Chapter 1015

Chapter 1015: I Can Give It a Try

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“Wu shi!”

The three of them clasped their fists to greet the other party.

“What is the current situation here?” Zhang Xuan got straight to the point.

“Half a month ago, the seal suddenly became unstable. Even so, with the forces that we have, we were still able to stabilize it easily. But two days ago, the seal suddenly began shaking intensely, threatening to collapse at any moment. Despite devoting all of our men to stabilizing the seal, we are barely hanging on at the moment. At this rate, it won’t be long before the situation exceeds our control!” Wu shi glanced at the hemispherical depression with a worried frown.

“Exceeds our control?”

“Indeed.” Wu shi nodded. Just as he was about to explain the matter, a deep rumbling reminiscent of thunder suddenly reverberated from the ground below. Like the cry of a behemoth or the roar of a massive dragon prowling beneath the mountain range, it seemed like a fearsome being would suddenly come to life and massacre everyone present.

“What is that?” The faces of Zhang Xuan and the others warped in astonishment.

That deep rumbling sounded like the source of a devastating calamity of some kind. Before such overwhelming force, the strength of humans felt pitifully insignificant in comparison. It felt like no amount of effort would stop the destruction from crashing down on them, devouring them all.

“We’ve looked into the matter, and it seems like that sound originates from the other side of the seal. There is no way for us to find out for sure what is going on within at the moment, but at this rate, it won’t be long before the entire seal collapses. Once that happens, be it the ancient domain or Firesource City, they will be reduced to ashes!” Wu shi said worriedly.

If the seal was destroyed, it could very well result in the rampaging energies within the volcano running amok, thus inducing a massive explosion. The Swallow Embracing Mountain was only three hundred kilometers away from Firesource City. At such a short distance away, there was no doubt that Firesource City would be devastated by the massive explosion as well, killing even Saint realm experts that stood in its path.

Far too much energy had gathered beneath the volcano over the years, to the point where no human could withstand it!

Hong long long!

While they were speaking, the rumbling grew louder and louder. The ground began shaking violently, and a scorching burst of air gushed up from the depths of the seal. In an instant, over half of the formation flags that had just been planted a moment ago were jolted out of the ground.

The students of the Formation Master School, who were sitting before the hemispherical depression to stabilize the seal, instantly looked weakened, and a few hundred of them were abruptly sent flying from the spot. Huge mouthfuls of blood spewed from their mouths.

A new group of students hurried forward to fill the gaps left behind by the casualties. Exerting the full extent of their cultivation, they tried their best to stabilize the seal, preventing it from collapsing.

“What an incredible force…” Upon seeing this sight, Zhang Xuan’s face paled.

The might gushing out from beneath was far beyond his expectations. Even the collaboration of multiple Saint 5-dan experts might not be able to suppress it.

Even with so many students of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy infusing their power into it, they were still barely holding on.

Before such immense power, putting aside entering the ancient domain, he would be reduced to dust by the powerful force before he could even get close to the seal!

Before, he had been thinking that no matter how dangerous the ancient domain was, as long as he were to rely on his Eye of Insight and Library of Heaven’s Path to assess the situation ahead of him, he would be able to avert danger with relative ease. But from the looks of it now, his thoughts had been too naive!

Even the dangers lurking outside the ancient domain were far greater than he had expected. The slightest mistake could easily result in death!

At this moment, a loud bellow was heard throughout the area.

” Team A, guard the Gen. Team B, guard the Xun. Team C, guard the Qian. 1 As for the other teams, remain where you are and continue infusing your zhenqi into the seal!”

Following that, an elder flew into the sky and stood above everyone else. A massive compass floated before him, which he used to make calculations as he continued issuing orders here and there.

Hearing his instructions, the students beneath hurriedly moved in the teams they had formed before and carried out the instructions demanded of them. Following which, innumerable surges of zhenqi poured forth, converging at the very center of the depression. In that moment, it looked as if someone had set off a massive firework.

Under the influx of zhenqi, the fortified seal slowly calmed down. At the same time, the rumbling beneath the ground also gradually quietened down, as if being forcefully suppressed.

After studying the situation for a moment longer, Zhang Xuan suddenly noticed something, and a deep frown arched between his brows. “Wait a moment… If the seal is fortified in such a manner, how can it be opened later?”

This method of reinforcing the formation was indeed effective in coping with the assault of the fearsome force from below, bringing safety back to the area. However… there was a major problem with this solution!

The fortification of the seal meant that it would become harder for them to open the seal and enter the ancient domain. In fact, if this continued, it might become entirely impossible to do so!

According to their previous estimates, the seal was likely to open within two to three days. However, if they were to continue reinforcing the seal in such a manner, putting aside three days, the seal might not even open within the next three years!

“Indeed, but there’s nothing we can do about this situation. If we leave the seal be, the volcano will explode without a shred of doubt. Not only will the ancient domain be destroyed, the entire area, including Firesource City, will be devastated as well.”

If they had a choice, they obviously wouldn’t fortify the seal. But if they didn’t do so, the ancient domain would be completely destroyed, making it impossible for them to enter!

Besides, considering how volatile the immense energies that had accumulated beneath the volcano were, who would dare enter even if it was possible to do so? After all, there was no one who could guarantee that the volcano wouldn’t act up while they were within! Once that happened, they could very well be torn to shreds by that overwhelming force!

“Is there really no alternative solution other than to fortify the formation?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

“There is, but… it simply isn’t feasible!” Wu shi shook his head.

Zhang Xuan turned his gaze to Wu shi and said, “Tell me about it.”

The situation was already as bad as it could get. At this point, they had to try everything that they could.

“The seal is similar to a cover that suppresses the violent energies raging beneath the volcano. Using a metaphor, the current situation is similar to that of a balloon. Initially, when the energies attempting to burst out from beneath weren’t too great, the seal was still able to keep them in through its elasticity,” Wu shi explained.

“However, as more and more energies accumulated, the seal rapidly found itself coming to its limit, putting it under threat of exploding altogether! Through reinforcing the seal, we are effectively bringing the breaking point of the seal higher, allowing the seal to withstand the rampaging energies by a greater degree.

“However, no matter how much we fortify the seal, as long as the energies beneath the ground continue to accumulate, the seal will eventually reach its limit. In a sense, we are only pushing back the inevitable. Unless we resolve the root of the problem, the accumulation of energies below, there will come a day when the seal exceeds its breaking point and bursts!”

Hearing the other party’s explanation, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

The metaphor the other party used was a fitting description of the current situation they were in.

The root of the problem was still the accumulation of energies beneath the ground. The fortification of the formation only served to rein the rampaging energies in for the time being; it wasn’t a long-term measure. In fact, the longer the energies were suppressed, the greater the accumulation of energies, resulting in the eventual explosion being more devastating than it already was.

To make an analogy, it was similar to constructing a dam to prevent a flood.

The more water it kept at bay, the higher the water level would be, and the greater the pressure the dam would be put under. When the dam eventually collapsed, the flood would come crashing down with far greater momentum than it originally would.

If something similar were to happen here as well, it would spell a great calamity.

“The other solution we have thought of is to dispel the energies accumulated below directly. It would solve the root of the problem, but… before the seal is opened, there is no way we can venture below to identify the cause of the accumulation of energies and resolve the issue. On the other hand, the moment the seal is opened, the accumulated energies will surely burst forth, resulting in a catastrophic explosion.” Wu shi shook his head with a bitter smile.

This was a paradox. To dispel the energies, they would have to break open the seal and enter the other side. But the moment this was done, an explosion would burst forth, annihilating everything in the area.

“This…” Zhang Xuan and Mu shi glanced at one another and shook their heads helplessly.

Wu shi was right; this was indeed an irresolvable problem. Despite knowing the dangers of fortifying the seal continuously, they had no choice but to do it.

At this point, Zhang Xuan suddenly thought of something and asked, “I heard from a master teacher stationed in the Master Teacher Pavilion that just before this problem occurred, Otherworldly Demons were spotted to be lurking around the vicinity. Is this true?”

“That’s right!” Wu shi nodded. “The Otherworldly Demons didn’t remain in the area for long before fleeing. We have no idea what they did in the short period of time that they were here, but the seal suddenly grew unstable. It was still rather manageable at the start, and we were able to easily suppress it with just a couple of us in the area. However, as time ticked by, the instability worsened, and eventually… as you can see, even with the combined might of twenty thousand students, we are barely holding on!”

“They didn’t remain in the area for long before fleeing?” Zhang Xuan repeated Wu shi’s words contemplatively and fell into a moment of thought. A moment later, he asked, “Who was the one who spotted the Otherworldly Demons?”

“It was an ordinary 4-star master teacher. He was stationed as a sentry in the area when it happened,” Wu shi replied.

“An ordinary 4-star master teacher would only possess a cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 4-dan, and yet… he noticed the movements of the Otherworldly Demons?” Zhang Xuan remarked with a tinge of bewilderment in his tone.

He had encountered many Otherworldly Demons who had passed through the seal for the ancient domain, and even the weakest of them was a Saint 1-dan.

How could an ordinary 4-star master teacher, a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan cultivator, notice them but still remain alive at this point?

Given the vast disparity in cultivation, it was inconceivable to think that the Otherworldly Demons hadn’t noticed the presence of the 4-star master teacher.

“Don’t worry, that master teacher is definitely trustworthy. There is no way he could have betrayed mankind,” Wu shi hurriedly added.

“I am not suspecting that 4-star master teacher of colluding with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe…” Zhang Xuan shook his head. Halfway through his words, the ground suddenly began to rumble once more.

“Initially, the energies would only act up once every four to six hours. However, the intervals between each surge has been decreasing swiftly, and at this point, it is less than ten minutes,” Wu shi said.

Two days ago, due to the lower frequency of the rampaging energies acting up, their forces were still able handle it with relative ease. However, with an assault coming once every ten minutes, everyone was already on the brink of collapse!

“My students won’t be able to hold on for too long at this rate,” Zhang Xuan said with a livid face.

Twenty thousand of his students were currently standing atop the Swallow Embracing Mountain, and a significant proportion of them were from the Xuanxuan Faction as well. An assault once every few hours was still within their means, but one that occurred every ten minutes… They would be pushing themselves to the limits! At this rate, they might very well end up pushing themselves too far and incur permanent damage to their foundations, resulting in a steep decline in their cultivation.

“I know, but there is no better solution at the moment.” Wu shi sighed in frustration.

