Library of Heaven's Path

by Little Merger

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

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Library of Heaven's Path #Chapter 705: Betting! - Read Library of Heaven's Path Chapter 705: Betting! Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 705: Betting!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The first time Zhang Xuan had seen so many master teachers was back when he was in Myriad Kingdom City. But even so, the number was only around a thousand or so. Yet, just the entrance examination of the Master Teacher Academy itself already involved thirty thousand 4-star pinnacle and half 5-star master teachers...

Just the thought of it was scary in itself.

But nevertheless, considering the circumstances surrounding Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, this was understandable.

This was the only Master Teacher Academy in this region. It accepted students that were not only from Hongyuan Empire but from other Tier 1 Empires as well.

Taking into account the dozen or so Tier 1 Empires and the countless sects and Master Teacher Pavilions they had in their region, it was natural that there were this many talented master teachers.

It was no wonder Tianxuan Kingdom was known as 'ancient ruins'. To not even have a single master teacher, it was indeed a backward location.

Feng shi, Luo shi, and the others walked up to Zhang Xuan and said, "We don't have any alliances with anyone in the entrance examination, so our team will be depending on you, Zhang shi..."

Even though they'd had several conflicts with Zhang Xuan in the past, considering they were from the same geographical region and the powerful competitors they would be facing in the entrance examination, they had decisively chosen to put aside their differences and unite together as one. This was the greatest hope they had in passing the entrance examination.

"Don't worry!"

Looking at the Huanyu Empire freshmen around him, Zhang Xuan nodded in assurance.

There was a total of fifty master teachers from Huanyu Empire that would be taking the entrance examination. Putting aside the top three from each Vassal State, the others were mainly 4-star pinnacle master teachers possessing a cultivation of Clarifying Turbidity realm.

With such cultivation, they were indeed considered mediocre within the group. Thus, for them to triumph over the competitors and pass the examination as a whole was, honestly speaking, very difficult!

This was precisely the reason they chose to ally with Tier 2 Jinhai Empire. Considering they were from a Tier 2 Empire as well, they'd thought that the strength of both teams would be roughly equal, so they should at least have been able to vie for an equal distribution at the very worst. Who knew that they would be completely defeated by the other party, and nearly turned into meat shields?

It was fortunate that Zhang shi arrived at that crucial period and saved them from that tragic fate.

But while they did manage to prevent the worst from happening, the crux of the problem still existed—their lack of strength. It was already too late to do anything else, so they could only put all of their hope in Zhang shi, and pray that he would be able to lead the group successfully through the entrance examination.

"You have our gratitude!"

Feng shi, Luo shi, and the others clasped their fists gratefully.

Thinking back on what they'd done to the other party, they felt extremely ashamed of themselves. Putting themselves into Zhang shi's shoes, if someone had treated him the way they did back at Huanyu Capital, they would surely have exacted vengeance during the entrance examination and made things difficult for the examinees from the other Vassal States. However, Zhang shi harbored no such vindictive thoughts at all.

In terms of magnanimity, they were truly nowhere near the other party.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony!" Seeing the expressions on their faces, Zhang Xuan chuckled light-heartedly, indicating that the past was the past. At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded from not too far away.

"Is this the man who defeated you?"

Turning around, Zhang Xuan saw a dark-skinned young man walking over with the defeated Senior Feng from Jinhai Empire following behind him.

The one who spoke was the dark-skinned young man in front. He had a tall stature, and his arms and legs were unusually long. His gaze was sharp and cold, as if a dagger was hidden in the depths of his eyes.

"Cosmos Bridge realm?"

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

The other party didn't conceal his aura at all. The might of a Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator lingered around him as if the searing heat of a sun, exerting an immense pressure on the group.

At the Cosmos Bridge realm, a connection would be forged between one's consciousness and the world, granting one enhanced intimacy with nature. Even though a Consonant Spirit realm cultivator wasn't weak, it could hardly compare up to a Cosmos Bridge realm expert.

But while the young man had reached the Cosmos Bridge realm, the emblem pinned on his chest only had 4 stars.

Reaching the Cosmos Bridge realm was just one of several prerequisites to becoming a 5-star master teacher. One had to have five 5-star supporting occupations as well as a Soul Depth of 15.0.

Often there were a couple of Grade 1 students who already possessed a cultivation realm beyond their current master teacher ranking, but due to their various other aspects being unable to catch up, they weren't qualified to be promoted to the next rank.

Clearly, the young man before him was such a case.

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Nevertheless, he would still be a fearsome adversary.

To acquire such strength before thirty when he had yet to enter the Master Teacher Academy, he could be said to be ranked amongst the top even within the thirty thousand freshmen this year.

"Yes!" Senior Feng nodded.

"This..."

Hearing the other party's confirmation, the young man frowned.

He had been acquainted with Senior Feng for some time already, and knowing the latter's strength, he thought that a person who could defeat the latter should be at least a formidable Cosmos Bridge realm expert, but... this? What the heck?

Dirty as if he hadn't bathed for many days, exhausted to the point that his eyes were bloodshot, countless swelling marks on his face...

The other party had clearly suffered a tragic beating not too long ago...

More importantly, even though the other party was at Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle, he didn't feel exceptionally powerful either... With the other party's disposition and appearance, he wouldn't have spared the other party a second glance anywhere else.

Was this really the man who smacked the confidence out of his good friend, leaving him in a slump?

Fearing that the other party wouldn't believe his words, Senior Feng hurriedly explained, "Brother Yu, don't underestimate Zhang shi. He... possesses extraordinary capabilities. He was able to defeat me with just a single finger!"

However, the more he spoke, the more uncertain he became.

Looking at Zhang Xuan's current state, he couldn't help but wonder if this was really the man who wounded him.

Why did it seem as if he had lost to a poor beggar?

"A single finger?"

Brother Yu shook his head. Turning to Zhang Xuan, he asked, "You are Zhang Xuan, Zhang shi? Since you defeated Feng Wu, may I challenge you to a match?"

"A match?" Zhang Xuan was just about to turn the other party away by claiming that he was busy when an idea suddenly struck him. With glowing eyes, he measured the other party from head to toe and asked, "What are you going to bet on the match?"

It just so happened that he was a little short on cash at the moment. Even renting a residence was difficult for him with his current finances. If he could earn some pocket change from a duel to tide him over this period, that would be for the best.

Sun Qiang hadn't had the time to clear away the artifacts he had obtained from the Mystical Treasure Hall before coming here, and there weren't any familiar faces in Hongyuan City that they could approach to fetch good prices for their items. As such, their funds were running extremely low at the moment.

"Bet?" Brother Yu was surprised by Zhang Xuan's words.

"That's right. What is the point of having a match if there is nothing on the line?" Zhang Xuan shrugged.

He wasn't interested in wasting his effort for nothing. If there were no material gains to be earned from having a match, why should he waste his time?

Brother Yu's face darkened, and his eyebrows shot up in displeasure.

"You... Do you know what I want compete against you in?"

No matter what, they were all master teachers, respectable members of the society. To place a bet on a respectable contest between fellow peers was really a little too cheap!

'You are just a mere Consonant Spirit realm cultivator. It is one thing that you aren't afraid of me, but you don't even know what we are contesting in, and yet there you are talking about bets... Are you just that certain that you will be able to win?

'How far can your arrogance go!

'Presumptious!'

His initial impression of this fellow already wasn't good, but at this moment, it had dropped to rock bottom.

Ignoring the other party's disdain, Zhang Xuan waved his hands nonchalantly.

"As long as you can offer something that interests me, I'm fine with anything you propose!"

"Since you're that confident, I'll fulfill your wish then!"

Harrumphing coldly, Brother Yu flicked his wrist, and a bunch of spirit stones appeared before him, "I have 1000 middle-tier spirit stones here. As long as you can defeat me, feel free to take them away!"

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"1000 middle-tier spirit stones?" Zhang Xuan glanced at the pile of gleaming spirit stones.

"That's right! You have never seen so many spirit stones in your life, right? But you need not worry, I don't expect you to repay me should you lose... All of you have to do is to apologize to me before all of the freshmen here for your disrespect," Brother Yu said with an air of superiority with his hands behind his back, emulating the disposition of a transcendental expert.

Considering how Huanyu Empire was below average compared to the other Tier 2 Empires, as well as the other party's shabby looks and attitude, it was clear that the other party was a poor bloke. To people like this, a thousand middle-tier spirit stones was probably a huge fortune, the like of which they had never seen in their lives before.

"Wait a moment..."

Seeing how the other party droned on and on, Zhang Xuan raised a hand to stop him. "Don't you think a thousand middle-tier spirit stones is too troublesome? Why don't we just go with one?"

"One? You call one middle-tier spirit stone a bet? Even the salary that I pay my subordinates is much more than that..."

Hearing the other party's suggestion, Brother Yu sneered coldly. But at that moment, he suddenly felt Senior Feng nudging him and pointing to Zhang shi's hand. Perplexed, he turned his gaze over, and his eyeballs nearly popped out from his eyes.

There was a spirit stone in the other party's hand that was emanating a blinding radiance.

"H-h-high-tier spirit stone?"

Brother Yu's lips trembled, and his body shook weakly.

"Indeed, one high-tier spirit stone," Zhang Xuan replied calmly.

"..." Brother Yu's vision darkened, and he nearly keeled over.

Even for someone as rich as him, he only possessed middle-tier spirit stones. High-tier spirit stones were objects that only Saints were qualified to trade.

'To actually use a high-tier spirit stone as a bet...

'Are you sure that you are a Consonant Spirit realm cultivator from Huanyu Empire?'

Given how shabby the other party looked, he thought that the other party would surely be a poor bloke. Who knew that he would suddenly whip out a high-tier spirit stone... What was with this huge contrast?

"Why? You don't have any high-tier spirit stone? If you don't even have the capital to make a bet, why are you bothering me? Go and play by the side, I don't have the time to be playing with you..."

Seeing the other party's frenzied expression, Zhang Xuan tutted in disdain.

'Why are you pretending to be wealthy when you don't even have a single high-tier spirit stone?'

Seeing the contempt on Zhang Xuan's face, Brother Yu and Senior Feng's faces darkened.

What the heck was this? They were here to humiliate the other party; how did they end up being the ones humiliated instead?

This was especially so with the other party's expression. It was as if he was snubbing them for being poor...

"Fine, let's bet on a high-tier spirit stone then!" Brother Yu flung his sleeves furiously and harrumphed.

"Sure, where is your high-tier spirit stone then? Show me. Otherwise, what am I supposed to do when you don't have the money to pay up? There are simply too many scammers nowadays!" Zhang Xuan said.

"You..."

Brother Yu clenched his fists tightly in anger. Thus, he turned to Senior Feng and said, "Take out your 'Aerial Strike Amulet'!"

"Brother Yu, that item..."

Hearing the other party's request, Senior Feng's eyebrows immediately twitched. He quickly tried to turn the other party down.

"Don't worry, do you think he can defeat me?" Brother Yu placed his hands behind his back confidently.

"... Alright then!"

Recalling Brother Yu's identity, as well as the content of the examination, Senior Feng hesitated for a moment before eventually nodding in agreement. He flicked his wrist, and a jade token immediately appeared in his hands.

Brother Yu took the jade token and showed it to Zhang Xuan. "This Aerial Strike Amulet is an artifact forged by a Saint. It allows one to withstand a single attack from a Saint without sustaining any damage. Its value is definitely equivalent to a single high-tier spirit stone!"

"Aerial Strike Amulet?"

Zhang Xuan's finger reached out to touch the amulet before nodding in satisfaction. "This object is indeed worth a single high-tier spirit stone. Fine, I'll accept your bet!"

Seeing the other party agree to the bet, the edges of Brother Yu's lips crept up.

"Good. The winner of the bet shall be determined by... the results of the entrance examination!"

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Chapter 706: Elder Mo

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Results of the entrance examination?"

Zhang Xuan frowned in bewilderment.

Weren't the only two results of the entrance examination pass and fail? What did the other party mean by comparing their results?

Just as Zhang Xuan was just about to ask the other party to elaborate, a powerful voice reverberated throughout the entire field.

"Quiet down!"

Everyone immediately stopped their chatter and raised their heads to look over. Following which, they saw an elder floating in midair.

"Saint..."

Zhang Xuan's body stiffened.

He could clearly feel the fundamental difference between his flight ability and the other's. The other party's flight ability was based on the world's recognition instead of a forceful levitation through the skillful utilization of zhenqi.

It was just like the difference between a flying bird and a balloon. The latter levitated due to the fundamental laws of physics whereas the former was dependent on the flapping of its wings. The moment it grows tired and stops its movements, it would immediately plummet to the ground.

Just like the flying bird, the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps required its user to continuously pump zhenqi into the technique in order to maintain flight. The elder before him clearly didn't belong to the same class, so the only explanation left was that he had reached Saint realm.

With a warm gaze from above, the elder said, "I am Mo Zhu, an elder of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. I will be the chief invigilator for this entrance examination!"

"He is Elder Mo?" a freshman in front of Zhang Xuan exclaimed agitatedly, upon hearing the elder's introduction.

"Is Elder Mo very famous?" another freshman asked in confusion.

"Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy is famed for its Ten Great Master Teachers. The Ten Great Master Teachers are all 6-star pinnacle master teachers, as well as the ten most authoritative elders in the academy. They oversee everything that happens in the academy... and Elder Mo is one of them. Do you think that he is famous or not?" the first freshman said with a hushed voice.

"Ten Great Master Teachers?" The second freshman widened his eyes in shock.

Those who had heard of the Master Teacher Academy would surely have heard of the Ten Great Master Teachers as well. This title was determined via a selection process among the master teachers in Hongyuan Empire and the surrounding Tier 1 Empires once every fifty years. As the title was conferred directly by the superior Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, the title was official and possessed true authority.

As such, the Ten Great Master Teachers possessed exceptional standing, and even the emperor of Hongyuan Empire would have to pay respect to them in the capacity of a student. They were also entitled to the most valuable of resources of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

There was no student who didn't take pride in becoming the student of any of the Ten Great Master Teachers...

He'd thought that such a formidable master teacher would surely be far away from him, but who knew that he would meet one before he had even officially enrolled into the academy?

The first freshman exclaimed agitatedly, "Indeed. Of the Ten Great Master Teachers, Elder Mo specializes in beast taming. But still, to think that he would invigilate the entrance examination personally..."

The Ten Great Master Teachers were legendary figures that most master teachers grew up admiring. Seeing the real person in the flesh, they could hardly curb the agitation they were feeling.

Even Brother Yu's eyes were glowing with excitement upon seeing Elder Mo.

"I believe everyone should already know the topic of the examination. I have placed many spirit beasts in Leiyuan Peak ahead of us!"

Interjecting into everyone's moment of excitement, Elder Mo continued with a warm smile, "All of those spirit beasts are aggressive beasts who have a track record of harming the innocent on numerous counts. I have confined them to the peak, and you are free to hunt them down as you like. As long as you slaughter a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle spirit beast and procure its inner core, I will consider you to have passed the examination!"

"Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle spirit beast?"

"Aggressive beasts who have a track record of harming the innocent?"

"This examination sounds extremely hard..."

Elder Mo's description was brief, but as master teachers, they were able to understand the crux of the matter in an instant. Within an instant, their excitement was replaced with unease.

Due to the superior physique that spirit beasts were born with, their fighting prowess was extraordinary. A Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle spirit beast could fight a Consonant Spirit realm master teacher on equal grounds, and even if things turned out to be disadvantageous, it was likely that it would be able to escape safely.

Given that most of the freshmen involved in the examination were at Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle, it would be difficult for them to clear the examination!

Not to mention, considering the aggressive nature of the spirit beasts, they were bound to be difficult opponents to deal with. There was a vast difference between a spirit beast with vast fighting experience and a spirit beast with no fighting experience whatsoever.

'It is no wonder why most parties have chosen to form an alliance...' Zhang Xuan thought in realization.

He had been thinking that it was bizarre how the various parties chose to ally themselves with others for a mere hunt. After all, coordinating with another party was an extremely troublesome task. However, from the looks of it now, if they didn't do so, there was a good chance they could end up being surrounded and killed by the spirit beasts.

To think that even an entrance examination would be so dangerous... At this instant, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled what Luo Qiqi had previously said about the Master Teacher Academy. It was indeed a competitive place where only those who could adapt would survive.

"The time limit is a single day. In other words, before sunset, you must return with the inner core in your hand. Only by fulfilling this criterion will you be considered to have cleared the examination! Otherwise... this will spell the end of your fate with the academy."

Elder Mo continued, "Also, I would like to warn everyone that the cultivation of the spirit beasts on the peak isn't just limited to Transcendent Mortal 4-dan. There are 5-dan, 6-dan, and even 7-dan spirit beasts there. Thus, you should be careful not to be slaughtered by the spirit beasts while hunting them down!"

The examinees had been informed of this in advance, so they weren't too surprised by Elder Mo's words.

Fighting prowess wasn't all there was to a master teacher. Master teachers were expected to be all-rounders who were capable in all fields, and this test sought to assess this.

After a moment of silence, a freshman suddenly asked, "Elder Mo, if we manage to slay a Transcendent Mortal 5-dan or 6-dan spirit beast, how will the results be tallied?"

"Good question!" Elder Mo stroked his beard. "We will be using a points system to gauge your result in the examination, and those who score higher will get to come under the tutelage of better teachers in the academy. In fact, if you perform outstandingly, there is a chance that you might win the favor of the elders!"

"Win the favor of the elders?"

Everyone's breathing hastened.

To be an elder in the Master Teacher Academy, one had to be a 6-star master teacher at minimum. Under the guidance of such a teacher, one's capability would surely soar.

At the same time, one would also be entitled to the best resources and highest standing.

"As for how points will be allocated, that's simple as well. It's a cumulative scoring system," Elder Mo said.

"Cumulative scoring system?" Everyone was slightly confused.

"That's right. You will be scored based on the tier of the spirit beasts you kill. A Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle spirit beast will award you with 1 point. A Consonant Spirit realm primary stage spirit beast will award you with 10 points, intermediate stage 20 points, advanced stage 30 points, and pinnacle 40 points! As for Cosmos Bridge realm spirit beasts, a primary stage spirit beast will award you 100 points, intermediate stage 200 points... so on and so forth!"

Elder Mo paused then said, "The more points one scores, the better one's results will be. Alternatively, one can also choose to share one's points with another to help them clear the examination.

"For example, if ten people work together to kill a Consonant Spirit realm primary stage spirit beast, these ten points can be equally distributed among them to allow the ten people to clear the examination together!"

"We can also clear the examination by killing a Consonant Spirit realm primary stage spirit beast in groups of ten?"

"That's great..."

Upon hearing the news, the eyes of the weaker freshmen immediately lit up, and they clenched their fists in agitation.

With their current strength, killing a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle spirit beast was extremely difficult for them. However, if they could coordinate with other master teachers and share the points earned, that would be a different story.

"It is for the purpose of driving away the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe that master teachers were born. To fulfill the responsibility we bear, not only must we be strong, we must also stand united and trust one another, working together to overcome all odds. This is crucial for the prosperity of mankind!" Elder Mo explained, knowing everyone's thoughts.

Hearing those words, the crowd couldn't help but nod in agreement.

'Master Teacher' didn't refer to an individual but an entirety. Only through teamwork and mutual trust would master teachers be able to bring out greater might.

"Alright, I shall move on to the rules of the examination now."

With a stern expression that seemed to be warning the freshmen against trying their luck, he said, "In this examination, you are not to attack other examinees and steal their inner cores. In other words, you cannot lay your hands on other master teachers for the purpose of obtaining even more points. Once caught, you will be stripped of your enrollment qualification, and you will never be accepted into the academy for life!"

As Elder Mo spoke of his punishment, his voice suddenly grew so heavy that it felt as if the sky itself was pressing down on them, and the air felt so viscous that even breathing was a difficulty.

A Saint raged; the world shattered.

Just the slightest expression of his displeasure was sufficient to deprive all Transcendent Mortal realm cultivators of their will to defy him.

"We aren't able to attack other examinees and steal their inner cores?"

"Wasn't that allowed in the past?"

"It seems they removed that section from the examination due to the potential acrimony it could induce among peers!"

"Sigh, I was still thinking of stealing other people's inner cores to obtain a better result, but from the looks of it now... that is out of question!"

...

Spirit beasts were intelligent creatures. With so many people marching up the mountain to eliminate them, they would surely have hidden themselves well. As such, how could they be found easily?

Thus, quite a few of the stronger examinees had intended to prey on the weaker examinees to steal the fruits of their labor. Upon hearing that such behavior was not allowed, disappointment immediately surfaced on their faces.

However, an even larger proportion of the examinees heaved a sigh of relief.

Defeating a spirit beast was no easy feat; there was a good chance they might be severely injured in the midst of doing so. If the product of their hard work was stolen by others, they would surely burst into tears.

"Elder Mo, I would like to ask if master teachers can use their tamed beasts to hunt down the spirit beasts?"

This time, it was Senior Feng who asked the question.

Upon hearing Senior Feng's words, everyone's eyes immediately fell upon Zhang Xuan.

After numerous days of trading cultivation techniques for spirit beast inner cores in the bazaar, he had become known by a large portion of the freshmen. Most of them were aware that he had tamed a half 9-dan Great Violetwing Beast.

If that fellow were to use the Great Violetwing Beast to hunt, who would be a match for him?

Overwhelming strength paired with the capability of flight, there would be no one who could compete with him!

"A tamed beast can be considered as part of the strength of a master teacher as well. However, examinees will only be allowed to use their tamed beast once throughout the competition. Other than the first inner core hunted by a tamed beast, any subsequent inner cores procured through such a method will not contribute to the examinee's score."

Being able to tame a spirit beast could be considered as a person's own strength as well. Nevertheless, if one were to rely completely on their tamed beast, that would be contrary to the purpose of the examination.

"Only once? That's good!"

Hearing those words, Senior Feng heaved a sigh of relief.

If Zhang Xuan could only use his tamed beast once, it would be impossible for him to win against Brother Yu.

After explaining the issue regarding the tamed beast, Elder Mo surveyed the surroundings and said, "Alright, are there any other questions? Do raise them so as to avoid infringing on the rules and losing your qualification!"

"Elder, what about grade-5 formation plates?" another freshman asked.

"The same rule applies for anything that is beyond one's cultivation realm. Just like tamed beasts, it can only be used once!" Elder Mo said.

Several more questions were asked, and Elder Mo answered each of them patiently.

Hearing the various rules and regulations of the examination, it was clear that the academy had put a lot of effort into planning the examination in order to accurately assess the strength of each examinee.

Seeing that there were no more questions, Elder Mo gestured to Leiyuan Peak and said, "Alright. If there aren't any more questions, the examination starts now. You can proceed up the mountain now!"

"Yes!"

Hearing the instructions, the thirty thousand participating freshmen immediately charged up to Leiyuan Peak.

The earlier they arrived, the higher the chance they would be able to successfully find and hunt a spirit beast. Thus, none of the examinees were willing lag behind the others.

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Chapter 707: Start of the Hunt

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Zhang shi, don't forget our bet. Whoever who obtains the most points will be the victor!"

Seeing the crowd rush up the mountain, Brother Yu turned to Zhang Xuan and sneered before rushing up the mountain alongside Senior Feng.

Seeing the crowd rush along, Zhang Xuan glanced at Luo Xuan, Ruohuan gongzi, and the others and said, "Let's head on up as well!"

Only the examinees were allowed to be on the examination field, so the escorting members such as Hong shi weren't allowed to enter. They had to watch from outside the area. Thus, the examinees could only depend on themselves.

"Un!"

Luo Xuan and the others nodded.

"Let's head in that direction!"

Knowing that he was the leader of the group, Zhang Xuan scanned the surroundings, and his gaze eventually fell on a narrow valley. Pointing in that direction, he took the lead.

The other master teachers form Huanyu Empire followed closely behind.

Leiyuan Peak was actually relatively large in size. Putting aside the sharp cliffs, there was actually a lot of space to maneuver around. It was filled with innumerable gorges, boulders, and trees... Even an army of thirty thousand seemed insignificant against the entire peak.

The route which Zhang Xuan had chosen was one with very few people.

Even the weakest of the group was at Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle, so the group traveled at an extremely fast speed. In just ten mere minutes, they were already deep within the mountain forest.

Perhaps it was due to the lush greenery filtering out the rays of the sun, but cold air seemed to permeate the entire mountain.

In the tranquil forest, there wasn't the slightest sound to be heard. Perhaps it was due to the earlier group driving away the beasts and birds, or perhaps the spirit beasts had gone into hiding knowing that master teachers were marching up the mountain to eliminate them, but the entire place seemed to be devoid of life.

"Zhang shi, where do we go now?"

By now, the group had been traveling for quite some time already. However, putting aside seeing a whole spirit beast, they hadn't even seen a single strand of spirit beast hair yet. As such, Luo Xuan and the others couldn't help but panic.

"Given the vast size of Leiyuan Peak, if the spirit beasts are intentionally hiding from us, it won't be easy to find them. However, there's no need to worry. I have been looking out for the tracks of the spirit beasts, and I have already noticed something..."

Zhang Xuan smiled.

Putting aside his identity as a master teacher, he was also a capable beast tamer who was proficient in the Ancient Beast Language. Not to mention, his Eye of Insight also allowed him to easily spot the slightest trails left behind by spirit beasts.

If Zhang Xuan were to seek them out seriously, it would be impossible for the spirit beasts to hide from him.

After advancing for a moment longer, Zhang Xuan suddenly came to an abrupt halt. He indicated for the group to remain silent, and with a flick of his wrist, he took out a sword.

Huala!

With a swift movement, a sharp, cold gleam flashed across the steep cliff before him.

Just as the group was bewildered as to what Zhang Xuan was attempting to do, a deafening explosion suddenly sounded, and the boulder before them shattered. Following which, a gray figure suddenly dashed out.

Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle spirit beast... Gale Wolf!

To think that this fellow would actually be hiding inside a boulder.

"I'll hand it over to you all. I'll check out the situation in front!"

Knowing that Luo Xuan and the others shouldn't have any problems with a spirit beast of this tier, Zhang Xuan chose to proceed ahead to scout around first.

The route ahead was tilted upward. Even though the route rather steep, it was fortunate that there were many plants around to serve as a stepping stone. Soon, Zhang Xuan had already covered a distance of seven to eight kilometers.

Hu!

Suddenly, Zhang Xuan came to a halt, and a deep frown appeared on his forehead.

"These marks indicate that a group of spirit beasts have passed through this area..."

Even though there were no clear marks on the field before him, Zhang Xuan was still able to easily tell that a group of beasts had just passed the area not too long ago through his Eye of Insight.

"Bluebacked Ferocious Bear, Steelfang Panther, Southern Yellow Tiger, Metal-arm Ape... Those are spirit beasts that specialize in speed! Furthermore, all of them have reached Consonant Spirit realm!" Zhang Xuan deduced, after a moment of observation.

Different spirit beasts would leave behind different trails. Of the beast horde that had passed through this area, he was able to identify at least a dozen of them.

These spirit beasts were usually the nemeses of one another, and yet they were actually traveling together. Most probably, just as Elder Mo had said, they had begun working together to stand against the humans.

"Zhang shi..."

Just as Zhang Xuan was trying to figure out the direction in which the spirit beasts were heading, Luo Xuan and the others finally caught up with him.

To them, a Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle spirit beast didn't pose as a challenge at all. They were able to kill it swiftly.

However, their group was simply too big. Killing a Clarifying Turbidity realm spirit beast didn't do much to help them as a group.

"Everyone, lower your voices. Let's go for a big one!"

Zhang Xuan smiled mysteriously.

More than a dozen Transcendent Mortal 5-dan spirit beast had passed through this area. This was an opportunity as much as a threat.

If they could get rid of all of them, they would gain sufficient points to pass the examination.

If it was any other team or alliance, they would surely avoid clashing with such a large group. However, Zhang Xuan was different. His cultivation had reached Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle, and his fighting prowess far exceeded his peers. If he wished to, he could easily destroy the entire group of spirit beasts.

"Go for a big one?"

Having only just arrived, everyone in the group was unable to comprehend what Zhang Xuan was getting at.

"Un. Based on my observation, a group of Consonant Spirit realm spirit beasts have just passed through the area. As long as we can slaughter them, we should be able to gain sufficient points for all of us to clear..." Zhang Xuan chuckled.

"Consonant Spirit realm spirit beast?"

Everyone's eyes immediately beamed with excitement.

A single Consonant Spirit realm primary stage spirit beast was worth ten points, so they only had to clear away five of those to earn sufficient points for all of them to clear the examination.

As for the danger involved, didn't Zhang shi have a half 9-dan tamed beast? If put in a critical situation, he could simply summon the Great Violetwing Beast to save them...

"Follow me!"

Having come to a decision, Zhang Xuan immediately led the group down the trail the spirit beast horde had gone through.

A moment later, he suddenly stopped.

"Something is wrong..."

Ruohuan gongzi walked up and asked, "What's wrong?"

"There are signs of a formation being set up just ahead, but there are no signs of battle at all..."

Zhang Xuan frowned.

"What does that mean?" The group seemed unable to follow what Zhang Xuan was saying.

"If there are signs of a formation being set up, it can only mean that... someone has prepared an ambush ahead! However, if there are no signs of battle, it can only mean that the spirit beasts noticed the trap and avoided it," Zhang Xuan explained.

"Spirit beasts possess an innate sensitivity to the disturbances in the spiritual energy in their environment. They might have sensed the presence of the formation in advance and avoided it," Luo Xuan interjected.

Spirit beasts possessed far sharper senses than humans. It shouldn't be anything much for them to notice and avoid a formation!

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

It wasn't as simple as Luo Xuan had said.

"This is a grade-5 Greencloud Illusion Formation. This formation is known for its inconspicuousness when inactive. Even a Consonant Spirit realm master teacher would find it hard to notice this formation even when passing through this area..."

Even though the other party had already removed the formation, with his eye of discernment, he was still able to tell what kind of formation it was.

The Greenmist Formation was known for its ability to conceal itself, and without the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan would've found it hard to notice it as well, needless to say a group of spirit beasts!

He didn't believe that a group of Consonant Spirit realm spirit beasts would possess a sharper eye of discernment than him.

"What is going on?"

Hearing that it was the Greenmist Formation, everyone immediately realized the bizarreness of the matter, and a deep frown appeared on their foreheads.

"I don't know either... But in any case, let's proceed forward to see what they are up to."

Zhang Xuan wasn't able to understand what was going on, but considering that the spirit beasts hadn't left too long ago as judged from the fresh trails, he was certain he'd be able to figure out what was going on by following them.

"Alright!"

The others nodded and followed behind.

Just like that, the group proceeded on for another ten minutes before Zhang Xuan stopped once again.

Seeing the perplexed expression on Zhang Xuan's face, Ruohuan gongzi walked up and asked, "What is it?"

Taking in the faint scent lingering in the air, Zhang Xuan said, "Someone tried to use a 'Crimson Blood Pill' as a bait for the spirit beasts earlier on, but... the spirit beasts ignored the bait completely..."

"Crimson Blood Pill?"

"Yes, it's a grade-5 pill. Logically speaking, it should be irresistible to the Consonant Spirit realm spirit beasts..." The more Zhang Xuan thought about it, the more bewildered he became.

Zhang Xuan wouldn't have been surprised if the spirit beasts could hold themselves back from any other bait, but this was the Crimson Blood Pill! Once consumed, it could induce a Bloodline Evolution in them. This was a rare opportunity for them to further raise their cultivation, and yet they still managed to hold themselves back. This was extremely unlikely.

Spirit beasts possessed intellect, but they were still primarily governed by their primal instincts. If they were capable of accurately discerning and avoiding traps, the number of tamed beasts in the world would surely be several times lower than it currently was.

It might be a coincidence that the spirit beasts managed to avoid the formation, but it would be going too far to call this a coincidence as well. There was something truly suspicious about this situation.

"What is even more doubtful is that the master teachers who set up the formation and prepared the Crimson Blood Pill bait are missing too!" Zhang Xuan continued.

Luo Xuan narrowed his eyes in astonishment.

"Missing? Could it be that... they have been killed?"

If the spirit beasts were strong enough to slaughter groups who were in possession of a grade-5 pinnacle formation and pill, the Huanyu Empire group would likely be unable to do any better against them either.

"That's not it. If a battle had occurred, traces would surely have been left behind. Putting aside a group of Consonant Spirit realm spirit beasts, even if there were Transcendent Mortal 9-dan spirit beasts here, it would still be difficult for them to slaughter an entire team of master teachers without leaving behind any traces!"

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

All of the examinees taking the examination were elites among the master teachers. Given their talents, their homelands would surely have been more than willing to provide them with the best of resources to groom them. Naturally, they would definitely have some life preservation means on them too.

With their life preservation means, even if the group of Consonant Spirit realm spirit beasts had ambushed them, they should still have been able to escape without any trouble.

"This..." Everyone was starting to feel unsettled by the bizarre situation before them.

"If I am not mistaken, they must have noticed the spirit beasts and are tracking them at the moment..." Zhang Xuan revealed his deductions.

"Tracking them?"

"Un, this is the only logical explanation. Otherwise, there is no reason why the formation we saw earlier would be dismantled so cleanly, and there are no marks of battle around," Zhang Xuan rationalized.

Ruohuan gongzi suddenly realized the incongruity in the entire story.

"That doesn't make any sense. If the spirit beasts did notice the traps in advance and steered clear of them, they definitely would have left quietly so as to avoid alarming the master teachers. Furthermore, given that they were aware of the presence of master teachers in the area, how could they remain unaware if a group were to follow them?"

"That is precisely what that left me baffled!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Once the spirit beasts noticed the formations, for their own safety, they would surely leave silently so as to avoid alarming the master teachers.

It was already surprising that one group would actually notice them, but now there were two... It was as if the spirit beasts were intentionally revealing their tracks so that the master teachers could find them.

The entire situation reeked of a scheme.

"We should continue following them to take a look..."

Knowing that they wouldn't find an answer by standing around, Zhang Xuan looked around and continued following the trail of the spirit beasts.

The others also followed behind.

In the next hour, the group circled a large round along the peak, and they noticed quite a few ambushes as well. From time to time, there were traces of battle too.

However, judging from the marks, it seemed that the spirit beasts had retreated immediately after encountering the master teachers. With their superior agility, they were able to get away easily as well.

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Chapter 708: To Rescue or Not to Rescue?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Perhaps they feared trouble, so they left immediately after noticing that they were followed?" Luo Xuan suggested.

"That's possible." Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

At that a moment, a member of their group suddenly exclaimed, "There are a few people in front!"

The group immediately turned their gazes forward and saw three freshmen sitting feebly on the ground. They had sustained significant injuries, and blood was flowing from their wounds.

The trio were all Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle cultivators. Upon seeing such a huge crowd, their faces immediately paled in fear. "We haven't caught any spirit beasts yet..."

But soon afterward, they recalled that fellow examinees were not allowed to steal from one another, and they heaved a sigh of relief.

"I've met these people before. They are from the Luoyuan Empire's party!" Luo Xuan informed Zhang Xuan telepathically.

Zhang Xuan nodded in response.

Just like Huanyu Empire, Luoyuan Empire was a Tier 2 Empire as well, and both parties lived in proximity to one another in the Academic Sea. As such, Luo Xuan was able to recognize the trio easily.

"Did your injuries come from the spirit beasts?" Zhang Xuan asked the trio.

Knowing that he meant no hostility, the trio answered truthfully, "Yes!"

"It shouldn't be difficult for the dozen Consonant Spirit realm spirit beasts to kill you. How did you manage to escape from them?" Zhang Xuan asked.

If the dozen Consonant Spirit realm spirit beast were to charge at the trio simultaneously, they would probably be dead in a breath.

There should be no reason for the spirit beasts to leave those who had come to slaughter them alive.

"H-how did you know that we were attacked by a dozen Consonant Spirit realm spirit beasts?" one of the three master teachers asked in astonishment.

"We are tracking that pack," Zhang Xuan replied.

"I see. I am not really sure what happened either. We were just walking around when we suddenly encountered the pack. To be honest, we thought that we would be goners, but for some reason, those spirit beasts suddenly left in a panic after a brief encounter, as if they were scared of something..."

"Perhaps they were afraid of you catching up to them?" another one of the trio added.

Zhang Xuan and the others had arrived not too long after the spirit beast pack left, so they might just be apprehensive about staying for too long.

"But nevertheless, all they require is a brief instant to get rid of three Transcendent Mortal 4-dan master teachers. Furthermore, if they really noticed that we were tracking them, they would surely be filled with hostility toward humans. There's no reason for them to show mercy to them..."

The more Luo Xuan thought about it, the more doubts surfaced in his mind.

Assuming that the spirit beast pack was indeed escaping from them, if they were to meet other humans in the midst of their escape, there was no reason for them to spare them, especially since a brief instant was all it would take. How could the trio possibly be able to get away alive?

Frowning, Zhang Xuan continued questioning them.

"Where does the path ahead lead to?"

"It leads to Heaven's Thread, one of the most dangerous gorges of Leiyuan Peak," replied one of the master teachers.

"A canyon? This is bad..." Seeming to have thought of something, Zhang Xuan's eyebrows suddenly shot up. He hurriedly rushed forward to the canyon, and the baffled crowd quickly followed behind.

Not too long later, they arrived at a massive gorge surrounded by steep cliffs. Looking up from below, the sky looked just like a thin thread. Somehow, an ominous feeling slowly spread across the group.

Ding ding ding ding!

Before they even walked into the gorge, they could already feel a massive disturbance in the spiritual energy ahead, and the sound of weapons clashing reverberated in the air.

"There is a battle going on over there..."

With these signs, how could the group still remain oblivious to what was going on ahead of them?

Zhang Xuan pointed forward.

"The answer to the mystery lies ahead..."

There were numerous large floating rock platforms around the gorge. Climbing to a high altitude, the group caught a clear glimpse of the battle ahead, and their faces were immediately drained of color.

Two hundred master teachers were tightly encircled by several hundred spirit beasts.

The cultivation of these spirit beasts ranged from the Consonant Spirit realm to the Cosmos Bridge realm, and every single one of them was incomparably powerful. Even though the surrounded master teachers weren't weak, their opponents were simply too powerful, and they were outnumbered at that. As time went by, more and more master teachers were being incapacitated by grievous wounds.

"Could it be that the dozen spirit beasts were intentionally luring the master teachers over... so as to eradicate them all in a single sweep?"

Upon realizing this fact, the mouths of the group twitched in astonishment.

Even if the entire Huanyu Empire party were to head down to offer their support, they wouldn't be able to turn the tides of the battle. They would only end up contributing to the casualty toll.

Furthermore, as the name Heaven's String suggested, the gorge was extremely narrow, not to mention that it was filled with numerous floating rock platforms of various sizes, thus making it difficult for the Great Violetwing Beast to maneuver around. It would be dangerous for the Great Violetwing Beast if it were to be attacked by the army of spirit beasts under such circumstances.

Zhang Xuan's face was extremely grave.

His high Soul Depth granted him a far greater analytical ability compared to the other members of the group. When he first noticed the presence of the spirit beast pack and the situation surrounding them, a seed of doubt had already been planted in his mind. From the looks of it now, it was indeed a huge set-up!

Bluebacked Ferocious Bear, Steelfang Panther, Southern Yellow Tiger, Armmetal Ape... These spirit beasts were known for their speed on land. If they were to go at full speed, even a Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage master teacher would find it hard to keep up with them. And yet, they went through the trouble of circling around the peak and drawing in group after group of master teachers. It was clear that they were up to something.

Yet, Zhang Xuan hadn't expected that the spirit beasts were luring the humans into a trap to eliminate them!

"The spirit beasts are in an alliance as well..."

The master teachers had been thinking of allying with one another to hunt the spirit beasts, but little did they know that the spirit beasts were doing the same as well. They had organized themselves orderly with a clear role for each spirit beast in the team. Some would serve as bait while others would lie in ambush to receive the prey. With this, they intended to wipe out a large group of master teachers in a single move!

Fearsome!

If they were put in the same circumstances, would they have fallen for the scheme as well and landed themselves in grave danger?

One of the master teachers turned to Zhang Xuan and asked worriedly, "Zhang shi... What should we do?"

As master teachers, they couldn't simply watch idly as their comrades were being killed in battle... but even if their entire group were to offer their support, it would still be insufficient to defeat the spirit beasts!

"The main purpose of a master teacher is to protect humanity. Even in the face of danger, we must fight to ensure the survival of mankind... If we were to leave our comrades in such a situation, even if we successfully escape with our lives, we won't be able to live with the guilt, and our faith will be shaken. This will surely weigh us down in the future, limiting our accomplishments!"

"But... given the current circumstances, even if we do lay down our lives to save them, nothing will change at all!"

"That's right. This is truly a dilemma..."

Everyone fell silent.

With their current fighting prowess, it would surely be impossible to rescue the master teachers from the clutches of the spirit beasts. But if they chose to leave them in a deadly situation, the guilt would shatter the morals they had stood by and believed in for their entire lives.

"There is no doubt that we have to save them, but charging straight in will not work," Zhang Xuan said with a deep frown. Tapping on his thigh with his finger, he fumbled through his head to search for a solution to the crisis.

"What do we do?"

The helpless crowd turned to Zhang Xuan to lead them.

They had pinned all of their hopes on this young man, hoping that he could produce a miracle as he always did.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan turned to the crowd and asked, "Does anyone here have the formation flags and blueprint of a 5-star Beguilement Formation?"

"I do!"

One of the Luoyuan Empire master teacher raised his hand.

The only reason the trio dared to operate in such a small team was due to his ability as a formation master. Otherwise, given their Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle cultivation, how could they possibly dare to leave the group on their own accord?

"Pass it to me."

Zhang Xuan stretched out his hand.

"Alright!"

Knowing that this was a critical situation, the master teacher flicked his hand, and a stack of formation flags and a jade token appeared in his hands.

"This is a grade-5 primary 'Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation'. It was created by a great Formation Master Tao Ran from our empire when a stroke of inspiration struck him while he was studying the waves. However... this formation is extremely troublesome to set up, and even after studying it for three years, it still takes me two hours at minimum to set up a workable formation. Furthermore... considering how narrow the gorge it, I'm afraid that it is nigh impossible to set it up," the Luoyuan Empire master teacher said.

Even if he were to set up this formation personally, it would be difficult for him to succeed without spending two hours on it. More importantly, setting up a formation required one to study the geographical terrain and measure the flow of spiritual energy in the air using a geomantic compass. All in all, it was an extremely complicated process.

Considering the intense battle below, putting aside whether it was possible to set up the formation or not, it was a huge question in itself whether the master teachers could last that long against the ferocious assault by the spirit beasts!

More importantly, how was the formation supposed to be set up? To set up the formation, Zhang shi would have to head down to plant the flags. However, if he were to do so, he would be putting himself in the midst of the spirit beast encirclement as well!

There were surely plenty of formation masters among the two hundred master teachers below as well, but even they were helpless against this situation. What could he possibly do?

"Let me take a look first."

Ignoring the other party's doubts, Zhang Xuan touched the jade token with the tip of his finger, and the blueprint of the Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation immediately came into sight.

'Flaws!'

Muttering silently, Zhang Xuan's eyes remained fixated on the jade token while his consciousness had already dived into the Library of Heaven's Path.

The Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation was created by Formation Master Tao Ran from Luoyuan Empire. Through utilizing the geographical terrain of the surroundings, it was able to trap all lifeforms in the area of the formation and confuse them. Once activated, even a Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator would find it difficult to escape from the formation.

It only took Zhang Xuan a few breaths to grasp the important details regarding the formation through the Library of Heaven's Path.

When he finally opened his eyes once more, he turned to the crowd and asked, "Do any of you have spirit stones on you now?"

Everyone nodded in response to the query.

"Spirit stones? We do have some with us now!"

Even though middle-tier spirit stones were valuable, most 4-star pinnacle and half 5-star master teachers would still keep some with them at all times.

"Take them out, I need each of you to be holding ten spirit stones. If you don't have enough, borrow from someone else," Zhang Xuan instructed.

"Alright!"

Ten middle-tier spirit stones were still within their means, so they had no problem taking this sum out.

"Other than me, we have a total of 52 people. Split yourself into four teams, namely North, South, East, and West!" Zhang Xuan continued instructing.

Even though they had no idea what Zhang Xuan was up to, there was nothing else they could do at the moment other than follow his instructions.

As master teachers, they were extremely efficient. In just a few breaths, they were already done dividing themselves.

With a grim expression, Zhang Xuan instructed seriously, "Alright, prepare yourselves. Make sure to follow my orders strictly later on. The slightest mistake can spell the failure of our operation. If that is the case, we won't be able to save the master teachers below..."

"Zhang shi, don't worry!"

"We will listen to your arrangements!"

Even though the crowd still had no idea what Zhang Xuan was up to, the latter's previous deeds, as well as his confident and firm gaze inspired trust in them.

The three master teachers from Luoyuan Empire harbored some doubts about Zhang Xuan's credibility, but after seeing the reaction from Huanyu Empire's party, they could only swallow their words. They couldn't help but reassess the young man before them.

This young man was the youngest among the group, but why did everyone possess such deep trust in him?

In their eyes, unless an expert of Elder Mo's caliber were to arrive on the scene, there was no way they could break out of this dire situation!

Did this fellow... really have a feasible idea in mind?

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Chapter 709: Hundred Flags of Void Sealing

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Before the doubtful gazes of the three master teachers, the young man stared intently at the land below with the formation flags in his hand, seemingly calculating the positioning of the flags.

"Zhang shi intends to set up the Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation?"

Seeing his actions, the eyebrows of the three master teachers shot up in astonishment.

Putting aside how narrow the gorge was, just the battle below was sufficient to cause immense chaos in the spiritual energy in the air. Even with a compass in hand, it would be impossible for one to accurately read the flow of spiritual energy. As such, how could one possibly set up a formation?

Even if a 7-star formation master were to arrive on the scene, he would surely be unable to successfully set up a formation as well!

More importantly, the moment the first formation flag was planted on the ground, the spirit beasts would surely notice them. Considering the number of spirit beasts in the gorge, even if just a small proportion were to come after them, they would still become goners!

Was this really the idea he had in mind?

Sensing the nervousness in the trio, Ruohuan gongzi said with a consoling smile, "There's no need to panic. Since Zhang shi says that it is possible to rescue them, he must have a feasible idea in mind!"

