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

60. 1889

Library of Heaven's Path #Chapter 1889 - Yan Hui's Corpse - Read Library of Heaven's Path Chapter 1889 - Yan Hui's Corpse Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 1889: Yan Hui's Corpse

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

He had heard far too many people raising the name 'Kong Shiyao' before him. She was rumored to be the strongest expert of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, possessing superior talents in cultivation. It was said that she did not pale in comparison to him.

There was a time when he had thought that Luo Ruoxin's true identity was Kong Shiyao, but his deductions had fallen through.

Seeing the person whom he had heard so much about in the flesh, he could not help but take a closer look to assess her closely.

It had to be said that the rumors were not completely unfounded. Not only was she blessed with impeccable looks, she also emanated an ethereal aura reminiscent of a deity. It was hard to pull one's gaze away from her.

Luo Ruoxin carried a lofty aura that pushed others away from her, making her hard to approach. On the other hand, Kong Shiyao carried an aura that induced others to trust and submit to her, the aura of a natural leader. Many would willingly lay down their lives for her under her command.

Formidable master teachers are able to draw the gazes of others with just their presence. This is the first time I have seen someone who is able to bring this quality out to such an extent. It seems like Kong Shiyao has truly inherited Kong shi's bloodline, Zhang Xuan thought.

Kong shi's lineage was truly extraordinary.

In terms of cultivation, Kong Shiyao was at Sempiternal realm consummation as well, the same as him. She had not achieved a breakthrough to Ancient Sage yet, but the aura in her body felt condensed and heavy. Most likely, her fighting prowess exceeded that of ordinary Ancient Sages.

This was really the first time that Zhang Xuan had seen someone whose talents were at a level similar to his.

"Since you are aware that you are a descendant of Kong shi, you should also know of the responsibilities that you have to shoulder. We can afford to lose our lives, but you have to remain alive regardless of what it takes!"

"The descendants of Kong shi don't fear death!" Kong Shiyao replied in determination. "I carry the purest bloodline of Kong shi within me, so I'm the best candidate to stabilize the space here. There's no point arguing about this matter!"

Seeing that Kong Shiyao's mind was set, Ancient Sage Yan Qing was silent for a moment before sighing deeply. "Shiyao, you are still young, and there's a long way ahead of you. I am just a pile of old bones who is going to reach the limits of his lifespan soon. There's no need for you to give up your life for this. This matter isn't open for negotiation..."

As he spoke, he suddenly waved his hand.

A sudden outburst of energy shrouded Kong Shiyao and sealed her on the spot, rendering her unable to move.

"Ancient Sage Yan Qing!"

Not expecting Ancient Sage Yan Qing to make such a move, Kong Shiyao exclaimed in a fluster. A mixture of panic and anxiety welling up in her caused tears to brim in her eyes.

But unmoved by Kong Shiyao's expression, Ancient Sage Yan Qing turned to Yan Xue and sternly commanded, "Take care of her well. Even at the expense of your life, you can't allow any harm to fall upon her!"

"Yes!" Yan Xue replied resolutely.

Ancient Sage Yan Qing closed his eyes for a short moment before looking at the other Ancient Sages and nodding. "Let's begin."

As he spoke, a decisive and powerful aura gushed forth from his body. With the other Ancient Sages around cooperating with him, they swiftly formed a massive pillar of light that surged right into the void.

The rumbling of thunder echoed from the void in space, and innumerable powerful surges of energy clawed at the rift, seemingly intending to climb their way out to unleash their horrors upon this world.

Is this... the Zhenqi of Slaughter of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?

Feeling this aura, Zhang Xuan was taken aback for a little. He pondered deeply for a moment before shaking his head.

No, that's not it. It feels even heavier than the Zhenqi of Slaughter, almost like mercury. My meridians wouldn't be able to take the burden if I absorbed it...

Zhang Xuan's face turned even more grim at the realization.

The energy beyond the rift was similar to the Zhenqi of Slaughter, but it took on an even more bizarre form. Even with his current strength, he dared not to absorb it into his body recklessly.

Normal spiritual energy was lighter than water, so the meridians were still able to withstand its flow without falling apart. However, the same could not be said about the mercury-like energy above him. While it was also fluid, the chances were that its weight would crush his meridians and destroy his body from within if he dared absorb it.

This very energy was raging behind the rift, threatening to pour forth upon the world at any moment.

If it poured out of the rift, all of the cultivators of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers could very well explode on the spot once they came into contact with the energy.

What's going on here? Zhang Xuan was horrified.

It was as if he was being exposed to a completely different side of the world that he had never seen before! If the seal failed to ward off the energy, it could possibly spell the end of the Kunxu Domain!

"Stand your ground and fend it off!"

While Zhang Xuan was still trying to make sense of what was going on, Ancient Sage Yan Qing slowly rose into the air. His hair flew around messily under the furious tug of the air currents.

He was serving as the very center of the formation created by the group of Ancient Sages, and he was responsible for channeling their energy toward the void.

Thunder growled forbiddingly in the air as the pressure from the void grew heavier and heavier. It was almost as if the sky was going to fall upon them.

At the same time, the faces of the Ancient Sages turned more and more severe as their black hair swiftly turned white.

They are putting their life force on the line to seal the rift.

It was no wonder they had aged so much within less than three months. It turned out that they had been expending their life force in order to maintain the seal before them.

The lightning in the air grew more and more concentrated, as if signifying the rage of the heavens.

Ancient Sage Yan Qing bit his finger and flicked his fresh blood toward the depths of the void. Following which, a humongous coffin vaguely emerged from the void.

The appearance of the coffin caused the rift to shrink a little, and the mercury-like power that was going to descend upon the world also cowered fearfully in its face. At the same time, the pressure crushing down on the crowd lessened significantly.

That coffin... Zhang Xuan thought with a frown.

It was already bewildering for there to be a coffin hidden in the midst of the void, but what was even more shocking to Zhang Xuan was the design of the coffin. To his astonishment, it was identical to the one that he had encountered prior to entering the Kunxu Domain, the one that Ancient Sage Ran Qiu's corpse was stored in!

That coffin seems to be serving as the crux of the seal, Zhang Xuan swiftly analyzed.

This coffin was not made for the sole purpose of containing a corpse; rather, it seemed to be a powerful artifact that was used to sustain the formation sealing away the rifts in the air. It was due to the power of the coffin that the mercury-like power was unable to descend from the heavens and wreak havoc.

Most likely, there's an Ancient Sage whose strength is on par with Ancient Sage Ran Qiu within the coffin, Zhang Xuan deduced.

The fact that the formation was able to prevent the mercury-like energy from descending evidenced its incredible prowess. Serving as the crux of the formation, there was no way the person within the coffin could be ordinary.

The seal at the entrance of Kunxu Domain used Ancient Sage Ran Qiu's body as its crux, and even the Dimension Shatterer realm Vicious had been unable to break it open. Considering how this formation was even more powerful, it was hard to imagine how powerful the person had been back in his prime.

Jiya!

The coffin in the sky jolted intensely, and several slight cracks appeared by its sides.

"Open!"

Along with the appearance of the cracks, veins popped out on Ancient Sage Yan Qing's temples. He swiftly sent a fresh stream of his blood toward the cracks of the coffin in order to further drive its opening.

However, due to the severe loss of blood, his face was turning as pale as a sheet of paper. His body trembled uncontrollably from his overexertion, and his skin quickly lost its suppleness, turning loose and wrinkly. It was only an instant, but he looked as if he had aged another ten years.

Boom!

The cracks on the coffin grew larger and larger under the influx of Ancient Sage Yan Qing's blood, and soon enough, there was a massive explosion. Amid floating dust, a towering silhouette emerged from the coffin.

Just as Zhang Xuan had guessed, there was indeed an Ancient Sage corpse placed inside the coffin. This silhouette was dressed in a flowing long robe, and he had smooth facial features that created a calming appearance. Even though he had been stored in the coffin for tens of thousands of years, his body looked no different from the time of his death. There was no hint of decomposition at all.

Could this person possibly be...

Looking at the corpse and Ancient Sage Yan Qing, a person's name surfaced in Zhang Xuan's mind, and his body stiffened.

Ancient Sage Zi Yuan... Yan Hui?

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Chapter 1890: Kong Shiyao's Capabilities

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

He had never seen Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's sculpture before, but that did not mean that he knew nothing about this renowned Ancient Sage at all.

Ancient Sage Zi Yuan was renowned for being Kong shi's first direct disciple. While his fighting prowess was beneath that of Ancient Sage Ran Qiu, his reputation and prestige far exceeded that of the rest of the seventy-two Sages. Putting aside his honorable character and exceptional proficiency in many different fields, he was also the person who had helped Kong shi compile the heritages of numerous occupations and standardized the ranking system.

In contrast to the sharp aura that Ancient Sage Ran Qiu commanded, the corpse before him seemed to emanate an aura more like the all-encompassing ocean that accepted the currents from hundreds of tributaries and assimilated them. It was through tapping into this superior strength that the mercury-like energy had not been able to breach the formation to seep into the Master Teacher Continent thus far.

Most likely, Ancient Sage Zi Yuan was the only one among the seventy-two Sages who was capable of this feat.

Besides, the fact that Ancient Sage Yan Qing's blood was required to activate the coffin and nourish the corpse made it very apparent who was within it.

First Ancient Sage Ran Qiu's corpse, and now Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's corpse, Zhang Xuan thought as he trembled a little.

These two Ancient Sages were figures whose names still resounded across the Master Teacher Continent even after so many years. He had thought that they would have left the Master Teacher Continent together with Kong shi, but who could have known that he would find their corpses there?

"Tribute!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing bellowed deafeningly as his body began to break apart like a smashed ceramic vase. Blood spurted out from his veins and arteries before surging toward the corpse in a steady current.

Taking in the blood, the stiffness in the corpse seemed to lessen, making it seem as though it would come to life at any moment. At the same time, the formation also strengthened significantly. The rifts that had been on the verge of bursting open earlier swiftly stabilized and mended themselves.

Ancient Sage Yan Qing originates from Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's lineage, so the latter's blood flows through his veins. He's trying to use his blood to augment and sustain Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's strength so as to strengthen the formation sealing away the rifts. Zhang Xuan finally understood what was going on.

It was no wonder Ancient Sage Yan Qing had spoken of sacrificing himself earlier.

The formation had come from his predecessor, and the blood of those from his lineage would be more effective in stabilizing the formation once more.

Of course, considering that Kong Shiyao possessed Kong shi's bloodline, her blood would likely have an exceptional effect on Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's corpse, perhaps even exceeding that of Ancient Sage Yan Qing. However, considering how valued Kong Shiyao was among the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, there was no way Ancient Sage Yan Qing would allow her to sacrifice herself.

"It seems like everything is settling down..."

Under the influx of blood, the seal swiftly stabilized, and the pressure from the void gradually vanished. Ancient Sage Yan Qing heaved a sigh of relief.

The current him had expended most of his blood; he had already struck his limit. It was only a matter of time before the last bit of vitality in his body dried up, and he would come crashing back down to the ground as a lifeless corpse.

Realizing this reality, Kong Shiyao pounded desperately on the seal that had trapped her with tears in her eyes. However, with her strength, she was completely powerless to change anything.

At the same time, Yan Xue turned his head away and averted his gaze, not wanting to see the downfall of the man whom he had respected his entire life.

Hong long long!

It was at this moment that things started going awry.

As the formation grew stronger and stronger under the influx of Ancient Sage Yan Qing's blood, it looked as if the sealing would be completed very soon. However, at that crucial moment, a massive hand suddenly pushed its way through the mending rift.

This sight was similar to the descent of the deity, which he had witnessed previously during the fight against Sovereign Chen Ling.

Hu!

The hand flicked its wrist lightly, and Ancient Sage Yan Qing was suddenly slammed into the ground, halting the transfusion of blood.

Pu! Pu! Pu!

At the same time, the Ancient Sages who were supplying Ancient Sage Yan Qing with their strength spurted blood under the backlash and collapsed to the ground as well.

A Dimension Shatterer realm expert... Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

The owner of this hand was clearly stronger than the deity whom he had killed with his golden page back then.

Even without an altar on their side to establish a connection, he was able to breach the dimension barrier and tear open a passageway with brute force.

Could it be that the void was the passageway to the Azure that he had been looking for all along?

With such doubts in his mind, the hand in the sky began thrashing around, causing the reinforced formation to weaken, such that it was beginning to falter.

"We need to stop him!"

Caught off guard by the abrupt turn of events, Ancient Sage Yan Qing roared anxiously as he swiftly kicked off into the air. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled a saber in his hand down upon the thrashing hand.

He knew that if he wanted to sustain the formation, it would be of paramount importance to sever the hand, or else anything they did would be swiftly unraveled by it.

"Humph!"

Sensing Ancient Sage Yan Qing's aggression, the owner of the hand opened up his palm and pinched his fingers together lightly.

The saber from Ancient Sage Yan Qing was caught precisely in between his fingers. As if a pair of unyielding pincers, no matter how Ancient Sage Yan Qing tugged, he was unable to retrieve his saber.

"We need to move together!"

Knowing the severity of the matter, the other Ancient Sages quickly flitted forth.

With their combined might, many rifts swiftly formed around the already unstable space in the area. Several bundles of black flames descended from the void, raising an inferno around the area.

"Yan Xue, release me! Otherwise, all of us will die here!" Kong Shiyao yelled out desperately at the young man beside her.

"I..." Yan Xue's face warped in hesitation as he struggled with the conflict in his mind.

"What are you hesitating over? Hesitate any longer and our tens of thousands of years of heritage will be destroyed!" Kong Shiyao roared wrathfully upon seeing that Yan Xue was still hesitating.

"Alright!" Knowing how dangerous the situation was, Yan Xue quickly tapped his finger on the seal trapping Kong Shiyao and released it.

While Yan Xue's cultivation was only at Sempiternal realm consummation, he shared the same power origin as Ancient Sage Yan Qing, so it was much easier to unravel it.

It did not take long for the seal around Kong Shiyao to dissipate entirely.

"Humph!"

With a ferocious cry, Kong Shiyao's eyebrows shot up as incredible energy swiftly built up within her.

With a leap, she rose into the sky and whipped out a sword. Pointing the sword toward the hand, she brandished it with lightning speed.

"Remarkable!" Zhang Xuan nodded as he took this scene into sight.

Just as he had thought, Kong Shiyao's fighting prowess was formidable despite her young age. Just like him, her strength had also reached the Blood Reincarnation realm.

The sword that she wielded in her hand was extremely powerful, too. It was stronger than the Dragonbone Divine Spear, and in Kong Shiyao's grasp, it brought forth a might comparable to Blood Reincarnation realm consummation cultivators.

Ding ding ding!

Despite that, her sword qi only caused numerous sparks to rub off the hand.

Nevertheless, she still continued to slash her sword relentlessly at the hand.

"Persistent cockroach!"

Seeing that a small fry from a lower dimension actually dared make a move against him, the owner of the hand bellowed angrily as he flicked his finger.

Peng!

Kong Shiyao was knocked back by an incredible force, causing her back to crash heavily against the ground. Blood seeped down from the corners of her lips.

There was simply too huge a gap between the Blood Reincarnation realm and the Dimension Shatterer realm. Back then, even when Zhang Xuan coordinated with multiple Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sages, he had been no match for the deity summoned by Sovereign Chen Ling.

Si la!

After flicking Kong Shiyao back, the hand proceeded to flick its finger, creating a shockwave that kept Ancient Sage Yan Qing and the others at bay. With a piercing cry, the rift in the unstable space widened as yet another hand passed through it. Following which, a head came through as well.

Just like the deity from before, this person was planning to make a forceful descent onto the Master Teacher Continent!

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Chapter 1891: Word of Law

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Boom!

Along with the emergence of the head, the mercury-like power began to seep through the rift and diffuse into the surroundings. In response, Zhang Xuan hurriedly sealed his acupoints, not daring to absorb any of it at all.

Similar to the Zhenqi of Slaughter, this mercury-like energy was a special type of energy that could potentially crush one's meridians, causing one's cultivation to fall sharply or even put one in severe danger.

"We need to kill him right now!"

Seeing that the deity had managed to push his head through the rift, the complexions of Ancient Sage Yan Qing and the others darkened. With a furious roar, they swiftly charged toward the figure climbing out from the void.

All kinds of energy sweeping around the area caused the formation to shake nonstop. Piece after piece of space crumbled to the ground.

With just a flick of his finger, the deity fended off everyone's attack. At the same time, he used his other hand to push himself out from the rift, and it did not take long for his entire shoulder to come into appearance.

It was as if he was dealing with mere ants. Despite having to fend off the simultaneous assault of numerous Ancient Sages, he had strength spare to push himself through the dimension barrier.

From that alone, it was certain that the deity was much stronger that fellow whom he had killed with the golden page.

"We won't be able to stop him at this rate!" Kong Shiyao spat through gritted teeth.

She had already launched several hundred slashes, such that her zhenqi was on the verge of drying up, but she was unable to inflict any damage at all. Grinding her teeth, she turned to Ancient Sage Yan Qing and said in a resounding voice, "Don't waste your strength on attacking anymore. Use your strength to pull Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's body here instead!"

"This..." As if having figured out what Kong Shiyao was going to do, Ancient Sage Yan Qing shook his head instinctively.

"Ancient Sage Yan Qing, there's no other way around it. If we waste any more time, we'll all lose our lives here!" Kong Shiyao berated.

If that fellow climbed through the dimension barrier and descended to their world, they would all be slaughtered. At the same time, the Hundred Schools of Philosophers would face a calamity of unprecedented proportions... and it would not be long before the devastation spread to the Master Teacher Continent!

If they wished to overcome the current crisis, they needed the resolve to put their lives on the line!

"But... you are the only one among Kong shi's offspring to have a bloodline purity of over '8'. You are the future of our Hundred Schools of Philosophers," Ancient Sage Yan Qing said anxiously.

If Kong Shiyao did what she was thinking of, there was a good chance that she would lose her life!

He was already old, so his death was inconsequential to the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. However, the young lady was the descendant who had inherited the purest bloodline of Kong shi in the past millennium. Furthermore, she had overcome three Ancient Sage Ordeals to date.

As long as she was given sufficient time, there was a good chance that she would become the first cultivator to reach the Dimension Shatterer realm since Kong shi's era. If he allowed her to die, he would not be able to face his predecessors even after his death!

"If that fellow succeeds, all of us will lose our lives here! What use will the purity of my bloodline be after all of us are dead?" Kong Shiyao exclaimed.

She took a deep breath before spurting out a mouthful of blood.

Boom!

As soon as she spat out the mouthful of blood, it immediately burst into flames in the air. In an instant, it seemed as if the surrounding time had been halted. Even the deity who was climbing out from the rift came to a halt.

It was as if someone had struck the 'stop' button.

After spurting out the mouthful of blood, Kong Shiyao's face grew significantly paler. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she looked at the coffin floating not too far away and commanded, "Come here."

Weng!

Hearing the order, the coffin slowly made its way over to Kong Shiyao amid a light rumbling sound.

"This is... Impartation of Heaven's Will?" Zhang Xuan was surprised.

This was the ability that Kong Shiyao had activated through her bloodline. All along, he had been wondering what the bloodline ability of those of Kong shi's lineage was, but who would have thought that it was Impartation of Heaven's Will?

Was this not a little too simple?

Compared to the Zhang Clan's time acceleration and the Luo Clan's spatial seal, was Impartation of Heaven's Will not a little too lackluster in comparison? This did not seem to match up to Kong shi's incredible strength.

"This isn't right..." Zhang Xuan frowned as he activated his Eye of Insight to take a closer look.

What he saw made his heart jolt in astonishment.

"This isn't Impartation of Heaven's Will but..."

Impartation of Heaven's Will required one to impart knowledge that was acknowledged by the heavens in order to induce cultivators to heed their commands. While the Heart of Teacher comprehended by Zhang Xuan allowed him to command plants and artifacts too, these beings needed to possess spirit or be enchanted with one.

To put it in other words, Impartation of Heaven's Will only worked on those who possessed spirit and were able to cultivate, and it required one to lecture on a cultivation technique that was suited for that individual's cultivation. It was easier said than done.

For example, if Zhang Xuan wanted to influence someone through Impartation of Heaven's Will, his Soul Depth would have to exceed the other party's, and the content of his lecture needed to spark inspiration in the other party.

As formidable as Kong Shiyao seemed, her true cultivation was only at Sempiternal realm consummation. Even if her Soul Depth had reached the level of an Ancient Sage, it still should not have been possible for her to make a lifeless coffin and corpse to heed her orders.

"This is... Word of Law!" Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in astonishment.

Word of Law was an ability that turned one's diction into laws of the world, compelling the elements of the world to obey one's command. On the surface, it might seem similar to Impartation of Heaven's Will, but it was much more terrifying than that.

Before the Word of Law, all temporal laws and spatial laws meant nothing at all.

Even if he activated the Zhang Clan's bloodline, all the young lady had to do was to utter the word "Stop", and his movements would come to a complete halt.

This was not a manipulation of time or space but the very elements of the world! The act of stopping would become a new law of the world, forcing one to abide by it.

This was how terrifying the ability was!

To think that this was the ability that Kong shi had comprehended during his breakthrough to Ancient Sage. It was no wonder he had boasted such incredible strength!

Hong long!

Meanwhile, Kong Shiyao flew over to the coffin and opened it. Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's corpse swiftly flew out and floated in the air.

Even though his eyes were tightly shut, the pulsations of energy that were coming from him made it seem as though he was alive.

Pu!

After doing all of this, Kong Shiyao spurted another mouthful of blood as her face turned even paler. Her body shuddered a little as it seemed to reach its limits.

As powerful as the Word of Law was, her cultivation was still too low. Forcefully activating Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's body had caused too heavy a toll on her, damaging her foundations.

Sighing deeply, Ancient Sage Yan Qing commanded, "Allow me!"

Boom!

An incredible amount of blood gushed out from his body to surge into Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's corpse. This caused the aura that Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's corpse was emanating to swiftly grow stronger.

"Do you think that you can defeat me with a mere corpse? I really should snap you out of your daydreams!" the deity sneered coldly as he thrust his palm downward.

At that moment, his chest had also been pushed out through the dimension barrier as well. It seemed like it would not be long before he completely descended upon this world.

The palm strike caused the surrounding space to swiftly compress together, forming something reminiscent of a black hole.

"Get him!"

With a ferocious cry, the remaining Ancient Sages rushed forward to meet the deity's palm.

Hula!

The incredible pressure sent shockwaves rippling into the surroundings. Before the Ancient Sages could react, their flesh had already been vaporized clean, leaving behind mere skeletons.

Even so, they did not back down. They stood firmly in the air to stop the palm from landing on Ancient Sage Yan Qing and the others.

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Chapter 1892: He's Here!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Peng peng peng!

The Ancient Sages plopped heavily onto the ground, forming numerous craters on the elevated platform.

Given their current cultivation, they would not die instantly even after they were reduced to bones. However, they had hibernated for far too long, and they had not fully recovered from the wounds that they had sustained during the encirclement of Sovereign Chen Yong. If they did not receive sufficient Aeon of Ancient Sage to replenish their vitality, their lifespan would swiftly dwindle, and they would die without doubt.

In other words, they were really putting their lives on the line to stand against the deity!

I can't allow those from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers to die here...

Zhang Xuan had not made a move thus far because his multiple unpleasant encounters with the Hundred Schools of Philosophers in the past, and he had thought that they would be able to handle the situation by themselves. He had worried that his sudden intervention would only worsen the situation as the other Ancient Sages were bound to be wary of him.

However, things were swiftly moving in the worst direction possible. He could not simply watch and leave those Ancient Sages of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers to die.

While he found their actions questionable, there was no doubt that they were protecting mankind in their own way, and they had made huge sacrifices for it.

He could not simply watch as they lost their lives.

Driving his energy, as he was just about to charge forth silently to inflict a fatal blow on the deity, Kong Shiyao suddenly spurted another mouthful of blood before commanding, "Stabilize and push him back!"

Weng!

Following her words, the rifts in the sky began to heal simultaneously as the space swiftly stabilized.

At the same time, the deity whose waist was already out of the dimension barrier suddenly retreated hurriedly under the command, moving back to his shoulder.

It was only unfortunate that her cultivation was simply too low compared to the deity's. Even after using her bloodline ability, she was still unable to push the deity back to the Azure once and for all.

"It's indeed his bloodline! Wonderful... This is truly superb! With this, the clan head will surely accept me as his direct disciple and grant me endless resources!"

Even though he was nearly expelled from the world, the deity did not show the slightest hint of fear toward Kong Shiyao's technique. Instead, his eyes glowed with frenzied excitement.

At that moment, the corpse of Ancient Sage Zi Yuan also seemed to have absorbed sufficient blood and slowly rose out of the coffin. With clenched fists, he sent a punch right toward the deity climbing out from the rift.

Boom!

This fist was completely devoid of any elegance or flamboyance, but the might it carried was astonishing, reaching the level of a Dimension Shatterer realm cultivator.

"Heh!"

In face of this devastating might, the deity did not show any trepidation. Instead, with a cold sneer, he placed his hands together.

Si la!

The formation sustained by Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's corpse was forcefully ripped apart, causing the mercury-like energy to surge into the world.

Under the sheer weight of the energy, Ancient Sage Yan Qing was crushed into the ground. As if there was a mountain weighing down on him, he was unable to move at all.

The others were not faring too well either. As Kong Shiyao had activated her bloodline ability, she was still able to somewhat hold her ground. On the other hand, Yan Xue's face paled as his skin swiftly ripped apart under the pressure, revealing his crimson flesh underneath.

Zhang Xuan was also affected by the mercury-like energy too, but it was not too severe for him. He was the strongest among the Ancient Sages present, and he had sealed his acupoints beforehand to prevent any of that energy from getting into his body, so the damage that he sustained ended up being the least of all.

Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!

The deity fought with Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's corpse, but with each blow executed, the strength that the corpse commanded dwindled. On the other hand, with the mercury-like energy suffusing the area, the deity seemed to be growing stronger by the moment.

By the eighth blow, there was a resounding explosion as the corpse was sent flying back into the coffin.

"Bloodline Ignition!"

With crimson eyes, Kong Shiyao roared wrathfully as she began igniting her bloodline once more. But this time around, before she could finish her move, the deity sneered coldly, "Save your effort on this futile struggle. Just because I need you alive doesn't mean that I'll overlook your insolence!"

Following which, another palm strike descended from the rift.

Pu!

Kong Shiyao's body immediately plummeted from the sky from the impact.

Bearing the risk of his meridians ripping apart, Yan Xue forcefully drove his zhenqi to catch her.

"Hahaha!"

After knocking back Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's corpse and striking down Kong Shiyao, the deity laughed heartily as he finally pushed himself out of the rift and floated in the air with his hands crossed triumphantly before his chest.

The reason he had been troubled climbing out of the dimension barrier earlier was due to the formation obstructing his path. However, with the formation swiftly crumbling under the influx of the mercury-like energy, there was no longer anything that could stop him.

"I was curious as to what kind of environment could give birth to such an overpowered individual, but I must say that I'm very disappointed by what I'm seeing here!" the deity sneered coldly as he reached out to grab Kong Shiyao.

Alarmed, Yan Xue rushed forward to pull Kong Shiyao back, but he was sent flying with a simple flick of a finger. He crashed onto the ground, and the bones in his body shattered from the impact.

"You're coming with me!" the deity commanded.

Hula!

He wrapped Kong Shiyao with a membrane of energy, trapping her.

"No!"

Seeing how the only descendant of Kong shi to possess a bloodline purity of '8' over the past thousand years getting captured, everyone's eyes widened in horror.

But with the huge disparity of power between them and the enemy, there was nothing they could do. They had already tried everything that was at their disposal, but it was futile.

"Is the Kunxu Domain that Kong shi created going to be destroyed in my generation? How could I allow this to happen?" Ancient Sage Yan Qing trembled intensely as he shook his head in disbelief, unwilling to accept reality.

Back then, even though Kong shi had spared the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe out of magnanimity, he had been convinced that mankind would only grow stronger with time and that they would be able to overcome any threats that came their way.

However, not even the great Kong shi had expected the Aeon of Ancient Sage to suddenly vanish from the world. This phenomenon had turned the tables around, and all of a sudden, mankind had been put in a precarious position once more.

Even though they had successfully curbed the threat of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, mankind was still unable to return to its golden era.

Had it been before the emergence of the Temple of Confucius, there would have been no way anyone would have been able to bypass the dimension barrier. However, with the destruction of the Temple of Confucius, the formation sealing the dimension barrier was growing weaker with each passing moment.

Even if they expended all of their lifespans right now to augment the barrier, it would bring them nothing more than temporary relief.

Would things have been any different if that man was there?

At this moment, Ancient Sage Yan Qing could not help but think of the Celestial Master Teacher known as Zhang Xuan.

That fellow might have been young, but he had produced miracles time and time again.

Based on what he knew, that fellow had managed to kill a deity that Sovereign Chen Ling had summoned a deity through a ritual...

If that fellow was with them, would he have been able to kill the deity before them? Would he have been able to save the Hundred Schools of Philosophers from the impending crisis that was lying just ahead of them?

"These are all futile thoughts. He isn't here, and our relationship with him is poor..." Ancient Sage Yan Qing shook his head helplessly.

Putting aside that there was no way outsiders would be able to get in there, even if that man was there, it was likely that he would be reluctant to help them.

While they shared the common goal of freeing mankind from the threat of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, their difference in values had caused several clashes between one another, resulting in the deterioration of their relations.

"Even if I lose my life today, I have to save Kong Shiyao at any cost. She's the hope of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, so nothing bad can come to her!"

Knowing that it was meaningless to think about all that, Ancient Sage Yan Qing gathered the final dregs of his strength, hoping to launch a decisive attack that would at least buy Kong Shiyao some time to make her escape. But at this moment, a cold glint suddenly flashed through the air.

As swift as lightning, it darted right toward the deity's throat.

"This..."

Taken aback by the sudden emergence of such an expert, Ancient Sage Yan Qing was taken aback. He hurriedly took a closer look, and a lofty figure appeared in his sight. It was a sight that he would never be able to erase from his mind.

"It's Zhang Xuan!"

"He's here!"

Chapter 1893: Borrowing a Sword

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Ancient Sage Yan Qing had thought that they were goners, but against all odds, the person whom they had a complicated relationship with, Zhang Xuan, suddenly appeared at this moment and charged toward the deity without any hesitation.

Looking at the splendid spearmanship that he might never be able to reach in his lifetime, Ancient Sage Yan Qing sighed deeply in embarrassment. "I guess he's a greater master teacher than I'll ever be. For mankind, personal grudges are nothing to him at all. I wronged him."

For mankind, the other party was willing to bear the criticism of the world and fake his own death so as to sneak into the midst of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and quell the threat. This spoke volumes of his character.

How could such a noble person possibly leave them in the lurch when crisis truly hit?

While Ancient Sage Yan Qing was lamenting over his own misjudgment, Kong Shiyao and the others were awestruck by Zhang Xuan's attack. They were unable to find the words to describe how powerful that spear thrust was. It was perfectly aligned with nature, making the movements feel extremely smooth. In that instant, their pain and frailty seemed to have disappeared from their minds. The only thing that their attention was on was the beauty of the spear.

The deity floating in the air was stunned as well. He did not think that there would be such a powerful adversary in this lower dimension. In his moment of hesitation, the spear had already arrived before his throat.

Puhe!

Fresh blood splattered as the spear pierced through his skin. However, barely after entering an inch, it was as if he had struck a metal plate. No matter how hard Zhang Xuan pushed, he was unable to thrust his spear any deeper.

"I never would have thought that this scarce environment could give birth to an expert of your caliber. Not bad. Not bad at all. I'll take you along with me too..." With a cold sneer, the deity grabbed the spear that was in his throat.

In response, Zhang Xuan swiftly flicked the spear, and it warped into a massive black dragon that wrapped itself tightly around the deity's body.

Taken aback by this move, the deity was stunned for an instant before fury filled his mind.

How could he, an expert from the Azure, possibly be trapped by a mere being from a lower dimension? This was an insult to him!

"You're asking for it!"

His muscles bulged out as he exerted his might in both of his arms. He was intending to crush the black dragon when a massive brick suddenly fell down from the sky and smacked him right in the face.

Peng!

Previously, Zhang Xuan had forged the Golden Origin Cauldron into a Sempiternal realm consummation artifact. Over the past month in the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, he had allowed it to absorb the Aeon of Ancient Sage inside the painting, and it did not take long before it managed to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage realm. While it was still miles away from reaching the Dimension Shatterer realm, with its astounding weight and remarkably resilient material, it was still able to inflict some damage to the deity through a direct hit on his head.

The direct hit rendered the deity momentarily dazed as a ringing sound persisted in his ear.

Just as the deity was going to blow his top, the brick suddenly spoke up. "Let me just clarify this in advance. I am not a brick but a cauldron. What struck your face was my bottom!"

Following which, the Golden Origin Cauldron did not forget to wiggle its bottom on the other party's face to emphasize its point.

Kong Shiyao and the others were stunned by what they had just seen.

Why would such a powerful expert have such an underhanded and seemingly lewd artifact?

Furthermore, that fellow actually said that it was a cauldron...

The heck, do you even know what a cauldron is? You are obviously a brick!

There's not a single part to you that looks like a cauldron at all!

Or are we getting behind times?

"AHHH!" Feeling the cauldron rubbing its bottom on his face, the deity went berserk. "Scram!"

Boom!

A powerful shockwave burst forth from the deity, causing the Golden Origin Cauldron and the Dragonbone Divine Spear to be sent flying. The latter swiftly warped back into a spear before returning to Zhang Xuan's grasp.

Dong!

The furious deity landed a fist on the Golden Origin Cauldron's body.

"My bottom!" the Golden Origin Cauldron yelped as it spun anxiously on the ground, as if trying to reshape its dented bottom.

"You b*stard. I've changed my mind; I'm going to slaughter you!"

The face of the deity twitched a little as he glared at Zhang Xuan. Without any hesitation, he lifted his palm and thrust it down upon the latter.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan quickly activated the Zhang Clan's bloodline and flitted several hundred meters away in an instant. Then, he brandished his spear and charged toward the deity once more.

"Time Quintessence?"

Seeing how the young man seemingly teleported away to dodge his attack, the deity harrumphed disdainfully. He raised his hand with the intention to wrap the young man in his energy so as to seal his movements, but clanging sounds suddenly echoed in the air above at that moment. Raising his head, he could not help but narrow his eyes in alarm.

At some point, countless weapons had filled the sky, be it swords, sabers, hammers, spears... All in all, there were several hundred of them.

Huala!

Those weapons immediately descended to launch a flurry of attacks on the deity.

"Do you think that these trash weapons can hurt me?" the deity scoffed in disdain.

With a mere glance, he was able to tell that those weapons were all Great Sage artifacts. Not a single one of them had reached Ancient Sage. Putting aside defeating him, none of these weapons would even be able to pierce his skin!

"Well, I'm not banking on them hurting you either," Zhang Xuan replied nonchalantly.

He had gathered those weapons from the Otherworldly Demons that he had killed back at the Temple of Confucius. Placed on the market, they were artifacts that were highly sought after by other cultivators, but they were insufficient to harm ordinary Ancient Sages, let alone those who were at the Dimension Shatterer realm.

"You aren't banking on them?" The deity was slightly taken aback.

He was unable to figure out what Zhang Xuan's intentions were.

At this moment, the deity suddenly felt a coldness beneath him once more. Lowering his head, he saw the spear from earlier warping into a black dragon once more to trap him tightly, sealing his movements for a moment.

"You..." the deity bellowed with gritted teeth.

In the end, the attack from all of those weapons was just a distraction for the spear to trap him once more!

But so what? Even if they had him trapped temporarily, there was nothing that they could do to him.

As long as he exerted his full strength, he would be able to swiftly break free from his restraints. It would be interesting to see how many times this black dragon could do this before it was broken into pieces.

