearances, allowing them to bypass the checks along the way. Before long, they had already successfully entered the city.

"Teacher, where shall we go now?" Zhao Ya asked.

With the nourishment of the Heaven's Path zhenqi, most of her wounds had healed. Her complexion looked a lot better than before, and she no longer appeared as frail as she previously did. It was just that there was still not a shred of power in her body.

"We'll first head over to the Blacksmith Guild to take a look," Zhang Xuan said.

After much thought, he felt that there were only two places that would aid him in reconstructing Zhao Ya's meridians—the Blacksmith Guild and the Physician Guild.

For the time being, he felt that it would be better for him to head over to the Blacksmith Guild to find the materials required for forging the meridians. It would be best if he could find something useful there.

Otherwise, he would just have to go to the Physician Guild to search for another method to reconstruct meridians.

The two of them began making their way over to the Blacksmith Guild, but on their journey there, they could not help but notice that the crowd were converging toward a certain location. They shot perplexed glances in that direction, and coincidentally, a resounding voice also echoed at the same moment.

"Citizens of the Empire Alliance, please gather in the square in front of the Alliance Atrium..."

Hualala!

Barely after those words were said, many armored soldiers swiftly emerged from the alleys and sealed the area. They ushered the crowd to move in a single direction, presumably toward the square in front of the Alliance Atrium that the voice had just spoken of.

"What happened?"

"I don't know either, but I think it's likely that the alliance head has some important news to announce!"

"I don't think that's the case. While the alliance head wields the greatest authority in the Empire Alliance, even he doesn't have the right to get the entire city to gather together in a single location. It's more likely that the Master Teacher Pavilion has something to announce!"

"That makes sense. Oh well, we'll know once we get there..."

Such discussion could be heard in the surroundings.

"Teacher..." Zhao Ya glanced at Zhang Xuan with a slightly worried expression.

"We mustn't stand out too much. Let's head there as well!" Zhang Xuan said.

With all of the citizens in the area heading toward the Alliance Atrium, they would surely catch the attention of the guards if they turned around to leave now. While they were confident in their disguises, there was no need to stand out excessively and bring themselves needless risk.

In any case, it would be good for them to find out what was going on.

"Un!" Zhao Ya also swiftly came to realize the same logic, and nodding her head, she stuck close to Zhang Xuan and moved alongside him.

One thing that was worth noting was that there were really many experts in the Empire Alliance. As soon as the command was issued, powerful zhenqi pulsations swiftly suffused the area.

Mankind is indeed growing stronger collectively by the day under the leadership of the Master Teacher Pavilion! Zhang Xuan thought.

Most powers carried some level of apprehension toward the Master Teacher Pavilion, but it had to be said that wherever the Master Teacher Pavilion existed, the humans in the area would grow stronger and stronger, such that the powerful Otherworldly Demons would not dare to make a reckless move.

While the Empire Alliance was officially viewed as an individual governing entity, everyone was aware that the power that really held the final say was the Master Teacher Pavilion.

A command from the Master Teacher Pavilion would easily rally millions, such that even the authority and influence of the royal clans paled far in comparison.

Master teachers devoted their time and effort to grooming the later generations, passing down invaluable knowledge and lineages without any reservations. It was due to their selfless giving that the later generations were able to build on the knowledge of the previous generation and further the legacy of mankind.

At this point, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled a renowned saying left behind by an ancient historian.

Had the heavens not sent Kong shi, the days would have been as bleak as eternal night!

The system of master teachers and the rules and regulations governing it had all been designed by Kong shi. Had it not been for his leadership, no one could have fathomed the plight that mankind would be in right now.

Perhaps, mankind might still have been living under the tyranny of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, living from day to day in bleak hopelessness.

With his own strength, Kong shi had managed to alter the course of history and changed the entire fate of mankind. Without a doubt, he had been a true sage through and through.

I was still thinking that I would be able to resolve my Innate Fetal Poison once I became a 9-star master teacher, but now... Zhang Xuan could not help but shake his head.

Based on the information that he had previously received, the Innate Fetal Poison in his body could be resolved once he became a 9-star master teacher. However, given that he had abandoned his identity as a master teacher... it seemed like he might just be unable to live past his thirties.

Even so, he had no regrets.

If he could not even protect his own students as a teacher, there was no point even if he could live forever!

"Teacher..."

While Zhang Xuan was deep in thought, he suddenly heard a voice in his ears. Turning his head over, he saw Zhao Ya looking at him with a deeply worried look.

"I'm fine," Zhang Xuan replied with a smile as he turned his gaze forward.

Unknowingly, the two of them had arrived at the square in front of the Alliance Atrium.

The square was not supposed to be so big, but it seemed like some kind of expert had set up a Spatial Formation that expanded the square to be large enough to house the entire city without it being too cramped.

Similar to a folded space, but considerably cruder... Zhang Xuan thought as he assessed the Spatial Formation before him.

He could tell that it was likely the work for a 9-star formation master. It would appear to be an incredible feat to any other cultivator, but to Zhang Xuan, the spatial manipulation looked incredibly unrefined.

"Citizens of the Empire Alliance!"

A short moment after they found a position within the square, a resounding voice suddenly echoed in the air, traveling into the ears of every single person standing around.

"The reason I had everyone gather here today is because the Master Teacher Pavilion has an important announcement to make. Now, allow me to invite a master teacher from the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters up here!"

Everyone turned to the center of the square, and very soon, they saw an old man wearing a master teacher robe floating in midair. There was a deep frown on his face, and he exuded a powerful aura.

He was a half 9-star master teacher. While he had yet to become a full-fledged 9-star master teacher, he was more than enough to be considered one of the top experts in the Empire Alliance.

Huala!

The old man flicked his wrist and took out a scroll. He unrolled it gently, and a brilliant light immediately burst into the sky. Following which, a heavy, authoritative aura weighed down on the crowd in the square.

"That's a Master Teacher Decree... What are they planning to do?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

He recognized the scroll that the old man had unrolled—it was a Master Teacher Decree. It was the most authoritative command from the Master Teacher Pavilion, so it would never be used easily. He had never thought that he would see it just after entering the Empire Alliance City.

Furthermore, for it to be personally relayed by a half 9-star master teacher... what was going on?

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Chapter 1510: Fifth Acknowledgement of Celestial Master Teacher

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Huala!

Amid Zhang Xuan's doubt, two massive characters floated up from the opened scroll, and they covered the entire sky with an air of valiance.

"Arrest Warrant?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

Those two characters were the words 'Arrest Warrant' written in an ancient script. What could that mean?

While Zhang Xuan was still in shock, he heard an exclamation from the crowd around him. "Could the Master Teacher Pavilion be placing an arrest warrant on someone?"

Zhang Xuan could not help but ask, "What does that mean?"

"Based on what I know, if someone who has committed a heinous crime is on the run, the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters can release an arrest warrant to have that person apprehended. Usually, once the arrest warrant is released, that person is done for because there's no way to escape from it! Any locations that have a Master Teacher Pavilion will surely receive the arrest warrant, so there's absolutely no way the wanted person could escape arrest! But ever since the founding of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, the arrest warrant has been issued less than ten times..."

This...

Hearing the explanation, Zhang Xuan's eyelids twitched a little as an ominous premonition surfaced in his mind.

Could it be...

Before he could finish formulating his thoughts, a deep voice boomed across the air

"8-star Master Teacher Zhang Xuan has disrespected his seniors by disguising as a high-rank master teacher. He has willfully caused great destruction in the Zhang Clan, wreaked havoc in the Sanctum of Sages, and kidnapped the young court chief and leveled countless buildings of the Glacier Plain Court. In view of the atrocities that he has committed, the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters has decided to place an arrest warrant on him. This is his soul aura and his appearance. Anyone who finds him can report him to the local Master Teacher Pavilion, and once the news is verified, the informant will be awarded one hundred pinnacle spirit stones!"

"100 pinnacle spirit stones?"

"Just how desperate is the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters to capture him?"

"Destroying the Zhang Clan, wreaking havoc in the Sanctum of Sages, and kidnapping the young court chief of the Glacier Plain Court... Has he lost his mind?"

"Wait, doesn't that mean that the Zhang Clan, Sanctum of Sages, and Glacier Plain Court all failed to capture him?"

"Just who is that Zhang Xuan to wield such formidable capabilities..."

...

A huge commotion broke out amid the crowd as looks of belief surfaced all around.

Those three powers symbolized the top echelons of the Master Teacher Continent, and yet, an 8-star master teacher had actually managed to cause trouble in their home turf and get away scot-free, forcing the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters to put out an arrest warrant on him.

Just what kind of formidable capabilities did Zhang Xuan wield to be able to pull off something like that?

"Teacher..." Standing beside Zhang Xuan, Zhao Ya's face turned ghastly pale upon hearing those words, and she hurriedly turned to look at him with concern.

She knew that her teacher had rushed over from afar in order to save her, but she did not think that he would actually cause such a huge commotion for her.

Zhang Xuan's lips also twitched a little upon hearing the decree.

To be honest, while he did cause quite a bit of destruction, those three powers, the Zhang Clan, the Sanctum of Sages, and the Glacier Plain Court, also held irrefutable blame.

The First Elder of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Wuheng, had tried to kill him, which eventually resulted in the ensuing tragedy.

Zhan shi of the Sanctum of Sages had forcefully attempted to stop him and hand him over to the Zhang Clan, and it had been in retaliation to their hostility that a huge part of the Sanctum of Sages had ended up being destroyed.

As for the Glacier Plain Court, they had actually forced their young court chief to resort to depraved arts, and not to mention, Zhao Ya was his student, so how could his actions be considered kidnapping.

Yet, to think that they would be so shameless as to report this matter to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters and push for the issuing of such a decree...

All he wanted to do was to resolve his Innate Fetal Poison and live a peaceful life as a teacher.

Why was this simple wish of his just so difficult to achieve?

With the issuing of this decree, the entire Master Teacher Continent would swiftly know of him, and he would no longer be able to live quietly.

This was something that he absolutely did not wish to see.

"Teacher, they said that you... destroyed the Zhang Clan and wreaked havoc in the Sanctum of Sages... What's going on?"

At this point, Zhao Ya could not keep her cool any longer.

Ever since she regained consciousness, her teacher had made sure to steer clear from mentioning what had happened earlier, so till now, she had still been unsure of what the exact circumstances were.

She had willingly left with her teacher, so how did it become her teacher kidnapping her instead?

Furthermore, the leveling of countless buildings of the Glacier Plain Court... Considering the limited cultivation of her teacher, surely there was no way he could have pulled something like that off.

Knowing that he could not hide this matter from Zhao Ya anymore, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly. "This isn't the place to speak. I'll tell you everything after we find a quiet place later on..."

There were experts all around them, so zhenqi telepathy and the sort were not too safe. It would be better for them to find a safe location, where he would set up an isolation barrier, before explaining everything.

Otherwise, he would only put this student of his in greater unease if he continued keeping silent about everything.

"Alright!" Knowing that they were not in an appropriate place for them to speak as well, Zhao Ya nodded.

Soon, after the old man was done announcing the Master Teacher Decree, the crowd in the square dispersed. Suppressing his cultivation, Zhang Xuan brought Zhao Ya toward the suburbs of the Empire Alliance City.

He had been thinking of entering the Blacksmith Guild, but from the looks of it, it was fortunate that he had not. Otherwise, he would have been caught as soon as he walked in.

The two of them quickly left the Empire Alliance City and entered a relatively peaceful valley. Zhang Xuan set up an isolation barrier around the area and checked once more that there was no one around before he began explaining everything to Zhao Ya.

From the conflict in the Zhang Clan, the teleportation at the Sanctum of Sages, to the lightning tribulation at the Glacier Plain Court, before Zhang Xuan could finish his story, Zhao Ya's eyes were already widened to the brim. She was completely dumbfounded by what she had just heard.

She had thought that she was already very bold, but compared to her teacher, it seemed like her boldness was only child's play.

Those were three major powers on the Master Teacher Continent! Just getting on the bad side of any one of them was enough to render any cultivator so uneasy that they would not be able to eat well or rest well. Yet, her teacher actually still had the guts to bring her into the Empire Alliance City and even listen to the Master Teacher Decree in person.

"Teacher, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have sent that message to you..." Zhao Ya could not help but bite her lips in regret.

It was for her that her teacher had ended up offending so many powers at once. Otherwise, given his capabilities, he surely would have been highly regarded by the Master Teacher Pavilion, and he would not have ended up in such a position.

"It's fine!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

He had intended to wreak havoc in the Zhang Clan anyway, so he did not mind souring his relationship with them.

As for the Sanctum of Sages, that was even less of a problem. He was the sanctum head candidate, and he had already unlocked two seals on the Sanctum Head Token so far. As long as he could find suitable optic art manuals to perfect the Divine Eyes of the Ninth Netherworld, he would be able to unlock the final seal. By then, he would be able to reveal his identity, and the problem would be resolved by itself.

Regarding the Glacier Plain Court, given what they had done to his student, putting aside destroying them once, he would have no qualms with destroying them a second time or even a third!

So, the matters that had left the crowd lowering their jaws in shock were actually nothing much to him at all!

It was just that with his 'notoriety' spreading far and wide, it would be hard for him to maintain a low profile.

"Teacher, with the arrest warrant put on you, the master teacher rank that you have earned with great difficulty will be completely put to waste," Zhao Ya exclaimed anxiously.

Given that even the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters had gotten involved, there was no doubt that her teacher would be stripped of his master teacher rank. She had seen with her own eyes how her teacher had advanced from an ordinary teacher to a master teacher and the painstaking effort that he had put in so as to scale the master teacher ladder. For it all to be ruined just like that...

Putting aside her teacher, even she felt indignant on his behalf!

"What's the point of remaining as a master teacher if I had to abandon what I stand for? As long as I stand by my values as a teacher, what does losing a mere title matter?" Zhang Xuan shook his head as he reassured his student.

A moment later, he suddenly froze on the spot.

The words that he had said to Zhao Ya had made him realize something.

All along, he had thought that his Innate Fetal Poison would not be resolved if he lost his title as a master teacher.

But back in Kong shi's earlier years, the master teacher occupation still had not come into existence.

If so, how did he resolve the Innate Fetal Poison?

What was it that defined one as a master teacher? If one acted and behaved as a master teacher but lacked the recognition from the Master Teacher Pavilion, would that mean that they were not a master teacher anymore?

Ultimately, the Master Teacher Pavilion was just a formality. As long as one embraced the values of a teacher, why should they care about how others view them?

Did it really matter that much whether a master teacher wore a master teacher emblem or not?

As long as anyone saw themself as a teacher and conducted themself as one, even if they did not don the master teacher robe or have the recognition of the Master Teacher Pavilion, they would still be a true teacher!

Hong long!

As soon as this thought emerged in Zhang Xuan's mind, his body suddenly stiffened. A unique surge of power descended from the heavens and shrouded his body.

The fifth acknowledgement of Celestial Master Teacher had begun!

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Chapter 1511: The Frenzied Master Teacher Pavilion Headquarters (1)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The Elder Assembly of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters.

The deputy pavilion master, Ren Qingyuan, was sitting at the main seat, browsing through the information that had just being sent over before directing a sweeping gaze over the room.

"Has the arrest warrant been announced in all of the major cities yet?"

A 9-star master teacher stood up, clasped his fist, and replied, "Reporting to Pavilion Master Ren, it has been all been announced. The news should spread all around the Master Teacher Continent within a single day. As soon as Zhang Xuan appears, the headquarters will receive the news immediately, and we will be able to mobilize our men to apprehend him!"

He was Elder Qu, the same 9-star master teacher whom Zhang Xuan had encountered in the Glacier Plain Court.

As soon as he returned to the headquarters from the Glacier Plain Court, he had reported everything to Ren Qingyuan. Otherwise, the Master Teacher Decree would not have been issued so quickly.

"Pavilion Master Ren, the Master Teacher Arrest Warrant is no small matter," an elder remarked with a frown. "Ever since the founding of the Master Teacher Pavilion, it has only been used nine times to date. Zhang Xuan might be a little willful, but he's still a master teacher. Furthermore, we haven't gotten to the bottom of this matter yet. Isn't it making a mountain out of a molehill to issue an arrest warrant so recklessly? I fear that such a course of action might diminish the authority and prestige of our Master Teacher Pavilion!"

"How is this making a mountain out of a molehill?" Upon hearing those words, Elder Qu flung his sleeves furiously and harrumphed. "Despite being an 8-star master teacher, Zhang Xuan has shown no respect for his elders at all. Not only did he cause great destruction at the Zhang Clan, Sanctum of Sages, and the Glacier Plain Court, he even had the audacity to attempt to pass off as Grand Elder Yang Xuan!

"On top of that, he has shown no remorse for his actions at all! He knew that I am from the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, but he still dared to lay his hands on me! It would truly be diminishing the authority and prestige of our Master Teacher Pavilion if we let a person like him off the hook!"

Zhang Xuan possessed the ability to turn his zhenqi into lethal poison, command the power of lightning to unleash great destruction, and impeccably disguise himself as another person, and more importantly, his eye of discernment far surpassed that of any 9-star master teacher whom he had ever seen. If a person like him strayed from the path and devoted his strength to evil, even the Master Teacher Pavilion would have trouble controlling him!

It was necessary for them to deal with him as soon as possible, or else if he was left to his own devices, who knew how many more major powers would fall prey to his tyranny?

While Zhang Xuan did treat his injuries, for the sake of the greater good, they had to eliminate this unstable factor in the world!

"I understand where you are coming from, but I have looked into his records and found that he has progressed up from the Tianxuan Kingdom to where he is now within just the short span of a year. During this period of time, he has successfully crashed two Master Teacher Pavilions and cleared the Tower of Master Teachers. Not only so, he even pulled off an Empire Building, successfully raising the Xuanyuan Kingdom to an Unranked Empire. When he was in the Qingyuan Empire, he eliminated the Qingtian Emperor, saving the locals from an impending crisis. If we capture him just because of the Zhang Clan, the Sanctum of Sages, and the Glacier Plain Court reporting him and even issue the most authoritative Master Teacher Arrest Warrant after him, isn't that going overboard?" the elder from before replied with a deep frown.

Zhang Xuan's achievements were all recorded within the archive of the Master Teacher Pavilion, so it was not too difficult for the headquarters to look into them.

"I agree with Elder Wu's viewpoint," another elder added. "The Master Teacher Pavilion values young talents, and those who wield great capabilities do have a tendency to be candid and eccentric. While Zhang Xuan often contravenes the laws of the Master Teacher Pavilion and causes trouble, it's an undeniable fact that he has contributed greatly to mankind. In fact, he has countless students throughout the world, especially in the Qingyuan Empire. I don't think that it's appropriate to place an arrest warrant on him just like that!

"Also, we shouldn't forget that he's the teacher of the Progeny of Combat, Zheng Yang. I think that such a course of action could cause disharmony within the ranks of the Master Teacher Pavilion!"

"So what if he's the teacher of the Progeny of Combat?" Elder Qu sneered coldly. "The Combat Master Hall has provided him with a vast amount of resources, and the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters even lent him the 'Hall of Spring and Autumn' for his use. Does he intend to turn against us over a mere teacher who brought him around while he was younger?"

"You know what that's not what I mean. Zheng Yang is unlikely to turn against us over that matter, but that doesn't mean that he wouldn't take this matter to heart. The Progeny of Combat is the greatest fighting prowess of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and this incident could very well come back to bite us in the future," the elder from before replied.

"Bite us? Humph! Everything that he has was bestowed to him by the Master Teacher Pavilion! If he's going to take a matter as minor at this to heart, what do we need him for?" Elder Qu sneered. "We can't allow such a twisted culture to seep into the Master Teacher Pavilion, or else it could lead to severe consequences in the future!"

"You are distorting the facts to your convenience!" Elder Wu argued. "As the person who discovered him in the Tianxuan Kingdom, Zhang Xuan surely means a great deal to Zheng Yang. If he could remain nonchalant after hearing of Zhang Xuan's plight, who would dare leave the Combat Master Hall in the hands of a heartless man?"

"Since he can't be trusted, just find another person to replace him then!" Elder Qu exclaimed. "Elder Wu, you are an elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion, not the Combat Master Hall. Don't lose sight of your own allegiance..."

"Enough!" Frustrated by the squabbling duo, Deputy Pavilion Master Ren Qingyuan shook his head and interjected.

"I have considered both your points of view. It's indeed the blessing of mankind for such a talented individual to emerge from the younger generation, but... we can't just ignore the complaints from the Zhang Clan, the Glacier Plain Court, and the Sanctum of Sages. Zhang Xuan's actions have clearly breached the bottom line of the Master Teacher Pavilion. If we don't deal with him sternly, we might set a bad precedent. Other powers might learn from his example and exploit their strength as well to commit undesirable deeds!

"You should also know of the crisis that we are facing. This is the most perilous era mankind has been in for several dozen millenniums. Humanity must stay united as one in order to face the ordeal ahead of us, or else it could really mean the end of us..."

"This..." Hearing Ren Qingyuan's words, the crowd fell silent.

A worried expression surfaced on Elder Wu's face as he asked, "Pavilion Master Ren, regarding that news... is it really true?"

"Indubitably so!" Ren Qingyuan nodded.

Recalling the intelligence that he had received, Elder Wu could not help but shake his head in disbelief. "As leaders of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, the Otherworldly Demon Emperors wouldn't easily put themselves in a risky position. What does he intend to do by sneaking into the Master Teacher Continent? Is he not afraid of being surrounded and hunted down by us?"

"It isn't just him; there are also a couple others who came here along with him. Is there even a need to guess their intentions?" Ren Qingyuan shook his head.

"I know that there has been some movement from that place recently; there have already been two disturbances so far. However, it's still uncertain at this point whether that place will surface or not. Furthermore, we have gone to great lengths to keep the news confidential, but even so, how did they still manage to catch wind of it?" Elder Wu asked doubtfully.

Ren Qingyuan sighed. "At this rate, it's just a matter of time before the Master Teacher Continent is embroiled in bloodshed. During a time like this, it's more important than ever for us to placate the major powers so as to ensure that our forces remain united!

"I believe all of you should understand what the matrimony between the Zhang Clan and the Luo Clan represents, so I won't waste your time talking about that. However, you all should be aware that the Sanctum of Sages contains the wills of the old sages, and they would be able to point out a direction for us.

"Not too long ago, I got into contact with Sage Kui's will, and he informed me that he has found a new sanctum head who is incredibly talented, and he assured me that the new sanctum head will be able to mature and become a strong ally to us before that matter occurs. I have liaised with Zhan shi over that matter as well, and he has informed me that the new sanctum head is likely Yang shi's direct disciple, Feng Ziyi!

"So, we can't afford to fall into disharmony with those two powers at this point in time. As for the Glacier Plain Court, all of you here should know how important the Pure Yin Body is in establishing connections with the Firmament.

"Given how Zhang Xuan has gotten on the bad side of all three powers at once, if we don't deal with this matter promptly, how can we appease them? In the first place, as a deputy pavilion master, I am already lacking in legitimacy and authority. If something happens at this point, putting aside me, even Yang shi won't be able to resolve the conflict! Unless..."

At this point, Ren Qingyuan's gaze suddenly became a little distant as admiration rippled in the depths of his eyes. "... the legendary Celestial Master Teacher, as well as the legitimate head of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, appears!"

"Celestial Master Teacher? How could it be that easy to receive the acknowledgement of the heavens? For several dozen millenniums, Kong shi has been the only one to be able to do so!"

"Indeed. It doesn't seem too likely for a Celestial Master Teacher to suddenly appear at this point in time..."

Many of the elders shook their heads wryly.

"If a Celestial Master Teacher appears right now, I will kneel down and kowtow to him right away, acknowledging him as my teacher!" Elder Qu harrumphed.

"Acknowledge him as your teacher? If there's really a Celestial Master Teacher among us right now, I doubt that you are qualified to be his student!" Elder Wu shot a disdainful glance at Elder Qu.

"Humph! Even if I'm unqualified to become his disciple, I will be more than content to serve as his subordinate!" Elder Qu replied.

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Chapter 1512: The Frenzied Master Teacher Pavilion Headquarters (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Celestial Master Teacher, a person who had received the acknowledgement of the heavens and was qualified to stand on equal grounds as Kong shi. The appearance of such a person would surely be a turning point in history. That person would become the new leader of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and there would be no master teacher who would dare disobey their commands.

Who would not want to acknowledge such a great figure as their teacher?

9-star master teachers might seem to be in an incredibly prestigious position in the eyes of outsiders, but to a Celestial Master Teacher, they would not mean anything at all!

Back then, of Kong shi's three thousand students, which of them had not reached a proficiency of 9-star in their occupation? Even his listening-in students were of 9-star proficiency.

Elder Qu might want to become the student of such a person, but whether the other party would be willing to take him in or not was questionable!

"However, it seems like the Celestial Master Teacher is just a legend!" Hearing Elder Qu's remark, Ren Qingyuan shook his head and sighed. "If a Celestial Master Teacher could emerge among us now, with their prestige and power, they would surely be able to swiftly unite the entire human race, such that even if the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe rose once more, they would not dare provoke us!"

The other master teachers in the room swiftly nodded in agreement.

The ancient era had contained the darkest times of the human race. Back then, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had wielded absolute power, and they had dominated all other races. The powers that they formed had all been as strong as the current Master Teacher Pavilion, and yet, with his strength, Kong shi had been able to vanquish the darkness and bring the light of hope back to mankind.

For this reason, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was extremely fearful of Kong shi. Just the mention of his name was enough to leave them in a state of unease.

If another Kong shi rose among them once more, mankind would surely be able to rise to new heights, reaching an unprecedented altitude!

"Forget it, that's just wishful thinking; there's no point holding onto such thoughts. The reason I was able to become the deputy pavilion master is just because I am slightly stronger than the rest. I also know that my influence is still far from enough. The Master Teacher Pavilion might be able to tower above the Zhang Clan, the Glacier Plain Court, and the other major powers for the time being, but if we fail to deal with this matter appropriately, we could stand to lose their trust. By then, even if they still dare not defy us openly, they could still pull some strings in the shadows to make things hard for us, and that could easily culminate into a tragedy for mankind!"

Ren Qingyuan swept his gaze across the faces in the room before continuing on. "Kong shi once said that a person should make it a habit to reflect on their actions 1 , and I have always kept his teachings in mind, not daring to forget them. While Zhang Xuan did achieve quite a number of contributions for mankind, his deeds are nothing compared to what the Zhang Clan, the Sanctum of Sages, and the Glacier Plain Court have done. In this situation, the only thing that I can do is pick the lesser evil.

"Alright, there's no need to argue over this matter anymore; I have already made up my mind. About the matter concerning Zhang Xuan, many of you have spoken up on his behalf, and I am also of the view that he should be given a second chance, so if any of you notice him, don't harm him for the time being. We'll try to convince the three powers to lay down their grudges with him and settle the matter peacefully, and if that works out, that will be for the best. Otherwise... we'll just have to see!"

"You're right, Pavilion Master Ren. That's probably the best that we can do for now..."

Many of the elders in the room nodded in agreement.

They had only considered from their perspectives as master teachers, but they had failed to think of the implications that could arise out of the decision. Fortunately, the deputy pavilion master had taken the bigger picture into consideration, thus avoiding a potential tragedy. Otherwise, if the Master Teacher Pavilion worked as it wished, without caring about the other parties involved, the others might deem their actions to be willful and unjust, and that would cause them to lose the support of the other powers.

Given how powerful and influential the Master Teacher Pavilion was, that would not have mattered much under normal circumstances. However, with the looming crisis, it would be foolish to allow a fallout to occur.

"It's Zhang Xuan's fortune that Pavilion Master Ren is willing to show such magnanimity to him. However, judging from Zhang Wuheng, Zhan shi, and You Ruoxin's attitude toward him... it doesn't seem like reconciliation is too likely!" Elder Qu shook his head.

"Once Zhang Xuan is found, even if we don't make a move, those three powers will surely swallow him whole..."

Boom!

Before Elder Qu could finish his words, a mysterious power suddenly surged into the room, and the entire hall began trembling intensely, as if it would collapse at any moment.

"What's happening?" Alarmed, Pavilion Master Ren jolted to his feet.

Wu shi and the others also swiftly looked in the direction that the surge of power had originated from.

A thought arose in Elder Qu's mind, and his face twitched in horror. It can't be that Zhang Xuan has managed to make his way over to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, can it?

Surely, he could not have the audacity to do something as insolent as that, right?

But if it was not him, who else could it be?

Due to the great power shrouding the Master Teacher Pavilion, it had stood firmly for the past several dozen millenniums. It was hard to think of any other culprit.

"It's coming from the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall. Let's head over to take a look!" Ren Qingyuan swiftly determined the direction of the tremors' source and headed out.

The other elders followed behind him.

As 9-star master teachers, it took them just the blink of an eye to arrive before the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall. They pushed the door open and headed in.

Hualalalala!

As soon as they entered, they saw countless ancestral tablets all around the room trembling nonstop, as if they were being attacked by some tremendous force.

The energy that had caused the entire Master Teacher Pavilion to tremble uncontrollably had originated from there.

"The predecessors are trembling in fear? What's going on?" Elder Qu's lips quivered as he nearly fainted in fright from the sight.

Wu shi and the others also hurriedly scanned their surroundings to check if they had been attacked by enemies.

"It isn't an enemy attack, but..." As realization of what the trembling ancestral tablets could possibly signify struck Ren Qingyuan, his eyes widened in utter shock as his words trailed to a halt, seemingly unable to continue on anymore.

Hearing Ren Qingyuan's words, Wu shi was the first to realize what the other party was thinking, and his body began trembling in disbelief. "If it isn't an enemy attack, the trembling of the ancestral tablets would mean that... C-could it be..."