Of the entire group, he had known Zhang shi the longest, and he also boasted the greatest understanding of the latter. This young man seemed to possess some kind of incredible power. So many times, what he viewed to be impossible had been easily accomplished by the other party.

Taking the Otherworldly Demon in the Master Teacher Tournament as an example, he actually managed to talk it into committing suicide... This was a feat that many could not even imagine, but he actually achieved it!

In fact, the very reason he could be here despite his lacking capability was due to the young man's help.

Thus, even though the situation before them might look hopeless, it didn't hinder him from believing in the young man's ability to turn the tables.

"Let's just hope so..."

The trio could only reply with bitter smiles.

While they were talking, Zhang Xuan had already finished examining the geographical terrain. Taking a deep breath, he suddenly sent a telepathic message to everyone.

"Prepare yourselves!"

Hearing those words, everyone immediately gathered their attention as they waited for Zhang shi's further instructions with the middle-tier spirit stones in their hands.

Hu!

Just as they were wondering what the young man would do, they suddenly saw the other party leaping down from the platform, headed toward the battlefield between the spirit beasts and the master teachers.

"This..."

Alarmed by Zhang Xuan's actions, everyone narrowed their eyes in shock.

Hundreds of powerful spirit beasts were prowling ferociously below! To charge in like that, are you sure you aren't attempting to commit suicide instead?

Roar! Roar! Roar!

As expected, upon noticing Zhang Xuan's presence, the spirit beasts immediately howled furiously. Following which, a ferocious string of attacks rained down on him like a frenzied storm.

These attacks harnessed an immense force which could threaten even a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan expert.

Hu!

Just as the crowd thought that Zhang Xuan was done for, the young man's path of trajectory suddenly mysteriously shifted three chi (10cm) to the right.

A mere three chi, but it caused all of the attacks to fly past him.

Roar!

The unsuccessful primary assault seemed to have provoked even more spirit beasts. With another wave of deafening battle cries, dozens of attacks suddenly came from all directions.

It was slightly different this time around.

In the first assault, the spirit beasts had harnessed their full might to crush the defenses of their opponent. On the other hand, this wave of attacks was scattered in all directions to seal their opponent's escape route.

"These attacks aren't sufficient to deal any grievous injuries to Zhang shi, but their force is sufficient to push him to the ground. Once Zhang shi falls to the ground, he will immediately fall into the encirclement of the spirit beasts. By then, it will be difficult for him to escape with his life, let alone, rescue the others..."

Many master teachers clenched their fists tightly in agitation.

The attacks from the spirit beasts weren't sufficiently powerful to kill a Consonant Spirit realm cultivator, but the force of the attacks could send Zhang Xuan plummeting to the ground. Once he fell to the ground... just the weight of the spirit beasts itself could squash him to death.

"Look!"

Just as everyone was worried, someone suddenly shouted, and the crowd turned their gazes over. With a single look, they were all dumbfounded.

Through stepping on the floating rock platforms, Zhang Xuan was able to alter his movements in air. For some reason, it was as if he could predict where the attacks would come from.

At each crucial moment, he would move ever so slightly, and the attacks would pass him by. It was an incomparably dangerous situation each time, but he would always escape completely unharmed.

"This fearsome calculation ability, and this frightening eye of discernment!"

The crowd above narrowed their eyes.

As master teachers, they clearly understood how difficult this feat was. One had to be familiar with each of the spirit beasts' habits, attacking patterns, movement speeds, strengths... Only with a thorough and accurate understanding of each and every aspect of the spirit beasts could one make such precise predictions!

In other words, in that brief moment that Zhang Xuan was examining the situation, not only did he calculate the locations of the formation flag, he even thoroughly predicted the various possible attacking trajectories of the spirit beasts and planned his path of descent!

Otherwise, how could he possibly maneuver around so smoothly and adeptly in the midst of that huge torrent of attacks?

How formidable must his eye of discernment be? How powerful must his mental calculation capacity be?

Was this still humanly possible?

Hu hu hu!

Oblivious to everyone's shock and frenzy, Zhang Xuan adeptly maneuvered around the spirit beasts, and around ten breaths later, he finally arrived at the space in the direct center of the gorge, right above the fighting master teachers and spirit beasts.

"Go!"

Weng weng weng!

The hundreds of formation flags which he held in his hands suddenly buzzed sharply, and 'sou!', they flew into the surroundings.

"T-this... Isn't this the ability that only 7-star formation masters are capable of utilizing... 'Hundred Flags of Void Sealing'?"

The master teacher who passed the formation flags and jade token to Zhang Xuan earlier on turned pale, and he nearly fell from the floating platform from fright.

"Hundred Flags of Void Sealing? What is that?"

However, most of the master teachers present were unaware of what it represented.

After all, this was technical jargon used only by formation masters, so most of those who hadn't learned this occupation were unaware of it.

"Rumor has it that the psyche of a 7-star master teacher is so powerful that even without a compass, they can accurately determine the spiritual energy intersection points where each flag should be placed. Thus, by throwing the flags to their respective position simultaneously, they can set up a formation instantaneously... B-but how can he possibly do it as well?"

The lips of the master teacher were trembling uncontrollably.

To set up a formation, a formation master would have to do all kinds of calculations to align their formation with the geographical terrain so as to better bring out its might.

Even for 7-star formation masters, executing the Hundred Flags of Void Sealing was no easy feat. They would usually only use this technique to set up lower grade formations, such as grade-4 or grade-5... However, the young man before him was only at the Consonant Spirit realm, so setting up a grade-5 formation should already be an extremely difficult task for him. And yet, he was still able to use such a profound skill...

'Is this for real?

'Are my eyes playing tricks on me?'

Boom!

Amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd, the formation flags flew to their respective positions with the sharp whistle of the wind. Some of them fell in between the fighting master teachers and spirit beasts while some lodged themselves into the cliffs of the forge.

It should have been possible to activate the formation as soon as the formation flags fell in place, but after seeing that there was no response after some time, a master teacher suddenly thought of something, and his face distorted in horror.

"This is bad... The spiritual energy in this land is far too chaotic for the formation to tap into. Without external spiritual energy to support the formation, the formation cannot be activated..."

The reason he was able to set up a grade-5 primary formation despite having yet to reach Cosmos Bridge realm wasn't due to his superior talent but because those flags had been imbued with the zhenqi of his teacher.

The imbued zhenqi would help the formation flags gather sufficient spiritual energy to bring out the might of the grade-5 formation. However, this could only be done in an environment where the flow of spiritual energy was stable.

But... the huge battle in the gorge had resulted in a massive turbulence in the spiritual energy in the surroundings. Even if the formation flags were put in position, Zhang shi would still be unable to tap into the zhenqi imbued in the formation flags to activate the formation!

Just as the group was at a complete loss before the dire situation, the anxious voice of the young man before boomed in their ears.

"Prepare yourselves! East, throw your spirit stones two steps to your left! West, throw your spirit stones four steps to the right..."

"Yes!"

They had no idea what the other party was up to, but they didn't have time to think so much about it anymore. The master teachers in the four teams, North, South, East, and West, gathered their zhenqi and tossed the spirit stones in their hands out.

Wu wu wu!

52 people threw out a total of 520 middle-tier spirit stones simultaneously into the battlefield.

Roar!

Upon seeing the huge rain of spirit stones, the spirit beasts were taken aback. Sensing danger, they pounced into the air and attacked the spirit stones.

Huala!

As if a storm, the powerful torrent of attacks swept the spirit stones away from their original trajectory.

"It's over..."

The group stared at the sight in trepidation.

Zhang shi had most probably calculated the trajectory of the spirit stones' descent accurately before issuing precise instructions. However, with the trajectories messed up by the attacks of the spirit stones, their plan was going to fail.

Wneg weng weng weng!

Just when they thought that this operation was a failure, the spirit stones which had their trajectories altered struck the ground beneath Zhang Xuan at the very same instant.

Boom!

As soon as they came contact with the ground, a powerful surge of spiritual energy suddenly burst into the surroundings, sweeping across the formation flags.

"This..."

"Zhang shi... actually predicted the attacks from the spirit beasts as well?"

Innumerable pupils dilated upon that sight.

The sight before them was within Zhang shi's calculations as well?

In other words, he knew that the spirit beasts would attack the spirit stones upon seeing them. Taking that into account, he made the precise calculations for the spirit stones to clash with one another beneath his feet before issuing specific instructions to each group as to how they should toss their spirit stones!

This...

The situation was so inconceivable that it felt like some supernatural power was at work.

Just as everyone's face was pale with shock, Zhang Xuan coldly bellowed, "Activate!", and with a furious stomp, a surge of zhenqi shot out.

Weng!

Taking in the concentrated spiritual energy in the air, the formation flags began to buzz, and a thick layer of mist cloaked the master teachers and spirit beasts in the gorge instantly.

Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation, activated!

"Through the burst of spiritual energy caused by the collision of spirit stones, order was re-established in the flow of spiritual energy in the surroundings for a brief instant, allowing the formation to be activated... How deep must one's understanding of formations be to do this? Even Grandmaster Tao Ran who created this Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation would surely be incapable of such a feat!"

The three master teachers from Luoyuan Empire were completely dumbstruck by the sight before them.

It had only been a few short breaths since Zhang shi had leaped down from the floating rock platform, but the heck had it been frightening!

One after another, the impossible had been realized easily by that young man's hand!

"With the activation of the formation, all of the spirit beasts and master teachers are trapped. As long as we move carefully now, we should be able to save all of the master teachers!"

Seeing the activation of the formation, Luo Xuan, Ruohuan gongzi, and the others heaved a sigh of relief.

With the Beguilement Formation veiling their sight and confounding their senses, it was impossible for the spirit beasts and master teachers to continue battling. At least, until the formation was inactivated, the master teachers were safe.

"Indeed! As expected of Zhang shi, to be able to think of and carry out such a plan..."

The crowd nodded.

Hong long!

Just as everyone had just heaved a sigh of relief, a deafening reverberation suddenly sounded in the formation, and the mist billowed furiously.

"Sh*t... the spirit beasts are intending to... break the formation using brute force!" a Luoyuan Empire master teacher exclaimed.

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Chapter 710: Barging into the Beguilement Formation

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

It was no easy feat for an amateur to break a formation, but with sufficient strength, it was still possible to do so through brute force!

If someone were to attempt to trap Zhang Xuan with a grade-3 formation now, even without using the Eye of Insight of Library of Heaven's Path, he would be able to crush the formation with just his fists.

No matter how powerful a formation might be, there would surely be a limit to its durability. If it were to suffer damage beyond its durability limit, it would instantaneously collapse.

Before supreme power, everything else was fleeting.

The Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation that the Luoyuan Empire master teacher had provided was a grade-5 primary formation. While it could trap Cosmos Bridge realm cultivators, it would be hard for it to do the same to stronger opponents.

The strongest of these spirit beasts were only at the Cosmos Bridge realm, but there were too many of them. Put their prowess together, and even a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan Perfect Harmonization realm expert would have to retreat in fear. With this force directed toward the formation, it was unlikely that the formation would be able to hold on for too long.

"Break the formation using brute force?"

Hearing those words, the faces of the crowd turned pale.

It was just a moment ago that they'd thought that they would be able to save everyone in the gorge, but in the next moment, the formation was already on the verge of breaking. What should they do now?

Were they to watch by from the sidelines as the formation was torn apart, and the master teachers were plunged into danger once more?

After everything they had done?

Luo Xuan turned to the master teacher from Luoyuan Empire and asked, "You possess the deepest understanding of this formation. Is there any way to salvage the situation?"

The gazes of the others also hurriedly shot over.

The formation flags and blueprint were provided by him, so perhaps he might have a way to sustain the formation.

"Salvage the situation?"

With a bitter smile, the Luoyuan Empire master teacher shook his head and said, "There is indeed a way, but it's impossible to succeed!"

"Impossible to succeed? What is it? With so many of us here, we might just be able to find a way to accomplish it," Luo Xuan urged.

They had 52 master teachers here, and a handful of them were formation masters as well. As long as the other party could point out a direction for them, they just might be able to accomplish it somehow.

"At this moment, our numbers don't mean anything!"

The Luoyuan Empire master teacher sighed. "The Illusory Steps Beguilement Formation is a grade-5 primary formation, but if reinforced by a 5-star formation master, it could display the strength of a grade-5 intermediate or even advanced formation! By then, it would be impossible for these spirit beasts to break out of the formation using brute force."

"5-star formation master? Zhang shi's understanding of formations should be on par with a 5-star formation master, wouldn't that work?" Ruohuan gongzi couldn't help but ask.

Since Zhang shi was able to set up even a grade-5 formation so easily, surely reinforcing a formation wouldn't pose any trouble at all.

"You don't understand what I am saying. By 5-star formation master, I am saying that the person's cultivation must reach Cosmos Bridge realm as well! Zhang shi's comprehension of formations is indeed formidable, but his cultivation is still limited at the Consonant Spirit realm. Without sufficient strength, he won't be able to bring out the true might of the power my teacher has imbued into the formation!" the Luoyuan Empire master teacher explained.

"This..."

Everyone clenched their fists tightly in frustration.

With their collective strength, they would have been able to help with anything else, but the Cosmos Bridge realm...

With the formation on the verge of collapsing, it was impossible for anyone to achieve a breakthrough within this short period of time.

In other words, it was impossible for them to reinforce the formation!

"That Brother Yu from before has reached the Cosmos Bridge realm, but it's too late to look for him now..."

Luo Xuan clenched his jaws in frustration.

Among the freshmen, the only one he knew to have reached Cosmos Bridge realm was the Brother Yu whom he had met just before the entrance examination. However, the other party was nowhere to be seen at the moment. Besides, considering the conflict between Zhang shi and him, it would be nigh impossible to gain his assistance!

After a moment of hesitation, one master teacher suggested, "Since it has come down to this, why don't we leave the gorge to try and get the help of other examinees in the area? Otherwise, once the formation collapses and the spirit beasts break loose, we will all be doomed..."

However, halfway through his words, he suddenly noticed the bizarre silence amidst the group. Looking up, he saw each and every one of them staring at the battlefield below with a frenzied look on their faces.

"What happened?"

Frowning, he shifted his gaze downward, and his mouth slowly widened.

In the midst of the wavering formation, Zhang shi stood on a floating rock platform, and his aura was rising steadily.

Hong long long!

He furiously absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy through his acupoints, and the absurd speed of his absorption induced a deep rumbling reminiscent of thunder in the gorge. A magnificent bridge connecting him to the world could vaguely be seen behind him. At this moment, he looked exceptionally tall and powerful, as if an undefeatable god of war.

"This... He is trying to achieve a breakthrough to the Cosmos Bridge realm?"

The master teacher's lip quivered uncontrollably, and he nearly burst into tears.

To advance to the Cosmos Bridge realm, other Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle cultivators would have their teacher stand guard for them in case of any problems, and all kinds of resources would be prepared by their sides so as to prevent exhaustion whenever required. Even so, it would still take several days of hard work before they could achieve the breakthrough... And yet, this fellow actually made the breakthrough on the spot just because he required his cultivation to be at the Cosmos Bridge realm in order to reinforce the formation...

What the heck was this!

Boom!

Amidst his shocked trembling, Zhang Xuan widened his mouth and swallowed the faint bridge in the air. His body rumbled, and his aura began to surge furiously.

Hu!

Exhaling a mouthful of turbid gas, the young man opened his eyes, and a bright gleam shone from his eyes. His movements were extremely graceful, seemingly aligned with nature itself.

"Cosmos Bridge realm... He really made the breakthrough just like that?"

"Isn't this a little... way too easy..."

Everyone swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Never had they ever seen someone achieve a breakthrough so quickly in their life.

After two or three breaths, a Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle cultivator had become a Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator...

'Brother, are you sure you aren't an expert who came here just to toy with us?'

Oblivious to the frenzied crowd, Zhang Xuan glanced at the shaking formation beneath him and muttered, "There's no time for me to continue..."

Under normal circumstances, possessing the entire Cosmos Bridge realm Heaven's Path Divine Art, he would strive for Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle in a single breath. However, with the formation teetering on the brink of collapse, he couldn't afford to wait any longer.

"Stabilize!"

With a flick of his finger, a surge of zhenqi shot out from his hand. The surge of zhenqi further divided into several hundred streams, permeating throughout the entire formation.

Geji! Geji!

Under the nourishment of the Heaven's Path zhenqi, the thinning mist abruptly thickened once more. The Illusory Steps Beguilement Formation, which had been shaking violently under the rampage of the spirit beasts, gradually stabilized as well.

"He succeeded..."

"The formation has been reinforced..."

The excitement and agitation of the crowd were palpable. Admiration seeped into their gazes as they looked at the young man below.

To reach Cosmos Bridge realm on a whim... Was that young man still human?

This was especially so for Ruohuan gongzi, Luo Xuan, and the others. Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, they were on the verge of fainting from shock.

They had seen the other party making the breakthrough for Yin-Yang realm to Clarifying Turbidity realm during the Master Teacher Tournament in Myriad Kingdom City with their own eyes. Barely a month had passed, and he was already a Cosmos Bridge realm expert...

They were still thinking of competing with him after reaching the Master Teacher Academy, but they could no longer muster the confidence to do so.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan climbed back up and instructed, "Alright. Since the Beguilement Formation has stabilized, let's hurry up and save the master teachers inside!"

"You're right. However, given that spirit beasts are roaming inside the formation as well... how can we ensure that we will be able to stay out of their path?" a master teacher within the crowd asked.

The activation of the Beguilement Formation had halted the battle momentarily and trapped the spirit beasts, thus providing an opportunity to save the master teachers. However... things weren't as simple as they seemed.

The spirit beasts weren't dead yet. It was still possible to encounter them in the Beguilement Formation, and the chances of that were indeed relatively high considering the number of spirit beasts trapped inside the formation.

Furthermore, the Beguilement Formation didn't discriminate against friend and foe. In other words, the master teachers inside were also affected by it.

Of course, the master teachers could try leaping up onto the floating platforms and attempt to escape from the Beguilement Formation. However, under the circumstances where even their sense of direction was confounded, it would be difficult for them to differentiate between up and down. On top of that, to truly escape from the formation, they would have to find the Life Gate first.

The Illusory Steps Beguilement Formation wouldn't be called a grade-5 formation if it were so easy to escape from.

In the end, the Beguilement Formation was just a means to buy some time for those inside.

Zhang Xuan glanced at the Beguilement Formation and replied, "I see. Wait here then, I'll head in to save them."

"Zhang shi, you mustn't! Even though you are a formation master, your senses will still be confounded in the Beguilement Formation. It'll be a disaster if you were to be trapped with the spirit beasts inside..."

Everyone was horrified by Zhang Xuan's words.

Even though Zhang Xuan had reached Cosmos Bridge realm, there were plenty of Cosmos Bridge realm spirit beasts inside the formation as well. There was no way he could stand against so many powerful spirit beasts!

"Trapped?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head before instructing, "There will be some injured among the master teachers inside, so prepare to receive and treat them!"

After which, leaving no time for the crowd to react, he leaped straight into the Beguilement Formation.

"Zhang shi..."

The crowd's vision darkened, and they nearly fainted on the spot.

To leap right into the Beguilement Formation, what if he leaped right into a swarm of spirit beasts? Even if he was tired of living, this wasn't the way to seek death!

A master teacher amid the crowd asked, "What do we do?"

"There's no need to panic. Zhang shi would never do anything reckless. Since he dared to leap into the formation, he must have his own plan!" Ruohuan gongzi assured.

Others might not know Zhang shi well, but he knew that the other party would never do anything he was unconfident of. Considering how the other party jumped in without any hesitation, he must have a plan in mind.

"Indeed. Didn't Zhang shi tell us to prepare to receive the casualties? Since he said those words, he must have found a way to save the master teachers inside!" Luo Xuan added.

"A plan in mind? What plan could he come up with? Even if he has a thorough understanding of formations, he still can't possibly stand against so many spirit beasts alone..."

"That is unless he finds a way to circumvent the spirit beasts to save the others!"

"Since Zhang shi was able to set up a grade-5 formation and achieve a breakthrough to the Cosmos Bridge realm so easily, he might just really accomplish this impossible feat..."

After a momentary discussion, the crowd turned their gazes back to the battlefield. Zhang Xuan had already disappeared amidst the thick layer of mist.

It was impossible for him to fight against so many spirit beasts single-handedly. The only possible solution was for him to circumvent the spirit beasts and guide the master teachers out.

However... there were several hundred spirit beasts in the Beguilement Formation. Even if Zhang shi knew how to navigate around the formation, was it really possible to circumvent all of them?

Roar! Roar! Roar!

While everyone was tense, ferocious roars abruptly sounded from the midst. It seemed like Zhang Xuan had encountered with some of the spirit beasts.

"Did Zhang shi encounter the spirit beasts?"

If that was really it, he would be in grave danger!

"What do we do?"

Anxious, everyone was tempted to rush in to help him. However, before they could even move, another wave of roars sounded. However, it wasn't a ferocious roar this time. Rather, it seemed like the spirit beasts had encountered something sinister and terrifying.

It was tinged with fear and apprehension.

Roar? Roar? Roar?

Following which, screams of agony reverberated throughout the gorge, threatening to burst one's eardrum. Rather than Zhang shi, it seemed like it was the spirit beasts who were in danger...

"What is going on?"

Everyone stared at one another bewilderedly.

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Chapter 711: Tamed!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Within the mist, Zhang Xuan slowly advanced.

Before his Eye of Insight, a grade-5 Beguilement Formation meant nothing to him at all. The spirit beasts and master teachers in the formation might be unable to see him, but he could see every single movement they were making as clear as day.

With a swift motion, he silently snuck up to a spirit beast and struck it with his palm!

Putong!

The spirit beast immediately collapsed to the ground.

Having reached the Cosmos Bridge realm, his zhenqi strength had reached 5,500,000 ding, a might comparable to a Cosmos Bridge realm advanced stage expert. Even though the spirit beasts weren't weak, how could they stand against such powerful might?

(Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage 4,000,000 ding, intermediate stage 4,800,000 ding, advanced stage 5,600,000 ding, pinnacle 6,200,000 ding!)

The spirit beast tried to struggle to its feet in order to fight its assailant, but at that moment, a voice sounded by its ear.

"Submit or die!"

These words were spoken in the Ancient Beast Language.

Roar!

Given that the master teachers had come to the mountain to hunt them, it thought that the only option it had was to fight to its death. Thus, when Zhang Xuan presented an offer to the spirit beast, it hesitated. It could choose to fight its assailant to the death, but having experienced the immense might of the other party, it knew that its chances of victory were extremely slim. After a short moment of contemplation, it gritted its teeth and kneeled down.

As soon as it submitted, it felt a warm surge of energy flowing into its body. In an instant, not only did it recover from its injuries, its bloodline also became purer under the nourishment of the energy.

"Roar?" The spirit beast's eyes reddened in agitation. It knew that this was a hard-to-come-by opportunity for it to raise its cultivation, so it immediately bowed earnestly to express its submission.

"Un."

Following which, Zhang Xuan instructed the spirit beast to stay put before advancing ahead.

Even though Elder Mo had said that these spirit beasts had hurt many innocent civilians, a life was still a life. If there was an option, he would rather tame them than kill them.

Of course, if the spirit beasts refused to submit, he wouldn't hesitate to kill them either. On a battlefield, showing mercy to one's enemy was foolish.

As he proceeded deeper into the mist, the screams of agony from the spirit beasts continued to echo ceaselessly in the gorge. As time passed, the number of tamed spirit beasts increased, and the casualties from the 'obstinate faction' piled up as well.

As Zhang Xuan headed from spirit beast to spirit beast in the formation, he also made use of this opportunity to absorb the spiritual energy in the air to advance and reinforce his cultivation.

A whirlpool of spiritual energy had formed in the Beguilement Formation due to the burst of spiritual energy from the 520 middle-tier spirit stones. Since he could save some spirit stones, it would be a waste if he didn't make full use of this opportunity.

Two hours later, he successfully reached Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle.

At the same time, he had also finished dealing with the several hundred spirit beasts in the area. The only ones remaining in the area were those who chose to submit to him.

Having reached Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle, his strength had increased to 8,000,000 ding, a might comparable to Perfect Harmonization realm primary stage cultivators.

Taking into account the 4,000,000 ding from his physical body and 3,200,000 ding from his soul cultivation, he could match up to even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan primary stage expert.

If he were to encounter that young man from the Yuan Clan once more, he would be able to defeat the latter easily even without using his clone.

"I am done dealing with the spirit beasts. It should be fine to deactivate the formation now!"

After scanning the area once more with his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan verified that he had finished dealing with all of the spirit beasts. With a chuckle, he stomped his feet.

Hu!

The formation came to a halt, the thick mist in the gorge abruptly vanished, and the battlefield came into sight once more.

...

At the very center of the gorge, two hundred master teachers were sitting on the floor. Some were treating their own injuries while others were attempting to recover their zhenqi.

They had followed the spirit beasts in hope of hunting them down, but who knew that it was actually a scheme, and they would end up being the prey instead.

Nearly every single one of them had sustained significant injuries. If not for the Beguilement Formation the young man had set up, they might have all died by now.

A pale-faced master teacher who was still recuperating from his injuries exclaimed, "I know that man, he is Zhang Xuan Zhang shi from Huanyu Empire! He possesses a half 9-dan Great Violetwing Beast. I had the honor of meeting him at the bazaar previously!"

Even though he had only caught a glimpse of Zhang Xuan amidst the crowd back in the bazaar, he was still able to recognize the latter.

This fellow had offered Transcendent Mortal 8-dan inner cores in exchange for Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation technique manuals, and this matter had caused a huge storm in the bazaar. There were none who were present in the bazaar then who would be unfamiliar with his name.

Just that, as only a small proportion of the thirty thousand freshmen had visited the bazaar, there were also many freshmen who were unaware of Zhang Xuan's identity.

"Half 9-dan tamed beast? Does that mean that there's hope for us?"

A master teacher clenched his fists expectantly.

"It's not that simple!"

Another slightly older master teacher shook his head. "There are around four hundred spirit beasts here, and nearly half of them have reached Cosmos Bridge realm. On top of that, due to the narrow space in the gorge, this place is highly disadvantageous to the Great Violetwing Beast, who specializes in speedy maneuvers. Even though the other party has set up a Beguilement Formation to rescue us, considering how it is unlikely that he will be able to maneuver through the formation himself, all it does is to delay the inevitable."

A single spirit beast might not pose much of a threat, but surely several hundreds of them together would.

If an army of soldiers were to strike simultaneously, even a top-notch expert could be destroyed. This was precisely how each royal family was able to maintain firm control over their nation.

Such was the sight before them as well.

The fact that four hundred spirit beasts were lying in wait to ambush them here meant that they had already formed an alliance. In this narrow gorge, an aerial spirit beast would find it hard to avoid all of the attacks from the spirit beast alliance. It would just be a matter of time before it was worn down and defeated.

"Then... are we to just wait for death?"

The master teacher's complexion looked extremely awful.

"There's no point thinking about it. Let's just recuperate for the time being and face whatever comes our way. Our only hope is for Elder Mo to notice the dire situation we are in and come over to save us. There's nothing else we can do."

The older master teacher sighed deeply.

He was partially at fault for putting everyone into this crisis.

It was his greed that had led them into this trap.

"Wait, something is amiss. Ding shi, why do I hear screams of agony from the spirit beasts? Is it possible that Zhang shi is maneuvering around the formation to deal with them one by one?" another master teacher asked.

Quite a few desolate screams from the spirit beasts had sounded since the activation of the Beguilement Formation. Could someone be dealing with the spirit beasts?

"You are too naive!"

Ding shi shook his head. "The spirit beasts are clearly exploiting the lack of visibility to lure us in. Even if that isn't the case, the sound is likely just an effect of the Beguilement Formation!"

"Lure us in?"

"Un. As a 4-star beast tamer, I can discern the emotions behind the voices of spirit beasts. Even though their voices sound anguished, there is an excited undertone to it... Clearly, they think of us as fish in a net. They know that we are cornered, and they are waiting excitedly for the moment when the Beguilement Formation runs out of energy and collapses!" Ding shi said.

Even though he couldn't comprehend the Ancient Beast Language and couldn't comprehend the meaning behind the spirit beasts' words, that didn't hinder him from perceiving their emotions.

Their voices were intermixed with anguish and excitement. Perhaps, they might have found an idea to clear them in a single sweep.

"Alright, let's focus on recuperating so that we can pull as many of those bastards down to the grave with us..."

At this point, Ding shi was just about to advise the master teachers not to pin their hopes on the uncertain when the formation before them suddenly shook violently.

Grim expressions surfaced on the master teachers' faces in the area.

Ding shi got to his feet and yelled furiously, "The formation is going to collapse soon! Grab your weapons and prepare for battle..."

Weng!

But before he could finish his words, the thick mist concealing their sight vanished completely. Following which, they saw a young man slowly walking up to them.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

"Alright, you are saved!" the young man said calmly.

"Saved?"

Astounded by those words, everyone hurriedly turned to look at the surroundings, only to see the spirit beasts which had bared their fangs at them just a few hours ago kneeling on the floor respectfully.

And walking through the kneeling spirit beasts, the young man resembled an indomitable conqueror.

"This..."

"They are all... tamed?"

"Taming four hundred spirit beasts in just two hours?"

Soon, everyone realized what was going on. However, coming to understand the reality of the situation only deepened their shock.

Other beast tamers had to offer all kinds of artifacts and fawn on a spirit beast in order to persuade it to submit to them. Yet, just by setting up a Beguilement Formation, this young man had actually managed to tame so many spirit beasts within two hours...

Was this for real?

They weren't the only shocked ones. Upon seeing the formation disappear, Ruohuan gongzi and the others also thought that they would be in for a difficult battle. However, upon seeing this sight, they nearly fainted from astonishment.

How powerful must one be to tame four hundred spirit beasts in two hours...

'Brother, is there anything that can contain you in this universe?'

Amidst the shock, someone suddenly shouted, "Wait, something isn't quite right... Take a look at Zhang shi's cultivation!"

Hearing those words, everyone's gazes fell on Zhang Xuan.

That single glance made their bodies tremor uncontrollably, and they nearly fell from the stone platform.

It was just a moment ago that Zhang shi had just reached the Cosmos Bridge realm. But currently, his strength felt perpetual, reminiscent of an unrelenting river. Somehow, it reminded them of the sight of myriad tributaries converging into an ocean.

"Convergence of Myriad Tributaries, this is a sign of one being on the verge of reaching Perfect Harmonization realm. He has reached Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle!"

"Didn't he just reach Cosmos Bridge realm a moment ago?"

Rubbing their eyes forcefully, everyone felt as though they were going mad.

They had all met top-notch geniuses who advanced swiftly in their cultivation, but never had they witnessed anything as stupefying as this.

Right after a breakthrough, he actually shot from primary stage to pinnacle in a single breath...

How the heck did he cultivate?

Even bamboo shoots didn't grow as quickly as him!

"Zhang shi must have used some kind of secret art to raise his cultivation so as to save them... Otherwise, how could he possibly tame so many spirit beasts within such a short period of time?"

"Indeed! There are four hundred spirit beasts here. Unless one wields overwhelming strength, how could one win the loyalty of all of them?"

The crowd clenched their fists tightly.

As master teachers, they knew how difficult cultivating was, so they immediately discounted the possibility that Zhang Xuan had achieved a breakthrough. Instead, they thought that he had paid a heavy price using some secret art to temporarily raise his cultivation.

Given that half of the spirit beasts present here possessed the strength of Cosmos Bridge realm, the only way to tame them quickly was to overpower them.

His self-sacrificial spirit to save his fellow peers was indeed worthy of respect!

Amidst everyone's astonishment and admiration, Zhang Xuan suddenly announced, "The spirit beasts I have killed and tamed should provide sufficient points for all of you to clear the examination. There's no need for you to hunt spirit beasts anymore; you should report back to the starting line."

Following which, the young man leaped up the floating rock platforms.

"Sufficient points for us to clear the examination?"

"Zhang shi means that... he wants us to take these spirit beasts and inner cores back to clear the examination?"

"But these are the spirit beasts he tamed and killed personally! Is he giving them to us? This..."

Staring at the figure disappearing from the gorge, the crowd clenched their fists tightly, and their eyes reddened.

To selflessly act with the welfare of humanity in mind...

This was a true master teacher!

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Chapter 712: Myriad Anthive Queen

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

After a moment of silence, Ding shi glanced at the master teachers in the surroundings and asked, "Even though Zhang shi cares not for these spirit beasts, can we really... shamelessly claim these spirit beasts for ourselves?"

As master teachers, they had their pride and moral compass.

"If not for Zhang shi, we might have died by now. If we were to claim his hard work for ourselves after all that, we would be worse than beasts!"

They already owed a debt of gratitude to Zhang shi for saving them. If they were to take the other party's items for themselves after all of that, how could they possibly face the other party in the future?

How could they face their own consciences?

Scanning the surroundings, Ding shi said, "Since everyone here shares the same thoughts, I have a suggestion!"

At this moment, Ruohuan gongzi, Luo Xuan, and others from Huanyu Empire's party had also scaled down the floating rock platforms and into the gorge.

"Ding shi, please speak!"

The crowd's gaze fell on him.

"Since Zhang shi told us to return, let's listen to his words. We'll take these spirit beasts to report back at the starting line. However..."

Ding shi suddenly paused.

"Each of us shall only claim a single point to clear the examination. We will place whatever is left under Zhang shi's name!"

"It is only right that we do that!"

"Indeed. These spirit beasts were tamed and killed by Zhang shi, of course we should put the points under his name!"

...

Hearing those words, the crowd immediately nodded in agreement.

Elder Mo had already said that the points were cumulative and transferable. Since these spirit beasts were tamed and killed by Zhang shi, they could just claim a single point to pass the examination while passing the remaining sum to Zhang shi.

Such respectable conduct should be made known to the teachers and elders of the academy!

This was what they should do, and this was what they believed in as well.

Having decided on the matter, the group quickly brought the spirit beasts and inner cores down the mountain.

...

Oblivious of their decision, Zhang Xuan leaped out of the gorge and flitted alongside the cliff, headed to the top of the mountain.

A conjecture of his had been confirmed while he was in the midst of taming the spirit beasts earlier on.

Previously, when he realized that the spirit beasts were luring master teachers into an ambush they prepared orderly, a doubt had emerged in his mind... How did these fellows uncover the tracks of the master teachers and avoid the traps they had laid for them?

After all, the spirit beasts that were in charge of luring the spirit beasts were only at Consonant Spirit realm. It was impossible for them to notice traps that even most master teachers had difficulty perceiving. Unless... someone had been guiding them from behind!

With this deduction in mind, Zhang shi interrogated the spirit beasts he had tamed to gather news from them.

Under his questioning, he managed to uncover some significant information.

The reason they were able to precisely locate the master teachers and avoid their traps was indeed due to a spirit beast guiding them from the rear!

'Perfect Harmonization realm primary stage spirit beast... Myriad Anthive Queen!'

Through interrogating the spirit beasts, he had managed to uncover the mastermind behind the entire operation!

The Myriad Ant was an extremely rare savage beast. It was around the size of an ant, and it was able to fly freely in the mountains without being noticed.

These little things might mean nothing much to experts—they could easily crush one with their fingers—but what was truly fearsome was the being that stood behind them... Anthive Queen!

The Myriad Anthive Queen had a physique comparable to a human. While it was incapable of flight, it could control several ten thousand Myriad Ants simultaneously to scout an area.

The reason why those spirit beasts were able to notice the master teachers' ambushes in advance was due to the Anthive Queen scouting via the Myriad Ants and relaying the news.

As Zhang Xuan advanced in the direction pointed out to him by the spirit beasts, with a deep frown on his forehead, he muttered, "Why would the Myriad Anthive Queen help those spirit beasts?"

The Myriad Anthive Queen was a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast. On top of that, with so many Myriad Ants scouting in its stead, it could easily predict the movements of those that could pose a threat to it and take precautions in advance.

As such, it was extremely difficult for the examinees to harm it!

There was no reason for it to organize the other spirit beasts to deal with the humans!

After all, if Elder Mo were to find out that it was doing so, it would be difficult for it to preserve its life.

After some thought, Zhang Xuan was still unable to figure out the aims of the Myriad Anthive Queen. Thus, he shook this question out of his head.

'Its motive doesn't matter at all. What I am interested in is the Myriad Anthive Nest!'

Naturally, Zhang Xuan wasn't so magnanimous as to give the spirit beasts he had tamed and killed away to others. The only reason he did so was because he heard mention of the Myriad Anthive Queen, and there was an artifact that the latter possessed that he dearly wanted.

Myriad Anthive Nest!

It was through the Myriad Anthive Nest that the Myriad Anthive Queen was able to bring and summon Myriad Ants wherever it went!

The Myriad Anthive Nest was similar to a storage ring, but its interior was imbued with spiritual energy, allowing lifeforms to survive in it.

In other words, as long as there was sufficient space in the Myriad Anthive Nest, one could even put a human in it!

As a storage ring wasn't suited for storing living beings, it was extremely troublesome for Zhang Xuan to switch place with his clone. However, if he could obtain the Myriad Anthive Nest, he would be able to hide within it whenever he needed his clone to appear in public.

In fact, he could even store the Great Violetwing Beast inside. He would be able to catch his opponent off-guard by summoning it in the midst of a battle.

This was especially so given his identity as a beast tamer. He could store all of his tamed beasts inside the nest, and he would have a mobile army with him at all times!

As such, he immediately rushed over as soon as the situation at the gorge cleared up.

There was nothing more important than this at the moment. He was even willing to give the spirit beasts and tamed beasts to the master teachers just so that he could get to the Myriad Anthive Queen as soon as possible.

After all, the Anthive Queen should have known by now that he had saved the master teachers. If it were to escape or hide, it would be difficult to find it once more.

Through the Eye of Insight, he was able to see the usually indiscernible Myriad Ants clearly in the air. Flapping their wings furiously, they were all heading in a certain direction.

Concealing his aura, Zhang Xuan silently followed behind them.

Since these Myriad Ants had to report back to the Anthive Queen, he would surely be able to find the latter by following them.

Given his current cultivation, there was no difficulty in hiding his presence from the Myriad Ants, who were mere savage beasts.

Advancing ahead, he saw a few more groups of spirit beasts attempting to lure the examinees into a trap. However, seeing that the situation wasn't as dangerous as the previous encirclement, he chose not to interfere.

An hour later, he reached the middle mark of Leiyuan Peak.

At the current point, he was already several thousand meters above ground level, and the air was even colder than before. White clouds drifted in the surroundings, creating an illusion as if one were treading on clouds.

The further Zhang Xuan proceeded up the mountain, the fewer examinees he saw. At this point, he barely saw anyone else anymore.

'Could the Anthive Queen be in the valley ahead?'

Watching as the Myriad Ants dive into a lush valley, Zhang Xuan chose to hide behind an enormous tree to assess the area inside before making a move.

The valley was huge, extending far into the horizon. Around three hundred meters away, there was a large cavern hidden beneath the shadows.

'To think that there would be some familiar faces here...'

Zhang Xuan chuckled.

There were two men standing at the entrance of the cavern, and surprisingly, Zhang Xuan was actually able to recognize them.

They were Senior Feng and Brother Yu, the man who made the bet with him earlier before the examination!

At this moment, the duo was standing outside the cavern with a burning incense stick in their hands.

The smoke of the incense slowly drifted into the interior of the cavern.

'Beastscale Incense? It's no wonder that fellow dared to make the bet with me. It seems like he does have a trump card to fall back on...'

Upon seeing the incense, Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

Unlike normal incense sticks, the surface of the Beastscale Incense was marked with grayish inscriptions, reminiscent of scales.

After lighting it with one's zhenqi, the smoke produced by the incense would drift in the direction determined by the will of the person who lit it.

This item was crafted using the scales of high-tier spirit beasts, and it carried a unique scent that possessed a deadly charm to weaker spirit beasts. If they were to inhale too much of it, it could even lull them to sleep.

Rumor had it that the method of producing Beastscale Incense had already been lost, so they were extremely rare and invaluable.

It was probably due to this artifact that Brother Yu dared to make the bet with him.

With this artifact in hand, he would be able to attract countless spirit beasts over to him easily.

It seemed like that fellow had slain quite a few spirit beasts and procured their inner cores already.

As for the reason why they were here, could it be that they had noticed the Myriad Anthive Queen and intended to kill it?

Standing in front of the cavern, Feng Wu asked in disbelief, "Brother Yu, is there really a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast inside?"

"Don't worry! I have made many preparations for this examination. Not only did I procure a Beastscale Incense, I even brought a few Seeking Mice here!" Brother Yu chuckled as a snow-white mouse jumped from his bosom.

The Seeking Mouse was a unique savage beast that possessed an exceptionally sensitive nose. Once it locked onto a scent, it would be able to find the source even when worlds apart.

Back then, when Lu Chong had been attacked by Lin Lang and hid in the royal palace's Book Collection Vault, this creature had been the one that betrayed his location.

"This... isn't an ordinary Seeking Mouse?"

Taking a glance, Senior Feng realized that there was a black streak trailing down from the Seeking Mouse's head to its tail, and this had left him perplexed.

He had seen a Seeking Mouse in the past as well, but he recalled its fur to be completely white like snow. Why would it have a black streak trailing down from its head?

"Of course not. Considering how ordinary Seeking Mice are only savage beasts, how could they possibly accurately pinpoint the location of spirit beasts? This is a mutated breed, Golden Seeking Mouse, and it has long reached the level of a spirit beast. What is unique about it is that it has been fed with the feces of high-tier spirit beast from young. Once let loose, it is able to track down all spirit beasts in a radius of several dozen kilometers!"

Brother Yu stroked the Golden Seeking Mouse in his hand gleefully.

He had spent a hefty price to purchase this Golden Seeking Mouse just so as to achieve results so astounding that he could attract the eyes of the elders to him.

And from the looks of it... it seemed to be working as planned.

"This Golden Seeking Mouse is the one that told me that there is a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast inside..." Brother Yu chuckled.

"Considering that it is a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast, what should we do if the Beastscale Incense fails to work on it?"

Hearing the confirmation form the other party, Senior Feng still felt a little unnerved.

His cultivation realm was only at Half-Cosmos Bridge whereas Brother Yu's was at Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage. If the Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast managed to maintain its consciousness before the Beastscale Incense, their lives would be in danger.

"It is not like you are unaware of the properties of the Beastscale Incense. There's no spirit beast beneath Transcendent Mortal 8-dan that can withstand its potency. Furthermore... even if it fails, I still have other aces up my sleeves. You need not worry!" Brother Yu declared confidently.

How could he possibly rush to this cavern knowing that there was a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast inside if he hadn't prepared anything else!

Other than the Beastscale Incense, he also had a grade-5 formation plate in his possession.

If that fellow really dared to come charging at them, that would be the last thing it ever did!

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Chapter 713: Taming the Anthive Queen

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

'Even though the Beastscale Incense has the effect of inducing drowsiness in spirit beasts, it is unlikely to work on the Myriad Anthive Queen!'

Taking the scene before him into sight, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

The Beastscale Incense had a powerful trancing effect that would put even Transcendent Mortal 7-dan pinnacle spirit beasts to sleep with just a single whiff. However, it just so happened that the Myriad Anthive Queen was an exception.

A lifeform that could control thousands of Myriad Ants—how powerful must its soul be?

How could it be easy to make it faint?

If they were to continue down this path, they would be in trouble once the Myriad Anthive Queen emerged.

'I must get the Myriad Anthive Nest by all costs. It won't be easy for me to get the Anthive Nest once they realize that the spirit beast inside the cavern is the Anthive Queen...'

Zhang Xuan didn't worry about the safety of the duo. After all, how could one who could acquire even the invaluable Beastscale Incense not possibly have even more formidable life preservation means?

What he was more concerned with at the moment was how he should keep the others from realizing what was inside!

The Anthive Queen was an incomparably rare spirit beast. Even if one were to comb through the entire Hongyuan Empire, they might not be able to find a second one. To actually stumble upon one here already took a huge stroke of luck. If it were to land in the other party's hands, it would be impossible for him to get it back anymore.

After all, who would be willing to give up an artifact capable of storing an army?

'Should I knock them out?'

Zhang Xuan stroked his lower jaw as he contemplated what he should do.

The easiest way to obtain the Myriad Anthive Nest was for him to rush in. However, the duo was blocking the entrance to the cavern. To get past them, he would have to knock them out.

'But if Elder Mo found out and judged it as a violation of the rules, I might be deemed to have failed the examination. That would be a huge loss...'

As soon as such the thought came into his mind, Zhang Xuan quickly shook his head.

He had little understanding of the capability of a Saint, so he couldn't tell whether Elder Mo had some way of enforcing the rules. Since the latter had spoken against harming other candidates to compete for their prey, if he were to be caught knocking the other party out and taking the Myriad Anthive Queen, he could land himself in serious trouble.

"Clone!"

Thus, Zhang Xuan chose to summon his clone.

Communicating telepathically with the other party, Zhang Xuan executed the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps while hiding himself amidst the lush tree crowns as he moved closer to the cavern.

If he had used some movement technique instead, it was unavoidable that he would produce some noise. Such a problem wouldn't occur when he was in flight.

As long as he didn't wish to be found, the other party wouldn't be able to notice him easily even if they had reached Perfect Harmonization realm.

Soon, Zhang Xuan arrived at a location just several dozen meters away from the cavern, and he hid himself within the shrubs.

...

"It has been some time since we lit the Beastscale Incense; the spirit beast inside should be asleep by now. Should we go in to take a look?"

After multiple reassurances from Brother Yu, Senior Feng was finally able to put aside his worries. With nothing weighing on his mind, he couldn't help but flush in agitation at the thought of procuring a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast inner core.

Elder Mo had said earlier that Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle spirit beast inner core was worth 1 point, a Consonant Spirit realm primary stage spirit beast was worth 10 points with an increment of 10 points for each small cultivation realm higher, and a Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage spirit beast was worth 100 points with an increment of 100 points for each small cultivation realm higher... so on and so forth. Going by this calculation, a Perfect Harmonization realm primary stage spirit beast inner core was worth 1000 points!

This was equivalent to killing ten Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage spirit beasts! With such a score, he would be able to earn a good placing despite the strong competition from the other examinees.

