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

38. 1185

Library of Heaven's Path #Chapter 1185 - Pavilion Crashing, Success! - Read Library of Heaven's Path Chapter 1185 - Pavilion Crashing, Success! Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 1185: Pavilion Crashing, Success!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Are you feeling indignant because I said that there are 37 flaws in your battle technique? Fine, I'll list them for you!"

Seeing how the other party was refusing to learn humbly despite erring so much, Zhang Xuan frowned in displeasure. In the tone of an elder educating his juniors, he said, "First and foremost, I'll start with the greatest flaw of your Autumn Breeze Intertwining Silk Hands.

"You mentioned that you created it while observing the leaves being raked up by the autumn breeze, but I cannot see the desolation of autumn from your battle technique at all! All I can see is the intertwining nature of the zhenqi threads; there is completely no conception in it at all! Intent without strength is a pipe dream, and strength without intent is simply wasted energy! If it was just a Spirit-tier battle technique, it would not pose much of a problem at all. However, for a Saint realm expert to utilize a battle technique devoid of conception, there's no doubt that it'll place him at a severe disadvantage against his peers!"

"This..." Zhao Zhen was stunned.

It was not impossible to create a Saint-tier battle technique devoid of conception, but conception could augment the might of a battle technique significantly and make it easier to grasp the technique.

In a sense, it could indeed be considered a flaw.

Back then, when he created the technique, he had just successfully cleared his 8-star master teacher examination. With his heart filled with delight from his success, he was not in the correct state of mind to comprehend the desolation of autumn. As a result, while he did succeed in creating a powerful Saint intermediate-tier battle technique, he failed to infuse the correct conception into it.

"As for the second flaw, as useful as your Entwining Threads of Golden Silk is in limiting the movements of an opponent, it's only effective against ordinary cultivators. True experts will be able to swiftly notice the openings in the technique. Look, if I just concentrate my zhenqi at this point..."

As he spoke, Zhang Xuan raised his hand and drew fine zhenqi threads from his fingers. In a moment, he had already weaved the web that Zhao Zhen had created earlier.

"You..." Zhao Zhen widened his eyes in shock.

He had never executed this technique in public before, so there was no way the young man could have learned it from anywhere else. Since that was the case... didn't it mean that the young man had learned the technique from him just by observing it once?

But how could that be? Not even the most formidable of prodigies that he knew of could grasp a battle technique that swiftly!

A moment later, Zhao Zhen suddenly noticed a slight discrepancy in Zhang Xuan's actions, and he exclaimed in delight, "Wait a moment, your Entwining Threads of Golden Silk is slightly different from mine!"

He was the man who had single-handedly created the Autumn Breeze Intertwining Silk Hands. As similar as the young man's Entwining Threads of Golden Silk was to his, the subtle differences in their movements were still unable to escape his eyes.

"Oh. The original version is too trashy, so I quickly altered it a little." Zhang Xuan waved his hand as he replied leisurely. "Don't interrupt me, let me finish my words first."

"Too trashy? Quickly altered it a little?" Zhao Zhen's body trembled in shock upon hearing those words. He turned his sight toward the 'altered version' that the young man was executing to examine it closely, and it seemed like... the other party's version was much stronger than his.

Hu la!

While he was still caught up in the shock from seeing the battle technique that he had perfected with much difficulty being improved by another so easily, he saw the young man raising his other palm and striking a certain point within the web.

Huala!

In an instant, as if having its crux destroyed, the zhenqi web swiftly shriveled, and the surge of zhenqi abruptly reversed as if an alarmed beast.

"The crux of your Entwining Threads of Golden Silk lies in the constriction of the zhenqi threads upon contact with the opponent so as to trap the latter. I'm not saying that it doesn't work, but its flaw is apparent as well. Once this mingmen is noticed by the opponent, the latter just has to tap on it lightly in order to cause the flow of zhenqi to reverse, resulting in a backlash!"

Those words left Zhao Zhen's eyes narrowing in shock.

He was indeed aware of this flaw in his Autumn Breeze Intertwining Silk Hands, but one had to be at least an 8-star high-tier master teacher before they were able to notice it, and against such experts, victory was already impossible in the first place! Thus, he had not really paid much attention to it.

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"Moving on, for your second move, Threading the Heavens, a silver thread infused with one's will is skillfully maneuvered to control the environment, allowing one to corner the opponent. However, the problem is that the silver thread can be easily severed. Once the opponent notices the presence of the silver thread and severs it, it will inflict significant damage to one's soul..." Zhang Xuan continued.

"Hold it for a moment!" Zhao Zhen's eyes widened upon hearing those words. "I haven't executed my second technique yet, right? So, how could you know its name and its flaws..."

"I told you not to interrupt me! Given how simple your battle technique is, anyone would easily have deduced the rest as long as they are no fool..." Zhang Xuan waved his hand impatiently.

"As for your third move, Cry of the Autumn Cicada, I understand that you wanted to incorporate a sonic attack into the Autumn Breeze Intertwining Silk Hands in order to grant it more variability and transformations, but this happens to be the most flawed move in your battle technique as well! Out of the 37 flaws, it takes up a whole 8 of them, and they are namely..."

Zhang Xuan proceeded to explain every single flaw in elaborate detail, clearly pointing out the fundamental principle behind each move and how it could be easily deciphered. Just by hearing this much, Zhao Zhen could tell that there were no longer any secrets in his battle technique. At this point, it was as if the other party was the creator of the Autumn Breeze Intertwining Silk Hands and not him!

His lips twitched as he felt his body growing more and more illusory, threatening to dissipate at any moment.

Had it not been for his superior mental fortitude as an 8-star master teacher, he might have gone mad there and then.

To be able to deduce the other nine moves just by seeing the first one, even accurately naming them... why did it feel as if he was dreaming?

At this point, the young man's lecturing voice suddenly sounded once more, jolting him out of his dazed state. "Alright, these are the flaws that I have noticed so far. Have you understood them? Do you know where you have erred now?"

"Yes, I know my errors now. I won't do it in the future..." Zhao Zhen replied instinctively, but halfway through his words, he suddenly paused before redness spread across his face.

The other party had placed himself in the role of a teacher, and somehow, he had been dragged along with the flow and subconsciously placed himself in the role of a student.

He was an old ancestor from 13,000 years ago, an elder countless generations more senior that the young man before him! For this to happen...

"Cough cough!" Unable to take it any longer, Zhao Zhen quickly waved his hand and ushered Zhang Xuan to move on. "Alright, alright! You have already cleared the test, so you should proceed to the next floor."

"Cleared the test? Is that the problem now? It seems like you still have not realized what the problem is. As a master teacher who has ventured beyond the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, do you know how many people look up to you as their role model? And yet, is this the attitude you have toward learning?" Zhang Xuan berated furiously. "You are really the worst student I have seen in my years of teaching! You should learn some humility!"

"..." Zhao Zhen was crazed.

I am the invigilator over here! How in the world did I turn into your student?"

Pop!

Frenzied, Zhao Zhen finally reached the limits of his tolerance, and his will wavered before vanishing from the spot.

Seeing the other party's will vanishing out of embarrassment, a glint flashed across Zhang Xuan's eyes.

You knew why I am crashing this Master Teacher Pavilion, and yet, you still chose to hold me back. If I didn't choke you with my words, who else should I choke?

Since I am here to crash the pavilion, I might as well go all the way with it.

...

Outside the Master Teacher Pavilion...

Seeing the light on the Master Teacher Tower, Wu shi remarked, "The second floor has lit up. It seems like Principal Zhang has encountered Elder Zhao!

"Elder Zhao has a deep comprehension of battle techniques, achieving a level unmatched by any other in our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion. Even if Principal Zhang is able to clear his test, it'll probably take quite a while..."

Wu shi had lived in the Qingyuan Empire all his life, so he was familiar with the various tests in the Master Teacher Tower as well.

Hu!

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Just as Wu shi was analyzing the situation, the light on the second floor abruptly extinguished.

The moment a challenger stepped into one of the tests, the corresponding floor would light up. When the test was cleared, the light would automatically be extinguished.

"This... He cleared the test?" Wu shi was taken aback.

He had thought that Zhang Xuan would take some time before he was able to clear Elder Zhao's test, but who could have known that... he would actually be so fast!

To clear a test within just three minutes... when did 8-star master teachers become so easy to deal with?

"Hmm? The second floor has lit up again?" someone within the crowd exclaimed in shock.

Raising his gaze to take another look at the Master Teacher Tower, Wu shi was stunned.

The light of the second floor, which had just been extinguished a moment ago, suddenly lit up again.

For the light to suddenly return... did it mean that Zhang Xuan did not actually clear the test? But if that was the case, why would it be extinguished in the first place?

Just as everyone was bewildered by the bizarre happenings, Pavilion Master Gou suddenly spoke. "Wait a moment, the color is different! That color should belong to... Elder Han of the third floor!"

Taking a closer look, Wu shi realized that there was indeed something amiss.

The color that had lit up previously was yellowish-orange whereas the one that had just lit up was milky-white.

"That should have been the color to represent Elder Han's test. Elder Han is a master teacher who left the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion 8,000 years ago, and even though he's an 8-star low-tier master teacher as well, he possesses capabilities surpassing those of Elder Zhao. That is why he has been tasked with the responsibility of guarding the third floor. So, why would he suddenly appear on the second floor?" Pavilion Master Gou's voice was tinged with confusion.

Wu shi and the rest of the gathered crowd frowned in bewilderment as well.

"Under normal circumstances, the light will only be extinguished when the test has been cleared, and the challenger will move on to the next floor. The location of the tests shouldn't change..." Pavilion Master Gou analyzed. However, halfway through his words, his body suddenly stiffened as his mouth opened wide, and his eyes bulged in disbelief. "Or does this mean that... the will of Elder Zhao has dissipated?"

"Dissipated?"

"That's right. According to what I know, if the will of the predecessor guarding a certain floor of the Master Teacher dissipates, the other predecessors guarding the floors above will automatically slide down to take his place," Pavilion Master Gou said hoarsely. "But it should just be a simple test, so why would Elder Zhao's will dissipate?"

Considering that there was no fight involved in the tests of the Master Teacher Tower, there should have been no way that the wills of the predecessors would dissipate all of a sudden.

What could possibly be happening within?

Just as the crowd was bewildered by the absurd situation, the milky-white glow suddenly flickered before vanishing altogether. After which, a light blue glow lit up on the second floor.

"Elder Han's will has dissipated as well?" Pavilion Master Gou was dumbstruck. In the next moment, everything suddenly struck him simultaneously like a bomb exploding in his mind, and he abruptly leaped up in a panic. "This is a disaster! Quick, we need to stop Zhang shi from carrying on! Our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion only has this many experts in its history! If all of their wills dissipate, our Master Teacher Pavilion will really be a goner!"

On top of serving as the final line of defense against pavilion crashing, the wills of the predecessors also served to clarify the doubts of the master teachers. With the extensive knowledge they possessed, they could be considered the greatest asset of their Master Teacher Pavilion! If they disappeared as well, the days of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion would truly be over!

"It's impossible to stop him at this point. The headquarters have given Principal Zhang the permission to crash the pavilion, and we would be flouting the rules if we intervened!" Wu shi panicked upon realizing the severe implications of the situation as well, but due to the rules set in place, there was nothing they could do.

"Can't we just admit our defeat?" Pavilion Master Gou was so flustered that it seemed as if he would burst into tears at any moment.

"That might work." Wu shi pondered for a moment before swiftly nodding. "As long as our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion officially acknowledges that he has successfully crashed the pavilion, there will be no need for him to challenge the Master Teacher Tower anymore. If so, we will be allowed to head in and stop him."

Hearing those words, Pavilion Master Gou whipped out his Pavilion Master Token, bit his finger, and dripped a droplet of blood on it.

Weng!

A brilliant burst of light rose into the sky.

Hong long!

An overwhelming aura descended from the sky, placing immense pressure on those standing beneath.

Following which, a grand voice echoed in the air. "The Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion officially surrenders to Master Teacher Zhang Xuan, and I seek permission to end the pavilion crashing... Ah, there's no need for it anymore. He has already finished his pavilion crashing..."

At that moment, 'jiya!', the doors to the Master Teacher Tower suddenly opened. Zhang Xuan emerged with a look of bewilderment on his face.

"What is wrong with your Master Teacher Tower? Why are all of the predecessors cramping up the second floor?"

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Chapter 1186: 7-star Master Teacher!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Hearing Zhang Xuan's question, Pavilion Master Gou spurted a mouthful of blood. He felt so stifled that he could have gone insane on the spot.

With this, his dream of retiring peacefully had been utterly shattered. He was probably the very first pavilion master in history to have the wills of all the predecessors dissipate under his leadership!

After a long moment of silence, Pavilion Master Gou finally suppressed the indignation in his heart and bowed deeply. "Zhang shi, since you have successfully crashed the pavilion, you can raise any request. As long as it isn't at odds with our fundamental values as master teachers, our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Empire will surely heed your orders!"

To be honest, Pavilion Master Gou really felt that he was unlucky. There had only been three successful pavilion crashes in the long history of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and never had he dreamed that he would be the fourth.

"Vice Pavilion Master Tian has colluded with King Zhongqing to frame me, and on top of that, he has intentionally leaked the secrets of the Master Teacher Pavilion to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, causing the death of countless master teachers. His sins are unpardonable, so I want the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion to apprehend him and have this matter thoroughly investigated this instant!" Zhang Xuan ordered authoritatively.

"Yes!" Pavilion Master Gou nodded. Turning around, he was just about to speak when he noticed something and frowned. "Where is Vice Pavilion Master Tian?"

Vice Pavilion Master Tian had been standing next to him just a moment ago, so how did the latter vanish all of a sudden?

A master teacher quickly rushed forward. "Reporting to Pavilion Master Gou, Vice Pavilion Master Tian has left temporarily to deal with some urgent matters."

"Shit!" Pavilion Master Gou's eyes narrowed in dread. "Comb through Qingyuan City and find him right now!"

Huala!

The ten thousand master teachers swiftly dispersed throughout Qingyuan City. Not too long later, they returned with livid expressions on their faces. "Pavilion Master Gou, it appears that Vice Pavilion Master Tian is no longer in the capital. We aren't able to find any trace of him..."

Hearing those words, Pavilion Master Gou's face turned completely pale.

He had been so shocked by Zhang Xuan's pavilion crashing that he had not paid much notice to the fellow beside him. He had not expected the latter to escape while his attention was elsewhere!

It seemed like the Vice Pavilion Master Tian knew that Zhang Xuan would have him apprehended as soon as the latter succeeded in crashing the pavilion, so he dared not stay any longer.

"The very purpose of my pavilion crashing was out of indignation of being framed by Vice Pavilion Master Tian; you should know that very well. You should have known that he would escape as soon as I succeed in my pavilion crashing, and yet, you did not make any preparations in advance. Tell me, how in the world did a fool like you manage to become the pavilion master?" Zhang Xuan's face turned incomparably ugly as well.

The conflict between him and the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion originated from Vice Pavilion Master Tian. Regardless of whether Zhang Xuan succeeded in the pavilion crashing or not, it was almost certain that the headquarters would investigate this matter, and the latter would be punished for his actions.

Despite this, Pavilion Master Gou did not dispatch any men to keep a close eye on Vice Pavilion Master Tian, even allowing the latter to come and go as he pleased. As such, Vice Pavilion Tian would have to have been an imbecile to not make use of the opportunity to escape!

If a 7-star master teacher were to determinedly conceal all traces of himself and go into hiding, it would be nigh impossible to find him.

"I..." Pavilion Master Gou's face turned completely red.

He had intended to make such an order, but he had not expected Zhang Xuan to successfully crash the pavilion, and to succeed so swiftly at that!

Clenching his fists tightly, Pavilion Master Gou turned to the crowd and declared imposingly, "In my name as the head of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, I hereby issue an arrest warrant for Tian Qing! Alive or dead, capture him and bring him to me!"

"Yes!"

The master teachers swiftly scattered.

An arrest warrant from the Master Teacher Pavilion could be said to be the most powerful warrant throughout the entire Master Teacher Continent. Once released, all the empires and kingdoms within the Qingyuan Conferred Empire would receive the message, and any cultivator who encountered the wanted individual would be handsomely rewarded for notifying the regional Master Teacher Pavilion.

It could be said that with this arrest warrant, unless the wanted were to forever conceal their strength and lie low, it would only be a matter of time before they were found.

After making arrangements for Vice Pavilion Master Tian's capture, Pavilion Master Gou took out his emblem and declared, "I, Gou Tianze, have let down the Master Teacher Pavilion. Thus, I shall officially resign from my position in the Master Teacher Pavilion and await the headquarters' verdict. Until a new pavilion master is nominated, the affairs of the Master Teacher Pavilion will be handled by Wu shi!"

Along with that declaration, the energy he had a moment ago seemed to suddenly vanish without a trace. In an instant, he looked as if he had aged several centuries.

He had been the head of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion for five hundred years, and he had not erred within that period. He really did not expect that he would end up retiring in such a manner.

On the other hand, knowing that there was no point in saying anything further, Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed. Even with all the measures taken to arrest Vice Pavilion Master Tian, it would not be easy to find him once more. Thus, choosing to put the matter aside for the moment, he turned to Wu shi and said, "Wu shi, here are my 7-star supporting occupation emblems. I meet the prerequisites, so I would like to apply for my promotion to 7-star master teacher!"

After saying those words, he passed the 7-star supporting occupation emblems over.

After taking a look, Wu shi nodded and said, "Principal Zhang, give me a moment. I'll report your situation to the headquarters, so it might take a while."

"There's no need to hurry. Meanwhile, is it fine if I take a look around the Master Teacher Pavilion's library?" Zhang Xuan replied.

Even though he had cleared the Empire Building examination, there were still some necessary administrative procedures that had to be completed before he could be awarded with the 7-star emblem. With Wu shi dealing with those for him, they would not pose much of a problem. Rather than waiting there for the processing to be done, his time would be better spent browsing through books.

While he was already qualified to become a 7-star master teacher, he had not browsed through the 7-star master teacher books yet. This would be a good opportunity to do so.

"Here is my identity token. With this, you should be able to freely access any book within the Master Teacher Pavilion," Wu shi replied.

Considering how Zhang Xuan had managed to crash the entire Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, defeating all the master teachers within it, there was no doubt that he was already on par with a 7-star master teacher. Thus, it could not be considered a breach of rules to allow the other party to access the 7-star books using his token while the other party's promotion application was being processed.

"Un." After accepting the token, Zhang Xuan had a master teacher swiftly lead him to the library.

The Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion's library did not just contain books concerning the master teacher occupation; there was also a sizeable collection on each of the other occupations as well, such as painter, appraiser, and the like.

Master teachers prided themselves on being knowledgeable, so it was only natural that they would house a huge array of books in their library. It took almost an entire day before Zhang Xuan managed to collect all the books into the Library of Heaven's Path.

He started by browsing through the master teacher books before moving on to the spirit awakener, demonic tunist, apothecary, physician, painter, beast tamer, terpsichore, formation master, appraiser, celestial designer, and the others.

Naturally, the collection of books on the other occupations within the library of the Master Teacher Pavilion could not be compared to the collections in the libraries of the occupations' guilds, but to Zhang Xuan, it did not matter how profound or deep each book was. As long as the quantity was enough, the quality did not matter at all.

It was not until three days later that Zhang Xuan successfully assimilated the knowledge of these books with their corresponding 7-star Heaven's Path manuals.

As soon as Zhang Xuan walked out from the library, Wu shi stepped forward and passed an object to him. "Principal Zhang, here is your 7-star master teacher emblem."

Taking a look at it, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

After all the trouble he had gone through, he was finally a 7-star master teacher.

It was only a year ago that he had been a teacher who was on the verge of being fired, and he had not even heard of the master teacher occupation at that point. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he was already a 7-star master teacher, one of the top figures of the Master Teacher Continent.

Time really flies!

"Principal Zhang, there's still no trace of Tian Qing anywhere. However, I have already reported this matter to the headquarters, and the headquarters have decided to dispatch an envoy to track him down as well. If nothing goes wrong, the envoy should be arriving in half a month's time," Wu shi informed Zhang Xuan.

"I see." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Tian Qing would have surely escaped as warily as he could so as to prevent anyone from tracking him down, so unless a unique artifact was used, it would be nigh impossible to find him.

"What about King Zhongqing? Have you captured him yet?"

"He's currently imprisoned within the cell of the Master Teacher Pavilion. However, he still refuses to speak." Wu shi shook his head.

"It's fine, just keep him imprisoned for the time being. How is the matter of awarding Chen Zhe with accolades coming along?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Zhang Xuan had advised Wu shi to offer the highest compliments to Chen Zhe instead of punishing the latter so as to lure their enemies into action. But before Wu shi could do so, Zhang Xuan had ended up crashing the pavilion. Three days had passed since then, so Wu shi should have gotten it done by now.

"Just as you instructed, I conducted a ceremony to award accolades to Chen Zhe earlier this morning, complimenting him for the great contribution he has made to mankind. I also made sure to make his accomplishments as detailed as possible." Wu shi quickly nodded.

Hearing that Wu shi had done it, Zhang Xuan smiled in satisfaction. "That's good. Alright, gather a few of the stronger master teachers and follow me. It's about time for us to apprehend Tian Qing!"

"Apprehend Tian Qing? How?" Wu shi was stunned.

"Simple. We'll lie in ambush at Chen Zhe's residence. If nothing goes wrong, the residence should find itself welcoming an uninvited guest tonight," Zhang Xuan replied.

"Chen Zhe's residence? Does Principal Zhang mean to say that Chen Zhe wields some secret concerning Tian Qing?" Wu shi pondered for a moment before swiftly comprehending the situation.

Chen Zhe was Tian Qing's student, which made the latter suspicious too. On top of that, Chen Zhe's abrupt death in his cell in the midst of the investigation was extremely curious as well. At this point, Wu shi was nearly certain that the both of them had been conspiring with one another!

"I'm not too sure either. This is an idea that came to my mind over the past two days. If Chen Zhe did not hold any critical information, there should have been no reason for the other side to go to the trouble of silencing him. While your act of awarding him accolades publicly will reek of a trap, my gut feeling tells me that the other side will not dare take the risk," Zhang Xuan analyzed.

"I understand the rationale behind your plan, but... given that Tian Qing is already in a precarious position himself, is there a need for him to stake his life just to guard a secret?" Wu shi asked with a frown.

If Tian Qing was indicted with the current crimes he was accused of, there was a very good chance that he would be executed by the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters. Since he was already a goner either way, it should not matter whether the list of crimes to his name increased or not. Thus, even if Chen Zhe possessed any secrets, it did not seem likely that Tian Qing would risk exposing himself just to retrieve the 'secret'.

"That depends on how important the secret is," Zhang Xuan said.

"The reason Chen Zhe was exposed was because he had duped Zhang Yinqiu and the others of the news concerning the ancient domain and leaked it to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. So... if the secret that he holds concerns some confidential intelligence of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, Tian Qing might just take the risk."

"This..." Wu shi's body stiffened upon hearing those words. "Principal Zhang, could you have discovered something regarding that?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "It's still speculation at the current moment."

Over the past two days, on top of going through the books that he had collected, he had been pondering over his encounters over the past seven days in Qingyuan City as well.

After some thought, he could not help but feel that something was amiss.

It was a little difficult to believe that Tian Qing was unaware of his student's affiliation with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

Furthermore, as the vice head of the Master Teacher Pavilion, it was honestly suspicious how Tian Qing took no action after learning from Wu shi that his student had leaked vital intelligence to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. Considering how severe the matter was, shouldn't Tian Qing have been in a rush to explain himself so as to absolve himself of blame? Or perhaps... did he know that he did not have to do so?

"Alright, I'll gather my men right now!" Wu shi could tell that Zhang Xuan seemed to have noticed something crucial, so he quickly left the room.

A few moments later, he returned with five master teachers beside him.

Four of them were elders of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and the last one was a familiar face—Zhang Jiuxiao!

As powerless as Zhang Jiuxiao appeared to be compared to Zhang Xuan, defeated without even managing to land a blow on the latter, his true strength was still formidable. If he were to use all the means at his disposal, especially his two Saint intermediate-tier swords and four Saint low-tier sabers, there was a good chance that he would be able to overwhelm even Wu shi.

"For the time being, just sit around and rest. We'll set off at night time," Zhang Xuan instructed.

"Yes!" the crowd replied.

After witnessing the pavilion crashing, they were all filled with admiration for the young man before them. At this moment, Zhang Xuan's prestige within the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion could be said to have exceeded even that of Wu shi!

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Chapter 1187: Arrest

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

In a compartment of a tavern by the suburbs of Qingyuan City, a few men were gathered around a table. However, their eyes kept drifting off toward a nearby residence from time to time.

Wu shi sent a telepathic message to Zhang Xuan. "Principal Zhang, that's where Chen Zhe lives..."

As soon as night fell, they had immediately headed over here. Through the prior, discreet arrangements of the Master Teacher Pavilion, they did not catch anyone's attention.

"Un."

Zhang Xuan extended his Spiritual Perception toward the residence to perceive its interior.

While the Spiritual Perception of others was only able to cover a radius of 400 meters, and that was including even the Half-Leaving Aperture realm Wu shi, Zhang Xuan's Spiritual Perception was able to cover a radius of 2,500 meters. He would be able to perceive the slightest movement within the residence from where they sat, so there was no need for them to hide within Chen Zhe's residence at all.

"Chen Zhe's residence sure is extravagant and sturdy!" Zhang Xuan could not help but exclaim after taking a swift look at it.

As humble as Chen Zhe might have seemed in the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, he was still a 7-star low-tier master teacher, as well as the direct disciple of a vice pavilion master. Just by those two identities, he could definitely be considered one of the more eminent figures in Qingyuan City.

As if to reflect that, his residence was filled with all kinds of formations, and nearly all of them had reached grade 7. In terms of renovation, his residence was not on par with the affluent King Zhongqing's manor yet, but it was still far beyond that of an ordinary clan.

A gazebo on the fifth step, a towering building on the tenth. The corridors meandered like long ribbons, and the roofs were beautifully sculpted.

It was hard to tell what Wu shi did, but the residence did not seem to have been too affected by Chen Zhe's death. On the contrary, it was extremely tranquil and peaceful.

"Principal Zhang, do we have to make any preparations in advance?" Wu shi pondered for a brief moment before continuing. "From what I know Tian Qing seems to have a Saint intermediate-tier artifact in his possession. In terms of its individual strength, it is beyond that of the Golden Origin Cauldron, and it complements his cultivation, allowing him to display exceptional fighting prowess!"

"It's fine." Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Making too many preparations in advance could play against us instead. It would be bad if the other party notices that something is amiss and flees."

Naturally, it would have been much safer if they were to fill Chen Zhe's residence with their own formations and men. However, the commotion in doing so might instead deter Tian Qing from biting the bait.

"But..." Wu shi was still a little worried.

"There's no need to worry. As powerful as Tian Qing may be, as long as his fighting prowess is beneath that of Pavilion Master Gou, we should not face too many problems dealing with him. Besides, as long as we can hold him for a moment, we can always call for reinforcements from the Combat Master Hall," Zhang Xuan said.

He had fought Tian Qing in the past, and the latter was not a match for him at all. Even if the latter had a powerful Saint intermediate-tier artifact in his possession, Zhang Xuan was still confident that they would at least be able to protect themselves. On the off chance that they found themselves outmatched, as long as they could hold on for a short moment, the Combat Master Hall would be able to dispatch their elites to reinforce them.

Even if Tian Qing was a true Leaving Aperture realm expert, he was confident that they would be able to subdue him with relative ease.

Wu shi pondered for a moment before nodding. "That's true."

Knowing that they would be facing a great battle soon, the other master teachers focused their attention on conditioning their state so that they would be able to fight at their full strength later on.

A long time later, when the moon was just beginning to set in the west, Zhang Xuan suddenly stood up and said, "He's here."

Wu shi and the others widened their eyes in alarm.

They quickly activated their Spiritual Perception to take a look, only to find nothing at all.

"He's already in the residence." Noticing the looks of confusion on the faces of the master teachers, Zhang Xuan quickly explained, "He came from underground!"

"Underground?"

Everyone looked at Zhang Xuan with an incredulous look.

While Spiritual Perception was able to pass through obstacles, it would severely limit its range. Thus, it was difficult to perceive items that were beneath the ground. And yet... Zhang Xuan was still able to discern the intruder so easily?

"He's advancing very warily, choosing to sneak into the opposite residence before using some kind of secret art to dive underground. His movements are subtle, but there's no doubt that he's there. Alright, let's go over to apprehend him," Zhang Xuan said.

Back in the Jingyuan City Poison Hall, he had encountered the Earthleaf King, who had the uncanny ability to dive into the ground.

In view of that, Zhang Xuan had chosen to extend his Spiritual Perception to cover the underground as well, and it was a relief that he had done so.

"Alright!"

The crowd swiftly got to their feet before flying out through the windows, heading for the residence right before them. They landed at the center of the residence, where Zhang Xuan carefully directed the master teachers into their positions. After that was done, he flicked his wrist and swiftly placed a few formation flags into the ground.

Weng!

Zhang Xuan stomped on the ground and bellowed, "Come out!"

Peng!

The ground began shaking intensely, and before long, as figure was forcefully plucked out from the ground.

The figure was dressed in black from head to toe, allowing him to blend in perfectly with the darkness of the night. However, with their exceptional eyesight as Primordial Spirit realm experts, the other master teachers could still easily make out his appearance to determine his identity.

"Tian Qing, it's indeed you!" Wu shi's face turned livid. "You won't be getting away today!"

Wu shi's hand clawed forward, and a powerful might burst forth, threatening to tear Tian Qing into shreds.

On the other hand, Tian Qing did not expect that there would be someone lying in ambush for him. His eyes narrowed in apprehension as he quickly raised his arms to defend himself from Wu shi's offense.

Wu shi's claws gouged deep into the flesh of his hand, but thanks to his timely reaction, Tian Qing managed to protect his vitals.

After fending off Wu shi's attack, Tian Qing swiftly turned around and flitted away, hoping to escape from the area.

"Escape? Do you think that you will be able to escape?"

With a light chuckle, Zhang Jiuxiao raised his finger, and a powerful sword suddenly descended from the sky.

It was the Saint intermediate-tier sword that he had in his possession.

After listening to Zhang Xuan's lecture, while the sword still had not made a breakthrough to Half-Leaving Aperture realm yet, its strength had still grown considerably. Complemented with Zhang Jiuxiao's incredible cultivation, powerful surges of sword qi burst forth from the sword, covering a distance of several dozen meters in the blink of an eye to strike Tian Qing.

Seeing this, Tian Qing's face darkened. Without any hesitation, he flicked his wrist and drew a sword as well to deal with Zhang Jiuxiao's offense.

After several clashes, Zhang Jiuxiao was forced to retreat in a fluster.

As powerful as he was, Tian Qing was still an entire cultivation realm stronger than him. On top of that, their weapons were both at Saint intermediate-tier. Given so, it was inevitable that he would be in a disadvantageous position against the other party.

After pushing back Zhang Jiuxiao, Tian Qing leaped into the sky, but the next moment, he felt a ferocious might tearing through the space around him, heading right for him.

It was the offense from the other elders of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

They were all Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle experts as well, and knowing how powerful the person before them was, they dared not hold back. Whipping out their weapons, they used their strongest techniques without any hesitation. Innumerable bursts of sword qi appeared before Tian Qing, forming a massive wall in his path.

If the latter continued any further, he would surely be torn to shreds.

With an awful complexion on his face, Tian Qing knew that it would be dangerous if he pushed on any further. Flicking his wrist, he sent a powerful strike toward the wall of sword qi and made use of the momentum from the rebound to descend back to the ground. Barely after he managed to steady his figure once more, Wu shi and Zhang Jiuxiao launched their second assault on him.

Zhang Xuan had prepared a battle plan to ensure that they would be able to successfully apprehend Tian Qing. As the two most powerful experts of the group, Wu shi and Zhang Jiuxiao would be in charge of the offense whereas the remaining four were responsible for preventing Tian Qing from escaping.

Watching as Tian Qing was slowly ground down under the simultaneous assault of the master teachers, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. Seeing that he did not have to join the battle, he activated his Eye of Insight and began assessing the surroundings instead.

Since Tian Qing was willing to the risk going to Chen Zhe's residence, it could only mean that there was a secret hidden there that Tian Qing perceived to be even more important than his own life.

Scanning the surroundings carefully, Zhang Xuan suddenly frowned.

He walked up to the trees in the middle of the courtyard.

They were Saint-tier Lingering Fragrance Trees, known for the Lingering Fragrance Fruits that they produced.

Despite being considered a Saint-tier medicinal herb, the Lingering Fragrance Tree was completely ineffective in raising one's cultivation. It was only valued as a perfume—one who consumed it would retain its fragrance within their body for an entire year. To put it in other terms, it was a commodity that only ladies would want.

Yet, there were actually seven of such trees in Chen Zhe's courtyard. Even before coming close, Zhang Xuan could already smell the sweet, intoxicating fragrance that they emanated.

Even he had to admit that the fragrance was indeed very pleasant. If a lady carried such a scent on her, she would surely be able to charm any men.

However, what Zhang Xuan was interested in was not the trees themselves but the area a zhang 1 beneath the trees.

A grade-7 Aura Sealing Formation... Using Saint-tier medicinal herbs in place of formation flags in order to conceal the presence of the formation, not bad! Zhang Xuan nodded.

In the eyes of an outsider, those might have seemed like perfectly normal trees. However, as a 7-star pinnacle formation master, Zhang Xuan could easily tell that the positions of those trees formed a unique formation.

In principle, it was similar to the Aura Sealing Formation that he had set up previously in Hongyuan Empire to conceal the Byzantium Helios Beast's presence, but through tapping into the strength of the Saint-tier Lingering Fragrance Trees, the formation was raised to the tier of grade-7 pinnacle. On top of that, it was also intentionally concealed by the other formations, so if one did not examine it closely, it would have been difficult to notice its existence.

Even Zhang Xuan had only managed to deduce it himself by analyzing the flow of the spiritual energy in the area.

A 7-star low-tier master teacher setting up a grade-7 pinnacle Aura Sealing Formation in his residence? Let me see what kind of secret he is hiding beneath!

Zhang Xuan walked forward and stomped forcefully on the ground.

Huala!

The ground immediately parted, revealing a stone door.

Zhang Xuan placed his hand on the stone door and forcefully erased the inscriptions on it before walking in.

Beyond the stone door was a flight of stairs made from a mysterious material that descended into the deep darkness. For some reason, it was impossible to see too far ahead even with the radiance of the Night Illumination Pearls, as if something was absorbing the light.

Zhang Xuan had to activate his Eye of Insight before everything became a little clearer.

It's Starluster Stone... Zhang Xuan frowned.

After going through the books in the Appraiser Hall and the Master Teacher Pavilion, he had gained some understanding of the rare minerals on the Master Teacher Continent.

The Starluster Stone was a peculiar mineral that had the ability to absorb light, making an area incredibly dark.

Of course, through using a unique method, one could release the light absorbed within the stone, making it incomparably bright, as if a star in the sky.

It was for this reason that the rock was named 'Starluster'.

However, the Starluster Stone within the passageway seemed to have been altered in a certain manner that allowed it to only absorb light but not release it.

Nevertheless, this did not pose too much trouble for Zhang Xuan. Navigating his way forward with his Eye of Insight, he slowly made his way down.

After walking for around seventy to eighty meters, he finally reached the bottom of the stairs. Raising his gaze, he could not help but be taken aback by what he saw.

It was a vast underground chamber.

At the very center of the chamber was a huge pool of lava that emitted frightening heat. Fortunately, it was sealed by a massive formation.

This... A grade-8 formation?

Seeing how the formation was constructed out of unique materials, its grade was surely not beneath those within the Qiu Wu Palace. Clearly, it had already reached grade-8.

It was one thing for there to be a grade-7 pinnacle Aura Sealing Formation in the courtyard of a 7-star low-tier master teacher, but to think that there would be an underground chamber with a grade-8 formation beneath his residence at that...

Something was definitely amiss.

Let me see what the formation is channeling power toward.

Through his discerning eye, Zhang Xuan could tell that the purpose of the grade-8 formation was to channel the immense energy contained within the lava to power something.

Tracing the flow of power in the formation, Zhang Xuan soon narrowed his eyes in astonishment.

"T-this..."

Chapter 1188: Tian Qing's Death

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Before Zhang Xuan's eyes was a massive altar powered by the formation. It was floating silently in the air, and perhaps because it was not activated, it appeared to meld into the deep darkness. There was an ancient quality to the altar that felt as if it had traversed across the ages.

This altar... it's very similar to the one that I obtained from the Scarletleaf King. Could it be an altar of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe? Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

The altar was identical to the one he had obtained from the Scarletleaf King previously, just significantly larger. With a single look, it was apparent that the altar belonged to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe as well.

Studying it with his Eye of Insight, he saw countless inscriptions carved on the altar. These inscriptions were extremely peculiar, being neither in the language of the humans nor the language of the beasts.

Nevertheless, these words were extremely familiar to Zhang Xuan. With just a single glance, he had already recognized them.

These words are in the language that Ancient Sage Qiu Wu used to leave behind his heritage!

The maps that Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had left behind were in the same language as the words carved on the altar. When these words were structured together in a certain manner, they would be imbued with a peculiar power over space.

It seems to be some kind of teleportation formation, serving to teleport Otherworldly Demons over here! Zhang Xuan pondered with a deep frown.

The presence of this very formation was the most direct evidence to show that Chen Zhe had betrayed mankind for the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

Considering the scale of the altar, and the sheer amount of energy it was powered with from the grade-8 formation below, it was extremely likely that it had played an integral role in the invasion of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe twenty years ago!

Otherwise, considering that the Subterranean Galleries had been tightly sealed, how could so many Otherworldly Demons have suddenly emerged?

From the looks of it, it seems like Tian Qing has betrayed mankind as well...

While Chen Zhe was a 7-star low-tier master teacher in the Master Teacher Pavilion, it was impossible for him to construct such a powerful formation by himself while concealing the matter from his teacher, Tian Qing.

The only possibility was that... Tian Qing was in on the matter as well.

In other words, Vice Pavilion Master Tian, the most authoritative 7-star pinnacle master teacher of the Master Teacher Pavilion, had been a spy of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe all along!

Putting it together with the deductions he had made before, Zhang Xuan came to a realization. And here I was wondering why, despite how honest and humble I have been, the other party still came straight for me. Everything makes sense now...

It had only been a week since he had arrived at Qingyuan City, and he had not caused any trouble within this period, unlike back when he was at the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. And yet, someone had still found such a crude reason to attack him, claiming that his butler was the 'founder' of the Poison Hall just on the basis that they shared the same name.

This matter had left him rather confused for quite some time, but looking at it once more, it could have been vengeance for the Skyleaf King and the others.

After all, the Ten Kings of the Qingtian Lineage had ended up dying in his hands. Even if not for vengeance, it was understandable why the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe would attempt to get rid of him.

The Qingtian Lineage, Tian Qing, King Zhongqing... I should have known earlier! Zhang Xuan shook his head.

The Qingtian Lineage had nearly been wiped out by him—nine of them were killed while the last one was tamed.

He should have suspected this from the moment that he learned that King Zhongqing and Tian Qing wanted to deal with him, especially given the fact that Tian Qing was the teacher of Chen Zhe.

However, due to their identities, he had only thought that they were negligent in their responsibilities back then.

Tian Qing and King Zhongqing... They were probably both from the Qingtian Lineage, right?

Furthermore, looking back on their records, both of them seemed to have come to power after achieving significant contributions in the war against the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe twenty years ago.

Forget it. For the time being, my priority should be to destroy this altar. Once I crush it, it'll be impossible for them to send any more men over.

As this matter had great implications, while Zhang Xuan was confident in his deduction, he knew that he needed to obtain concrete proof before doing anything. Thus, he decided to put the matter aside for now.

Flicking his wrist, he took out the Glacier Rain Sword.

Huala!

Driving his zhenqi, he shot a barrage of sword qi toward the altar.

In the three days he had spent in the Combat Master Hall, he had managed to bring his Heaven's Path Sword Art to greater heights. If he could raise his Glacier Rain Sword to Saint intermediate-tier too, even without the use of a formation, he would be able to subdue Pavilion Master Gou easily with his sword.

"Break!"

However, as Zhang Xuan's sword qi was just about to strike the altar, he suddenly felt a compelling power wrapping around him, rendering him light-headed.

Following which, an immense might suddenly tugged at his soul, attempting to forcefully drag it out of his body.

This... Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in astonishment.

With a powerful force tugging at his soul, he could not continue his attack anymore, and his body staggered weakly on the spot.

The tugging sensation on his soul was extremely familiar. He had experienced it once in the past.

Cang Xu had used such a technique against him.

However, due to Cang Xu's lacking strength relative to his soul, the technique was not able to faze him at all. However, the might that was pulling at his soul this time around was extremely powerful. If Zhang Xuan let his attention waver for a moment, his soul could very well be nabbed away.

Zhang Xuan swiftly drove his Heaven's Path zhenqi to ward off the force tugging at his soul, and only then did he manage to steady himself. Turning his gaze to the altar once more, he soon understood something.

So, this is how they carried out the killings.

Without a doubt, Tian Qing or the Otherworldly Demons must have made use of the grade-8 formation to amplify the prowess of their soul art to bypass the defenses of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

Given that it had nearly taken even his soul away, surely it would have been much easier to deal with Chen Zhe and the others.

While I was trying to lure them out, they were trying to do the same. No wonder everything went so smoothly!

Knowing that there was someone hiding in the area, using the altar to nab his soul and kill him, Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes sharply.

As socially inept as he was, it did not mean that he was lacking in intelligence. On the contrary, as his Soul Depth increased, his ability to analyze and decipher situations was getting stronger and stronger.

He had told Wu shi to compliment Chen Zhe publicly in order to lure Tian Qing out, and Tian Qing did arrive in the end. However, he still ended up being assaulted... It seemed like the other party was no fool either!

Perhaps, from the very start, the other party's goal was not to retrieve the altar but to kill him!

He had set up this ploy in order to bait Tian Qing, but from the looks of it now, it was apparent that the other party had already seen through his ploy. They had chosen to go along with his ploy, sending Tian Qing over and forsaking him like a pawn just so as to lure him out and hunt him down.

A thought suddenly came to Zhang Xuan's mind. Could this be related to Vicious?

"Master, there's no doubt that the soul art is one of my secret arts, but judging from the lack of mastery in the technique, I am certain that it isn't another one of my body parts executing it. Otherwise, as powerful as you are, it's unlikely that you would have been able to survive it!" Vicious informed Zhang Xuan telepathically.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

As powerful as his Heaven's Path Soul Art was, it was a pity that he was still too weak at the moment. If the enemy he was facing was truly Vicious, the latter would surely have been able to nab his soul easily.

But if it isn't another one of the body parts... who else could it be? Zhang Xuan frowned.

In this moment, another bout of dizziness struck his head, and a might even greater than before began tugging at his soul.

It seemed like the other party was giving it a second try after the first failure.

Perhaps I should just go along with the other party to take a look.

Instead of racking his head to figure out whom the culprit working against him was, it would be much easier for him just to let the other party take his soul and see the other party's face for himself.

After some discussion with Vicious to learn more about the various aspects of the soul art, Zhang Xuan walked up to the altar and wrote some things on it with his brush. Only after that did he release his grip on his soul, allowing the might to take away his soul.

Hu!

His soul flew out from his glabella.

My soul is currently a little too big. If I go over in such a form, it might cause the other party to put up his guard instead. It would be better if I can compress it slightly for the time being.

Zhang Xuan's soul was nearly ten meters tall, and if he were to appear in such a form before the other party, he would surely expose his proficiency in soul arts. Thus, with a tap of his finger, he began driving the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel.

In the blink of an eye, his ten-meters large soul became compressed into the size of his physical body.

Hu!

Under the powerful suction force from the altar, Zhang Xuan's soul was swiftly dragged into it.

Weng!

With a brilliant shimmer from the altar, Zhang Xuan's soul disappeared from sight.

...

While Zhang Xuan was exploring the underground cavern beneath Chen Zhe's residence, Tian Qing had been under the relentless assault of the master teachers, and he was swiftly approaching his limits.

His body was covered in wounds and fresh blood, and a mixture of desperation and despair could be seen in his eyes.

As powerful as he was, he was still unable to cope with the collaborative offense from six powerful experts.

"Tian Qing, give up. If you struggle anymore, we'll just have to kill you!" Wu shi harrumphed coldly.

Previously, Pavilion Master Gou had already issued a warrent to apprehend Tian Qing dead or alive!

If the latter still refused to submit, they did not mind dragging his corpse back to the Master Teacher Pavilion.

"Kill me? Try it then! I'll make sure to bring all of you down with me!" Knowing that it was impossible to escape, Tian Qing roared ferociously.

All of a sudden, an immense power surged within Tian Qing's body, and his body began glowing with a fearsome shade of red.

Narrowing his eyes in horror, Wu shi bellowed anxiously, "This is bad, he's going to blow himself up! Quick, seal the surroundings!"

The power that a Half-Leaving Aperture realm harnessed within his body was no joke. It could easily reduce everything within a radius of a thousand meters into cinders.

Chen Zhe deserved to die, but his family members and the civilians that lived in the area were innocent. As master teachers, it was their responsibility to protect them.

"Yes!"

The crowd swiftly created a barrier around Tian Qing with their zhenqi to contain the might of his explosion.

There was no doubt that their barrier would be insufficient to neutralize Tian Qing's explosion, and they could very well incur severe injuries or even die from the shockwave of the explosion. However, if their efforts could at least save the lives of some, they did not think that their sacrifice would be wasted.

Just as the crowd had resolved themselves to a bitter end, a voice suddenly sounded from above them. "There's no need to go through so much trouble. Let me do it instead!"

Raising their heads, they saw a massive cauldron falling from the sky.

Padah! In the blink of an eye, the exploding Tian Qing was suddenly crushed toward the ground.

On the off chance that Tian Qing managed to turn the tables, Zhang Xuan had left the Golden Origin Cauldron outside for the safety of the others.

And upon seeing that the master teachers were in a bad position, that fellow immediately rushed forward to deal with the situation.

Huala!

After pressing Tian Qing back onto the ground, the massive body of the Golden Origin Cauldron suddenly twisted as its cauldron cap opened, and it swallowed Tian Qing without any hesitation.

Boom!

Shortly after it swallowed Tian Qing, a deafening explosion suddenly sounded within the cauldron. Following which, the cap opened once more, and a puff of white smoke rose from it, as if a burp of contentment.

Putong!

A tattered body was coughed out of the cauldron.

"How revolting! It sure is hard to swallow this..." The Golden Origin Cauldron shook intensely, as if retching in disgust. However, it soon recalled that it did not have anything to vomit out, so it could only let the matter go.

As powerful as Qing Tian's explosion was, it was still insufficient to blow a Saint intermediate-tier artifact, especially one like the Golden Origin Cauldron, into pieces.

On the other hand, the eyebrows of the master teachers shot up.

Wu shi had gone through many life-threatening situations with the Golden Origin Cauldron, and he knew how powerful the latter was. It was just that he had not expected the latter to become so formidable after its reawakening.

To swallow Qing Tian and survive the impact of his explosion... At this rate, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before the Golden Origin Cauldron reached the Leaving Aperture realm.

Zhang Jiuxiao walked up to the corpse and muttered with a complicated expression, "He's dead..."

"Dead?" Wu shi walked up to take a look.

He examined the corpse and swiftly confirmed that it was Qing Tian, no doubt about it. However, he still could hardly believe his eyes.

Considering how tenacious Qing Tian had been all this while, he found his easy death a little hard to swallow.

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Chapter 1189: Is Someone Thinking About Me?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Bring his corpse back to the Master Teacher Pavilion!"

Nevertheless, since Tian Qing was already dead, there was no use pursuing this matter anymore. Everything was finally over.

Sighing deeply, Wu shi waved his hands.

Tian Qing was a person who had wielded great power. Even though he had only been a vice pavilion master, the authority he had wielded in the Qingtian Empire Master Teacher Pavilion was effectively equal to the pavilion master. It had been a matter of time before the other party was due to become an official 8-star master teacher or even higher. No one had thought that the other party would end up dying here.

Life sure was unpredictable.

No matter who one offended, one should never offend Zhang Xuan. It seemed like his previous decision was correct.

Two of the elders walked forward to collect Tian Qing's corpse. It was at this moment that Wu shi finally scanned the surroundings once more and asked, "Where is Zhang shi?"

As the fight a moment ago had been too intense, he had not noticed Zhang Xuan's disappearance.

"Master went into the passageway over there," replied the Golden Origin Cauldron swiftly.

"Passageway?"

It was only then that Wu shi noticed the stone gate in the courtyard.

Wu shi walked up to the stone gate, and after examining it for a moment, he remarked, "This is... an Aura Sealing Formation? It seems like the stone gate was concealed by the formation before—that's why we didn't notice it."

The formation had the ability to seal all auras, which had previously prevented them from perceiving the presence of the stone gate. However, the formation became undone with the rising of the stone gate, and if they still could not notice it now, they would be unworthy of being 7-star master teachers.

"Let's head in to take a look!" Wu shi said as he made his way into the passageway.

Zhang Jiuxiao and the others followed Wu shi in, but before they could venture too far in, they heard a vexed voice. "Help me in..."

Everyone turned around and saw that the Golden Origin Cauldron had followed them in as well. However, too big, it was stuck at the entrance of the passageway. Its three thick legs just would not fit into the passageway no matter how it tried to squeeze in.

While the Golden Origin Cauldron could enlarge itself easily, it was not as easy for it to compress itself.