Hong long long!

Before he could finish his words, the tablets in the room finally reached their limits and collapsed to the ground simultaneously, as if they were bowing earnestly to pay their respects to an esteemed figure.

"That's the Salutation of the Sages..." Elder Qu also swiftly comprehended what was going on, and his eyebrows began twitching wildly.

Those who were honored in the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters were all outstanding predecessors who had wielded great power in their era and contributed immensely to mankind. The fact that even Ren Qingyuan was unqualified to have his tablet erected within the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall after his death was sufficient to show just what kind of legacies those figures had left on the Master Teacher Continent.

There was only one type of person in the world who could make master teachers of their standing simultaneously bow respectfully to offer their salutations.

Kacha!

While the crowd was still trying to come to terms with what was going on, at the very center of the room, Kong shi's sculpture suddenly floated up and clasped his fist respectfully in a certain direction. A slight smile slowly emerged onto his face, but at the same time, a hint of a crack suddenly appeared at the bottom of the sculpture. It swiftly engulfed the entire sculpture, and eventually...

Huala!

It collapsed into rubble.

"Salutations of the Sages, Kong shi's Greeting... That's the mark of a Celestial Master Teacher!"

At this point, the truth had already become apparent to all of the master teachers in the room. It was hard to tell whether it was out of agitation or shock, but every single one of their faces was ghastly pale.

As 9-star master teachers, they were aware of the significance of the various phenomena that would occur in the Master Teacher Pavilion.

It was just a moment ago that they had lamented over the lack of a Celestial Master Teacher to lead them through the crisis that they were in, but the next moment, they learned that there was actually a Celestial Master Teacher among them. Could there be a bigger fluctuation of highs and lows than this in the world?

Boom!

After the collapse of Kong shi's sculpture, it seemed like the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall had reached the limits of its tolerance, and it swiftly collapsed inward. However, too overwhelmed by shock, the elders simply stood motionless on the spot, allowing the roof to collapse freely on their heads.

With their level of cultivation, the bricks falling on their heads felt no different from mere cotton.

Ren Qingyuan's eyes lit up as he clenched his fists tightly together.

"There's hope for mankind! With the emergence of a Celestial Master Teacher, the Master Teacher Pavilion will rise to the top of the world once more!" Ren Qingyuan burst into laughter as tears of agitation streamed down his cheeks.

As the deputy pavilion master, despite lacking in prestige, he still had the responsibility to unite the world to defend against threats. As such, the stress that he had been put under over the years was truly unimaginable. With the emergence of a Celestial Master Teacher, he would finally be relieved of the pressure that he had been placed under!

Ren Qingyuan turned around and commanded, "Master teachers, hear my command! Find the source of the power, locate the whereabouts of the Celestial Master Teacher, and bring him back right away to inherit the position as the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters!"

"Yes!"

The 9-star master teachers clasped their fists simultaneously, acknowledging the order.

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Chapter 1513: The Return of the Progeny of Combat (1)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Wait a moment..."

Right after issuing the previous command, Ren Qingyuan suddenly thought of something, and he hurriedly raised his hand and clenched his fist.

Huala!

The surrounding space immediately solidified to form an isolation barrier.

The Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters were protected by a powerful formation, making it difficult for any outsiders to listen in on what was happening within. Yet, despite the defensive measures, Ren Qingyuan was still prompted to form an isolation barrier to further ensure the confidentiality of the matter, which went to show how seriously he took this matter.

"The Celestial Master Teacher concerns the ultimate fate of mankind, so this matter must be kept absolutely confidential. I suspect that the sudden arrival of that person in the Master Teacher Continent might be tied to this matter; he might have noticed something, which prompted him to make this move. That fellow has always been skilled in disguise, so our scouts haven't been able to find any traces of him yet. If news concerning the emergence of a Celestial Master Teacher reaches his ears, and he manages to find the Celestial Master Teacher ahead of us, things could really get troublesome!" Ren Qingyuan said with a grim look on his face.

"So, I want all of you to head out under the pretext of looking for Zhang Xuan. Make sure to put on a sufficiently convincing act to show the Zhang Clan and the Glacier Plain Court that we are determined to bring them justice. At the same time, however, you are to discreetly search for the Celestial Master Teacher, and once you find him, don't rush into acknowledging him. Instead, protect him from the shadows. While he might be the Celestial Master Teacher, it is unlikely for him to have grown to Kong shi's level yet, or else we would have already heard of him!"

Celestial Master Teacher only represented an individual who had received the acknowledgement of the heavens. It was a symbol of character and talent rather than a gauge of one's absolute strength.

Even Kong shi had not been born strong; he had advanced a step at a time before maturing to become the great man he had been.

If the Celestial Master Teacher had already matured into a formidable expert, he would have already made a name for himself in the world, and there was no way that Ren Qingyuan, as the deputy pavilion master, would not have heard of him.

"We understand!" The master teachers nodded in acknowledgement.

"Un, I'll repeat it once more. The most important thing now is finding the Celestial Master Teacher and protecting him!" Ren Qingyuan emphasized with a wave of his hand. "Also, regarding the matter concerning the Celestial Master Teacher, I want all of you to maintain a silent restraint on it. Don't even mention it in passing among yourselves! I won't hesitate to strip you of your master teacher license and banish you to the Subterranean Gallery for life should you dare contravene this silent restraint!"

"We understand, Pavilion Master Ren!" the master teachers replied resoundingly.

Hula!

After the orders had been relayed, the master teachers swiftly scattered into the surroundings from the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall, leaving only Ren Qingyuan behind.

Ren Qingyuan hesitated for a moment before flicking his wrist, and a couple of puppets appeared before him. These puppets were of short stature, and they did not wield too much strength. However, their extraordinary long arms and their ten-fingered hands were particularly eye-catching.

As soon as the puppets materialized, without the slightest word of delay, they immediately scattered around the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall and got to work. In less than an hour, the collapsed rubble was restored to its original glory. Even the ancestral tablets had been placed neatly back onto their respective positions, as if nothing had happened at all.

After collecting all of his puppets, Ren Qingyuan gazed into the distance with a deep look in his eyes. Some time later, he exhaled deeply and muttered, "Celestial Master Teacher... it seems like the heavens are looking after us!"

...

This time, the unique surge of energy lingered around Zhang Xuan for a longer time than before.

Zhao Ya knew that a sudden epiphany must have struck her teacher, so she chose not to interrupt him. She took a seat not too far away and looked at him silently.

During that period, Zhang Xuan remained completely motionless on the spot.

Unlike previous times, he did not pass out, and there was not any peculiar phenomenon either. He felt as if he was swimming in the ocean of time, unable to accurately discern the flow of time around him.

Under the tempering of the unique aura, his Soul Depth soared furiously. His advancement this time around was far greater than any of the previous times, surging from the initial 25.1 to 29.1.

For master teachers, Soul Depth was usually separated in intervals of three. With a Soul Depth of 29.1, Zhang Xuan was already at the level of the most pinnacle 9-star master teacher!

With the rise in his Soul Depth, his analytical capabilities were further enhanced, allowing him to peer deeper into an issue and look further ahead.

Many things that he had been unable to make sense of or unable to draw connections with suddenly cleared up in his mind. At the same time, his analysis of the many cultivation techniques and battle techniques in his mind also became much more thorough, as if he was suddenly able to look right into their crux.

Even though I have never cultivated any Saint 8-dan Dimension Sundering realm cultivation techniques before, I was still able to roughly figure my way forward from the cultivation techniques I have gathered in the past. Furthermore, Zhao Ya is my student, and her energy stems from the same origin as mine, so I was able to gather the momentum required for a breakthrough under her infusion of energy, thus reaching my current level.

Previously, Zhang Xuan had still been a little perplexed as to how he was able to abruptly push for a breakthrough back when he was still at the Glacier Plain Court. Back then, he did not think too much into it, and the impetus to breakthrough simply came perfectly naturally to him. However, with the rise in his Soul Depth, the veil on this mystery was finally removed.

Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed. It's a pity that I'm still unable to think of a feasible way to reconstruct Zhao Ya's meridians.

Even though he had managed to form mental connections between the many fields of knowledge that he had learned, he was still completely clueless as to how he could help Zhao Ya reconstruct her meridians.

From the looks of it, he only had his current plan to rely on—heading to the Blacksmith Guild and seeing if there was any suitable material that could be used to replace her meridians.

Hu!

Exhaling a mouthful of turbid air, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes.

"Teacher, are you done cultivating?" Zhao Ya asked with a hint of doubt in her voice.

She had thought that her teacher's cultivation would surge after this round of cultivation, but nothing had happened at all. There was not the slightest change in his cultivation that she could perceive. If she had to point out something that was different about him, it would be that he appeared more spirited than before, and his eyes had grown deeper and more unreadable.

"Yes." Zhang Xuan nodded.

"I see!" Zhao Ya heaved a sigh of relief.

"We'll be heading back to the Empire Alliance City. This time, we're going to resolve the problem concerning your meridians!" said Zhang Xuan as he stood up.

"Teacher, the entire continent is looking to capture you. It's too dangerous, so let's not head there anymore..." Zhao Ya spoke up worriedly.

It had not been easy for them to leave the Empire Alliance City, yet her teacher actually wanted to head back there.

"Don't worry, even 9-star pinnacle master teachers would have trouble seeing through my disguise. I won't be in any danger," Zhang Xuan reassured with a smile.

With his fifth acknowledgement of Celestial Master Teacher, his Soul Depth had surged from 25.1 to 29.1, putting him amid the top even among 9-star pinnacle master teachers. Even if an expert of Elder Qu's caliber came over, the other party would still be unable to find the slightest discrepancy in his disguise, let alone figure out his true identity!

"However, your disguise is still a little lacking at the moment. Alright, I'll impart a physical body cultivation technique to you!"

While Zhang Xuan was able to disguise himself even from the discerning eyes of 9-star master teachers, due to Zhao Ya's lack of cultivation, while her disguise might still be able to fool the eyes of ordinary cultivators, the same could not be said about high-rank master teachers.

Due to the awakening of her Pure Yin Body, her appearance was simply too striking. Once her disguise was seen through, it would not be too difficult for others to figure out their true identity.

"Physical body cultivation technique? Teacher, my meridians have collapsed completely. Will I... still be able to practice it?" Zhao Ya asked apprehensively.

Despite the term, physical body cultivation technique usually required the infusion of zhenqi in order to temper one's body into a state that no ordinary mortal would be able to achieve. Given that Zhao Ya had already lost all of her meridians, she did not think that she would be able to practice a physical body cultivation technique.

"I have altered the cultivation technique so that you will be able to practice it even without using your meridians. However, you'll have to practice it in accompaniment with my silver needles... Here is the cultivation technique manual!" Zhang Xuan raised his finger and tapped it lightly on Zhao Ya's head, and knowledge swiftly surged into the latter's mind.

Zhao Ya spent roughly two hours looking through the cultivation technique manual before she was finally able to grasp it, and her eyes lit up in excitement.

Her teacher's physical body cultivation technique was truly formidable. Compared to that, all of the Glacier Plain Court's physical body cultivation techniques seemed like trash picked right off the street.

"Alright, let's begin!" Seeing that Zhao Ya was done going through the manual, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and innumerable silver needles flew out from his hands, piercing all over Zhao Ya's body.

The surges of Heaven's Path zhenqi infused in each of the silver needles nourished her body, enhancing her strength.

...

While Zhang Xuan was in the midst of helping Zhao Ya cultivate the Heaven's Path Golden Art, at the entrance of a sealed chamber of the Combat Master Hall, a large group of anxious-looking combat masters were gathered.

Today was the very day that the Progeny of Combat would finally come out of seclusion!

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Chapter 1514: The Return of the Progeny of Combat (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"The Progeny of Combat is about to come out. Have you thought about how you are going to report that matter to him?"

An elder broke the silence in the surroundings.

"Let's just report it straight to him as it is. What's there to hesitate over?" a valiant middle-aged man dressed in a full armor said with a wave of his hand.

"Report it straight to him as it is? It's not as if you don't know the personality of our Progeny of Combat! Back then, despite the heavy injuries that he had sustained after clearing the Dragon Gate Formation, he still gritted his teeth tenaciously and held on just so that he could issue his first Progeny of Combat Decree to command all of the combat masters to treat his teacher with the utmost respect," the elder replied with a frown. "Just think about the mess that has occurred! If we report the matter as it is to him, given how highly he regards his teacher, do you think that he'll be able to remain rational? If he kicks up a fuss, it could end up utter chaos!"

"The Sanctum of Sages is a subsidiary of the Master Teacher Pavilion, so there's no need for us to worry about them. The problem lies mainly with the Zhang Clan and the Glacier Plain Court. Those two might be major powers on the Master Teacher Continent, but our Combat Master Hall hasn't grown so weak that we have to defer and explain our actions to them yet!" The armored middle-aged man harrumphed coldly. "Those powers have grown too accustomed to the peace, and they are already starting to rot on the inside. If not for the sweat and blood of our combat masters, do you think that they would be able to enjoy the prosperity and peace that they have today?"

"Elder Meng is right! When has our Combat Master Hall needed to explain our actions to others?" another middle-aged man remarked with a fling of his sleeves. "We have always used our strength to speak! Back then, the Soul Oracle Guild commanded countless Soulless Metal Humanoid, but they still ended up being completely eradicated by our forces! If I have to say, the Master Teacher Pavilion has simply been too soft on them. It's because we give them so much leeway that they had the guts to question the judgement of the Master Teacher Pavilion... If it was me, I would have just ordered them to back down, and should they dare to refute my words, I would force them into submission!"

The elder shook his head and replied, "They are master teachers, not punks or tyrants. The reason the Master Teacher Pavilion has remained standing even after several dozen millenniums is by the virtue of its actions and not through forceful subjugation. If we force everyone into submission using brute force, how can we truly gain the respect of others?"

A middle-aged man standing not too far away sneered coldly. "Respect? Do you think we really need to win their respect? The people nowadays are so accustomed to peace that they have already lost their sense of danger and the valiance in their blood. They have already forgotten the wretched suffering of our predecessors under the despotism of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

"All they are interested in doing now is scrutinizing every last action committed by the master teachers so as to find lapses in their virtues. The moment they dig up the smallest of things, they cook up the largest of storms, as if a small lapse in one's virtue will bring about the end of the world. Similarly, once the Master Teacher Pavilion makes a decision that is unpopular among them, they claim that the Master Teacher Pavilion has lost the virtue that it once embraced and is descending into corruption and nepotism.

"Just take the matter with Zhang shi for example—it's actually not a big deal at all. However, just because it was committed by a master teacher, people will question the credibility and the principles of the Master Teacher Pavilion if he isn't severely punished, and rumors about how the Master Teacher Pavilion is no longer the noble organization it used to be will start spreading around. But have they forgotten about the contributions that Zhang shi has made for mankind? For one, he single-handedly destroyed an entire Otherworldly Demon Emperor's lineage, and that in itself should be more than enough to make up for all of his faults!"

This was simply how the world worked. The common populace was ignorant and cared not about how much one had contributed to the world. All they were interested in were the faults one had committed, and they would exaggerate it just to fulfill their desire for drama.

For example, based on what they knew, despite the huge fuss caused by the three powers, all Zhang Xuan had done was destroy a couple of buildings and formations. In truth, he had not claimed a single person's life yet.

However, for some reason, the news that had been announced came across in a very different manner. It was shaped in a way that made it seemed as if he had exploited his strength to willfully wreak havoc and destroyed everything in his path.

And if the Master Teacher Pavilion could not inflict severe punishment on that black sheep among them, then perhaps they might be unworthy of remaining as the leaders of the Master Teacher Continent.

The elder cut into the middle-aged man's words and said, "I understand what you have said, but the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters have already announced their decision. Whatever decision they choose to make, it's not our place to question it. All we have to think about is how we should report this matter to the Progeny of Combat!"

He also knew that much, but what could he do?

The purpose of the Master Teacher Pavilion was to protect mankind, so even if they were not understood by the rest of the world, they still could not watch as the entire world was reduced to ruins!

That was the inescapable responsibility and burden that they shouldered.

The crowd fell silent.

Despite the short time that they had spent together, they had come to know of the feelings that the Progeny of Combat had for his teacher. If he learned that the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters had issued an arrest warrant on him, he would surely fly into a state of fury!

By then, none of them would be able to predict what he would do in response to that!

It was not easy for a Progeny of Combat to emerge from their Combat Master Hall, so they could not bear to allow anything to happen to him!

"Elder Cheng, didn't you say that you have thought of a solution to that?" another middle-aged man asked the elder.

The crowd swiftly gathered their eyes upon the elder.

"The solution that I have isn't perfect either. Since the news concerning Zhang shi is already everywhere, there's no way we'll be able to hide the matter from the Progeny of Combat for too long. Since that's the case, we should take the initiative to report it instead so that we can at least shape his perspective of the issue!" Elder Cheng said.

The Master Teacher Arrest Warrant had already made its way to the corners of the Master Teacher Continent. While the Progeny of Combat was still unaware of the issue because he was in seclusion, it would not take too long for him to find out about the matter once he was out.

Instead of having the Progeny of Combat blame them for hiding such an important issue from him later on, it would be much better for them to take the initiative to report the matter to him. This way, they would at least be able to hold some influence over how he viewed the issue.

Understanding this logic, the other combat masters nodded in agreement.

Honestly, if they felt that they were able to hide the matter from the Progeny of Combat, they would have definitely done it so as to spare themselves the headache that they were suffering from.

Elder Cheng hesitated for a moment before continuing on. "While we are relaying the matter to him, we should focus on the conflicts that Zhang shi has caused, and as for the arrest warrant and the others, we'll just brush through it swiftly. I believe that the Progeny of Combat should also understand the severe implications of this matter and not act too rashly!"

Since they had no choice but to report the matter to the Progeny of Combat, the only thing that they could change was the manner in which they relayed the information to him.

"I think that's the best we can do at the moment!"

The others nodded in agreement.

Jiya!

Barely after deciding on their general strategy, the doors to the chamber ahead of them suddenly creaked open, and a young man holding a spear walked out.

Despite his young age, he commanded an aura that felt so sharp that it almost seemed as if he would pierce right through the heavens. One could vaguely feel the overwhelming zhenqi churning within his body, ready to unleash devastating might upon his enemies at any moment.

"Congratulations on completing your cultivation!"

The crowd quickly clasped their fists and congratulated the young man.

"Un." The young man waved his hand and walked up to the crowd. Even without any particular actions, he exuded a natural air of authority that prevented others from daring to speak loudly before him.

"For all of you to come over at once, what's happened?" The young man scanned the huge crowd before him, and his eyebrows shot up.

"Reporting to the Progeny of Combat, you instructed us to keep an eye on Zhang shi a while back, and just last night, we received news that he wreaked havoc in the Zhang Clan and injured dozens of elders. Following which, he headed to the Sanctum of Sages and injured the deputy sanctum head, Zhan shi, and many other elders. As if that wasn't enough, he went to the Glacier Plain Court right after, destroyed their buildings, and even kidnapped their young court chief..." Elder Cheng swiftly stepped forward and gave the speech that he had carefully strung together beforehand.

He had made sure to first speak of the deeds that Zhang Xuan had committed so that the Progeny of Combat would not get too worked up after hearing the verdict made by the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters.

However, before he could finish his words, the Progeny of Combat interrupted his speech with a cold sneer. "Did you come up with those words yourself, or is that the news you have received from the Master Teacher Pavilion?"

"This..." Elder Cheng was taken aback by the Progeny of Combat's abrupt question. "That is the news I have received from the Master Teacher Pavilion!"

"Pinning false accusations on others; is this how the Master Teacher Pavilion conducts its business?" the young man muttered beneath his breath before directing a cold gaze toward Elder Cheng. "You said that my teacher kidnapped the young court chief of the Glacier Plain Court, but do you know whom the young court chief is to dare spread such falsehood?"

"I-I... Please pardon my ignorance!" Elder Cheng heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly lowered his head and apologized.

"All my teacher has to do is say a word, and the young court chief would willingly abandon her identity and leave with him. Yet, you dare describe his actions with a word as vile as 'kidnap'? Preposterous!" The young man waved his hand furiously.

"This... Pardon me for asking, but how would the Progeny of Combat know?" Elder Cheng asked carefully.

"That's because the young court chief of the Glacier Plain Court..."

Holding his spear with a hand and placing his other hand behind his back, the young man raised his head proudly and said, "... is my senior!"

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Chapter 1515: Zhang shi's Students (1)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Of course, the Progeny of Combat was none other than Zhang Xuan's student, Zheng Yang!

His previous hot-bloodedness had been replaced with composure, and his cultivation had reached an unfathomable level. His face had become more distinct and masculine, and his words and gestures carried a dignified disposition.

Within this short period of time, the reckless and naïve young man of the past had matured.

"Senior?" Upon hearing Zheng Yang's words, the elders of the Combat Master Hall widened their eyes in disbelief.

If he addressed the young court chief of the Glacier Plain Court as his senior... did that not mean that she was Zhang Xuan's student as well?

Since that was the case, how did the matter with the Glacier Plain Court blow up so big in the first place?

"Indeed!" Zheng Yang harrumphed coldly. He turned to Elder Cheng and said, "Bring me the report sent in by the Master Teacher Pavilion. I want to see with my own eyes what they have written!"

"This..." Elder Cheng never could have imagined that the young chief of the Glacier Plain Court would actually be the Progeny of Combat's senior. In an instant, all of the words that he had prepared were rendered meaningless. He hesitated for a moment before fearfully handing a jade token over. "The Master Teacher Pavilion didn't send over a report but... a Master Teacher Arrest Warrant!"

"Arrest warrant? For who? My teacher?" Alarmed to hear those words, Zheng Yang hurriedly grabbed the jade token from Elder Cheng's eyes to look through it.

Slowly, his face turned as cold as the night of the winter solstice.

"Ridiculous! This is utterly ridiculous! Relay my orders, all combat masters are to keep a close eye on the movements of the Zhang Clan, the Glacier Plain Court, the Sanctum of Sages, and the Master Teacher Pavilion. As soon as any sign of my teacher is found, they are to report to me right away... How dare they dream of laying their hands on my teacher? Very well, let me see who has the guts to do so!"

"But..." Hearing the order, Elder Cheng's lips twitched in horror. "Progeny of Combat, I understand your feelings, but our Combat Master Hall is ultimately still a subsidiary of the Master Teacher Pavilion..."

Considering that the Master Teacher Pavilion had released an arrest warrant for Zhang Xuan, issuing such an order could be taken as insubordination and blatant defiance of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

"Subsidiary? Has our Combat Master Hall fallen so low as to simply watch helplessly as an innocent man is being framed? You don't have to worry about the Master Teacher Pavilion. Just rescue my teacher and bring him safely back here; I'll talk to the Master Teacher Pavilion about this!" Zheng Yang said as he swung his spear to the side, producing a sharp and menacing reverberation in the air.

"For many years, the Combat Master Hall has shed its blood to protecting mankind. It's about time we show the other powers our edge and dampen their arrogance! I'll let the entire Master Teacher Continent know that anyone who dares lay their hands on my teacher will have hell to pay!"

"Yes, Progeny of Combat!"

The elders clasped their fists, acknowledging Zheng Yang's orders.

Some of the faces were marked with bitterness while others were glowing in excitement.

But regardless of their own personal views, once the Progeny of Combat Decree was passed, no combat master would dare act in defiance against it.

...

In the Poison Hall...

"The Master Teacher Pavilion issued an arrest warrant on my teacher? Humph! I was still thinking of existing peacefully with them in view of the fact that my teacher is a master teacher, but it seems like there's no need for that anymore!"

At the very center of the hall, a young lady abruptly got to her feet as she gazed down at the people standing beneath her with ice-cold eyes.

Contrary to what most would think, the young lady's figure was not imposing in the least. Her young age and slightly emaciated figure made her look less authoritative than she would have hoped. However, there was a slight greenish mist drifting around her body that would send any cultivator instinctively trembling in fear. It felt as if even a 9-star master teacher would easily lose their life should they come into the range of the green mist.

The master of the Poison Hall, Wei Ruyan!

With the help of countless poison masters, she had successfully awoken her Innate Poison Body, bringing her prowess with poison to an unprecedented height. While she might still have been lacking compared to the founder of the Poison Hall, her means were definitely far above any of the current elders of the Poison Hall.

If she made a move, not even 9-star master teachers would be a match for her.

Lin Jianghai, one of the Four Eminences of the Poison Hall, clasped his fist and said, "The Master Teacher Pavilion has been on their high horse for too long; I think it's high time for us to tear down their ivory tower! Hall Master, feel free to command us!"

Due to his contribution in Wei Ruyan's succession as the new hall master, he was granted a position second only to Wei Ruyan herself in the Poison Hall. On top of that, Wei Ruyan had also offered him pointers on his poison arts, thus bringing his command of poison to a level where even the two Guardians of the Poison Hall would not be a match for him anymore.

"I want all members of the Poison Hall to set out and search for my teacher. As soon as the whereabouts of my teacher are confirmed, you are to report the news to me right away while protecting him from the shadows. If anyone dares make a move on him, eliminate that person right away... It's high time for our Poison Hall made a move lest the continent forgets that we are still alive and kicking!" Wei Ruyan harrumphed coldly.

Despite her young age, she had already gone through numerous life and death situations. Perhaps due to those experiences, authority and power did not hold much significance to her.

If there was anything that she truly valued, it would be her teacher. Her teacher had done simply too much for her. Without her teacher, there would not be the current her. So, if anyone dared to lay their filthy hands on her teacher, well...

If I don't wipe out your entire clan, I shan't be called Wei Ruyan!

The elders excitedly clasped their fist and bowed. "We'll listen to the hall master's orders!"

As prosperous as the Poison Hall headquarters was, they were aware that it was a prison that they had created for themselves so as to appease the Master Teacher Pavilion. Never had a day gone by where they had not dreamed of breaking out of their self-exile, and since there was an opportunity to do so right ahead of them, what did they have to hesitate for?

...

In a faraway, remote corner of the Master Teacher Pavilion, there was a crepuscular ancient domain where no light existed.

A massive figure slowly floated up from the ground as a powerful shockwave raged around the area, tearing the surroundings apart.

"Why did you wake me up?" a thunderous voice echoed from the massive figure.

Not too far away, a floating soul clasped its fist and reported, "Young Master... the Master Teacher Pavilion has issued an arrest warrant on Master!"

Agitated by the news, the figure swiftly rose up and questioned, "The Master Teacher Pavilion is intending to make a move on my teacher? Why?"

As the figure spoke, the earth tremored, and the world seemed to have turned darker than ever.

"This is the news that I have gathered from the nearby cities," the soul reported.

It flicked its finger, and a jade token flew over.

The massive figure took hold of the jade token and swiftly browsed through it.

"Ludicrous! The Master Teacher Pavilion is asking for it... Mo Hunsheng, accompany me to the Glacier Plain Court! We'll be finding my teacher!"

The massive figure dived into a 'lifeless body' lying motionlessly by the side, and a moment later, the 'lifeless body' got to its feet, revealing the gallant face of a young man.

He was none other than Zhang Xuan's direct disciple, Lu Chong!

After inheriting the lineage of the soul oracles, Lu Chong's soul had become incomparably powerful. With the slightest movement, he could cause the entire sky to darken. It felt as if he could even split the entire world in two at his will.

"Yes!" Mo Hunsheng nodded.

Before long, the two of them were already flitting swiftly toward the Glacier Plain Court.

...

In the Yuan Clan...

"What did you say, an arrest warrant was placed on my teacher? Very well! This is the intention of the First Elder of the Zhang Clan, right?"

Standing before a group of elders, Yuan Tao bellowed with narrowed eyes.

He could forgive a person for attacking and injuring him, but anyone who dared to hurt even a single strand of hair of his teacher was unforgivable!

An elder stepped forward. "Young Master, the clan head's view is for us to steer clear of this matter. After all, that's a decree issued by the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters..."

Peng!

Before he could finish his words, he was already slapped flying into the distance.

"Is there anyone else who has anything to say?" With his hands behind his back, Yuan Tao gazed coldly at the many faces in front of him.

"Young Master, before the clan head went into seclusion, he has requested for you not to get into any trouble... Argh! "

Yet another elder was sent flying with a cry of agony.

"Who else?" Yuan Tao continued staring at the crowd in front of him coldly.

After a moment of silence, the crowd quickly clasped their fists and declared resoundingly, "We'll heed the Young Master's orders!"

"That's more like it!" Yuan Tao nodded in approval. "I believe all of you should be well-versed in the rules of the Yuan Clan, so you should know that I am the legitimate head of the Yuan Clan! So, right now, I shall issue my first order for you all as the head of the Yuan Clan. I command all of you to follow me to the Glacier Plain Court to find the whereabouts of my teacher. If anyone dares to make a move on him, you are to kill that person right away regardless of who they are!"

"Yes, Clan Head!" the crowd replied.

"Our Yuan Clan might not wield strength like the Premier Clans, but I won't allow even the Master Teacher Pavilion to touch a person under my protection!"

With narrowed eyes, Yuan Tao bellowed, "Set off!"

Hu la!

Countless aerial saint beasts soared into the air, heading in the direction of the Glacier Plain Court.

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Chapter 1516: Zhang shi's Students (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

In the Spirit Awakener Guild headquarters, countless ladies were standing in front of a tall tower, and every single one of them had a nervous look on their face.

"It has already been seven days. Will she be able to succeed?" a middle-aged lady among the crowd muttered worriedly.

"If she succeeds, there will be no need for us to hold that selection in two months anymore. What would be the point of holding the selection when we have already found our next guild leader!" another lady remarked.