"There's no rush. A Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast possesses an exceptionally powerful soul. We should wait a little longer. It would be foolish to get careless now!" Brother Yu said.

He was also excited by the situation before him, but he wasn't about to allow his anxiousness to get in the way of his success.

As confident as he was in the Beastscale Incense, he still felt that he should be careful considering that it was a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast he was dealing with.

"Alright!"

Senior Feng nodded with glowing eyes. "If we can hunt down this one, Brother Yu's points will near 2000. By then, Zhang Xuan will surely be unable to catch up with you even with the help from his half 9-dan spirit beast!"

Recalling the matters that had happened between him and Zhang Xuan, he couldn't help but feel slightly stifled.

Defeated by a single finger of the other party, he was utterly humiliated to the point that his confidence was shattered. If Brother Yu could defeat the other party in his stead, he might just be able to reassemble the vestiges of his confidence.

"No matter how powerful his tamed beast may be, he has to be able to find spirit beasts to hunt first. If he can't even find the spirit beasts, how can he obtain any points?"

Brother Yu sneered coldly as confidence beamed on his face.

So what if Zhang Xuan had a half 9-dan spirit beast?

Given the other party's capability, he would only be able to find and hunt down a single Cosmos Bridge spirit beast. On the other hand, he was going to hunt down a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast!

The other party's defeat was already inevitable!

"Indeed..." Senior Feng nodded in agreement. But at that moment, a strong wind suddenly sounded beyond the valley.

"Someone is here!"

Brother Yu's face darkened.

Senior Feng also hurriedly turned his sights over.

It wasn't easy for them to find such a formidable spirit beast. Sharing it with another was the last thing on their mind.

Just as Brother Yu and Senior Feng tensed up warily, the sound of the wind suddenly stopped. Following which, a deep voice echoed.

"Those are the marks of a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast!"

"Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast?"

Hearing those words, Brother Yu and Senior Feng's eyebrows leaped in shock.

To be found with such convenient timing, it couldn't be that the other party had followed them here to steal their prey from them, could it?

Hu hu!

However, it seemed like they were overthinking it. A strong gust of wind suddenly blew in the surroundings once more, but it gradually grew softer and softer. It seemed like the master teacher had gone off in another direction to pursue the Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast he had just spoken of.

"Take care of the Beastscale Incense, I'll go take a look!" instructed Brother Yu before heading out of the valley, unable to hold back his curiosity.

Could there really be another Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast here? Surely things couldn't be so coincidental?

Thus, he dashed out of the forest, only to see a figure rushing up the mountain. However, the figure was already extremely far away, making it hard to identify him clearly.

As for the marks of a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast, he combed through the area several times but there was nothing at all.

'Now!'

At this moment, Senior Feng's curious gaze was also directed in the direction where Brother Yu left. The hidden Zhang Xuan chuckled softly, and 'hu!', he dived discreetly into the cavern without alarming anyone.

The one who exclaimed and fled earlier was Zhang Xuan's clone.

Naturally, his goal was to serve as a distraction so that Zhang Xuan could find an opportunity to slip in.

Of course, he had his clone mask his voice and warp his appearance so that it was impossible for the matter to be traced back to him.

Hu!

After slipping into the cavern safely, Zhang Xuan immediately activated his Eye of Insight and scanned the surroundings.

The interiors of the cavern were dark, cold, and damp. A layer of Myriad Ants lay unconscious on the ground, passed out under the potent effects of the Beastscale Incense.

Since the Beastscale Incense could knock out even a normal Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast, how could mere savage beasts possibly remain conscious before it?

Zhang Xuan slowly ventured deeper into the cavern. A moment later, his eyes lit up.

Not too far away, there was a hive around the size of a football hanging from the ceiling. However, it felt warm and smooth as if it was forged out of jade. With just a single glance, it was apparent that it was an extraordinary artifact.

Beside the hive was a spirit beast with snow-white fur. With a plump physique, it was around the size of a human. From afar, it resembled a snowman.

'This is the Myriad Anthive Queen?'

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

He'd only learnt about the Myriad Anthive Queen from a brief introduction in a book. There wasn't much of a description on its appearance, so Zhang Xuan had assumed that it would look as hideous as the Myriad Ants. Who knew that it would have such an adorable appearance instead?

Hu hu hu!

Deep in thought, Zhang Xuan failed to control his zhenqi for an instant. The next instant, the snowy white Myriad Anthive Queen's eyes suddenly locked onto him.

Sou!

It abruptly pounced over, and its claws tore down upon Zhang Xuan.

As expected of a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast, it possessed astonishing offensive power. Before the claw had even reached him, Zhang Xuan could already feel an immense pressure pushing down on him, threatening to tear him and the space around him to shreds.

Perfect Harmonization reflected the eventual convergence of all paths of a cultivator. With this convergence, one's zhenqi would become denser, purer, and more aligned with nature, allowing one to harness greater strength. At the same time, such a convergence also nourished one's soul.

A simple claw it might be, but it was derived from a harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. Unimaginable might was harnessed behind that simple claw.

"Humph!"

Knowing that it was too late to hide, Zhang Xuan gathered his might and countered with a fist.

His zhenqi raged furiously in his body. The might of his Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation, along with the enhancement from his physical body and soul, granted him strength comparable to a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan.

Kacha!

The fist and claw collided, and before the Myriad Anthive Queen could even process what was going on, its snowy body was suddenly sent spinning through midair. It crashed into a wall, leaving a huge dent in it.

It was simply too weak to stand against Zhang Xuan in a clash of strength.

If not for the resilient constitution that spirit beasts possessed, it might have died from that fist.

Weng!

After being sent flying in the first encounter, the Myriad Anthive Queen was forced to acknowledge the prowess of the man before it. Realizing the danger it was in, it hurriedly got onto its feet and dashed forward, intending to grab its hive before escaping.

"You want to escape?"

Knowing that it would be difficult for him to capture it once it escaped, Zhang Xuan stepped against the ground and executed the Heaven's Path Movement Art. Hu! In the blink of an eye, he suddenly appeared in between the Myriad Anthive Nest and the Myriad Anthive Queen.

With a surge of zhenqi, he sealed the air around the Myriad Anthive Queen, locking its movements.

Given Zhang Xuan's current strength, it would be difficult for a Perfect Harmonization realm expert to break through his seal.

"Weng! Weng!"

Seeing the human before it preventing it from getting its nest, the Myriad Anthive Queen panicked. Anxious, it bared its fangs, revealing two rows of sharp teeth.

'I must deal with it quickly...'

Zhang Xuan knew that he couldn't waste too much time on the Myriad Anthive Queen, especially since he had no way of telling when Senior Feng and Brother Yu would come into the cavern. Furthermore, there were countless Myriad Ants sprawled all over the area. With their numbers, they would be a difficult foe to deal with once the effect of the Beastscale Incense wore off.

Thus, without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan gathered his strength and stepped forward. His palm whipped forward swiftly, striking the furry head of the Myriad Anthive Queen.

Peng!

Under that powerful palm strike, the Myriad Anthive Queen was sent crashing back into the wall once more. Large mouthfuls of blood spilled from its mouth.

This time, Zhang Xuan had utilized a significant portion of his strength. Even despite the resilient defenses of a spirit beast, the Myriad Anthive Queen still suffered severe injuries.

Placing his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan gazed down on the grievously wounded Myriad Anthive Queen impassively. His throat vibrated slightly as he spoke in the Ancient Beast Language.

"Submit to me and become my tamed beast, and I can heal you and raise your cultivation. Otherwise... be prepared to die!"

After which, he flicked a surge of the incredibly pure Heaven's Path zhenqi into the other party's body.

As if a refreshing stream of water was cleansing its body, the Myriad Anthive Queen felt its pores opening up in relaxation.

Weng! Weng! Weng!

After witnessing the incredible purity of the surge of zhenqi and its rapid recovery, the Myriad Anthive Queen realized that its life was no longer in its control, and hesitance would only lead to its demise. Thus, it lowered its head in submission.

"Yes. Let's form the contract!"

Knowing that the other party had chosen to submit after realizing that it was in a position of weakness, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

With the prowess of the Heaven's Path zhenqi and Ancient Beast Language, taming spirit beasts had become easier than ever for him. There was no need for excessive words.

"This..."

Soon, after the contract was completed, Zhang Xuan exhaled a mouthful of turbid breath. Following which, he glanced at the hive before him with a peculiar expression.

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Chapter 714: Byzantium Helios Beast

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

After forming a contract with the Myriad Anthive Queen, a mental connection was forged between both of their souls. Through this connection, Zhang Xuan gained a level of understanding toward the Anthive Nest.

Immersing his consciousness into the Anthive Nest to take a look, Zhang Xuan's eyes began twitching uncontrollably.

This football-size hive was indeed capable of housing lifeforms, however... the diameter of the area inside was only around two meters. At the very most, it could only store his body and the Anthive Queen simultaneously, nothing more than that.

Zhang Xuan's initial thought had been to store the Great Violetwing Beast inside as well and form a huge spirit beast army who would follow him wherever he went. However, from the way things currently looked... it seemed like this was destined to remain as nothing more than a dream!

'There are varying tiers to the Myriad Anthive Queens. The one which I have tamed is the weakest of the lot, so the hive it built is slightly on the weaker end as well. Unless I induce a Bloodline Evolution in it and raise its cultivation, its hive will only remain the same size forever...'

Soon, Zhang Xuan understood the reason behind this matter.

The Myriad Anthive Queen he'd tamed was the weakest among its peers. Due to the limit of its strength, the hive that it had built could only house itself. If Zhang Xuan wanted a larger nest, he would have to find a way to raise the Myriad Anthive Queen's cultivation.

It was no wonder the Myriad Anthive Queen was able to remain safe on this mountain! In the eyes of a true expert, the functionality of such a hive was severely limited, and thus was not worth the effort!

'What the heck is this...'

Zhang Xuan had thought that he'd stumbled on a gold mountain, but to think it would be rocks that were lying beneath the golden exterior. He could only smile bitterly to himself.

"There are disturbances in the spiritual energy inside. Let's hurry in to take a look..."

At that moment, a voice sounded outside the cavern. Following which, anxious footsteps could be heard. It seemed like Brother Yu and Senior Feng had noticed that something was amiss, and they were on their way in!

Battling against the Transcendent Mortal 7-dan Myriad Anthive Queen, there was no way that Zhang Xuan could conceal his aura. Considering the disturbance of spiritual energy in the surroundings and the loud crashing noise from the spirit beast crashing into the wall, how could they not have realized that something was amiss?

"Let's take a look first!"

A deep frown emerged on Zhang Xuan's face.

He immediately had the Myriad Anthive Queen enter the Anthive Nest before placing the Anthive Nest into the storage ring.

Even though the Anthive Nest was a spatial artifact, it possessed certain unique properties that allowed it to be stored within a storage ring.

Otherwise, if Zhang Xuan were to be carrying a football-sized object everywhere he went, even the most foolish of people would know that there was something wrong with it.

Hu!

After all was done, just as Zhang Xuan was about to leave, the footsteps seemed to have arrived at the entrance of the cavern. Following which, a Night Illumination Pearl was suddenly tossed in, lighting up the surroundings.

'This is bad!'

Not expecting the other party to have reached him so quickly, Zhang Xuan swiftly flicked his fingers.

Peng!

The Night Illumination Pearl which had just been tossed in immediately exploded, and the light was swiftly swallowed by darkness. Knowing that there was no time to be lost, Zhang Xuan stepped forcefully against the ground.

Peng!

Executing the Heaven's Path Movement Art, Zhang Xuan's figure suddenly vanished. Before Brother Yu and Senior Feng could process what was going on, a swift blur flashed across their eyes.

"Someone is here..."

Astonished, the duo hurriedly put up their guards. However, the other party didn't seem to have any intention of fighting them. In the blink of an eye, the other party had already disappeared from view.

"Who was it..."

Brother Yu hurriedly gave chase. However, when he dashed out of the forest in the valley, there was no one in sight at all.

"The spirit beast... is missing?"

After which, he returned to the cavern to comb the area. However, there was no spirit beast in sight either. Brother Yu and Senior Feng traded glances with one another. They would have to be a fool if they still couldn't understand what was going on!

"Damn it... To think that the spirit beast which I knocked out with great difficulty was stolen! Who in the world is that b*stard?" Brother Yu bellowed furiously.

From his point of view, he had already crippled the spirit beast through his Beastscale Incense, but a b*stard had sneaked in to kill and loot his prey.

Otherwise, how could there be signs of battle but not a single Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast in sight?

To think that the spirit beast he'd spent so much Beastscale Incense on would end up as a gift for another. It was fortunate that he didn't explode on the spot.

...

Outside the valley, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

'That was a close call...'

It was fortunate that he had slipped out in time, or else his reputation could have been tarnished if the other party had insisted that he'd stolen his possession.

It was fortunate he'd moved swiftly to destroy the Night Illumination Pearl, thus turning the cavern completely dark. Otherwise, given the eye of discernment of the duo, they would have surely been able to recognize him.

After ensuring that he was a safe distance away and that there was no one around, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and released the Anthive Queen.

There were still some doubts that he had to clarify with it.

"Why did you offer your services to the spirit beasts to deal with the master teachers?"

Based on Zhang Xuan's understanding, the Myriad Anthive Queen was a callous being. Furthermore, it had no ties with the spirit beasts here, so why would it help them deal with the freshmen?

Wasn't this just bringing itself unnecessary trouble?

"It's... the Byzantium Helios Beast who forced me to do so!" the Anthive Queen replied.

"Byzantium Helios Beast?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

Having collected and assimilated in countless books from the Beast Halls that he had visited, he had gained knowledge of most savage beasts and spirit beasts in the world. However, never had he heard of the Byzantium Helios Beast.

What in the world was that?

"That's right! The Byzantium Helios Beast came by a few days ago, and he commanded me to offer help to the spirit beasts. On top of that, he even gathered all of the spirit beasts together and rallied them to unite against the humans..."

The Anthive Queen revealed the truth of the incident.

"You are saying that a Byzantium Helios Beast organized all of the spirit beasts across the entire Leiyuan Peak a few days ago so as to deal with the freshmen during the entrance examination?" Zhang Xuan asked with a grim expression.

If the Byzantium Helios Beast truly intended to protect these spirit beasts, it could have commanded them to leave instead, especially considering that the warning came several days ago. The time interval was more than sufficient for them escape to a safe distance away!

Yet, it chose to rally the spirit beasts against the humans...

Could it be that the Byzantium Helios Beast... intended to deal with the budding stars of the Master Teacher Pavilion here?

With a grave expression on his face, Zhang Xuan asked, "How strong is the Byzantium Helios Beast?"

"I have no idea; I am unable to gauge the depths of its strength. The only thing I know is that I am no match for him at all..." The Anthive Queen shook its head. "Right, the Byzantium Helios Beast is currently at the very top of Leiyuan Peak. It is still personally overlooking the entire situation and issuing commands!"

"At the top of Leiyuan Peak?"

Zhang Xuan was bewildered. What was the background of the Byzantium Helios Beast? Why would he rally the spirit beasts to fight against humans?

"Yes!" The Anthive Queen nodded.

After asking a few more questions, Zhang Xuan managed to get a clearer glimpse of the picture. However, this only served to deepen his doubts.

The spirit beasts across Leiyuan Peak were indeed captured and released here by Elder Mo. However, a few days ago, the Byzantium Helios Beast appeared from nowhere and rallied the spirit beasts to cooperate with one another to deal with the humans.

So as to not become the sacrificial tool for the humans, those spirit beasts immediately agreed to cooperate with it.

Due to the unique capabilities of the Myriad Anthive Queen, it was given the role of gathering intelligence. On the other hand, the Byzantium Helios Beast was serving as the commander of the entire operation, issuing instructions to the spirit beasts to gather and encircle the master teachers so as to destroy them.

Returning the Anthive Queen to the hive, Zhang Xuan stroked his lower jaw and fell into deep thought.

'If we allow the Byzantium Helios Beast to continue issuing instructions to the spirit beasts, many examinees will surely be killed...'

Everyone participated in this entrance examination understanding that there was a clear risk of death, but there was a huge difference if someone was pulling the strings from behind the scenes to deal with the master teachers.

While it was a huge pity to see so many genius master teachers fall here, what Zhang Xuan was even more furious about was being played for a fool by a spirit beast.

"Allow me to see what kind of incredible being the Byzantium Helios Beast is!"

For a mere spirit beast to disregard Elder Mo and the Master Teacher Academy and tamper with the entrance examinations, intending to do the examinees harm, Zhang Xuan was interested to see what kind of incredible existence the other party would be.

Thus, turning his gaze toward the peak, Zhang Xuan began making his way up.

Leiyuan Peak was over 10,000 meters tall. The area beyond the halfway mark was cloaked with a deep layer of snow, and the terrain was treacherously steep. Without half a day of arduous effort, it should have been impossible for anyone to reach the peak.

However, through the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps, it took Zhang Xuan a mere ten minutes of flight to reach his destination.

The area at the top of the peak was rather vast, spanning several li. A white layer of snow cloaked the bare peak, creating a natural mirror which threatened to sear one's eyes through the reflected sun rays.

With Zhang Xuan's cultivation, he couldn't possibly be harmed by mere sun rays. Nevertheless, the endless white snow in sight was extremely taxing on the eyes. Thus, Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight and began scanning the area.

Without understanding the true strength of the Byzantium Helios Beast, Zhang Xuan knew better than to act recklessly. Thus, he switched to a set of white clothes to blend in with his surroundings before slowly advancing while keeping his body close to the ground.

'There are spirit beast footprints ahead!'

After a moment of flight, Zhang Xuan soon noticed a set of massive footprints heading in a specific direction.

These footprints were roughly half a meter large, and they were deeply depressed in the thick layer of snow. This indicated that the owner of the footprints possessed an exceptionally large and heavy body.

'What spirit beast is this?'

Zhang Xuan frowned, perplexed.

These footprints were somewhat similar to a human, but there were some differing features, the main one being the size. Having read many books regarding beast taming, Zhang Xuan was confident in his knowledge regarding savage beasts and spirit beasts. Even rare beings like the Myriad Anthive Queen weren't beyond him. Yet, the footprints before him felt extremely foreign.

'Nevertheless, through the footprints, I will be able to track it down. My answer will lie at the end of this trail...'

Knowing that the mystery would be resolved at the end of the trail of footprints, Zhang Xuan hurried forward.

After a moment of flight, a massive straw cottage came into view. The footsteps disappeared at the doorstep of the straw cottage.

'A straw cottage? Could it be that... someone is living here?'

Spirit beasts usually resided in caves and such. Since there was a straw cottage here, did it mean that this was the residence of a human? And for the massive footprints which led to the straw cottage, did it mean that the spirit beast was actually a tamed beast of this human?

If that was the case, what motives did that human have?

'Or perhaps... could it be an Otherworldly Demon? This would explain the motive behind rallying the spirit beasts against the master teachers,' Zhang Xuan thought grimly.

If one had to name a race which bore deep hostility toward the master teachers, the Otherworldly Demons were surely the first to come to mind. Considering how the Byzantium Helios Beast had commanded the spirit beasts to deal with the master teachers, there was indeed a real possibility that Otherworldly Demons were pulling the strings!

Otherwise, why would anyone build a straw cottage on the top of this desolate snow mountain and live here?

At this moment, all of the pieces of the puzzle seemed to snap together.

'I should take a look first...'

With such thoughts in mind, Zhang Xuan slowly approached while holding his breath so as to prevent his aura from leaking out.

As expected, he soon noticed a massive spirit beast lying within the straw cottage through the opened doors. Its massive eyes were lightly shut, making it difficult to tell whether it was awake or asleep.

'Is this the Byzantium Helios Beast that the Myriad Anthive Queen spoke about? There's no spirit beast in mind that matches its description...'

The massive spirit beast in front of him was covered in a slightly grayish fur, reminiscent of a massive ape. It was a species which Zhang Xuan had never heard of, and this made him frown in frustration.

If it was a species unknown to him, there would be no record of the other party's strength, personality, and ability either.

A foreign spirit beast whose cultivation exceeded Transcendent Mortal 7-dan. Even for Zhang Xuan, this was a fearsome power to reckon with.

Hu hu hu!

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to approach to scout the situation, the sound of wind suddenly echoed from afar. An aerial spirit beast slowly flew over from the distance.

This fellow carried an astonishing aura that exerted an immense pressure even from a distance away.

A Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast.

"It must be in cahoots with the Byzantium Helios Beast!"

Seeing how that huge fellow rushed in without concealing its aura, and how the Byzantium Helios Beat didn't seem to pay the matter any heed either, Zhang Xuan could tell that the two were well-acquainted with one another. Thus, he slowly lowered himself to the ground and hid amidst the snow.

His movements were extremely light, and his clothes camouflaged with the surroundings as well. Even with the aerial view of that flying Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast, it still failed to notice him.

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Chapter 715: Poor Brother Yu

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Hu!

The Transcendent Mortal 7-dan aerial spirit beast landed right before the straw cottage. As it withdrew its wings, the massive gale from its movements lifted a cloud of snow from the ground.

Roar!

After descending to the ground, the aerial spirit beast howled.

Had any other beast tamer been here in Zhang Xuan's place, he would surely have been at a loss as to what was happening. However, fluent in the Ancient Beast Language, Zhang Xuan was able to comprehend the intent he was conveying through the roar.

"Lord, I have carried out your instructions and trapped those master teachers! There are at least three hundred to a thousand of them encircled at the moment, and most of them are injured!" the aerial spirit beast said.

Upon reaching the Transcendent Mortal realm, spirit beasts would acquire intelligence that was on par with humans. Even though they were still incapable of complex arts such as the setting up of formations and forging of weapons, they were already capable of analyzing the situation as a whole and carrying out orders.

Take Zhang Xuan's tamed beast for example, the Great Violetwing Beast. To exact vengeance for the Draconic Granite Beast, it had wreaked havoc upon the Huanyu Empire Beast Hall multiple times. However, while it was doing so, it would assess the situation before striking. For example, there was a period of time when a 6-star beast tamer was brought in to deal with it, but it wisely chose to steer clear during that period of time, leaving the Beast Hall completely helpless before it.

'As expected, they are intending to deal with the master teachers on the mountain!'

Hearing the words from the aerial spirit beast, Zhang Xuan's expression turned livid.

Considering how this spirit beast had reached Transcendent Mortal 7-dan and was capable of flight, there were nearly no master teachers on the mountain who possessed the means to rival it on the peak!

Eight out of ten of the examinees were still at the Clarifying Turbidity realm while the rest were mainly at the Consonant Spirit realm. Even though a very small handful such as Brother Yu had reached Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage, they were still far from matching up to this Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast!

Not to mention, it was ruling over countless savage spirit beasts at that!

Judging from the aerial spirit beast's report, it seemed the master teachers Zhang Xuan had saved were only a portion of the victims in this scheme.

Considering how these two fellows had actually dared to lay their hands on the freshmen of the Master Teacher Academy, there was an extremely good chance that they had a close relationship with the Otherworldly Demons. Even if that wasn't the case, it was clear that they were hostile toward humans.

"Well done!"

The Byzantium Helios Beast climbed to its feet, and it slowly walked out of the straw cottage.

Its movements were slow and casual, but it was brimming with power. Zhang Xuan felt as if he were staring into an abyss, leaving him incapable of determining the depths of the other party's cultivation.

'Eye of Insight!'

Several lines rippled in Zhang Xuan's eyes as he tried to peer into the other party's cultivation. But to his shock, he realized that even the Eye of Insight was incapable of seeing through the other party.

'Could this mean that... the Byzantium Helios Beast has reached Transcendent Mortal 9-dan... or even beyond that?'

While Zhang Xuan's current cultivation was only at Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle, his fighting prowess was already on par with a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan primary stage cultivator. As such, his Eye of Insight was capable of seeing through the might of a weaker Transcendent Mortal 9-dan spirit beast.

Yet, he was unable to see through the mountain-like fellow before him. Did this mean that the other party had reached a deep mastery in Transcendent Mortal 9-dan? Or perhaps... had the other party surpassed the limits of a Transcendent Mortal already?

Beyond the 9-dans of Transcendent Mortal lay Half-Saint!

A spirit beast of this level was known as a saint beast.

If that was the case, this would explain why Zhang Xuan had never heard of the Byzantium Helios Beast. Given the Huanyu Empire Beast Hall's tier, there was no one who was sufficiently powerful to record books regarding saint beasts.

Overwhelmed with astonishment, Zhang Xuan accidentally caused a slight disturbance in the surrounding spiritual energy. This action immediately attracted the Byzantium Helios Beast's attention, and it turned its head over.

Startled, Zhang Xuan hurriedly retracted his gaze and focused his efforts on concealing his presence.

With Zhang Xuan's current ability, even dealing with a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast would pose a huge threat, needless to say a Half-Saint beast!

With the incredible pure Heaven's Path zhenqi and his refined control over his physical body, Zhang Xuan was able to conceal his presence thoroughly. Even a Saint would find it hard to notice him.

After glancing over momentarily, the Byzantium Helios Beast didn't seem to notice anything of interest, so it chose to turn its attention back to the aerial spirit beast.

"Has any master teachers noticed yet?" the Byzantium Helios Beast asked.

"Not yet. However, the two hundred master teachers trapped at Heaven's Thread have been saved by someone, and..."

At this point, the aerial spirit beast suddenly stopped. Its face was marked with hesitance, and it seemed as if he could hardly believe what he was about to say as well.

"And what?"

The Byzantium Helios Beast gazed deeply at the aerial spirit beast, and in that instant, it felt as if the sky was pressing down on them.

'Saint beast!'

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows leaped in shock.

Even though his gaze was no longer on the duo for fear of being noticed, he was familiar with this immense pressure. It was something he had felt from Elder Mo before the commencement of the entrance examination!

In other words, the other party wasn't a Half-Saint or a Nascent Saint but a true Saint!

To think that it was a Saint who had plotted the scheme against the examinees...

Cold sweat immediately trickled down Zhang Xuan's back!

Even if all of the examinees were to gather at this spot, they would still be no match for the other party! This was the immense might that a true Saint possessed!

"Furthermore, all of the spirit beasts assigned to Heaven's Thread have terminated communications with me. It seems that... they have betrayed us!" the aerial spirit beast reported.

"They have terminated communications? To dare betray me, they sure are brazen..."

The Byzantium Helios Beast narrowed its eyes. "Who are they? I'll teach them a lesson after this matter comes to an end!"

"It's the Bluebacked Ferocious Bear, Steelfang Panther, Southern Yellow Tiger, Metal-arm Ape... These, and the Anthive Myriad Queen as well!" the aerial spirit beast said.

After hearing that even the Myriad Anthive Queen had terminated communications as well, the Byzantium Helios Beast asked seriously, "The Myriad Anthive Queen as well? Have you looked into the matter yet?"

The Myriad Anthive Queen was the source of its information. Even with the prowess of a Saint, the Byzantium Helios Beast was still unable to extend its radar across the entire Leiyuan Peak to keep track of the movements of the master teachers.

"I suspect that it has been killed!" the aerial spirit beast replied. "After losing communications with the Anthive Queen, I flew to its nest and saw two master teachers snooping suspiciously around the area with a Beastscale Incense in hand..."

"Beastscale Incense? That artifact has the effect of inducing drowsiness in one. Are they intending to lay their hands on the Anthive Queen?" The Byzantium Helios Beast roared furiously, and the pressure pushing down on the mountain peak suddenly intensified, as if reflecting its rage.

"I'm afraid that seems to be the case. After knocking the two fellows out, I combed through the cavern, and while I saw marks of battle, I wasn't able to find the Anthive Queen itself. Thus, I took their storage rings thinking that I might find traces of the Anthive Queen inside."

Under the rage of the Byzantium Helios Beast, the aerial spirit beast hurriedly explained with a trembling body, "As a spirit beast, I don't possess zhenqi, so I am unable to access the storage ring to ascertain whether the Anthive Queen has been captured or killed by them."

Following which, the aerial spirit beast raised its giant claws, and two storage rings came flying toward the Byzantium Helios Beast.

There were two conditions to opening a storage ring. First, one had to be the owner of the storage ring, or the storage ring had to be ownerless. Second, one had to possess zhenqi. For some reason, the Byzantium Helios Beast had ordered them strictly against killing any of the master teachers in this operation, so Senior Feng and Brother Yu were still alive. On top of that, he didn't possess zhenqi, so he was unable to access the interiors of the storage ring.

"Allow me to take a look!"

While the rules above applied for most cases, with its immense might as a saint beast, the Byzantium Helios Beast could still access the storage ring through brute force. After grabbing hold of the rings, it placed its massive claws on it.

Following which, an overwhelmingly powerful soul seeped into the storage ring.

A moment later, the Byzantium Helios Beast shook its head and said, "The Myriad Anthive Queen isn't inside, and there is no inner core either. Most likely, it managed to escape from them. You should try looking for it once more."

"Yes!" Hearing that its companion was fine, the aerial spirit beast heaved a sigh of relief.

While the Soul Imprints were forcefully wiped off the storage rings, two unconscious figures lying halfway up the mountain suddenly spurted blood simultaneously before waking up.

They were Brother Yu and Senior Feng, who had been knocked out by the aerial spirit beast just a moment ago.

The forceful erasure of their Soul Imprints had inflicted internal injuries on them, leaving them with splitting headaches.

"My clothes and storage ring..."

Lowering their heads, the duo suddenly froze for an instant before their bodies started trembling.

Fearing that they might have hidden some other storage rings on them, the aerial spirit beasts had taken away their clothes as well. As a result, not only were the possessions of the duo taken away, they were also stark naked at the moment.

"What the heck is this?"

They were there to hunt spirit beasts, but to think that they would end up being stripped clean by the other party instead...

They would have understood it if it had just been their storage rings, but for their clothes to have been taken away as well... What the heck was going on?

Could it be that... the spirit beasts weren't just interested their possessions but their bodies as well?

With such a thought in mind, the duo hurriedly turned their gazes downward to look at their own bodies. Seeing that there were no signs of being taken advantage of, the duo heaved a slight sigh of relief. This was perhaps their only blessing amidst this misfortune.

It was only a while earlier that Brother Yu had declared confidently that he would compete with Zhang Xuan to see who was the superior one when such a situation occurred. How was he supposed to emerge victorious in such a state?

Putting aside competing with Zhang Xuan, he didn't even have a single inner core, putting him at risk of failing the examination!

What the heck was this!

While the other master teachers were gathering the skin, bones, and even inner cores of the spirit beasts, they were losing their storage rings and clothes...

It was fortunate that no one had seen them in their current state. Otherwise, they would have been too ashamed to face the world.

Standing up, Brother Yu hurriedly searched for a sufficiently large tree leaf to conceal his private parts. After which, with an indignant expression on his face, he said, "Let's quickly hunt down a few spirit beasts to make some clothes first... We can decide what to do afterward!"

"Yes!"

Senior Feng nodded in agreement.

The urgent matter at hand was to find something to wear. It was embarrassing to run around with one's bottom bare in public, even if there was no one around!

"It is fortunate that the Beastscale Incense is still here. With this, we can hunt even Cosmos Bridge realm spirit beasts easily..."

After wrapping a layer of tree leaves around his waist, Brother Yu looked around the area and saw a half-burnt Beastscale Incense lying in the vicinity. It seemed that the spirit beast who had attacked them hadn't taken it away from them.

Seeing that he still had this artifact with him, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief.

As long as he still had the Beastscale Incense, there was still a chance that he could make a comeback.

After all, while Zhang shi might not be weak, defeating a Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage spirit beast would likely be his limit. On the other hand, with the Beastscale Incense, they could easily hunt down any Cosmos Bridge realm spirit beast and procure their inner cores.

"Let's hurry!"

After covering whatever that needed to carry with leaves and vines, the duo hurriedly headed to the top of the mountain.

The higher up the mountain, the more likely it was that they would encounter stronger spirit beasts. With half of the time gone, their only hope of making a comeback was to go for quality instead of quantity.

As they flitted swiftly through the forest, the leaves on their waists swayed, revealing a sight consisting of both fairness and darkness...

...

"As long as the Myriad Anthive Queen is still alive, it will surely send its Myriad Ants to liaise with us soon. But until that happens, you'll have to fill in for it and ensure that everything goes according to plan!"

At the pinnacle of Leiyuan Peak, the Byzantium Helios Beast gave the aerial spirit beast its orders.

The aerial spirit beast nodded its massive head and confidently replied, "Don't worry!"

Without the Myriad Anthive Queen to relay messages here and there, they could only depend on this aerial spirit beast to scout the area and relay messages around.

"You can leave now!"

The Byzantium Helios Beast waved its massive claws.

"Yes!" The aerial spirit beast nodded before spreading its wings and soaring into the sky. After a short moment, it had already disappeared from view.

After the departure of the aerial spirit beast, the Byzantium Helios Beast's body tightened, and its massive body floated up slightly. It turned its head to the side to glance at a certain direction with a sharp gleam in its eyes.

"That fellow hiding over there, you can come out now!"

This wasn't spoken in the Ancient Beast Language but in the human tongue.

"So, I have been noticed..."

The Byzantium Helios Beast was looking directly at where Zhang Xuan was hiding. Realizing that he had been spotted, Zhang Xuan's body stiffened, and the blood running through his veins froze.

He thought that he had done a good job hiding his presence, but to think that... he was still discovered!

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Chapter 716: Rip Him a New One

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

But this was to be expected!

Perhaps a Half-Saint or Nascent Saint might find it difficult to notice him when his aura was completely concealed, but the same tricks would not work on a Saint.

Upon reaching Sainthood, one's entirety would become completely aligned with nature. The authority of nature would be imbued into every single gesture and movement of one. Even if Zhang Xuan had been buried deep inside the snow, it was likely that the Byzantium Helios Beast would still have been able to notice him.

Just like how Transcendent Mortals were higher existences to Fighters, Saints were superior existences to Transcendent Mortals.

'I was still noticed in the end.'

Knowing that there was little point to continue hiding, Zhang Xuan took in a deep breath before standing up.

It should have been that slight spiritual energy disturbance which he'd caused by a slight mistake earlier that had betrayed his presence. Most likely, the only reason the Byzantium Helios Beast allowed Zhang Xuan to continue listening to their conversation was because it was certain that he was unable to comprehend the Ancient Beast Language. Thus, there was no worry about information leaking out.

As such, it decided to first finish the discussion with the aerial spirit beast before dragging Zhang Xuan out from his hiding place.

The Byzantium Helios Beast assessed Zhang Xuan and asked, "You are a new student in the Master Teacher Academy?"

Upon reaching Sainthood, spirit beasts would undergo an evolution which allowed them to speak human speech.

"Yes!" Knowing that it was impossible for him to play any tricks before the other party, Zhang Xuan nodded obediently.

"To be able to reach Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle and find this location despite having yet to officially enroll at the academy, you are truly not bad at all. Even if you aren't the top of this batch, you won't be too far from that."

After taking a look at Zhang Xuan's cultivation, the Byzantium Helios Beast nodded in agreement.

"It's nothing much!"

Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly in response. At the same time, his hands were fiddling behind his back, seemingly trying to do something.

"Don't try those little tricks with me... I can't guarantee you that I'll be able to control my temper!"

Noticing the little actions Zhang Xuan was up to, the Byzantium Helios Beast harrumphed.

"Temper?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head as he assessed the Byzantium Helios Beast impassively. "Those are my words. I'm afraid that I might just lose control myself and accidentally pummel you to death!"

"What did you say?" The Byzantium Helios Beast was visibly stunned by the arrogant words spouted by the young man before it. As the shock gradually retreated, fury swiftly took its place.

It was a saint beast whereas the other party was nothing more than a Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator. Even without moving a single inch, it could kill that young man with just its soul itself. Yet, the other party still dared to threaten it, saying that he couldn't control his temper and might pummel it to death?

'Do you know what kind of existence you are speaking to?

'Conceited fool!'

"You seem to be very confident in yourself." With a livid face, the Byzantium Helios Beast harrumphed coldly. A blazing fury ignited in its eyes, threatening to burn down everything in sight.

"This is not confidence; I am merely stating a fact. Alright, I'll give you a chance. As long as you acknowledge me as your master, I can spare you from death," Zhang Xuan said casually with his hands behind his back, seemingly thinking nothing of the situation before him at all.

"It is always the ignorant who are fearless, it seems you have no idea who you are speaking to. Since that's the case, allow me to hammer humility into your bones!"

Not expecting that an existence which was little more than an ant to it would arrogantly command it to acknowledge him as its master, even boasting to kill it should it refuse the offer, the face of the Byzantium Helios Beast turned livid. The fur across its entire body suddenly rose in fury, and with a wrathful roar, it abruptly raised its palm.

Huala!

A dense congregation of spiritual energy gathered instantaneously to form a massive palm that seemed to cover the entire sky. It felt as if the entire mountain could be flattened should the Byzantium Helios Beast will for it to happen.

Saint beasts might still be unable to cultivate zhenqi, but in exchange, they possessed earth-shattering physical might that could move mountains and split oceans. Putting aside a mere mountain, even wiping away an entire nation such as Tianxuan Kingdom was as easy as breathing to it.

Before the palm could even land, the immense pressure from the palm had already melted the thick layer of snow in the area. It felt as if a comet was hurtling toward this area.

"Hammer humility into my bones? I wonder who the one being arrogant here is..."

Zhang Xuan stood composed even before the devastating might of the palm. Instead, he chuckled lightly and clapped. "Vicious, rip him a new one!"

Even against a Saint, Zhang Xuan had his own trump cards as well.

The twenty or so puppets he had obtained from the underground chamber all possessed the might of a Saint. Beating a Saint 1-dan saint beast should be no trouble at all!

After all, the supreme existence which had boasted to rival Kong shi in a fight in the past was lying right in his hands... Vicious!

This fellow might be trapped in the Book of Heaven's Path at the moment, leaving him immobilized and vulnerable, but his strength was still no joke. Even if ten Byzantium Helios Beasts were to turn up, it would be far from sufficient to slaughter him!

Boom!

As Zhang Xuan raised his hand, an opened book suddenly appeared above his palm. A beating heart could be seen on a page in the book.

"Break!" commanded an authoritative voice.

Huala!

It was as if the word carried some mystical might. The palm which the Byzantium Helios Beast struck out suddenly shattered like glass, turning into spiritual energy that dissipated swiftly into the surroundings.

"What..."

Seeing how the young man's artifact overcame his attack just by uttering a single word, the eyes of the Byzantium Helios Beast narrowed in astonishment.

With a cultivation realm of Saint 1-dan pinnacle, its true strength ranked among the top experts of Hongyuan Empire!

It thought that dealing with a Cosmos Bridge realm brat would be a walk in the park, but who knew that the other party would possess an artifact which could overcome its attack with just a single word?

'Run!'

An ominous foreboding gripped the Byzantium Helios Beast. True to its instincts, it leaped into the sky without any hesitation.

Even though it didn't possess wings, as a saint beast, it was still capable of flight.

It didn't fear the young man; what it feared was the enigmatic artifact the other party wielded. Unsure of the capabilities of the artifact, the Byzantium Helios Beast chose to run away and rally additional help to deal with the young man instead of taking the risk.

"You wish to escape before my presence? Dream on!"

Barely after flying to a height of several dozen meters, a frigid voice suddenly sounded below. Following which, an overwhelming killing intent suddenly assaulted the Byzantium Helios Beast's mind, leaving its consciousness blank.

'Otherworldly Demonic Tribe...'

That momentary lapse in its consciousness dispelled the force which was levitating the Byzantium Helios Beast, resulting in its plummet from the sky. Putong! It fell head first into the snow.

"Little Vicious, not bad at all. It seems you aren't all talk!"

Not expecting Vicious to be so formidable, crushing the Byzantium Helios Beast's attack with a single utterance and felling it with a single thought, Zhang Xuan stroked the heart in the book in commendation.

"..." Vicious twitched violently in response to the praise, unable to utter a single word in response.

The Byzantium Helios Beast also happened to see this sight just as it raised its head off the surface of the ground, and it nearly spurted blood.

Even though it had no idea what was sealed in the book, there was no doubt that the being inside was an existence that used to stand at the very top of this continent. The Byzantium Helios Beast had suspected that it might be the young man's teacher or guardian, but who could have thought...

The young man would actually stroke the supreme expert as if he were a pug!

Wasn't there something very wrong with this picture here!

Who in the world was the young man?

'That killing intent... That heart is most probably an expert of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. As such, could this young man be an Otherworldly Demon who is hoping to infiltrate the Master Teacher Academy?'

Upon realizing this possibility, the Byzantium Helios Beast suddenly felt its blood turn cold.

Legend has it that the royal family of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe possessed the ability to disguise themselves as humans and even master teachers, and no one would be able to tell the difference.

Back then, there was one such Otherworldly Demon that had successfully infiltrated the core group of the master teachers. With the secrets it had obtained, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had nearly crushed the Master Teacher Pavilion.

If not for Kong shi's astuteness which led him to notice that something was amiss, the ones who would be ruling the Master Teacher Continent now would be the Otherworldly Demons and not the human race!

No matter how it looked at the young man, he was no different from an ordinary human. Could he really be Otherworldly Demon royalty? Otherwise, how could he possibly get off unscathed after treating such a powerful expert of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe like a dog?

"I will kill you..."

Realizing the potential threat that the young man posed to the Master Teacher Pavilion, the eyes of the Byzantium Helios Beast immediately turned crimson in rage.

If its conjecture was right, it would have to stop this young man from getting into the Master Teacher Academy at all costs. Otherwise, who knew what kind of danger he would bring upon the academy or even the entire human race in the future?

Hu!

Pushing against the ground, the Byzantium Helios Beast suddenly lunged toward Zhang Xuan like a bolt of lightning. With the astounding might it possessed in its body and the frightening speed it was moving at, there was little doubt that Zhang Xuan would be reduced to dust if its body were to crash into him.

Vicious was still contemplating how he should negotiate with Zhang Xuan regarding his release considering the merits he had just achieved when he noticed the Byzantium Helios Beast charging over once more. Angry that the other party was getting in his way, it bellowed furiously, "Kneel down!"

'Just because I am sealed in a book now doesn't mean that you can climb over my head!

'To dare to kill a Celestial Master Teacher recognized by the heavens itself, as well as the man who governs my fate, how brazen you are!'

Boom!

With his bellow, the unique killing intent which Otherworldly Demons possessed assaulted the Byzantium Helios Beast's mind once more. As if a fly swatted down, the latter immediately crashed into the ground and slid uncontrollably.

While Vicious' strength was severely impaired at the moment, dealing with a mere Saint 1-dan beast was not much different from smacking a mosquito.

Suppressed on the ground by an incredible force, the Byzantium Helios Beast glared at Zhang Xuan with crimson eyes. It bellowed frenziedly in indignation, "Damn you, I will rip you into pieces..."

"You are so eager to kill me?"

Seeing the other party's attitude, Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless.

This lapdog of the Otherworldly Demons sure was arrogant!

It must have realized the threat he posed to the Otherworldly Demons due to his superior talent, so it had decided to end him while his abilities hadn't matured yet.

"That's right! Even if it costs my life, I'll drag you down to hell with me!" the Byzantium Helios Beast roared.

"I see..."

Those words had helped Zhang Xuan make up his mind. Snapping his finger, he pointed to the Byzantium Helios Beast and ordered, "Put your feet in that beast!"

Huala!

All of a sudden, twenty puppets suddenly materialized amidst the white snow.

Since that fellow was bent on killing him, there was no need to stand on ceremony with it.

Roar!

The puppets roared simultaneously as they stormed forward furiously.

Hu!

The first puppet to arrive planted its feet right into the Byzantium Helios Beast's face, sending it flying into the air. Before the latter could even respond, another puppet that had been lying in wait behind shot a fist onto its back, pushing it back to the ground.

Peng peng peng peng!

The Byzantium Helios Beast was thrown around the place, and bright, red swellings swiftly emerged all over its body. Large mouthfuls of blood spilled from its mouth.

'Otherworldly Demon puppets? As expected, he is a member of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe's royal family... Damn it, damn it!'

The appearance of so many Otherworldly Demon puppets at once only served to reinforce the Byzantium Helios Beast's conjecture. After all, other than the royal family of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, who else could command such a powerful expert and so many Otherworldly Demon puppets?

Rage and indignation permeated its soul. If only it had noticed earlier and killed the young man swiftly, he could have avoided a calamity. But alas, it was too late now...

Under the assault of twenty Saint 1-dan puppets, it was completely helpless!

Not to mention, it was currently immobilized by the killing intent from the heart!

After countless fists and kicks had landed on its body, the Byzantium Helios Beast found its sight slowly darkening, and its consciousness was slowly drifting away.

Just as the Byzantium Helios Beast thought that it would be killed, the impassive voice of the young man suddenly sounded once more.

"How about now? Have you changed your mind yet? If you acknowledge me as your master, I can spare you from death!"

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Chapter 717: The Miserable Byzantium Helios Beast

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

At the foot of Leiyuan Peak, with the swift flash of a shadow, a human and a saint beast landed on the ground.

"Elder Mo!"

The human stepped forward and clasped his fist with a smile.

"Pavilion Master Mo!" Elder Mo hurriedly returned the greetings.

The person who had just arrived was none other than the pavilion master of the Hongyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, Mo Gaoyuan!

Even though he wasn't a member of the Ten Great Master Teachers, his standing and capability was on par with them.

"Langya Saint Beast!" Elder Mo turned to the saint beast by the side and clasped his fist in greeting as well.

Mo Gaoyuan's tamed beast, Saint 1-dan primary stage Langya Saint Beast!

As fellow Saints, there was a need to maintain basic ceremonial respect.

"Greetings to Elder Mo!" The Langya Saint Beast replied in human tongue.

After the formalities, Elder Mo turned to Mo Gaoyuan and asked doubtfully, "May I know the reason behind Pavilion Master Mo and Langya Saint Beast's arrival?"

The Master Teacher Pavilion and Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy could be considered as equal existences under the direct command of the same Conferred Empire headquarter. As such, the Master Teacher Pavilion had no authority to interfere with the recruitment of the Master Teacher Academy.

"I heard that there are many talented students in this batch, so I dropped by to take a look..." Mo Gaoyuan chuckled.