While the spear had been tempered many times, its cultivation was still far beneath his. Each time it was jolted away, it would sustain significant damage. With his eye of discernment, he could tell that the spear could only do this for another five times at the very most!

Just as he was about to knock the spear away once more, the young man suddenly lowered his head and said, "You are Kong Shiyao, right? Lend me your sword."

"My sword?" Kong Shiyao was stunned.

Nevertheless, knowing how urgent the situation was, she did not hesitate to pass her sword over.

Knowing that the young man was intending to use her sword in the battle, Kong Shiyao hurriedly said, "My sword is a treasure passed down within our Kong Clan. Those who don't possess our bloodline won't be able to assimilate it. If you wish to use it, I can lend you a droplet of my blood..."

This sword had been forged by one of the best blacksmiths in the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. The sword had already reached Blood Reincarnation realm consummation, a mere step away from reaching the Dimension Shatterer realm. Those who did not possess a sufficiently pure bloodline would not even be able to move the sword.

It had taken her nearly three years before she was able to assimilate the sword and use a portion of its prowess.

If the young man before her wished to use it, he would need to use her blood as a medium to temporarily tame the sword.

"We don't have time for that now!" Zhang Xuan replied as he flicked his wrist powerfully.

Weng!

A crisp sound echoed by the sword, and the next moment, it bowed down before Zhang Xuan, almost like a loyal, domesticated dog.

"Y-you've already tamed it?" Kong Shiyao's mouth widened in disbelief.

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Chapter 1894: He's Zhang Xuan

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

With Zhang Xuan's capabilities, taming a Blood Reincarnation realm consummation sword was a piece of cake. After assimilating the sword, he raised it high in the air and hacked it down upon the trapped deity.

Dang!

There was a resounding clang as sparks rubbed off the top of the deity's head. A layer of skin fell to the ground.

"AHHH!"

The eyes of the deity turned scarlet with rage.

On the other hand, Kong Shiyao widened her eyes as she muttered incredulously, "That's not how you are supposed to use a sword..."

The greatest strength of a sword lay in its swiftness, but that fellow actually used it as a hacking tool instead! Even the best of weapon would eventually spoil under such misuse!

Dang dang dang!

In a single breath, Zhang Xuan executed over a hundred hacks all on the same spot, causing a laceration to appear on the deity's skull. It was so deep that one could almost see his brain.

Boom!

Overflowing with the rage from being humiliated, the deity released a massive outburst of power once more and sent the Dragonbone Divine Spear flying. He turned to Zhang Xuan, intending to slaughter that arrogant young man who dared lay his hands on him, when a brick suddenly fell on his face once more.

This time, the brick descended upon the laceration on his head, causing blood to spurt out like a fountain.

"The heck!"

The deity nearly lost his mind.

That fellow's fighting style was really the epitome of underhandedness and despicableness.

We are all top-notch experts. Shouldn't you show some honor in your fighting style?

We should be crossing swords valiantly with one another instead of throwing out everything at our disposal as though we are mere ruffians... Your image is crumbling, you know!

Infuriated, the deity shook off the brick and turned his gaze once more toward Zhang Xuan, only to see that the latter had fled far away using his bloodline ability.

Trembling with rage, the deity turned his sights to Ancient Sage Yan Qing and the others and bellowed, "Since you wish to play games with me, I'll start by slaughtering the lot of them!"

He needed Kong Shiyao alive for his own purposes, but as for the other Ancient Sages, their lives meant nothing to him at all.

Thus, the deity thrust his palm downward, but once again, before his palm could connect, a spear suddenly stood in its path and halted its movements. Zhang Xuan stood right before the deity and wagged his finger provocatively. "Preying on the weak, what a formidable person you are. But I guess there's no other choice, considering that there's nothing you can do about me!"

Huala!

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Xuan sent another barrage of weapons flying toward the deity.

"What cheap taunts! But very well, I shall start with you then!" With a cold glint in his eyes, the deity began dashing forth.

His movements were not too fast, but every step that he took caused a tremendous pulsation of energy that collapsed the space in the surroundings, rendering it impossible for others to traverse across wherever he had been through.

He had to admit that his speed was lacking in comparison to Zhang Xuan, but as long as he shattered the space in the surroundings, the latter would have nowhere to escape to!

"What a distasteful move!" Zhang Xuan's lips twitched. He turned to Ancient Sage Yan Qing and the others and said, "You lot should make use of this opportunity to recuperate and heal up. I'll handle him for the time being!"

Following which, he began flitting away into the distance once more.

On the other hand, seeing that Zhang Xuan was fleeing into the distance once again, the deity glanced at Kong Shiyao, intending on making use of this opportunity to capture her once more.

However, as if having read his mind, Zhang Xuan suddenly turned around and launched a counterattack. The brick, sword, and spear all flew right toward him, prepared to slip in through the cracks of his defense at any moment to harass him. At the same time, several corpses flew over and exploded right in his face.

Finally, the deity reached the limits of his patience and began chasing Zhang Xuan like a crazed dog.

As long as that fellow remained alive, it would only be a matter of time before he was driven insane by the other party. It seemed like he would really have to get rid of that fellow first!

Boom boom boom!

Just like that, the two of them began on a seemingly endless chase. From time to time, the one fleeing would turn around and launch a couple of attacks before fleeing once more, leaving the one chasing more enraged than ever.

The battle between the two of them caused the whole of the Kunxu Domain to rattle ceaselessly.

...

Peng!

Yet another Scholastic Master was sent flying. Standing on the spot, Fan Xiaoxu scanned his surroundings with a forlorn look on his face, reminiscent of an expert lamenting the lack of a rival in the world. "Is there anyone else who wants to test my strength?"

Mi Xuan and the others were the first few who had rushed over to welcome the freshmen, so there were still a couple of Scholastic Masters who were not there yet. Upon hearing that a powerful freshman had arrived at the academy, they swiftly made their way over, suppressed their cultivation, and challenged the other party to a battle. To their dismay, they found that none of them were able to survive a single blow from the other party!

More importantly, Fan Xiaoxu seemed to be further refining his skills over the course of the battle, causing his fighting prowess to swiftly grow. By now, there was no one who could match him in his cultivation realm.

In fact... even those a realm stronger than him were no match for him.

"There's no need for that. It'll be meaningless to continue the battles at this point..." Zhong Qing shook his head and sighed deeply.

The result could not have been any clearer. None of them was a match for Fan Xiaoxu.

Fan Xiaoxu scanned the crowd around him and asked, "Then... who should I choose as my teacher?"

While he had defeated all of these Scholastic Masters, it still did not change the fact that he was only a Saint 9-dan freshman and needed a teacher to guide him around.

"I'm unqualified for the role!"

"I don't think that I have the ability to become your teacher..."

The defeated crowd lowered their faces in embarrassment.

They would have loved more than anything to accept a powerful student as their direct disciple, but considering how they could not even defeat the young man, what right did they have to teach him?

Anyone whom Fan Xiaoxu laid his eyes on would swiftly avert their gaze awkwardly. Some time passed, but not a single person spoke up. The surroundings were as silent as a graveyard.

Expecting such an outcome to his words, Fan Xiaoxu finally spoke up with a smile on his face. "Actually, I already have a teacher in mind, but I'm not sure if I will be able to come under his tutelage!"

Seeing a ray of hope to free themselves from this awkward situation, the Scholastic Masters in the area quickly asked, "May I know who it is?"

At this point in time, they would do anything to get out of this terribly uncomfortable situation!

"He goes by the name of Zhang Xuan. However, I'm not too sure whether that is his real name or not!" Fan Xiaoxu replied.

"Zhang Xuan? Is there anyone in the Great Phrontistery of Confucianism who goes by the surname of Zhang?" Zhong Qing was startled.

Those in the Great Phrontistery of Confucianism all came from the lineage of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, so how could there be a 'Zhang' around?

Nangong Yuanfeng suddenly stepped forward and said, "That name sounds rather familiar. I do know of a Zhang Xuan in this world, but I'm not sure if we are referring to the same person."

While not many in the Kunxu Domain would have heard of Zhang Xuan, that name was practically a household name on the Master Teacher Continent.

"Hmm?" Zhong Qing and Fan Xiaoxu quickly turned their curious gazes over.

"This man isn't from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. Instead, he's a powerful master teacher from the Master Teacher Continent, as well as the head of the Zhang Clan. The reason we failed to acquire the Celestial Amulets of Legacy back then as per the requirements of our mission was due to his interference!" Nangong Yuanfeng said.

"Ah, that Zhang Xuan?" Zhong Qing widened his eyes in realization.

The top echelons of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had already heard about the happenings in the Temple of Confucius. Based on the information that they had received, almost everything that they had sought to obtain, be it the Canvas of Four Seasons or the Bodhi Fruit, had ended up getting stolen by him.

"How did you hear of his name?" Zhong Qing stared at the young man before him intently.

It was deeply suspicious how Fan Xiaoxu knew of Zhang Xuan's name even though he had spent his entire life in the Kunxu Domain. There was likely something deeper to this.

"I..." Fan Xiaoxu's body suddenly stiffened as he realized that he had just let something important slip.

All along, he had thought that Zhang Xuan was an Ancient Sage of the Great Phrontistery of Confucianism or at least someone who was close to the academy. But contrary to his expectations, it turned out that the other party was not even from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers!

That would explain why the other party had borrowed his identity in order to get in! He had really messed up.

"You've never left the Kunxu Domain before, so you shouldn't have known of that name. Does this mean that... Zhang Xuan is currently in the Kunxu Domain?" Zhong Qing's eyebrows shot up as a bad premonition struck his mind.

Considering how Fan Xiaoxu and the others had suddenly grown so much stronger, as well as the fact that they actually knew of Zhang Xuan's name, the most logical deduction that he could think of was that the renowned master teacher of the Master Teacher Continent had somehow managed to find his way into the Kunxu Domain!

"That..."

Fan Xiaoxu was in a quandary. He had no idea how he should respond in such a situation, but it turned out that he did not have to.

A split moment later, a deafening rumbling echoed in the air, and the clear sky began to collapse into a void.

Everyone hurriedly raised their heads in alarm, only to see two figures fighting one another in the air. Each time they clashed with one another, a gorge formed in the sky that extended over several li. Lightning rained down so furiously that it seemed as if the world would soon collapse under the devastation.

"Who the hell are you?" a person with blood dripping down his head bellowed with gritted teeth.

"Your grandfather, Zhang Xuan!" the other person replied gleefully.

"He's Zhang Xuan?"

Everyone was stunned.

Chapter 1895: I Have a Younger Brother

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Words could not begin to describe how agitated Fan Xiaoxu felt at that very moment.

He had guessed that Zhang Xuan was an Ancient Sage, but he did not think that the other party would be that powerful among the Ancient Sages. After all, if the other party was truly that powerful, there should not have been any need for the other party to borrow his identity in order to get into the Great Phrontistery of Confucianism.

But at that very moment, the sheer might he produced seemed to be too great for even the heavens to contain. It was as if he was a being that had risen above the rules of the world!

Peng peng peng!

As the two of them crossed blows with one another, lacerations emerged one after another in the sky. The folded space containing the Great Phrontistery of Confucianism was placed under huge strain, and it seemed as if the entire folded space would collapse at any moment.

"H-he's Zhang Xuan? You actually competed with him back then?" Zhong Qing gulped down a mouthful of saliva as he turned to look at Nangong Yuanfeng.

"Back then, he passed himself off as a member of the Luo Clan, assuming the name of Luo Tianya. However, based on what I heard afterward, he's indeed Zhang Xuan..." Nangong Yuanfeng nodded as he could not help but tremble in the face of Zhang Xuan's incredible might.

It had at most been just a few months since he had last seen the young man, right?

When in the world did he become so powerful?

Not even the great Ancient Sage Yan Qing possessed such tremendous strength! If this was the power that the young man had wielded back then, he could have been killed with just a simple flick of the young man's finger. It seemed like the young man had truly been merciful to him!

Si la!

In his moment of shock, the fighting duo had already torn through the space of the Great Phrontistery of Confucianism and vanished from sight.

The next moment, the two of them were standing above a vast mountain range.

Over there, the examinees who had just cleared the test were trying their best to decipher the formation on the jade tokens that they had been given when a loud rumble suddenly echoed in the sky. They raised their heads, and they were welcomed with a sight that they would never forget in their entire life.

Two experts bathed in lightning were clashing intensely with one another. Every strike from them made the entire world tremble. It was almost as if the end of the world had arrived!

One of them had a head completely bathed in crimson blood, and he had a frenzied expression on his face that looked as if he would blow up from all of the rage that he had accumulated within. On the other hand, the other young man had a composed smile on his lips, and he brandished the sword in his grasp with grace.

"Are the two of them Ancient Sages?"

"There's probably no one in the world who commands such tremendous strength other than the Ancient Sages!"

"But why would the two Ancient Sages be fighting with one another? It looks as if they are fighting one another to the death!"

"I don't know either. They might have some grudge with one another..."

A huge commotion broke out beneath.

With fists clenched tightly by their sides, the examinees stared at the majestic battle unfolding before them with envy in their eyes.

This was what they had been cultivating all their lives for!

From the moment they took the first whiff of spiritual energy into their body and converted it into zhenqi, it had already become their lifelong pursuit to acquire greater strength.

The tremendous strength that was right before their eyes could be said to be their terminal goal. It represented the top of the world to them.

"Don't you dare hurt our teacher!"

At this moment, two voices reverberated in the air before two youths younger than them rushed into the air.

The lightning in the air immediately became even more intense.

Astonishingly, the person with his head bathed in blood was able to stand his ground even when faced with three opponents simultaneously. After crossing several blows, the two youths who had just joined the fray were sent crashing to the ground.

"You aren't a match for him, so don't come over anymore. Don't worry; leave him to me!" Zhang Xuan said.

At the same time, he flicked his wrist and leaped into a dimension rift, disappearing from sight.

"Where do you think you're going?" The deity immediately chased after Zhang Xuan, determined not to allow the latter get away.

Just like that, the two of them vanished from sight.

If not for the countless lacerations in space left in the sky as a result of their fight, they would have thought that everything that they had seen a moment ago was just a dream.

...

"You said that they are very likely powerful experts?"

The head of the Stone Village looked at the village belle, Xiu Ru, and he shook his head. "How could that be possible? If they are really as powerful as you've made them out to be, do you think that it's possible for them to maintain such politeness with us and even offer to compensate us for the losses in our fields?"

It was as if the village belle's mind had not been working right ever since she returned from the short journey with those three guests. As soon as she returned, she had gone around telling everyone that the three guests that had been there not too long ago were actually Saint realm experts.

Of course, there was no one in the Stone Village who would believe such ludicrous news.

There was no way that a Saint realm expert would be so courteous to them, going to the extent of offering to compensate for their losses. Besides, if they were really Saint realm experts, they could have just flown all the way to Fan City! Why would they waste their time riding on Xiu Ru's tamed aerial spirit beast?

In their view, Saint realm experts were domineering and authoritative. They were beings so far above them that even crossing them would have warranted the death penalty. They simply could not imagine an amiable Saint realm cultivator!

"It's true. Why won't any of you believe me? I saw them flying in the sky without any external support with my own eyes, and they flew at an incredible speed!" Xiu Ru exclaimed in exasperation.

It was so frustrating to see everyone acting as if she was blabbering gibberish.

She was certain that she had seen the three of them vanishing right before her eyes! While she had found it unbelievable at first, she was convinced that they were definitely Saint realm experts!

Had she known that they were Saint realm experts right from the start, she would not have acted so haughtily. Instead, she would have humbly asked for their guidance in her cultivation.

"I know that you have great ambitions in mind, but Saint realm experts only exist within major clans. People like us will never get a chance to see them at all..." The village head sighed deeply as he tried to console Xiu Ru.

But at that very moment, the deafening rumbling of thunder filled the air.

Everyone quickly raised their heads, and what came into their sights were two figures shrouded in lightning.

They were crossing blows intensely with one another, and every strike they dashed out tore the fabric of space apart, causing dark rifts to appear all around the surroundings.

"Isn't that young man..."

Recognizing one of the two figures in the sky, the villagers widened their eyes in shock.

It was certain that the young man equipped with a spear fighting in the air was the person whom they had welcomed into their village not too long ago!

The village belle had just said that they could very well be Saint realm experts, and they had thought that it was ridiculous. But what they were witnessing had already far exceeded what Saints or even Great Sages could achieve!

"H-he... He is actually an Ancient Sage!" The village head felt his throat turning dry as he spoke.

Even though they were only ordinary villagers who were unqualified to cultivate, they did hear a fair bit about the various cultivation realms and the strength that they commanded.

Not even the esteemed Great Sages in the top echelon of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers could summon such tremendous might. The young man in the sky was definitely an Ancient Sage, and a very powerful one at that!

"I actually journeyed together with an Ancient Sage... But not only did I neglect to learn from him, I even... scorned him?" The village belle, Xiu Ru, nearly burst into tears at the realization.

For the longest time, she had desired to acquire higher cultivation techniques to advance her cultivation, but when the opportunity presented itself, she had actually allowed it to slip through her fingers due to her arrogance.

Even though she was highly-regarded in the village, she knew that someone of her caliber would never be able to catch the sight of an Ancient Sage.

In an instant, her guts turned green from regret.

...

On that very day, almost everyone in the Hundred Schools of Philosophers witnessed the intense fight in the sky between those two top experts, and their silhouettes were imprinted deep in their minds.

Even tens of thousands of years later, the incident would remain an undying legend.

Why can't I find anywhere that's empty? Zhang Xuan frowned with a troubled look on his face.

He did not run about just to show off his strength; it was just that he was unable to find a sufficiently remote place to release all of his finishers at once. The world that the Hundred Schools of Philosophers lived in was simply too crowded!

He did not like the idea of exposing his trump cards even to his own comrades.

Thus, he could only continuously retreat while fending the deity off.

Some time later, they finally arrived at a relatively empty mountain range.

"Finally..." Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

It seemed like effort did pay off in the end.

He quickly threw down a bunch of formation flags and sealed the surroundings so as to prevent his aura from leaking out.

"Oh? You aren't going to run anymore? I assume that you have resigned yourself to your fate," the deity scoffed when he saw that the young man was not escaping anymore.

He had not been blindly chasing Zhang Xuan around. During his pursuit, he had been able to fully ascertain the extent of Zhang Xuan's abilities, and he was confident that he would be able to kill the latter easily as long as the latter stopped running away.

"Resigned myself to my fate? Aren't you jumping too quickly to conclusions? Well, it just happens that I have a twin brother who wishes to meet you..."

As Zhang Xuan said those words, he flicked his wrist.

Hu!

A figure identical to Zhang Xuan appeared right next to him.

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Chapter 1896: Slaying a Deity

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Twin brother?" Seeing the appearance of another figure with an identical appearance and soul aura, the deity was stunned for a moment before a knowing smile crept onto his lips. "This is your clone, right? Spectacularly made, I must say. For a clone to possess strength identical to the main body, it must have been made using some kind of invaluable material. Wonderful, I shall claim it for myself!"

There were cultivators in the Azure who created their own clones to augment their fighting prowess, but most of them were just lookalike puppets that were similar to the main body in form.

The clone that was standing right before him actually possessed a unique soul! This meant that the material used the create the clone was of extremely high quality, even by the standards of the Azure. If he could acquire such a treasure for himself and forge his own clone, his fighting prowess would effectively double in an instant!

With reddened eyes, he pointed at the clone in front of him and spoke with quivering lips. "From this day forth, you shall be mine as well..."

Boom!

Torrential energy poured out toward Zhang Xuan's clone, but before it could even reach the latter, the deity saw a blur in his field of vision.

Before he knew it, the clone was already standing in front of him, and a leg was flying toward his face. With a haughty look on his face, the clone demanded, "Who the hell are you? The likes of you actually think that you would be able to tame me?"

"You..." With twitching lips, the deity swiftly grabbed the clone's leg to stop the attack when the latter's other leg came flying from the opposite direction.

Peng!

Just like that, the deity was knocked back as his cheekbone sunk inward from the powerful impact.

"What? How is this possible?" The deity was stunned by the earlier strike.

It was not due to the damage that he had sustained but by the sheer disbelief at how powerful the kick had been.

The clones that he had seen thus far had always been weaker than the main body, but why would this person's clone be even stronger than the main body itself? How in the world did this even work?

It was illogical!

"You sure make a huge fuss out of nothing. My main body is a weakling, so how could he begin to compare to me?" The clone smirked as he charged toward the deity once more, whipping his leg over at a terrifying speed.

As Zhang Xuan had been suppressing his cultivation, he was still at Sempiternal realm consummation. However, it was different for the clone. As a God artifact, there was no need for him to suppress his cultivation at all. A month ago, he had already pushed for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage using the Aeon of Ancient Sage, making him a full-fledged Blood Reincarnation realm expert.

Even when they were in the same cultivation realm, Zhang Xuan was no match for his clone, let alone the fact that there was a gap of three entire realms between them. If Zhang Xuan had a fight with his clone, he would barely be able to protect himself with the Dragonbone Divine Spear in hand.

Slowly, the surprised look on the deity warped into feverish excitement as he began laughing maniacally. "Hahahahaha! The heavens are really shining on me! Now I am more determined than ever to make you mine!"

With a piercing cry, he leaped forward to meet the clone's attack. He gathered all of his strength together in order to suppress this showoff of a clone once and for all when a shadow was suddenly cast over him.

He hurriedly retreated in alarm before looking upward. It was a massive book. Following which, a pitch-black palm shot out from the book and darted right for his face.

Pah!

This strike caused him to spin around twice on the spot as fresh blood spewed all over the area.

"What the heck is this?"

The deity was a little astonished by all of the trump cards that Zhang Xuan had up his sleeves.

Just what other things did the other party have in store? First the spear, the sword, and the brick, and shortly after, the clone... and now, a book was joining the battle.

More importantly, he could sense incredible pulsations of energy coming from within the book. There was some kind of existence that possessed strength comparable to him sealed within!

Hu!

In that moment of astonishment, Zhang Xuan charged forward with a spear in his left hand and a sword in his right hand. Brandishing the two weapons with surprising coordination, he was actually able to throw the deity into a fluster for a brief moment through the bizarre combination of attacks.

Meanwhile, his clone and Vicious quickly rushed forward to further pressure the deity.

Peng peng peng peng!

Under the relentless assault, it did not take long for the deity to be struck by several hundred times, and the impact sustained caused his bones to shatter and internal organs to shift. There was not a spot on his body that remained unharmed.

"No, this can't be happening..."

For the first time throughout the entire battle, the deity tasted fear.

He had rushed over when he noticed the weakening of the dimension barrier because he had thought that he would be able to acquire some rare treasures, but who could have known that he would end up being cornered in this lower dimension?

Even Zhang Xuan himself was already a tricky opponent to deal with, let alone having to simultaneously cope with another two experts who boasted strength similar to his. How could he win against such a lineup?

In the depths of his heart, the deity began to despair. He knew that he could not allow the battle to continue any further. He had to escape.

Thus, he gathered all of his energy seemingly with the intention to launch a desperate counterattack, causing the other three to immediately go on the defensive. However, it was, in fact, a feint. With no one tying him down, he immediately turned tail and ran away.

However, before he could get far, the world suddenly turned dark. He barely had time to glance upward before a massive brick crushed down on his head once more.

It was as if this fellow had been biding his time in the sky all along, waiting for the ideal opportunity to smash his face!

Peng!

While this smash did not deal a fatal blow to the deity, it did throw him off for a moment. This momentary lapse in attention turned out to be his undoing. The next instant, a spear and a sword pierce through his chest. Right after, a fist smashed right into his head, and a black hand stabbed into his heart.

Putong!

Even down to his last breath, there was an incredulous look on the deity's face, as if he could not believe that a superior being like him had been defeated by mere ants. As the last breath escaped his lips, his body grew limp, and he began plummeting from the sky.

It would be a waste to leave the blood and body of an expert of such caliber lying around, Zhang Xuan thought as he quickly stowed the corpse of the deity into the Myriad Anthive Nest.

Following which, he heaved a deep sigh of relief. The battle was finally over.

No matter what, the enemy that he had faced was a true Dimension Shatterer realm expert. Had he made any mistakes over the course of the battle, he would have been destroyed in an instant. As such, he had pushed his concentration to its very limits throughout the entire duration.

Nevertheless, the rewards from the battle were well worth the fight. The deity's blood and body would surely prove vital for his breakthrough to Ancient Sage in the future.

Placing his clone and Vicious back into the Myriad Anthive Nest, Zhang Xuan turned his sight to the mountain range where the void was and stared silently for a moment before making his way back.

...

On the elevated platform in the midst of the mountain range, Ancient Sage Yan Qing finally struggled to his feet. He looked at the massive rifts around him with a worried look on his face.

At that moment, Kong Shiyao suddenly flew over and asked, "Ancient Sage Yan Qing, was that young man the Celestial Master Teacher you previously mentioned, Zhang Xuan?"

Having overexerted her bloodline ability, her face was horrifyingly pale as well. It took everything she had just to maintain her flight.

"That's right," Ancient Sage Yan Qing replied with a nod.

"He's truly an extraordinary individual..." Kong Shiyao nodded in awe.

She had been blessed with a powerful bloodline at birth, so there had been no one who was able to compete with her in terms of talent. She had been confident that there was no one beneath Ancient Sage who would be stronger than her, but from the earlier battle, it was clear that the young man's fighting prowess exceeded even hers.

Ever since she heard of Zhang Xuan's existence, she had been wanting to meet and compete with him. She had thought that she could have a duel with him after achieving a breakthrough to Ancient Sage. However, from the looks of it, there was no need for that.

Even after using her bloodline ability, she had been unable to stop the deity's movements. On the other hand, the young man was able to battle the deity on equal footing and even lure him away. It was apparent from this that there was a gap between their abilities.

"There's no denying that Zhang Xuan is formidable, but he's still lacking in comparison to the deity from the Azure. I fear that he's in peril!" one of the Ancient Sages remarked worriedly.

"Given our current condition, there's nothing we can do to help him. Even stabilizing the formation is impossible for us at the moment..."

The Ancient Sages had already been reduced to a skeletal rack at the moment, and they would die soon enough without any Aeon of Ancient Sage to replenish his energy. Given their states, there was nothing that they could do to help.

Knowing this, Ancient Sage Yan Qing also shook his head.

While the deity had been lured away by Zhang Xuan, it did not mean that the danger was over. The formation that was sustained by Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's corpse had been opened, and the mercury-like energy was rapidly pouring in. If they did not seal the rifts quickly, everyone in the Kunxu Domain would soon die from taking in that incredibly heavy energy.

Their entire populace was at stake!

"It's fortunate that this energy doesn't diffuse too quickly due to its weight. What's more urgent is for us to get rid of that deity, or else anything we do will be futile!" Kong Shiyao said.

As long as they sealed their acupoints, they would be able to bear with the mercury-like energy in the short-term. However, as long as the deity remained alive, his existence would be like a guillotine hanging right above them, ready to snap down at any moment.

"You're right. Even at the cost of our lives, we must eradicate that deity..."

Everyone nodded grimly in agreement. Gathering the last bits of their strength, they were going to move in the direction that Zhang Xuan had disappeared in when a young man approached with a nonchalant look on his face.

He was dressed in a clean white robe that was completely devoid of dust. There was no hint of blood or wounds on his body, making it seem as if he had left earlier not to battle but to go on a leisurely holiday.

Who else could that young man be other than Zhang Xuan?

"Y-you're fine? What happened to the deity? Did you... kill him?" everyone asked anxiously.

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Chapter 1897: Repairing the Formation

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"As you can see, I'm perfectly fine," Zhang Xuan replied with a smile. "As for the deity, you need not worry about him anymore."

On his way here, he had washed himself with clear water to quickly clean up a little before switching into a fresh set of clothes. Even though he had not sustained any injuries, he had sweated a fair bit over the course of the battle, and the feeling of fabric clinging stickily to his skin felt very uncomfortable to him.

Time ticked by in silence. It was quite a while before the crowd was able to take in the news that the young man had successfully gotten rid of the deity, and looks of awe appeared on their faces.

To defeat a person so powerful without sustaining any injuries, the young man was frighteningly powerful!

Taking a deep breath to recover from his shock, Ancient Sage Yan Qing took a look at the rifts around him before looking at Zhang Xuan with an awkward expression on his face. "Zhang shi, I understand that you have unique insights into formations, so may I trouble you to mend our formation for us?"

He knew that the current Hundred Schools of Philosophers lacked the ability to mend the shattered formation, but the young man before him should be able to pull it off.

It was just that the young man was an outsider... and the relations between them could not be said to be amicable. Furthermore, it was just a moment ago that the young man had done them a huge favor by luring away the deity and getting rid of him despite the risks, so he could not help but feel a little embarrassed for relying so much on the other party.

"It's no trouble at all, but do you have the blueprint and repair method for the formation?" Zhang Xuan asked.

This was the first time that he had seen a formation like this. Using the corpse of Ancient Sage Zi Yuan as its core to seal the passageway leading to a higher dimension, its complexity was way beyond any of the formations that he had seen before.

Even he would have had difficulties trying to set it up without the blueprint.

"We do," Ancient Sage Yan Qing replied as he passed a jade token over. "Recorded in here is the structure of the formation, as well as the notes that generations of our predecessors have made while repairing the formation!"

Taking the jade token, Zhang Xuan quickly scanned through its contents. It did not take long for him to have the entire formation in his grasp.

The name of this formation was very literal, Floating Coffin Heaven Mending Formation. It was said to have been created by Kong shi himself in order to seal up the passageway linking the higher dimension to their world. Once it was in place, even Dimension Shatterer realm cultivators would have trouble trying to breach it.

Is he going to attempt to mend the formation after learning it on the spot? Could it be that... his talents in his supporting occupation are on par with mine? Is he able to master anything within moments of coming into contact with it, too? Kong Shiyao frowned in intrigue.

Possessing the purest bloodline of Kong shi, her ability to absorb new information was amazing. Be it for a supporting occupation or a battle technique, she could understand and master it swiftly after learning the principles behind it. She did not have to devote too much time to refining her skills.

It was bewildering to her how the young man had the confidence to accept their request without any hesitation despite having never seen the formation before. It could not be that he possessed the same talents as her, could it?

But even if he has talents comparable to mine, such a complex formation should at least take him two to three days to master. Will he be able to make it in time at this rate? Kong Shiyao thought worriedly as she looked at the mercury-like energy gushing in from the rifts.

Recalling the fact that the young man was a Celestial Master Teacher just like Kong shi, it should not come as any surprise that the young man was extraordinary. However, there were still limits to what a human could achieve within a limited timeframe.

The Floating Coffin Heaven Mending Formation was so complicated that it had taken her three days before she was able to grasp how the entire system worked. Even if the young man was more gifted and could grasp new information two times swifter than her, he still would not be able to mend the formation in time!

The mercury-like energy had only suffused the elevated platform that they were on, but at the current rate it was flowing out, it would drown at least a third of the Kunxu Domain's land by the end of the day. That would cause a rapid change in the quality of the spiritual energy within the world, and the Greensprout Wheat that they had cultivated with great difficulty would swiftly die off.

Everything that the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had built up over the past tens of thousands of years would be reduced to nothing!

Then, everything would be for naught even if they did manage to repair the formation.

Besides, they were betting on the possibility that the young man would have some way to repair it, but that was unjustified optimism on their part. It could be said that making this request to the young man was really a last-ditch gamble.

But as Kong Shiyao continued looking on worriedly, she saw Zhang Xuan passing the jade token back to her. Following which, he turned to the crowd with a confident smile on his face. "I'm going to begin the repairs now, so please step back."

Hearing those words, Kong Shiyao blinked blankly.

She raised her right hand and swiftly counted, three breaths... Had he really grasped the formation in just three breaths?

Under her bewildered stare, the young man began moving. He opened his fingers wide and pumped his zhenqi toward the sky like a rapid current, swiftly forming illusory bridges of a myriad colors across the void.

Standing in the very middle of those seemingly divine bridges, Zhang Xuan looked as if he was the ruler of the world.

He gently moved his finger to maneuver those illusory bridges, reminiscent of a demonic tunist performing a moving melody. Along with his movements, a faint but beautiful humming from the wind could be heard.

Is that... the Voice of the Heavens? Kong Shiyao trembled.

Legend had it that if anyone achieved the level of perfect harmony with the heavens, no matter which occupation they were from, the Voice of the Heavens would emerge. The young man had only browsed through the blueprint for three breaths, but not only did he manage to grasp the formation perfectly, he was even able to elevate it to a much higher level.

Was she really so lacking compared to him?

But she was the descendant of the legendary Kong shi, possessing a bloodline that none could match!

With deep indignation, she looked on and saw Zhang Xuan's fingers moving faster and faster, and it did not take long for afterimages to appear in the midst of his movements. The illusory bridges danced elegantly in the air, crossing one another to swiftly form an intricate design.

He's speeding up? Isn't he afraid of making a mistake? Kong Shiyao shuddered at the sheer speed that Zhang Xuan was moving at.

Given the complexity of the formation, she had thought that even if Zhang Xuan could comprehend it, he would need their help to form the primary structure to seal off the inflow of the mercury-like energy before slowly reinforcing it. All in all, she had expected the entire process to take a whole month.

However, at that moment, Zhang Xuan's hands were moving so quickly that she could hardly keep up with them anymore. If he made a single mistake, not only would his previous work be unraveled, he would also suffer a severe backlash from the formation.

A few breaths passed, but not only did Zhang Xuan's movements not slow down, they continued still to grow swifter.

Unable to stand the tension any longer, Kong Shiyao flicked her wrist and took out a mirror. She gently reflected it against Zhang Xuan.

This mirror was a family heirloom passed down in the Kong Clan, and it was known as the Profound Empyrean Mirror. Through analyzing the intensity of the pulsations of energy coming from the formation, it was able to determine whether the formation master's movements were correct or not. If the formation master's movements were correct, the characters '正确 (Correct)' would be reflected in the mirror, and a white light would emanate from its surface. Incorrect, and the characters '错误 (Wrong)' would be reflected, with black light emanating from its surface.

Weng weng weng!

Upon reflecting Zhang Xuan's silhouette, the Profound Empyrean Mirror immediately emanated a brilliant white glow as lines and lines of characters swiftly flowed across its surface.

正确 (Correct)!

正确 (Correct)!

正确 (Correct)...

As the Profound Empyrean Mirror in her hand got filled up with the characters 正确 (Correct), its surface glowed so brightly that it seemed to become a mini sun that blinded everyone in the surroundings.

This... Kong Shiyao's lips quivered in disbelief.

She had seen plenty of geniuses in her lifetime, and she was one herself. But to master such a complex formation within three breaths and repair it so quickly without making the slightest mistake... was that young man really a human?

Hu!

Her astonishment did not last for long before the fingers of the young man in the air came to an abrupt halt.

He gracefully placed his hands behind his back before gazing into the void.

"What's wrong? The formation's repairs mustn't be halted halfway through, or else you will have to start anew!" Kong Shiyao yelled anxiously.

The formation was not just complex; the repairs must also be finished at a single go. Otherwise, if there was even a momentary interruption in between, the mercury-like energy would swiftly crush everything that had been built thus far.

This was similar to repairing a dam. One had to finish the repairs in a single shot, or else any weakness in the structure would swiftly be exploited by the accumulated water, eventually resulting in a leakage.

"Hmm? I didn't halt the repairs halfway." Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan glanced at Kong Shiyao and replied, "I have already finished the repairs!"

"You have already finished?" Kong Shiyao was taken aback.

Given that Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's body was still with her and the mercury-like energy was still flowing through, how could this be considered as a completed repair job?

Noticing Kong Shiyao's incomprehension, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. He looked at the void above once and commanded, "Activate!"

Hong long!

The coffin beside Kong Shiyao immediately soared into the void and vanished, and the surrounding space was swiftly stabilized. All of the rifts were mended in an instant, and it looked as if nothing had happened there at all.

The formation had actually activated under his command!