At this point, Luo Ruoxin suddenly spoke up. “Since it is just a matter of time before the energies burst forth, why don’t you just create an opening to guide the rampaging energies out instead? This way, you should be able to resolve the root of the problem as well.”

“Create an opening? It is not that we haven’t considered such a solution before, but given the overwhelming energies that have accumulated at the moment, if we create an opening at the wrong location, it could end up becoming a trigger for an explosion instead. The seal would be torn apart, and in the worst-case scenario… we could all die!” Wu shi said.

Using the same balloon analogy, a balloon that expanded continuously would burst eventually. To prevent such a situation from happening, one could poke an opening in it to release the accumulated air gradually. However, this was easier said than done. If one were to create an opening at the wrong location, it could very well become a trigger that would cause the balloon to explode instantaneously.

All of the master teachers that were currently standing atop the Swallow Embracing Mountain would be reduced to ashes.

As such, how many openings to create and where the openings should be made were very important questions to consider. A mistake made in either of the two could spell their demise. Even with 7-star master teachers and 7-star formation masters among them, they weren’t confident enough to take such a risky action.

“So, we just have to find the most suitable locations to release the built-up energies?”

Hearing the conversation between the two, Zhang Xuan’s eyes suddenly lit up. With a look of excitement, he said, “Regarding that matter… perhaps I can give it a try!”

Chapter 1016: Zhang Xuan Breaks the Seal (1) ##

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

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As long as he could activate the formation, he would be able to find the flaws in it through the Library of Heaven’s Path. That would be even more accurate than any compass that one could find.

It was nigh impossible for others to find the precise location of where the openings should be made, how big the openings should be, and how much strength one should exert in opening it. However, that happened to be the easiest thing in the world for Zhang Xuan.

“Give it a try?” Wu shi shook his head. “I know that Principal Zhang possesses extraordinary talent in the field of formations, but the implications are simply too great. Failure is not an option for us, so you mustn’t act recklessly!”

Failure would spell the instantaneous explosion of the volcano, and that would reduce all of them to ash. This was no laughing matter, and it was definitely not something that one should ‘give a try’.

“I know.” Nodding in agreement, Zhang Xuan was just about to explain himself when a voice from the sky harrumphed coldly.

“Give it a try? Humph, can you bear the responsibility if something goes wrong? For a person as young as you to speak such big words, what is the world becoming?”

Hong long!

An elder bellowed coldly as he descended from the sky, heading toward the group. He was the 7-star pinnacle formation master who had been busy taking control of the situation to fortify the formation, Han Xu!

His face looked withered from the fatigue he had accumulated over the days, but at this moment, not even his exhaustion could conceal the sharp coldness and displeasure he was directing toward Zhang Xuan.

“Guild Leader Han… Allow me to introduce you!” Wu shi hurriedly stepped forward to resolve the air of awkwardness drifting between them. “This is the newly-appointed principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Xuan. This young lady over here is Luo shi. As for Mu shi over here, I don’t think that I will have to introduce him since you are old friends with him. Principal Zhang and Luo shi, this is the head of our Qingyuan Empire Formation Master Guild, Han Xu!”

“You are Zhang Xuan?” Hearing the introduction, Han Xu turned to Zhang Xuan and said, “I have heard of you. To be able to become a 6-star formation master at such a young age, you are indeed an outstanding talent.

“However… as a master teacher, you must speak with prudence. Recklessness is the most common cause of the downfall of young talents. Everyone here knows that releasing the built-up energies within is a far better solution that forcefully stopping it, but do you know what the consequences of failure are? Not only will we die, everything within a radius of a thousand kilometers from here will be eradicated. Countless lives will vanish in an instant… Are you certain that you can shoulder such responsibility?”

Knowing that the other party was only berating him because the other party thought that he was taking such a grave matter lightly, Zhang Xuan quickly explained himself with a smile. “Guild Leader Han, you have misunderstood what I am saying. When I said that I would give it a try, I meant that I will do so only after I am entirely confident of success. Naturally, I dare not fool around with so many lives at stake!”

“How arrogant!” Yet another middle-aged man walked over with a disdainful look on his face. “This seal before us may very well be a grade-8 formation or even higher than that. My teacher and I have analyzed it for more than two days now, but we are still unable to find a foolproof way to release the energies within the seal without triggering an explosion. Yet, without even taking a look at the formation, you are saying that you are confident of success? As the principal of a Master Teacher Academy, don’t you think that you are being a little too arrogant here?”

The middle-aged man harnessed immense strength within him, such that even his very presence could exert great pressure on those looking at him.

Saint 3-dan, Embryonic Soul realm!

The Embryonic Soul realm was also known as the Origin Soul realm. In this cultivation realm, one’s Origin Core would metamorphose into the form of a human, pushing one a step further toward the Primordial Spirit realm. Cultivators at the Embryonic Soul realm possessed incredibly powerful souls, allowing them to subdue cultivators far weaker than them with just the pressure exerted through their presence itself.

“Cough cough. Zhang shi, this gentleman over here is Guild Leader Han’s student, 7-star Formation Master Liu Mo!” Not expecting the casual words from Zhang shi to cause such a fallout, Wu shi awkwardly attempted to remedy the situation.

For the past two days, Guild Leader Han and his student had put in a lot of effort to find a suitable node where they could release the energies. For this, they hadn’t rested for even a single moment, but they were still unable to find a node that they were entirely confident was safe to open.

They were already cranky from the frustrating situation before them, but a fellow actually came by at such a moment and arrogantly said that he would give it a try, as if it was something that could be resolved very easily. In that instant, the frustration that had accumulated in them over the past two days was ignited into blazing rage.

“Liu Mo?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Never heard of you before.”

He had never been to Qingyuan Empire before, so naturally, he knew nothing about the guild leader or formation masters in the Formation Master Guild there. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have pointed it out in view of the other party’s pride. However, since the other party was behaving in such a manner, he couldn’t be bothered to act courteously with the other party anymore either.

“You…” Not expecting the other party to retort to his words, Liu Mo flung his sleeves furiously and harrumphed. “It doesn’t matter whether you heard of me or not. I am an ordinary formation master in the Qingyuan Empire Formation Master Guild anyway.”

“You are misunderstanding my words, I am not just referring to you!” Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan looked at the other party earnestly and added, “I am saying that I have never heard of Guild Leader Han as well!”

“You…” Nearly exploding with fury, Liu Mo’s face turned crimson.

Guild Leader Han also nearly spurted blood on the spot.

Even though he, Han Xu, couldn’t say that his name was known throughout the entire Qingyuan Conferred Empire, he had at least been relatively well-known for several centuries now. Each year, there were countless master teachers who wished come under his lineage in hopes of studying the Way of Formations from him. Yet, this fellow before him had actually shot him down along with his student.

Yet, he simply couldn’t flare up over this matter, or he would risk appearing petty. He felt so stifled that he could tear his hair out in frenzy.

Hearing the conversation between the two, Luo Ruoxin couldn’t help but chuckle.

To bicker with this fellow… You will be the one spurting blood in the end!

This fellow is one who doesn’t care about conventions or rules, a person who dares to even insult Kong shi!

To think that you can win against someone like that is indubitably a gross overestimation of yourself!

Waving his hands leisurely, Zhang Xuan placed his hands behind his back before taking a step forward. “Alright, there is no need to get so agitated just because I don’t know about you. As the principal of a Master Teacher Academy, I have many things on my agenda. I don’t have time to find out the names of every single lad who comes my way!”

He gazed deeply into the massive depression before him for a moment before saying, “Wu shi, prepare a formation flag for me. It will best if it’s a grade-7 pinnacle formation flag!”

“This…” Wu shi was conflicted.

Seeing that the other party was intent on creating an opening to let out the energies, Liu Mo immediately stood up and roared furiously, “Hold it right there! Do you really intend to bring so many people down with you?”

Did that fellow know what kind of risk he was putting everyone under?

He and his teacher had spent two days assessing the formation, but even they couldn’t be entirely certain of their conclusion. Out of fear of the devastating explosion that could occur were they to fail, they dared not to even test it out. Yet, the other party had been here for only ten minutes, and he was already eagerly trying to create an opening in the seal.

There are more than twenty thousand master teachers up here! Even if you are tired of living, you need not bring everyone down with you!

While the other principals were doing their best to ensure the safety of their students, this lunatic was trying to have his students buried with him. To act so recklessly without getting a clear view of the situation, just how in the world did such a fool get nominated as Hongyuan’s principal?

“You are thinking too much… The reason the both of you aren’t able to find the correct node to open the formation at, even after two days of effort, isn’t because you aren’t working hard enough but because you are fools! Naturally, I won’t be the same as you two!” Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan ignored the two and walked up to the depression.

“Principal Zhang!” Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, the many students guarding the depression hurriedly stood up and looked at him with gazes of admiration.

“Un. You have all worked hard.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“It is our responsibility to work for the welfare of mankind,” the students hurriedly replied.

Seeing the other party walking up to the seal, Liu Mo turned to look at his teacher anxiously. “Teacher, we mustn’t allow that fellow to fool around!”

“Don’t worry, it is not that easy to find a node. Even after two days of effort, we were only able to deduce five plausible nodes. There is no way that he will be able to find one that easily!” Guild Leader Han shook his head.

Honestly speaking, he didn’t think that Zhang Xuan would be able to even deduce a plausible node that the energies could possibly be released from.

After all, even a 7-star pinnacle formation master like him was unable to find it even after two days of effort, so how could a 6-star formation master possibly succeed?

“But… I fear that he would recklessly create an opening in the seal despite his ignorance! If he gets it wrong, a calamity could very well befall us,” Liu Mo said anxiously.

“Don’t worry, even after he finds a node, he will need some time to create an opening to draw the energies out. We will have more than sufficient time to stop him.” Guild Leader Han waved his hands confidently.

“Ah… I was too rash!” Hearing those words, Liu Mo heaved a sigh of relief.

Indeed, finding a node required time, and creating an opening to channel the energies out required time as well. As esteemed figures, there was no need for them to fall out at this point yet.

If the other party really intended to create an opening in the seal, it wouldn’t be too late for them to stop it then.

“Un. I have heard a lot about this Principal Zhang, and it seems like he possesses extraordinary talent in the Way of Formations. It is a pity that he is still too young and reckless. However, this will be a good experience for him. Youngsters like him have to meet with a few failures before they learn that the world is far greater than what they can see. The Way of Formations is an extremely profound art. It is not something that someone who has just barely gotten a glimpse of it should speak lightly about!” Guild Leader Han chuckled.

“Let him give it a try first. Once he fails to find a node, he will realize his own ignorance.”