"Indeed. Ever since the founding of the Spirit Awakener Guild, there has been hardly anyone who has succeeded in clearing the Spirit Awakener Tower. She started learning spirit enchantment just a few months ago, and now, she's already challenging the Spirit Awakener Tower... And what's more, she actually managed to reach the eighth floor! This is something that has never happened before!" the first middle-aged lady exclaimed in awe.

"Spirit awakeners require extreme precision in manipulating their Primordial Spirit. Given the purity of her soul and zhenqi, it would be hard for her not to improve quickly! With her around, it seems like our Spirit Awakener Guild will be able to climb to new heights. Very soon, we won't have to rely on other powers to protect ourselves anymore!" the second lady chirped excitedly.

As spirit awakener was an occupation that was supportive in nature, it was severely lacking in fighting prowess. As such, it had to ally itself with other powers in order to protect itself. However, the arrival of an unprecedentedly talented young lady just a few months ago could possibly change the current miserable circumstances that they were in. As long as she succeeded, they would not have to live subservient to another power anymore!

"I never would have thought that such a day would come for our Spirit Awakener Guild! It seems like the heavens haven't forsaken us yet..."

The crowd in the area nodded in agreement.

Hong long!

At that moment, the ground suddenly began trembling, and following which, the tall tower ahead of them began shaking as well. It slowly rose to its feet before racing ahead.

"She managed to enchant the Spirit Awakener Tower? S-she... actually succeeded?"

The faces around the area flushed crimson in agitation.

"Not only so, she even received the recognition of our founder... In the time to come, Wang Ying could very well become the strongest spirit awakener aside from our founder... and perhaps, given sufficient time, she might even be able to exceed our founder!" the first middle-aged lady said feverishly as her body trembled uncontrollably.

"The time has finally come for our Spirit Awakener Guild to rise up once more..."

The excitement in the air was so intense that it was almost palpable.

Some time later, the tower finally came to a halt, and young lady slowly drifted down from the top. Dressed in a white robe, she looked as if a fairy descending from the heavens.

She was the very first student whom Zhang Xuan had taken in, the adorable and innocent young lady from Hongtian Academy, Wang Ying.

She had undergone a transformative change from how she was a year ago. Her previous innocence had been replaced with keen calmness. With just a sweeping gaze, she was able to exert her authority on the surrounding crowd, making them dare not speak against her.

"Paying respects to the guild leader!"

The ladies swiftly got to their knees and kowtowed deeply to their new guild leader.

The fact that Wang Ying had managed to clear the Spirit Awakener Tower had given her the legitimacy to become the next leader of the Spirit Awakener Guild. After witnessing the movement of the tall tower with their own eyes, no one would dare question her credentials.

"Un, rise up." Wang Ying gazed down on the faces below and declared, "Now, I'll issue my very first command as the leader of the Spirit Awakener Guild!"

The crowd clasped their fists and replied, "We'll listen to the guild leader's commands!"

"From today onward, all members of the Spirit Awakener Guild are to treat my teacher, Zhang Xuan, as they would treat me. His orders are to be carried out with any question, and I won't tolerate anyone disrespecting him in any way. Anyone who contravenes this order shall be permanently stripped of their spirit awakener rank and prohibited from entering any Spirit Awakener Guild in the Master Teacher Continent!" Wang Ying announced.

"Yes, guild leader!"

The crowd hurriedly received the order.

A moment later, the first middle-aged lady suddenly raised her head and asked, "Guild leader, you mentioned that your teacher goes by the name of Zhang Xuan. Could he possibly an 8-star master teacher of the Sanctum of Sages as well?"

"That's right!" Wang Ying replied affirmatively.

Given how large the Master Teacher Continent was, it was inevitable that there would be some overlaps in names. However, an 8-star master teacher in the Sanctum of Sages who went by the name of Zhang Xuan... that could not possibly be anyone other than her teacher.

"Guild leader, just a while ago, the Master Teacher Pavilion ordered for the apprehension of Zhang shi. This is the arrest warrant that they sent..." With a flick of her finger, the middle-aged lady passed a jade token over to Wang Ying.

"Hmm?" Wang Ying lowered her head to take a look, and a moment later, her eyes turned fearfully livid.

"Someone is trying to pin false accusations on my teacher, huh? Very well, I would like to see who that insolent fellow is!"

With a cold harrumph, Wang Ying flung her sleeves back and roared, "Hear my orders! All 9-star spirit awakeners are to follow me to the Glacier Plain Court, enchant every single Master Teacher Pavilion within a thirty thousand li radius, and wait for further orders!"

The crowd clasped their fists and replied, "Yes, guild leader!"

"All along, the continent has viewed us spirit awakeners as weaklings whom they can trample on. It's time to prove them wrong. We'll show them that the Spirit Awakener Guild also wields strength that they can't afford to underestimate." Wang Ying harrumphed coldly with her hands behind her back.

...

Boom!

Exhaling deeply, Zhao Ya slowly stood up once more.

It was no easy feat for her to cultivate the Heaven's Path Golden Body when she had lost her meridians, but with the assistance of her teacher, she had still managed to pull it off. With the successful cultivation of the physical body cultivation technique, her skin became even more delicate, reminiscent of a newborn baby. While her strength had not increased by too much, she had gained the ability to alter her appearance freely. Along with her teacher using his zhenqi to help her conceal her soul, once she changed her appearance as well, it would be difficult for even 9-star master teachers to see through her disguise.

"Alright, try changing your appearance!" Seeing that Zhao Ya had succeeded, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

With this, they would not have to worry about being seen through by anyone in the Empire Alliance City.

"Yes, Teacher!"

Nodding, Zhao Ya's facial muscles began shifting around, altering the structure of her face entirely. Very soon, she had assumed a whole new look that would be nigh impossible for anyone to associate with the young court chief of the Glacier Plain Court.

"Good!" Zhang Xuan nodded with a smile.

Even after altering her appearance, Zhao Ya was still very beautiful. However, it was at a level where it was not too uncommon in the Empire Alliance City, so she would not stand out as much.

After they were done with their preparations, the duo began making their way over to the Empire Alliance City once more.

At the entrance to the city, just as Zhang Xuan had expected, the checks had become much more stringent than before, such that there were even 6-star and 7-star master teachers supervising the checking process. However, it was impossible for those master teachers to see through their disguises, so they managed to get into the city with ease.

"Let's head to the Blacksmith Guild first. I want to see if there's a suitable material that could be used to replace your meridians!" Zhang Xuan said.

After asking around, Zhang Xuan led Zhao Ya toward the Blacksmith Guild.

The Empire Alliance Blacksmith Guild was around the same tier as the one in the Sanctum of Sages. The highest-ranking blacksmith in the guild was at 8-star, but there was still a sizeable collection of 9-star blacksmith books there.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the Blacksmith Guild and walked in confidently.

"Teacher, who should we find?" Zhao Ya asked.

In order to look into possible materials to replace meridians, they would have to find someone to inquire. Otherwise, they would not be able to make much progress just by roaming around the area aimlessly.

"The guild leader, of course!" Zhang Xuan replied as a matter-of-fact.

The one who would know the Blacksmith Guild the best was definitely none other than the guild leader. There was no one else better to find than him!

"Guild leader? Will he be willing to meet us given our current identities?" Zhao Ya asked with a frown.

As they had to conceal their identities, Zhang Xuan could not take out his emblem and proclaim himself to be a master teacher or a blacksmith. However, without sufficient standing, there was no reason for the busy guild leader to spare some of his time for them.

"That's simple!" Zhang Xuan chuckled. He scanned the surroundings, and upon seeing something, his eyes lit up as he said, "Come, follow me!"

Seated by the corner of the main hall was a blacksmith, and there were eight brilliant stars gleaming off the emblem on his chest.

An 8-star blacksmith!

He was currently in the midst of tutoring his disciple.

Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan walked up to that 8-star blacksmith and exclaimed in agitation, "You really are here! Do you know how difficult it was for me to find you?"

"You are..." The 8-star blacksmith was stunned by the abrupt performance from Zhang Xuan.

"Have you forgotten me so quickly? I am your Senior Uncle!" Zhang Xuan remarked with a hint of displeasure in his voice.

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Chapter 1517: The Empire Alliance Blacksmith Guild

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Senior Uncle?" The 8-star blacksmith was stunned for an instant before a deep frown surfaced on his forehead. With a livid expression, he growled, "Friend, just who in the world are you? Don't you think it's inappropriate to say such a joke?"

How could he possibly not recognize his own Senior Uncle? He was certain that he had never met the person standing in front of him before, so it was obvious that the other party was teasing him.

"You said that I'm joking? Do you really not recognize me?" Zhang Xuan shook his head as he raised his hand.

Hong long!

A powerful might swiftly shrouded the 8-star blacksmith, threatening to crush him into bits.

After his cultivation had advanced to Dimension Sundering realm primary stage, his grasp over his strength had become further refined. In fact, he could already deal with most Saint 9-dan primary stage cultivators with ease. While the person before him was an 8-star blacksmith, his cultivation was only at Phantasmal Space realm pinnacle.

The 8-star blacksmith's body instinctively tensed up in the face of the impending threat, and he hurriedly drove his zhenqi and launched a palm strike to counterattack.

But before his palm could strike, the crushing pressure that was pressing down on him abruptly vanished without a trace, as if it had never appeared in the first place.

Perplexed, he quickly looked at the young man before him once more, only to see that the latter had already placed his hands behind his back at some point in time. The young man was looking at him too, and with a slightly displeased look on his face, he asked, "Since you claim that you don't know me, allow me to ask you then. Is your name Chen Mo?"

"Yes, I am indeed Chen Mo!" the 8-star blacksmith, Chen Mo, replied.

There was no one in the Blacksmith Guild who did not know of his name, so it did not come as a wonder to him that the young man knew his name.

"Your teacher is 9-star Blacksmith Lu Yang. You inherited the Lu Yang Forging Art from him, but you specialize in the Hong Dian Forging Art instead. The ring finger of your left hand was once scorched by earth flames while you were in the midst of smithing... I didn't make a mistake, right?" Zhang Xuan asked calmly.

"T-this... You are right!" Chen Mo was stunned for a moment before shaking his head. "That information can easily be found by asking around in the Blacksmith Guild, so it doesn't mean a thing at all..."

"I know that it can be easily uncovered, but... the Hong Dian Forging technique requires precise coordination of all ten fingers in order to bring out its full prowess. Back when you were studying the technique, due to a small error, you ended up hurting your ring finger. As such, whenever you are tempering a weapon, it will begin curling in uncontrollably. While it doesn't affect the final product that you are creating too much, still, it does prevent you from achieving fine control over your strength. There aren't too many people who are aware of this, right?" Zhang Xuan chuckled softly.

"Y-you..." Chen Mo's body stiffened straight.

He did have such a habit in his smithing. While it was nothing major, there were not too many people in the Blacksmith Guild who were aware of this little quirk of his. So, for the other party to speak of it so decisively as if he had seen it with his own eyes, could the other party really be from the same lineage as him?

"Not only so, I also know that there are many flaws in your Hong Dian Forging Art. In fact, Senior Lu Yang instructed me to come here in order to correct your problems in the hope that you can push for a breakthrough soon. However, I'm also aware that I don't have any token or the sort that I can use to prove my identity either, so if you still don't trust me after what I have said, there's nothing I can do about it!" Zhang Xuan said with a wave of his hand.

"You are here to correct my problems?" Chen Mo frowned doubtfully.

"Indeed. There are three major flaws in your forging technique. Firstly, you have a tendency to overcomplicate the forging process. You attempt to bring every single phase of the forging process to the level of perfection, refining every ore to the extremity, but ironically, your attempts to do so often end up affecting the fusion of the ores..." Zhang Xuan pointed out with a light smile.

Chen Mo's body jolted upon hearing those words.

The other party was right; he did have such a habit. He had tried to get rid of the habit before, but whenever he tried to do so, he would end up missing the ideal fusing time for the ores, thus resulting in a failed product.

As time went by, he had eventually given up on it.

Smithing was an extremely complicated and delicate process, and even the slightest lapse could cause the greatest difference. Despite being an 8-star blacksmith, he was still unable to ensure perfection in his smithing.

"Secondly, your Hong Dian Forging Art is focused on searching for the crux of the material you are processing and hammering right on it so as to create an even more wholesome product. You have no trouble finding the crux of the ores that you are processing, but it's a pity that you are slightly lacking in speed..." Zhang Xuan continued.

"I..." Chen Mo's body jolted once more.

It was almost the other party had seen him forging with his own eyes. Astonishingly, every single point that the other party had raised was spot-on!

"Thirdly..." Zhang Xuan continued speaking.

By the time all three flaws were raised, Chen Mo's body was already drenched in cold sweat.

Those were indeed the three greatest errors in his smithing. He was aware of them and had tried to change them several times, only to have failed. It was precisely due to those issues that his smithing had ended up meeting a bottleneck.

"Is there any way to resolve my problems?" Unable to remain calm any longer, Chen Mo clasped his fist and bowed.

He still was not too sure whether the other party was really his Senior Uncle or not, but one thing was for sure—the other party was far ahead of him in the field of smithing.

"Like I said, your teacher has sent me over to correct your mistakes. It goes without saying that I have my own ways to resolve your flaws!" Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

It was not convenient for him to take out his 8-star blacksmith emblem at the moment, but in terms of his knowledge in smithing, even 9-star primary blacksmiths would struggle to match up to him.

All it took him was a slight moment of contemplation after browsing through Chen Mo's flaws in the Library of Heaven's Path for him to come up with a solution to resolve those problems.

Zhang Xuan swiftly imparted several methods to Chen Mo that he could use in order to resolve those three major flaws in his smithing.

"I see..." After hearing Zhang Xuan's pointers, Chen Mo could not help but widen his eyes in awe. The other party's words had truly enlightened him. "Thank you, Senior Uncle!"

As he spoke, he kneeled down to the ground and kowtowed to Zhang Xuan earnestly.

Zhang Xuan glanced at the kneeling man before him and said, "You aren't going to doubt me anymore?"

"No, no, of course not..." Chen Mo replied with an embarrassed chuckle.

Just the fact that the other party had pointed out the many flaws in his forging technique and even raised feasible methods to resolve them, even if the other party was not his Senior Uncle, he was already as good as a half-teacher to him!

"Good. To tell you the truth, other than to correct your smithing, I also have some business here that I will have to trouble your guild leader with. I'll need you to bring me to him!" Zhang Xuan said.

"You wish to meet our guild leader? That won't be a problem at all! This way, please," Chen Mo said as he quickly led the way forward.

"This..." Having witnessed the entire scene, Zhao Ya was more awestruck than ever by her teacher.

She had known all along that her teacher was a very resourceful man, but she did not think that he would actually be able to win an 8-star blacksmith over with just a couple of words and turn the other party into his junior. Even when witnessing the entire process with her own eyes, she could hardly believe what she was seeing.

With an 8-star blacksmith leading the way, it did not take too long for them to meet the guild leader.

The guild leader appeared to be an elder in his sixties. His hair had already turned snow white, and with a swift examination, Zhang Xuan could tell that the other party was a Saint 8-dan pinnacle cultivator.

Chen Mo stepped forward and said, "Guild leader, my Senior Uncle has come to visit, and he wishes to have a word with you."

"Your Senior Uncle?" Surprised by Chen Mo's words, the guild leader swiftly got to his feet and clasped his fist. "Senior, may I know how I should address you?"

He was peers with Chen Mo, so that would make Chen Mo's Senior Uncle his senior as well.

"I am Wu Zhangxuan, and this young lass beside me is my student. To be honest with you, my student got injured a while back, so I came over hoping to request your aid!" Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

"Ah, so it's Blacksmith Wu! May I know what you need my help on? As long as it's within my power, I'll definitely try my best to assist with your student's treatment!" the guild leader replied with a kind smile.

"My student made a mistake in her cultivation, resulting in her meridians sustaining some damage. So, I have come to your Blacksmith Guild in hopes of seeing finding a material that I could possibly use to substitute her meridians in driving zhenqi," Zhang Xuan said.

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Chapter 1518: Indeed, I Am Him

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"A substitute for meridians?" The guild leader contemplated deeply for a moment before saying, "Meridians are pathways within a cultivator's body that allows for the movement of spiritual energy and zhenqi. As a cultivator advances their cultivation, they will be able to strengthen and widen their meridians, allowing energy to flow even smoothly through them... I'm afraid that I can't think of any material in our Blacksmith Guild that has such properties!"

The meridians of a cultivator were not lifeless objects; they could evolve along with a cultivator's advancing cultivation as well. A stronger cultivator would be able to expand their meridians so as to allow them to harness more power, and vice-versa... While there was a huge range of artifacts and materials in the Blacksmith Guild, none of them had the properties suited for substituting the role of meridians.

"There isn't any material in your Blacksmith Guild that can be used to substitute meridians?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "If I recall correctly, there are some weapons that can extend and contract at will. Is it not possible to use those to substitute as meridians?"

There were formidable weapons in this world that could alter their sizes freely. For example, while the Sanctum Head Token in Zhang Xuan's hands was roughly only the size of a palm usually, it could grow to the size of a huge shield at his command.

"While there are weapons that cultivators can alter the form of at will, those are usually unable to harness zhenqi for too long. Furthermore, the development of the meridians isn't as simple as expanding and reinforcing them—there's a limit to how far one can do that. Eventually, it will come a point where the cultivator has to enhance the effectiveness of their meridians through spatial manipulation. Besides, it won't be easy to achieve delicate control over those materials, and one could easily get hurt as a result of that," the guild leader said with a bitter smile.

"Darn..." Zhang Xuan's face turned livid.

He was also aware that it was unlikely that there was any material that could be a perfect substitute for human meridians, but he could not allow himself to give up just like that. He hoped that he might be able to receive a different answer from the mouth of another, but judging from what he had just heard, it seemed like reconstructing Zhao Ya's meridians through smithing did not seem to be something achievable.

The guild leader was also able to roughly fathom Zhang Xuan's intentions, so he could not help but shake his head as well. At this moment, a thought suddenly came to his mind, and he said, "Actually, there might still be hope for your student. While it's not too plausible to reconstruct your student's meridians through smithing, I did hear some rumors that someone had managed to pull off the replacement of meridians before!"

"Someone managed to pull off the replacement of meridians? Who is it?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

If someone in the world had succeeded in the replacement of meridians, that would mean that it was possible! Even if he could not do it himself, he could still search for the person in question and ask for their help.

"Before I go on, I would like to first say that these are only rumors that I have heard, and I am unable to verify their authenticity. From what I know, the matter didn't happen too long ago, just roughly twenty years if I recall correctly. An expert of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters went around the Master Teacher Continent in search of a way to replace a person's meridians, and it seems like he succeeded in the end!" the guild leader said.

"An expert of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters? Who is it?" Zhang Xuan asked anxiously.

This would determine whether Zhao Ya would be able to recover or not, so he had to clutch at every possible lead that he could find.

"That person is Grand Elder Yang Xuan of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters!" the guild leader replied.

"Yang Xuan?" Zhang Xuan was stunned.

For the longest period of time, he had been impersonating Yang Xuan and claiming to be Yang Xuan's student. It seemed like fate really had a way of pulling pranks on others. After all that had happened, the clue to resolving Zhao Ya's condition ended up being with a man whom he was so intricately linked with and direly wanted to avoid.

"Indeed. Yang shi is a highly talented person. Putting aside the tremendous strength he wields, he's also well-versed in all of the occupations. Back then, in order to uncover a way to achieve the replacement of meridians, he even paid a visit to the head of our Blacksmith Guild headquarters and maintained correspondence with him for several years. Of course, I have no way of verifying those matters, so I'm afraid that you'll have to find the person in question to ask about it!" the guild leader said.

"I see..." Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella. "It seems like I'll have to pay Yang shi a visit then!"

Most likely, Yang shi should still be in the Zhang Clan... It would be dangerous, but it seemed like he would have to pay the Zhang Clan another visit.

Just that, he had impersonated the other party and claimed to be the other party's student, and now, he was even wanted by the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters. If he met the other party, would the other party be willing to listen to what he had to say?

Against First Elder Zhang Wuheng, he might still stand a chance of escape, but against Yang shi, one of the strongest experts of the Master Teacher Continent... If the other party meant him harm, would he be able to get away even if he utilized every method at his disposal?

"Yang shi?" Hearing those words, Zhao Ya felt a little light-headed.

Having seen Yang shi transforming into her teacher with her own eyes, she knew that grandteacher of hers was actually just a persona that her teacher had created. Yet, to hear the name again... what was going on?

"Yang shi often spends his time roaming the world, such that he rarely returns to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters at all. So, I don't think that it'll be too easy for you to catch wind of his whereabouts. If the situation with your student is urgent, Physician Huang of the Physician Guild happens to be a close friend of mine. I could invite him over to have him help diagnose your student..." Seeing the young man deep in thought, the guild leader thought that Zhang Xuan was worried about his student's condition, so he sincerely offered his help.

"Guild leader, thank you for your kind intentions, but I think it should be fine for the time being." Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

He was just about to continue speaking when a blacksmith abruptly rushed into the room and said, "Guild leader, there's a master teacher outside who seeks your presence!"

The guild leader turned his head over and asked, "Master teacher? Who is it? What's his rank?"

The blacksmith hesitated for a moment before replying. "He isn't wearing his emblem, so I'm not too sure what his rank is either. However, I think his surname is... Yang!"

"His surname is Yang?" The guild leader fell into deep thought, but he could not think of any notable master teachers who went by the surname of Yang in the Empire Alliance. Nevertheless, he still nodded and said, "Invite him in!"

"Yes, guild leader!"

The blacksmith turned around and left the room.

"Since you have a guest waiting for you, I shan't impose on you any longer and take my leave!" Having found what he needed, there was no longer any reason for Zhang Xuan to remain in the Blacksmith Guild any longer.

Thus, he clasped his fist before leaving together with Zhao Ya.

However, before he reached the entrance of the room, footsteps suddenly sounded ahead of him, and following which, the blacksmith from before returned with an elder beside him.

As the elder walked into the room, he suddenly turned his head toward Zhang Xuan and asked with a smile, "This young friend over here, you just arrived, right? Are you leaving so soon?"

"Hmm? Are you speaking to me?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback by the abrupt words from the elder.

The elder should be here to meet the guild leader, so why was the other party striking up a conversation with him instead?

"That's right. Rather than saying that I'm here to pay a visit to the guild leader, it would be more exact to say that I am here for you!" The elder stroked his beard as he spoke.

"For me?" Zhang Xuan frowned in bewilderment.

The elder before him looked perfectly ordinary. While he was dressed in a master teacher robe, there was not an emblem signifying his rank pinned on his chest. There was an amiable smile on his face, which seemed to suggest that he bore no ill-will.

However, one thing was for certain—he had never met the elder in front of him before.

"Have I met you before?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Hahaha!" Instead of replying to Zhang Xuan's question, the elder chuckled softly before turning to the guild leader and Blacksmith Chen Mo. "Pardon me, but there are some private matters that I would like to talk to the young friend over here about."

After saying those words, the elder flicked his finger, and an emblem came into the sight of the two blacksmiths. On the emblem were nine gleaming stars.

"9-star blacksmith?" Upon seeing the emblem, both the guild leader and Chen Mo leaped in shock. They hurriedly clasped their fists and replied, "O-of course, feel free to use this room!"

They had thought that the elder would show them his master teacher emblem, but who could have thought the other party would be a 9-star blacksmith as well. With a clear hierarchy established among them, they could not afford to defy a direct command from the other party.

Hualala!

The duo quickly backed out of the room, leaving just Zhang Xuan, Zhao Ya, and the enigmatic elder.

"Wu Zhangxuan, Wu (I'm) 1 Zhang Xuan. Isn't the name you have come up for yourself a little too perfunctory?"

Seeing that there was no one else in the room, the elder chuckled softly as he gazed deeply at Zhang Xuan. "Isn't that so, Zhang shi? Or perhaps, should I address you as... Sanctum Head Zhang?"

"You..." Not expecting the other party to not only be able to see through his disguise but even be aware of his identity as a sanctum head candidate, Zhang Xuan's goosebumps immediately rose in alarm. He immediately alerted his clone so that the other party would be ready to make a move at any moment.

"You are a master teacher, and you go by the surname Yang... Could you possibly be..."

"Well, it seems like you have figured it out." Stroking his beard once more, the elder said with a smile, "Indeed, I am the person whom you have been impersonating all this time... Yang Xuan!"

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Chapter 1519: Discovering Zhang Xuan

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Half a day earlier...

Through the Teleportation Formation of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, Yang shi and the others swiftly arrived at the Glacier Plain Courts and saw the devastation that had occurred there.

All of the buildings had collapsed down to the ground, and beacons of smoke could be seen here and there. There were charred marks everywhere, be it on the collapsed rubble or the ground.

"... and that was how he reduced the Glacier Plain Court to its current state!" Just thinking about what had just happened, You Ruoxin's body could not stop trembling in rage.

"He had just undergone the Phantasmal Space Ordeal in the Zhang Clan and left the entire place in tatters, but you're telling me that he underwent his Dimension Sundering Ordeal here shortly after..." Zhang Wuheng couldn't believe what he was hearing.

He had witnessed that fellow's Phantasmal Space Ordeal with his own eyes, and even he had nearly been struck to death by it. Who could have thought that in less than a night, he would run over to the Glacier Plain Court and undergo his Dimension Sundering Ordeal? Did that not mean that he had managed to raise his cultivation by two whole realms within the span of a single day?

Was it really possible for anyone to be that overpowered?

And more importantly... he had actually been able to make the lightning tribulation heed his commands and strike whatever he wanted it to! How in the world did he manage to do that?

"According to what you have said, he should have been severely wounded in the encounter, so it doesn't seem likely that he would be able to get too far away. Do you know which direction he headed off in?" Yang shi asked.

"I'm not too sure." You Ruoxin shook her head. "He completely erased all traces of his presence, making it impossible to track him. I have already ordered the members of the Glacier Plain Court to comb through the surrounding area, but none of them have been able to find any traces of him!"

Considering the young man's flight speed, he could not have gotten too far. However, when they finally recovered and started trying to track him down, it was as if he had vanished into thin air. Despite searching for more than a day now, they had not been able to find any traces of him at all.

It was almost as if the young man had not been there in the first place!

"It seems like he's a hidden expert. He must have used some kind of special means to erase his presence," Yang shi remarked.

Since there were cultivators who specialized in tracking, naturally, there were also those who were skilled in anti-tracking. There were experts in the world who could sneak from place to place without leaving any traces.

If Zhang Xuan truly possessed such means, then even someone as powerful as Yang Xuan would have trouble tracking him down.

"That seems to be the case, but considering the injuries that he has sustained, I'm confident that he's still within a radius of 100,000 li around the Glacier Plain Court. As long as we comb this area thoroughly, we would be able to dig him out!" You Ruoxin said confidently.

Given how severely wounded Zhang Xuan was, it would be impossible for him to get too far away. Furthermore, the Master Teacher Pavilion had also released an arrest warrant for him, and traveling in the open air would make it too easy for others to find and capture him. Building on these assumptions, she felt that Zhang Xuan would still be within a radius of 100,000 li from the Glacier Plain Court.

As long as they dispatched enough manpower to comb through the area, they would surely be able to find that scoundrel!

Yang shi turned to the group behind and proposed, "Sword Saint Xing, Sword Saint Meng, and First Elder, since there are no longer any clues on where he is, why don't we split up and search for him separately? It should be easier for us to find him this way, and whoever finds him first can alert the rest through our Communication Jade Tokens!"

"I guess that's the best we can do for now..." Sword Saint Meng nodded worriedly.

When she heard that the young man who could very well be her son was severely injured, she felt as if a knife had stabbed into her heart. She had considered exacting vengeance for her son on the Glacier Plain Court, but seeing the pitiful state that they were already in, she had eventually dropped the idea.

All she could think of at that moment was her injured son. Worried sick, she did not want to waste any more precious time dawdling around here.

"Let's go then!" Knowing how his wife felt, Sword Saint Xing swiftly chose a direction, and the two of them left together.

On the other hand, Zhang Wuheng hesitated for a moment, seemingly contemplating over something, before eventually choosing a direction and leaving as well.

"Elder You, I'll take my leave as well!" Yang shi bade his farewell before leaving in a certain direction.

In just a few moments, the four of them had already vanished over the horizon.

Shaking her head, You Ruoxin turned her gaze back to the Glacier Plain Court in order to supervise the disciples in its reconstruction. However, barely a moment later, the First Elder of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Wuheng, suddenly flew back over.

You Ruoxin quickly walked over and asked, "Elder Wuheng, could it be that you have managed to find him?"

"That isn't it." Zhang Wuheng shook his head. With an unreadable look on his face, he asked, "Which direction did Yang shi leave in earlier?"

"Yang shi?" You Ruoxin was taken aback.

"Indeed. As one of the top experts of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, Yang shi wields the ability to track down a person from their lingering presence. Even if Zhang Xuan has concealed his aura, I find it hard to believe that Yang shi would be unable to track him. Instead, I believe the reason he has suggested for us to split up is to shake us off and find him himself. I want to see just what he's up to..." Zhang Wuheng harrumphed.

"You are saying that Yang shi knows where Zhang Xuan is? So... as long as we follow Yang shi, we would be able to find Zhang Xuan as well?" A glint flickered across You Ruoxin's eyes.

"Indeed. However, in view of Yang shi's strength, we have to make sure to keep a safe distance away from him. It will be hard for us to explain our actions to him if he catches us tracking him," Zhang Wuheng said.

"I understand!" You Ruoxin nodded as a wintry gleam surfaced in her eyes. "This time, there's no way I'll allow him to slip through my fingers..."