The Word of Law... Isn't that the Kong Clan's bloodline ability? Kong Shiyao could not believe what she was seeing.

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Chapter 1898: The Prowess of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

To be able to repair the formation with a single word, could it be that the other party possessed the same bloodline as her, allowing him to use the Word of Law ability?

But very soon, Kong Shiyao realized that was not the case.

While the move that Zhang Xuan had used appeared similar to the Word of Law, there were some differences between the two. To be more exact, it was a more advanced use of the Impartation of Heaven's Will.

However, this Floating Coffin Heaven Mending Formation harnessed the energies of the heavens, so even activating it manually was extremely grueling. How could it possibly be so easily swayed by the Impartation of Heaven's Will?

Ancient Sage Yan Qing, who harbored the same doubts in his mind, swiftly posed the question to Zhang Xuan.

"Well, the formation blueprint you gave me had quite a few problems, so I made some corrections while I was setting up the formation," Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

"Corrections?" Kong Shiyao's body froze in shock. "That's not possible. This formation was created by Kong shi himself, so there's no way there could have been any flaws in it!"

How could there be any imperfections in the things left behind by Kong shi?

"Well, the formation that Kong shi created didn't have any flaws... The problems originated from the huge changes in the Kunxu Domain in the past tens of thousands of years. The formation that Kong shi created is no longer optimal given the current environment in the Kunxu Domain. Otherwise, you wouldn't have to keep repairing it generation after generation," Zhang Xuan said.

There was nothing in the world that time could not erode.

Without a doubt, the Kunxu Domain from tens of thousands of years back was bound to have been very different from what they saw before them. Since even the world had changed, how could formations remain flawless without adapting to the changes?

Those words rendered Kong Shiyao speechless as shock swept through her mind once more.

The young man's words did make perfect sense... but this was Kong shi's formation they were talking about. The young man had actually modified Kong shi's formation!

Furthermore, he had even succeeded in doing so!

Kong Shiyao felt as if the world was whirling around her.

All along, she had never doubted her own talent. She had felt that there was nothing that she was incapable of as long as she gave it her all. However, compared to the monster before her, she felt like she could sprint for her entire life and never catch up with him.

On the other hand, seeing that the mercury-like energy had been completely sealed away, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He turned his gaze away from the stupefied Kong Shiyao to the relatively calmer Ancient Sage Yan Qing and said, "I guess the situation is stable for the time being. Ancient Sage Yan Qing. May I trouble you to explain the situation to me?"

He felt like Kong Shiyao was making a huge fuss out of nothing. It was as if she had never seen the larger world out there before.

Taking twenty breaths to set up this formation was really no remarkable feat at all. If anything, it was rather slow. If he had achieved a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, such a thing would not have taken him two breaths!

"... Zhang shi, what do you think of that heavy energy from earlier? Do you think that you will be able to absorb and assimilate it into your body?" Ancient Sage Yan Qing replied with another question.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before replying. "The heavy energy shares some commonalities with spiritual energy, but its sheer weight makes it impossible for anyone from the Master Teacher Continent to absorb. If I absorb it, the chances are that my meridians will collapse as a result of the weight."

Hearing those words, Ancient Sage Yan Qing sighed deeply before saying with a bitter smile, "I see... To be honest with you, that heavy energy is the spiritual energy from the Azure!"

"Spiritual energy from the Azure?"

"That's right. Have you ever wondered why the beings from the Azure are so much more powerful than us? That's because the spiritual energy they absorb is very different from ours. It's much more condensed, and being constantly exposed to it has tempered their constitution to the point that even their younglings wield tremendous fighting prowess at birth!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing explained.

"They actually absorb that heavy spiritual energy? Is it really alright for them to do so?" Zhang Xuan was stunned.

Even with his Blood Reincarnation realm prowess, he felt as if his internal organs would be crushed if he absorbed just a bit of it. Were the natives of the Azure really able to absorb such heavy energy without suffering any backlash?

"Follow me!" Seeing the look on Zhang Xuan's face, Ancient Sage Yan Qing turned around and beckoned Zhang Xuan to come along with him. Gritting his teeth to endure the frailty he felt, he headed off in a certain direction.

He had lost too much blood in the earlier battle, such that he had nearly expended all of his vitality. Even though he was still breathing, he did not have much time left.

The two of them flew for quite a while before arriving at a tightly-sealed palace. Ancient Sage Yan Qing pushed open the door of the palace and walked in. There was an Isolation Formation within the palace, and in the Isolation Formation was a massive metal cage. Zhang Xuan could not quite tell what material it was made of, but there were runic inscriptions all over it.

Two youths were imprisoned in the metal cage. Upon seeing Ancient Sage Yan Qing, their eyes immediately narrowed in fury. If they could, there was no doubt that they would have killed Ancient Sage Yan Qing.

Zhang Xuan swiftly assessed the two youths and noticed that they were both Sempiternal realm consummation experts, just a step away from reaching Ancient Sage. In terms of disposition and strength, they did not pale in comparison to Yan Xue!

"Why did you lock them inside the cage?" Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.

While the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had strayed from Kong shi's ideal of education without discrimination, Zhang Xuan could tell that they were not the type to harm others without any justification.

Could those two have committed some kind of heinous crime?

"Zhang shi, are you able to tell who they are?" Ancient Sage Yan Qing asked.

Hearing that question, Zhang Xuan frowned. Based on the other party's words, it seemed like he was expected to know these two youths, so he took a closer look at them. However, he was still unable to figure out their identities, so he eventually shook his head.

"They are Otherworldly Demons!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing replied.

Those words made Zhang Xuan freeze on the spot. "They are Otherworldly Demons? How can that be? Could it be that they are Otherworldly Demon Emperors in disguise?"

The Otherworldly Demons' Zhenqi of Slaughter was so overpowering that it was impossible to disregard it. The two youths standing before him were releasing no killing intent at all, so how could they be Otherworldly Demons?

Could it be that they were Otherworldly Demon Emperors who had used some kind of special means to disguise themselves?

But that should not be either. Except for Luo Ruoxin's disguise amulet, there was no disguise that had been able to escape his Eye of Insight thus far.

He was certain that the two youths before him were not disguised; they were in their natural form.

"I know that you have your doubts, but they are really Otherworldly Demons. They absorbed the heavy energy earlier and turned into their current states," Ancient Sage Yan Qing replied.

"This..." Zhang Xuan's body shook in astonishment.

He was still wondering whether that mercury-like energy could be absorbed or not, but it turned out that it was so powerful that it could even turn Otherworldly Demons into humans. Was this for real?

Hu!

Without explaining himself, Ancient Sage Yan Qing stepped forward and flicked his wrist. The mercury-like energy from the elevated platform earlier immediately gushed toward the two youths in the cage.

In response to the arrival of this unique energy, the two youths did not show the slightest hint of fear. Instead, their eyes lit up in excitement as they swiftly sat down, opened their acupoints, and absorbed the energy.

As the energy flowed into their bodies, it immediately began to billow like boiling water. Their aura and energies swiftly grew more and more condensed.

It's really possible, Zhang Xuan thought as he clenched his fists tightly together.

The Otherworldly Demons were actually able to absorb the mercury-like energy that even he was unable to absorb, and it increased their rate of cultivation a frightening degree.

He immediately turned to Ancient Sage Yan Qing, hoping to receive answers about this curious observation from the other party.

"This has something to do with one's innate constitution. As long as one's innate constitution is sufficiently strong, one will be able to adapt to the heavy energy and assimilate it into one's body. The innate constitution of the Otherworldly Demons is far stronger than that of humans. Just the fact that they are blessed with the strength of a Transcendental Mortal at birth speaks volumes. Nevertheless, of the ten I have experimented on, these are the only two survivors!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing said.

"Furthermore, I have tested this on over ten thousand men over the past year, but none of them survived in the end!"

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan's face warped in horror.

What he was horrified by was not Ancient Sage Yan Qing's callousness but the significance of what he had just said.

He had thought that while Otherworldly Demons had a head start in front of humans due to their innate constitution, they would be on equal footing with one another in the later stages. However, it seemed like the rift was much wider than he had thought...

If this mercury-like energy one day covered the entire Master Teacher Continent, would mankind not go extinct and the Otherworldly Demons rise in power?

Alarmed by this notion, Zhang Xuan asked, "Is this why Kong shi used Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's corpse to create that massive formation to block the dimension passageway? Is it all to prevent the heavy energy from leaking into this world?"

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Chapter 1899: The Origin of Aeon of Ancient Sage

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"That's right!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing nodded in response. "When Kong shi first noticed the Kunxu Domain, it was nothing more than an ordinary passageway between the Master Teacher Continent and the Azure. The heavy energy that lingered in it wasn't too great then, but he swiftly realized that while humans would quickly lose their lives upon absorbing it, there was a chance that Otherworldly Demons could survive the assimilation of the energy and become tremendously stronger as a result of that. That was also how Vicious came about!

"In order to prevent mankind from being destroyed, Ancient Sage Zi Yuan willingly gave up his life to become the crux of the Floating Coffin Heaven Mending Formation that we have now!"

Nodding in realization, Zhang Xuan recalled another thing that he had noticed in the Kunxu Domain and asked, "What about the Greensprout Wheat and the superior constitution of the ordinary populace?"

Knowing what Zhang Xuan was asking, Ancient Sage Yan Qing replied, "After years of research, Kong shi found that the main reason why there was a chance for some Otherworldly Demons to survive the assimilation of the heavy energy was due to their superior innate constitution. This realization highlighted the importance of enhancing the average constitution of humans, but Kong shi knew very well that the enhancement of an entire race's constitution was bound to be a long battle. It's impossible to make significant advancement within a short period of time.

"One of the key factors that Kong shi identified that would effectively enhance the constitution of an entire race was their diet. As such, he entrusted Ancient Sage Zi Chi and his descendants with the responsibility of developing a crop that could achieve this effect. After many years of trial and error, they eventually successfully nurtured the Greensprout Wheat. This crop has the effect of continuously cleansing and enhancing one's constitution, and after tens of thousands of years of nourishment, there was indeed significant growth in the constitution of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. Unfortunately, we are still a long way off from matching the constitution of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and we are still unable to directly absorb the heavy energy!"

Zhang Xuan nodded in enlightenment. The doubts that he had harbored previously had all been cleared up.

It was no wonder the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had suddenly disappeared from the Master Teacher Continent. It turned out that they had devoted themselves to protecting the seal in the Kunxu Domain so as to prevent the mercury-like energy from leaking out.

At the same time, they viewed it as their mission to nurture stronger humans. Once those in the Kunxu Domain were able to adapt to the mercury-like energy, their strength would grow by leaps and bounds.

Their means might have been different from the Master Teacher Continent, but their ultimate goal was the same—the development of mankind!

Ancient Sage Yan Qing continued on. "The Kunxu Domain is a small world, and the resources that it contains are severely limited. Furthermore, with the strengthening of the average constitution of the general populace, the spiritual energy that we require is growing significantly too. As such, we have no choice but to limit the qualifications to cultivate to just a selected few. This is also why we have so many tests and trials in place. We can only afford to invest our resources in talents who have the potential to reach the top!"

While Ancient Sage Yan Qing mentioned that the Kunxu Domain was a small world, that was only in relative comparison with the Master Teacher Continent. Its scale comfortably exceeded that of any of the major empires on the Master Teacher Continent.

However, in order to nurture the Greensprout Wheat properly, the Kunxu Domain had to seal off its connection to the Master Teacher Continent. Thus, it carried the risk of its spiritual energy drying up should there be too many cultivators.

In a sense, the Kunxu Domain was similar to a greenhouse. No matter how huge the greenhouse was, it could not reach the same level of self-sufficiency as the external world to provide nourishment for any number of plants.

In Zhang Xuan's previous world, a scientist had once set up a massive greenhouse and placed countless plants, animals, and insects within it as an experiment. However, within less than a year, the entire habitat had completely collapsed.

Such was the case for Kunxu Domain. Unlike the Master Teacher Continent, it did not have the ability to fully regulate itself, and the nourishment required to bestow even ordinary humans with the strength of the Zongshi realm put a huge burden on it. So, it was inevitable that they had to limit the number of cultivators.

Otherwise, it was likely that the Kunxu Domain would first collapse before its people could adapt to the mercury-like spiritual energy from the Azure.

"I believe that you might have noticed it already, but this problem isn't just limited to the Kunxu Domain. The Master Teacher Continent is still safe for the time being, but it'll face the same threat in the future. As the number of cultivators increases, there'll eventually come a day when the spiritual energy dries up," Ancient Sage Yan Qing remarked.

Zhang Xuan nodded in response.

No matter how big or enriching an environment or habitat was, it would have a breaking point where everything started to unravel.

In a way, humans absorbing the spiritual energy from the environment was like fleas leaping on a cow. Even a thousand fleas might not mean much to the cow, but what if there were millions or even billions of them?

No matter how strong the cow was, it would eventually collapse under the burden and die!

In the face of this practical problem, the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had no choice but to limit the distribution of cultivation resources, granting only the most talented individuals the privilege to cultivate.

Perhaps, the Master Teacher Continent might find itself forced to make the same decision as well in the distant future.

"Since we're on the topic... is that why the Master Teacher Continent lost its ability to support the birth of newer Ancient Sages?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Be it the Master Teacher Continent or the Kunxu Domain, not a single Ancient Sage had been born from ten thousand years back to before the recent emergence of the Temple of Confucius. Could this possibly be the reason?

"Well, overpopulation does play a part in that, but it isn't the primary reason," Ancient Sage Yan Qing replied. "As you might know, the Aeon of Ancient Sage is the necessary catalyst for any cultivator to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage. However, the Aeon of Ancient Sage is not something that naturally appears in the Master Teacher Continent nor the Kunxu Domain, or to be more exact, this entire world doesn't have the ability to create the Aeon of Ancient Sage... It is an energy that is unique to the Azure!

"The sealing of the heavy energy meant that the Aeon of Ancient Sage is unable to flow down to our world anymore. As such, with the birth of more and more Ancient Sages, it eventually came to a point where it dried out completely."

"You mean to say that the heavy spiritual energy contains the Aeon of Ancient Sage?" Zhang Xuan asked with raised eyebrows.

He had absorbed a sliver of it back when he was at the mountain range, but as soon as it entered his body, its weight had nearly crushed all of his meridians. This had forced him to seal all of his acupoints.

Yet, there was actually Aeon of Ancient Sage in it?

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan quietly absorbed a small bit of it.

The mercury-like energy felt as heavy as ever, but upon closer inspection, he did sense a hint of Aeon of Ancient Sage in it.

It was just a small amount, but as one absorbed more and more of it, it was only a matter of time before one overcame the Great Sage bottleneck and rose to become one of the top experts of the Master Teacher Continent!

But that was assuming one was able to assimilate this domineering energy.

Given how even he himself was unable to absorb it, he was not too hopeful for the other cultivators.

"There was no other choice. If we didn't seal the energy from the Azure, the Otherworldly Demons would only have grown stronger and stronger, eventually leading to the eradication of mankind. It was a decision our predecessors made after careful deliberation. It hasn't led to a good outcome, but it's the lesser of two evils," Ancient Sage Yan Qing explained bitterly.

Zhang Xuan also fell into deep contemplation.

There was no denying that the presence of more Ancient Sages was good news for mankind, but as long as they did not deal with the mercury-like energy, the greatest beneficiary would ultimately still be the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. As long as the mercury-like energy existed on the Master Teacher Continent, it was only a matter of time before the scales were tipped in the favor of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

Not to mention, there were deities from the Azure who could descend through the dimension barrier. The threat that they posed could not be underestimated either.

"Is it true that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe are the descendants of the Gods, just like the legends depict them to be?" Zhang Xuan asked out of curiosity.

Was it really just a problem in the compatibility of their constitution that meant they were unable to absorb the mercury-like energy whereas the Otherworldly Demons were able to?

"I don't really know the exact answer, but there are written quotes from Kong shi that suggest that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe are the descendants of an exiled God Tribe. He said that it's due to the scarce spiritual energy on the Master Teacher Continent that resulted in their severe weakening, and as long as they are supplied with pure spiritual energy, they will swiftly return to their former glory."

Speaking up to this point, Ancient Sage Yan Qing suddenly turned to the two caged youths and sighed deeply. "These two over there are perfect examples. They were ordinary Otherworldly Demons when they were first captured, but under the nourishment of the heavy spiritual energy from the Azure, they grew so much stronger within less than ten years. On top of that, their appearances have also become no different from those of ordinary humans."

Even the most talented human would have to cultivate for hundreds of years before reaching Sempiternal realm consummation. However, those Otherworldly Demons were actually able to reach such a height within a shorter period of time just by absorbing and assimilating the heavy spiritual energy.

It sure was frustrating!

"But if deities are able to pass through the dimension barrier to descend upon our world, we should also be able to ascend to the Azure through the same way, right?" Zhang Xuan asked as his heart leaped in agitation.

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Chapter 1900: Sacrifice

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The reason he had gone through so much effort to enter the Kunxu Domain was to find the passageway leading to the Azure in order to reach Luo Ruoxin.

Since there was a passageway above the elevated platform and the 'deities' were able to pass through, not to mention the fact that the mercury-like spiritual energy leaking out from the void came directly from the Azure, could that actually be the way he had been seeking all along?

"To be honest, I don't really know." Ancient Sage Yan Qing shook his head.

"I see... Then, do you know how Kong shi left the Kunxu Domain to enter the Azure?"

"Regarding that..." Ancient Sage Yan Qing's face reddened in embarrassment.

In truth, most of Kong shi's direct disciples did not even know of his departure back then, let alone a junior who came many generations later like him.

"It's only recorded in the books that shortly after Kong shi achieved a breakthrough to the Dimension Shatterer realm, he left this world. As for where he went, I'm afraid that it isn't recorded anywhere. However, our historians who investigated the matter deduced that there's a good chance that his disappearance had something to do with this seal!"

This time, it was Kong Shiyao who answered Zhang Xuan's question.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

From the looks of it, there was a good chance that the void above the elevated platform was the way into the Azure. However, with his current strength, he would not last long surrounded by the mercury-like spiritual energy. Perhaps the minimum requirement to doing so was to first reach the Dimension Shatterer realm.

Clearly, the current him still had much to work on!

"Zhang shi, pardon me, but I have a question for you. The seal on the Kunxu Domain was created by Kong shi himself, making it impossible for anyone to enter or leave. The reason we were able to enter the Master Teacher Continent previously was because we were able to tap into the power of the Temple of Confucius to temporarily breach the seal... So, how did you manage to get in here?" Ancient Sage Yan Qing asked with a doubtful frown.

This question made the others direct intrigued looks at Zhang Xuan.

It was an established fact among them that it was impossible for them to enter or leave the Kunxu Domain. The emergence of the Temple of Confucius had been the only exception to the rule in the past tens of thousands of years. However, it had been several months since the Temple of Confucius closed, so it should be impossible to exploit this loophole.

Given so, how did Zhang Xuan manage to get in there?

Feeling that there was no reason to hide this matter from them, Zhang Xuan replied honestly. "While I was visiting the Tianxuan Kingdom, I found a seal that was centered around Ancient Sage Ran Qiu. Out of curiosity, I broke the seal, and before I knew it, I was already in the Kunxu Domain."

"Wait a moment, did you say that you broke the seal? You broke that seal?"

Ancient Sage Yan Qing and the others shook in agitation.

"What's wrong?"

"Quick, let's head over to take a look!"

With no time to explain, Ancient Sage Yan Qing swiftly opened up a dimension rift and leaped in. The others quickly followed suit.

In just a moment's time, they had already arrived at where Zhang Xuan had entered the Kunxu Domain.

The seal was still standing firm, but the hole that Zhang Xuan and the others had entered through was gradually expanding. They could just about see black flames pressing firmly against the exterior of the Kunxu Domain, attempting to force its way in.

Zhang Xuan was taken aback. "What's going on here?"

He knew just how powerful the seal was, and he had needed to make use of the powerful Ordeal of Lightning Armament in order to open up a small hole to open. Why would there suddenly be such powerful black flames pressing against the seal?

Not to mention, they bore an uncanny resemblance to the Empyrean Heavenly Flames.

"This is the backlash from the heavens," Ancient Sage Yan Qing grimly explained.

"Backlash from the heavens?"

"While we have isolated the Kunxu Domain from the Master Teacher Continent, it still doesn't change the fact that they are actually one entity. What we are doing here, the cultivation of the Greensprout Wheat and the enhancement of the fundamental constitution of mankind, is going against the laws of nature, thus creating a distortion in this world.

"The reason Ancient Sage Ran Qiu's body was left outside is not just to sustain the seal; more than that, it's to prevent the heavens from peeking in! However, now that the heavens have learned of what we have done in the Kunxu Domain, they've sent down divine retribution to punish us and undo what we have done! At this rate, it won't be long before the Kunxu Domain is swallowed by the raging flames of the heavens' fury," Ancient Sage Yan Qing exclaimed worriedly.

Zhang Xuan's body stiffened.

Every world had its own rules, and these rules were enforced by the heavens. Anyone who tried to breach these rules would find themselves faced with the wrath of the heavens.

In a sense, this was similar to how cultivators attempting to push for higher realms would have to face heavenly tribulations.

Putting everything aside, in his previous world, Wang Mang, being a transmigrator, had attempted to change the world. But in the end, the heavens had sent down the Son of the Heavens, Liu Xiu, in retaliation, and the latter had easily destroyed everything that he had built.

The rules of the world could not be disregarded, and even Ancient Sages were no exception to the rule.

Zhang Xuan had thought that the reason no one was able to find the Kunxu Domain was due to the lofty Hundred Schools of Philosophers trying to steer clear from the rest of the world, but it turned out that their main goal was to conceal themselves from the detection of the heavens.

If people frequently entered and left the Kunxu Domain, it was only a matter of time before the heavens detected the existence of the Kunxu Domain. Once that happened, everything would be utterly destroyed, be it the Greensprout Wheat, the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, or even the domain itself.

Knowing that this was a catastrophe that he had caused, Zhang Xuan turned to Ancient Sage Yan Qing and asked, "Do you have any blueprints of it for me to mend the formation? I'll seal off the Kunxu Domain once to prevent the heavens from peeking in!"

"We do have the blueprint to the formation, but it's of no use!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing shook his head. "What has been breached isn't just this seal but the Illusory Formation that was set up outside too. Previously, if the heavens attempted to peer into the coffin, Kong shi's body would appear, which would lead the heavens to think that Kong shi has passed away, thus halting their investigation right there. However, the fact that the black flames have reached this seal means that the Illusory Formation has been undone. The heavens are already aware of everything. Any reparation work done now will only delay the inevitable!"

Zhang Xuan fell silent.

On his way to the Kunxu Domain, there had been two stone coffins. One of them contained Ancient Sage Ran Qiu's body, and it was used to maintain the Illusory Formation.

As for the second coffin, what Zheng Yang saw was Kong shi's corpse whereas what they saw was Zheng Yang himself. It was the breaking of the Illusory Formation that had brought the seal isolating the Kunxu Domain from the Master Teacher Continent to his attention.

With these two preventive measures breached, the 'eyes' of the heavens were already fixated on the Kunxu Domain. Even if they mended everything right now, it would make no difference at all.

"Is there nothing that can be done?"

"There's only one way out of this... We have to deceive the heavens once more, like Kong shi did!"

"Deceive the heavens?"

"Un. Back then, when Kong shi first developed the Kunxu Domain, a hint of the energy contained within leaked out, and it swiftly caught the heavens' attention. It was due to Ancient Sage Ran Qiu's willing sacrifice to sustain an Illusory Formation that they eventually managed to deceive and placate the heavens," Ancient Sage Yan Qing said grimly.

"There's only one way for us to resolve the problem... We have to find a Dimension Shatterer realm cultivator who is willing to sacrifice himself to die under the hands of the heavens. Using his death as a catalyst, we'll create an illusion of the entire Kunxu Domain falling into ruins. While the heavens punish those who have failed to abide by the laws of the world, it would be inaccurate to say that they are a sentient force. As long as our means are sufficiently convincing, there's a chance that we'll succeed!"

Those words made Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shoot up.

Be it in the entire Master Teacher Continent or the Kunxu Domain, there was not a single Dimension Shatterer realm expert still alive. While his strength paired with the Dragonbone Divine Spear was very close to that of a Dimension Shatterer realm cultivator, his core was simply too much different from that of a real Dimension Shatterer realm cultivator. The heavens would see through his disguise easily!

"I'll do it. I don't have long to live anyway. Even if I'm unable to fully deceive the heavens, I should at least be able to buy some time!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing sighed as he looked at the seal with determination.

"You?"

"Un. While my cultivation hasn't reached the Dimension Shatterer realm, it's very close to it. Through igniting my soul and my physical body, I should be able to temporarily draw forth a might comparable to Dimension Shatterer realm cultivators, and perhaps, I might be able to deceive the heavens temporarily through that!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing replied.

"Ignite your soul and physical body?" Kong Shiyao was startled. "But once your soul and physical body are destroyed, it will really be the end of you. There would be no way you will be able to come back to life!"

Upon reaching the Blood Reincarnation realm, even if one's physical body was torn apart, there was still a chance for one to revive. However, if he ignited his soul and body, he would really die through and through. There was nothing in this world that could bring back a dissipated soul, not even the Aeon of Ancient Sage.

"I know that, but as long as I can protect the Kunxu Domain, my death will not be in vain!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing replied.

As a human Ancient Sage, he had already resolved himself to sacrifice everything he had for the preservation of mankind. If his death could save many more people, his sacrifice would be worth it.

"Hold that thought for a moment. Let me take a look and see if there is any other way to resolve this situation!"

Seeing that Ancient Sage Yan Qing was going to rush over at any moment to give up his life for the greater good, Zhang Xuan walked up to the black flames with a frown and tapped his finger lightly on it.

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Chapter 1901: Become My Student!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Be careful, those are the Empyrean Flames!" Kong Shiyao shouted in horror.

The Empyrean Heavenly Flame was known to be able to burn down everything in the world. Given how it was able to burn down even the seal created by Kong shi, the young man was courting death by attempting to touch it directly with his fingers!

But before Kong Shiyao could finish her piece, Zhang Xuan's fingers had already fallen on the flames. The black flames twisted under the touch of his fingers, reminiscent of an embarrassed bride. It was almost as if the flames were meeting an old flame and trying to flirt with him.

Kong Shiyao's cheeks twitched in incredulity at what she was seeing.

Why did it feel like anything that Zhang Xuan touched would somehow become warped and tainted?

Despite being a Celestial Master Teacher, a person of equal standing to her great ancestor, he had a brick that relentlessly struck one's face and a spear that seemed to fancy tying everything in its path up. Furthermore, while he was fighting with the deity, he had no qualms striking the sensitive regions, be it the eyeballs, the neck, or even the crotch...

Anywhere an attack could slip through, one could expect no mercy from him. It was as if he knew nothing of common courtesy!

And the current situation only further confirmed her thoughts. Even the heavenly flames that everyone feared behaved in such a lewd manner under his touch...

What a frightening man this Zhang Xuan was!

Ignoring the shocked crowd, Zhang Xuan looked at the flames burning at his fingertips and asked, " Little Huohuo 1 , did Daodao 2 send you here?"

Seemingly comprehending Zhang Xuan's words, the black flames shook a little.

This etched a frown onto Zhang Xuan's forehead.

Based on the response from the Empyrean Heavenly Flames, it was clear that they had been dispatched by the heavens to destroy the Kunxu Domain.

If one viewed the Master Teacher Continent as a human's body, the heavens would be its immune system. Its role was to destroy all foreign objects and anomalies in order to ensure that everything followed its intended course. The presence of humans with exceptionally powerful constitutions in the Kunxu Domain could be viewed as a cancerous tumor, and to the heavens, it was something that had to be destroyed at all costs.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before slipping out of the hole to return to the Master Teacher Continent. Up in the sky, ominous clouds were gathering a devastating combo of lightning and flames at a terrifying rate, as if swearing to never rest until the Kunxu Domain was utterly destroyed.

Under Zhang Xuan's protection, Ancient Sage Yan Qing also managed to pass through the hole as well to come to the Master Teacher Continent.

Zhang Xuan turned to the old man behind him and asked, "You mentioned earlier that the death of a Dimension Shatterer realm cultivator can possibly deceive the heavens, right?"

"Un. That was the concept used for the formation that our predecessors set up back then!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing replied as he passed a jade token over.

Zhang Xuan took the jade token and swiftly browsed through its contents. Following which, with a flick of his wrist, a human silhouette materialized right in front of him.

"A deity? No, that's not right... You forged a deity into a Soulless Metal Humanoid?" Ancient Sage Yan Qing was nearly scared out of his wits.

The being that had just appeared in front of him was emanating an aura of ancient history. With just a glance, it was apparent that it had reached the Dimension Shatterer realm, boasting a strength that was on par with the deity whom they had fought with earlier!

To slay a deity from the Azure and forge him into a Soulless Metal Humanoid... This was almost blasphemy!

"Un!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Since things had progressed to this point, there was nothing for him to hide anymore. He drew his soul out from his body and slipped it into the Soulless Metal Humanoid.

With his means, he was still unable to enchant the Soulless Metal Humanoid. Thus, he could only drive it while his soul was within the Soulless Metal Humanoid.

This was a good opportunity for him to try his hand and see if it was really possible to imitate what Kong shi and his direct disciples had done back then to deceive the heavens.

Under Zhang Xuan's refinement, he had already shaped the Soulless Metal Humanoid to have an extremely high compatibility with his soul. As such, the prerequisites to conduct the process should have already been met.

Hong long!

As soon as Zhang Xuan's soul slipped into the Soulless Metal Humanoid, the ominous clouds immediately gathered around his body. Everyone's eyes lit up in agitation as they clenched their fists tightly in excitement. It seemed like things were going to work out after all!

But a moment later, the ominous clouds abruptly dispersed from Zhang Xuan, as if having lost interest in him.

"What's going on here?" Zhang Xuan was surprised to see that things were not proceeding in the direction that he had expected.

Based on what was stated on the jade token, the appearance of a Dimension Shatterer realm cultivators should have drawn the wrath of the heavens upon him. Then, through a carefully designed ploy, he would put on a facade and substitute himself as the Kunxu Domain, and eventually, he would die in place of it.

But contrary to his expectations, the heavenly retribution was shunning him. This put him at a loss as to what to do.

"I think I get it..."

After recovering from a momentary daze, Ancient Sage Yan Qing's eyes widened in realization. With a dismayed shake of his head, he explained, "The Soulless Metal Humanoid you have possessed is a deity from the Azure. It isn't an indigenous being of this world, and the heavens are able to sense the difference..."

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before nodding in response.

Based on what he had seen so far, it seemed like the heavens had double standards. They did not hesitate to punish the indigenous population under their rule, but against foreign beings who exceeded their knowledge, it would hesitate to make a move.

The deity that he had forged into a Soulless Metal Humanoid originated from the Azure, making him an existence that was anomalous to the world. As such, the heavens of the Master Teacher Continent were hesitant to make a move on him.

It was also for this reason that the two deities did not come under the attack of the heavens despite having slipped through the dimension barrier. If it had been one of the indigenous cultivators of the Master Teacher Continent, there was no doubt that the heavens would have struck that person with everything they had to reduce them to ashes!

"Is there anything else we can do?" Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless.

In the end, even though the heavens were said to be impartial and unfeeling to all, the truth was that they were just a bully who feared the strong.

For example, even though Luo Ruoxin's very presence posed a huge threat to the world, the heavens chose to only drive her away forcefully, not daring to provoke her through heavenly flames or lightning bolts.

That question obviously stumped Ancient Sage Yan Qing. He was silent for a moment before he proposed, "Zhang shi, try leaving the Soulless Metal Humanoid for a moment!"

He had no idea what they could do either, so they could only give everything a try in hopes that something would work out.

Hearing the suggestion, Zhang Xuan quickly extracted his soul from the Soulless Metal Humanoid and began to return to his main body.

Perhaps due to the heavens sensing that the consciousness within the Soulless Metal Humanoid earlier had departed from it, the heavens began gathering around it once more.

"But this won't work either..." Zhang Xuan scratched his hair in distress.

He had to be within the Soulless Metal Humanoid to drive it in order to facilitate the entire process of deceiving the heavens. Given that he was unable to control the Soulless Metal Humanoid remotely, this plan was a flop as well.

"If this doesn't work, I could try to refine the other corpse of the deity that I have in my storage ring right now..."

But as Zhang Xuan spoke, his voice gradually faded into silence.

He did have another deity corpse in his storage ring that he had not refined yet. However, the corpse had to be first refined into a Soulless Metal Humanoid in order to catch the attention of the heavens, but the refinement process was not something that could be accomplished within a short period of time.

"We can't refine the other Soulless Metal Humanoids in time, and there are no indigenous Dimension Shatterer realm experts. What else can we do?"

Watching the black flames assault the seal to the Kunxu Domain relentlessly, Zhang Xuan racked his brain at such a ferocious speed that it seemed as if sparks were going to fly from his head.

A thought flashed across Zhang Xuan's mind.

Right, the Library of Heaven's Path! The Library of Heaven's Path represents the will of the heavens... Given so, is it possible for me to use the golden page to bend the will of the heavens?

However, there was an issue with this course of action as well. He had used his only golden page to smash the deity summoned by Sovereign Chen Ling back then.

Furthermore, the requirements to produce a golden page were uncertain. So far, he only knew that he needed someone to acknowledge him as his teacher and be earnestly grateful to him for his impartation. Nevertheless, he had to give it a try.

Thus, he turned to Kong Shiyao and earnestly asked, "You... Are you willing to acknowledge me as your teacher?"

"What? No way!" Kong Shiyao replied without any hesitation.

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Chapter 1902: Prophet

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Awkward.

Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

The others who were present there, such as Ancient Sage Yan Qing, were beings who had lived for more than ten thousand years. It would be difficult to win them over in a moment's time, especially given the fact that they had once had a conflict with one another. The same went for Yan Xue. Thus, he deemed Kong Shiyao to be the one that he could most likely win over.

Of course, he did not expect that he would be rejected in an instant.

In truth, it was understandable why Kong Shiyao was reluctant to take Zhang Xuan as her teacher. The fact that she possessed Kong shi's bloodline and had inherited Kong shi's lineage meant that she was already standing on the shoulders of a giant. Not even Ancient Sage Yan Qing was qualified to be her teacher, let alone others!

It did not make a difference even if the person asking was a Celestial Master Teacher.

She admitted that her talent might be beneath that of Zhang Xuan, but she had at least this much of pride in herself.

"This matter concerns whether or not we will be able to resolve the crisis concerning the Kunxu Domain," Zhang Xuan insisted. "Furthermore, I have no plans of accepting you as my direct disciple. You just have to acknowledge me as your teacher!"

Based on his previous encounters, as long as the other party sincerely acknowledged him as his teacher and was grateful for his teachings, there was a chance that the golden page would form. It did not matter whether the other party was his direct disciple or not.

"How can me acknowledging you as my teacher resolve the current problem we are facing?" Kong Shiyao frowned.

If not for the fact that the young man had just slain a deity and saved the Hundred Schools of Philosophers from a huge crisis, she would have thought that he was a scammer!

"Why don't we do this for now? I'll give you some pointers on your cultivation, and as for whether you are willing to acknowledge me as your teacher or not, I'll leave it up to you."

Looking at the swiftly gathering ominous clouds above him, Zhang Xuan knew that the heavenly retribution was just moments away from descending. It was clear that time was not on his side, so he had no time to waste convincing Kong Shiyao.

Besides, putting aside the fact that he was not willing to reveal the existence of the Library of Heaven's Path, if he had to make Kong Shiyao acknowledge him as her teacher using such a method, it was unlikely for her feelings to be truly sincere. If so, that could affect the chances of the formation of the golden page.