The others had to break open the entrance before the stuck Golden Origin Cauldron could squeeze its way into the passageway.

Satisfied, the Golden Origin Cauldron followed the crowd happily down the stairs.

Not too long later, they arrived at the underground chamber.

They swiftly saw the lava and the altar, along with Zhang Xuan, who was seated on the ground, unmoving.

"Zhang shi!"

The crowd swiftly gathered around Zhang Xuan.

Noticing that Zhang Xuan was not responding, Wu shi placed his hand on the young man, and his face suddenly paled in disbelief. "He isn't breathing, and there is no heartbeat either. He is dead? How is this possible?"

How could Zhang Xuan die within the short period of time that they were fighting against Tian Qing?

He was a Celestial Master Teacher and a Celestial Saint! How could he die in somewhere as humble as this?

Just as the crowd was completely bewildered by the situation before them, the Golden Origin Cauldron's furious voice suddenly sounded. "What do you mean by my master is dead? My master is obviously cultivating some kind of formidable cultivation technique, so stop bothering him and scram to the side!"

Back at the Qiu Wu Palace, the Golden Origin Cauldron had once dived into the lava with Zhang Xuan, and the latter had been in such a state as well. Thus, it was not too surprised by the situation before it.

"Cultivation technique?"

"What kind of cultivation technique could possibly stop one's breathing and halt one's heartbeat?"

The master teachers frowned, not believing the Golden Origin Cauldron's words in the slightest.

As knowledgeable master teachers, they had never heard of a single cultivation technique that would place one in a state reminiscent of a corpse!

Zhang Jiuxiao shook his head, too. "How could there possibly be such a cultivation technique in the world?"

He felt that the Golden Origin Cauldron was only saying those words because it was unwilling to face the reality of its master's death.

As an offspring of the Zhang Clan, he had seen plenty of mysterious and bewildering occurrences in the world, but a cultivation technique that halted one's breathing and heartbeat and even caused the stiffening of one's body... There was no way there could possibly be a cultivation technique like that!

Those were clearly signs of death!

Zhang Jiuxiao's words won the approval of the other master teachers in the area as well.

The Golden Origin Cauldron harrumphed coldly. "Believe whatever you want!"

If it had a face, it would surely have been showing a look of disdain toward those master teachers.

To think that these 7-star master teachers cannot even match up to a cauldron like me in terms of knowledge, what a bunch of countryside bumpkins!

Zhang Jiuxiao shook his head and said, "We'll know the truth once I use my zhenqi to check the internal state of his body!"

Right after saying those words, Zhang Jiuxiao immediately stretched his hand forward and placed it on Zhang Xuan's body.

There were clear differences between the internal state of a living human and a corpse. For one, if Zhang Xuan was truly cultivating, the zhenqi in his body would surely still be active. His meridians would also be supple, and his internal organs would be filled with vitality.

All of this could easily be checked by pumping a surge of zhenqi into the other party's body.

As soon as Zhang Jiuxiao placed his palm on Zhang Xuan's body, he suddenly felt a furious might bursting toward him. In that instant, he felt as if he had been eyed by a ravenous beast, and goosebumps swiftly rose all over his body.

Instinctively, he immediately backed away, but it was already too late. A palm harnessing incomparable strength darted toward his dashing face.

His face distorted hideously as his body whizzed back with astounding momentum.

Bam! Pu!

Crashing heavily into the wall of the underground cavern, Zhang Jiuxiao's face turned as white as a sheet of paper, and crimson blood spurted from his mouth.

The impact of that palm thrust had been so powerful that a depression of his shape had formed on the wall of the cavern, holding him firmly in place.

Tears streamed down Zhang Jiuxiao's face as he cried, "I just wanted to check if you are dead or not out of worry... Did you really have to get so angry and use so much force?"

As the victim, it went without saying that he knew whom the palm had come from. It was none other than the 'dead' Zhang Xuan!

It is not as if I was trying to harm you!

Did you have to attack me so mercilessly?

In an instant, an unprecedented feeling of weariness consumed Zhang Jiuxiao.

It seemed like ever since he became acquainted with Zhang Xuan, he had never lived a single day in peace.

Struggling out of the wall, he turned to look at Zhang Xuan once more, only to see that the culprit who had cruelly harmed him a moment ago was still sitting on the same spot with his eyes closed. There was not the slightest bit of guilt on his face at all, as if the assault that had happened earlier was none of his business.

Seeing this sight, the Golden Origin Cauldron shook its body triumphantly as it gloated in a tone that was practically dripping with 'you reap what you sow'. "I told you that my master is in the midst of practicing some kind of unique cultivation technique, but you just wouldn't listen..."

"He really is cultivating..."

The lips of Wu shi and the others twitched in disbelief.

They had seen plenty of cultivators who had eccentric cultivation techniques, but this was the first time they had seen something like this.

Was there really a cultivation technique like this in the world?

A moment later, Wu shi recovered from his shock and instructed, "Since Principal Zhang is cultivating, let's sit here and guard him. Elder Gu, you should return to the Master Teacher Pavilion first and bring some reinforcement here to seal the area. Also, make sure to report this matter to the headquarters."

"Yes!" An elder nodded before leaving the underground chamber.

...

The world around him spun and distorted. When Zhang Xuan finally came to once more, he was already standing within a tattered hut.

The same altar that he had encountered in the underground chamber was still beneath his feet. It seemed like he had been transported to the other end of the altar.

He tried to explore the area, only to find that there was a peculiar suction force from the altar holding him firmly in place, preventing him from moving. It would be difficult for him to break free of it quickly.

"Zhang shi, we meet again."

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to scan the area, he suddenly heard a faint voice before him. Raising his head to take a look, he saw a copper-masked figure staring at him with his hands behind his back.

"It's you?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

The other party was the person who had brought the grade-8 painting of the Sorrowless Old Man to Appraisal Convention to have the seal on it deciphered!

The copper-masked figure did not reply to that question. Instead, he stared at Zhang Xuan coldly for a very long moment before asking, "You altered the content of the painting, didn't you?"

"Altered?" Zhang Xuan's heart skipped a beat, but he did not let it show on the surface. With an indignant frown on his face, he harrumphed furiously. "How can that be? Putting aside the fact that I do not have the ability to do so, as a master teacher, I would never do something as unethical as that! That would be as good as trampling on the efforts of others, and only the most despicable of scum would commit such atrocities!"

"How can that be?" The copper-masked figure narrowed his eyes as he repeated Zhang Xuan's words mockingly. "There are some discrepancies in the painting beneath the seal, and there's also a visible difference in the conception of the painting. Only your consciousness entered the painting throughout the entire Appraisal Convention, so who else could it be other than you?"

Back at the Appraisal Convention, when he saw that what lay beneath the painting was not what he had expected but a group of ladies bathing, he could hardly believe his eyes. In that instant, he felt that he had wasted many years of his life pursuing the secret of the painting.

However, when he returned to his residence and studied the painting carefully, it did not take too long for him to notice that something was amiss.

In the first place, the fact that he had been able to notice the presence of a seal concealed within the painting meant that his comprehension of painting was at least on par with Guild Leader Meng of the Painter Guild.

Through his careful examination, he noticed that while the artistic style of the bathing beautiful ladies was a close imitation of the Sorrowless Old Man's Anchored Painting Style, there were still some discrepancies between the two.

The Sorrowless Old Man had gone to the extent of shaving off a layer of his painting to ensure that the surface remained smooth when he added in the seal. This clearly showed that he had a deep obsession for ensuring the perfection his painting, and he would never allow any flaws to plague his work.

While the unsealed painting looked wholesome in the surface, upon closer examination, it was still apparent that the portion concerning the bathing beautiful ladies was leveled slightly higher than the rest of the painting. Furthermore, the colors were slightly more vibrant than the rest of the painting. From these two discrepancies, it was not too difficult to deduce that the bathing beautiful ladies had been added onto the painting recently.

Corroborating that with the happenings prior to the unsealing of the painting, given that Zhang Xuan was the only one who had entered the painting, it was not too difficult to deduce that he was the culprit.

"I must say that you have really misunderstood me. While the bathing beautiful ladies only took up a small portion of the painting, I'm sure that you are able to tell how exquisitely detailed it is. My consciousness only entered the painting for a brief instant, and given that I had to devote most of my time to analyzing the seal, how could I possibly have the time to paint such an exquisite addition to the painting? That is clearly an impossible feat! Not even the Sorrowless Old Man would have been able to pull it off within the limited period of time I had!" Zhang Xuan explained himself earnestly, as if fearing that the other party would not believe him.

"This..." The copper-masked figure frowned.

This was also the issue that had confounded him while he was analyzing the matter.

All in all, the other party had only been in the painting for less than three minutes, and within this period of time, it was nigh impossible to make an addition that fused nearly perfectly into another completed painting. Even 8-star painters would not be capable of pulling off such a feat!

But there was no one else could have pulled it off other than the young man before him!

Noticing the copper-masked figure's hesitation, Zhang Xuan quickly added, "Putting aside the fact that I did not have time to pull it off, I'm also not the only one whose consciousness entered the painting that day."

"You aren't the only one?"

"Indeed. Have you forgotten it already? Zhang Jiuxiao's consciousness entered the painting as well, only to be attacked by the spirit and sprout durians on his head," Zhang Xuan said.

Hearing those words, the face of the copper-masked figure darkened. "You're right... Zhang Jiuxiao's consciousness entered the painting as well!"

"He's from the Zhang Clan, and surely I need not say much about the capabilities of those from a Sage Clan. Furthermore, the Zhang Clan is particularly known for snatching items by force. Putting aside a painting, they would even snatch a living human without any hesitation! Do you remember how he said that he knew a way to decipher the seal? Perhaps, he might have used some kind of artifact to alter the contents of the painting before faking his failure so that you wouldn't suspect him!" Zhang Xuan harrumphed indignantly.

"The Zhang Clan..." The lips of the copper-masked figure twitched slightly as fear crept into his eyes.

...

Ah choo!

Shortly after applying some medicine and feeling the swelling on his face alleviating slightly, Zhang Jiuxiao suddenly sneezed.

After being traumatized time and time again, it was reassuring for him to know that he was at least still on someone's mind!

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Chapter 1190: The Demands of the Copper-Masked Figure

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

After recovering from his shock, the copper-masked figure quickly shook his head and said, "No, that doesn't make sense! If the Zhang Clan intended to make a move on me, there would be no need for them to do it so discreetly. They would have just crushed me openly!"

The Zhang Clan was known to be the Number One Clan of the Master Teacher Continent, possessing many experts. If they had known about the secret behind the painting, they would have just found him and killed him directly. There was no need for them to go about it in such a roundabout manner.

It was true that the Master Teacher Pavilion did ensure some degree of order and equality in the world, but rules were meaningless before absolute strength.

And the Zhang Clan wielded such absolute strength to overlook the rules.

"I don't know how else I can prove it to you, but what I saw in the painting back then was indeed the bathing beauties!" Seeing that the other party did not trust him, Zhang Xuan anxiously urged, "If you don't believe me, feel free to ask around. I am known in town for my honesty and humility..."

"Enough!" Knowing that it would only be a waste of mind to argue who the culprit was, the copper-masked figure harrumphed coldly. "There is no point arguing over this now. The reason I have brought you here today is to have you restore the painting. If you get it done, I can consider letting you off!"

Even though someone had added new content on top of the painting, it should still be possible to restore what was beneath at the hands of a sufficiently skilled painter.

This was especially so given that the bathing beautiful ladies had been added recently, and there was a clear contrast between it and the rest of the painting.

Given that the young man before him had been able to decipher the seal on the painting easily, achieving what neither him nor Guild Leader Meng were able to accomplish, there was no doubt that his mastery in painting had already reached the pinnacle of Qingyuan Empire, perhaps even comparable to the Sorrowless Old Man's. If the young man were to work on the painting, there was a good chance that they would be able to restore the original painting.

However, Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed. "It's not that I don't want to help you, but even I am unable to do it..."

"You can't do it?" The copper-masked figure suddenly sneered coldly as killing intent lit up within his eyes. "It seems that you still haven't understood the situation you are in. You are currently just a mere soul. If your pitiful brain is unable to process what that means, let me phrase it out clearly for you. You. Are. Already. A. Dead. Man!"

"Dead?" Horror surfaced in Zhang Xuan's eyes. As if he was unable to believe what he had just heard, he exclaimed with widened eyes, "I am dead?"

He quickly lowered his head, only to see his translucent body. In that instant, his vision darkened, and he fainted from shock.

"..." Seeing the other party's actions, the copper-masked figure clawed at his hair in frenzy.

Given that he had used a secret art to nab away the other party's soul, anyone who did not have a screw loose should have noticed what was going on!

To put on such an elaborate act and even faint on the spot... Brother, do you think that I don't know that souls can't faint?

Under normal circumstances, given that the young man's soul had been bound in place and his physical body was already dead, shouldn't the young have been eager to heed his commands?

To put on such an act... What the heck was going on?

Suppressing his urge to rush forward and tear the young man before him apart, the copper-masked figure clenched his jaws and spat coldly, "Stop your act. Without my permission, you won't even be able to commit suicide, let alone faint!"

"Ah? I can't faint here?" Zhang Xuan sat back up regretfully before shaking his hand leisurely. "Forget it, I won't faint for the time being then. However, I was really not lying to you when I said that I am unable to restore the painting to its original state."

Hidden within the painting was Kong shi's silhouette. Considering the implications of the matter, there was no way he would restore the painting to its original state.

On the other hand, seeing the other party shrug away his fainting act without the slightest bit of embarrassment, the copper-masked figure felt so furious that he could have exploded from rage at any moment. It took him a few large breaths before he managed to suppress his rage. Narrowing his eyes, he spoke in a callous tone. "Don't think that I have no way of dealing with you just because you are a soul. Since I was able to drag you here, naturally, I know of ways to put you through suffering that would make you wish that you were dead!"

"Since I am already dead, why don't you just have me killed once and for all?" Zhang Xuan replied leisurely, paying no heed to the copper-masked figure's threats at all.

"You..." The copper-masked figure's breathing hastened from anger, and his chest fluctuated intensely. "Since you don't know what is good for you, I'll just have to use Soul Search on you then. For your arrogance, I shall make sure that your soul dissipates for good!"

Huala!

Right after saying those words, he grabbed forward, and a powerful might suddenly burst forward.

Seeing the movements of the copper-masked figure, a glint flashed across Zhang Xuan's eyes. "That's... a soul oracle technique!"

The main reason he had allowed himself to be captured by the copper-masked figure was to see who the other party was and what the other party was up to. He did not think that the other party would actually be able to utilize the means of a soul oracle...

Tzzzzzz!

As shocked as Zhang Xuan was, he did not resist the copper-masked figure's offense. Instead, he allowed the latter to enter his mind easily.

This was because he could tell with a glance that it was not Soul Search but Soul Read.

Soul Search was an extremely violent technique. It allowed one to learn what was in the mind of another, but in the process of doing so, it would destroy the other's soul as well, resulting in death. On the other hand, Soul Read was much less powerful than Soul Search, but it would not harm the soul.

It seemed like the copper-masked figure still hoped that Zhang Xuan would be able to restore the painting for him, so he dared not kill him straight.

"Let me see what you know!" Harrumphing coldly, the copper-masked figure delved his consciousness into Zhang Xuan's mind, and very soon, he found what he wanted to know.

A frown emerged on the forehead of the copper-masked figure as he muttered in disbelief. "You really don't know the secret behind the seal..."

Through his Soul Read, he could tell that the other party really knew nothing about the content beneath the seal. In other words, he was not the perpetrator who painted on the bathing beautiful ladies on the painting.

Furthermore, in his search, he had found that despite the other party's brazen personality, he was really an upright and talented master teacher.

"It looks like I have really gotten it wrong this time around..." After seeing all that, the copper-masked figure retracted his consciousness from Zhang Xuan's mind.

He had been extremely certain that it was the young man who had altered the painting before, but the evidence before him had smashed the theory to pieces. However... since he had already captured the young man, he should at least get the young man to restore the painting for him. Otherwise, his effort over the years would have really been in vain.

He really is a soul oracle, and from the looks of it, it seems like he has a close relationship with Tian Qing and the others.

While the copper-masked figure was reading Zhang Xuan's mind, Zhang Xuan was also secretly reading the other party.

His understanding of soul arts was much higher than the copper-masked figure's, so it was not too difficult for him to bypass the other party's mental defense.

Nevertheless, for fear of alarming the other party, he only probed at the surface of the other party's mind, so he only received some basic information.

Based on the results he had received, the copper-masked figure had a very close relationship with King Zhongqing and Tian Qing. That was how he had managed to convince Tian Qing to snoop into Chen Zhe's residence despite knowing the dangers to lure their group here while he hid at the altar, preparing to nab Zhang Xuan's soul when the opportunity was ripe.

"I was initially intending to conduct a Soul Search, but out of mercy, I'll give you one last chance. Right now, you have two options before you." Knowing that the young man before him really knew nothing at all, the copper-masked figure harrumphed in disdain. "The first option, restore the painting for me, and not only will I spare your soul, I'll also bring you back to life, granting you greater power than you possess at the moment!

"The second option, succumb to my Soul Search and vanish from the face of this world! Your mastery in painting is indeed praiseworthy, but there are plenty of painters in the world who are more skilled than you. Even without you, it's only a matter of time before I manage to restore the contents of the painting!"

"You'll bring me back to life?" Zhang Xuan asked in bewilderment.

"That's right!" The copper-masked figure waved his hand, and a body appeared before his eyes. "This is known as a Soulless Metal Humanoid. As long as you accomplish what I ask of you, I'll allow your soul to reside in it, and through it, you will be able to continue living and existing as an ordinary human!"

"Soulless Metal Humanoid..."

Zhang Xuan was surprised. He could tell that the other party's Soulless Metal Humanoid was of a far higher grade than what he had seen before, most probably crafted with the body of a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle expert. Not only so, the craftsmanship was also particularly exquisite, making it reminiscent of a real human.

If a soul were to be deposited into it, the average 7-star master teacher would not even notice that it was an artificial body.

Seeing Zhang Xuan's astonished expression, the copper-masked figure smirked gleefully. "Even if you don't have much of an understanding of the soul oracle occupation, as a master teacher, you should have at least heard of the Soulless Metal Humanoids, right? With it, not only will your current fighting prowess be enhanced, more importantly, I will also grant you a different identity and place you in a position of great power!"

"Place me in a position of great power? Could it be that... both Tian Qing and King Zhongqing are Soulless Metal Humanoids?" Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed in shock.

To be able to become the vice head of the Master Teacher Pavilion, there was no doubt that 'Master Teacher Tian Qing' really did exist. There was no way the Master Teacher Pavilion would make the huge error of allowing a Soulless Metal Humanoid to become a vice pavilion master. However, it was possible that the real Tian Qing had been killed at some point in time, and his body had been forged into a Soulless Metal Humanoid.

Through using a soul to drive Tian Qing's Soulless Metal Humanoid, the enemy would be able to impersonate him, assuming the powerful role as the vice head of the Master Teacher Pavilion. Furthermore, there would be no one who would check on his identity as he was already verified to be a human.

That might have been the case for King Zhongqing as well.

If that was truly the case, this would really be frightening.

Just thinking about how the fake Tian Qing had been able to fool the eyes of the others for so many years, only exposing himself in order to kill Zhang Xuan... How many more undercover spies did the enemy have?

It was no wonder the Master Teacher Pavilion had destroyed the soul oracles without any hesitation! If the soul oracles had truly attempted to plot their vengeance, just this ability of theirs would throw the Master Teacher Pavilion into huge chaos!

Just imagine being put in a state where one could not recognize who was a friend and who was an enemy, being forced to doubt everyone.

"King Zhongqing isn't a Soulless Metal Humanoid. It isn't as easy to forge one as you think!" The copper-masked figure refuted Zhang Xuan's words.

"He isn't?"

The copper-masked figure harrumphed disdainfully. "He's just a loyal dog!"

"Then... what about Tian Qing?" Zhang Xuan asked on.

"Tian Qing?" At this point, the copper-masked figure sneered coldly before turning toward Zhang Xuan. "Do you wish to see my face?"

Zhang Xuan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing those words. Keeping his calm, he said, "I do. Given the current situation, it's really hard for me to trust you. As you have said, I'm already dead. I have nothing else to lose, and there's no need for me to go all out to help the person who killed me!"

He had been curious about the true identity of the copper-masked figure for a very long time, but the latter had never used a battle technique before him. The previous Soul Search had not registered as a battle technique to the Library of Heaven's Path, so he was not able to compile a book on the other party through that.

As such, he still had no idea whom the copper-masked figure truly was.

It would be best if he could convince the copper-masked figure to take off his mask.

"Humph! Tough words for a person in my grasp. You might be dead already, but your soul is still in my grasp. As long as I wish to, I can put you through suffering beyond your imagination!" the copper-masked figure sneered as he slowly took the mask off his face.

At this point, the young man before him was already no threat. Firmly bound to the altar, he could claim the young man's life any time he wanted to, so he did not fear the latter's retaliation.

Thus, it was not a big deal for him to show the other party his appearance.

Zhang Xuan stared intently at the face of the copper-masked figure as the mask was slowly pried open. A look of disbelief gradually crept onto his face.

"How could it be you?"

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Chapter 1191: I Am the Qingtian Emperor!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The person before him was none other than Tian Qing!

But wasn't the other party fighting with Wu shi and the others?

More importantly, the first time he met the copper-masked figure, Tian Qing had definitely been confined within the Master Teacher Pavilion's prison. No matter how powerful Tian Qing was, there was no way he could escape from his cell without alarming the Master Teacher Pavilion, so... how could he possibly be the copper-masked figure?

Zhang Xuan could not believe his eyes.

Everything had already exceeded his expectations.

"Indeed. Tian Qing and I are the same person!" Tian Qing nodded.

The young man before him had been putting on a fearless and nonchalant exterior ever since he had been dragged here, so he was delighted to see the shocked expression on the other party's face.

"No, that's not right... You aren't Tian Qing but the Qingtian Emperor, right?" Frowning, Zhang Xuan revealed his deduction.

He had been thinking over the issue over the past few days, and he was confident that the Qingtian Emperor had a part to play in his framing. Else, there was truly no reason for King Zhongqing and Tian Qing to go to such lengths to frame him.

Just that, there were still some details that he had yet to make sense of.

"You are an intelligent person. However, you should know that there are some things in the world that you should never meddle with." Hearing Zhang Xuan's words, the Qingtian Emperor's voice suddenly grew deep and sinister. A burst of killing intent suddenly swept through the surroundings, leaving one feeling as if one had been suddenly plunged into hell.

The killing intent was even purer than the Skyleaf King's. Those who possessed weaker mental fortitude could have very well fainted as soon as they came into contact with this overwhelming aura.

"Since you have already figured out who I am, there's no need for me to put on an act anymore then. I am sure you should know about the irreconcilable conflict between the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and the darned humans. Submit to me, and I can grant you a life of wealth and power. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to end your life!" Tian Qing did not deny Zhang Xuan's accusations. Instead, he gazed down upon Zhang Xuan as if he was looking at a mere corpse.

Since everything had already been revealed, there was no need to beat around the bush any longer.

"If you are both the Qingtian Emperor and Tian Qing... then who is the person fighting outside with Wu shi and the others? You... as an Otherworldly Demon, no matter how good you are at disguising, surely the headquarters would have looked into your background when you became the vice pavilion master, so how could you possibly have passed their checks?" Zhang Xuan uttered in disbelief.

No matter how he thought about the matter, it just did not make sense.

It might be possible for the Qingtian Emperor to act as an ordinary master teacher—the headquarters could not possibly check the background of every single master teacher spread across the Master Teacher Continent after all—but he wielded great power over the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion. It was extremely difficult to believe that the headquarters would make such a severe oversight!

If the Master Teacher Pavilion was really so incompetent as to remain unaware when the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had already seeped into their ranks, it would have been destroyed long ago.

With a cold sneer, hostility welled up in the Qingtian Emperor's eyes as he harrumphed menacingly. "Tian Qing was the incarnation of my will. I slowly forged his identity as a master teacher step by step over a long 800 years, but who would have thought that you would ruin the preparations that I made? Do you know how much I want to kill you right now?"

In order to build up 'Tian Qing', he had paid an extremely heavy price, sacrificing the lives of many of his tribesmen.

If not for the damned young man before him, Tian Qing would still have been the vice head of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, wielding great power.

In a short few days, 800 years of his effort had gone down the drain. How could he possibly take something like that lightly?

However, it was fortunate that it was not all in vain. Over the years, he had managed to gather plenty of crucial intelligence, allowing him to obtain the various items that he required.

At this point, he was just one last step away from success.

If not for that, he would have surely killed the young man before him without any hesitation instead of wasting so many words on him.

"Incarnation of your will?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback from a moment before swiftly coming to a realization.

In his previous battle against Tian Qing, he had found that there was a fatal flaw in the other party's Primordial Spirit, which made it highly unlikely for the other party to ever reach the Leaving Aperture realm in his lifetime. Back then, he had thought that the other party might have just erred in his cultivation somewhere along the way, but it turned out that... the error was actually fundamental!

As the incarnation of a mere will, it went without saying that the soul was bound to be incomplete. It was already a miracle that Tian Qing could cultivate to the Primordial Spirit realm with an incomplete soul; any further than that was nigh impossible.

Perhaps due to Tian Qing being an incarnation, the Library of Heaven's Path considered him a separate existence from the Qingtian Emperor, resulting in its inability to draw the links between the two.

From the start to the end, Zhang Xuan had never considered such a possibility before because of the sheer impossibility in it.

A will was effectively a fragment of a soul, so it was fundamentally of the yin attribute. It was fatal for a newborn baby to be plagued with yin energy, and the chances of survival were practically null.

Furthermore, such an incarnation was against the laws of nature, an act that the heavens would not condone. Thus, even if the baby survived by some chance, one would have to pay a heavy price in order to prevent the baby from dying.

As such, even if the occupation that boasted the greatest understanding of souls, the soul oracles, were to attempt to reincarnate a will, it was likely that there would not even be a single successful case out of ten thousand attempts.

Otherwise, Mo Hunsheng would not have been so desperate to fuse together with the Nine Hearts Lotus to gain a new body for himself.

On top of that, a will would automatically go into a dormant state upon reincarnation. There were those who were unable to unlock the memories of their previous life until the moment of their death, thus achieving nothing significant in their lifetime. Such a symptom was known as the Void of Reincarnation.

To make matters worse, the attempt to reincarnate one's will was also highly damaging to one's soul. This effectively limited each person to a single attempt in their lifetime.

As such, only those who had been cornered would resort to will reincarnation, hoping that the infinitesimal possibility of success would come their way.

To think that the Qingtian Emperor not only succeeded, but his incarnation grew to become a 7-star pinnacle master teacher, governing the Master Teacher Pavilion of a Conferred Empire? While the Qingtian Emperor must have assisted in some ways, it was still a particularly formidable feat.

The Qingtian Emperor harrumphed coldly. "That's right. I advise you not to test my patience. Since I have already revealed my identity to you, you should know that unless you submit to me and seal a soul contract with me, there's no way that you are getting out of this. I'll put you through endless torture and..."

The reason he fearlessly revealed his identity before the young man was because he did not fear the latter leaking the secret. Everything was within his control.

If the young man attempted anything, it would only take a single thought for him to kill the lad.

"Fine, I'll submit!" Zhang Xuan interrupted the Qingtian Emperor's words.

"Ah?" The Qingtian Emperor was taken aback.

Having lived among the humans for many years, he knew how firmly master teachers held onto their beliefs and faith. Considering how arrogant the young man before him was, going to the extent of even crashing the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion upon being accused of siding with the enemy, he had thought that it would be a long fight to get the latter to submit to him. Who knew that the latter would agree to it so heartily?

What happened to the unwavering will that master teachers should have?

The Qingtian Emperor eyed Zhang Xuan suspiciously for a moment before harrumphing coldly. "Words are empty. Offer your soul!"

As skeptical as he was about the young man's intentions, he knew that once the latter offered his soul to him, there was no way the latter would be able to betray him anymore.

"Of course, of course!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "But before that, I would like to confirm one thing first. Will you really give me a suitable Soulless Metal Humanoid so that I can continue living as I did?"

The Qingtian Emperor waved his hand derisively. "You don't have to worry about that!"

In the end, it seemed like the young man was just another spineless coward who would abandon his beliefs and faith for his own life.

But again, the threat of death was indeed scary, especially to cultivators who boasted long lives. The older one became, the more vivid one's fear of death and losing everything they had would become, and not even master teachers were spared from this rule. That was also how You Xu had ended up succumbing to the Otherworldly Demons back then.

"Then..." Zhang Xuan hesitated for a brief moment before mustering his courage to ask, "Can you tell me the method of entering a Soulless Metal Humanoid and let me give it a try first? I want to confirm that there's indeed a way for me to continue living before I submit to you!"

"This..." the Qingtian Emperor frowned. Somehow, he felt like Zhang Xuan was up to something. However, looking at the young man's innocent face, he suddenly recalled the memories he had seen in young man's head earlier, and since it was impossible for the young man to turn the tables against him, he eventually relented with a nod. "Alright then. The method to entering the Soulless Golden Humanoid is very simple..."

The Qingtian Emperor swiftly explained the method to enter and control the Soulless Metal Humanoid.

"Alright, I got it." Seeing that the other party's explanation was essentially similar to what he had learned from Mo Hunsheng, Zhang Xuan nodded.

In truth, he had already compiled a Heaven's Path manual regarding controlling a Soulless Metal Humanoid, and he had even practiced it before. In fact, this was the very method that he had used to place his severed soul into the Nine Hearts Lotus to make his clone.

After which, Zhang Xuan pretended to struggle but to no avail. With a helpless tone, he said, "Set me free for a moment. I want to try entering the Soulless Metal Humanoid."

"Don't try to pull anything. I am the one who forged the Soulless Metal Humanoid, so it goes without saying that I have a way to destroy it as well. Don't naively think that you will be able to go against me just because you have gained a body!" the Qingtian Emperor warned callously.

Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed deeply. "As a Saint 2-dan cultivator, I won't be able to tap into the full strength of the Soulless Metal Humanoid no matter how powerful it is. I won't be a match for you even if I do try to pull something."

Hearing those words, the Qingtian Emperor hesitated for a moment before eventually nodding.

It seemed like he was really being too jumpy, worrying over the most insignificant of issues.

The other party was right. As a Saint 2-dan cultivator, the other party could not possibly tap into the full strength of the Saint 4-dan Soulless Metal Humanoid. Since that was the case, what did he have to fear?

Thus, with a light flick of his hand, the altar gleamed brilliantly. Following which, Zhang Xuan felt the bindings holding him in place loosening, allowing his soul to move freely.

"Let me give it a try!" Zhang Xuan said as he made his way over to the Soulless Metal Humanoid.

A moment later, the Soulless Metal Humanoid opened its eyes.

Zhang Xuan tried moving in it a little, and it felt no different from controlling a puppet. He could not help but shake his head in disappointment.

It seemed like a Saint 4-dan Soulless Metal Humanoid was still ultimately a mere puppet.

A real human had senses that allowed him to receive information from his surroundings, but a puppet did not. While it was possible for a soul to survive by housing itself within a puppet, it was effectively no different from driving a corpse.

It was no wonder few would choose to learn soul arts despite the great longevity of soul oracles.

There was more to life than to just continue existing. If a cultivator had to live amid the darkness for their entire life, deprived of everything that made them feel alive, perhaps death would have been a better option.

Watching as the young man entered the Soulless Metal Humanoid, the Qingtian Emperor heaved a sigh of relief.

He had attempted to use his words to distract the young man from it, but the fact was that as the creator of the Soulless Metal Humanoid, he wielded absolute control over it. In other words, it was just another cage to encase the young man's soul. If he willed it so, he could kill the other party whenever he wanted to.

Nevertheless, to be absolutely safe, he still wanted to bind the young man with a soul contract. Thus, he turned to the other party and said, "Now that you have tested the Soulless Metal Humanoid for yourself, it's about time for you to offer your soul!"

"Alright." Zhang Xuan nodded. Maneuvering the Soulless Metal Humanoid to the altar, he said, "I'll be offering my soul to you through this altar then!"

After saying those words, a will slowly rose from the glabella of the Soulless Metal Humanoid.

"Un." Not expecting the young man to be so active about this issue, the Qingtian Emperor nodded in approval. He also walked up to the altar and drew his soul out of his body.

As he cultivated the soul cultivation techniques from the soul oracles, his soul harnessed incomparably frigid yin energy, leaving others not daring to approach.

The foundation of a soul oracle lay in their soul, so it would be better to bind the young man's soul to his soul instead of his body.

"Start the ritual!" the Qingtian Emperor declared loudly.

He had thought that it would take more effort to deal with this young man, but it seemed like the other party was still too young and inexperienced.

Once the soul contract was sealed, he would be able to peer into the other party's thoughts. By then, the other party would dare not to formulate the slightest thought of rebellion.

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

He maneuvered his Soulless Metal Humanoid to walk around the altar before abruptly slapping its palm on the altar.

Weng!

The inscriptions suddenly lit up, and a powerful suction force drew in the soul of the Qingtian Emperor, wanting to devour it whole.

Horrified by the changes, the Qingtian Emperor exclaimed, "H-how do you know the method to triggering the altar?"

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Chapter 1192: A Knife to Me, a Knife to You!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The altar had been specially crafted by a method known only to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and it required the Zhenqi of Slaughter to activate. More importantly, it concerned a secret of the soul oracles, so how could a master teacher possibly be able to activate it?

The Qingtian Emperor felt as if he was going insane.

Others might not have known how fearsome the altar was, but he did.

Once it was activated, it could draw even the Primordial Spirit of a Leaving Aperture realm expert into it easily!

Tzzzzzzzz!

Before the Qingtian Emperor could even give any further thought to the situation he was in, he suddenly felt the suction force growing stronger and stronger. Despite his resistance, his soul was slowly dragged by the suction force, seemingly about to be taken over to the other side at any moment.

"You are courting death!" Frightened and alarmed, the Qingtian Emperor bellowed furiously. At this point, he was fully aware that he had fallen for the young man's schemes.

He swiftly extended his soul energy toward the will floating in the air, wanting to grab and destroy it.

However, the will seemed to be completely unaffected by the suction of the altar. It leisurely made its way back into the Soulless Golden Body.

Not expecting the other party to escape from his grasp, the Qingtian Emperor's rage crescendoed. "Humph, I am the creator of the Soulless Metal Humanoid. It takes nothing more than a mere thought for me to claim your life!"

With a furious roar, the Qingtian Emperor swiftly sealed the pores of the Soulless Metal Humanoid, preventing the young man's soul from escaping it. After which, he sent the energy harnessed within the metal humanoid into chaos, putting it on the verge of explosion.

As the creator of the Soulless Metal Humanoid, he was able to have it explode at his whim.

This was the exact same method that Zhang Xuan had used to subdue the Jadeleaf King back then.

"There's no need for you to go through so much trouble," said Zhang Xuan nonchalantly. Following which, with a resounding 'puhe!', the Soulless Metal Humanoid was abruptly ripped in two down the middle.

A massive ten-meter-tall soul appeared from within the body.

It should have been impossible for any soul to escape once the pores of the Soulless Metal Humanoid were sealed. However, by abruptly enlarging his soul by undoing the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, Zhang Xuan managed to tear the metal humanoid in two.

Seeing Zhang Xuan decisively tearing the Soulless Metal Humanoid in two, the Qingtian Emperor widened his eyes in astonishment. "T-this is your soul? H-how is it so big?"

As a soul oracle, he understood the significance of the size of a soul, and the one before him was actually ten meters large! Just how much soul energy could that ten-meters large soul possibly contain?

"This is impossible! No, wait a moment! You are... a soul oracle?" Realization suddenly struck the Qingtian Emperor as his mouth widened in shock.

Only a soul oracle could possibly possess such an enormous soul, but... wasn't the other party a master teacher? How could a master teacher possibly be a soul oracle?

The Qingtian Emperor felt as if his mind was going to blow from the insanity unfolding before his eyes.

It had been countless years since the heritage of the soul oracles had disappeared from the face of the world. He had needed to pay a heavy price before he managed to lay his hands on a couple of soul arts, but... who would have thought a master teacher as talented as the other party would actually be a full-fledged soul oracle? This was truly a shocker!

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything much." Watching as the Qingtian Emperor went into a frenzy from the situation, Zhang Xuan consoled him insincerely as he slowly made his way over to the other party's immobile body. With a thought, his soul swiftly shrunk back to the size of a human before diving into the glabella of the immobile body.

"W-what are you trying to do?"

This sight immediately sent the Qingtian Emperor into a panic.

That was his body! If the other party were to possess his body, his soul would have nowhere else to go!

"What am I doing? Like I told you, I am not doing anything much. Didn't you teach me how to utilize a Soulless Metal Humanoid earlier? I'm just trying to see if it will work on your body since the Soulless Metal Humanoid you gave me earlier has exploded."

As Zhang Xuan spoke, his soul successfully entered the Qingtian Emperor's body. A moment later, the eyes of the immobile body opened, and it began stretching its neck lazily.

"Hmm, not bad. Feels much better than the Soulless Metal Humanoid!" The 'Qingtian Emperor' smiled in delight before casually waving his hand at the soul on the altar.

Boom!

Killing intent burst into the surroundings as immense might poured forth like the relentless rapid tides of a river.

Feeling the strength harnessed within the body, Zhang Xuan could not help but remark, "How powerful!"

Even though he had roughly twenty Otherworldly Demon puppets in his storage ring, they came nowhere close to competing with the one he was currently possessing. To make an analogy, if the strength of the Otherworldly Demon puppets was only a little pond, the body he was currently possessing would be an endless sea!

"You..." The Qingtian Emperor felt as if he would explode from rage.

He was an Emperor of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, but not only did he fall for the ploys of a mere human, more importantly, the latter even used his own body to attack his soul!

Be it his body or his soul, he could not afford to have either of them injured!

"Damn it!" Knowing that he would die if he did not protect himself, the Qingtian Emperor swiftly gathered his soul energy together and formed a devastating force that clashed with Zhang Xuan's slap.

Boom!

The collision ended with the physical body that Zhang Xuan controlled consecutively retreating eight steps.

He's a True Leaving Aperture realm expert! Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

He had thought that the Qingtian Emperor would be at Quasi Leaving Aperture realm as well, the same as Hall Master Xing and Pavilion Master Gou, but who knew that he would be a True Leaving Aperture realm expert, one who had undergone the lightning ordeal!

The souls of soul oracles were of the yin attribute, making it more difficult for them to clear the lightning ordeal compared to ordinary Primordial Spirits. The fact that the Qingtian Emperor had been able to succeed went to show that he possessed exceptional talent in cultivation.

"Come out of my body!" Ignoring Zhang Xuan's shock, the Qingtian Emperor's soul rushed forward and launched another wave of attacks. In an instant, Zhang Xuan felt the air freezing around him, making it difficult for him to move.

This was a method similar to what he had faced from Pavilion Master Gou during the pavilion crashing a few days earlier, but its might was several times stronger.

If Pavilion Master Gou had been able to draw forth such strength as well, he would have admitted defeat on the spot, thus resulting in the failure of his pavilion crashing.

After his body was bound in place, Zhang Xuan quickly felt a powerful suction force tugging at his soul, attempting to forcefully pull his soul out from the body.

"Calm down, calm down. I'll come out, alright?" Knowing that the Qingtian Emperor would not rest until his soul was out of the other party's body, Zhang Xuan shook his head. He quickly raised his fist and struck his own chest forcefully.

Peng!

Zhang Xuan was knocked back from the sheer impact of that strike, and a mouthful of crimson blood spewed from his mouth. That single strike had nearly killed the body on the spot.

"You!" the Qingtian Emperor roared furiously.

Can you get any more shameless than that?

That's my body!

Peng!

Flustered, the Qingtian Emperor watched helplessly as the other party sank another palm into his body.

Pu!

More fresh blood spurted into the air.

"Stop it, stop it!" Tightly bound by the altar, the Qingtian Emperor's soul was unable to break free and protect his body at all. Completely powerless, he could only shout again and again.

At this rate, his body might really be utterly destroyed from the young man's self-harming. Even if he survived the ordeal, his cultivation would surely suffer a sharp decline!

"You stop first, and then I'll stop." Ignoring the Qingtian Emperor's bellows, Zhang Xuan continued striking his body relentlessly.

"Fine, fine, I'll stop!" With a look dyed with hatred, the Qingtian Emperor gritted his teeth as he reluctantly retracted his hand.

He had no choice but to stop, or else the young man might just destroy his body for good. If so, it would be meaningless even if he managed to force the other party out of his body.

Boom!

However, right after he retracted his control over the surrounding space, freeing the young man to move as he pleased, the Qingtian Emperor suddenly saw a palm enlarging swiftly before him.

It seemed like the other party had no intention of stopping even when he did...

"You @#%..." the Qingtian Emperor cursed frenziedly.

When had he, the Emperor of the Qingtian Lineage, ever suffered such grievances?

There was no way out of this situation at all! The other party would kill his body if he made a move, but if he did not make a move, the other party would continue attacking his soul. He was doomed no matter what he did!

"Stop! I'm telling you to stop!" the Qingtian Emperor howled furiously as he gathered his soul energy once more to fend off the young man's offense.

However, before the palm strike could reach him, the young man abruptly changed the trajectory of the palm strike to hit himself instead.

Pu pu pu!

The strike was far more vicious this time around. Fresh blood spurted wildly all over the place, a sign that the organs of the body might have sustained irreparable damage.

Panicked, the Qingtian Emperor quickly withdrew his strength to appease the young man, only to see the other party sending yet another palm strike toward him.

"..."

Unable to retaliate, the Qingtian Emperor felt his soul gradually growing weaker and weaker.

To think that he, a Leaving Aperture realm expert and one of the very few soul oracles existing in the world, would be cornered by a Saint 2-dan brat to this extent! He really felt his sanity being challenged!

How can there be such a shameless person in the world?

Aren't you a master teacher?

Shouldn't master teachers be righteous and honest?

How could you possess my body and hold it hostage as you attack my soul?

This is unfair! Really, really unfair! How am I supposed to fight against that?

I can't let this continue! At this rate, either my soul will dissipate, or my body will be crippled! the Qingtian Emperor thought grimly.

Admittedly, the young man's underhanded measures were truly effective. By holding his body hostage, there was no way he would dare make a move against the young man, thus allowing the young man to freely attack his soul.

The Qingtian Emperor racked his mind for a solution to get him out of the quandary he was in, but nothing came to mind. Eventually, as his soul gradually sustained more and more damage, he lost the strength to withstand the suction force from the altar, and 'hu!', he disappeared into the altar.

Watching as the other party was absorbed into the other side of the altar, Zhang Xuan's eyes suddenly widened in alarm. Sh*t!

He suddenly realized that he had made a mistake.

He had used the suction force of the altar to limit the Qingtian Emperor's movements, but he had neglected the fact that his physical body was still lying on the other side. If the Qingtian Emperor made a move against his body in the meantime, he would be in deep trouble.

I must quickly make my way over as well!

Knowing that there was no time to lose, Zhang Xuan quickly drew his soul out of the Qingtian Emperor's body and stowed the body into a storage ring.

He had come over in his soul form, so he did not have his storage ring with him. As such, he used the Qingtian Emperor's one instead.

Without wasting any time, he quickly hid the storage ring at a secret location before swiftly traveling through the altar as well.

Hula!

With a brilliant flash of light, Zhang Xuan vanished as well.

...

Hu!

The Qingtian Emperor's soul appeared in the underground chamber.

"What's that?"

"Is that... a soul oracle?"

As the Qingtian Emperor's soul harnessed overwhelming yin energy, it was swiftly noticed by Wu shi and the others as soon as it traveled over, and they swiftly rose to their feet in alarm.

Why are there so many master teachers here?

Out of worry, Wu shi had called for around thirty master teachers from the Master Teacher Pavilion to guard Zhang Xuan while he was cultivating and explore the underground chamber for clues, but who knew that the Qingtian Emperor would suddenly appear at this moment?

If they capture me, I will be doomed! Goosebumps rose all over the Qingtian Emperor's body.

In his injured state, there was no way he could match so many master teacher simultaneously. Even as a Leaving Aperture realm expert, he could very well lose his life.

Just as the Qingtian Emperor was scanning his surroundings to formulate a countermeasure, he suddenly caught sight of Zhang Xuan's unmoving body, and a sharp glint surfaced in his eyes. Wait a moment, isn't that his body? Hahaha, wonderful! Since you possessed my body, I shall take yours as well!

'Sou!', he swiftly flitted his way over.

Since you were the one who started it, don't blame me for this!

Let's see who will have the last laugh!

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Chapter 1193: Are You Looking for Me?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Is that soul oracle trying to possess Zhang shi?"

"Quick, stop him!"

Sensing the soul oracle swiftly making its way toward Zhang Xuan, Wu shi and the others narrowed their eyes in astonishment. They swiftly moved to intercept the soul oracle.

Even though the Qingtian Emperor's soul had been tempered by the Leaving Aperture Ordeal, the cold yin aura that shrouded around it was still very apparent. It was easily discernible through one's Spiritual Perception.

Hualala!

Many surges of energy burst forth toward the Qingtian Emperor, wanting to strike him down.

"Humph!"

Under the barrage of attacks, even the Qingtian Emperor was unable to get off completely unscathed. Nevertheless, his eyes still narrowed in tenacity and callousness.

The reason he had been completely helpless before Zhang Xuan previously was because the latter had possessed his body, so he had not dared execute his strongest moves for fear that he would injure his own body. On the other hand, while the master teachers before him were not too powerful, they were still insufficient to stop him.

"Seal!" the Qingtian Emperor bellowed as he raised his finger.

Huala!

A ripple swept through the surroundings, and all of a sudden, it was as if the air in the underground chamber had been frozen by some compelling might. In the blink of an eye, it was as if everyone was standing in a marshland, severely limiting their movements and attacks.

"He's a True Leaving Aperture realm expert!" Zhang Jiuxiao exclaimed anxiously.

One who wielded enough strength to seal all of their attacks simultaneously... there was no doubt about it; the soul oracle had already undergone the lightning ordeal and successfully reached True Leaving Aperture realm!

Against an expert of the other party's caliber, their numerical advantage did not mean much.

Wu shi also swiftly came to the same conclusion. Knowing that the soul oracle before them was not a weak foe, he quickly bellowed, "Soaring Dragon Formation!"

The Soaring Dragon Formation was a formation that every master teacher in the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion would practice in case of emergency situations.

Huala!

A moment after Wu shi issued the command, the disciplined master teachers had already formed the formation. The combined strength of over twenty master teachers quickly overwhelmed the seal that the Qingtian Emperor had cast over the surroundings, causing the seal to shatter as if a glacier breaking into ice shards.

A Leaving Aperture realm cultivator still was not qualified to come into contact with spatial laws yet. As such, the seal that they set up was not, in the truest sense, a sealing of space but a forceful impediment measure set up through their overwhelming strength. If there was another might that had exceeded the strength of the seal they had put up, the seal would shatter in an instant.

On the other hand, the Qingtian Emperor did not expect the master teachers to react so swiftly to his attack and break his seal in an instant. Not daring to hesitate in the least, he used the temporary lapse in the master teacher's defenses as they were dealing with the seal to dash right toward Zhang Xuan before diving into the latter's glabella.

"HAHAHA!"

Having successfully entered Zhang Xuan's body, an inexplicable feeling of joy spread across the Qingtian Emperor's entirety, and he could not help but burst into hearty laughter.

Trying to kill me?

Now that I am in that bastard's body, let's see what you can do about me!

"Principal Zhang!" Watching as the soul oracle successfully bypass their defenses and possess Zhang Xuan, the eyes of Wu shi and the others reddened in panic.

Even with their limited understanding of soul oracles, they knew that once a soul successfully possessed another individual's body, the individual's soul would be utterly destroyed!

They had specially been deployed there in order to protect Zhang shi while the latter was cultivating, and yet, such a matter had still occurred right in front of their eyes!

Huala!

Their initial fluster swiftly turned into rage as they surrounded Zhang Xuan's body with sharp killing intent in their eyes.

"What? You want to make a move against me? Come on then! If you aren't scared of killing this talented master teacher of yours, give it your best shot..." The Qingtian Emperor howled maniacally as he watched the angry faces around him in joy. However, before he could finish his words, his eyes suddenly narrowed in disbelief, as if something inconceivable had just happened. "Ah? W-what is this? N-no, this can't be! NOOOOOO!"

Putong! Amid the crescendoing scream of agony, Zhang Xuan's body suddenly collapsed to the ground, convulsing endlessly.

"Ah?" Wu shi and the others were already prepared to make their move to avenge Zhang Xuan when such a sight suddenly appeared before their eyes. They could not help but glance at one another in confusion, not knowing what they should make of the situation before them.

Why would the person who was arrogantly boasting before their faces a moment ago suddenly be reduced to such a state?

"P-please! F-forgive me. I won't possess your body anymore. Let me leave... Let me leave!" A desperate scream echoed as the Qingtian Emperor's soul frenziedly tried to break out of Zhang Xuan's body, only to realize that his pores had been completely sealed. There was no way for him to escape.

"Please, I'm begging you! Don't kill me! I won't do anything anymore, I promise you! So, please... Nooo!"

Tzzzzzz

The screaming grew louder and louder, as if reflecting the Qingtian Emperor's deep fear of what he was seeing.

A while later, the voice finally began to soften, and it gradually quietened into silence.

Hu!

A flicker of light burst from the altar, and Zhang Xuan finally returned to the underground chamber as well.