"We have to make that fellow pay the price for his actions!" Zhang Wuheng nodded in agreement.

A fellow who had appeared out of nowhere actually had the guts to lay waste to the Zhang Clan. If they did not teach that fellow a lesson, how would the entire continent view the Zhang Clan in the future?

They could not allow the humiliation that they had suffered to slide just like that!

While the two of them were discreetly discussing their plans, some distance away, Yang shi stopped on a peak amid a mountain range. He flicked his wrist, and a mirror materialized in his hand.

He swiftly formed several hand seals, and light began swirling on the surface of the mirror. Soon, the light converged to form something resembling a map.

"Ultimately, the Sanctum Head Token is still an artifact forged by the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters," Yang shi muttered with a smile.

He did wield extraordinary skills in tracking, just as Zhang Wuheng suspected, but Zhang Xuan really did not leave the slightest trace at all when he left the Glacier Plain Court. Even to someone of his prowess, it appeared as if Zhang Xuan had simply vanished into thin air.

However, the Sanctum Head Token that Zhang Xuan had in his possession was an artifact belonging to the Master Teacher Pavilion. He could simply track the Sanctum Head Token in order to find the young man's whereabouts.

Studying the image on the mirror, Yang shi was able to swiftly determine the location of the Sanctum Head Token. "It seems he has headed off to the Empire Alliance City!"

With a leap, he vanished from the spot.

To be honest, he was not too concerned about the fact that Zhang Xuan had impersonated him or claimed to be his student. Instead, the dominant feeling that he felt at this moment was pure curiosity.

Despite his low cultivation, that young man had been able to impersonate him and fool even 9-star master teachers... How did the young man manage to pull something like that off?

...

Roughly an hour after Yang shi left the peak, the surrounding space suddenly distorted slightly, and two figures materialized into existence.

The First Elders of the Zhang Clan and the Glacier Plain Court, Zhang Wuheng and You Ruoxin.

Yang shi had not intentionally concealed his presence, so it was not too difficult for the two of them to track his movements.

"It seems like he's heading toward the Empire Alliance City..." After confirming the direction that Yang shi had left in, Zhang Wuheng asked with a frown, "Could Zhang Xuan be in the Empire Alliance City?"

"Very possibly. The closest major city to the Glacier Plain Court is the Empire Alliance City. Given the severe injuries Zhang Xuan has sustained, there's no way he would be able to flee too far away. His best bet is to hide within a large crowd, and for that, there's nowhere better than the Empire Alliance City!" You Ruoxin nodded in agreement.

The best way to conceal one's presence from the world was not to dive into some remote mountain valley but an ocean of people.

The more people there were, the harder it would be for one to be found.

Going by such an analysis, it was indeed very likely for Zhang Xuan to be in the Empire Alliance City.

It boasted the greatest population count among the cities in the area, and there was a diverse range of people within the city. There was a Master Teacher Pavilion within the city, which might make such a choice of location appear risky, but sometimes, it was the most obvious location that one was likely to overlook.

After all, which sane person would dare loiter right beneath the nose of the Master Teacher Pavilion when an arrest warrant had been issued on him? Thus, the Master Teacher Pavilion would not devote too much of its manpower searching the Empire Alliance City either.

"Inform the Master Teacher Pavilion right away and tell them that we have found some traces of Zhang Xuan in the Empire Alliance City. Regardless of whether he's there or not, let's have the Master Teacher Pavilion first conduct a thorough search throughout the city!" Zhang Wuheng harrumphed coldly.

"Un, I'll inform them right away!" You Ruoxin nodded.

While they could conduct the search, they did not have the legitimacy and manpower of the Master Teacher Pavilion, so their efficiency was bound to be much lower.

All that was left to do was bide their time in the Empire Alliance City. Once Zhang Xuan was found, they would swoop right in and apprehend him!

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Chapter 1520: Be My Student (1)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Yang Xuan..." Zhang Xuan's heart jolted in horror.

His first instinct was to escape, but he forced himself to remain calm.

From the looks of it, it seemed like the other party had seen through his disguise from the start. The fact that the other party had not made a move yet and instead chose to converse with him calmly showed that he bore no ill will.

On top of that, he had been trying to assess the other party's strength, but as if staring into the abyss, he found himself unable to see the bottom of the other party's cultivation. It was questionable whether he would really be able to escape or not even if he tried.

Rather than jumping into action, it seemed wiser for him to sound out the other party's aim first.

While Zhang Xuan was in a state of utter shock, the elder standing opposite of him was also completely astounded.

He could tell with his eye of discernment that the person standing opposite to him was only in his early twenties, but the young man's state of mind was so deep that even he was unable to see through him.

It was no wonder that no one had been able to see through the young man's impersonation for so long.

More importantly, despite knowing who he was, the young man was still able to remain perfectly calm, not showing the slightest hint of fluster at all. Just from that, his state of mind had already surpassed all master teachers that he knew of.

There was a short moment of silence before Zhang Xuan remarked, "I have always taken pride in my disguise ability. If Yang shi doesn't mind sharing, I am interested to know how you managed to see through me."

He would not be so arrogant as to actually think that his disguise was impeccable, but with his Soul Depth of 29.1, which was on par with top 9-star master teachers, and the extraordinary flexibility of his body, not even Elder Qu and the others had been able to see through him. Just what kind of fatal opening was there in his disguise that made Yang shi so certain that he was Zhang Xuan?

"Your disguise was remarkable. From your outer appearance down to the aura of your soul, there's no way I could have guessed it was you. The only reason I was so certain is because of the Sanctum Head Token in your possession," Yang shi replied.

"Sanctum Head Token?" Zhang Xuan was stunned, not expecting to hear such an answer. He quickly flicked his wrist and took out his Sanctum Head Token.

After using it to defend against the attack from Elder Qu back at the Glacier Plain Court, he had placed it back into his storage ring, and he had not taken it out since then. Who could have thought that it would actually become the crux for Yang shi to find him?

"That's right. The Sanctum Head Token is an artifact that Sage Kui, together with a group of powerful master teachers, painstakingly forged. While it isn't the strongest weapon in the world, it harnesses the wills of the predecessors and the scholarly aura of the Sanctum of Sages. Even if you store it in your storage ring, you still can't fully conceal the aura it emanates. It's due to this property of the Sanctum Head Token that even with the untimely deaths of the preceding sanctum heads, the Sanctum of Sages was still able to eventually retrieve the Sanctum Head Token without fail!" Yang shi replied with a smile.

Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

The Sanctum Head Token could be considered an insignia of authority and nobility for the Sanctum of Sages. Perhaps in a bid to sustain the legacy of the token, Sage Kui and the others had devised some method that would allow the top echelons of the Sanctum of Sages and Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters to trace the whereabouts of the Sanctum Head Token.

And it was using such a method that Yang shi had been able to find his whereabouts and confirm his identity.

"Since Yang shi has found me, do you intend to apprehend me?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"I haven't returned to the Master Teacher Pavilion for a very long time, and the decrees they issue have nothing to do with me. The reason I came looking for you is solely out of curiosity... A person as talented as you couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere. I'm interested to find out what lineage you are from and whom your teacher is!" Yang shi replied with a smile.

Along the way, he had carefully browsed through Zhang Xuan's records. The young man had claimed to be his student, but he knew very well that he had never met the young man before, let alone imparted any knowledge to him.

He knew all of the 9-star master teacher on the Master Teacher Continent, but he did not think that any of them wielded the ability to raise such a formidable student. In fact, even the student whom he had personally groomed, Feng Ziyi, was nothing compared to the young man standing before him.

He wanted to find out just whom the person behind Zhang Xuan was.

"This..." Zhang Xuan shook his head and replied, "I'll be frank with you. I have never acknowledged a teacher before!"

Before others, he could still claim that his teacher was Yang Xuan, but with the person in question standing right in front of him, such lies no longer held any meaning.

"You have never acknowledged any teacher before?" Yang shi's smile collapsed into a look of disbelief. "How could that be possible? I have looked through your records, and you were just an ordinary cultivator in the Tianxuan Kingdom. Within a single year, you have already grasped the strength of the Saint 8-dan Dimension Sundering realm. How could you grow so quickly without the guidance of a teacher?"

Be it in terms of cultivation or supporting occupations, the young man before him seemed to grasp everything in an instant. Even when it came to his cultivation, everything seemed to bank on his whims. He could achieve breakthroughs as and when he liked, as if the concept of bottlenecks did not apply to him.

As unbelievable as it seemed, it might still have been possible if he did have a formidable teacher to guide him along. However, to achieve all of that by himself... this was something that even Yang shi himself was unable to believe!

One must know that even the legendary Kong shi had not grown at this breakneck speed either!

"I don't know why, but be it cultivation or supporting occupations, I'm able to grasp and master everything in an instant. There's nothing I can do about how talented I am!" Zhang Xuan replied with a helpless edge to his voice.

He could not possibly talk about the Library of Heaven's Path, so he could only attribute everything to his own aptitude.

There should have been individuals who were so monstrously talented that they could not be defined using common sense in history, such as the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan. Did they not say that he was already a Saint realm expert at birth?

Considering how there were people in the world who were born as Saints, surely his talent of mastering everything in an instant was nothing to gawk at.

"This..." Yang shi frowned.

In his lifetime, he had met plenty of prodigies, and there were indeed those who possessed such talent too—the little princess of the Luo Clan was one such example—but... none of them were as overpowered as this!

Besides, the Luo Clan's resources were there for all to see. It was due to the massive influx of resources, and this was including the guidance of 9-star master teachers, that she had been able to grow that quickly. On the other hand, the young man before him was an unaffiliated cultivator... and yet, he was actually growing at a rate faster than the little princess!

There was no way that such a thing could be achieved if he did not have a teacher!

Furthermore, based on what he had heard, the young man also wielded many extraordinary means as well, such as taming the lightning tribulation into subservience... Even he was incapable of pulling something as ludicrous as that off!

Yang shi hesitated for a moment before flicking out a jade token and passing it over. "I have a battle technique here. It's a finger art that Feng Ziyi was unable to achieve Major Accomplishment in despite having cultivated it for three years. Since you possess such talents, may I request that you try learning it so as to convince me that you really don't have a teacher?"

Since the young man had claimed that he was able to master everything swiftly, there was a very simple method to verify this claim. If the young man was really able to master the finger art swiftly, that would mean that there was some truth to his words.

"A finger art?" Zhang Xuan took the jade token and swiftly browsed through it.

Severing Yang Finger!

It was a Saint pinnacle battle technique that wielded unparalleled might. If used well in a battle, it could easily serve as a trump card in dire situations!

Fortunately, I do have quite a few finger arts in the Library of Heaven's Path... Compile!

Knowing that Yang shi was testing him, and he would clear this test as long as he could master the finger art, Zhang Xuan did not hesitate to collect the Severing Yang Finger into the Library of Heaven's Path. After which, he compiled it together with the finger arts that he had collected back in the Combat Master Hall.

The Severing Yang Finger was a little similar to the Grand Constellation Finger, which he had practiced back then. Its crux lay in focusing one's strength at a single point and releasing it all at once.

Soon, a new book materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path.

Zhang Xuan quickly flipped it open and browsed through it.

Just as he had expected, the compiled finger art was devoid of flaws. With a touch, the knowledge regarding the perfected Severing Yang Finger flowed into his head.

"This finger art of mine is a little too heavy on its killing intent, but it's still a formidable weapon when dealing with Otherworldly Demons," Yang shi said. "This finger art allows one to sever the vitality and longevity of one's opponent, but due to its might, it also inflicts a certain degree of damage on the practitioner as well. One must be able to concentrate one's strength, mind, spirit, and will together in order to execute it perfectly.

"I'll give you three days to learn this skill. If you are able to reach Minor Accomplishment within three days without my guidance, I'll believe that you possess the capability to have reached your current altitude without a teacher to guide you along..."

"Three days? There's no need for that!" Zhang Xuan opened his eyes and looked at Yang Xuan. "I am already done learning it!"

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Chapter 1521: Be My Student (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"You are already done... learning it?" Yang shi's eyebrows shot up, thinking that he might have heard wrongly.

You have only grabbed the jade token and nothing else. Heck, you didn't even infuse your zhenqi into it to browse through its contents, and yet, you are telling me that you are already done learning it?

Furthermore, the Severing Yang Finger is complex and hard to grasp. Even when I came into contact with it the first time, it took an entire hour before I was able to finish reading through the manual and comprehend it. Yet, right after grabbing hold of the jade token, you are telling me that you have already mastered it?

Surely, you jest!

"Since it's your battle technique, you can lower your cultivation and try it out," Zhang Xuan said with a smile. "You should be able to tell whether I am lying or not once we trade blows."

"Very well then!" Seeing how confident the young man before him was, seemingly not fearing his identity or strength at all, Yang shi nodded.

The young man was right. The best way to test a cultivator's mastery of his battle technique was to trade blows with him!

If the young man was able to execute it fluidly in the midst of battle, that would mean that he had truly mastered the technique.

Boom!

Yang shi took in a deep breath, and the next moment, his cultivation plummeted to the same level as Zhang Xuan, Dimension Sundering realm primary stage!

"I'm going to make my move now..."

Yang shi raised his forefinger and middle finger, gathering a rotating surge of energy at the tip of his fingers. In an instant, the surge of energy had already gathered together in a cataclysmic storm.

Devastating might roared furiously from the midst of the storm, on the verge of tearing the surrounding space into shreds.

Simply replying with a nod, Zhang Xuan raised his finger casually and lightly tapped the space in front of him.

His finger did not wield the power of the storm, unlike Yang Xuan's, and his movements were slow as if an old ox plowing the fields.

Yang shi was intending to say that he had executed the finger art incorrectly, but when he saw the tip of the finger pointed at him, his eyes narrowed in alarm. In that moment, he could not even spare a shred of his attention toward speaking anymore.

He swiftly focused the crippling energy that he had gathered together and shot it forward to defend against Zhang Xuan's finger art.

Boom!

As the two fingers collided, the storm that had gathered abruptly vanished without a trace. Following which, Yang shi felt an enormous force striking him head on, forcing him to retreat uncontrollably. He swiftly released the seal on his cultivation, and only when he had recovered up to Dimension Sundering realm pinnacle did he finally regain his balance.

"You..." Suppressing the turbulence in his zhenqi, Yang shi was utterly shocked by what had just happened.

At first glance, the finger art that the young man had executed bore no resemblance to the Severing Yang Finger at all. However, the moment that the finger art struck him, it had suddenly made the full transformation into the Severing Yang Finger.

While he had altered the execution of the Severing Yang Finger, the might of the finger art did not weaken in the least; on the contrary, it had grown almost two times stronger!

Furthermore, the intent of the finger art was on point as well. He could feel the force of the finger consuming his entire body, nearly severing the zhenqi in his body into half!

This was a level of power that even he did not possess despite having mastered the Severing Yang Finger!

"Are you injured?" Zhang Xuan asked sheepishly.

"I'm fine," Yang shi replied. Unable to hold himself back anymore, he asked, "You didn't just master the Severing Yang Finger; you have even improved it as well, right?"

Through the previous clash, it was apparent that the young man had not only mastered the Severing Yang Finger but even managed to improve it. How in the world did he do it?

To do all of that within just a few minutes... even when he was seeing it with his own eyes, he still felt as if he was dreaming!

Was it really possible for someone to be so formidable in the world?

"In the first place, to design a battle technique solely for the sake of killing isn't optimal. The purpose of battle techniques is to allow a cultivator to better utilize their zhenqi, exerting force that would have otherwise been impossible," Zhang Xuan explained. "The Severing Yang Finger is too domineering, placing it at disharmony with the world. Thus, I altered it a little so as to place the focus on severing the enemy's zhenqi instead. This way, not only will it not result in unnecessary bloodshed, it will also be able to let the opponent realize that they are outmatched."

The Severing Yang Finger was indeed a formidable technique, but it was simply too demanding on a cultivator's zhenqi, spirit, mind, and will. If the attack missed, the cultivator could end up creating an opening for the enemy to strike.

But after compiling the Severing Yang Finger with many other finger art manuals, Zhang Xuan had managed to resolve the flaw.

"It's true that severing the opponent's zhenqi is a less violent way of subduing one's opponent and can avoid unnecessary bloodshed, but... what if the enemy that you are facing is an Otherworldly Demon? Your act of mercy will not necessarily be reciprocated. Often, just the slightest difference in intent could bring one the greatest of calamities!" Yang shi said.

While killing arts were at disharmony with the world, there was still a reason for their existence.

One would not use it when fighting against fellow master teachers, but when facing the Otherworldly Demons, the slightest mercy could end up creating an opening for the other party to exploit, placing oneself and one's allies in danger.

Such cases were simply too common.

Back then, when he entered the Subterranean Gallery for the first time with his teacher, out of a moment of compassion for the enemy, he had given the enemy an opportunity to launch a counterattack. Eventually, his teacher had ended up being severely injured while trying to save him, nearly losing his life.

He had spent a very long time regretting his indecisiveness back then. That incident had taught him a lesson that he would never forget—it was fine to have mercy when fighting a friend, but against one's enemies, one had to cast aside one's morals and be as ignoble as possible. Otherwise, the ones who would pay the price would not be the enemy.

"Indeed. You can't afford to go easy against the Otherworldly Demons!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"If you agree with my point of view, why did you still diminish the destructive might of the Severing Yang Finger?" Yang shi asked in bewilderment.

If the young man understood his logic, it seemed counterintuitive for him to still choose to alter the battle technique into such a form.

"Ah. To be honest with you, I only used thirty percent of my strength in the fight earlier so that I could exert and retract my strength freely. If I used my full strength, the might it commands is still not too bad!" Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

"Thirty percent?" Yang shi staggered on the spot, and he thought that his mind would blow up. "You said that... you only used thirty percent of your strength?"

Using just thirty percent of his strength, the young man had actually managed to push him back and force him to raise his cultivation to Dimension Sundering realm pinnacle before he was able to steady himself once more.

Was the young man really serious about this?

"Indeed. A full might attack would be something like this..." Zhang Xuan nodded as he raised his finger once more.

This time, the young man's movement was even slower, but for an instant, Yang shi felt as if the entire world had collapsed on him. A feeling of despair swiftly crept its way into his mind, leaving him feeling as if he would be completely helpless no matter how he struggled.

Kacha! Kacha!

Not daring to hesitate in the least, Yang shi quickly released the seal on his cultivation, and in an instant, his cultivation rose back up to Saint 9-dan Macrocosm Ascendancy realm.

Following which, he thrust his finger forth to face Zhang Xuan's attack.

Peng!

The young man's strength surged toward him like a relentless tide, threatening to disintegrate his meridians and render him completely helpless.

Once again, Yang shi was forced to retreat more than twelve steps back. His zhenqi was jolted into turbulence under the impact, and he had to take deep breaths in order to calm himself down. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper, marked with utter disbelief.

As one of the strongest experts in the world, even if he had suppressed his cultivation, the young man should not have been able to be a match for him. Yet, the young man actually overpowered him using his move after learning it for just a couple minutes...

That was too frightening!

Were there really geniuses in the world who could grasp anything upon sight and even alter it stronger in just moments?

"The strength isn't too bad, right?" Zhang Xuan asked with a smile.

"Yes..." Calming down the turmoil he was undergoing inside, Yang shi exhaled deeply. With glowing eyes, he asked, "Since you don't have any teacher at the moment, will you consider taking me as your teacher?"

The fact that the young man had claimed to be his teacher showed that the young man did have an interest in his lineage. He had still been able to remain calm about it in the past, but after witnessing the young man's unbelievable talent, his heart as a teacher immediately lit up into a passionate inferno.

He could not even begin to imagine just how far the young man could go under his guidance.

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Chapter 1522: You Are a Celestial Master Teacher?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"You want me to accept me as your student?"

"Indeed. As long as you agree to be my student, the Master Teacher Arrest Warrant, the Zhang Clan, and the Glacier Plain Court, I can help you resolve them all!" Yang shi said with a smile.

In the first place, even though the Zhang Clan and the Glacier Plain Court had been humiliated by the matter, they had not lost any of their men due to that. Furthermore, Zhang Xuan was the head of the Sanctum of Sages, so the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters would be lenient on him, especially considering the current circumstances. Thus, as long as he spoke up on Zhang Xuan's behalf, in deference to his standing and power, this seemingly unresolvable issue could be resolved rather easily.

At the very most, he would just have to bring Zhang Xuan around to make more contributions so as to strike off whatever misdeeds he had done in the past.

As a grand elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion, he believed in his appeal to others. As long as he proclaimed his interest in taking in a student, countless masters teachers would immediately rush over to him. Considering how he had even made a direct offer to Zhang Xuan, he believed that the latter would not turn him down.

Just as he thought that the young man would delightfully kneel down and acknowledge him as his teacher, the young man shook his head instead and said, "Yang shi, thank you for your high opinion of me, but... I don't have any intention of acknowledging a teacher just yet!"

Having undergone five Celestial Master Teacher acknowledgement, his eyes were already set on higher grounds. Even if Kong shi offered to take him in as his disciple again, he might not necessarily agree to it, let alone Yang shi!

"Hmm?" Yang shi was stunned for a moment before his eyes slowly widened in astonishment. "You do have a strong foundation, possessing unique insights into battle techniques and cultivation. Under normal circumstances, it's true that you wouldn't need a teacher. After all, you have already found your own way of cultivation, and it would be meaningless for you to forcefully adopt another person's lineage.

"That being said, the Master Teacher Pavilion still heavily emphasizes the idea of lineage. With a good teacher, your standing in the Master Teacher Pavilion could be increased significantly, thus bringing you greater convenience in whatever you intend to do in the future. Furthermore, beyond Saint 9-dan, there won't be any predecessors whose path you can emulate. Without a teacher to guide you along, there's a high chance that you might accidentally head down the wrong path, and that could pose to be deadly!"

"There won't be any predecessors whose path I can emulate?" Zhang Xuan turned to look at Yang shi with a doubtful look in his eyes.

As he had not raised his cultivation or master teacher rank to the corresponding level yet, he had not been able to acquire any news regarding the affairs of 9-star master teachers. As such, he was completely oblivious to what lay beyond Saint 9-dan and how such a level of cultivation could be achieved.

"Becoming a 9-star master teacher isn't just about one's cultivation or Soul Depth. More than that, one must find their own philosophy of education and achieve a certain level of accomplishment in the field of teaching. Take Kong shi for example, the philosophies that he left behind include teaching without discrimination, individualized impartation of knowledge, cultivating a passion toward learning, wholesome education, and so on. The beliefs that he left behind have lasted through the ages, inspiring generation after generation of teachers.

"Not only so, one of the core requirements to becoming a 9-star master teacher is to achieve a breakthrough beyond Saint 9-dan, but it is no easy feat to do so at all. Even I had to tread carefully as if walking on thin ice, fearing that the slightest mistake would lead to my downfall! It's during times like this that the guidance of a teacher plays a crucial role. If you simply rely on fumbling your way through, it'll be difficult for you to get far!" Yang shi said with a shake of his head.

"Cultivation is a struggle against the heavens, so it's bound to be fraught with difficulties. However..." Knowing that Yang shi bore good intentions at heart, Zhang Xuan pondered deeply for a moment, seemingly deciding on an important decision. A moment later, he exhaled deeply before walking up to Yang shi and saying, "Yang shi, please take a look at this!"

After which, Zhang Xuan tapped his finger forward, and a surge of Heaven's Path zhenqi slowly gathered at the tip of his finger. At the same time, a unique aura was slowly being released from his body, pushing toward the elder.

Yang shi was initially a little perplexed over what Zhang Xuan was going to do, but upon sensing the aura that the young man emanating, he hurriedly retreated two steps as his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. His finger trembled non-stop as a furious tempest broke out in his heart. "Y-you are..."

Zhang Xuan nodded silently.

"This... But... No wonder!" Yang shi took a deep breath before conducting a solemn, proper bow toward Zhang Xuan.

He felt light on his feet, almost as if he was floating on cloud. The situation was simply too unbelievable to him.

It was no wonder the other party was unwilling to be his student. It turned out that he was a Celestial Master Teacher!

Having the acknowledgement of the world, it would be no exaggeration to say that he was the disciple of the very world itself. In terms of standing, the young man before him could be said to be on par with even Kong shi! Putting him aside, even if Kong shi was reincarnated, he might still be unqualified to take the young man before him in as his student!

Seeing that Yang shi understood what was going on, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and explained, "You should also understand how astounding my identity is. I know that revealing my identity could help me out of the quandary I am currently in, but it would surely draw the frenzied aggression of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. I think it would be utterly foolish to place my life in the hands of another, so until I am powerful enough to protect myself, I don't intend to reveal my true identity. It's also for that reason that I claimed to be your student and used it as a cover to rationalize my accomplishments... I hope for your understanding for using your name without your consent!"

Back then, when he first impersonated Yang shi, he had been unaware of the other party's existence. Perhaps, this was the path that destiny was veering him toward. Since things had already worked out this way, he might as well just play along with it.

This way, he would also be able to justify why he had chosen to impersonate Yang shi in the first place.

"I-it's my honor!" Yang shi nodded with a dazed look on his face, having yet to recover from the shocking revelation.

It was his utmost fortune to have the Celestial Master Teacher claiming to be his disciple. He would have never dared imagine such a thing happening otherwise!

"I guess that's to be expected. Who else other than the Celestial Master Teacher could wield such tremendous abilities?"

It took Yang shi a long moment of rumination before he was able to regain himself.

It was no wonder the young man had been able to pull off so many inconceivable feats, such as commanding the lightning tribulation! In his lifetime, Yang shi had seen plenty of geniuses, but none of them could match up to even a tenth of Zhang Xuan's capabilities!

His direct disciple, Feng Ziyi, was one such example. In the eyes of others, he was a hard-to-come-by genius who possessed unparalleled talent, and he could very well join the upper echelons of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters in the future. However, when compared to the young man before him, the difference between the two of them was so great that he could not bear to look at his direct disciple anymore. They were simply on two entirely different levels!

"Yang shi, the implications concerning a Celestial Master Teacher are too great, so I ask of you to keep this matter a secret," said Zhang Xuan as he clasped his fist.

"Don't worry, I won't speak of this matter to another soul," Yang shi replied with a nod.

The term 'Celestial Master Teacher' had come to take on too great a significance throughout the entire world. If it became known that Zhang Xuan was the Celestial Master Teacher, it would raise a huge commotion, such that even the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters would be rattled at its core.

At the same time, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe would also launch an all-out assault against mankind, not caring about the damage that they would sustain as a result of their actions, just so that they could prevent another Kong shi from rising among the humans. This would place mankind in grave danger, and the situation could very well run out of control.

"You have my gratitude!" Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

Even though this was the first time that he had met Yang shi, for some inexplicable reason, he felt that the latter was someone whom he could trust and rely on, which was also the reason he had chosen to reveal his identity to Yang shi in the first place.

The greater the number of people who knew of his identity, the higher the risk that the news would leak out. As such, he could not afford to have the entire Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters learning of his identity as a Celestial Master Teacher. But at the same time, he also understood the unfavorable situation that he was in.

If he could just bring Yang shi over to his side and have the latter mediate on his behalf, this matter could very well be resolved peacefully without him having to expose his identity to too many people.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony. This is part of my duty as a master teacher." At this point, Yang shi turned a serious gaze to Zhang Xuan as he continued speaking. "You are a Celestial Master Teacher, and I understand that I don't have the qualifications to take you in as my student. However, without exposing that you are the Celestial Master Teacher or having you come under any lineages, I'm afraid that it'll still be hard for me to convince the Master Teacher Pavilion to get off your back."

"Hard?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

He knew that the person standing right before him was the First Grand Elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion. Surely, with the other party's esteemed standing, he would be able to resolve this matter easily. Why would it be hard for him?

"You have had quite a few clashes with the Master Teacher Pavilion, so I believe that you should be able to tell that the current Master Teacher Pavilion is no longer what it used to be," Yang shi said with a deep sigh of resignation.

Zhang Xuan blinked, not expecting to hear such words from Yang shi.

"The purpose behind the founding of the Master Teacher Pavilion was to empower mankind and grant it the strength required to fend off any external threats. Anything aside from its primary purpose, master teachers would strive not to get involved with or even pay attention to at all. After Kong shi's passing, most of the predecessors continued to embrace such a tradition. Alas, all men have ambitions and desires; the allure of power corrupts them so."

Woefulness rippled in Yang shi's eyes as he shook his head bitterly, seemingly lamenting the vicissitudes of life. "The effects of power appear benign in the short-run, but those who have enjoyed it for far too long fear having it stripped from their hands, and they will do anything to preserve their grip on power. Such is the case with the current Master Teacher Pavilion.

"They feel that the scars on their bodies and the blood that they have shed make them the rightful leaders of the Master Teacher Continent, and there's no human and no power who is worthy of refuting their contribution to the world. They feel that the Master Teacher Pavilion deserves the very prestige that it's accorded, and anyone who shows them any disrespect is contemptible. It's a true pity that they have already lost sight of the very people who granted them their power in the first place. Without humans, who would care about whatever sacrifices the master teachers have made?

"I simply couldn't stand such snobbishness. So, I chose to spend my days roaming outside, rarely returning to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters!"

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Chapter 1523: Junior Yang Xuan

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"This..." Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment before he slowly shook his head.

He had encountered many different master teachers on his journey. He had met master teachers who addressed others humbly and amiably regardless of their ranking, as well as those who worked hard to ensure that their students matured to become upstanding and capable individuals in the future. At the same time, there were also master teachers who were self-important and abused their power for their own satisfaction, making them no different from tyrants.

The Master Teacher Pavilion was built with good intentions at heart, but as time passed, its primary purpose had inevitably dulled.