“Yes!” Hearing those words, Liu Mo couldn’t help but direct a gaze of admiration toward his teacher.

Do you see this? This is what a true master is like! Despite having been insulted by another, he is still thinking in the other party’s stead.

Ignoring the conversing duo, Zhang Xuan began assessing the seal before him carefully.

Green lines gathered within his black eyes—Eye of Insight.

This isn’t working. This formation is too profound for my current eye of discernment and knowledge; I can’t make sense out of it at all. Zhang Xuan shook his head.

If it had been any other formation, even if it was a grade-7 pinnacle formation, with his Eye of Insight and his comprehension of formations, he would surely have been able to find its flaws and decipher it with sufficient time.

But the one before him left him completely clueless.

I will have to use the Library of Heaven’s Path for this one. Sighing deeply, a frown emerged on Zhang Xuan’s forehead. But to use the Library of Heaven’s Path, I will have to find a way to activate the formation. I won’t be able to find its flaws in its current dormant state.

Frustrated, he pinched his glabella with his fingers.

The Library of Heaven’s Path could only compile a book on a formation when it was active.

Even though the seal covering the ancient domain was suppressing the rampaging energies beneath it, it was actually still dormant. With the formation in such a state, Zhang Xuan wouldn’t be able to compile a book on it even if he were to scream ‘Flaws!’.

He would have to activate the formation, but… how could he do so?

Zhang Xuan fell into deep thought.

…

“He isn’t using a compass at all? To be neither assessing the geographical terrain nor the flow of spiritual energy in the air… Does this fellow even know the first thing about formations?”

Liu Mo had been keeping a close eye on the arrogant Principal Zhang, wanting to see how the other party would find a node after bragging so much. However, he only saw the latter standing in a daze before the depression, pinching his glabella in frustration.

For the other party to not take out his compass or even take a sweeping glance to assess his surroundings…

How in the world would one assess a formation like that?

“Perhaps this might be a unique method he has learned somewhere.” Guild Leader Han was also bewildered by the sight before him.

“Let’s hope that is the case… W-wait a moment. What is he doing?”

Just as Liu Mo nodded in agreement, he suddenly caught sight of Principal Zhang’s actions, and he nearly fainted from sheer shock.

The other party had hesitated in front of the depression for a brief moment before abruptly lifting a massive boulder and tossing it into the depression.

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Chapter 1017: Zhang Xuan Breaks the Seal (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

All kinds of defensive formations had been set up in the depression. Tossing a boulder over could be considered an attack, and it could very well incur the seal’s retaliation.

While the other formation masters were relying on their compasses to search for the crux of formidable formations to decipher them, this fellow had actually tossed a boulder in. This was no longer an attempt to decipher the formation but one to activate it!

Even while the seal was dormant, the twenty thousand of them here coupled with two powerful formation masters were already finding it hard to stabilize the seal. If it were to be activated, wouldn’t it cause a huge calamity?

Just what was in the mind of that fellow? Was there a loose screw in there or something?

Otherwise, how could he make such a foolish decision? He was a 6-star pinnacle formation master, but he was making an error that even an apprentice formation master would know better than to do!

Stifled, Han Xu and Liu Mo hurriedly rushed forward to stop the other party, but it was already too late. The boulder plummeted into the formation and came into contact with the seal.

However, it didn’t induce a change in the seal.

Seeing that nothing had happened, Liu Mo heaved a sigh of relief. “That was a close one! It seems like the seal only reacts to living beings, so it wasn’t activated after coming into contact with the boulder. Otherwise, I can’t even begin to imagine what would have happened.”

The seal was intricately linked to the rampaging energies that had accumulated beneath it. Once activated, there was a good chance that it could cause a disturbance in the energies below and cause them to act up once more, thus bringing more work to the already exhausted students. In the worst-case scenario, it might even induce an explosion on the spot.

After the fellow tossed the boulder in, he had suddenly fallen still. As a 6-star pinnacle formation master, he must have realized how risky his previous action was and was trembling fearfully at the thought of what could have happened.

Just as Liu Mo thought the other party would give up, the other party abruptly beckoned with his hand, and one of the students of the Hongyuan Master teacher Academy rushed over. The other party leaned forward and whispered a few words into the other party’s ears.

A grim expression immediately surfaced on the student’s face. Without any hesitation, he bellowed loudly and jumped straight into the depression, heading toward the seal.

Pu!

Not expecting that the other party would disregard his own student’s welfare and send him to his death, Liu Mo felt so stifled that he nearly fainted on the spot.

That fellow was a fool, but to think that his student would be even more foolish! To charge in like that… It was possible to activate the formation in such a manner, but the instant the formation came to life, that student would die!

“Preposterous!” While Liu Mo was shocked by the sight before him, his teacher was completely enraged by the scene.

While others regarded their own students as their own children, protecting and caring for them, this fellow actually sent his student into the depression to test out the seal. To recklessly place his student in such danger, just how much more ridiculous could he get?

“Stop right there!” Bellowing furiously, Han Xu was just about to rush up to stop them when Zhang Xuan abruptly stretched his hand forward and grasped tightly. His zhenqi shot forth like a rope, swiftly wrapping around the student who had just jumped into the depression.

Just as he was about to come into contact with the seal, the zhenqi rope wrapped around the student abruptly pulled him back, dragging him out of the depression at an incredible speed.

At the same time, the seal seemed to have sensed the presence of life, and brilliant radiance flickered from it. However, contrary to Han Xu’s previous worry, the activation of the seal didn’t cause the explosion of the energies below. Instead, the formation whirred into action for a short moment before slowing to a stop, as if its activation wasn’t complete.

“What precise control…” Guild Leader Han Xu’s face warped in astonishment.

To be able to pull his student back in the very instant that the other party came into contact with the seal required an extremely deep understanding of the seal and very precise calculations of the positioning and velocity of his student!

Even the slightest centimeter of difference could either cause the formation to completely activate and devour the student or the formation to not sense the student altogether and result in nothing happening at all.

Of course, after the past two days of studying the formation, he was also capable of achieving the same feat. What truly left him astonished was the impressive teamwork and deep trust between the student and Principal Zhang!

Had there been the slightest difference in the action just a moment ago, the outcome could very well have been vastly difference. For the student to remain completely still while falling into the depression, not struggling in the slightest, it could only mean that he had complete trust in Principal Zhang.

Furthermore, for the student to jump without any hesitation just because Principal Zhang told him to… If Han Xu were to issue the same command to Liu Mo, the latter was unlikely to do the same.

It was not that Liu Mo didn’t trust him, but there was a clear line of difference between trust and blind faith.

After the student was retrieved, Principal Zhang froze on the spot once more, seemingly falling into a daze. A moment later, he turned around.

“Wu shi, are you done preparing the grade-7 pinnacle formation flag yet?”

After a moment of hesitation, Wu shi flicked his wrist and passed a formation flag over. “Here it is.”

On top of being a 7-star pinnacle master teacher, he was a 7-star formation master as well. While his proficiency as a formation master was beneath that of Guild Leader Han, he still had a couple of grade-7 pinnacle formation flags in his possession.

“Un.” Taking the formation flag, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. Without any hesitation, he stomped on the ground and flew into the air, heading toward the airspace right above the depression.

Driving his zhenqi, he grasped his formation flag tightly, seemingly searching for a node to plant it into.

“That fellow has gone bonkers! Liu Mo, hurry up and stop him!” Seeing that Principal Zhang was going to try creating an opening without even discussing the matter with them, Guild Leader Han nearly died of shock.

He had seen reckless people in his lifetime, but never had he seen someone as reckless as that!

Even if you have confirmed a node to plant your formation flag into, you should at least discuss the matter with us! To rush right over without saying a word at all… Are you really that confident that your judgement is correct?

You must know that if you err, it won’t just be the twenty thousand master teachers on the Swallow Embracing Mountain who will pay for your mistake. It will be all living beings within a radius of a thousand kilometers!

This is truly making light of the matter!

“Yes!” Hearing his teacher’s command, Liu Mo immediately flitted right toward Zhang Xuan.

At this moment, he was also extremely enraged by the impetuous actions of the other party. If he could, he really would tear the self-important fellow before him into pieces!

Hu!

Liu Mo thrust his palm forward, and a powerful burst of zhenqi shot forth from his hands.

In that instant, it seemed as if even the world had dulled before his powerful might as a Saint 3-dan cultivator.

“Hmm?”

Zhang Xuan was in the midst of searching for a node to stabilize the formation, but before he could make a move, he suddenly found that Liu Mo had launched an attack against him. His eyebrows immediately shot up in displeasure.

This fellow… just what kind of insanity streak was he on?

They had only had a small verbal conflict earlier. As a 7-star formation master, surely he didn’t need to be so narrow-minded!

But since the other party had already made his move, he couldn’t possibly sit idly and allow the other party to do as he pleased. With a deep frown, Zhang Xuan retaliated with a palm on his own.

Hong long!

Zhang Xuan’s palm carried immense strength as well. Clashing squarely with the other party’s palm strike, a deafening explosion resounded in the air. Surprisingly, they were actually equally-matched.

“What powerful strength!” Liu Mo narrowed his eyes in alarm.

Even though he had used less than a tenth of his strength to stop the other party, the fact that the other party had been able to parry his blow so easily went to show that the other party wasn’t just an ordinary Nascent Saint!

With such strength, the other party was already on par with most Saint 2-dan cultivators!

Geji! Geji!

Liu Mo began gathering his strength once more to launch yet another attack at Zhang Xuan so as to force him to back down, but at that moment, a shrill sound abruptly echoed in the air.

Following which, the deep rumbling of thunder suddenly boomed beneath the ground, threatening to burst forth at any moment.

“This is bad, the rampaging energies are going to strike again…” Liu Mo’s eyes widened in fear.

The rampaging energies struck once every ten minutes. Clearly, ten minutes had just passed, and it was ready to strike once more.

Liu Mo clenched his teeth tightly and roared furiously, “Stop what you’re doing right there! If you don’t wish to kill everyone here, you’d better stop moving right now!”

He knew full well that the rumbling heralded another burst of rampaging energies. It was already difficult for their group to withstand the burst as it was; if anything were to happen at this moment, their entire group might just be decimated!

Knowing that he had to stop Zhang Xuan at all costs, his hand darted swiftly toward the other party.

This was the most powerful attack he had. As soon as his hand clawed forward, the air surrounding the Swallow Embracing Mountain suddenly seemed to gather together, causing the flow of spiritual energy to halt.