Knowing the immense strength that the Qingtian Emperor wielded, he immediately rushed back as soon as he could. He had only managed to keep the latter in check but holding the latter's body as hostage, but if the latter were to go on a rampage in Qingyuan City, it could very well spell a calamity!

Thus, as soon as he appeared, he immediately scanned the surroundings to find the Qingtian Emperor, only to see a room full of master teachers instead.

"Another one? Get him!" someone amid the crowd exclaimed.

Before Zhang Xuan could even process what was going on, a barrage of attacks suddenly fell upon him.

Having cultivated the Heaven's Path Soul Art, Zhang Xuan's soul was devoid of the usual yin attribute that soul oracles had. As such, it was not easily discernible to cultivators; only when a cultivator had their Spiritual Perception on would they stand a chance in perceiving the presence of Zhang Xuan's soul.

However, activating one's Spiritual Perception was extremely exhausting for a cultivator, so they could not afford to have it activated for extended periods of time. It was due to this that Zhang Xuan had been able to slip past most cultivators in his soul form easily.

But as luck would have it, the Qingtian Emperor's sudden appearance had alarmed the surrounding master teachers, compelling them to activate their Spiritual Perception. On top of that, the flash of light from the altar had also caught their attention, allowing them to instantaneously notice Zhang Xuan's presence.

Pilipala!

The seemingly omnipresent barrage of attacks heading toward him caused goosebumps to rise all over Zhang Xuan in alarm.

What the heck is going on?

I was only gone for a short moment; why are there so many master teachers in the area all of a sudden?

And why are they attacking me so furiously at that?

Have they... gone mad?

And where is the Qingtian Emperor?

To make things worse, there was no way Zhang Xuan could explain the situation. Otherwise, he would expose his identity as a soul oracle, and that would surely raise quite a huge storm within the Master Teacher Pavilion, bringing him endless trouble in the future.

Self-righteous individuals would impeach him for learning the depraved arts of the soul oracles whereas greedy individuals would possibly seek him out in the hope of obtaining the heritage of the soul oracles from him.

It would be foolish to raise another problem just to solve one.

Feeling so indignant within that he could have vomited blood, Zhang Xuan swiftly compressed his soul together through his Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, allowing him to avoid the barrage of attacks by a hair's breadth.

After which, making use of the brief opening in the crowd's attacks, he immediately dashed toward his body as fast as he could.

"Another one that's trying to harm Zhang shi? You're courting death!"

"Kill that bastard!"

Everyone's eyes reddened in rage upon seeing the 'enemy's' movements.

Their previous mistake had allowed the soul before to possess Zhang shi's body, nearly costing Zhang shi his life. There was no way they were going to allow themselves to make the same mistake again!

Hualala!

Drawing all their strength, they immediately sent another frenzied barrage of attacks toward Zhang Xuan, preventing him from moving a single step further.

"..." Zhang Xuan would have torn all his hair out at that moment if he could.

Instead of dealing with the Qingtian Emperor, why was this group of master teachers so obsessed with stopping him?

"Ding Ding, come over here!" Zhang Xuan immediately called for the Golden Origin Cauldron through the telepathic connection from their soul contract.

"Master!" Hearing Zhang Xuan's voice, the Golden Origin Cauldron immediately leaped up.

"Quick, bring my body over to the altar!" Zhang Xuan instructed.

Before the endless barrage of attacks in his path, there was no way Zhang Xuan could afford to forcefully push through. As such, he could only engage the Golden Origin Cauldron's assistance.

"Very well!" Nodding, the Golden Origin Cauldron immediately leaped up toward Zhang Xuan's body with a resounding 'hu!'.

"Everyone, make way..." the Golden Origin Cauldron shouted as it rammed its way forward.

It slammed into Zhang Xuan's body forcefully, sending it flying straight toward the altar.

Pilipala!

The crisp sound of bone cracking.

"..." Zhang Xuan slapped his forehead.

Can't you treat my body more carefully?

He knew that the Golden Origin Cauldron was not a reliable individual, and this matter only served to further his belief...

As stifled as he felt, he knew that this was not the moment to be concerned about this matter. Watching as his body flew in his direction, his soul swiftly dived into his body.

As soon as he regained control over his body, he immediately drove his zhenqi to heal his injuries before opening his eyes once more.

Standing before the group of master teachers, he asked, "The Qingtian Emperor should have come by earlier. Did any of you see him..."

But before Zhang Xuan could finish his words, he suddenly noticed that the atmosphere was not right. Somehow, he felt as if everyone's killing intent was directed toward him.

Thus, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "What are you all trying to do?"

"Who are you? Even if you possess Principal Zhang's body, do you think that we will allow you to get out of here alive?" Wu shi bellowed furiously.

Through their Spiritual Perception, they had personally witnessed the soul that had just arrived earlier diving into Zhang Xuan's body, possessing it. That sight had nearly made them erupt on the spot.

It was one thing for them to fail to stop the earlier soul from possessing Zhang Xuan's body, but for the second soul to succeed as well...

Do you honestly think that our Master Teacher Pavilion is full of pushovers? Do you think that Zhang shi's body is your playground?

Seeing that the crowd was only showing such a response out of worry for him, Zhang Xuan shook his head and patiently explained, "I am Zhang Xuan. I've just awoken from my earlier cultivation..."

"Do you think that we'll believe your words?" Wu shi roared angrily.

The rage of the other master teachers did not alleviate at all either. If anything, the hostility in their eyes seemed to have further deepened.

You opened your eyes right after the soul entered Zhang shi's body, and you still dare to claim that you are Zhang shi... Do you really take us for fools?

"You don't believe me?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "Wu shi, the attack you used on me earlier was the seventh move of the Six Harmony Swords. Your execution has eight flaws in total, namely inept swordsmanship, lack of control in your breathing, unrefined execution of strength, incomplete conception in the technique..."

Knowing that there was no way he could explain his way out of this, Zhang Xuan decided to resort to another method to convince them of his identity instead.

Flaw identification was a capability that master teachers were the most adept at. Naturally, it was also the best way for him to verify his identity.

"This..." Hearing how the young man sharply pointed out all the flaws in his technique with ease, Wu shi could not help but widen his eyes in astonishment.

"Last but not least, your soul has sustained some degree of damage from the demonic tunes back at the Qiu Wu Palace, and it has not recovered since then. As such, it has affected your execution of techniques to some degree. May I know if what I have said is correct?"

Wu shi was stunned for a moment before hurriedly nodding. "Y-you're right..."

"Then... am I Zhang Xuan?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

"Y-yes, you are..." Wu shi quickly nodded affirmatively.

To be able to point out all his flaws while being aware of the happenings back at the Qiu Wu Palace, who else could the young man before him be if not Zhang Xuan?

After seeing that he had successfully convinced the crowd of his identity, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. Then, with a confused frown, he asked, "What happened earlier? Why are all of you attacking me?"

Knowing that there could very well be master teachers on the other side, he had made sure to proceed very carefully. And yet, he still ended up being exposed in an instant and even nearly lost his life as a result of it. Furthermore, even if he was an unidentified intruder in their eyes, their rage seemed to be a little too excessive. Without a doubt, something must have happened before he arrived.

"It's like this..." Wu shi quickly filled Zhang Xuan in on the earlier happenings.

"You are saying that... a soul dived into my body, and shortly after, he began screaming in agony?" Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan could not help but shake his head.

Was that Qingtian Emperor a fool? His body was filled with Heaven's Path zhenqi, the very nemesis of soul oracles. And yet, he brazenly dared to possess his body... That was no different from leaping into a pool of toxic for him!

He had been feeling a little vexed about the Qingtian Emperor's escape earlier, but who would have thought that the latter would be so dumb as to end his own life?

Or maybe, he felt too indignant from seeing me possessing his body, and blinded by rage, he wanted to possess mine to return the favor... Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella.

Who would have thought that the Emperor of the Qingtian Lineage, a Leaving Aperture realm cultivator, would meet his end in such an unintelligent manner? Judging by Wu shi's account, the Qingtian Emperor should have been reduced to ash from being burned by his Heaven's Path zhenqi, thus dissipating from the face of the world.

Zhang Xuan waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I was cultivating a unique cultivation technique earlier, which temporarily deprived me of my awareness of my surroundings. If I'm not mistaken, those two soul oracles should have died from the passive ability of one of the secret arts I cultivate."

"I see, that's a relief."

Hearing that the matter concerned Zhang Xuan's secret art, the crowd decided not to ask any further.

On the other hand, Wu shi knew very well what was going on.

Zhang Xuan was a Celestial Master Teacher, and how could the body of a Celestial Master Teacher be taken away by a soul oracle so easily?

"Thank you for protecting me earlier." Knowing that the crowd was doing it all for him, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and thanked them.

The crowd quickly clasped their fists back and replied, "There's no need to stand on ceremony, Zhang shi."

After trading some pleasantries, Zhang Xuan took his leave before curiously assessing the internal state of his body.

Even if the Qingtian Emperor had been killed by the Heaven's Path zhenqi, there should still have been some traces of the other party within his body.

At this moment, a bone-chilling voice suddenly sounded in his mind, as if a specter.

"Hehe, are you looking for me?"

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Chapter 1194: An Eye

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Who is it?" Zhang Xuan suddenly felt all his hair stand on end.

For the other party to get into his mind without his noticing it... Who could it be?

He quickly turned his attention to the area where the voice came from, and a pitch-black tunnel appeared before him. It seemed to extend on and on, into a dark abyss.

The bone-chilling voice spoke once more. "Come over!"

Following which, Zhang Xuan felt his consciousness falter, and by the time he came to, he was already standing right before the tunnel.

To think that he would be completely helpless before the other party's strength!

"Who in the world are you?" Zhang Xuan asked with an awful complexion as he swiftly scanned his surroundings. It did not take him long to realize that there was a massive eye right before him.

The gaze of the massive eye was deeply unnerving. It seemed to peer right into the depths of one's mind, intensifying whatever dark thoughts one had.

"No wonder you were able to land my subordinate in such a pitiful state..." A cold sneer echoed from the massive eye. "A Celestial Master Teacher, huh? It has been many years since Kong shi, so it's probably about time for another one to appear."

"You can tell?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in alarm as he felt tension clutch his heart.

Even a Saint 7-dan expert like Luo Chengxin was unable to see through his identity, and yet, the fellow before him was able to tell with just a single glance. Just how powerful could the other party be?

The eye harrumphed coldly. "If I could not even tell this much, the years I spent fighting against Kong shi would have really been wasted!"

"Years spent fighting against Kong shi? You are... Vicious?" Zhang Xuan asked with a deep frown.

Previously, the Vicious that he was sealed within his Book of Heaven's Path had already told him that the secret art to nabbing souls had been created by him, and it was highly likely that there was another body part of Vicious in the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows. But who would have thought that the other party would appear here!

In the form of a massive eye at that!

"You have heard of my name?" the eye asked curiously. "Well, that is to be expected. I managed to trap Kong shi within Chen-Cai, nearly killing him. Even if you master teachers wish to preserve Kong shi's honor, there will inevitably be some records of me!"

"Trap Kong shi?" Zhang Xuan was stunned.

Due to the tremendous damage he had suffered prior to his death, the memory of the Vicious that he had sealed within his Book of Heaven's Path was fragmented. As a result, that Vicious had remembered very few details concerning Kong shi.

On the other hand, the Vicious before him seemed to know much more.

While he did not have as deep respect for Kong shi as compared to the other master teachers, he had always known the latter to be an invincible existence on the Master Teacher Continent. Yet, for Vicious to have successfully trapped Kong shi in Chen-Cai and nearly killed the latter... just how powerful could Vicious have been at his peak?

"Hmm? It seems like you are unaware of that. Well, it does not matter anyway. If I devour a Celestial Master Teacher, I should be able to recover a significant portion of my strength. With that, I will be able to struggle free of my restraints and become a free man once more!" A sharp glint emerged in the massive eye as Vicious' voice sounded with a tinge of excitement in it.

"For that, you will have no choice but to die!"

Hu!

Right after those words were spoken, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt an incomparably powerful suction force pulling him in from the depths of the tunnel, forcefully dragging his soul in.

Sh*t... This is the soul nabbing secret art? Zhang Xuan's face immediately turned incredibly awful.

He had nearly succumbed to the soul nabbing secret art when it was executed by the Qingtian Emperor, and now that it was being executed by Vicious himself, the creator of the technique, how could he possibly stand a chance?

Watching as his soul was being dragged toward the tunnel, goosebumps rose all over Zhang Xuan's arms.

As expected of the individual who had once fought toe-to-toe with Kong shi! Even if Vicious retained no more than a small fragment of the strength he possessed earlier, it was still not something that he could withstand.

There was simply too huge a difference between them!

At this rate, it's just a matter of time before I get swallowed whole!

Even though he had no idea what was at the end of the tunnel, his instincts told him that he would be doomed if he was pulled over to the other side.

Thus, clenching his jaws, he drove his soul energy to the maximum and firmly persevered on. At the same time, he discreetly established a telepathic connection with the Book of Heaven's Path and asked Vicious about the current situation.

"If I'm not mistaken, that should be my head and my eye," Vicious quickly replied.

"Do you have any idea how I can deal with this?" Zhang Xuan asked anxiously

"As powerful as the soul nabbing secret art is, its effectiveness is limited across vast distances. In such circumstances, a medium may be required. For example, the Qingtian Emperor only managed to faze you through amplifying the prowess of the secret art through the altar.

"Well, back when I was at my peak, I was able to kill any Saint 2-dan cultivator easily as long as they were within a million li 1 from me, but given the current state that I am in... there's a high chance that the other party is using some kind of medium as well. As long as you destroy the medium, the soul nabbing secret art should be undone!" Vicious quickly explained.

Back when he was at his peak, as long as he had a droplet of the other party's blood to trace the other party down, he would have been able to easily kill a Saint 2-dan expert even from a million li away. However, with his body parts scattered around the continent, he was currently nothing more than a shadow of his former self. Even if the other Vicious had recovered to a greater degree than him, it still should not have been possible for the other party to cast the soul nabbing secret art over a great distance.

The only possibility was that the other Vicious, just like the previous Qingtian Emperor, was using something nearby as a medium for his technique!

A medium? Wait a moment... Hearing those words, a thought streaked across Zhang Xuan's mind. The Qingtian Emperor's soul!

Considering that it was just a moment ago that the Qingtian Emperor's soul had entered his body before the other Vicious' abrupt emergence, it was very likely that the medium was the Qingtian Emperor's soul!

It seems like that fellow still has a breath left in him. Humph, let me see where you are hiding! With a direction in mind, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. While pushing his soul energy to his limit to fend off the suction force, he extended his Spiritual Perception throughout his entire body to find the hiding Qingtian Emperor.

Found you!

It took just a moment for Zhang Xuan to notice a fragmented soul hiding in a corner of his mind.

When uncontrolled, the Heaven's Path zhenqi could circulate through his entire body, but it could not reach his mind. It seemed like the sharp-witted Qingtian Emperor had swiftly noticed this and dived for his mind, thus surviving the ordeal.

Humph! Zhang Xuan swiftly drew his Heaven's Path zhenqi toward his mind to destroy the remnants of the Qingtian Emperor's soul.

" Ahhh! "

Amidst the Qingtian Emperor's cry of agony, Zhang Xuan felt the suction force growing weaker and weaker. At the same time, the massive eye also began to fade from existence along with the tunnel.

"You noticed it? Well, it matters not. You might have survived this time around, but I'll eventually get you..." With a menacing bellow, the massive eye vanished with a resounding 'hu!'

Zhang Xuan's surroundings abruptly morphed, and in the next moment, he found that he was still standing in the underground chamber, as if nothing had happened at all. However, the cold sweat that he was drenched in reminded him of how close he had come to death.

In just an instant, the other Vicious had successfully put him in a trance and nearly devoured him whole.

That was a close one! Even though he was finally out of danger, Zhang Xuan found that his heart just would not calm down.

It was too scary!

Had he not reacted swiftly, his soul could have been dragged over to the other side!

He might have managed to outwit the Qingtian Emperor, but it would not have been easy for him to do the same to Vicious.

"Master, pardon me for not making a move then. I could not do anything in that situation, or else I would have exposed my existence. Once that fellow knows of my presence, he'll surely pursue you with even more extreme methods, and that would have just placed you in greater danger!" Vicious explained from the Book of Heaven's Path.

"I understand." Zhang Xuan nodded.

The other party was right.

While the Book of Heaven's Path had limited his Vicious' activity, the divine aura that shrouded it had concealed his presence as well, preventing the other Vicious from perceiving his existence. However, if his Vicious were to make a move, the other Vicious would surely sense his existence.

Every single independent Vicious was trying to seek and devour the other Viciouses so as to regain his strength. While their side was trying to hunt down the other Viciouses, there was no doubt that the other Viciouses had the same intentions in mind as well.

They were currently still unprepared to deal with the other Vicious, so it would be unwise for them expose themselves.

Furthermore, once the other Vicious learned of the existence of his Vicious, the other Vicious would surely raise his guard, making their chances of overwhelming him very slim.

At the very least, with his Vicious hidden in the shadows, he would have another effective card to play against the other Vicious. This would put them in a more advantageous position.

"How strong is the other party? Are you a match for him?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Vicious hesitated for a moment before replying. "I can't clearly gauge his current strength, but from the looks of it... he's is at the Leaving Aperture realm at the very minimum! I am no match for him in my current state. However, if I could devour the Qingtian Emperor's soul, I should be able to reach Leaving Aperture realm as well!"

"Devour the Qingtian Emperor's soul?" Zhang Xuan contemplated for a moment before nodding in approval.

Even though the Qingtian Emperor was an Otherworldly Demon, he had inherited the heritage of the soul oracles, and his cultivation had even reached the True Leaving Aperture realm. If Vicious were to consume the Qingtian Emperor's soul, it would surely benefit him greatly.

"Thank you!" Vicious replied in gratitude.

Zhang Xuan paused for a moment before adding, "Wait a moment first, I wish to interrogate him first. I'll pass him over to you once I'm done."

Trapped by the Heaven's Path zhenqi and grinded down from the earlier clash, the Qingtian Emperor no longer posed any threat to him.

There were still some doubts in his mind that he wanted to clarify with the Qingtian Emperor.

"Principal Zhang..."

While it seemed to have been a lengthy encounter, in truth, only ten seconds had passed since the appearance of the black tunnel. Raising his head, he saw Wu shi looking at him with a worried look.

"I'm fine. Wu shi, I need you to follow me somewhere. Oh right, get your men to move the altar to the Master Teacher Pavilion and hand it over to the envoy from the headquarters once he arrives. That would serve as evidence of the activities of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe here," Zhang Xuan said.

"Noted!" Wu shi quickly issued some instructions before following Zhang Xuan out of the underground chamber.

Returning to Chen Zhe's residence, Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight and began scanning the area once more. It did not take long before he identified a direction and swiftly began heading in it.

Chen Zhe's residence was located in the suburbs of Qingyuan City. As such, it did not take long for Zhang Xuan and Wu shi to travel beyond the city walls and into the depths of the mountain forest. Soon, a tattered, wooden hut appeared before their eyes.

Finally arriving at the destination, Zhang Xuan remarked in astonishment, "Here it is... I never thought that the two would be so far away from one another!"

He had thought that the two altars should be in proximity with one another, but who would have thought that there would be a distance of several dozen kilometers between the two? To be able to drag his soul across such distance, Vicious' secret art was truly fearsome!

Entering the wooden hut, Zhang Xuan swiftly retrieved the storage ring that he had hidden earlier.

"This..."

On the other hand, a look of disbelief surfaced on Wu shi's face when he noticed that there was an identical altar in the wooden hut as well.

"Take a look at who this is..." Zhang Xuan drove his Heaven's Path zhenqi to destroy the Soul Imprint of the storage ring before flicking his wrist. A corpse materialized before him.

"Isn't this... Vice Pavilion Master Tian? Didn't he explode earlier?" Wu shi was taken aback.

Tian Qing had exploded right before his eyes, and he had sent the other party's body back to the Master Teacher Pavilion for investigation. How could there be another corpse here?

Furthermore, this body was completely intact, and it commanded an even stronger aura than Vice Pavilion Master Tian's!

"This is his disguise," Zhang Xuan said as he flicked his hand over the Qingtian Emperor's body.

Huala!

The corpse suddenly grew much bulkier, and its height abruptly increased to more than two meters. While there was no significant difference in its facial features, a fearsome killing intent abruptly burst forth from him.

"He's an Otherworldly Demon?" Wu shi's eyes narrowed in shock.

"That's right." Zhang Xuan nodded. "Not only is he an Otherworldly Demon, he's the Qingtian Emperor!"

"The Emperor of the Qingtian Lineage?" Wu shi could not believe what he was hearing.

How could Vice Pavilion Master Tian have been an Emperor of the Qingtian Lineage?

If that was true, how could he have failed to notice it despite having known the other party for several centuries?

"It's like this..." Zhang Xuan swiftly filled Wu shi in on the story.

"This..." Wu shi's lips quivered in horror.

To think that the Qingtian Emperor would have successfully incarnated his soul and even risen to the position of the vice head of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion without their notice! This was truly a horrifying oversight on their part!

If this was the case for Qing Tian, how many other master teachers in their Master Teacher Pavilion were Otherworldly Demons in disguise?

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Chapter 1195: Celestial Amulet of Legacy

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"You should understand why I asked you to come here with me alone. This matter must not leak out at any cost, or else it could stir a panic among the populace!"

Seeing that Wu shi had understood the severity of the issue, Zhang Xuan instructed, "Nevertheless, it's still of paramount importance that we uncover the traitors of mankind, or else they could bring catastrophe upon us. Thus, you must conduct the investigation privately and destroy whatever lingering influence the Qingtian Emperor has in the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion once and for all!"

"I understand!" Wu shi nodded.

He knew that Zhang Xuan was right. If they could not purge the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion of its spies, it would only be a matter of time before the spies did them in.

"I'll leave this corpse to you. When the envoy from the headquarters arrives, use it as evidence and report the matter to him," Zhang Xuan said.

It was true that the body of the Qingtian Emperor wielded incredible strength, but it was not as agile and nimble as being in his own body. As such, he did not think that there was a need for him to retain the Qingtian Emperor's body for his own use.

More importantly, a vice pavilion master was even involved in the matter. In view of that, it would not be convenient for him to use the body in public. As such, it was best to leave the matter to Wu shi.

"Thank you." Wu shi clasped his fist in gratitude before stowing the corpse into his storage ring.

To be honest, if not for the young man before him, he never would have believed that the meritorious Vice Pavilion Master Tian was the Emperor of the Qingtian Lineage!

"Alright, you should return back to the Master Teacher Pavilion to deal with the matter. I also want to take a rest," Zhang Xuan said.

Hearing those words, Wu shi bade his farewell before leaving.

After Wu shi left, Zhang Xuan swiftly stowed the altar before him into his storage ring. Following which, he took out the Qingtian Emperor's storage ring and extended his consciousness into it.

As the Emperor of the Qingtian Lineage, the Qingtian Emperor would have plenty of treasures in his possession.

Hu!

A painting materialized in Zhang Xuan's hands. It was the grade-8 painting that he had appraised a while back.

Placing the painting aside, he continued looking on.

A moment later, he delightfully took out a few jade boxes from the storage ring.

Slowly opening them, a concentrated surge of spiritual energy suddenly gushed into Zhang Xuan's face, leaving him feeling refreshed.

Concentrated high-tier spirit stones!

Six jade boxes with five concentrated high-tier spirit stones each... That means there's a total of thirty of them here! Zhang Xuan thought in agitation.

He had only managed to obtain 18 concentrated high-tier spirit stones from the emperor of the Qingyuan Empire, and yet, who could have thought that the Qingtian Emperor would actually have thirty of them in his possession.

The Qingtian Lineage sure was wealthy!

With this thirty, I should be able to advance to the Embryonic Soul realm easily!Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

Strength was the foundation he had to build up before he could pursue anything.

Only with sufficient strength would he be able to vie for the slot to the Sanctum of Sages, rise through the ranks, and gain the ability to negotiate on equal terms with the Zhang Clan and the Luo Clan.

Time was truly not on his side. He only had until the third month of next year.

He did not want to see his lover getting married to a 'so-called' talent of the Zhang Clan whom she had not even met before!

After obtaining the concentrated high-tier spirit stones, Zhang Xuan decided to leap straight into the Myriad Anthive Nest.

It was quieter within the nest, and he did not have to worry about being interrupted by anyone in there.

Crossing his legs, he placed the thirty concentrated high-tier spirit stones in front of him before muttering, "Time to start!"

Concentrating his focus on his soul, he moved his soul toward his Origin Core once more, and this time, he managed to successfully infuse his soul into the Origin Core without any problems.

At the same time, he swiftly devoured the spiritual energy contained within the concentrated high-tier spirit stones and channeled it through his meridians toward his Origin Core.

In order to reach the Embryonic Soul realm, he would have to fuse his soul and Origin Core together and morph it into the shape of an embryo. He had already compiled the cultivation technique required for the morphing process, and all that he had been lacking was spirit stones.

Driven with immense power, the massive congregation of spiritual energy crashed toward the Origin Core with astounding momentum.

Boom!

As the rate at which Zhang Xuan absorbed spiritual energy increased, a vortex of spiritual energy quickly formed around him. Under the massive impact from the crashing spiritual energy, a gap finally opened in his Origin Core.

A small hand slowly crept through the small gap in his Origin Core.

Knowing that this was the crucial period, Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up as he channeled all the spiritual energy he had absorbed toward his Origin Core at maximum speed. "Break!"

Sila!

The Origin Core finally broke open, and a small infant slowly climbed out from it.

This is... an Embryonic Soul?

Seeing his Embryonic Soul, Zhang Xuan's lips could not help but twitch uncontrollably.

It was true that his Embryonic Soul did resemble a baby, similar to that of other cultivators, but... his Embryonic Soul was ten meters tall!

Imagine a ten-meter-tall baby... This was truly frightening!

An ominous feeling suddenly arose in Zhang Xuan's heart. This... Just how much spiritual energy will I require to develop it into a Primordial Spirit...

If his Embryonic Soul was this much bigger than that of the other cultivators, did it not mean that the spiritual energy he would require to achieve a breakthrough would surely be much greater others? Other cultivators might only require a single concentrated high-tier spirit stone to cultivate through the entire Embryonic Soul realm or even achieve a breakthrough to the Primordial Spirit realm.

But with the size of his Embryonic Soul, he really could not begin to imagine how many concentrated high-tier spirit stones he would require.

Sighing deeply, Zhang Xuan continued absorbing the spiritual energy within the concentrated high-tier spirit stones to raise his cultivation.

Some time later, when the final concentrated high-tier spirit stone broke, Zhang Xuan slowly opened his eyes and shook his head helplessly.

Embryonic Soul realm intermediate stage...

He had thought that thirty concentrated high-tier spirit stone should suffice for him to reach Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle, but who would have thought that they were completely depleted by the time he reached Embryonic Soul realm intermediate stage?

Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella in frustration. At this rate, I'll require at least fifty more concentrated high-tier spirit stone before I can reach Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle...

Even finding a single concentrated high-tier spirit stone felt like finding a needle in a haystack. Where in the world was he supposed to find the fifty concentrated high-tier spirit stone required for him to reach Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle?

In the first place, it was doubtful that he could find so many concentrated high-tier spirit stones even if he flipped Qingyuan City upside down!

Sighing deeply once more, Zhang Xuan consoled himself. At the very least, despite the fearsome rate of depletion of spirit stones, my fighting prowess did rise proportionately to the consumption.

While it did pain his heart to see thirty concentrated high-tier spirit stones vanishing so swiftly, admittedly, he was still rather satisfied with the rise in his fighting prowess.

Previously, he would have struggled to be a match for Pavilion Master Gou, relying heavily on his superior combat skills and adept use of formations to achieve victory. However, with his newfound strength, he would be able to match even the Leaving Aperture realm Qingtian Emperor!

In other words, despite possessing only a cultivation of Embryonic Soul realm intermediate stage, he was already on par with a Leaving Aperture realm primary stage cultivator!

With such strength, it could be said that he had finally reached the peak of the Qingyuan Empire!

When he first arrived at Qingyuan City, he was only a Saint 1-dan pinnacle rookie, only able to match Saint 3-dan cultivators. Even Primordial Spirit realm cultivators would have been able to do him in easily. But now, even Hall Master Xing was not a match for him.

Ah, time sure flies...

Just thinking of it evoked some reminiscence within him.

This should be the eighth day since I arrived in Qingyuan City, Zhang Xuan remarked internally as a slight tinge of redness slowly crept across his face.

Eight whole days, and yet, he had only advanced less than two realms. Zhang Xuan could not help but feel deeply ashamed of himself. It seemed like he really needed to work harder from now on.

Forget it. I should check on that fellow now.

Tossing aside his stifled feelings, Zhang Xuan tapped the area before him, and a soul appeared before his eyes.

At this moment, the Qingtian Emperor had already been ground down by the Heaven's Path zhenqi, retaining only half of his original strength. Severely wounded, he seemed to be spiritless and lethargic, reminiscent of a person on his deathbed.

Nevertheless, upon catching sight of Zhang Xuan, flames of hostility began burning in his eyes.

"You son of a bitch, I'll kill you!" Roaring furiously, the Qingtian Emperor charged forward to tear the young man before him apart. However, before he could even deal any damage, a single finger abruptly appeared before his eyes.

Padah!

The next moment, the Qingtian Emperor found himself firmly pressed down on the floor, unable to move at all no matter how hard he struggled.

"Y-y-you... How can you be so strong?" The Qingtian Emperor narrowed his eyes in disbelief.

It was just a while ago that the other party had been no match for him at all. How could the other party have become so much stronger in the blink of an eye?

To be able to render him powerless with a single finger... just what kind of cultivation realm had he reached?

Since he could not be bothered to waste his breath with the other party, Zhang Xuan got straight to business. "As an Otherworldly Demon, how did you manage to cross over to the Master Teacher Continent? How did you become acquainted with Vicious and inherit the heritage of the soul oracles? How many spies of yours are there in the Master Teacher Pavilion? Speak! I'll just say this once; I have plenty of time to play with you. Confess, and I'll consider giving you a painless death. Otherwise, I'll become your worst nightmare..."

The reason he did not let Vicious swallow the Qingtian Emperor directly was because he wanted to find out these things from the other party's mouth.

"Hahaha!" Raising his head proudly, the Qingtian Emperor obstinately declared, "Do you think that I'll submit to human scum like you? Dream on! I am the Emperor of the Qingtian Lineage, death brings no fear to me..."

However, before he could finish his words, a kick suddenly fell on his head, smashing it into the ground.

Following which, he heard the voice of the young man once more. "Vicious, as long as I retain his soul energy for your consumption, it won't matter if I kill his consciousness, right?"

"Very well, I won't stand on ceremony then."

Right after saying those words, the other party's palm rose up, and a surge of burning Heaven's Path zhenqi gathered in his grasp.

The palm gradually lowered toward the Qingtian Emperor, leaving him with a burning sensation that was intensifying by the moment.

The Qingtian Emperor tried to struggle free but to no avail. When the palm finally fell on his soul, a wretched scream escaped from his lips. "You... AHHHH!"

He had been planning to grit his teeth and bear the torture until the very end, but in the very next moment, he saw the other party flicking his finger and pulling a thin thread from his soul.

The eyes of the Qingtian Emperor immediately widened in horror. "Soul Search!"

As a soul oracle, there was no way he would be unaware of the technique that Zhang Xuan was executing. Known to be one of the most violent techniques of the soul oracles, it would put the victim through excruciating pain and deal irreparable damage. Even if his soul did not dissipate at the end of the process, the chances were that he would have become mentally retarded.

For a person as proud and lofty as the Qingtian Emperor, the thought of living life mentally retarded was unacceptable to him, and it filled him with tremendous fear.

"I'll speak, I'll speak!" the Qingtian Emperor immediately exclaimed.

"I already gave you a chance earlier. It's too late now." Unwilling to waste his breath on the other party, Zhang Xuan forcefully tugged on the string and pulled it out.

Toward his enemies, he was not so patient and kind as to offer them second chances. It was only out of consideration of Vicious' needs that he had spared the Qingtian Emperor for so long. However, since Vicious did not require the latter's mind to be intact, there was no need for him to hesitate any longer.

At this point, he could tell that the other party's mental fortitude had already fallen, so he would be able to acquire whatever he needed through the Soul Search.

Tzzzzzzz!

After drawing out the other party's memory, Zhang Xuan began studying it carefully.

Two hours later, Zhang Xuan exhaled deeply before rubbing his glabella.

Through his Soul Search, he had already gained a thorough understanding of the ins and outs of the incident.

Around two thousand years ago, this Emperor of the Qingtian Lineage had unwittingly established a connection to Vicious' consciousness in the midst of a ritual.

Making use of that opportunity, Vicious had used a secret art that tapped into the energy from the tributes to teleport the Qingtian Emperor over and imparted the cultivation techniques of the soul oracles to him.

In order to infiltrate the higher ranks of the Master Teacher Pavilion, he had bid his time while kidnapping young infants who showed some talent for cultivation, intending to reincarnate his will within them.

This secret art was extremely complicated, and it would deal severe damage to one's soul as well.

Even tapping into Vicious' deep comprehension of souls, he could only afford to use the technique once every ten years. It had taken 120 attempts before he managed to succeed with Tian Qing.

As for why the Qingtian Emperor would go through so much trouble to infiltrate the higher ranks of the Master Teacher Pavilion personally, the reason was detailed in his memory as well.

"It's for Kong shi's 'Celestial Amulet of Legacy'!" Zhang Xuan muttered with a grim expression.

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Chapter 1196: The Friendly Spar Between the Combat Master Halls Begins!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Before Kong shi disappeared, he left behind six Celestial Amulets of Legacy. One was known to be with the Master Teacher Pavilion whereas the other five had disappeared from the face of the world.

Legend had it that the gathering of all six Celestial Amulets of Legacy would herald the opening of the Temple of Confucius, and those who entered it would be able to obtain his ultimate treasure... the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn!

It was for this reason that many people had been seeking the Celestial Amulets of Legacy over the past several dozen millenniums, but it was a pity that they were nowhere to be found.

Or perhaps, they might have already been found, just that no one dared proclaim their ownership of them.

After all, this was linked to Kong shi's ultimate treasure. Even master teachers would lose their rationality before it.

It was through the mouth of Vicious that the Qingtian Emperor had learned of the news concerning the Celestial Amulets of Legacy, and in a bid to lay his hands on it, he had set up elaborate plans.

Through his Soul Search, Zhang Xuan realized that there was a reason that the Qingtian Emperor was so determined to find the Qiu Wu Palace. "Based on the Qingtian Emperor's memories, there should be a key to finding a Celestial Amulet of Legacy within the Qiu Wu Palace, but... it doesn't seem like anything is there at all."

Rather, he had made the decision to seek out the Qiu Wu Palace only after tracing down the clues he had. On top of learning that there was a key to the Celestial Amulet of Legacy, he had also discovered that there was a sliver of Kong shi's will that lingered in there as well.

If things had gone well, he might even have been able to uncover the precise location of the Temple of Confucius while obtaining the Celestial Amulet of Legacy.

The Temple of Confucius was a heritage that Kong shi had left behind for the later generations. It was hidden within the void, and there was no one in the world who knew where it was located.

It seems like the intelligence that the Qingtian Emperor has obtained is untrue...Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He had looked through the Qiu Wu Palace twice, but there was nothing reminiscent of a key in there! In fact, there was not a single thing in there that pointed to the Celestial Amulets of Legacy at all.

Well, how could the elusive Celestial Amulets of Legacy be obtained so easily?

Other than the Qiu Wu Palace, the Qingtian Emperor had also learned that a painter had chanced upon a Celestial Amulet of Legacy, and he had detailed it with a painting of Kong shi's silhouette.

After hearing the rumors, the Qingtian Emperor had swiftly captured the painter to interrogate him, but to no avail.

Three years ago, he had unintentionally found the heritage that the painter had left behind, and within the heritage was a certain grade-8 painting. He had suspected that the painting might have been the one mentioned in those rumors, and as luck would have it, he discovered a seal on it. That had further supported his deduction. Unfortunately, he had been unable to find a way to decipher the seal.

After many failures, he had eventually decided to turn to the head of the Qingyuan Empire Appraiser Hall, Guild Leader Mu, for help.

And the rest was as how Zhang Xuan remembered it.

Zhang Xuan frowned. Does that mean that the place that I saw in the painting was the location where the Celestial Amulet of Legacy is located?

While the clue concerning the Qiu Wu Palace had led to a dead end, it was a fact that he had seen Kong shi's silhouette within the grade-8 painting, so there should have been no mistake about it.

Zhang Xuan made up his mind. I really must investigate where the mountain range is after I return and find it...

On top of uncovering that, Zhang Xuan also managed to obtain a list of traitors from the Master Teacher Pavilion as well.

There were more a hundred of them, and they were scattered throughout the Qingyuan Empire.

The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was blessed with long lifespans, far exceeding the thousand years that a human Saint realm cultivator would have. Thus, it had not been too difficult for them to plant a few spies here and there.

Not all master teachers were strong-willed enough to withstand the sweet whisperings of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, so some of them had eventually succumbed and become their puppets.

Zhang Xuan swiftly jotted down a copy of their names before sending them over to Wu shi through his Communication Jade Token. After that was done, he heaved a long sigh of relief.

With this, they would be able to root out the Qingtian Emperor's influence in the Qingyuan Empire once and for all.

"Vicious, I'll leave him to you."

After uncovering all that he wanted to know, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and passed the soul of the Qingtian Emperor over to Vicious.

In the two thousand years that the Qingtian Emperor had spent living among the humans, he had stained his hands with the blood of countless master teachers. To be honest, Zhang Xuan thought that the other party was getting off too lightly.

"Thank you, Master!" Vicious replied excitedly.

Getting to his feet, Zhang Xuan stretched his back lazily as he began pondering over a new plan to obtain more concentrated high-tier spirit stone. However, in that moment, he suddenly recalled a certain matter, and his lips began twitching wildly.

I forgot that I promised Hall Master Xing to train his combat masters. Earlier, he said that the combat masters from the other three Conferred Empire Combat Master Halls would be arriving in three days...

He had headed right for the Master Teacher Pavilion for his promotion to 7-star master teacher right after preparing the training regimes for the combat masters. After getting caught up in an entire string of matters, four days had passed in a flash.

In other words, the combat masters from the other three Conferred Empire Combat Master Halls should have arrived by now, and the friendly spar might have already begun!

I should rush back to take a look!

Swiftly leaving the Myriad Anthive Nest, Zhang Xuan realized that the sun was hanging high in the sky. It was already the noon of the fourth day.

Back then, Hall Master Xing had told him that if he trained the combat masters well and led them to victory in the friendly spar, he would split half of the reward from the Combat Master Hall headquarters with him. This was a precious source of concentrated high-tier spirit stones for him! No matter what, he needed to witness the exchange with his own eyes.

At this point, he could only pray that those fellows had obediently followed his training regime. Otherwise, if they lost... that would be fifty concentrated high-tier spirit stones!

Just the thought of it was sufficient to make his heart bleed in pain!

Hu!

Anxious, he rushed all the way toward the Combat Master Hall.

...

In the training hall of the Combat Master Hall...

Countless combat masters were gathered in the area, their eyes fixated on the dueling platforms in the middle.

At the very forefront of the spectator stand, ahead of the crowd gathered in the area, sat four elders. One of them was Hall Master Xing.

"Hall Master Xing, I heard rumors that your combat masters have joined that... what is it called again? Xuanxuan Faction? According to what I have heard, it seems to be an organization from a Tier-1 Empire, right?"

Before the friendly spar had even begun, the other three elders had already turned sharp gazes toward Hall Master Xing as they questioned him with deep frowns on their faces.

The Combat Master Hall represented the highest fighting prowess in the Master Teacher Continent, and yet, the combat masters of the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall had actually lowered themselves to joining a master teacher organization of a Tier-1 Empire... This was truly inconceivable!

It was true that the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall was the weakest of them all, but surely they did not have to lower themselves to such an extent!

To band themselves together with a group of ordinary master teachers... they were practically tossing aside the dignity of the combat masters!

"Yes, that's right," Hall Master Xing replied.

The ten thousand men of the Xuanxuan Faction were currently living in the Combat Master Hall. There was no way he could possibly conceal the matter from them at this point.

An elder with a goatee harrumphed coldly as he glared at Hall Master Xing sharply. "I don't want to interfere in the affairs of your Combat Master Hall either, but are you serious? To actually have your combat masters join a Tier-1 Empire organization, just what is going through your mind? Does the dignity and honor of the Combat Master Hall mean nothing to you?"

That was the head of the Chongyuan Empire Combat Master Hall, Zhao Yi.

"It's not what you all think it is. I concede that the Xuanxuan Faction is a student faction from a Tier-1 Empire, but their comprehension of combat is superior even to us combat masters. As Kong shi once said, learn from the capable, regardless of their standing..." Hall Master Xing explained, but he was interjected halfway through his words.

Another elder harrumphed. "Enough! We are not interested in hearing whatever explanation you have. I hope that you can at least get a single slot for the Sword Lagoon of the Qianchong Empire so that you don't embarrass yourselves any further."

The head of the Haohai Empire Combat Master Hall, Liu Qinshan.

The third elder shook his head. "Allow me to give you a word of advice. The Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall might be the weakest of the Conferred Empires now, but don't test the patience of the headquarters. They could very well call for your closure. When that happens, I don't know how you intend to face your predecessors!"

The head of the Qianyun Empire Combat Master Hall, Wei Qianshu!

Of the Eight Great Conferred Empires, the weakest four were namely Chongyuan, Qianyun, Haohai, and Qingyuan.

Qingyuan used to be ranked third, but the assault from the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe twenty years ago had been a crushing blow to it, and it had not been able to recover from the devastating damage since then. As such, be it their national power, regional Master Teacher Pavilion, or Combat Master Hall, unfortunately, they could only be placed in very last place.

Seeing that the three hall masters were clearly looking down on him, Hall Master Xing frowned in displeasure. "Thank you for your kind advice, but even if our Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall has not recovered from the damage we suffered twenty years ago, we are still making a swift recovery. You won't be let down in the friendly spar later on..."

Halfway through his words, cheers suddenly erupted behind him. The candidates that would be participating in the friendly spar were making their way into the training hall.

"Haha, indeed. I am not let down at all!" Zhao Yi burst into laughter upon seeing the candidates from Qingyuan.

"Hall Master Xing, has your Combat Master Hall run short of funds? So, this is what the elites of your Combat Master Hall look like, huh?" Wei Qianshu frowned in disapproval.

"Run short of funds?" Uncomprehending of what they were saying, Hall Master Xing turned his gaze over to his combat masters, and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

He saw that Shi Hao was still dressed in the clothes he had worn while cleaning the toilet bowls, and he was still equipped with a feather duster in hand. Jiao Tan was still holding onto his fly swatter; Xiao Qin was carrying a bird cage in his hand; Dong Rui had large bumps all over his head...

It was as if they were pitiful beggars picked off the street!

Caught off guard by the happenings, Hall Master Xing swiftly turned his head toward Division Head Liao. "Division Head Liao, what is going on?"

"Hall Master Xing, Principal Zhang's training regime was simply too much for them to finish within three days! They all carried out their training until the very last moment before rushing over in a hurry," Division Head Liao quickly explained.

Zhang Xuan's training regime was truly harsh; it was clearly impossible to finish it within three days! Division Head Liao could not tell whether the candidates were possessed or brainwashed, but despite the impossible mission that they had been tasked with, the candidates had carried out their training diligently without a single word of complaint. It was only when the friendly spar was about to begin that they had reluctantly halted their training to rush over.

Hearing that explanation, a bitter look surfaced on Hall Master Xing's face.

Had he known that this would happen, he never would have entrusted the training of the candidates to Zhang Xuan. With this, their Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall would surely become the laughingstock of the other Conferred Empire Combat Master Hall for many years to come.

Cleaning the toilet bowl, swatting flies, capturing birds, leaping off trees... Just what was Zhang Xuan up to? Was he really trustworthy?

While Hall Master Xing was still staring at the situation before him with a desolate look in his eyes, a shout suddenly sounded from the dueling platform. "I am Ling Xuan from the Chongyuan Empire Combat Master Hall. My cultivation is at Saint 2-dan intermediate stage. Are there any friends from the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall who would like to spar with me?"

A combat master had already leaped onto one of the dueling platforms, and he was staring at Qingyuan's candidates intently.

Hall Master Xing clenched his fists tightly. "To challenge us right from the start... they are intending to suppress our morale."

There was a proper order to how the friendly spar should have been conducted, and yet, that Combat Master Ling Xuan had leaped up onto the dueling platform to challenge Qingyuan's candidates. That was clearly an intentional act to destroy their confidence right from the start.

Furthermore, as the host of the friendly spar, it would make them appear weak if they turned down the challenge.

"I'll face you!" Jiao Tan leaped onto the dueling platform.

Jiao Tan was a genius from the Martial Arts Division, and his cultivation had long reached Saint 2-dan intermediate stage. He was the candidate that the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall had chosen for the friendly spar for this cultivation stage.

"You?" Seeing the other party's work clothes and the fly swatter in his hands, Ling Xuan could not help but burst into laughter. "Very well then, make your move! Let me see the formidable strength of the Qingyuan Empire combat masters!"

Huala!

Right after saying those words, he channeled his zhenqi toward his palm, and a deafening rumble reminiscent of thunder echoed from his hands.

"That is Chongyuan Empire's famous Bolt Lightning Palm!"

"It's said that the palm art is as swift as a bolt of lightning, making it nigh impossible for cultivators of the same tier to withstand it!"

"According to what I know, it's extremely difficult to cultivate as well. Countless geniuses have found themselves completely clueless before it. However, judging from the resounding thunder from Ling Xuan's palm... most likely, he has already reached Major Accomplishment in the battle technique!"

"Major Accomplishment? That should be Consummation! Ling Xuan is said to be the most talented individual of Chongyuan Empire Combat Master Hall's Martial Arts Division, and despite having yet to reach his thirties, he has already broken several records and successfully cultivated 34 battle techniques to date!"

"He's so formidable?"

Such discussions could be heard throughout the crowd.

However, seemingly oblivious to the words of the crowd, Jiao Tan calmly walked up to Ling Xuan with the same fly swatter in his hand.

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Chapter 1197: Pah Pah Pah!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"That bamboo fly swatter is delicate and powerless, and yet, he intends to use it to deal with Ling Xuan's Bolt Lightning Palm?"

"Is there something wrong with that fellow's head?"

"Jiao Tan is the number one genius of the Martial Arts Division, and his comprehension of battle techniques has reached an incredible height as well. In normal circumstances, even if he is no match for Ling Xuan, he would at least be able to put up a spectacular fight. But to walk up with a fly swatter in hand... is he out of his mind?"

Seeing how Jiao Tan was acting, everyone was dumbfounded. Hall Master Xing and Division Head Liao felt so crazed that they wanted to tear out all their hair on the spot.

They had placed so much hope in Jiao Tan, and yet, after a few days of undergoing Zhang Xuan's training regime, he was suddenly off his rockers!

It would have been tolerable if Jiao Tan had chosen to wield an ordinary sword, a chair, or even a brick! A fly swatter was flexible and fragile, making it unsuitable to exert strength through it. To face Ling Xuan with such a weapon was practically committing suicide!

Thinking that Jiao Tan was making light of him, Ling Xuan's face reddened in fury. "Are you sure you want to face me with that?"

Even though it was just a friendly spar, it was still a formal event. It should have been a solemn and dignified occasion, and yet, the other party was actually insulting him by facing him with a fly swatter. That was blatant humiliation toward him!

Jiao Tan nodded earnestly. "Un. If you think that you are disadvantaged, you can wield a weapon if you want. There's no need to hold back!"

"You..." Jiao Tan's words caused a mini explosion in Ling Xuan's mind, and he clenched his jaws so tightly together that his teeth nearly chipped. Waving his hands furiously, he harrumphed. "There's no need for that! I'll use my palms to teach you a lesson and make your Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall understand the gap between us! No matter how hard you work, you will never be able to catch up to us!"

Huala!

Right after saying those words, with a thunderous roar, his palm shot forth with a speed as swift as a streak of lightning. In the blink of an eye, his lightning-like aura permeated the entire dueling platform. It felt as if the slightest wrong move would bring a crushing blow, seemingly forcing Jiao Tan into a cornered situation.

"I'll look forward to it then," Jiao Tan replied leisurely before raising the fly swatter in his hand. With a swift motion, he struck the lightning before his eyes.

"You're seeking death!" Seeing that the other party obstinately wanted to face him with a fly swatter, Ling Xuan gritted his teeth furiously as his palm flew toward Jiao Tan.

He was going to use his full strength to inflict a crushing defeat upon the other party so as to let the other party understand what a true expert was!

Hall Master Zhao Yi shook his head and said, "There's no need to watch any further. The victor has already been decided."

"Indeed. An aura suffused with lightning, a palm overflowing with strength. Even though Ling Xuan is only a Saint 2-dan cultivator, his might is more than sufficient to overwhelm any Saint 3-dan cultivator. Even a Half-Saint weapon could be crushed into pieces before his Bolt Lightning Palm! There is no way that fellow will be able to match Ling Xuan with just a bamboo fly swatter!" Hall Master Liu Qinshan sighed.

"From the looks of it, it seems like the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall won't be able to obtain a single slot..." Hall Master Wei Qianshu sneered coldly. However, before he could finish his words, a 'pah!' suddenly echoed resoundingly throughout the training hall.

"Hmm?"

Taken aback, the three hall masters quickly turned their gazes back to the dueling platform, only to see that before Ling Xuan's Bolt Lightning Palm could reach Jiao Tan, a fly swatter had struck his face squarely, leaving a dense congregation of red lines in its wake.