Power placed one in a lofty position and would corrupt one's heart. Not even master teachers were infallible to that.

"The arrest warrant that the Master Teacher Pavilion has placed on you is one such example." Yang shi shook his head and sighed. "I have checked your records, and on top of your outstanding talent, you have also made commendable contributions to mankind. Under normal circumstances, the stand that the Master Teacher Pavilion would take should be reconciliatory, working to mediate in the conflict between you and the other powers.

"However, your ability to control the lightning tribulation is simply too attractive for them to miss out on. To make matters worse, the fact that you don't have a lineage means that they can force you to spit out your secret arts without fearing retribution from those in your lineage. With so many people desiring to obtain your secret arts, it's no wonder they have chosen such an extreme approach this time around.

"Currently, the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters is split into several factions, each of them keeping their secret arts and skills under wraps, aiming to outdo the other factions instead of striving for collective growth. Long gone are the days when master teachers are truly open with one another, sharing their insights and knowledge unreservedly with one another.

"As long as a faction obtains your secret arts, they will be able to surpass the other factions and suppress them, thus gaining dominant power in the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters. Kong shi left the Master Teacher Pavilion behind in order to strengthen mankind, but ultimately, even his teachings aren't able to overcome the fundamental nature of humans... Damn!"

"Indeed..." Zhang Xuan sighed. "No matter how good a system Kong shi put in place, the humans who manage the system are ultimately still fallible!"

In the early years of the Master Teacher Pavilion, master teachers had sought not power or recognition. They had believed that their responsibility lay in the betterment of mankind, and they had never hesitated to share their knowledge with others so as to achieve that goal.

But tens of thousands of years had passed since, and mankind had progressed to a stage of stability and prosperity. There was no longer any urgent threat for mankind to unite against, so they had turned their sights inward and begun fighting for power instead, forgetting their initial purpose.

Sometimes, even the character of the most pinnacle master teacher might not compare with the lowest 1-star master teacher.

At the very least, the lowest 1-star master teachers had not been corrupted by power and authority yet.

"For the past tens of thousands of years, there has been a pre-established cap on how high one's cultivation can go, so most people lose their motivation to continue cultivating once they reach that perceived cap. Thus, they sought new ways to allow them to live grander and more pompously instead." Yang shi heaved yet another dejected sigh.

The problem with the Master Teacher Pavilion was an intrinsic issue, and the corruption had already permeated right into the core of the organization. It was not something that he alone could resolve.

"Much of the Master Teacher Pavilion's virtue has eroded over the past tens of thousands of years... but even though the master teachers nowadays have already forgotten the lofty ideals that they once embraced, they remain unrelenting in dealing with the Otherworldly Demons and protecting mankind," Zhang Xuan noted with a nod. "Perhaps it was in view of this that the preceding deputy pavilion masters thought little of the ailments that the Master Teacher Pavilion is suffering from!"

While power had caused the nature of the Master Teacher Pavilion to change, as long as they remained united when dealing with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, it would show that the master teachers had not truly cast away their values and purpose yet.

"Ever since Kong shi left us so, Great Sage has been the highest realm that any cultivator could reach. No one has been able to overcome the final hurdle to reach the level of the Ancient Sages. However, your very emergence signifies a change in the eras. As a Celestial Master Teacher, I believe that you'll be able to lead mankind through its current threats and usher in another era of prosperity!" Yang shi exclaimed excitedly.

The preceding generations of deputy pavilion masters had been lacking in legitimacy and prestige, so they had not been able to garner the support of everyone in the Master Teacher Pavilion. However, things would be different for the Celestial Master Teacher.

"Great Sage?" Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.

"Above Saint 9-dan lies the realm of Great Sage, but unlike the Saint realm, Great Sage only consists of four dans. Beyond Great Sage lies Ancient Sage, which is also the level that Qiu Wu, Bo Shang, and the other disciples of Kong shi reached. However, in the dozens of millenniums since the passing of Kong shi, no one has been able to achieve a breakthrough to that level," Yang shi replied.

"This..." Zhang Xuan's heart jolted in astonishment.

All along, he had thought that Ancient Sage was just a manner of addressing the predecessors in the ancient era, but who could have thought that it would actually be the name of a whole cultivation realm!

"What realm did Kong shi reach?" Zhang Xuan could not help but ask out of curiosity.

Since his subordinates and disciples had all reached the level of Ancient Sage, as the number one expert of all mankind and the founder of the Master Teacher Pavilion, just how powerful could he have been?

"Kong shi reached an unfathomable level, far beyond our means to speculate!" Yang shi said as he gazed into the distance deeply.

At his peak, Kong shi had reached a level that no man had ever reached. No one could tell how powerful he was, or taking a step back, even if someone knew how powerful he was, it was not something that young juniors like them were qualified to look into.

"After all that has been said and done, I believe that you should have gained some understanding of the current Master Teacher Pavilion. If we don't expose your identity as a Celestial Master Teacher, you will need another identity to increase your standing so that others won't doubt you so. Otherwise, your feat of rising through the ranks within the span of a single year and successfully crashing two different Master Teacher Pavilions will be simply too eye-catching. Together with the huge uproar this time around, I fear that it will be hard to resolve this matter peacefully!" Yang shi said.

"This..."Zhang Xuan fell silent.

There was some truth in what Yang shi had said.

If the majority of the master teachers in the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters wanted to lay their hands on Zhang Xuan, even with Yang Xuan's influence as the First Grand Elder, it would still be difficult for him to overthrow a verdict that had the approval of the majority.

No matter how much prestige Yang shi wielded in the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, the one who was truly in power and had the right to make the final call was still the deputy pavilion master.

Unless Zhang Xuan had a sufficiently high standing that could induce the deference of those 9-star master teachers, it would be difficult for Yang shi to gather sufficient momentum to stop the arrest warrant.

"I don't have the right to accept you as my student, but I could take you into my lineage in the stead of my teacher. This way, you could assume the identity of my senior in front of others. My teacher has already passed on, so even if others question your identity, as long as I insist on it, there will be nothing that they can say. Of course, this is just an empty title to uphold in front of others. After all, even my teacher has no right to take you in as his student..." Yang shi revealed his thoughts.

"So, I'd become your senior?" Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan scratched his head in embarrassment. "But would you really be fine being my junior?"

"Celestial Master Teachers are individuals who can stand on equal grounds as Kong shi. If not for fear that it would be too shocking to others, I would have liked to acknowledge you as my teacher. Having you as my senior can already a huge honor in itself!" Yang shi hurriedly said.

As the First Grand Elder, there were very few who could match his standing on the Master Teacher Continent. However, compared to the Celestial Master Teacher, even his standing paled too much in comparison.

To act as Zhang Xuan's junior and address him as his senior could already be considered insubordination, and it left him feeling a little jittery inside.

After a moment of contemplation, knowing that there was no other way around it, Zhang Xuan very reluctantly nodded and said, "I understand. Let's go with that then, Junior Yang Xuan!"

"Senior Zhang..." Yang shi heaved a sigh of relief.

It sure was a bizarre turn of events. He had been intending to take the other party as his student, but it had eventually ended up with him finding himself a senior instead... Nevertheless, he was still delighted by the outcome.

With the emergence of the Celestial Master Teacher, the disjointed Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters would finally come to be united as one. Mankind would grow stronger and stronger, and there would be no need to fear the crises that lay ahead of them anymore.

Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled the other matter he had at hand, so he asked, "Junior, I heard that you once helped a person reconstruct their meridians. May I know if that's true?"

Previously, the guild leader had said that Yang shi had once successfully helped a cultivator replace their meridians. Since the person in question was standing right in front of him, it was a good opportunity to inquire about the matter.

"There was indeed such a matter!" Yang shi nodded in response.

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Chapter 1524: Reconstructing Meridians (1)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"The reconstruction of meridians is a very complicated process, involving the Blood Reincarnation of the Ancient Sages. I had to browse through many ancient manuals before I was able to a feasible method," Yang shi said.

"Blood Reincarnation?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Noting Zhang Xuan's confusion at the term, Yang shi explained, "After making the breakthrough to Ancient Sage, one will be able to achieve Blood Reincarnation. In other words, as long as the cultivator retains a single droplet of their blood, there would be a way for them to come back to life."

"This..." Zhang Xuan's heart jolted in astonishment.

Vicious had reached the level of Blood Reincarnation as well. Because of that, he had been able to come back to life despite having his body shredded into innumerable pieces.

That being said, it was important to note that there was still a fundamental difference in the lifespan of humans and Otherworldly Demons. The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was blessed with inherent longevity, so an Ancient Sage human cultivator would not even come close to living as long as an Ancient Sage Otherworldly Demon. As such, even if traces of Ancient Sage human cultivators were found, it would be impossible to revive them anymore.

Nevertheless, if Ancient Sages were able to revive from mere droplets of blood, surely reconstructing meridians would be a piece of cake for them!

"The meridians of my student over here, Zhao Ya, have collapsed completely. I wish to restore her meridians so that she can continue cultivating. Do you have any way that I can possibly do so?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Her meridians have collapsed completely?" Astonished, Yang shi quickly turned his gaze upon the young lady. He did not think that the young lady with a healthy glow on her face would be afflicted with such a severe condition. A moment later, he nodded grimly and said, "Her meridians have indeed collapsed entirely. I fear that it'll be extremely difficult for her to recover to her former state."

"Extremely difficult?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Indeed. The person whom I helped reconstruct his meridians had sustained some tears in his meridians as a result of old age, so all I had to do back then was connect them together. On the other hand, Zhao Ya's meridians have collapsed entirely, leaving nary a trace at all. That means that you will have to reconstruct her meridians from scratch, and I fear that she won't be able to take the strain that will be placed on her during the reconstruction process given her current weakened state." Yang shi shook his head. "If we use my method on her, the chances of success will be exceedingly slim."

"What's the method that you used to reconstruct meridians?" Zhang Xuan asked. "I want to see if I can come up with an alternative method that will be feasible on her!"

While Yang Xuan felt that the chances of success were slim, the same might not necessarily apply for Zhang Xuan. Possessing the Library of Heaven's Path, he would be able to resolve any flaws in Yang Xuan's meridian reconstruction technique and uncover the most feasible and correct method to do so.

That should increase the chances of success considerably.

"The theory behind my meridian reconstruction technique is rather simple. I extracted the meridians from high-tier saint beasts and used a unique method to connect them with the meridians of the patient's body. As the meridians of most saint beasts are similar in terms of flexibility to those of humans, while it might not be as easy to use, it should still suffice!" Yang shi said.

"You used the meridians of high-tier saint beasts?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

In a sense, this was similar to the act of organ transplant from his previous life.

"Saint beasts also differ in their constitutions as well, so their meridians should be different from one another." Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before raising a doubt. "I don't think that it would be viable to use the meridians from any saint beasts, right?"

Just like how it was possible for a body to reject a transplanted organ, the same problem should apply to meridian transplants.

"Of course, the saint beasts selected should possess a similar constitution to the patient. Your student possesses the Pure Yin Body, but saint beasts of the pure yin attribute are nearly non-existent. That's also the reason I said that it would extremely difficult or perhaps even impossible!" Yang shi shook his head.

"This..." Zhang Xuan fell silent.

It would be difficult to find even a human with Pure Yin Body, let alone a saint beast. This was indeed not a viable solution.

Hearing the conversation of the duo, Zhao Ya interjected for the very first time with a smile. "Teacher, I'm fine with this. If I can't recover from my condition, I have no qualms with living as an ordinary human for the rest of my life!"

She had seen how far her teacher had gone for her. If it still did not work out despite that, perhaps this was just the path that fate had chosen for her. There was no need to force the impossible.

"Rest assured. Since I have said that I'll cure you, I will definitely pull it off!" Zhang Xuan said with a confident wave of his hand before turning his gaze back to Yang shi. "Other than this, are there any other feasible solutions?"

"This..." Yang shi paused for a moment before saying, "It's indeed not too easy to find beasts of the pure yin attribute. Alternatively, it might be possible to replace her meridians using plants!"

"Plants?"

"That's right. Plants are more adaptable to their surroundings, especially those of neutral attributes, thus making them suitable to be molded into meridians. Unfortunately, most plants have a cap to their strength, and that means that the future accomplishments of the cultivator will be limited as well," Yang shi explained.

Even the formidable millennium old herbs could not come close to comparing with the vitality of saint beasts. While they could be used to reconstruct one's meridians, that could only be considered a mediocre solution, used only when there were no other alternatives available. This was because the limits of the plants would spell the limits of the cultivator, thus preventing the cultivator from reaching greater heights.

"You're right. Unless the plant is extremely high-tier, it won't work out well. However, it's no easy feat to find such plants... Hmm?" Just as Zhang Xuan was in a state of loss, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind, and he slapped his forehead in realization. "The vine of the Dongxu Gourd!"

The vine of the Dongxu Gourd was an artifact that could absorb even the violent energy of a lightning tribulation. On top of that, it harnessed the power of space, such that in terms of prowess, it would not pale in comparison to a Saint 8-dan cultivator. There was no doubt that it would serve as a much better meridian compared to a saint beast's.

After all, not even saint beasts would dare devour lightning!

Hu!

With such a thought in mind, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and the vine immediately appeared in his hand. He hurriedly brought it toward Yang shi and asked, "Junior, can you have a look to see if this will do?"

"This?" Yang shi quickly turned his gaze over, and it took only a few seconds for his face to warp with shock. "What is this plant?"

Astonishingly, he could not tell what it was even with his eye of discernment.

"It's the vine of a Dongxu Gourd!" Zhang Xuan explained.

"Dongxu Gourd?" Yang shi pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "No, that's not right. I have seen a Dongxu Gourd before, and its vine isn't like that. The one that you have should have been nourished by a spirit vein for at least several dozen millenniums, and on top of that, it seems to harness the power of space and lightning..."

"This..." Zhang Xuan blinked before explaining, "The anomaly might be due to this vine absorbing plenty of lightning energy!"

"No, that isn't it. As powerful as the Dongxu Gourd is, it still flees as far as it can in the face of lightning. After all, that's retribution from the heavens. It shouldn't be possible for it to absorb any lightning energy!" Yang shi refuted Zhang Xuan's words.

"Let's just put that aside for the moment. Is this vine suitable for replacing my student's meridians?" Zhang Xuan asked.

The Dongxu Gourd that he had was left behind by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. It had slipped right into his dantian shortly after its appearance, refusing to leave no matter what Zhang Xuan did. From such a perspective, there was indeed something rather bizarre about it. However, this was not the time to look into it. At this point, Zhang Xuan was only interested in knowing if he could use the vine to reconstruct Zhao Ya's meridians and cure her.

"Considering that it harnesses the power of space and lightning, it's indeed the ideal artifact to use to replace one's meridians." Yang shi examined the vine closely, and his eyes lit up in agitation. "If Zhao Ya's meridians are reconstructed using this vine, her cultivation will surely be brought to new heights. In the future, she might even be able to push for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage."

The vine in front of him harnessed incredible energy and properties, such that even he had some trouble trying to discern it. If it was used to reconstruct Zhao Ya's meridians, she would surely be able to drive her zhenqi much easier and more efficiently. Not only so, her zhenqi capacity would also be enhanced to an unbelievable level.

"That's great..." Hearing that it was a viable option to use as Zhao Ya's meridians, and it would benefit her cultivation as well, Zhang Xuan could not help but heave a sigh of relief.

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Chapter 1525: Reconstructing Meridians (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Let me take a look at your meridian reconstruction technique!" Zhang Xuan requested.

"Here you go." Yang shi flicked his wrist and passed a jade token over.

Placing his finger lightly on the jade token, the content within it swiftly surfaced in his head. The next moment, Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

The method used by the other party was indeed able to reconstruct a cultivator's meridians, but there was a fatal flaw in it—it was too violent. Regardless of whether the reconstruction process was a success or not, it would place a great strain on the cultivator's body.

In a sense, this was also similar to the organ transplant process in his previous life. Even if the organ transplanted was a match, the process was still highly dangerous and taxing on the patient.

Furthermore, meridians were pathways linking the various parts of the body together. Just a single mistake in the meridian pathway could lead to unimaginable outcomes.

"Junior, do you have any books regarding meridian reconstruction with you?" Zhang Xuan asked. "I need as many of them as possible!"

After reading through the book that Yang shi had passed to him, Zhang Xuan could tell that given the current limits of his knowledge, it would be difficult for him to find a feasible method to resolve the flaw in the short run.

Given that Yang shi had researched the topic for quite some time, even maintaining correspondence with the head of the Blacksmith Guild headquarters in order to trade insights regarding the issue, he likely had plenty of resources regarding this topic.

"I do have quite a few books on it. Back then, I used my influence in the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters to gather everything on the topic that I could find for several years... However, it turns out that most of them are just thoughtless blabber, beautiful in theory but infeasible in practice..." Yang shi shook his head as he flicked his wrist, and a huge pile of ancient books materialized before him.

Back then, in order to reconnect his close friend's meridians, he had spent quite a lot of time browsing through all of the books that he could lay his hands on regarding the topic. To date, he had accumulated around nine thousand of them, but it was a pity that most of them were not of much use.

"It's fine. I'll just take a quick look and get whatever's useful from them," Zhang Xuan said as he swept his eyes across the huge pile of books.

The next moment, all of them materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path.

Compile! Zhang Xuan willed as he merged the nine thousand or so books together with the meridian reconstruction technique manual that Yang shi had made previously.

Soon, a brand-new meridian reconstruction technique manual was formed.

Zhang Xuan anxiously flipped it open to take a look, only to shake his head in disappointment once more.

The compiled meridian reconstruction technique was much simpler than the one that Yang shi had come up with, but there were still plenty of flaws in it. The meridian reconstruction process was still fraught with danger, and the slightest mistake could spell Zhao Ya's death.

The main issue is that Zhao Ya is too weak after losing her cultivation entirely...Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella in distress.

The meridian network of a human was simply too complicated. Had Zhao Ya's cultivation not dissipated, he could still have given it a try. However, after what had happened, she was already no different from an ordinary mortal, and in contrast to that, the vine of the Dongxu Gourd was simply too strong. If some mishap occurred in the reconstruction phase, the devastating power harnessed in the vine would terminate her life in a heartbeat.

To put it simply, Zhao Ya's body was so feeble that fusing the vine of the Dongxu Gourd into her would very likely result in her death, let alone manipulating the vine to form an intricate meridian network in her body.

All of a sudden, a certain thought surfaced in Zhang Xuan's mind, and he froze on the spot.

Wait a moment... Is the meridian network of a human necessarily the most ideal layout?

All of the nine thousand or so books that Yang shi had gathered were all built upon the fundamental layout of the human meridian network, and that made the reconstruction phase exceptionally complex and dangerous. But was the meridian network of a human necessarily the best way to go about doing it?

That was not necessarily the case!

He knew of many formidable battle and cultivation techniques that had exceptionally awkward zhenqi pathways, making them difficult to execute and master.

So, could there be a more efficient meridian network than that of the humans?

If there really existed one, that would significantly increase the chances of success of the meridian reconstruction process, and it would be highly beneficial for Zhao Ya's cultivation in the future.

With such a thought in mind, Zhang Xuan decided to get right to it. He raised his head to look at Yang shi and asked, "Junior, do you have books on meridian networks? It doesn't necessarily have to be about humans; those of saint beasts will work as well!"

"Meridian networks? I do have quite a few books regarding that with me. I studied that back then as well, so I have books on humans, saint beasts, and even Otherworldly Demons..." Yang shi was not too sure why Zhang Xuan was asking about that, but he still flicked his wrist and took out all of the books that he possessed regarding meridian networks.

Just like how the Otherworldly Demons were researching master teachers, master teachers were researching Otherworldly Demons. Only through understanding how the Otherworldly Demons drove their zhenqi would the master teachers be able to better deduce the might of their cultivation techniques and devise feasible battle plans to better deal with them.

"You have my gratitude..."

Those books were bound to be incredibly valuable, but Yang shi had still shown them to him without any reservation. Zhang Xuan nodded in gratitude before sweeping his gaze across them.

Very soon, a brand-new meridian network book materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path.

It was vastly different from that of a human meridian network. Humans had Eight Mystic Meridians, but the meridian network reflected in the compiled book only consisted of core meridians leading to the four limbs. The previous unnecessary complexity in the network had vanished without a trace.

There are the least flaws in this meridian network, so it's bound to be much stronger than that of a human... Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in excitement.

Through the Library of Heaven's Path, it was apparent that the human meridian network was riddled with flaws, making it highly inconvenient for one to cultivate. On the other hand, the newly compiled meridian network was simple but nearly flawless. It consisted only of the portions that were absolutely required, removing all of the extraneous complexity in the network.

With fewer miscellaneous and secondary meridians, it would be much easier to cultivate, and the chances of one sustaining internal injuries would also be significantly lowered.

Zhang Xuan examined the new meridian network several times to ensure that it was feasible on a human body before heaving a huge sigh of relief. He turned to the young lady before him and said, "I'll help you reconstruct your meridians right now. No matter how much pain you are in, you must grit your teeth and endure it. Otherwise, if any mishap happens, not even the deities will be able to save you!"

"Teacher, rest assured!" Zhao Ya nodded resolutely.

After seeing everything that her teacher had done for her, how could she chicken out right now and disappoint him? She had already gone through death once, so no matter how much pain she would be in later, she was determined to grit her teeth and get through it!

"I have reconstructed meridians before, so I can help you..." Seeing that Zhang Xuan was going to make a move right after reading the books for a moment, Yang shi hurriedly offered his help out of worry.

"There's no need for that. I'm intending to use a different method, so I'm afraid that you won't be of much help." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

The new meridian network was different from that of an ordinary human. As talented as Yang shi was, there was still a high chance that the other party would make a mistake given that it would be his first time coming into contact with something like this. On the other hand, the reconstruction of meridians was a delicate process that allowed for no mistakes at all.

Zhang Xuan could not afford to take the risk.

"A new method?" Yang shi's face twitched in shock.

It could not be that his senior had already devised something new after barely researching the topic for a moment, could it?

As expected of a Celestial Master Teacher! His talent was truly something that could not be measured using common sense!

"I'm starting now!"

Zhang Xuan instructed Zhao Ya to sit cross-legged on the floor before flicking his wrist.

Hu la!

The vine of the Dongxu Gourd materialized in his hand. He swiftly infused his zhenqi into it, and under the rapid inflow of his energy, the massive vine swiftly contracted. In less than ten minutes, it was already roughly as thin as a strand of thread.

Cold sweat dripped down Zhang Xuan's forehead.

It was fortunate that he had the ability to eliminate the spirit within the vine, and his Heaven's Path zhenqi was also a powerful suppressant against it. Otherwise, it would have taken much more effort for him to tame it.

"Go!"

Zhang Xuan flicked his finger, and the vine slipped into Zhao Ya's body through her glabella and slowly unfolded itself within her body.

As soon as the narrow vine entered her body, a burst of cold sweat swiftly broke out throughout the young lady's body as a pained frown appeared on her face.

The areas where her meridians used to be had already closed up, so the vine had to pave out new pathways within her body slowly, which was almost equivalent to drilling multiple holes within her body simultaneously. The pain that she would have to suffer as a result of that was imaginable.

"Reconstructing meridians is a very delicate process. You mustn't go too fast, and you mustn't stop halfway," Yang shi advised.

Zhang Xuan nodded in response.

Even if Yang shi had not said it, he knew as much as well. In order to reduce the strain on Zhao Ya's body, he would have to make sure to progress bit by bit, or else she would first collapse under the massive stress piled on her body before the reconstruction process could be completed.

And the same time, the meridian reconstruction process could not be halted halfway through. Otherwise, the reversal of zhenqi would cause all of the meridians that had just barely formed to shatter once more.

She might be able to survive the impact the first time around, but given the feeble state that she was in, if it happened again, not even the Heaven's Path zhenqi would be able to save her.

However, that would not be a problem at all. He had plenty of time on his hands, so all he had to do was take his time.

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Chapter 1526: News on Sun Qiang

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Geji geji!

As the vine gradually paved its way throughout Zhao Ya's body, her disposition was also undergoing a transformative change. It had grown even more refined and transcendental, as if an ethereal fairy.

"What an extraordinary meridian reconstruction technique..."

Zhang Xuan had seen the meridian reconstruction technique that Yang shi had devised as well, and while both would place the patient in great pain, Yang shi's meridian reconstruction technique was inferior in the sense that the patient would have to rest for quite some time before they would finally regain their strength. On the other hand, this meridian reconstruction technique was actually able to induce a transformative change in the patient's disposition even during the reconstruction process.

With this, it was clear which meridian reconstruction technique was more advanced.

"However, the rate at which the meridians are being reconstructed is rather slow. It seems like it'll take roughly a day or so..." Zhang Xuan remarked. "That's really a little too slow!"

Ever since he started cultivating, there had rarely been times where he would require more than two hours for his cultivation. Yet, the reconstruction of meridians actually took up an entire day! This left him feeling deeply helpless.

But no matter what, Zhao Ya was his direct disciple. No matter how long it would take, he would still have to advance slowly so as to ensure her safety.

"Slow?" Hearing Zhang Xuan's muttering, Yang shi's eyebrows twitched wildly. "Back then, just to repair a single meridian, I spent three whole years! On the other hand, you are using only a single day to reconstruct an entire meridian network, and yet, you are calling this slow?"

It seemed like his senior was really unaware of the difficulty in meridian reconstruction. Even with his strength, it had taken him three years to mend a single meridian, and yet, his senior was actually unsatisfied with taking up a single day!

"Three years?" Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless.

If he had to take three years just to mend a single meridian, he would have immediately chosen against it. He would simply have found some other way to restore Zhao Ya's strength.

Soon, half a day ticked by.

With his mind working under high intensity to ensure the highest possible level of precision in the reconstruction process, it did not take long for exhaustion to set in on Zhang Xuan.

Fortunately, Zhao Ya was making great progress. As more and more of her meridians were healed up, her aura was gradually growing stronger and stronger. At the same time, her disposition and appearance were undergoing a massive change as well. If she was just a bud that had yet to fully blossom in the past, at that moment, her petals were starting to open into a full blossom.

Noting the changes with his student, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. "It seems like her Pure Yin Body will be fully awakened once her meridians recover!"

He had been feeling a little distressed as to how he could awaken her unique constitution after reconstructing her veins, but from the looks of it, that was not a problem that he had to worry about anymore.

Just by using the vine of the Dongxu Gourd as her meridians seemed to be sufficient to further awaken her Pure Yin Body. Even if her Pure Yin Body was not fully awakened by the end of the reconstruction process, it would not be too far from that anymore.

With this step forward, she would no longer need to resort to harvesting yang energy from men in order to fully awaken her Pure Yin Body.

"Truly incredible..." Looking at what was happening from behind, Yang shi's eyes lit up in agitation.

With his eye of discernment, it went without saying that he could tell that the meridian reconstruction technique that Zhang Xuan was using was far more than advanced than his. Even when seeing it with his own eyes, there were still many aspects of it that he could not completely comprehend. He had to ponder deeply over them and browse through several materials before he could make sense of them.

For someone who had barely learned about meridian reconstruction to be able to come up with something as ingenious as this...

"Hmm?"

All of a sudden, Yang shi was drawn out of his thoughts and whipped out a jade token. Lowering his gaze to browse through its content, a deep frown slowly etched its way onto his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Noticing the change in Yang shi's expression, Zhang Xuan shot a glance in his direction while continuing with the reconstruction process.

As long as he did not abruptly halt the meridian reconstruction process, he could still afford to look around him and speak without bringing any adverse effects to Zhao Ya.

"Senior, it's about your butler," Yang shi replied with a troubled look on his face.

"My butler? Are you referring to Sun Qiang? What happened to him?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

As he had been in too much of a hurry to leave the Sanctum of Sages then, he did not have time to liaise with Sun Qiang. However, as long as the latter did not leave the Sanctum of Sages, he should still be rather safe.

Yang shi hesitated for a moment before revealing what was written on the jade token. "While I was making my way over to you, I instructed someone to take him over to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters—it seemed like Zhan shi and the other elders of the Sanctum of Sages bore him ill-will, so I didn't think that it would be safe leaving him there. However, I just received a message saying that he got too depressed after learning the truth, resulting in him making a mistake in his cultivation. At the moment, he's already on the verge of death..."

"That's impossible!" Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed menacingly. "The cultivation technique that he practices originates from me, and not to mention, he has always been an indolent individual. How could there be any problem in his cultivation?"

Sun Qiang's cultivation had originated from him. Even if it had not reached the tier of Heaven's Path, it was far superior to the other cultivation techniques on the Master Teacher Continent, possessing very few flaws. As long as he cultivated it properly, it was impossible for his cultivation to go berserk. How could anything happen just because he was upset?

"My guess is that someone is trying to uncover the secrets of your cultivation technique from your butler, so they intentionally gave him incorrect guidance to test some things out, thus resulting in an error in his cultivation," Yang shi explained with a reddened face.

He was well aware of the nature of the group in the Master Teacher Pavilion. He did not think that those people were doing this out of malice; rather, they were probably just curious about his cultivation technique.

After all, it was unthinkable for a butler of completely ordinary aptitude to advance through the cultivation ranks so quickly. It was no wonder they would be curious about his cultivation technique.

Furthermore, Sun Qiang had already been in a mentally distraught state before due to the revelation. It would be no wonder he would be swayed so easily by the master teachers at the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters.

That being said, despite the condition that Sun Qiang was in, it was still unlikely that his life would be in any danger. While he was a prisoner, the master teachers in the headquarters were at least principled enough not to take a person's life lightly.

Of course, it still would not do to leave Sun Qiang just like that.