Seeing that Liu Mo was making a move against him once more, Zhang Xuan frowned in displeasure. What is that fool trying to do?

Once the current wave of rampaging energies burst forth, the entire seal would be jolted, resulting in a slight deviation in the calculations he had made with great difficulty.

Due to the precarious situation of the seal, even the slightest deviation in the force and positioning when creating the opening could result in a vastly different outcome. As such, there was no room for error at all. He had just managed to find the correct node, and all he had to do at the moment was plant the flag, then the crisis would be averted. Yet, this fellow had caused trouble at this crucial moment.

Truly, there was nothing worse than a pig-like teammate!

No, this won’t do. The energies below are about to burst forth, and once it does, I will have to redo my calculations right from the start once more, Zhang Xuan thought anxiously.

But this fellow is far stronger than me. I was only able to withstand his assault earlier because he underestimated me and didn’t use his full strength. Now that he is putting his entirety into attacking me. He won’t be able to kill me, but to dodge his attacks while successfully planting the formation flag into the node will be practically impossible.

The planting of the formation flag should have been something that only took an instant, but the matter had been complicated with that fellow causing trouble.

The other party was a Saint 3-dan cultivator. Even with Zhang Xuan’s superior fighting prowess that allowed him to rival opponents stronger than him, he was still hardly a match for the other party.

“Since that’s the case… pardon me!”

Knowing that he couldn’t afford to be tied down by the other party at this crucial moment, Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes and bellowed loudly, “The students of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, listen to my command. Beat the living hell out of that fellow!”

“Yes!” Upon hearing their principal’s command, the twenty thousand students simultaneously released a war cry as they raised their palms together.

Hong long!

Individually, these students weren’t too powerful; a huge proportion of them were only at the Cosmos Bridge realm and Perfect Harmonization realm. However, when their strength was put together, they were a sight to behold. Twenty thousand surges of zhenqi gathered together as one, forming a massive dragon that charged furiously toward Liu Mo. Under the overwhelming might produced by the collaborative strength of the students, even the surrounding space began to distort under the pressure.

“This is bad…” Not expecting the other party to order all of his students to launch an attack against him, Liu Mo’s face turned ashen.

He could already hardly fend for himself at this point, let alone persist in his attack against Zhang Xuan. Thus, he hurriedly retracted his palm and redirected his might toward the massive dragon headed toward him.

The next instant, the moment the two forces collided, Liu Mo’s figure was rocketed backward as if a cannonball, spewing out huge mouthfuls of blood in the midst of his flight.

Even a Saint 5-dan expert would have no choice but flee in the face of the combined might of the twenty thousand students, let alone him!

“Good!” Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

He could tell that his students had held back in their attack so that the other party wouldn’t suffer any life-threatening damage. With the hindrance resolved, Zhang Xuan hurriedly aimed the formation flag in his grasp toward a certain location, preparing to throw it in.

“Hold it right there!”

But before the formation flag could leave his grasp, he heard another bellow. Glancing over, Zhang Xuan saw Guild Leader Han charging toward him as well.

Hong long long!

While Guild Leader Han made his move, the rumbling beneath the ground grew more and pronounced, heralding the imminent arrival of a devastating force.

Knowing that it would be too late if he didn’t make a move soon, Zhang Xuan bellowed furiously once more. “Beat him down as well!”

“Yes!”

All of the students nodded simultaneously as they gathered their strength together once more, ready to strike down the lone figure in the air.

“You all dare…” Guild Leader Han’s face turned livid.

He might have been a Saint 4-dan pinnacle expert, but he was still unable to withstand the simultaneous attack from twenty thousand students.

Clenching his jaws tightly, he roared indignantly, “I am trying to save you all! If your principal’s flag lands, all of you will be goners…”

Hong long!

But before he could finish his words, a powerful burst of radiance struck him.

The vision before him darkened before he was rocketed into the distance, similar to Liu Mo. His body crashed heavily into a cliff face some distance away, and the impact cloaked his entire body with a layer of dust.

Chapter 1018: There’s No Need to Tense Up; It Will Be Over Once I Put It in a Little!

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

---

Guild Leader Han was on the brink of madness.

He just couldn’t understand why these students had so much trust in that unreliable principal of theirs.

No matter what, he had spent the past two days working closely alongside them as comrades, and a bond of camaraderie had been forged between them. Under normal circumstances, even if it was at the command of their principal, shouldn’t they have at least hesitated before attacking him?

Yet, without even bothering to spend time thinking the matter through, they had gathered their strength together and sent him flying.

This was no longer obedience; it was more like they were Principal Zhang’s devout followers!

He had even informed them that they might very well lose their lives should their principal identify the wrong node, and yet, their attack hadn’t even wavered in the slightest.

What did this signify? It meant that they were all willing to stake their entirety on the twenty-year-old youth before him without any hesitation. Even if the other party was their principal, surely they didn’t need to trust him so much that they even abandoned their common sense!

This was truly one of the most eccentric bunch of students he had ever met!

Struggling up from a pile of fragmented rocks, he turned his gaze toward the sky once more and saw that the formation flag had already left Zhang Xuan’s hand, headed toward a node.

“We’re doomed.” Guild Leader Han’s eyes were glazed with hopelessness.

It happened that he had done the calculations for the node that the other party was throwing at as well, and it was a point where the energies were the most volatile. If a formation flag was thrown into that point, not only would it not alleviate the situation, it would even induce an explosion with utmost certainty.

Who could have thought that he, Han Xu, despite the great fame and achievements he had accrued in his lifetime, would end up dying in such a manner, dragged down by an impertinent fellow who obstinately drove them down the path of demise? Just the thought of it left him feeling incredibly stifled, and he couldn’t help but wallow in self-pity.

Boom!

The next moment, the rampaging energies beneath the ground finally gathered sufficient momentum to burst forth.

Weng!

The ground began to tremor with astonishing intensity. Caught off guard by the sudden shaking, a couple of students standing by the edge of the depression lost their balance and fell to the ground.

Upon seeing such a sight, fear surfaced in the eyes of Wu shi and the others.

“It seems like this burst is far stronger than the ones before.” Guild Leader Han’s complexion turned incredibly awful as he shook his face in disbelief.

This burst of energies was clearly many times stronger than the ones before. The seal suppressing the burst of energies distorted menacingly under the immense pressure, as if it would be torn to shreds at any moment.

Even if every single person present were to devote their full strength to reinforcing the seal, it was still utterly impossible for them to suppress this burst of energies.

Just what in the world happened? Why would there suddenly be such a powerful burst of energies?

“It’s over…” Guild Leader Han despaired.

They had barely hung on even when dealing with the weaker bursts of energies previously, so against such devastating force… Without a doubt, there was no way the seal could withstand this. The immense might would tear through the seal, inducing a massive explosion that would reduce everything within several thousand kilometers to dust!

Just when he thought that all hope was lost, Principal Zhang’s voice suddenly sounded from above.

“Here, here. There’s no need to tense up; it will be over once I put it in a little!”

Right after those words were spoken, the formation flag flew forward at an even greater speed, stabbing right into the node the other party had identified beforehand.

Hu!

As soon as the flag came into contact with the node, the imminently-exploding seal suddenly lost its ferocity, as if a wolfhound whose tail had been stepped on. With a pop, it abruptly calmed down, becoming as gentle as the placid waters of a roadside puddle.

Following which, a deafening blast sounded from the node, and an immense blast of energies burst toward the heavens. It was as if a hole had been pricked into a balloon, and the vast amount of gas trapped within, upon finally finding an escape route, hurriedly charged out of it. Due to the powerful blast, it felt as if the sky was going to be severed into two.

“This… the crisis has been resolved?” Guild Leader Han’s body stiffened from shock. Unable to believe what he was seeing, he rubbed his eyes forcefully.

Wasn’t that node the area where the energies were the most volatile? How could the energies be released so smoothly right after the formation flag was planted into it?

Guild Leader Han wasn’t the only one who was perplexed by the situation before him. Liu Mo, who had only just returned from his long flight, was dumbfounded by what he saw right after his return as well.

Without using a compass or studying the terrain, the other party had simply picked up a formation flag and thrown it randomly… and the rampaging energies had been released just like that?

Is there really such a maneuver in the Way of Formations? Why am I unaware of it even after studying formations for so many years?

Liu Mo couldn’t help but turn his eyes toward the students below, only to see them gazing at the sight before them with perfect nonchalance, as if knowing that their principal would be able resolve the rampaging energies easily.

He and his teacher had spent two whole days working on the formation, only to remain nearly as clueless as they had been at the start. On the other hand, the other party had casually planted a flag a few minutes after he arrived, and the crisis was resolved.

Could it be that when the other party said that they were dumb earlier… it wasn’t intended as an insult toward them but a simple fact?

Just as Han Xu and Liu Mo were feeling deeply stifled within, they saw Zhang Xuan slowly descending from the sky before eventually stopping before his students.

“You have worked hard for the past two days. The problem here has been resolved, so quickly return and have a good rest!”

“Thank you, Principal Zhang!”

“I knew it; there is nothing in the world that Principal Zhang can’t possibly resolve!”

“Guild Leader Han was prattling on about being a 7-star pinnacle formation master or something a while ago, but from the looks of it now, it doesn’t seem like he is anything much.”

“Well, it is usually the incapable who find a need to boast about their own abilities. Look at our Principal Zhang, despite the great capabilities he possesses, has he even bragged about them even once?”

“Indeed! Principal Zhang is simply too humble. I must learn from his example…”

…

Hearing the confirmation from their principal that the crisis had been resolved, a huge commotion broke out amid the crowd. Many faces reddened in agitation, and a huge number of students hurriedly sat onto the ground and began driving their cultivation technique to recuperate from their weakness and fatigue.

Two days of intense work had depleted them greatly, and quite a number of them had sustained significant internal injuries as a result.

However, it was fortunate that there was nothing too severe. With sufficient time, they would all be able to make a full recovery.

While the students were recuperating from their exertion, Zhang Xuan carefully assessed the condition of each individual student. Upon seeing any student whose injuries were too severe, he would step forward and treat them personally.

“No wonder… This explains why the students have unconditional trust in him, entrusting themselves to him without any hesitation at all. They don’t just regard him as their principal, but their teacher, friend, and comrade as well…”

Witnessing this scene, Guild Leader Han and Liu Mo smiled bitterly. At this moment, they finally understood why the students had chosen to trust Zhang Xuan over them in the crucial moment.