"Ahhh, I'll kill you!" Ling Xuan had clearly not expected the other party's fly swatter to move so swiftly as to slap him right before everyone else. Seething with rage, he dashed forward and thrust another palm forward.

Pah!

But again, before his palm could connect, another crisp echo sounded throughout the entire training hall. Once more, the fly swatter had struck his face.

"I..." At this moment, Ling Xuan really felt as if his mind would blow up.

With a swift step, his silhouette flickered, and five illusory figures appeared on the dueling platform, making it difficult for one to discern which was true and which was false.

As a combat master, he had been through plenty of battles. Even though he felt humiliated by the two consecutive slaps, he knew better than to allow his emotions to dictate his actions. While his opponent was dressed in a bizarre get up, it was apparent at this point that he possessed superior fighting prowess. Thus, he immediately executed his strongest movement technique.

Artful Steps of Seven Specter!

It was a Saint intermediate-tier battle technique, and if perfectly executed, it could generate seven lifelike illusions of one to confound one's opponent.

While its power was beneath that of the Bolt Lightning Palm, its reputation far exceeded the latter. Ever since he successfully mastered the technique, there had been none who had been able to break his Artful Steps of Seven Specter through skill.

"Five illusions! He has already refined his Artful Steps of Seven Specter to an incredible level, such that even I can't accurately discern his true figure within the illusions..." Hall Master Zhao Yi remarked while stroking his beard.

But once again, before he could finish his words, 'pah!'.

And once again, the fly swatter struck Ling Xuan's face squarely.

" Ahhh! " Flying into a frenzy, Ling Xuan hastened his footsteps, making his movements even more indiscernible to the eye.

Pah! Pah! Pah!

But even so, three consecutive strikes still landed accurately on Ling Xuan's face. It was as if Jiao Tan could see right through the illusions!

Seeing how his comrade was being slapped time and time again without laying a single finger on his opponent's body, a combat master from Chongyuan Empire could not hold himself back any longer and shouted, "Ling Xuan, since he is using a weapon, use your sword too!"

"Alright!" Knowing that the fellow before him was a tough nut to crack, Ling Xuan flicked his wrist and whipped out a Saint low-tier sword. Flicking the sword furiously, a relentless barrage of sword qi burst forth, instantly covering the entire dueling platform.

"Freezing Rain Sword Intent... That's the unique Sword Intent that Ling Xuan comprehended while standing under the winter rain when he was 23. No one has ever succeeded in dodging it before..." Hall Master Zhao Yi commented proudly, but once again, before he could finish his words, Jiao Tan, who was surrounded by the barrage of sword qi, raised his fly swatter nonchalantly and...

Pah! Pah! Pah!

Yet another three consecutive slaps. At this point, Ling Xuan's face was already swollen red from all the slapping.

Huala!

Furious, Ling Xuan drove his sword forward and sent sword arts of all kinds toward Jiao Tan.

However, Jiao Tan easily avoided all of Ling Xuan's attacks as if a butterfly flitting through a field of flowers. And more importantly, his fly swatter never stopped moving throughout.

Pah! Pah! Pah! Pah!

It was a steady and rhythmic melody, sounding surprisingly like an orchestra.

"This..."

The three hall masters widened their eyes in disbelief, unable to believe what they were seeing. Even Hall Master Xing, Division Head Liao, and the others could not process what exactly was going on.

They had witnessed Zhang Xuan's training regime with their own eyes, and they had nearly been convinced that it was a prank. And yet... how could Jiao Tan undergo such a huge change, as if a caterpillar metamorphosed into a butterfly?

"Incredible, I never thought that fly swatters would make such powerful weapon!"

"That's only because of Jiao Tan's exceptional control. I saw him hunting down flies inside the toilet, and he could even accurately strike a fly's front legs without hurting the rest of its body!"

"What? Is that true? Given how small and nimble flies are, is it really possible to do it to such an extent?"

"If that's really true, the precision of his control is truly frightening!"

A couple of Qingyuan combat masters discussed as they watched the duel.

Hearing the conversation among the combat masters, Division Head Liao smacked his thigh and exclaimed in realization, "Ah, I get it now!"

Division Head Wei turned his head and asked, "What did you get?"

"Jiao Tan is a genius of our Martial Arts Division," Division Head Liao explained, "but due to the huge variety of battle techniques he has cultivated, he isn't focused in any of them, and this has prevented him from drawing out his full fighting prowess...

"It might seem nonsensical for Principal Zhang to have instructed him to hunt down flies, but there's actually a deeper meaning behind it! Every single fly moves in a unique trajectory, and in order to strike it accurately, one has to closely observe its movements and predict it in advance.

"More importantly, this training served to enhance his focus and rid his recklessness. With greater focus, he is now able to immerse himself into the battle technique he is executing and bring forth its maximum strength."

"This..." Division Head Wei fell into deep thought.

That did seem to make sense.

As a genius of the Martial Arts School, Jiao Tan was an extremely proud individual. He would surely find hunting down flies to be a deeply demeaning and unengaging task. However, if he could overcome this part of himself, his state of mind could be elevated to greater heights, and this would be beneficial in his execution of battle techniques as well.

It was due to his incredible focus that no matter how Ling Xuan altered his movements, he was unable to escape Jiao Tan's swatter. Since he was even able to accurately strike a fly's legs, there was no reason he could not evade and strike something as big as a human!

Pah pah pah pah!

The sound gradually crescendoed.

"Stop! I admit defeat!"

It did not take long before Ling Xuan had used all of his battle techniques, and yet, he did not even manage to nick the other party's body. Realizing that it was impossible for him to win, he could only surrender miserably.

At this moment, his face resembled nothing like a human's. It was swollen so badly that it resembled a doughnut.

"Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall's Jiao Tan is the victor!" Since Ling Xuan had already admitted defeat, the referee could only award the victory to Jiao Tan.

Huala!

A well-built young man leaped onto the stage.

"I am Bai Xun from the Qianyun Empire Combat Master Hall. My cultivation is at Saint 2-dan primary stage, and I would like to challenge the experts of the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall as well!"

"My cultivation is at Saint 2-dan primary stage as well. I'll be your opponent," Shi Hao said as he walked onto the stage.

"Bai Xun is the genius of Qianyun Empire Combat Master Hall's Fist Division. His steel fists are known to be invincible among his peers. I don't think that cleaner stands much of a chance against him."

"Cough cough, he's not a cleaner. He's actually the genius of our Inner Breath Division, Shi Hao!"

...

As the duo walked up the stage, the combat masters of both Combat Master Halls could not help but clench their fists nervously.

"Hall Master Xing, how is the strength of this combat master of yours?" Hall Master Liu Qinshan asked curiously.

Just a moment ago, everyone had thought that the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall had already given up on themselves, but the overwhelming prowess that Jiao Tan had displayed had really opened their eyes. At this point, it would have been truly foolish of them to continue underestimating the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall.

"I... I don't know either!" Hall Master Xing shook his head.

Principal Zhang's training regime was simply too bizarre! Even someone as experienced in combat as him could not comprehend the rationale behind it at all!

To instruct the proud genius of the Inner Breath Hall to clean the toilet bowls throughout the Inner Breath Division... If things went wrong, Shi Hao's fighting prowess might even decline instead!

"It's impossible for that lad to beat Bai Xun!" the head of the Qianyun Empire Combat Master Hall, Wei Qianshu, remarked proudly. "I have absolute confidence in him! He's my direct disciple, and there has never been anyone who could match him in the field of fist arts. There's just no way your combat master will be able to win against him!"

Hu hu!

While the hall masters were chatting, the battle on the dueling platform had already begun.

With the opportunity to train in the Sword Lagoon of the Qianchong Empire on the line, Bai Xun had no intention of holding back at all.

From the very start, he threw out a fist with his full strength harnessed in it.

Just as the fist was about to strike Shi Hao, the latter suddenly raised his hand and scraped the other party's face forcefully, reminiscent of how he had scraped the toilet bowls with his feather duster throughout the Combat Master Hall over the past three days.

"You!" Seeing this, flames of fury lit up in Bai Xun's eyes.

With a furious roar, he sent another powerful fist forward.

The fist wielded astounding might that caused a deafening sonic boom. However, before it could reach Shi Hao, the latter raised his hand once more and swiped Shi Hao's face forcefully, digging out a huge lump of dirt while doing it.

"You... How long has it been since you last washed your face?" Shi Hao disdainfully wiped his hand on his shirt.

"..." Bai Xun.

With a livid expression, Bai Xun swiftly stepped back and equipped his knuckleduster before charging forward once more. "You bastard, I'll kill you!"

The combat masters of the Fist Division relied on knuckledusters to draw forth greater strength from their fist arts.

On the other hand, seeing that his opponent had drawn his weapon, Shi Hao also unhesitatingly flicked his wrist, and a feather duster appeared in his hand.

"Glacier Smashing Fist!" With a furious bellow, a brilliant light flashed from the knuckleduster, and Bai Xun thrust his fist forward furiously, seemingly intending to utterly destroy the figure before him.

But just as the fist was shooting forward, still a distance away from connecting, Bai Xun suddenly saw something flying toward him with a speed reminiscent of a streak of lightning. Before he could process what was going on, a feather duster had already been stuffed into his mouth before swishing around.

In an instant, a harmony of indescribable flavors filled his mouth.

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Chapter 1198: Xuanxuan Faction, Luo Qiqi

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Shi Hao possesses an incredible zhenqi capacity, so relying on his strength, he prefers to overwhelm his opponent with his sheer might. While it allows him to defeat weaker opponents easily, it puts him at a critical advantage against opponents who are equal or stronger than him. His careless use of zhenqi would only cause him to run out of strength first, so it was not a particularly wise fighting style," Division Head Liao remarked hoarsely as he watched the duel unblinkingly.

"A feather duster is fragile, and an excessive use of strength could easily cause it to break. By instructing Shi Hao to clean toilet bowls with that, he was trying to temper Shi Hao's use of strength, granting him a finer control over his zhenqi. Over the past three days, he has scrubbed tens of thousands of toilet bowls diligently, and his effort has not gone to waste. It's clear that his use of zhenqi has become more refined, and his execution of strength is also more controlled. It's these two factors that allowed him to achieve victory easily!"

"As for Xiao Qin, he has an impatient personality. As such, the training regime he was put under, capturing birds, served to temper his patience. Furthermore, the agility of birds makes them difficult to deal with, so the training further refined his dexterity too..."

"Lu Jianling has a cowardly personality, so by having him confess to everyone he meets, teasing men even, he was able to embolden his guts and temper his state of mind. Don't think that confidence is of little importance just because of how vague it sounds; it can actually allow a person to make decisions more decisively, granting him a significant boost in his fighting prowess..."

"Even though Dong Rui is a genius from the Guardian Division, the defenses of his head were slightly lacking. Through a continuous cycle of falling from a tree, the defensive ability of his head could be tempered. At the same time, this also served to build his courage. If he could willingly embrace pain, he would be able to charge fearlessly into hordes of enemies and display his true prowess... The crux of the Guardian Division lies in their invincible physical prowess. If they cower in face of the enemy, there would be no way they could bring out their full strength..."

"As for Chen Xiaoxu..."

With each passing battle, the excited gleam in Division Head Liao's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

In just a few moments, ten matches had already passed. Everyone had thought that the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall would perform below average this time around, but who knew that every single one of them would successfully clinch victory, not losing even a single round!

It was only in this moment that it dawned on them how fearsome Zhang Xuan's training regime was.

"He managed to see through the flaws of all twenty candidates with a look and tailor a training regime suited to their needs! Scrubbing toilet bowls, swatting flies, capturing birds... All of those may seem simple, but there was a deeper meaning to each of those actions, allowing the candidates to grasp a more profound interpretation of combat!"

Hall Master Xing's eyes grew brighter and brighter as he began to understand the rationale behind Zhang Xuan's training regime.

He had been utterly dumbfounded when he first saw the training regime, and he had thought that Zhang Xuan was just fooling around. However, after seeing the performance of Qingyuan's candidates, he realized that the other party's training regime was truly spot-on!

Combat masters were constantly tempering their skills every single day, and while their diligence allowed them to sharpen their combat prowess to levels far exceeding that of ordinary master teachers, it had also led to a rigidity in their combat senses and even reflexes. Clearly, it was infeasible to overthrow what they had learned within just three short days.

As such, Zhang Xuan had made them carry out activities that ordinary humans would do so as to loosen their state of mind, making it easier for them their mind and body to absorb new things. Through having them repeat the actions again and again, the training they carried out was eventually integrated into part of their instincts as well.

It was just like how Shi Hao used his hands to scrub the other party's face viciously. In truth, he was not doing it intentionally. Rather, it was a habit he had unintentionally cultivated from three days of relentlessly scrubbing toilet bowls.

"I really should have more confidence in Principal Zhang and them..." Hall Master Xing shook his head with a bitter smile.

He had been deeply worried that their candidates would stand no chance against the geniuses from the other Combat Master Halls after undergoing such a nonsensical training regime, but it seemed like Zhang Xuan had the situation tightly in his grasp all along!

It was no wonder he was even relaxed enough to head off to the Master Teacher Pavilion, staying out for the entire three days. From the looks of it now, it was apparent that he had absolute confidence in the training regimes he had assigned to the candidates!

The minds of the true experts were truly different from ordinary folk like them!

In an instant, Zhang Xuan's position in Hall Master Xing's heart had been elevated to a greater height.

While Hall Master Xing was reveling in the overwhelming prowess his candidates were showing, the other three hall masters, whose chins had been tilted up in disdain earlier, were panicking over the unexpected situation.

They never could have imagined that that bunch of unkempt, beggar-like combat masters would actually wield such tremendous strength!

The combat masters whom they had gone through much effort to find and groom had actually turned out to be no match for them at all! It was an utter annihilation!

What the heck was this?

Unable to take it any longer, Hall Master Zhao Yi turned to Hall Master Xing and asked, "Hall Master Xing, what is going on with your combat masters?"

Long years of competition between both Combat Master Halls had granted both sides a clear grasp over the strength of the other. Even if the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall had made massive improvements over the past few years, it still did not make sense that all of their candidates would actually lose! Something was clearly off!

But regardless of what it was, there was one thing that was certain—the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall was no longer the weakling it had once been.

"To be honest, three days ago, the fighting prowess of my candidates was still beneath that of the geniuses from your Combat Master Halls. It was due to special last-minute training that they managed to metamorphose into the experts that you see now!" Hall Master Xing revealed the truth.

"Special training? They managed to attain such strength just by undergoing special last-minute training?"

"How in the world can that possibly be true?"

"Three days wouldn't even be sufficient to master the simplest Saint-tier battle technique!"

...

The three hall masters found Hall Master Xing's words inconceivable.

Other cultivators often used decades as a unit of measurement of how long they have trained! Three days... What the hell could one possibly do in three days? It would probably pass in a flash before one could even fully digest the principles behind a Saint intermediate-tier battle technique!

"I understand your skepticism. I also thought that it was impossible as well, but the leader of the Xuanxuan Faction that I told you about earlier specially designed training regimes tailored to resolve their individual flaws. It was thanks to those that they were able to improve at such an astounding pace!" Hall Master Xing replied with a hint of pride in his voice.

"The leader of the Xuanxuan Faction?"

The three hall masters glanced at one another in bewilderment.

"Indeed!" Hall Master Xing nodded. "He might be from a Tier-1 Empire, but his comprehension of combat and battle techniques has already reached a realm that I can hardly fathom. It's due to that reason that I allowed our combat masters join to the Xuanxuan Faction. Through their expertise, I hope to bring the strength of our Combat Master Hall to greater heights!"

"A master teacher from a Tier-1 Empire was able to grant your candidates the strength to achieve a complete victory in our friendly spar through just three days of teaching?"

Despite Hall Master Xing's explanation, the other hall masters still found the matter a little doubtful.

Huala!

At that moment, a commotion suddenly broke out on the dueling platform, and countless agitated shouts echoed from the spectator's stand.

Raising their heads, the hall masters saw that the victor of the final match had been decided. All sixty candidates from their three Combat Master Halls had been defeated.

In other words, the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall had managed to win all twenty slots to the Qianchong Empire's Sword Lagoon for themselves!

"This..."

The eyelids of the three hall masters twitched wildly. They really could not accept such an outcome.

They had thought that they would be able to claim roughly six slots each at the very least, but who could have imagined that the friendly spar would end with them obtaining none at all!

It was truly a complete defeat for them!

However, knowing that the results were already decided, the three hall masters could only sigh deeply and reluctantly accept it.

A moment later, Hall Master Wei Qianshu asked, "Where is the leader of the Xuanxuan Faction? Can you bring us to meet him? I would like to meet the man whom you are full of praise for!"

"He isn't in the Combat Master Hall at the moment," Hall Master Xing replied.

According to the news he had heard, Zhang Xuan had gone off to the Master Teacher Pavilion to take his 7-star master teacher examination, so it would not be appropriate for him to interrupt the young man at this moment.

"He isn't in the Combat Master Hall? Since that's the case, can you take us to the Xuanxuan Faction to take a look?" Hall Master Zhao Yi asked. "I am interested to see just what kind of capability that Tier-1 Empire organization holds that you would even go to the extent of seeking their assistance!"

"This..." Hall Master Xing hesitated for a moment, but recalling how the other three hall masters had treated him prior to the duel, he eventually relented. "Alright then."

It was no big deal to take them to the Xuanxuan Faction to take a look.

Besides, based on what he recalled, the members of the Xuanxuan Faction were also very welcoming toward combat masters. After all, they were the perfect cannon fodder for them to test their skills on.

Thus, Hall Master Xing stood up and led the other three hall masters toward the accommodation of the Xuanxuan Faction. Not too long later, he saw a young lady walking in his direction.

Hall Master Xing clasped his fist and said, "Lady Qiqi, greetings. Allow me to introduce to you. These three are the heads of the Chongyuan, Qianyun, and Haohai Empire Combat Master Halls respectively. They are interested in having an exchange with the Xuanxuan Faction, so may I know if now is a convenient time?"

He recognized the young lady before him. She was the strongest expert of the Xuanxuan Faction, Luo Qiqi.

In just a few days of absence, the young lady seemed to have made some advancement in her cultivation, rising from Saint 1-dan pinnacle to Saint 2-dan primary stage.

"An exchange?" Luo Qiqi glanced at the trio beside Hall Master Xing and smiled. "Sure! Suppress your cultivation to my level and come at me all at once!"

"This..."

Hearing the other party asking them to come at her all at once, Hall Master Zhao Yi frowned in displeasure. "Young lady, we are the heads of our regional Combat Master Hall, Leaving Aperture realm experts. Do you think that you will be able to match us just because we have suppressed out cultivation?"

Hall Master Wei Qianshu shook his head in disapproval. "Without a doubt, you are a talented individual to be able to attain such strength at your age. However, that is no reason for you to act with such conceit!"

"When we were your age, we were able to match ten cultivators of the same cultivation realm easily. Even though we have already grown old, I believe that we still have more than enough in us to subdue a young lass like you!" Hall Master Liu Qinshan frowned.

"Give it a try then," Luo Qiqi replied with a leisure smile.

"Since Hall Master Xing was full of praise for the Xuanxuan Faction, allow me to experience your incredible strength for myself!" Seeing how lightly the young lady was taking them, Hall Master Zhao Yi shook his head. He took a step forward while suppressing his cultivation to Saint 2-dan primary stage.

The other two also suppressed their cultivation as well.

Hu!

With a powerful step, Hall Master Zhao Yi appeared before Luo Qiqi in an instant. As if a massive dragon had risen from the ocean, his presence suddenly felt extremely heavy and powerful, compelling others to bow before him.

Even though he had already suppressed his cultivation, he was still a Leaving Aperture realm expert. The overwhelming strength of his Primordial Spirit was able to collapse the mental resilience of any Saint 2-dan cultivator easily, rendering the other party completely helpless.

"Heh!" As if unfazed by the pressure from Hall Master Zhao Yi, Luo Qiqi also made her move. She raised her palm and thrust it forward forcefully, and astonishingly, it dispelled the might of Hall Master Zhao Yi's assault in an instant.

Hall Master Zhao Yi could not help but narrow his eyes in shock.

In a clash between fellow experts, one move was all it took to gauge the other party's strength.

From that move, he realized that the young lady, when at the same cultivation realm, was actually even stronger than him!

That explained why she was able to act so haughtily despite learning of their identities.

"Humph!" Hall Master Zhao Yi's expression turned grim, and the previous disdain in his eyes disappeared without a trace.

He executed a movement technique and darted forward with astounding speed, wanting to catch the young lady off guard and nab her. However, before he could reach her, her figure suddenly appeared before Hall Masters Wei Qianshu and Liu Qinshan, and she thrust her palms at the both of them simultaneously.

Just as she had said earlier, she would deal with the three of them at once.

Boom boom!

Under the young lady's powerful assault, the other two hall masters had no choice but to join the fray as well. Thus, the battle became three against one.

Pipa! Pipa! Pipa!

Ten breaths later, Hall Master Zhao Yi's face had already reddened from exhaustion. There were two clear palm prints on his chest, but only his clothes were ripped. The attacks did not deal any considerable external or internal injuries to him. Clearly, the young lady had gone easy on him.

Twenty breaths later, Hall Masters Wei Qianshu and Liu Qinshan were forced to retreat several steps in a fluster. A stifling sensation choked up their chests, rendering them unable to speak.

The trio clasped their fists simultaneously and bowed. "We have lost..."

Despite collaborating with one another, they were still unable to defeat the young lady before them. They never would have believed such a thing to be possible in the past, but with it happening right before their eyes, there was no way they could deny it anymore.

Furthermore, it was apparent that the young lady had gone easy on them. Otherwise, every one of them would have been severely wounded.

As stifled as Hall Master Zhao Yi felt from his defeat, he had to concede that the strength wielded by the young lady was truly extraordinary. Out of curiosity, he could not help but ask, "May I know how I should address you?"

The least he could do was to find out the name of the person who had defeated him.

On the other hand, the young lady placed her hands behind her back and tilted her chin upward. A faint smile surfaced on her lips, and in an instant, it felt as if a field of flowers had blossomed.

"Xuanxuan Faction, Luo Qiqi!"

Chapter 1199: Decree of the Progeny of Combat

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Luo Qiqi?"

The trio etched the name into the depths of their hearts.

As the heads of their regional Combat Master Halls, they were existences who were looked up to by countless combat masters, revered for the overwhelming strength they wielded. Even within the Leaving Aperture realm, there was nearly no one who was a match for them. Yet, they were not a match for the young lady at all. This went to show the young lady's astounding prowess!

"May I know if Lady Qiqi is interested in joining our Chongyuan Empire Combat Master Hall?" Hall Master Zhao Yi stepped forward and clasped his fist.

"I am not interested," Luo Qiqi replied curtly.

If she was truly interested in joining the Combat Master Hall, she would have long taken the examination for it. There was no need for her to have dragged it out till now. And to be honest, she was only interested in staying by her teacher's side at the moment. If only she could, she would willingly stay with him until the end of time...

"This..." Hearing the other party's unhesitating rejection, Hall Master Zhao Yi knew that it would be impossible for him to convince the young lady otherwise, so he could only give up with a bitter smile.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, a resounding horn reminiscent of the roar of thunder reverberated deafeningly throughout the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall. It was so loud that it felt as if it would tear through even the heavens.

The sound was coming from the very heart of the Combat Master Hall, the Great Combat Master Atrium!

"It's the Combat Master Assembly Decree!"

The eyes of the four hall masters widened in astonishment.

The Combat Master Hall was in charge of maintaining the security of the region, and for that purpose, they devoted most of their time to training and cultivating. However, once the horn was blown, all combat masters that heard the sound had to assemble immediately. Even the slightest delay would not be tolerated!

"Let's head over!"

Knowing that this was not the time to speak, they hurriedly rushed over to the Great Combat Master Atrium.

The fact that the horn had been blown meant that something major had occurred.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the concourse right before the Great Combat Master Atrium. At this moment, all the combat masters in the Qingyuan Empire had assembled in the area. With grim expressions, they stood upright in neat rows, as if soldiers awaiting their commands.

Hula!

Right after the four hall masters landed at the very forefront of the crowd, a powerful energy suddenly rippled in the Great Combat Master Atrium, forming a massive screen in midair.

"It's news from the headquarters!"

Upon seeing this, Hall Master Xing and the others heaved a sigh of relief.

They had been worrying that there had been an invasion and that they would have to march onto the battlefield. Fortunately, that did not seem to be the case.

If it was a war, the headquarters would have sent a command straight into their minds and had them set forth as soon as possible. They would not have gone to the trouble of producing this massive screen.

Boom!

While the four hall masters were trying to deduce what was going on, the voice of an elder suddenly sounded from the massive screen, echoing in the hearts of every single combat master present.

"The candidate that the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall nominated, Zheng Yang, has successfully cleared the Dragon Gate Formation, and I hereby declare him the Progeny of Combat of our Combat Master Hall!

Hula!

Following which, a silhouette gradually surfaced on the massive screen. It was a young man holding a spear in his hand. He commanded a sharp aura that felt as if it would pierce through the heavens.

The current Zheng Yang looked much keener than before. Under Zhang Xuan's tutelage, he had already been extremely formidable, but having never experienced the cruelty and the bloodshed from life-and-death battles, it was inevitable that he would appear a little immature. However, at this moment, the presence that he commanded was formidable, and it exerted immense pressure on those before him.

It felt as if the sharp blade of a dagger was pressed on their skin, threatening to part their skin and flesh.

"Progeny of Combat?"

Hall Masters Zhao Yi, Wei Qianshu, and Lin Qinshan narrowed their eyes in astonishment, and their bodies froze on the spot.

It had been three hundred years since the passing of the previous Progeny of Combat of the Combat Master Hall. They were well aware of the significance behind this declaration.

They had thought that the Qingyuan Empire was just a declining empire that would soon fall out of its ranks and that its Combat Master Hall had fallen into a spiral of frailty. Yet, who would have thought that a combat master from their ranks would actually succeed in clearing the Dragon Gate Formation and become the next Progeny of Combat?

Putting the rest aside, just the 'gratitude of nomination' was more than enough for them to rise to unprecedented heights.

That realization left the trio with a hoarseness at the back of their throats, and they found themselves unable to speak a single word.

They had still been lamenting their bad luck from being unable to claim a single slot from the friendly spar, but after witnessing the sight before them, they realized that it had not been bad luck at all. From the very start, the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall wielded strength far exceeding theirs!

At the same time, Hall Master Xing could not help but narrow his eyes either.

In truth, when he sent Zheng Yang over to the Combat Master Hall headquarters, he did not bear much hope for success. But contrary to his expectations, the young man really managed to pull it off!

Progeny of Combat... That was the man who would become the next head of the entire Combat Master Hall, the future Combat God of the Master Teacher Continent!

And that man had actually come from their branch!

Weng!

While he was still overwhelmed by emotions from that realization, the sight on the screen suddenly changed as Zheng Yang swept his spear toward a massive dragon ahead of him.

"This is... challenging the Dragon Gate Formation?" Hall Master Xing remarked.

In order to become the Progeny of Combat, one had to first clear the Dragon Gate Formation.

The Dragon Gate Formation was divided into three stages: Dragon's Tail, Dragon's Back, and Dragon's Head. In every single stage, the challenger would have to face three challengers with consecutively ascending cultivation stage, ranging from an equivalent cultivation to eight cultivation stages higher!

Furthermore, the fighting prowess of the three cultivators was further enhanced by the Dragon Gate Formation, making it extremely difficult to defeat them.

It was for this reason that no one had cleared the Dragon Gate Formation in the past three hundred years.

"The headquarters are playing the recording of the Progeny of Combat clearing the Dragon Gate Formation to all combat masters in order to muster their morale through the strength of the new Progeny of Combat, as well as to show them that the trial was carried out fairly!"

The sight was recorded using the Record Crystal in the headquarters, and naturally, it was played to the combat masters for a reason.

The intent was clear as well.

It was to force all the combat masters to acknowledge the strength of the Progeny of Combat, thus building up authority and respect for him. This was a necessary procedure for the Progeny of Combat to lead the Combat Master Hall in the future.

Hu la!

While Hall Master Xing was pondering over the matter, he saw Zheng Yang making his way over to the Dragon's Tail.

His spear shot forth with a speed so swift that it was nearly indiscernible, flying forth as if a streak of lightning.

"Too strong..." Even though it was only a video, Hall Master Xing still could not help but shudder upon seeing the speed of the spear.

If he were to face the Progeny of Combat at the same cultivation realm, there was no doubt that the spear would have pierced through his throat before he could even respond.

But before this despairing strength, the combat masters in the Dragon's Tail actually manage to react to the spear. They swiftly moved to meet Zheng Yang's spear with their own, and a powerful shockwave burst into the surroundings.

Despite having his assault foiled, Zheng Yang did not show the slightest hint of apprehension. He took a leisure step forward, and despite his light movement, for some reason, his body still moved at an exceptional speed. In the blink of an eye, he was already standing before one of the combat masters.

Peng!

With a quick flick of his spear, he sent the combat master flying out of the field. After which, he continued executing his spear art relentlessly toward the two remaining combat masters, overpowering them swiftly. In just three moves, the both of them were subdued as well. With this, the Dragon's Tail had fallen.

"What swift spearmanship..."

The combat masters in the concourse could not help but tighten their fists in agitation.

At the same time, the eyes of the combat masters from the Martial Arts Division lit up as they watched the fight.

All in all, Zheng Yang had used five moves to deal with the Dragon's Tail. Even though it appeared that he had only used the most straightforward movements, a pierce and a sweep, they had been infused with the very essence of spearmanship, making it extremely difficult to guard against them.

Even if they were to devote their entire lives to the spearmanship, they could not see themselves pulling off the same spear that Zheng Yang had used.

However, this was not the end of the Dragon Gate Formation yet. The Dragon's Tail could only be said to be the starter, and there was still the Dragon's Back and Dragon's Head to go.

The trio on the Dragon's Back had a cultivation of three, four, and five cultivation stages higher than Zheng Yang.

Similarly, it did not take too long for Zheng Yang to subdue them. He met with slight difficulties in the midst of doing so, but it did not pose too much of a problem.

"He has used 17 moves in total!" Hall Master Xing exclaimed in shock.

After clearing the Dragon's Back, Zheng Yang moved on to the Dragon's Head.

The three cultivators in the Dragon's Head were of six, seven, and eight cultivation stages stronger than him. The moment they made a move, a powerful gale blew furiously in the surroundings as overwhelming auras crushed down in the area.

It was as if a true dragon had surfaced in the area, causing ominous clouds to gather in the sky, as if the entire world was cowering in fear before its might.

On the other hand, Zheng Yang seemed like a withered leaf floating on the surface of a raging ocean. It seemed as if he would be submerged under the furious might of the three cultivators, but somehow, he still managed to remain firmly afloat.

Peng! Peng! Peng!

Sometime later, the clouds finally scattered, and Zheng Yang's figure surfaced once more. He was panting heavily, and beads of sweat trickled relentlessly down his forehead.

He was severely wounded; there were many bloodied gouges all over his body. However, his three opponents were lying unconscious on the floor, leaving him the only one standing on the field. Without a doubt, he had successfully cleared the Dragon's Head trial as well!

"Now, for the final Dragon's Pearl..."

Unlike the simplified Dragon Gate Formation, the complete Dragon Gate Formation in the Combat Master Hall headquarters contained a Dragon's Pearl as well, and it was also known to be the most difficult phase of the entire trial.

Over the past three hundred years, there had been around ten cultivators who were able to clear the simplified Dragon's Gate Formation, but not a single one of them had managed to clear the Dragon's Pearl.

Standing on the spot, Zheng Yang took in a few deep breaths to recuperate slightly from his wounds before proceeding forward. Blood was still trickling down from his wounds, leaving a crimson trail behind him.

Despite so, his footsteps were firm and steady. It was as if there was some kind of faith that granted him the courage to march on fearlessly, not cowering even in the face of death.

Boom boom boom!

Soon, a cultivator stood before him—the guardian of the Dragon's Pearl.

Without any hesitation, the duo began clashing with one another.

The guardian of the Dragon's Pearl was an incredibly powerful cultivator. Every blow of his harnessed immense strength that seemed to warp even space itself, and halfway into the battle, Zheng Yang's spear even broke in a direct clash against the guardian.

Nevertheless, Zheng Yang did not give up. Fist art, movement art, leg art... He utilized every kind of technique at his disposal, executing profound moves one after another. Eventually, through utilizing his body as a spear, he successfully breached the cultivator's defense and achieved victory.

"388 blows... It really isn't easy to become the Progeny of Combat!" Hall Master Xing remarked.

Even though Zheng Yang had managed to defeat the Dragon's Pearl in the end, he had also come to the very limits of his body. At this point, there was not a single unwounded patch of skin on his body, and his body was trembling weakly.

However, he still remained firmly standing.

Completely astounded by the sight before them, all the combat masters fell silent. They had a feeling that they would never be able to erase this sight from their minds.

To be honest, if they had been in Zheng Yang's place, they would have already given up at the Dragon's Back. This had nothing to do with their strength but their willpower.

It was as if Zheng Yang carried an unwavering faith within him. No matter how many gorges one pierced through him, he still firmly stood his ground, determined to defeat his opponent.

This undying spirit was what set them apart from him.

"I, Zheng Yang, was only an ordinary spear practitioner from the humble Tianxuan Kingdom!"

The recording cut off from the Dragon Gate Formation, and when Zheng Yang appeared once more, he was already cleaned up, and his wounds had recovered as well.

"It's the blessing of the heavens that I met my teacher. Not only did he impart the strongest spearmanship to me, he also taught me important values, correcting me patiently whenever I stray off from the path. It's thanks to his guidance that I was able to become the person I am today.

"In cultivation, the aim is not only to cultivate one's strength, but more importantly, to cultivate one's character. The Way of the Spear is but a means to that. The reason I was able to become the Progeny of Combat isn't due to strength but the principles, values, and aims that I hold onto dearly! I hope that all of you will come to comprehend this someday...

"Last but not least, I shall make my first decree as the Progeny of Combat!"

The crowd in the Combat Master Hall swiftly got to their knees and clasped their fists. "We will humbly listen to the decree of the Progeny of Combat!"

In the absence of the hall master, the Progeny of Combat Decree was effectively the Hall Master Decree, an order that all combat masters had to comply to unconditionally.

"I am deeply indebted to my teacher. Without him, there would be no me. Thus, I hereby order everyone in the Combat Master Hall, regardless of strength or position, to honor and respect him as a teacher!"

"Yes!" A resounding response sounded from the crowd.

The teacher of the Progeny of Combat was effectively the teacher of the entire Combat Master Hall.

Anyone who dared disrespect him would be disrespecting the entire Combat Master Hall as well.

"My teacher has always been humble, so no one is to speak of his identity outside of the Combat Master Hall. Anyone who dares leak any detail about him shall be executed on the spot! Understood?" Zheng Yang commanded authoritatively.

"Yes!" the crowd replied thunderingly.

"Very well. Etch the name of my teacher into your minds lest you cross him...

"My teacher is Zhang Xuan!"

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Chapter 1200: Spirit Reinforcing Pill

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Zhang Xuan?" Hall Master Zhao Yi repeated the name under his breath.

Considering how much respect the Progeny of Combat had for his teacher, he would have to make sure to treat the other party respectfully in the future.

At this moment, he suddenly caught sight of a young man flying over from afar and landing in the middle of the concourse. Placing his hands behind him, the young man looked at the Progeny of Combat on the screen with complex emotions in his eyes.

"Hall Master Xing, is that person a combat master from your Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall?" Hall Master Zhao Yi narrowed his eyes in rage. "It's one thing for him to arrive so late despite the sounding of the Combat Master Assembly Decree, but how dare he not kneel to receive the decree of the Progeny of Combat? Is this the kind of discipline a combat master should have?"

It was just a moment ago that the Progeny of Combat had made his decree, so it was only right for all combat masters to kneel and humbly receive his decree. And yet, that young man arrogantly dared to remain standing in the middle of the concourse! This was truly unacceptable!

"Ah, he isn't a combat master from our Combat Master Hall. He's the person whom I told you about, the head of the Xuanxuan Faction, the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang... Hall Master Zhao, where are you going?" Hall Master Xing explained with his sight still fixated on the Progeny of Combat on the screen. When he finally turned about to look at Hall Master Zhao, he realized that the latter had already stood up and was walking toward Zhang Xuan with a hostile glint in his eyes.

"I don't care whether you are the head of the Xuanxuan Faction or whoever you are, but our Combat Master Hall is currently holding a solemn ceremony now. Please leave this instant, or else don't blame me for getting nasty with you!"

The decree of the Progeny of Combat was a confidential secret among the Combat Master Hall. Since the young man was not from the Combat Master Hall, he should have known better than to land in the middle of the concourse. Or... could it be that he was trying to eavesdrop on the confidential secrets of the Combat Master Hall?"

"You want to get nasty with me?" Zhang Xuan frowned in displeasure.

He had rushed over to see how the friendly spar had gone, only to see the image of Zheng Yang before the Great Combat Master Atrium while he was making his way over. Thus, he could not help but land in the concourse to take a closer look.

Looking at how his student had matured, and he could not help but feel a little nostalgic inside.

But at that moment, this old man suddenly came over to threaten him.

"That's right, don't think..." Hall Master Zhao Yi bellowed furiously, but before he could finish his words, a finger suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Sou!

Hall Master Zhao Yi's eyes widened in astonishment, but it was already too late for him to respond. It appeared to be a normal flick, but due to the immense force harnessed within the flick, his body swiftly retreated into the distance before colliding with the wall of the atrium, producing a resounding explosion.

Zhang Xuan was in no mood to deal with anyone. This was a precious moment for him and his student, and he did not want to be interrupted by anyone.

Since the old man was the one who had provoked him in the first place, he had no qualms about flicking the old man away.

After sending the old man flying, Zhang Xuan placed his hands behind his back once more as he continued looking at the screen before him.

Watching how Zheng Yang had become the Progeny of Combat had left him many emotions within.

He had accompanied Zheng Yang on every part of his journey since Tianxuan Kingdom, watching how an ordinary spear fanatic who had just had his heart broken slowly worked diligently day in and day out, gradually refining his spear art to a level far surpassing his peers, eventually becoming the Progeny of Combat.

So many things had changed in less than a year. Time sure was a powerful force.

A teacher can only do so much for their student. The true reason for your success lies in your own diligence and perseverance! Zhang Xuan nodded in approval.

While the simplified Heaven's Path Spear Art was an unparalleled battle technique in the world, it would be for naught if the practitioner himself did not work diligently on it.

Just take Sun Qiang for example... Forget it, let's not talk about something that depressing on this happy occasion.

Zheng Yang could not be considered the most talented among his direct disciples, but without a doubt, he was the most valiant and hot-blooded of them all.

It was his deep love and perseverance for the spear that had led him to where he was today.

Even the most capable of teachers could only play an auxiliary role in the lives of their students.

Zheng Yang had managed to pave his own way forward, and Zhang Xuan was happy for him.

"How dare you..."

Climbing out of the rubble, Hall Master Zhao Yi gritted his teeth in fury.

He had thought that the brazen young man would leave sheepishly after hearing his criticism, but who knew that the latter would actually be so arrogant as to beat him up?

To make a move against a hall master in a Combat Master Hall... Unpardonable!

Seething with rage, Hall Master Zhao Yi was just about to rush up to the young man once more to teach him a lesson when he suddenly saw Hall Master Xing rushing toward him.

"Hall Master Xing, that leader of the Xuanxuan Faction actually dared to brazenly assault me before the Progeny of Combat! He might be your guest, but such actions cannot be tolerated in the Combat Master Hall! Otherwise, what will become of the discipline of the combat masters?" Hall Master Zhao Yi spat angrily through gritted teeth.

The reason his candidates had failed to acquire a single slot to the Sword Lagoon of the Qianchong Empire was due to that fellow, and he had even been humiliated by a young lady of the Xuanxuan Faction just a moment ago. While he had chosen to accept those matters, it was still inevitable that they would breed some frustration and resentment within him toward the leader of the Xuanxuan Faction.

This incident only served to spark those negative emotions within him. Completely clouded by rage, the only thing that was on his mind at that moment was to teach that young man a lesson!

"Listen to me, he isn't just an ordinary guest..." Hall Master Xing hurriedly advised.

"I know that your Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall is indebted to him, but he dared to disrespect the Progeny of Combat and undermine the Combat Master Hall! If I don't teach him a lesson, how am I to face my combat masters?" Hall Master Zhao Yi harrumphed coldly as he marched forward furiously.

"Fine, do whatever you like!" Seeing how Hall Master Zhao Yi refused to hear his words, Hall Master Xing frowned in displeasure. He flung his sleeves impatiently and said, "Right, I forgot you tell you. The name of the leader of the Xuanxuan Faction is... Zhang Xuan!"

"Zhang Xuan?" That name caused Hall Master Zhao Yi to halt in his footsteps. An ominous feeling in his heart left him shuddering in fear as he asked meekly, "The teacher of the Progeny of Combat?"

"Who else?" Hall Master Xing replied curtly before returning to his position to kneel down.

If you desire death that much, go ahead!

I won't stop you!

"He... really is the teacher of the Progeny of Combat?" Hall Master Zhao Yi suddenly found the world spinning around him as he struggled to process what he had just heard.

It was no wonder the candidates of the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall would grow so much stronger after three days of guidance! If the teacher of the Progeny of Combat was behind the matter, that would explain a lot!

Hu!

Hall Master Zhao Yi stood petrified on the spot, not knowing what he should do.

At this moment, the silhouette of the Progeny of Combat gradually faded after issuing his decree.

The surrounding combat masters stood up and turned toward Zhang Xuan before bowing respectfully.

"All of them know..." Hall Master Zhao Yi's eyes swam around the place from frenzy.

He was really in deep trouble this time around.

The Progeny of Combat had just instructed everyone to treat his teacher with the utmost respect, and yet, right after hearing the decree, he had insolently told the young man to leave the Combat Master Hall.

His face gradually turned redder and redder as he racked his brain to figure out a way to get the young man to pardon him for his rudeness.

At that moment, Hall Masters Wei Qianshu and Liu Qinshan suddenly walked up to Zhang Xuan and clasped their fists respectfully.

"Paying respects to Zhang shi. Our Combat Master Hall is interested in having an exchange with the Xuanxuan Faction. May I know if Zhang shi will be so magnanimous as to grant us the opportunity to learn from the Xuanxuan Faction?"

"I have long heard of the fame of the Xuanxuan Faction, and it would truly be an honor to have an exchange with you..."

Hearing those words, Hall Master Zhao Yi's lips twitched in frenzy.

Those two fellows were too shameless!

It was just a moment ago that they had been filled with disdain with the so-called Xuanxuan Faction. Yet, as soon as they learned that the leader of the Xuanxuan Faction was the teacher of the Progeny of Combat, their attitudes had immediately taken a 180-degrees turn. Where was their dignity?

"You can discuss the issue with Hall Master Xing." Seeing that a huge crowd was swiftly gathering around him, Zhang Xuan shook his head before taking his leave.

Still overwhelmed by his emotions from seeing how Zheng Yang had become the Progeny of Combat, Zhang Xuan was in no mood to deal with such miscellaneous affairs. In any case, there were others to handle the matter in his stead, so there was no need for him to deal with them personally.

Thus, he returned to his residence.

Not too long later, Hall Master Xing knocked on his door.

"Principal Zhang, thanks to your training, our candidates manage to obtain all twenty slots to Qianchong Empire's Sword Lagoon. As promised, I'll share half of the awarded concentrated high-tier spirit stones with you. However, it will probably take some time before the reward arrives."

"Roughly, how long will it take?"

Hall Master Xing pondered for a moment before replying. "The headquarters have a unique delivery method, but even so, it will still take at least ten days."

"Ten days?" Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed helplessly.

He had thought that he would be able to acquire the concentrated high-tier spirit stones swiftly and quickly advance his cultivation to Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle, but from the looks of it, it seemed like he would still have to wait a while longer.

Why did cultivation have to be so difficult?

Looking back, he really missed the days when he could advance an entire realm within a single night.

"Principal Zhang, do you still require a lot of concentrated high-tier spirit stones?" Hall Master Xing asked after noticing Zhang Xuan's frustrated expression.

"Yes. Do you know of a way to acquire them?"

"I don't have any way to acquire more concentrated high-tier spirit stones, but if you are intending to use them for your cultivation, perhaps you could try the grade-7 Spirit Reinforcing Pill instead," Hall Master Xing suggested. "The Spirit Reinforcing Pill harnesses concentrated medicinal energy that can advance even the cultivation of a Leaving Aperture realm cultivator significantly."

"Spirit Reinforcing Pill?" Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment.

There was some information regarding Spirit Reinforcing Pills within the books in the Master Teacher Pavilion. It was a grade-7 pill that had an effect similar to concentrated high-tier spirit stones. However, he had never seen the pill in person before, and he did not have the pill formula for it either.

"I happen to have a Spirit Reinforcing Pill with me at the moment. Principal Zhang, why don't you give it a try? If it is effective, you can acquire more from Guild Leader Wu. He should have quite a few in his possession." Hall Master Xing flicked his wrist and passed a jade bottle to Zhang Xuan.

"Thank you."

Zhang Xuan took the jade bottle and uncapped it. Floating within the bottle was a crimson pill, and he could vaguely feel the concentrated spirit energy that was sealed within it.

Taking the pill out of the bottle, he popped it into his mouth.

The pill swiftly dissolved into a huge accumulation of warm, concentrated spiritual energy, which swiftly flowed through his meridians before eventually gathering in his dantian.

"It's effective!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Too accustomed to cultivating with spirit stones, he had not really thought of seeking other substitutes for spiritual energy. However, the fact was that there were plenty of items that could replace the use of spirit stones!

For example, the Earth Vein Spirit Essence that he had acquired from the Cloudmist Ridge back then was a superior substitute for middle-tier spirit stones.

Naturally, there were also some pills that could replace spirit stones as well.

Even though the spiritual energy within the Spirit Reinforcing Pill was less concentrated than that of concentrated high-tier spirit stones, it was still useful to him at the moment.

If he could just acquire enough of them, he would be able to push for a breakthrough to Embryonic Spirit realm pinnacle!

Seeing how the young man swallowed the pill directly without bothering to sit down and cultivate, Hall Master Xing widened his eyes in astonishment. "Principal Zhang... don't you have to cultivate to assimilate the energy within the pill into your body?"

Even he would have to take some time to assimilate the energy within a Spirit Reinforcing Pill, and yet, the Saint realm 3-dan young man before him had actually swallowed it so recklessly. Was he not scared of absorbing in too much spiritual energy in one go and exploding?

"Hmm? I have already assimilated the energy within the pill," Zhang Xuan replied with a hint of confusion in his voice.

It was only one small pill; he had assimilated the energy within it a moment after consuming the pill. Why would he have to specially cultivate for it?

"You have already assimilated it?" Hall Master Xing's lips twitched in frenzy. At this moment, he finally understood how the young man before him had been able to advance his cultivation so swiftly.

Putting everything aside, just the rate of his assimilation was already incomparable to any ordinary cultivator.

"Are there more of such pills in the Apothecary Guild?" Zhang Xuan asked.

If he wanted to achieve a breakthrough using the Spirit Reinforcing Pill, he would require a massive amount of them, a hundred at the very minimum. Just that, would the Apothecary Guild have that many pills for him?

"I'm not too sure either. You will have to ask Guild Leader Wu for that," Hall Master Xing replied.

Guild Leader Wu Huayu was the individual who had invigilated Zhang Xuan's Pill Debate examination back when he was still at the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. Zhang Xuan's exceptional results then had led him to deliver the Grand Intermittence Grass to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy personally. Unfortunately, Zhang Xuan happened to be away back then.

"Okay. I'll head to the Apothecary Guild now then," Zhang Xuan replied.

Luo Ruoxin would be marrying the genius of the Zhang Clan on the third month of the following year. He could not afford to waste any time.

Bidding Hall Master Xing farewell, Zhang Xuan walked out of his accommodation, only to see Luo Qiqi walking toward him.

"Teacher..."

Upon seeing Luo Qiqi, Zhang Xuan felt a slight headache.

As an attached man, he felt a little awkward about being confessed to by his student.

Nevertheless, knowing that he could not possibly continue hiding from the other party, he sighed inwardly as he walked up to Luo Qiqi.

"Teacher, can you... accompany me for a day?"

Noticing that Zhang Xuan's expression had turned a little awful, Luo Qiqi's face sank slightly, but she continued staring at him with expectant eyes.

"Just one day!"

Chapter 1201: Your Teacher Shall Redress Your Grievances for You!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"What's wrong?" Noticing that the young lady's eyes were slightly reddened, as if she had just cried a moment ago, Zhang Xuan frowned.

While Luo Qiqi's confession had made the relationship between the two of them slightly awkward, he would not hesitate to strike down anyone who dared bully his student!

"It's nothing much..." Luo Qiqi's eyes seemed to dim for a moment before she raised her head once more and replied with a smile. "I just want to spend some time with you, Teacher."

"Ah... Alright then!" Seeing that Luo Qiqi had something weighing on her mind, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before eventually nodding.

It was inevitable for those too outstanding to be fancied by others. As long as he maintained an appropriate distance between the two of them, there was no issue with them spending some time together.

As long as he conducted himself correctly and made his intentions clear, it would only be a matter of time before the other party dispelled her thoughts. On the other hand, if he continued avoiding her, it would only cause her mind to wander, and that could prove to be dangerous.

Hearing Zhang Xuan's consent, Luo Qiqi's face lit up in delight. "Then... shall we find a quiet place? It's a little noisy over here!"