"Un, that should be the case..." Hearing Yang shi's analysis, Zhang Xuan nodded. His first instinct was to rush over to save Sun Qiang, but he had his hands full with Zhao Ya at the moment. Thus, he could only suppress his urge, turn to Yang shi, and request, "Junior, you are also aware that I have my hands full and can't leave this area yet. Thus, I'll have to ask you to help me rescue Sun Qiang and bring him over to me. He has followed me since our time in the Tianxuan Kingdom, and I cannot stand seeing any harm come to him!"

As long as Yang shi stood up for him, with his influence and prestige, the other master teachers would not dare do anything to Sun Qiang.

"That's simple. Since I was the one who got your butler into the headquarters, you can count on me to ensure his safety!" Yang shi nodded. "However, you are currently in the midst of a meridian reconstruction process, and you can't afford to be interrupted by anyone at this point in time. If something happens while I am away..."

Meridian reconstruction was an extremely delicate process, so Zhang Xuan could not afford to be interrupted during this period of time. He did not dare imagine what would happen if he left right then and some mishap occurred as a result of that.

"It's fine. I'm still rather confident in my ability to disguise myself. Just help me give a heads up to the guild leader of the Blacksmith Guild, and I believe that no one will dare cause any trouble here. So, there shouldn't be any trouble on my side... On the other hand, Sun Qiang's matter cannot be delayed!" Zhang Xuan said.

While there was a Master Teacher Pavilion in the Empire Alliance, given his disguising ability, it would be nigh impossible for them to find him. Besides, as long as Yang shi issued a command to the guild leader of the Blacksmith Guild as a 9-star blacksmith, the guild leader should be able to keep any uninvited guests away from him.

After all, not even the Master Teacher Pavilion would dare barge into the Blacksmith Guild carelessly!

Furthermore, he would be done with reconstructing Zhao Ya's meridians in another four hours or so, and they would be able to leave right after. Surely, nothing bad would happen within that short period of time.

Yang shi pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Alright then... I'll help you seal this area first. I'll be using the Teleportation Formation from the Glacier Plain Court, so I should be able to return very soon."

The matter with Sun Qiang was indeed more urgent.

With a flick of his hand, he sealed the area completely before swiftly heading in the direction of the Glacier Plain Court.

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Chapter 1527: Zhang Xuan, Come Out and Accept Your Death!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

A short moment after Yang shi left the Blacksmith Guild, he suddenly widened his eyes as a thought surfaced in his mind.

How could I have forgotten about the matter concerning Sword Saint Xing and Sword Saint Meng?

Sword Saint Meng had always thought of his senior as her son, and that was also one of the matters that Yang shi had sought to verify. However, the revelation that the other party was a Celestial Master Teacher had left him deeply shocked, and following that, he had been too deeply immersed in the ingenuity behind the other party's meridian reconstruction technique. As a result, that matter had completely slipped his mind.

If it had been anyone else, given his eye of discernment, he would have been able to tell with a single look. However, his senior's Soul Depth was far higher than his, and he also had the ability to morph his physical body freely. It was difficult for him to discern his senior's original appearance, let alone determine the origin of his birth.

Yang shi shook his head as he continued heading forward.

Forget it! Sword Saint Xing and Sword Saint Meng should be in the Glacier Plain Court at the moment. I'll just have to discreetly inform them of the matter and have them head over to take a look. Considering their blood ties, it should be easier for them to recognize him!

While he did know quite a few things surrounding the young prodigy, it would still be best to have his own parents verify his identity. Since that was the case, he would just leave this matter to them.

They were not very far away anyhow.

...

Shortly after Yang shi left, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

To be honest, it had been quite stressful for him to be standing before the man whom he had impersonated for so long. It was fortunate that the other party bore no malice toward him and was deferential to his identity as the Celestial Master Teacher. Otherwise, this matter might not have been able to be resolved so peacefully.

Seeing that his surroundings were finally quiet, Zhang Xuan exhaled deeply as a gleam surfaced in his eyes. "Alright, I should get to the real deal now..."

The new meridian network that he was going to reconstruct within Zhao Ya was simply too shocking, so he did not dare showcase it before Yang shi. On top of that, he was not too sure how it would turn out. As such, he had only focused on building up the foundations and reconstructing the parts that still bore some resemblance to that of the human meridian network, avoiding the portions where the meridian network had changed as far as he could.

But now that Yang shi had finally left, there was no need for him to hold back.

"Zhao Ya, from this point onward, I'll be paving open new meridians in areas where you didn't have meridians before, so the pain that you will be placed in will be ten times more excruciating than before. You must hold on and maintain your consciousness no matter what happens, understood?"

Knowing that the process would be unbearable for Zhao Ya, Zhang Xuan warned her grimly to allow her to prepare herself mentally for what was to come.

The new meridian network would differ greatly from the Eight Mystic Meridians that was within a human's body, so there was no choice but for him to forcefully forge a way forward through unpaved terrain. The pain resulting from that would be as good as having a weapon stabbed into one's body and twisted around, and the worst part was that the weapon would be inching forward bit by bit.

This was a pain that even the toughest of cultivators would find hard to endure.

However, this was a necessary process in order to reconstruct her meridians, and even with his Heaven's Path zhenqi, there was not much that he could do to alleviate her pain. He could only pray that she would be able to grit her teeth and persevere to the end.

"Teacher, I understand. Rest assured, I'll surely pull through!" Zhao Ya replied resolutely.

As the vine slowly unfolded throughout her body, she could feel the changes in her body, and the hope for recovery was beginning to blossom in her. Not only so, she could sense that as long as she could pull through this ordeal, she would be able to push for a breakthrough directly. With her newfound power, she might just be able to help her teacher out of the current quandary that he was in.

Thus, no matter what, she had to hold on. It was not just for her but for her teacher as well!

"Good!" Hearing the resolve in Zhao Ya's voice, Zhang Xuan was reassured.

He hesitated for a brief moment before flicking his fingers forward.

Tzzzzz!

Numerous surges of zhenqi swiftly shot forth in the form of thin threads, and they wrapped themselves around Zhao Ya as if creating a cocoon. They served to protect the vital acupoints and organs within Zhao Ya's body.

After that was done, he continued pushing the thin vine forward, hastening its speed as it paved its way through Zhao Ya's body.

The new meridian network compiled through the Library of Heaven's Path was pretty much flawless, but ultimately, he still had not tested it. Thus, he had no way of knowing what would happen to Zhao Ya's body as a result of the new meridian network. As such, he had taken every protective measure possible just to be safe.

By using his zhenqi to seal Zhao Ya's vital acupoints and organs, the moment that something went wrong, he could use his zhenqi to ward off any damage and heal her vitals at the same time, thus opening up the possibility for an emergency rescue. Otherwise, if he made a move only after something had happened, it would already be too late.

Huhuhu!

As the vine began making its way toward the unpaved regions, Zhang Xuan heightened his attention to keep a closer eye on things.

"Teacher..." the young lady moaned.

Her body was shivering intensely from the excruciating pain drilling through her body. It was at a scale far beyond what she had felt before. Even death had not left her as frightened as this!

If not for her sheer willpower pushing her on, she might have already fainted.

"Grit your teeth and hold on. The meridians here will be useful for your future cultivation!" Zhang Xuan bellowed.

"I-I will hold on!" Zhao Ya nodded feebly.

"Good!" Hearing that Zhao Ya could still respond to him, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief as he continued driving the vine forward.

Hong long!

As the vine finally pushed through a bottleneck, the aura emanating from Zhao Ya's body suddenly warped into a foreign form. It was tinged with sharpness and ferocity, reminiscent to the aura of a gladiator charging toward his enemy.

This aura pierced right into Zhang Xuan's soul, shaking him at his core.

"This is... the aura of an Otherworldly Demon?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in shock.

This aura was simply too familiar to him—it was something that only Otherworldly Demons should possess! He could emulate it using his Heaven's Path zhenqi, but even his emulation was not able to reach this level of purity.

It was as if Zhao Ya had suddenly turned into an Otherworldly Demon Emperor, possessing a bloodline that was even stronger than Vicious'.

"Could it be because of the involvement of the Otherworldly Demon's meridian network in the compiled meridian network?" Zhang Xuan's face turned livid.

The new meridian network that he was paving for Zhao Ya was compiled out of the books that detailed not only human meridian networks but those of saint beasts and Otherworldly Demons too. The area that the vine was paving open did not exist in the human meridian network, but it was present in the Otherworldly Demon meridian network.

Zhang Xuan thought that a similarity in meridian network should not mean anything at all, but contrary to his expectations, it actually caused the warping of her aura.

"Zhao Ya, how are you feeling right now?" Zhang Xuan asked nervously.

"I... am... fine..." Zhao Ya's voice was very soft and strained.

It seemed like she had to exert all of her strength in order to squeeze out those three words from her mouth.

Hearing that Zhao Ya was fine, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, he swiftly analyzed the situation before him.

"Otherworldly Demons do possess vastly different meridian networks compared to that of humans... Could the reason behind the difference in the level of existence between humans and the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe be due to the difference in their meridian network?"

Otherworldly Demons possessed strength equivalent to Transcendent Mortals at birth, and their lifespan was far longer than any human. As long as they were not killed due to some external event, they could easily live for tens of thousands of years... This was something that even Ancient Sage human cultivators were unable to achieve!

Just from that in itself, it could be seen that Otherworldly Demons were beings that were more biologically advanced than humans.

Just by altering Zhao Ya's meridians to resemble those of an Otherworldly Demon, her aura swiftly changed from that of a docile human to that of a ferocious Otherworldly Demon. Was that not evidence that it was the difference in meridian networks that resulted in the difference in the level of existence of the two races?

If that was the case... were humans able to accept the meridian network of the Otherworldly Demons?

If it was possible for the meridians of a human cultivator to be reconstructed in likeness of the Otherworldly Demons, and the method to do so was propagated throughout the Mater Teacher Continent, would the human race not grow far stronger and live far longer?

As this thought surfaced in Zhang Xuan's mind, he quickly established a mental connection with Vicious in the Book of Heaven's Path, and soon, he received his answer.

"Master, there's indeed a fundamental difference between the meridian networks of humans and Otherworldly Demons. However, I fear that there won't be too many of the vine you have in the world. Furthermore... you are probably the only person in the world who is able to save a cultivator whose meridians have collapsed properly. Even that Yang shi fellow from before wouldn't be able to pull something like that off."

Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed. "I guess you're right..."

Indeed. He only had this single vine from the Dongxu Gourd, and judging from what Yang shi had said, it seemed like the vine in his possession was an anomaly as well. Furthermore, the only reason Zhao Ya was able to survive even after having all of her meridians shattered was due to Zhang Xuan spending an entire day infusing his Heaven's Path zhenqi into every single part of her body. Without either of those two, it would be impossible to replicate this miracle.

Besides, the utter collapse of meridians and the excruciating and lengthy reconstruction process... Honestly, this was not something that a normal cultivator could endure.

"It seems like it will be impossible to spread this procedure throughout the Master Teacher Continent..." Zhang Xuan shook his head in pity.

If humans could possess as much potential and as long a lifespan as the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, Kong shi's goal of a strong mankind could very well be achieved. Even if the Master Teacher Pavilion ceased to exist, mankind would still wield the power to protect itself.

However, it was a pity that the vision would never come to be. Furthermore, it was still too early to tell whether the new meridian network would truly be beneficial or not. If Zhao Ya became as brutal and callous as the Otherworldly Demons as a result of the altered meridian network, then the creation of the new meridian network might not necessarily be a blessing for mankind. Until the results were conclusive, it was best to just wait and see.

"Continue!" Despite the risks of the new meridian network, Zhang Xuan knew that it was already too late to back out.

Thus, he continued driving the vine to pave a way forward in Zhao Ya's body, and slowly, the aura of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe that the latter emanated grew stronger and stronger.

All of a sudden, a loud bellow echoed throughout the entire hall, causing even the roof to shudder. "Zhang Xuan, come out and accept your death!"

Si la!

Following which, the seal placed over the hall was torn apart by a powerful force.

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Chapter 1528: Who Dares Touch My Teacher? (1)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"What?"

Zhang Xuan raised his head, only to see the First Elders of the Zhang Clan and the Glacier Plain Court, Zhang Wuheng and You Ruoxin, floating in the air, gazing down on him coldly. Without a doubt, the attack that had destroyed the seal had been executed them.

The seal that Yang shi had left behind would have had no trouble withstanding the attack of Saint 9-dan cultivators, but under the devastating force of two top-notch experts who had already surpassed Saint 9-dan, there was no way it could possibly stand a chance.

"You sure know how to disguise yourself well! If not for your Otherworldly Demon aura leaking out, even I would have had trouble trying to recognize you!" Zhang Wuheng sneered coldly as he glared fixedly at the young man within the hall, seemingly fearing that the latter would disappear from his sight if he averted his gaze for a moment. "Zhang Xuan, what else do you have to say for yourself?"

As he spoke, a powerful aura burst forth from him, crushing the hall beneath so heavily that it almost seemed as if the ground would be reduced to dust. Standing right in its face, Zhang Xuan felt his body freezing in place. The surrounding air suddenly grew so heavy that it suffocated him.

Despite having achieved a breakthrough to Saint 8-dan Dimension Sundering realm, he still was not close to being a match for the First Elder.

The other party had definitely already reached the level of a Great Sage, or else he could not possibly have survived a cultivation ordeal that had already surpassed the scale of a Macrocosm Ascendancy Ordeal.

Seeing the confident looks on the faces above, he knew that the other party had seen through his disguise too.

Thus, he reverted to his original appearance and gazed upward. "I have nothing to say for myself. However, I plead for you all to just give me four more hours. I have something important that I have to finish!"

Zhao Ya was currently in a crucial phase in the reconstruction of her meridians. If he halted right now, even if she survived this ordeal, the wounds that she would sustain as a result would be irrecoverable!

In any case, after her meridians were healed up, he would be able to slowly deal with the Zhang Clan, Glacier Plain Court, and the Sanctum of Sages.

"Four hours? To give you time to escape? Do you take us for fools? Dream on!" Zhang Wuheng sneered coldly as he turned around and gestured grandly. "The rest of you can appear now. If you harbored any doubts toward my previous report, I believe that this should be more than enough to prove the authenticity of my words. The thing in front of him is emanating such concentrated killing intent... Even if it isn't an Otherworldly Demon, it's bound to be some kind of precious artifact of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe! Despite being a master teacher, he dares to collude with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe to conspire against mankind! Surely, I need not say more about the implications of his actions, right?"

Huala!

Right after those words were spoken, multiple bursts of wind echoed in the surroundings as fifteen master teachers flew over from all around. Each of them emanated a powerful aura that paled nowhere in comparison to that of You Ruoxin or Zhang Wuheng. As their auras weighed down on the entire Blacksmith Guild, it created a sensation that felt as if the world was collapsing on one.

"They are all 9-star master teachers?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in horror.

Each of these master teachers had a 9-star emblem pinned on their chests, just like Elder Qu. In fact, even without their emblems, their esteemed standing was apparent just from their strength that they commanded!

For fifteen 9-star master teachers to appear in a single area simultaneously... just to apprehend him?

They sure held him in high regard!

While he had caused quite the uproar in the Zhang Clan and the Glacier Plain Court, considering how Zhang Wuheng and You Ruoxin were already around, it would be an impressive lineup with just another one or two 9-star master teachers with them. Yet, for fifteen to appear along with them...

When did 9-star master teachers become so cheap and commonplace?

It could not be that the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters had actually dispatched all of its experts to deal with him, could it?

"Are you Zhang Xuan?"

In his moment of shock, a voice suddenly sounded from above. It was from an elder in the sky who was gazing down on him with a look of incomprehension and lamentation.

Deputy Pavilion Master Ren Qingyuan!

After hearing the reports from the three powers, Ren Qingyuan had thought that the fellow who had been causing trouble all around would be some kind of formidable figure. As such, he was a little bewildered to see that the person in question was just a twenty-year-old young man with a perfectly ordinary appearance. His cultivation was only at Dimension Sundering realm primary stage, and honestly, there did not seem to be anything particularly outstanding about him.

If one really had to point out something that was extraordinary about him, it would be how calm he was able to remain despite standing in the face of all of them. In terms of mental resilience, he could already surpass some of the 9-star master teachers.

"I am indeed Zhang Xuan," Zhang Xuan replied with a nod.

"I have looked through your records. You have successfully crashed two pavilions and conquered the Tower of Master Teachers as well. You have shown outstanding talent in many of your supporting occupations, and you also managed to foil the ploy of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe's Qingtian Lineage. There is no denying that you have made outstanding contributions to mankind.

"However, as a master teacher, virtue should always come first. You wreaked havoc in the Zhang Clan, Sanctum of Sages, and the Glacier Plain Court, and that is more than enough to strike off any contribution that you have made. Why are destroying your own future?" Ren Qingyuan said.

A person as talented as the young man before him was bound to achieve great things in the future, but why did he have to ruin everything for himself?

Before Zhang Xuan could speak, Zhang Wuheng interjected with a cold sneer. "Pavilion Master Ren, why are you wasting your breath on him? You aren't intending to cover up for him just because he's a master teacher, are you?"

"Cover up? First Elder, I have to ask you to watch your tongue. Be it master teachers or ordinary cultivators, as long as he has sinned, he would be punished. All are equal before the law!" Ren Qingyuan said.

"Humph, that would be for the best. Zhang Xuan has wreaked havoc in the Zhang Clan, destroying countless buildings and injuring many of our elders. The sins that he has committed are more than enough to put him to death many times over. Since Pavilion Master Ren has agreed that he should be punished, I won't stand on ceremony... Men, seal the area. Make sure that he can't get away!" Zhang Wuheng waved his hand grandly.

Huala!

Another eight more men dressed in robes imprinted with the Zhang Clan insignia rose into the air. They were experts from the Zhang Clan, and their cultivation had all reached Saint 9-dan.

With their combined strength, they swiftly sealed the surrounding space firmly, rendering even Teleportation Formations unusable within this space.

"He destroyed our Sanctum of Sages and showed blatant disrespect to me and my elders. The Sanctum of Sages will not turn a blind eye to this matter either!" someone bellowed from the distance.

Sou sou sou!

Deputy Sanctum Head Zhan shi of the Sanctum of Sages swiftly flitted over with more than a dozen experts from the Sanctum of Sages following behind him. They took their stance above the Blacksmith Guild as well as they gazed down at Zhang Xuan with menacing eyes.

Despite being a student of the Sanctum of Sages, he had willfully destroyed the Sanctum Head Hall and its surrounding buildings. Not only so, he had even openly defied and injured Zhan shi and the others. This had gone far beyond what they could tolerate.

"Zhang Xuan, it's one thing for you to destroy our Glacier Plain Court, but how dare you kidnap our young court chief as well! There's no way we are going to forgive you for this!" You Ruoxin also stepped forward as an imposing aura burst forth from her.

That fellow had acted as Yang Xuan and sneaked their young court chief away, destroying countless buildings of the Glacier Plain Court in the midst of doing so... If not out of deference for Pavilion Master Ren, she would have dashed right forward to tear that fellow into pieces.

Paying no heed to Zhang Wuheng and Zhan shi, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze toward You Ruoxin and scoffed. "Kidnapped your young court chief? Are you really saying that I have kidnapped Zhao Ya? To think that the Glacier Plain Court would have a habit of spinning lies to your convenience!"

He was willing to admit that the fault was with him for what happened at the Zhang Clan and the Sanctum of Sages, but for the Glacier Plain Court to claim that he had kidnapped Zhao Ya, that was truly ridiculous!

If not for them resorting to depraved means in order to awaken their Pure Yin Body, cornering Zhao Ya to the point where she had to turn to him for help, those subsequent events would not have happened.

If they looked back to the root of the matter, the primary culprit was the Glacier Plain Court. Yet, they actually twisted the story to suit their purpose, claiming that he had kidnapped Zhao Ya instead. Preposterous!

To allow the other powers to spout such blatant lies, had the Master Teacher Pavilion really turned so lax? Or perhaps, just like what Yang shi had said, the truth mattered not to them as long as they could achieve their personal motives.

At this point, Zhang Xuan raised his head to look at the 9-star master teachers above him with wintry eyes.

"What irony. I thought that the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters would be able to remain a neutral and impartial party on the Master Teacher Continent, but right now, it appears to me that it has already chosen to align itself with the Glacier Plain Court and become its spokesperson. Just how much lower can the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters fall?"

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Chapter 1529: Who Dares Touch My Teacher? (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Audacious!"

Upon hearing those words, the 9-star master teachers in the sky immediately bellowed furiously.

The Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters was the top power on the Master Teacher Continent, and it had always been known as the embodiment of impartiality and justice. Yet, the young man spoke as if they were acting in collusion with the Glacier Plain Court. In an instant, all of the 9-star master teachers flew into rage.

"You said that I'm audacious? So be it! You are already determined to pin all of those crimes on me anyway, so what difference would one more make?" Zhang Xuan shook his head as he spoke with a voice filled with desolation.

It was no wonder Yang shi was so disappointed in the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters and refused to return there. Their actions were truly hard to accept.

It should not have been too difficult for the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters to find out that Zhao Ya was actually his direct disciple, and that should cast some doubts on the Glacier Plain Court's claims that he had kidnapped Zhao Ya. Yet, without bothering to clarify the matter, they had simply chosen to go along with the Glacier Plain Court simply for their own convenience. This was truly an embarrassment to all master teachers!

"Since you know your guilt, you should just surrender straight!" You Ruoxin harrumphed coldly. "Where is our young court chief? Where have you hidden her?"

"Your young court chief is in here!" Zhang Xuan harrumphed as he gestured to the cocoon in front of him.

"What did you say?" You Ruoxin's heart skipped a beat.

The cocoon made of zhenqi threads did have the shape of a human, but from the killing intent emanating from within, it was apparent that an Otherworldly Demon lay within. Yet, the other party had actually said that their young court chief was inside. Could it be that the other party had used some secret art to turn their young court chief into an Otherworldly Demon?

But was there really such a technique in the world? Was one's race not decided at birth?

"Don't listen to his nonsense. He's just stalling for time, waiting for an opportune moment to escape. Let's just attack him all at once and apprehend him first! We can slowly interrogate him once we've sealed his cultivation!" Zhang Wuheng bellowed loudly.

"Indeed, we should apprehend him first before deciding on anything else! That fellow has simply too many tricks up his sleeves. The longer we wait, the more likely it is that he'll try to pull something!" Elder Qu yelled in consent amid the crowd.

While the young man's prowess was nothing much to fear, he had powerful tamed beasts and possessed the ability to manipulate the lightning tribulation. After all that they had been through, they knew better than to underestimate the young man. If the young man brought out some unbelievable trump card and successfully escaped right before their eyes, the lot of them would really become the laughing stock of the entire continent!

After saying those words, Elder Qu turned around and clasped his fist. "Pavilion Master Ren..."

"Just seal his cultivation. Don't go too heavy on him!" Ren Qingyuan gave his word of approval.

Since the Master Teacher Pavilion had already gone to the extent of issuing an arrest warrant, naturally, they could not just this matter go without doing anything. As for interrogation and the like, that could come after they grasped control of the situation.

"Yes!"

Huala!

Elder Qu turned to Zhang Wuheng and said, "First Elder, you have heard it. Make your move!"

"Alright!" A cold smile crept onto Zhang Wuheng's face as he waved his hand grandly.

Hula!

The eight experts of the Zhang Clan immediately encircled Zhang Xuan. They gathered their strength together in order to form an energy barrier around the young man, slowly tightening it as they walked closer and closer to him.

Knowing that the meridian reconstruction process would be forcefully halted if he was captured by them, Zhang Xuan's face turned livid.

He flicked his wrist and released the Inferno Qilin as he bellowed, "Inferno Qilin, stop them!"

He was bound to the spot at the moment, so he could only rely on his tamed beast.

It was fortunate that he had used medicinal herbs and his Heaven's Path zhenqi to heal the Inferno Qilin's injuries over the past two days. Otherwise, he would have been completely helpless at this moment.

Hong long!

As soon as the Inferno Qilin appeared, it let loose a resounding roar before swiping its claw ferociously at the surroundings.

Si la!

Perhaps it was because it had seen through the flaws of their collaboration, or maybe its might was simply that great, but the Inferno Qilin successfully tore apart the energy barrier created by the eight Zhang Clan experts instantaneously, forcefully pushing them back.

While they were all at Saint 9-dan, the Inferno Qilin still wielded an advantage due to its superior strength and physique. With its strength, unless the opponent was a Great Sage, ordinary Saint 9-dan cultivators would not stand a chance against it at all.

"You ungrateful scoundrel! The Zhang Clan fed you for three years, yet you chose to conspire with others to deal with us. You are courting death!" Knowing that Zhang Xuan would bring out the Inferno Qilin to protect him, the First Elder took a step forward and thrust his palm forward.

Hula!

He tossed an artifact reminiscent of a fishnet outward, and it swiftly grew larger and larger in midair.

Roar!

Upon seeing the fishnet, a hint of fear surfaced in the eyes of the Inferno Qilin. It immediately retreated, attempting to flee. However, the artifact in the air seemed to have sealed space in a manner such that no matter how the Inferno Qilin tried to retreat, it was still unable to escape from the fishnet.

"To think that the First Elder would actually bring the Dragonsnare along with him!"

"That's the artifact that our clan head used to capture the Inferno Qilin back then, right?"

"If I recall correctly, it's a Saint pinnacle artifact, right? Paired by the First Elder's strength, there's no way the Inferno Qilin will be able to get away no matter how powerful it is..."

Upon seeing the fishnet-like object falling toward the Inferno Qilin, the experts of the Zhang Clan heaved a sigh of relief.

The Dragonsnare was an artifact that could even trap Saint beasts that possessed the Dragon Bloodline. While the Inferno Qilin was powerful, its strength was still lacking in comparison to beasts that possessed the Dragon Bloodline.

Huala!

While the crowd was still discussing the matter, the Dragonsnare fell right on the Inferno Qilin, trapping it in place. The latter struggled desperately in the hope of fleeing, but it was unable to free itself from the Dragonsnare.

"Come over!" Zhang Wuheng waved his hand, and the Dragonsnare began contracting in size as it flew over to his palm.

On the other hand, the Inferno Qilin appeared to have been sealed in another parallel dimension. It roared in fury, but there was nothing that it could do at all.

"Hmm?" Not expecting Zhang Wuheng to have such a powerful artifact in his possession, Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

With his current strength, without making use of the power from lightning tribulations, he was completely helpless against experts of Zhang Wuheng's caliber.

"Now that his greatest trump card has been nullified, there's no need to fear him anymore. Continue!" Zhang Wuheng commanded as he threw the trapped Inferno Qilin into his folded space.

Hula!

The eight experts swiftly got to their positions and gathered their strength together to form an energy barrier around Zhang Xuan once more, limiting his area of movement.

"Surrender right now, and you can be spared from some pain!" one of the experts of the Zhang Clan sneered coldly as he thrust his finger toward Zhang Xuan's glabella.

In face of that attack, Zhang Xuan's body stiffened.

If he was struck by that finger strike, his cultivation would swiftly dissipate, rendering him completely helpless. At the same time, the meridian reconstruction process would be interrupted as well.

However, he was in no state to avoid the attack either. While he could still multitask to some extent, he could not afford to channel his energy elsewhere or even move away, or else it would disrupt the meridian reconstruction process, and that would likely result in adverse consequences for Zhao Ya.

From the looks of it, he had no choice but to release his clone and Vicious together to fend off those Zhang Clan experts for the time being.

It was a small matter for him to be apprehended, but if the meridian reconstruction process was disrupted, Zhao Ya could very well lose her life! That was not an outcome that he could accept.

However, releasing Vicious would really be the final straw. Once he brought it out in public, there would be no way that he could explain it to the Master Teacher Pavilion without revealing his Celestial Master Teacher identity anymore.

Also, he was a little apprehensive about bringing his clone out. After all, it was a God-tier artifact, and it could serve as a powerful trump card in times of emergency.

Forget it, there's no choice anymore. At this point, there's no backing down anymore...

Seeing that the finger strike of the Zhang Clan expert was about to reach him and that there was not any time to be wasted, Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth and flicked his wrist, intending to let Vicious out.

However, in this crucial moment, a voice rumbled furiously from afar.

"Who dares touch my teacher?"

Boom!

The next moment, the energy barrier created by the eight experts abruptly dissipated. Following which, the Zhang Clan expert that was making a move on Zhang Xuan suddenly started convulsing, causing him to crash right into the ground. Blood spurted wildly from both his mouth and nose.

"What?"

The other Zhang Clan experts also did not expect to meet with such a turn of events, and they hurriedly turned their heads over to see the culprit who had made a move on them. However, before they could see the other party's face, they suddenly started convulsing and plummeted to the ground as well.

"Poison Hall's Right Guardian Shen Jue, Toxic Hand Eminence He Guangyu, and Myriad Poison Eminence Lin Jianghai have come under orders to offer Zhang shi our aid! We implore Zhang shi to pardon us for arriving late!"

Sou! Sou! Sou!

Three silhouettes suddenly appeared right before Zhang Xuan, and they swiftly kneeled down on a single knee.

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Chapter 1530: Heed My Commands

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Why are the lot from the Poison Hall here?"

"It's said that the new head of the Poison Hall is the reincarnation of their founder. As a possessor of the Innate Poison Body, she possesses fearsome means. Just a while ago, the Master Teacher Pavilion dispatched a 9-star master teacher to scout out the Poison Hall, but he ended up being knocked out by poison instead... I don't understand. Why are they getting involved in this conflict as well?"

"I have read Zhang Xuan's records, and it seems like he once met the poison masters in a Poison Hall and integrated them into the ranks of the Combat Master Hall. Could they be repaying the debt from there?"