Since this was the entrance examination, Zhang shi had to be there as well. Mo Gaoyuan was intending to improve his relationship with him, as well as to make use of this opportunity to ask about Yang shi.

Hearing that the other party was only here to spectate, Elder Mo secretly heaved a sigh of relief and replied while stroking his beard, "There are indeed quite a few talented students this year, but it's hard to tell whether they will be able to pass the examination or not!"

"Oh? Is there something deeper to the examination?" Mo Gaoyuan asked in bewilderment.

The purpose of the examination should be to sieve out the talented students from the mediocre ones. Otherwise, what would be the point of conducting an entrance examination?

"Isn't the test this year regarding hunting Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle spirit beasts? To those talented students, it shouldn't be hard to clear this mission!"

The entrance examination of the Master Teacher Academy was a huge affair in Hongyuan Empire. As the head of the regional Master Teacher Pavilion, how could he remain unaware of the matter?

While it might be difficult for a 4-star master teacher to defeat a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle spirit beast in a straightforward battle, it shouldn't be too difficult for them to clear the mission if they were to prepare themselves beforehand.

"The admission criteria of the Master Teacher Academy isn't based on whose fist is the strongest. If it were just mere hunting, don't you think this entrance examination would be a little too easy for them?" Elder Mo chuckled. "Thus, I prepared a little surprise for them!"

"Oh?" Elder Mo was taken aback. He traded astonished glances with Langya Saint Beast.

When the both of them had heard the rules of the entrance examination earlier, they also found certain aspects of it slightly unusual. After listening to Elder Mo's words, they realized that there might be another side to the examination.

"On the surface, the examination is a hunting contest where the one who gathers the most inner cores wins. However, I have designed it in a manner such that it will test the examinees' adaptability and reactions in times of danger!" Elder Mo said with a smile. There was no need for him to hide this matter from Mo Gaoyuan. "In truth, the spirit beasts on the mountain have been organized to coordinate with one another to deal with the examinees. They have prepared bait and traps to lure the examinees into their encirclement!"

"Encirclement?" Mo Gaoyuan's eyebrows shot up anxiously. "But those examinees are the Master Teacher Pavilion's future..."

"Don't worry, the spirit beasts have been strictly warned against claiming their lives!" Knowing what Mo Gaoyuan was thinking, Elder Mo hurriedly reassured him.

Those were the fresh blood of the Master Teacher Pavilion, the pillars who would prop up the organization as well as humanity in the future. Even as one of the Ten Great Master Teachers, he dared not put them in such grave danger at his own whim.

Thus, he had made precautions to ensure that the spirit beasts would only trap and wound the examinees.

Otherwise, how could Ding shi and the others hold on for so long until Zhang Xuan's intervention came without suffering even a single casualty? One must know that they were encircled by several hundred spirit beasts, and a significant proportion of them was even at the Cosmos Bridge realm!

However, due to the tense situation then, no one noticed this oddity. Even Zhang Xuan had overlooked this fact.

"I see!"

Mo Gaoyuan heaved a sigh of relief. With the safety of the students off his mind, he began thinking about the examination, and his eyes slowly gleamed in excitement. "So, this is actually an emulation of a war between the spirit beasts and the master teachers. Regardless of whether the examinees are able to see through the crux of this test or not, this will be a good learning experience for them. This will teach them not to underestimate their opponents and keep their guards up at all times, as well as to cultivate their teamwork and make them realize that the strength of an individual is insignificant in the face of a horde... As expected of Elder Mo, this is an incredible work!"

After their failure, the examinees would understand that master teachers weren't almighty. They might be a member of the most prestigious occupation in the world, but they would be sorely mistaken if they thought that none could threaten them. In a sense, this examination served to correct their attitudes before their enrollment.

Elder Mo received the compliment graciously with a nod.

"The idea is good, but restraining so many spirit beasts at once is no easy feat. I guess only a 6-star pinnacle beast tamer like Elder Mo is capable of doing this on such a scale!" Mo Gaoyuan commented in awe.

Since there were thirty thousand examinees on the mountain, the number of spirit beasts on the mountain couldn't be any lower than twenty thousand. To force so many haughty beasts to obey commands and hold themselves back after cornering their preys, how capable must one be to achieve this feat?

Elder Mo shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Me? How could I possibly have the capability to do so? I have merely borrowed the strength of a saint beast!"

He might be a 6-star pinnacle beast tamer, but taming over twenty thousand spirit beasts and forcing them to obey his commands was still beyond him.

"Saint beast? Your Inferno Dragon Saint Beast?" Mo Gaoyuan asked.

Everyone knew that Elder Mo had a Saint 1-dan intermediate stage tamed beast, Inferno Dragon Saint Beast. It was a powerful saint beast capable of breathing flames.

"Inferno Dragon? That fellow is violent and impatient; I already thank the heavens if it manages to stay out of trouble, so how could I possibly delegate such an important matter to it? The one which I invited over to help me with this examination is the Byzantium Helios Beast!" Elder Mo replied.

"Byzantium Helios? You mean the old principal's tamed beast?" Mo Gaoyuan realized.

Elder Mo nodded.

"I see, there's indeed nothing to worry about if Byzantium Helios is on the job. Given its capability, no spirit beast will dare to disobey its commands."

Mo Gaoyuan nodded as well.

"On top of that, Byzantium Helios Saint Beast is well-versed in the Ancient Beast Language, so it is unlikely that anything will go wrong in this examination," Elder Mo replied.

As the tamed beast of the old principal, the Byzantium Helios Saint Beast shared equal standing with him, and no one dared to defy it. Even though the academy was currently headed by the Ten Great Elders, it still retained its esteemed standing.

But ever since the disappearance of the old principal in the midst of a mission, the Byzantium Helios Saint Beast had spent its days in desolation, never interfering in the matters of the academy anymore. Elder Mo had to pay a hefty price to convince it to help him with this matter. Even now, he could still feel his heart aching whenever he thought about it.

Nevertheless, it was well worth the price.

With the assistance from the Byzantium Helios Saint Beast who was well-versed in the Ancient Beast Language, there would be no need for Elder Mo to worry about any trouble cropping up in this examination.

Logically speaking, since most saint beasts were well-versed in the Ancient Beast Language and the human tongue, they could impart the knowledge to the beast tamers and fill in the missing gap in the heritage... However, there was a vast difference in the vocal organs of a saint beast and those of a human, thus resulting in a significant difference in the way each syllable could be voiced.

The Ancient Beast Language was the speech natural to the constitution of most beasts. On the other hand, the human body was incompatible with the Ancient Beast Language. Thus, a unique zhenqi circulation method was required for humans to emulate the various sounds in the Ancient Beast Language.

Thus, it was nigh impossible for humans to learn how to speak the Ancient Beast Language from saint beasts.

Besides, given that saint beasts were capable of speaking the human language, the language barrier that had impeded beast tamers from communicating with beasts had already collapsed. This removed the fundamental need for beast tamers of 6-star and above to learn the Ancient Beast Language. Even if, under some circumstances, they really had to communicate with a savage beast or spirit beast, they could always get their saint beast to translate for them.

"With the Byzantium Helios Saint Beast overlooking the examination, there is no need to worry about the examinees' safety. I only fear that it might be too harsh on the examinees. It would be a calamity if none of the examinees were to pass the examination," Mo Gaoyuan said.

Perhaps due to the influence of the old principal, the Byzantium Helios Beast also had an austere personality. If it were to heighten the difficulty of the examination by too much, it might come to the point where not even a single examinee could pass the examination.

"Don't worry, I have already talked to the Byzantium Helios Beast regarding this matter. The examinees will only be trapped for a period of time. They will be released a few hours before the end of the examination..." Elder Mo replied. At which, he suddenly pointed to the mountain before of him and smiled. "Look, there are already a few examinees who have cleared the examination!"

Turning to the direction in which Elder Mo was pointing, Mo Gaoyuan saw a group of people climbing down the mountain, walking toward where they were standing.

It was noon at the moment. Considering how there was still some time before the reporting time in the evening, they must have cleared the examination in advance and were returning to report.

"T-that... what is happening?"

Upon seeing those figures, Elder Mo was just about to walk over to them to check their points when his eyes suddenly widened.

Trailing behind that group of people were a few hundred spirit beasts. Their heads were hung low, reminiscent of defeated roosters.

"It looks like... someone has tamed them?"

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Mo Gaoyuan's lower jaw nearly hit the ground.

Beast taming was one of his supporting occupations, so he could instantly tell that those spirit beasts had been tamed by someone. Otherwise, the heads of those haughty spirit beasts wouldn't have been lowered subserviently.

A group of two hundred examinees had actually tamed around five hundred spirit beasts?

Didn't the Byzantium Helios Beast organize the spirit beasts to have them encircle the students and teach them a lesson?

Then... what was going on here?

...

On the other hand, at the top of Leiyuan Peak, the Byzantium Helios Beast clenched its jaws and roared furiously, "You want me to acknowledge you as my master? Dream on..."

As the tamed beast of the old principal of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, how could it possibly submit to an Otherworldly Demon?

Even beasts had their own sense of morality!

While it was likely that the old principal was already dead, it couldn't simply overlook the kindness that the old principal had shown it and submit to the enemy just to live on!

"Dream on?"

Not expecting the saint beast which had submitted to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe to have such backbone, Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Continue pummeling it! Beat it until it submits!"

Upon those commands, the puppets began another round of brutal beating.

Five minutes later...

The most powerful spirit beast of the academy which possessed equivalent standing to the principal saw its life flashing before its eyes, and it could nearly see a ray of light in the distance beckoning it.

"Forget it, it's fine if you are unwilling to submit. I'll ask you some questions now, and if you don't answer them honestly, I'll extract your soul after your death and bring eternal anguish upon you!"

Seeing how the Byzantium Helios Beast was still hanging on obstinately despite being on the verge of death, Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Did you come here to harm the freshmen of the Master Teacher Academy under the orders of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe? As long as you spill out the location of those Otherworldly Demons, I can reward you with a painless death!"

"Under the orders... of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?"

Gazing at Zhang Xuan with eyes so swollen that they could barely open, the Byzantium Helios Beast nearly fainted on the spot.

'Orders your head!

'I only came here under Elder Mo's relentless persuasion and generous promises. The reason I am here is to temper more powerful master teachers to bring humanity to greater heights...

'What the heck does this have to do with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?

'On the other hand, you are the suspicious one!

'To deal with me using the heart of an Otherworldly Demon expert before pummeling me with those Otherworldly Demon puppets...

'And yet...

'You still asked me if I am under the orders of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe? Can you get even more shameless than that?'

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Chapter 718: Storing in the Storage Ring

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Why? You are still refusing to admit it?"

Seeing the other party's twitching lips—a sign of obstinacy—Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

If this fellow continued like that, he wouldn't mind resorting to even more extreme methods—Soul Torment!

Soul Torment was a soul oracle technique where an extracted soul would be put through unimaginable anguish so as to force it to speak. It was usually used for interrogation purposes, and rarely had it ever failed.

However, this would cause the soul of the interrogated to be wiped cleanly off the face of this world, never to be reincarnated again. Due to the callousness of this technique, Zhang Xuan had always been unwilling to utilize it. Who could have known that this fellow would be such a tough nut to crack!

He had heard the conversation between the Byzantium Helios Beast and the aerial spirit beast clearly.

'You arranged for the aerial spirit beast to encircle the master teachers, and you still dare to deny the matter before me. Do you really take me for a fool?

'Do you think that I dare not kill you?'

"Kill me then! Do I look like the type to fear death? I would rather die than to betray my master!" the Byzantium Helios Beast spat through clenched jaws.

The other party was clearly trying to sully its reputation. If it were to give in, the honor it had built using the entirety of its life would collapse in an instant. It would rather die than to live dishonorably!

The old principal had dedicated his life to protecting humanity. As his tamed beast, how could it ever face its master if it were to submit to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?

"Continue beating him up!"

Not expecting this fellow to be so loyal to its Otherworldly Demon master, to the extent that it would rather die than to betray the latter, Zhang Xuan frowned in displeasure.

"Cough cough..."

Just as the puppets were about to launch another wave of punches and kicks on the Byzantium Helios Beast, Vicious suddenly spoke up. "Master, I fear that it might really die here if we continue beating it."

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan suddenly realized that that the Byzantium Helios Beast was already teetering on the edge of life and death. If it were pummeled any further, it might just die on the spot.

"What should I do?"

Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella in frustration.

It was so much easier to deal with other spirit beasts—with a stick and a carrot, they would submit readily. Yet, this fellow just refused to budge!

Even though Zhang Xuan had put the words harshly, he had no intentions of killing the Byzantium Helios Beast at all.

Soul Torment was not entirely reliable, especially against particularly stubborn individuals. If the Byzantium Helios Beast were to die and the Soul Torment were to fail, the only lead would be lost. As long as the Otherworldly Demons behind this incident remained scot free, the Master Teacher Academy would remain in danger!

Such incidents could easily happen again and again.

Furthermore, if Zhang Xuan were to be enrolled in the Master Teacher Academy, his safety would be affected as well. He didn't want to be schemed against once more.

"I see... I'll treat it first before you continue pummeling it. I don't believe that it can keep up its obstinacy for long!"

After a moment of contemplation, an idea suddenly came into mind. Zhang Xuan took out a wine gourd and infused his zhenqi into it.

After that previous incident, Zhang Xuan realized that it was exceptionally convenient to conceal the Heaven's Path zhenqi through the overpowering scent of wine. Thus, he decisively bought several gourds of wine and kept them in his storage ring.

He poured the gourd's wine on the Byzantium Helios Beast's injuries, but it took two hours for the latter to heal from its external wounds.

Pondering over the matter for a moment, Zhang Xuan realized that this could be due to the disparity in their cultivation realms. With his current cultivation of Cosmos Bridge realm, it would only take a few moments for his zhenqi to heal those of equivalent cultivation. However, against the significantly stronger body of a Saint, his zhenqi was clearly still far too weak.

After healing the latter's external wounds, Zhang Xuan had four puppets to hold the Byzantium Helios Beast while another two pried open its mouth. Just like that, he forced the wine into its mouth.

After using up four to five gourds and an entire hour, the Byzantium Helios Beast finally recovered from its internal injury as well.

"Alright... Continue pummeling it!"

After seeing that the other party had recovered from its injuries, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

As long as the Byzantium Helios Beast didn't die, he had all the time in the world.

'Death? With my Heaven's Path zhenqi, let's see how you can die! With an unending session of pummeling, there will surely come a day when you give in!'

Roar!

After hearing the instruction, the puppets immediately charged forward excitedly and began another round of pummeling.

Soon, hideous crimson swellings returned onto the body of the Byzantium Helios Beast, and its breathing grew ragged.

After treating it with the Heaven's Path zhenqi again, yet another pummeling session rained down on the Byzantium Helios Beast.

After three consecutive cycles, light had vanished from the Byzantium Helios Beast's eyes, and it seemed to be nearing the limits of its tolerance.

But even so, it still refused to spout the slightest word regarding the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. In a sense, Zhang Xuan was also impressed by the other party's loyalty to its master.

"Let's stop here for today..."

Looking above him, Zhang Xuan realized that the sun was gradually descending in the west. If he didn't hurry back, he just might fail the examination. Thus, he could only halt the pummeling session for now.

It was frustrating how he had spent half a day of effort but still couldn't make a saint beast submit to him.

The Byzantium Helios Beast's loyalty toward its master was simply so strong that the usual tricks Zhang Xuan used were rendered completely ineffective.

Zhang Xuan knew that the only way was to slowly wear the Byzantium Helios Beast down mentally.

In any case, time was on his side.

"But this fellow is so big, am I to lug him around?"

To continue the questioning, Zhang Xuan would have to take the fellow away with him. However, considering the size of the Byzantium Helios Beast... how was he supposed to take it with him?

Of course, it was possible for Zhang Xuan to carry it around, but... No matter what, the Byzantium Helios Beast was a true saint beast. If others were to learn that he had managed to reduce it to such a pitiful state, their first doubt would be how he had managed to do so. The subsequent investigation might lead to the revelation of the existence of Vicious and the Otherworldly Demon puppets.

Since this concerned the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, it was best to proceed cautiously.

Besides, he had only arrived at the Master Teacher Academy recently, so he thought that it would be best for him to lie low. There was no need for him cause such a huge storm and have everyone know that even saint beasts were nothing before him.

"The Myriad Anthive Nest might be small, but it might still work if I were to force this fellow in..."

Zhang Xuan analyzed as he stroked his lower jaw.

The physique of the Byzantium Helios Beast bore some resemblance to an ape. If its head were to be planted into its pants before rolling its body together and fastening it with some rope, it might just be possible to stuff it into the small Anthive Nest.

In his previous life, there were some yoga experts whose bodies were so flexible that they could even fit into a tiny fish tank.

"I should give it a try!"

With this idea in mind, Zhang Xuan immediately dived into action. He took out strip of skin from a spirit beast he had hunted earlier and sliced it into a long rope using the Glacier Rain Sword before passing it to the puppets.

The puppets first pummeled the Byzantium Helios Beast into a state of near death before rolling it up and binding it with the rope. After which, they sent another few more kicks and punches at its body to further compress it.

In any case, the other party was a saint beast with incredible vitality, and it was being nourished by Zhang Xuan's zhenqi as well. It would be extremely difficult for it to die.

After some arduous effort, the Byzantium Helios Beast was finally compressed to a size that could be fitted into the Anthive Nest. Thus, Zhang Xuan flicked his hand and took out the nest. With another wave of his hand, he stored the Byzantium Helios Beast in the hive.

Peng!

In the hive, the Myriad Anthive Queen suddenly found itself being forcefully pushed to the sides of the hive. Its face was pressed tightly against the ceiling, and its body had distorted into a giant "大" word. It seemed as though its body would burst at any moment now.

The hive of two meters radius should have been a comfortable fit for it, but with the entry of the Byzantium Helios Beast, free space became something that was direly lacking in there. The Anthive Queen found itself on the verge of being suffocated to death.

It was fortunate that its physical constitution was still relatively strong. Otherwise, it might really burst from the immense pressure pushing against it.

Knowing that it was a squeeze inside, Zhang Xuan sheepishly instructed the Myriad Anthive Queen, "Just tolerate it for now. I'll free you after I find a suitable location!"

Both the Byzantium Helios Beast and the Myriad Anthive Queen were secrets that Zhang Xuan was unwilling to reveal. Thus, the only solution was to keep them hidden inside the hive for the time being until he returned to his own dwelling.

After returning the Anthive Nest into the storage ring, Zhang Xuan scanned the surroundings one last time, and he suddenly spotted two storage rings on the ground.

They were the storage rings the aerial spirit beast had stolen from Brother Yu and Senior Feng.

The storage rings seemed to have fallen from the Byzantium Helios Beast during the vicious beating by the Otherworldly Demon puppets. Zhang Xuan picked the rings up and fused a droplet of his blood into each of the rings.

The Soul Imprint on the rings had already been wiped away by the Byzantium Helios Beast's forceful entry earlier, allowing Zhang Xuan to claim ownership of the rings directly.

"There are so many inner cores inside... This should be enough for me to clear the examination and win the bet. Looks like I need not hunt any further!"

Scanning through the content of the storage ring, Zhang Xuan found plenty of spirit beast inner cores inside.

Through the Beastscale Incense and Seeking Mouse, Brother Yu and Senior Feng had managed to track down and kill many spirit beasts.

While there shouldn't be a problem for Brother Yu and Senior Feng to clear the examination, it would be difficult for them to hunt down this many inner cores with the time that was left. Thus, it could be said that they had already lost the bet.

Aside from that, there were also several thousand middle-tier spirit stones along with all kinds of artifacts and formations inside the two storage rings.

"Those two fellows sure are wealthy. But this works fine as well, I happen to be lacking resources at the moment."

It just so happened that Zhang Xuan was a little poor at the moment, so the acquiring of these two storage rings could spare him quite a lot of trouble.

As for returning the storage rings...

That was a good joke!

It wasn't like he was the one who stole these storage rings. He had spent so much effort to defeat the Byzantium Helios Beast, and these two storage rings were his spoils of war!

Hu!

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to put those two storage rings in his pocket, he suddenly thought of something, and he immersed his consciousness back into the storage rings. A moment later, a jade token appeared in his palm.

A beautiful light flowed within the transparent jade token. This was the Aerial Strike Amulet which Brother Yu had staked on the bet!

He had checked this object with the Library of Heaven's Path earlier, and it was indeed a valuable artifact.

To think that he would end up obtaining it in such a manner.

'With this item in hand, I will be able to survive an attack from a Saint 1-dan!' Zhang Xuan thought as he placed the amulet into his bosom.

The Dragon Scale Protective Amulet he had acquired previously had saved him on multiple occasions, and this item was even more valuable than that.

With this, even if a Saint 1-dan were to creep up on him and launch a fatal blow, he would be able to get away unscathed.

As long as he overcame the initial assault, he would be able to release Vicious and his Otherworldly Demon puppets and reverse the situation.

'It is a pity that the Seeking Mouse isn't here...'

After putting away the storage rings, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled the Seeking Mouse, and he shook his head in disappointment.

Considering the Seeking Mouse's ability to hunt down spirit beasts, it was indeed a valuable asset.

That aerial spirit beast had only been interested in uncovering the whereabouts of the Myriad Anthive Queen then, so it had probably only grabbed whatever possible clues there may be.

Once the Seeking Mouse had escaped, given its sharp nose, it would be hard to capture it once more.

"Let's return!"

After scanning through the straw cottage and finding no treasure at all, Zhang Xuan finally left the top of Leiyuan Peak in disappointment.

Right after pummeling the Byzantium Helios Beast, Zhang Xuan had the Anthive Myriad Queen instruct the aerial spirit beast to release all of the master teachers from the encirclement.

After being released from the encirclement, the master teachers would have to depend on their own capabilities to pass the examination.

After all, Zhang Xuan was no saint. All of the examinees should have come with the realization that they would be put in danger. If they were to be killed by the spirit beasts, they only had their own shortcomings to blame.

Executing the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps, Zhang Xuan swiftly bypassed several valleys. He noticed several battles here and there, and it seemed like there were casualties on both sides as well. However, it was still within an acceptable range.

On the way down the mountain, there were also several spirit beasts who attempted to provoke him, but they ended up being crushed with a single fist. Naturally, Zhang Xuan didn't forget to take their inner cores.

By the time he was approaching the foot of the mountain, there was already a huge crowd in the area. He looked around for a remote area to land before quietly following behind the crowd.

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Chapter 719: Brother Yu's Harvest

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Several long queues of master teachers extending all the way to the horizon could be seen on the plain at the foot of the mountain.

At the forefront of every single queue were upper-grade students from the academy. They were in charge of checking the quantity and grade of the inner cores procured by the examinees and tabulating the scores. From time to time, there were those who tried their chances by bringing out inner cores procured before the examination, but how could the eyes of a master teacher be fooled that easily?

Zhang Xuan had joined one of those queues. He curiously glanced at the spectacle ahead of him.

There seemed to be a couple of examinees who passed the examination, but those who failed seemed to be in the majority.

"The examination this year is too hard! From the looks of it, out of the thirty thousand examinees, perhaps only ten thousand will pass!"

"This is way too difficult! We have allied ourselves with the master teachers from two other empires, and we thought that we could clear the examination easily. Who could have known that we would end up falling for the spirit beasts' encirclement and suffer heavy losses?"

"We also fell into their trap as well! Our group of three hundred ended up being scattered by their onslaught, and eventually, fifty of us were grievously wounded in the encounter. After two hours of battle, right after noon, the spirit beasts suddenly retreated. Only then did we manage to hunt down a few spirit beasts, but it was still insufficient for most of us to clear the examination!"

"The spirit beasts who encircled us also retreated after noon. However, we weren't as lucky. There were simply too many casualties among us, so we could only rest on the spot. In the end, we only managed to gather a handful of inner cores."

...

Proceeding forward, Zhang Xuan heard some discussions among the examinees.

'It is fortunate that we managed to avoid the worst situation...'

Hearing the discussions, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief instead.

It was fortunate that he had noticed and intervened in the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe's scheme early on. Otherwise, it would be hard to tell how many of the thirty thousand master teachers would still be breathing now.

Such loss would be severe even for the Master Teacher Pavilion!

'This credit... I guess I shan't claim it from the Master Teacher Pavilion!'

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan chose to hide this matter.

Unravelling the sinister ploy of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and saving several ten thousand master teachers was a huge achievement. If reported, Zhang Xuan would be handsomely rewarded. At the very least, it shouldn't be difficult for him to obtain dozens of high-tier spirit stones from this.

But if so, it would be hard for him to explain about Vicious and the Otherworldly Demon puppets. These two were currently his most valuable asset, his life preservation means. They were more valuable than any spirit stones.

Thus, there was no choice but to forgo this credit.

'Such a pity...'

Having this opportunity slip right by his fingers, Zhang Xuan felt his heart ache.

If he could obtain several dozen high-tier spirit stones, that would be sufficient for him to cultivate up to Saint realm!

If there was any consolation, at least he managed to obtain the valuable Aerial Strike Amulet, and more importantly, the Myriad Anthive Nest and the Byzantium Helios Beast.

'If it comes down to it, I can always kill the Byzantium Helios Beast. Its meat can be broiled as soup, its bones and claws can be forged as weapons, its fur can be weaved as clothes, and its inner core is a valuable cultivation resource... Considering that these are parts of a saint beast, they should fetch quite a number of spirit stones!' Zhang Xuan thought as he stroked chin.

While it was a pity that he couldn't receive the rewards from the Master Teacher Pavilion, he should still be able to earn some wealth from dissecting the Byzantium Helios Beast and selling its parts.

'Yes. I should look into this matter after the examination. If that fellow still remains as obstinate as before...'

Thinking that it was a feasible solution, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. 'But when I sell it, I should make sure to do it discreetly so as to not reveal my identity. Otherwise, it may become hard to explain where the saint beast came from and how it was killed!'

The Byzantium Helios Beast was a Saint 1-dan pinnacle expert. In Hongyuan Empire, it could be considered as one of the strongest existence already.

If it became known that a freshman of the Master Teacher Academy had managed to hunt such a beast and dissected it to sell, it would surely cause a huge stir.

If the Ten Great Master Teachers were to come begging to take him in as their disciple, he would be put in a spot.

Just the thought of it left him with a splitting headache.

Why was remaining humble such a difficult task?

He had already made up his mind to study silently in the Master Teacher Academy and leave right after his strength had become satisfactorily... He didn't want to cause a huge stir as he did in the other empires and kingdoms.

To be seen as the God of Destruction despite being a master teacher was truly shameful.

Just as Zhang Xuan was in the midst of contemplation, he suddenly heard an interesting piece of news.

"You know, I heard that a batch of people returned at noon. Despite returning early, not only did they clear the examination, they even received a frightening number of points!" A master teacher who had managed to lay his hands on some intelligence revealed that in a hushed voice.

"Returned at noon? Frightening number of points? Who?" the second master teacher asked skeptically.

"I am not too sure. I only heard of the matter from the seniors in front. It seems like the current first place for the examination has a massive lead over the others!"

"Massive lead over the others? Do you mean that the person surpasses even Senior Hu from Wanyu Empire? I saw Senior Hu taking out 27 inner cores personally, and a couple of them were from Cosmos Bridge realm spirit beasts. All in all, he was awarded more than 700 points! Yet, someone actually achieved a score higher than him? Are you for real?"

The second master teacher widened his eyes in shock.

Most of those in their group didn't even manage to acquire a single point, but Senior Hu from Wanyu Empire actually managed to take out 27 inner cores. As such, this matter caused a huge stir amongst the examinees. Yet, there was actually someone who arrived at noon who did better than Senior Hu?

"I am unaware of the details as well. I only heard bits and pieces of the seniors' conversation..."

"Higher than 700 points? That man who returned at noon sure is incredible! It seems like there are indeed quite a few geniuses amongst the freshmen!"

Hearing the content of the conversation, Zhang Xuan nodded in commendation.

Considering how the inner core of a Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage spirit beast was worth 100 points, it would mean that one would have to slay at least six to seven of them to achieve a score of 700 points!

Most of the examinees were still at Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle. One could already be considered to be the elite of the group if one's cultivation was at Consonant Spirit realm. So far, the only Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator Zhang Xuan had seen was Brother Yu.

But even with Brother Yu's capability, slaying a Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage spirit beast was still an extremely difficult task.

Yet, a formidable genius had actually returned at noon and achieved a score far higher than 700 points. That person's capability was indeed frightening!

Based on Zhang Xuan's estimations, that person might even be on par with him.

'I really should find a chance to meet that incredible person. I wonder what kind of formidable figure could nurture such a talented genius!'

The more Zhang Xuan thought about it, the more impressed he felt.

"Massive lead over the others? Did he score a thousand points? But so what if he scored a thousand points, that is nothing at all!"

At that moment, a cold harrumph suddenly sounded.

Hearing such arrogant words, the conversing master teachers frowned and turned around. However, upon seeing the person who spoke those words, they subconsciously took a step back.

What appeared before their eyes were two young men dressed in beastskin. Despite their shabby appearance, the powerful aura they exuded revealed their incredible prowess.

One of them was at the Half-Cosmos Bridge realm whereas the other was a true Cosmos Bridge realm expert!

It was no wonder they were so confident. With their combined strength, even a Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage spirit beast wouldn't post a threat to them!

Just that...

Why were they both dressed in beastskin, as if they were from some kind of tribal village?

More importantly, the beastskin they wore was extremely crude. There was probably no adjective in the world that could describe how ugly it looked.

The weaker of the duo was even carrying a bag created out of beastskin...

To think that a half 5-star master teacher would actually be carrying a bag... Were they so poor that they couldn't even afford a storage ring?

While master teachers prided themselves on their humility, weren't the two of them being a little too humble?

Zhang Xuan also glanced over, and he realized that the both of them were familiar faces.

They were the duo who had made the bet with him... Brother Yu and Senior Feng!

Shouldn't the both of them be elegant and dashing gentlemen? This newfound style of theirs...

They seem to be challenging their fashion sense a little too far...

"Zhang shi, it's good that you have returned. Do you dare to verify your score together with me?" Ignoring the astonished crowd, Brother Yu's lips crept up as he glanced at Zhang Xuan.

Even though his possessions had been stripped clean by a ferocious spirit beast earlier at noon, it was fortunate that he still had his Beastscale Incense. Through it, not only had he managed to hunt a fair number of spirit beasts, he had obtained even more inner cores than before!

With this, he was confident that he would be able to triumph over Zhang shi!

Perhaps, he might even overtake the current first place and make a name for himself in the Master Teacher Academy!

"Sure."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

While he had spent most of his time on the mountain questioning the Byzantium Helios Beast, he still managed to obtain a fair number of inner cores.

It shouldn't be too difficult for him to win against these two.

Sensing the strong rivalry between the beastskin master teachers and Zhang shi, the crowd hurriedly opened up a path for them to pass through.

In just a short moment, the trio arrived at the forefront of the queue.

"I have a bet with this Zhang shi, I hope you can tabulate our points for us!"

Looking at the few invigilating seniors ahead of them, Brother Yu bowed politely.

"Bet?"

The invigilating seniors frowned upon hearing those words.

"Indeed! Zhang shi and I have bet a high-tier spirit stone on who would obtain a higher score in this examination. I fear that he will renege on his promise, so I hope that you can help us judge this matter!" Brother Yu said.

"A high-tier spirit stone?"

"The stakes sure are high..."

Hearing the content of the bet, the examinees in the surroundings gasped in shock.

Even the seniors were taken aback as well.

They were Grade 2 students of the Master Teacher Academy, but they didn't dare to make such a huge bet either.

"To stake a high-tier spirit stone on a bet... The freshmen sure are getting gutsier with each passing year! Fine, I'll judge your bet!"

The senior remarked before nodding in agreement. "Pass your inner cores over."

"Alright!"

Brother Yu beckoned to Senior Feng, and the latter immediately took off his bag and opened it.

Huala!

A bunch of inner cores rolled onto the table.

"So many inner cores..."

"Consonant Spirit and Cosmos Bridge realm spirit beast inner cores... What is that?"

"Crimson in color, t-that is... a Perfect Harmonization realm primary stage spirit beast inner core! How is that possible?"

"The sharp aura reminiscent of a blade and the searing sensation when gazing upon it, there is no doubt that this is the inner core of a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast!"

"To actually hunt and procure the inner core of a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast... It looks like the champion seat is going to change hands!"

"Indeed..."

...

Looking at the inner cores on the table, the crowd was stunned for an instant before a huge uproar broke out.

Putting aside the other inner cores, just the Perfect Harmonization realm primary stage spirit beast inner core was already worth a hulking 1000 points!

Even the genius who arrived at noon whom the seniors were speaking about was unlikely to compare to this!

It was no wonder the two of them were so arrogant. They had something to back up their words!

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Chapter 720: Zhang Xuan's Loss?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"He was able to kill even a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast?"

Zhang Xuan was startled for an instant before it suddenly hit him.

He didn't recall seeing any Beastscale Incense in the duo's storage ring when searching through them, and this meant that there was a high chance that the artifact was still on them.

If that was the case, they would indeed stand a good chance at slaying a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast.

Despite the rarity, there were still a couple of Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast roaming the mountain. If one were to comb the area thoroughly, one would surely be able to find a handful.

After Zhang Xuan took down the Byzantium Helios Beast, the spirit beasts lost their commander, and their coordination immediately broke down. Without anyone to rally and organize them, they ended scattering around the area individually. Under such circumstances, if one had an artifact like the Beastscale Incense in hand, one would surely be able to hunt down plenty of spirit beasts.

Just that, there was still one more matter that baffled Zhang Xuan... why were the two of them dressed in beastskin?

Did the aerial spirit beast strip them of their clothes as well?

Could it be that it had such inclinations?

Zhang Xuan shuddered at that thought.

Considering how the duo had their storage rings and weapons taken from them, it would be difficult for them to craft proper clothes. Most probably, they had barely put together their current wear by tearing the hide of the spirit beasts they had hunted.

'How pitiful!'

Upon this thought, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but sympathize with the duo.

To think that two talented master teachers would end up getting stripped clean by a spirit beast and tossed into a mountain valley! Just the thought of it would leave anyone feeling sorry for them.

While Zhang Xuan was staring at the duo in sympathy, Brother Yu was currently enjoying the loud cheers from the crowd. Placing his hands behind his back, he turned to Zhang Xuan and gazed down on him with a look of superiority. "Zhang shi, I have already taken out my inner cores. Where are yours?"

"Mine?"

Knowing what was at stake, Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly and flicked his wrist. Another pile of inner cores immediately appeared on the table.

The inner cores which he had obtained from the duo and the inner cores he had procured from slaying the spirit beasts on the way back down added up to a substantial sum. It was quite an astonishing sight to see them appear all in one place.

However, there weren't any Perfect Harmonization realm inner cores within the pile.

"Luoyang Beast, Viridsmoke Beast, Seven Feeler Beast... Why do those inner cores look so familiar?"

Upon seeing the inner cores that Zhang Xuan had taken out, Brother Yu and Senior Feng glanced at one another in astonishment.

Somehow, the inner cores that Zhang shi took out seemed extremely similar to those they had procured in the morning.

"Perhaps there might be many of the same spirit beasts on the mountain!"

Eventually, they convinced themselves as such.

After all, their storage rings were stolen by an aerial spirit beast, so how could they possibly fall into Zhang shi's hands? The only plausible reason was that they had simply managed to kill the same spirit beasts. Considering that they were hunting spirit beasts on the same mountain, as slim as the chances may seem to be, there was indeed such a possibility.

"Even though that fellow has quite a few inner cores, he seems to be a little lacking compared to us. That fellow... is bound to lose!"

After the initial shock, Brother Yu's eyes lit up in agitation.

Honestly speaking, after knowing that the other party had defeated Senior Feng with a single finger and seeing how he had dared to put a high-tier spirit stone on the stake, doubts had begun sprouting in his mind, leaving him uneasy. However, upon seeing the quantity and quality of inner cores that the other party had taken out, Brother Yu immediately heaved a sigh of relief.

Chuckling confidently, Brother Yu turned to the invigilators and clasped his fist. "I hope that you can judge our scores!"

"Alright."

Seeing how the both parties of the bet had managed to procure so many inner cores, the seniors before the table were astonished. They hurriedly lowered their heads to tabulate the score of each pile.

A few moments later, a senior stood up, and gesturing to Brother Yu, he said, "This junior over here has a Perfect Harmonization realm inner core, 3 Cosmos Bridge realm inner cores, 26 Consonant Spirit realm inner cores, and 18 Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle inner cores. All in all, he has received a score of... 2658 points!"

"2658 points?"

"Th-this is too amazing!"

"I thought that it was already impressive that Senior Hu from Wanyu Empire achieved a score of 700 points, but to think that this fellow would be even more formidable! With 2000 points, he has probably already broken the record! It is no wonder he is so arrogant. With such strength and capability, it would be difficult for one not to be so!"

"I wonder how many points that master teacher who arrived at noon earned. Nevertheless, against a score of 2658, I doubt that he will be able to retain his throne..."

...

A commotion broke out in the surroundings.

There was quite a handful that wasn't able to obtain even a single point, and yet this fellow actually received a hulking score of 2658. Just the thought of it was inconceivable in itself!

"What score do you think Zhang shi will get?"

After the wave of shock calmed down, the curious eyes of the crowd instinctively gathered on Zhang Xuan.

Considering how the master teachers dressed in beastskin were able to obtain such a high score, the person whom they were going against should be a formidable figure as well!

Another senior who had been tabulating Zhang Xuan's score spoke up.

"Zhang shi has obtained 5 Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle inner cores, 3 Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage inner cores, 13 Consonant Bridge realm... All in all, he has received a score of 2580!"

"2580? To lose by only 70 points, that is truly a pity!"

Upon hearing the score, a moment of silence drifted in the surroundings before a huge commotion exploded.

It was one thing for the gap between both parties to be huge, but given that they were both in the two thousand range, and the gap between them was less than a hundred, it was indeed a huge pity for the losing party.

"I lost?"

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

He'd thought that it would be difficult for the duo to win against him after the aerial spirit beast had stolen the storage rings from them, but who could have known that in just a few hours they were actually able to make a comeback?

Incredible!

As expected of the top geniuses of a region, they were truly not to be underestimated!

'But do I really have to hand over a high-tier spirit stone to them...'

Due to his complacency, Zhang Xuan had never thought that he would actually lose. He was fine with losing to the other party, but giving a high-tier spirit stone away? His heart might just bleed dry!

'Should I... take out the Myriad Anthive Queen?'

The troubled Zhang Xuan contemplated for a moment before shaking his head.

As the personnel in charge of intelligence in the operation against the master teachers on Leiyuan Peak, the Myriad Anthive Queen played a pivotal role in the operation, working as a direct assistant to the Byzantium Helios Beast. If he were to bring it out, he might risk alarming the Otherworldly Demons, which might trigger them to conduct even more extreme actions once they realized that their identity might have already been exposed.

If so, he would risk putting many in danger, especially since he couldn't warn the Master Teacher Pavilion of the matter due to his personal reasons.

But if not, was he really to hand over the high-tier spirit stone to the other party?

"Alright, the results are clear. Zhang shi, what else do you have to say?"

Upon achieving victory, Brother Yu clenched his fists tightly, and his eyes gleamed in excitement.

"What else do I have to say?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "This is your combined score; it doesn't necessarily mean that you have won the bet against me."

"Indeed! How come their score is tabulated together as one?"

"Considering how the both of them hunted together, if the points were to be divided equally among them, Zhang shi would still be the winner..."

Upon realizing this fact, the crowd nodded in agreement.

The both of them had hunted together whereas Zhang shi had moved as an individual, but both sides still ended up achieving similar scores. No matter how one looked at it, it was clear that the latter was the winner!

As if expecting Zhang Xuan to speak those words, Senior Feng replied with a smile, "Elder Mo stated clearly in the rules that the allocation of points is up to the individual. Since that's the case, I'll just take 77 points and leave the rest to Brother Yu!"

"Shameless!"

"If that fellow only takes 77 points, that Yu fellow will have a total score of 2581 points, thus winning against Zhang shi by a margin of one point!"

"He is definitely doing it on purpose!"

"But this is indeed the rule Elder Mo has set. In that respect, there's nothing wrong with what he is doing..."

...

Hearing Senior Feng's words, everyone fell speechless.

Elder Mo did say that examinees were allowed to freely allocate the points obtained from a hunt. If that fellow really took only 77 points from the hunt, Brother Yu would be left with 2581 points, thus putting him a single point higher than Zhang shi... What a shameless action this was!

Ignoring the furious criticism from the crowd, Senior Feng clasped his fist politely and asked, "Seniors, may I know if this is allowed?"

"This..."

After a moment of hesitation, one of the seniors nodded. "Yes, this is permitted."

Since this was a rule set by Elder Mo, there was no way they could go against it.

"Thank you... Zhang shi, what else do you have to say now? Even after taking away 77 points, Brother Yu is still one point above you. In the end, you still lost!"

The edges of Senior Feng's lips crept up.

After the numerous traumas he had suffered from this fellow, he finally managed to return the favor. Exhilaration surged in his heart with every thump, and he felt as if he could float into the skies in euphoria.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan kneaded his glabella in frustration.

The other party was right. Under the current state of affairs, he would still lose to Brother Yu.

Shaking his head, he turned to the seniors before him and asked, "Seniors, may I ask if the examination is over yet?"

"The examination?"

Hearing the question, the seniors turned their heads and glanced backward. Not too far away, an incense was placed on top of a stone pedestal. Beneath the coiling smoke trails, one could see that the incense was nearing its end.

The duration of the trial was a day. While most examinees used the movement of the sun to gauge the timing, an incense was still prepared to keep track of time precisely. At this moment, the sun had already set in the west, indicating the end of the day. But as long as the incense hadn't burned out yet, the examination couldn't be said to have ended.

The senior did a rough estimation and replied, "There are roughly ten minutes left..."

"Ten minutes?"

"That's right."

The senior nodded.

"Why? Are you still intending to dive back into the forest to hunt? Do you think that you can make it back within ten minutes?"

Realizing what Zhang Xuan was up to, Brother Yu burst into laughter.

The spirit beasts nearing the reporting venue had already been cleanly cleared away by the examinees descending from the mountains. It would be difficult to travel to the depths of the mountain in just ten minutes, but to find a spirit beast and return in that time period as well... How naive could one get?

His eyes were open, but he was clearly dreaming!

"There is indeed not much time left..."

Gazing at the incense above the stone pedestal, the other master teachers also nodded in agreement.

To find and hunt down a spirit beast from the mountain within ten minutes...

Unless one could fly, that would be impossible.

"Just admit defeat. Even if there are ten minutes left, you know that it's impossible for you to succeed. Besides, even though I chose to take 77 points, I can always give more points to Brother Yu if required. In other words, the only way for you to win against us is to kill one Cosmos Bridge realm or two Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle spirit beasts. Do you think that you can do it within ten minutes?" Senior Feng sneered coldly.

There was a disparity of 78 points between the both parties at the moment. If Senior Feng were to claim only a single point, Zhang Xuan would require 78 points to defeat Brother Yu.

The inner core of a Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle spirit beast was worth 40 points, so Zhang Xuan would have to kill two of them. Alternatively, he could also choose to hunt down a Cosmos Bridge realm spirit beast.

However, despite roaming the forest for an entire day, they'd barely found a handful of Cosmos Bridge realm spirit beasts. To find and hunt one down and bring back its inner core within ten minutes, the other party was clearly deluding himself.

"You're right... If it were just me, it would be difficult."

Ignoring the doubts from the crowd and Senior Feng's sneer, Zhang Xuan pinched his glabella and said, "But I don't want to lose, so I can only give it a try."

With those words, he raised his head and whistled sharply.

Wuuuuuu!

The next moment, a massive Great Violetwing Beast suddenly swooped across the air, swiftly disappearing into the depths of the mountains.

"That is... your half 9-dan tamed beast? But it can only be used once throughout the examination... You haven't used it yet?"

Senior Feng and Brother Yu's faces suddenly turned ghastly pale.

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Chapter 721: You Are Zhang shi?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"I haven't!" Zhang Xuan replied.

With his current strength, he didn't need to use the Great Violetwing Beast to deal with mere Cosmos Bridge realm and Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beasts.

As for an opponent of the Byzantium Helios Beast's level, it would be futile even if he were to send the Great Violetwing Beast at it. As such, throughout the examination, Zhang Xuan hadn't tapped into the strength of the Great Violetwing Beast yet.

"He actually hasn't used it yet..."

Brother Yu and Senior Feng's lips twitched, and they nearly burst into tears.

They had specially asked Elder Mo regarding the issue of high-tier spirit beasts before the examination, and the response they had received was that they could only be used once.

They'd thought that given how Zhang Xuan had managed to procure so many inner cores, he must have used the ability of his tamed beast. Who could have possibly known that his tamed beast would prove to be the decisive factor in their bet...

It might be difficult for them to hunt down a spirit beast within ten minutes, but for the half 9-dan Great Violetwing Beast, it was no issue at all.

Could they really fail due to this?

If that were to really happen, they might just cry their eyes out.

"Nevertheless, there's a chance that the Great Violetwing Beast might be unable to find a spirit beast, or that it won't be able to accomplish the feat within ten minutes. We still have hope!"

At this point, Brother Yu could only hold on dearly to this slither of hope.

So what if the other party used his Great Violetwing Beast? They hadn't lost yet!

Perhaps Lady Luck might just favor them!

'I can only hope for the best now...'

Ignoring the others, Zhang Xuan gazed into the sky.

When he was descending from the mountain, he noticed some trails which indicated the rough directions where spirit beasts might be hiding. In his whistle, he'd informed the Great Violetwing Beast of those locations, so capturing one shouldn't be a problem. The issue was with the tier of the spirit beast.

He could only win against Brother Yu if the spirit beast was at Cosmos Bridge realm.

Just as he was deep in thought, a huge gust of wind suddenly blew from the sky. The Great Violetwing Beast had finally returned, and gripped in its large claws was an aerial spirit beast.

'Not bad, you returned quite fast. But why does this spirit beast... look so familiar?'

Seeing how the other party had returned within two minutes, Zhang Xuan nodded in approval. However, upon catching sight of the spirit beast it had captured, he couldn't help but freeze for an instant.

Why did this fellow look so familiar?