Be it the Combat Master Hall or the Xuanxuan Faction, they were filled with familiar faces. It was indeed a little inconvenient.

Thus, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

The duo took flight, and before long, they landed at the top of a mountain right outside Qingyuan City.

Sitting on a boulder near the cliff, Luo Qiqi gazed intently at the bustling Qingyuan City, seemingly pondering over something.

A mountainous breeze tussled her hair, pulling some strands over her impeccable face. Yet, this slight imperfection seemed to be perfect in its own way as well.

Admittedly, the young lady was indeed very beautiful, and her beauty was not just limited to her exterior. She had a calming disposition that placed those around her at ease as well, making it very comfortable to be around her.

Facing young lady's queer silence, Zhang Xuan asked with a frown, "Is there something on your mind? As long as it's within my means, I'll try my best to help you."

There was no doubt that the young lady had some worries on her mind, but there was nothing he could do about it if the latter refused to speak.

"It's nothing much. It's just that I suddenly remembered some things from my childhood." Luo Qiqi smiled as she quietly gazed down at Qingyuan City. "When I was younger, I liked to spend my time idly sitting on the rooftop and watching the sunrise and sunset, as well as the birds that fluttered their wings freely in the sky. Somehow, that brought me great joy as a child.

"There was one time when I found myself deeply desiring an artifact. I really wanted it a lot, so I pestered my father to get it for me. In the face of my relentless pleas, my father eventually caved in. However, he said that he would only give it to me after I mastered a cultivation technique, so I frantically cultivated, regardless of day or night. A year later, I finally succeeded! My father did not renege on our promise either, and he gave the artifact to me.

"I can still remember how happy I was the day I received the artifact. It was something that I had acquired through my hard work. I brought it around with me everyday, hugging it to sleep even. But on one occasion, while I was fighting with another, it broke. I was truly heartbroken, and I wept for three whole days. My father found an identical one to comfort me, and it was really the same no matter how one looked at it. But for some reason, I no longer wanted it."

With her knees hugged to her chest and her chin resting atop them, Luo Qiqi tilted her head over and asked, "Teacher, do you know why?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"It is because it is no longer the same one that I liked... Even if it appears identical, it isn't!" Luo Qiqi replied.

Not knowing how to respond to it, Zhang Xuan was quiet for a long moment before replying with a nod.

This should have been a common experience for many. When an object that one liked a lot was destroyed, even if an identical one was bought to replace it, the anticipation for it would no longer be there.

Sentiment was not something that could be transferred just because two objects appeared or were identical.

"Eventually, I slowly came to understand that just because I liked something doesn't mean that I'll be able to possess it forever. Just like that shattered artifact, no matter what I do, I'll never be able to get it back to how it was anymore."

At this point, Luo Qiqi turned to look at Zhang Xuan once more. It seemed like she had many words at the back of her throat, but she was unable to voice them.

Noticing that there was something amiss with the young lady's state, Zhang Xuan said, "What's wrong? Did someone bully you? If the other party is at fault, I'll exact vengeance for you!"

"Pfft!" Luo Qiqi suddenly burst into laughter. She looked at Zhang Xuan playfully as she asked, "Will you really exact vengeance for me?"

"Of course," Zhang Xuan replied with a light smile.

"You are the one who bullied me. Do it, exact vengeance for me," Luo Qiqi said earnestly.

"..." Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless.

A moment of carelessness, and he had fallen into the young lady's trap once more.

Back then, she had claimed that she had some doubts in mind and needed answers, but in the midst of clarifying her doubts, he had ended up being confessed to. It seemed like it was the same this time around as well. A pitiful front, but if he were to earnestly respond to it, he would fall into a pit as well.

Just as Zhang Xuan was at a loss, the young lady suddenly stared at him intently and said, "Teacher, you haven't given me a proper response yet. You should also know that my feelings for you... are more than just those between a teacher and a student!"

"Is this how you should talk to your teacher?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "If that's all you want to say, I'll be leaving now!"

After saying those words, Zhang Xuan stood up.

"I'm joking, I'm joking... Don't get mad!" Luo Qiqi quickly appeased Zhang Xuan while secretly sticking her tongue out.

"It's not funny. Please do not make that kind of joke again." Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"Alright. Teacher..." Luo Qiqi paused for a moment before asking, "Will you teach me pill forging one more time?"

"Sure." Zhang Xuan nodded. "What kind of pill do you want to forge?"

There were many different pill formulae in the world, and each of them had a unique forging method.

"The pill that I want to forge is the grade-7 Spirit Reinforcing Pill," Luo Qiqi replied.

"Spirit Reinforcing Pill?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

It was just a moment ago that he had told Hall Master Xing that he needed some Spirit Reinforcing Pills, and he had been intending to find them at the Apothecary Guild. Who could have known that Luo Qiqi would suddenly ask to learn to forge the pill at this moment?

"That's right," Luo Qiqi replied with an innocent blink of her eyes.

Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before asking, "Do you have the required pill formula and medicinal herbs?"

This would be a good opportunity for him to refine the forging method for the Spirit Reinforcing Pill. With this, he would be spared from a lot of trouble when he headed to the Apothecary Guild.

"I have already prepared them!" Luo Qiqi answered with a smile before flicking her wrist to take out a jade token.

Zhang Xuan took the jade token and scanned it with his consciousness. The content imprinted within the jade token was swiftly transferred into his mind.

It was indeed the pill formula for the Spirit Reinforcing Pill.

With Zhang Xuan's knowledge as a 7-star pinnacle apothecary, it did not take him too long to deduce the most ideal method to forge the pill.

"Here are the medicinal herbs." Luo Qiqi flicked her wrist once more, and a huge pile of medicinal herbs appeared before her eyes.

Taking a swift look at the medicinal herbs, Zhang Xuan was stunned. "Where did you find these medicinal herbs?"

The medicinal herbs that the young lady had taken out each had a maturity of a least several thousand years! One must know that such medicinal herbs were worth an astronomical sum!

An ordinary Spirit Reinforcing Pill only required medicinal herbs that were fifty years mature. If one were to use these several-thousand-year-old medicinal herbs to forge the Spirit Reinforcing Pill, the produced pills would at least be several dozen times more potent!

"As you know, I like to study and explore. I happened to discover an ancient domain a while back, and these medicinal herbs came from there!" Luo Qiqi explained.

"You really are quite lucky," Zhang Xuan remarked.

Given how meticulous Luo Qiqi was, even being able to trace the underground chamber where Wu Yangzi had been imprisoned through a forged weapon, it was not surprising that she had discovered other ancient domains as well.

"Teacher, are these medicinal herbs sufficient to forge the Origin Reinforcing Pill?" Luo Qiqi asked.

"Definitely! Not only sufficient, the Spirit Reinforcing Pill will also be of exceptional quality!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "However, these medicinal herbs are valuable, so you have to be careful not to make an error during the forging. A cauldron explosion with these herbs would be a huge pity!"

With such valuable medicinal herbs, as long as the forging process was perfect as well, there was a good chance that they would be able to up the grade of the Spirit Reinforcing Pill!

"Un." Luo Qiqi nodded.

"Since the medicinal herbs used are of a significantly higher maturity, I'll have to make some changes to the forging method. Give me a moment," Zhang Xuan said.

Naturally, the forging method had to be changed when the potency of the medicinal herbs used was different. Zhang Xuan swiftly went through his forging method once more to tailor it to the current conditions before flicking his wrist to summon the Golden Origin Cauldron.

While the Golden Origin Cauldron was a weapon cauldron, it could also be used as a pill cauldron as long as several conversion formations were cast over it.

"Let's use the Golden Origin Cauldron for the forging; it should lower the chances of a cauldron explosion!"

"Alright!" Luo Qiqi replied.

Once everything was ready, Zhang Xuan whipped out a brush and penned down the revised pill formula before passing it over to the young lady.

It did not take long for the young lady to memorize the pill formula, and soon, the pill forging began.

With Zhang Xuan guiding by the side, the pill forging proceeded smoothly. Soon, the lid of the cauldron was opened, and a burst of spiritual energy burst up to the heavens.

Sou!

Five pills flew out of the cauldron, intending to escape.

"Quasi grade-8 pills!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. He waved his hand, and the Golden Origin Cauldron swiftly leaped up to capture the fleeing pills. After which, Zhang Xuan carefully placed them into jade bottle that he had prepared beforehand.

The Spirit Reinforcing Pill was intended to be a grade-7 pill, but due to the superior maturity of the medicinal herbs used in the forging, they had actually managed to forge five quasi grade-8 pills! While they were not true grade-8 pills yet, their potency could not be compared to a Spirit Reinforcing Pill.

"Since you were able to forge such Spirit Reinforcing Pills, I believe that you should have mastered the forging technique for it as well." Zhang Xuan passed the jade bottle to the young lady with a smile.

On top of being quasi grade-8, those pills were Inscribed Pills as well! Beautiful patterns flowed over the pills, granting them an exceptional beauty.

The quality of a pill could be divided into four tiers: Formation, Satiation, Perfection, and Inscribed Pill.

The fact that Luo Qiqi was able to produce an Inscribed Pill showed that she already commanded a perfect understanding for the forging process of the specific pill.

As long as she digested what she had learned from this experience, her comprehension of pill forging would shoot up significantly.

"It's due to your guidance that I was able to successfully forge the Spirit Reinforcing Pills. Thus, I would like to gift these pills to you!" Luo Qiqi pushed the jade bottle back to Zhang Xuan.

"I can't accept these Spirit Reinforcing Pills from you." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

The medicinal herbs had come from the young lady, and the pill had been forged by her as well. Even though he had guided her from the side, this was not a good enough reason for him to accept these incredibly valuable pills from her.

"Then... How about this? I'll keep one for myself and gift the remaining four to you. If you still feel that it's too much to accept, you can compensate me with spirit stones!" Seeing through Zhang Xuan's thoughts, Luo Qiqi took a pill out of the jade bottle before pushing the rest back to him.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan eventually nodded. "This... Alright then."

It just so happened that he needed some Spirit Reinforcing Pill, and the effectiveness of these quasi grade-8 pills was equivalent to several dozen ordinary ones. With four of these, he would have no trouble achieving a breakthrough to Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle!

Taking out a storage ring, Zhang Xuan placed the ten thousand high-tier spirit stones that he had obtained from the Appraiser Hall into it before passing it over.

Luo Qiqi carefully took the storage ring from Zhang Xuan before raising her head to look at Zhang Xuan once more. "Teacher, you said earlier that you would exact vengeance for me if anyone bullies me. Did you mean it?"

Not expecting Luo Qiqi to suddenly ask such a question, Zhang Xuan was taken aback. A moment later, he nodded. "Yes.

"If anyone dares bully you, your teacher shall redress your grievances for you!"

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Chapter 1202: Saint 3-dan Pinnacle

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

No matter what, Luo Qiqi was still his student. If someone bullied her, he could not possibly sit idly.

This was just like how he would stand up for Lu Chong and the others.

"Thank you..." Seeing the unwavering look in the man's eyes, Luo Qiqi could not help but recall the sight of the latter standing up against the Otherworldly Demon puppets back in the underground chamber, and a faint smile crept onto her lips.

It had been half a year since she had come to know this man, and she knew what kind of person he was.

For his student, he would stand against an entire kingdom unhesitatingly. For his butler, he was a man who would oppose the First King and a vice pavilion master of a Conferred Empire. Domineering, but very protective of those whom he cared for. Just by this alone, she had no doubt that he would rush to her rescue if something happened to her.

And this was why she loved him.

Earnest, gutsy, responsible, and decisive!

To those whom he cared for, he would treat them earnestly, not showing the slightest hint of hypocrisy.

"Teacher, I'm happy to hear such words from you. Alright, I'll be heading back first!" Luo Qiqi patted the dust off her hand as she flashed Zhang Xuan a smile. "I won't impose on you any longer."

Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "Go on."

Even though he had not voiced it explicitly, his actions should have clearly shown his rejection for her feelings.

After the affairs today, she should understand that he viewed her as another one of his precious students, and her affection toward him would never bear fruit. Hopefully, she would cast aside those thoughts and find one who was truly suited for her.

Luo Qiqi turned around before muttering softly, "Farewell... Teacher."

After which, she leaped into the air, and before long, she vanished from sight.

At Luo Qiqi's departure, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

He had only spent two hours with the other party, but he felt as if he had fought a war.

It seemed like he would really have to hold himself back in the future and maintain a lower profile, or else it would be troublesome if too many ladies were to fall in love with him.

Sometimes, being too outstanding was a sorrow.

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan was just about to find a place to cultivate with his newly-acquired Spirit Reinforcing Pills when he suddenly saw a figure heading over. It was none other than Yu Fei-er!

"Zhang shi, aren't you being a little biased? You should have told me that you were teaching Qiqi pill forging! I want to learn it, too!" Yu Fei-er harrumphed as soon as she landed on the cliff, apparently displeased by the private time he had spent with Luo Qiqi.

The both of them had confessed, and yet, Zhang Xuan had still chosen to spend some private with Luo Qiqi. She could not help but feel a little jealous at that.

"I was only teaching her pill forging. Nothing of what you are thinking happened..." Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella in frustration. Knowing that it would be better to be straightforward with someone of Yu Fei-er personality, he decided to get straight to the point. "To be honest with you, I already have someone that I like!"

"Really? Who is it? Is it Qiqi?" Yu Fei-er asked in alarm.

"It's not her but... the little princess of the Luo Clan!" Zhang Xuan replied.

"Luo Clan? As in the Sage clan?" Yu Fei-er did not believe what she was hearing. "The Luo Clan is a lofty existence in the Master Teacher Continent, so how could you be acquainted with their little princess?"

The Sage Clans were existences that stood at the very peak of the Master Teacher Continent, the very embodiment of absolute power! In comparison to the Luo Clan, her Hongyuan royal family was truly nothing at all.

Considering that Zhang Xuan originated from the humble Tianxuan Kingdom, how could he possibly be acquainted with someone as noble as the little princess from the Luo Clan, let alone fall in love with her?

"You can choose not to believe my words if you want to. As for how I came to know her... I can only say that it was the workings of destiny. Furthermore, I can tell you that the feelings that we have for one another are mutual!" At this point, Zhang Xuan could not help but think of Luo Ruoxin, and his lips unknowingly curled up into a smile.

It was a misunderstanding that had brought them together the first time they met. He had thought that she was being pursued by spirit beasts back then, and he had forcefully pulled her down into a river, only to faint in the end. Thinking about it, the misunderstanding seemed almost like the miraculous working of fate. If that had not happened, would they still be together today?

In any case, since he already had someone he loved, he did not want to get too deeply involved with other ladies anymore. Yu Fei-er was a headstrong and resolute person, so he felt that he should nip her feelings in the bud.

"I don't believe you. You are lying..." Yu Fei-er's face paled.

All along, she had thought that Zhang Xuan had no girlfriend and that she, Luo Qiqi, and Hu Yaoyao all stood a chance as long as they worked diligently. However, it seemed like they were already too late.

"You are a wonderful lady, but what I am saying is the truth." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"But I..." Too agitated, Yu Fei-er's breathing hastened, rendering her unable to continue. Gritting her teeth, she turned around. After a moment of silence, she spat, one word after a word, "Zhang shi, I have imposed on you today. I'll be leaving now..."

Then, not even waiting for Zhang Xuan's response, she leaped into the sky and took flight, disappearing into the horizon in a few moments.

Even though she did not say anything, her voice was tinged with sorrow and shock.

She could not believe that Zhang Xuan was taken, and she could not accept it either.

"Jeez." Seeing that he had unintentionally hurt two ladies in just a few moments, Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed.

If possible, he did not want to have done that either.

But he simply did not harbor any romantic feelings toward them. If he had allowed their feelings for him to develop, it would only have caused them greater pain in the future.

Only for Luo Ruoxin did his heart beat.

Having experienced two lifetimes in two different worlds, he had already seen many things, allowing him to remain unfazed and composed before most matters. Yet, before Luo Ruoxin, he acted like a young man. Out of jealousy, he had ended up beating Feng Xun up and intentionally traumatizing Zhang Jiuxiao. Despite his rational personality, he found himself with an irrational hate for the Zhang Clan as well.

Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er were beautiful and outstanding ladies, but neither of them were able to generate such feelings within him.

He knew very well that all he felt for them was the care and concern that a teacher would have for his students.

Since that was the case, rather than get needlessly entangled with them, it would be better to dash whatever hope they had before they descended deeper into the abyss. After all, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

He was certain that this was the best course of action.

"Forget it, I shouldn't think too much into it now. I should raise my cultivation to Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle first!" Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan tossed aside the other thoughts he had in his mind and sat cross-legged on the ground.

The area was exceptionally quiet, and there was not a person in sight. It was the ideal environment for him to cultivate in.

He quickly conditioned the internal state of his body and his breath, and when his physical condition finally peaked roughly two hours later, he took out a Spirit Reinforcing Pill and swallowed it.

The Spirit Reinforcing Pills that Luo Qiqi had forged were made using extremely mature medicinal herbs. Those medicinal herbs harnessed rich medicinal energy, and the pills were perfectly forged on top of that, reaching the tier of Inscribed Pill. As such, every single one of the four pills harnessed several dozen times more spiritual energy than the one he had obtained from Hall Master Xing.

As the pill dissolved in his mouth, he immediately felt a blazing surge of energy coursing through his meridians before eventually gathering around his Origin Soul.

Upon reaching Saint 3-dan intermediate stage, his Origin Soul had adopted a form reminiscent of an eight-year-old child. Its every move seemed to be tinged with incredible might that could shatter the world.

Calming his mind, Zhang Xuan focused his consciousness on the internal state of his body as he began to drive his zhenqi according to the Saint 3-dan Heaven's Path Divine Art. Whenever he felt that he was running low on spiritual energy, he would unhesitatingly swallow a Spirit Reinforcing Pill.

As he absorbed more and more spiritual energy from the Spirit Reinforcing Pills, his cultivation and strength swiftly rose.

Embryonic Soul realm intermediate stage!

Embryonic Soul realm advanced stage!

Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle!

An hour later...

His Origin Soul had already adopted the form of a sixteen to seventeen-year-old young man, sharing an identical appearance with him, just slightly younger.

Its size remained the same as back when it was just an infant—ten meters tall. It did not become any taller during its development.

"Finally!" Zhang Xuan exclaimed after a deep exhalation.

He had really gone through a lot of trouble just to raise his cultivation to this level. Fortunately, diligence did not fail him. After overcoming all the difficulties in his path, he had finally managed to reach Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle!

However, the four Spirit Reinforcing Pills that Luo Qiqi had given him also ended up being depleted as well, and he had become poor once more.

Assessing his internal condition again, he felt that the flow of zhenqi in his body was far smoother than ever, and his strength had already risen by leaps and bounds as compared to before.

He stretched out his hands and lightly closed his fist together.

Peng!

A sonic boom sounded, and the next moment, the boulder beneath him suddenly burst into dust.

It was fortunate that he had flown up in advance, or else he would have been cloaked in dust.

This is the might wielded by an Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle expert? Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly together in excitement. Incredible!

Even though it was hard for him to determine his current strength until he exchanged blows with a true expert, he was confident that if he were to meet the Qingtian Emperor once more, he would be able to crush the latter into meat paste with a single punch.

Huala!

Rising to his feet, he reined in his aura, and the pressure he exerted finally vanished. In the eyes of other cultivators, he would only appear as an ordinary Saint 3-dan pinnacle.

Even though he had raised his cultivation significantly, he still had every intention of maintaining a low profile. If he could avoid standing in the spotlight, he would try his best to do so to avoid unnecessary trouble.

At my current cultivation realm, ordinary Spirit Reinforcing Pills won't be of much use to me anymore. There's no longer any point in me heading to the Apothecary Guild.

Zhang Xuan's original intention had been to pay a visit to the Apothecary Guild to purchase some Spirit Reinforcing Pill to advance his cultivation. However, along with the rise in his cultivation, it would seem that the concentration of the spiritual energy within ordinary Spirit Reinforcing Pill was no longer sufficient for his cultivation.

As such, it would be futile no matter how many of them he acquired. He would only be wasting his money.

Forget it, I should just return to the Combat Master Hall. Those three hall masters should still be around, so I can assess my new strength on them, Zhang Xuan thought with a chuckle as he began making his way back to the Combat Master Hall.

However, just as he was about to make his way back, he suddenly froze for a moment. Flicking his wrist, he took out a jade token.

Wu shi had sent him a message. After taking a look at it, his face immediately turned grim.

Pavilion Master Gou... is dead?

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Chapter 1203: Crisis at the Master Teacher Pavilion

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

In the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, straw mats lay side by side on the ground, and eight corpses were neatly placed on top.

The corpses were each dressed in a master teacher robe, and the seven gleaming stars on their chests indicated their identities.

Zhang Xuan was extremely familiar with the elder in the center. It was due to the injustice that the elder had brought upon him that he had gone to the extent of crashing the Master Teacher Pavilion, even directly exchanging blows with him in the midst of doing so. He had thought that the elder would be severely judged by the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, but who would have thought that he would die before then?

Zhang Xuan turned to Wu shi and asked grimly, "What happened?"

"It happened earlier in the day... Based on the list of names you gave me, I quickly moved to apprehend those related master teachers and apprehend them. However... just as I was interrogating the eighth suspect, my subordinate suddenly reported to me that eight master teachers of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion had passed away!" Wu shi replied lividly.

He had interrogated the apprehended suspects discreetly so as to not alarm the enemy, but it seemed like the enemy had somehow learned of the matter and decided to kill eight 7-star master teachers to warn them against probing any further into the matter.

And the victims included even the old Pavilion Master Gou!

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

It was a blatant threat targeted toward them.

"Furthermore," Wu shi continued, "they all died in the same manner as Chen Zhe and the others. When we found them, their souls had already dissipated, leaving behind an empty body."

Zhang Xuan fell silent.

He had also noticed the same as soon as he stepped into the room. Despite their bodies being perfectly intact, the eight master teachers did not have a hint of life within them. Only the soul nabbing secret art could result in such a deeply unnerving death.

It's Vicious! Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly together.

Only Vicious had the strength to nab even Pavilion Master Gou's soul.

Just that... from what he knew, Vicious should have been in the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows. Furthermore, from what he had learned in the Qingtian Emperor's memories, it appeared that Vicious had been sealed by something, preventing him from leaving the region. Considering the long distance between Qingyuan City and the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows, how could he possibly carry out such a feat?

Zhang Xuan turned around and asked, "Where were they found?"

"They were found in their accommodation. Their family members thought that they were resting, so they did not disturb them initially. However, when they attempted to call for them but received no response, they approached them, only to realize that they had stopped breathing," Wu shi replied before turning to look at Zhang Xuan. "Does this matter have something to do with the Qingtian Emperor? But... isn't the Qingtian Emperor already dead?"

As a soul oracle, the Qingtian Emperor was skilled in soul arts, and he had killed Chen Zhe and the others using one of his secret arts. Zhang Xuan had already informed him of this matter, thus unraveling the cause of the mysterious deaths that had occurred in the Master Teacher Pavilion a while back.

But since it was affirmed that the Qingtian Emperor was already dead, who else could possibly wield the ability to pull off the same feat?

The deaths of these eight 7-star master teachers were simply so abrupt and mysterious that it had shocked everyone in the Master Teacher Pavilion, sending them into a fluster.

It was the norm for humans to fear those that they were unable to comprehend, and even master teachers were no exception to the rule.

Pavilion Master Gou had been viewed as the strongest individual in Qingyuan City, but if even he could be killed silently without putting up a fight, it did not seem like anyone would stand a chance against the murderer. The realization of this notion left the necks of the master teachers feeling cold.

"The Qingtian Emperor is dead, but the person behind him is still alive and kicking," Zhang Xuan replied with a vexed look.

"The person behind him?" Wu shi was perplexed by those words.

As the matter concerning Vicious' existence was simply too huge, Zhang Xuan had decided not to tell anyone about it. As such, not even Wu shi was aware of the matter.

"Yes. Even if the Qingtian Emperor was the Emperor of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, it is worth contemplating how he managed to learn the heritage of the soul oracle oracles when they had already disappeared many years ago. As such, I believe that there's a mastermind behind this matter who imparted the heritage of the soul oracles to the Qingtian Emperor. If my deduction is correct, he's probably the one who had caused this as well," Zhang Xuan replied.

"A mastermind who imparted the heritage of the soul oracles to the Qingtian Emperor?" Wu shi narrowed his eyes in alarm as he said, "How powerful do you think the mastermind is? If he's beyond the means of a Conferred Empire, I'll immediately report this matter to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters and have them dispatch some men to assist us!"

The Master Teacher Pavilion had its own system. Typically speaking, while subordinate Master Teacher Pavilions would report major affairs to the Master Teacher Pavilion above them, they were still expected to resolve matters in the region by themselves.

Firstly, the headquarters also had their own region to care for, and they did not have the spare energy and time to be cleaning up after the subordinate Master Teacher Pavilions. Secondly, it would also serve as a platform to temper the master teachers in the branch.

If the headquarters had to attend to every single problem that the subordinate Master Teacher Pavilions were facing, it probably would not have been long before the advanced master teachers worked themselves to death.

However, if the problem exceeded the scope of the subordinate Master Teacher Pavilion, that was a different matter. If such a problem was left uncared for, it could possibly lead to a great massacre. In such cases, the subordinate Master Teacher Pavilion would be justified in calling for the aid of a higher ranked master teacher from the headquarters.

"How long will it take for the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters to dispatch an envoy?" Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.

Wu shi swiftly did a rough calculation before replying. "If I recall correctly, the Master Teacher Pavilion closest to us that has at least one half 8-star master teacher is the Qianchong Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion. If the headquarters dispatched a half 8-star master teacher from them, judging from the distance, it would take at least ten days. However, if we require an 8-star master teacher, we would have to call for an envoy directly from the Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion, and if that's the case, it will take twenty days at the minimum!"

"Ten days, twenty days? We don't have that much time to spare." Zhang Xuan pinched his glabella grimly. "By the time the envoy arrives, our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion could have very well been massacred!"

"What do we do then?" Wu shi asked anxiously.

Indeed, they could not afford to wait ten to twenty days. The enemy possessed an ability to kill their men silently, and in a single night, he had already managed to take out eight 7-star master teachers. If the enemy continued their massacre at the current rate, it would not be long before all of the 7-star master teachers of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion were killed!

"I'm not too sure how powerful the mastermind behind the Qingtian Emperor is, but I believe that his strength shouldn't exceed the Leaving Aperture realm. Otherwise, the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters would have definitely kept a lookout for their movements," Zhang Xuan analyzed.

While the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters left the regional Master Teacher Pavilion to their own devices, they would still conduct a thorough scan throughout the world using a special technique from time to time. If they found any existences that exceeded the tier of the regional Master Teacher Pavilion, they would eliminate it immediately if they viewed it to be a threat, or else, they would maintain a close watch over its movements.

The highest fighting power in Conferred Empires was the Leaving Aperture realm. Considering how Vicious' eye was able to remain in the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows without alerting the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, it was likely that he had not exceeded that level.

"But even if he has not exceeded Leaving Aperture realm, there is a huge difference in the prowess of a Leaving Aperture realm cultivator for each increment in the cultivation stage. As long as the mastermind wields strength exceeding Leaving Aperture realm primary stage, we will have no way of dealing with him!" Wu shi frowned.

In Leaving Aperture realm, a cultivator would be able to draw their Primordial Spirit out of their body and directly manipulate the energy in their surroundings to aid them in battle. Every increment in the cultivation stage would call forth a lightning ordeal, and as long as the cultivator survived it, it would temper their Primordial Spirit and significantly enhance their control over their surroundings. Due to that, there was a vast difference in the fighting prowess of Leaving Aperture realm cultivators of differing cultivation stages.

For example, even though it might appear that there was only a small cultivation stage difference between Leaving Aperture realm primary stage and Leaving Aperture realm intermediate, a dozen Leaving Aperture realm primary stage cultivators might not have even been a match for a single Leaving Aperture realm intermediate stage cultivator!

As such, even if the mastermind was still within the Leaving Aperture realm, if their cultivation had already reached Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle, there was no person or any power in Qingyuan Empire that would be able to stand against the mastermind.

"I understand that as well, but I don't have a clear gauge on the mastermind's exact power at the moment. Alright, let's put this matter aside for now. There are more important matters for us to attend to." Zhang Xuan turned his gaze toward the corpses on the ground and said, "Aren't you curious about how the mastermind managed to kill these eight 7-star master teachers discreetly?"

"How?"

"That night, when I was assaulted by the Qingtian Emperor, I happened to learn of the secret behind their soul nabbing secret art. They utilize a medium to infiltrate the consciousness of a cultivator and take their soul away. This medium could be anything, such as an altar or even a soul fragment. So, one aspect that we should explore is what medium the mastermind used to kill these eight men. Did you find anything during your investigation of the case?" Zhang Xuan asked.

In close proximity, Vicious could nab the soul of anyone easily. However, over tens of thousands of li, he would have to rely on a medium to channel his soul energy.

Like the altar that he had found beneath Chen Zhe's residence a while back!

However, the altar should have been taken away by Wu shi and sealed. So... how did Vicious manage to kill these eight master teachers?

Wu shi was taken aback for a moment before replying. "This... I haven't been paying much notice to this matter..."

"Try to look into it. It could very well lead us to some clues," Zhang Xuan instructed before falling silent. Activating his Eye of Insight, he began examining the corpses before him carefully.

Pavilion Master Gou had a horrified expression on his face, as if he had encountered something he dared not believe before his death.

After a moment of examination, Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed.

The physical state of Pavilion Master Gou was identical to that of Chen Zhe back then. Even through his Eye of Insight, he did not notice anything peculiar.

At this moment, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled a crucial figure in this matter, and he hurriedly asked, "Wait, where is King Zhongqing? Where is he imprisoned?"

"I dispatched my men to have him arrested once more, and he was locked in the prison of the Master Teacher Pavilion. Last night, Emperor Chu Tianxing came to pay me a visit, presumably over the matter concerning King Zhongqing, but I turned him down," Wu shi replied.

"Emperor Chu Tianxing came to pay you a visit?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

King Zhongqing was only a mere subordinate of the Qingyuan royal family. It was not as if he was Emperor Chu Tianxing's son or anything, so why was Emperor Chu Tianxing so desperate to protect him, coming over whenever something happened, willing to pay a hefty price for his release even?

"That's right. However, I did not allow the two of them to meet. Furthermore, we have a legitimate reason to have King Zhongqing imprisoned this time around, so I don't think that Emperor Chu Tianxing will be able to do anything about the matter for the time being," Wu shi replied.

"I see... However, there's really something amiss about Emperor Chu Tianxing. I think we have to look into him," Zhang Xuan said grimly.

Based on the Qingtian Emperor's memory, Zhang Xuan was able to confirm that King Zhongqing had indeed defected to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. Considering how close Emperor Chu Tianxing was to King Zhongqing, it was a little hard to believe that there would be nothing wrong with him as well.

"Should I have him captured and interrogated?" Wu shi also had the same suspicions, but due to Emperor Chu Tianxing's position, he had been a little hesitant to make a move.

"We shouldn't rush into this matter. It would surely cause a huge uproar if we made a move against Emperor Chu Tianxing, so we have to amply prepare. What's more urgent right now is finding the medium that the mastermind is using to conduct the killings. After that, we should focus our efforts on getting rid of the mastermind."

Zhang Xuan contemplated in silence for a moment before sharing his analysis. "Only when the mastermind is dead will everyone be safe."

"That's true." Wu shi nodded.

Zhang Xuan was right. In a sense, an emperor could be said to be the very heart of an empire. Thus, if anything happened to the emperor, it could easily induce pandemonium among the populace of the empire.

And the pandemonium was only one small aspect of the matter. If the Master Teacher Pavilion failed to deal with the problem properly, they could risk losing their credibility!

Considering how the Master Teacher Pavilion was in charge of maintaining order within the region, if they wished to deal with the royal family, they would need to have concrete, irrefutable evidence. Otherwise, what would the other empires make of the matter?

Wouldn't they feel that their sovereignty was threatened by the presence of the Master Teacher Pavilion as well?

As such, no matter how confident they were of their speculations, it was far from enough.

Wu shi nodded. "I'll have my men look into the matter this instant."

"Aside from that, I might also need you to organize a group of men for an expedition to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows."

"An expedition to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows?" Wu shi frowned.

"That's right. I suspect that the mastermind is hiding there," Zhang Xuan explained.

"I see. Alright, I'll pick out the elites of the Master Teacher Pavilion and liaise with the Combat Master Hall to dispatch some of their experts as well!" Wu shi said.

"Alright then, I'll be taking my leave first to make some preparations myself," Zhang Xuan replied. "Farewell."

There were two things he had to do before heading to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows. Firstly, he needed to try to raise the strength of the Golden Origin Cauldron another level, preferably to the Leaving Aperture realm. Secondly, he would have to urge Vicious to quickly devour the Qingtian Emperor's soul and clear his Leaving Aperture realm ordeal!

Only with these would he have sufficient cards to deal with the other Vicious. Otherwise, considering his current cultivation, he would not stand a chance if he headed over there recklessly. If things went wrong, he might even end up as the other party's nourishment.

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Chapter 1204: The Blacksmith Guild

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Knowing that it would be a bitter fight against the Vicious in the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows, Zhang Xuan did not dare hesitate. After leaving the Master Teacher Pavilion, he headed straight to the Blacksmith Guild.

Logically speaking, Vicious had already lain low for many years, so he should not have taken such brazen actions at this juncture, especially given the fact that he would risk bringing the wrath of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters on him. However, it seemed like the death of the Qingtian Emperor and the emergence of a Celestial Master Teacher had really heaped a great amount of pressure on him, forcing him to show his hand.

Without a doubt, the first person that the other Vicious would go for once he was freed of his bindings would be him, Zhang Xuan.

Thus, he would be better off taking the initiative and making the first move instead of waiting for the enemy to arrive at his doorstep. Not only would it be safer for him, more importantly, it would also limit the casualties among the master teachers.

The Golden Origin Cauldron is currently at Half-Leaving Aperture realm. If I fuse the Black Goldcrystal Ore into the Golden Origin Cauldron, I should be able to raise its tier significantly. Even if I'm unable to bring it up to the level of a Saint high-tier artifact, I should have no trouble raising its cultivation to the Leaving Aperture realm! Zhang Xuan hypothesized as he made his way forward.

He had obtained the Black Goldcrystal Ore from the treasure Wu Yangzi had left behind in his old residence. After splitting a portion of it with Luo Qiqi, he still had a slice of it left. It was just that he had been too busy recently, and he had not found the required materials to perfectly fuse it into the Golden Origin Cauldron.

Since he had already decided to set off to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows, he would really have to equip himself well in advance.

The Blacksmith Guild was roughly ten li away from the Master Teacher Pavilion, so it did not take too long for him to arrive at his destination.

Zhang Xuan had not challenged the 7-star blacksmith examination ever since clearing the 6-star examination back at the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, so he was still a 6-star blacksmith. He took out his 6-star blacksmith emblem and pinned it on his chest before walking in.

The Qingyuan Empire Blacksmith Guild was extremely crowded, just like the other guilds in the city. Every day, countless cultivators would pay the guild a visit to browse through their array of weapons to select one that was handy for them.

Only Saint low-tier weapons were on display in the public section. If a cultivator wanted a Saint intermediate-tier weapon, they would have to fork out a hefty sum and make a personal request to a 7-star blacksmith personally, provided that the 7-star blacksmith was able to successfully smith one.

"Zhang shi? Is it really you?" Just as Zhang Xuan was about to ask at the receptionist where the head of the Blacksmith Guild was, he suddenly heard an exclamation amid the crowd. Turning around, he saw Chu Xiang, whom he had met at the Terpsichore Guild a while back, waving at his hands excitedly.

"Chu gongzi!" Zhang Xuan greeted with a smile.

It was thanks to the other party that he had been able to enter the Spring Pavilion back then and successfully obtain his 7-star terpsichore emblem.

"Zhang shi, it's really a delight to meet you here. I have been wanting to thank you for your help back then. It's due to your words that I have managed to recover fully from the wounds on my soul." Chu Xiang bowed deeply as he spoke.

Back at the Terpsichore Guild, it was due to Zhang shi's words that Fairy Zi Yan did her best for him during the Exclusive Dance, thus allowing him to recover fully from his wounds.

"It's not a big issue; there's no need to stand on ceremony." Zhang Xuan quickly helped Chu Xiang up.

He had just offered a word on behalf of Chu Xiang, so it was really nothing much. Just that, he could not help but feel his heart bleed whenever he thought about the concentrated high-tier spirit stone the other party had spent on the Exclusive Dance. If Chu Xiang had allowed him to dance for him instead, he would have surely recovered way faster!

"I heard about Zhang shi's crashing of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and I honestly have nothing left but reverence for you!" Chu Xiang looked at Zhang Xuan with eyes twinkling with admiration.

"It's really nothing much. I only crashed it on a whim..." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He had simply caused too great of a commotion during his pavilion crashing. For one, his declaration had resounded throughout the whole of Qingyuan City, so it would only have taken a little bit of investigating for Chu Xiang to make the link between him and the pavilion crashing.

"You only crashed it on a whim?" Chu Xiang rolled his eyes.

The Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion has stood proudly on the Master Teacher Continent for many years without any issue, and yet, you ended up crashing it just days after your arrival, leaving Pavilion Master Gou with no choice but to step down. If this was done on a whim, wouldn't the entire Master Teacher Pavilion be completely eradicated as long as you made plans beforehand?

A thought suddenly came to Chu Xiang's mind, and he looked at Zhang Xuan doubtfully. "It can't be that Zhang shi has an issue with the Blacksmith Guild, so you have come here to crash it today as well?"

Based on what he had found, it seemed like Zhang shi had not allowed Qingyuan City to have a single day of peace ever since his arrival. First was the enchantment of the Spirit Awakener Guild's building, and after that, he crashed the Master Teacher Pavilion. For him to suddenly pay a visit to the Blacksmith Guild... it could not be that he was up to something, could it?

"Cough cough!"

Not expecting Chu Xiang to have such a horrendous impression of someone as honorable and upright as him, Zhang Xuan choked. With a slightly awkward tone, he asked, "How could someone as humble as me possibly do something of that sort? You are really thinking too much..."

"Humble?" Chu Xiang's lips twitched wildly. He had seen plenty of humble people in his lifetime, but this was the first time he was seeing someone that 'humble'.

"Since you aren't here to crash the Blacksmith Guild, you must be here to watch Master Lin Jie's smithing then?"

"Master Lin Jie?"

"Yes. Master Lin Jie is a half 8-star blacksmith from the Qianchong Empire. He happened to be passing by the area, so Guild Leader Qin specially invited him over to conduct a public lecture for the 7-star blacksmiths of Qingyuan City. I was honored to have received an invitation letter for this occasion as well!" Chu Xiang explained.

"You are a 7-star blacksmith?" Considering how the young man before him was a regular at the Spring Pavilion, Zhang Xuan had automatically assumed that he was a profligate scion. Who would have thought that he was actually a 7-star blacksmith?

"Of course! I might seem nothing much, but my talent in smithing is unquestionable!" Chu Xiang boasted gleefully. "Zhang shi, if you face any problems in smithing, feel free to ask me. Given our relationship, I'll do my best to answer any queries that you have!"

"Thank you, I will definitely find you if I have any questions in mind." Knowing that the other party was saying those words out of goodwill, Zhang Xuan replied with a kind smile. "Right, I happen to have something that I need your help on at the moment. Can you bring me to meet the head of the Blacksmith Guild?"

"You want to meet Guild Leader Qin? No problem, leave it to me," Chu Xiang replied confidently as he led the way forward. "Follow me!"

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded.

With someone to bring him around, he would be spared from much trouble.

From Chu Xiang's introduction, Zhang Xuan came to learn that the name of the head of the Blacksmith Guild was Qin Chong, and he was a 7-star pinnacle blacksmith.

It did not take long for them to arrive at the Guild Leader Office. After reporting their presence, the duo made their way in.

"Guild Leader Chong, this young man over here is 7-star Master Teacher Zhang Xuan, the individual who successfully crashed the Master Teacher Pavilion a few days back!" Chu Xiang introduced.

"I see. It's an honor to meet you, Zhang shi." Guild Leader Qin quickly got to his feet and bowed.

A master teacher who could successfully crash a Master Teacher Pavilion was indubitably an extremely talented individual who was bound for great things in the future. Even as the head of the Qingyuan Empire Blacksmith Guild, he knew that the other party was not someone whom he could underestimate.

Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and responded, "Guild Leader Qin, you are too polite."

Swiftly getting into their seats, they traded a few pleasantries to get acquainted with one another before Guild Leader Qin asked with a worried expression on his face, "Zhang shi, may I know the reason behind your arrival? Our Blacksmith Guild has been abiding by the law all this while, and I have maintained a tight watch over every single one of the subordinates, so..."

Knowing that Guild Leader Qin was thinking about, Chu Xiang slapped his hand on his forehead before clarifying, "Guild Leader Qin, Zhang shi isn't here to crash the Blacksmith Guild!"

"Ah, that's a relief." Guild Leader Qin heaved a long sigh of relief, and the tension that had been on his face ever since Zhang Xuan was introduced to him finally alleviated.

On the other hand, hearing the conversation between the duo, Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless.

All he had done was crash the Master Teacher Pavilion! Did they really think that he was a God of Destruction, destroying everything in his path wherever he went? He was really a humble a person, a really, really humble person! Why wouldn't anyone believe him?

"To be honest with you, I really do have a few things that I'll have to trouble Guild Leader Qin with." Knowing that it would be futile even if he explained himself, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly and got straight to business. "I have a Saint intermediate-tier artifact that I would like to fuse some Black Goldcrystal Ore into. May I know if you have any time to help me in the forging process?"

Hearing Zhang Xuan's request, Guild Leader Qin was visibly taken aback for a moment before asking, "May I ask what kind of weapon your Saint intermediate-tier artifact is? Does it have any spirit? Also, what's its current cultivation realm?"

"It's a Half-Leaving Aperture realm weapon cauldron, and it does have a spirit," Zhang Xuan replied.

"This..." A frown emerged on Guild Leader Qin's face. "Zhang shi, I'll be frank with you here. If your weapon cauldron was only at Primordial Spirit realm primary stage, I might still have been able to help you reforge it and fuse it with your Black Goldcrystal Ore, but Half-Leaving Aperture realm... I haven't even reached that level of cultivation realm yet, so I fear that your request is beyond my ability!"

"If that's what you are worrying about, there's really no need to. I'll be giving you some guidance from the side during the forging process, and as long as you follow my instructions strictly, there won't be any problems," Zhang Xuan replied.

No matter what, he was determined to overlook the Golden Origin Cauldron's forging personally. Otherwise, no matter who did the job, he would not be able to put his mind at ease.

"You will be giving guidance?" Guild Leader Qin was taken aback. "Zhang shi is a blacksmith?"

"Un. I studied it for a while in the past. I am currently a 6-star blacksmith," Zhang Xuan replied.

He had collected all the books concerning smithing in the Master Teacher Pavilion and read the compiled 7-star Heaven's Path Smith Art too, thus raising his understanding on smithing to 7-star pinnacle, which was comparable to most 8-star primary blacksmiths.

However, it was just that he never had time to practice forging before, so with his current proficiency, he could only make metal blocks at the very most. Fearing that he would end up misshaping the Golden Origin Cauldron, he had sought Guild Leader Qin's help instead.

"6-star blacksmith?" Guild Leader Qin and Chu Xiang exchanged a glance as frowns emerged on their faces.

There was a huge gap between a 6-star blacksmith and a 7-star blacksmith. For a 6-star blacksmith to actually speak of guiding a 7-star blacksmith like Guild Leader Qin...

Was this a joke?

Noticing the peculiar gaze in the duo's eyes, Zhang Xuan realized what was going through their minds, and he swiftly clarified, "Actually, my proficiency in smithing has already reached 7-star. It's just that I have been too busy recently, so I haven't been able to find time to take the examination."

"I see!" Guild Leader Qin nodded in comprehension. "Since that's the case, allow me to invite Zhang shi to follow me to our Forging Hall. Only the earth flames there will be able to produce sufficient heat to melt a Saint intermediate-tier artifact and the Black Goldcrystal Ore."

"Sure!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Most Blacksmith Guilds tapped into the earth flames underground for their smithing.

There were differing tiers to earth flames as well, and the Black Goldcrystal Ore was known to be exceptionally difficult to process while the Golden Origin Cauldron had reached Half-Leaving Aperture realm and had been tempered by lightning, so ordinary earth flames would not do the job.

The trio swiftly arrived at the Forging Hall, only to meet with a huge crowd. Astonishingly, every single one of them had seven stars on the emblem pinned conspicuously on their chests. They were all 7-star blacksmiths!

"This..." Zhang Xuan frowned.

He had thought that the Forging Hall would be empty. If that were the case, he would have been able to go all out in the reforging of the Golden Origin Cauldron. But with just a swift glance, he could see at least several hundred 7-star blacksmiths in the room.

Noticing Zhang Xuan's unhappiness, Guild Leader Qin quickly explained, "Zhang shi, pardon me. Only the flames of the Forging Hall are sufficient to process the Black Goldcrystal Ore, and it just so happens that Master Lin Jie will be conducting a lecture on smithing for us today. If Zhang shi is willing to wait, why don't you listen to Master Lin's lecture first? He's a half 8-star blacksmith, so his understanding of smithing is bound to have reached an unfathomable level. Through his teachings, your grasp of smithing could improve by leaps and bounds."

"I fear that I don't have that much time to spare," Zhang Xuan replied with a frown.

Vicious could make another move at any moment, so he had to quickly raise the prowess of the Golden Origin Cauldron so that he would be prepared to face him. Thus, he really had no time to spare on a lecture.

Right after Zhang Xuan said those words, a displeased voice suddenly sounded from the center of the room.

"Do you mean to say that listening to my lecture is a waste of your time?"

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Chapter 1205: Master Lin Jie

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Turning around, Zhang Xuan saw an elder with a flowing white beard walking over. There was an air of valiance surrounding him, and astonishingly, his cultivation was indiscernible on first glance.

"Master Lin Jie!" Guild Leader Qin hurriedly clasped his fist and greeted the elder whereas Chu Xiang lowered his head respectfully.

Be it in terms of cultivation or comprehension of smithing, they came nowhere close to matching up to the half 8-star blacksmith before them.

"Master Lin Jie, allow me to introduce you. He is a 7-star pinnacle master teacher, Zhang shi!" Fearing that the duo would end up fighting one another, Guild Leader Qin hurriedly introduced the two of them.

Considering how Zhang Xuan had successfully crashed the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, even defeating Pavilion Master Gou in the midst of doing so, there was definitely nothing wrong with addressing him as a 7-star pinnacle master teacher.

"7-star pinnacle master teacher?" Master Lin Jie was taken aback for a moment. "For one as young as you to wield such power, I see that you do have the right to act conceited." Initially, Master Lin Jie had thought that it was some arrogant individual trying to humiliate him publicly, but since the young man was a 7-star pinnacle master teacher, it was unlikely that he would lower himself to something as crass as that.

Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and requested, "Pardon me, but I have some urgent issues concerning the Master Teacher Pavilion that cannot be delayed. May I ask you to lend me the Forging Hall for a while so that I can upgrade my artifact?"

Considering that Master Lin Jie had specially been invited there by Guild Leader Qin to conduct a lecture, it was indeed a little disrespectful for him to suddenly barge in and request to use the earth flames.

"Upgrade your artifact? Is Zhang shi a blacksmith as well?" Master Lin Jie asked curiously.

"I have learned it for a while and happened to obtain a 6-star emblem," Zhang Xuan replied.

Master Lin Jie nodded in response. "May I know what kind of artifact Zhang shi hopes to upgrade?"

While the Qingyuan Empire Blacksmith Guild was not as grand as the Qianchong Empire's, there were at least six to seven hundred private chambers where one could access earth flames.

Just what kind of artifact was the young man dealing with that he would absolutely need to use the Forging Hall?

If the other party was a 7-star pinnacle blacksmith, he would not have bothered to ask that question. Just that... the young man's proficiency in smithing seemed to be a little low, and the earth flames in the Forging Hall were exceptionally wild. The slightest lapse in control would not only result in the failure of the tempering—the artifact could possibly be destroyed as well.

"It's this one." Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and the Golden Origin Cauldron appeared in the room.

"Master, are you intending to reforge me? Hahaha, am I going to be upgraded once more?" Scanning its surroundings, the Golden Origin Cauldron found that there were many blacksmiths around him. He swiftly realized that he was standing in the middle of a Blacksmith Guild, and he could not help but tremble in excitement.

"A Half-Leaving Aperture realm Saint intermediate-tier artifact?" Master Lin Jie had thought that it would only be a Half-Saint artifact or that sort, but to think that it would be a Saint intermediate-tier artifact! Master Lin Jie's eyebrows shot up in disbelief as he asked hesitantly, "Zhang shi, are you certain that this is the artifact that you wish to upgrade?"

"That's right." Zhang Xuan nodded.

"This..." Attributing it to the young man's inexperience, Master Lin Jie could not help but advise him. "To forge a Saint intermediate-tier artifact, on top of wielding sufficient strength, more importantly, one must possess a deep understanding of smithing so as to ensure that the forging and upgrading do not damage the spirit within the artifact. Otherwise, not only will the artifact not be upgraded, its tier might even decline sharply instead!"

Even a half 8-star blacksmith like him only had a twenty percent chance of successfully upgrading a Saint intermediate artifact like that, so for a 6-star blacksmith to do so...

He was certain that the Saint intermediate-tier artifact would be ruined during the upgrade! It was truly not worth the risk.