"That's a rather low-tier Poison Hall over there. Surely it wouldn't warrant the Right Guardian and two of the Four Eminences personally heading over to protect him, right?"

"Just a moment ago, I heard someone shout, 'Who dares touch my teacher?' Could it be that these poison masters are actually Zhang Xuan's students?"

...

The abrupt turn of events caused a huge commotion amid the crowd.

Everyone had thought that Zhang Xuan was doomed, but who could have thought that three top brass from the Poison Hall would actually arrive at this moment to save him?

These three men were figures who could cause the entire Master Teacher Continent to rattle with just a stomp of their feet. There was a famous quote in the Master Teacher Continent that if a 9-star poison master was locked in the same room as a 9-star master teacher, the one who would walk out alive would likely be the 9-star poison master.

And these three men happen to be the cream of the crop of 9-star poison masters. That should be more than enough to show how fearsome they were.

"The Poison Hall has always been a reclusive power, holing itself within the depths of a mountain range and refusing to submit to the Master Teacher Pavilion's control. Since they dared step out of their self-exile, why don't we just..." Elder Qu whispered to Pavilion Master Ren Qingyuan as he pulled his thumb across his neck, making a gesture for death.

"Over the last few years, many things have happened to the Poison Hall. The Left Guardian, Hu Yiwei, was taken in by Yang shi as his butler, and the other two Eminences have been killed." Ren Qingyuan pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement. "This is indeed an ideal opportunity to take them down once and for all.

"However, these three can be considered as the strongest experts in the Poison Hall aside from their hall master. Even if we make a move on them, we'll have to move very carefully. It would be pointless if we sustain heavy losses while apprehending them!"

The Poison Hall's reputation had never been good. It was only because they had chosen to hole themselves up in a mountain range filled with all kind of traps and shrouded by a poisonous mist that the Master Teacher Pavilion hadn't been able to launch a large-scale invasion on them just yet. However, since they dared step out from their home base to wreak havoc there, they could very well make use of this opportunity to encircle and eliminate them once and for all.

"Ren shi, rest assured. The Poison Hall has always been an unstable factor on the Master Teacher Continent, and we have long made preparations to encircle and eliminate them. If they had continued holing up in their mountain valley, we might still have had problems dealing with them. However, since they have decided to run out here... Humph, today shall be their death date!" Elder Qu spat with a cold glint in his eyes.

"Alright then." Ren Qingyuan nodded before waving his hand lightly.

The fifteen 9-star master teachers in the air swiftly understood his gesture and discreetly spread around the surroundings, sealing all paths of escape from the area.

On the other hand, oblivious to the movements of the master teachers above and the impending danger that loomed just ahead of them, Shen Jue, Lin Jianghai, and He Guangyu raised their gazes to look at the young man ahead of them.

They were interested to see just who the man worthy of being their hall master's teacher and winning her absolute loyalty was.

To be honest, they were slightly disappointed by what they saw.

The person standing before them was younger than they had expected, and while his cultivation was exceptional for his age, it came nowhere close to matching to their hall master... They did not think that the young man was worthy of having their hall master mobilize their entire Poison Hall just to save him.

It was truly hard for them to understand why their hall master would think so highly of the young man before them.

But despite the doubts in their hearts, they dared not allow it to show on their faces.

"That lass..." Not expecting that Poison Hall to actually dispatch men to save him, Zhang Xuan felt a little moved and helpless at the same time.

The Poison Hall had always been on bad terms with the Master Teacher Pavilion. He was indeed thankful for their timely arrival, but at the same time, this could also lead to unnecessary complications.

While continuing to reconstruct Zhao Ya's meridians, he gazed at the trio kneeling before him and asked, "Where is your hall master?"

He was certain that he had heard Wei Ruyan's voice earlier even though it had been quite some distance away. However, since she had come to save him, why did she disappear all of a sudden?

"Reporting to Zhang shi, our hall master said that the Master Teacher Pavilion's acts of encircling and assaulting you are deplorable and utterly shameless... She ordered us to rush over to protect you first while she takes a trip to the Master Teacher Pavilion in the vicinity to repay the favor to them..." Lin Jianghai clasped his fist as he reported.

"She is going around the Master Teacher Pavilions in the vicinity to repay the favor?"

Wei Ruyan had been in a sickly state from a very young age, living a life that could hardly be counted as a life. Those difficulties had left her with little regard for rules and convention... If it was her, she really might go around poisoning master teachers just to vent anger against the Master Teacher Pavilion on his behalf!

Hearing those words, the master teachers in the area nearly plummeted to the ground from a mixture of horror and rage.

"You cowards!"

This was especially so for Ren Qingyuan; he nearly exploded on the spot.

Possessing the Innate Poison Body, the head of the Poison Hall was as good as a walking calamity. Even 9-star master teachers would not be able to withstand the poison that she emanated, let alone ordinary master teachers! If she made a move personally, this would really end in a widespread massacre for all of the master teachers in the vicinity!

Unable to hold back his rage anymore, Ren Qingyuan bellowed in fury, "Take down Zhang Xuan and those three fellows right now!"

It was in consideration of his identity that he had been unwilling to have the master teachers make a move previously—after all, it would be dishonorable for 9-star master teachers like them to gang up on a junior. However, with the head of the Poison Hall on the loose, he could not care that much anymore. They had to quickly apprehend those four so that they could devote their forces to dealing with the head of the Poison Hall.

A second wasted could mean the deaths of a hundred more master teachers.

Aside from that, they would also be able to use those four as hostages in order to force the head of the Poison Hall to stop what she was doing and cure the master teachers that she had poisoned.

"Yes!" Upon hearing the orders, the master teachers immediately released furious roars and rushed forward.

Elder Qu charged ahead of the group and kickstarted the duel with a palm thrust toward Shen Jue.

Si la!

In an instant, the surrounding air suddenly grew incredibly viscous, and overwhelming might poured down like a raging waterfall, threatening to bore a hole into the ground.

Elder Qu could not be considered too strong among the 9-star master teachers in the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, but he was still unmistakably a Great Sage expert. Powerful shockwaves rippled out from his furious palm thrust, and unable to take the impact, the Blacksmith Guild abruptly collapsed into rubble.

Facing Elder Qu's devastating attack, Shen Jue's lips curled up. "Do you think that you alone will be enough to kill me? Think again!"

With a cold harrumph, he retaliated with a palm strike of his own.

As the Right Guardian of the Poison Hall, as well as an individual who had almost succeeded in becoming the hall master, Shen Jue's strength was definitely not one to be underestimated.

The moment that the two palms collided with one another, Elder Qu felt the power that he commanded being swiftly corroded by some intangible force, to the point where he could almost feel a burning sensation on his skin.

"It's lethal poison!" Elder Qu narrowed his eyes in realization as he quickly flicked his free wrist and took out a jade bottle.

Without any hesitation, he crushed the jade bottle into bits.

Boom!

A gush of water shot out from the bottle, and it swiftly dissipated Shen Jue's zhenqi as soon as it came into contact with it.

"Tianyun Divine Water? The Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters sure is extravagant!" Shen Jue sneered with an awful look on his face.

The Tianyun Divine Water could be said to be the closest thing that the Physician Guild headquarters had created that could be termed as an all-cure panacea to poison. However, it was also incredibly difficult to concoct, making it a priceless treasure. However, Elder Qu did not hesitate to use a large quantity at once, and as a result of that, Shen Jue's poison art was severely weakened.

"Of course, it's important to be prepare before dealing with underhanded scoundrels like you!"

Seeing that the Divine Water had effectively neutralized Shen Jue's attack, Elder Qu bellowed loudly, "Comrades, hurry up and make a move as well. This is a good opportunity to rid the Master Teacher Continent of the vermin known as the Poison Hall!"

"Charge!"

The morale of the master teachers was raised tremendously, and they swiftly whipped out all kinds of treasures to enter the fray.

Huala!

In an instant, attacks from all directions rushed toward Zhang Xuan, forming a frightening storm.

Facing the onslaught of the master teachers, Lin Jianghai's face turned livid as he furiously roared, "Protect Zhang shi at all costs!"

"Very well!" The other two swiftly moved their focus to defense, and they hurriedly drove their zhenqi to form a protective barrier around them to ward off the attacks.

Hong long long!

As powerful as the three of them were, there was no way that they could stand a chance against fifteen master teachers together with Zhang Wuheng, You Ruoxin, Zhan shi, and the others simultaneously. In just two breaths, a crack had already appeared in their barrier, and the three of them spurted mouthfuls of blood simultaneously.

The situation was truly disadvantageous for them.

Seeing that the three poison masters were swiftly reaching their limits, Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, "Abandon the energy barrier and heed my commands!"

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Chapter 1531: The True Might of the Poison Masters

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The offensive prowess of the simultaneous assault from fifteen 9-star master teachers was simply too frightening. Putting aside the three poison masters, even if Yang shi was around, he would also have succumbed swiftly!

"Heed your commands?" Shen Jue and the others were surprised to hear such words from Zhang Xuan.

Even they were helpless against so many 9-star master teachers, so what could a mere Saint 8-dan cultivator possibly do?

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan replied as he met the gazes of the three of them one by one.

"This..." Seeing that the young man was not joking around, the three poison masters traded gazes as deep frowns appeared on their foreheads.

The opponents that they were facing were 9-star master teachers. Every single one of them was unimaginably powerful! If they followed the young man's commands on this matter, they could very well be wiped out!

Lin Jianghai sent a telepathic message to Shen Jue and He Guangyu. "Guys, let's just listen to him. Our hall master instructed us to hold him in higher regard than her!"

Shen Jue and He Guangyu hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

From their interactions with the hall master, they also knew how highly the hall master viewed her teacher. If something happened to him today, she would surely have them killed in a moment of fury.

The current situation was already bad enough as it was. Since they did not have any better ideas in mind, it could be worth gambling on the young man; he might just hold the key to leading them out of this crisis.

Forcefully holding the barrier up to fend off the barrage of attacks, Lin Jianghai quickly asked Zhang Xuan, "Zhang shi, what do you want us to do?"

Zhang Xuan's voice echoed by the ears of the crowd. "Dissipate the energy barrier. Shen Jue, drive your Golden Yang Poison Art, take twenty steps forward, and flick your left hand. I know that there's the venomous essence of Dustbreaking Twilight in your fingernails, so flick them out.

"Lin Jianghai, take twenty-seven steps to your right and prepare to release your Crimson Consonance. There's no need to aim it any specific person—just scatter it lightly into the surroundings and you'll see its worth.

"He Guangyu, nicknamed the Thousand Hands Poison, I know that you bring a huge variety of lethal poison on you, or more specifically, fifty-four poisons. Remain where you are and scatter eight of them toward the sky. After which, shoot seventeen of them right ahead of you. Then, remain on standby and await my next orders. You can decide then whether it's worthwhile to continue following my orders or not!"

"Y-you... know of my Dustbreaking Twilight?" Shen Jue's body clearly stiffened upon hearing Zhang Xuan's words.

He was certain that this was the first time that he had met Zhang shi, but even if that was not the case, the Dustbreaking Twilight was a lethal poison that he had concocted not too long ago, not to mention that he had just decided on a name for it on his way there... Not even the hall master would be aware of it, yet the young man was able to name it and point out that it was hidden in his left fingernail.

Shen Jue was not the only one who was shocked. With a look of disbelief on his face, He Guangyu exclaimed in shock, "You know that I have fifty-four different poisons on me?"

As those poisons were his trump card, not even the closest people to him knew the number of poisons that he carried with him. On top of that, he reserved two of them for only the direst of situations, vowing to keep them hidden unless the situation truly called for them. Despite that, the young man had still been able to accurately point out how many poisons he had with him.

And that was not all. Each poison had an optimal way of planting them, depending on their properties and forms. There were exactly eight poisons in his possession that were discreet enough to be scattered upward without anyone noticing, and similarly, there were exactly seventeen of them that could be fired as swift projectiles, making them suited for direct offense.

In other words, there was no doubt that the young man really knew what poisons he had in his possession!

Was the young man actually a mind reader?

Seeing that the three poison masters were still dawdling around after hearing his commands, Zhang Xuan growled in displeasure, "If you still treasure your lives, hurry up and get to it!"

"Yes!"

Knowing that this was not a good time to allow their thoughts to wander, the trio swiftly acted according to Zhang Xuan's instructions.

While they could not fathom what the purpose of making those moves was, the fact that the young man was completely aware of their trump cards was more than enough to say that he was not messing around and had a plan in mind.

Shen Jue swiftly drove his Golden Yang Poison Art before he decisively abandoned the energy barrier and dashed forward. He took exactly twenty steps forward, just as commanded.

Si la!

Barely after he stopped his footsteps, he felt a powerful force sweeping way. The attacks of two master teachers were already right before him.

He flicked his left finger lightly and shot out the Dustbreaking Twilight venomous essence that he had hidden beneath his fingernail.

Tzzzzzzzzz!

As soon as the venomous essence came into contact with the master teachers' attacks, their zhenqi immediately began corroding.

"This is bad; it's lethal poison!" Narrowing their eyes in shock, the two master teachers immediately retreated in a fluster.

At this moment, Lin Jianghai had already taken twenty-seven steps right at this point and scattered the Crimson Consonance powder outward, and the two master teachers happened to step right into its area of scatter. As soon as they came into contact with the Crimson Consonance, their zhenqi immediately began bubbling as if it was boiling.

Pu! Pu!

The two master teachers immediately spurted blood out. In no state to attack anymore, they quickly retreated out of the area of battle and sat on the floor to suppress the poison running through their veins.

The fifteen master teachers were moving as a whole in a formation, so with the abrupt disappearance of two members, the formation swiftly collapsed. He Guangyu's lethal poison dispersed into the surroundings, forcing the master teachers to back off a hundred meters away.

It was almost as if a vacuum had been created in an instant. All of a sudden, the master teachers who had been ferociously attacking a moment ago dared not approach.

"This..." Seeing how the crisis that they had been facing was resolved with just a few simple movements, the three poison masters traded incredulous glances with one another.

They were confident of their strength, but the enemy had the Tianyun Divine Water to suppress them, which placed them in a highly disadvantageous position. If the fight had dragged on, it was only a matter of time before they sustained heavy injuries.

However, by following Zhang shi's commands, not only did they manage to avoid direct confrontation with the Divine Water, they also managed to incapacitate two master teachers and successfully drive back the others. This was a result that they could brag about for many years and pass down to their descendants. At the same time, it would also serve as a testimony of the might of the Poison Hall!

"Zhang shi..." Unable to hold back their agitation, the three turned intrigued gazes to Zhang Xuan.

They had simply followed the young man's orders, but even at that moment, they were unable to comprehend how it had produced the effect that it did.

Knowing that the three poison masters were curious about what had just happened, Zhang Xuan explained the earlier happenings to them. "Earlier, there were fifteen 9-star master teachers attacking us simultaneously, and three of them only managed to clear the 9-star examination in the recent decade. As such, their state of mind and fighting prowess were clearly a notch lower as compared to the rest of the group.

"Of the remaining twelve, seven of them have sustained some traumas in their long years of battle against the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and they haven't fully recovered even now. Four of them were serving as the lynchpins of the formation, so they could not move too quickly or else they would have risked the formation collapsing.

"Shen Jue's advancement of twenty steps forward happened to be where the three newly promoted 9-star master teachers were stationed. By sending them into a fluster, an opening was created in the formation for He Guangyu to drive away the seven injured master teachers and force the lynchpins to swiftly retreat. With that, there was no way for their formation not to collapse!

"Of course, as master teachers, it would be foolish to underestimate their flexibility in adapting to their situation and their fighting prowess. The key to the earlier maneuver actually lay in Lin Jianghai's twenty-seven steps to the right. That area happened to be the point of convergence for their zhenqi in the formation. In other words, your maneuver effectively poisoned all of them with the Crimson Consonance!

"While they might appear to be completely fine on the surface, the truth is that they are currently busy suppressing their poison. Of course, given that the poison was distributed among all fifteen of them, its effectiveness has been reduced considerably. Nevertheless, it still managed to scare them off for the time being. At the very least, they will not dare attack recklessly any time soon!

"Well, given the lack of time, I couldn't come up with a wholesome plan. That's all I could come up quickly!" Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed.

"Is that still not considered a wholesome plan to you?"

"To think that you can calculate all of that in the spur of a moment..."

"Timing, formation, analysis of the opponent... You were actually able to achieve an impeccable evaluation on all of those with just a swift look..."

Shen Jue and the others trembled as if they had seen a ghost.

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Chapter 1532: First Elder of the Luo Clan

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

As members of the top echelon in the Poison Hall—and this was especially so for Shen Jue—in order to find the legendary Tome of Poison Legacy that their founder had left behind, they had spent most of their days roaming the world. On their journeys, it was inevitable that they would meet with several powerful master teachers, and there were even some occasions where they had exchanged blows with the grand elders of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters. Even so, they had never heard of any master teacher being able to analyze everyone's condition accurately with just a look and devise strategies on them in just a few seconds!

This was not just at the level of being discerning anymore but being omniscient!

"Un! It isn't a good timing for us to attack yet, so just focus on defense for the time being. I have a few surges of zhenqi here, and I want you all to discreetly plant them in the area. Make sure that no one notices them. Once you are done, return here and sit down!" Zhang Xuan instructed as he flicked his finger.

The three poison masters each received several surges of zhenqi.

These surges of zhenqi were rich in spiritual energy, and they harnessed a nourishing aura, contrasting sharply to their destructive, poisonous zhenqi. While Lin Jianghai and the others had no idea why Zhang Xuan was issuing such instructions, they still followed his orders and discreetly planted those surges of zhenqi around the area.

A poison master's strength lay in planting poison in their victim without the latter noticing anything at all, let alone that these surges of zhenqi were completely attributeless, making them even less detectable. It did not take them long to finish planting the zhenqi, and they swiftly sat down in front of Zhang Xuan. They closed their eyes and started meditating, paying no heed to the menacing glares from the master teachers above.

It did not take long for the master teachers in the air to successfully dispel the poison in their bodies, and they quickly turned their sights in Zhang Xuan's direction. Upon seeing how defenseless the four of them were, frowns appeared on their foreheads.

To be honest, they could have made use of their moment of panic to escape earlier, but not only did they choose not to do so, they had even sat down and meditated on the spot. Just what were they up to?

"Humph, they are just putting on a front! The only reason we suffered a setback earlier is because we were unprepared for their attacks. As long as we proceed carefully, we will surely be able to slaughter them!" Elder Qu spat coldly.

"Indeed! If we can't even subdue three poison masters, what right do we have to lead mankind against the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?" another master teacher growled in agreement.

While the Poison Hall had always been considered vermin on the Master Teacher Continent, in truth, the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters had never considered it as a threat. They felt that as long as they were willing to devote their forces to deal with them, they would be able to destroy them anytime they wanted to.

As such, they had charged into the battle expecting to be able to subdue those three poison masters with ease, especially given the powerful forces that they had present. Who could have thought that the other party would suddenly make such a bizarre maneuver that ended in all of them getting poisoned instead?

"In the end, the only powerful threat that they have is poison. I happen to be a 9-star physician specializing in the treatment of poison, so I have quite a few antidotes with me in my storage ring. Allow me to serve as the vanguard and pave a way forward for the rest of you!" With a cold bellow, a master teacher stepped forward.

He flicked his wrist and popped an antidote into his mouth. Without waiting for Ren Qingyuan's approval, he strode toward Zhang Xuan and the others and thrust a powerful palm strike downward upon them.

His power was colossal as if numerous mountains were falling from the sky, but then, it came into contact with one of the surges of zhenqi that the poison masters had planted around the area.

This surge of zhenqi swiftly flowed against the master teacher's zhenqi, and in the blink of an eye, it had already dived into the master teacher's body.

If it was lethal poison, the protective layer of zhenqi that maintained around him would have automatically filtered and deflected it away. Even if it managed to breach his defenses and slip into his body, the antidote that he had swallowed earlier would also have immediately moved to neutralize it. However, the surge of zhenqi just happened to be pure and attributeless. It successfully bypassed all defensive mechanisms and entered the master teacher's meridians before swiftly making its way toward his vital organs.

Huala!

The next moment, the master teacher's face abruptly warped in pain, and the might behind his palm strike dissipated entirely.

Putong!

He plummeted from the sky and curled up from excruciating pain on the ground.

"This..." Elder Qu widened his eyes in shock. He hurriedly rushed up to check the master teacher's condition before uttering in alarm, "Elder Bai has been poisoned."

He had also encountered this condition back at the Glacier Plain Court. Zhang Xuan, disguising as Yang shi, had managed to poison him using some means that remained a mystery to him even now, stripping him of his strength. Otherwise, he would not have allowed the young man to act as he pleased and destroy the Glacier Plain Court's long heritage.

"Poisoned?"

Everyone hurriedly turned their sights over, only to see Elder Bai trembling non-stop, seemingly placed in immense pain. The antidote that he had swallowed previously did not seem to be working at all.

"What kind of poison is that?" Ren Qingyuan was stunned.

He knew how skilled Elder Bai's medical skills were, and it was not as if he had been unprepared at all—he had even gone to the extent of swallowing an antidote in advance! Yet, he had still ended up being incapacitated by the other party's poison... Just what kind of poison could be that lethal?

"I have no idea either..." the trembling Elder Bai explained through clattering teeth. "It's no different from ordinary zhenqi, but as soon as it slipped into my body, it swiftly turned into lethal poison, making it impossible to guard against!"

"Ordinary zhenqi... Could this be Will of Poison? This..." Ren Qingyuan exclaimed in astonishment. He immediately turned to the other 9-star master teachers and commanded, "Everyone, stand back! Don't launch an assault recklessly! Wait till we have found a countermeasure before making any moves!"

Will of Poison referred to the poisons that were harmless usually, making cultivators lower their guard around it. However, it would turn into the most lethal of poisons at the poison master's will, making it a frightening tool of assassination.

If the poison masters had planted such a formidable poison in the area, the tables could swiftly turn on them if they charged in recklessly. Thus, they had to find a countermeasure first before making a move.

"I have come into contact with this poison before. Without a doubt, it's indeed formidable, but it's also very easy to deal with as well. Come, let me help you..." With a flick of his finger, Elder Qu sent a surge of zhenqi into Elder Bai's body.

Having experienced such poison in the Glacier Plain Court, he knew how to resolve. While it did inflict great pain on the ones afflicted with it, it could not hurt one's core.

As expected, with his help, the master teacher managed to resolve the poison within just three minutes.

However, after seeing what had happened to the master teacher, the others did not dare approach Zhang Xuan and the others easily.

"Let's try finding the areas where the poison is planted and uncover what kind of poison it is. We won't make any progress just waiting idly here!"

"Don't worry. As long as this area is sealed, they have nowhere to escape to. Besides, there's a time limit to how long a poison can be exposed to open air before it loses effectiveness. I don't believe that the poison can continue remaining as potent as it is..."

The crowd discussed their next course of action.

No one dared to attack, but no one left the area either.

"Zhang shi... is actually a master at poison too?"

Seeing how the young man was able to render the fifteen 9-star master teachers and a deputy pavilion master helpless, the gazes that Lin Jianghai and the others directed at the young man changed. Unlike before, they were filled with respect and awe.

As poison experts, they knew how powerful the 'Will of Poison' was. What was even more formidable was how the young man was able to infuse his normal zhenqi with the Will of Poison and bring out formidable prowess. They had never seen such an incredible use of poison in their life before.

Previously, they had thought that the hall master was only respectful to the young man due to the gratitude that she had for him in her earlier years, but after witnessing this sight, it seemed like that was not all. In terms of mastery of poison, the young man was definitely above them, possibly on par with or even exceeding their hall master!

It was no wonder the young man was their hall master's teacher. At this point, they had no doubt that their hall master's poison art had truly originated from him!

"As long as we can buy enough time for the hall master's return, we will be able to turn the tables on them..."

Seeing how the master teachers dared not approach despite how infuriated they were, Lin Jianghai and the others heaved a sigh of relief.

If they could buy sufficient time till the arrival of their hall master, their danger would be resolved.

"What's going on here? Which one of you is Zhang Xuan?"

In this moment of silence, a voice suddenly sounded in the air.

Following which, a figure suddenly appeared in the distance. It was an elder with a white, flowy beard.

"It's the First Elder of the Luo Clan!" someone amid the crowd exclaimed.

Upon seeing that man, Ren Qingyuan's eyes lit up in agitation. "Hahaha! Luo Qingchen, you arrived at a timely moment!"

—

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Chapter 1533: Wei Ruyan Arrives

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"This is bad!"

In contrast to Ren Qingyuan's excitement, Shen Jue's face turned livid upon seeing the arrival of the elder.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Jianghai and the others turned doubtful gazes toward him.

"Luo Qingchen is the First Elder of the Luo Clan, and he possesses exceptional aptitude toward the manipulation of space. The poison that Zhang shi instructed us to plant around the area might be able to fend off most cultivators, but I fear that he will be able to overcome it easily!" Shen Jue explained.

"What? What do we do then?"

Grave expressions surfaced on Lin Jianghai and He Guangyu's faces.

In this world, every single existence had its own nemesis. No matter how formidable a poison was, there would definitely be a way to deal with it. While they knew that the poison zhenqi that Zhang shi had left around the area would not stop the 9-star master teachers for too long, they did not expect them to overcome the problem so swiftly!

They had been banking on it lasting till their hall master came back, and everything would have been resolved swiftly. Who could have thought that the First Elder of the Luo Clan would arrive at this moment?

"... that's how it is. Elder Qingchen, I beseech you to lend us your strength!" Ren Qingyuan swiftly explained the matter to Luo Qingchen before clasping his fist to make a formal request.

"That isn't a problem at all!" Luo Qingchen chuckled softly as he reached out and grasped at the space before him.

Si la!

The next moment, Zhang Xuan felt as if the space around him had been isolated. The zhenqi and lethal poison that they had planted around the area previously seemed to have been severed by some mysterious power and stored in another dimension, causing him to lose control over them.

"Thank you..." Seeing how easily Luo Qingchen resolved the problem they had been plagued with, Ren Qingyuan delightfully relayed his gratitude.

With sufficient time, they could have achieved the same as well. However, if they wanted to achieve the same level of precision and accuracy as Luo Qingchen in carrying out the feat, not harming the surroundings in the least, that would have been truly difficult.

"Let me do it!" After all of the surrounding poison had been spatially isolated, Zhang Wuheng chuckled as he raised his hand and dashed forward.

When he started saying those words, he was still in the sky, quite some distance away from Zhang Xuan and the others. However, by the time he spat out his last word, he was already standing right before Shen Jue and the others. The instant that he thrust his palm down, it felt almost as if the heavens had been overthrown, completely eradicating the concepts of time and space.

There was almost no time lapse in between Luo Qingchen's separation of space and Zhang Wuheng's move, making it nigh impossible for Zhang Xuan and the others to respond to the situation.

"Block him!" Shen Jue bellowed as he flicked poison gas off from his fingertip to engage Zhang Wuheng.

"Humph!" Without bothering to dodge, Zhang Wuheng simply heightened the might of his palm strike.

Kacha!

The poisonous gas was immediately forced back by the overwhelming might of the palm strike, seeping through Shen Jue's pores.

Pu!

Shen Jue spat a spurt of blood as black patches appeared all over his face. He quickly took out an antidote and consumed it before feeling a little better. However, by the time all of it was done, it was already too late for him to dodge Zhang Wuheng's palm strike. His chest caved in under the latter's attack, and his entire body was knocked into the ground.

Seeing how Right Guardian Shen Jue, the most powerful man of the group, was swiftly incapacitated under the collaboration of the duo, Ren Qingyuan could not help but nod. "It's no wonder the Zhang Clan and the Luo Clan want to ally with one another. The combination of temporal and spatial powers is indeed fearsome."

Individually, the Zhang Clan and the Luo Clan paled far in comparison to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, but if the two of them allied with one another, even the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters would have to think twice before challenging them.

"I think there's no need to trouble Elder Wuheng any further than this." Ren Qingyuan turned to the 9-star master teachers behind him and ordered, "All of you, take those two down as well!"

"Yes!" Elder Qu, Elder Bai, and the other elders quickly flew forth.

Previously, it had been due to Zhang Xuan's arrangements and the sudden onslaught of many unseen lethal poisons that their encirclement had failed tragically. However, with their eye of discernment, they were able to swiftly analyze the mistakes that they had made and the properties of the poisons that they had just faced, thus putting them in a much better position this time around.

Peng peng peng!

In the blink of an eye, Lin Jianghai and He Guangyu were already exchanging blows with Elder Qu and the others.

The difference in the fighting prowess of both sides is simply too big... Zhang Xuan thought anxiously.

His means could only induce fear in the 9-star master teachers temporarily, making them dare not attack them. However, it was unfortunate that it had been foiled by the First Elder of the Luo Clan.

Even though those three poison masters were among the top echelon of the Poison Hall, ultimately, it was nigh impossible for them to challenge the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, which had dominated the Master Teacher Continent for many years.

Not to mention the fact that they could only stand their ground in order to protect him, or else they might still have been able to try other maneuvers.

Pu! Pu!

In less than ten blows, Lin Jianghai and He Guangyu had already sustained considerable damage. Just like Shen Jue, they were forced to the ground by a compelling force, completely sealing off their movements.

"Don't kill them yet. If the head of the Poison Hall really dares to make a move on our master teachers, we'll use them as chips to negotiate with her!" Ren Qingyuan said with a wave of his hand.

While the newly inaugurated head of the Poison Hall might be young, the terrifying reputation of the Innate Poison Body had been passed down from generation to generation. With her unparalleled mastery of poison, if she really made a move on the Master Teacher Pavilions in the vicinity, there was no way that they would be able to stop her.