It was then when it suddenly struck him. Wasn't this the fellow he had seen reporting to the Byzantium Helios Beast, as well as the one who had stolen Brother Yu and Senior Feng's storage rings?

It seemed like that fellow was in the midst of his flight when he bumped into the Great Violetwing Beast, so the latter chose to capture it.

'But this fellow...'

Zhang Xuan's lips twitched upon the realization. He hurriedly turned his sights to Brother Yu and Senior Feng, and as expected, the eyes of the duo had reddened in fury. If looks could kill, that aerial spirit beast would have withered there and then.

"It is that fellow! Karma always strikes at the most unexpected situations..."

"This is great..."

Incapable of flight, it was nigh impossible for them to capture the aerial spirit beast and get even with it.

Nevertheless, they had already solemnly sworn to themselves to comb through the entire Leiyuan Peak to hunt that fellow down no matter how long it took. But by some stroke of luck, Zhang shi's tamed beast had actually managed to capture that darned fellow!

'The heavens are impartial!'

With this, not only would they be able to get their vengeance, they would also be able to retrieve their storage rings and boost their score further!

"Zhang shi, have your tamed beast throw that fellow down. I have some personal grudges to clear with it..." Brother Yu roared furiously in anger.

"Throw it down?"

Seeing that fellow's attitude, Zhang Xuan shook his head before gesturing to the Great Violetwing Beast.

Receiving the instructions, the Great Violetwing Beast hesitated for a moment before releasing its claws, leaving the aerial spirit beast to plummet to the ground.

Hu!

The Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast whizzed through the sky.

"Wait till I lay my hands on you..."

Recalling the humiliation of being stripped clean, Brother Yu pushed against the ground and leaped into the sky.

Gathering his might, he wrapped his zhenqi around his fist as if blazing flames.

"What is that fellow up to?"

"That spirit beast was captured by Zhang shi's tamed beast, why is he trying to kill it?"

The master teachers in the surroundings glanced at one another in confusion as they watched Brother Yu rushing frenziedly toward the spirit beast Zhang shi had captured.

Boom!

But at that moment, the Transcendent Mortal 7-dan aerial spirit beast suddenly opened its eyes, and with a forceful flap of its wings, it stabilized its posture before retaliating with its claws.

While it only managed to recover at that very instant, with its superior cultivation and positional advantage, it still managed to gain the upper hand.

Peng!

As the fist and the claw collided, Brother Yu felt as if a huge mountain had crushed down on him. An incomparably dense might struck him squarely, leaving his apertures bleeding from the impact.

Sou!

Under the immense force, the rising Brother Yu was suddenly smacked back down like a cannonball, leaving behind a huge depression in the ground.

Pu!

Fresh blood spurted from his mouth. The clash had left him severely wounded.

As talented as he was, he was only a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage cultivator at the moment. Against a 7-dan Perfect Harmonization spirit beast, he was still far too lacking.

"Brother Yu..."

Not expecting such an outcome, Senior Feng hurriedly rushed forward to help his companion up. By the time he turned his sight back to the 7-dan aerial spirit beast, the latter was already heading off into the distance.

Panicked, Senior Feng exclaimed, "Zhang shi, that fellow is escaping..."

If that fellow were to get away, how were they supposed to get their storage rings back and exact vengeance?

"You're right," Zhang Xuan remarked nonchalantly, as if he was uninvolved in this matter.

Stunned by Zhang Xuan's nonchalance, Senior Feng's rage flurried. "Then what are you waiting for? Capture it!"

"Capture it? I would love to do so, but I am only allowed to use my tamed beast once. I have already used up my chance when my tamed beast brought it over here. If I were to use it once more, won't I be reported for flouting the rules?" Zhang Xuan said with a trouble expression on his face.

Of course he couldn't capture that fellow back! Otherwise, if the existence of the Byzantium Helios Beast were to be made known somehow, he could potentially land himself in trouble!

It was still better to keep out of trouble's way than to risk it.

Pu...

Hearing those words, Brother Yu, who had barely just recovered slightly from his injuries, couldn't help but spew another mouthful of blood out of frustration.

He was certain that the Great Violetwing Beast had sealed the aerial spirit beast's meridians beforehand, thus binding the latter's movement. How did the latter recover from that so quickly?

Furthermore, even if the aerial spirit beast did recover, the force of its attack was a little too strong... It was as if the Great Violetwing Beast had sided with the aerial spirit beast against him!

"This..."

While he was busy spurting blood, Senior Feng's body was trembling in frustration.

Why did he have to be so nosey and raise the concern regarding Zhang shi's tamed beast? He'd thought that this rule would help him to subdue that fellow, but who knew that he would be the one suffering from it in the end!

Spewing yet a mouthful of fresh blood, Brother Yu howled furiously, "As long as you capture the aerial spirit beast back, I'm willing to admit defeat..."

As long as he could retrieve his storage rings, what did losing an Aerial Strike Amulet count as?

"You will admit defeat? Then... where is the Aerial Strike Amulet you promised me?" Zhang Xuan stretched out his hand, demanding for his possession.

"This..." Brother Yu's body stiffened.

'It has been stolen by that aerial spirit beast. Only after capturing it can I hand it over to you...'

"Don't worry. As long as you capture that fellow, I'll hand it over to you..." Brother Yu replied, gritting his teeth.

"That won't do. You will have to hand the Aerial Strike Amulet over first before I will instruct my spirit beast to capture that fellow. I am taking a huge risk here by doing this; you know that my actions might be taken as flouting the rules, thus putting me at risk of disqualification, right? The least you can do is to show your sincerity," Zhang Xuan replied.

"You..."

Brother Yu was on the verge of exploding from frustration. "Don't worry! I, Yu Cheng, vow that even if I don't have the Aerial Strike Amulet, I will compensate you with a high-tier spirit stone. You need not worry about me reneging on my promise!"

Unable to produce the item, Brother Yu could only offer a promise.

"In other words... the Aerial Strike Amulet isn't in your possession?" Yet, instead of focusing on the promise, Zhang Xuan chose to bite firmly at the underlying meaning behind Brother Yu's statement.

"..." This time, Brother Yu really burst into tears.

'Can you stop mentioning the Aerial Strike Amulet?

'All I need you to do is to capture that fellow, I'll give you whatever you want afterward as long as you do it, so can you just stop talking about the Aerial Strike Amulet...'

"Brother Yu... That fellow is already gone..."

Just as Brother Yu was about to continue arguing, he suddenly heard Senior Feng's despairing words. Hurriedly lifting his gaze, he realized that the Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast had already vanished in the dark sky.

If not for this incident, they might still have been able to find that aerial spirit beast in Leiyuan Peak. However, after this matter, why would that aerial spirit beast dare to remain here knowing that someone was after its life? It would definitely fly as far as it could!

"Damn it..."

The more he thought about it, the more furious he felt. Brother Yu struggled to his feet and glared at Zhang Xuan in animosity.

At that moment, one of the seniors suddenly exclaimed, "Alright, time's up!"

Everyone subconsciously glanced at the incense on the stone pedestal, only to see the final whiff of smoke dissipating from the incense. Ten minutes had passed.

Brother Yu clenched his jaws and said, "Seniors, he's failed to capture a spirit beast, so his score is still lower than mine. This should mean that he has lost the bet..."

'Since you're going to be difficult, don't blame me for returning the favor!'

"Lost?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "My tamed beast captured a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast and brought it here, and if not for this fellow's intervention, I would have surely procured its inner core and earned another thousand points. It is clear that he intentionally let my spirit beast loose, even trying to convince me to flout the rules so as to have me disqualified from the examination! Most important of all, he made a bet with me despite not possessing the required capital. All of this suggests that he is trying to scam me of my high-tier spirit stone..."

Zhang Xuan stepped forward, and with an indignant expression, he said, "I beseech the seniors to redress my grievances!"

"This..."

Hearing the both sides of the story, the seniors gazed at one another and fell into a dilemma.

It was true that Zhang shi would have surely won if Yu Cheng hadn't interfered. In this respect, Zhang shi had the moral high ground.

However... whatever the cause was, it was a fact that Zhang shi's score was lower than the other party. If they were to just look at the outcome, without a doubt, Zhang shi had lost the bet.

A moment later, one of the seniors spoke up.

"Both of you are talented students of our Master Teacher Academy, there is no need to for the two of you to become enemies over such a minor matter. Why don't we just call the bet off..."

Yu Cheng harrumphed.

"No way! Since he dared to accept the challenge, he should have been prepared to face the consequences. It is clear that he has lost the bet, so he should pay me a high-tier spirit stone!"

Since he was unable to exact vengeance on the aerial spirit beast, he would just have to vent his frustrations on Zhang Xuan.

Otherwise, the matter that had happened would just turn him into a laughingstock, creating a dark stain in his history.

"This..."

Hearing those words from Brother Yu, the seniors contemplated for a moment longer before one eventually stood out and said, "Alright. Since that's the case, why don't we leave this matter to Elder Mo to resolve..."

Considering the astounding strength the both of them had displayed even before their enrollment, they would surely become new stars of the academy. Even as their seniors, they dared not offend them.

"Alright!" Yu Cheng replied smugly.

It was a fact that his score was higher than Zhang Xuan's, not even Elder Mo could twist this fact.

"Tell me your names, and I'll record your results first," the senior said.

"I am Yu Cheng, and he is Zhang Xuan..." Yu Cheng said. However, before he could finish his words, the seniors who were still calm a moment ago suddenly widened their eyes in shock. Staring at the young man before them, their lips quivered in agitation, as if excited to see their favorite idol.

"Zhang Xuan? You are... Zhang shi from Huanyu Empire?"

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Chapter 722: Forty Thousand Points?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Indeed, I am Zhang Xuan!"

Zhang Xuan scratched his head bewilderedly, uncomprehending of the reactions of the seniors.

'I am already being very low profile, choosing not to take out the Byzantium Helios Beast. Why are you all still acting like that?

'Besides, my points are lower than Yu Cheng's as well. Surely your agitation should be directed toward him instead of me?'

Not only was Zhang Xuan stunned, the other master teachers in the area were also surprised to see such reactions from the composed seniors. Did all of them suffer a stroke simultaneously?

Suddenly, one of the older seniors exclaimed, "Everyone, he is Zhang shi!", catching the attention of all of the other seniors.

"What? He is Zhang shi?"

"So it's you, you are as dashing as I thought..."

"Zhang shi, I am Liu Chuang from Grade 2, pleased to meet you. If you find yourself facing any trouble in the academy, feel free to look for me..."

"I am Zhi Zhijun from Grade 2, a member of the Enforcement Squad in the academy. Are you free tonight? Our team would like to host a welcome party to celebrate your enrollment..."

"Hah, is a welcome party all you can offer? Zhang shi, I know that you are a beast tamer, so I have prepared 2000 Beast Crystals for you. You need not feel any pressure accepting these, just regard it as a gift from a brother..."

"Beast Crystals? What a shabby gift to offer to another. Zhang shi, I have prepared a Beast Blood Pill for you..."

...

Hearing the exclamation, the invigilating seniors immediately tossed aside their jobs and rushed up to Zhang Xuan. They gazed at Zhang Xuan intimately as if he were their kin, and their eyes were shining so brightly in excitement that they could nearly light up the night.

"This..."

Not expecting the other seniors to treat him in such an amiable fashion right after hearing his name, Zhang Xuan rubbed his nose awkwardly. He couldn't comprehend the sight before him... Could it be that the news of him beating up the Byzantium Helios Beast had become known?

But that shouldn't be!

He had instructed Vicious to ensure that no one was around when he pummeled the Byzantium Helios Beast, so it should be impossible for anyone to have noticed that matter.

Not even Elder Mo would be able to get past Vicious' radar!

But if the news hadn't been leaked, what kind of insanity were these people up to?

Zhang Xuan hadn't killed a single high-tier spirit beast or display outstanding prowess throughout the examination... Could he be so brilliant that not even his humble performance could conceal his radiance any longer?

Upon thinking of this, Zhang Xuan subconsciously glanced down at his appearance—a normal master teacher robe... Un, it didn't seem that there was anything unique about him. His aura... had also been suppressed to Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle. As for his Heaven's Path zhenqi, they shouldn't be able to sense it either...

While Zhang Xuan was baffled by the situation before him, Yu Cheng was on the verge of going insane.

'I am clearly the winner, alright?

'I won the bet, accumulating a score of more than two thousand points, displaying an extraordinary performance in contrast to my peers... Yet, instead of speaking to me, you actually chose to show care and concern to a loser instead, inviting him to a meal and even gifting him valuable items...

'Do you need to be so obvious that you are fawning on someone?

'Where is your pride as seniors!'

Yu Cheng's lips twitched violently, and his eyes reddened in frenzy... 'The heck! I am the freaking winner here, I really am! It isn't this Zhang shi over here!'

On the other hand, Senior Feng also swallowed his saliva upon seeing the situation before him. The insanity that was unfolding before him had left him on the verge of madness.

He thought that he would be able to wash away his previous humiliations with this triumph, but who knew that the other party would still up him one in the end!

In the end, it seemed like nothing had changed at all.

"What is going on? What are you doing gathering here instead of invigilating the test properly?"

Just as everyone was feeling faint from the madness before them, a sharp bellow suddenly echoed in the air. Following which, a stern-looking middle-aged man walked over.

"It is Bai shi from the academy's Enforcement Hall! He is known throughout the academy to be an austere person..."

"I heard that Bai shi is Elder Mo's direct disciple. Even though he is a 6-star low-tier master teacher, he possesses a great deal of influence in the academy!"

"Direct disciple? You must be mistaken. Up until now, Elder Mo has been known to have never accepted a single direct disciple. Bai shi is simply an ordinary student under him..."

"Regardless of whether he is a direct disciple or not, he is still a figure that we can only look up to..."

...

Such soft whispers could be heard amidst the crowd.

Bai shi's cultivation and master teacher rank couldn't be considered to be exceptional, but he was extremely famous in the academy. As he had always followed behind Elder Mo, most had thought of him to be the latter's direct disciple.

"Bai shi!"

As expected, as soon as the seniors noticed Bai shi's arrival, they immediately dashed back to their positions at the speed of light.

"The reason teacher has made you the invigilators of this examination is due to his high opinion of your diligence and honesty. Who allowed you to approach the examinees on your own whim to strike up private connections with them here?" Bai shi glared at the seniors coldly.

The powerful aura of a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan weighed down heavily on them.

5-star master teacher corresponded to cultivation realms of Transcendent Mortal 6-dan, 7-dan, and 8-dan. To become a 6-star master teacher, one had to at least possess the cultivation of a 9-dan!

As a 6-star low-tier master teacher, Bai shi was a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan pinnacle expert. There were none that stood here who could match him.

"Yes..."

Those words left the faces of the seniors turning red in embarrassment.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and continue with the invigilation!"

Bai shi waved his hand majestically.

The frightened seniors hurriedly turned their attention back to tabulating the scores of the examinees.

"Humph!"

Bai shi harrumphed coldly. After ensuring that everything was back in order, he turned to Zhang Xuan. Unlike the previous austerity he had shown to the seniors, he had a slight smile on his face at the moment. Clasping his fist, he bowed. "Senior Zhang, teacher has invited you to meet him!"

"Senior?"

"Bai shi has addressed Zhang shi as... senior? Could it be that Elder Mo intends to take Zhang shi in as his direct disciple?"

"That would explain why all of the seniors are eager to fawn over him. After all, Elder Mo is one of the Ten Great Elders of the academy! The standing of his students is above that of most teachers. Just look at Bai shi, there is barely anyone who would dare stand in his way!"

"Indeed. To be accepted as the direct disciple despite having yet to officially enroll in the academy... How enviable!"

...

Seeing the politeness Bai shi was showing to Zhang shi, everyone suddenly froze.

For one to be addressed in such a manner by a 6-star master teacher, there was only one possibility—Elder Mo was intending to take in Zhang Xuan as his direct disciple!

But... hadn't Zhang shi just arrived at the academy, just like them?

All they had done to date was take the entrance examination. What in the world did the other party do to actually catch the eye of Elder Mo, who had never accepted a single direct disciple before?

Wasn't he way too lucky!

"Elder Mo? Alright."

Noticing all of the gazes on him, Zhang Xuan realized that his plan to maintain a low profile had fallen through. With a deep sigh, he nodded and followed Bai shi down the mountain.

A moment later, they disappeared from the crowd's sight.

"Why?! I am obviously the victor! I am the one who won! But why..."

Seeing Zhang Xuan leave under the escort of Bai shi, Yu Cheng's eyes reddened in frenzy.

The reason he intentionally challenged Zhang Xuan was so as to force himself to perform spectacularly.

Even with his inner cores stolen, he still managed to obtain an amazing score exceeding two thousand points.

Given his outstanding result, why did Elder Mo choose to take in a person who had lost to him instead?

Seeing how Yu shi was raging over the matter, a senior finally couldn't stand watching the situation any longer. With a look of pity, the senior asked, "You won? Yu shi, do you know what Zhang shi's score is?"

Stunned by the abrupt question, Yu Cheng replied, "His score? Wasn't it tabulated at 2580 just now?"

It was just a moment ago that the score had been revealed, and the other party had lost to him and Senior Feng by 78 points. Did the senior forget about it?

"2580?" The senior burst into laughter. Shaking his head, he said, "Do you think that it is possible to catch Elder Mo's eye with such a score?"

"This..." Yu Cheng blinked in shock.

Zhang Xuan had come together with him to have their scores checked. Could there be some mistake with his score? But how could that be possible?

"Let me tell you honestly, his total score adds up to... 43724 points!" The senior spoke affirmatively, but a hint of astonishment still flashed across his eyes while reciting the figure.

"43000 points? B-but how is this possible?"

The astonished Yu Cheng nearly fainted on the spot. His lips twitched intensely in disbelief. "Didn't he only obtain the inner cores from Luoyang Beast, Viridsmoke Beast, Seven Feeler Beast... How did he obtain such a high score?"

Yu Cheng wasn't the only one astounded by this revelation. The master teachers in the surroundings also turned their doubtful gazes over.

They had all witnessed the sight of Zhang shi handing over his inner cores, as well as the tabulation of the results. How in the world did two thousand points turn into forty thousand points?

Wasn't this gap a little too big?

Forty thousand points... Given the score of a hundred points for each Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage spirit beast, one would have to hunt at least 400 of them to achieve that score!

But with the time limit of a single day, was that even possible?

"How is that possible? Zhang shi singlehandedly saved more than two hundred trapped master teachers at Heaven's Thread. In the midst of doing so, he tamed more than four hundred Consonant Spirit realm and Cosmos Bridge realm spirit beasts. How is that not worth forty thousand points?"

Seeing Yu Cheng's disbelief, the senior flung his sleeves and said, "Furthermore, you should also be aware that taming a spirit beast is far more difficult than killing one!"

"He tamed... four hundred spirit beasts?"

Hearing those words, someone suddenly put two and two together and exclaimed, "This... Could it be that Zhang shi is the unparalleled genius that returned at noon whom the seniors were talking about?"

They had previous heard from the seniors that a top scorer had already emerged at noon. Initially, most thought that it would only be two to three thousand points at the maximum, but who could have imagined that it would actually be forty thousand points!

Furthermore, it came actually from this humble-looking Zhang shi!

"Indeed, that person is Zhang shi... After learning of his incredible performance, even Elder Mo and Pavilion Master Mo Gaoyuan are eager to meet him. Do you really think that you have won against him with those measly two thousand points of yours?" the senior said.

How conceited!

Initially, even though Brother Yu and Senior Feng had addressed Zhang Xuan as Zhang shi, they still weren't able to put the two together. After all, there were at least hundreds of master teachers amongst the examinees that went by the surname of Zhang as well.

But for a person to be known as Zhang Xuan and to have come from Huanyu Empire at that, there seemed to only be a single person who fit this description!

The incredible genius whom even Elder Mo was full of praise for!

Honestly speaking, he still found it hard to believe the incident that had happened at noon to be true.

If Zhang shi was only strong and formidable in beast taming, they wouldn't have been so impressed.

More importantly, he was humble and nonchalant to fame and wealth. That was what had truly left them awed.

Most likely, it was this charisma of his that won him the respect of all of the examinees who returned at noon.

Two hundred master teachers bringing more than four hundred spirit beasts back, but every single one of them only asked for a single point. They insisted on transferring the remaining to Zhang shi to thank him for saving their lives. Just by recalling the sight of it now, he would still shake in agitation at the grandness of the sight.

After which, when he heard of the entire story from the master teachers, his respect for Zhang Xuan only further deepened.

Despite taming so many spirit beasts and saving everyone, he didn't boast and demand compensation and credit for his efforts.

After the deed was done, he simply flung his sleeves and left nonchalantly, not even bothering to leave his name behind. Such was his nobility! Simply too few master teachers had managed to achieve such a transcendental attitude in their lifetimes.

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Chapter 723: Elder Mo Accepting a Disciple

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Most important of all...

According to what he heard from the other master teachers, in order to save them, Zhang shi had utilized a secret art to forcefully raise his cultivation from Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage to Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle!

If it had been anyone else in his place, that person would have surely gone around showing off his prowess. On the other hand, Zhang shi had chosen to remain humble about the matter...

If not for Yu Cheng exposing his name, no one would have recognized him!

It was truly a pity that most master teachers get too caught up with cultivating their strength that they neglected to cultivate their spirituality.

Look at yourself... Are you certain that you are qualified to compete with him?

What do you have that can possibly compete with him?

Your boastful mouth?

With such a thought in mind, the seniors glanced at Yu Cheng derisively.

If it had been in the past, they would surely have been awed by Yu Cheng's astounding result of two thousand points. But when put against Zhang shi, the disparity was simply too big that it was almost disappointing.

And this wasn't just an issue concerning strength, but moral values as well.

Zhang shi was willing to sacrifice himself for the other master teachers while expecting nothing in return, what about you?

In fear of loss, you intentionally chased away the spirit beast that the other party's tamed beast had captured over. After such a shameless act, you even dared to show off your points and force the other party to fulfill the end of the bet...

The both of you are geniuses, but why is there simply such a huge gap between you two?

"..."

Under the derisive gazes of the seniors, Yu Cheng felt his legs losing his strength. He quickly turned around to look at the others, only to find countless more derisive gazes before him.

Unable to take the blow, Yu Cheng's vision darkened, and a spurt of fresh blood gushed from his mouth.

The heck... Isn't this just a bet?

In this examination, I was stripped bare by a spirit beast and lost all of my artifacts. Despite my hard work and outstanding performance, I still ended up being the object of mockery of everyone else... What the hell is this!

Brother Yu and Senior Feng glanced at one another, and they burst into tears.

...

"That... Bai shi, may I know the reason why Elder Mo is looking for me?"

Until this point, Zhang shi was still stunned by the sudden twist of events before him. He simply couldn't figure out what was going on.

He had been too caught up with pursuing the Myriad Anthive Queen that he neglected the spirit beasts that he had tamed. As such, he was also unaware that the master teachers he had saved had put the points obtained from those spirit beasts under his name.

As a result, he still thought that his score was lower than Yu Cheng's.

"You don't know?"

Hearing Zhang Xuan's question, Bai shi was taken aback. He turned around to look at Zhang Xuan, and upon seeing the earnest confusion in the other party's face, his respect for the other party deepened further.

Did you see that?

This is the magnanimity of a true master!

Under normal circumstances, it would be a blessing if one didn't solicit for a reward after doing a kind deed. On the other hand, Zhang shi threw it completely to the back of his mind, treating it as if it was the natural thing to do. Such nobility was truly worthy of respect!

Of everyone that he had seen, the only one who could possibly compare with the other party was the old principal.

"Am I supposed to know?"

Zhang Xuan asked in bewilderment.

He had only met Elder Mo once, and that was during the briefing of the examination. On top of that, he also didn't think that he had done anything worthy of the other party's attention. So what could the other party be seeking him for?

"Don't worry, you aren't in any trouble. You will know once we get there!"

With a slight smile, Bai shi replied.

After walking for some distance, a straw hut came into sight.

While it was termed as a straw hut, it actually resembled more of a gazebo. It seemed to be freshly built, and beneath its roof sat two elders.

"Pavilion Master Mo?"

With a glance, Zhang Xuan swiftly recognized the two men in the gazebo. One of them was Elder Mo while the other party was Pavilion Master Mo, the person who left a high-tier spirit stone as a reward for the Master Teacher Tournament, Mo Gaoyuan.

"Teacher, Zhang shi is here!"

Unaware of the doubts flying through Zhang Xuan's mind, Bai shi stepped forward and reported.

"Oh? You are Zhang Xuan?"

Elder Mo stood up and assessed Zhang Xuan from head to toe. He slowly nodded, seemingly satisfied with what he was seeing.

A composed young man with no signs of anxiety or arrogance. It was clear that he was a highly cultured man.

"Zhang Xuan pays respect to Elder Mo and Pavilion Master Mo!" Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

"Oh? Zhang shi, this seems to be the first time we are meeting." Mo Gaoyuan gazed at Zhang Xuan doubtfully.

"Ah... Indeed!"

Only then did Zhang Xuan suddenly recall that he had only met Pavilion Master Mo in his identity as 'Yang shi'. In strict terms, this should be the first time 'Zhang shi' was meeting with him.

"I have heard of Pavilion Master Mo's valiance from Hong shi."

Zhang Xuan replied calmly without the slightest hint of panic.

"Not bad. To be able to recognize me from just descriptions, as expected of a genius!" Mo Gaoyuan nodded.

He did possess a fair share of fame as the pavilion master of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Pavilion, so it wasn't too surprising for Zhang Xuan to recognize him.

"Oh? What does this mean? Pavilion Master Mo, you are acquainted with him?" Hearing the conversation between the two, Elder Mo asked doubtfully.

Wasn't Zhang shi a freshman who had just enrolled this year?

Why did it seem as if he had some ties with Pavilion Master Mo?

"We aren't acquaintances, but I have heard of Zhang shi's name. As you can see, this is the first time we are meeting." Mo Gaoyuan replied.

Without the other party's permission, he didn't dare to speak of Yang shi's name in public. Thus, he chose to speak of the matter vaguely.

"You heard of Zhang shi's name?" Elder Mo's bewilderment further deepened.

Who was the man before him? A 6-star pinnacle master teacher, a person who ruled over the Master Teacher Pavilion of a Tier 1 Empire, one of the most influential men in Hongyuan Empire. On the other hand, no matter how talented Zhang shi was, he was still nothing more than a humble figure from Huanyu Empire. How could there be ties between two people from vastly different worlds, not to mention, Pavilion Master Mo had actually heard of Zhang shi?

"Pavilion Master Mo has probably heard of me due to his ties with my teacher." Seeing that Pavilion Master Mo was put at a spot, Zhang Xuan stood forward to explain.

"Ties with your teacher?" Elder Mo was taken aback. "May I know whom your esteemed teacher is? Perhaps I might be acquainted with him."

In truth, Zhang Xuan's feat of taming more than four hundred spirit beasts in just two hours had stoked his desire to take him in as his direct disciple.

In his view, since Zhang Xuan had originated from the humble Huanyu Empire, his teacher was unlikely to be an incredible figure. As such, it shouldn't be a problem for him to take the other party in as his direct disciple. However, when he heard that Mo Gaoyuan knew of the other party's teacher, and there seemed to be some deep relationship between them at that, he began to feel a little uneasy.

If Zhang Xuan's teacher was a 6-star master teacher as well, it would be inappropriate for him to take the other party's student. While it was typically considered as an honor for one's student to catch the eye of a higher ranked master teacher, the same didn't apply for peers.

This was especially so if Zhang Xuan was a direct disciple. This would then become an extremely sensitive matter that concerned one's heritage and reputation. Taking how Cao Xiong had tried to take Wang Ying away from Zhang Xuan back then as an example, such incidents could be viewed as an attempt to humiliate the teacher as the teacher's professionalism would be questioned, thus potentially resulting in an irreconcilable animosity between both parties.

"My teacher is Yang Xuan!" Zhang Xuan replied.

"Yang Xuan?"

Elder Mo frowned. After a moment of contemplation, he realized that he had never heard of this name so he turned to Mo Gaoyuan and asked, "May I know if Yang shi is..."

"This..."

Having promised to keep Yang shi's identity a secret, Mo Gaoyuan was put at a spot.

"My teacher enjoys spending his time roaming the lands, so he doesn't have much of a fame. It is normal for Elder Mo to have not heard of him." Zhang Xuan hurriedly replied.

"Doesn't have much of a fame?" Elder Mo was perplexed.

As the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion, Mo Gaoyuan possessed exceptional standing. If Zhang Xuan's teacher was just an ordinary master teacher, why would he hesitate to talk about him?

"I'll just tell you the truth then. I am indebted to Yang shi for his impartation..." Judging from Elder Mo's expression that he was unlikely to give up, Mo Gaoyuan was fearful that his old friend might accidentally say something inappropriate before Yang shi's student, so he hurriedly said.

"Impartation? Could it be..."

Upon realizing the meaning behind Mo Gaoyuan's words, Elder Mo hurriedly turned his gaze to the young man before him.

Among master teachers of equal rank, one would usually use terms like trading insights and interacting. Only toward higher ranked master teachers would the term impartation be used.

For Mo Gaoyuan to act so cautiously and use such a respectful term, could it be that... Zhang Xuan's teacher was a master teacher of higher rank than him?

But both Mo Gaoyuan and he were already 6-star pinnacle master teachers... If Zhang Xuan's teacher was beyond Mo Gaoyuan, didn't that mean that he was a 7-star master teacher or beyond?

"That's right!" Knowing what Elder Mo was thinking, Mo Gaoyuan hurriedly nodded.

"This..." Elder Mo's face paled in shock.

He was only a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, how could he possibly dare to take in the student of a 7-star master teacher? That would be getting ahead of himself!

"May I know if Zhang shi's beast taming skill was imparted by Yang shi?"

But nevertheless, Elder Mo still felt a little reluctant to give up on such a good bud.

After all, a student could have multiple teachers for differing fields. There could be a teacher to guide him on his cultivation, another on beast taming, painting, Way of Medicine... If Zhang Xuan's beast taming skills didn't come from Yang shi, it wouldn't be considered a breach of etiquette for Elder Mo to take him as his beast taming student.

In a sense, this was similar to how Zhang Xuan took Luo Qiqi in as his apothecary student.

As the saying goes, "learn from the skilled, not the aged". Even if Yang Xuan was a 7-star master teacher, as long as he didn't teach Zhang Xuan beast taming, there would be no clash of interest.

"My beast taming skill was indeed learned from my teacher."

Zhang Xuan could also tell Elder Mo's intention, so he quickly admitted to it.

Elder Mo would be a strong backing for him in the Master Teacher Academy, especially considering the fact that he was one of the Ten Great Elders, but Zhang Xuan was still reluctant to acknowledge the other party as his teacher.

First, it would be difficult for him to explain the matter of 'Yang shi'.

All along, Yang shi had put on too invincible of a front before others. It might bring some doubt to the credibility of Yang shi's identity if he were to acknowledge Elder Mo as his teacher, regardless of whether there was a clash of conflict or not.

Second, he didn't even accept Kong shi's offer to become his student. If he were to become Elder Mo's student now, wouldn't Kong shi explode from rage?

Even though it was known throughout the continent that Kong shi had already passed away, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but think that there was something deeper to the matter after the 'disciple accepting incident' back then.

Besides, he was a Celestial Master Teacher, a being recognized by even the heavens itself. Even if he wanted to acknowledge the other party as his teacher, would the other party be able to bear such the heavy burden of being the teacher of a Celestial Master Teacher on his shoulder?

"Then... what about smithing? I am skilled at smithing too!" Elder Mo was still reluctant to give up. After all, it wasn't every day that one would see such a talented student.

Everyone knew of Elder Mo's astounding beast taming capability, but little knew that he was also a top-notch blacksmith as well.

"My smithing art is also imparted by my teacher." Zhang Xuan replied.

"T-then... what about Way of Medicine?" Elder Mo pushed on obstinately

"Cough cough, alright, that's enough. Yang shi is a great man, his capability isn't one that we can fathom..."

Seeing how his old friend was still trying his luck, pushing from beast taming to smithing and finally to Way of Medicine, Mo Gaoyuan couldn't help but interject.

"Sigh, you also know that the reason why I am still without a direct disciple isn't because I am unwilling to accept one but that I am simply unable to find a suitable candidate..."

Knowing that Pavilion Master Mo was stopping him out of goodwill, Elder Mo shook his head with a bitter smile.

In truth, he had seen many geniuses in his years, but none of them had reached his expectations.

His prerequisite in accepting a disciple wasn't the talent of the other party's talent but his personality. He deeply believed that a master teacher had to be willing to bear the weight of the entire world on his shoulders.

Given that Zhang Xuan was willing to sacrifice himself to trigger a secret art to forcefully raise his cultivation to save others and yet not solicit any compensation, his personality definitely reached Elder Mo's expectations.

The reason why he spent such a heavy price on recruiting the services of the Byzantium Helios Beast to invigilate the examination was just so that he could find a suitable student to inherit his heritage. With a perfect jade right before him, how could he be willing to let go?

"I understand your intentions, but..."

At this point, Mo Gaoyuan hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Yang shi's prowess..."

Just as he was conflicted as to whether he should reveal the true strength of Yang shi to make his good buddy give up on the impossible idea, one of the invigilating seniors suddenly rushed to the gazebo from the distance.

"Reporting to Elder Mo, we have finished tabulating the score of the examinees!"

"Good!"

Elder Mo's eyes lit up. "How many people have passed the examination?"

"Reporting to Elder Mo, a total of 6487!"

"O-only six thousand?" Elder Mo was startled.

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Chapter 724: The Selfless Zhang Xuan

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

The typical practice was to have at least twenty thousand of the thirty thousand students to pass the examination. Yet, only six thousand or so people had passed the examination. Did this mean that they were going to eliminate a total of twenty-four thousand freshmen?

For the result of the examination to actually turn out like this, how was to account for this matter to the academy?

"That's right." The senior nodded, affirming Elder Mo's doubts.

Elder Mo's complexion turned incredibly awful.

Didn't the Byzantium Helios Beast promise him to ensure that at least twenty thousand freshmen would clear the examination? Why did the standards suddenly turned out so strict that only six thousand passed the examination?

That fellow had always been a dependable and reliable person. What in the world happened this time around?

Hearing the figures, Zhang Xuan was also taken aback. He thought that the pass ratio would at least still be fifty percent, but from the looks of it now, he was being too optimistic.

"That darned Byzantium Helios Beast is to blame for this. I shall teach him a severe lesson when I return!"

A glint flashed across Zhang Xuan's eyes.

If not for that spy of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe interfering with the examination, how could the pass ratio be so low?

The Master Teacher Academy might not mean anything much to him, but to the other master teachers, it spelled their future. As long as they could get in and persevere on, they would be destined for greatness. However, after the mess that the Byzantium Helios Beast had cooked up, they could only end up departing in disappointment.

Just as Zhang Xuan was contemplating how he should deal with that darned saint beast, Elder Mo anxiously clasped his fist and said, "I need to deal with some matters now, I'll be right back!"

Leaving behind those words, he turned around and soared into the air, headed in the direction of the pinnacle of Leiyuan Peak.

No matter what, he had to ask what the Byzantium Helios Beast was up to, failing so many examinees.

Pushing his Saint 1-dan pinnacle cultivation to the limits, he swiftly reached the top of the peak.

"Senior Byzantium Helios..."

Elder Mo shouted as he approached the gigantic straw cottage in the distance.

The Byzantium Helios Beast was the tamed beast of the old principal, thus making its standing higher than even the Ten Great Master Teachers. As such, he had to respectfully address the other party as 'senior'.

Hearing that there was no response, Elder Mo flew closer to the straw cottage, and just as he was about to call for the other party again, his eyes suddenly narrowed.

He suddenly noticed multiple depressions on the originally flat snow land. Furthermore, the spiritual energy in the surroundings seemed to be a little chaotic, as if a battle had just occurred here.

"This level of disturbance in the spiritual energy can only be caused by a Saint realm expert!"

As a 6-star master teacher, Elder Mo possessed an incredible eye of discernment. He could tell in a single look that the mess before him was a result of a battle between Saint realm experts.

"Could it be that..."

Elder Mo's eyes narrowed, and clencing his fists, he rushed into the straw cottage.

The Byzantium Helios Beast had always been lazy, and under normal circumstances, it would be resting inside the cottage. Yet, all that appeared before Elder Mo was emptiness. Could this mean that the Byzantium Helios Beast... was in danger?

"How in the world could it be? Who would dare to attack Senior Byzantium Helios of the Master Teacher Academy?"

A hint killing intent boiled in Elder Mo's eyes.

The Byzantium Helios Beast was the old principal's tamed beast, and he represented the dignity and reputation of the Master Teacher Academy. To dare to lay one's hands on it was no different from openly provoking the entire Master Teacher Academy, taunting the entire Master Teacher Pavilion!

Elder Mo swiftly headed out to study the marks left outside the cottage.

"Judging from the size and outline of these depressions, it should be left by Senior Byzantium Helios. As for these footsteps, they seem to be slightly larger than an ordinary human..."

Elder Mo swiftly walked up to one of the footprints and pinched the snow in the region. All of the sudden, his eyes narrowed.

"Killing intent? This... Otherworldly Demons!"

As a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, he possessed an in-depth knowledge of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. From the footprints before him, he could sense a slight killing intent which was distinctive of an Otherworldly Demonic Tribe expert!

"One, two, three..." More than twenty Saint realm Otherworldly Demons actually coordinated with one another to deal with Senior Byzantium Helios?"

After counting the footprints in the area and making a rough estimation, Elder Mo's eyes widened in shock.

It was no wonder why the Byzantium Helios Beast was missing! To think that twenty Saint realm Otherworldly Demons would actually appear here!

This was a land belonging to the Master Teacher Academy! How did the Otherworldly Demons sneak into here and capture the Byzantium Helios Beast away without their notice?

"This is truly a disaster. I must quickly report this to the academy and the Master Teacher Pavilion!"

The appearance of twenty Saint realm Otherworldly Demons was no joke. This concerned the stability of the entire Hongyuan Empire! They must investigate and deal with this matter swiftly, or else catastrophe could befall the Hongyuan City!

With this thought in mind, Elder Mo swiftly rushed down the mountain, and a short moment later, he returned back to the gazebo.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing his old buddy rushing back anxiously with an awful look on his face, Mo Gaoyuan asked worriedly.

"This..."

Glancing at Zhang Xuan, Elder Mo hesitated.

The emergence of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was a huge affair. If news were to leak out, it would cause a huge panic. Even though Elder Mo was one of the Ten Great Master Teachers, he didn't dare to take such a risk.

"Since the both of you have important matters to attend to, I won't impose myself then..."

Noticing the other party's hesitance, Zhang Xuan knew that his presence was unwanted, so he stood up and clasped his fist.

"Actually... it's fine!" Hearing that Zhang Xuan was going to leave, Elder Mo felt a little embarrassed instead.

It was just a moment ago which he was trying to persuade the other party to be his disciple, to regard him as an outsider and leave him out of important issues now would be truly inappropriate.

"This matter is of grave importance, but I have trust in Zhang shi's credibility, so it's fine for you to listen as well." After a moment of hesitation, Elder Mo spoke up, "I noticed the traces of Otherworldly Demons on Leiyuan Peak!"

"What? How strong are they?" Mo Gaoyuan widened his eyes in shock.

"Even at the very least, they are stronger at me. Furthermore, it seems like there are quite a few of them!"

Elder Mo revealed his analysis on the matter.

Even under the encirclement of more than twenty Saint realm experts, given Senior Byzantium Helios's prowess, he should at least be able to send a message to them. But when Elder Mo arrived earlier, he combed through the entire area but found nothing of that sort. This hinted at the presence of an expert exceeding Saint 1-dan among the enemy.

"Stronger than you?"

Mo Gaoyuan's complexion darkened.

At the same time, Zhang Xuan also narrowed his eyes.

All along, he had been suspecting that the Byzantium Helios Beast was a spy of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and those words from Elder Mo only confirmed his doubts.

That fellow must be the tamed beast of a powerful Otherworldly Demon!

Otherwise, why would it obstinately refuse to reveal whom its master was?

"Indeed, I have saved a lot of master teachers!"

Having confirmed this matter, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

Had the scheme of the Byzantium Helios Beast and Otherworldly Demonic Tribe succeeded, this wouldn't be a matter of how many people failed the examination but how many people died in the examination.

This would be a huge blow to the Master Teacher Academy!

As a master teacher, Zhang Xuan carried the responsibility and mission belonging to one. If he were to encounter the scheme of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, he mustn't back down!

"I hope that the two of you won't spread this matter around. I'll assemble the Ten Great Elders and conduct a meeting to deal with this matter."

Elder Mo said.

Pavilion Master Mo and Zhang Xuan nodded in response.

Any matter involving the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had to be kept in secrecy or else it could cause a pandemonium among the populace.

"Un, we will keep the matter to ourselves. Right, what about the matter regarding the intake this year?" Pavilion Master Mo asked.

"This..." Elder Mo rubbed his glabella in distress.

This matter was truly a tricky issue.

He thought that with the Byzantium Helios Beast overlooking the examination, there shouldn't be any problem in this matter. Who would have thought that the other party would end up being attacked by the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and go missing altogether, resulting in such a huge problem in the examination?

The internally agreed intake number was twenty thousand, but now only six thousand had managed to pass the examination. How was he to explain this matter to the Master Teacher Academy?

If he were to simply bring the other students in or conduct any examination, that would undermine the authority of the entrance examination, and this entire matter would become nothing more than a farce.

But accepting only six thousand out of thirty thousand geniuses was a huge loss to the Master Teacher Academy!

"Elder Mo, I have an idea in mind!" Zhang Xuan contemplated for a moment before speaking up.

"Feel free to speak." Elder Mo and Pavilion Master Mo turned their sights to Zhang Xuan, curious to see what he had to say.

"Didn't you say that it is possible to share the points one obtained?"

At which, Zhang Xuan smiled and proposed, "Since I have forty thousand points, there is more than enough to go around even if I were to give one to everyone. This way, everyone would be able to clear the examination!"

"This..."

Elder Mo was stunned, "But these are the points you obtained with great difficulty, how can I take them from you and allocate it to the other examinees..."

"It's nothing much. With the threat of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe is looming above us, we master teachers should buff up our forces as far as we could. By giving those geniuses from the various regions a chance, we are giving a hope to humanity as well."

Zhang Xuan waved his hands nonchalantly.

The points he had accumulated were useless to him anyway. Since that was the case, he might as well give them out to win the favor of others and build his reputation. This would be helpful for his advancement as a master teacher as well.

Even though most tended to overlook it, reputation was also a factor that master teachers required. Without a strong reputation, how could master teachers rally the forces of humanity and lead the fight against the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe? As such, it was also taken into account when determining the Master Teacher Pavilion determined the qualification of a master teacher in advancing to the higher rank.

"This... Alright. Since you have made up your mind, I will thank you on behalf of the Master Teacher Academy. I'll inform all of the examinees of this matter now!"

Hearing Zhang Xuan's words, Elder Mo clasped his fist with a grave expression.

While others were still thinking about their own individual interest, the other party was already contemplating over the future of humanity and the Master Teacher Pavilion!

"If all master teachers could be as selfless as Zhang shi, what would there to fear of the Otherworldly Demons..."

Elder Mo thought, impressed with the young man before him.

If he had only regarded Zhang Xuan as a junior before, he was viewing the other party as a fellow peer at this instant.

How big-hearted must one be to willingly forgo his achievements for others!

As expected of Yang shi's direct disciple, his capability and mindset were vastly different from the others!

"I'll be troubling Elder Mo then."

Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

"No, it's no trouble at all. If anything, I am the one troubling you. If not for your generosity, I would have no idea how I could resolve this matter... I owe you one!"

Elder Mo replied.

Should this examination only have an intake of six thousand, he would become a huge joke of the Master Teacher Academy.

His prestige and dignity as one of the Ten Great Elders would also be shattered.

While the other party had offered a ray of hope to salvage the future of the other twenty-four thousand master teachers outside, the other party had also salvaged his reputation.

"This..."

Zhang Xuan scratched his head awkwardly.

Actually... Rather than having you owe me a favor, I would very much rather receive a few high-tier spirit stones from you...

"You need not feel troubled over this, you have indeed helped Elder Mo a lot this time. Besides, Elder Mo's favor doesn't come easily. Even I haven't received it from him in the past two hundred years of our relationship!"

Seeing the reluctance on Zhang Xuan's face, Mo Gaoyuan urged him to accept it.

As one of the Ten Great Elders, Elder Mo was an upright and austere man. He had high expectations of himself and others, which resulted in him being the only elder without a direct disciple to date.

It wasn't easy to receive a favor from a man like that.

"Thank you, Elder Mo!" After such words from Pavilion Master Mo, Zhang Xuan could only nod in agreement.

If others were to learn that he wasn't interested in accepting Elder Mo's favor, preferring high-tier spirit stones over that, they would definitely send him flying to the stars with a kick.

Which of the Ten Great Elders wasn't an influential figure in Hongyuan Empire?

The favor of a person as powerful as them was worth much more than gold.

If one could trade this favor with the Hongyuan Empire's royal family for high-tier spirit stone, one would receive at least several dozens of them!

This was how great the value of a favor from one of the Ten Great Elders was worth!

Such a valuable thing, and yet you are still reluctant to accept it... Why don't you just kick the bucket!

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Chapter 725: Giving Out Points

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Pavilion Master Mo, please wait here for a moment. Allow me to organize the freshmen first before assembling the Ten Great Elders for a conference," Elder Mo said before turning around to exit, leaving Mo Gaoyuan and Zhang Xuan in the gazebo.

After a moment of silence, Mo Gaoyuan suddenly asked, "Zhang shi, may I ask if... Yang shi is here as well?"

The reason he had put a high-tier spirit stone up as a reward for the tournament and had come over here to meet Zhang Xuan was to strike up a relationship with Yang shi.

"My teacher has always been a carefree person who hates to be restrained, so I am unsure of his whereabouts as well," Zhang Xuan replied casually. "I heard from my teacher that you met with some trouble trying to open the Zhukong acupoint. May I know if the problem has been resolved already?"

"Speaking of this, I really have to thank Yang shi for his guidance!"

At this point, Mo Gaoyuan clasped his fist politely.