As a principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, the other party’s standing could be said to be even above theirs. Yet, such a figure was taking care of 4-star and 5-star master teachers meticulously without the slightest hint of impatience. Just this in itself was something that most weren’t able to do.

“Alright…”

After confirming that his students were fine, Zhang Xuan returned to where Wu shi and the others were standing. He turned his gaze toward Guild Leader Han and Liu Mo and clasped his fist hurriedly. “Please do pardon my previous insolence. It was a critical situation then, and I feared that any delay could result in a disastrous outcome.”

“Principal Zhang, there is no need to apologize to us. We are the ones who have acted rashly.” Guild Leader Han and Liu Mo’s faces flushed crimson. If there was a hole in the ground at this moment, they would have surely leaped in without any hesitation.

Their intentions had been out of goodwill; a mistake in that situation could have easily resulted in a disastrous outcome. Yet, they had nearly caused everyone’s death due to their incompetence. The guilt that they were feeling at this moment weighed down on them heavily.

It was fortunate that Principal Zhang had decisively commanded his students to knock them down in that moment, not bothering with etiquette. Otherwise… they would have gone down in history as sinners.

“It will take some more time for the energies to be released, and the seal isn’t going to open anytime soon. Since that’s the case, why don’t we return to Firesource City for the time being and await the arrival of those from the Combat Master Hall?” Zhang Xuan proposed.

While the situation with the seal had been resolved, it would still take some time before they would be able to enter it. For one, it would take at least two to three days for the immense buildup of rampaging energies beneath the seal to disperse completely.

Furthermore, the members from the Combat Master Hall and the other three Master Teacher Academies hadn’t arrived yet. To maximize the expedition’s chances of success, it would be best for them to venture in only after the full team had arrived.

“Alright.” Nodding, the crowd got onto an aerial saint beast and flew back to Firesource City.

Zhang Xuan and the others were settled into a huge manor that the regional Master Teacher Pavilion owned. As for the twenty thousand students, Zhang Xuan arranged for School Head Zhao and the others to take them back to the academy.

Threats were bound to be lurking throughout the ancient domain, and it would be too dangerous for the students to join the expedition as well.

A day later, the principals and elders of the other three Master Teacher Academies, as well as those from the Combat Master Hall, finally arrived.

Liao Song had escorted Zheng Yang to the Combat Master Hall headquarters and hadn’t returned yet. However, two Saint 3-dan pinnacle Thousand Men Commanders had been dispatched instead.

“You are Principal Zhang?”

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, one of the two Thousand Men Commander immediately emanated a deep aura of hostility.

He had heard about the Combat Master Hall’s tragic defeat in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, and he also knew that even though the cultivation of the young man before him was at Nascent Saint, his true fighting prowess was far greater than even combat masters like them.

“That’s right.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“Do you dare have a match with me?” the Thousand Men Commander challenged.

“A match?” A troubled look surfaced on Zhang Xuan’s face.

All he wanted to do was keep a low profile and peacefully remain as the dashing young man he was in the background, was that really that much to ask for?

Being too outstanding sure was tiring!

“Indeed! Do you dare accept my challenge or not?” The Thousand Men Commander eyed Zhang Xuan provocatively.

“It is the first time we are meeting, and it won’t do for us to sour our relationship with a match like that. Why don’t you allow me to treat you to a drink instead?” Zhang Xuan took out a wine gourd and offered it to the other party earnestly.

However, the Thousand Men Commander shook his head and harrumphed coldly. “You don’t want to accept my challenge? Very well. I will find a way to show you that the Combat Master Hall isn’t an organization that anyone can humiliate!”

After which, he turned around and left.

Through asking around, Zhang Xuan learned that the name of the Thousand Men Commander was Feng Xun, and he was one of the more pro-combat members of the Combat Master Hall. When he heard that the combat masters who had gone to Hongyuan to assess the potential candidates had been thrashed instead, he couldn’t help but feel great hostility toward the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. Ever since then, he had been wanting to spar with Zhang Xuan to regain the Combat Master Hall’s dignity.

The other Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall went by the name of Jiang Yuan, and while he looked amicable on the surface, his eyes were filled with fighting will as well.

Combat masters had always been synonymous with the word ‘invincible’, and yet, they had actually suffered multiple setbacks when facing the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. As Thousand Men Commanders, they viewed it as their responsibility to recover the dignity of the Combat Master Hall.

Mu shi walked up to Zhang Xuan and explained, “Senior Uncle, our Qingyuan Conferred Empire has dispatched four men for this mission; me, Wu shi, Guild Leader Han, and Liu Mo. As for the Combat Master Hall, other than Feng Xun, Jiang Yuan, and Zhuo Qingfeng, there are another twelve more combat masters. Last but not least, for the three Master Teacher Academies, the three principals have come with two elders each, making up nine people in total. All in all, our expedition team has a strength of around thirty or so.”

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Initially, Zhao Bingxu and the others had wanted to join the expedition team as well, but Zhang Xuan hadn’t agreed to it.

The ancient domain was lurking with danger. Should something bad befall him, the Ten Great Master Teachers should at least be around to take care of the academy, or else it would fall into chaos.

“According to my calculations, the ancient domain will open tomorrow. We will be setting forth tomorrow morning,” Mu shi said.

“Alright.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

After bidding Mu shi farewell, Zhang Xuan returned to his residence, and just as he was about to rest, he noticed Luo Ruoxin sitting on one of the stone seats in his courtyard. Her right elbow was pressed against the stone table, her right fist supporting her head. A contemplative look was on her face, but it was impossible to tell what she was thinking of.

---

Chapter 1019: Holding Hands

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

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She seemed to be a little out of it, such that she didn’t even notice when Zhang Xuan walked over. The brilliant moon cast a pale glow upon her body, making her appearance reminiscent of an ethereal fairy who could fly away in the next moment.

“To daze off like that, what are you thinking of?” Zhang Xuan asked with a smile.

“Nothing much…” Recovering from her daze, Luo Ruoxin shook her head. Standing up, she glanced at the brilliant moon and asked, “Will you accompany for a walk outside?”

Zhang Xuan was taken aback by the request for a moment before delight captured his entire face. Without a second’s delay, he replied excitedly, “Of course, it will be my pleasure too!”

Seeing the other party’s excited expression, Luo Ruoxin shook her head with a helpless smile. “Do you display your emotions explicitly in everything else you do as well?”

Most people would usually try their best to conceal their delight before her, wanting to appear dignified and cultured. Yet, this fellow was the complete opposite. He was candid and straightforward, doing whatever was on his mind without any worry at all. His carefree personality sure was enviable.

“I…” The abrupt question left Zhang Xuan a little nervous. “Actually, I have been concealing something all this while…”

“Oh?” Hearing those words, Luo Ruoxin’s interest was piqued. Turning her beautiful eyes to him, she said, “Tell me about it!”

“To be honest, I am a peaceful person who prefers to maintain a low profile, but things somehow never go the way I want them to…” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

“Low profile?” Seeing how earnestly the other party was saying those words, Luo Ruoxin burst into laughter. The forlorn expression on her face from a moment ago vanished from sight, and she couldn’t help but remark, “You sure have concealed it well; I couldn’t tell at all!”

No matter where that fellow went, he was always the brightest star in everyone’s sight. There couldn’t be anyone that was even more high profile than him… and yet, at this moment, he was actually saying that he was a peaceful person who preferred to maintain a low profile?

Where was his face?

She would usually be repulsed by such shamelessness, but for some reason, she didn’t have such a reaction toward the young man beside her. On the contrary, being alongside the other party left her feeling very relaxed, bringing her tranquility.

At the other party’s reaction, Zhang Xuan shook his head. “I knew that you wouldn’t believe me!”

He was truly a low-profile person in the depths of his heart, but fate just loved to play tricks on others. Too outstanding, he shone brightly like a firefly in the dark no matter where he went, unable to conceal his glow no matter what he did.

“Hahahaha!” Seeing the other party’s serious response, Luo Ruoxin couldn’t help but chuckle once more.

Beneath the night sky, amid chatter, the duo walked out of the manor they were staying in.

The onset of the night had brought the scorching temperatures down considerably. Tempted by the cooling weather, those who had been hiding in their homes before stepped out of their doors, filling the streets with a huge crowd.

Zhang Xuan had no idea what kind of method Luo Ruoxin used to disguise herself, but despite her beautiful appearance, she didn’t seem to stand out from the crowd. As such, while there were exclamations of marvel from time to time, they didn’t catch too many eyes.

After walking a distance, Zhang Xuan suddenly came to a halt and pointed forward. “Due to the peculiar climate of Firesource City, it has many unique delicacies that can’t be found anywhere else. There is a tavern just ahead, so why don’t we rest there for a moment and try out their local cuisine?”

Luo Ruoxin glanced ahead and saw a grand building. Above the entrance of the building hung a plaque with three words on it: ‘Dream Reminiscence Tavern’.

“Life, a reminiscence of a dream. A lifetime of haste and worries, perchance better spent merrymaking with wine… What a poetic name!” Luo Ruoxin remarked meaningfully.

The interior of the tavern was extravagantly designed, but it had a warm atmosphere as well. The attendants that were moving around the place possessed a cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 5-dan at the very least. With just a look, it was apparent that the tavern was anything but simple.

“Guests, this way please…” An attendant welcomed them before settling them into a table for two by the window.

Zhang Xuan shot Luo Ruoxin a glance, and only after confirming that the latter wasn’t unhappy with this arrangement did he heave a sigh of relief and sit down.

“Bring us a plate of all of your specialties please.”

“Sure thing!”

The attendant hurriedly left, and before long, a huge array of delicacies and a bottle of fine wine were spread out grandly on the table before them.

Zhang Xuan had to admit that the food and wine in this tavern were indeed excellent. The earth flames that Firesource City was rich in didn’t just bring about superior weapons, it was also the key to the exceptionally fragrant wine they produced in the region. Just a single sip could make one addicted to it, craving more.

“This Golden Lake Carp is a unique species found only in the Golden Lake on the Swallow Embracing Mountain. It only reproduces once every ten years, making it very short in supply. It has no scales, and its flesh is particularly fresh too. It is best when steamed with yellow wine…”

“This is the liver of the Blue Sparrow. Just steam it with a slight touch of sesame oil, and it will be ready to be feasted upon. This dish is not only rich in spiritual energy, its taste is also top-notch…”

“This is the famous Greentip Bamboo Meat of Firesource City. Its main ingredient is Greentip Bamboo, a plant that only grows in Firesource City. Once heated up, it will gain a texture reminiscent of bacon, giving a nice crisp to it…”

Zhang Xuan introduced the various dishes as they feasted on the food before them.