Before Zhang Xuan could even speak, the Golden Origin Cauldron had already harrumphed in discontent. "Old man, what do you mean by those words? My master was able to raise my tier from Saint low-tier to Saint intermediate-tier just by giving pointers to an apprentice blacksmith, so do you think that he needs you to lecture him?"

Ever since its creation, its current master was the only one that it had felt so much respect and awe for, and yet, that old man actually dared to doubt its master's capability!

Count yourself lucky that I didn't charge forward to crush your puny head with my butt!

"By giving pointers to an apprentice blacksmith?" The crowd was taken aback by the Golden Origin Cauldron's words.

One must know that an apprentice blacksmith was an individual who had yet to successfully smith a Mortal low-tier weapon, and such a person was able to upgrade a Saint low-tier artifact to Saint intermediate-tier just by receiving some pointers from the young man before them?

Zhang Xuan slapped the Golden Origin Cauldron's lid and berated, "No one will think of you as a mute if you don't speak!"

The only reason Song Zhen had been able to successfully raise the tier of the Golden Origin Cauldron was because he was actually highly talented in smithing himself, and he had devoted many years of his life to diligently refining his forging techniques on top of that. This had granted him a deep understanding of most common types of forging techniques. Furthermore, he also wielded a cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 9-dan, which was on par with a 6-star blacksmith.

These were the factors that had led to the eventual success in the upgrade, and this success could not possibly be replicated with any other apprentice blacksmiths.

It was just a work of coincidence; there was nothing in it to brag about.

"I..." The Golden Origin Cauldron shook its body indignantly. "But what I am saying is the truth. You did manage to get an apprentice blacksmith to successfully raise my tier just by offering him some pointers..."

Seeing that the Golden Origin Cauldron was still arguing with him, Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up. "Shut up and wait by the side."

"Alright..." Seeing that its master was really angry, the Golden Origin Cauldron meekly retreated to the side.

Zhang Xuan turned to the crowd and said in embarrassment, "That fellow has been a lofty position for too long, so he rarely thinks before he speaks. As such, his words tend to be a little impolite and disrespectful. Allow me to apologize on his behalf."

It was insolent for an artifact to suddenly interject in the midst of its master's conversation.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Master Lin Jie replied with a wave of his hand. With intrigue in his eyes, he asked, "Previously, your artifact has said that you gave pointers to an apprentice blacksmith, allowing him to successfully upgrade the Golden Origin Cauldron. May I know if that's true?"

"It's actually nothing much; it's truly not worth speaking about!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

He was only there to upgrade the Golden Origin Cauldron. It had never been his intention to create a ruckus, so there was no point speaking of past affairs.

"Pardon me, it seems like I was a little reckless..." Master Lin Jie thought that Zhang Xuan was reluctant to speak of the matter because there was some secret tied into it, so he chose not to probe any further.

"Alright, if you don't mind, I'll start upgrading my artifact now." Seeing that he did not cause any sort of misunderstanding, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He paused for a brief moment before turning to Chu Xiang. "Chu gongzi, I might need to trouble you later on."

"Zhang shi, feel free to make any request of me. As long as it's within my means, I'll accomplish it to the best of my abilities!" Chu Xiang replied with a smile.

Putting aside that they were acquaintances, just the fact that the young man before him had successfully crashed the Master Teacher Pavilion, making him the bona fide number one master teacher of the Qingyuan Empire, made him a person who was worth befriending.

"It's like this. I really dote on my Golden Origin Cauldron a lot, and I fear that I'll hesitate during a critical step of the upgrade. Thus, I would like to invite you to upgrade it on my behalf!" Zhang Xuan said.

"Dote?" Hearing those words, the Golden Origin Cauldron racked his mind, but he could not think of a single instance where his master had doted on him.

In fact, it seemed like his master had even just slapped him just a moment ago...

"This..." Hearing that Zhang Xuan wanted him to upgrade his artifact, a bitter smile surfaced on Chu Xiang's face as he hurriedly waved his hand. "Zhang shi, it's not that I don't want to help you, but my cultivation hasn't even reached Primordial Spirit realm yet. Even though I am a 7-star blacksmith, it's still far beyond my current abilities to upgrade a Half-Leaving Aperture realm artifact..."

Even a 7-star pinnacle blacksmith like Guild Leader Qin was not confident in handling artifacts of such a tier, so how could a newly promoted 7-star blacksmith like him possibly stand a chance?

The other party was really thinking too highly of him.

"There's no need to be nervous. I'll guide you from the side. As long as you follow my instructions strictly, you will be fine," Zhang Xuan said.

However, Chu Xiang was still conflicted. "Zhang shi, I really don't think that I'm up to the task. Your artifact is truly valuable, and it'll be a disaster if I make a mistake in the smithing process."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be using the Impartation of Heaven's Will on you later on, so you need not worry about making a mistake. If something really crops up, I won't blame you for that," Zhang Xuan replied.

"Ah..." Since the other party had already said this, it seemed like he did not have any reason to turn the offer down anymore. Thus, after a moment of hesitation, Chu Xiang eventually nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's begin then!"

Zhang Xuan turned to the Golden Origin Cauldron and frowned. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go over to the earth flames!"

The Golden Origin Cauldron pouted in indignation, but it still hurriedly flew over to the earth flames.

"This is called doting?" Black lines streaked across Master Lin Jie and Guild Leader Qin's faces.

It was just a moment ago that the other party had said that he feared that he would hesitate in the upgrading process because his heart might suddenly soften for his artifact, just like how to doctor would find it hard to be decisive when conducting a surgery on their kin. But those harsh words...

Do you know what doting means?

Walking up to the formation to draw up the earth flames, Zhang Xuan gestured to Chu Xiang.

The latter swiftly understood Zhang Xuan's intention and walked forward.

"Zhang shi, this is the token to draw out the earth flames..." Guild Leader Qin flicked his wrist and proffered a token.

Due to safety considerations, the formation to draw the earth flames could only be activated with a certain token.

However, before he could pass it to the other party, the young man had already begun speaking.

"Take three steps to the left, two steps forward. No, take one small step back, and shuffle a little to the right. Good. Drive your zhenqi and channel it into your right leg before stomping down..."

The voice carried a unique melody to it that seemed to place one in a trance. Without any hesitation, Chu Xiang followed Zhang Xuan's orders strictly and stomped hard on the ground.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the formation for drawing the earth flames suddenly whirred into action, and a powerful surge of flames burst up, shrouding the Golden Origin Cauldron.

"This..." Guild Leader Qin narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "To activate the earth flames without using the token... how is that possible?"

The temperature of the earth flames was exceptionally high, such that even Saint 4-dan cultivators could easily be reduced to cinder in a moment of carelessness.

As such, the formation was firmly sealed to prevent any flames from leaking out when it was not in use, and without the required token, it was impossible to remove the seal and trigger the formation. Yet, with Zhang Xuan's guidance, Chu Xiang had actually managed to pull it off with ease.

Despite witnessing it with his own eyes, he still found it hard to believe!

"Only one who possesses a deep understanding of formations is capable of pulling this off! Most likely, Zhang shi has achieved exceptional proficiency in the field of formations as well!" Master Lin Jie remarked in approval.

To be able to see through the structure of the earth flame formation with a glance and successfully activate it, the young man's comprehension of formations could be said to be top-notch even among the formation masters in their Qianchong Empire!

"As expected of Zhang shi..." Guild Leader Qin nodded.

Master Lin Jie shook his head. "I'm more interested in his smithing ability. In the first place, upgrading a Saint intermediate-tier artifact is already an incredibly difficult task. To make matters worse, he is even using another person as a proxy to smith in his stead. Even if he uses the Impartation of Heaven's Will, considering that he has never worked with his partner before, the difficulty is bound to be countless times greater. Honestly speaking, I am not too optimistic about the outcome."

It was one thing if Zhang Xuan and his partner had worked with one another on numerous occasions, allowing them to work synergistically with one another.

There were indeed such cases in the real world as well, where a more knowledgeable blacksmith would offer pointers to a more skilled blacksmith in order to create a weapon more powerful than what they could create individually.

But that would take years of cooperation in order for both parties to understand each other's strength, zhenqi purity, forging techniques, smithing tendencies, and so on.

And that clearly was not the case between Zhang Xuan and his partner!

To work on a Saint intermediate-tier on their very first partnership, when they knew next to nothing about one another...

As a half 8-star blacksmith, his experience told him that such a thing was impossible to pull off. If it was truly possible, he would have spent his years smithing in vain!

As a 7-star pinnacle master teacher, Zhang Xuan should have been aware of this matter as well. Yet, to go on with it despite understanding the risks... was he banking on the occurrence of a miracle, or was the Saint intermediate-tier artifact disposable to him?

At this point, Master Lin Jie could not help but shoot a look of sympathy at the Golden Origin Cauldron.

Doting?

More like murder!

Chapter 1206: Chu Xiang Smiths

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Seeing how Chu Xiang had scared himself silly from activating the earth flames, Zhang Xuan frowned. He quickly spoke to jolt the other party out of his daze, "Alright! Prepare yourself, we will be starting soon!"

"Yes!" Chu Xiang replied.

To be able to reach Saint 3-dan and achieve the proficiency of a 7-star blacksmith at such a young age, while Chu Xiang might have appeared like a profligate scion on the surface, he was definitely not as simple as he seemed.

Taking a deep breath, it did not take him long to calm his mind.

Seeing how jittery Chu Xiang was, the Golden Origin Cauldron laughed heartily and consoled, "Lad, rest assured. It's not that I want to brag, but as long as you follow the instruction of my master word for word, Grandpa Ding will be completely fine. Perhaps, I might even be upgraded by a tier!"

It appeared that it was not worried in the least.

On the other hand, upon hearing those words, Master Lin Jie and Guild Leader Qin could not help but share a look, and they could see the worry in each other's eyes.

Are you really that gutsy, or is there something wrong with your head? If something goes wrong in the upgrading process, dropping a tier will be the least of your worries. More importantly, your spirit might even be completely destroyed as a result!

Are you sure that you don't need to worry about this at all?

"Yes, sir!" Chu Xiang replied tensely before turning to Zhang Xuan. "Zhang shi, may I have the ore that I have to fuse into the Golden Origin Cauldron?"

"Here you go!" Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and an ore flew into Chu Xiang's grasp.

"This..." Seeing the ore that was being passed over, Master Lin Jie's eyes narrowed in astonishment. "Isn't that the Black Goldcrystal Ore?"

The Black Goldcrystal Ore was an incredibly valuable and rare ore. Just fusing a pinch of it into the weapon could potentially raise the prowess of the smithed weapon significantly! It was highly sought-after, even among the top Conferred Empire blacksmiths. Who would have thought that the young man actually had such a thing in his possession?

A moment later, Master Lin Jie frowned as he analyzed the situation. "But it will be difficult to fuse that with the cauldron..."

As rare as Black Goldcrystal Ore was, as a half 8-star blacksmith, he still had various channels that he could acquire some from. What truly stumped most blacksmiths was not the rarity of the ore but the sheer difficulty in processing it. Even with the earth flames in the Forging Hall, it would still be extremely difficult to melt the Black Goldcrystal Ore.

If the Black Goldcrystal Ore was not fully melted, it would be impossible to fuse it with the Golden Origin Cauldron perfectly.

"If only we were in the Qianchong Empire Blacksmith Guild... the earth flames there would have no problem melting the Black Goldcrystal Ore, although it would take a great deal of effort. However, here..." Master Lin Jie shook his head pessimistically.

The earth flames in the Forging Hall boasted the highest temperature in the Qingyuan Empire, but they were still lacking compared to the earth flames in the Qianchong Empire Blacksmith Guild. It really would not be easy to melt the Black Goldcrystal Ore here.

Staring curiously to see what Zhang Xuan would do in this situation, Master Lin Jie suddenly heard the young man issuing an instruction, and right afterwards, the Golden Origin Cauldron opened its lid and swallowed the ore.

"This..." While the crowd blinked blankly at the sight, Master Lin Jie slapped his thigh with an excited gleam in his eyes. "How did I not think of that! The cauldron that is to be upgraded is a weapon cauldron itself! While the temperature of the earth flames is limited, the superior heat conductivity of the weapon cauldron can channel the heat through it, thus raising the temperature another notch! With this, there should be no problem melting the Black Goldcrystal Ore! Just that..."

"Just what?"

"While the Black Goldcrystal Ore can be melted through this method, the problem is that he will be unable to view the current state of the Black Goldcrystal Ore to determine whether it has fully melted or not," Master Lin Jie replied. "Due to the firm exterior of the weapon cauldron and the intense flames, it will be impossible to extend his Spiritual Perception into the cauldron as well. If the Black Goldcrystal Ore is retrieved too early, it will not have melted properly. If retrieved too late, its properties could very well have been destroyed by the heat. Either way, it will adversely affect the result of the upgrading."

Considering how the intense flames harnessed within the cauldron were able to melt even the Black Goldcrystal Ore, if one were to extend one's Spiritual Perception into it, one's consciousness would surely be seared by the heat!

If one could not view what was going on in the cauldron, it would be impossible to accurately discern when the Black Goldcrystal Ore needed to be retrieved to move on to the next step.

The Black Goldcrystal Ore was a particularly sensitive ore. Exposing it to high heat for a second or two too long could potentially lead to the failure of the smithing.

Guild Leader Qin also swiftly understood the implications of the decided course of action. "Indeed. Not only so, the cauldron will also have to be constantly placed in the intense heat of the earth flames. If the timing is not right, not only will the Black Goldcrystal Ore be ruined, there is also a good chance that the internal structure of the Golden Origin Cauldron from the previous smithing will also become undone, resulting in a sharp decline in its tier."

In the first place, the Golden Origin Cauldron was made of an alloy consisting of different metals. It truly was not easy to establish a balance among all of the metals and stabilize it at Saint intermediate-tier. However, if it were exposed to intense heat for a prolonged period, the balance could very well be shattered.

In other words, while melting the Black Goldcrystal Ore within the Golden Origin Cauldron did resolve the problem of lacking heat, it produced several other problems, thus raising the difficulty of the forging process another level.

While the duo was still worrying over the forging, the young man's voice suddenly sounded once more. "Take two steps forward and fuse your zhenqi into the earth flames at a northeast trajectory. After which, use the Three Leaves Forging Technique to pry open the cauldron lid."

The voice carried the unique melody of the Impartation of Heaven's Will, compelling Chu Xiang to obey it without any hesitation.

As such, he immediately followed the orders faithfully, taking two steps forward and flicking his finger.

Huala!

The cauldron lid was pried open, and a viscous, golden liquid flew out from the Golden Origin Cauldron.

"The Black Goldcrystal Ore has melted? Furthermore, from the looks of it, it seems like it has just melted. The error in timing is definitely less than a tenth of a breath! This..." Guild Leader Qin narrowed his eyes in disbelief.

To be able to grasp the timing perfectly despite being unable to peer into the situation within the Golden Origin Cauldron... How in the world did the young man manage to pull it off?

Master Lin Jie pondered over the earlier situation and swiftly made a deduction. "It's because of the commands he issued!

"He instructed his partner to take two steps forward and fuse his zhenqi at a northeast trajectory; that step served to swiftly intensify the heat within the cauldron. After which, he instructed his partner to utilize the Three Leaves Forging Technique.

"As you know, the Three Leaves Forging Technique is an extremely forceful method that consists of incredibly swift and precise movements of one's fingers, allowing one to compress the flames together, thus focusing all the heat at a single point, resulting in a sharp rise in the temperature. It's through this method that he was able to melt the Black Goldcrystal Ore instantaneously and retrieve it timely from the cauldron.

"But pulling this off would require extremely precise calculations... Just how fast does his mind run? Fearsome!"

He could not help but clench his fists tightly in agitation.

It appeared to just be a simple command, but there was actually a profound logic behind it that required deep understanding of the earth flame formation, the temperature of the earth flames, the melting point of the Black Goldcrystal Ore, the attribute of Chu Xiang's zhenqi, and many other factors! Only with such precise calculations would one be able to pull it off without accidentally destroying the Black Goldcrystal Ore.

Even a half 8-star blacksmith like Master Lin Jie would be unable to accomplish something like that!

The other party's mental calculation ability was truly fearsome!

"Side shift three cun 1 to the left before lifting your hammer to strike the opening of the Golden Origin Cauldron. Use the Descending Willow Leaves Forging Technique and strike a total of 148 times at a rate of once every three breaths, no more, no less. After which..." Zhang Xuan continued issuing instructions.

Soon, a rhythmic 'ding ding dang dang' began resounding in the Forging Hall.

"Marvelous! Truly marvelous!" Master Lin Jie suddenly exclaimed in delirium.

"Master Lin Jie?" Guild Leader Qin could not understand the other party's abrupt, fevered outburst.

"As a 7-star pinnacle blacksmith, it's perfectly normal for you to be unable to see through the exquisiteness of their forging," Master Lin Jie explained with visible excitement in his tone. "The Descending Willow Leaves Forging Technique is a perfectly ordinary forging technique, essentially consisting of slow but steady strikes.

"What is truly exquisite is how aptly it is used in this situation! Having just been exposed to intense heat, the cauldron is already starting to melt. If a fast and forceful forging technique were to be used in this situation, it could cause the internal structure of the cauldron to break apart. While it would not affect the formation of the cauldron, the small cracks here and there would adversely affect the durability of the cauldron, causing its tier to decline.

"On the other hand, through using the Descending Willow Leaves Forging Technique, not only will such a problem be avoided, it will even further temper the current structure of the cauldron, making it more compact and firmer than before, thus enhancing its quality!"

The instructions issued by the young man were truly exquisite. Every single word he spoke seemed to directly point to the very essence of smithing, turning even the most ordinary movements into a profound art. Despite utilizing only the most basic forging techniques, he was still able to facilitate the fusion of the cauldron with the Black Goldcrystal Ore perfectly.

Ding ding dang dang!

By the time Chu Xiang performed his 148th strike on the Golden Origin Cauldron, he happened to return to the starting point. After which, under Zhang Xuan's instructions, he flicked the hammer into the air and began striking the bottom of the cauldron.

"Why is he striking the bottom of the cauldron instead of the cauldron body?" Guild Leader Qin asked in confusion.

Under normal circumstances, it would be best to hammer an artifact in sequence to further its stability, which in this case, would be from the top to the bottom. As such, it was perplexing why Zhang Xuan would instruct Chu Xiang to strike the bottom of the cauldron right after hammering the top. Logically speaking, he should have the body of the cauldron hammered first before moving to the bottom!

"This..." Master Lin Jie frowned in bewilderment as well, unable to make sense of the situation either.

Weng weng weng!

In the midst of his confusion, the cauldron before him suddenly emitted a deep rumble, reminiscent of an ocean's waves.

"Could it be..." Master Lin Jie's eyes suddenly widened in realization. "I finally get it!"

Guild Leader Qin hurriedly turned his gaze to Master Lin Jie.

"This is the Tidal Forging Technique! It was created by an 8-star blacksmith after listening to the sound of the waves. By striking the bottom of the cauldron in a specific manner right after hammering the top, a unique resonance is produced within the cauldron via the strikes, allowing the Black Goldcrystal Ore to better fuse into the body of the cauldron without hammering it directly, thus reducing the potential damage the hammering could cause to its structure.

"More importantly, the wave-like jolts from the hammering temper the spirit within the cauldron as well, enhancing it further. Formidable! Truly formidable! How did he manage to think of something like this?"

The more Master Lin Jie spoke, the more astounded he was. At this point, he could not help but feel a little light within.

The Tidal Forging Technique was an obsolete forging technique, applicable only in very few circumstances. As such, he had never really used it before despite having heard of it. Yet, who would have thought that he would actually see it being perfectly applied here?

There were many forging techniques in the world, some more profound the others. However, just because one forging technique was more profound than another did not necessarily mean that it would be better. What was more important was to use the forging technique more apt for the situation!

For example, not only would the Tidal Forging Technique preserve the integrity of the Golden Origin Cauldron's internal structure to the greatest degree, it would also temper its spirit.

There were simply too many people in the world, and this was including blacksmiths as well, who thought that the stronger the physical structure of a weapon was, the stronger the weapon would be. They attempt to fuse all kinds of superior ores into their weapon, only to neglect the enhancement of its spirit. As a result, they would end up with a weak weapon spirit trying to drag a body far stronger than it along, and naturally, this was detrimental to the overall prowess of the weapon.

The usage of the Tidal Forging Technique at this crucial juncture solved this issue perfectly.

This was truly killing two birds with one stone!

Witnessing what he had previously thought to be impossible, he could not help but feel a little dreamy inside. "To be able to think this far ahead while issuing instructions to another... Just how deep an understanding does he have of smithing?"

His years of experience in smithing told him that Zhang Xuan and his partner were doomed to fail, but from the current looks of the situation... it seemed like they would really succeed!

Just from this alone, it could be seen that the young man's comprehension of smithing was much, much deeper than his!

In fact, they were not even on the same level!

He continued watching the forging process, and his shock only served to deepen at every turn.

Every instruction made by Zhang Xuan was profound and precise, such that he could not find the slightest flaw or error in it. On top of that, he astonishingly realized that the young man had really taken everything into consideration, factoring in his partner's strength, zhenqi attribute, level of mastery in smithing, and so on.

He had still been able to comprehend what the young man was doing at the start, but as the forging process went on, he swiftly found that there were many aspects that were beyond his understanding.

Perhaps he might have been able to make sense out of it if he were to ponder deeply over the process, but the young man was issuing instructions one after another at a rapid pace, using a myriad of forging techniques within just a few moments, granting him no time to think at all.

After some time, a resounding echo suddenly sounded, and under Zhang Xuan's instructions, Chu Xiang rapidly retreated several steps.

Hong long!

Following which, an overwhelming aura burst into the air, and the sky abruptly darkened.

"It's the Leaving Aperture Ordeal..."

Everyone stared at the sight before them with mouths agape.

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Chapter 1207: Leaving Aperture Ordeal

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Saint 5-dan Leaving Aperture realm was the level where a cultivator's Primordial Spirit gained the ability to leave its physical body and survive for a prolonged period of time independently, but in order to do so, the cultivator had to undergo the Leaving Aperture Ordeal first.

While artifacts were able to reach the Leaving Aperture realm as well, their spirits were unable to make the metamorphosis into Primordial Spirits. As a result, unlike normal cultivators, they were unable to leave the confines of their body. Nevertheless, they would still gain the ability to grow hands and legs, granting them greater ease and flexibility of movements.

The Golden Origin Cauldron had already been at Half-Leaving Aperture realm prior to the upgrading, and after having the Black Goldcrystal Ore fused into it, it successfully overcame its previous bottleneck and drew in the Leaving Aperture Ordeal.

Dark clouds swiftly gathered in the area, causing the darkness to spread. A powerful gale raged, tearing apart the roof of the Forging Hall, exposing the room to the world.

This was the first time that most blacksmiths in the room had witnessed an artifact's Leaving Aperture Ordeal, and they stared at the sight before them intently as their bodies trembled in excitement.

Kacha!

A deafening peal of thunder rumbled as countless blue streaks of lightning tangled with one another within the dark clouds.

"Why would the cauldron draw in the Leaving Aperture Ordeal despite having yet to be tempered? Does Zhang shi not intend to temper it?" Guild Leader Qin asked in confusion.

There were three main steps to smithing and upgrading a weapon. First, the fusing of the ores to form a suitable alloy. Second, the forging of the alloy into the correct form. Third, the tempering of the formed artifact to enhance its durability and flexibility!

Most blacksmiths would be able to grasp the first two steps with sufficient practice. What was truly difficult to master was the third one.

Whether an artifact would be able to achieve true perfection depended on how well the blacksmith was able to conduct the tempering.

There were many techniques used in the forging process that he was not able to understand, so he had thought that the tempering stage would be an eye-opener for him as well, allowing him to catch a glimpse into the prowess of a true genius blacksmith. Yet, before the tempering could be carried out, the Leaving Aperture Ordeal had already fallen!

"It's not that he doesn't intend to temper his cauldron; he is going to temper it now," Master Lin Jie replied hoarsely, his quivering tone reflecting his disbelief at the situation.

"He's intending to temper it now? Wait a moment, Master Lin Jie, you don't mean that... Zhang shi intends to use the Leaving Aperture Ordeal to temper his cauldron?" Guild Leader Qin froze upon hearing those words, and his eyes bulged in disbelief.

Master Lin Jie nodded. "That seems to be the case. He's probably intending to use the lightning to temper his cauldron to perfection."

"But the devastating might of the Leaving Aperture Ordeal is one that could incapacitate even True Leaving Aperture realm experts! To temper an artifact that rose to Leaving Aperture realm just a moment ago with the Leaving Aperture Ordeal is utter madness!" Guild Leader Qin exclaimed in shock.

At this moment, he really felt that Zhang Xuan had gone insane.

In the Leaving Aperture Ordeal, one would have to undergo a lightning tribulation, which was the nemesis of souls and spirits alike! Even True Leaving Aperture realm experts would cower from it, not daring to take it head on.

Even though the deceased Pavilion Master Gou had long reached the Leaving Aperture realm, he still had not dared to undergo the Leaving Aperture Ordeal due to his old age, fearing that his soul would dissipate.

While everyone was eager to avoid the Leaving Aperture Ordeal, that fellow was actually intending to use the lightning to temper his artifact!

Wasn't he being too gutsy?

That was truly playing with fire! The slightest mistake could very well render all the effort he had put into upgrading his artifact futile. More importantly, if the Golden Origin Cauldron failed to withstand the lighting ordeal, it could very well explode on the spot!

That would be equivalent to the explosion of a Leaving Aperture realm cultivator! The entire Blacksmith Guild and everything in its vicinity would be utterly obliterated!

"Elders, begin evacuating everyone from the area!" Guild Leader Qin could not afford to take this risk, so he quickly issued commands.

Even if the Blacksmith Guild was destroyed, as long as their men remained, they would at least still be able to rebuild it.

But the problem was that all of the 7-star blacksmiths in Qingyuan City were currently gathered in this room to listen to Master Lin Jie's lecture. If all of them were killed due to this, the Qingyuan Empire Blacksmith Guild would really become a thing of the past.

"Yes!"

"Everyone, hurry up and flee!"

"Quick, contact the Master Teacher Pavilion and have them dispatch some personnel here! If something goes wrong, it could end in a disaster!"

The other blacksmiths also swiftly came to realize the grave danger they were in, and their faces turned ghastly pale. They hurriedly rushed out of the Blacksmith Guild and dashed into the distance.

Soon, only Zhang Xuan, Chu Xiang, Master Lin Jie, and Guild Leader Qin were left in the room.

In this moment, Chu Xiang's face was pale in fright as well, and his body would not stop trembling. He quickly turned his gaze toward Zhang Xuan, only to see the latter standing with his hands behind his back, looking at the sparks of lightning in the sky calmly. Not only was there not the slightest hint of fear to be seen on his face, there was even a tangible vibe of excitement around him.

"Zhang shi..." Chu Xiang gulped as he called out to Zhang Xuan in apprehension, perhaps wanting to seek comfort from the other party's words in this unnerving situation.

Seeing through Chu Xiang's worries, Zhang Xuan replied with a light chuckle. "There's no need to worry. Just a mere Leaving Aperture Ordeal, the Golden Origin Cauldron will be able to survive it with ease!"

Normal tempering would be able to further the effects of the Black Goldcrystal Ore on the Golden Origin Cauldron as well, but the results would not be as pronounced as tempering through lightning. By tapping into the lightning energy in the Leaving Aperture Ordeal, not only would it perfect the fusion between the Black Goldcrystal Ore and the Golden Origin Cauldron, more importantly, it would grant the latter the Power of Lightning as well.

The Power of Lightning would put the Golden Origin Cauldron at a decisive advantage when facing other Leaving Aperture realm experts!

Kacha!

While the others were still in a state of shock, the first streak of lightning descended from the heavens.

It struck the Golden Origin Cauldron squarely, but surprisingly, the latter managed to absorb it easily without any problems. Its exterior became even more lustrous, and its structure seemed to have become more compact and firmer.

"This..." Master Lin Jie was astonished by how easily the Golden Origin Cauldron managed to withstand the lightning strike. "Given that the cauldron is a Saint intermediate-tier artifact, and the Black Goldcrystal Ore has been fused into it, it's understandable how its body is able to withstand the first lightning strike easily. But how could its spirit remain completely unharmed?"

Possessing the yin attribute, spirits and souls were innately weak against lightning!

Once the lightning was absorbed into the artifact, the spirit would naturally be devastated by the Power of Lightning as well, possibly even resulting in its dissipation.

Yet, the spirit of the cauldron was completely unfazed by the lightning. In fact, it was even shaking its body gleefully in the air, as if provoking the lightning in the heavens to give it its best shot...

Just what the heck was going on?

Seeing how frenzied Master Lin Jie was from being unable to comprehend the situation before him, Zhang Xuan shook his head and explained, "The spirit of the Golden Origin Cauldron has been tempered by lightning once in the past, thus granting it some degree of immunity to lightning. While the lightning tribulation in the Leaving Aperture Ordeal isn't weak, it is no longer sufficient to cause significant damage to the Golden Origin Cauldron."

Back in their expedition in the Qiu Wu Palace, the Golden Origin Cauldron had exposed itself to concentrated streaks of lightning in order to shield the rest of the expedition team from harm. Eventually, its spirit had ended up falling into a dormant state from the immense damage it had sustained. While it had nearly lost its life from the encounter, surviving the ordeal had made its spirit more resilient than ever.

Even though there had not been anyone managing the grade-8 lightning formation then, its might was still something that a Leaving Aperture Ordeal could not compare to.

It was due to that experience that Zhang Xuan dared use lightning to temper the Golden Origin Cauldron.

"It has been tempered by lightning in the past?" Master Lin Jie nodded in realization. Everything made sense if that was the case, but soon, worry surfaced in his eyes. "The Leaving Aperture Ordeal is divided into primary stage, intermediate stage, advanced stage, and pinnacle. May I know what realm the Golden Origin Cauldron is at currently?"

When Leaving Aperture realm cultivators achieved a breakthrough to primary stage, they would undergo their first lightning ordeal, which consisted of a single streak of lightning. Even though it was only a single streak, its might was not to be underestimated. Nevertheless, if a cultivator successfully withstood it, their Primordial Spirit would become significantly more resilient once it had recovered from the injuries it had sustained.

Fortunately, it would take an ordinary cultivator several decades or even a century in order to cultivate from Leaving Aperture realm primary stage to intermediate stage, giving them sufficient time to recover from the damage caused by the lightning ordeal. With that, it would become much easier for it to survive the lightning ordeal during their breakthrough to intermediate stage.

However, this was different for artifacts.

Artifacts could be upgraded several cultivation stages at once. If the Golden Origin Cauldron was upgraded to Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle in a single go, it would have to undergo the primary stage, intermediate stage, advanced stage, and pinnacle lightning ordeals consecutively without any time to recover in between the ordeals!

In the face of four consecutive lightning ordeals, no matter how powerful the spirit was, its defenses would gradually be worn thin before eventually dissipating.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before replying. "Chu Xiang's forging technique is still slightly lacking, so he inevitably made a few minor errors in the forging process. As such, the Golden Origin Cauldron was unable to achieve a breakthrough to Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle. So, it should currently be at advanced stage."

While the Black Goldcrystal Ore had the incredible effect of raising an artifact's tier, the materials that the Golden Origin Cauldron was made of were simply too weak, thus limiting how much it could be upgraded. Furthermore, Chu Xiang's proficiency in his forging techniques were also slightly lacking as well, so even though there was no error in Zhang Xuan's guidance, it had still met its bottleneck at Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage.

Nevertheless, the Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage Golden Origin Cauldron was not to be underestimated.

At Saint 5-dan, the advancement of every single cultivation stage became incredibly difficult, with bottlenecks at every turn.

With the Golden Origin Cauldron's current cultivation and the Power of Lightning it would wield after its tempering, ordinary Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle cultivators would not be a match for it. Putting aside the Qingyuan Empire, the Golden Origin Cauldron would probably go unmatched even in the Qianchong Empire 1 !

Master Lin Jie's lips twitched upon hearing those words, and a worried frown emerged on his face. "Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage? Doesn't that mean that it'll have to undergo three consecutive lightning ordeals? That will be dangerous!"

Since the Golden Origin Cauldron had reached Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage in a breath, it would have to undergo the primary stage, intermediate stage, and advanced stage lightning ordeal consecutively. Each one would be more fearsome than the last, and to clear all three of them was nigh impossible!

"I know." Zhang Xuan nodded. "However, I believe that my Golden Origin Cauldron will be able to succeed!"

How could one see the rainbow without weathering the storm?

The Golden Origin Cauldron might have appeared immature and unreliable at times, but it was still a spirit that had lived for innumerable years, nourished by the spirit of countless master teachers.

Since it had survived the field of lightning back at the Qiu Wu Palace, Zhang Xuan believed that it would surely be able to withstand the Leaving Aperture Ordeal as well.

Boom!

While they were still chatting with one another, the second streak of lightning fell.

The energy harnessed within this lightning bolt was more destructive than the previous one, and even the air seemed to char from the overwhelming energy it possessed.

Kacha!

When the lightning bolt struck the Golden Origin Cauldron, the latter shuddered slightly. Under the devastating might of the lightning streak, it was unable to keep itself in the air any longer, and it fell heavily onto the ground, leaving a massive depression in its wake.

Even though it was a tough fight, the Golden Origin Cauldron eventually managed to withstand it.

Hong long long!

As soon as the second streak of lightning came to an end, the third streak fell before anyone could respond.

The deep-blue third streak of lightning had a width reminiscent of a large water vat, and it ripped through the air with incredible momentum to strike the Golden Origin Cauldron.

Seeing the astounding might of the lightning, the composure of Zhang Xuan's face finally cracked, revealing a hint of anxiety. "Sh*t! The lightning ordeal is stronger than I thought; the Golden Origin Cauldron might not be able to withstand it!"

As much as he trusted the Golden Origin Cauldron, the third streak of lightning was simply too powerful. If the cauldron took it head on, there was really a good chance that its spirit would dissipate on the spot.

"Golden Origin Cauldron, swallow the earth flames and use them to neutralize the might of the lightning!" Zhang Xuan immediately commanded as he flicked his wrist and whipped out a bunch of formation flags.

Sou sou sou sou!

The formation flags fell into the surroundings of the Golden Origin Cauldron, forming an even more powerful formation to tap into the earth flames underground.

Since the lightning was too powerful for the Golden Origin Cauldron to withstand by itself, they would just have to find another power to offset its might!

And the strongest power that they could tap at this moment were the earth flames!

Xiong xiong!

Due to the powerful pull of the formation, raging earth flames were forcefully dragged from beneath the earth, generating a violet inferno in the area.

The Golden Origin Cauldron also knew that it was a do-or-die situation. Struggling out of the depression it was in, it opened its lid and swiftly absorbed the purple inferno into it.

Huala!

The flames circulated within the Golden Origin Cauldron's body before bursting forth in the form of a fiery dragon.

The fiery dragon soared into the sky, clashing straight on with the third streak of lightning.

Boom!

A powerful shockwave rippled into the surroundings, shaking the heavens and earth alike. In the blink of an eye, the entire Blacksmith Guild was torn down as if it was a mere sheet of paper.

"My guild!" Guild Leader Qin widened his eyes in horror.

Didn't you say that you weren't here to crash my Blacksmith Guild? I gave you permission to upgrade your weapon, and yet, you still ended up destroying my building. How do you expect me to face my predecessors now!

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Chapter 1208: Yu Fei-er's Resolve And Pride

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Hu!

When the third streak of lightning finally dissipated, the ominous clouds in the sky finally scattered, as if they had finally accomplished their mission. The Golden Origin Cauldron also heaved a sigh of relief before slumping weakly to the ground, as if a lump of mud.

Having reached the Leaving Aperture realm, it was finally able to make basic movements like a human, such as walking and holding up items.

Zhang Xuan walked up to the Golden Origin Cauldron and placed his hand on it. A moment later, he heaved a sigh of relief.

While the latter was completely drained after withstanding three consecutive streaks of lightning, fortunately, its spirit remained mostly unharmed. As long as it rested well, it would be able to recover within three months.

Of course, if Zhang Xuan were to treat it personally, its recovery period could be significantly reduced.

"You should return to the Myriad Anthive Nest for now and recuperate under the Saint Bodhi Tree," Zhang Xuan instructed.

The Saint Bodhi Tree that he had planted in the Myriad Anthive Nest was exceptionally effective in nourishing souls and spirits. Since most of the damage that the Golden Origin Cauldron had sustained was to its spirit, it would do it some good to cultivate there.

"Yes, Master!" Knowing its own condition, the Golden Origin Cauldron decisively entered the Myriad Anthive Nest without any hesitation.

After the Golden Origin Cauldron left, Zhang Xuan turned around to face Chu Xiang. "Chu gongzi, thank you for helping me upgrade my artifact. As a token of my gratitude, I'll give you these ores..."

Back then, Zhang Xuan had obtained quite a handful of ores from Emperor Chu Tianxing. While he had used some of them to upgrade the Golden Origin Cauldron, there was still a substantial portion of them remaining. Since Chu Xiang had helped him, the least he could do was give those to him to thank him.

"Zhang shi, there's no need for that. Instead, I should be the one thanking you. This experience has truly given me a deeper insight into smithing!" Chu Xiang quickly waved his hand to turn Zhang Xuan down.

The very experience of upgrading the Golden Origin Cauldron was worth more than any ores or reward. As long as he digested everything that he had done today, his proficiency in smithing would surely improve by leaps and bounds.

"Alright then." Seeing that Chu Xiang was reluctant to accept the ores, Zhang Xuan did not insist on it either.

Considering how the other party was able to fork out a concentrated high-tier spirit stone for an Exclusive Dance back at the Spring Pavilion, there was no doubt that he came from a privileged family. Thus, it was very likely that those ores did not mean much to him.

After settling the matter with Chu Xiang, Zhang Xuan turned his attention to Guild Leader Qin. "Guild Leader Qin, regarding this... I'm really apologetic that I reduced the Blacksmith Guild to this state..."

He had not expected for such a mishap to happen during the upgrade of the Golden Origin Cauldron either. It was out of goodwill that the other party had allowed him to upgrade his weapon at the Forging Hall, but he had ended up reducing the other party's guild to rubble. No matter what, he had to take responsibility for the damage he had caused.

It was truly fortunate that no one had been injured in the incident, otherwise there was no way he would have been able to compensate for that.

"To make up for your losses, I'll have the Master Teacher Pavilion restore the Blacksmith Guild to its original state," Zhang Xuan said awkwardly.

"I'll be counting on Zhang shi then." Guild Leader Qin heaved a sigh of relief.

If the Master Teacher Pavilion was willing to help, it probably would not even take a day for the Blacksmith Guild to be restored to its former glory, or even better than that. This outcome was at least still acceptable to him.

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded. He swiftly sent a message to Wu shi to inform him of the matter and have him dispatch some men over to help him clean up the mess. Last but not least, he turned his gaze onto Master Lin Jie and said, "I am truly apologetic for having interrupted your lecture. I'll be taking my leave now, so feel free to continue."

"..." Master Lin Jie's eyelids twitched.

All the blacksmiths have already been evacuated from the place, so who am I to lecture?

Furthermore, how am I supposed to lecture them after they have witnessed your exquisite use of smithing? Even if they did not say anything out of politeness, I would still be too embarrassed to lecture them with my half-assed knowledge!

If only I knew this would happen, I never would have agreed to come to the Qingyuan Empire Blacksmith Guild to conduct a lecture. Since there is such a formidable expert at the Master Teacher Pavilion, why in the world did they still bother to invite me?

Just the thought of it left Master Lin Jie deeply stifled within.

After bidding farewell to the crowd at the Blacksmith Guild, Zhang Xuan did not return to the Master Teacher Pavilion. Instead, he flew out of Qingyuan City and headed to the wooden hut where the Qingtian Emperor had dragged his soul to previously.

The area was extremely quiet and isolated, making it appropriate to deal with the problem concerning Vicious there.

Hu!

Flicking his wrist, the Book of Heaven's Path appeared before Zhang Xuan's eyes. Taking in a deep breath, Zhang Xuan stretched his hand forward and grabbed it.

Huala!

The heart and finger sealed within a page in the book slowly materialized.

Due to Zhang Xuan's lack of strength, he had kept Vicious sealed within the Book of Heaven's Path all along, not daring to let him out.

However, he had no choice but to let Vicious out this time around in order to allow the latter to undergo the Leaving Aperture Ordeal and successfully advance to the Leaving Aperture realm. In any case, Vicious had already submitted part of his soul to him, so he did not have to worry about a betrayal.

Tzzzzzzz!

As soon as Vicious escaped from the confines of the Book of Heaven's Path, the heart and he finger immediately released extremely concentrated Zhenqi of Slaughter. In an instant, it felt as if someone had filled the entire wooden hut with water, making the surroundings incredibly suffocating.

Seeing how Vicious was still in the mood to show off, Zhang Xuan harrumphed coldly. "Alright, hurry up and devour the Qingtian Emperor's soul and raise your strength. Otherwise, if the other Vicious in the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows notices your presence, he'll surely come after you like a mad dog!"

"Alright!" Vicious answered meekly before swiftly absorbing the Qingtian Emperor's soul.

Suppressed within the Book of Heaven's Path, the rate at which he could absorb the Qingtian Emperor's soul was severely limited as well. However, with his release, he was finally able to utilize his strength to its maximum, and it did not take long for him to fully devour the soul.

Boom!

Gradually, dark, ominous clouds began gathering in the sky.

Vicious had successfully invoked his Leaving Aperture Ordeal as well.

Unlike the Golden Origin Cauldron, even though Vicious had lost his memory, he was still an old monster who had lived for countless years. As fearsome as the Leaving Aperture Ordeal was, he was able to clear it as if it was a mere walk in the park.

Just like the Golden Origin Cauldron though, he also underwent three consecutive lightning strikes, and his cultivation rose all the way to Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage before gradually sliding to a halt.

The Qingtian Emperor was ultimately only a Leaving Aperture realm primary stage soul oracle. Even though his soul harnessed an incredible amount of energy in it, it was only sufficient for Vicious to reach Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage.

Seeing that Vicious had succeeded, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. "Good, rest up well. I'll be bringing you to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows in two days, so make sure that you are in your peak condition to deal with the other Vicious by then."

Now that he had two Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage experts protecting him, he was in a much safer position than before. On top of that, he also possessed substantial strength himself after achieving a breakthrough to Saint 3-dan Embryonic Soul realm. As long as the Vicious in the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows was not beyond the Leaving Aperture realm, he would be able to deal with the other party without much trouble.

"Alright, time to return to the Combat Master Hall." Sending Vicious back into the Book of Heaven's Path, Zhang Xuan flew to the Combat Master Hall.

All in all, his trip out had only taken around eight hours in total, but his fighting prowess and trump cards had increased significantly.

Currently, the combat masters from the other three Combat Master Halls were in an intensive exchange with the Xuanxuan Faction, and they were currently negotiating for a long-term alliance.

Zhang Xuan decided not to interfere in the matter, allowing the others to sort it out among themselves. Just as he was about to find Hall Master Xing to discuss the matter about heading to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows, he suddenly saw Yu Fei-er flying over.

"Zhang shi, Qiqi has left Qingyuan City!"

"She has left?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback. "Where did she go?"

It was just earlier in the afternoon that she had asked him to accompany her for an entire day, and he had even spent two hours guiding her on pill forging. Why would she suddenly leave?

"I'm not too sure either!" Yu Fei-er shook her head.

"Did she say anything?" Zhang Xuan asked. Even if he had rejected Luo Qiqi, the latter was not the sort to leave without saying farewell. Could something have happened to her?

"She said that she had some matters at home to attend to, so she needed to leave for the time being," Yu Fei-er replied.

"Some matters at home to attend to?"

"Un. I saw the introduction letter she submitted when applying to the Master Teacher Academy. She was introduced by the Baiyuan royal family, so I figure that she's the princess of the Baiyuan Empire. I heard a few days earlier that there has been some unrest in the Baiyuan Empire, and several members of the royal family have been injured. Perhaps she has left to resolve the issue!" Yu Fei-er said.

"Baiyuan Empire..." Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before nodding.

He seemed to have recalled someone saying that Luo Qiqi was the princess of some empire back when he first met her.

Baiyuan Empire was a Tier-1 Empire, too. While it was significantly stronger than the Hongyuan Empire, it still paled greatly in comparison to the Qingyuan Empire.

Noticing Zhang Xuan's worry, Yu Fei-er said, "The Baiyuan Empire is just a Tier-1 Empire, so their strongest power should be at Saint 1-dan pinnacle. Considering that Qiqi is a Saint 2-dan cultivator, she shouldn't have any problem suppressing the unrest there."

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded.

With Luo Qiqi's recent rise in cultivation, it would be easy for her to deal with the unrest in her homeland.

Just that, the recent consecutive departures of his students did leave him feeling slightly down within.

Yu Fei-er hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Zhang shi. To be honest with you, I intend to return to the Hongyuan Empire soon, too."

"You are leaving, too?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Yes. I have thought about many things over the past few hours, and I have come to a realization. You are a dragon who will eventually ascend to great heights; not even the Qingyuan Empire nor even the Empire Alliance will be big enough for you to fully spread your wings. Only a person like the little princess from the Luo Clan will be worthy of being by your side," Yu Fei-er said with downcast eyes.

"I am only an insignificant princess from a Tier-1 Empire, so it's indeed about time for me to stop my delusions. Rather than pursuing an impossible goal, I might as well focus my attention on my cultivation. Perhaps one day, I can reach a height where I could make you spare a glance at me too..."

She had always been a decisive person, and since she had made her decision, she would not hesitate in carrying it out.

Over the half a year she had been with Zhang Xuan, deep inside her heart, she had already realized that it was just a matter of time before he became someone completely out of her reach.

Watching as the distance between them grew bigger and bigger, she felt more and more anxious and apprehensive. It was not too long ago that he had been weaker than her, but before she could truly grasp it, he had already become a person far nobler and stronger than her.

Rather than chasing behind him anxiously and allowing panic to gradually consume her, perhaps it would be much better if she took her leave and calmed down first.

"This..." Not expecting Yu Fei-er to come to a decision so quickly, Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before nodding. "I understand. Take care of yourself."

Even with his state of mind, he was still unable to fully comprehend and resolve the dilemma of love. From his feelings for Luo Ruoxin, he could tell how difficult it was for a person to give up one that they liked. In fact, it was due to his reluctance to lose Luo Ruoxin that he was so motivated to push himself to his limits.

Yet, within just a few hours, Yu Fei-er had been able to sort out her feelings and sever whatever sentiments she had for him. From this perspective, she was indeed a courageous individual.

Most likely, she would become a very capable monarch, possibly achieving accomplishments far exceeding those of her father, Yu Shenqing.

"Zhang shi, farewell." With a light smile, Yu Fei-er turned around and left.

Just like her arrival, she left without any hesitation as well.

It seemed like she could see through Zhang Xuan's determination as well. She knew that Zhang Xuan's heart was only big enough to house the little princess of the Luo Clan, and her persistence would only become a nuisance to him. Since that was the case, perhaps leaving was the best decision. At the very least, she would be able to leave behind a good impression in his mind.

Leaving the Combat Master Hall, Yu Fei-er turned around to gaze at the majestic building behind her as she clenched her fists tightly in agitation. Qiqi probably has the same thoughts in mind as me. Dealing with the affairs back home is one matter, but she probably doesn't know how she can face Zhang shi after her rejection either. Nevertheless, I should still hasten my footsteps so as to not lag behind her.

She and Luo Qiqi were both extremely prideful people. It had not been easy for them to find someone whom they loved, but the both of them had ended up being rejected together. It was inevitable that they would find this hard to swallow.

If we just followed behind you and accepted your guidance and generosity, even if we eventually caught up with you, we would not be able to harbor any intentions toward you anymore.

Indeed, we might be unworthy of you now, but we'll continue working hard! Eventually, with our own strength, we will climb to a height where we will be qualified to stand beside you!

This shall be my resolve, as well as my pride!

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Chapter 1209: Heading to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Zhang Xuan could see through Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er's thoughts, but as he already had someone that he loved, he did not want to get involved with anyone else. While it was inevitable that they would be depressed for a period of time, this was at least better than prolonging their pain.

Often, hesitation and indecisiveness were what hurt others the most in a relationship.

After watching Yu Fei-er depart, Zhang Xuan stood quietly for a moment to calm down his vexed mind before heading to look for Hall Master Xing.

What was more important at the moment was to resolve the issue with Vicious. Otherwise, if they let that fellow be, it was only a matter of time before a calamity befell the Qingyuan Empire. Many master teachers would lose their lives, and even Zhang Xuan would be placed in a deeply precarious position.

After all, as a Celestial Master Teacher, his significance was simply too great to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. Even if Vicious was trapped at the moment and could not make a move himself, as long as he leaked the news, Zhang Xuan's good days would be over, and he would be forced into an endless game of hide-and-seek.

Upon hearing the story from Zhang Xuan, Hall Master Xing replied with a resolute gaze, "Our Combat Master Hall is a part of the Master Teacher Pavilion, so there's no way we can stay out of this! Zhang shi, I'll head to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows with you!"

Given that an Otherworldly Demon actually dared make a move against the Master Teacher Pavilion, as the head of the Combat Master Hall, it was his responsibility to step up and vanquish that Otherworldly Demon!

"Alright. It'll suffice to bring two of your strongest subordinates along. It'll be best for our expedition team to not be too big, or else we will catch the enemy's attention easily. If the enemy notices our presence and guards against us, it'll make our mission more difficult than ever," Zhang Xuan said.