If not for Yang shi's guidance, he might have ended up straying further and further from the right path, and perhaps, it might even have become impossible for him to ever reach Saint 2-dan in his life. Now that he had healed his internal wounds, a breakthrough was already within sights.

This incident served to further emphasize how fearsome Yang shi was.

With just a casual glance, the other party had been able to determine the cause of his problem and come up with a solution which would not only resolve the problem but further his cultivation as well.

Even if he could clone himself ten times over, he would still be no match for the other party.

In his eyes, the Ten Great Master Teachers of Hongyuan Academy were probably not much different from children playing house.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony. Teacher has always been a person who follows his whims. Since he has offered to help you, it only goes to show that the both of you are fated. Thus, there's no need for you to think too much about it!" Zhang Xuan chuckled.

"I see!" Mo Gaoyuan nodded in response.

There were indeed some high-ranked master teachers who based their decisions off fate after having comprehended the essence of the world. If fate didn't allow for it, they would never offer their guidance to another.

It was also because of fate that Yang shi offered his guidance to Mo Gaoyuan, and he had never expected anything in return.

Besides, even if Mo Gaoyuan intended to return the favor, he had to have something that could interest the other party in the first place...

At that moment, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled another matter and asked, "Right, since Elder Mo is a 6-star pinnacle beast tamer, why don't I see his tamed beast anywhere? May I ask, what saint beast is he contracted to?"

Even though he was certain that the Byzantium Helios Beast was a spy of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, there were still several doubts he had in his mind.

Firstly, considering the proximity between Leiyuan Peak and the Master Teacher Academy, it was doubtful that such a powerful saint beast could reside on the mountain without catching the attention of the master teachers in the academy.

"It's Inferno Dragon Saint Beast!" Even though Mo Gaoyuan was unsure of the purpose behind Zhang Xuan's words, he still chose to answer his query without any hesitation.

"Inferno Dragon Saint Beast?"

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

He had never heard of such a saint beast before, but it should be fine as long as it wasn't the Byzantium Helios Beast.

"Indeed. That tamed beast of his... Sigh, it's truly an unfortunate event!" Upon speaking of the Inferno Dragon Saint Beast, Mo Gaoyuan hesitated for a moment before shaking his head in pity.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Xuan was bewildered by Mo Gaoyuan's reaction.

"Based on what I know, it seems that the Inferno Dragon Saint Beast... doesn't have long to live." Mo Gaoyuan sighed.

"Doesn't have long to live?" Zhang Xuan was left even more puzzled by the other party's words.

Typically speaking, saint beasts possessed a far greater longevity than humans. As such, it was extremely rare for a beast tamer to outlive their tamed beasts.

"Yes. It appears that the Inferno Dragon Saint Beast has met with some trouble in its cultivation... Forget it, let's not talk about such a depressing topic!"

Halfway through his words, Mo Gaoyuan shook his head, deciding to speak no further.

Even though the Inferno Dragon Saint Beast's fiery temperament made it unsuited to serve as the invigilator for the examination, the least it could do was show its support by attending, especially considering how important the entrance examination was.

Thinking that the situation was peculiar, he had asked Elder Mo regarding the matter just a moment ago, and only then did he learn about the problem plaguing the Inferno Dragon Saint Beast.

"Alright."

Seeing how Mo Gaoyuan was unwilling to speak any further on the matter, Zhang Xuan chose not to ask as well.

...

Hu Qing was a 4-star pinnacle master teacher from Qingyuan Tier-2 Empire. His cultivation had only reached Clarifying Turbidity realm advanced stage, still a way off from reaching pinnacle.

He had come from a remote location, and he had to give up on a lot of things before he could pass the examination to come here.

In the final round of the Master Teacher Tournament, in order to get into the top ten, he had to fight frenziedly without care of his life, sustaining seventeen grievous wounds before he could defeat his opponent.

The reason he was so desperate was because he was different from the others.

The other master teachers could still return to their local Master Teacher Pavilion to enjoy the highest of privileges if they were unable to qualify for the Master Teacher Academy, but such an option didn't exist for him!

Born with a deadly affliction, there was only a single medicinal herb which could save his life. However, this herb was incredibly valuable and the only way he could obtain it was through enrolling into the Master Teacher Academy and purchasing it with academic credits.

He'd thought that as long as he was willing to put his life on the line, he would be able to pass the entrance examination no matter how difficult it was... Who knew that in the end, despite how hard he tried, he still failed the examination!

He'd attempted to hunt down spirit beasts to procure their inner core, but he had ended up being surrounded by them instead, and he'd nearly lost his life in that encounter. It had taken him tremendous effort to escape from the encirclement, but even so, he'd ended up suffering grievous wounds for it. Eventually, the examination finished without him obtaining a single inner core.

Without a single point to his name, he would be unable to become a member of the academy.

Unable to obtain the medicinal herb required to cure his affliction, it would just be a matter of time before his illness was triggered, resulting in his death.

"No, I must enroll in the Master Teacher Academy by hook or by crook..."

Withstanding the immense pain from his wounds, he struggled to his feet and walked over to one of the celebrated geniuses in this examination—Yu Cheng.

He had watched the bet earlier, and he knew that the other party possessed more than two thousand points. As long as the other party was willing to give even a single point to him, he would be able to enroll in the academy, and there would still be hope for his affliction.

Clasping his fists and bowing deeply, Yu Qing pleaded earnestly, "Brother Yu... I am Yu Qing, a master teacher from Qingyuan Empire. As long as Brother Yu can give me a single point so that I can pass the examination, I am willing to spend the rest of my life serving you to repay your magnanimity..."

Even though it was a huge blow to his dignity as a master teacher, with his life at stake, he had no choice but to endure it!

"Give you a single point? Who do you think you are?"

Yu Cheng was already frustrated about losing to Zhang Xuan when this fellow suddenly came over to beg him for points. Displeased by the other party's actions, his face darkened.

All in all, he only had two thousand points. Even though he was unable to win Elder Mo's favor, he was still hoping that he could catch the attention of other elders through this achievement. If he were to give this fellow a point, was he supposed to give one to everyone who came begging him for it?

The moment he created this precedent, it would only cause a whole string of trouble. Furthermore, none of these points had come easily. He'd had to work extremely hard for every last one of them, so he was reluctant to give them away as well.

"I..."

Humiliated, Hu Qing's face turned crimson. His head hung lowly by his chest, and he clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles were turning white. Taking a deep breath, he gritted his jaws in determination and kneeled onto the ground. "I beg Brother Yu to give me a single point to clear this examination. As long as you grant my request, I'll obey every single command you ask of me without the slightest hesitation in the future!"

"You are just a measly Transcendent Mortal 4-dan advanced stage weakling. Even if you were to become my servant, you would be no use to me at all. Scram! Otherwise, I'll kick you away myself!" Yu Cheng harrumphed furiously with a frown.

What the heck was this supposed to be?

If a Consonant Spirit realm expert had come to him with these words, he could still consider the matter. But a fellow who hadn't even reached Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle actually wanted to negotiate with him? How insolent!

He'd had to spend invaluable artifacts in order to earn his points, and he was even humiliated by a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast for it.

Given how much he had gone through for them, how could he be willing to give his points away so easily?

Senior Feng stepped forward and said, "The fact that you weren't able to obtain any point only goes to show that you are lacking in ability and are unworthy of becoming a member of the academy! I suggest you stop embarrassing yourself here."

They might not be able to match up to Zhang Xuan, but without a doubt, they possessed capability superior to most of their peers, and they had the rights to be proud.

"Indeed, stop your shameful actions here. If everyone were to beg for points just because they couldn't earn any, the academy wouldn't be called the Master Teacher Academy but the Beggar Academy!"

"You only have yourself to blame for not working hard enough!"

"You are not fated with the Master Teacher Academy, so just leave... Don't soil the dignity of master teachers here!"

...

The master teachers in the region also waved their hands disdainfully in response to Hu Qing's actions.

It was undignified for a master teacher to beg for points like that. If they were to condone such actions amongst them, how could they hold their heads up high and preach to the world?

A failure meant a failure. Since Elder Mo had set this a rule, they were meant to follow it.

"Alright..."

Knowing that it was hopeless, Hu Qing's body trembled uncontrollably as he stood up.

At this instant, he felt as if the wind had blew away every bit of dignity he carried.

While master teachers were expected to behave nobly, they were still mortal. There was no mortal who could truly be selfless, and even master teachers had their own desires and goals.

"Forget it..." Hu Qing shook his head.

He knew that even if he were to abandon his pride, there was not a single person here who would give him a single point. Since that was the case, he might as well clutch onto the final shred of pride he had and leave with his head held high.

Hu!

But just as he was about to walk away, Elder Mo suddenly appeared in the air, and with a resounding voice, he said, "In this examination, there are a total of 6817 people who passed the examination. Those who failed to obtain a single point have failed the examination, and they are not fated with the Master Teacher Academy!"

"Not fated..."

The faces of the twenty thousand people who had failed the examination turned pale.

While they knew what the outcome of the examination would be, it was still difficult for them to accept it. Their hopes and dreams lay within the Master Teacher Academy, and after all they had been through, they couldn't accept failure so easily.

"However, there's no need to worry. Upon learning of this news, Zhang shi of Huanyu Empire approached me, and he offered to give his points to the others so that everyone can pass the examination. He hopes that our Master Teacher Pavilion can grow stronger through this!

"After careful consideration, I decided to agree to his request.

"In other words, from today onwards, everyone here will be a student of our Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!" Elder Mo announced grandly.

"Give points... to us?"

"Zhang shi was willing to fork out his points so that we could pass the examination?"

"This..."

Everyone was stunned by the sudden news. At the same moment, Hu Qing's body began trembling in agitation, and tears began streaming down his cheeks.

Just for a single point, he abandoned his pride, fell to his knees, and pleaded desperately with another man. But he was rejected mercilessly, and he thought that this was where his journey would end!

Yet, at the lowest point in his life, Zhang shi stepped forward and offered to give his points to everyone so that they could clear the examination...

This was the magnanimity that a master teacher should possess, selflessly putting the human race above his own needs!

"Zhang shi... thank you!" Hu Qing fell to his knees once more and vowed solemnly, "From this day forward, you shall be my benefactor. Regardless of what you ask of me, I'll do it without any hesitation!"

But different from the previous time, he had kneeled willingly this time around!

"This..."

Seeing those who had failed the examination mutter words of gratitude for Zhang shi, Yu Cheng and Senior Feng's bodies trembled.

It was just a moment ago that they had rejected giving out a single point, and in the next, it was announced that Zhang shi was going to give out his points so that everyone could pass the examination...

'Did your face slap have to come so quick and exaggerated?'

The duo quickly scanned the surroundings, only to see disdainful gazes from the freshmen on them. It was as if their eyes were saying, "How could the both of them be master teachers but behave so differently?"

Pu!

Unable to stand it any longer, Yu Cheng felt his old injuries acting up, and he spurted a mouthful of blood.

At the same time, Senior Feng also found the sight before him turning dark. He had been traumatized so many times that he had lost his confidence.

What in the world was this? Why was it that nothing good ever happened from anything associated with that Zhang Xuan?

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Chapter 726: Luo Ruoxin

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Tomorrow, you will be choosing your teachers. Senior students, organize the freshmen and bring them to their living quarters..." After dealing with the miscellaneous issues, Elder Mo issued some instructions to the senior students before returning back to the gazebo.

"Zhang shi, you need not go with the rest. It'll be hard for you to cultivate in those shared dormitories. Follow me back to the academy later on, and I'll arrange individual living quarters for you!" Elder Mo said.

As one of the Ten Great Elders of the Master Teacher Academy, he possessed the rights to determine a student's living quarters.

A top-notch genius like Zhang shi shouldn't be staying in the shared dormitories like others.

"Thank you, Elder Mo."

Understanding the other party's intentions, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist in gratitude.

He had too many secrets on him, so it would be best for him to get individual lodging for himself.

After which, Mo Gaoyuan offered a ride to Elder Mo and Zhang Xuan, and soon, the three of them were headed for the Master Teacher Academy on the back of the Langya Saint Beast.

With the senior students dealing with the matters here, and Bai shi holding the fort, there was nothing for them to worry about.

With the swiftness of Langya Saint Beast, it wasn't long before a massive academy came into sight.

Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy was built to house a hundred thousand master teachers. There were lakes and mountains within the compounds of the academy, and gazing down from the sky, it looked like a castle.

Even the entire Myriad Kingdom City seemed to pale in comparison to the academy.

It was no wonder this was the place where the top-notch geniuses of different empires converged. Just the size of the academy itself already far surpassed the capitals of the smaller empires.

"This is the Elite Sector, where the most outstanding master teachers of each grade stay. Take my token and find the student-in-charge to organize lodging for you. Pavilion Master Mo and I will have to meet the other elders to discuss that problem!"

Soon, the Langya Saint Beast landed near a cluster of the academy's residences. At this point, Elder Mo flicked his wrist and threw his token to Zhang Xuan.

After grabbing the token, Zhang Xuan began to survey the surroundings. It was a beautiful place with lush greenery and a clear stream flowing through the area. The exquisite-looking residences were lined side by side in a row.

A Spirit Gathering Formation was set up in each of these residences, creating a dense concentration of spiritual energy in the area. Even without entering the residences, one would already feel refreshed and revitalized under the nourishment of the spiritual energy.

'As expected of the Elite Sector, it's indeed extravagant!'

After taking a look, Zhang Xuan nodded in awe.

These Spirit Gathering Formations were of a higher grade than the one he had inscribed back in Honghai City, each having reached grade-6. If one were to cultivate here, one would definitely make much greater progress than compared to elsewhere.

The Master Teacher Academy couldn't afford to offer such luxury to all of its students, so only the most outstanding of geniuses were allowed to reside in these residences.

"Thank you, I'll be heading down now!" Zhang Xuan said as he leaped off the back of Langya Saint Beast.

Elder Mo and Mo Gaoyuan glanced at one another before gesturing for the Langya Saint Beast to take off into the distance.

The matter regarding the appearance of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was a grave issue. They had no time to lose.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a sealed chamber.

There was a total of thirteen seats in the room, each of them reserved for the most esteemed figures in the academy, namely the principal and the Ten Great Elders.

A powerful formation was installed within the room, ensuring that nothing discussed in there would leak out.

"What has happened for you to summon us so urgently?"

Just as the duo took their seats, a few elders suddenly pushed open the door and walked in with deep frowns.

The last time an emergency meeting had been held was when the old principal had gone missing. What could have happened this time for Elder Mo and Pavilion Master Mo to summon all of them so urgently?

"Take a seat please. We'll start when everyone arrives!" Elder Mo gestured to the seats around him.

The elders nodded and sat at their respective positions.

Soon, the door opened once more, and a few more elders entered.

Before long, eleven seats were filled.

"Elder Mo and Pavilion Master Mo, you can speak now!" The white-bearded elder who seemed to be the oldest amongst the group gestured for them to begin.

"Alright!" Elder Mo nodded.

Flicking his wrist, he took out a Record Crystal and said, "Before I begin, I would like you all to watch this first..."

With a tap of his finger, the battle scars on the top of Leiyuan Peak which he had recorded earlier appeared before everyone's eyes.

The elders were initially perplexed to see the rubble in the crystal, but after taking a closer look, their faces slowly turned livid.

"These are... the marks of battle from an Otherworldly Demon? How is Senior Byzantium Helios then?" the white-bearded elder asked worriedly.

The others also swiftly turned their gazes to Elder Mo.

As a member of the Ten Great Elders, a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, just by looking at the scene recorded by the Record Crystal, he was still able to deduce the parties involved in the battle.

"Senior Byzantium Helios... has gone missing!" Elder Mo said grimly.

"Missing?" The other master teachers were stunned by the revelation, and even Mo Gaoyuan's expression was colored with disbelief.

Back then, Elder Mo had only said that he had found traces left behind by the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, but he hadn't gone into much detail. As a result, he didn't think that the Byzantium Helios Beast would actually end up being attacked by Otherworldly Demons and go missing.

"This is what happened..." Not daring to hide anything, Elder Mo swiftly revealed his agreement with Byzantium Helios Beast, as well as what he'd found on the peak.

The white-bearded elder slammed his palm on the table and declared grandly, "How dare those Otherworldly Demons infiltrate our Hongyuan City and kidnap Byzantium Helios Saint Beast! For the reputation of our Master Teacher Academy, we must apprehend them!"

The Ten Great Elders were responsible for governing the Master Teacher Academy, and they were each in charge of a school in the academy. For one, Elder Mo wasn't just an elder in this academy, he was also the head of the Beast Tamer School.

On the other hand, the white-bearded elder was the head of the Martial Arts School, Xu Changqing.

A female elder harrumphed coldly.

"This is no longer an issue of our school's reputation, but the safety of Senior Byzantium Helios!"

She was the head of the Terpsichore School, Wei Ranxue.

"Senior Byzantium Helios is the tamed beast of the old principal. He has braved through life-and-death situations with us, and he had slaughtered innumerable Otherworldly Demons to bring peace to mankind. With all that he had done, how could we face the old principal if anything were to happen to him? And what rights would we have to call ourselves the Ten Great Master Teachers if we couldn't even save him?"

"Indeed, we must not allow anything to happen to Senior Byzantium Helios! However, we don't have any clues as to his whereabouts at the moment, so we shouldn't act recklessly," said Elder Mo. "At this moment, our primary focus should be on finding Senior Byzantium Helios' whereabouts. If he's still alive, we'll find some way to save him. If he has been killed, we should avenge him even at the cost of our lives!"

Another two of the elders added the discussion.

"I agree. However, I think that we should carry out our actions discreetly first, or else we might risk alarming the Otherworldly Demons. If they were to learn that we're on their trail, they might potentially resort to extreme actions!"

"I concur. Since the Otherworldly Demons dared to lay their hands on Senior Byzantium Helios, it is unlikely that they would hesitate in attacking the academy too. We can't discount the possibility that this might be a scheme to lure us away from the academy. Thus, we should proceed warily with the investigation."

"That is exactly what I am worried about. I fear that they might have left behind those marks intentionally to lure us into a trap..." Elder Mo frowned.

There didn't seem to be any attempt by the Otherworldly Demons to conceal the marks of battle on Leiyuan Peak, as if the other party was intentionally showing it to them. It was due to his worry that this was a trap by the Otherworldly Demons that Elder Mo was hesitant to take action on his own, choosing to hold a conference with the other elders first instead of combing through the mountain range to search for Senior Byzantium Helios.

After a moment of discussion, the group was still unable to decide on anything. It was at that moment that the head of the Apothecary School, Lu Feng, interjected in the discussion. "Senior Byzantium Helios possesses a fighting prowess far above us. If even he wasn't a match for the enemy, it's unlikely that we will be able to save him even if we do uncover his whereabouts!"

The others nodded in agreement as well.

Just like them, the Byzantium Helios Saint Beast was at Saint 1-dan pinnacle as well. However, as a saint beast, he wielded strength far beyond the others. Yet, the Byzantium Helios Saint Beast had been captured before he could even get an opportunity to send out a help signal to the rest of them. Through this, it could be seen how formidable the adversary they were facing was.

If they couldn't defeat the Otherworldly Demons, even if they managed to find the whereabouts of the Byzantium Helios Beast, they wouldn't be able to save him.

"In a few days, Mu shi from Qingyuan Conferred Empire will be making a trip here to select the new principal and investigate the death of the old principal. When the time comes, we can report this matter to him and have him help us look into the matter as well!" School Head Lu said.

"This..." At this point, everyone hesitated.

If they were to rely on the headquarters for everything, wouldn't that be as good as saying that they, as the Ten Great Master Teachers, were inept and powerless to deal with issues?

"I know what you are thinking of, but the enemy we are facing is an existence who was able to bypass our security and abduct Senior Byzantium Helios without alarming anyone. This issue is already beyond our ability, so this matter must be reported to the headquarters!" School Head Lu said affirmatively.

The Apothecary School was the number one school in the Master Teacher Academy, and this gave more weight to his words.

"Alright..." After a moment of contemplation, the other master teachers eventually conceded.

Just as they were about to discuss their next course of action, School Head Lu suddenly flicked his wrist, and a Communication Jade Token appeared in his hands. He took a glance at it, and his eyebrows shot up.

"Everyone, follow me. Mu shi has arrived!"

"Mu shi is already here? So early?"

"Didn't he say that it would take a few more days?"

"It's impossible for us to fathom the thoughts of experts like him. Don't forget, he did say that he would be able to arrive a month ago, but he ended up postponing his arrival all the way until now..."

"That's true..."

Initially, Mu shi had sent a message to them, saying that he would arrive at Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy a month ago, but after a long wait, he never came. But just a day ago, he had sent another message over saying that he had been held up by some issues, and he would arrive a few days later. However, he ended up showing up that day instead.

As such, his arrival had caught everyone off-guard.

Amidst discussions, the group walked over to the lounge where the academy welcomed esteemed guests. Soon, they saw an old man with a snowy beard seated on one of the chairs with a dignified posture. Seated beside the old man was a young lady who seemed to be in her early twenties.

"Mu shi!"

Upon walking into the room, the elders immediately clasped their fists and bowed respectfully.

As a 7-star master teacher, Mu shi was one of the top figures in the Master Teacher Academy. Even as the Ten Great Master Teachers, they dared not to show the slightest disrespect to the other party.

"Un. Allow me to introduce to you all; this is Luo shi. She's... a junior of mine. She is a 6-star master teacher, and as a part of her training, she will be serving as a teacher here for the time being. Thus, I'll have to trouble you to make the necessary arrangements." Standing up, Mu shi gestured to the young lady beside him and introduced her.

"Junior?"

Taken aback, everyone quickly turned their gazes to the young lady. At this point, the young lady stood up, clasped her fist, and bowed. "Ruoxin pays respect to the elders of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!"

"6-star master teacher? She is already a 6-star master teacher despite her young age?"

Everyone was taken aback.

Luo Ruoxin looked as if she was barely in her twenties. Talent wasn't a sufficient reason to explain how one could qualify as a 6-star master teacher at such an age. The chances were that she had come from an incredible family or possessed an astounding background!

It was likely that her being a junior of Mu shi's was a lie.

As a 7-star master teacher, it would be difficult for him to groom a twenty-year-old 6-star master teacher.

Most likely, she was the offspring of a Sage Clan, heading to a lower empire so as to experience the taste of life and temper her spirit.

Only such clans could groom such incredible geniuses!

"It is incredible that Luo shi has reached such heights at your young age; you have my admiration. Regarding the issue of taking up a teaching role in our academy, I'll make arrangements for it right now. May I know... what do you specialize in? Is there any school you are interested in?" School Head Lu asked with a smile.

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Chapter 727: Elite Sector

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Didn't the academy just accept a new batch of freshmen recently? Why don't you allow her to conduct a public lecture and take in any students who are willing to acknowledge her as their teacher?" Mu shi proposed.

"This..." School Head Lu hesitated for a moment before eventually nodding, "Alright then!"

Going by conventions, new teachers weren't qualified to conduct public lectures, but since it was a request from Mu shi, they were willing to bend the rules.

Besides, Mu shi's attitude also seemed to verify the guesses in everyone's heart.

If Luo Ruoxin wasn't a descendent of a Sage Clan, why would Mu shi make such a request on her behalf? If she was just an ordinary junior, he could have just left her to fend for herself in the academy. There was no need for him to go through so much trouble.

More importantly, Luo Ruoxin had a nonchalant expression on her face, as if it was only right for such a thing to happen.

Only the descendant of a powerful clan would dare to put on such an attitude.

"Mu shi..." After making arrangements for Luo Ruoxin, the elders gathered around Mu shi and told him about the issue regarding the Otherworldly Demons.

"I was still troubled as to who I should nominate as the new principal. After all, regardless of whom I choose, there will bound to be disagreements, and this could pose significant inefficiencies in the management of the academy. But since such a matter happened..."

Mu shi hesitated for a moment before continuing, "How about this? Of the ten of you, whoever who finds Byzantium Helios Beast, saves him, and wins his acknowledgement shall be the next principal! You all should have no objections with this, right?"

While the Ten Great Elders managed separate schools each, it was inevitable that there would be some degree of rivalry among them. Otherwise, the principal's seat wouldn't have remained empty despite it being years since the disappearance of the old principal.

Mu shi had been troubled over this issue when he was dispatched to Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy to nominate the next principal, but this incident came at a timely moment.

Through making this the selection criterion, everyone would stand an equal chance at becoming the next principal. Furthermore, through saving the old principal's tamed beast, the new principal would be able to build up his fame and authority, making it hard for anyone to undermine him.

"This... Alright!"

The elders glanced at one another, and after a moment of hesitation, they eventually nodded in agreement.

While this matter would be extremely tricky to deal with, it could also be viewed as an opportunity to display their capability.

If they were able to do what others weren't able to, that could in a way show that they had to qualification to head the Master Teacher Academy.

Otherwise, should the current situation where no one was content with allowing another head them, the Master Teacher Academy would continue to remain divided.

...

While the elders were welcoming Mu shi, Zhang Xuan had finally reached the very center of the Elite Sector.

Due to Elder Mo's anxiety to meet the other elders to discuss the issue regarding the Otherworldly Demons, he could only figure out the way himself.

"If I'm not mistaken, there must be a massive spirit vein beneath the ground. The deeper I head in, the closer I reach the center of the spirit vein, the richer the spiritual energy in the surroundings is!" Zhang Xuan muttered as he felt the changes in the spiritual energy concentration around him.

Most likely, a senior of the academy had set up a massive Spirit Gathering Formation in the area, and over the years, it had grown to become an immense spirit vein.

Even though the residences were built side by side, there was a significant difference between among them. The further in the residences were, the closer they were to the core of the spirit vein. If one could get a lodging at the core of the spirit vein, their cultivation would surely soar swiftly.

But regardless of how concentrated the spiritual energy in the region was, it didn't have much significance to Zhang Xuan. After all, he cultivated mainly through absorbing spirit stones. No matter how concentrated the spiritual energy in the surroundings was, could it possibly possess spiritual energy more concentrated than within a spirit stone?

After looting Yu Cheng and Senior Feng's storage rings, he wasn't lacking any spirit stones at the moment. However, as he had yet to compile the Heaven's Path Divine Art for the next tier, he could only put aside his cultivation for the moment.

In any case, the positioning of his residence didn't matter to him. All he needed now was a quiet residence where he could cultivate.

After walking for a moment longer, a massive building came into sight.

This was where Elder Mo had told him to report to in order to claim a residence in the Elite Sector.

Zhang Xuan slowly walked up the stone stairs and entered the building.

There was only a handful of senior students seated on the chairs in the lounge, and they seemed to be discussing the difficulties they had met in their cultivation.

"For the Northern Harmony Palm, the zhenqi should start flowing from the left and terminate at the right. Through this way, the zhenqi could make a full circulation around one's body, thus maximizing the might of the technique!"

"I don't think that it's as simple as you have said. If that's all to the technique, we would have long mastered it. There must be a problem somewhere with our understanding..."

"I recall my teacher once telling me that this palm technique should rise from the south and end in the north. I think that the direction is significant in this technique as well..."

The group discussed with a deep frown on their foreheads.

To qualify for the Master Teacher Academy, one had to be a 4-star pinnacle master teacher at the minimum. Even though it was hard to determine what grade the seniors before him were in, they carried a relatively powerful aura.

As the other party hadn't driven their zhenqi, it was impossible for Zhang Xuan to gauge their strength without using the Eye of Insight. Nevertheless, their cultivation was unlikely to be beyond Cosmos Bridge realm.

"Seniors!" Seeing that the group were engrossed in their chat, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and greeted them with a smile.

"You are..."

Hearing those words, the group immediately turned their gazes over. However, upon realizing that it was an unfamiliar face, they frowned.

They were the few worst scoring students in the academy this year, so the academy had punished them by assigning them to various places to do menial labor.

The place they were currently in was the Elite Sector, and students who were qualified to stay here were the top geniuses of their grade. As the academy wanted them to focus their attention on furthering their cultivation, their daily chores ended up falling in their hands.

Waiting upon those geniuses would temper their mental fortitude, and at the same time, it provides a platform for them to build connections with those geniuses. These connections may prove to be useful to their future.

As such, the group here was familiar with everyone in the Elite Sector, and the young man before them was clearly a foreign face.

"I am a freshman of the academy. Elder Mo directed me to you for a residence in this sector, so I'll be troubling you for that." With a light chuckle, Wang Chong whipped out the token Elder Mo had passed to him.

"Elder Mo?" Taken aback, the group hurriedly got to their feet.

Elder Mo was the head of the Beast School, as well as one of the Ten Great Master Teachers. Even as seniors, they dared not to disrespect a student whom Elder Mo had directed here.

After checking his token and verifying it to be the real thing, one of the older students clasped his fist and said, "Give us a moment, junior. We'll bring you to your residence right after some discussion!"

With those words, he gathered the group to a side of the room.

Due to the spiritual energy concentration gradient down the spirit vein, there was a significant difference between each residence. If they were to settle him into the wrong room, they might bring trouble upon themselves.

As such, it was imperative that they discussed this matter thoroughly.

"Since Elder Mo directed him here personally, that junior probably possesses incredible talent. It just happens that the junior living in the first residence in the D Sector has just moved away after being promoted to Grade 2, so we could settle him there."

"The first residence in the D Sector? That sounds like a good plan!" Another senior nodded in agreement.

The Elite Sector could be divided into the A Sector, B Sector, C Sector, and D Sector, corresponding to Grade 4, Grade 3, Grade 2, and Grade 1 respectively. Naturally, those in the higher grade would be prioritized in terms of proximity to the core of the spirit vein.

Even though the junior before them was only a freshman, just the fact that he was directed here by Elder Mo hinted at his capability, making him qualified to stay in the first residence.

"But is it really good to assign a freshman the first residence?" While there were some who agreed with that course of action, some voiced their objections as well.

"She's right. The other students have been eyeing the first residence ever since news broke that Cheng Yue would be promoted to Grade 2. Those fellows would surely be outraged if they were to hear that a freshman had taken their place!" Another senior added.

The grades in the Master Teacher Academy were determined by one's ranking as a master teacher, not how many years one had been in the academy. One would enroll into the academy as a 4-star pinnacle master teacher, and the requirement to be promoted to Grade 2 was to become a 5-star master teacher.

In order to advance to 5-star, not only must one's cultivation reach Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Cosmos Bridge realm, one's Soul Depth and knowledge must also reach a certain mark. On top of that, one must have five 5-star supporting occupations.

As such, it would take around a decade for an average master teacher to advance a grade!

It was in view of this that the Master Teacher Tournament was only held once every ten years. Outside of it, the Master Teacher Academy would only accept a handful of students each year. On that note, that was how Huanyu Empire's Ye Qian joined the academy.

But getting back to the matter at hand, as long as one hadn't made the breakthrough to 5-star yet, one would be ineligible to be promoted to Grade 2.

The first residence in the D Sector had always been occupied by a Grade 1 student known as Cheng Yue, and he had just successfully passed his 5-star master teacher examination this year. As such, he had left his previous residence for one in the C Sector.

However, there were many other Grade 1 master teachers who were eyeing the same residence as well. If they were to assign it to a freshman, they might turn hostile against that freshman.

"But what can we do about it? It was Elder Mo who pointed him here, they will have to accept it somehow. In any case, we aren't the ones who should be troubled by this matter. This will be an opportunity for us to see how capable the freshman is for Elder Mo to give him his token!" One of the seniors said with a chuckle.

"That's true..." The others nodded in agreement as well.

After discussing the matter, they walked up to Zhang Xuan and said, "We have found a residence for you. This way please!"

With those words, the group began walking to the D Sector, and Zhang Xuan followed closely behind them.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance of a residence.

After taking a quick glance of it, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

This residence was located very close to the core of the spirit vein, so it was rich in spiritual energy. On top of that, its surroundings were very quiet. In other words, as long as he were to set up a formation around the residence, no one would be aware of it even if he were to pummel the Byzantium Helios Beast in it.

"Zhang shi, this will be your residence. Here is the key!" The senior opened the door before passing it over to him.

They had learned of the young man's name on the way here, so they changed their method of address from junior to Zhang shi.

"Thank you!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

But just as he was about to step into the residence, a young man suddenly appeared with an awful complexion on his face and said, "Huang Xing and Zhou Tong, what do you mean by this? I've told you many times to hand the key over to me, but you rejected my request again and again. Who is this fellow? Why are you giving the key to him instead?"

"Are you in Grade 1? Why haven't I seen you around before?"

"To attempt to move into the residence right after enrolling in the academy, do you think that you are Cheng Yue?"

A man and a lady dressed in the master teacher robe with four stars pinned on their chest entered right after the young man. Upon seeing the key in Zhang Xuan's hands, they glared at him in displeasure.

They were the occupants of the second, third, and fourth residence in the D Sector, and they had been eyeing this residence for a very long time.

If they could take down the first residence, not only would they get to enjoy the concentrated spiritual energy there, it would also signify that they were the top of the Grade 1 students, a position of immense prestige.

The trio had thought that with Cheng Yue's departure, the residence would be passed down to one of them. Who knew that Huang Xing and the others would bring a complete stranger in!

Who the hell was this?

Even if they had offered the residence to you, to move in without any hesitation... Do you even know what this signifies?

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Chapter 728: Three Great Geniuses Looking For Trouble

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Please calm down. It was not me but Elder Mo who decided Zhang shi's lodging..." The student known as Huang Xing hurriedly explained the situation.

"Elder Mo?" The trio was taken aback by the revelation.

Why would the esteemed Elder Mo, one of the Ten Great Master Teachers, direct a mere Grade 1 student here?

They glanced at one another hesitantly for a moment before a gleam of determination flashed across the eyes of the first young man, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Regardless of whether it's an instruction from Elder Mo or not, to stay in the first residence, you must first possess strength surpassing us. This is a rule established by the Master Teacher Academy. Flout it, and it won't be just us but the entire Grade 1 cohort who will object to this! This young man over here, do you dare to compete with me?"

In order to further motivate the students, the residence placings in the Elite Sector were determined by one's strength and capability. This was a long-established tradition of the Master Teacher Academy, so even an esteemed elder like Elder Mo would have to think twice before flouting it.

"Zhang shi, this young man here is Wu Chan. He possesses a cultivation of Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle, and with his superior strength, he managed to clinch the second place in the Annual Tournament among the Grade 1 students. It is only due to his lacking Soul Depth that he hasn't been promoted to a 5-star master teacher yet..." One of the seniors who had led Zhang Xuan here sent him a telepathic message discreetly, explaining the background of the three students before him.

"Annual Tournament?" Zhang Xuan asked curiously.

Back when he was still in Tianxuan Kingdom as a teacher, there was something of this sort in Hongtian Academy as well. To this date, he could still recall how much trouble he had gone through for his students for it. Was he going to have to undergo it as a student now that he was in Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy?

Furthermore, this Annual Tournament was likely going to be very different from the one he had in Hongtian Academy.

After all, Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy was built not for cultivators but master teachers.

"Yes. Every year, there would be an inter-grade tournament where students would clash with one another with their capabilities as master teachers. Only the one who emerges as the champion of the tournament is qualified to stay in this residence..." Seeing the confusion on Zhang Xuan's face, the senior explained.

According to the other party's words, it seemed like the Annual Tournament should be somewhat alike to the Master Teacher Tournament.

Every year, the students would be put against one another, and they would be ranked according to how they perform. Rewards would be offered to those who had performed spectacularly to further motivate them the students to work harder.

Judging from the attitude of these three students before him, it seemed like they had qualms regarding him taking the first residence.

However, that was to be expected. How embarrassing it would be if it were to be made known that the first residence which they had fought over for so long had been taken by a freshman! They wouldn't be able to face other students in the academy!

Realizing this fact, Zhang Xuan turned to Wu Chan and smiled, "Sure. What do you want to compete with me on?"

As much as Zhang Xuan wanted to keep a low profile, that didn't mean that he was afraid of trouble.

If he couldn't establish a clear dominance over the other students, he would soon find a steady stream of challengers queuing up before his residence, wanting to defeat him and claim the residence for themselves. If that was going to be the case, he would rather settle it once and for all.

"By right, as students of the Master Teacher Academy, we should be competing on our capabilities as master teachers. However, that will be both lengthy and troublesome. Thus, I propose that we settle it through a physical duel!" Wu Chan said with a confident smile.

There were simply too many aspects of a master teacher that one could be evaluated on, so competing on them one by one would be inconvenient and time-consuming. As such, settling it with their fists was a more viable option in this case.

"A physical duel?"

"That's right. We might be master teachers, but there should be little doubt that our cultivation forms the very foundation of our capabilities. As long as you are able to defeat me in a physical duel, I won't utter a word of complaint regarding your stay here!" Wu Chan replied.

"I see!" Zhang Xuan nodded. After which, he turned to the other two and asked, "What about you two? What do you want to compete on?"

"Me? I want to compete with you on the execution of Impartation of Heaven's Will!" the female student replied.

Perhaps the female student had tailored her master teacher robe, but it was extremely fitting on her. It shaped out her slim and elegant figure beautifully.

Even though her charm could hardly match up to Luo Qiqi's and Yu Fei-er—those two were existences who were touched by the Goddess of Beauty after all—she still commanded an elegance that would easily put her in the center of gazes.

"She's the second runner up of the Annual Tournament, Ran Xiaoxiao," the senior informed Zhang Xuan telepathically. "As for the last guy, he's the third runner up, Xiao Nan!"

Noting down what the senior said, Zhang Xuan turned to Xiao Nan and asked, "What about you?"

"I'll compete with you in a physical duel as well!" Xiao Nan replied.

"Alright!" Seeing that the two men wanted a physical duel while the lady wanted to compete of Impartation of Heaven's Will, Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella. Turning to the female master teacher, Ran Xiaoxiao, he said, "I won't take advantage of you. You're Ran Xiaoxiao, right? You shall fight in my stead and teach the both of them a lesson!"

"Ah? I shall fight in your stead?" Ran Xiaoxiao froze upon hearing Zhang Xuan's words.

Is this fellow a lunatic?

The three of them had come here to teach him a lesson, and yet he wanted her to fight the others on his behalf? Isn't it a little too early to be dreaming?

Wu Chan and Xiao Nan were startled by Zhang Xuan's words, and they turned to look at him as if he was a fool.

They thought a man who was directed here by Elder Mo would possess some kind of extraordinary talents, but to think that that talent would be boasting!

Ran Xiaoxiao had come together with them to challenge him, so how could she possibly make a move against them.

"That's right. If I'm not mistaken, it seems like it has been three months since your Ziwei and Yingtai acupoints are sealed, causing the zhenqi in your body started flowing in the opposite direction. Do you feel an intense itch across your entire body?" Zhang Xuan asked with a light chuckle.

Even though Ran Xiaoxiao hadn't executed any battle technique, her current cultivation realm was only at Cosmos Bridge realm, so the Eye of Insight was effective against her.

"Y-you..." Ran Xiaoxiao's eyes widened in astonishment.

It was true that it had been three months since her Ziwei and Yingtai acupoints had been sealed, resulting in a stalemate in her cultivation. As zhenqi began to accumulate, an intense itch gradually consumed her, leaving her in great agony.

"If you were to do as I say, you will be able to resolve that issue easily!" Ignoring her astonishment, Zhang Xuan spoke nonchalantly.

"The reason why your two acupoints were sealed is due to your incorrect zhenqi circulation technique. Direct your zhenqi to your Huihai acupoint and..." Just like this, Zhang Xuan swiftly listed a dozen more acupoints.

Ran Xiaoxiao was still hesitant whether she should give it a try after hearing those acupoints when she suddenly felt her zhenqi surging uncontrollably through her body.

"This is... Impartation of Heaven's Will? Crap..."

Upon realizing what was going on, Ran Xiaoxiao's face paled, and she nearly burst into tears.

She had just said that she would compete with the other party on Impartation of Heaven's Will when the other party started even before she was ready. Wasn't this cheating!

She immediately tried to forcefully terminate her zhenqi's circulation so as to dispel the effects of the Impartation of Heaven's Will when she suddenly felt the seal on her Ziwei and Yingtai acupoints loosening. It seemed as if they would open up at any moment now.

"This..." Ran Xiaoxiao blinked her eyes blankly, dumbstruck.

Could it be that... the other party's method was right? Circulating her zhenqi in such a pathway would resolve the bottleneck which had trapped her for three months?

With such thoughts in mind, she abandoned the notion of terminating her zhenqi's circulation, allowing her zhenqi to flow freely under the effects of the Impartation of Heaven's Will.

Hong long!

In just a short instant, she felt her bottleneck dissipating under the flow of zhenqi, and a feeling of lightness abruptly embraced her body. Her aura also became much more refined and sharper.

"Alright, you should go and duel with them now!" Zhang Xuan waved his hands.

"Yes!"

Under the effects of the Impartation of Heaven's Will, Zhang Xuan's words were absolute, leaving her no room for objections. With a faint smile, she turned around and charged at Wu Chan and Xiao Nan.

"What the freaking hell!"

"Screw this bullshit!"

Seeing Ran Xiaoxiao charging at them with furious momentum, how could the duo remain oblivious to what was going on?

They had been waiting for Zhang shi to duel with them, but the comrade whom they marched here with ended up turning against them instead. The abrupt twist in the situation left them feeling light-headed, and curses spilled out of their mouths.

In a normal duel between master teachers, one would typically test the capability of one's opponent before making any move. Yet, the first thing the fellow did was to beguile one of their own to side with him.

Nevertheless, one thing was for sure. Given that Ran Xiaoxiao had chosen to challenge him to an Impartation of Heaven's Will duel, it could only mean that she had reached incredible heights in her Soul Depth. But even so, she ended up falling prey to the other party's words. This goes to say that he did possess exceptional means despite being a freshman.

It would be unwise to underestimate the young man before them.

"Hmph! If you think that you can win against us just by beguiling Ran Xiaoxiao, you are being way too naive! As rivals, we have clashed dozens of times over the years. We are well aware of her cultivation techniques, battle techniques, and the maneuvers she usually utilizes in battle..." Wu Chan harrumphed coldly as he easily dodged Ran Xiaoxiao's consecutive punches with movements as swift as lightning.

As the second, third, and fourth rankers in the Annual Tournament, it was inevitable that they would view one another as rivals. They had clashed with one another frequently, granting them a thorough understanding of each other's moves. If that fellow thought that he could defeat the both of them through beguiling one of them through Impartation of Heaven's Will, he was dreaming!

"Wu Chan, I'll deal with Ran Xiaoxiao. You should go and teach that fellow a lesson..." Xiao Nan harrumphed.

"Alright!" Wu Chan nodded.

However, just as he was about to advance for the young man, the latter's nonchalant voice suddenly sounded in the air, "Coalescence of the Night Rain, Drifting Snow of the Glacier Mountain, Frosted Leaves Crimson Blossoms..."

The words were neither fast nor slow, paced pleasantly to the ear.

Those phrases were the maneuvers of the battle techniques they specialized in.

However, under normal circumstances, these maneuvers couldn't be executed back-to-back with one another. However, for some reason, he suddenly felt a nearly uncontrollable urge to execute them.

"No! I mustn't fall for his tricks!" Knowing that if he were to really do so, he would fall under the other party's control like Ran Xiaoxiao, becoming a tool under his Impartation of Heaven's Will, Wu Chan bit his tongue in determination.

Under the excruciating pain, he felt his head clearing up. Following which, he heard a series of pah pah pah pah, and by the time he turned his head, Xiao Nan's face was already swollen as if a pig's head.

"This..." Astonished by the sight before him, Wu Chan's eyeballs nearly popped from their sockets.

Even if Xiao Nan possessed strength beneath Ran Xiaoxiao, it should be impossible for him to be defeated in just a few moves!

For this to happen, Wu Chan could only think of one possibility... that was if those maneuvers the other party were put together, not only was it possible to execute it, it would even display an astounding prowess!

Otherwise, considering how Ran Xiaoxiao and Xiao Nan were nearly equally matched, it didn't make sense how the latter could be bashed so badly in just a few breaths!

"I don't believe it..."

The more he thought about it, the more Wu Chan felt doubtful and apprehensive about the matter. Gritting his teeth, he charged right at Ran Xiaoxiao.

As a practitioner of the same battle technique, he was very familiar with these maneuvers as well. Upon seeing the other party execute them, he immediately knew how he should move to evade those attacks. But for some reason, the other party's moves seemed to be much more difficult to deal with than usual.

After barely avoiding a few blows by a hair's breadth, he was already sweating profusely.

Clearly, Ran Xiaoxiao's cultivation had advanced significantly under that fellow's guidance, to the point where even he could hardly match up to her!

Could an Impartation of Heaven's Will advance Ran Xiaoxiao's cultivation by so much?

Or was the combination of those few maneuvers that powerful?

"Screw it! I should just give it a try myself..."

Wu Chan took a step back to leap out of the battle before executing the moves in the order which the young man had said earlier.

Puuu!!

But by the time he reached the third blow, he suddenly felt his zhenqi running amok as it abruptly ran in the opposite direction. His face paled, and crimson blood spewed from his mouth.

Pah pah pah!

At the same moment, Ran Xiaoxiao had already rushed up to him and slammed him onto the ground with a slap.

"This..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head in bewilderment, uncomprehending of the situation before him.

"Ran Xiaoxiao has just opened her Ziwei and Yingtai acupoints, and she has the constitution of a female as well, so it's fine for her to use these moves in succession. But what is this fellow doing? Does he know that using moves so haphazardly can make his cultivation go berserk easily..."

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Chapter 729: Blacksmith School

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Every single battle technique has its own unique zhenqi circulation method and execution style, so it's important for a cultivator to pair them together wisely.

Using an analogy, while it's possible for one to punch his left fist to the right while punching the right fist to the left, the clash in the momentum from both actions made in unison would potentially result in muscle tear and disturbances in one's zhenqi.

This was the problem Wu Chan was suffering from at this instant.

The maneuvers which Zhang Xuan advised Ran Xiaoxiao on was in consideration of her unique circumstances having just opened her Ziwei and Yingtai acupoint and her incredible physical flexibility as a woman.

On the other hand, Wu Chan had yet to open those who acupoints, and his body was slightly more rigid as a male as well, making it highly dangerous for him to execute those moves in succession.

I am guiding Ran Xiaoxiao, why in the world are you trying to learn it as well? Look at what this brings you, you ended up crippling yourself before you can achieve anything...