With just a taste, he could compile a book on each of them in the Library of Heaven’s Path. Putting aside introducing the dishes, he could easily point out dozens of flaws in the cooking without repeating any points.

“You are a gourmet?” Luo Ruoxin was surprised to hear the other party’s detailed introduction of the dishes.

Despite the young age of the man seated before her, he possessed strength far beyond his age, and his mastery of his supporting occupations was also formidable. It was almost as if there was nothing in the world that he was incapable of.

This was especially so for gourmet. It was one of the most inconspicuous occupations of the Lower Nine Paths, and they would usually only be responsible in trying out new dishes and introducing them to noble personages. As such, they didn’t have much standing.

Thus, she couldn’t help but be perplexed that the principal of a Master Teacher Academy would actually spend his time on studying it as well.

“I happen to have read some books on them in the past, so I do know a little bit here and there,” Zhang Xuan explained.

“Impressive, you sure are well read,” Luo Ruoxin complimented.

A stark contrast to Zhang Xuan wolfing down the food without the slightest bit of elegance, Luo Ruoxin ate gracefully in small mouthfuls. Her subtle mannerisms hinted at the fine upbringing she had.

…

After having their fill of good, Zhang Xuan turned to Luo Ruoxin and said, “If you have anything on your mind, perhaps speaking of it will make you feel better. My cultivation might be low, but I am still capable of resolving most problems.”

He could tell that the other party had some troubles on her mind, and that was also why he had been jesting around, hoping to put the other party in a better mood. However… it seemed like his efforts weren’t really paying off.

“It’s nothing much…” Luo Ruoxin paused for a brief moment before shaking her head. “It’s just that I have met with some matters recently that made me a little homesick.”

“Homesick? You… Are you really from one of the Sage Clans, the Luo Clan?” Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.

There had been many rumors regarding Luo Ruoxin’s true identity going around the Master Teacher Academy, the notable ones being that she was from the esteemed Luo Clan.

Otherwise, it didn’t make sense for even a 7-star master teacher like Mu shi to treat her so respectfully.

“Sage Clan?” The young lady shook her head with a smile, neither admitting nor denying it. Instead, she looked at Zhang Xuan and asked, “What about your family? Where are they? I haven’t really heard you talking about them before.”

Seeing that Luo Ruoxin was unwilling to speak of the matter, Zhang Xuan decided not to ask too much about it either. “I don’t have any family members. I am an orphan.”

“An orphan?” Luo Ruoxin was slightly stunned by the response.

“Un, I did not have any kin while growing up,” Zhang Xuan said.

He had never met any of his kin after transcending from Earth. Not only so, his previous self also had no recollection of the sort.

It was through great hard work that his previous self had managed to become a teacher of Hongtian Academy, but even so… he had ended up causing his student’s cultivation to go berserk and nearly had his license revoked!

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up,” Luo Ruoxin hurriedly apologized.

“It’s fine; I am already used to it. I’m quite happy with my situation. I am able to travel wherever I want to freely without any care in the world!” Zhang Xuan chucked.

In a sense, he also liked his current lifestyle as well. Journeying through the world freely, there was nothing to tie him down other than the couple of direct disciples he had.

“You sure are optimistic…” Luo Ruoxin could see in the other party’s eyes that he was indeed enjoying the current life he had, and she nodded in approval.

Without any backing or connections, he had been able to rise to the position of the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy by the time he was twenty through his own hard work. While other party might seem unreliable at times, there was no doubt that he was a person worthy of respect.

Just by the unconditional trust the students had in him and the unwavering loyalty the academy elders showed him… all of this was testimony to his outstanding capability.

As long as he was around, even the most impossible of tasks could be resolved easily.

There were plenty of outstanding figures around her, and most of them were far stronger than the young man before her when they were at his age. However… that was due to their high starting point. Were they to start from the same origin, there would probably be less than a handful who could catch up to him!

To reach Nascent Saint pinnacle at such a young age and become the principal of a Master Teacher Academy, winning the unwavering loyalty of the students and acknowledgement of the world… his charisma was something that very few could match.

What particularly stood out was the other party’s mental resilience. Even in the face of a crisis, he could retain his composure and resolve it perfectly. As long as he was given time to grow, there was no doubt that he would achieve great things in the future.

Unknowingly, Luo Ruoxin’s view of the young man before her had changed tremendously.

In the past, she had only felt a peculiar intimacy toward him. However, as time passed, she had gradually realized that he possessed a radiance unmatched by anyone else in the world, leaving the others paling in comparison. Her eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to him.

Unknowingly, the young man had stoked a peculiar sentiment within her.

It was just a sliver at the moment, but it was something that had never happened before.

“Let’s return.”

After chatting for a while longer, they began making their way back to the manor.

The brilliant moon hanging high in the night sky drew out long, slender shadows behind the both of them. A light breeze blew, and the faint fragrance of the young lady drifted in the air. It was a comfortable scent.

Zhang Xuan had never felt so tranquil before in his life. His hand stretched forward and touched the back of the young lady’s hand. It felt soft and smooth, reminiscent of cotton.

Luo Ruoxin’s body stiffened slightly as she instinctively retracted her hand and hugged it before her chest. With a reddened face, she exclaimed, “I will be going on ahead first!”

After saying those words, she rushed off. In an instant, she had already disappeared from view.

“She’s gone,” Zhang Xuan remarked lamentably. Slapping his forehead, he shook his head in utmost regret. “Why did I have to do that?”

If he hadn’t reached out for her hand, he could still have been walking with her. Perhaps, they could have chatted a little longer. If the other party were to blame him for this matter, would they be unable to remain friends?

How could he have been so foolish!

Vexed, Zhang Xuan decided to just assess the other party’s attitude tomorrow morning before deciding what he could do. Hopefully, if the other party wasn’t too angry, he could just feign ignorance and get along with her as if nothing had happened.

Shaking his head, he was just about to make his way back to the manor when a sound suddenly echoed from the depths of the alley.

“Farewell, my kin and my friends. I have truly brought all of you great shame!”

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan walked over and saw a man in his early thirties kneeling before the entrance of a residence, grieving sorrowfully.

His body was covered with fresh blood, and his face was cloaked with a layer of dust, giving him an unkempt appearance. It was likely that he had just survived some kind of dangerous situation.

“Farewell!”

After kowtowing a few more times, the middle-aged man stood up. He flicked his wrist, and a sword appeared in his hands. He placed it against his neck as he prepared to slit his throat.

He is committing suicide? Not expecting to meet with a person trying to end his life while walking along the streets, Zhang Xuan hurriedly flicked his finger.

Weng!

A burst of light shot forth, and the sword was struck out of the man’s grip. It pierced deeply into a nearby wall, vibrating endlessly.

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Chapter 1020: Violetgilt Metal

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Having his sword abruptly knocked flying, the middle-aged man was taken aback. He hurriedly turned his head around and saw a young man walking over.

“Even ants struggle to continue living, so why do you seek the end?” Zhang Xuan said.

Walking closer, he noted that the middle-aged man possessed a cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 9-dan primary stage. With such strength, he could definitely be considered as an expert in Firesource City.

“I appreciate elder’s concern, but I desire nothing more than death…” Knowing that a person who could flick his sword off his hand from a distance away was bound to be far stronger than him, the middle-aged man replied respectfully, not underestimating the other party just because of his young age.

Nevertheless, there was still a forlorn gaze in his eyes.

“To be able to cultivate to a level likes yours before thirty, you are quite an outstanding genius. What is it that left you in such deep despair, such that even living has become a chore to you?” Zhang Xuan asked, intrigued.

Even with the rich resources in Firesource City, a person who could reach Transcendent Mortal 9-dan before thirty could be considered to be an outstanding genius.

A person as talented as the other party had a bright future ahead of him, so why was he attempting to end his life?

“I really can’t bring myself to continue living any longer…” The middle-aged man shook his head. “In Firesource City, a land rich in earth flames, the most respected occupation is blacksmith. From seven, I have been studying under Grandmaster Blacksmith Sun Jin as an apprentice. I thought that I would eventually be accepted as his student and rise to great heights… but who knew that I would fail the blacksmith examination for ten years consecutively! For twenty-four whole years, I have remained as a mere apprentice… A person as dull-witted and incapable as me doesn’t deserve to live. I have truly brought shame to my family members and the occupation…”

“You have been an apprentice for twenty-four years?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. “So… you aren’t even a 1-star blacksmith at the moment?”

Going by the ranking standard, a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan expert should have been a 5-star pinnacle blacksmith at the minimum. Yet, to still remain as an apprentice… Was this for real?

Could there really be such an untalented person in the world?

“Un. Every time I attempt to forge a weapon, I will find myself being unable to control the temperature of the earth flames well, resulting in the metal ingot going to ruins… After the previous examination I had, my teacher finally couldn’t stand in incompetence any longer and evicted me from his lineage. My family members are still anticipating the day which I become a blacksmith and bring glory to our family name, and yet, I ended up letting all of them down instead. What rights do I have to face the world…” The more the middle-aged man spoke about his matter, the more depressed he became.

Zhang Xuan was slightly surprised.

A Transcendent Mortal 9-dan expert had been studying smithing ever since he was seven, and yet hadn’t cleared the 1-star blacksmith examination even after twenty-four years of effort? No matter how untalented the other party was, surely it couldn’t possibly be to such an extent?

If that was true, it wouldn’t be too hard to imagine the despair the other party was feeling.

“But just what could have happened for him to be unable to clear even the 1-star blacksmith examination?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

It might be challenging for a Tongxuan realm 1 cultivator to clear the 1-star blacksmith examination, but as a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan expert, a person who had cultivated his soul and was capable of precise movements, how could the other party be incapable of smithing a Mortal-tier weapon and qualify as a 1-star blacksmith?

“I have no idea as well. Somehow, I am just unable to successfully smith a weapon.” the middle-aged man shook his head.

His multiple failures in the examination had sapped him of his confidence.

“Unable to smith a weapon?” Perplexed, Zhang Xuan looked at the middle-aged man before him with a frown and asked, “Can you smith the most basic weapon you know of for me?”

To think that a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan expert would be incapable of clearing even a mere 1-star blacksmith examination, this was something that was completely inconceivable to Zhang Xuan. It was simply ridiculous, there was no one out in the world who would dare believe this to be true.

“Elder, thank you for saving my life, but I have already made up my mind. Even if I were to smith that weapon, it won’t change my mind. A person as useless as me will be better off dead!” the middle-aged man bowed deeply and said.