Thus, without waiting for Kong Shiyao's response, he began speaking. "Flowing in your body is the purest bloodline of Kong shi in the past thousand years. You are able to master any battle technique and cultivation technique in the blink of an eye, and the rate of your cultivation far exceeds that of ordinary people as well. Furthermore, if I'm not mistaken, even though it has only been three years since your cultivation has reached Sempiternal realm consummation, you have already faced three Ancient Sage Ordeals thus far, but you chose to suppress your cultivation instead of pushing straight for a breakthrough!"

Kong Shiyao nodded as she waited patiently for Zhang Xuan to continue on with whatever he was going to say.

Nothing that Zhang Xuan had mentioned thus far could be considered a secret. Most of those who were close to her knew all of that. Considering Zhang Xuan's means as a Celestial Master Teacher, it should not have been too difficult for him to uncover such information.

"With each Ancient Sage Ordeal you faced, your cultivation did grow stronger, and it will play a vital role in determining whether you are able to struggle free from the restraints of the heavens and achieve a breakthrough to the Dimension Shatterer realm in the future. However, you probably noticed that a problem has arisen as a result of your multiple attempted breakthroughs," Zhang Xuan said.

"The power of the Ancient Sage Ordeal has already melded into your core. Your body still contains traces of the energies from the multiple Ancient Sage Ordeals that you have been through, and this buildup of unassimilable energies eventually became a bottleneck to your cultivation. You challenged the Ancient Sage Ordeal three times within the short span of a year two years ago, but ever since then, you haven't attempted anything at all. I think it's worth questioning why you chose to delay the fourth Ancient Sage Ordeal for two whole years. Based on what I'm seeing, I would say that it's not because you don't want to do it but because you dare not to..."

As if Zhang Xuan had struck dead on, Kong Shiyao's face turned frighteningly pale. She subconsciously took a step back as she stared at Zhang Xuan with eyes enlarged wide.

This matter had been the deepest secret in her heart, and she had not dared speak of it. She did not think that a young man whom she had just met would actually expose it in a few moments.

When she first reached the Sempiternal realm three years ago, she had dreamt of emulating her predecessor's greatness and attempted three Ancient Sage Ordeals...

Her first three Ancient Sage Ordeals had been fraught with danger, but she had eventually managed to overcome them with her tenacity. But after the third Ancient Sage Ordeal, to her horror, she found that the energies from the Ancient Sage Ordeals had already seeped into her bones. No matter how she tried to cleanse her body, she was unable to get rid of them!

Her gut feeling told her that if she attempted another Ancient Sage Ordeal and allowed the energies scourging her body to continue building up, there was a good chance that her consciousness would be corroded by the energies, causing her to lose herself. In the worst-case scenario, she might even be assimilated to become a part of the heavenly tribulation itself.

It was this deep fear that had led to her to stop her breakthrough despite having overcome three Ancient Sage Ordeals within the short span of a year. Two years had passed since then, and she had not managed to find a suitable solution. However, her physical condition had been deteriorating as she began to lose control over the energies scourging her body.

She had browsed through countless books, hoping to find a solution to purge her of this trouble, but her efforts were to no avail. However, to hear Zhang Xuan pointing everything out spot-on at this moment... could it be possible that he had a solution to her woes?

As if he was able to read her mind, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. "Since I can see through your problem, it goes without saying that I have a solution for it. You should be able to tell that I, like you, have overcome multiple Ancient Sage Ordeals, but I am not plagued by the issue that afflicts you!"

Kong Shiyao nodded vigorously as the same realization dawned upon her, and hope rekindled in the depths of her eyes.

Just like her, the young man standing before her was at the Sempiternal realm, but he was actually able to fight on equal footing with Dimension Shatterer realm cultivators.

Other than the fact that he was a Celestial Master Teacher, it was likely that he had faced multiple Ancient Sage Ordeals while suppressing his cultivation, or else there was no way he could have become so powerful.

"If I may... how can my affliction be resolved? If you are really able to solve my problem, I am more than willing to acknowledge you as my teacher!" Kong Shiyao exclaimed in agitation.

As long as her affliction was resolved, with her foundation of having overcome four Ancient Sage Ordeals, she was confident that she would be able to catch up with her ancestor and eventually reach the Dimension Shatterer realm!

With such strength, even if problems cropped up with the seal once more, she would have the strength to resolve them by herself.

Perhaps, she might even follow her predecessor's footsteps and enter a higher dimension, rising through the ranks!

"The problem is actually very simple. Unlike the cultivators on the Master Teacher Continent, the energy required to form the cultivation ordeals within the Kunxu Domain comes not from the heavens but the energy existent in the Kunxu Domain. As the Kunxu Domain was constructed by Kong shi, this world harnesses his energy within it. To any other cultivator, this fact wouldn't make a difference at all, but unfortunately, you share the same power origin as Kong shi, which resulted in your inability to expel the energies from the Ancient Sage Ordeal, as well as your gradual assimilation with it!" Zhang Xuan explained.

The Kunxu Domain had two major seals to prevent the heavens from peeking in, so it went without saying that the Ancient Sage Ordeals that Kong Shiyao had undergone did not come from the heavens.

From the looks of it, it was likely that Kong shi had implemented the system of cultivation ordeals within the Kunxu Domain as well.

It should have worked out fine for any other cultivator, but that was not the case for Kong Shiyao. While the energies of the Ancient Sage Ordeal came from the same origin, their violent nature rendered her unable to fully control them. At the same time, she was unable to fully remove them as they fused perfectly with her body, thus leading to their gradual buildup with every Ancient Sage Ordeal that she went through.

Over time, they formed a threat that she simply could not ignore anymore.

"What should I do?" Kong Shiyao asked worriedly.

The realization of the root of the problem made her realize how difficult it would be to cure her of her affliction, and she began to worry if she would be unable to resolve it for life.

"Well, the solution is rather simple and straightforward as well. All you have to do is challenge the Ancient Sage Ordeal on the Master Teacher Continent. Of course, given your current accumulation, I don't deny that you face a huge danger in doing so. At this current juncture, you have two options ahead of you. If you choose not to push for a breakthrough, as your zhenqi further builds up, you will eventually lose your opportunity to make a breakthrough. On the other hand, if you do push for a breakthrough, considering that you have never come into contact with the lightning tribulation of the Master Teacher Continent before, even I am unable to fully predict what will happen as a result of that," Zhang Xuan explained with a knowing smile.

"However, if you acknowledge me as your teacher, I'll teach you a method that will allow you to overcome your Ancient Sage Ordeal with certainty!"

"This..." Seeing that there was no other way out of this, Kong Shiyao decisively kneeled down and kowtowed several times. "Alright, I'll acknowledge you as my teacher. I hope that you will save me from my plight!"

Zhang Xuan took a look at the Library of Heaven's Path and saw that no golden page had been produced yet. Knowing that Kong Shiyao's feelings were not yet earnest, he sighed deeply and said, "Overcoming the Ancient Sage Ordeal on the Master Teacher Continent isn't tough at all. The key lies in that you mustn't think of it as a burden but a family member. You need to love it, care for it, consider its needs, feel its presence, give it your warmth and concern..."

"..." Kong Shiyao's face twisted in incredulity, and at that very moment, she really wanted to bust the head of the fellow standing before her.

Somehow, she felt as if she had just been scammed.

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Chapter 1903: Kong Shiyao's Breakthrough (1)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Cough cough! Zhang shi, the main point!"

Even Ancient Sage Yan Qing could not bear looking on.

The Ancient Sage Ordeal was one of the greatest crises a cultivator would face. Even with ample Aeon of Ancient Sage, if one did not possess top-notch talent, it would be impossible to achieve a breakthrough.

The reason that Kong Shiyao was able to make a breakthrough was partly because she was allocated with a more generous portion of the resources in the Kunxu Domain due to her standing as a descendant of Kong shi. Even though the Aeon of Ancient Sage had already run out in the other clans, they were still able to preserve a hint of it for her.

Even so, every breakthrough that she had gone through was no different from walking on thin ice. One wrong step, and she would have plunged into the abyss of despair. Yet, that fellow was telling her to treat the cultivation ordeal like a family member and show care and concern for it...

Do you take me for a fool?

Do you really expect me to accept the nonsense you are spouting over here?

"It seems like you doubt my words." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He turned to the ominous clouds in the sky and grabbed.

A lightning bolt was immediately torn away from the heavenly retribution.

Kacha! Kacha!

The lightning bolt struggled, wanting to escape from Zhang Xuan's grasp, but to no avail.

Zhang Xuan stroked the lightning bolt gently and said, "Good boy, good boy..."

His voice was tender, as if he was calming down an angry pet.

In the face of Zhang Xuan's soothing strokes, the struggling lightning bolt hesitated for a moment before the tension gradually left its body. Slowly, it seeped through Zhang Xuan's skin and entered his body.

Kong Shiyao and the others were stupefied by what they had just witnessed.

Was this really possible?

It had to be a joke, right?

"See, that's how you do it. Love is the key to everything. Instead of resisting it, you have to embrace and allow it into you. That's how you can win its trust and make it listen to you," Zhang Xuan explained as he flicked his wrist, and the bolt of lightning appeared once more.

He stroked the lightning bolt lightly, as if coaxing a purring cat lying on his arms.

As unbelievable the sight before their eyes was, it raised a doubt in their minds.

Was it really possible to overcome the Ancient Sage Ordeal in such a manner?

If so, why had no one done so in the past tens of thousands of years?

"Considering how powerful the cultivation ordeal is, who would dare treat it as a pet? Trust me, nothing will go wrong! Later on, after you summon the Ancient Sage Ordeal, open up all of the acupoints in your body and absorb it fearlessly. You mustn't show the slightest hint of rejection! Remember, you must use your heart to feel the other party," Zhang Xuan explained. "As long as you are able to do all of this, I guarantee you that you won't face any problem clearing your Ancient Sage Ordeal!"

Kong Shiyao was still a little worried.

No matter how she looked at it, the other party's words simply sounded like pure cow manure to her...

"Do you not trust me, or do you not have faith in yourself? If you don't believe that you are able to clear your fourth Ancient Sage Ordeal, you should just drop the idea right now and remain a Sempiternal realm cultivator for the rest of your life!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand in disappointment.

"I have always respected Kong shi for the great man he was, and I thought that his descendant would be as valiant and fearless as him. I guess it was wrong of me to assume that his descendant would have inherited his courage..."

"Don't bother taunting me!" Kong Shiyao harrumphed. "Humph, the worst that can happen is death anyway. Let me tell you this—we of the Kong Clan have never feared anything before! Fine, tell me what I should do!"

Seeing that he had managed to goad Kong Shiyao into it, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. He swiftly provided Kong Shiyao with the exact instructions of what she should do after summoning the Ancient Sage Ordeal, though the crux of it was pretty similar to what he had said earlier.

After summoning the Ancient Sage Ordeal, she should not resist it. She needed to draw it into her acupoints and meridians and use her heart to feel it...

Hearing those words once more, Kong Shiyao cringed as her goosebumps rose up.

Even though it sounded like utter nonsense, she eventually decided to take a leap of faith and go along with. Gritting her teeth, she said, "I'll give it a try!"

Ignoring Ancient Sage Yan Qing's objection, she flew into the air in preparation for summoning the Ancient Sage Ordeal.

"Don't do it here! Let's find a remote location!"

Currently, they were right in the midst of the Tianxuan Kingdom, and if Kong Shiyao summoned the Ancient Sage Ordeal there, everything in the area could very well be annihilated. Thus, Zhang Xuan quickly stopped her and urged her elsewhere.

They quickly left the area, and a few breaths later, they were standing in the middle of an empty mountain range some distance away from the Tianxuan Kingdom.

Zhang Xuan and the others chose to stand at a distance of twenty li away to spectate the process.

Huhu!

Without any hesitation, Kong Shiyao drove the energy in her body to her limits and released the entirety of her aura at once, inducing the surroundings to rumble as if an earthquake was happening.

It took a mere instant for her to catch the attention of the heavens. Ominous clouds billowed as the lightning bolts and heavenly flames that had gathered around the entrance of the Kunxu Domain surrounded her, ready to tear her into shreds at any moment.

"What the..."

It was almost as if she was watching a beansprout growing insanely huge right before her eyes. Things were definitely not going the way she had expected!

Ancient Sage Yan Qing turned to Zhang Xuan and nervously asked, "Zhang shi, can she really tame and love such a powerful cultivation ordeal?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Of course not!" Zhang Xuan turned to Ancient Sage Yan Qing and looked at him as if he was a fool.

"Of course not?"

Hearing such a response, the crowd nearly collapsed on the spot.

Weren't you the one who was trying to convince us just a moment ago that the power of love is omnipotent?

How can you be so fickle as to change your mind the very next instant?

"The Ancient Sage Ordeal is the heavens' punishment toward the cultivators," Zhang Xuan replied. "A sinner trying to tame an enforcer... how could that be possible? What using one's heart to feel the cultivation ordeal and shower it with love and concern? All of that was just something I spouted on a whim!"

"Words you spouted on a whim... B-but... Shiyao is facing the Ancient Sage Ordeal... She'll die like this!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing nearly exploded on the spot.

Even jokes should have a limit!

Kong Shiyao was the only one among Kong shi's descendants who had a bloodline purity of '8'. If he allowed her to die just like that, he would never be able to face his predecessors!

"Calm down, I have no intention of leaving Kong Shiyao to die. Just wait and see!" Zhang Xuan assured the nervous crowd with a confident smile.

At that moment, the power building up amid the dark clouds finally reached its tipping point, and ferocious lightning bolts and blazing heavenly flames rained down upon her.

Kacha!

The sheer amount of energy formed a devastating tower of flames and lightning that shrouded everything within a diameter of several hundred meters.

"Damn it! If that fellow is able to do it, why can't I do it too?" Kong Shiyao cursed under her breath as she felt her muscles tensing under the pressurizing might above her.

Her zhenqi instinctively bubbled within her body, ready to burst forth to fend off the devastating energy. However, at the very last moment, she forcefully suppressed every last bit of her strength.

Screw it all!

Just thinking about the smug knowing smile on his face made her boil with rage... If she really died, she will never let that b*stard off even as a ghost!

Boom boom boom!

As the pillar of terrifying energy engulfed Kong Shiyao, everyone in the area closed their eyes in trepidation, not daring to see what was about to happen. They did not think that their hearts would be able to take it if they saw the young lady being torn to shreds under the cultivation ordeal!

However, as they waited and waited, there was no desperate cry of agony or anything of the sort. Perplexed, they looked over, and what they saw left them stunned.

At that very moment, the young lady was indeed engulfed by heavenly flames and lightning bolts. But instead of desperately trying to resist this destructive energy, her acupoints were wide open as she accepted the energy into her body without any hesitation.

Unlike what most had expected, the destructive energy did not cause any damage or explode within her body. It simply sat quietly in her meridians, almost as if it had been domesticated.

This... What in the world had happened?

Everyone looked at the young man before them with indescribable looks on their faces.

Did he not just say that it was all lies? If so, what was happening?

If Kong Shiyao was able to do it... should they give it a try as well?

At that moment, the Sempiternal realm consummation Xue Yan felt deeply tempted.

"Zhang shi..." With his curiosity getting the better of him, Ancient Sage Yan Qing asked, "Just what is going on here?"

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Chapter 1904: Kong Shiyao's Breakthrough (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Instead of answering Ancient Sage Yan Qing's question, Zhang Xuan turned to Xue Yan and shattered his hopes. "You won't be able to do it. If you try to do the same, you'll be struck to death on the spot!"

"Why can't I do it?" Xue Yan frowned in indignance.

"It's not just you. Even I would be unable to emulate what Kong Shiyao has just done!" Zhang Xuan replied. "Kong Shiyao possesses Kong shi's bloodline, and she grew up in the Kunxu Domain. After the cultivation ordeals she has been through, it's no exaggeration to say that a part of the Kunxu Domain exists within her."

The crowd pondered for a moment before nodding.

It was mentioned earlier that after Kong Shiyao's three Ancient Sage Ordeals, her body was already suffused with the energies from the cultivation ordeals.

If she attempted a fourth breakthrough in the Kunxu Domain, it was likely that she would have been assimilated by the energies building up within her.

"And the very existence of the Kunxu Domain is something that is not permissible by the heavens of the Master Teacher Continent!" Zhang Xuan continued. "If she had attempted to resist the cultivation ordeal, she would have incurred the wrath of the heavens, and that would have only placed her in a worse position. The more she struggled, the worse the position she would have found herself in!

"There's no denying that the heavens wanted to punish Kong Shiyao for attempting a breakthrough, but more than that, they were more desperate to destroy the trace of the Kunxu Domain that exists within her.

"Trying to push off the cultivation ordeal would be equivalent to hindering the heavens' enforcement of the natural laws, and that would have placed her in a worse position. The heavens would surely have struck her again and again until she was finally destroyed!

"However, by opening her acupoints and allowing the lightning bolts and heavenly flames in instead, it's equivalent to allowing the enforcers in to do what they needed to do. This has reduced her sins significantly, thus reducing the heavenly retribution falling upon on her. On top of that, she can make use of this opportunity to clear away the energies accumulated within her body, thus killing two birds with one stone!"

"This..."

Everyone's teeth clattered in shock.

From how the heavens of the Master Teacher Continent were so determined to destroy the Kunxu Domain, it was apparent that the two of them were at odds with one another.

Yet, Zhang Xuan was able to sharply discern this and use it to his advantage, thus wearing the heavenly retribution down through such a method.

This was an extremely risky gamble. If anything had gone wrong, everything would have swiftly descended into a tragedy.

While Ancient Sage Yan Qing was amazed by the feat, he could not help but harbor some reservations toward this risky plan. "In a sense, this is similar to countering poison with poison... But if the two energies weren't enough to nullify one another, wouldn't Shiyao be placed in a terrible position?"

It was one of those things that were simple in theory but hard to execute.

There was a fixed amount of accumulated energies within Kong Shiyao's body. If she had absorbed too little of the heavenly retribution, she would not be able to clear the energies away entirely. But if she absorbed too much, it could lead to her death.

"That's why I told her to feel with her heart, didn't I?" Zhang Xuan said. "As Kong shi's descendant, the number one genius of the Kunxu Domain, if she isn't even capable of carrying out such basic estimations and controlling how much of the heavenly retribution she has taken in, I will really have nothing to say! If that's all she has, even if she survives this ordeal, I must say that she won't be able to go too far in the future!"

It was not out of boredom that Zhang Xuan had spun up an old wives' tale to deceive Kong Shiyao. If he had revealed the truth to her at the start, her mind would have been preoccupied with other things, and that might have caused her to lose focus on her own body. That would have led to an adverse effect instead.

"This..." Coming to understand the entire situation, the crowd could not help but direct impressed looks at the young man.

His grasp over states of mind, the nature of the heavenly tribulation, and the capabilities of those involved... Everything was in his field of calculation, and he had managed to pull it off impeccably.

As expected of a Celestial Master Teacher! His abilities far surpassed even those of the Ancient Sages!

...

While everyone else was awestruck after hearing the young man's explanation, up in the sky, Kong Shiyao, who had experienced everything firsthand, was fully convinced of the young man's capabilities. Even though this Celestial Master Teacher seemed to be even younger than her, there was no doubt that he was the real deal.

Even though she had not heard the explanation, she already vaguely understood the intentions behind the young man's actions.

As the lightning bolts and heavenly flames from the Ancient Sage Ordeal washed through her body, all of the energies that she had built up back in the Kunxu Domain were slowly being neutralized and destroyed!

Even though two forces were colliding with one another within her body, her body remained perfectly fine. Not only so, through examining the powers within her body, she was able to further deepen her understanding of the world.

Time slowly ticked by, and soon enough, the energies from the past Ancient Sage Ordeals accumulated within her body had finally been eradicated. Kong Shiyao knew that this was the moment for her to stop, so she decisively sealed all of her acupoints and ignited her bloodline.

"Dissipate!" she commanded.

Word of Law!

At that moment, the Ancient Sage Ordeal that she had summoned weakened significantly, such that it was no longer a match for her. At her command, an entire half of the ominous clouds in the sky dissipated, and the rest were gradually following suit.

Hong long long!

With the departure of the ominous clouds, the young lady released all of her suppressed powers. She crushed all of the bottlenecks in her cultivation and reached Ancient Sage in a breath.

Furthermore, due to the deep accumulation of her cultivation, she did not stop right after her breakthrough. Instead, her cultivation continued charging forth.

Bloodline Continuance realm primary stage!

Bloodline Continuance realm intermediate stage!

...

In a few moments, she had already reached Ancient Sage 1-dan Bloodline Continuance realm consummation!

And after which...

Great Philosopher realm primary stage!

Great Philosopher realm intermediate stage!

...

Great Philosopher realm consummation!

In less than a minute, her cultivation soared to Great Philosopher realm consummation stage before gradually receding.

"Incredible," Ancient Sage Yan Qing muttered in admiration.

For most of their breakthroughs to Ancient Sage, they would usually stop right at Bloodline Continuance primary stage. Even the most talented of them all only managed to push up to intermediate stage before losing the drive.

However, Kong Shiyao had actually leaped two realms up in a single breath, reaching Great Philosopher realm consummation.

Such a feat had never been achieved in the past tens of thousands of years in the Kunxu Domain!

It's all due to this young man that Shiyao was able to make such a huge leap in her cultivation, Ancient Sage Yan Qing thought in wonderment as he turned to look at Zhang Xuan.

But at that moment, Zhang Xuan was looking at the young lady in the sky with a dissatisfied look on his face. "Continue to push on. With your accumulation, you should be able to push for a breakthrough to the Blood Reincarnation realm!"

"Blood Reincarnation realm?" Kong Shiyao was stunned. She quickly shook her head and replied, "I have already reached my limits. I don't have enough energy in me to push for another breakthrough anymore..."

Even though she had made great accumulation by suppressing her cultivation through four Ancient Sage Ordeals, she knew that she had already struck her limit by pushing to Ancient Sage 2-dan consummation in a single sitting. She did not think that she would be able to push any further than that.

"Limits? Those are mental constructs that you impose on yourself!" Zhang Xuan remarked as he flicked a droplet of blood toward Kong Shiyao. "Swallow it!"

"Yes!"

By that point, Kong Shiyao was completely trusting of Zhang Xuan. Without any hesitation, she swallowed the droplet of blood.

As soon as the droplet of blood slid down her throat, she immediately felt a burning heat inside of her threatening to combust her from the inside.

"Is this the blood of the deity?" Kong Shiyao widened her eyes.

She had absorbed quite a few blood essences of Blood Reincarnation realm cultivators over the years, and it was for that reason that she was able to make such incredible accomplishments despite your young age. However, the blood essence that the young man had just given her was much more potent than anything she had swallowed before. In terms of power, it was at least ten times greater than the Blood Reincarnation realm blood essences that she had swallowed!

There was only one possibility for this... It was the blood of a Dimension Shatterer realm cultivator!

To think that the young man would willingly give something so invaluable to her...

Kong Shiyao's face reddened in a mixture of agitation and gratitude, but she knew that this was not the time for her thoughts to be wondering. She quickly drove her zhenqi to assimilate the energy from the blood essence.

An hour later, she shattered her bottleneck once more and successfully advanced to the Blood Reincarnation realm. Her cultivation eventually came to a halt at the intermediate stage.

Feeling the energy pulsating through her body, Kong Shiyao swiftly flew over to Zhang Xuan and kneeled down before him.

"Teacher!"

This time, her feelings of gratitude and respect were truly earnest.

Weng!

Zhang Xuan's head jolted as a golden page appeared in the Library of Heaven's Path.

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Chapter 1905: Little Junior

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The main reason Zhang Xuan wanted to accept Kong Shiyao as his direct disciple was to form the golden page, and his goal had finally been achieved.

"Get up!" Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief as he helped the young lady up.

With this, he should be able to resolve the crisis surrounding the Kunxu Domain.

"Teacher!"

"Is that our Little Junior?"

Zhang Xuan turned his head around and saw Zhao Ya and his other direct disciples looking at him in agitation.

Kong Shiyao's Ancient Sage Ordeal had caused such a massive phenomenon to occur, shaking the entire Tianxuan Kingdom. As Ancient Sage cultivators, there was no way Zhao Ya and the others would not be alarmed by the happenings.

"Little Junior?" Kong Shiyao was a little conflicted to hear that term.

She was the number one genius of the Kunxu Domain, a descendant of Kong shi... To call a bunch of youths younger than her 'senior', she really could not bring herself to do it.

Just as Kong Shiyao was at a loss as to what to do, Zhang shi suddenly spoke up. "She can't be considered your junior yet. She isn't my direct disciple but a normal student that I have accepted."

"A normal student that you have accepted..." Kong Shiyao's body trembled at those words.

It was just a moment ago that she had thought that it would be incredibly awkward being their Little Junior, but Zhang Xuan spoke as if she did not even have the rights to be their Little Junior...

She turned to glare at Zhang Xuan with gritted teeth, wanting to protest against that clear insult, only to have Zhang shi turn to her and ask, "Do you think that I am humiliating you?"

Knowing that it would be improper for her to challenge her teacher publicly, she swallowed her indignation and lowered her head. "I wouldn't dare!"

Nevertheless, the clenched fists by her side fully expressed her true feelings. As the phoenix of the Kunxu Domain, she felt that it was ridiculous that she did not even have the right to become the Little Junior of a bunch of youths.

"It's fine, there's no need to hold back before me. I know your thoughts. Why don't we do this then? Zhao Ya is my direct disciple, and in terms of age, she's much younger than you," Zhang Xuan said as he gestured toward Zhao Ya. "Without any weapons in hand, the two of you will just fight with your raw strength. If you are able to win against her, I'll accept you as my direct disciple and allow you to become their senior!"

"Very well!" Caught up in the moment, Kong Shiyao looked at Zhao Ya with fighting will burning in her eyes.

The other party appeared to be eighteen or so, which made the other party much younger than her. If she could not even defeat such an opponent, what right did she have to be Kong shi's descendant?

After receiving Kong Shiyao's approval, Zhang Xuan turned to look at Zhao Ya and said, "Just do what you usually do, and it will be enough."

"Yes!" Zhao Ya replied with a nod before moving toward the empty clearing ahead. With a polite gesture, she invited Kong Shiyao forward. "Please!"

Kong Shiyao also quickly walked over.

There was no exchange of words or taunting before the battle started, but with their dignity on their line, a tense and competitive atmosphere could be felt between the two.

Kong Shiyao did not use her bloodline ability, but as a top-notch genius and a Blood Reincarnation realm cultivator, she executed innumerable battle techniques one after another impeccably, making her movements appear like an elegant dance.

On the other hand, Zhao Ya activated her unique constitution, causing a cold aura to grip the entire area. Beautiful snowflakes fell from the sky as a result of her ability.

Her cultivation had reached Ancient Sage 2-dan Great Philosopher realm primary stage after the attempted assassination on the newly inaugurated Sovereign Chen Yong a month back.

However, over the past month, she had received her teacher's direct pointers and an ample supply of Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sage blood, which had allowed her to reinforce her foundations to their limits and eventually reach Great Philosopher realm consummation. While she had not made too many breakthroughs within this period of time, it would be foolish if one simply assessed her by her cultivation.

It was true that there was a fatal rift between her and Kong Shiyao's cultivation, but through her strong foundations and her deep understanding of battle, she was actually able to stand her ground against Kong Shiyao's pressing offense.

The intense battle proceeded, and gradually, one could see anxiety seeping into Kong Shiyao's eyes.

There should have been an absolute gap in their strength, given her higher cultivation realm and her prowess as Kong shi's descendant. Yet, in a fair battle where both of them were wielding no weapons, she was actually unable to claim the upper hand.

How in the world did Zhang Xuan's eighteen-year-old or something direct disciple become so powerful?

This won't do. At this rate, even if I win, my honor will be sullied...

She wanted to prove that her talents were far beyond any of Zhang Xuan's direct disciples, but if it was so difficult for her to defeat Zhao Ya despite her higher cultivation, it would actually be no different from suffering a defeat.

Clenching her teeth tightly, she abruptly changed her movement technique, and in an instant, many afterimages of her appeared on the battlefield.

This was the battle technique that Kong shi had specially created for his descendants, as well as the strongest skill that she had at the moment... Massacre of the Eight Arms!

Deng deng deng!

Innumerable attacks flew forth from the seemingly omnipresent Kong Shiyao at a rapid pace. It was not long before Zhao Ya was cornered, and she was forced to retreat again and again.

While Kong Shiyao had just achieved a breakthrough, there was no questioning that she was someone who had been through four Ancient Sage Ordeals, making her an exceptionally powerful existence even among Blood Reincarnation realm cultivators. If not for Zhao Ya's superior combat experience, she would have already lost.

"Don't panic. You are only lacking in absolute strength at the moment... Since that's the case, all you have to do is achieve a breakthrough!"

With a flick of his finger, Zhang Xuan sent a droplet of the blood essence of the deity over to Zhao Ya.

Hu!

Swallowing the blood droplet, Zhao Ya's cultivation immediately began surging.

Hong long!

In less than twenty breaths, she had already overcome her current bottleneck to reach the Blood Reincarnation realm.

With the tremendous surge in her strength as a result of her breakthrough, she released a burst of cold energy that swiftly sent Kong Shiyao flying into the distance before crashing onto the ground.

"I have lost," Kong Shiyao muttered with a pale face.

She still had many more moves that she had not used, and she knew that she definitely would have been able to win if she had used her bloodline ability. However, this was not a life-and-death match, and she could not bring herself to use it at this moment.

While the other party's battle techniques were not as profound as hers, every single one of her movements carried a deep conception behind it, making it hard to fathom her movements. On top of that, the other party seemed to be able to see through her flaws, intentionally striking at places where she could hardly defend. As a result, she was being slowly cornered.

She could still rely on her superior cultivation to bridge the gap in their skills earlier on, but after Zhao Ya's cultivation reached the Blood Reincarnation realm, it had become a completely one-sided battle.

It was truly laughable how she had looked down on this group of youths prior to the battle. In terms of talent, they were in no way beneath her!

"How is it? Are you still indignant at being called their Little Junior?"

Seeing how the proud genius of the Kunxu Domain was still having trouble coming to terms with her defeat, Zhang Xuan suggested, "If you feel that it's unfair because Zhao Ya is the strongest of them all, you can feel free to challenge the others. However, I'll have to ask you to suppress your cultivation in order to ensure fairness."

"This..." Kong Shiyao turned to look at the rest of Zhang Xuan's direct disciples.

Zheng Yang, Yuan Tao, Wei Ruyan, and the others were looking at her with excited gleams in their eyes. It seemed like they were dying to challenge and bully her so as to put her in place.

"It's fine. I'm willing to accept my position as the Little Junior..." Kong Shiyao lowered her head and bowed down.

Since they had all been groomed by the same teacher, it was likely that they would be similar in terms of strength. She had thought that she could suppress Zhao Ya with her superior cultivation, but that did not work in the end. She did not think that she would be able to best the rest of Zhang Xuan's students.

Since she was not confident in her strength, there was no need for her to go through with that and humiliate herself. It would be best for her to just acknowledge it.

"That would be for the best," Zhang Xuan said. "Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, and the rest of you, from today on, Kong Shiyao will be your Little Junior, as well as my ninth direct disciple. You must take care of one another, got it?"

"Yes, we'll listen to your teachings!"

The others clasped their fists and replied resoundingly.

Seeing that even a descendant of Kong shi had ended up acknowledging Zhang Xuan as her teacher, Ancient Sage Yan Qing found himself rendered speechless. It was not until a long time later that he finally found his voice once more. "Since Shiyao has achieved a breakthrough to Ancient Sage and reached the Blood Reincarnation realm, she is qualified to become the new leader of the Kunxu Domain and the Hundred Schools of Philosophers!"

Since the Kunxu Domain had been left behind by Kong shi himself, it went without saying that it should be managed by his descendants.

In the past few years, he had just been taking care of the Kunxu Domain and the Hundred Schools of Philosophers in her place. Since Kong Shiyao had grown and matured, it was time for him to pass the baton back to her.

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Chapter 1906: Where Did Teacher Go?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The Hundred Schools of Philosophers had always held Kong shi as its central figure, so there was no one who would voice any objections with Kong Shiyao becoming their leader after her breakthrough to Ancient Sage.

With this, it meant that Zhang Xuan and his nine direct disciples had mankind, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and even the Hundred Schools of Philosophers under their control.

Knowing that she carried heavy responsibility on her shoulders, Kong Shiyao turned to her teacher and asked, "Teacher, how should we deal with the matter concerning the Kunxu Domain's seal?"

Her teacher had said that he would be able to resolve everything as long as she acknowledged him as her teacher.

"Let me give it a try."

Zhang Xuan walked up to the seal, and with a thought, he took a golden page from his glabella.

Hu!

The golden page flew over to the seal of the Kunxu Domain and swiftly fused together with it. Following which, the seal quickly morphed into a massive, majestic gate.

As soon as this massive majestic gate appeared, the roaring lightning and crackling flames in the sky, as if having met their nemesis, quickly dissipated.

"What the... the crisis has been resolved just like that?"

Everyone was stupefied.

They had been wondering where they could find Dimension Shatterer realm experts to save them from their plight, but who could have known that everything would be resolved so easily with a single golden page?

If everything was that easy, why did Zhang Xuan not take it out earlier?

Disregarding the looks of discontentment directed at him, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. "It seems like everything worked out as I thought..."

In truth, he had been rather uncertain about the limits of the Library of Heaven's Path's abilities.

At the very start, the first limitation that he had found was that the Library of Heaven's Path was unable to see through the flaws of Ancient Sages. Perhaps it was because Ancient Sages were existences on par with the heavens, and that was its bottleneck.

However, when Luo Ruoxin fused the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn with his Library of Heaven's Path prior to her departure, this bottleneck had been removed.

Back then, he had wondered if the Library of Heaven's Path tier had already exceeded the 'heavens' of the Master Teacher Continent, and from the earlier result that he had seen, that seemed to be the case.

The heavens would not dare punish a higher existence than them, and the Library of Heaven's Path and the golden pages happened to be such existences.

With a seal formed by a golden page viewed to be a higher existence than the heavens of the Master Teacher Continent, the result was clear. There was no way the heavens would dare pass their judgement upon the Kunxu Domain anymore.

As long as the seal formed by the golden page existed, the heavens of the Master Teacher Continent would dare not barge their way in. In fact, it didn't matter whether the Kunxu Domain remained hidden or not anymore.

Satisfied with the results, Zhang Xuan glanced at Kong Shiyao and said, "I would like to pay a visit to the ancestral residence of the Kong Clan!"

Kong Shiyao quickly walked forward and led the way back to the Kunxu Domain.

The ancestral residence of the Kong Clan was located in the vicinity of the Great Phrontistery of Confucianism. Zhang Xuan strolled casually around it.

The Kong Clan had inherited Kong shi's heritage, and it aimed to push forward his ideals and cultivation techniques. There was a strong scholarly atmosphere drifting in the residence, and with every step that Zhang Xuan took, he could vaguely feel Kong shi's spirit and philosophy.

After taking a look around the Kong Clan, Zhang Xuan left the Kunxu Domain. This time, he did not take his direct disciples with him, wanting to take a walk around.

Kong shi had once toured around the entire Master Teacher Continent, and it had given him a much deeper comprehension of life. It was the spark that had led him to create the overpowered treasure known as the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn.

Zhang Xuan wanted to see the Master Teacher Continent as it was for himself as well, and through doing so, he hoped to rediscover who he was.

Every city that he went to, he would stop for a period of time to experience the local culture.

With the threat of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe resolved, the world was in a rare state of peace. The Master Teacher Pavilion had also been reorganized according to Yang shi's plans, destroying the previous aggregation of power through factions. At this moment, it had become an organization dedicated to imparting wisdom to the world.

Under Zhang Xuan's instructions, his direct disciples had scattered around the world to spread his teachings. Many of his past students from the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy had traveled around the world to lecture as well.

Often, those who heard Zhang Xuan's teaching through these indirect sources stumbled upon sudden bouts of enlightenment in the midst of the lectures, inducing a huge leap in their fighting prowess. As a result, their skills tended to surpass their peers. More often than not, those people would then become advocates of the 'Zhang School of Thought'.