With this incident, there was no way Wu Chan could be a match for Ran Xiaoxiao anymore!

If Wu Chan were to know Zhang Xuan's thoughts, he would surely burst into tears.

Your Impartation of Heaven's Will is so powerful, and my Soul Depth has been my main weakness all along. After seeing the massive improvement Ran Xiaoxiao has made under your guidance, how could I possibly hold myself back from giving it a try...

In the end, of the three geniuses who came to challenge Zhang shi, two of them were lying on the ground, frothing at the lips, while the last one was completely obedient to him. Huang Xing and the others couldn't help but gape at that sight.

This was way too exaggerated!

The second, third, and fourth rankers of the Annual Tournament had come to challenge him. Yet, with just a few words from their opponents, they ended up turning against one another, eventually landing them in utter defeat...

They couldn't help but doubt the authenticity of the sight before them. Was this a show they had cooked up to toy with them, or were they just dreaming?

It was fortunate that they hadn't offended Zhang shi earlier! Otherwise, the ones who would be lying on the ground at this moment might be them!

It was no wonder by Elder Mo would direct him to the Elite Sector personally, he did possess the talent worthy of that!

At the same time, Ran Xiaoxiao was staring at the sight before her in a daze. It seemed as if she could hardly believe that the rivals whom she wasn't able to overcome in the past few years could be defeated so easily.

"Alright, I'll be leaving the rest to you all then..."

With Zhang Xuan's current Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle cultivation, it would be almost bullying if he were to make a move on these Grade 1 students. It would be damaging to his reputation if word were to spread out, so he had opted to have Ran Xiaoxiao fight in his place instead.

With this, there should be no one else in the Grade 1 who would oppose his occupation of the first residence. With nothing else tying him here, he waved his hand casually and walked toward the residence.

Pushing open the door to the residence, he immediately felt a surge of spiritual energy blew past him.

The residence was extremely large. On top of the usual amenities, there was even a personal training ground in the courtyard and a sealed chamber for discussing important matters. Honestly speaking, it seemed more like a manor than a residence.

It was no wonder the trio had wanted this residence. The privileges granted to the top of the grade was indeed incredible.

After taking a casual look around the residence, Zhang Xuan didn't dive straight into cultivating. Instead, he took a seat in one of the rooms to contemplate on his next course of action.

There were a total of ten schools representing an occupation each in this academy, and each of them had a humongous library containing a precious trove of knowledge. It wasn't easy for Zhang Xuan to enroll into the academy, so he should make use of the opportunity to tour the academy and learn everything he could.

By the time he was done, he should be ready to take on the 6-star master teacher examination.

Only upon becoming a 6-star master teacher would one be considered to have taken one's first step into the world of the top experts in the Master Teacher Continent. This was an essential step for Zhang Xuan to gain the power to protect himself and those around him.

"But before then, I have to find higher tier cultivation technique manuals first!"

Zhang Xuan's Heaven's Path Divine Art was only up to Cosmos Bridge realm at the moment. To advance to Perfect Harmonization realm, he would have to gather even more cultivation technique manuals to compile a complete Heaven's Path Divine Art for that cultivation realm.

"The cultivation techniques are gathered in the Cultivation Hall!"

Zhang Xuan recalled the words Luo Qiqi had told him on the journey here.

Gathered in the Cultivation Hall was the reflection and comprehension notes and cultivation technique manuals that countless geniuses had left behind over the years.

As long as he could gain entry into the Cultivation Hall, he would surely be able to compile a complete Perfect Harmonization realm Heaven's Path Divine Art!

Or if luck would permit it, perhaps even beyond that!

"However, the prerequisite to viewing the Perfect Harmonization realm cultivation technique manuals in the Cultivation Hall is for one to be a 5-star master teacher, and an adequate amount of Academic Credits! For the time being... I should first try to become a 5-star master teacher first!"

Despite the sea of knowledge hidden within the Cultivation Hall, there was a price for its entry.

As a 4-star master teacher, Zhang Xuan was only qualified to view the Consonant Spirit realm and Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation technique manuals at the moment. The Perfect Harmonization realm cultivation technique manuals were currently beyond his reach.

And more importantly, in the first place, he would need some Academic Credits to enter the Cultivation Hall.

Naturally, he had no Academic Credits having just enrolled in the academy. He would only be turned away at the entrance even if he were to head for the Cultivation Hall.

"To qualify for the 5-star master teacher examination, I would need five 5-star supporting occupation, and at the moment, the only occupation that I have at that rank is appraiser. It seems like I'll need to prepare a bit before taking the examination... How troublesome!" Zhang Xuan rubbed in glabella in frustration.

For each advancement in one's master teacher rank, one would have to take on another supporting occupation while raising the ranks of all supporting occupation to the corresponding master teacher rank.

Too often were there master teachers who were hindered not by their cultivation, but their inability to bring up the required number of supporting occupations to the required rank to be promoted.

So far, the only 5-star supporting occupation Zhang Xuan had was appraiser. As for the remaining supporting occupations, formation master, physician, painter, and beast tamer were at 4-star, while apothecary was at 3-star.

While Zhang Xuan had other supporting occupations such as poison master and soul oracle, those occupations were often frowned upon due to their history and their nature, and he might be shunned for learning their skills. Thus he wouldn't be able to consider them for his promotion prerequisites.

"I should pay a visit to the other schools while I have the time to take the examinations for my supporting occupations!"

After some contemplation on the matter, Zhang Xuan thought that it would be better for him to take things a step at a time.

He wasn't in a rush for time anyway, and the academy provided a convenient platform for him to take the examinations as well. If he could clear as many examinations as he could here, he could be spared the trouble from trying to find the occupation guilds in the future.

"I have managed to compile the Heaven's Path Smith Art recently but I haven't gotten a chance to take the examination yet. Perhaps I should take the examination for it first..."

Eventually, Zhang Xuan decided to visit the Blacksmith School first.

Through compiling the books Wu Yangzi had left behind, his current smithing proficiency could be said to be on par, or even superior to a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith. Thus, he could take the 6-star blacksmith examination straight without a problem.

At the same time, this was a good opportunity for him to get a view on the capability of the Blacksmith School.

With this thought in mind, Zhang Xuan stood up without hesitation and walked out of his residence.

By the time he stood out, Wu Chan and the others had already left.

After all, as seniors in the school, it was indeed embarrassing for them to remain here after losing to a freshman.

Zhang Xuan went back to the massive building and swiftly found Huang Xing and the others. From them, he got the location of the Blacksmith School, and swiftly made his way over.

Of the ten schools, the Blacksmith School was second only to the Apothecary School. There were many students who took it as their supporting occupation, and even when he was a distance away, he could already see a huge crowd moving to and fro the area.

"Perfect Harmonization realm, Ethereal Treading realm..."

Zhang Xuan gauged the cultivation of the crowd by sweeping through them with his Eye of Insight.

There were plenty of students who had reached Perfect Harmonization realm and Ethereal Treading realm among the crowd, and there was even a handful who had reached Chrysalis realm.

With such strength, they would stand unchallenged in Huanyu Empire. Even in Hongyuan Empire, they stood amongst the top.

As expected of the Blacksmith School, it was indeed incredible.

After asking around, Zhang Xuan soon found the area where blacksmith examinations were held.

The schools in the Master Teacher Academy were associated with the respective occupation guilds, so the results of the examinations held here were officially recognized.

In other words, by clearing the blacksmith examination here, he could receive an official emblem from the Blacksmith Guild.

Considering how there were nearly a hundred thousand master teachers in the academy, if they had to head out to their respective guilds to take the examination, not only would it be a huge inconvenience to the master teachers, it would also be a great burden on the guilds in the vicinity as well.

Thus, the occupations had decided to set up a branch within the respective schools to oversee the examination so as to make things convenient.

"Blacksmith Guild—Hongyuan Academy Branch..."

Zhang Xuan glanced at the plaque hung in front of a towering building before walking in.

The vast lounge was filled bustling with a huge crowd. Zhang Xuan estimated that there was probably at least a few hundred people in here.

"Tailor-made Spirit intermediate-tier weapon from a 5-star blacksmith, priced at only half an Academic Credit!"

"I have a Spirit intermediate-tier saber fresh from the forge, going at just one Academic Credit! Don't miss this opportunity, you won't see another weapon as cheap as this..."

"I'm lacking a Goldenforest Ore, and I am willing to trade two Academic Credits for it!"

"Three Searing Blaze Stones, going at one Academic Credit each..."

...

It was as if Zhang Xuan had leaped into a market. Some were offering weapon forging services, some were selling their forged weapons, some were buying all kinds ores, and some were selling all kind of smithing resources.

Since most of them were dressed in a master teacher robe, they should be students of the academy.

"The purchasing power of Academic Credits sure is amazing..." After taking a look around the stores, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but notice that most trades were conducted using Academic Credits.

When Zhang Xuan first heard about the importance of Academic Credits from Luo Qiqi, he had thought that its price would, at best, be equivalent to middle-tier spirit stones. However, perhaps due to the fact that Academic Credits were essential in accessing most facilities in the Master Teacher Academy, its value seemed to be comparable to even high-tier spirit stones.

It was no wonder why Luo Qiqi and the others had gone all the way to Huanyu Empire to search for Wu Yangzi's underground chamber for just a handful of Academic Credits. It seemed like it wasn't easy to earn Academic Credits at all. Otherwise, 5-star blacksmiths wouldn't have to go to the extent of setting up stores as if roadside vendors.

The items they were offering would be invaluable treasures back in Huanyu Empire, but they weren't even worth half an Academic Credit in here.

"Is there anything you need?"

After squeezing through the crowd to reach the reception desk with much difficulty, Zhang Xuan found a young lady smiling at him.

Through asking around, Zhang Xuan learned that the receptionists were also the students of the academy as well. They had accepted this mission from the academy to earn Academic Credits.

While such missions were humble, they were neither dangerous nor skill-based, so it was more suited for the less-skilled students.

"I wish to take the blacksmith examination!" Zhang Xuan said.

"May I know what rank are you going for? I'll make arrangements for you right now!" Upon hearing that the young man before her was going to take the blacksmith examination, the young lady's eyes immediately lit up.

"I'll... take the 5-star examination!" After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan replied.

If the examination was knowledge-based, it wouldn't be a trouble for him to pass the 6-star examination. However, that was very unlikely to be the case.

Considering his lacking proficiency in smithing, as well as his lacking cultivation, the products he could smith would likely be unflattering.

Thus, he decided to play it safe and take the 5-star examination first. In any case, his current goal was to advance to become a 5-star master teacher for the time being anyway.

"5-star?"

The lady nodded with a smile and said, "May I have your 4-star emblem and your student token? I'll help you register for the examination..."

"Emblem? Student token?" Zhang Xuan's face reddened in embarrassment. "I don't have any of those yet..."

Zhang Xuan had never taken the blacksmith examination before, so he didn't even have a 1-star emblem, On the other hand, as a freshman who had just entered the academy a few hours ago, his name wasn't even listed in the academy's records yet. How could he possibly have a student token on hand?

"You don't have those?"

The young lady froze for an instant before her smile vanished into a frown, "Who are you then? What are you doing at our Master Teacher Academy?"

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Chapter 730: The Importance of Academic Credits

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Anyone without a student token couldn't be considered as a student of their academy... If that was the case, who in the world was the young man before her?

As one of the very few major academies under Qingyuan Conferred Empire that served as a cradle for aspiring master teachers, only those who possessed superior talent or capabilities were allowed to step onto its premises.

"I am a freshman from this year's batch... I just entered the academy, so I haven't received by student token yet!" Realizing that the other party had misunderstood that he was an outsider, Zhang Xuan hurriedly explained.

"A freshman?" The young lady was stunned for an instant before it dawned on her that the entrance examination was just held earlier today. She couldn't help but shake her head.

To think that a freshman would visit the Blacksmith School on his very first day in the middle of the night instead of resting...

"I'll be honest with you. To take the blacksmith examination, you'll require a student token, the corresponding emblem, and academic credits. Without academic credits, no one will bother going through the trouble of preparing the examination for you!"

Upon realizing that Zhang Xuan was a freshman, the young lady explained.

"I'll require academic credit for this as well?" A bitter smile crept onto Zhang Xuan's lips.

"Of course. Even if you were to take the examination in the guilds outside the academy, you will still need to place spirit stones with the guild as a deposit. If there's nothing on the line, there would surely be a few who would come to try their luck every day, wasting the efforts of those preparing the examinations and the resources of the Master Teacher Academy!" the young lady harrumphed.

For a freshman to attempt to take the examination without even getting a clear idea of how the academy's system works, was he just that brazen or simply negligent?

"This..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

She was right.

Under normal circumstances, if one wanted to take an examination in a guild, one would have to place a fixed deposit with the guild first, and it would only be returned if one clears the examination. This served as a barrier to deter the arrogant and those trying their luck.

The Master Teacher Academy seemed to follow the same policy as well, just that instead of a deposit of spirit stones, it was Academic Credits now.

"How many Academic Credits will I require to take the 5-star blacksmith examination?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"To take a 5-star supporting occupation examination will typically take two Academic Points whereas a 6-star examination will require four Academic Points." the lady replied.

"Two points?" Zhang Xuan was dumbstruck. "May I also clarify another issue? In other guilds, the deposit will be returned if one were to clear the examination. Does this apply here as well?"

Having walked around the Blacksmith School, he had roughly grasped how difficult it was to earn Academic Credits. Considering how even smithing a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon for another might not even be worth half an Academic Credit, two points was indeed an astronomical sum!

It would be great if he could claim a refund if he were to clear the examination. Otherwise, he would surely have a spend a huge amount of Academic Credits to clear the necessary examinations required for him to become a 5-star master teacher.

"Refund? How could the Academic Credits possibly be refunded?" the young lady shook her head upon hearing Zhang Xuan's words.

"Just remember this; in order to live in the academy, possessing Academic Credits is a must. In here, no other currency is more useful than Academic Credits. To earn Academic Credits, you will have to clear missions, complete tasks, or break existing records! Alright, you should return for now. I might still be able to give you some leeway regarding your lack of a student token since you are a student of our Master Teacher Academy, but without Academic Credits, you won't be able to even activate the [Ocean of Weapons] to take the examination."

"Activate the Ocean of Weapons?"

"The Ocean of Weapons is an artifact crafted in a collaboration between the Blacksmith School and Celestial Designer School to automate examinations. Once activated, the examinee will be brought into a simulation, where he would craft a weapon through a puppet. As long as his crafted weapons meet the requirements, he would be considered to have cleared the examination." Even though the young lady was starting to get impatient at this point, she still answered Zhang Xuan's query politely.

"Simulation? Puppet? Wouldn't a practical examination where one undergoes the entire smithing process be a more accurate indicator of skill?" Zhang Xuan asked curiously.

Most guilds that he had been would demand the examinees to display their true prowess. Thus, he couldn't help but be a little bewildered when the other party mentioned simulation and puppets.

Could it be that one didn't need to smith a weapon for real to clear the examination?

"It would indeed be a better indicator of skill if one could undergo the entire smithing process, but do you know how expensive are the materials required for smithing are? Of the hundred thousand master teachers in the academy, there are at least fifty thousand of them who have smithing as their supporting occupation. If we were to have each of them smith a real weapon, how much valuable ores and metals would be wasted?" the young lady harrumphed.

"However, you need not worry, While it is an illusion, you will be ranked based on the data we gathered from several hundred 6-star pinnacle blacksmiths ever since the inception of the academy. As long as the core of your smithing aligns with theirs, you will surely clear the examination! The disparity in results would only be at most one in a billion!"

While it was true that the Ocean of Weapons was a smithing simulation, it had been refined by innumerable 6-star blacksmiths over the years, making extremely life-like. As long as one could successfully smith a weapon inside the simulation, they would surely be able to succeed in real life as well, and vice-versa.

"I see!" Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

Indeed. Considering how there were fifty thousand blacksmiths in the academy, there would at least be a thousand who would take the examinations each year. If the academy were to conduct a real practical examination for each of them, how much precious ores and metals would they waste each year?

It was one thing if they had passed and forged a decent weapon, but considering the success ratio over the years, it was likely that most of the ores and metals would be ruined. No matter how wealthy the Master Teacher Academy was, this was an expense they couldn't afford to bear.

Furthermore, unlike medicinal herbs, ores and metals were depletable resources. As such, no blacksmith would be willing to see so much precious resources going to waste as well each year.

As such, the Master Teacher Academy decided to develop a simulation to conduct the examinations instead.

"Alright, you should return now. Even if you do possess the capability to pass the 5-star blacksmith examination, you will still need two Academic Credits. Without that, I won't be able to give you any leeway even if I wanted to!" the young lady waved Zhang Xuan away.

"If I recall correctly, you said that to earn Academic Credits, we can either clear missions, complete tasks, or... break existing records? May I know how does breaking the existing records work?" Knowing that he would be unable to do anything without sufficient Academic Credits, Zhang Xuan continued asking.

"Break existing records?" The young lady's eyes began flying around the place, and blood nearly gushed from her mouth.

Probably only a freshman like the other party would dare to spout such arrogant words!

Those achievements were termed as "records" for a reason—there was no master teacher in the academy who could surpass it.

As a freshman, it is understandable for you to lack knowledge about the functioning of the academy, so I explained them to you patiently. But now, you are telling me that you intend to break existing records to earn Academic Credits?

You must be dreaming!

If Academic Credits could be earned that easily, why would the others go through so much trouble of setting up their own store?

Seriously, shouldn't there be a limit to your naivety?

"Indeed. May I know what records are there? I would like to try challenging them..." Zhang Xuan replied.

Missions would likely be more troublesome to deal with, or else a request wouldn't be made for it... As for tasks, Zhang Xuan hadn't been acquainted with any teacher yet, so that would be out of question. Thus, the only remaining option for him to earn Academic Credits quickly was to break records.

Of course, he would try to pick out the easier ones to earn some points first. For the harder ones, he could attempt them later, after he browses through the library.

As the saying goes, money makes the downfall of a hero. Without Academic Credits, even if he possesses superior capability, he would still find his activities severely restricted in the Master Teacher Academy.

"You..." Seeing the fellow before her going on and on about breaking records, the young lady shook her head in displeasure.

Do you know even understand why they are called records? Do you honestly think that you can surpass them just because you want to?

Initially, the young lady was still thinking that this freshman was diligent, rushing to the Blacksmith School right after clearing the entrance examination, and she respected him for it. That was the reason why she chose to answer his queries patiently. However, as the fellow before her got more and more arrogant, she found her patience swiftly wearing thin, and hostility was beginning to take its place.

Nevertheless, she tried her best to rein in her fury as she gestured casually, "If you wish to give it a try, so be it. The Passageway of Records is over there, feel free to take a look. However, allow me to give you a word of advice. Don't enter any of them easily, or else you might be thrown out of the Blacksmith School..."

These records represented the achievements of the talented predecessors of the Blacksmith School, and they were a symbol of honor. Challenging these records without the capability to back it up could be considered as a sign of disrespect to these predecessors, and one would be severely punished for it.

Furthermore, being humiliated was just one matter, but one could potentially be severely injured while challenging those records if one wasn't sufficiently strong.

"Over there?" Zhang Xuan glanced at the direction where the young lady was gesturing toward, but his view was obstructed by a huge crowd moving to and fro the area.

"I am free now, so allow me to lead you over..." With a proud harrumph, the young lady raised her head and led the way.

Since you spoke so arrogantly about breaking the records, let's see how you will make a fool out of yourself then!

As a freshman, it was one thing for you to be ambitious. However, to declare so proudly that you would break the existing records of the Blacksmith School, who do you think you are?

If it was that easy to do so, why do you think there would be people here offering their services to smith weapons or selling their work? Why do you think students would go through all the trouble, braving through life-and-death situations to clear difficult missions?

Of all of the conceited men I have seen, you top the list!

The fellow before her was most likely a high-flyer from some rural area who had never ventured into the greater world. Accustomed to being the top, he naturally thought of himself as superior to others, not knowing that his outlook was merely like a frog in a well.

Oblivious to the fact that he had already left a terrible impression on the lady before him, Zhang Xuan followed behind her closely through the crowd.

Before long, he found himself standing before a black door.

This door somewhat resembled those he saw during his 2-star master teacher examination in Tianwu Kingdom. There were words written on the white wall beside the door:

"Melting three Black Crystal Ore in ten minutes. Accomplished by 6-star Blacksmith Zheng Rong in the 3784th year of the establishment of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy..."

"Diverting the earth flames to completely melt a lump of Glacier Silver within two hours. Accomplished by 6-star Blacksmith..."

"Withstanding the heat within the Chamber of Earth Flame for 17 minutes. Accomplished by 6-star Blacksmith Liu Han..."

...

These were the records set by the predecessors of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, and the details of whom and when it was achieved was written on it as well.

After taking a casual glance, Zhang Xuan's face gradually turned grim.

To be honest, these records were indeed incredible even from his point of view.

Taking just the Black Crystal Ore for example, this object was known to be one of the hardest ores to process. Even a typical 7-star blacksmith would require at least an hour to melt it down, but the record holder Zheng Rong actually managed to do it within ten minutes! That was an astounding feat!

Even Zhang Xuan, with his current cultivation realm, would be unable to do the same!

This was even more so for Glacier Silver. This material known to be impossible to be melted through normal flames. The only way to forge a weapon out of it was to soften it by exposing it to earth flames for a prolonged period of time and slowly mold it into a weapon. Generally speaking, such a process would take several months, and yet, the record holder had managed to melt it down into liquid metal within two hours!

"So, do you think you can rival their achievements?" Glancing at the arrogant young fellow beside her, the young lady scoffed.

"It's not impossible... but it'll be troublesome!" Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

If he were to really set his mind to it, he was confident of surpassing those records. However, he would have to pay a hefty price for it as well. The price he had to pay wasn't worth that bit of Academic Credits.

Taking Glacier Silver for example, as long as he were to infuse his Heaven's Path zhenqi into the earth flame to intensify the heat, it should be possible for him to melt it fully within an hour... However, the zhenqi he would have to expend to do so would reach a fearsome level.

Furthermore, there was a risk that he might expose the secret regarding his Heaven's Path zhenqi as well. If that were to happen, there would be no doubt that others would attempt to acquire his secret, even at the expense of his life. That was how great the allure of Heaven's Path zhenqi was.

While he had "Yang shi" to keep such people in check, it was still best for him to steer clear of trouble if possible.

"You're saying that you can do break these records? How conceited!" Hearing the conversation the duo had, a blacksmith stepped forward and sneered.

"Li Xuan, where on earth did you find such an arrogant fellow?"

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Chapter 731: Chamber of Earth Flame

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Zhang Xuan turned around to take a look.

The other party was a young man who seemed to be in his thirties. The brilliant five stars pinned on his chest indicated that he was a 5-star master teacher!

"Senior Luo Yan!"

Upon seeing the young man, the young lady whom the other party had identified as Li Xuan leaped in fright, and she hurriedly bowed her head politely.

"Isn't Senior Luo Yan one of the top ten master teachers in Grade 4? If I recall correctly, he's also one of the top 5-star pinnacle blacksmiths in the Blacksmith School. To utter such haughty words in his presence, that fellow must be asking for a beating!"

"Indeed, that fellow is acting far too frivolously here. This is the Blacksmith School, not a bragging competition. How did such a person even pass the entrance examination in the first place?"

"I have seen most of the famous Grade 1 and Grade 2 students, but his face looks unfamiliar to me."

"He's probably just saying those words to attract attention..."

...

The Passageway of Records represented the pride and achievements of the Blacksmith School. Only the top blacksmiths in the school would dare to gather here and challenge the records. But even so, most of them would come with the intention of challenging themselves, not to surpass the existing records.

After all, the records signified the very pinnacle of the Blacksmith School over its millenniums of existence.

Yet, this fellow came here and declared that "It's not impossible, but it'll be troublesome". Naturally, these words would incur the displeasure and hostility of the geniuses here.

Even the top blacksmiths of the Academy School dared not to utter such words! It took those geniuses here all they had to not rush up and pummel that arrogant fellow.

"Reporting to senior, he... he is..."

Under the glare of a renowned Grade 4 student, Li Xuan's body trembled uncontrollably in fear, "He's a newly enrolled student, and he's here to take a look around..."

"A freshman?"

Upon hearing that the other party was just a freshman, Luo Yan shook his head in disappointment and fury, "The quality of the students are getting worse and worse with each passing generation! The Passageway of Records symbolizes the blood and sweat of countless predecessors of our Blacksmith School, how can you allow just anyone to enter here and besmirch this place?"

At this point, Luo Yan's eyebrows shot up, and his voice grew sharper, "What are you still waiting for? Scram!"

"Yes..."

Li Xuan swiftly nodded as she tugged Zhang Xuan out with her. However, to her shock, the latter refused to budge. Instead, he turned to Luo Yan with an annoyed expression and questioned, "Are you the head of the Blacksmith School?"

"I'm not..." Taken aback, Luo Yan replied in confusion.

The other students watching the commotion were stumped by Zhang Xuan's abrupt question as well.

"One of the Ten Great Master Teachers?" Zhang Xuan continued asking.

"That's not it either..."

"So, an elder of the Blacksmith School?"

"Of course not... What are you driving at?" Annoyed by Zhang Xuan's persistent questioning, Luo Yan finally snapped.

"If you are neither the head of the Blacksmith School nor one of the Ten Great master Teachers nor an elder of the Blacksmith School, why the heck are you ranting here for?" Zhang Xuan shook his head with a sigh.

Why the heck are you interfering with us if you have no place here?

What a meddlesome fellow you are!

"Ah..."

Li Xuan was still wondering what Zhang Xuan was going to say when she heard those words. Her body began shaking violently, and she nearly fainted from sheer fear.

Do you know who you standing before? How can you speak to him like that?

He's a Grade 4 student, a 5-star high-tier teacher, a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert! For a freshman like you to talk back to him like that, aren't you afraid of being pummeled to death?

Everyone else in the Passageway of Records also glanced at one another, their eyes bulging from astonishment.

Arrogant! They had never seen someone as arrogant as this!

Furious, Luo Yan's face turned so red that it looked as if he would erupt at any moment, "What did you say?"

"Nothing much. Just that you should do whatever you have to do, and don't hinder me from earning Academic Credits!"

Couldn't be bothered with the other party, Zhang Xuan turned his attention back to the records around him.

Having read so many books on smithing, his comprehension of the subject had already reached an extremely profound level. It was possible that the head of the Blacksmith School might not even be a match for him in terms of their understanding of smithing.

The only thing that was lacking was his cultivation.

If only he has reached Saint realm, he would be able to sweep through all of the records easily.

But with his current cultivation... it would be a little troublesome.

"Alright, I'll take this!"

After contemplating for a moment, Zhang Xuan swiftly chose the record he wanted to challenge. He felt that there was a good chance that he could surpass the existing record, so he turned to Li Xuan and asked, "If you don't mind, help me apply for this. I want to challenge this record!"

"Challenge?" Li Xuan froze.

You still want to challenge the records after seeing the existing ones? Do you really think that you can surpass any of these?

The crowd who was watching the commotion also glanced at one another and shook their heads.

After offending a higher grade student, you still want to challenge a record? Did someone knock the sense out of you?

With such a cocky attitude, how did you even pass the master teacher examination and get into this academy on top of that?

"Un, I want to challenge this Chamber of Earth Flame. I'll be depending on you to make the application for me." Zhang Xuan replied calmly.

The Chamber of Earth Flames was a scorching chamber heated by tapping into earth flames. The longer that one can remain in there, the stronger one's physical body is likely to be.

As blacksmiths, it is inevitable that one will be exposed to intense heat. If one doesn't possess a sufficiently strong body, one will easily lose concentration in the midst of smithing, resulting in misjudgement and mistakes.

As such, a strong physical body that is resistant to heat is imperative for blacksmiths.

The reason why Zhang Xuan chose this over the other challenges was because he had cultivated the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body and tempered his body using earth flame. The underground chamber might be hot, but he was confident of holding on for more than 17 minutes.

As such, it should be easier for him to clear this challenge as supposed to the others.

"Chamber of Earth Flame?"

"Is that fellow a fool? To choose that of everything else... Is he tired of living?"

"I have no idea. Perhaps being a freshman, he doesn't know how fearsome it is!"

"And here I thought he might at least stand a chance. To think that he would be an idiot instead..."

Upon hearing the record which Zhang Xuan wanted to challenge, everyone turned their eyes to him with gazes seeming to suggest that they were staring at a fool.

Even Luo Yan who was so furious that he could kill Zhang Xuan with a single slap widened his eyes in astonishment.

The Chamber of Earth Flame was also known as the Chamber of Obliteration or the Death Record. Over the years, most of those who attempted to challenge this record ended up either dead or crippled.

Putting everything aside, the current record holder, 6-star Blacksmith Liu Han, had managed to survive inside for seventeen minutes, but he ended up searing every single inch of his flesh, damaging his foundation. Eventually, he died before he even reached 150.

For a Saint, dying at 150 was definitely considered as a premature death.

Luo Yan had also attempted this record himself, but he fled just three minutes after entering.

As for the others, even though they had never experienced it personally, they had also heard of how terrifying it was from the others.

If there was a record on the record which most would want to avoid challenging, this would definitely be ranked at the top of the list!

And yet, that fellow chose that single record which everyone was dying to avoid... Not to mention, he even proudly declared that he could clear the existing record. Has living become that tiresome for you that you have to rush to your death?

"In the Chamber of Earth Flame, flames would sprout from every crook and nanny, making it impossible for you to avoid them at all. Your skin will be seared by blazing heat... Do you want to reconsider your option?" Shocked, Li Xuan hurriedly tried to persuade the young man beside her.

As infuriated she was by that young man, she was still the one who brought him here, and she couldn't possibly watch as he leaps to his death.

"Don't worry, you can go ahead and make arrangements! If I find myself at the limit of my tolerance, I'll immediately leave the chamber." Knowing that the other party was worried about him, Zhang Xuan replied.

"This..." Seeing Zhang Xuan's insistence, Li Xuan realized that she would be unable to change his mind, so she could only give in, "Alright then. Actually, there's no need to apply for anything beforehand. All you have to do is to place your palm against the door, and after stepping in, declare which is the record you wish to challenge, and the mechanism will send you to your destination!"

Zhang Xuan nodded, "Thank you!"

Leaving these words behind, he walked up to the door leading to the Chamber of Earth Flame.

"Freshman, what is your name?" Seeing that the fellow was insistent on entering the chamber, Luo Yan harrumphed. "If you can survive three minutes in there, I can overlook your prior disrespectful behavior!"

Even though Zhang Xuan had acted extremely arrogantly, he did feel a slight bit of respect for him for being willing to challenge the Chamber of Earth Flames even after knowing how terrifying it was.

"My name is Zhang Xuan!" Zhang Xuan replied with a slight smile as he placed his palm on the door.

Jiya! The door to the chamber opened, and he walked in.

Upon entering the chamber, the doors behind him immediately closed, plunging the surroundings into darkness.

"I will challenge the Chamber of Earth Flame!" Zhang Xuan declared.

Jiya!

As soon as he spoke those words, the ground beneath him rumbled as a mechanism came to life.

There were various overlaps between in the skills of a blacksmith and a celestial engineer. As such, the two schools were particularly close to one another. This pasasgeway—or perhaps it might be more appropriate to call it a lift—seemed to be installed with an extremely profound mechanism, allowing it to process human speech and transport the challenger to his destination.

A moment later, the rumbling came to a halt.

Darkness veiled the entire area, leaving it impossible for Zhang Xuan to determine where he was. Nevertheless, based on the echoes in the area, it seemed like he had arrived in a massive chamber.

Just as he was about to activate his Eye of Insight to perceive his surroundings, a bundle of flames abruptly lit up before him. It swiftly grew into a blazing flame that spread across the entire chamber. A furious surge of heat wave gushed at him, threatening to burn his skin to crisp.

"Hot!" Zhang Xuan exclaimed with a grim expression.

He thought that the Chamber of Earth Flame would at most be as warm as the flames in the Cleansing Lake. If there was any lava, he could even dive in and attempt to absorb the spiritual energy within it while tempering his body. But it seemed like he had underestimated the difficulty of this task!

His surroundings were raging with a roaring blaze. It was already taking his entirety to maintain a layer of zhenqi to ward off the flames, so how could he possibly cultivate under such circumstances?

At this moment, he felt as if he had been stuffed into an oven. If he were to stop the circulation of his zhenqi, he might find himself well done.

It was no wonder why the others had shot him looks of sympathy when he chose to challenge this record, it was indeed worthy of the fearsome reputation it held!

"If this were to continue, I might not be able to even sustain for two minutes!" Zhang Xuan frowned as he drove his zhenqi to fend off the searing heat.

He thought that this would be a walk in the park for him, especially since he had mastered the First Incandescence of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, but it wasn't as easy as he thought it out to be.

Even with his Heaven's Path zhenqi, he couldn't sustain himself too long in here.

"Something is weird here. Normal earth flames shouldn't be this hot!"

Such a thought plagued Zhang Xuan's mind.

Normal earth flames, even those buried deep within the lava, should be tolerable for him, given his Transcendent Mortal 6-dan pinnacle cultivation and Heaven's Path zhenqi. He should be able to swim in there freely without being burnt.

There was something particularly unnatural about the earth flame before him.

At this temperature, his physical body wasn't the only thing that was being seared. Even his soul was being damaged by the unbelievable heat.

"If it comes down to it, I'll just have my clone take my place while I hide inside the Anthive Nest..." Zhang Xuan thought as he rubbed his glabella.

While the heat was a little beyond him, he didn't have any worry about breaking the record.

As terrifying as the earth flame may be, it wouldn't be able to faze his clone in the least.

However, that would, in some sense, be considered as cheating.

"I should first try to see what's going on in here first."

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan suppressed his urge to swap with his clone, and thin strings began surfacing in his eyes, "Eye of Insight!"

Weng!

Soon, Zhang Xuan realized what was amiss.

"This isn't a natural chamber. The heat seems to be drawn in by a man-made formation, and the formation core is... four Searing Blaze Stone... No, this isn't Searing Blaze Stone but..." After gazing at the depths of the flames for a moment, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up, and his body began to tremble in agitation.

"Earth Flame Heart!"

Chapter 732: Second Incandescence

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Earth Flame Heart is an ore formed at the very core of the earth flames after several thousand years of refinement and tempering. It contains an incomparable quantity of fire energy, and if an ordinary cultivator were to just touch it, they would be scalded.

Usually, 6-star blacksmiths would use it as a coal to process ores which are exceptionally resistant to heat. Who could have thought that it would be used as a core to the formation of this Chamber of Earth Flame?

Under his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan could see the incredible profoundness of the formation before him. It was crafted in a manner that allowed it to take in spiritual energy from the surroundings to sustain the emanation of heat from the Earth Flame Heart.

As such, despite the passing of many years, the Earth Flame Heart was still brimming with power.

"It would be cheating if I were to stop the formation... I should try to break the record openly instead!" Zhang Xuan thought after studying the formation for a moment.

Even though the formation was extremely complex, he could still stop it very easily.

Once he were to do so, the heat in the chamber would recede, allowing him to remain here as long as he could.

Just that, if he were to do so, he might be placed under the suspicion of cheating, and the Blacksmith School might not recognize his accomplishment if they were to notice it. After all, the main motive behind this challenge was to gauge the resilience of one's physical body, not to test one's ability to stop a formation.

Besides, did he really have to go that far as to cheat for a mere record?

Was he such a person?

"This will be useful to my Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body!" Zhang Xuan muttered with a smile on his lips.

The reason why he was delighted upon seeing the Earth Flame Heart wasn't due to him finding the core of the formation but that it was one of the materials required for the cultivation of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body's Second Incandescence!

Back then, when he was in the underground chamber, he had merged the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body with many other physical body cultivation techniques he had obtained from Luo Qiqi. While he did manage to compile a complete Heaven's Path cultivation technique, it still had four flaws with it, each corresponding from the Second Incandescence to the Fifth Incandescence!

The flaw for the Second Incandescence was that he would require Earth Flame Heart to successfully cultivate it.

However, Earth Flame Heart was an extremely rare material that could hardly be found anywhere. Thus, Zhang Xuan could only stop right after the First Incandescence. However, since he had encountered it here, how could he possibly allow this opportunity to slip past his fingers?

Since the First Incandescence had boosted his physical body strength to 4,000,000 ding, would it be the same for the Second Incandescence as well?

"Let me give it a try!"

Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan immediately dived into action. Dissipating the layer of zhenqi he had been using to protect his body, he opened up all of the pores in his body and began to absorb the spiritual energy from the surroundings furiously.

If it had been anyone else, even they had cultivated the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body as well, they wouldn't dare to behave so rashly, especially when they didn't know where the Earth Flame Heart was.

However, Zhang Xuan was different. Possessing both the Eye of Insight and Library of Heaven's Path, the flaws of the chamber would literally appear before him. He could easily tell which regions were suitable for cultivating, allowing him to absorb the spiritual energy from the flames without hurting his own body.

Activating the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps, Zhang Xuan positioned himself in a sitting position above the center of the room with the four Earth Flame Hearts directed accurately at four acupoints in his body. With a massive inhalation, the flames in the surroundings began gushing into his body as though fire dragons ascending to the skies.

Pilipala!

Under the intense heat of the fire dragons, his muscles and bones began emitting loud cracking noises. At the same time, his face swiftly flushed crimson, and he clenched his fists tightly in agony.

Flawed cultivation techniques were indeed far more difficult to cultivate. Putting everything aside, just for this Second Incandescence, not only did he require the Earth Flame Heart, his body would also undergo immense pain as it was tempered by the flames.

If not for his strong mental resilience and soul, he might have fainted at this very instant.

Gugugu!

Nevertheless, despite the intense pain, the effects of the tempering was apparent. His physical body which had already reached an extremely stable state and was difficult to further strengthen was changing at a visible pace. Its stamina, durability, defense... every aspect of his body was being reinforced.

4,000,000 ding!

4,500,000 ding!

5,000,000 ding!

6,000,000 ding!

...

Time swiftly passed, and before long, he had already reached 8,000,000 ding!

At 8,000,000 ding, his physical strength was already comparable to a Perfect Harmonization realm primary stage expert!

In other words, just in terms of physical strength he could draw from his body, he could fight on equal grounds with a Perfect Harmonization realm expert. If he were to utilize his zhenqi and soul cultivation on top of that, he could match even an Ethereal Treading expert!

The enhancement he had received was indeed frightening!

Hu!

Breathing out a mouthful of turbid air, Zhang Xuan slowly descended to the ground.

With this, he had successfully cultivated the Second Incandescence of his Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body!

For the Third Incandescence, he would require Origin Heavy Water as a catalyst. Thus, he could only stop at this point.

"After cultivating the Second Incandescence, the heat here is no longer able to faze me..." Zhang Xuan thought as he glanced at his surroundings quietly.

With the advancement of his Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, not only was his physical strength enhanced, his body had also become immune to the heat emitted by the Earth Flame Heart. While this place could easily burn anyone else to cinders, he could easily lie down in this area and sleep for as long as he could without suffering a burn.

"It seems to be a little too early to leave yet... I need to break the record in order to receive Academic Credits..." Zhang Xuan frowned.

As the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body was a Heaven's Path cultivation technique as well, and he was only cultivating a fifth of it, it was unlikely that too much time had passed during his cultivation. Even though he didn't keep track of the timing, the chances were that he would fail the challenge if he were to leave now.

"Perhaps I can cultivate my soul in here while waiting!"

Since he had no choice but to wait anyway, Zhang Xuan decided to draw his soul out to cultivate.

The reason why the spiritual energy within the Cleansing Lake could be absorbed by his soul was because it had been refined and cleaned by the earth flame beneath it.

On the other hand, a formation augmented by Earth Flame Heart had been set up within this chamber. Under the intense heat, the spiritual energy here had also been refined, making it suitable for a soul to absorb.

Thus, disregarding his physical body, Zhang Xuan's soul floated in the midst of the chamber.

Due to the flaws in the Soul Guiding Formula, soul oracles feared sunlight, flames, and everything that was yang in nature. However, having cultivated the perfected Soul Guiding Formula, Zhang Xuan's soul possessed no such flaws. As a result, despite the overwhelming heat in the surroundings, his soul was still able to fly around freely without suffering any damage.

Even though he only had the Consonant Spirit realm Heaven's Path Soul Art, making it impossible for him to make a breakthrough, he could still absorb spiritual energy to enhance his soul, just like what he did in the Cleansing Lake.

Back then, due to his clone frenziedly wrestling spiritual energy from him, his soul wasn't able to reach ten meters. However, with the spiritual energy within this chamber, he could try to surpass that bottleneck.

Tzzzzzz!

The refined spiritual energy in the area began flowing swiftly towards Zhang Xuan's soul, nourishing it.

"As I expected, it works..." Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up with excitement.

As expected of one of the treasures required in the cultivation of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body. After many years of refinement under the intense heat of the Earth Flame Heart, the spiritual energy in the surroundings had become far purer than that in the Cleansing Lake, making it the best tonic for his soul!

"This time, I should finish absorbing my share before bringing clone out!"

With the prior experience at the Cleansing Lake, Zhang Xuan knew that his absorbing speed would surely be unable to compete with his clone, so he decided to take in whatever he could first before bringing that fellow out.

...

While Zhang Xuan was busy absorbing the spiritual energy in the chamber, there was a huge mess outside the chamber.

At this point, it had already been two hours since Zhang Xuan had entered the Chamber of Earth Flame.

Everyone thought that the fellow would leap out after a minute or two, but time continued to tick on, and before they knew it, it was already two hours... For there to be no signs of him after so long, had he already died in there?

"The mechanism in the Chamber of Earth Flame has the ability to detect the presence of life. If the challenger of the record were to pass away, he would immediately be sent back out..." Luo Yan frowned in confusion.

He had once challenged the Chamber of Earth Flame, so he had studied up on it and knew a fair bit about its inner working.

As soon as the mechanism detects the lack of presence of any life in the chamber, it would immediately deport the challenger back to the Passageway of Records.

Considering how that fellow hadn't been deported after such a long period of time, it could only mean that... he was still alive and kicking!

Did that fellow really enter the Chamber of Earth Flame?

Could he have run off to some other challenge to slack about?

Otherwise, to last for two whole hours... was this even possible?

And the truth was that he wasn't the only one who was getting frenzied over this matter. The others who had gathered around after hearing Zhang Xuan's arrogant declaration were also clutching their hair in madness.

Most record challengers would just aim to beat the record for a few seconds, or even at most, just a minute or two. After all, these records were made by the predecessors by pushing their bodies to the very limit. Yet, to surpass it by severalfold and still remain within... Was he planning to remain in there for days?

"The heat from the Chamber of Earth Flame is capable of melting even steel, and to stay there for two hours..." Luo Yan subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva as he turned to Li Xuan.

"Are you certain that he's a freshman?"

"That's what he told me... I don't think he's lying. If he's a senior, we should have heard of him before..." Li Xuan hurriedly replied.

Her lips were also twitching in astonishment from what was going on.

Even though she was serving as the receptionist of the Blacksmith School, she was also a master teacher herself, and she possessed an eye of discernment worthy of one. Based on her judgement, she could tell that Zhang Xuan wasn't feigning his ignorance in their interactions.

For someone who didn't know the slightest thing about the records to challenge it, it was inevitable that she would regard him as arrogant. Who would have known that not only would he actually do it, he would even successfully surpass the existing record?

After all, this was a record which had remained unbroken for countless years!

"To think that I thought that he was being conceited..." Recalling how she had looked at the other party disdainfully, her face couldn't help but turn red in embarrassment.

That fellow did have the capability to back up his words!

Yet, her eyes failed to see through it...

"Freshman..."

On the other hand, having received the confirmation from Li Xuan, Luo Yan's eyelids began twitching.

All along, he had been proud of his record of remaining in the Chamber of Earth Flame for three minutes, and he had been bragging about it over the years. Due to it, he had won the admiration of respect of many. Yet, he actually mocked the person who had been inside for two hours and longer...

It would be difficult for even the Ten Great Master Teachers to break the seventeen minutes mark, needless to say, two hours!

Upon thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a stinging sensation on his face.

"Senior, the Chamber of Earth Flame is incredibly dangerous. No matter how resilient Zhang shi's physical body is, it should be impossible for him to remain in there for so long. Could something have happened to him?" After waiting for a moment later, a master teacher suddenly spoke up.

Records were records for a reason. To surpass them was already an incredible feat in itself, but to do so with a gap of severalfold was unthinkable!

"Un, I also find the situation inconceivable... Wait for me here, I'll go and look for my teacher to ask him about this matter. Given how knowledgeable he is, he should be able to figure out what is going on." Luo Yan replied after a moment of hesitation.

With those words, he walked out of the Passageway of Records and soon, he arrived before a room.

"Teacher!" Luo Yan called out as he knocked on the door.

"Luo Yan? What's wrong?" The elder in the room raised his gaze and asked.

The vice-head of the Blacksmith School, Yuan Hong!

A 6-star pinnacle master teacher and blacksmith, his standing within the Blacksmith School was second only to the school head.

"Reporting to teacher, someone is currently challenging the Chamber of Earth Flame!" Luo Yan reported anxiously.

"Chamber of Earth Flame? The existing record of seventeen minutes has left many helpless in its face. It won't be easy for anyone to surpass that!" Yuan Hong remarked with a smile as he stroked his beard.

"Who is it? Lu Wu? Chen Hai? Or is it Du Jiu? The quality of the students in the Blacksmith School has been going down with each passing generation. In the current generation, they are the only ones who stand a chance for that record!"

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Chapter 733: You Still Have the Cheek to Ask for Academic Credits?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

The students whom Yuan Hong listed were the top geniuses of the Blacksmith School, possessing capability surpassing Luo Yan.

Smithing required one to temper their bodies, but only a handful was willing to tolerate the painful process. As a result, there were very few capable blacksmiths in the Blacksmith School.

This had always been a thorn at Yuan Hong's heart, so upon hearing that someone was challenging the Chamber of Earth Flame, he couldn't help but lament.

"It isn't them, it's a freshman named Zhang Xuan!" Luo Yan hurriedly replied.

"A freshman?" Yuan Hong was stunned by the news.