“There is plenty of time for you to seek the end, there is no need to rush into it now. I happen to be a rather experienced blacksmith myself, and I am intrigued by the problem you are afflicted by. Perhaps, if you show me your smithing process, I might just be able to identify the root of your problem and help you resolve it.” Zhang Xuan said.

If the other party was determined on attempting suicide, there was nothing he could do about it. However, the fact that a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan was unable to qualify as a 1-star blacksmith after so many years of effort was bewildering to him, and he felt that there was a need to get to the bottom of it.

“This…” The middle-aged man hesitated.

“Since you are going to end your life anyway, it shouldn’t matter, right? It won’t be too late for you to do whatever you want to after I fail.” Zhang Xuan smiled.

“… Very well then.” The middle-aged man nodded.

Indeed. Since he was going to end his life, what did he have to lose?

“There is a chamber which I use for smithing weapons not too far away. All of the required items for smithing are there, so let’s head over.”

After saying these words, the middle-aged man led the way ahead. Not too long later, they arrived at a rather small chamber.

The chamber had everything that a blacksmith would need, be it earth flames or cauldron. There was a rack placed alongside one of the walls which was filled with a lot of ores. There were a couple of them that were extremely rare, such that it would be difficult to find them in the market. Despite the middle-aged man’s low proficiency in smithing, it seemed like he was quite a collector of ores.

Assessing the area, Zhang Xuan’s gaze suddenly fell on one of the ores, and his eyelids began twitching in shock.

“Is that… Violetgilt Metal?”

Violetgilt Metal was an extremely rare ore which could be infused into certain types of weapons to boost its might.

“Using this ore and a smithing technique that complements it, I will be able to induce a breakthrough in the Golden Origin Cauldron!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes gleamed in agitation.

Having made a promise to the Golden Origin Cauldron back when the latter first submitted to him, he had been looking into the various methods of raising its strength. However, due to the lack of required ores, he had no choice but to put off the matter aside again and again.

Who could have thought that he would find the required ore here?

“I am going to start.” Oblivious to Zhang Xuan’s astonishment, the middle-aged man said nonchalantly before walking up to his weapon cauldron.

Driving his zhenqi, his hand grasped forward to draw the earth flames from the ground.

A searing blaze surged into the chamber, and under the overwhelming heat, the chamber walls glowed crimson. The middle-aged man flicked his wrist and took out a metal hammer. After which, he grabbed a piece of iron and placed it into the cauldron.

A few moments later, after the iron had softened under the intense heat, he began to hammer it.

Ding ding dang dang!

Under the powerful hammering, it didn’t take long for the iron ingot to be shaped into a sharp sword.

Zhang Xuan had to acknowledge that the middle-aged man had reached an incredible mastery in his forging skills, superior to even a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith like him.

Soon, after the shaping of the weapon was finally forged, the middle-aged man extended his hand forward once more, intending to draw earth flames to temper the weapon. Yet, at this moment, the earth flames suddenly ran out of control. It rushed forward with astonishing ferocity, reducing the freshly forged weapon back into a pile of metallic fluid, thus rendering his previous efforts futile.

“Failure again… I knew that I couldn’t possibly succeed…” Sighing deeply, despondency surfaced in the middle-aged man’s eyes.

He couldn’t help but wish for a miracle to happen each time he forged. Perhaps, he might just succeed this time. Yet, like many times before, his prayers hadn’t come true.

“This…”

In contrast to the middle-aged man despondency, Zhang Xuan frowned after seeing the other party’s smithing process.

With his eye of discernment, even without the Library of Heaven’s Path, he was still able to easily see through the issues in the other party’s smithing.

There wasn’t any significant mistake in the other party’s forging, but as for the tempering… It appeared that there was a conflict between the other party’s zhenqi and the earth flames, resulting in the other party’s inability to control the earth flames. As a result, the earth flames ended up running out of control, devouring the forged weapon clean…

To put it in other words, the issue lay in not what the other party had done but the internal condition of his body. The zhenqi in the other party’s body happened to have an attribute that was at odds with the earth flames, causing the earth flames to run amok. This was also the reason why the forged weapon ended up becoming a pile of metallic liquid when he attempted to temper it, rendering his efforts futile.

“Surely a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith should be able to tell that there is a conflict between his zhenqi and the earth flames?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

What that had left Zhang Xuan baffled wasn’t how difficult it was to discern the middle-aged man’s problem but how easy it was to do so. It was understandable that the middle-aged man wasn’t aware of it as he wasn’t even a 1-star blacksmith yet, thus he wasn’t qualified to access books beyond that of an apprentice. However, there was no way a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith could be oblivious to it.

It was fundamental knowledge for them!

But if so, why didn’t the Sun Jin person whom the other party spoke about inform the other party of the matter? Why didn’t he try to correct the other party’s flaw?

“Wait a moment…” As Zhang Xuan contemplated over the matter, his eyebrows suddenly leaped up.

The reason why a conflict would occur was due to one’s cultivation technique being incompatible with the earth flames, but if the middle-aged man had started learning smithing from that Sun Jin person ever since he was seven, how could he still suffer from such a fundamental issue?

“Unless it was done on purpose…” Zhang Xuan’s eyes narrowed into slits.

Given the circumstances surrounding the middle-aged man, the only possible reasoning for such a situation was that someone had intentionally taught him the wrong cultivation technique from the start.

But… what did that person have to gain from teaching him the wrong cultivation technique?

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan scanned the room to see if he could find any clues when a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Turning to the middle-aged man, he asked, “Are you the one who found these ores?”

“That’s right.” The middle-aged man nodded, slightly baffled by Zhang Xuan’s abrupt question. “Due to the high concentration of earth flames around Firesource City, there are plenty of ores in the area… Through the natural affinity between the ores and my zhenqi, I am able to locate them quite easily.”

“Natural affinity between the ores and your zhenqi?”

“That’s right. Our cultivation techniques are imparted by Sun Jin laoshi. As long as we cultivate hard, we will gain a keen sensitivity towards ores, allowing us to find them easily…” The middle-aged man nodded.

“We? Are there many who cultivate the same cultivation technique as you?” Zhang Xuan asked.

The middle-aged man contemplated for a brief moment before replying, “There are. There are around thirty apprentices who had studied alongside me back then. However, most of them were devoured by the earth flames while searching for ores, so there are only me and another one left.”

“Is the other surviving person unable to become a blacksmith as well?” As if having come to a realization, Zhang Xuan asked grimly.

“That’s right. He’s a year older than me, and unable to stand the shame from consecutive failure, he eventually succumbed to the pressure and ended his life last year…” Recalling the fate of his companion, the middle-aged man shook his head and sighed.

To be unable to qualify as a blacksmith even after studying for so many years, it wasn’t too difficult to imagine how despondent the other party must have felt.

“Committed suicide?” Zhang Xuan was astonished. He took a sweeping gaze around the room before asking, “Then… where do the ores you collect go to? Surely there should be more than this?”

Since the middle-aged man had an uncanny ability to locate ores, he must have found many of them in the past twenty-four years of his life. He should have collected far more ores than those present in the room.

“I did collect quite a lot, but most of them have gone to Sun Jin laoshi as tuition fee. He has taught me ever since I was young, imparting me much valuable knowledge. Even though I was still unable to become a blacksmith in the end, I am still deeply indebted to him. It is only right that I pay tuition fee to him.” the middle-aged man replied.

“Tuition fee?” I see, I finally get it!” Having finally made sense of the entire story, a chilling glint flashed across Zhang Xuan’s eyes. In that instant, his face turned terrifyingly cold.

Chapter 1021: The Despicable Sun Jin

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

After hearing those words, Zhang Xuan confirmed that that Blacksmith Sun Jin whom the other party spoke of had never intended to take the middle-aged man as his disciple in the first place. From the start to the end, that Sun Jin fellow had only regarded the other party as a mere tool for procuring ores!

In the gaps between the tectonic plates, valuable ores were usually produced alongside earth flames. As such, in places where earth flames could be found, there were bound to be plenty of valuable ores as well.

That Sun Jin fellow had intentionally made the middle-aged man cultivate a zhenqi that was at odds with the earth flames, thus making it easier for the other party to sense areas rich in earth flames. But cultivating such a cultivation technique meant that the latter would be unable to control the earth flames, making it impossible to smith!

In other words, Sun Jin had never intended to allow the middle-aged man to become a blacksmith!

Working as a blacksmith might have been lucrative, but selling those ores was even more so!

For a teacher to commit such an atrocity… Zhang Xuan was enraged.

It was one thing if he had never encountered it, but now that he had, there was no way he could let the other party off!

Black sheep like this had to be weeded from society!

Even though the other party wasn’t a master teacher, he had assumed the name of a teacher to intentionally misguide others. This was completely unacceptable!

The thirty apprentices who had come under Sun Jin’s tutelage alongside the middle-aged man had thought that they could rise to glory with a great 6-star blacksmith teaching them personally. Yet, due to Sun Jin’s misguidance, their dreams had been shattered. Most of them had ended up dying while searching for ores for him, and even the fortunate survivor had ended up ending his life from the sheer despair of being unable to become a blacksmith.

To Sun Jin, they were probably just disposable pawns. As mere apprentices, they weren’t qualified to learn his true teachings. Thus, their inability to become blacksmiths didn’t harm his reputation by too much. On the contrary, the others might even think that it was those apprentices who were lazy and incapable, being unable to achieve anything despite coming under the tutelage of an esteemed 6-star pinnacle blacksmith.

Most likely, it was such overwhelming criticism that eventually pushed the middle-aged man to take the final step.

Had Zhang Xuan not heard of it himself, he would never have dared believe that there could be such a contemptible individual in the Firesource City Blacksmith Guild.

Those who imparted their teachings and dispelled the doubts of others were granted the noble title ‘teacher’.

As an esteemed blacksmith, an Upper Nine Paths occupation, if Sun Jin had attempted to search for mercenaries to gather ores for him, he would surely have been able to do so easily. Just that, being found doing so could possibly sully his reputation, and the profits he stood to earn would be significantly lower as well. Whereas, by accepting a few apprentices and pretending to be a teacher to them, their act of gathering ores for him could be justified as filial piety, allowing him to take them for free without suffering the condemnation of others. On top of that, he could also conveniently toss them aside once he was done with them, and this was indeed what he had done.