In a short period of time, Zhang Xuan's reputation as the number one master teacher of the world grew greater and greater, such that the significance of his name was almost becoming synonymous with that of Kong shi's.

There was no one in this world who did not dream of hearing a lesson directly from Zhang shi himself, but it was as if the person in question had evaporated from the face of the world. No one knew where he was or where he had gone.

It was not just the Master Teacher Pavilion who did not know of his whereabouts—even his direct disciples had no clue as to where their teacher had gone. No matter how they tried to contact him, there was simply no response.

"Just where has teacher gone?" Zheng Yang sighed deeply.

He had flown to the southernmost hemisphere of the Master Teacher Continent, but there was no one who had seen his teacher at all.

Zhao Ya had flown to the extreme north, but her search had ended in futility.

Zhang Xuan's nine direct disciples had searched for four months, and they had scoured nearly every nook and cranny of the Master Teacher Continent, but their teacher remained nowhere to be seen.

"It's likely that our teacher is trying to find his own route and doesn't want to be disturbed right now. He should be fine, so there's no need for us to worry excessively about him," Wang Ying consoled.

"Wang Ying is right," Lu Chong said. "What we should do right now is not search for our teacher but follow his instructions and impart his wisdom to all parts of the world. Furthermore, we must make sure to keep up with our cultivation. We should aim to reach Blood Reincarnation realm consummation as soon as possible so that we can share some of his burden!"

"That's right!"

The others nodded in agreement.

With their teacher's current strength, there was no one on the Master Teacher Continent who could possibly pose a threat to him anymore. As such, there was indeed no need for them to worry.

Their time would be better used on accomplishing the mission that he had entrusted to them and raising their cultivation. At the very least, when the time came, they would not be mere baggage to their teacher anymore.

...

While the world was searching for his whereabouts, Zhang Xuan was strolling leisurely in a remote town on the Master Teacher Continent.

It had been almost half a year since he left the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, which also meant that it had been two years since he had come to this world.

Over the past half a year, he had seen countless joys and sorrows, reunions and separations. The laughter of happiness, the cries of misery, the warmth of an embrace, the coldness of a rejection...

Taking in the emotions and experiences of those around him, Zhang Xuan felt as if he was living many different lives at once.

Today marked the third day since he had arrived in this little town, and going by his previous routine, it was about time for him to leave.

Taking one last look at the small, peaceful town around him, Zhang Xuan was just about to leave through the gates when a commotion suddenly broke out along the streets. Many people were rushing toward a common destination in agitation.

"Hurry up, hurry up! A master teacher is here to spread his teaching!"

"It's said that the master teacher is here to impart Zhang shi's wisdom. We have to make sure to record it well! As long as we listen carefully and learn well, we might get a chance to obtain Greensprout Wheat!"

"Waa, that would really be great! Greensprout Wheat is only cultivated only by the Hundred School of Philosophers, and it can't be grown on the Master Teacher Continent, right? Do you know that blacksmith in the other village? Just the other day, he ate a single stalk of Greensprout Wheat and immediately achieved a breakthrough to the Zongshi realm!"

"That lucky b*stard! If I could achieve a breakthrough to the Zongshi realm, I'd be laughing even in my sleep!"

...

Such discussions could be heard here and there.

"A lecture?" Zhang Xuan noted before shaking his head with a smile.

He had seen too many of such scenes in his journey over the past half a year, so he had completely lost interest listening to such stuff.

There were many master teachers who used his name to bulk up their reputation. Some of their lectures were highly profound and induced deeper thoughts in the listener whereas others were riddled with flaws.

However, Zhang Xuan never stood up to intervene in any of those.

He had chosen to take the role of a bystander in the world in order to witness the different aspects of the world with an open mind, so he had resolved himself to put aside his pride, beliefs, and even identity.

I should move on to the next town, Zhang Xuan thought as he walked out of the city gates.

However, what he caught sight of with a quick glance caused him to stop in his tracks.

"It's her?" Zhang Xuan murmured as a beautiful profile came into his line of sight.

Her demure silhouette remained unchanged even after the passing of two years, attracting eyes whenever she passed.

However, she was no longer an ordinary teacher in a humble academy. She had become a true master teacher, and a 3-star one at that.

"Pleased to meet you. I am Shen Bi Ru, a 3-star master teacher!"

Standing on the stage, the young lady faced the agitated audience before her and revealed a charismatic smile.

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Chapter 1907: Ancient Sage! I Shall Become the World's Teacher (1)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Shen Bi Ru was the beautiful teacher working at the Hongtian Academy whom Zhang Xuan had met after he transcended over to this world. When he left the Tianxuan Kingdom, it had felt like their paths had begun to diverge from one another, and they would never intersect ever again.

Half a year earlier, when he returned to the Tianxuan Kingdom, he had only met Lu Xun. He honestly did not think that he would meet Shen Bi Ru here, and he did not expect her to have become a 3-star master teacher so swiftly.

Her presence made Zhang Xuan halt in his footsteps as he turned around to look at the young lady on the stage. The young lady raised her hand and waited for the commotion amid the crowd to die down before continuing on. "Zhang laoshi and I used to be colleagues."

"Colleagues?"

"What? Is she saying that she knows Zhang shi?"

"She is bragging, isn't she? All those who claim to spread Zhang shi's teaching say that they know Zhang shi one way or another in an attempt to add credibility to their words!"

"Isn't that so? I never would have thought that a lady as pretty as her would stoop to such a level!"

...

As Zhang Xuan's reputation flourished, more and more people began passing themselves off as his students. Even a city as remote as this was not completely immune to this major trend.

On the other hand, seeing the beautiful teacher who had always maintained a transcendental attitude toward worldly affairs talking about him in her first sentence, Zhang Xuan could not help but shake his head as a hint of disappointment surfaced in his eyes.

In his mind, she had always been a person who was driven by self-improvement and thought little of fame and glory. He did not think that she would use his name in order to elevate her own standing.

Heaving a deep sigh, Zhang Xuan was just about to leave when the young lady continued speaking. "He has already become the World's Teacher, and his teachings have spread far and wide. Many take pride in receiving the knowledge that he preaches... but I don't think that it's something enviable or particularly noble."

Those words made Zhang Xuan halt in his footsteps once more.

Most of the crowd, who had planned to leave after seeing that it was just another fraud using Zhang shi's name to her own advantage, quickly turned around with deep frowns on their foreheads.

Zhang shi's accomplishments and wisdom had struck a deep chord with everyone in the world, making him the next idol of faith since Kong shi.

Yet, she dared say that his work was not 'particularly noble'? What did she mean by that?

The atmosphere swiftly grew tense as displeased expressions appeared all over the crowd.

"The world is a diverse place. Take this little town that you live in for example. While we need people standing above the clouds, we also need those whose feet are planted on the ground. The master teachers who spread their teachings and bring wisdom to the world are worthy of respect, but so are the butchers who slaughter pigs, the vendors who barter their vegetables, and the merchants who ship goods from one place to another. Every occupation in the world has its own reason for existence. There's no need to classify them by honor or prestige. What truly makes the difference is whether we are willing to put our blood and sweat into what we do and whether we truly love what we do as well.

"Zhang shi loves the master teacher occupation with a passion. He finds purpose in bringing wisdom to others, and he enjoys uncovering the secrets of the world. His diligence and passion paid off, allowing him to reach the peak of the master teacher occupation.

"I am just an ordinary person. I have neither the talents nor capabilities that he possesses. However, that doesn't mean that I am a lesser being than him. I do what I can do to impart knowledge to my students and pass down the correct values to them. Unlike him, my lectures aren't great enough to reach every corner of the world. However, I can ensure that my own teachings will not lead my students down the wrong path, and whatever knowledge I pass down has been personally verified by myself... and I think that's enough!

"Living in this world, we must be cognizant of our own limits and walk down a path that is suited for us. Over the past two years, I have toured around the world and met many people. A lot of them take pride in living in the same era as the World's Teacher, Zhang Xuan. Just like Kong shi's era, they believe that this era will usher mankind to greater prosperity than before and that we are blessed to be living in such times. I don't disagree with what they said, but while we are living in the era of hopes and dreams, does it necessarily mean that we stand a chance of rising to the top and becoming a powerful expert of the world?

"Bleak. It is a hopelessly bleak notion. Regardless of which era one lives in, only a small handful of people have the capacity to rise to the very top!"

"This..." The infuriated crowd slowly fell silent at those words.

It was sad but cruel truth. Regardless of which era one was in, it was impossible for everyone to become an expert.

Kong shi dreamt of a world where all humans were powerful, but this vision was bound to remain nothing more than a dream. It was something that could never be realized.

There were simply too many limitations in the world that prevented it from happening. The scarce resources, the aptitude one was born with, the intense competition among cultivators...

It was because power was always held in the hands of the minority that becoming an expert was something that so many desired.

I never thought that she would come to such a realization... Zhang Xuan was stunned as well.

He had thought that Shen Bi Ru was using his reputation to elevate her standing, but who could have known that she would be using this to tell a powerful story to the crowd?

What was scary was not a lack in talent but the failure to realize one's limitations.

If a person who only had the ability of an ordinary soldier forced their way to become a commander, they would be hurting not just themself.

"Stop listening to her bullsh*t! I have heard that there are those who aren't too talented among Zhang shi's students, but all of them eventually became powerful experts!"

"Indeed! As long as we find a good teacher, we'll be able to rise to greater heights!"

"Do you expect us to believe that you are Zhang shi's colleague just because you said so? All of the figures whom Zhang shi is associated with are people far beyond our league. How could a mere 3-star master teacher like you possibly know him?"

...

After the brief moment of astonished silence came a massive uproar.

Shen Bi Ru's words had pricked the self-esteem of the crowd. They could not accept what she was saying.

Failure could always be attributed to timing and luck.

An author could always say that their work was meant to go down in history as the greatest work ever made, but due to the editors' lack of foresight, their talent ended up being buried, resulting in them being unable to receive even a contract.

Having expected such an uproar from the crowd, Shen Bi Ru raised her hand and continued calmly. "I know that my words have hurt many of you, but touch your heart. Do you believe that my words are all empty? I know that I can't begin to compare to Zhang shi, the respected World's Teacher... but how many of you believe that he is truly happy with his life?

"The greater one's strength, the greater one's responsibility. Over the past year, he has changed the rules of the Master Teacher Continent, quelled the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and subordinated the Hundred Schools of Philosophers... But which of these accomplishments didn't require him to risk his life? If you were in his position, and all you wanted was to enjoy the luxuries of power, would you really have braved through danger to achieve all of that?"

Most of those who had spoken up against Shen Bi Ru earlier were struck speechless once more.

Indeed. If they enjoyed Zhang shi's standing and talent, would they really have been willing to charge into the midst of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe to quell them or confront the legendary Hundred Schools of Philosophers?

"You might think that Zhang shi is a lofty figure far beyond any of you, but back when I was working in the same academy as him, he was a teacher who was despised and looked down by others. He scored a zero for his Teacher Qualification Examination, so he was nearly expelled from the school. Yet, despite these challenges, he never gave up nor shied away. A step at a time, he eventually rose to his current prominence. If you were in his place, would you have been able to overcome the odds?" Shen Bi Ru asked.

Zhang Xuan's life had already been compiled into books and spread across the entire world.

His life had been fraught with danger, but none of the challenges that he had faced had ever convinced him to give up. If they had been in his place, would they really have been able to do the same?

Most of those amid the crowd pondered the question, but they eventually shook their heads in response.

For those who were weak-minded, the scorn that Zhang Xuan had received at Hongtian Academy would have been more than enough for them to give up and drown their sorrows with alcohol. For those who were a little more strong-willed, the Tianwu Kingdom would probably have been where their journey ended.

They would never have been able to overcome all of those obstacles that Zhang Xuan had faced to live the brilliant life that he did.

It was easy to envy others, but the experiences that others had gone through might have been something that they would not have been able to survive.

Your own life, your own decisions. You have to recognize who you truly are in order to make the decisions that will make your life a meaningful one! Zhang Xuan thought.

Shen Bi Ru's words had truly left a mark in him. It was as if someone had ignited all of the experiences that he had been through over the past half a year, causing a raging flame to burn within him.

Be it famed mountains or beautiful lakes, the warmth and callousness of human emotions, everything that he had witnessed and been involved in had become a part of his memories. Those memories strung together to form a complete him. They drifted into the sky of the Master Teacher Continent and overlooked the world, as if a transcendent being.

In an instant, Zhang Xuan seemed to enter a deep state of concentration. A lot of the confusion in his heart vanished, and the cultivation that had remained stagnant over the past half a year abruptly surged forth like water charging through a collapsed dam.

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Chapter 1908: Ancient Sage! I Shall Become the World's Teacher (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The reason Zhang Xuan had chosen to cast himself aside and tour the world was due to the confusion in his heart. He had found himself lost, and he needed some directions.

He had looked at Kong shi's records, but their lives had been vastly different. As two completely different people, he could not hope to experience the same things as Kong shi even if he forced himself to retrace Kong shi's footsteps.

He knew that becoming the World's Teacher was the way for him to become an Ancient Sage, but how could he do it? The world was such a huge place, and it was governed by its own laws. It was not as if his words could reach the heavens, so how could he become the World's Teacher?

Unable to make sense out of this, he had found himself falling into a stalemate. No matter how he struggled, he had been unable to advance any further at all.

Of course, he knew that this confusion was something that all cultivators had to eventually face in their lifetime, but this was a hurdle that he had no idea where he could begin to work on.

All along, he had been reliant on the Library of Heaven's Path for his cultivation. He would collect books and compile them together, and if required, he would edit them accordingly. All in all, none of what he had practiced so far could be said to be his own creation. While he had been able to advance swiftly through this manner, it had also become his limitation.

He was able to modify any cultivation technique until he had ensured that it was completely flawless, but the reliance on this ability had made him unable to cultivate without any cultivation technique to refer to.

This was his greatest flaw, and he was suffering as a result of it.

Even the heavens were flawed, so there was nothing in this world that came without compromise.

Thus, he had set out on his journey to see the world. He did not know how long it would take, and it did not know where it would lead him to, but it was all he could do.

This journey had been an eye-opener. It had allowed him to understand many aspects of the world that he had never noticed before. However, when he heard Shen Bi Ru's words, it made him realize something.

The answer that he had been searching for over the past half a year was not something that he could find anywhere else in the world. It existed only in himself.

All he had to do was be the best him. Why should he be so bothered with the experiences of others?

Everyone in the world had their own path to tread on, so there was no need for him to conform to others. What he had to do was stay loyal to his own heart and continue paving his path forward. That would be enough.

Even if there was no perfect cultivation technique for him to cultivate and he could not truly become the World's Teacher, he would just have to ensure that he remained the perfect him, and that was enough!

"Thank you, Shen Bi Ru!"

Feeling the changes in his body, Zhang Xuan smiled. He had found his own answer, and he was finally ready to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage.

The surroundings fell silent.

Zhang Xuan's words were not particularly loud, but they attracted the attention of the crowd in an instant.

Hearing that voice, Shen Bi Ru turned her gaze over, and her eyes widened in astonishment. "Zhang laoshi! What are you doing here?"

If Zhang Xuan did not want others to recognize him, not even his closest students would see through his disguise.

But out of gratitude for Shen Bi Ru, he did not want to conceal his identity to her. As such, the young lady was able to tell that he was the despised and scorned teacher who had been on the verge of being expelled from Hongtian Academy two years ago, Zhang Xuan!

His appearance did not seem to have changed by too much over the past two years, other than his taller profile, his smoother skin, and his deeper eyes.

"It has been a very long time since we last met," Zhang Xuan replied with a warm smile as he slowly made his way up to the stage.

"Yes, it has been a long time..." Shen Bi Ru nodded as her body trembled in agitation.

She had thought that with the difference in their standings, there was no way that they would ever meet again. Who could have known that their reunion would come so abruptly?

The young man was just the same as ever. His posture was without airs, and his smile was still so innocent.

"Zhang shi?"

"She mentioned earlier that she was colleagues with Zhang shi, and now, she's acting so shocked all of a sudden... Is she trying to say that the fellow over there is the World's Teacher, Zhang shi?"

"It's one thing for her to feed us with so much cr*p earlier, but to make such a bold claim... is she trying to insult our intelligence?"

"She really is trying to grind our tolerance down to the very last bit, isn't she? If he really is Zhang shi, I am the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion!"

"How could a lofty figure like Zhang shi possibly come to a remote town like ours? This woman might be pretty, but she sure has a devious heart..."

...

The two of them did not try to conceal their words, and their exchange caused the crowd below to explode as if someone had thrown gunpowder in the midst of burning flames.

While Zhang shi was a figure whom all of them respected, they also understood that the other party was a figure extremely far away from them. It had never crossed their minds that they would ever be able to meet Zhang shi in person.

Yet, that young lady had actually called out 'Zhang laoshi' so abruptly after making such a speech... Was she trying to say that this humble-looking fellow was actually Zhang Xuan?

You must be trying to make a monkey out of us!

We can accept your bragging, but to sully Zhang shi's honor... Unforgivable!

"Don't you know that passing yourself off as Zhang shi is a taboo of the Master Teacher Pavilion? You must be punished for your insolence, or else how can the Master Teacher Pavilion establish its credibility in the world?" a master teacher amid the crowd cried out in fury.

"Indeed! Catch those two despicable scoundrels! Catch them and skin..." another person amid the crowd shouted.

But before he could finish his words, a quivering voice suddenly echoed in the air. "Shut up! What's going on over there..."

The infuriated crowd looked at the stage, and what they saw nearly blew their minds.

The young man passing off as 'Zhang shi', with a gentle smile on his face, was slowly rising into the air.

It was a common fact that flight was an ability exclusive to cultivators who had reached the Saint realm. Could the impostor before them actually be a Saint expert?

But before they could figure out what was going on, a loud rumbling echoed in the air as countless ominous clouds gushed over.

The span of the ominous clouds was massive. It swiftly covered the entire town, but it still continued to grow relentlessly into the distance. It did not take long for it to extend all the way to the horizon, plunging everywhere into darkness.

"This is... a cultivation ordeal?"

"How could there be such a massive cultivation ordeal?"

"It's rumored that even the most formidable Ancient Sage Ordeal only covers up to a hundred thousand mu 1 , but this is at least a million mu, right?"

The crowd below was completely stunned.

"To be able to summon such a huge cultivation ordeal... Could that young man really be Zhang shi?"

As this doubt was raised, the crowd swiftly fell silent.

Indeed. Other than Zhang shi, who could cause such a spectacular uproar in the world?

...

At the Glacier Plain Court...

"Mother, rest assured. I'll take care of my body, and I'll make sure not to act recklessly!" a young lady with features reminiscent of a delicate ice sculpture reassured a middle-aged lady with a gentle smile.

She was the court chief of the Glacier Plain Court, Zhao Ya.

The middle-aged lady before her was the Holy Maiden of the previous generation, her mother.

Back then, after the conflict between her teacher and the other major powers was resolved in Empire Alliance City, she had quickly returned to the Glacier Plain Court to release her mother. She had brought her mother back to the Tianxuan Kingdom to reunite with her father for a while before taking them all to the Glacier Plain Court.

"You keep going into seclusion to cultivate, neither eating nor drinking..." A middle-aged man walked over as he shook his head disapprovingly. "Your mother and I are afraid that you are pushing yourself too much!"

He was Zhao Ya's father, the lord of Tianxuan Kingdom's Baiyu City, Zhao Feng!

After Zhang shi disappeared, their daughter had gone around the world searching for him desperately. When she was unable to find him even after some time, she had finally decided to return to the Glacier Plain Court.

But as soon as she returned, she had devoted her time to cultivating, neglecting to sleep and everything else... It pained his heart to see his daughter living in such a manner.

While their daughter had reached a level far beyond what they could imagine, their daughter's attitude of recklessly plunging into any danger as long as it could raise her cultivation was a cause for concern. They felt that she would eventually come to harm as a result of this.

"I'm fine. I just wish to be able to stand before my teacher proudly when he finally returns so that he won't be disappointed in me," Zhao Ya replied with a smile.

The memories that she shared with her teacher flashed through her head and filled her with strength once more. She was just about to placate her parents before returning to her cultivation when her eyebrows suddenly shot up.

She hurriedly raised her head, only to see that the distant sky had already been covered by large swathes of ominous clouds, and it was swiftly creeping toward the Glacier Plain Court.

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Chapter 1909: Ancient Sage! I Shall Become the World's Teacher (3)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"This is..."

Zhao Ya immediately shot to her feet in shock.

This was because she realized that even with her current cultivation... she was unable to see the entire span of the ominous clouds!

Due to her hard work over the past half a year, her cultivation had already reached Blood Reincarnation realm consummation. Of course, she was still nowhere close to pushing for a breakthrough to the Dimension Shatterer realm, but there was no doubt that her strength was more than enough to put her at the top of the world.

Despite that, she was actually unable to see the end of the ominous clouds...

Did this not mean that the ominous clouds extend over several hundred thousand li?

"What in the world is this? How could there be such a huge congregation of dark clouds here?"

Zhao Feng and his wife also swiftly noticed that something was amiss, and they were horrified by what they were seeing.

"It seems to be a cultivation ordeal... Teacher! That's right, my teacher must be back!" Zhao Ya's eyes lit up in excitement.

Not in the mood to cultivate anymore, she quickly rushed in the direction of where the ominous clouds had come from.

Other than her teacher, there was no one in the world who was able to summon such a huge congregation of clouds! He was the one and only one in the world!

...

"A teacher seeks to impart knowledge and clarify doubts. While our Combat Master Hall does not have the capacity to impart wisdom, we can still demystify combat techniques and fighting skills. This is aligned with the responsibilities of a teacher, and that's also why we are a subsidiary of the Master Teacher Pavilion instead of a separate organization!"

Standing in front of an army of ten thousand, Zheng Yang looked at the newly recruited combat masters sternly as he spoke.

Over the past half a year, the Combat Master Hall had grown significantly stronger, especially after Zheng Yang passed down the knowledge that he had received from Zhang Xuan.

The members of the Combat Master Hall were stronger than ever, each of them wielding the strength to fend off hundreds of cultivators simultaneously.

"We understand!"

The crowd nodded in agitation.

All of them had heard of the incredible deeds of the hall master and his teacher, and they looked forward to becoming a part of the legend they were creating. It was their dearest wish to follow behind this esteemed young man, and their wish was coming true!

Seeing that everyone was pumped up, Zheng Yang stopped his speech right there. "Alright, we shall start the training for today!"

He was just about to gesture for the instructors to begin when he suddenly raised his head and saw darkness creeping in from afar.

"Those dark clouds... Is it a cultivation ordeal?" Zheng Yang was stunned for a moment before realization struck him. "It's my teacher! He's going to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage!"

With a slight push against the ground, he vanished right from the spot.

...

In the capital of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, Liu Yang was seated upon a high throne, looking down upon his subjects. With a cold voice carrying unquestionable authority, he commanded, "I have mentioned this far too many times, and it bores me to repeat myself time and time again. All Otherworldly Demons are to maintain friendly relations with the humans, and conflicts are to be avoided at all costs. Anyone who infringes on this will be killed without fail! Do I still have to teach you what to do?"

The Otherworldly Demons quickly kneeled on the ground fearfully and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty! We'll carry out your will!"

Shortly after his inauguration, the new Sovereign Chen Yong had implemented a series of swift but severe reforms. Under his efforts, the Otherworldly Demons were starting to accept their coexistence with the humans, and the initial tension between the two races was starting to calm down. Of course, a feud that had lasted over tens of thousands of years could not be halted so easily, but at the very least, the battles had stopped for the time being.

Eventually, time would wash away the hostility between the two races, ushering in an era of stability and harmony.

Not to mention, coexistence with the humans was not without benefits for the Otherworldly Demons either. The Otherworldly Demons gained access to the precious resources traded on the Master Teacher Continent, and they were also able to develop their industries through implementing the technologies of the humans.

Having experienced the benefits of coexistence, there were some factions among the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe who were starting to openly support the new Sovereign Chen Yong's policies.

More importantly, Sovereign Chen Yong had started pushing out a new set of cultivation techniques that allowed Otherworldly Demons to cultivate swiftly even if they did not devour the flesh and souls of master teachers and humans.

With the mutual benefits of the two races aligned, the friction between them lessened significantly.

"Alright, we shall end the court here. You are dismissed!"

With a wave of his hand, Liu Yang stood up to walk away. As a sign of respect, the subjects were only allowed to leave after the emperor had left the royal court.

However, at that moment, ominous clouds suddenly swarmed over from afar, covering the sky in a flash.

"Teacher..." Liu Yang's eyes reddened in agitation at this sight.

Without any hesitation, he flicked his wrist and tore open a spatial passageway. He walked into the spatial passageway and disappeared from the astonished eyes of his subjects.

After his hard work over the past half a year, the situation in the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had finally stabilized. He finally had the rights to pursue his teacher once more.

...

The same situation was occurring in the Hundred Schools of Philosophers' Kunxu Domain.

Kong Shiyao looked at the gloomy sky as her body trembled in excitement.

Was her teacher finally appearing once more after his long absence?

"I'll leave the Kunxu Domain to you for the time being. I'm heading out to take a look!"

Without waiting for the other party to respond, Kong Shiyao rushed toward the Master Teacher Continent.

...

After spending six months in anonymity, Zhang Xuan finally caused a huge uproar in the world with his breakthrough!

"It's him... It really is him!"

"There's no doubt, there's no one other than Zhang shi who could pull something like this off. To think that we wouldn't be able to recognize him when he was right before our eyes, and we even attempted to capture him..."

"My gosh, I actually got a chance to see Zhang shi's splendor with my own eyes! Now, I can die with no regrets!"

...

As the truth dawned upon those in the little town, countless silhouettes gathered around the stage stiffened in shock.

Previously, when Shen Bi Ru mentioned that she was Zhang shi's colleague, there had not been a single person among the crowd who believed her. When she said that the young man standing before them was actually Zhang shi, they had scoffed at her words, thinking that they were utter nonsense.

All of it turned out to be real!

The incredible figure who had won the world's respect and admiration was really standing right before them in the flesh!

"He's just the same as ever. He's always the brightest one in the crowd," Shen Bi Ru remarked with a helpless smile.

For as long as she had known this young man, he had always caught everyone's gaze. She had thought that he would tone down after coming this far, but the other party turned out to be the same as ever. It was as if he did not know the concepts of humility and low profile.

...

Zhang Xuan was oblivious to the uproar among the crowd.

He was carefully ruminating over his new enlightenment, and it felt as if the rays of the dawn sun had pierced through the darkness in his mind, showing him a new route.

This feeling was so strong that it touched even the depths of his soul.

"So, this is what I've been pursuing all this while," Zhang Xuan muttered with a faint smile as he looked at the endless dark clouds and lightning bolts gathering around him.

It was apparent that the cultivation ordeal that he was going to go through this time would be highly destructive, commanding a might far beyond what he had ever experienced before.

Si la!

Lightning bolts and heavenly flames condensed together to form innumerable massive weapons, and each of these weapons darted right toward Zhang Xuan.

Just from the sheer momentum, it felt like not even Dimension Shatterer realm experts would stand a chance against this fearsome might.

In fact, it felt like it had far exceeded everything in the world.

It was a transcendental force that was bound to bring destruction upon its target, and not even the newly enlightened Zhang Xuan would stand a chance against it.

But...

Since he did not stand a chance against it, why should he bother fighting against it?

Without the slightest change in his expression, Zhang Xuan parted his lips.

"Dissipate."

His voice pierced through the void, echoing into the high heavens.

Huala!

As if they had encountered their greatest nemeses, the weapons made of lightning bolts and heavenly flames swiftly disintegrated into nothing.

At the same time, under his command, the ominous clouds slowly scattered, returning a clear sky to the world.

Previously, he would still have had to utilize all kinds of techniques in order to overcome his cultivation ordeal, but with his current ability, he was actually able to resolve it with a single word.

It was as if the heavens of the Master Teacher Continent had submitted to him. He had become the ruler of the world, and his words dictated the future course of the world.

This was the ability of the Word of Law!

A breakthrough to Ancient Sage meant surpassing the world in a certain law, but the current Zhang Xuan had gone far beyond that. His entire existence had surpassed the limitations of the world, making him a being who stood above the heavens.

He had become a transcendental being that existed beyond the three realms 1 , unrecognized by the Five Elements.

As the Ancient Sage Ordeal vanished, overwhelming energy gushed out from his body and pierced into the heavens, suppressing everything in the area.

Boom!

Unable to suppress his zhenqi any longer, Zhang Xuan's aura began surging forth. In an instant, from Sempiternal realm consummation, he had already reached Ancient Sage.

Ancient Sage 1-dan Bloodline Continuance realm!

Ancient Sage 2-dan Great Philosopher realm!

Ancient Sage 3-dan Blood Reincarnation realm!

All of the accumulation prior to his breakthrough was showing its effects now.

In less than ten breaths, he had already pushed through three realms, rising all the way to Blood Reincarnation realm consummation!

In a sense, his achievement was even more fearsome than Kong Shiyao's. In fact, not even Kong shi's breakthrough had been so swift!

Feeling vigorous energy coursing through his body, a smile slowly etched itself onto Zhang Xuan's lips as he gazed down upon the world as if an immortal of the heavens. At that moment, his profile looked ever so inviolable and authoritative.

A long silence lingered in the world as the sky cleared up completely. Following which, a majestic voice boomed across the world.

"From this day onward, I am the World's Teacher!"

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Chapter 1910: Zhao Ya's Unique Nature

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

From the moment he achieved a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, Zhang Xuan realized that he was already an existence that towered above the Master Teacher Continent's heavens, becoming the World's Teacher in reality.

Every word and action from him could influence the will of the heavens and even correct them.

This was the same ability that Kong shi's descendants wielded, Word of Law.

He had thought that he had finally diverged from Kong shi's path and was no longer affected by the latter, but who could have known that he was still walking on the latter's footsteps? It was as if every step that he took brought him closer to becoming the next Kong shi.

Kong shi must have reached such a realm in the ancient era for him to bestow upon his descendants the ability to warp the laws of the world through their words.

Zhang Xuan sighed deeply before shaking the matter out of his mind.

It should not matter whether he was tracing Kong shi's footsteps or not. As long as he was giving his all in everything that he did, what was the point in frustrating over such matters?

With clenched fists, Zhang Xuan began to carefully sense the changes in his body.

Even though he had only reached the Blood Reincarnation realm thus far, with his current strength, he was confident that he could crush the deity that had appeared previously in the Kunxu Domain with a single finger.

It seemed like the many times that he had suppressed his cultivation had not been in vain. The strength that he had acquired as soon as he made the breakthrough was really beyond imagination.

Kacha!

The painting that Zhang Xuan was holding tightly in his hand suddenly disintegrated into ashes.

In order to fuel his previous breakthrough, not only did he use up all of the Aeon of Ancient Sage contained in the painting, he also devoured all of the Ancient Sage blood that he had acquired from the two deities that he had killed. At that very moment, he felt like he had reverted to his usual poor self.

Wealth sure was transient!

"Farewell!"

With a tap of his finger, he imparted a modified cultivation technique into the head of the young lady before turning around and vanishing from sight.

"Farewell... Zhang Xuan!" Shen Bi Ru's eyes reddened as her body shook nonstop.

She knew that this parting truly represented the divergence of their pathways. They would never meet one another ever again.

Meanwhile, after confirming the identity of the young man in the sky, the crowd in the town swiftly got to their knees and kneeled down.

"Paying respects to Zhang shi!"

As expected of the World's Teacher, every action that he did was a legend in itself!

...

Flying to a private location where ordinary cultivators could no longer see him, Zhang Xuan halted his flight and cast a cursory glance around him. With a smile on his lips, he said, "Come out!"

"Teacher!"

Zhao Ya, Wang Ying, Liu Yang, Zheng Yang, Yuan Tao, Lu Chong, Wei Ruyan, Zhang Jiuxiao, and Kong Shiyao... His nine direct disciples swiftly appeared from the shadows and bowed down to him.

Over the past two years, he had accepted all nine of them as his direct disciples. Each of them had eventually climbed to the top of the Master Teacher Continent, becoming figures that stood at the very peak of the pyramid.

"Come at me all at once. I want to see how much you have grown," Zhang Xuan said with his hands behind his back.

The nine direct disciples were stunned for a moment before they nodded simultaneously.

Huhuhu!

The nine of them immediately encircled Zhang Xuan before charging at him from all directions.

Over the past half a year, all nine of them had made significant advances in their cultivation. Even the one with the lowest cultivation in the past, Yuan Tao, had successfully reached Great Philosopher realm intermediate stage after his two Ancient Sage Ordeals. As for the others, such as Zhao Ya, Kong Shiyao, Zheng Yang, and Liu Yang, they had all reached the Blood Reincarnation realm.

With their combined prowess, they wielded the power to seal even spacetime itself. Had the deity from before come under their collaborative offense, he would have found it hard to stand his ground.

But when the target was Zhang Xuan, their seemingly devastating attacks were easily kept at bay by the mere protective layer of zhenqi shrouding his body.

In fact, as long as Zhang Xuan willed it, he could move at a speed so quick that even they would be unable to perceive his movements.

At this point, the Zhang Clan's bloodline was completely useless to him. Time Acceleration had become an ability that he could activate with a mere thought.

The group fought for a while, and it did not take long for Zhang Xuan to ascertain how powerful he and each of his direct disciples were. Feeling that there was no point in prolonging the fight any longer, he raised his forefinger and tapped it lightly in front of him. "Break!"

Huala!

All nine of them were sent retreating simultaneously with pale faces.

It was no exaggeration to say that they were the most powerful team of cultivators on the Master Teacher Continent at the moment, but to think that they would not be able to withstand a single strike from their teacher's finger...

"Zhao Ya and Zheng Yang, you have worked hard. I can tell that you have improved a lot over the past half a year. The rest of you too. Well done. However, Shiyao, you will have to work a little harder. Even though you aren't the weakest at the moment, your advancement is sorely lagging behind," Zhang Xuan pointed out.

He could tell that his students had been working extremely hard based on their improvements. In contrast, the one who had been growing the slowest turned out to be the last direct disciple that he had accepted, Kong Shiyao.

He had not really given her any pointers prior to his departure, resulting in the latter's cultivation advancing only from Blood Reincarnation realm intermediate stage to advanced stage despite having half a year to herself. As one of Zhang Xuan's direct disciples, such a rate of progress could be said to be abysmal.

"I..." Kong Shiyao was rendered speechless.

She was painfully aware of the fact that she was the one who had made the least progress over the past half a year.

Previously, she had thought that, with her Kong Clan bloodline, even if she was no match for Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, and the others at the moment, she should be able to catch up with them in no time. Yet, the others were pulling further away from her instead.

This made her realize that the incredible gifts that the Kong Clan's bloodline had bestowed her would only get her so far. It was sheer naivety for her to think that her talent would be enough to offset the effort put in by her seniors who were desperately climbing forward with everything they had.

If she did not desperately claw forward with everything she had, she would only end up being cast behind the others.

Not to mention that her teacher was the World's Teacher! There was no way the disciples of the World's Teacher would be bound by the mere limitations of talent!

"Alright, this is what I have comprehended over the past half a year. I'll impart everything to you now. As for how much you are able to comprehend, it's entirely up to you!" With a tap of his finger, Zhang Xuan imparted the insights that he had received during his breakthrough to Ancient Sage into the minds of the others.

At their level of cultivation, there was no longer a need to bring them around step by step anymore as if they were amateurs. Rather, all he had to do was grant them the resources and allow them to reach enlightenment on their own.

One's cultivation lay with oneself. As a teacher, his role was just to bring them through the doorsill and point out plausible paths to them.

As for how far they could go, that was down to them. It was also for this reason that Zhang Xuan had previously encouraged them to seek out their own paths.