"Yes, he has just passed the examination and joined the academy today, and he doesn't even have his student token yet... It seems like he hopes to earn some Academic Credits from beating the records so that he could activate the Ocean of Weapons to take the 5-star blacksmith examination..." Luo Yan explained.

"Preposterous!" Yuan Hong bellowed in fury upon hearing that a freshman who hadn't even received his student token actually went to challenge one of the records.

As the vice-head of the Blacksmith School, he was in charge of upholding discipline amongst the students. How could a freshman who had just barely joined the academy be allowed to challenge the Chamber of Earth Flame? Wasn't that practically suicide?

Does he even know what does the Chamber of Earth Flame represents?

"Even if others don't comprehend it, surely you should understand the significance of this matter! The Chamber of Earth Flame takes a huge toll on one's physical body. As a freshman who has never gone through the systematic training of our Blacksmith School, how could he possibly survive in there?"

The more Yuan Hong spoke, the more livid his face became.

"Teacher..." Luo Yan tried to speak up, but he was interrupted before he could start explaining himself.

"Alright, you are just a student, so you can't be blamed for this. If someone were to insist on challenging the records, you don't have the authority to stop them anyway. I don't mean to blame you by saying all of this, but I am enraged but how arrogant the students are becoming. Honestly, the recent few batches of students are the worst I have ever taught in my entire career..." Yuan Hong sighed.

He knew that it wasn't right for him to vent his anger on his student, so he shook his head and said, "Alright. How long has that fellow been in there? Has he suffered severe burns? Here is a bottle of Clear Spirit Water, it should be able to treat his burns..."

"No. That freshman is still... in the chamber!" Luo Yan finally found a chance to speak up amidst his teacher's words.

Yuan Hong was an excellent teacher, but he had a fatal flaw—he was too naggy.

Due to that, there was not a single student who wouldn't get a headache from his lectures.

"You just have to apply the Clear Spirit Water on his external burns to..." Just as Yuan Hong was starting to explain how the Clear Spirit Water should be used, he suddenly froze, and his eyes began bulging from their sockets. "What did you say? What do you mean by he isn't out yet? When did he enter the chamber?"

"He... entered around two hours ago!" Luo Yan replied.

"Two hours ago?" Yuan Hong's body shook in astonishment, and he nearly blacked out.

"Indeed. I have no idea what's going on, so I came over to report this matter to you..." Luo Yan replied.

"Report? What is the point of reporting it now! How could he possibly last for two hours? Most likely, he was burned to cinders within two seconds after he entered the chamber!" Yuan Hong slammed the table before him furiously and stood up.

What the heck was this?

You should know how severe this matter is, and you choose to report it to me only two hours later?

The Chamber of Earth Flame would deport any corpses back, but if one were to reduced to cinders as soon as they arrive there, the mechanism wouldn't be activated.

Given that there were no movements whatsoever after two hours, it could only mean that the other party was dead.

"There's such a thing as well? I... didn't know..." Luo Yan was taken aback by the revelation.

He only knew that corpses would be deported back immediately, but he didn't know about the matter regarding being burned to ashes.

If that was the case, didn't that mean that the fellow inside was already dead...

"You are still too inexperienced. I have been in this Master Teacher Academy for more than 800 years, so the things I have seen is far more than the books you have read!" Yuan Hong harrumphed.

"I'll follow you over to check out the situation in the Chamber of Earth Flame. Even though it's regretful that a life is lost just like that, he brought it upon himself, acting so arrogantly despite his ignorance..."

However, halfway through Yuan Hong's words, the ground beneath him suddenly shook, and the sound of something collapsing abruptly rumbled deafeningly.

Boom!

Judging from the sound, it seemed to be coming from the Passageway of Records.

"What's going on?" Astonished, the duo rushed out of the room.

A freshman had just died, and this mess suddenly sprung up on them. What the heck was going on today?

"Bad news, Yuan shi! The Chamber of Earth Flame has collapsed!" A master teacher rushed into the room and reported.

"Collapsed? What do you mean... What collapsed?" Yuan Hong was taken aback.

"It's the Chamber of Earth Flame in the Passageway of Records..." the master teacher hurriedly replied.

Yuan Hong nearly went insane, "How could that be? It is a masterpiece created in a collaboration between the Blacksmith School and the Celestial Designer School, so how in the world did it collapse?"

As a part of the Passageway of Records, the Chamber of Earth Flame was reinforced to the very limits by the combined effort of the Blacksmith School and the Celestial Designer School. Furthermore, it was forged using top-quality materials, so how could it collapse that easily?

Just what was going on?

Standing by the side, Luo Yan's figure also staggered upon hearing that news.

It was just a moment ago that he had reported the issue regarding the Chamber of Earth Flame when such an issue occurred. What was happening inside there?

The master teacher who had charged into the room to report also seemed to be in disbelief, "I'm not too sure myself as well. I only saw the entire place being reduced to ruins..."

"Let's go over to take a look..."

With twitching lips, Hong Yuan immediately rushed out of the room anxiously, and before long, he was standing right before the Passageway of Records, or at least what it used to be.

At this moment, half of the Passageway of Records had already collapsed, and the entire room was cloaked with dust.

"What happened?" Luo Yan turned to Li Xuan and asked in bewilderment.

"I have no idea either... We were waiting for Zhang shi when a loud rumbling noise suddenly sounded from the Passageway of Records... Before we knew it, it was already like that..." Li Xuan cried tearfully.

She wasn't the only one who was dumbfounded by the situation, the remaining crowd in the area were also frozen in shock.

No one could comprehend why the Passageway of Records, which had always been known for its durability, would abruptly cave in. But if one thing was for sure, considering that the Chamber of Earth Flame was at the very center of it...

"Zhang shi... is probably dead." Luo Yan muttered as he recalled what his teacher said.

However, at that moment, resounding footsteps echoed amidst the dust, and following closely was a series of violent coughing.

"Cough cough..."

Upon hearing the sound, a jolt ran through everyone's body. They swiftly turned their sight to the source of the sound, and an approaching young man came into their vision.

Who else could it be other than Zhang shi!

"Y-y-y-y-you're fine?" Luo Yan's eyes bulged in shock at that sight, and his body began trembling uncontrollably in agitation.

His teacher had just told him confidently that this fellow would have been burned to cinders by now, and yet here he was, completely unharmed without the slightest burn on his skin...

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

If you are alive, why the hell did you stay in there for two hours? Not to mention, how in the world did you collapse the fortified Chamber of Earth Flame...

Are you a spy who is here to wreak havoc in our Blacksmith School?

"I'm fine!"

At which, Zhang Xuan shot a glance at the ruins remaining of the passageway, and he continued awkwardly, "But it seems like this Passageway of Records... is damaged!"

"Seems?"

Everyone staggered upon hearing Zhang Xuan's words.

Look at the mess behind you, is there even any doubt about this matter? Even a blind man could tell that it's utterly ruined!

"You are the freshman who went in just now?" Forcing himself to calm down, Yuan Hong turned to Zhang Xuan and asked.

"That's right." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Even though he didn't recognize the man before him, the other party harnessed incredible power within him that wouldn't lose out by too far to Elder Mo and Pavilion Master Mo. Most likely, he was an important figure of the Blacksmith School.

"Weren't you trying to challenge the record? What happened?" Yuan Hong questioned.

How in the name of Kong shi did you collapse the Chamber of Earth Flame while challenging the record?

"This... I'm not too sure either. After entering, I realized that the heat from the Chamber of Earth Flame is still tolerable for me, so I started to cultivate while biding my time. Before I knew it... the entire chamber was already collapsing on me!" Zhang Xuan replied with a crimson face.

As a soul oracle, Zhang Xuan was able to draw his soul out to absorb spiritual energy from the surroundings directly. This allowed him to absorb spiritual energy at a far swifter pace than ordinary cultivators, and before long, with a jolt running through his body, his soul had already broken through the ten-meters bottleneck.

However, this was where the calamity started. With the breakthrough, Zhang Xuan's rate of absorption abruptly rose significantly, and the previous absorption had already caused depleted a considerable amount of spiritual energy in the chamber. As a result, the Earth Flame Heart ran out of spiritual energy far quicker than he had imagined.

The Earth Flame Heart was the core of the formation sustaining the Chamber of Earth Flame. Without any spiritual energy to sustain it, how could the formation continue to function normally?

Just like what happened in the Cleansing Lake, the energy in the area which was being regulated by the formation immediately went berserk, and it was only by a great stroke of fortune that an explosion didn't occur.

Nevertheless, the Chamber of Earth Flame began to cave in, and the Passageway of Record which was closely linked to it was affected as well...

It was fortunate that Zhang Xuan had his soul return immediately to his body as soon as he realized something was amiss and used his zhenqi to ward off the collapsing rubble. Otherwise, he might just make history by becoming the first student to die not of heat but of collapsing rubble in the Chamber of Earth Flame.

Looking at the mess around him, an indescribable feeling of frustration and helplessness gripped Zhang Xuan.

This... All he wanted to do was to break a record and earn some Academic Credits so that he could take the 5-star blacksmith examination. Who could have thought that this innocent desire of his would result in such a tragic accident?

In any case, while he was the culprit behind this incident, he was determined to deny all allegations.

Putting everything aside, just that four Earth Flame Hearts were already way beyond his means to compensate.

As such, the only option he had left was to feign ignorance of the matter.

"It collapsed on you... before you knew it?" Hearing such shameless words, everyone felt faint-headed, and Yuan Hong even staggered weakly.

This Chamber of Earth Flame has been in the Blacksmith School for at least four thousand years by now, and you are the only one of all challengers who encountered such a problem... Did you think that you can wiggle your way out of this just by feigning ignorance?

Even if you were to say these words to a three-year-old child, he wouldn't believe you!

Can you at least show more sincerity and come up with a more believable lie?

"I'll give you one more chance. What happened?" With a livid face, Yuan Hong asked once more.

"After entering the Chamber of Earth Flame, I realized that the searing spiritual energy there happens to be ideal for tempering one's physical body, so I accidentally absorbed too much of it... I also didn't know that it would collapse just like that..." With a deep sigh, Zhang Xuan could only confess honestly.

"Happens to be ideal for tempering one's physical body? Accidentally absorbed too much of it?" Yuan Hong was speechless.

The others might not know too much about the Chamber of Earth Flame, but as a person who had participated in its reparation works, he knew very well about its inner working. There were four Earth Flame Heart at the center of the formation in the chamber, and each of them harnessed incredibly fiery spiritual energy.

If an ordinary human were to touch it, he would be reduced to ashes in a moment. Even a 6-star blacksmith could be roasted to death from the inside if he were to attempt to absorb the searing spiritual energy inside it... And yet, you actually found it ideal for tempering your physical body, and absorbed too much of it?

How much spiritual energy did you absorb to cause the Chamber of Earth Flame to collapse!?

Just as Yuan Hong was about to interrogate the young man before him further on the issue, the young man suddenly turned to look at him with a hopeful gaze and asked, "I managed to two hours in the Chamber of Earth Flame, so I should have already broken the existing record... So, may I get my Academic Credits now?"

"Academic Credits? You still have the cheek to ask for Academic Credits?" Yuan Hong nearly exploded from rage.

You destroyed the entire Chamber of Earth Flame and collapsed half of the Passageway of Records, and you still have the audacity to speak about Academic Credits? Where is your sense of shame?

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Chapter 734: My Teacher, Yang Xuan

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Are you saying that I won't be getting any Academic Credits?" Hearing the other party's words, Zhang Xuan was stunned.

"Of course not!" Yuan Hong flung his sleeves in displeasure. "In order to uphold the integrity of the challenge, the Passageway of Records have a system in place to check if there was any cheating involved. Now that the entire place has collapsed, how can we ensure that you didn't use any artifact inside?"

Naturally, the records must be achieved using one's own capability, and the Passageway of Records had several systems in place to allow others to check on how the challenge went. Otherwise, if one was allowed to use artifacts as they pleased during the challenge, it would become a competition of wealth instead of capability, and the concept of challenging records would become meaningless.

However, given that the entire passageway had been reduced to ruins, it would be impossible to ensure the integrity of the challenge. As such, how could they deem whether one had truly broken the record or not?

Furthermore, you caused such devastating damage to the Blacksmith School right after you arrived. I haven't even talked about the reparation costs yet, and here you are asking me for Academic Credits... You must be kidding me!

"This..." Zhang Xuan was dumbstruck.

He thought that he would be able to obtain Academic Credits since he had already broken the record, but based on the other party's tone, it seemed like it was a hopeless cause.

He had wasted his time this time around.

But at the very least, he did receive something good from the challenge. Not only did he achieved Second Incandescence in the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, his soul had also successfully surpassed the ten-meters bottleneck.

"Since I won't be getting any Academic Credits from this, I'll challenge the other records then..." After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan said.

Since he was already at the Blacksmith School, he should at least return with a 5-star blacksmith emblem. Otherwise, wouldn't this be a wasted trip?

"Challenge what? Look at the state of the Passageway of Records! Do you think that you can still challenge any records?" Luo Yan stood up and roared furiously.

How are you going to challenge the other records when the Passageway of Records is already wrecked!

"Then... How can I earn more Academic Credits then?" Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

"The Passageway of Records represents the honor and glory of the Blacksmith School, and yet, you broke it as soon as you arrived. Let me give you a word of advice, don't bother thinking about Academic Credits anymore. Think about how you can compensate for the damages!" Luo Yan gazed at Zhang Xuan in pity.

It took the Celestial Designer School and the Blacksmith School much effort before they managed to craft the Passageway of Records. It had survived the challenge of innumerable students over several millennia, and you destroyed it as soon as you came... Instead of thinking about how you can compensate for what you have done, you are still dreaming of obtaining Academic Credits?

You sure are brazen-faced!

"Compensate?" Zhang Xuan's face twitched. After a moment of hesitation, he asked meekly, "How much?"

Hearing those words, Luo Yan turned to his teacher.

As a student, he didn't have the right to dictate the compensation amount.

"The Chamber of Earth Flame is forged more than four thousand years ago by the head of the Blacksmith School and the head of the Celestial Designer School then. Four Earth Flame Hearts and several other valuable materials were used in its construction. Even if we were to take in the depreciation cost due to damages over time, it would still cost at least twenty high-tier spirit stones!"

After a moment of mental calculation, Yuan Hong replied.

In most guilds, there were usually policies that spared geniuses the liability of compensating for the damage they have caused. More often than not, the guild could just report the issue to the headquarter, and the latter would send someone down to repair the relevant facilities.

However, this rule didn't hold in Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. After all, this place was literally a gathering of geniuses. If everyone were to act negligently and destroy as they pleased, how would the academy continue to function?

Even if they were to sell the principal of the academy away, they still wouldn't be able to bear the cost!

"H-how much did you say? T-twenty high-tier spirit stones?" Zhang Xuan's body swayed weakly, and he nearly spewed blood.

Are you joking with me?

If I have that much spirit stones, why would I even bother going through the trouble earning Academic Credits? I could have just easily bought them off others!

While Academic Credits were indeed valuable, there should be plenty of students who would be willing to sell it to him for high-tier spirit stones.

"Considering that you are a freshman and the matter is an unintentional doing on your part, I can reduce the compensation by half for you. You just have to pay ten high-tier spirit stones!" Hong Yuan said.

"Ten... I don't have that much either." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

All in all, he only had one high-tier spirit stone, and he had obtained it from emerging as the champion of the Master Teacher Tournament. Even if he were to sell all of his possessions, he couldn't possibly fork out ten high-tier spirit stones!

"I know that you don't have that much, so I'll offer you an alternative then. As long as you work for the Blacksmith School for ten years, I'll consider it as you have repaid the debt!" Hong Yuan waved his hands.

High-tier spirit stones were used by Saint realm experts or those attempting a breakthrough to Saint realm, there was no way that a freshman like Zhang Xuan could possibly have any of that. From the very start, Yuan Hong had intended to have Zhang Xuan work to pay off his debt!

It wasn't uncommon for students to work in the schools of the academy. Take the receptionist Li Xuan for example, she was also a student working at the Blacksmith Academy to earn additional Academic Credits.

However, in Zhang Xuan's case, since he had to repay his debt, he wouldn't be receiving any Academic Credits for his effort.

"Ten years of work to repay a debt of ten high-tier spirit stones? That is an extremely good deal!"

"Indeed! High-tier spirit stones are incomparably valuable. Just a single one of them is worth 10,000 middle-tier spirit stones. It sure is kind of Vice School Head Yuan to offer such generous terms!"

"Well, the intention of the punishment is to deter future students who engaging in similar actions. Otherwise, even if he were to work for his entire life, it's questionable whether he can repay the debt of ten high-tier spirit stones!"

...

Hearing Yuan Hong's words, the crowd nodded in approval.

To cultivators who possess significantly longer lifespan than an average human, ten year wasn't a long period of time. For an average 4-star master teacher, ten years might not even be enough for them to advance to 5-star.

To wipe off a debt of ten high-tier spirit stones with just ten years of work could already be considered as an extremely lenient term.

"Ten years?"

However, contrary to the response of the crowd, Zhang Xuan's lips twitched upon hearing those words.

It was questionable whether he would even need to stay in this academy for half a year, let alone ten years!

If he were to really spend ten years here, he would have already died from the Innate Fetal Poison before he was freed.

"I can't accept those terms. I don't have the time to do so!" Zhang Xuan shook his head and rejected the offer.

"You can't?" Yuan Hong's face turned livid, and his eyes narrowed menacingly.

As the vice head of the Blacksmith School, this was the first time a student was so arrogant as to bargain with him even after erring.

Even after laying ruins to the Passageway of Records, do you not feel the slightest guilt?

It's out of utmost kindness that I granted you the option of repaying your debt through work, did you think that you are in a position to bargain with me?

"How about this? Allow me to take a look at the damage to see if it can be fixed. If I can fix it, I won't have to compensate the Blacksmith School, right?" After a long moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan suddenly asked.

"Fix? You?" Yuan Hong stared at Zhang Xuan as if he was looking at a monster.

Are you sure you brought your brain out with you today?

The Chamber of Earth Flame and Passageway of Corridor were constructed in a collaboration between 6-star pinnacle blacksmiths and celestial designers. Even Yuan Hong himself wasn't confident if he was sufficiently skilled to repair them, but this fellow said that he wanted to give it a try?

Who do you think you are? Blacksmith Grandmaster Wu Yangzi?

How conceited can you get?

"Un!" Zhang Xuan nodded. After a moment of hesitation, he added, "If I fail to fix it... I can offer you guidance on your smithing capability or your cultivation as compensation too."

"Offer me guidance? Audacious!" Yuan Hong flew into a rage.

He was an elder of the Master Teacher Academy, the vice-head of the Blacksmith School, a 6-star pinnacle master teacher! He was an esteemed figure throughout the Master Teacher Academy, and he had always been the one to offer guidance to others, taking others in as his disciple. Yet, a freshman actually dared to say that he could offer him guidance on his smithing or cultivation?

Do you know what the heck are you saying?

"Was this fellow's brain fried inside the Chamber of Earth Flame?"

"To speak of offering guidance to Vice School Head Yuan... Just what is going through his mind?"

Luo Yan and the others widened their eyes in disbelief at those words.

Brother, remember your identity! You are just a freshman!

To speak of offering guidance to Vice School Head Yuan, did you think that you are the head of the Blacksmith Academy or something?

Know your place!

"Ahh... What I mean is to have my teacher offer you some pointers on your cultivation!" Hearing the other party's furious bellow, Zhang Xuan was taken aback for a moment before he realized the implications of what he had said, so he quickly changed his words in embarrassment.

This was the side effect of disguising as 'Yang shi' too often. There were times which he would just find himself saying such words unwittingly.

As a mere freshman, it was no wonder why the others would be annoyed to hear him speak of offering guidance to a 6-star pinnacle master teacher.

"Teacher?" Suppressing his rage, Yuan Hong asked.

"My teacher Yang Xuan has once offered his pointers to Pavilion Master Mo Gaoyuan, and Elder Mo is also in awe of him." Zhang Xuan chuckled as he flicked his wrist and took out a token. "Here is the token Elder Mo gave me!"

"Elder Mo... You mean the head of the Beast Tamer School, Elder Mo?" Taking a glance at the token, Yuan Hong's eyebrows shot up.

As the vice head of the Blacksmith School, it was natural that he would recognize that token.

That token served as a symbol of Elder Mo's authority, and standing before it was as good as standing in the presence of Elder Mo himself. Due to the complications that came with it, Elder Mo would never give out his token easily.

Even though Yuan Hong and Elder Mo were both 6-star pinnacle master teachers, there was still a significant gap in their standing and their capability.

The fact that the latter was one of the Ten Great Master Teachers spoke loudly about his capability.

And furthermore... what did this fellow just say?

His teacher, Yang Xuan, had once offered his pointers to Mo Gaoyuan?

As the head of Hongyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, Mo Gaoyuan possessed a standing on par with the Ten Great Master Teachers. To be able to offer guidance to such a person, didn't that mean that... Yang Xuan was at least a 7-star master teacher?

In an instant, Yuan Hong's face turned grave.

If he had been thinking of strangling this ignorant fellow to death just a moment ago, at this instant, he was starting to feel a little apprehensive.

"Head of the Beast Tamer School? He's a school head too?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"You didn't know?"

Judging how the other party didn't know Elder Mo's position in the academy, it didn't seem like they have a close relationship. Nevertheless, Elder Mo still chose to give him his personal token. This seemed to hint that the other party had a truly incredible teacher.

Otherwise, why would one of the Ten Great Master Teachers go to the extent of giving a freshman his token? After all, there were many ways that he could show his goodwill towards a student.

It wouldn't make sense for him to give out his personal token to a person he had barely met.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan shook his head in response to Yuan Hong's query.

He had never heard anyone speaking about it before him, so naturally, he was unaware of it.

"Elder Mo is a close acquaintance of mine, but even so, I can't excuse you from the repayment. However, I can consider other alternative solutions you propose." After a moment of contemplation, Yuan Hong said.

Regardless of whether what the other party said was true or not, the fact that he had Elder Mo's token in hand goes to say that how highly the latter valued him. But even with the immense authority the Ten Great Master Teachers wielded, they couldn't override the rules of the academy.

"It's my mistake that I damaged the Passageway of Records and Chamber of Earth Flame. Can you allow me to attempt to repair it? If it still doesn't work out after that... I'll try to find a way to repay the Blacksmith School." Zhang Xuan asked.

"Since you have Elder Mo's token in hand, you should be a trustworthy person. Alright, I'll give you this opportunity then!" Yuan Hong nodded.

It would be best if the other party could fix the damage, but even if he were to fail, that should make him give up on any other ideas he had in mind.

"Elder Mo's token?"

"Who in the world is that fellow?"

"His teacher even offered pointers to Pavilion Master Mo? When did such an incredible figure appear amidst the freshmen..."

Hearing the conversation between the duo, a commotion broke out amidst the crowd.

Li Xuan and Luo Yan glanced at one another in astonishment.

It was just a moment ago that they had shown their displeasure towards Zhang Xuan. They thought that it would be fine since he was just a freshman, but who could have known that he would have such a powerful backing!

To be honest, if he had taken out Elder Mo's token earlier on, they would have even willingly lent him their Academic Credits

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Chapter 735: Repairing The Passageway

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"With such a formidable teacher... Could he have really broken the record?"

Before this revelation, everyone was still doubtful as to whether he had truly broken the record. However, after hearing that the other party had a formidable teacher whom even Pavilion Master Mo and Elder Mo were in awe of, their mind couldn't help but wonder if he might be speaking the truth.

Master teachers who had progressed beyond 6-star possessed incredible means which they could hardly fathom.

This was also the reason why the offsprings of Sage Clans possessed formidable capabilities far beyond their peers. Entitled from birth, the offsprings of Sage Clans were exposed to things that were far beyond their wildest imagination, thus paving the way to greatness.

"You have my gratitude!" Upon hearing Yuan Hong agree to his terms, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

Since it was crafted by a 6-star blacksmith and a 6-star celestial designer, he might just be able to fix it. If he were to succeed, he could spare himself from paying that heavy compensation!

In a sense, not having to pay that hefty compensation could be considered as earning that sum of money as well!

It couldn't be helped, he was simply too poor at the moment. He had yet to reach the point where he could spend money as he pleased.

Walking over to the ruins, Zhang Xuan took in a deep breath and placed his hand on the ruins.

Back then, when he was still in the Chamber of Earth Flame, he had only used his Eye of Insight. As such, he hadn't compiled a book on the chamber and the passageway yet.

As the mechanisms and the formation of the two were connected to form an immense structure, he should be able to compile a book on them by placing his hand against the wall.

"Flaws!" Zhang Xuan muttered in his head, and with a jolt, a book appeared in the Library of Heaven's Path. He quickly turned his gaze to it.

After flipping through a few pages, his eyes narrowed.

The reason why the infrastructure collapsed was due to the depletion of the spiritual energy gathered in the Earth Flame Hearts, resulting in an imbalance in the formation. As the formation served as the energy supply for the mechanisms for the Passageway of Records, it ended up breaking down as well.

If Zhang Xuan wanted to fix the problem, he would have to first find four more Earth Flame Hearts to substitute the depleted ores. From there on, he would be able to repair and re-establish balance in the formation, and that should allow the mechanisms of the passageway to function once more as well.

Repairing the formation and re-establishing balance, those were within his means. However... where was he supposed to find Earth Flame Hearts?

Even if he were to put aside the fact that Earth Flame Hearts were extremely rare commodities that one could hardly find in the market, given his current wealth, he wouldn't be able to afford one even if he were to stumble on one by some coincidence!

"There is no way I can repair it like that unless... I can solve the flaw regarding the usage of Earth Flame Hearts as catalysts for the formation!" Zhang Xuan fell into deep thoughts.

The Earth Flame Hearts were listed as a flaw in the Library of Heaven's Path due to several compatibility issues with the formation. If Zhang Xuan could find a cheaper and more effective alternative, he would be able to spare himself a lot of trouble.

But this had its own problems too. What he should swap it with and how he would swap it were questions he would have to answer if so. However, Zhang Xuan's understanding of the entire system was still far too lacking for him to come up with a feasible solution.

In the end, Zhang Xuan turned to Yuan Hong and asked, "Elder, I have one request to ask of you..."

Even though he didn't know what was the position of the old man before him, there should be no mistake addressing him as "elder".

"What is it?" Yuan Hong frowned.

"It's like that... I've examined the passageway and gained some understanding of its workings and sustained damage. However... there are some things which I am not too sure of, so may I borrow some related books on this subject in the Blacksmith School to browse through?"

Since Zhang Xuan was lacking information, there was only one thing to do—gather sufficient books to form a corresponding Heaven's Path secret manual.

This might be extremely abrupt and last-minute, but there was nothing more effective than that at the moment.

"You wish to browse through some books?" Yuan Hong was stunned.

To only start reading up right now, don't you think it's a little too late?

"What kind of books do you need?" Even though Yuan Hong was a little iffy about Zhang Xuan's intentions, he still decided to ask anyway.

"Any books regarding the Chamber of Earth Flame will do. The more there is, the better it'll be..." Zhang Xuan replied.

The Chamber of Earth Flame was an extremely complex system which intricacies could easily take months to comprehend, and yet Zhang Xuan didn't seem to have the slightest clue on where he should start.

A dark line streaked across Yuan Hong's face, but eventually, after a deep breath, he turned to the side and instructed, "Luo Yan, bring all of the books regarding the Chamber of Earth Flame from our library here."

If it was anyone else, he would have never granted him this privilege. However, that fellow before him had Elder Mo's token in hand, and he seemed to have the backing of a formidable teacher as well. Frustrated as he may be, he still decided to hold himself back.

And more importantly, he was also curious to see how the other party intended to fixing the Chamber of Earth Flame when it was already left in such ruins.

"He wants to read up? But considering how complex the formation and mechanism is, can he even understand those books?"

"Indeed, I also have no idea what's going on. Perhaps he wants to analyze its internal structure?"

"In any case, the blueprints of the Chamber of Earth Flame aren't secrets. The only thing valuable about it is the four Earth Flame Hearts used as the core of the center formation. I heard that the Blacksmith School had to pay a hefty price to obtain it back then. As long as those Earth Flame Hearts remain intact, it shouldn't be too difficult to fix it."

...

After hearing the young man's intentions of reading through books regarding the Chamber of Earth Flame, doubt flickered across everyone's faces.

While books were useful sources of knowledge, it was impossible to fully grasp such a complex subject without the guidance of a teacher.

So far, there had never been a person who had become a great expert of the continent by secluding himself and studying by his own.

That fellow had declared confidently that he would attempt to fix the damage, so everyone thought that he would have some level of proficiency in smithing and mechanism design. Who knew that he would end up engaging in last-minute studying instead...

If that could really work, everyone would have been 6-star master teachers by now! It was no wonder why Vice School Head Yuan Hong was so angry.

Ignoring the bizarre gazes around him, Zhang Xuan waited patiently, and before long, Luo Yan returned back into the room.

The books on the Chamber of Earth Flame were placed together, so it wasn't too difficult to gather all of them together. After allowing his teacher to double check the titles, Luo Yan flicked his wrist, and a pile of several hundred books appeared before him.

Some of these books depict the structure of the Chamber of Earth Falme, some of them explained the functions of it, and there were even some with several suggestions for improvement on them... However, many of these suggestions were just opinions from the authors, making it difficult to discern right from wrong.

Walking up to the book, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath and touched every single one of them, as if he was trying to find a certain a book. Soon, after his finger brushed through every last one of them, he casually picked up a book and flipped it open.

His eyes were fixated on the content of the book, but his consciousness was deep within the Library of Heaven's Path, compiling the content of the books he had just gathered together.

Hu!

A moment later, a brand-new book appeared before him, and Zhang Xuan swiftly flipped it open.

"There are still so many flaws?" After taking a look, his eyelids began twitching uncontrollably.

It seemed like several hundred books were still far from enough! He was still unable to iron out all of the flaws to form a perfect manual. Taking a swift glance, there was actually 52 of them!

Nevertheless, his goal wasn't to perfect the manual. More importantly, he just had to find a suitable substitution for the Earth Flame Hearts.

Flipping through the book swiftly, he soon found a portion regarding the Earth Flame Heart flaw.

"Earth Flame Hearts are incompatible with the formation in the Chamber of Flames, resulting in high energy inefficiency. If they could be placed with Earth Flame, the efficiency could be enhanced severalfold, and there will be no worry of the depletion of the catalyst as it could be easily retrieved from the ground. However, Earth Flame is extremely difficult to control, and its heat intensity is lacking as compared to Earth Flame Hearts..."

The content extended over an entire page.

While Earth Flame was stated as a plausible substitute, it had its own flaws as well, and it wouldn't be easy to make the swap as well.

First and foremost, Earth Flame was lacking in heat intensity, so its effects wouldn't be as pronounced as with Earth Flame Hearts. Considering how the Chamber of Earth Flame was intended as a trial to one's physical resilience to heat, it wouldn't do for the temperature to be lowered.

If Zhang Xuan wanted to use it as a catalyst, he would have to find a way to raise its heat intensity somehow. One method came into his mind—auxiliary formation.

One of the books did propose the usage of a 5-star auxiliary formation to further intensify the heat in the Chamber of Earth Flame. Given Zhang Xuan's current ability, he was more than capable of setting up a 5-star formation.

However, there was another potential problem. To set up a 5-star auxiliary formation in the Chamber of Earth Flame, he would have to project it over the original formation. When formations compound with one another, it was extremely easy for them to come into conflict with one another, thus making an explosion extremely likely!

As a result, the usage of Earth Flame as a catalyst for the Chamber of Earth Flame was only practical in theory.

In order to ensure stability in both formations, one would have to identify the balance point and establish power equilibrium from that point. However, even the most capable of formation masters in Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy didn't possess the means to do so, needless to say, others.

This was precisely the reason why the original builders of the Chamber of Earth Flame decided to go to great lengths to obtain Earth Flame Hearts to construct it.

But while finding the balance point might be a nigh impossible for others, it was no problem for Zhang Xuan at all!

Wasn't it just a mere balance point?

Of his formation master capabilities, this seemed to be his greatest specialization...

Breaking formations, challenging the Sea of Formations, calming the Cleansing Lake... It was through finding the respective balance points that he was able to achieve those feats and make a name for himself!

"However... I still don't have a complete understanding of the Chamber of Earth Flame yet. It won't be easy for me to find the balance point like that. Nevertheless, 10 high-tier spirit stones are at stake, I should give it a try regardless!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Other than the stability issue, there were still many other problems that Zhang Xuan had to resolve. For one, Earth Flame was far more deconcentrated than Earth Flame Hearts, and this could potentially result in an unstable intensity of heat throughout the Chamber of Earth Flame.

It was problematic that Zhang Xuan didn't have sufficient information to work with in order to construct a perfect formation to resolve all of the problems. However, the main issue at hand should be swapping the Earth Flame Hearts with Earth Flame and ensuring the stability of the compounding formation. As long as he could achieve that, he should be able to deal with the other problems slowly after that.

"Alright, the Earth Flame it shall be then!"

After running some simulation scenarios in his head, Zhang Xuan verified that there shouldn't be too much of an issue with it before standing up once more.

"This elder over here, may I know if there is any way to connect the Chamber of Earth Flame directly to the Earth Flame beneath the ground?"

"Earth Flame? It should be possible to do so." Yuan Hong nodded. "Often, our blacksmiths require the immense heat from the earth to refine and mold metal. Thus, we have procured a direct source to it in our Blacksmith School."

It wasn't uncommon for students of the Blacksmith School to have to handle difficult ores, and ordinary coals often produce insufficient heat process them.

As such, a huge formation was crafted within the Blacksmith School in order to allow students to tap into the Earth Flame below directly.

"That's great!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. "I would like to borrow that for a use. May I ask elder to help connect the source of the Earth Flame to the formation in the Chamber of Earth Flame?"

"You intend to use Earth Flame to substitute the Earth Flame Hearts?" Yuan Hong frowned.

"Yes, I have found a feasible solution to do so. Don't worry, I'm certain about its feasibility!" Zhang Xuan said with a confident smile.

"Alright then!" Seeing Zhang Xuan's confident face, Yuan Hong hesitated for a moment before eventually relenting.

While Earth Flame was indeed dangerous, he had handled it many times in the past while smithing weapons, so controlling it wasn't too much of an issue for him. Given such, he should be able to handle the situation even if things were to go awry, so it shouldn't be dangerous.

In any case, since that fellow had declared his confidence, he was also curious to see what he was up to.

If this were to succeed, that fellow would be doing what countless predecessors had failed at. This would be, in the truest sense, the breaking of a record!

Yuan Hong left the room, returning with a metal formation plate in hand a moment later. After checking the positioning, he placed the formation plate on the ground and injected a surge of zhenqi into it.

Weng!

The engravings on the formation plate began to shine, and a searing heat permeated the surroundings. Suddenly, a pillar of fire rose from the ground like a flame dragon, seemingly intent on melting down the surroundings.

However, the flame dragon was swiftly suppressed and kept under control under Yuan Hong's proficient maneuvers.

"Thank you!" Zhang Xuan smiled.

The temperature of the Earth Flame was indeed subpar compared to the Earth Flame Heart. It seemed like the book was right. He would have to use an auxiliary formation to intensify the heat if he wished to restore the Chamber of Earth Flame back to its previous state.

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Chapter 736: Goner!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Time to begin!"

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and a handful of formation flags appeared in his grasp.

There were quite a few 5-star formation flags in Yu Cheng's storage ring that he could use. These formation flags were attributeless, making them ideal to craft the auxiliary formation.

Hu hu hu!

With a flick of his wrist, several hundred formation flags shot out and fell in the vicinity of the formation plate.

Following which, Zhang Xuan took a step forward and stomped his foot on the ground.

Weng!

With a buzz, the formation flags were immediately triggered with a slight tremor. A dense layer of mist emerged in the surroundings, shrouding the formation plate entirely.

Hong long!

The flame dragon prowling at the center of the formation plate abruptly grew from a meter tall to dozens of meters, and it seemed as if it would surge beyond the tall ceiling, burning the roof down to cinders!

"This is a grade-5 formation? How can he set it up so quickly?" Yuan Hong's eyebrows leaped up in astonishment.

Formation master was one of his supporting occupations as well, but even as a 6-star master teacher, he knew it was impossible for him to set up a formation so swiftly.

Yet, the other party was able to do it so easily. Furthermore, he noticed that the method used in setting up the formation was very foreign to him. For even a 6-star master teacher like him to be unaware of it, chances were that the other party had truly received the teachings of a high-ranked master teacher.

Legend has it that top-notch formation masters had their unique techniques to swiftly set up formations and enhance the might of it.

Most likely, that fellow was using something like that.

"To intensify the Earth Flame so swiftly... the formation he is setting up should be an auxiliary formation to increase the pace at which the Earth Flame is being drawn at!" Yuan Hong nodded.

Despite Zhang Xuan's swift movement, he was still able to roughly tell the gist of the formation through its effects and the positioning of the flags.

However... what was the point of setting up this formation?

Was that fellow intending on using Earth Flame to replace the Earth Flame Hearts?

"But surely that should be unfeasible? Even if the pace at which Earth Flame is being drawn at were to be enhanced, it will only make the flame dragon grow larger. It has minimal effect on the heat intensity..." Yuan Hong frowned.

As the vice head of the Blacksmith School, he could at least tell that much.

While the auxiliary formation would increase in the pace at which Earth Flame was being drawn out at, that would only lead to a quantitative increase in the flame dragon.

To make an analogy, it would be like the difference between burning a kilogram of coal and a ton of coal. Despite the difference in quantity, the difference in the temperature between the two would only be minimal at best.

"Rest assured, I have a plan in mind." With a light chuckle, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out another set of formation flags.

Hualala!

With another flick of his hand, the flags were planted at the perimeter of the first formation.

Weng!

Zhang Xuan stomped his foot, and the formation was activated as well.

Hu hu hu!

As soon as the formation whirred into action, the towering flame dragon instantaneously withered, returning back to its original size of one meter.

However, despite the reduction in size, the heat it emanated was visibly far more hot than before, and even from a distance, the crowd could still feel a searing heat wave gushing at them.

"This... You compressed the flame dragon to forcefully raise the temperature? Not bad!" Astonishment flickered across Yuan Hong's face.

The first formation increased the rate at which Earth Flame was drawn at whereas the second formation aimed to compress the Earth Flame as far as possible.

After undergoing compression, the Earth Flame might have reduced in size, but it was far more frightening than ever. In an instant, its temperature rose by more than tenfold!

Even Yuan Hong didn't have the confidence of withstanding such intense heat.

"This... Is he really intending on using the Earth Flame to substitute the Earth Flame Hearts?" Yuan Hong's face twitched.

Even though he had a rough idea of what Zhang Xuan was intending to do earlier, he subconsciously denied the possibility, thinking that it was impossible. However, as Zhang Xuan continued on, the doubt he harbored earlier intensified.

As the two formations continued to operate, the temperature of the Earth Flame rose higher and higher, and before long, it was already nearing an Earth Flame Heart.

Perhaps, this fellow might just be able to fix the Chamber of Earth Flame... However, Earth Flame was already an unstable material in itself. To extract large amounts of it and compress them together tightly... Was he really able to keep it under control?

The moment that he loses control over the Earth Flame, the entire Blacksmith School might potentially be destroyed.

Yuan Hong wasn't the only one worried about that. Unsettled frowns were appearing on the many master teachers watching the spectacle as well.

How could those who dared to venture to the Passageway of Records and challenge the achievements of their predecessors be ordinary master teachers? While they were unable to name the two formations Zhang Xuan had set up, they were still able to comprehend their function and purpose.

Watching as more and more Earth Flame was compacted within the flame dragon, as well as sensing the astounding heat being emanated from it, they couldn't help but feel their goosebumps rising in fear despite their formidable cultivation.

If they were to be caught up in an explosion involving it, there was no doubt that they would be burned into cinders.

"This should be enough!"

On the other hand, oblivious to the shock rippling through the crowd, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief after successfully setting up the formation.

While it may seem like two formations from the outside, it was actually just one formation consisting of an internal layer and an external layer.

The internal layer was responsible for drawing more Earth Flame into the formation, and the external layer would compress the energy to enhance its concentration.

When used in unison, it could force Earth Flame to emulate the effects of the Earth Flame Heart.

This was designed by a 6-star pinnacle formation master many years ago for the Chamber of Earth Flame. However, he was unable to resolve the issue regarding the instability of compound formations, so his plan never came to be.

"Time to start!"

Knowing that the difficulty would only rise the further he progresses, Zhang Xuan took in a deep breath and activated his Eye of Insight.

With the third acknowledgement of Celestial Master Teacher, his Eye of Insight had been enhanced once again. As long as he was unwilling to reveal it, not even a 6-star master teacher would notice his Eye of Insight.

Considering how his cultivation was still limited, it would be best for him to conceal his Eye of Insight for the time being until he possesses sufficient strength to protect himself.

Despite being concealed from the view of others, the Eye of Insight was still as powerful as ever. With its activation, the ruined formation swiftly appeared before Zhang Xuan's eyes. The hidden formation flags flickered into existence around the flame dragon.

"All that's left to do is to activate this formation..."

The original formation in the Chamber of Earth Flame had only broken down due to the lack of energy to power it. As long as he could activate it through the flame dragon, the Chamber of Earth Flame should function once more. Stepping forward, Zhang Xuan walked up to the crux of the formation.

"Activate!"

Stomping on the ground, Zhang Xuan infused his zhenqi into the center of the formation, and the formation was activated with a slight trembling of the flags. A mist began to form around the flame dragon.

Hualala!

However, as soon as the flame dragon came into contact with the mist, a sound of disharmony, reminiscent of something collapsing, abruptly sounded. It was as if the two formations were incompatible with one another, and an explosion would be imminent if they weren't separated immediately.

"This is bad..." Yuan Hong's face paled upon seeing that sight.

Formations couldn't be compounded with one another. He had once witnessed a 6-star formation master being blasted to death in an attempt to compound formations. If an explosion were to occur here, the Blacksmith School might just be wiped out from the surface of the world.

Thus, he immediately stepped forward in preparation to suppress the formation. However, just as he was about to make a move, the young man abruptly shook his hand, and a spirit beast inner core was thrown into the center of the mist.

Hu!

As soon as the inner core came into contact with the mist, the sound of disharmony immediately dispelled. All of a sudden, the formation was stabilized as if it had found its cornerstone.

"That... he found the balance point between the two formations?" Yuan Hong widened his eyes in shock.

To make the rampaging formation calm down so swiftly, there could only be one possibility. That fellow must have found the balance point between the two formations and reinforced it.

"If I recall correctly... A Transcendent Mortal 8-dan Glaciersnow Fish's inner core. Considering its cold attribute, it is indeed an ideal mediator for a fire attribute formation like this..." Recalling the details of the spirit beast inner core thrown out earlier, Yuan Hong couldn't help but nod in approval.

Not only had the other party found the balance point of the two formations, he even wisely utilized a complementary factor—the cold attribute Glaciersnow Fish inner core—to mediate the flame energy. As the saying goes, "no shadow creeps in the absence of light, and no light exists without the presence of shadow". Through a contrasting mediating factor, he successfully stabilized the formation entirely!

"Compounding a formation to another through a set of well-defined sequence, incredible!" To be able to go that far with Earth Flame, this fellow was indeed a true genius!

It was no wonder why he declared confidently that he would be able to fix the formation. It seemed like he did possess the capability to back up his words.

As long as a balance was established with the formations, the rest could be easily fixed through employing some workers.

Seeing the formation being stabilized, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

When he first read about the Chamber of Flames in his book, it was filled with so many flaws that he thought that it would be difficult for him to successfully set it up. To his surprise, everything went smoothly.

"I'm done." With a light chuckle, Zhang Xuan turned around and reported.

"This is... the Chamber of Earth Flame?"

"How beautiful! With so many flames flying around the room, can a human really step into it?"

"What an incredible heat! Senior Luo Yan, did you really survive three minutes inside? I don't think that I can even last ten seconds in there before I am reduced to ashes..."

...

Looking at the exposed Chamber of Earth Flame, the crowd flew into a commotion.

Due to the rumors surroundings the Chamber of Earth Flame, there were very few who had opted to challenge. Thus, many were ignorant about the conditions inside.

As the Passageway of Records hadn't been restored yet, there were no walls to conceal it. As a result, the situation within was plain for everyone to see, and the fearsome heat within left many astounded.

Leaping flames and blistering heat... How did the previous record holder even last seventeen minutes under such extreme conditions?

And did the fellow before them really last two hours within?

"Elder, I have successfully fixed the Chamber of Earth Flame. I should be spared from compensation now, right?" Ignoring the astonishment of the crowd, Zhang Xuan turned to Yuan Hong and asked.

"It does seem to be repaired on the surface. However, I'll have to test the effects of the Chamber of Earth Flame personally to verify it!" Yuan Hong waved his hands.

Even though the Chamber of Earth Flame seemed no different from before, there was still a need to examine its effectiveness, especially given the difference in the catalyst.

"Please do." Zhang Xuan smiled as he gestured the other party forward.

"Un. I was once in charge of maintaining the Passageway of Records, so I have a good idea of how the conditions should be like inside. I'll go in to take a look!" Yuan Hong nodded.

In his years in the Blacksmith School, there was a period of time where he was placed in charge of the amenities of the school. He understood the structure of the Chamber of Earth Flame well, and the best way to verify if it had been restored was to test it out personally.

As such, Yuan Hong began making his way into the Chamber of Earth Flame.

Weng!

As soon as he stepped in, the flames scattered in the area began gathering around him, and the temperature started to rise swiftly.

"Hm?" Noticing that the functioning in the Chamber of Earth Flame was slightly different from what he saw earlier, Zhang Xuan frowned.

At that instant, a thought suddenly struck him, and he swiftly turned to Luo Yan and asked, "What material did the Blacksmith School use to craft the formation plate used to grab earth flame from beneath the ground?"

"Oh, it's an alloy made of Verdantrise Rock and Furnace Crystal!" Luo Yan replied after a moment of contemplation.

"Verdantrise Rock and Furnace Crystal?" Zhang Xuan's eyes widened in shock.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, the ground abruptly shook.

Hong long!

With loud rumblings, a massive surge of heat wave abruptly rose from the ground, resulting in a pandemonium.

Following which, the Passageway of Records collapsed, followed by the Blacksmith Guild's main hall...

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