As an existence who had rivaled Kong shi in the past, Vicious was an opponent who they could not afford to underestimate. They might still stand a chance against him if they caught him off guard, but it would be a different story if he anticipated their arrival and made preparations to deal with them.

Even if Vicious had fallen from his former glory, the knowledge and experience he had accumulated over countless years were still far beyond theirs. The slightest carelessness against such an opponent could very well cost them their lives.

"I understand." Knowing how grave the matter was, Hall Master Xing nodded before taking his leave to make preparations.

Not too long later, Hall Master Xing appeared once more with Division Head Liao of the Heart Division and Division Head Wei of the Inner Breath Division behind him.

"They are the ones who started to cultivate the Vitreous Heart Tempering Sutra the earliest, so their mental resilience could be considered the strongest within the Combat Master Hall at the moment. If the other party is truly a soul oracle who specializes in soul arts, they will be the best candidates to bring with us for the expedition!" Hall Master Xing said.

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

Soul oracles were skilled in confounding the soul, producing illusions and the sort to incapacitate one. Those with stronger mental resilience would be in a significantly safer position.

As the head of the Heart Division, there was no doubt about Division Head Liao's mental resilience. On the other hand, Division Head Wei was one of the first few to have learned the revised Vitreous Heart Tempering Sutra that Zhang Xuan had given to the Combat Master Hall, and his mental resilience had been reinforced significantly. Furthermore, the fighting prowess of the duo was second only to Hall Master Xing, so they were indeed the ideal candidates to fight against Vicious.

Zhang Xuan looked at them grimly. "This expedition to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows will be very dangerous. Our opponent possesses means far beyond our imagination, and there's a good chance that you might not return alive. Even so, are you still willing to follow us there?"

Division Head Wei and Division Head Liao replied without any hesitation.

"Principal Zhang, we know that."

"The purpose behind the creation of the Combat Master Hall is to deal with potential threats that humanity may face on the frontlines. As long as we are able to protect our brethren, death is nothing to fear!"

Seeing the resolve that the both of them had, Zhang Xuan nodded in approval. "Well said! Alright, let's head to the Master Teacher Pavilion to liaise with Wu shi."

Thus, the four of them began making their way over to the Master Teacher Pavilion.

Upon arriving at the Master Teacher Pavilion, Zhang Xuan saw that Wu shi had also prepared four personnel to follow them to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows. Three of them were 7-star pinnacle master teachers, old elders who had been in the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion since a very long time ago, so their loyalty was indubitable. The last one was surprisingly a familiar face—Zhang Jiuxiao.

"Jiuxiao has been to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows before, and he entered the Ghost Cavern as well. I believe that the hiding place of the mastermind behind the Qingtian Emperor is likely related to that mysterious place, so I think that it would be good to have him lead the way for us," Wu shi said.

"This..." Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before nodding.

There was not much about Vicious in the Qingtian Emperor's memory, and it had not been too detailed either. It was not due to the lacking ability of his Soul Search but because Vicious was a highly capable soul oracle as well, and he had erased the Qingtian Emperor's memory about him in advance in case a mishap happened.

As such, the information that Zhang Xuan had of Vicious was not complete.

Since Zhang Jiuxiao had been to the Ghost Cavern before, it would be for the best if he could lead them there.

Zhang Jiuxiao turned to look at Zhang Xuan and said with determination, "Zhang shi, I know that we had some conflicts in the past, but this matter concerns the future of mankind. As fellow master teachers, I hope that we can put our differences aside and work together on this matter."

Bewildered by Zhang Jiuxiao's words, Zhang Xuan replied in a daze, "My thoughts exactly..."

Due the affairs concerning Luo Ruoxin, he had inevitably become a little prejudiced against the Zhang Clan, thinking that it was a snobbish and domineering clan that paid no heed to the feelings of others. However, seeing how Zhang Jiuxiao was willing to put aside their personal grudges during a crucial moment like this, his opinion of the Zhang Clan could not help but change slightly for the better.

Just as Zhang Xuan was still harboring such thoughts in his mind, the eyebrows of the young man before him shot up as he continued. "You might appear to be an insurmountable wall before me at the moment, but it'll only be a matter of time before I surpass you. I'll have you know that I, Zhang Jiuxiao, am a true genius!"

"Surpass me?" Once again, Zhang Xuan did not expect Zhang Jiuxiao to have such thoughts in mind. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Whatever pleases you..."

Surpass him?

Perhaps there might really be geniuses in the world who were capable of pulling it off, but without a doubt, the young man before him was not one of such people.

Be it in terms of state of mind, fighting prowess, supporting occupations... Forget it, he could probably list on till the end of time. As a human, it was still good to have dreams, no matter how implausible they were.

"Since everyone is here, let's set off!"

After confirming the personnel for their expedition, Wu shi found the strongest aerial saint beast in the Master Teacher Pavilion and had everyone step aboard it. Before long, they were already on their way to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows.

The Marshlands of the Northern Meadows was slightly north of the Northern Meadows City, roughly several million li away from Qingyuan City. Even though the aerial saint beast they were riding on had already reached Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle, it would still take around six days before they arrived at their destination.

Seated in the wooden hut at the back of the saint beast, Zhang Xuan took out a few pills and passed them around. "Here are some pills that I have forged specially for this expedition. When we arrive at the marshlands, make sure to swallow one. It'll grant you immunity to whatever poison we will encounter there, and it will help to prevent any soul oracles from possessing your body."

All in all, including him, there were nine people in the expedition to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows. Even though their fighting prowess was ranked at the very top of Qingyuan City, considering that it was Vicious that they were going to be dealing with, it would not hurt to be prepared.

"Yes!"

The crowd took the pills and carefully placed them into their storage rings. The old adage always holds true—better safe than sorry.

"The collaborative formation used by the Combat Master Hall isn't too bad, flexible in terms of numbers, executable with any number of combat masters. However, it's a pity that it has quite a few flaws in it. Thus, I improved it a little earlier, and I have jotted down the formula in this book. Look through it quickly and learn it well." Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist once more to take out a book before passing it over.

Most combat masters and master teachers that were associated with a Combat Master Hall or Master Teacher Pavilion would practice a collaborative formation of some kind. To the eyes of ordinary cultivators, their collaborative formation was already plenty formidable, but to Zhang Xuan, it was filled with so many horrendous flaws that he could barely bring himself to look at it without cringing. Thus, he made use of the time on the aerial saint beast to quickly improve on it.

"You improved our Combat Master Hall's collaborative formation?" Hall Master Xing and Division Head Liao turned to Zhang Xuan with widened eyes.

They quickly took the book from Zhang Xuan to browse through it, and it did not take long for their eyes to redden in excitement and their breathing to hasten in agitation.

The collaborative formation of their Combat Master Hall had been refined by many predecessors, and it had long reached a bottleneck where it would be hard for any change to generate a net improvement in it. Yet, after seeing the improved formation that Zhang Xuan had written down, they realized that they had only been seeing the tip of the iceberg all along!

They swiftly browsed through the collaborative formation and memorized it.

After which, Zhang Jiuxiao also took a look at the improved collaborative formation, and his face gradually turned paler and paler. Eventually, all the emotions bubbling within him were released with a helpless shake of his head.

It seemed like there was no way he could match up to the young man before him in the field of formations. He would just have to find another field to compete against the young man in.

Stroking his chest to alleviate the suffocating sensation there, Zhang Jiuxiao consoled himself. Even the most formidable genius will have his flaws. There's no such thing a perfect man in the world, so he's bound to have a weakness, too. With sufficient time, I'll eventually find it!

Just as he was about to begin learning the collaborative formation too, Zhang Xuan suddenly turned to him and asked, "Brother Zhang, you are from the Zhang Clan, right? I happen to have a question to ask of you."

"Zhang shi, feel free to speak."

Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before asking, "I have heard rumors that there's an unparalleled prodigy in your Zhang Clan who possesses an exceptionally pure bloodline, may I know if that's true?"

As the saying goes, 'Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories!'

Since Zhang Jiuxiao was from the Zhang Clan, this was a good opportunity for him to listen into the affairs of the rumored genius of the Zhang Clan so that he could make some preparations in advance to deal with him.

"I am from a side family in the Zhang Clan, so I am not qualified to interfere or learn of the affairs concerning the main family. However, I have heard of the little prodigy you spoke about as well. If I'm not mistaken, he should be twenty this year. The talent that he wields is so great that it is truly not an exaggeration to call it 'unparalleled'!"

Zhang Jiuxiao hesitated for a moment before adding, "But those are only things I have heard. I have never met the little prodigy before either."

The astounding phenomena that had happened along with the birth of the Zhang Clan's young master had caused a huge ruckus, making his existence common knowledge among those of the upper tier of the Master Teacher Continent. As such, it was not a big deal for him to speak of it to Zhang Xuan.

"You have never met the little prodigy before either?" Zhang Xuan asked with a perplexed frown.

"Indeed. To be honest, members of the side family like me don't get many opportunities to interact with the members of the main family," Zhang Jiuxiao said as he sighed deeply.

"I heard that the little prodigy of your Zhang Clan is engaged to the little princess of the Luo Clan. May I know if that matter is true too?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"That... I'm afraid that I don't know much about the matter! The main family doesn't allow members of the side family like me to probe too much into their affairs, and we aren't allowed to speak of the matters in the clan lightly either." Seemingly a little fearful of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Jiuxiao was visibly reluctant to linger too much on this topic.

"I see. Then, of the disciples of the main family you have seen, how does their talent compare to yours?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"How does their talent compare to me? I am just a mere ant before them. Even if I devote my entire life to cultivation, there's still no way I'll be able to catch up with them." A bitter smile emerged on Zhang Jiuxiao face as he said these words.

He raised his gaze to look at Zhang Xuan before continuing. "Putting everything aside, Zhang shi, while it is highly possible that there's no cultivator in the history of the Qingyuan Empire who possessed as much talent as you, compared to the disciples of the main family, I fear that you are still severely lacking!"

"I am still severely lacking?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

As a practitioner of the Heaven's Path Divine Art, while he dared not say that his rate of cultivation was fast, surely there should have been very few people in the world who would be able to match him. Were there truly people in the world whose talent surpassed even the might of the Heaven's Path Divine Art?

"That's right. Zhang shi, it's not that I want to traumatize you, but the more formidable inner disciples are able to easily reach the Primordial Spirit realm without cultivating just by awakening their bloodline. With that high of a starting point, it is truly a breeze for them to reach the Leaving Aperture realm or even higher! Against those monsters, there's no way ordinary cultivators like us stand a chance!" Zhang Jiuxiao said with a bitter smile.

The difference in talent from individual to individual sure was something frustrating and exasperating.

Taking the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe for example, every single one of them wielded the strength of a Transcendent Mortal from birth, and it was for this reason that mankind was at an inherently disadvantageous position against them.

Most inner disciples of Sage Clans were able to advance to heights that most ordinary cultivators dared not dream of just on the basis of their pure bloodline. Against such monsters, ordinary cultivators like them had no choice but to admit defeat.

"Awakening their bloodline? Does the improvement induced by the awakening of their bloodline depend on the purity of their bloodline?"

"That's right. In a sense, I guess you can say that this is similar to the case with saint beasts. The closer their bloodline to Ancient Beasts is, the greater the increment in their cultivation will be as a result of awakening their bloodline. It is on this foundation that the Sage Clans were able to remain the top powers on the Master Teacher Continent despite the passing of several dozen millenniums!" Zhang Jiuxiao replied.

"Does that mean your bloodline isn't pure?"

"To be honest with you, I can only be considered the side family of the side family, so there is no way the purity of my bloodline can be compared with that of the main family," Zhang Jiuxiao said awkwardly.

"If bloodline is that important, is there any way to purify one's bloodline or increase the tier of one's bloodline?" Zhang Xuan asked.

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Chapter 1210: Ji Tianxiong

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Purify one's bloodline or increase the tier of one's bloodline? How can there be something as convenient as that in the world?" Zhang Jiuxiao shook his head. "The purity of the bloodline of a Sage Clan offspring is determined at birth. In fact, there are many inner disciples who had the purity of their bloodlines verified even before their birth. Similar to unique constitutions, this is something innate. There are no external forces that can possibly change one's constitution and bloodline easily."

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan fell into deep thoughts.

As he had never come into the contact with the Sage Clans before, he wasn't aware of many of their affairs. However, he did have two students with unique constitutions and one with a unique bloodline.

Zhao Ya and Wei Ruyan possessed the Pure Yin Body and the Innate Poison Body and Poison Soul Constitution respectively, and Yuan Tao possessed the Emperor's Bloodline. These weren't things which one could cultivate postnatally.

Just like how a tadpole could never evolve into a divine dragon no matter how hard it trained, there were simply some things in the world that couldn't be achieved through hard work.

Otherwise, he would have long given Zheng Yang, Liu Yang, and the others with unique constitutions as well so as to enhance their rate of growth.

"I see. It seems like I have been taking this matter too lightly." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

With the experience of cleansing the bloodline of spirit beasts to stimulate their growth, he thought that the Sage Clans might have some kind of means similar to that as well. However, it seemed like there was no way there could be something that convenient in the world.

"While the bloodline from Sage Clans enables one to cultivate swiftly in the initial phase, allowing one to easily reach heights that most ordinary cultivators would never be able to reach, it comes with some flaws as well. For one, the bloodline will also limit one's future potential, making it difficult for one to exceed the accomplishments of our ancestor! This is also the reason why most Sage Clans have focused on preserving their strength instead of pushing their way forward. It's simply too difficult to reach greater heights due to the limitations of the bloodline..." Zhang Jiuxiao continued.

There were always two sides to everything.

Inheriting the bloodline of past Sages would allow one to cultivate swiftly in the earlier stages, as if propelled by a rocket. However, as the individual had heavily relied on the inheritance of their ancestor to climb to their current height, it would also be extremely difficult for them to forge their own path forward beyond their ancestor.

After asking for a while longer, Zhang Jiuxiao said everything that he was able to say. As for information that was confidential, his lips remained firmly sealed, refusing to speak a single word about it.

Knowing that this was the rule within the Zhang Clan, Zhang Xuan also chose not to probe any further either and put Zhang Jiuxiao in a spot.

While the other party had left out the most important information, Zhang Xuan still managed to gather quite a few critical intelligence. For one, it seemed like there was indeed an engagement between the Zhang Clan and the Luo Clan, and just like what Mu shi had told him back then, the little prodigy of the Zhang Clan was a very mysterious and elusive figure. Nearly everyone had heard of his name, but somehow, it was as if not a single person had caught a glimpse of his shadow.

Nevertheless, based on Zhang Jiuxiao's deductions, while that little prodigy was only twenty this year, it was highly likely that his cultivation had already reached Saint 7-dan!

While Zhang Jiuxiao hadn't met the little prodigy, he did meet the other inner disciples of the Zhang Clan before. One of them possessed an incredibly pure bloodline, and he was already at Saint 7-dan before he reached 30.

Considering how even he could reach such height, the little prodigy would surely be even more incredible than that!

"Saint 7-dan..." Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel deeply pressured.

The elder of the Luo Clan who had confronted him a few days back, Luo Chengxin, was at this cultivation realm as well.

Even without using any battle technique, the other party was able to render him completely powerless with just a mere thought, leaving him unable to retaliate at all. The difference in their strength was as if the gap between the heavens and earth.

"Beyond Primordial Spirit realm, the increment in every cultivation stage will be extraordinarily difficult. If I want to marry Luo Ruoxin openly, I'll really have to try harder than that!" Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly.

Beyond Saint 4-dan, the advancement of every single cultivation stage demanded incredibly pure spiritual energy and superior talent. If he wanted to receive the Luo Clan's approval, the least he could do was to attain strength that matched the Zhang Clan's little prodigy.

If he couldn't even defeat his 'love rival', how could he vie Luo Ruoxin from the other party's hands?

"I really have to start cultivating now..."

Feeling deeply pressured, Zhang Xuan spent the next few days either cultivating or digesting the information in the books he had collected within his Library of Heaven's Path.

His efforts weren't wasted. Not only did he manage to further reinforce his cultivation, his comprehension of battle technique had also reached a new peak. He had spent the majority of his time studying the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel left behind by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, and it had granted him a greater grasp over the laws of space. While he was only at Embryonic Soul realm, he was already able to execute the Spatial Seal which only Leaving Aperture realm cultivators were capable of pulling off!

Once executed, he would able to leave everyone within a five-meter radius around him feeling as if they were treading through a marsh, significantly reducing their strength and speed. Within this area, he was confident that he would be able to subdue even Hall Master Xing with a single finger, let alone Wu shi and the others.

"However, this is mainly due to the superior strength of my Origin Soul and zhenqi. Ultimately, my grasp over the laws of space is still a little too weak. However, I'm still some distance away from fully compiling the 2-dan Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel." Knowing that he still had much room for improvement, Zhang Xuan didn't get conceited at his newfound strength.

The Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel could be divided into 5 dans. Even though he had managed to reach 1-dan pinnacle, he was still a distance away from reaching 2-dan.

Time passed in a flash for cultivators. Six days later, the aerial saint beast finally came to a halt above a massive city.

"Zhang shi, this is the Northern Meadows City, also known as the Ji City. It is one of the more prosperous and powerful cities within Qingyuan Empire!" Wu shi introduced.

Gazing downward, Zhang Xuan saw a massive city vaguely visible beyond the clouds. It was extremely large, making it impossible to overlook the entire city in a single sight. What was different about this city was the amazing number of high-rise buildings that they had, which reminded Zhang Xuan a little about the world he had been in previously.

Just from a swift glance, it could be seen that it was indeed quite a prosperous city. Even if it was nowhere on par with Qingyuan City, it was far grander than Hongyuan City and the others.

"The Marshlands of the Northern Meadows is an incredibly dangerous territory to venture into. Its sky is filled with exceptionally powerful turbulent air currents, making it impossible to enter it by flight. On the other hand, the ground was filled with all kinds of threats, ready to prey on the unknowing. As such, we need to find a guide familiar with the local terrain to bring us around. Otherwise, there's a good chance that we'll lose our life even before we manage to find the Ghost Cavern." Wu shi said.

"I understand." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Through reading books concerning the area, he had also gained some understanding of the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows as well.

Just like what Wu shi said, it was an extremely treacherous terrain. Even Primordial Spirit realm experts had to venture through it on foot, or else they would risk being torn to shreds by the turbulent air currents.

Without a guide to lead the way, they could very well fall into the traps that hunters had set up in the area, come under the encirclement of the regional saint beasts, or even step into a pit filled with lethal worms!

Considering the superior fighting prowess of their expedition team, these naturally didn't pose much of a threat to them. However, it would still impede their advancement, and the longer they spent roaming in the marshlands, the more likely that Vicious would notice their presence.

"The head of the Northern Meadows City Master Teacher Pavilion, Ji Tianxiong, is my good friend. He's a trustworthy person, and I have just sent a message to him a while back. He should be arriving very soon. I intend to have him bring us through the marshlands so as to spare us some trouble." Wu shi said.

"Ji Tianxiong? I have heard of him a well. He has spent a period of time in our Combat Master Hall, and his fighting prowess is really not bad!" Division Head Liao couldn't help but interject at this moment.

"Indeed! His Freezing Zhenqi spared with his Glacier Finger is capable of turning water into ice in an instant, and this capability is exceptionally useful and practical on marsh terrains. With him leading the way, we should be able to overcome any danger easily!" Wu shi nodded, clearly deeply confident in his close friend.

While they were speaking, the crowd suddenly saw an elder flying in their direction.

Taking a close examination at the elder, Zhang Xuan noted that the other party had the appearance of one in his fifties, and he had a pair of incredibly sharp eyes that were filled with spirit and vigorous. At first impression, he seemed like an exceptionally keen individual.

His cultivation realm was at Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle, and he exuded an aura reminiscent of a snowy mountain. It was very apparent that he cultivated an ice-type cultivation technique.

Wu shi quickly welcomed the elder before ushering him into the wooden hut, "Everyone, this is the head of the Northern Meadows City Master Teacher Pavilion, Ji Tianxiong, Ji shi! Ji shi, this young man over here is Zhang Xuan, Zhang shi, and this is Hall Master Xing of the Combat Master Hall..."

He swiftly introduced everyone to one another.

Upon hearing Zhang Xuan's name, Ji shi immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Ji Tianxiong pays respect to Zhang shi!"

Even though a distance of several million li sat between Qingyuan City and the Northern Meadows City, he had still heard news of Zhang Xuan's pavilion crashing.

For an individual to successfully overcome an entire Master Teacher Pavilion, just this feat in itself made him a person worthy of respect.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony." Zhang Xuan replied with a smile. "I believe Wu shi should have told you the reason behind our visit here."

"Yes, Wu shi has already told me everything." Ji shi nodded.

"That's good. We intend to enter the depths of the marshlands to find the so-called Ghost Cavern, so we'll require Ji shi's help in leading the way forward." Zhang Xuan said.

"Regarding that... the Ghost Cavern is actually a peculiar existence in the marshlands. It has no fixed location. There are some who follow the directions given by those who have found it in the past, only to see that it was no longer there. I can only fathom the rough area it would be, but as for whether we'll able to find it or not... I'm afraid that I can't guarantee that!" Ji shi said.

While the Ghost Cavern was indeed in the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows, it seemed like it wasn't fixed to a location. Luck played a heavy role in determining whether one would be able to find it or not.

"I understand. You just have to bring us to the vicinity of where it usually appears. Zhang Jiuxiao, Zhang shi, over here has entered the Ghost Cavern once, so he might be able to find some clues to track it down." Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

"Alright!" Ji shi agreed.

The Ghost Cavern was a place which could temper one's mental resilience. Every year, there would be many master teachers who would drop by the marshlands to try their luck. Some of them did succeed, but there were also those who vanished without a trace as well.

The previous time Zhang Jiuxiao had been in the marshlands, he had a guide to bring him around as well. The marshlands were rather similar to a desert, changing greatly with time. Even if one had visited the marshlands in the past, it would still be wiser to hire a guide to bring one around, or else one could very well end up losing his way.

"You have already flown for many days now, do you want to take a brief rest at our Master Teacher Pavilion first?" Ji shi offered.

"There's no need for that. We'll head over right now, or else more master teachers could possibly lose their lives!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand to turn down the other party's kind gesture.

An additional day delayed for them meant an additional day for Vicious to strike. Considering that the lives of master teachers were on the line, they couldn't afford the luxury of time. In any case, as cultivators, they could recover their fatigue through cultivation, so they weren't in dire need for rest either.

"Very well, let's set off now then!" Ji shi nodded in agreement.

He swiftly pointed out a direction for the aerial saint beast, and it began making its way over to the marshlands.

The marshlands were located further up north of the Northern Meadows City. After roughly two hours of flight, the group was welcomed with the sight of a pitch black marshlands that seemed to stretch endlessly into the horizon, creating an illusion that it was connected with the sky.

"Let's alight here. The air currents ahead will be turbulent, and there are many dangerous fields in the sky as well. It would be a disaster if we were to accidentally drop into one of them, so there's no choice but to proceed ahead on foot." Ji shi explained as he instructed the aerial saint beast to land on the ground.

The danger of the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows lay not only on the ground but in the air as well. There were many peculiar fields in the air that one could potentially collide with when traveling above ground. The slightest carelessness could cause one to be devoured by it, placing one in great peril.

After alighting from the back of the aerial saint beasts, the group swiftly assessed the pitch-black marshlands right before them.

To be exact, the marshlands wasn't completely pitch-black. It was actually filled with scarlet flowers that rose above the marsh, reminiscent of lotus.

"The locals call those flowers Man-eating Lotuses. Don't underestimate them just because of their beautiful exterior, they are actually extremely dangerous plants. Most Transcendent Mortal cultivators would be unable to escape from their clutches once caught!" Ji shi explained as he threw a stone toward a nearby lotus.

Huala!

As soon as the rock came into contact with the lotus, the latter immediately wrapped itself around the rock, reducing it to dust in an instant, as if some kind of unique power had devoured it.

"This..." Zhang Xuan's eyelids shot up in astonishment.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never believe that there would be such a plant in the world.

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Chapter 1211: Hall Master Xing's Leaving Aperture Ordeal

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

The Man-eating Lotus had devoured the energy swiftly, precisely, and accurately. Just like what Ji shi had said, it was indeed unlikely for ordinary Transcendent Mortal cultivators to be able to escape from their clutches.

"Other than the Man-eating Lotuses, there are also some unique poisonous worms that live within the marsh. Once bitten, one's body will immediately be numbed, making it impossible for one to exert any strength. Unable to move, one will only continue to sink deeper and deeper into the marshlands, until one is reduced to white bones. There was even a year where a hundred thousand cultivators and master teachers had died here. As such, this area has been labeled as a forbidden zone for cultivators." As Ji shi spoke, he took out a slice of cooked meat from his storage ring and tossed it into the marsh.

Initially, the cooked meat floated on top of the marsh. A moment later, a couple of black beetles suddenly dived out of the marsh and bit the meat. In the blink of an eye, the meat was reduced to a puddle of acid, as if it had been corroded by a very potent acid.

Upon seeing this sight, the faces of the group turned extremely awful.

They had heard rumors about how treacherous the marshlands was, but they hadn't thought that it would actually be so fearsome. Even as Primordial Spirit realm cultivators, they still couldn't help but feel their bodies turning cold in apprehension.

"However, there's no need to worry. As treacherous as the marshlands are, there is a way to pass through it safely. There are some plots of land that float above the marsh, and they form something similar to a suspension bridge. As long as we are able to find these plots of land, we will be able to pass through the marshlands without much trouble!" Ji shi said with a smile.

After saying those words, he leaped ten meters forward and stepped on solid ground on the marshlands. "Everyone, follow me closely. Make sure not to step wrongly or lag behind!"

Following which, he continued to leap forward. In just a dozen steps, he had already covered a distance of several hundred meters.

Zhang Xuan examined the area where Ji shi had landed carefully, and while it was nearly indiscernible, there was indeed a slight difference in the color as compared to the rest of the marsh. It was slightly tinged green, and while there were no plants growing in the area, it gave a feeling of fertility, different from the desolate aura that the rest of the marsh was emanating.

"It doesn't seem likely for these plots of land to have been formed naturally. Most likely, they have been artificially constructed..."

Zhang Xuan had no reason how the marshland came to be, but its formation should have resulted in the ground in the area to sink as a whole. For there plots of land where one could stand on to surface from the marsh, the chances were that they were man-made.

"Let's move on!"

Deciding not to think too deep into the matter, the group had the aerial saint beast to wait for them on the spot while they leaped onto the plots of land as well, following closely behind Ji shi.

As Saint realm experts, their memory far surpassed ordinary humans. Even though they had only briefly seen Ji shi's movements, they were still able to memorize his movements clearly and emulate them without any problem.

"Ji shi, I heard that there are some native saint beasts that live within the marsh. I am curious to know how do they survive in such an environment?"

Considering how poor the environment was, it was truly difficult to comprehend how any saint beasts could possibly grow in the marsh.

"Nearer to the center of the marsh, there will be some 'islands', the largest of them being roughly several kilometers in diameter, which would produce unique saint herbs and ores due to the unique environment of the marsh. As such, there are quite a few saint beasts who would claim those territories for their own in order to dominate those resources. Often, there are some cultivators who unwittingly enter those areas, only to end up killed."

At which, Ji shi suddenly gestured forward and said, "Speak of the devil. There's one of those right in front of us!"

The crowd turned over, and as expected, they saw a significantly larger plot of land right in front of them. Lush with greenery, it resembled a remote island in the midst of an ocean. It was filled with all kinds of plants, and from time to time, they would even see some birds flying in the area.

Proceeding forward, they finally arrived on the island after a ten-minute journey.

The island was roughly five hundred meters in radius, and there was a small hill in the middle of it. It floated above the marsh as if an upside-down tortoise shell.

"We should hurry forward. It'll be best if we could reach the center of the marsh before night time. The marsh gets even more frightening at night!" Seeing that the crowd's attention was wandering around the island, Ji shi urged anxiously.

"Un." Taking a glance at the gradually falling sun, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement. "Let's proceed forward."

While there was still some time before sunset, the marshlands were simply too huge, and they couldn't fly in the area either. Even if they were to rush at full speed ahead, it would probably take them two to four hours before reaching the middle of the marsh, so they couldn't afford to waste any time.

With Ji shi's deep understanding of the marsh, the group managed to avoid most of the pitfalls along the way. They managed to successfully circumvent the territories of the saint beasts, as well as some of the more treacherous terrain in the marsh, thus saving much time. Four hours later, they were finally nearing the center of the marshlands.

On the way forward, they encountered quite a few cultivators, but the latter chose to take a detour around them.

While the group didn't don on their master teacher robe in order to conceal their identities, the incredible fighting prowess of the group was more than sufficient to strike fear in the hearts of others. Unlike in the city, where the presence of the Master Teacher Pavilion would make others think twice before carrying out any malicious acts, those in the marshlands had no qualms with killing other cultivators to steal their items. In fact, such actions were commonplace here.

Furthermore, if the corpses were to be disposed into the marshlands, it would be difficult for the regional Master Teacher Pavilion to investigate the matter and make an accurate judgement. As such, it was considered as a lawless zone, and in such an area, it went without saying that strength reigned supreme.

After proceeding forward another hour, just when the sun was starting to disappear at the western horizon, Ji shi lifted his finger and pointed, "The island just ahead of us is the very center of the entire marshlands. Based on most of the rumors, the Ghost Cavern tend to appear there the most often, so it'll be good to start out search there before gradually spreading out. Other than that, I don't really have a better idea in mind."

Following his finger, the crowd saw a massive island of roughly eight kilometers in diameter. The land was extremely lush, filled with greenery of all sorts, and there was a towering mountain in the middle of the island. Looking at it from afar, it seemed like a small city.

"Let's head over!"

Before long, the crowd stepped onto the island.

The first thing that they noticed about the island was the astonishingly high concentration of spiritual energy in the area. It felt refreshing and energizing to be in an environment so rich in spiritual energy.

"No wonder why saint beasts would want to live here! Indeed, if one were to cultivate here, one could probably achieve twice as much with the same amount of effort!" Zhang Xuan noted.

It seemed like the island was a natural blessed land for cultivation. Those who cultivate for the long-term here would be able to easily surpass those who lived outside.

As the saying goes, opportunities go hand in hand with risk. Despite knowing the dangers lurking within the marsh, the saint beasts still determinedly chose to reside in the area in hopes that they would be able to attain greater strength.

"Alright, we'll be resting here tonight. It'll be best for us to only start our search for the Ghost Cavern tomorrow morning as venomous worms and the sort will emerge from the marsh at night. Being too hasty in the moment will only slow us down!"

As Ji shi spoke, he flicked his wrist and took out a gourd of high-tier saint beast urine before pouring them in the surroundings. This served as a deter venomous worms and the sort from coming around them.

Having seen many things on their journey here, the remaining members of the group had also seen how terrifying the marsh was with their own eyes. Not saying anything much, they took out the rations they had prepared beforehand and began eating.

Fine wine accompanied with roasted meat, it could be said to be a considerably bountiful dinner.

After eating, Zhang Xuan didn't go to rest. Instead, he crossed his legs and continued to cultivate.

He drove his Heaven's Path zhenqi through his body to temper his Embryonic Soul again and again, trying to push for a metamorphosis as soon as possible.

While Zhang Xuan was at the Combat Master Hall, he had collected all of the books in the Guardian Division to form another Heaven's Path Golden Body, and its effects weren't too bad. Even if his physical body wasn't on par with the Golden Origin Cauldron yet, it definitely didn't pale too much from the latter.

"Hm?"

After cultivating for some time, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a surge of energy pulsating not too far away. Turning his head over, he saw Hall Master Xing's face abruptly reddening, as if he was unable to suppress the energy rampaging within his body.

"What's wrong?" Alarmed, Zhang Xuan quickly walked over and asked.

The others were also jolted awake from their cultivation, and they quickly walked over to check on Hall Master Xing out of worry.

"Principal Zhang, I think that my Leaving Aperture Ordeal might be coming very soon..." Hall Master Xing replied with a pale face.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan frowned.

After he had repaired the large rift in Hall Master Xing's Primordial Spirit, the latter swiftly made a breakthrough from Half-Leaving Aperture realm to Quasi Leaving Aperture realm. Under normal circumstances, he should be able to determine when he wanted to summon the Leaving Aperture Ordeal whenever he wanted, so why would it suddenly trigger at this moment?

"What happened?" Knowing that there was something doubtful about the situation, Zhang Xuan asked.

"I'm not too sure either. I was cultivating for a while earlier when I suddenly felt energy overflowing from my Primordial Spirit, attempting to overcome my bottleneck. I tried suppressing it, but I couldn't hold it in..."

At this moment, Hall Master Xing's zhenqi suddenly burst out from his pores, and soon after, ominous clouds began gathering above everyone's head. The lightning ordeal was about to fall.

"Don't worry, it's just the Leaving Aperture Ordeal. With your strength, you'll surely be able to overcome it easily!" Gesturing for everyone else to evacuate from the area where the lightning ordeal would fall, Zhang Xuan encouraged with a smile.

As the head of the Combat Master Hall, Hall Master Xing's physical resilience far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators. It was only because Qingyuan City had been in turmoil for the past few days that he chose to keep putting off his Leaving Aperture Ordeal, especially given the fact that it would take some time for him to recover from the overwhelming damage sustained from the lightning ordeal. Otherwise, he shouldn't have any trouble clearing the lightning ordeal.

Boom!

While Zhang Xuan was speaking, a streak of lightning suddenly fell from the sky.

Hu la!

Hall Master Xing drew out his Primordial Spirit and dove it straight toward the lightning.

Tzzzzzz!

As soon as his Primordial Spirit collided with the lightning, it immediately began shrinking as if cotton in the face of fire. A deep roar resounded deafeningly in the air, reflecting the immense pain that Hall Master Xing was going through.

"What?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up in alarm.

"The Leaving Aperture Ordeal is incredibly dangerous, shouldn't he keep his Primordial Spirit within his body so as to share the burden of the lightning ordeal with it? Why did he draw his Primordial Spirit out to meet it face on? That's too reckless, too dangerous!" Wu shi exclaimed in horror.

The lightning of the Leaving Aperture Ordeal could temper one's Primordial Spirit, but the devastating might of it was not one which any Primordial Spirit could withstand by itself. As such, most cultivators would choose to use their physical body to ward off most of the lightning, absorbing only a small portion of it into their Primordial Spirit... And yet, Hall Master Xing actually sent his Primordial Spirit straight into the lightning. That was practically no different from suicide!

"No, something is wrong. It doesn't seem like he's doing it voluntarily..." Activating his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

"He isn't doing it voluntarily? You mean that... he's under control?"

The crowd couldn't really comprehend what Zhang Xuan meant.

"It seems like a soul oracle has made a move on him. Knowing that he's on a verge of a breakthrough, the soul oracle forcefully manipulated his Primordial Spirit while he was cultivating to draw down the lightning ordeal before dragging his Primordial Spirit out, wanting to use the Power of Lightning to eradicate first. Or perhaps, he intends to make use of this incident to wear us down while attempting to save him..." Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed in fury.

"Soul oracle? Does that mean that we have been noticed?" Wu shi's face darkened.

They had swapped out of their master teacher robe and rushed here without any worry in order to get to the mastermind behind the Qingtian Emperor before the other party could get to them.

Yet, who could have known that the other party would still be the one to make the pre-emptive blow?

"That seems to be the case." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Turning his gaze back to the sky, he saw Hall Master Xing's Primordial Spirit gradually growing smaller and smaller under the devastating might of the lightning, seemingly about to dissipate at anytime soon.

As powerful as Hall Master Xing was, given that Primordial Spirits were innately weak against the Power of Lightning, and he wasn't fully prepared to face the Leaving Aperture Ordeal when it descended, the odds were extremely against his favor.

"At this rate, Hall Master Xing really might just die!" Division Head Wei and Division Head Liao watched the situation in anxiety, not knowing what they could do.

Hall Master Xing was not only their leader but an old friend whom they had known for several centuries now. They couldn't bear to watch their old friend being burned to crisp with their own eyes!

"Principal Zhang, do you have a way to save him?"

The duo hurriedly turned to Zhang Xuan desperately, hoping that he would have a way to resolve the situation.

If there was anyone here who could possibly save Hall Master Xing, it could only be the young man before them.

"Rest assured, I'll surely save him!"

Even if the duo didn't say anything, Zhang Xuan would still save Hall Master Xing. With a sharp glint in his eyes, he examined the lightning ordeal before him closely with his Eye of Insight.

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Chapter 1212: The Emergence of the Ghost Cavern

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Through his Eye of Insight, he could see the Power of Lightning swiftly grinding down Hall Master Xing's Primordial Spirit, swiftly pushing it toward dissipation. At this rate, Hall Master Xing didn't have much time left.

"There are many cultivators who have reached Quasi Leaving Aperture realm, but out of fear for the Power of Lightning, they dare not to summon their Leaving Aperture Ordeal down. Pavilion Master Gou is one such person. Going by this logic, it should be impossible for the Leaving Aperture Ordeal to fall on its own accord. It's likely that someone has interfered with Hall Master Xing's Primordial Spirit, thus giving rise to the current situation!" Zhang Xuan analyzed with a tight knit between his brows.

"There's no way to forcefully stop a lightning ordeal once it has started. Any attempt to interfere with the Leaving Aperture Ordeal will only make it grow stronger, thus putting the cultivator facing it in greater peril..." Ji shi remarked as he shook his head helplessly.

As a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle expert, he had read many books regarding the Leaving Aperture Ordeal, so he knew quite a bit about it as well.

This was the trial that the world put those who attempted to vie power from it through, and those who dared to cheat in the trial would have to face a greater lashback from the heavens.

"Indeed, this is really a dilemma." Zhang Xuan nodded grimly.

What was truly fearsome about the lightning ordeal was that no one would be able to interfere with it started, or else it would only grow stronger and stronger before eventually reaching an uncontrollable level. Take his Saint Ascension Ordeal for example, despite seeing how much danger he was in, Luo Ruoxin still held herself back from interfering, knowing that any attempt to do so would only put him in greater danger.

Otherwise, Zhang Xuan would at least have dozens of methods to eradicate the lightning ordeal.

"If we don't do anything soon, Hall Master Xing really will lose his life!" Division Head Liao urged anxiously.

"I know!" Zhang Xuan replied impatiently as he muttered 'flaws' in his mind, and a book materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path.

He swiftly flipped it open to take a look.

A moment later, he turned to Wu shi and said, "You are the only one who can save Hall Master Xing now."

"Me?" Wu shi was taken aback.

"Is there anyone who has any Spirit Reinforcing Pill here?" Paying no heed to Wu shi's bewilderment, Zhang Xuan turned to the crowd and asked.

"I have one here!" Division Head Liao rushed up and passed a jade bottle into Zhang Xuan's hand.

Zhang Xuan immediately took out the pill from the bottle before placing it into Wu shi's hands, "Swallow it."

Wu shi looked at the pill in his hand hesitantly.

The Spirit Reinforcing Piill was a grade-7 pill that harnessed an immense amount of spiritual energy. Even as a Half-Leaving Aperture realm cultivator, if he were to consume it recklessly, there was good chance that he would be unable to control the massive accumulation of energy within his body and explode on the spot.

"I don't have any time to explain. Just believe me and do it!" Zhang Xuan's face darkened further upon seeing Wu shi's hesitation.

"Yes!" Knowing that the young man before him wielded capabilities exceeding that of ordinary humans, Wu shi dared not to utter any nonsense. He quickly placed the pill into his mouth and swallowed it.

A moment later, he felt a furious surge of energy rampaging angrily within his body, threatening to burst his meridians apart.

"There are a few flaws in your cultivation technique. Once you correct them, you will be able to achieve a breakthrough on the spot..." Zhang Xuan's voice began sounding melodiously in the air.

Before Wu shi could even process what was going on, he realized that the zhenqi in his body had already begun to move in accordance with the words spoken by the young man before him.

"This is... Impartation of Heaven's Will? Is Zhang shi intending to resolve my flaws and have me achieve a breakthrough to Leaving Aperture realm on the spot?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in astonishment.

Instructing him to swallow the Spirit Reinforcing Pill and resolving the flaws concerning his Primordial Spirit... No matter how slow he was, he would have to be a fool to still not understand what was going on.

Within moments, the zhenqi in his body had already fused together with the spiritual energy in the Spirit Reinforcing Pill, swiftly accumulating more and more.

Boom!

In less than three minutes, he broke through the bottleneck of his body, and Primordial Spirit which shared the same appearance as him emerged from his glabella.

"Go over!" Zhang Xuan instructed as he gave Wu shi's Primordial Spirit a push on the back.

Before Wu shi could even process what had just happened, his Primordial Spirit was already fast on its way toward the Hall Master Xing's lightning ordeal.

"This..." Watching as the fearsome streak of lightning swiftly enlarged before his eyes, Wu shi nearly fainted on the spot.

He had only achieved a breakthrough to Leaving Aperture realm, and he hadn't even had time to reinforce his cultivation when he was suddenly forcefully pushed toward the lightning ordeal... Could it be that Zhang shi thought that it would be a pity for Hall Master Xing to depart alone, so he wanted to send him down as a companion for Hall Master Xing to walk the final journey with him?

"Quick, push Hall Master Xing's Primordial Spirit back into his body!" Seeing that Wu shi was still dazing off in midair, Zhang Xuan bellowed anxiously.

"Push his Primordial Spirit back?" Wu shi was stunned for a moment before realizing that even though he had stepped into the area of the lightning ordeal, he wasn't affected by the Power of Lightning.

Heaving a sigh of relief, he hurriedly grabbed forward to push Hall Master Xing's Primordial Spirit down.

Huala!

Hall Master Xing's Primordial Spirit flew straight back into his body.

Hu!

Nourished by his body, Hall Master XIng's Primordial Spirit finally stabilized from its previous injured condition. As powerful as the lightning ordeal was, it wasn't sufficient to faze Hall Master Xing's incredibly resilient body in the short run.

"This... What's going on? Isn't interfering with the Lightning Ordeal of another a huge taboo? How could they still be fine?"

Taking the scene into sight, the crowd was utterly dumbstruck by what they were seeing.

Under normal circumstances, the Leaving Aperture Ordeal would have surely intensified as soon as one stepped into the perimeter of the lightning ordeal. So, how could nothing happen when Wu shi's Primordial Spirit headed over to save Hall Master Xing?

"Who says that they are fine? Speak of the devil, here it comes..." Zhang Xuan shook his head grimly.

Hurriedly turning their gazes over, the crowd saw the swiftly dissipating ominous clouds in the air suddenly gathering together once more.

"Wu shi has barely reached Quasi Leaving Aperture realm, and as one who has to face a lightning ordeal himself, the lightning ordeal of others is unable to faze him. It's through making use of this loophole that he was able to save Hall Master Xing successfully. However, this maneuver on his part brought him to the lightning ordeal's notice, so his Leaving Aperture Ordeal would be falling very soon as well." Zhang Xuan explained.

"He has to face a Leaving Aperture Ordeal too?"

The crowd nearly fainted on the spot.

What is the point of this then?!

To put another in danger in the midst of saving one, aren't we returning back to the square one in the end?

"Wu shi, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and return to your body!" Oblivious to the shock of those around him, Zhang Xuan bellowed.

"Yes!"

Realizing that he had been noticed by the lightning ordeal as well, Wu shi's body trembled in fear. He quickly turned around and retreated back into his body.

"Zhang shi, what should I do next?" Wu shi asked Zhang Xuan with his face pale in fright.

"These lightning clouds have gathered together in a rush after abruptly sensing your aura, so it wouldn't be too strong. Furthermore, most of the Power of Lightning has already been absorbed by Hall Master Xing, so as long as you don't face the lightning ordeal with your Primordial Spirit straight, you should be able to withstand it." Zhang Xuan said.

Even though Wu shi had only just made a breakthrough, considering how his body had just been nourished by the Spirit Reinforcing Pill, and the flaws in his Primordial Spirit had just been resolved, he should still be able to withstand the weakened lightning ordeal.

"Most of the Power of Lightning has been absorbed by Hall Master Xing? That's good..." Hearing that, Wu shi heaved a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, his relief didn't last for too long.

A moment later, a flash of lightning descended on Wu shi.

Huala!

Every single strand of hair on Wu shi's head immediately leaped up from the static lightning, as if alarmed by the might of the lightning. The astounding might of the lightning bolt nearly caused his Primordial Spirit to dissipate on the spot.

"... You call this 'wouldn't be too strong'? Why do I feel like it has gotten much stronger than before?" Wu shi roared in frenzy.

You told me that most of the Power of Lightning has already been absorbed by Hall Master Xing! How could the lightning bolt still be so powerful then?

In the midst of his frenzy, Wu shi heard the voice of a certain young man sounding sheepish not too far away, "Oh. My mistake. Calculation error... It seems like your involvement in Hall Master Xing's Leaving Aperture Ordeal has caused your own Leaving Aperture Ordeal to intensify instead. However, there's still no need for you to panic. Un, no need to panic at all. I have complete trust in your strength. You can do it! Fighting!"

"..." Wu shi.

To think that the young man before him would be such an unreliable person! Damn it!

How can you make me take such risk before confirming the matter? This is too much!

While Wu shi was filled with grudges against Zhang Xuan, the Power of Lightning swiftly accumulated in his body, leaving him with no spare attention to think about anything else anymore. He quickly concentrated his mind into dealing with the Power of Lightning coursing through his body.

Huala!

But despite his efforts, the might of the lightning coursing through his body was simply too destructive. In just a moment, his Primordial Spirit had already been ravaged to the point of near dissipation.

At the same time, countless charred marks appeared throughout his body, and blood wouldn't stop flowing down the edges of his lips. It felt as if he would cave in at any moment and die.

"It's over..." Wu shi's face turned livid with despair.

He had just achieved a breakthrough, and he hadn't even reinforced his cultivation yet. There was no way he could face a powered up Leaving Aperture Ordeal in his current state.

Tzzzzzzzz!

Just when he thought that it was the end, he suddenly felt a surge of zhenqi hidden in the depths of his body suddenly surging forth, repairing his injuries at a visible rate.

This surge of zhenqi seemed to carry the authority of the heavens, and it was incredibly pure as well. It could even repair the damages on his Primordial Spirit with ease!

"This... Did Zhang shi leave this surge of zhenqi within my body?" Wu shi widened his eyes in astonishment.

He had verified with his own eyes Zhang Xuan's identity as a Celestial Master Teacher. Considering the mystical effects of the zhenqi, there was little doubt that it was the latter who left it in his body.

This would explain why the young man would instruct him to save Hall Master Xing without any hesitation. It seemed like he had prepared a hand in case something awry were to occur!

Hu!

In the blink of an eye, his Primordial Spirit and physical body had already recovered back to its peak. However, the Power of Lightning coursing through his body was far from dying down yet.

Injury, recovery, injury, recovery...

It was just a short ten minutes, but Wu shi felt as if he had been to and fro the gates of hell several times within this short span of time.

Nevertheless, he had finally successfully cleared the Leaving Aperture Ordeal!

Opening his eyes once more, he saw that Hall Master Xing's lightning ordeal had also passed, and the ominous clouds had scattered, revealing a clear night sky once more.

Even though Hall Master Xing had started the Leaving Aperture realm on a shaky note, he was ultimately still the head of the Combat Master Hall, possessing capabilities far surpassing ordinary cultivators. While he had nearly died on several occasion, he managed to successfully withstand it with gritted teeth.

"Principal Zhang, thank you." Wu shi quickly walked up to Zhang Xuan and clasped his fist.

If not for the zhenqi the young man had left in his body, he would have indubitably succumbed to the lightning ordeal and lost his life.

While the process was extraordinarily excruciating, he still managed to leap two cultivation stages within a very short period of time, jumping from Half-Leaving Aperture realm to Leaving Aperture realm primary stage. In such a sense, the pain that he had been put through was worthwhile.

At this moment, however, he suddenly heard Zhang shi's telepathic voice sounding by his ears, "Don't speak anymore and feign a state of severe injury!"

Wu shi had no idea why Zhang Xuan would abruptly make such an instruction, but he knew that the latter would have his own reason for doing so. Thus, his body suddenly wobbled weakly before collapsing powerlessly to the ground, as if he had been sapped of all of his strength.

"Wu shi!" Alarmed, Zhang Jiuxiao rushed over.

With Zhang Jiuxiao's support, Wu shi was barely able to get back onto his feet. Just as Wu shi was about to ask what Zhang Xuan was up to, the latter suddenly shouted loudly into the surroundings.

"It seems you have already known that we would come. Since that's the case, why don't you show yourself straight? I know that you want to kill me, and you know that I want to kill you as well. There's no point wasting time playing hide-and-seek, don't you think so?"

"Hide-and-seek? What's that? More importantly, who is Principal talking to?" Wu shi was taken aback.

Wu shi wasn't the only one who was surprised by Zhang Xuan's abrupt actions. The remaining members of the group were perplexed as well.

They had swiftly scouted the island and scanned the area with their Spiritual Perception earlier and confirmed that there was no one in the area other than them. If there was truly someone in the area, there was no way that person could have managed to bypass the detection of their Spiritual Perception.

While the uncomprehending crowd was just about to ask about the matter, an eerie voice suddenly echoed in the air, "Hehehehe, as expected of Zhang shi. Formidable indeed, noticing my presence right after I played a small trick..."

Following which, another island slowly surfaced from the depths of the marsh.

"T-that... That is the Ghost Cavern!" Zhang Jiuxiao exclaimed with clenched fists.

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Chapter 1213: Encountering Inner Demons Once More

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"This is..." Wu shi quickly turned to the island.

Despite being the vice head of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, this was the first time he had seen the rumored Ghost Cavern.