If not, they would not have accrued precious experiences that would allow them to grow and mature as people.

The nine direct disciples swiftly scanned through Zhang Xuan's impartation, and excited gleams sparkled in their eyes.

With his insights, they would be able to quicken their rate of cultivation and reinforce the foundations of their cultivation further.

Zhang Xuan knew that it would take some time for his direct disciples to assimilate what they had just received, but he did not have much time to waste. Thus, he spoke up. "I'm intending to head to the formation in the Kunxu Domain. The rest of you should come along with me!"

The nine of them quickly nodded in response.

Thus, they made their way over to the Kunxu Domain, and within ten minutes, they were already on the elevated platform beneath the formation leading to the Azure.

After Zhang Xuan had repaired the formation, all of the rifts that had appeared previously had been completely mended, making this place seem almost no different from any other. The mercury-like energy that had seeped through previously had also diffused into the surroundings to harmless concentration levels.

From the looks of it, it seemed like the formation was doing its job well. Through the personnel guarding the formation, he confirmed that no deities had been able to slip through the formation in the past half a year, and he heaved a sigh of relief.

"On the other side of the formation above is the Azure, and it is filled with an extremely heavy spiritual energy. It's highly dangerous, but I believe that it's the key to achieving a breakthrough to the Dimension Shatterer realm. Would you like to try and see if you are able to absorb it?"

Zhang Xuan tapped his finger lightly as he spoke, and a small black hole appeared in the formation. A gush of heavy energy poured down, causing the elevated platform to creak under the weight.

Since he had achieved a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, it was about time for him to leave the Master Teacher Continent and take a look at the higher dimensions.

Otherwise, he would never be able to find Luo Ruoxin, and their fate would be severed thereon.

However, in order to enter the Azure, he would have to first grow accustomed to the mercury-like spiritual energy. The reason he had brought his direct disciples there as well was because he wanted them to get a taste of the mercury-like spiritual energy so that they would be wary of it.

Tzzzzz!

Hearing Zhang Xuan's words, the nine direct disciples each took in a small bit of the mercury-like spiritual energy, and the next moment, they felt as if their meridians were going to collapse under the weight. They hurriedly drove their zhenqi to reinforce the resilience of their meridians.

This spiritual energy was simply too fearsome. Even though they had all reached Ancient Sage, it was still beyond their means to deal with.

"Teacher, I think... I am able to absorb this spiritual energy!"

Just as Zhang Xuan was sighing in disappointment, a voice suddenly sounded. He quickly turned his head over and saw Zhao Ya looking at him with a confused expression.

The mercury-like spiritual energy was slowly flowing into her body, but her body was not showing any signs of rejection.

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Chapter 1911: Zhao Ya's Breakthrough

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Continue cultivating, don't stop!" Zhang Xuan urged as he activated his Eye of Insight to take a closer look at the young lady.

As the mercury-like spiritual energy flowed through her body, it refined her zhenqi, inducing her cultivation to grow at a visible rate. Within a short ten minutes, she was making advancements equivalent to an entire day of cultivation!

"This is... It's the altered meridians!" Zhang Xuan came to a realization.

Previously, Zhao Ya's meridians had been completely destroyed while trying to save him, so Zhang Xuan had used the vines of the Dongxu Gourd to construct a new meridian network for her.

This mercury-like spiritual energy should have been enough to crush the meridians of any cultivator with ease, but somehow, this problem did not exist for Zhao Ya.

It was a wonder what the vines truly were. They were actually able to absorb such heavy spiritual energy without causing a strain on Zhao Ya's body at all by nullifying the damage it would have usually caused on normal cultivators through its sheer resilience!

A few moments later, Zhao Ya halted her cultivation before turning to look at her teacher with agitation in her eyes.

"Teacher, I think that I should be able to easily achieve a breakthrough to Dimension Shatterer realm as long as I continue absorbing the heavy spiritual energy!"

Her cultivation had already reached Blood Reincarnation realm consummation due to her hard work over the past half a year, but all of a sudden, she had found that she could not scale any higher than that. It was as if she had already reached the highest peak of the Master Teacher Continent, and there was no path leading to higher grounds for her to take anymore.

It was the world's bottleneck.

Yet, when she absorbed the spiritual energy, she actually felt an impetus to make a breakthrough, and it filled her with disbelief.

"I see," Zhang Xuan remarked with a nod.

He did not say too much in response to Zhao Ya's situation, but he had already roughly figured out what was going on.

The spiritual energy of the Master Teacher Continent differed far too much from the Azure in terms of density and quality. The bottleneck preventing cultivators from reaching the Dimension Shatterer realm was like a pair of resilient steel gates that an ordinary stream could never push open. It required powerful currents and devastating waves striking on the steel gates in order to break them apart.

"It's as I thought. The key to achieving a breakthrough to the Dimension Shatterer realm is to absorb this mercury-like energy!" Zhang Xuan nodded affirmatively, more certain than ever of his conjecture.

This might also be the reason for the vast difference in the strength of those on the Master Teacher Continent and the deities descending from the Azure. They had been constantly nourished by the mercury-like spiritual energy, so achieving a breakthrough to the Dimension Shatterer realm was not too difficult a feat to them anymore.

It was for this reason that the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had devoted their efforts to developing the Greensprout Wheat to improve the constitution of ordinary civilians. Once their constitution reached a level suited for them to absorb the mercury-like spiritual energy, mankind would take a qualitative step forward in its level of existence.

"Continue absorbing the spiritual energy. Try to achieve a breakthrough to the Dimension Shatterer realm if possible!" Zhang Xuan instructed.

Zhao Ya nodded. She quickly drove her zhenqi to its limits as she devoured the mercury-like spiritual energy greedily.

On the other hand, the other eight direct disciples tried to absorb the mercury-like spiritual energy once more, but they were unable to absorb it like their First Senior. Thus, they could only sigh deeply and look at their First Senior in envy.

Knowing that cultivation was not something that could be rushed, Zhang Xuan did not rush Zhao Ya. Instead, using both the Eye of Insight and the Library of Heaven's Path, he made sure to take note of Zhao Ya's current condition carefully, fearing that something would happen to her.

Fortunately, due to Zhao Ya's diligence and patience, the foundations of her cultivation were extremely firm. Her cultivation grew without any problems, and within half a day, she was already knocking on the bottleneck keeping her from the Dimension Shatterer realm.

"Break!"

Once the young lady had built up sufficient momentum, her eyebrows shot up as she released a furious cry. In an instant, her zhenqi gushed through her meridians and tore down the bottleneck limiting her, causing her cultivation to rise to the much-desired level of the Dimension Shatterer realm!

The Ordeal of Lightning Armament swiftly descended upon Zhao Ya as the heavens desperately tried to claw her apart. However, with her current strength and Zhang Xuan's pointers, she managed to overcome the crisis safely. Nevertheless, the cultivation ordeal still left many wounds on her that would take some time to recover from.

"Is this the level that you reached back then?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Vicious had reached the Dimension Shatterer realm before, which had resulted in his widespread fame in the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe as an Immortal's Envoy. It was with such strength that he had been able to force Kong shi into a corner multiple times.

"Un!" Vicious nodded. "Through absorbing the heavy energy coming from the Azure, I was able to push my cultivation past the Dimension Shatterer realm, but I was only able to push to primary stage. Anything beyond that is practically impossible. Based on my research back then, one has to enter the Azure and tap into the natural energies in that world to alter one's fundamental constitution in order to advance one's cultivation any further than that. Otherwise, one will be doomed to be trapped at that realm till one's death!"

"You were unable to advance any further than that?" Zhang Xuan was stunned.

He quickly turned to Zhao Ya and asked her the same question.

Zhao Ya closed her eyes to sense her current physical condition before shaking her head and replying, "Teacher, it seems like reaching Dimension Shatterer realm primary stage is really my limit. If I wish to cultivate any further than this, while the rejection of the heavens does play a part as well, more importantly, it seems like my body has reached the limits of its capacity. I am unable to accept any more heavy spiritual energy!"

It was similar to the idea of how a pond could only store a limited amount of water depending on its size. If someone attempted to pour more water into an already full pond, the excess would just flow into the surroundings.

If one wanted the pond to reserve a greater amount of water, the only way was to expand the pond. As the size of the pond increased, the amount of water that it could store would naturally increase as well.

The dimension one lives in does affect one's constitution too, Zhang Xuan thought.

He had thought that as long as he had an ample supply of the mercury-like spiritual energy, he would be able to continuously absorb it and advance his cultivation swiftly. However, it seemed like his thoughts were too naive.

If it was that easy, Kong shi would not have had to leave the Master Teacher Continent.

Zhang Xuan clenched his fists and thought, Let me give it a try again and see if I'm able to absorb it!

Previously, when he tried to absorb the mercury-like spiritual energy, he had not achieved a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, and the resilience of his body had still been sorely lacking. However, after his breakthrough, he wielded strength that far surpassed that of even Zhao Ya. Could his body possibly be able to adapt to this mercury-like spiritual energy and allow him to absorb it too?

After all, he had altered his meridian network, and it was even more profound than Zhao Ya's!

With such a thought in mind, Zhang Xuan quickly sat on the ground and closed his eyes.

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Chapter 1912: The Importance of Meridians

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Tzzzzzzz!

The mercury-like spiritual energy swiftly poured into Zhang Xuan's meridians through his acupoints.

Kacha! Kacha!

But as if someone had injected lead into his body, his meridians immediately began cracking as he felt an incredible weight trying to pull him down from within. He hurriedly drove his Heaven's Path zhenqi to repair the cracks and reinforce his meridians to withstand the mercury-like spiritual energy. Nevertheless, his face continued to redden, and a moment later, fresh blood spurted out of his mouth.

"It doesn't work..." Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly.

He had thought that he would be able to absorb the mercury-like energy with the recent advancement in his cultivation, but his expectations had been dashed.

If he attempted to force his way through, it could be foreseen that his meridians would be shattered, and his dantian would collapse. Putting aside trying to assimilate the mercury-like spiritual energy into his zhenqi, his body would first be destroyed by the massive burden!

"It's a pity that I don't have the vine anymore." Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

If he still had the vines of the Dongxu Gourd, he would have been able to use it to further alter his meridians and allow him to slowly adapt to the mercury-like spiritual energy, but that was clearly out of the question now.

Just as Zhang Xuan was wondering if he should seek another method, a thought suddenly arose in his head.

Wait a moment, that shouldn't be. Those two Otherworldly Demons were able to absorb the mercury-like spiritual energy, and even Vicious succeeded...

Ancient Sage Yan Qing had once experimented with the mercury-like spiritual energy, and of the initial ten subjects, two Otherworldly Demons had eventually survived the crushing pressure from the mercury-like spiritual energy. Vicious definitely did not have the vine of the Dongxu Gourd, but he had succeeded as well.

Considering that his meridian network was even more perfect than the Otherworldly Demons, it did not make sense for him to fail. There had to be something else that they had that he did not that resulted in such a massive difference in results.

Could it be the Zhenqi of Slaughter? If I alter the attribute of my zhenqi to that, will I be able to absorb the mercury-like spiritual energy more smoothly? Zhang Xuan wondered.

It was not as if there was anyone whom he could consult, so he decided to immediately try it out. He swiftly altered the attribute of his Heaven's Path zhenqi to simulate the Zhenqi of Slaughter, and in an instant, it was as if he had become a lofty Otherworldly Demon Emperor.

After altering the attribute of his zhenqi, he opened up his acupoints once more and carefully took in the mercury-like spiritual energy.

Tzzzz!

This time, when the same mercury-like spiritual energy entered his body, it surprisingly did not feel as heavy as before. Instead, it felt warm and soothing, as if gulping down a bowl of warm chicken soup.

"It's working!" Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly in exhilaration.

As the current Sovereign Chen Yong, Liu Yang possessed the ability to freely alter his zhenqi to that of the Zhenqi of Slaughter as well, but his meridians had never been changed before. It was likely that this was why he was unable to absorb the mercury-like spiritual energy.

However, it was different for Zhang Xuan. Back when he was stripped down to his bones during his fight with the deity in the capital of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, he had used the unique aura that the deity gifted to Sovereign Chen Ling in order to recover, and he had made sure to alter his meridian network to one that was more aligned with the world.

With those changes, he was actually able to absorb the mercury-like spiritual energy smoothly without any problems.

After absorbing for some time, he finally felt the bottleneck that was preventing him from reaching the Dimension Shatterer realm.

"Shatter!"

At that moment, Zhang Xuan's consciousness was within the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn in the Library of Heaven's Path, which resulted in a tenfold acceleration for the time of his consciousness. Mercury-like energy poured out of the Azure in bulk, but every single bit of it was swiftly swept into a vortex that led straight into Zhang Xuan's body.

Zhao Ya, Kong Shiyao, and the others were astonished, and they swiftly retreated several steps away from the elevated platform.

They had noticed that their teacher was able to absorb the heavy spiritual energy ever since his aura transformed into one similar to an Otherworldly Demon, but they did not think that he would actually be able to cultivate so quickly!

Under the relentless downpour of such a huge quantity of the mercury-like energy, the elevated platform was crushed under the pressure.

Due to the effects of the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn, Zhang Xuan was able to cultivate at an unbelievable speed. Nevertheless, it took him nearly an entire day before he was able to push his cultivation up to the very brim, where he was unable to accumulate any more energy.

Hong long!

It was around half a day later before he finally released the energy and took the final step into the Dimension Shatterer realm, just like Zhao Ya. Surprisingly though, perhaps because he had become the World's Teacher, the heavens did not call an Ordeal of Lightning Armament upon him as a result of his breakthrough.

After reaching this realm, he swiftly noticed that he was facing the same problem as Vicious and Zhao Ya. No matter how much he tried to absorb the mercury-like spiritual energy, he was unable to advance his cultivation in the slightest. It was as if his dantian and meridians had reached a sated state, preventing him from absorbing any more energy.

"What a pity!" Zhang Xuan remarked with a shake of his head as he halted his cultivation and rose to his feet.

The advancement in his cultivation had given him a deeper understanding of what the mercury-like spiritual energy truly was.

Simply put, it was spiritual energy condensed to the extremities, resulting in its unbelievable weight. As the meridians of ordinary humans were simply too weak, it was impossible for them to adapt to it.

On the other hand, the Otherworldly Demons possessed a superior constitution, and their meridian network was much more logical than that of normal human cultivators. As such, there was a chance that they could adapt to the mercury-like spiritual energy and enjoy a significant boost in their cultivation.

As for why the Zhenqi of Slaughter was required to cultivate the mercury-like spiritual energy, Zhang Xuan did not have a clear answer yet, but he did notice that the two energies shared similar attributes to one another. Perhaps, the Zhenqi of Slaughter facilitated the absorption and flow of the mercury-like spiritual energy, and the similar attributes also meant that it was less likely that one's body would reject the mercury-like spiritual energy.

Seeing that both Zhao Ya and their teacher had achieved a breakthrough to the Dimension Shatterer realm one after another, Zheng Yang, Kong Shiyao, and the others could hardly contain their agitation. "Teacher, is it possible for us to cultivate the heavy spiritual energy too?"

If the two of them were able to absorb the heavy spiritual energy, would they be able to do it in the near future?

Zhang Xuan shook his head grimly. "For the time being, it's impossible for the rest of you."

Altering the meridians of an individual was no laughing matter. Even with Zhang Xuan's current means, he did not dare take the matter lightly.

The reason Zhao Ya had been able to succeed was because her meridians had been replaced with the extraordinary vines of the Dongxu Gourd, but even so, luck played a huge part as well. Many complications could easily have occurred, such as her succumbing to the pain or her body rejecting the vines of the Dongxu Gourds.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan had only managed to alter his meridians because he was already reduced to a skeleton, and he had the 'recovery energy' from the deity that had allowed him to swiftly heal his body. Otherwise, just trying to recover would have been a pain in his backside, let alone making use of this opportunity to alter his meridians.

Without such fortuitous encounters, it would be hard for the rest of his direct disciples to succeed as well.

Hearing those words, the crowd could not help but lower their heads in disappointment.

"It's indeed impossible for ordinary humans to absorb this energy. The Hundred Schools of Philosophers have tried many times, but not even the most talented geniuses were able to adapt to it!" Kong Shiyao added with a bitter smile.

There was no one on the Master Teacher Continent who knew more about the mercury-like spiritual energy than the Hundred Schools of Philosophers.

For many generations, they had guarded this seal, and within this period of time, they had already fully familiarized themselves with the nature of the mercury-like spiritual energy.

With so many talented individuals failing in the past, it did not seem likely that they would all be able to overcome this limitation any time soon.

"Even though you might not have succeeded thus far, with time, your body should gradually get used to the mercury-like spiritual energy," Zhang Xuan said.

"Based on the records from tens of thousands of years ago, the population then couldn't even survive three seconds in the face of the heavy spiritual energy before their meridians ruptured completely. However, the current population, including those who have yet to cultivate, can last for at least ten minutes in the face of the mercury-like spiritual energy as long as they don't absorb it into their body!" Kong Shiyao nodded in agreement.

"Hmm?" Those words brought a frown to Zhang Xuan's face. "Why would that be? Allow me to take a look!"

By right, the situation for ordinary humans should not change by too much. Even if the Greensprout Wheat altered the constitution of ordinary humans, a Fighter 8-dan cultivator should still be as powerless in the face of the mercury-like spiritual energy as a Fighter 1-dan cultivator, but there was actually such a huge difference over time. Could it be that the Greensprout Wheat had altered something else?

Zhang Xuan swiftly spread his Spiritual Perception across the entire Great Phrontistery of Confucianism, and he swiftly located some of the ordinary citizens.

"The Greensprout Wheat has not only enhanced their constitution; it seems like their meridian network has also developed in a much different manner compared to the cultivators of the Master Teacher Continent." Zhang Xuan was shocked.

He did know that the Greensprout Wheat had strengthened the bodies of those living in the Kunxu Domain, granting them the strength of Zongshi realm at maturity, but he had never thought of checking their meridians.

Over many years of development, the meridian network of the local population was starting to show some similarities to that of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe! This explained the significant increase in the duration that they were able to withstand the mercury-like energy.

"Perhaps this is the path that mankind is destined to walk on in order to advance further..." Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

Initially, Zhang Xuan had intended to find a different way for Zheng Yang and the others to adapt to the mercury-like spiritual energy, but the sight that he had just seen changed his mind altogether.

It felt like the only way to truly adapt to the mercury-like spiritual energy was through altering one's meridians, and if Zheng Yang and the others were to go around it the normal way, it would be impossible for them to succeed in their lifetime.

However...

In order for them to alter their meridians, they would have to first destroy their meridian networks, but the Aeon of Ancient Sage that they would require to make a full recovery was so massive that it was not an amount that he could procure.

Furthermore, what if they were unable to reform their meridians after shattering them?

Zhang Xuan pondered deeply for a moment before asking, "Shiyao, where are Ancient Sage Yan Qing and the others?"

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Chapter 1913: Up to the Azure

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

The battle with the deity had reduced Ancient Sage Yan Qing and the others to mere skeletal racks. With all of them on the verge reaching the limits of their lifespan, it would simply be a waste of resources for them to recover anymore. Nevertheless, before Zhang Xuan left on his self-discovery journey, he saw Kong Shiyao sealing them in ice to preserve their conditions. Half a year had passed since then, but it should be likely that they were still alive.

Kong Shiyao also nodded in response, "They are currently in hibernation."

"Bring me to them. I just might have a way to save them!" Zhang Xuan instructed as he gathered a bundle of the mercury-like spiritual energy in his hands.

Those words made Kong Shiyao widen her eyes in excitement. Knowing the conditions that Ancient Sage Yan Qing and the others were in, all she could really do was to delay the inevitable. She thought that it was really the end of these great men who had devoted their lives to protecting the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, but Zhang Xuan's words sparked a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

She immediately led the way forward, and they soon arrived in a sealed room. In the room, the bodies of Ancient Sage Yan Qing and several other Ancient Sages were placed side by side along a round elevated platform. Beneath the platform were various artifacts that constantly supplied the Ancient Sages with the vitality required to sustain their lives as long as possible.

Such a method couldn't increase their lifespan, but at the very least, it was able to delay their deaths as much as possible. This was also the method they had used in order to last the past ten thousand years.

Zhang Xuan walked right up to Ancient Sage Yan Qing's skeletal rack, and with a snap of his finger, he released the seal cast around him. The skeletal rack slowly roused to consciousness.

"Zhang shi!" the skeletal rack swiftly rose up and bowed deeply.

"I have found a way that could potentially save you. However, as I have never tested it before, I can't guarantee its success. If it works out, your lifespan will be extended, and you will enjoy a huge leap in your cultivation. However, if it fails, you'll lose your life right away. Are you interested in taking this gamble?" Knowing that the other party's time was limited, Zhang Xuan got straight to the point.

"I want to give it a try!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing replied decisively.

Since he was doomed anyway, there was no reason for him to clutch onto this straw of hope, even if the chances were slim.

"Good. I have a zhenqi circulation method over here that I need you to practice right now. Furthermore, while you are reforming your physical body, I want you to create your meridians according to this map I have over here!"

Zhang Xuan tapped his finger and imparted the reverse method of the simplified Heaven's Path Divine Art and the meridian network mapping he had drawn a while ago into Ancient Sage Yan Qing's head.

It took Ancient Sage Yan Qing ten minutes to fully comprehend the meridian network and the zhenqi circulation method. He wasn't too sure what Zhang Xuan was exactly up to, but he was confident that the latter wouldn't harm him. Thus, he took in a deep breath before driving his zhenqi in accordance to the zhenqi circulation method.

Tzzzzz!

With a snap of his fingers, Zhang Xuan released the mercury-like energy he had gathered previously, causing it to swiftly suffuse the surroundings.

The presence of this energy caused Ancient Sage Yan Qing to tense up in anxiety. Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth and resolved himself to push it through.

He began absorbing the surrounding mercury-like energy using the zhenqi circulation method Zhang Xuan had provided, expecting to feel a crushing pressure any time soon. But as some time passed, an uncomprehending look appeared on his face instead.

When he absorbed the mercury-like spiritual energy based on the zhenqi circulation method provided by Zhang Xuan, he felt that the mercury-like spiritual energy was nourishing his body instead of crushing it. Delighted, he continued absorbing the energy excitedly, and within four hours, his physical body was already fully restored!

Due to the changes in his meridian network, his body was emanating an overpowering killing intent, making him seem like an Otherworldly Demons from afar.

Seeing that the first phase of his plan had worked, Zhang Xuan's eyes glowed in delight. He quickly issued the next set of instructions, "Good. Now, try to push for a breakthrough to Dimension Shatterer realm!"

Ancient Sage Yan Qing nodded as he continued absorbing the mercury-like spiritual energy.

As his accumulation over the past ten thousand years was far greater than Zhao Ya, it took him only two hours to reach Ancient Sage 4-dan. As a result of his breakthrough, his lifespan increased as well.

With this, he was no longer at risk of dying at any moment anymore.

"Thank you, Zhang shi!"

Words could hardly describe Ancient Sage Yan Qing's feelings as he felt the torrent of energy coursing through his body. He quickly kneeled onto the floor to express his gratitude to Zhang Xuan.

He was already prepared to face death after his overexertion while trying to repair the formation, but who could have thought that the other party would bring him back using such an unusual method? Not only so, he even achieved a breakthrough in his cultivation and reached a level that he thought he would never reach.

"The mercury-like spiritual energy sure is incredible. Not only does it hasten one's rate of cultivation, it also recovers one's body at a rate faster than the Aeon of Ancient Sage..." Seeing that his guess was on the mark, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

Under normal circumstances, given the limited amount of vitality that Ancient Sage Yan Qing had left inside his body, he wouldn't have been able to fully recover his physical body even in an environment rich in the Aeon of Ancient Sage. However, it was a completely different matter if he were to absorb the mercury-like spiritual energy instead.

This type of condensed spiritual energy harnessed an incredible amount of power within it. As long as one was able to absorb it, it could heal any severe wounds swiftly.

After confirming the feasibility of the method, Zhang Xuan unhesitatingly brought the remaining Ancient Sages to the elevated platform before waking them up. He warned them of the risks involved first before imparting them with the same zhenqi circulation method and meridian network mapping he had given to Ancient Sage Yan Qing. All of them decided immediately to go along with Zhang Xuan's plan, especially after seeing the method had worked on Ancient Sage Yan Qing.

Eventually, most of them managed to take the final step and successfully reached Dimension Shatterer realm, but there were accidents as well. Two Ancient Sages made a mistake in their cultivation and ended up having their skeletal racks crushed by the heavy spiritual energy, causing them to die on the spot.

Nevertheless, all of this showed that this was a feasible course of action to take. Thus, Zhang Xuan called his direct disciples over and asked, "Are you willing to go through any danger in order to reach Dimension Shatterer realm?"

The eight of them nodded their heads in agreement.

Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan waved his hand, and all eight of them immediately spurted blood simultaneously. That single strike had shattered all of the meridians in their bodies.

"Cultivate in accordance with this, and be warned that you mustn't make even the slightest mistake. Don't blame me for not warning you if you were to die in the end!" Zhang Xuan said as he imparted them with the two manuals as well.

Zheng Yang and the others had watched Ancient Sage Yan Qing's rebirth with their own eyes, so they were well aware as to what they should do. Furthermore, as they had cultivated the simplified version of the Heaven's Path Divine Art, they were extremely familiar with it. While they had never tried cultivating it in reverse before, it didn't take them long to get used to it.

In the end, Kong Shiyao was the first one to fully recover and reach Dimension Shatterer realm.

Trailing behind her were Zheng Yang, Wei Ruyan, Lu Chong, and Wang Ying...

And five days later, even the weakest of them, Zhang Jiuxiao, had reached Dimension Shatterer realm too!

With this, all nine of Zhang Xuan's direct disciples had become Ancient Sage 4-dan Dimension Shatterer realm experts!

"Teacher!"

Seeing that they had succeeded, all nine of them cheered in delight.

Their teacher had actually accomplished a feat that even Kong shi failed to back then!

Seeing that his final job here was done, Zhang Xuan quickly gathered all of them together and revealed his intent to them, "I'm intending to open up the seal and enter the Azure. The circumstances up there are still unknown for the time being, and it's likely that untold dangers lurk beyond. Thus, I want all of you to stay put here for the time being and guard the Master Teacher Continent in my stead. Wait for my news, alright?"

Over the past five days which his direct disciples had spent cultivating to Dimension Shatterer realm, he had been pondering over his next move, and he found that his conviction still remained the same.

He wanted to head to the Azure and find Luo Ruoxin. He did think of whether he should bring his students along, but he eventually decided against it, especially given the dangers he involved.

"Teacher, we wish to come along with you!" Zhao Ya stepped forward and declared.

"No matter what kind of danger lies in the path ahead, we'll follow wherever you go. There is nothing that can make us stand down!" Zheng Yang nodded in agreement.

While the others didn't say a word, the look of resolution on their faces clearly indicated their stance as well.

It was due to their teacher that they were able to achieve their current accomplishments. If their teacher was going to undergo untold dangers, there was no way they would be able to remain here with a peace of mind!

"I appreciate your sentiments, but we can't just leave the Master Teacher Continent as it is at the moment. With the massive rebalancing in the power distribution of the Master Teacher Continent, there's no saying what would happen in the future if all of you were to disappear at once. Rest assured, once I have confirmed the situation in the Azure, I'll try to inform you all through Liu Yang's rituals!" Zhang Xuan explained with a smile.

The Azure was bound to be filled with innumerable top-notch experts, and even if he was no match for them, he was at least confident of escaping from them if he were alone. However, if he had to bring all of his students with him, he was not confident that he would be able to ensure their safety.

Besides, unlike him, his students had their own responsibilities on the Master Teacher Continent, and they couldn't afford to simply leave on a whim.

Take Liu Yang for example, he was the highest leader of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. It hadn't been long since the situation over at the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had been stabilized, and if he were to disappear at this juncture, there was no saying that others would exploit this opportunity to launch a coup d'état against his rule. If so, mankind could potentially be in danger once more.

"Then... teacher, you must take care of yourself!"

Knowing that their teacher had already made up his mind and no one would be able to sway his decision, the nine of them lowered their heads in disappointment.

"Zheng Yang, I have tempered the Dragonbone Divine Spear with the heavy spiritual energy, and it has already achieved a breakthrough to Dimension Shatterer realm. I shall now bestow it upon you. I don't know whether other deities would try to descend to the Master Teacher Continent after my departure, so I'll be counting on you to protect mankind from such external threats!" Zhang Xuan said as he passed the Dragonbone Divine Spear over.

Due to the dimension barrier, it was impossible for him to bring any items, including his storage rings, along with him up to the Azure. Furthermore, given his current level of cultivation, the Dragonbone Divine Spear was indeed not of much use to him anymore.

"Wang Ying, you specialize in spirit enchantment, but spirit enchantment takes time. I'll bestow the Golden Origin Cauldron to you. It'll safeguard your safety!" Zhang Xuan said as he brought out the Golden Origin Cauldron from the Myriad Anthive Nest.

Over the past five days, while this brick-like fellow hadn't managed to achieve a breakthrough to Dimension Shatterer realm from the nourishment of the mercury-like spiritual energy, it was already very close to doing so. Since he was unable to bring the other party with him, it would be best for him to entrust it to his students.

He took out the treasures he had on him one after another and distributed them equally to his students before heaving a sigh of relief.

With the current cultivation realm of his students and the treasures they had in their possession, even if a group of deities descended at this moment, they would be able to deal with them calmly without fluster.

As for Vicious, he was sealed within the Book of Heaven's Path, which could be deposited into the Library of Heaven's Path. Considering this fellow was a figure who was able to stand on equal grounds with Kong shi back then, it might spell a calamity in the future if he were to leave this fellow on the Master Teacher Continent. Despite all they had gone through together, he found that he was still unable to fully trust Vicious, so he felt that it would be best to keep the latter close with him.

As for the Dongxu Gourd, it was hiding in his dantian, so there shouldn't be any trouble bringing it across the dimension barrier.

As for his clone, he found that while the other party was unable to enter the Library of Heaven's Path, the other party was still able to enter the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn. Given that the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn formed an independent space separate from the Library of Heaven's Path, and that the clone shared the same soul with Zhang Xuan, it didn't come as a surprise that his clone was able to enter the space too.

With this, he should be able to bring his clone with him too.

With everything in place, Zhang Xuan looked at the formation above of him, and with a wave of his hand, he opened up a rift in it. After which, with a powerful leap, he dashed right toward the rift.

Previously, the downpour of mercury-like spiritual energy would cause a huge burden to both his physical body and his soul, but with his cultivation reaching Dimension Shatterer realm, he no longer felt any discomfort from it anymore. On the contrary, he felt like a traveler stumbling upon an oasis in the desert. It was invigorating.

Kacha! Kacha!

Beyond the formation, he saw innumerable black patches of void. The shattered space between the two dimensions formed powerful spatial turbulence that tugged at him from all directions.

"It's fortunate that I have reached Dimension Shatterer realm, or else this spatial turbulence would have torn me to shreds..." Zhang Xuan thought grimly as he trudged his way through the spatial turbulence with difficulty.

This spatial turbulence was truly far more powerful than whatever he had experienced in the past.

Putting aside Blood Reincarnation realm cultivators, even ordinary Dimension Shatterer realm cultivators could succumb to the spatial turbulence and end up being torn to shreds in a moment of carelessness.

If not for his incredible accumulation and superior strength, even he would have difficulty trying to get past this.

Nevertheless, the spatial turbulence still inflicted many glaring lacerations on his body, causing blood to flow endlessly from his body.

There was no road in this passageway, and the entire passageway consisted of nothing but collapsed space. It was only through the Library of Heaven's Path that he could discern a safe passageway, or else he could have easily lost his way in this desolate space.

Hong long long!

Just like that, he traveled for nearly half a month. Gauging by the distance he had traveled so far, he figured that he should be reaching his destination very soon.

But at this moment, a massive bolt of lightning suddenly appeared before him, sealing his pathway forward.

Just as Zhang Xuan was wondering how he could overcome this obstacle, another flash of lightning bolted down and struck Zhang Xuan before he could react, causing him to black out.

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Chapter 1914: Just the Thought of It Excites Me So

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

With a splitting headache, Zhang Xuan gradually regained consciousness.

The first thing that came into his line of sight was a white ceiling. Swiftly scanning his surroundings, he found that he was lying on a bed in a relatively spacious room.

My strength...

Slowly sitting up, Zhang Xuan winced from the excruciating pain with every inch he moved. He took a look at his own body and found that it was wrapped tightly in bandages. He tried to drive his own zhenqi, but he realized that the zhenqi that remained in his body had become pathetically low.

Why is my zhenqi so heavy?

Taking a closer look, he noticed that his zhenqi had become incredibly heavy. Even slightly driving it created a huge strain on him.

It swiftly dawned on him that it was not that he was low on zhenqi but that the vast amount of zhenqi that he had previously stored in his body had been condensed into mercury-like zhenqi.

It was true that such a heavily condensed zhenqi would grant him greater burst power, but the problem was that he could not even drive it, let alone use it to recover from his injuries.

He quickly tried to recall what had happened prior to this.

I entered the passageway leading to the Azure, but I ended up getting blocked by a bolt of lightning. I was going to find a way to circumvent it when I was struck by another bolt of lightning and ended up blacking out...

Seeing the mess that his body was in and recalling his memories prior to the accident, Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in astonishment.

Could it be that... I am already in the Azure?

Since he had blacked out in the passageway, he had thought that he would wake up drifting aimlessly in there, but before he knew it, he was already lying in a room with his body fully bandaged. Could it be that he had somehow managed to bypass the lightning region and successfully arrived at the Azure?

This notion prompted Zhang Xuan to swiftly scan his surroundings. Thus, he attempted to release his Spiritual Perception into the surroundings, only to end up with his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

In the past, his Spiritual Perception could easily over millions of li, but at that moment, it was firmly stuck within his body, refusing to come out at all no matter how he pushed!

What incredible spatial pressure this is!

At this point, it was already certain that he was in the Azure. Not only was he unable to deploy his Spiritual Perception, but even his flight ability had been restricted. In fact, even his usual movements had been curbed significantly due to the immense spatial pressure.

Gugugugu!

Suddenly, a rumbling sound echoed from Zhang Xuan's abdomen. He was hungry.

Ever since he had cultivated to Transcendent Mortal, he had been able to sustain his bodily needs through absorbing spiritual energy and cultivating. It did not matter whether he ate or not. This was the first time in a long time that he had felt so starved. It felt almost as if his body was completely empty.

Sighing deeply, he closed his eyes, and through his senses, he could feel that the surroundings were filled with an abundance of mercury-like spiritual energy. In terms of concentration, it was at least ten times higher than what had descended back at the elevated platform of the Kunxu Domain.

He tried absorbing the mercury-like spiritual energy there to refine it into his own zhenqi to recover his injuries, but the next moment, his face reddened, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted from his lips.

There was a series of violent coughing, and Zhang Xuan had to strike his chest several times before the stifling sensation finally lessened.

Back when he was uninjured, he could still use the sheer resilience of his body to endure the backlash caused by the absorption of the mercury-like spiritual energy. However, with his current tattered body and cracked meridians, just trying to absorb the mercury-like spiritual energy made him feel like his body was going to collapse, let alone trying to assimilate it.

It looks like I can only give it a try after my injuries recover a little... Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

He knew that impatience would get him nowhere, so he decided to simply let things run their course.

Nevertheless, the fact that he was unable to drive his zhenqi at all and the sheer extent of the damage that his body had suffered meant that he was almost no different from an ordinary human. He would have to tread carefully until he finally recovered his strength.

"First and foremost, I should start by finding myself some food," Zhang Xuan muttered as another series of hunger pangs struck him.

Struggling to his feet, he rubbed his stomach as he trudged out of the room.

Huhuhu!

Pushing the door open, he heard a series of sharp wind currents slicing in the air. Turning his gaze over, he saw a young man holding a steel sword in hand executing a sword art. While his movements were not fanciful, they carried a peculiar grace to them that made them extremely pleasing to the eye.