Besides, it was too late for them to rush over to save them. More likely than not, they would be blindly chasing after her tail, thus putting them in an even more disadvantageous position. Rather than that, it would be better for them to capture her subordinates so that they would have something over her.

"Alright!" Elder Qu nodded as he quickly walked over to Shen Jue's side to place him under control first.

All of a sudden, he felt a dangerous aura assaulting him, and he hurriedly backed away in fright. But before he could get too far away, his face suddenly turned black, and he found himself losing control over the zhenqi within his body.

Putong!

He was unable to sustain his flight any longer and collapsed to the ground.

"What happened?" Alarmed by the sudden twist, Ren Qingyuan, Zhang Wuheng, and the others immediately tensed up as they assessed their surroundings carefully.

A quiet but imposing voice echoed in the air. "I shan't trouble Master Teacher Pavilion to take care of my poison masters!"

Following which, a young lady dressed in red robe slowly descended from the sky.

She was not too old, probably only around seventeen to eighteen, and she had a skinny and not-too-tall stature. However, there was a pink aura rippling around her, covering a radius of ten meters or so. Be it plants or zhenqi, anything that came within its range would be swiftly corroded into nothing.

Ren Qingyuan attempted to extend his Spiritual Perception toward the young lady in order to assess her closely, but before his Spiritual Perception could come close to reaching her, it was abruptly severed. In fact, the lethal poison around her even traversed through his Spiritual Perception toward him and would have afflicted his Primordial Spirit if not for his decisive severing of the connection.

"What formidable poison..." Ren Qingyuan's eyebrows shot up in astonishment.

To be able to become the deputy pavilion master of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, his strength could be considered to be the cream of the crop among the elders. He still could not compare up to the distinguished grand elders who had been around for a long time, but without a doubt, his strength was ranked amid the top of the Master Teacher Continent.

Yet, despite his strength, he was not even able to peer into the young lady's strength. This was too fearsome!

"Are you the newly-appointed hall master?" Ren Qingyuan asked.

To be honest, he was really caught off guard by how powerful the new head of the Poison Hall was. He was not certain if he could defeat her even if he used his full strength.

On the other hand, the red-robed young lady continued descending silently from the sky, paying no heed to Ren Qingyuan's question at all.

Seeing how disrespectful the other party was, one of the 9-star master teachers furiously howled, "You lass! Are you deaf or mute? Can't you hear our deputy pavilion master is talking to you?"

Hearing those words, the young lady shot a cold glance over to the 9-star master teacher before flicking her hand lightly, as if swatting a fly.

"Ahhh..."

The next instant, the complexion of the 9-star master teacher turned pitch black, and he clasped his neck tightly as if he could not breathe at all. Following which, he fell from the sky to the ground as well, just like what had happened to Elder Qu earlier.

Ren Qingyuan quickly rushed over to the 9-star master teacher and fed him an antidote, and only then did the latter's condition improve slightly. However, terrified by the previous experience, the 9-star master teacher no longer spouted any nonsense anymore.

To be able to poison him with just a casual swat of her hand... just what kind of ability was that?

He was not the only one in such a state. The other 9-star master teachers also tensed up as they gazed at the young lady in front of them warily with ugly complexions.

For an individual to induce such fear in sixteen 9-star master teachers and the leaders of three major powers... no one would dare believe such a thing to be possible!

This was the Innate Poison Body, one of the strongest unique constitutions in the world, an existence deeply feared by even Kong shi back then!

Hu!

Before everyone's fearful gazes, the red-robed young lady landed on the ground, and she swiftly kneeled with both of her knees.

"Teacher, please pardon Wei Ruyan for arriving late!"

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Chapter 1534: Pavilion Master Seal

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Seeing how the sickly young lady who could only afford to live from day to day, never daring to imagine what would come in the future, had already grown to become a powerhouse of the Master Teacher Continent, capable of inducing fear even in the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, Zhang Xuan's eyes reddened in agitation as he nodded with a heartened smile. He reached out his hand and lightly patted the young lady's head.

"Not bad. You have finally grown up!" Zhang Xuan said as he gazed deeply at the young lady before him in reminiscence.

The first time that he met the young lady, she had still been lying unconscious on a bed. Just so that her sickly body could last a little longer, her father had cast aside his morals and committed many atrocities. In the end, despite knowing that it was a sure-death journey, he had unrelentingly hiked up the Cloudmist Ridge, which was filled with saint beasts far stronger than him, and in the end, he never did find his way down.

After entering the Poison Hall, she had many capable poison masters working tirelessly to help her awaken her unique constitution. In a matter of months, her disposition and strength had undergone massive changes. From a weak young lady who wielded not even the strength to snap the neck of a chicken, she had become someone who commanded deference even from 9-star master teachers.

If Wei Changfeng was looking down from above, he would surely be gladdened to see how she was doing!

Geji! Geji!

While Zhang Xuan was stroking the young lady's head as his thoughts wandered into the past, Shen Jue, Lin Jianghai, and He Guangyu were looking at the shocking sight with absolute fright.

That person whose head was being fondled was their founder! Possessing the Innate Poison Body, she commanded absolute authority in the Poison Hall. Anyone who dared stand against her in the Poison Hall would swiftly be reduced to ash. It was with such overwhelming strength that she had been able to gain full control over the fractious Poison Hall within just a few months.

Even as a Guardian and Eminences of the Poison Hall, they still had to tread carefully around her, fearing that a single mistake would bring her wrath upon them. Yet, that fellow actually reached out to fondle her hair, as if doting on a young child.

"Is our hall master... not angry?"

They cowered backward in fright, fearing that the hall master would fly into a rage and implicate them as well. But contrary to their expectations, there was not the slightest hint of rage in her eyes. Instead, they could see agitation and longing in her eyes, similar to that of a reunion with close kin.

As they came to realize what was going on, the trio thought, It seems like Zhang shi isn't just our hall master's teacher; he's her benefactor as well. We must relay these words to the others when we return—cross the hall master rather than cross Zhang shi!

If they offended the hall master, perhaps they might still be able to defuse the situation by apologizing. However, if they offend Zhang shi and the hall master learned of it... it was very likely that the hall master would kill them without bothering to listen to their explanation!

"The head of the Poison Hall... is Zhang Xuan's student?"

"So, the reason she spared Gong shi back then was out of consideration for him?"

"The fact that a student that he raised was able to become the head of the Poison Hall means that he is a formidable poison master as well! It's no wonder he was able to wreak havoc in the Zhang Clan, Sanctum of Sages, and the Glacier Plain Court despite his low cultivation realm! The Way of Poison is unorthodox and depraved; those who practice it can't possibly be of honorable character!"

"With deadly poison in their possession, the Master Teacher Continent will remain threatened as long as they live. We have to deal with them promptly! Otherwise, if they ever decide to use their strength for evil, it would end in a bloodbath for the Master Teacher Continent!"

Watching the sight in front of them, an uproar broke out amid the 9-star master teachers.

The head of the Poison Hall had made a domineering entrance, and her every movement and gesture further created her image of invincibility. Yet, as soon as she arrived before Zhang shi, she immediately kneeled down and allowed the latter to fondle her head as he pleased, as if she was just a little girl before him.

While they were shocked by the matter, it had also made them further their resolve. Without a doubt, Zhang Xuan would be an even more frightening force if he matured. If they could not control him now, the world would be a mess in the future!

"We must try to pull them over to our side, and if that doesn't work out... we'll have no choice but to destroy them!" Ren Qingyuan told the 9-star master teachers telepathically with a grim look on his face.

Prodigies were indeed the greatest treasure of mankind, but only obedient prodigies were useful prodigies. Those who refused to bow down to command and simply did as they pleased would eventually culminate into a calamity!

Over the past tens of thousands of years, countless geniuses had risen in the Master Teacher Continent, and there was no lack of cases where they had turned into demons due to the occurrence of an event in some point of their life. As such, the Master Teacher Pavilion had come to take only two stances when it came to them—the geniuses could either choose to submit to the Master Teacher Pavilion's authority and come under its command or choose death!

To protect mankind from the threats surrounding it for many years, the Master Teacher Pavilion could not afford to be all good and virtuous. Ideals and morals were only for the privileged. When the fate of mankind was on the line, they would have no choice but to compromise their morals for the sake of the greater good.

Elder Qu and the others nodded in agreement to what Ren Qingyuan said.

After issuing his instructions, Ren Qingyuan glanced at the teacher-student pair beneath and began speaking in an amiable voice.

"Zhang Xuan, the fact that you have chosen the path as a master teacher means that you feel a belonging to the Master Teacher Pavilion. As long as you surrender and face the consequences of your actions, I'll ensure your safety. Perhaps, you might still have an opportunity to become a master teacher once more in the future. However, if you continue struggling, not only will you be cornering yourself, even your student could very well lose her life because of you!

"The Poison Hall and the Innate Poison Body are admittedly powerful, but you should know that the Master Teacher Pavilion didn't remain as the top power of the Master Teacher Continent with just those petty means that we have shown you!"

"Pavilion Master Ren!" Hearing that Ren Qingyuan was going to ensure his safety, Zhang Wuheng and You Ruoxin immediately turned their heads over anxiously.

But before they could say anything else, Ren Qingyuan had already interjected. "I know what you want to say, but the Master Teacher Pavilion has its own considerations in making this judgement. As long as he agrees to our conditions, I'll give you all a satisfactory answer!"

"Alright then. We'll put our trust in you."

Since Ren Qingyuan had already said so much, even though the two of them were still a little indignant at letting Zhang Xuan off the hook so easily, they still reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"How about it? I'll give you ten minutes to consider the matter!" Ren Qingyuan said.

"Face the consequences of my actions?" Zhang Xuan directed a deep gaze at Ren Qingyuan as he repeated the words that the latter had said earlier. "What kind of consequences will there be for my actions?"

"While you did cause a huge uproar, given that no lives were lost, I believe that there's still some ground for reconciliation. Since I have already made this guarantee on your behalf, the other powers also won't go too overboard with their demands," Ren Qingyuan replied.

"I trust your words, Pavilion Master Ren, but what I am curious about is how the Master Teacher Pavilion intends to deal with me," Zhang Xuan replied.

If the Master Teacher Pavilion guaranteed his safety, the Zhang Clan, Glacier Plain Court, and the Sanctum of Sages certainly would not dare to go too far against him. No good would come from snubbing the most powerful organization in the world, after all, and they still had their future to consider.

At most, the Master Teacher Pavilion would just compensate them by helping rebuild their infrastructure, formations, and giving them some treasures. That should placate those three powers considerably.

The key to this matter still lay in the Master Teacher Pavilion.

In the past, the Master Teacher Pavilion did not hold him in high regard, thinking that he was just an ordinary prodigy whose death would be inconsequential to the Master Teacher Continent. However, now that it had been shown that even the head of the Poison Hall was his student... Without a doubt, he had already become a dangerous figure in their eyes. As the ones governing the Master Teacher Continent, the Master Teacher Pavilion would not wish to see the rise of individuals beyond their control.

So, while Ren Qingyuan had spoken of allowing him to become a master teacher once more, in truth, his goal was simply to bring him under control so as to prevent the situation from running amok.

"You are a person of great talent, and I believe that you will eventually become a pillar of support for mankind. You can trust the Master Teacher Pavilion to do everything we can to ensure your safety for this matter. In fact, we are willing to offer you the best resources that we have so that you can raise your strength swiftly. However, you'll have to imprint your soul on the Pavilion Master Seal!"

Ren Qingyuan flicked his hand, and a token appeared in his grasp.

It was roughly the same size as the Sanctum Head Token, but it had a peculiarly ethereal presence, almost as if it would vanish at any moment.

Even when using the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan was unable to discern what tier of artifact it was.

"This is an artifact that Kong shi left behind after founding the Master Teacher Pavilion, and it serves as the insignia of authority for the deputy pavilion masters. Only a true pavilion master is able to tap into its true strength, but as a deputy pavilion master, I'm still able to wield a tenth of its might. With just that, it already grants me power that makes me unmatched against any men beneath Ancient Sage!" Ren Qingyuan said as he gently stroked the Pavilion Master Seal and infused his zhenqi into it.

The next instant, a heavy pressure suddenly crushed down on the crowd, trembling their souls.

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Chapter 1535: Negotiations Falling Through

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

It felt like as long as Ren Qingyuan willed it, he could destroy the souls of any of them present in an instant.

This was the tremendous power harnessed within the Pavilion Master Seal!

Other than the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn, the Pavilion Master Seal could be said to be the number one treasure of the Master Teacher Pavilion. While the deputy pavilion masters could only wield a tenth of its true prowess, it was more than enough to solidify the Master Teacher Pavilion's standing on the continent, making all of the major powers deferential to its authority.

Granting the deputy pavilion master might that was unmatched beneath Ancient Sage, even experts of Yang shi's caliber would not dare clash head on with him!

"Your student might be powerful, but with the Pavilion Master Seal in hand, I will be able to crush her soul directly, and not even her Innate Poison Body will be able to stop me!" Ren Qingyuan said as he allowed the Pavilion Master Seal to float freely in front of him.

The carrot and the stick. Since he had already shown them a possible way out of the dilemma that they were in, he should also let them know that the prowess of the Master Teacher Pavilion did not just stop at words so that they knew the decision that they had to make.

Wei Ruyan glanced at the seal before turning to her teacher. However, before she could speak, Zhang Xuan had already shaken his head and interjected. "You won't be a match against it."

The Pavilion Master Seal floating in front of Ren Qingyuan was many times stronger than his Sanctum Head Token. If Ren Qingyuan really tapped into its power, they would indeed stand no chance at all.

"Since that's the case, may I ask how imprinting my soul on it will affect me?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Don't worry, the effects will only be beneficial to you. Firstly, it ensures that you'll never be able to turn your back on the Master Teacher Pavilion, so no one will be able to doubt your loyalty to mankind. Secondly, if you are in any danger, you'll be able to communicate with the Master Teacher Pavilion through your soul imprint on the Pavilion Master Seal, and we'll be able to bring reinforcements to you in the fastest time possible!" Ren Qingyuan replied.

"It ensures that I'll never be able to turn my back on the Master Teacher Pavilion? In other words, I will be signing a soul contract and putting my soul under your control, won't I?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Based on what he had heard, it was similar to the contract between a beast tamer and their tamed beast. If he imprinted his soul on it, that would be as good as placing his life in the hands of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

"The only reason I am asking you to imprint your soul on it is just to avoid the possibility of you ever committing treacherous acts against mankind. You can rest assured that I won't force you to do anything at all!" Ren Qingyuan replied.

The reason he was asking Zhang Xuan to put his soul imprint on the Pavilion Master Seal was in case the worst-case scenario ever happened. It was not to make things difficult for Zhang Xuan.

This procedure was just to forge an inseverable link between the other party and the Master Teacher Pavilion so that they would not have to worry about him anymore. This would be a win-win situation for both sides. The Master Teacher Pavilion would gain a powerful, reliable ally, and the other party would have the full backing of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

"My apologies, but even if you won't use the soul contract against me, I'm unwilling to entrust my life to you!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

As long as his soul imprint remained on the Pavilion Master Seal, even if Ren Qingyuan said that he would not force him to do anything, there was no guarantee that his promise would last. Should Ren Qingyuan ever decide to go against his word, he would be forced to do whatever Ren Qingyuan commanded him to do, as if a human tamed beast. How could he possibly agree to such derogatory treatment?

Their grounds were simply not equal. It would be an irreversible decision, and it could very well haunt him for life.

For one, what if Ren Qingyuan ordered him to cripple Wei Ruyan and destroy the Poison Hall right after he imprinted his soul on the Pavilion Master Seal? In the eyes of the world, that would simply be the duty of a master teacher, and very few would criticize Ren Qingyuan for making such a call!

In such a case, Ren Qingyuan would have nothing to lose whereas he had everything to lose.

"Are you turning down my offer?" Ren Qingyuan's face darkened. "Do you understand the consequences of your decision?"

No matter what, he could not allow someone who wielded as much influence as Zhang Xuan to remain uncontrolled. In his view, it was only a matter of time before he became a threat to the world.

"I do." Zhang Xuan nodded before turning to the young lady before him with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. It seems like I have implicated you this time around..."

If he refused to submit, the Master Teacher Pavilion would surely choose to eliminate him. Considering that Wei Ruyan was there to save him, the stance that he had chosen would be equivalent to placing Wei Ruyan on the opposing side of the Master Teacher Pavilion as well.

"Teacher, please don't say that you have implicated me. You are the one who gave me a new life, so there's no need for such words between us," Wei Ruyan replied with a tender smile.

Following which, she stood up and gazed coldly at Ren Qingyuan and the other 9-star master teachers before continuing. "However, if they really want to make a move against us, they should first prepare themselves to lose half of their personnel!"

With a flick of her wrist, countless people materialized in front of her.

They were all dressed in master teacher robes, and one thing that the crowd immediately noticed was that their faces were all pitch-black. Despite having lost consciousness, they were still writhing on the ground in agony.

It would not take a genius to figure out that they had all been poisoned.

"They are... our master teachers?"

"She actually poisoned so many of our master teachers?"

Shocked gasps echoed from here and there.

Ren Qingyuan's complexion also turned extremely ugly.

He recognized some of those master teachers lying on the ground. They were the top experts of the Master Teacher Pavilions within a sixty thousand li radius of the Glacier Plain Court, and many of them were 8-star master teachers. In their respective Master Teacher Pavilions, they were powerful figures who could determine the fates of countless people with just their words, but against the head of the Poison Hall, they stood no chance at all.

It was inevitable that they would be captured by her.

"What do you want?" Ren Qingyuan spat coldly with narrowed eyes.

"Nothing in particular. If you wish to make a move on me and my teacher, be my guest. However, I can promise you that if we die here today, the poison masters of the Poison Hall will immediately leap into action, and at least half of all master teachers across the Master Teacher Continent will lose their lives in the time to come!" Wei Ruyan replied haughtily as she placed her hands behind her back in emulation of her teacher's usual posture.

A few months ago, she had still been a young lady reliant on her teacher, but at this very moment, she was already a true leader who could stand her ground on the Master Teacher Continent. Even the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters no longer wielded the power to kill her at will.

"Outrageous! This is completely outrageous!"

"How dare you threaten us? It seems like the Master Teacher Pavilion has really erred by not destroying you miscreants sooner!"

Upon hearing those words, the 9-star master teacher in the air trembled from sheer rage.

As the number one occupation on the Master Teacher Continent, they were used to being treated with the utmost respect and honor. No one had ever spoken to them like that.

Glaring coldly at Wei Ruyan, Ren Qingyuan said, "Every single one of our master teachers has already resolved themself to lay down their life for mankind when they became a master teacher. It's futile to threaten me with their lives!

"Your poison masters are indeed a difficult bunch to deal with, but know that your poisons aren't omnipotent! As long as we devote our effort to it, the Master Teacher Pavilion will be able to find a way to nullify all of the poisons that you have.

"Back then, the treacherous soul oracles were a powerful force as well, but the Master Teacher Pavilion still managed to destroy them at their very roots. It's only in view of the fact that the poison masters' unique insight into medicinal herbs could aid the advancement of mankind that we have tolerated you all so far. I advise you not to end the Poison Hall's long legacy due to your own selfishness!"

Seeing how Ren Qingyuan was devoid of fear, Wei Ruyan burst into laughter. "You said that your master teachers are willing to lay down their lives for mankind? Wonderful! I have always wanted to see how deep their resolve is. Let's see which of us is the first to cave in then!"

With a wave of her hands, the poisonous air that shrouded her immediately diffused into the surroundings.

The closest 9-star master teacher to her failed to escape in time, and his face immediately turned pitch-black as he collapsed to the ground and vomited non-stop.

"Ah?"

Seeing how fearsome the poisonous air was, Zhang Wuheng, You Ruoxin, and the others hurriedly fled in fear.

The prowess of the Innate Poison Body was really as fearsome as its reputation made it out to be!

"Since you are courting death, I'll fulfill your wish!" Ren Qingyuan uttered coldly.

The poisonous air that Wei Ruyan was diffusing could very well reduce the entire Empire Alliance into a state of living hell. Unable to watch such atrocities being committed right before his eyes, Ren Qingyuan reached out and tapped the Pavilion Master Seal ahead of him.

Weng!

The Pavilion Master Seal buzzed softly in response, and following which, a dizzyingly immense force burst forth from it, intending to obliterate Wei Ruyan's Primordial Spirit straight!

Hong long long!

Wei Ruyan's eyebrows shot up as she quickly gathered all of her zhenqi to defend against that attack.

Hong long!

Just as Wei Ruyan was about to reach her limits, a wintry voice echoed in the air.

"You speak of soul oracles in contempt, and yet, you use the very soul arts that you frown upon to deal with my teacher and my junior. Just how far can the hypocrisy of the Master Teacher Pavilion go?"

A massive soul abruptly appeared right in the sky, looming over the crowd. With a slight wave of his finger, the Pavilion Master Seal flew right into the hands of the soul. The seal struggled intensely to escape, but it was unable to break free from the grasp of the massive soul.

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Chapter 1536: Disciple Lu Chong Returns!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"That is... a soul oracle?"

"Wasn't the entire lineage of the soul oracles destroyed many millenniums ago? How could there still be one around?"

"The soul oracle said something about dealing with his teacher and junior earlier... Could it be that he's Zhang Xuan's student as well?"

"Not only did Zhang Xuan teach a poison master, he even groomed a soul oracle?"

Everyone's face distorted in shock. Even the 9-star master teachers who could remain calm before the worst of turmoil looked as if they had seen a ghost.

It was one thing for him to have taught a hall master who possessed the Innate Poison Body, but for such a massive soul oracle to claim to be his student too... was this for real?

Even though the heritage of the soul oracles had already vanished many millenniums ago, the person was still able to steal the Pavilion Master Seal from Ren Qingyuan in a single move, rendering him helpless. Without a doubt, it was apparent that he was an expert too.

For the students that he had taught to actually be stronger than him... and more importantly, there were actually two of them!

"Let go of the Pavilion Master Seal!" Ren Qingyuan roared furiously as he rushed upward to snatch the Pavilion Master Seal back.

He had been so focused on Wei Ruyan that he let his guard down for a moment and allowed a soul oracle to approach him and snatch the Pavilion Master Seal.

The Pavilion Master Seal represented the very dignity and standing of the Master Teacher Pavilion. He could not allow anything to happen to it!

Si la!

Ren Qingyuan moved so quickly that the surrounding space actually distorted under his movement.

As the deputy pavilion master, Ren Qingyuan's strength was significantly above that of Zhang Wuheng and You Ruoxin. With him exerting his full strength, the crowd felt as if someone had robbed the surrounding sound and light, leaving them with nothing but despairing darkness. It was almost as if the world had been torn into two, and they had fallen into a crevice of nothingness.

Of course, it was all just a misperception of the senses. Nevertheless, this move was already powerful enough to send one's Primordial Spirit into a disorientated state, making it nigh impossible for one to set reality apart from illusion anymore.

"Powerful, I'll admit. However, you are too naive if you think that you can catch me like that!" The soul oracle in the sky chuckled as his silhouette swiftly turned ethereal before phasing out altogether, as if he had never been there in the first place.

"It's the long-lost art of Soul Traverse!" Luo Qingchen narrowed his eyes in shock.

"Soul Traverse?" the confused Zhang Wuheng asked.

"In the first place, souls are formless and intangible. As long as one's will is strong enough, it's possible for a soul to break the restrictions of space and traverse freely through space, bypassing all restrictions that stand in its path. Of course, due to the limitations of one's strength, it's impossible for a soul to conduct long-distance teleportation similar to that of Teleportation Formations, but still, the ability to pull off short-distance teleportation can bring one a massive advantage in battles!" Luo Qingchen explained.

Due to the Luo Clan bloodline flowing through his veins, he had a higher grasp over the spatial laws compared to the other cultivators gathered in the area, so he was able to see through Lu Chong's maneuver swiftly.

Teleportation was extremely taxing on one's body as one had to bear the brunt of the spatial storm while moving from one place to another, but due to the intangible and formless nature of souls, the effects of the spatial storm were significantly reduced for soul oracles, thus making it more feasible for them to traverse through space. Ren Qingyuan was indeed very powerful, but against an opponent capable of Spatial Traverse, it would not be easy for him to catch the other party.

Hu!

Right after those words were spoken, the disappeared soul oracle suddenly phased back into existence right in front of a 9-star master teacher.

Boom!

As soon as he appeared, he immediately channeled a powerful burst of energy right toward the chest of the 9-star master teacher.

Peng!

Before the 9-star master teacher could even react, he was struck squarely in the chest and knocked flying, destroying countless buildings in his path.

It was fortunate that Ren Qingyuan had been concerned that a huge commotion would break out while apprehending Zhang Xuan, so he had ordered the local Master Teacher Pavilion to evacuate ordinary citizens away from this area. Otherwise, who knew how many innocent lives would have been lost from that single attack?

"You... redirected my attack?" Ren Qingyuan hurriedly withdrew his attack as he glared at the soul oracle in front of him with fiery eyes.

With his eye of discernment, he could tell that the other party had swept away a portion of the might of his attack using his Spatial Traverse, which was how the other party had managed to severely wound his companion in a single strike.

"Not too bad! Come, let's continue. I see that there are still many 9-star master teachers around, so I'll be counting on your help to knock all of them out!" the soul oracle said with a chuckle.

"You..." Ren Qingyuan clenched his fists tightly together as he tried to suppress his rage.

The fact that the soul oracle was able to traverse through space swiftly meant that his attack would not be of much use. Not only so, if the other party redirected it toward his companions, would he not actually be harming his own comrades instead?

"In order to achieve Soul Traverse, one has to be a 9-star soul oracle at the very least, but wasn't the heritage of the soul oracles completely destroyed by the Master Teacher Pavilion? Who in the world are you? Where did you come from?" Ren Qingyuan roared furiously.

Strength of the other party's level could not be molded in just a day or two. If there was still a settlement of soul oracles existent in the world, there was no way that the Master Teacher Pavilion could have remained oblivious to it for so long!

"The Master Teacher Pavilion did utterly destroy the Soul Oracle Guild back then, but they didn't manage to wipe away all traces of their heritage. Alright, hurry up and make up your mind whether you want to continue attacking me or not. Otherwise, I don't really want to be wasting time on an old fart like you!" the soul oracle mocked in a contemptuous tone.

"Hand the Pavilion Master Seal over, or else the Master Teacher Pavilion won't mind destroying the Soul Oracle Guild a second time!" Ren Qingyuan bellowed as he dashed toward the soul oracle furiously once more.

Si la!

The space around the soul oracle suddenly solidified as if someone had encased it in ice, preventing him from making any movement.

Battle technique, Frozen Space!

This was a technique that could seal all disturbances in space, thus rendering even Teleportation Formations completely ineffective.

The reason he had wasted so many words on the soul oracle earlier was to gather sufficient energy in order to cast this technique.

"Let's see where else you can escape to this time around!" After sealing the soul oracle in place, Ren Qingyuan flicked his wrist and whipped out a sword.

Without any hesitation, he brandished the sword right toward the soul oracle ahead of him.

This sword carried an intense killing intent, such that even before the blade had arrived before its target, the killing intent was already stifling its target. Such an attack could easily inflict grievous wounds even to a soul oracle.

In face of the powerful sword strike, the soul oracle knew that he would not be able to escape, but he did not panic. Instead, with a mysterious smile, he swiftly compressed his massive body into the size of the Pavilion Master Seal before hiding right beneath it.

Weng!

Ren Qingyuan did not expect the soul oracle to compress himself at this point in time. At this rate, his sword strike would definitely land on the Pavilion Master Seal. Thus, he hurriedly redirected his attack and pulled back his sword.

As the redirection of his might happened too quickly, it resulted in a reflux in his zhenqi, causing an aching pain to strike his chest. Following which, fresh blood spewed out of his lips.

The soul oracle knew that Ren Qingyuan would try to grab the Pavilion Master Seal right after, so as soon as the latter's sword flew past the Pavilion Master Seal, he immediately reverted to his original size, grabbed the Pavilion Master Seal, and retreated before Ren Qingyuan could do anything else.

"Hahaha!" The soul oracle chuckled triumphantly. "Feel free to make your move, but as long as the Pavilion Master Seal remains with me, you won't be able to kill me!"

"You..."

Ren Qingyuan narrowed his eyes in fury as his chest puffed up and down from rage. His face was so red that it reminded one of a volcano on the verge of eruption.

First, the poison masters who had not dared to leave their headquarters for at least ten millenniums, and now, an occupation that should have already vanished in the annals of history. Nothing was really going his way that day, and words could not begin to describe how frustrated he was feeling.

Had someone told him that this would happen in the past, he never would have believed it!

Taking a deep breath, Ren Qingyuan suppressed his rage and said with forced composure, "The Pavilion Master Seal contains the will of generations of deputy pavilion masters. You might have used your soul energy to snatch it away and sever my connection with it, but you will never be able to truly control it. In fact, you have to constantly guard against it, fearing a rebound from it!

"I know that despite your leisurely appearance, the Pavilion Master Seal is searing your soul as if you are grasping onto lava itself!"

The Pavilion Master Seal was the symbol of authority for the Master Teacher Pavilion. If anyone could snatch it away that easily, what would that say about the Master Teacher Pavilion?

While the soul oracle might seem as if he was holding it with ease, in truth, he was under constant attack from the wills of preceding deputy pavilion masters, placing great strain on his soul.

"Well, I'll admit that your thing is indeed hard for me to handle..." The soul oracle chuckled. "However, it isn't time for me to return it to you yet!"

After saying those words, he turned his sights away from Ren Qingyuan and headed down toward the young man and the young lady standing in the midst of the rubble below.

He kneeled onto the ground and said, "Teacher, Lu Chong has returned!"

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