It was a small island, roughly three kilometers in diameter. At the very center was a lake shaped like an eye, and it was impossible to see how deep it was just by looking at its surface. Bizarrely-shaped stones were scattered throughout the island.

Even though the island had surfaced from the marsh, it was as if some kind of mysterious power was shrouding it, preventing the slightest hint of mud from being visible on the ground. On the contrary, there was low-lying lush greenery to be seen all around.

The eerie voice sounded once more. "If you wish to kill me, come over! I'll be hiding somewhere within. You can slowly take your time to find me; I'm in no hurry at all..."

Following which, a layer of mist seemed to suddenly drift into existence around the island, gradually shrouding it from view. It was as if the island would sink back into the marsh very soon.

"Let's head over," Zhang Xuan said as he began to make his way over.

However, before he could get to the other island, Division Head Liao abruptly stepped in his path to halt him. "We can't go! It's obvious that the enemy has come prepared. We were nearly done in even before we could enter the Ghost Cavern. If we really enter the Ghost Cavern, there will surely be plenty of traps that will come our way!"

Even someone of Hall Master Xing's strength had nearly been eradicated by the lightning ordeal due to the other party's schemes. If they stepped onto the island, there was no doubt that they would face countless traps, and chances were that one of the traps would claim their lives.

Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, "He already knows that we are going after him. If we don't head enter the Ghost Cavern now, he will only have more time to prepare, and that will put us in greater danger in the future!"

From the looks of it, it was apparent that Vicious had anticipated their arrival and made preparations beforehand. As such, there was no point delaying the matter any longer; it would not make a difference either way. In fact, the more time they wasted, the more time Vicious would have to kill more master teachers.

Since that was the case, it would be simpler if they barged in and got it over with.

Otherwise, once the Ghost Cavern descended into the marsh once more, they would not be able to do anything about Vicious anymore.

"But..."

Zhang Xuan was still shaking his head as he interjected, "If we do not enter the Ghost Cavern now, the enemy will just continue his attack. Rather than allow more innocent lives to be lost, we might as well head in to see what he's up to. Besides, if he really wanted to make a move against us, at least half of our group would have been dead by now!"

The enemy they were facing was Vicious, the legendary expert who had clashed directly with Kong shi back then! Furthermore, it was apparent that the memory of the Vicious in the Ghost Cavern had recovered to a greater degree compared to the Vicious in his Book of Heaven's Path. Even though Zhang Xuan was able to withstand the other Vicious' soul arts, it was hard to say the same about the three Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle elders from the Master Teacher Pavilion.

In fact, it was also doubtful whether Division Head Wei and Division Head Liao would be able to withstand Vicious' soul arts or not.

Vicious inviting them into his lair instead of assaulting them head-on meant that he had some schemes in mind, and as risky as it might have been, this could have been their only opportunity to find out what Vicious was up to and bring him down!

Seeing Zhang Xuan insisting on the matter, Division Head Liao was a little conflicted. At this moment, he suddenly felt something hard in his hands. It was a wine gourd. At the same time, he heard a telepathic voice in his ears. "Give Hall Master Xing this wine."

"You want Hall Master Xing to drink wine?" Division Head Liao was taken aback.

Hall Master Xing had just been through the lightning ordeal, and there was not the slightest patch of un-charred skin on his body. In such circumstances, he should be fed with pills in order to hasten his recovery, and yet... wine?

Division Head Liao stared at the wine in his hands in a dilemma. At that moment, the feeble Wu shi suddenly walked over and bellowed deeply, "Hurry up and go!"

"Yes!" Hearing Wu shi agree with Zhang Xuan, Division Head Liao swiftly got to action. He pried open Hall Master Xing's mouth and poured the fine wine in.

A moment later, Hall Master Xing finally opened his eyes. Even though spirit had finally returned to his eyes, his movements were still dull with lethargy, similar to Wu shi.

"Since Principal Zhang has already said so, let's head in together. We have come as a group, so we should advance as one too," Hall Master Xing said.

With Division Head Wei's support, he struggled to his feet before wobbling his way over to Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan shot him a faint smile before leaping over to the other island, and the others quickly followed suit.

The little island was deathly silent, to the point where they could vaguely hear a deafening ring in their ears. It was as if there was some kind of formation that isolated them from the rest of the world. Wu shi and the others quickly scanned their surroundings as grimness seeped into their eyes.

"It seems like... a grade-8 formation!"

Even though the island was completely sealed, they found that they were unable to tell exactly what was wrong with it. Without a doubt, the formation cast over the island was one that was on par with those they had encountered back at the Qiu Wu Palace.

A Grade-8 formation... Even though two members of their groups had just achieved a breakthrough to the Leaving Aperture realm, they were still far from matching a formation of that caliber.

Zhang Xuan nodded as well.

While he did not think that it would be easy for Vicious to kill them, given that they were already standing in the other party's territory, it would be unwise for them to let their guard down.

Vicious was an existence who had trapped even Kong shi back in his prime, so the means he had up his sleeve were bound to be frightening.

Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight and began assessing the island silently.

There was indeed a formation cast around the island, but it was not one intended for offense. Instead, its purpose was to float and conceal the island.

It seems like this land didn't float out of the marsh after all! Instead, it operates like a boat. Using the power of the formation, it floats above the marsh and roams around the area freely, appearing only before others when it wants to, Zhang Xuan thought.

Vicious needs to devour master teachers in order to regain his strength, so he intentionally spread the news regarding the abilities of the Ghost Cavern to draw cultivators and master teachers into the marshlands. Considering the treacherous terrain of the marshlands, the high death toll in the region has not drawn the suspicion of others, and all he had to do was let off a few cultivators from time to time in order to further the legend...

Slowly, a complete picture formed in Zhang Xuan's mind.

Previously, he had heard that the Ghost Cavern could temper one's mental resilience, and countless master teachers and cultivators came to the marshlands in the hope of a chance encounter with it. However, from the looks of it, it seemed like most of those who managed to find the Ghost Cavern end up becoming Vicious' nourishment.

On the other hand, the few successful cases who had their mental resilience significantly boosted would become living advertisements for the Ghost Cavern, drawing in a steady supply of cultivators and master teachers for him.

Birds die for food; humans die for wealth. Greed was an innate nature for all living beings, and master teachers were no exception to the rule.

As expected of an old monster who has lived for countless years, his means are far more formidable than that finger...

The finger Vicious that Zhang Xuan had subdued in the Cloudmist Ridge had subordinated the spirit beasts and saint beasts in the area to provide him with the nourishment required for his recovery. While he had managed to devour a substantial number of master teachers over the years, the numbers could not begin to compare with this one.

Let me see what is within the lake that has driven so many master teachers into a frenzy to find it... Zhang Xuan shook his head as he began making his way over to the lake.

"Zhang shi, be careful!" Seeing Zhang Xuan walk toward the lake, Zhang Jiuxiao hurried over to advise him. "The lake reflects a person's inner desires and magnifies them. It'll be difficult to escape from it once you are caught!"

He had cultivated here for a month, so he was extremely familiar with the nature of the lake.

It reflected one's inner desires, and the longer one stared into, the more unbearable the desire became. Considering that their enemy they were dealing with was a soul oracle, if the other party used the opportunity to fuel those inner desires and warp them into inner demons, they could very well be done for!

Or perhaps, the other party might even have lured them onto this land with that very intention in mind!

"It's fine. I'm interested to see what my inner desires will show," Zhang Xuan replied with a casual smile.

He had also guessed as much.

However, if they hesitated in the face of all possible danger, they would never be able to get anything done.

"Zhang shi..."

Seeing that Zhang Xuan would not heed his advice, Zhang Jiuxiao hurriedly turned his gaze to Wu shi, intending to get the latter to talk Zhang Xuan out of his foolishness. But when he saw the latter crouching weakly with a pained expression on his face, the words he wanted to say suddenly caught in his mouth. It seemed like the injuries the latter had sustained from the Leaving Aperture Ordeal earlier were simply too severe, such that even speaking was difficult for him.

He then turned his attention to Hall Master Xing, only to see him in an equally bad state. His eyelids were drooping down, and it seemed like he would fall into a deep sleep if not for his sheer willpower pushing him on.

"Alright, you should all wait there for me. It'll suffice for me to head there alone. If I face any danger, you can come and rescue me instantly," Zhang Xuan instructed before walking over to the lake alone.

The water in the lake was incredibly clear, and the starlight reflecting off its surface seemed to be reflecting the thoughts within one's mind. Looking deeper into it, Zhang Xuan could see faint images within it, as if recollections of his own memory.

Hu!

Soon after, his consciousness was drawn out of his body, and he suddenly found himself plunged into pure darkness.

It was similar to what he encountered during the Heart Ordeal back at the Qiu Wu Palace. A sealed room with no light and no sound, so stifling that it could drive one mad.

Some time later, a pitch-black figure slowly emerged from the darkness, speaking in a mesmerizing, familiar voice.

"Zhang Xuan, it's me..."

The figure slowly approached, revealing an unbelievably beautiful face, one that belonged to the person of his dreams—Luo Ruoxin.

She looked over quietly with nothing but a faint smile on her face, a look that Zhang Xuan had imagined countless times.

Seeing Luo Ruoxin's face, Zhang Xuan could not help but nod in satisfaction. Finally, something more creative than the others...

The inner demons that he had met previously were all incredibly revolting, to the point that his stomach would churn just by looking at their exterior. At the very least, the inner demons here seemed to at least have some wits, knowing to morph themselves into Luo Ruoxin's appearance based on his memory.

It seems like Vicious has also played a part in this, eh? Zhang Xuan thought with an unreadable smile on his lips.

The lake could see through one's inner desires, allowing one to know that they craved for the most, and Zhang Xuan's greatest inner desire was... Luo Ruoxin.

But before he could even get to see his own inner desire reflected in the lake, an inner demon with Luo Ruoxin's form had already appeared before him. It was apparent that Vicious had meddled somehow.

If anyone else were to see the lover whom he had dreamed day and night for appearing before his eyes, he might very well have lost all self-control and immersed himself in the other party's comforting embrace. However, Zhang Xuan was different.

Putting aside that he possessed both the Library of Heaven's Path and the Eye of Insight, which allowed them to peer through the nature of things, just the four Celestial Master Teacher acknowledgements and the Saint Ascension Ordeal that he had undergone were more than enough to allow him to remain perfectly rational before such a situation.

"Zhang Xuan..." 'Luo Ruoxin' called as she slowly walked over to Zhang Xuan. The affection reflected in her black eyes felt so tender that one could just melt in it.

"You're here." Upon seeing Luo Ruoxin, Zhang Xuan muttered with a dazed look in his eyes. He quickly rushed forward to hold the other party's soft hands in his grasp.

"I have missed you," 'Luo Ruoxin' whispered as she gazed deeply into Zhang Xuan's eyes.

Zhang Xuan nodded before replying telepathically, "I miss you, too... Right, I have a 'Great Art of Inner Demons' with me here. Do you want to learn it?"

"Great Art of Inner Demons?" Luo Ruoxin frowned.

"Indeed. This secret art allows inner demons to strengthen their existence, allowing them to exist as a separate entity from their host. It's really powerful, so do you want to learn it?" Zhang Xuan continued saying telepathically.

"..." Luo Ruoxin.

"Don't worry! I have fused this cultivation technique together with the heritage of the soul oracles, spirit awakeners, and many other occupations. If you still don't believe me, why don't I recite a portion of the secret art to you so that you can make a judgement yourself?"

Grabbing the other party's hands so tightly that she was unable to struggle free, Zhang Xuan began reciting. "An inner demon, in essence, is a unique type of spirit whose existence is chained to the thoughts of a sentient being, similar to a separate persona of the individual. In crucial moments, it can arise and inflict a critical blow to the individual. However, along with the death of the individual, the inner demon will vanish from existence as well. Why should inner demons be damned to remain subordinates of other beings? Why can't inner demons struggle free from this cruel fate that the heavens have condemned them to?

"If those words have struck a chord in your heart, my Great Art of Inner Demons will be the perfect book for you!"

"This..." 'Luo Ruoxin's' eyes gradually glazed over as she listened to Zhang Xuan's words, and unknowingly, her hands began to tremble in agitation.

"How is it? Interested in learning it? If you want to learn it, acknowledge me as your teacher, and I'll impart it to you!" Zhang Xuan said.

'Luo Ruoxin' kneeled to the floor and cried, "Teacher!"

Pu!

Following 'Luo Ruoxin's' kneeling, Zhang Xuan seemed to vaguely hear the sound of someone spurting blood.

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Chapter 1214: Trapped

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Good!"

Zhang Xuan swiftly imparted the Great Art of Inner Demons to 'Luo Ruoxin' before instructing, "Alright, revert to your original form."

"Yes, Teacher!" 'Luo Ruoxin's' silhouette blurred before reverting to the appearance of an inner demon. Its figure was permeated with a demonic air that seemed to send one's thoughts into disarray upon sight.

"What's your name?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"My name? I was born just a moment ago from your thoughts, so I don't have a name yet," the inner demon replied sheepishly.

"I see. Since that's the case, why don't I give you a name? Let me think..." Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment. "Alright, I'll call you Demoneh then!"

"Teacher, thank you for bestowing me with a name!" Demoneh replied gleefully.

Demoneh, Demoneh... There was a nice ring to the name that his teacher had given him.

"Alright, you can go out now!"

While Demoneh was still immersed in the delight from being given a name, he suddenly heard the voice of the young man, and he quickly nodded.

The next moment, the pitch-black space abruptly vanished without a trace. The surroundings before Zhang Xuan blurred, and before he knew it, he found himself standing right before the lake once more, as if what had just happened was merely a dream.

Seeing that Zhang Xuan had regained consciousness, Zhang Jiuxiao quickly asked worriedly, "Zhang shi, are you alright?"

Turning around, Zhang Xuan saw the entire group looking at him worriedly, as if fearing that something would happen to him.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Noting how Zhang Xuan seemed to be completely fine, devoid of the slightest disorientation in his mental state, Zhang Jiuxiao asked, "You... didn't encounter any inner demons?"

The lake could reflect the inner desires within one's heart, and these desires were the perfect tool to generate inner demons within one. There was no way their enemy would have passed on this opportunity to deal with them! Inner demons were the greatest fear of cultivators, capable of magnifying their greatest fears to put them through unbearable mental torture... So how could Zhang shi have returned completely fine?

"I encountered one," Zhang Xuan replied leisurely. "Come out and greet my companions!"

"Yes!" A black mist suddenly appeared before Zhang Xuan, and it gradually morphed into the form of an inner demon. It respectfully bowed to the others and said, "Demoneh pays respect to my teacher's companions!"

"This..."

"That is... an inner demon?"

The lips of the entire group twitched as their eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets from disbelief.

That was a living inner demon! In the real world! Greeting them respectfully!

"Principal Zhang, what is going on?" Division Head Liao asked with quivering lips.

As the head of the Heart Division, he had read countless books regarding inner demons, and he knew very well that inner demons were existences bound to the thoughts of a cultivator, so it should have been impossible for them to exist in the real world. Furthermore, born from the darkness of an individual's heart, they were malicious beings who craved to destroy, so how could there possibly be one that was this obedient?

Before Zhang Xuan could respond, Demoneh readily replied with the utmost admiration in his tone. "Teacher has enlightened me from the darkness I was in. If not for him, I might still have been living my days groggily within a living hell. It's truly a huge blessing that I was able to meet my teacher!"

"Enlightened? Teacher?"

The faces of the group twitched so intensely that it felt as if they would fling their cheeks off their faces.

Surely inner demons could not be considered an independent lifeform... Even inner demons could have teachers?

"There's no need to get so caught up with a matter as trivial as this. Speaking of which, do any of you want to give the lake a try?" Zhang Xuan gestured to the lake as he spoke.

After a long moment of silence, Zhang Jiuxiao raised his hand and said, "I'll give it a try!"

He had come here before, and he knew that the inner desires reflected in the lake could give rise to inner demons within one's heart.

But for an inner demon to accept a cultivator as its teacher... This was really his first time seeing something as bewildering as that.

At the same time, it also made him extremely excited. He suddenly felt as if a brand-new world had opened up before his eyes, and he felt tempted to give it a try too!

"Un." Zhang Xuan infused a portion of his will into Zhang Jiuxiao's body before gesturing for the latter to take a look in the lake. "Alright, go ahead and take a look."

"Alright!" Turning his gaze to the lake, Zhang Jiuxiao immediately saw countless inner desires stacked upon one another surfacing on top of the lake, and these images seemed to resonate in his mind as well, leaving him feeling as if he would go insane.

Hong long!

He immediately tried to sever these inner desires from his mind, but before he could do so, his surroundings suddenly faded. Just like what had happened to Zhang Xuan earlier, he found himself plunged into darkness.

Hu la!

A towering demon slowly rose before Zhang Jiuxiao's eyes, and there was a savage sneer on his lips.

Upon seeing the appearance of Zhang Jiuxiao's inner demon, the will that Zhang Xuan had left within the latter's body widened his eyes in disbelief.

His inner demon... is me?

Who would have expected that he would actually be the greatest inner demon of the offspring of the Zhang Clan!

"I... will surely surpass you!"

Zhang Jiuxiao had initially entered with the intention of accepting the inner demon as his student, but upon seeing the inner demon, his eyes immediately glazed over in confusion, and he began shouting frenziedly at the top of his lungs.

Unlike Zhang Xuan, who could control his own state of mind, as soon as the inner demons appeared, the negative emotions that he had bottled up in his mind suddenly burst forth, consuming his consciousness whole, robbing him of his rationality.

"Surpass me? You wield great potential, but it's a pity that the cultivation technique you wield is beneath mine. However, if you cultivate according to my words, you might just be able to stand a chance..." the inner demon tempted with a beguiling voice.

Zhang Jiuxiao struggled internally for a moment, but eventually, he still caved in. "... Very well then!"

So, this is what it is like when an ordinary cultivator encounters inner demons...Zhang Xuan was astonished.

So far, he had encountered inner demons on three occasions. It was only on his first encounter, during his Saint Ascension Ordeal back in the Qiu Wu Palace, that he had been beguiled for a brief moment. As for the remaining two times, he had been able to retain his consciousness. He had thought that most cultivators would have been the same as him, but it seemed like that was far from the case.

From the very start, the very existence of the inner demons reflected the inability of the cultivator to control their heart, resulting in an opening for the inner demons' birth. As a result, it was not too difficult for an inner demon to breach a cultivator's mental resilience and drive them berserk.

Alright, I should start cleaning up now... After learning how inner demons were born, Zhang Xuan's will finally emerged from where it was hidden.

"Little Demon, come. I'll accept you as my student..."

...

"Will Jiuxiao be fine?"

Looking at Zhang Jiuxiao's shaking silhouette before the lake, the faces of the group turned grim.

"Principal Zhang has a deep understanding of inner demons. Since he was the one who gestured for Zhang Jiuxiao to head over, there shouldn't be a problem," Division Head Liao replied.

"I hope so..."

At that moment, Zhang Jiuxiao suddenly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air before slowly opening his eyes.

Hu!

Following which, a pitch-black demon appeared before everyone's eyes.

Zhang Xuan turned to the demon and commanded, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and greet my companions!"

"Yes, Teacher! Demonbee pays respect to my teacher's companions!" the inner demon greeted respectfully.

"Demonbee?" Hearing that name, Demoneh fell into a daze.

Why did it feel like there was something wrong with that name?

In the midst of his bewilderment, it heard its teacher speaking once more. "Who's next?"

"I'll give it a try, too!" Division Head Liao said before walking forward.

Not too long later, another inner demon surfaced before everyone's eyes, and it immediately bowed respectfully.

"Demonsee pays respect to my teacher's companions!"

"Demondee pays respect to my teacher's companions!"

...

"Demoneh, Demonbee, Demonsee, Demondee... A, B, C, D..."

At this point, Demoneh finally understood what was going on, and it nearly spurted blood.

It had been gleeful about the name that Zhang Xuan had given it, but who would have thought that it was actually such a casual one!

...

Looking at the neat row of inner demons before him, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, we have four inner demons now. Who else wants to give it a try?"

"Allow me!" Division Head Wei stepped forward.

Boom!

But before he could get to the lake, the ground suddenly tremored intensely. Amid violent waves, the water level in the lake fell swiftly, as if someone had pulled open the plug in a bathtub.

When the lake had finally been emptied of water, a flight of stone steps slowly rose, leading deep underground.

Not expecting the lake to suddenly dry out when he had only acquired four inner demons, Zhang Xuan frowned in displeasure. "What's going on? I haven't collected enough inner demons yet..."

Before Zhang Xuan could finish his words, the eerie voice from before echoed once more, but this time, it seemed to be quivering with anger. "If you wish to meet me, come down..."

It was no wonder Vicious was furious.

He had thought that as long as he could get the group to look into the lake, he would be able to generate inner demons within their minds and successfully put them under his control, turning them into his subordinates. Yet, the other party had ended up collecting the inner demons as his students instead!

At this rate, not only would he not be weakening the other party's fighting prowess, he would even be bolstering their forces instead!

The reason I am breeding inner demons in your mind is to use it to control you all, not to turn them into tools for your usage!

The more Vicious thought about it, the more furious he felt.

If not for the fact that he had been sealed underground and was unable to make a move personally, he definitely would have charged right up to kill Zhang Xuan with a single slap!

He had met plenty of people who did not go by the book in his lifetime, but this was the first time he had seen one who ripped the book into shreds without a care in the world!

Unforgivable!

Hearing Vicious' voice, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply before beckoning for the group to head down the stone stairs. "Let's carry on then."

Even though the lake had only receded a moment ago, there was not the slightest dampness or mud on the stone steps. It was unknown what the stone steps were made of, but the area was so dark that it was extremely difficult for the group to make out their surroundings.

Zhang Jiuxiao flicked his wrist and took out a couple of Night Illumination Pearls before tossing them forward. Their warm glow provided some light for the group's passage forward.

Eventually, they arrived at a vast hall. Due to the limited light in the area, they were not able to fully make out the situation within the hall.

Zhang Xuan stood at the forefront of the group, leading the way forward.

Upon stepping into the hall, Zhang Xuan saw many corpses lying in the area. From the amount of dirt that had accumulated on the corpses, it could be seen that they had already been dead for many years. Yet, bizarrely, the corpses remained perfectly intact physically, just that they were without their souls.

Soulless Metal Humanoids!

"This..." Zhang Xuan frowned.

Through the tattered rags that remained on the corpses, he could tell that most of them were master teachers... and they had all been forged into metal humanoids.

Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in fury.

At this moment, he suddenly heard Ji shi's astonished voice. "Vice Pavilion Master Liu!"

Turning his gaze over, he saw Ji shi standing over one of the Soulless Metal Humanoids with anxiety in his eyes.

"Vice Pavilion Master Liu?"

"Yes, he's the vice head of our Northern Meadows City Master Teacher Pavilion! His full name is Liu Yiyu, and he went missing three years ago. I thought that he had gone into seclusion to push for a breakthrough, but who would have thought..." Ji shi's voice trembled in horror, and a lump at the back of his throat cut off the rest of his words.

"This..." Zhang Xuan was intending to console Ji shi when Wu shi suddenly walked up to one of the Soulless Golden Humanoids as well and exclaimed, "Elder Xing!"

One of the elders from the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion explained, "Elder Xing is an elder of our Master Teacher Pavilion, and he disappeared eight years ago. How could he be here, too?"

As the group proceeded forward under the glow of the Night Illumination Pearls, they swiftly found many familiar faces. Almost all of them were Primordial Spirit realm master teachers.

Most of them had disappeared in the past twenty years, and most had thought that they had either gone into isolation or had died. Yet, for them to have all been captured and converted into these darned things... Unforgivable!

Zhang Xuan sighed deeply. "There's no saving them anymore. They have all been converted into Soulless Metal Humanoids, empty vessels for soul oracles to maneuver..."

"Damn it!" Wu shi's face reddened in rage. "I'll have this matter reported to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters and have them exact vengeance for all of them! To kill so many master teachers and forge them into puppets... There's no way I'll let that bastard get away scot-free!"

"Hehehehe, report to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, you say?" Vicious' voice sounded once more. "I'm afraid that it is already too late for you to do so..."

Huala!

Right after those words were spoken, the hall suddenly shook intensely, and a loud crashing sound echoed behind them. Turning around, they saw that a massive boulder had already sealed the entrance that they had entered through.

Recognizing the artifact, Zhang Xuan's face darkened. Dragon Severing Lock!

It was the Dragon Severing Lock that was specially forged by celestial designers. Judging from how resilient it was, it would be difficult for even a Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle expert to break it!

Hu la!

While the group was still in shock, the Soulless Metal Humanoid in the area suddenly opened their eyes simultaneously.

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Chapter 1215: Encirclement

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

There were at least several hundred of these Soulless Metal Humanoids. Under the glow of the Night Illumination Pearls, their black eyes seemed to reflect crimson instead, giving them an extremely sinister appearance. It felt as if countless corpses had suddenly risen around them in the middle of a graveyard.

"This is bad!"

Alarmed, the group quickly gathered together before scanning their surroundings warily.

Since the entrance had been sealed by the Dragon Severing Lock, there was no way they could escape from where they came from. Their only choice would be to proceed forward, but at the same time, it seemed like there were countless more Soulless Metal Humanoids lying ahead of them, and there was no way they could fend off so many of them simultaneously!

Huala!

Before the group could recover from their shock, a Soulless Metal Humanoid suddenly charged at them furiously before striking forward with its palm.

Its palm strike with overflowing with strength, leaving the group feeling deeply pressured.

These Soulless Metal Humanoids were at Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle prior to their death, and through a unique technique, their bodies and zhenqi have remained completely intact, thus allowing them to retain most of their strength during the conversion. More importantly, they don't fear death, and they will rise again and again after being struck down... Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes sharply.

He had not expected Vicious to actually capture more than a hundred Saint 4-dan master teachers to forge them all into Soulless Metal Humanoids!

"Humph!" Division Head Wei harrumphed as he stepped forward to knock back the assaulting Soulless Metal Humanoid with a powerful palm strike before charging forward to tear it apart.

Suddenly, one of the elders from the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion blocked his path at the crucial moment and said, "This person is Elder Wang from our Master Teacher Pavilion. We were close buddies for many years... If possible, please don't injure his corpse; I would like to take him back with me and give him a proper burial..."

"Elder Zeng!" Division Head Wei bellowed angrily after hearing those words.

Making use of this short opening, the Soulless Metal Humanoid charged forward and crashed heavily into Division Head Wei, causing the latter to spurt a mouthful of blood.

At the same time, the other Soulless Metal Humanoids slowly rose from the ground, seemingly preparing to make their moves as well.

Seeing how Elder Zeng was still firmly blocking his way, Division Head Wei bellowed in displeasure, "If we don't kill him, we will be the ones who are killed! If you want to die here, be my guest. Just don't drag the rest of us down!"

"But..."

The face of the Elder Zeng turned incredibly ugly.

He knew many of the corpses lying the area, and there were a couple of them who had been close friends with him over the past several centuries. He felt that the least he could do for them was take their bodies back intact and give them a proper burial, in hopes that they could at least rest in peace after death. But looking at the current situation, he also realized that such thoughts would only lead to the downfall of the group.

Boom!

While Elder Zeng was still conflicted over what he should do, one of the Soulless Metal Humanoids suddenly charged his way and clawed at him.

"Elder Hu!" Seeing the other party's face, Elder Zeng's eyes widened in astonishment as many emotions gushed into his mind. This resulted in his body moving slower by half a beat, and deep gorges were torn through his shoulder, causing him to bleed profusely.

Seeing that Elder Zeng was still hesitating due to his ties with the deceased, Zhang Xuan bellowed, "Elder Zeng, that person isn't Elder Hu anymore! His soul has already long dissipated, and he's nothing more than a puppet right now!"

The members of the Combat Master Hall had been through many life-and-death situations, so they knew how to toss aside their emotions and move decisively in moments of danger.

On the other hand, the members of the Master Teacher Pavilion happened to be lacking in this aspect. They tended to allow sentiments to affect their judgement in such critical situations.

"He..." Elder Zeng frowned in distress, but eventually, he bit his lips tightly and roared, "Yes!"

Taking a deep breath, he raised his palm and collided head-on with the 'Elder Hu' Soulless Metal Humanoid.

Peng peng peng!

At the same time, the Soulless Metal Humanoids in the area also rushed forward and surrounded the crowd.

Hualala!

With so many Primordial Spirit realm experts acting against them simultaneously, the group was swiftly placed in a deeply disadvantageous position, and it seemed as if they would cave in very soon.

After knocking away two Soulless Metal Humanoids, Division Head Liao asked anxiously, "Principal Zhang, what do we do?"

These fellows knew neither pain nor death. Only when their heads were severed would they finally fall lifelessly back to the ground. Against a troop of more than a hundred of such Primordial Spirit realm puppets, even though their group wielded considerable fighting prowess as well, the situation was terrible for them.

"The Soulless Metal Humanoids can only move under another's control. As long as we can find the person manipulating them, we will be able to resolve the current danger," Zhang Xuan said with a frown.

Without a doubt, someone must have been controlling those lifeless puppets. As long as they could find and subdue the 'someone', they would be able to free themselves from the crisis they were in.

Division Head Wei gritted his teeth and said, "Since that's the case... Principal Zhang, we'll hold the fort for the time being while you try to find the person behind the Soulless Metal Humanoids!

"Everyone, get into formation! Protect Principal Zhang, Hall Master Xing, and Wu shi!"

Huala!

Right after saying those words, the group quickly formed a circle around Zhang Xuan, Hall Master Xing, and Wu shi in order to protect them.

The improved collaborative formation that Zhang Xuan had imparted to them had granted them a significant rise in their fighting prowess in team battles. As such, despite the simultaneous onslaught of over a hundred Soulless Metal Humanoid, they were surprisingly able to stand their ground, successfully warding the enemies off for the time being.

Protected in the middle, the conflicted Wu shi sent a telepathic message to Zhang Xuan. "Principal Zhang, should we make a move?"

His injuries had long been healed by Zhang Xuan's Heaven's Path zhenqi, and the previous frailty he had displayed was nothing more than an act.

"There's no need for that at the moment. The both of you are our trump cards, and we can't afford to let this be known to the enemy yet," Zhang Xuan replied telepathically.

"But I fear that the others won't be able to hold on for too long!" Wu shi anxiously replied.

"Don't worry. These Soulless Metal Humanoid might appear powerful, but it'll still be difficult for them to overcome the improved collaborative formation. For the time being, let me see who's controlling the puppets. If I'm lucky, I might be able to find a clue leading to the mastermind behind the Qingtian Emperor!" Zhang Xuan said.

In truth, with his prowess, he could have easily broken the encirclement of the hundred Soulless Metal Humanoid. The reason he had chosen not to make a move was to act weak in hopes that it would cause the fellow behind the Soulless Metal Humanoids to lower his guard and, possibly, lure him out and capture him.

If that person was Vicious himself, that would be even better. Once he found the other party's location and weakness, he would be able to launch a surprise attack and subdue the other party in a single move.

If so, the crisis surrounding the Master Teacher Pavilion could be resolved once and for all.

Activating his Eye of Insight while extending his Spiritual Perception forth simultaneously, Zhang Xuan began assessing the Soulless Metal Humanoids carefully.

There seemed to be crimson sparks in each of their eyes, and if his deduction was correct, they seemed to be some kind of medium to relay an individual's will.

Most likely, someone was relaying their commands to the Soulless Metal Humanoid through the crimson sparks, thus driving them into action.

Let me see where the will traces to!

Zhang Xuan randomly picked out a Soulless Metal Humanoid, and concentrating the prowess of his Eye of Insight, he vaguely saw a narrow thread linked to the sparks of flame in the puppet's eyes.

The narrow thread was not just attached to the eyes of that single puppet; there was a thread present for all of the Soulless Metal Humanoids within the room, crisscrossing with one another as if a fish net. All the threads eventually converged together into the depths of the hall.

What powerful soul energy! Zhang Xuan's expression turned grim.

For an individual to manipulate more than a hundred Soulless Metal Humanoid to attack them simultaneously using different moves was an incredibly difficult task, requiring an unbelievably level of multi-tasking. This could only possibly be carried out by one who possessed extremely powerful soul energy, and even Zhang Xuan was not confident that he would necessarily be able to do the same.

Zhang Xuan frowned. There's a formation blocking us in front...

Gazing ahead, before he could see the other end of the thread, a formation blocked his view, preventing him from seeing any further.

If he could not reach the other end of the thread, he would not be able to uncover Vicious' true position. If so, their group would remain in a disadvantageous position, being in the open whereas the enemy remained hidden in the shadows.

"Hold on for a little longer, I'll quickly go ahead to take a look!" Zhang Xuan said before leaping out of the group's protection. He swiftly flew toward where the threads were converging.

Only while their group appeared to be in a disadvantageous position would the other party continue manipulating the puppets, allowing him to trace the other party down via the threads. Otherwise, once all the Soulless Metal Humanoids were destroyed, the threads would be severed, making it impossible for him to track down the other party.

Hula!

Before Zhang Xuan could get far, three Soulless Metal Humanoid suddenly charged toward him with rampaging might, seemingly wanting to tear him into pieces.

"Principal Zhang, be care..." Division Head Liao shouted.

But before he could finish his word, Zhang Xuan abruptly leaped into the air. Without even paying a glance to the Soulless Metal Humanoid, he stepped lightly in the air.

Padah! Padah! Padah!

The three Soulless Metal Humanoids fell forcefully back onto the ground, buried deep into the earth.

" Ahhh! "

The Soulless Metal Humanoids instinctively struggled furiously, wanting to free themselves. Yet, as if there was a mountain weighing on them, they found themselves unable to escape at all.

"Powerful..." Division Head Liao's lips twitched wildly.

Those Soulless Metal Humanoids did not even fear death, making them difficult opponents even for a combat master like him. Yet, with just a light step in the air, Zhang Xuan managed to forcefully pin three of them to the ground.

Just from this, he could tell that even three of him would not be a match for Zhang Xuan!

Just half a month ago, he barely escaped from our grasp, but now, he has already become a formidable expert possessing strength far surpassing us. His talent is truly... Division Head Liao shook his head with a helpless smile.

It had not been too long ago when he, Hall Master Xing, and Division Head Wei were able to easily subdue the young man, almost killing him even. While the young man's combat sense was formidable, his strength and speed had been still severely lacking, making him far from a match for them.

But now, he could already see that even if the three of them were to collaborate once more to deal with him, they would be utterly defeated within moments!

Having lived for several centuries, he had encountered plenty of geniuses in his time, but the rate at which this young man was growing was truly inconceivable, possibly unseen throughout history!

...

Not knowing that the blow he had executed casually would actually leave Division Head Liao so immensely shocked, Zhang Xuan continued advancing forward after subduing the three Soulless Metal Humanoids with a single step.

Peng peng peng peng!

This time, it was even more exaggerated. Without even making a move, all of the Soulless Metal Humanoid that attempted to charge at him were suddenly pinned against the ground or the wall, unable to break free no matter how desperately they struggled.

At Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle, Zhang Xuan's fighting prowess was already comparable to a Leaving Aperture realm intermediate stage cultivator. His might was not something that those Primordial Spirit realm Soulless Metal Humanoids could compare to.

While knocking down more than twenty Soulless Metal Humanoids that charged toward him, Zhang Xuan finally arrived at the very end of the hall.

The threads abruptly vanished into the depths of the wall at this point.

Is this... a mechanism from a celestial designer? Zhang Xuan took a look at the wall before him and frowned.

Through his Eye of Insight, he could tell that the wall before him was actually a mechanism, and the fellow controlling the Soulless Metal Humanoid was hidden right behind it.

This mechanism might have been able to stop other cultivators, but against me...

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan placed his palm lightly on it.

Hu la!

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

Zhang Xuan placed his finger on the book, and the knowledge contained within it was swiftly transferred into his mind.

Reading the details, Zhang Xuan shook his head. It's actually the work of a 7-star pinnacle celestial designer! It seems like there's a fairly skilled celestial designer among the Soulless Metal Humanoids...

While there was not a Celestial Designer Guild in Qingyuan City, there were still branches in the other cities around the Qingyuan Empire.

The handicraft of a 7-star pinnacle celestial designer would have been difficult for an ordinary cultivator to decipher, but Zhang Xuan was different. Through the analysis of the Library of Heaven's Path, he had already managed to grasp the ins and outs of the mechanism fully.

Using his finger as a sword, he swiftly tapped the mechanism eight times.

Kacha! Kacha!

A few mechanical clicks echoed in the air. Following which, the wall before him parted down the middle, revealing a long tunnel. The abruptly halted threads continued into the depths of the tunnel.

Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan proceeded into the tunnel. However, barely after taking two steps, a surge of sword qi suddenly flew forth for his glabella.

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Chapter 1216: Crimson Emerald Duplet Swordsmanship

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"What?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in astonishment as sweat poured down his body.

The sword qi was extremely swift, moving as fast as a streak of lightning. Not only that, it also harnessed formidable might within it. Even with Zhang Xuan's recent surge in cultivation, he instantaneously realized that it would be difficult for him to clash with that sword qi face on at a whim.

Thus, with a slight step, he executed the Unbounded Voyager. As if space had been compressed, that slight step allowed Zhang Xuan to cover three meters in an instant, placing him right next to the wall.

Huala!

At the same time, the sword qi flew by him with a cold gale, vanishing into the distance.

That was a close one!

It was fortunate that he had recently gained a deeper comprehension of the laws of space and the Unbounded Voyager, or else that single surge of sword qi might have just left him severely wounded!

That should be around... Leaving Aperture realm primary stage! Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly as he made a rough estimate.

It was a very brief encounter, but it had allowed Zhang Xuan to verify the strength of the enemy—Leaving Aperture realm primary stage, as well as an expert in swordsmanship.

He was already capable of facing such an opponent with his current strength, but there was still a need for him to be wary around them. In a clash between experts, the slightest moment of carelessness could cost one's life.

For example, if he had not reacted swiftly to the sudden assault, he would have fallen there and then!

Tzzzzzz!

Barely after Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief, a powerful killing intent suddenly permeated the area as two more surges of sword qi flew over, one from the front and one from the back.

In this narrow tunnel, these two surges of sword qi were more than enough to seal his path, leaving him nowhere to hide.

"Humph!"

Knowing that he could not dodge as he did previously, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and whipped out his Glacier Rain Sword. With a powerful slash, he collided with the two surges of sword qi.

While the Glacier Rain Sword was only a Saint low-tier artifact, it was still able to display astounding prowess when paired with Zhang Xuan's mastery in swordsmanship. A deafening sonic boom echoed in the air, and the resulting powerful shockwave blasted the top layer off the walls of the tunnel.

Weng!

Zhang Xuan's Glacier Rain Sword creaked under the overwhelming pressure it was placed under against the two surges of sword qi, nearly shattering. Nevertheless, it still managed to fend off the two surges of sword qi.

Knowing that he would remain at a critical disadvantage if he continued clashing with the enemy within the narrow tunnel, Zhang Xuan swiftly made use of this opportunity to advance forward.

Hualala!

His movements were quick, but the enemy's sword qi was even quicker. Barely after taking two steps, he felt sword qi tearing toward him once more. This time, there were four surges. If he forced his way through, there was a good chance that he would be sliced into tiny pieces.

Thus, Zhang Xuan flicked his Glacier Rain Sword to fend off the sword qi once more.

However, it seemed as if the opponent was simply getting started and was building up more momentum as the battle continued. After four surges, the enemy flung six surges of sword qi at him, and astoundingly, the strength of each sword qi was even stronger than the previous wave.

This seems to be a type of Sword Formation or some kind of unique sword art!

Even though Zhang Xuan had no idea who was behind the attacks, he could tell that the sword qi was the product of some kind of formidable Sword Formation or sword art.

Not daring to get careless, he drove the zhenqi within his body and tapped the area ahead of him lightly.

Weng!

In an instant, it felt as if space itself had turned viscous. The six surges of sword qi significantly slowed down, posing no more threat to Zhang Xuan.

With a series of slashes with the Glacier Rain Sword, Zhang Xuan managed to overcome each of them. Just as he was about to advance once more, eight surges of sword qi arrived in his vicinity.

Following the previous pattern, the eight surges of sword qi were each stronger than the previous six. With their overwhelming might, they actually caused the viscous space that Zhang Xuan had just set up earlier to shake intensely, and with a resounding 'huala!', it dissipated altogether.

Deng deng deng deng!

Suffering a power backlash, Zhang Xuan was forced to retreat two steps before coughing up a mouthful of blood. He swiftly stretched a hand forward and gathered his zhenqi before his palm in the form of a sphere to defend himself from the powerful onslaught of sword qi.

The powerful surges of sword qi had really taken him by surprise this time around. Upon reaching Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle, his fighting prowess was already comparable to a Leaving Aperture realm intermediate stage cultivator. Yet, despite his strength, he ended up being knocked back by just a couple of sword qi surges!

A thought suddenly came to Zhang Xuan's mind. Each wave of sword qi is faster and stronger than the last. Could this be the legendary Crimson Emerald Duplet Swordsmanship?

Having read all the books in the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall, he was rather familiar with the legendary formations and battle techniques that had appeared in the history of the Qingyuan Empire

Many years ago, there had been two extremely talented sword practitioners in the Combat Master Hall. They had managed to earn the opportunity to head to the Qianchong Empire's Sword Lagoon, and over there, they had comprehended a unique Sword Formation known as the Crimson Emerald Duplet Swordsmanship.

In a sense, it could also be considered as a collaborative formation centered around swords. Through the sheer might of the Sword Formation, they had been able to overwhelm even Leaving Aperture realm intermediate stage cultivators with ease!

But more than a thousand years ago, the duo had abruptly gone missing without leaving behind their heritage, and there were many who presumed that they had died.

However, to see this legendary Sword Formation appear here... Could it be that the duo had been killed by Vicious, and their bodies had been forged into Soulless Metal Humanoids?

If that was the case, Zhang Xuan would truly be in a bad position.

If I can't see them in action, I won't be able to compile a book on them and analyze the flaws in the battle technique. This won't do. If I continue wasting time here, once the battle on the other side ends, the threads will disappear along with the only clue we have leading to Vicious at the moment, Zhang Xuan thought grimly.

Knowing that he could not afford to waste any time, he decisively flicked his wrist to take the massive Golden Origin Cauldron out.

"Pave a way forward!"

"Roger that! Don't worry, Master. They are only a bunch of weaklings. Watch how I, Ding Ding, crush them into smithereens!" Roaring furiously, the Golden Origin Cauldron began on a ferocious charge through the tunnel.

Ding ding dang dang!

The sword qi produced a resounding metallic echo upon coming into contact with the Golden Origin Cauldron, but it did little to slow its movements.

After being infused with the Black Goldcrystal Ore, the defense of the Golden Origin Cauldron had been enhanced by leaps and bounds. On top of that, the Golden Origin Cauldron's cultivation had also reached Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage, two cultivation stages higher than the assailants. As powerful as the enemies' sword qi was, they were still unable to overcome the Golden Origin Cauldron's defenses.

Seeing how the Golden Origin Cauldron was able to deal with the Sword Formation with ease, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief as he followed closely behind it. The narrow tunnel was roughly eighty meters long, so it did not take him too long to arrive at the other end.

What he was met with was another large hall.

This hall had clearly been manually dug out, and it was roughly a hundred meters in diameter.

Upon entering the hall, Zhang Xuan's Spiritual Perception was no longer limited by the previous formation. Thus, he extended it, and he soon noticed two figures swiftly retreating from him.

While those two figures appeared no different from ordinary humans on the surface, be it in terms of skin, hair, or flesh, the lack of expression on their faces betrayed their identities as Soulless Metal Humanoids.

"Do you think that I'll allow you to get away that easily after assaulting me?" Zhang Xuan sneered coldly as he raised his palm.

Boom!

An imposing force burst forth with astounding momentum toward the duo.

Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm!

Sensing the powerful might of the palm art, the two Soulless Metal Humanoid swiftly turned around to defend against the palm with the swords in their hands.

However, having broken their Sword Formation, the momentum they had built up all this while had vanished without a trace. As such, the might of their sword qi was only comparable to the first wave of assault that they had launched previously.

Zhang Xuan's Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm crushed their sword qi in a flash. Following which, the sound of ribcages shattering filled the hall as the two Soulless Metal Humanoids were smacked into the wall.

Seeing how Zhang Xuan incapacitated the both of them with a single blow, the Golden Origin Cauldron exclaimed anxiously, "Master, please leave one of them to me!"

This was a rare opportunity for it to try out its newfound strength, so naturally, it wanted cannon fodder to pummel as well.

"Fine, I'll leave them to you then," Zhang Xuan said.

His main goal was Vicious. As for these small fries, it would suffice to render them powerless.

"Wonderful!" Hearing those words, the Golden Origin Cauldron exclaimed in excitement. It immediately charged forward and crashed right into one of the two Soulless Metal Humanoids with its powerful body.

Paji!

The Soulless Metal Humanoid did not even last for an instant before being reduced to a pancake plastered on the wall.

"Hahahaha, there's no one who is a match for Grandpa Ding! Hahahahaha!" Gripped with excitement, the Golden Origin Cauldron burst into laughter before abruptly turning to face the remaining Soulless Metal Humanoid.

Horrified, the Soulless Metal Humanoid swiftly struggled free from the wall and began to run away.

"Do you think that you will be able to flee from your Grandpa Ding?" Harrumphing coldly, the Golden Origin Cauldron charged forward once more.

Perhaps realizing that it would not be able to outrun the Golden Origin Cauldron, the Soulless Metal Humanoid drew its sword and launched a powerful chop toward it.

The powerful chop produced a crisp metallic sound on the Golden Origin Cauldron before the sword abruptly snapped into two. Following which, the Soulless Metal Humanoid was smacked into the wall.

Paji!

Its bones were immediately shattered into nonexistence, and it became another painting on the wall, just like the previous Soulless Metal Humanoid.

"Ah..." Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless.

He had thought that the Golden Origin Cauldron would only subdue them. After all, these two Soulless Metal Humanoids had once been honorable experts of the Combat Master Hall, so it would have been good to have Hall Master Xing take them back to be buried. Yet, who would have thought that the Golden Origin Cauldron would actually destroy their bodies so utterly?

Oh well, it was not a big deal.

Ultimately, they were already dead. It would suffice to relinquish their bodies from Vicious' control and allow them to rest in peace.

Besides, the combat masters of the Combat Master Hall were not as sentimental as the Master Teacher Pavilion. On the battlefield, there was nothing more important than preserving one's life, so how could they possibly have attention to spare for any of those formalities?

Eye of Insight! Zhang Xuan began tracing down the threads once more, only to find that they extended underground.

Zhang Xuan walked over and placed his hand on the area where the threads disappeared. As expected, there was a trapdoor there.

Zhang Xuan lightly pushed it open with his forefinger.

Geji! Geji!

Instead of entering the trapdoor immediately, Zhang Xuan beckoned for the Golden Origin Cauldron. "Come over here for a moment!"

"Coming!" The Golden Origin Cauldron swiftly flew over.

"Head in first to check if there is any danger inside," Zhang Xuan instructed.

The sword qi he had faced in the tunnel had reminded him of the need to remain cautious in the Ghost Cavern. If not for the recent rise in his cultivation, he could have died under the onslaught of sword qi.

In any case, since he had the Golden Origin Cauldron, there was no need for him to take the risk to explore uncharted territory by himself. He could have the cauldron enter first, and depending on what it encountered, he would be able to take preparations in advance.

"Roger that!" the Golden Origin Cauldron replied before decisively jumping into the trapdoor.

Padah!

"Master, I think that I am stuck..."

Zhang Xuan was speechless.

The Golden Origin Cauldron happened to be the perfect size to plug up the trapdoor.

"Never mind, come out first." Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan plucked the Golden Origin Cauldron out before driving his zhenqi and stepping into the trapdoor himself warily.

There was not a sound to be heard in the passageway beyond the trapdoor. Nevertheless, with the previous experience, Zhang Xuan dared not lower his guard. Holding the Glacier Rain Sword tightly in his grasp, he proceeded forward a step at a time.

Soon, he arrived at the very end of the flight of stairs. Surprisingly, the enemy did not spring a sudden assault on him this time around.

Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist to whip out a Night Illumination Pearl before tossing it on the ground ahead of him, lighting up the room before him.

It was yet another vast hall, just like the one above.

Scanning the room, a frown surfaced on Zhang Xuan's forehead.

The threads manipulating the Soulless Metal Humanoids vanished in this room, so he had expected to see Vicious there. But contrary to his expectations, there was not a person to be seen in the area.

Geji!

Zhang Xuan was just about to scan the room thoroughly to see if he could find anything when the mechanical clicking of a mechanism suddenly echoed behind him. Turning around, he saw that the passageway that he had come from had already been sealed shut.

While it was not the Dragon Severing Lock, it was not a seal that he could break within a short period of time either.

Zhang Xuan was dazed for a moment before realization struck him. They are intending to separate me from Hall Master Xing and the others!

At this point, it was clear that the other party's intention was to divide their group up so as to deal with them one by one.

Knowing that there would be something lying in wait for him within the hall, he did not rush to break the seal. Instead, taking a deep breath, he began examining the hall carefully.

"Since you have already succeeded in isolating me from the rest of my group, isn't it about time for you to show yourself?"

"A wise man you are, Zhang shi!" a faint voice sounded from the depths of the hall.

Following which, a human-like figure suddenly emerged from the wall on the opposite side.

Thinking that it was an effect produced by some kind of illusion, Zhang Xuan did not pay much heed to it. However, when he took a closer look at the appearance of the figure, he could not help but frown.

"You... still aren't dead?"

The person before him was none other than the person he had conducted Soul Search on back in Qingyuan City, the individual whom he had given Vicious to consume—the Qingtian Emperor!

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