One thing that quickly caught Zhang Xuan's eye was that the young man's left leg was as stiff as a block of wood. Zhang Xuan could not tell whether he had suffered an injury or that was the original state of his body, but it was clearly impeding his movements.

His foundations are still okay, but his sword art is severely lacking... Zhang Xuan frowned.

Grab any 3-star master teacher from the Master Teacher Continent, and the sword art that the other party executed would be even more profound than the young man before him. However, considering the difficulties in the young man's movements, it could barely be considered acceptable.

Zhang Xuan heaved a slight sigh, and it immediately caught the young man's attention. He halted his sword practice and turned his head over. Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, a look of delight crept onto his face as he said, "You're awake!"

Taking a closer look at the young man, the other party seemed to be in his late teens. He was not too tall, roughly a head shorter than Zhang Xuan. Using the measurement system from his previous world, the young man would not even be at 1.6 meters. There was a glaring scarlet birthmark roughly half a cheek wide imprinted on his left cheek, and it concealed part of his face.

In terms of appearances, the young man could not be associated with the word 'handsome' at all. In fact, he might be considered hideous even.

"Thank you for saving my life." Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

"It's nothing much. I saw you by accident, so I brought you back... I thought that you would die given the severity of your wounds, but you somehow managed to recover on your own..." The young man scratched his head awkwardly as he spoke.

His words were a little awkward, hinting that he was not too good with social interaction.

"Third Young Master..."

At this moment, an elder walked into the courtyard. Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, he was stunned for a moment before calmly bowing to greet him. "Sir, it seems like you are finally awake!"

Zhang Xuan returned the gesture with a simple nod.

He assessed the elder before him closely and noticed that the latter's clothes were stained with oil marks. The corners of his lips were a little torn, and there was a hint of fresh blood. His cheeks were also bruised. It was apparent that he had just been beaten up by someone else.

The crippled young man known as Third Young Master turned his gaze over as well, and as soon as he saw the current state of the elder, his face warped in astonishment. He hurriedly rushed over and worriedly asked, "Elder Yi, what happened?"

"Third Young Master, it's nothing," Elder Yi replied awkwardly.

However, the young man continued staring at Elder Yi intently, clearly unconvinced by the latter's words. Eventually, under the persistent stare of the young man, Elder Yi relented and said, "The Second Young Mistress of the City Lord Manor is here!"

"Xue Qin is here?"

This news caused the eyes of the crippled young man to glow in excitement.

"That's right..." Seeing the response of the young man, Elder Yi's face grew even redder. It was as if there was something that he wanted to say to the young man, but he had no idea how he should broach the subject.

The crippled young man also swiftly noticed that there was something amiss about Elder Yi's expression. The smile faded from his face as he asked, "Does her arrival have anything to do with your injuries?"

"Isn't the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion coming to our town to accept menial disciples three days from now?" Elder Yi was conflicted for a moment before continuing. "Through tapping into the connections of the City Lord Manor, Second Young Mistress Xue Qin managed to acquire a slot in advance..."

"She managed to obtain a slot in advance?" The crippled young man's face lit up in joy. "Isn't that good news?"

But barely after he said those words, the young man lowered his head to look at his crippled left leg, and his face swiftly sunk. "I guess that I don't stand a chance at all..."

"Having acquired the slot, there's no doubt that she will be leaving with those from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion three days from now. Did she come here to bid me farewell?" The crippled young man shook his head and sighed deeply.

"She... She..." Elder Yi hesitated for a long while before finally confessing the truth. "She's here to withdraw from the marriage agreement with you!"

"She wishes to withdraw from the marriage agreement?"

The young man's face turned ghastly pale. His body staggered a little, and he nearly fell to the ground. "She's going to withdraw from the marriage agreement with me just because she has become a menial disciple of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion?"

No matter where one was, being rejected by one's fiancée was something incredibly humiliating.

Hearing the conversation between the young man and the elder, Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

A talented young lady scorning her fiancé and proposing a withdrawal from the marriage agreement. An injured and insulted young man deciding to buck up and return the favor. Thirty years the river's east, and thirty years the river's west 1 ?

To think that he would encounter such a matter as soon as he arrived at the Azure.

How exciting life was!

For those who are unfamiliar, this is basically the initial plot of Battle Through the Heavens.

And for those who are interested, the idiom 'Thirty years the river's east, and thirty years the river's west' comes from how the flow of China's Yellow River changes its course frequently due to its high seabed, making it easy for sediments to accrue. In the past, most civilians were highly dependent on natural rivers for irrigating their crops, so a change in the flow of the river could easily dictate the prosperity of decline of an entire village.

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Chapter 1915: Dan Xiaotian

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Forget it!" After pondering over the matter for a moment, the crippled young man shook his head sorrowfully. "I am indeed unworthy of her. It was only a matter of time before our marriage agreement fell through..."

As their grandfathers were close with one another, they had heartily decided to betroth the grandchildren to one another. However, with the death of his grandfather, his clan had begun to decline. Following which, the young man himself had ended up sustaining severe injuries that had destroyed his inner breath, rendering him unable to cultivate anymore. At the same time, his left leg had ended up crippled, and no matter how many physicians he found, none of them were able to cure it.

Facing such a hopeless situation, he had eventually become very pessimistic.

Furthermore, he had always suffered from low self-esteem due to his appearance. Considering the difference between the two of them, he did not feel that he was worthy of her.

Their difference in standing made the collapse of their marriage agreement an inevitability.

Sighing deeply, the young man walked into the room and grabbed a jade box. He entrusted the jade box to the elder.

"This is the marriage agreement that sealed our relations together. Give it to her and tell her that we'll be strangers from this day forth. I hope that she'll be able to find someone better suited to her in the near future," the young man said.

"Third Young Master..." Elder Yi's face reddened. He understood the significance of this action, and he was just about to say something when he eventually halted himself and nodded instead. "Alright then!"

He's going to chicken out just like that? Zhang Xuan blinked blankly.

He had thought that the young man would lose his temper, thus triggering some kind of incredible drive that pushed the young man to accomplish something extraordinary, but contrary to his expectations, the young man actually delivered the marriage agreement back just like that. This was no different from the young man putting his face out there for others to stomp on.

Even as an onlooker, Zhang Xuan could hardly bear to watch.

However, he had always maintained a low profile, and it had not been long since he arrived in the Azure. Thus, he eventually decided against speaking recklessly.

After obtaining the marriage agreement, Elder Yi turned around and left.

In the silent courtyard, the Third Young Master abruptly raised his sword and hacked it down furiously on a nearby boulder, inflicting a deep cut on it. It seemed like he was not completely unaffected by the matter, just that he had chosen to hide his emotions from Elder Yi in order not to worry him.

Through the strength that he had exerted, Zhang Xuan could tell that the young man was at Saint 6-dan.

If it was on the Master Teacher Continent, it would have been an incredible feat for a person to reach Saint 6-dan by sixteen or seventeen. However, judging from the earlier conversation, it seemed such a feat was below average in the Azure.

Having vented his rage, the crippled young man seemed to finally calm down a little. It was only at this moment that he recalled that the person whom he had saved was standing nearby, and his face blushed in embarrassment.

"My apologies. I have shown you an embarrassing side of myself. Right, I haven't asked you for your name yet."

"I am Yao... Pui! I mean, I am Zhang Xuan!" Zhang Xuan replied with a nod.

"So, it's Brother Zhang!" the crippled young man said. "I am Dan Xiaotian, the Third Young Master of Baiye City's Dan Clan."

"Brother Dan." Zhang Xuan returned the greeting with a nod. "I heard you speaking about the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion earlier, Brother Dan. I'm just asking out of curiosity, but is it a sect?"

The exceedingly obvious question seemed to have surprised Dan Xiaotian as he asked, "Brother Zhang, do you not know about the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion?"

Seeing the confused look on Zhang Xuan's face, he widened his eyes in realization and remarked, "Ah, I nearly forgot! Brother Zhang, you aren't a cultivator, so it's no wonder you have never heard of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion! The world that we live in is known as the Forsaken Continent.

"According to legend, the world that we live in used to be a part of the world of gods, but it was severed from it and cast away. There are six major sects in the Forsaken Continent, and the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion is one of them. Entering any of these six major sects is viewed as a great honor. Countless desire to join the ranks of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion. Even if one enters as a menial disciple, the clan behind that disciple will be able to rise through the ranks."

Back when he saved Brother Zhang, he could not feel the slightest pulsation of zhenqi within the latter's body. From that, he had deduced that the latter was an ordinary human, not a cultivator.

The Six Sects were existences that no cultivator on the Forsaken Continent could overlook, but to ordinary humans, such existences were too far away from them to bother about. Considering that Zhang Xuan was not a cultivator, it was not too surprising that that he had not heard of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion.

"Six major sects... Is there no Master Teacher Pavilion here?" Zhang Xuan asked in confusion.

"Master Teacher Pavilion? What's that?" Dan Xiaotian shook his head doubtfully.

"Ah, it was just an inside joke..." Judging from Dan Xiaotian's tone, it seemed like there was really no Master Teacher Pavilion on the Forsaken Continent. He pondered for a moment before continuing. "So, the Six Sects are the de facto leaders of the Forsaken Continent?"

"Exactly. Aside from the Six Sects, there's also a formidable power known as Ethereal Hall. It suddenly appeared on the Forsaken Continent several thousand years ago when a powerful expert founded the organization. They manage the distribution of the Ethereal Token, a resource that all cultivators on the continent require in order to trade for valuable cultivation resources and become true experts!"

"Ethereal Hall?"

"Un. The Ethereal Token is sold in practically all cities on the Forsaken Continent. By coming into contact with the token, one's consciousness will be brought into the Ethereal Hall. In there, as long as one is able to pay the price, one will be able to learn cultivation techniques, purchase medicinal herbs, raise one's cultivation, or even hire killers. It has pretty much everything that you can think of. Even those of the Six Sects use it!"

"The Ethereal Token brings one's consciousness into the Ethereal Hall?" Zhang Xuan was rather curious about this peculiar artifact. "Brother Dan, may I know if you have that artifact here?"

"My cultivation is weak, and my talent is severely lacking too. Even my fiancée has chosen to withdraw from our marriage agreement. How could I possibly be qualified to possess something like that?" Dan Xiaotian said with a deep sigh.

"I apologize. It seems like I was too tactless with my words." Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

Following which, he moved on to other topics and asked a few other questions to gain a deeper understanding of the Forsaken Continent.

While Dan Xiaotian was a little awkward in expressing himself and suffered from low self-esteem, Zhang Xuan could tell that the other party was actually very kind. Upon seeing the severely injured him, the other party had actually brought him back and bandaged him. From this, he felt like Dan Xiaotian was a person whom he could trust.

Through Dan Xiaotian, Zhang Xuan learned that three days had passed since Dan Xiaotian had spotted him and brought him back.

Strength was highly regarded on the Forsaken Continent. The Dan Clan that Dan Xiaotian came from had its era of glory twenty years ago too. It had been viewed as an equal to the City Lord Residence, or to be more exact, even the City Lord Residence had to tread carefully around the Dan Clan. Unfortunately, the accident ten years ago had caused nearly all of the experts of the Dan Clan to pass away, and his two elder brothers had lost their lives in that incident.

Even his foundation had ended up being wounded, resulting in his current state.

With the decline of his clan, previous allies swiftly turned against them, and their enemies capitalized on the situation to get back at them. This resulted in the powerhouse swiftly falling to ruins. Currently, other than him and the old servant Dan Yi (Elder Yi), there was practically nothing left.

What was left of a residence that had once covered over a thousand mu was just this inner courtyard and an outer courtyard. The Dan Clan had truly become a shadow of its former self.

If not for the marriage agreement between him and the City Lord Residence, it was likely that they would not even have had this much left.

However, with the Second Young Mistress backing out on the marriage agreement, even the final restraint stopping the enemies of the Dan Clan from making a move on him would vanish. Then, everything would really be over.

"I see..." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Strength was the foundation of prosperity. Without sufficient strength to protect itself, a power, no matter how prosperous, would eventually fall into decline.

"Brother Zhang, I think that you should have also gotten a rough idea of my current situation. I was hoping that I could tap into the opportunity in three days, when the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion recruits new menial disciples, to possibly allow the Dan Clan to make a comeback, but it seems like the situation is completely hopeless now. Furthermore, with Xue Qin backing out of the marriage proposal... I'm afraid that this place won't remain safe for too long," Dan Xiaotian said with a bitter smile.

As the saying goes, 'a child from a poor family matures early'. The many difficulties that Dan Xiaotian had gone through together with Elder Yi over the years had taught him the callousness of the world. It was truly a miracle that he had preserved his kind soul after all he had been through.

"Brother Zhang, since you are already able to move, I think you should leave as soon as possible. I wouldn't want you to be implicated in my affairs..."

As he spoke, Dan Xiaotian took out two specially crafted golden coins from his pockets and placed them into Zhang Xuan's hands. "These are Ethereal Coins, a currency accepted by the Ethereal Hall. While this isn't too much, it should cover a few meals..."

"You are too kind."

Seeing how Dan Xiaotian was still worried about him despite his difficult plight, a wry smile crept onto Zhang Xuan's lips. He looked at Dan Xiaotian intently for a moment before saying, "Brother Dan, can you execute your swordsmanship for me once more so that I can have a look?"

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Chapter 1916: Humiliation

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"You want me to show you my swordsmanship?" Dan Xiaotian was slightly bewildered by Zhang Xuan's abrupt request.

"To be honest, Brother Dan, I examined your swordsmanship earlier, and I realized that your ability to summon your strength and the momentum of your strikes are a little lacking. So, I was wondering if I could take a look. I might be able to find a solution to those problems. If you are able to advance your swordsmanship over the next three days, it might be possible for you to be accepted into the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion as its disciple!" Zhang Xuan said with a smile.

With his eye of discernment, he was able to discern the flaws in Dan Xiaotian's swordsmanship and come up with solutions to resolve them. The reason he wanted Dan Xiaotian to display his swordsmanship once more was to test if he could use the Library of Heaven's Path there.

"Brother Zhang, do you understand swordsmanship?" Dan Xiaotian asked with a frown.

"I know a thing or two!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"That's amazing! Well, I have already given up hope on becoming a disciple of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, so there's no need for you console me." Dan Xiaotian glanced at his crippled left thigh. "Nevertheless, if you are knowledgeable in the field of swordsmanship, Brother Zhang, I would be more than happy to exchange some insights with you. Ever since I have become unable to cultivate, I had to figure my way out bit by bit, so my progress has been rather limited..."

Dan Xiaotian's low esteem had been exacerbated by his sudden inability to cultivate. As a result, even though he had devoted himself to learning swordsmanship, he did not dare display it before others, let alone find a sparring partner to test his skills on.

Perhaps it was because he viewed Zhang Xuan as an ordinary human, he did not feel that much lesser than him. Thus, he had no qualms exchanging insights with the latter.

Hu!

With a flick of his wrist, Dan Xiaotian's sword sliced through the air and pierced forward.

Weng!

At the same time, a book materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path.

After flipping open the book and browsing through its contents, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it seemed like the Library of Heaven's Path could be used in the Azure. Previously, when Luo Ruoxin placed the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn into the Library of Heaven's Path, the latter had gone through a major upgrade. Most likely, it was this upgrade that allowed the Library of Heaven's Path to peer into the heavens of the Azure without much trouble.

"How ludicrous. Dan Xiaotian, you are practicing your swordsmanship? Do you still think that the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion will take someone like you as its disciple?"

While Zhang Xuan was still deep in thought, a cold sneer sounded from the outside. Following which, two figures walked in with widened strides.

The first figure was a young lady who seemed to be around fifteen or sixteen, roughly the same age as Dan Xiaotian. She was dressed in a light-yellow dress, and her eyes were filled with pride and smugness. Her chin was slightly tilted up in a condescending manner, reminiscent of a self-important noble standing before a bunch of peasants. She was the one who had spoken earlier.

Behind her was a middle-aged man in his forties. He was dressed in a simple buttoned shirt, and he had a sword tied around his waist. As he approached, one could feel overwhelmingly sharp sword qi emanating from his presence.

"Third Young Master..." Elder Yi quickly rushed in behind those two figures, and with a look of indignation and guilt on his face, he lowered his head and spoke in desolation. "I'm sorry. I couldn't stop them..."

Dan Xiaotian swiftly halted his swordsmanship before turning to look at the young lady before him. At that moment, he was so agitated that he stumbled on his own words. "Xu-Xue Qin?"

"Enough!" Looking at Dan Xiaotian with disgust in her eyes, the young lady waved her hands impatiently and said, "You know why I have come here, but instead of coming out to welcome me personally, you dispatched a lowly servant to send the marriage agreement over. Did you think that this matter can be resolved that easily?"

"You want to back out of our marriage agreement, so I had Elder Yi give it to you. What more do you want from me?" Dan Xiaotian's face reddened in anger.

"What I want from you isn't much. I just need you to announce to the entire city that you were the one who chose to back out of the marriage agreement of your own accord because you feel that you aren't worthy of me. It was after a period of careful deliberation before my father finally decided to respect your opinion and end the marriage agreement. By giving me this mere sheet of paper, are you expecting me to tell everyone that I, Xue Qin, refused to marry you? How could I allow the noble City Lord Manor to have such a stain on its reputation?" Xue Qing harrumphed coldly.

If others heard that she had broken off her engagement with Dan Xiaotian because she had successfully become a disciple of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, it would surely stir up a huge controversy. This would be detrimental for her in building up her reputation. However, if she could get Dan Xiaotian to back out of the marriage agreement instead, she would not have to sustain the slightest smudge to her reputation.

Seeing everything from the sight, Zhang Xuan could not help but shake his head in disapproval.

She sure is vicious...

It was one thing for this Xue Qing to back out of the marriage agreement, but to think that she would even want Dan Xiaotian to announce it to the entire city. While backing out of the marriage agreement, she still wanted Dan Xiaotian to become the bad guy!

How incredibly cheap she was!

With a ghastly pale face, Dan Xiaotian clenched his fists as he glared at Xue Qin coldly.

It went without saying that Dan Xiaotian had also figured out what Xue Qi was up to. Overwhelming indignation seeped in through his entire body.

This was utter humiliation!

It was as if the other party was preparing to smack his face while asking him to hold up his face for her.

But the problem was that... there was nothing he could do about the situation! He was completely helpless!

"Dan Xiaotian, the Second Young Mistress and I didn't come down here to negotiate with you. We are here to pass down an order to you," the middle-aged man who had come with Xue Qing said impassively. "Within three days, you are to make this announcement to the entire city, or else... be prepared to pay the price!"

"Who are you?" Dan Xiaotian asked as he glared at the middle-aged man coldly.

"I am the swordsmanship teacher of the Second Young Mistress, Xue Chen!" the middle-aged man replied proudly.

"Xue Chen? I know you!" Seemingly having heard this name before, Dan Xiaotian's eyes widened in astonishment before he shook his head in self-mockery. "I sure am honored to have the head instructor of the City Lord Manor pay a visit to me personally. May I know what the price I will have to pay if I refuse to abide by your command is?"

As the head instructor of the City Lord Manor, Xue Chen's strength was not to be underestimated. He was, in fact, an Ancient Sage 3-dan expert!

"Well, it's very simple!" Xue Chen waved his hand nonchalantly, completely unaffected by Dan Xiaotian's provocation. "Over these years, the Dan Clan has offended quite a few people, isn't that so? You should also know that if not for your engagement with Xue Qing, you would have already died many times over!"

Those words were hurtful, but Dan Xiaotian knew that they were the truth.

Given his weak cultivation, if not for the marriage agreement, there was no way the enemies of the Dan Clan would have allowed him to live so long!

"Well, if these men make a move against you, do you think that you and that old man over there will be able to stop them?" Xue Chen shrugged coolly.

Realizing the hidden intention behind Xue Chen's words, Dan Xiaotian's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you going to silence us? Aren't you afraid of the possible repercussions my sudden death would have on the City Lord Manor's reputation?"

"How would your death affect the City Lord Manor's reputation?" Xue Chen remarked calmly. "Let me see. Our city lord would be enraged to learn of your demise, and he would dispatch men to exact vengeance for you. As for our Second Young Mistress, she would mourn for a long time, and eventually, she would decide to depart from this land of grief and head to the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion!"

Geji! Geji!

Those words made Dan Xiaotian's heart beat faster and faster as he realized how wretched his situation was.

If they really acted out this play, not only would the reputation of the City Lord Manor not be marred, it would even be praised for its compassion. At the same time, Xue Qin would also be more respected in the city for her loyalty to her fiancé.

They would say that even though Xue Qin had become the menial disciple of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, she had still held steadfast to her promise to marry him, but alas, as fate would have it, they were not meant to be.

"You... Fine! I'll agree to it!"

Dan Xiaotian's hands were clenched so tightly that his fingernails were digging into his flesh, and his joints had become all white. However, despite his indignation, he knew that the current him was completely powerless.

Law of the jungle, survival of the fittest. Weaklings like him were bound to be preyed on by the strong.

"That is more like it!" Xue Qin nodded in satisfaction. She raised her hand, and Xue Chen immediately took out a document and passed it over to Dan Xiaotian. "This is the document for the annulment of our engagement. All you have to do is seal your name on it, and we'll handle the rest. Rest assured, we'll announce the matter to the entire city by today!"

Dan Xiaotian hesitantly reached out to grab the document before reading through it carefully.

It was an official notice supposedly written by him to announce his intention to annul the engagement, and his reason behind the action was stated as well.

The reason was extremely simple. He was injured, and not only was he unable to cultivate, he was unable to fulfill the role of a man, making him a true cripple through and through. In order not to stall his fiancée's future, he decided to willfully annul the engagement, and he sought her forgiveness for this. The City Lord Manor, in view of its past relations with the Dan Clan, had rejected his proposed annulment of the engagement time and time again, so he had no choice but to officially announce the annulment of their engagement using such a crude method. He sought the understanding of the City Lord Manor for his abrupt actions.

Xue Qin was actually going to the extent of claiming that he was crippled as a man!

The overwhelming humiliation that Dan Xiaotian felt made his blood surge to his head, and he nearly exploded on the spot.

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Chapter 1917: Dan Xiaotian's Confusion

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

If this notice was released, his dignity would be completely crushed, and he would never be able to raise his head in public ever again. He would become the talk of the entire town, and this shame would effectively destroy the prestige that the Dan Clan had built up over several centuries.

It would be thorough social suicide.

"Sign the document," Xue Qin said with a cold and pressurizing voice.

"Third Young Master, you mustn't sign the document! Once you do, the reputation of our Dan Clan will be in shambles!" Elder Yi had also read the document from behind Dan Xiaotian, and he immediately kneeled down and cried in protest.

Even death was not as fearsome as seeing the clan that he had devoted his life to serving humiliated in such a manner!

"I..." Dan Xiaotian was at a loss.

He knew very well what would happen if he signed the document, but if he did not, the other party would still back out of the marriage agreement, and the outcome... would likely be much worse than this.

He was already backed to a corner. There was nothing else he could do.

At that moment, even suicide had become an option for him. He had never desired so much to end his life and let all of this come to an end. However, when all seemed lost, a voice suddenly echoed in the air.

"If you don't wish to sign the document, don't sign it."

Everyone immediately turned around, only to see a young man wrapped like a mummy leaning against the doorframe. He was looking at them with a smile on his lips.

This young man did not seem to possess any cultivation at all, but his eyes were completely devoid of fear despite standing before an expert of Xue Chen's caliber. It was as if everything that was happening before him was nothing more than a small scuffle.

"Who are you? If this matter doesn't concern you, you will do well to keep your mouth zipped. Haven't you heard of the saying that disaster originates from the mouth?" Xue Chen glared at Zhang Xuan threateningly.

If possible, they wanted to resolve the matter with Dan Xiaotian without resorting to violence, or else there was a risk that word could get out. Thus, Xue Chen had no choice but to hold himself back from making a move.

With an unfazed smile, Zhang Xuan said, "I am just an insignificant figure whom Brother Dan has saved. I didn't want to interfere in your business, but I was afraid that Brother Dan would regret his decision if he signed that document, so I couldn't help but advise him so."

"Brother Zhang..." Dan Xiaotian's eyes could not help but light up in gratitude.

Even if Zhang Xuan did not know of Xue Qin and Xue Chen's true identity and the tremendous power that they wielded, it should be apparent that those two were figures that could not be trifled with from their conversation.

Yet, despite the risk of possibly bringing trouble upon himself, the other party still chose to speak up. Such sentiments left him feeling slightly touched.

"Regret? Hahaha! What kind of regret could he possibly have? Does this brat still think that it's possible for him to get together with the Second Young Mistress?" Xue Chen scoffed. "Snap out of your daydream! Why don't you take a good look at yourself first? A toad like you actually dares to lust for the flesh of a swan? Learn your place!"

"I'm glad to see that there's at least one thing the both of us can agree on. The two of them indeed shouldn't get together." Zhang Xuan nodded calmly in response to the other party's insults. "It's apparent that this Second Young Mistress of yours isn't worthy of Brother Dan! There couldn't be a worse insult to him than if he married someone like her!"

"What did you say?"

Xue Chen had been nodding gleefully when Zhang Xuan spoke the first part of his piece. However, by the time Zhang Xuan finished his words, Xue Chen's eyes were already dripping with murderous intent.

"You don't believe me?" Zhang Xuan looked at Xue Chen with an incredulous expression, as if he was unable to believe that the latter could not understand something so obvious. "I guess you really have to see with your own eyes in order to tell the obvious, huh? Very well, come back in three days, and we'll see the results!"

"After all that was said and done, it seems like you are just trying to stall for time. Futile!" Xue Chen sneered coldly. "As long as Dan Xiaotian doesn't sign this document, I can assure that what he will lose isn't just his dignity but his life as well!"

Zhang Xuan shrugged nonchalantly and said, "If it's gone, so be it... Someone like Brother Dan wouldn't care about something as trivial as that!"

"Huh?" Somehow, Dan Xiaotian felt that there was something very wrong with the words that had just been spoken.

It seems like Brother Zhang is a person with extremely strong opinions... But what do you mean by 'if it's gone, so be it'? This isn't a trivial matter at all... My life is on the line here!

Turning his gaze away from Zhang Xuan, Xue Chen looked at Dan Xiaotian with a look so cold that it seemed like it could freeze hell over. "Is that your decision?"

Dan Xiaotian shuddered a little under Xue Chen's glare, but he gritted his teeth and replied, "Brother Zhang's words reflect my intention!"

He had no idea why Brother Zhang would put so much hope in him, but it was clear that he had no path of retreat anymore.

If he had to weigh the dignity of the Dan Clan to his own life, he would indubitably choose the dignity of the Dan Clan. The Dan Clan did not belong to him only; it had been built up with the effort of his predecessors, including his deceased grandfather, father, and brothers. He could not trample on their efforts just so he could live!

Besides, once the marriage agreement was annulled, he would be as good as dead anyway. With this, the decision that he had to make could not be any clearer.

"You do have some backbone, don't you? Let's see where your decision brings you, shall we?" Hearing Dan Xiaotian's final decision, Xue Chen flung his sleeves furiously. He turned to the young lady beside him and said, "Second Young Mistress, let's go!"

On the other hand, Xue Qin looked at Dan Xiaotian disdainfully and spat, "Humph! I hope that you won't come begging for your life when the time comes!"

Following which, she turned around and walked away. Throughout this entire period, she did not even spare a glance at Zhang Xuan, as if it would sully her eyes to look at an ordinary human.

As soon as the two of them were out of the courtyard...

"Teacher..." Xue Qin looked at Xue Chen worriedly.

Xue Chen quickly scanned his surroundings to confirm that there was no one around before reassuring the young lady. "Don't worry. We won't even require three days to resolve this problem. The Dan Clan is nothing at all. Let's see if they can even survive tonight!"

Those words made Xue Qin heave a sigh of relief. "I had a good impression of him initially, but who could have known that he would turn out to be such an arrogant brat? Let him die then! A person like him doesn't deserve to live in this world!"

The two of them got into a carriage, and it did not take them long to disappear into the distance.

...

Shortly after Xue Qin and Xue Chen left the residence, there was a brief moment of silence before Elder Yi spoke up worriedly.

"Third Young Master, this won't do. We can't just blindly wait here for our deaths... Let's leave the city!"

He knew that the City Lord Manor was not as gracious and magnanimous as it seemed on the surface. In fact, he suspected that the massacre and eventual downfall of the Dan Clan had been orchestrated by the City Lord Manor.

Since they were willing to go that far, it was likely that they would have no qualms dispatching assassins against Dan Xiaotian, especially after his decisive rejection earlier.

Furthermore, with the means of the City Lord Manor, it was likely that they would be able to erase all traces of their involvement.

Since that was the case, the best thing they could do was run as far away as they could.

"Run away? Do you think that it's still possible for us to run away?" Dan Xiaotian shook his head bitterly.

The fact that the Second Young Mistress had come personally to reject the marriage showed their determination in ensuring that this matter was resolved without a hiccup. As such, there was no way the City Lord Manor would allow them to escape.

If they could not cancel the marriage agreement, would the Second Young Mistress not have to spend her entire life in loneliness, waiting for him to come back?

"Brother Zhang..." Dan Xiaotian turned to Zhang Xuan, hoping to ask the latter for some guidance as to what he should do in this situation.

Since the other party had made huge promises such as 'come back in three days, and we'll see the results', perhaps the other party already had an idea in mind.

"I'd like to confirm your intentions one last time. Were you willing to sign that earlier document?"

"Of course not!" Dan Xiaotian shook his head. "If I signed that darned paper, how could I face my predecessors even after my death?"

If he sullied the Dan Clan's reputation like that, even his death would not be enough to atone for his sins!

"Are you afraid of pain?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Even death is no longer that frightening to me, so what does a little pain matter?" Dan Xiaotian had no idea what Zhang Xuan was getting at, but he still answered the question honestly.

"Do you wish to exact vengeance for the humiliation you have suffered today?"

"Of course! It isn't just today's humiliation. If I could, I would exact vengeance for all of the insults I have suffered ever since my parents' death, but..." Dan Xiaotian looked at his own leg with a crestfallen look.

How could he possibly feel nothing when being insulted in such a manner?

But with his leg in such state and his inability to cultivate, such intentions would only remain intentions in his head. They would never come to fruition.

If he had still been that talented youth, he would not have to live his life so subserviently...

"Good! Since you have made up your mind... the last thing you have to do now is acknowledge me as your teacher!" Zhang Xuan said.

"Acknowledge you as my teacher?"

Did Brother Zhang's head bump on something that resulted in a concussion?

What am I supposed to learn from an ordinary human?

Could it be that your promise of 'come back in three days'... referred to this?

Dan Xiaotian's lips twitched as he suddenly felt as if he had been bamboozled.

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Chapter 1918: Gu

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Dan Xiaotian wasn't the only one who was bewildered by Zhang Xuan's proposal. Even Elder Yi was taken aback. With twitching lips, Elder Yi said, "Master Zhang, this is a very serious matter here. Pardon me, but I'll have to ask you not to mess around!"

Their lives were at stake, but the other party was still in the mood to make jokes. If he had known that this fellow was so unreliable, he never would have allowed the Third Young Master to save him and bring him back!

Looking at the expressions on their faces, Zhang Xuan could tell that they doubted his abilities. Thus, he placed his hands behind his back with the intention of displaying the disposition of a true expert, but his movements only ended up tugging on his wounds, causing his lips to twitch hideously as a result.

He had to wheeze a little before he managed to suppress the pain and proceed with his expert disguise. "You injured your meridians back when you were younger, causing your body to be unable to drive zhenqi. At the same time, your dantian was also damaged, so you are unable to store any energy. As a result, you are unable to cultivate at all. Is my analysis right?"

Dan Xiaotian nodded in response.

He had been six when that incident happened to the Dan Clan, shattering his dantian and meridians. He had been unable to recover his dantian and meridians since then, so even though he spent every single passing day practicing his swordsmanship, he was unable to infuse zhenqi into his swordsmanship. In other words, his moves carried only the form but not the true essence behind them.

He had consulted many physicians regarding his condition, but none of them had been able to cure him. In the end, he had given up and resigned himself to it.

"Then, do you know what the cause of the injury to your dantian and meridians is?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Some kind of powerful zhenqi has slipped into my body, inflicting devastating damage all around. It's already a blessing that I'm still alive now," Dan Xiaotian replied.

This was the diagnosis given to him by most of the physicians that he had had met.

"Zhenqi?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "If it was the result of another cultivator's zhenqi lingering in your body, considering how diligently you cultivate each day in hopes of improving your own condition, do you think that it's possible for you not to show the slightest improvement after so many years?"

That question left Dan Xiaotian stumped.

That was also what had left him bewildered too.

For ten years, he had met all kinds of famous physicians, and he had tried many different types of treatment, be it medicinal essence, pills, acupuncture, medicinal baths... None of them had worked. His body was like a tattered gunny sack. Any spiritual energy that he absorbed would eventually dissipate, making him unable to advance his cultivation.

Many famed physicians had told him that it was the result of hostile zhenqi lingering within his body, undoing all of his efforts. They had assured him that their treatment would work, but none of them had been effective.

With time, those physicians had eventually deemed him to be incurable and given up on him.

Dan Xiaotian pondered for a moment before asking Zhang Xuan, "If it's not the result of hostile lingering zhenqi in my body, what else could possibly be destroying my meridians and dantian and yet not cause my death?"

What was truly bizarre about his condition was that, aside from his inability to cultivate, it did not affect any other aspect of his life. Xue Qin claimed that he was unable to carry out the responsibilities of a husband, but that could not have been more incorrect. He knew better than anyone that he would wake up with a majestic pillar that rose high into the heavens every morning.

"It's a gu," Zhang Xuan stated. "Someone has planted a gu in you, which has resulted in all sorts of treatments being ineffective on you!"

"Gu?" Dan Xiaotian was stunned. "Are you saying that... there's a worm living in my body?"

"It isn't just living; it has been absorbing all of the energy you have cultivated over the years, so it has already become extremely powerful!" Zhang Xuan added.

Through the Library of Heaven's Path, he was able to locate the core of Dan Xiaotian's problem in an instant.

The reason his dantian and his meridians had been refusing to recover over the years despite his efforts was because someone had planted a gu in him. This gu would relentlessly devour all of the energy that he cultivated, and this was the source of his cultivation failing to inch forward at all over the past ten years.

"A living worm actually exists inside of me..."

Dan Xiaotian turned to look at Elder Yi with a deep frown, and the latter contemplated deeply for a brief moment before shaking his head.

What they had just heard was simply so unbelievable that they could hardly swallow it.

If there was really a gu in his body, and it had been in his body for the past ten years, how could the many physicians that they had consulted previously possibly be oblivious to it? And how could the young man tell?

"I can sense some reservations from you two, and I can understand why. However, I do have a way to prove the matter though." Zhang Xuan could tell from the expressions of those two that they did not believe what he was saying, but it was not a problem to him. "Do you have a silver needle or the like here?"

Elder Yi nodded. He walked into the room, and it did not take long for him to return with a box of silver needles. "Here you go!"

As the saying goes, 'those who are constantly plagued by afflictions eventually become doctors themselves'. They had tried out all sorts of remedies over the past ten years, such that most fundamental medicinal equipment could be found in their residence.

"Un. Have a good look. I'll catch it out right now!"

With a light chuckle, Zhang Xuan grabbed the silver needles and flicked them forward.

Ding ling!

All of the needles fell onto the floor three meters away from him.

"Cough cough. I don't really have too much strength right now, so I need you to come closer to me," Zhang Xuan said awkwardly.

He was so used to flicking needles from a distance that he had forgotten that he was still unable to use his zhenqi, which severely limited what he could do.

"Alright..."

While Dan Xiaotian felt that Zhang Xuan was not really a reliable person, after a moment of hesitation, he still made his way over.

Since the situation was already like that, he might as well go along with it. There was nothing to be lost.

Taking out a couple of silver needles once more, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath as he invoked the Library of Heaven's Path once more. After which, he pierced the silver needles according to the positions stated in Dan Xiaotian's book.

Ding!

Another unexpected hiccup happened that caused Zhang Xuan's face to redden.

In his current weak state, he was actually unable to pierce the silver needle through Dan Xiaotian's skin.

While Dan Xiaotian was unable to cultivate anymore, his cultivation was still at Saint 6-dan. Furthermore, his constitution had been nourished by the mercury-like spiritual energy over the years, making his physical body even tougher than steel.

While Zhang Xuan was able to move his body around, he was still feeble from the damage that he had sustained. He could not even gather enough strength from his body to pierce through Dan Xiaotian's skin.

"Help me with this!" Zhang Xuan looked at Elder Yi and beckoned him over.

Elder Yi quickly walked over. With a tap of his finger, a surge of zhenqi flowed through the silver needle, and the silver needle straightened once more.

Sou!

The tip went right into Dan Xiaotian's body.

Peng!

Zhang Xuan was just about to control the silver needle when the silver needle suddenly flew out at an even faster speed, piercing right into the wall.

Dan Xiaotian and Elder Yi widened their eyes incredulously, especially the former.

As the person receiving the acupuncture, he knew that he did not exert any force, but the silver needles still flew out at such a swift speed. Could it be that there was really some other being existing in his body?

"You should have felt it. It was the gu in your body that pushed it out," Zhang Xuan explained.

To be honest, he did not have the means to kill the gu in his current state. Nevertheless, by bringing Dan Xiaotian's attention to the existence of the gu, he should be able to win the young man's trust. With sufficient time, he was confident that he would be able to resolve this problem once he recovered his strength.

"There really is a gu in my body?" Dan Xiaotian could not speak another word.

A moment ago, he had been confident that there was no way such a vile thing would be in his body, but what he had just witnessed had caused his confidence to waver.

Putting aside the fact that he had not exerted any force, even if he did, he did not have the ability to jolt the needle right into the wall.

"While the earlier needle did not harm the gu at all, it showed that we are aware of its current location. So, it's likely that the gu will move to another location before settling down. While it's moving, you will be able to drive your zhenqi, and your crippled left leg will recover for a brief period of time," Zhang Xuan said.

"However, this recovery is temporary. Once it settles down, everything will go back to as it was. The only way you can resolve this situation once and for all is to kill it!"

"Is that so?" Dan Xiaotian was still a little dazed by the happenings.

A few moments passed, and his eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.

Just as Zhang Xuan had said earlier, he could feel zhenqi flowing through his body once more. Not only so, feeling had returned to his numb left leg as well!

He tried taking a few steps, and his movements were no different from those of an ordinary person. There was not the slightest difficulty!

However, the feeling in his left leg only remained for ten breaths before turning as numb as a block of wood.

Knowing that there was nothing wrong with his diagnosis, Zhang Xuan said with a light chuckle, "You should be able to trust me now, right?"

"Disciple Dan Xiaotian pays respect to teacher!"

Knowing that this was an invaluable opportunity for him to break out of his current state, he immediately got onto the ground and bowed down.

Many renowned physicians had taken a look at his condition, but none of the treatments that they provided had made a difference to his condition at all. However, with just a glance from afar, Zhang Xuan was already able to identify the root of his problem and even demonstrate it to him. From this alone, it could be seen that the other party was a person of great capabilities, no matter how he might seem on the exterior.

"Rise!"

After Dan Xiaotian carried out a formal greeting to acknowledge Zhang Xuan as his teacher, Zhang Xuan quickly walked forward to help him up.

To be honest, he had initially planned to steer clear from the affairs of the Azure as much as possible, focusing his efforts on finding Luo Ruoxin. However, Dan Xiaotian had saved him, so he wanted to return the favor.

Having acknowledged Zhang Xuan as his teacher, Dan Xiaotian looked at the young man before him expectantly and asked, "Teacher, may I know how I can get rid of the gu in my body?"

Just the thought of there being a worm crawling in his flesh and leeching off his body was more than enough to raise goosebumps on his arms. He had not been too affected by it in the past because he had not been aware of it, but at this rate, he would not even be able to sleep well at night as long as the gu remained.

"I am able to remove the gu in your body, but I am too weak at the moment. I'll have to recover from my injuries before I can do anything about it," Zhang Xuan replied.

If not for his severe wounds, just a blast of his Heaven's Path zhenqi would decimate whatever gu was crawling in Dan Xiaotian's body in a breath. However, in his current state, he could not even exert his zhenqi. As such, while he was able to identify where the gu was, he could not do a thing about it.

More importantly, the gu even gleefully pushed his silver needle out, as if taunting his weakness. This was really testing the limits of his patience.

"Recover from your injuries?" Dan Xiaotian echoed when he suddenly widened his eyes in realization. "Ah, I nearly forgot! I have a couple of valuable recovery medicine here, and I was planning to feed you some of them so that you could recover from your injuries. However, you've been in a coma for the past three days, and I didn't dare use them recklessly. Since you're already awake, allow me to bring those pills to you right now. Once the medicinal energy diffuses throughout your body, it shouldn't take too long for you to recover to your full strength!"

Most high-tier recovery medicine were incredibly potent, such that it required one to facilitate the assimilation of the medicinal energy using one's zhenqi. If one recklessly fed it to an unconscious patient, there was a good chance that the powerful medicinal energy would end up harming the patient.

As such, they had put off the matter till now.

A few moments later, Elder Yi walked into the room with a jade bottle in hand. He uncorked the jade bottle, and the fragrant scent of herbs immediately drifted across the room.

It was a grade-8 recovery pill.

Zhang Xuan took out a pill and swallowed it without any hesitation. However, a moment later, he sighed deeply and said, "I'm afraid that the medicine you have isn't of much use to me..."

Despite Zhang Xuan's current seemingly powerless state, his core was still a Dimension Shatterer realm cultivator. While grade-8 recovery pills could be considered invaluable panacea for curing all sorts of wounds for a Saint 6-dan cultivator, it did not even cause the slightest ripple in Zhang Xuan's body.

"It isn't of much use to you?"

Dan Xiaotian quickly instructed Elder Yi to bring over the best recovery medicine that they had, but none of it turned out to be of use to Zhang Xuan.

"Are there any large markets in this town where I can buy recovery pills or medicinal herbs?" Zhang Xuan asked with a deep frown.

"There is a market, but the medicinal herbs and pills sold aren't too advanced. The pills that we have here are already the best on the market..." Dan Xiaotian scratched his head.

Considering how those pills were completely useless to the young man before him, it would be meaningless to buy more of them.

"Is there any way to acquire higher tier pills?" Zhang Xuan asked.

As long as he did not recover from his injuries, he would be unable to cure Dan Xiaotian. At this rate, they were simply too vulnerable. Putting aside surviving the third day, it was questionable whether they would be able to get through the night!

Dan Xiaotian pondered for a moment before replying. "Most cultivators purchase high-tier pills through the Ethereal Token. As long as the trade is successful, the items will be swiftly delivered."

"Ethereal Token?" Hearing that familiar name, Zhang Xuan nodded. "Then, is there any way I can acquire an Ethereal Token?"

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Chapter 1919: Don't You Want to Return the Favor?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

This was the second time that he had heard of this artifact after entering the Azure.

It seemed like the top echelon of the Azure revolved around this single artifact. Regardless of whether it was to acquire top-notch cultivation techniques or high-tier pills, one required an Ethereal Token. From the looks of it, they would not be able to get anywhere without an Ethereal Token.

All Zhang Xuan needed was a sufficiently high-tier pill to temporarily stabilize his wounds so that he could absorb the mercury-like spiritual energy from the surroundings and convert it into Heaven's Path zhenqi. Once that happened, all of the problems would swiftly be resolved. He would be able to remove the gu from Dan Xiaotian's body and teach him swordsmanship, thus saving the young man from his current plight.

"The city we live in is simply too small, so there's no Ethereal Hall here. As such, there are no vendors selling the Ethereal Token." Dan Xiaotian frowned.

"Is there no other way to acquire it?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"There is one way a person can get an Ethereal Token in our city," Dan Xiaotian said, "but it's simply so difficult that it's no exaggeration to say that it's completely impossible!

"Back when the Hongyan Market was first established, in order to draw more customers into its premises, the owner inscribed ten difficult questions and created a list of prizes corresponding to each of the questions. As long as one is able to solve a question, one will be able to acquire the corresponding prize. It successfully drew huge crowds to the Hongyan Market, and nine of the questions have been solved thus far.

"The prize of the final question remaining is an Ethereal Token, and there are many people who are dying to lay their hands on it. However, due to the sheer difficulty of the question, it remains undeciphered to date!"

"Bring me there!" Zhang Xuan said.

Even if there was a vendor selling Ethereal Token there, it was not as if he had the money required to purchase it. Of course, with his means, he should be able to make money quickly, but that would be a great deal of trouble. Thus, it would be best if he could acquire the Ethereal Token like that.

Knowing that there was no other way around this matter, Dan Xiaotian nodded in agreement.

As Zhang Xuan's injuries were simply too severe and even walking put huge strain on his body, they could only travel to the Hongyan Market in a carriage.

It took roughly two hours for them to finally arrive before a massive marketplace. Dan Xiaotian leaped out of the carriage before carefully supporting Zhang Xuan. Together, they headed to the wall where the ten questions were inscribed.

As a popular tourist attraction site, there was a huge crowd swarming in the vicinity.

The possibility of being able to obtain an Ethereal Token for free was too great a temptation, so it was understandable that people wanted to give it a try.

"Sigh, it's wrong again..."

"You have been here ten times over the past two months, but you still haven't succeeded. Why do you just keep coming back to embarrass yourself time and time again?"

"What's wrong with that? It's not as if I'm embarrassing you. Besides, you came here many more times than me!"

"If it's that easy to solve this question, it wouldn't have remained undeciphered even after all these years..."

...

The crowd gradually thinned as challengers failed one after another.

The system that verified the accuracy of the answer was rather similar to the Wall of Dilemma that he had encountered in the past. Basically, every answer provided would be evaluated on the spot to determine whether it was right or not. This was also why it attracted a huge crowd every day. Perhaps, one might just stumble upon the correct answer by luck.

On the way here, Zhang Xuan had learned from his conversation with Dan Xiaotian exactly how valuable the Ethereal Token was. Every single token was so precious that even Ancient Sage experts would have difficulty forking out the money for one.

Judging from Dan Xiaotian's depiction, it seemed like even if he could bring out everything in his storage ring and sell his possessions there, he still might not be able to afford one.

At the same time, he gained a deeper understanding of the Azure.

As those living in the Azure had lived their life amid the mercury-like spiritual energy, their constitutions were exceptionally resilient, surpassing even the Otherworldly Demons of the Master Teacher Continent.

Just like his previous self, most of them possessed the strength of a Saint 1-dan at birth, and that would increase all the way to Saint 9-dan when they finally matured as an adult.

Someone like Dan Xiaotian, who was only at Saint 6-dan despite already being on verge of adulthood, was deemed a weakling with no future ahead of him.

For example, despite being of similar age to one another, his fiancée, Xue Qin, was already at Great Sage 3-dan consummation, making her one of the strongest experts in the city.

The city they were in, Xuanjiang City, was not an extremely large city, such that Ancient Sages were the most powerful existences there. One thing of note was that it was under the jurisdiction of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, which explained why it was recruiting disciples in the region. The lord of Xuanjiang City was Xue Qin's father, Xue Yao, and he was known to be the number one expert within the city. That being said, his cultivation was only on the same level as Zhang Xuan, Dimension Shatterer realm primary stage.

So, once Zhang Xuan recovered his strength, there would be no one else in the city who would be able to pose a threat to him anymore. As such, he had decided to make this his first priority.

Zhang Xuan placed all of those thoughts to the back of his mind and raised his head to take a closer look at the wall not too far away.

"Let me see what kind of question has put so many at a loss, such that it remains unsolved even after so many years. Even if a Nurturing Yang Pill is forged to the level of Perfection, the yang energy that it harnesses is still so violent that it can't be controlled by the cultivator consuming it..."

It did not take Zhang Xuan too long to finish looking through the question.

The question was not too complex. Basically, it was prompting others to solve one of the key problems surrounding the Nurturing Yang Pill via proposing feasible modifications to its forging process.

The Nurturing Yang Pill was one of the necessary cultivation resources for cultivators practicing yang cultivation techniques. It would fill them up with the vigor and drive required to further their cultivation.

The pill formula was the work of an ingenious apothecary, capitalizing on the synergistic properties of many medicinal herbs in order to amplify the eventual medicinal energy deposited within the Nurturing Yang Pill. However, the pill had a fatal flaw.

After consuming the Nurturing Yang Pill, due to the massive buildup of yang energy, cultivators would have to seek an avenue to vent their 'heat'. Once they vented their heat, it would result in a huge loss of yang energy, which was extremely wasteful of the resource.

This was a problem that many apothecaries had sought to resolve, but it still remained an issue. Improving an already ingenious pill formula was simply no easy feat. It was for this reason that no one had succeeded even after so many years.

"Nurturing Yang Pill?"

After reading the question, Zhang Xuan tilted his head slightly in confusion.

The Master Teacher Continent had all kinds of pills, and he boasted an understanding of countless of them due to the incredible number of books he had read. Yet, he had never heard of the Nurturing Yang Pill before.

Fortunately, perhaps in consideration that the general public would not have too much of an understanding of this pill, the other party had left behind a detailed pill formula and its forging process.

Zhang Xuan took those into the Library of Heaven's Path, compiling a book out of them.

"I see, I see..." Zhang Xuan nodded.

There were many differences between the medicinal herbs of the Master Teacher Continent and the Azure, so the pill formulas and forging processes varied greatly from one another. Luckily, the Library of Heaven's Path was still working perfectly. With a glance, all of the flaws and errors in the combination of medicinal herbs and the forging processes became apparent to him.

Dan Xiaotian also noticed the smile on Zhang Xuan's lips, and he could not help but ask out of curiosity, "Teacher... do you know of the solution to resolving this problem?"

He had also looked into this matter for quite a while, but it was to no avail. Could his teacher really have an answer to the problem with just a single glance?

"I do have an idea in mind." Zhang Xuan confirmed Dan Xiaotian's thoughts.

Dan Xiaotian widened his eyes in shock, and he hurriedly asked, "Then... how should the problem be resolved?"

"If we are just looking at this single issue, the solution isn't actually that complicated. In the pill formula of the Nurturing Yang Pill, there's a medicinal herb known as Inferno Grass Stem. The problem can be resolved by switching that medicinal herb with the Spirit Matriarch Grass!" Zhang Xuan explained with a lowered voice.

"Spirit Matriarch Grass... Isn't that a yin attribute medicinal herb? Will we really be able to forge the Nurturing Yang Pill if we add something like that?" Dan Xiaotian was a little surprised by the answer.

Due to his crippled condition, he had studied quite a lot regarding pills and medicine. The Inferno Grass Stem was not the most potent medicinal herb in the pill formula, but it played an indispensable role in forming the ultimate product. He did not think that a pill could be formed if one swapped it for the Spirit Matriarch Grass. On the contrary, the Spirit Matriarch Grass would neutralize the yang energy, thus causing all of the medicinal energy to be cancelled out.

"Yin and yang exist as complements to one another. While the Spirit Matriarch Grass is a yin attribute medicinal herb, it is able to serve as a medium to nourish and calm the medicinal properties of the key ingredient, Crimsonfire Flowerleaf. This will solve the problem without causing any depletion in the medicinal energy of the pill," Zhang Xuan explained.

The complementary properties of yin and yang were common knowledge on the Master Teacher Continent, and it was a concept often used in pill formulas. Yet, to think that no one in Xuanjiang City knew of this. From the looks of it, it seemed like despite the stronger average prowess of those in the Azure, in terms of the development of occupations, it was nowhere close to the Master Teacher Continent.

On the Master Teacher Continent, Kong shi's ideals had been propagated for tens of thousands of years, encouraging the open sharing of knowledge and furthering of mankind's wisdom. In comparison, it was obvious that the Azure was severely lacking in comparison.

"This..." Dan Xiaotian was perplexed.

He was just about to ask about the matter when he heard some chatters behind him. Following which, he saw the crowd around the wall opening up a pathway for a group of people.

"Who are they? They seem to be quite lofty?" a middle-aged man amid the crowd asked in displeasure.

"Shh! Don't speak nonsense." A knowledgeable soul hurriedly hushed that middle-aged man up. "Those are the experts from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion who are here to recruit menial disciples. Do you see that man in the middle? It's said that he has a deep understanding of pill forging..."

"They are the experts from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion?" The face of the middle-aged man who had spoken earlier paled in fright.

He hurriedly backed off to the sides to allow the approaching group to pass through.

The Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion commanded great prestige in Xuanjiang City, and no one would dare challenge their authority there.

At the same time, Zhang Xuan turned to take a closer look.

The person standing at the forefront of the group was a cold-faced young man, probably in his mid-twenties. He was dressed in a gray robe, and there was a sword tied to his waist. His eyes flickered with a hint of rational coolness, giving the impression of a person who would never let his feelings get in the way of his decisiveness.

Despite his young age, the young man's cultivation was impressive, reaching Ancient Sage 4-dan Dimension Shatterer realm.

There was no such expert on the Master Teacher Continent, but it felt like it was not too rare to see cultivators of such a level here at all... The Azure sure was a frightening place!

"She..."

While Zhang Xuan was assessing the young man, he could not help but notice that Dan Xiaotian's body had tensed up along with the arrival of the group. Glancing over, he saw that the latter's fists were tightly clenched. Tracing the latter's line of sight, he saw Xue Qin, the young lady who had dropped by the Dan Clan earlier to coerce Dan Xiaotian into backing out of the marriage agreement, walking right behind the gray-robed young man.

She wore a tight purple dress that shaped out her proud figure beautifully, and its low neckline revealed her fair-colored neck. Her head was tilted upward slightly, and she emanated an aura of pride and loftiness.

The fact that she was allowed to follow the experts of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion around was more than enough to show that she had already been confirmed as a disciple of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, and for a small place like Xuanjiang City, it could indeed be considered an impressive feat.

"Such a problem actually stumped you all for so long?" the gray-robed young man remarked as he swiftly read through the problem on the wall. He gestured to the young man behind him and said, "Write down the answer for me. Change the Inferno Grass Stem to Spirit Matriarch Grass."

"Alright!"

The young man hurriedly walked over to the wall to write down the answer.

Not expecting the other party to see through the crux of the problem with a glance as well, even coming up with the same answer as his teacher, Dan Xiaotian widened his eyes in astonishment. He turned to his teacher and exclaimed, "But we were the ones who found the answer first!"

He had been doubting the accuracy of his teacher's answer when those from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion came over and gave the same answer. That meant that there was really no mistake with his teacher's answer.

However, if it was the group from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion who gave the answer instead, it meant that the Ethereal Token would go to them instead.

Just as Dan Xiaotian was about to rush over, he felt someone grasp his wrist tightly. It was his teacher.

"Don't bother, it's too late now..."

Dan Xiaotian turned his head over and saw that the young man from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion had already written down the answer on the wall before pressing his palm down on it lightly.

Weng!

A brilliant red light flashed from the surface of the wall.

"It's the correct answer?"

"As expected of an expert from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion! He was actually able to solve the problem with just a swift glance!"

"I have long heard that the experts of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion were figures who stood at the peak of this world, and it seems like that's truly the case. Their reputation is not unfounded at all..."

"The number of disciples accepted by the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion each time around is extremely limited. I wonder how many people from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion will be able to meet the mark this time around. It might just be a mere menial disciple, but it symbolizes the opportunity to rise to become an outer disciple, then an inner disciple, and finally a direct disciple..."

"My bet is that there will be just three people. It has always been like that!"

...

A huge commotion broke out amid the crowd.

Even a question that had stumped the whole of Xuanjiang City for more than a decade was solved so easily by the group from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion. Those from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion were truly extraordinary beings.

"Young master, I would like to congratulate you on solving the final problem of the Hongyan Market. This is the reward that we have prepared for you!"

Very soon, a slightly plump middle-aged man walked over with a fawning smile on his face. He was holding onto an opened wooden chest carefully with both of his hands, and sitting in the middle of the chest was a palm-sized token.

The token was densely inscribed, and one could feel slight pulsations of spiritual energy coming from it.

"Is that the Ethereal Token?"

"I heard that even a single one of those costs a hundred thousand Ethereal Coins?"

"Wow. I don't think I can't ever afford that in my entire life..."

...

They might all be cultivators who had grown up in the Azure, but the Ethereal Token was a commodity that only the upper echelons of the continent possessed. There were only a few of them in Xuanjiang City, so most of them had never seen one before.

The gray-robed man grabbed the Ethereal Token in between his two fingers and drove his zhenqi through it. After confirming that it was the real deal, he nodded in satisfaction before sliding it into Xue Qin's hands. "I'll give it to you."

Xue Qin's eyes widened in delight as she received the Ethereal Token, and even her breathing hastened from agitation.

It was not just the value of this gift that excited her. What was more important was the significance behind the gift.

It was already a huge blessing for her to be able to become a menial disciple of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, but to receive a gift directly from the young man before her... With this, she would become the envy of the entire town!

Holding onto the Ethereal Token tightly, Xue Qin bowed down and said, "Thank you, Senior!"

After giving her thanks, she suddenly noticed Dan Xiaotian amid the crowd, and a sharp glint flashed through her eyes. She immediately made her way over to the latter, and with a mocking smile on her lips, she said in a hushed voice, "You're here as well? Were you trying to obtain this Ethereal Token to turn your situation around? What a pity though, it's already mine! You really should learn your place. Do you think that a person like you is worthy of possessing an Ethereal Token? Naive!"

Previously, she had been afraid that the rejection of the marriage proposal would affect her reputation, but with a senior from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion taking such care of her, she had nothing to fear anymore!

What did Dan Xiaotian even count as? They were already in two different worlds, so what did she have to fear about him?

Of course, there was also the fact that the area was filled with men from the City Lord Manor, so no one would dare leak the news out. Not even the wandering cultivators who had dropped by to try their luck would dare speak a word of the matter as long as they valued their lives.

Besides, she was not speaking too loudly, so it would be hard to discern what she was saying.

"You..." Dan Xiaotian's body stiffened at being humiliated once more.

"Who is he?" the gray-robed young man suddenly asked.

"He's just a friend I have met in the past..." Xue Qin scoffed at Dan Xiaotian one last time before turning around to face the gray-robed young man, replacing her scorn with a sweet smile in the blink of an eye.

"Let's go!" the gray-robed young man said before walking away.

Xue Qin quickly rushed forward to keep up with him.

Dan Xiaotian trembled quietly with a lowered head for a moment before he turned to Zhang Xuan with an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry, Teacher..."

His teacher had already revealed the correct answer, but he had actually doubted his teacher. If not for his teacher spending some time to explain the matter to him, the Ethereal Token would already have been theirs.

"To receive such a valuable gift from her senior... It seems like that fiancée of yours didn't acquire her position as a menial disciple of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion through proper avenues," Zhang Xuan remarked deeply before turning to look at Dan Xiaotian with a smile on his lips.

"Do you wish to return the favor?"

"Return the favor?" Dan Xiaotian was taken aback.

Xue Qin already had the experts of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion on her side, so how could they possibly exact vengeance on her?

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Chapter 1920: You're Wrong!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Watch closely!"

Without explaining himself, Zhang Xuan walked forward and shouted, "That friend from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion over there, may I ask you to stop for a short moment?"

The gray-robed young man continued walking away without any hesitation, as if not having heard Zhang Xuan's voice at all.

The edges of Zhang Xuan's lips crept up as he continued. "Friend, the answer you provided is inaccurate. I don't think that it's very fair for you to leave with the Ethereal Token just like that!"

His voice was extremely loud, suppressing the surrounding voices in an instant. Everyone turned to look at him with stupefied looks on their faces.

The other party was an expert of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, and to actually claim that he was wrong so publicly...

Are you tired of living?

The gray-robed young man halted in his tracks and turned around to look at Zhang Xuan with a deep frown etched on his forehead.

With an awful look on her face, Xue Qin coldly spat, "Dan Xiaotian. If you don't want to die, you'd better keep your subordinate's mouth in check!"

She recognized the mummy standing before her as none other than the person who had spoken up against them earlier at the Dan Clan. It was out of magnanimity that she did not pursue his insolence, but who could have known that he would dare to continue spout nonsense?

"H-he isn't my subordinate. He's my t-teacher!" In a moment of anxiety, Dan Xiaotian began stuttering once again.

"Teacher? No matter what, the Dan Clan was still once a formidable existence. When did you fall so far such that even weaklings like him are worthy of being your teacher?" Xue Qin remarked disdainfully.

"I don't think it's any business of yours who Dan Xiaotian acknowledges as his teacher. Unless... you are still dreaming of becoming his fiancée," Zhang Xuan replied calmly.

"You..." Xue Qin's body stiffened upon hearing those words.

Seeing Xue Qin's response, a cold glint flashed through the eyes of the gray-robed young man. He gazed down at the mummy before him coldly and said, "You mentioned that my answer isn't correct?"

"Indeed," Zhang Xuan replied. "To show you that I'm not making things up, I am even willing to make a bet with you. The one who loses will be subjected to the other party's command!"

"You are courageous to speak to me in such a manner," the gray-robed man remarked as he assessed Zhang Xuan nonchalantly. "Tell me, what is your basis for determining that my answer is wrong."

"There's no need for that. There's a much easier way to resolve this problem than with our mouths. All we need to do is find an apothecary to forge the Nurturing Yang Pill based on the answer you have provided and feed that pill to someone. You will understand once you see it," Zhang Xuan said.

"You want to test the practicality of the solution I have provided?" The gray-robed young man frowned.

The first response that came to his mind was to reject Zhang Xuan's request because he felt that it was too troublesome, but when his gaze swept across the crowd, he noticed doubtful looks on their faces.

So, after a brief moment of silence, he raised his hand and said, "Bring an apothecary over!"

The young man following behind him quickly left the group, and not long later, he returned with the plump middle-aged man who had brought the Ethereal Token over earlier, as well as two apothecaries.

The plump middle-aged man snapped his fingers, and a large army of attendants immediately rushed forward to set up a table of medicinal herbs and two cauldrons.

"I need the two of you to forge the Nurturing Yang Pill according to the formula over there!" the plump middle-aged man instructed the two apothecaries.

Nodding, the two apothecaries swiftly began forging the Nurturing Yang Pill. They followed the instructions written on the wall precisely, adding medicinal herbs one after another with impeccable timing. When it was finally time to add in the Inferno Grass Stem, they threw the Spirit Matriarch Grass in instead.

As soon as the Spirit Matriarch Grass was thrown in, the two cauldrons immediately began rattling nonstop. One of the apothecaries could not contain the billowing energies within the cauldron, and eventually, the entire cauldron exploded deafeningly on the spot.

It was fortunate that protective measures had been taken beforehand, so no one was hurt as a result of the accident.

Nevertheless, the explosion still intimidated many people amid the crowd. They hurriedly backed a distance away as they continued watching the pill forging process worriedly.

The remaining apothecary was clearly more skilled as he controlled the responses of the medicinal herbs adeptly. An hour later, a set of freshly baked Nurturing Yang Pills was finally delivered out of the cauldron. Its surface glistened beautifully with a natural shine.

It seemed that their luck was not too bad. Not only were the pills formed, they had even reached the level of Perfection.

"Good!" After seeing the pills, the gray-robed young man nodded in approval.

He quickly scanned the crowd before beckoning a young man over. "The cultivation technique you practice seems to be yang attribute in nature. I need you to help me test the medicinal properties of the pill!"

Perhaps due to his trust in the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, the young man swallowed the pill without any hesitation. The pill swiftly melted in his mouth, and a tremendous amount of yang energy swiftly flowed into his meridians. It took only an instant for the young man's face to turn scarlet.

The young man hurriedly sat down to drive his zhenqi, hoping to keep the influx of yang energy under control for his own assimilation, but the more he tried to control the yang energy, the greater the backlash he faced. Eventually, white smoke began rising from the top of his head.

It did not take too long for his eyes to start reddening as the heat started getting the better of him.

"Ahh, I can't stand it any longer!"

Unable to take it any longer, the young man rushed up to one of the aunties watching the spectacle and reached out to rip her clothes.

Tzla!

The ripped clothes scattered all over the ground. Without any hesitation, the young man began to force himself on the auntie to carry out some indescribable act, but there was an abrupt sharp pain at the back of his neck before he collapsed onto the ground.

The gray-robed young man of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion had stepped in at the vital moment to prevent a tragedy from occurring.

The fact that the young man had only gone berserk after eating the Nurturing Yang Pill showed that his pill formula was insufficient in resolving its problems. Not only so, the side effects seemed to have worsened. The young man who had consumed the pill could not control his impulses at all.

"The pill formula that I have come up with does have some problems..." With an awful look on his face, the gray-robed young man turned his head over to Zhang Xuan and asked, "However, how did you know about it? Do you, by any chance, know the correct answer?"

To be honest, he had heard of this problem prior to coming to Xuanjiang City, and he had conducted quite a bit of research before coming up with the correct answer. He definitely did not manage to solve the problem as easily as he had made it appear.

The main reason he wanted to put up such an act was to bulk up the reputation of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion in Xuanjiang City.

Just that... who could have known that instead of bulking up the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion's reputation, he would end up being humiliated instead?

As displeased as he was, he knew that it would unwise for him to lose his temper. He would only embarrass himself further if he displayed a lack of graciousness.

"I do have an answer," Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

He whispered into Dan Xiaotian's ear, and the latter looked at him with a bizarre expression. After confirming that Zhang Xuan was not joking with him, he walked up to the wall and penned down an answer with a brush before handing it forward.

Just like before, a red light flashed from the wall.

The gray-robed young man frowned as he impatiently remarked, "The person checking the answer is right here, so why don't you just read it out loud?"

What was the point of beating about the bush when the manager of the Hongyan Market was already standing among them? The young man could just read out the answer, and they would be able to discern whether it was right or not together.

Dan Xiaotian looked at his teacher, and after receiving a confirmatory nod, he began reading out the answer that he had written out earlier with an awkward look on his face. "Change the Inferno Grass Stem to Spirit Matriarch Grass!"

The crowd was silent for a moment before a huge commotion broke out.

"Huh?"

"Was I hearing things?"

"Isn't the answer the same as the one that the young man from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion came up with?"

The gray-robed young man also narrowed his eyes as a menacing aura flowed out from him. "Are you trying to mock me?"

The other party had confidently pointed out that he was wrong, but he had ended up giving the same answer. Just what the hell was the other party up to?

Dan Xiaotian himself was feeling a little giddy as well. He had completely no idea what his teacher was up to.

Don't you know that trying to make fun of an expert like this is a huge taboo? You'll lose your life!

"You are thinking too much," Zhang Xuan replied calmly before shooting an exasperated glance at Dan Xiaotian. "What are you doing? There is still a label at the end, right? Read it out!"

"Ah, right..." Dan Xiaotian nodded as he hurriedly continued. "After the solution, there's a bracket that states 'not local'."

"Not local? Wait a moment, what does that mean?"

Everyone was bewildered by the additional label. Even the gray-robed young man was unable to make sense of what was happening.

What did 'not local' refer to? Was there some kind of difference between the local Spirit Matriarch Grass and those not from the region?

"The Nurturing Yang Pill serves to reinforce the yang energy of a cultivator. In order to stabilize the effects of the pill, swapping the Inferno Grass Stem with the Spirit Matriarch Grass is indeed the ideal solution. In fact, the solution you have proposed would have surely worked out if the pill forging was conducted anywhere else," Zhang Xuan said as he slowly walked up to the cauldron and touched the medicinal sludge from the exploded cauldron earlier.

"However, the solution simply doesn't work here! Xuanjiang City has its back facing the Xuan River, and that's where its name originates from. This river originates from the sea, and what flows through it isn't freshwater but saltwater!"

The crowd nodded in agreement.

While Xuanjiang City was not located near the sea, it was connected to it through the Xuan River. However, it was a pity that what flowed through the Xuan River was saltwater, making it unsuitable for drinking or commercial activities. As such, despite its decent location, it had still failed to develop into a major city. Among the territories of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, it could only be considered a third-rate city.

Its economy was not doing too well at all.

"As a result, the farmlands in the area were irrigated with saltwater, and the plants growing in the region carry some salt content. At this point, I would like to invite everyone to take a closer look at this medicinal sludge. Do you notice anything peculiar about it?" Zhang Xuan asked as he showed his hands to the others.

The crowd leaned in to take a closer look. Amid the black mess on his finger, there was a layer of white powder. It was faint, but as Saint cultivators, they were able to easily tell what it was.

The gray-robed young man also walked up to the medicinal sludge to take a closer look before touching it slightly. White powder stained the tip of his finger. He brought it to his lips and licked it, and there was a slightly salty taste.

"It's salt!" The gray-robed young man nodded.

Following which, Zhang Xuan continued his explanation. "The Spirit Matriarch Grass lives in marshlands, thriving in dark, damp locations. Its leaves should have carried a slight acidity, but this is neutralized by the salt content of the other medicinal herbs, and that ruins the yin attribute of the Spirit Matriarch Grass. As such, it is unable to serve as a medium to calm medicinal energies contained in the other medicinal herbs, resulting in the yang energy becoming even more violent after losing the Inferno Grass Stem. That's also why the young man completely lost control of his rationality earlier after consuming the Nurturing Yang Pill. He was completely overwhelmed by heat!"

"This..."

"There's actually such a factor?"

Fervent discussions could be heard all around.

Had pill forging always been such a delicate process such that even a slight change in the environment would make a huge difference?

The gray-robed young man was slightly taken aback. Was this really why his pill formula had failed?

He swiftly examined the remaining medicinal herbs that had not been used for the pill forging. With a tap of his finger, he ignited one of the medicinal herbs, and upon closer examination, he noticed some salt amid the ashes too.

"Pill forging is a very delicate process. The difference in a single medicinal herb or a single process could easily result in failure. Countless medicinal herbs could be ruined just because of a slight difference. Naturally, an apothecary has to take note of the geographical location, the local climate, the state of the cauldron, one's state of mind, and the techniques utilized in the forging process. All of this has to be considered before one embarks on the pill forging. A mistake is a mistake... I know that someone from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion won't deny that, right?" Zhang Xuan asked with a gentle smile.

"My misjudgment has indeed resulted in a failed pill forging, I'll admit that much!" Knowing that he would only hurt his reputation if he argued his way out of this, the gray-robed young man harrumphed coldly. "I'll give the Ethereal Token to you then!"

Without any hesitation, he took the Ethereal Token from Xue Qin's hands and tossed it over to Zhang Xuan.

"I..." Xue Qin's face twitched as she felt a burning sensation on her face.

It was just a moment ago that she had obtained this invaluable treasure, but in less than two hours, it was already another man's possession.

"I shall humbly accept the gift!" Zhang Xuan replied as he slipped the Ethereal Token into his pocket. Then, his eyebrows suddenly shot up as a realization seemed to have struck him. "Oh right, I nearly forgot. I mentioned earlier that I wanted to have a bet with you and that the one who lost the bet would have to listen to the winner's command... You didn't agree to the bet explicitly, but neither did you reject it. Since that's the case, should I take it that the bet is still effective?"

Seeing that Zhang Xuan was pushing the boundaries, the eyes of the gray-robed young man narrowed threateningly.

He had never thought that a person from this remote city would actually be able to corner him to such an extent!

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan seemed to be completely oblivious to the gray-robed young man's rage as he pointed to Xue Yan nonchalantly and said, "Well, my command isn't anything much. I just want you to give Xue Qin over here three crisp slaps in my stead!"

"What?" Xue Qin's face warped in horror upon hearing those words.

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