“Despite studying under a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith for so many years, I am still unable to smith even the most basic Mortal weapon. No matter where I go, I am viewed with disdain by others, such that even my family members were mocked due to my incompetence. If all my existence does is bring shame to others, I might as well end my life right here, right now!” Seeing the elder before him fall into deep contemplation, the middle-aged man thought that the other party wasn’t able to find a solution to his problem as well, and disappointment crept into his eyes.

It was one thing if he was the only one being mocked, but for his family members to have to face mockery from the public due to him… this was something that he couldn’t accept!

Seeing that the middle-aged man had lost all fighting will within him, Zhang Xuan shook his head and consoled him. “There’s no need to get so downhearted. I have already identified the root problem as to why you are unable to smith. As long as you trust me, I will help you resolve your problem. Not only so, I will help you advance to become a 5-star or even a 6-star blacksmith!”

But as much as those words were consolation, they weren’t lies. He did possess the ability to do so.

It might have been difficult for others to alter a cultivation technique, but with the sharp eye of discernment and vast knowledge that Zhang Xuan possessed, creating a new cultivation technique to resolve the flaws of the current one that the other party was cultivating wasn’t entirely impossible.

Of course, Zhang Xuan had to first find out what kind of cultivation technique the middle-aged man was cultivating first.

Zhang Xuan had used his Eye of Insight to carefully assess the middle-aged man when he smithed earlier, and it seemed like the cultivation technique that the other party had been taught was incomplete. As the information he received he wasn’t complete, he had to obtain the full copy so as to ensure that nothing would go wrong.

“Become a 5-star or 6-star blacksmith?” The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment after hearing those words before shaking his head, and the disappointment in his eyes deepened further.

He had thought that, considering the immense capability that the elder before him had displayed, the other party might have had a way to resolve his problem. Yet, who could have known that the other party would end up spouting such nonsense?

A person who was incapable of even smithing the most basic Mortal-tier weapon, how could he possibly ever become a 5-star or even 6-star blacksmith?

Wasn’t this a mere daydream?

The middle-aged man turned his gaze toward Zhang Xuan and spoke with an immensely weak and bitter voice. “Do you find my plight very hilarious? Are you here to make a mockery of me before I end my life?”

“Make a mockery of you?”

Zhang Xuan hadn’t expected to hear such words from the other party’s mouth, and he was dumbfounded for a moment. However, it didn’t take him long to understand the rationale behind the other party’s words.

To tell a man who had failed the 1-star blacksmith examination for twenty-four years straight that he could become a 5-star or 6-star blacksmith, it was no wonder the other party would think that he was mocking him.

Without explaining anything, Zhang Xuan spoke with a confident smile on his face. “Don’t worry, I don’t have the habit of making empty promises. I mean what I say.”

If it still didn’t work out at the end, he could always just destroy the other party’s cultivation and impart a simplified version of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art to him. Even though the middle-aged man was at Transcendent Mortal 9-dan, even if he started cultivating from scratch, it wouldn’t take too long.

“You mean what you say? A feat that even Sun Jin laoshi is unable to achieve, how do you expect me to believe you? Are you really a blacksmith?” A hint of doubt surfaced in the middle-aged man’s eyes.

Any blacksmith would understand the difficulties in advancing through the ranks, and yet, the other party spoke of reaching 5-star and 6-star as if it was a mere walk in the park. Wasn’t that clearly boasting?

“Of course!” Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out his blacksmith emblem, and six brilliant stars shone brightly on it.

“You are a… 6-star blacksmith?”

The middle-aged man was stunned to see the emblem, but a moment later, he shook his head and said, “I don’t believe you. There is a chance that the emblem might belong to someone else, or it might even be a fake altogether. Unless you smith… a Spirit pinnacle weapon before my eyes, you won’t be able to convince me that you are a 6-star blacksmith!”

It was inevitable that the middle-aged man would be skeptical of Zhang Xuan. All of the 6-star blacksmiths he had encountered were at least in their fifties, so it was hard for him to even fathom that a young man in his twenties could possibly reach such a height.

“This…” Zhang Xuan was slightly stunned by the other party’s sudden request.

He had received his blacksmith emblem fair and square through an examination at the Master Teacher Academy. Naturally, it was nothing much for him to show his ability to the other party.

What he had to do now was to win the other party’s trust first. Otherwise, if the other party were to insist on ending his life, there would be nothing he could do.

“Why? You aren’t able to smith anything at all? So, the words you have said are all lies to console me?” Noting Zhang Xuan’s hesitation, the eyes of the middle-aged man turned despondent.

“Of course not, smithing a weapon means nothing to me!” Seeing that he could very well lose the other party’s trust if he didn’t show his ability, Zhang Xuan replied with a slight smile and stepped forward.

“Allow me to use your ores!”

Saying that, Zhang Xuan walked up to the rack by the wall and casually selected four different ores before tossing them into the cauldron not too far away.

After which, he drove his zhenqi, and the earth flames immediately surged up, scorching the four ores crimson. In just a moment, they began melting. The impurities contained within the ore were burned away, leaving behind the refined metal glowing brilliantly within the cauldron.

The four ores were extremely rare commodities in the world, each of them worth a fortune. Probably, only in a place like Firesource City could one take out all four of them so easily.

Through skillfully maneuvering his zhenqi, Zhang Xuan slowly pushed the four ores together, fusing them. As he did so, he turned to the middle-aged man with a slight smile on his face and said, “The easiest segment in smithing a weapon is the forging 1 phase. This phase happens to be the most time-consuming as well, so I will just skip that.”

As he spoke, Zhang Xuan gathered zhenqi at the tips of his finger and abruptly shot it into the searing earth flames. The freshly fused alloy flew out of the cauldron and into a quench 2 bath not too far away.

Tzzzzzzz!

Smoke puffed into the air.

Shortly after, Zhang Xuan raised his hand and grasped; a huge lump of metal appeared before his eyes.

“This is… a weapon?” Looking at the metal lump, the middle-aged man’s lips twitched uncontrollably.

Putting aside mere apprentices, even a pig could probably forge something way better than that.

With a bizarre look on his face, the middle-aged man casually took the weapon, intrigued by the monstrosity that the other party had smithed. The next moment, however, his eyes narrowed in astonishment.

His proficiency in smithing wasn’t too high, but having pursued a 6-star blacksmith for more than twenty years, he still possessed a decent eye for weapons.

As ugly and revolting as the metal lump looked, there was no doubt that it was a Spirit pinnacle weapon.

To casually pick up a few ores and forge a Spirit pinnacle weapon within less than a minute… What kind of frightening ability was this?

If he could smith such a powerful weapon without paying any heed to the meticulous details, once he got serious… what kind of formidable weapons would he be able to smith?

“I apologize for doubting you!” The middle-aged man hurried forward and kneeled onto the floor.

At this moment, he felt nothing but awe and respect for the other party!

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Even though he was a real 6-star pinnacle blacksmith through and through, his ability was limited to only refining the ores and quenching. As for the most basic forging… it was regrettable, but he knew nothing about it at all.

As a result, all he could forge at the moment were metal lumps. Anything more complicated than that was beyond his capability.

Nevertheless, that was more than sufficient for him to gain the other party’s trust.

Seeing that he had won the other party’s unreserved trust, Zhang Xuan said, “Alright. Now that I have verified my identity to you, you should be willing to listen to my instructions now, right? If it works out, not only will you become a full-fledged blacksmith, the facade of a certain hypocrite will be unmasked as well!”

“The facade of a certain hypocrite will be unmasked?” The middle-aged man couldn’t comprehend the nuance of these words.

“Indeed.” Zhang Xuan nodded. “May I know where the Blacksmith Sun Jin you spoke of is the moment?”

“He… He should be at the Blacksmith Guild,” the middle-aged man replied.

“Bring me to him. Later on, regardless of what I say or do, I want you to remain silent by the side. Don’t interject, and act only on my command,” Zhang Xuan instructed.

As the principal of a Master Teacher Academy, he couldn’t allow poisonous tumors like Sun Jin to continue their tyranny. He had to expose the other party’s misdeeds publicly, or else who knew how many more people would end up in the same pitiful plight as the middle-aged man before him?

On top of protecting humanity, master teachers had the duty to protect the sanctity of teaching. The solemnity of lineages mustn’t be undermined by a couple of black sheep in society!

“Yes!” The middle-aged man nodded.

Just as the other party had said, as a person who was already prepared to die, what else did he have to fear? Perhaps, just perhaps… if the young man before him really could bring a miracle to him and resolve his problem, he could finally be freed from the abyss of despair that he had been gradually sinking deeper and deeper into over the years.

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to walk out of the room, he suddenly halted and pointed toward the Violetgilt Metal on the rack.

“Bring this ore with us. We will use it later!”

The middle-aged man nodded and stowed it in his storage ring before leading the way to the Blacksmith Guild.

With the Blacksmith Guild located just three streets away, it didn’t take the duo too long to arrive at their destination.

Darkness had already set upon the sky of Firesource City, but as the base of operations for the most popular occupation in the city, the Blacksmith Guild was still brightly-lit, and huge crowds walked in and out of its entrance.

Chapter 1022: Causing Trouble ##

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

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When they reached the guild’s entrance, the middle-aged man fell silent for a brief moment before saying, “Sun Jin laoshi is one of the most capable blacksmiths in the guild, and he has many disciples and followers. As a mere apprentice, an evicted one at that, I have no right to bring you to him.”

Due to the rich earth flames around Firesource City, blacksmiths and apothecaries were particularly respected in the region. In a sense, they could be considered nobles there, existences whom the average civilians could never hope to make an appointment with. This was especially so for a blacksmith of Sun Jin’s caliber.

“You have no right? Don’t worry, I will bring you right to him!” Harrumphing coldly, Zhang Xuan swiftly uncovered Sun Jin’s location before leading the way over.

The Firesource City Blacksmith Guild was bustling. The main hall was packed with sellers and buyers of weapons alike. 1-star and 2-star blacksmiths were serving as attendants in the area, attending to the customers and bringing about order to the crowd.

After walking for a while, they soon arrived before a relatively vast room. Just as they were about to make their way in, two 4-star blacksmiths walked up to them, and upon recognizing the middle-aged man following behind Zhang Xuan, they sneered coldly.

“I was just wondering who this is. Isn’t this our great Song Zhen, who still remains as an apprentice even after twenty long years? What? Are you unwilling to give up, so you wish to give it another try?”

“It doesn’t matter. No matter how many times you take the examination, trash is trash; you can’t change your nature regardless of how much you try!”

Disdainful smiles were plastered on the faces of the duo. Clearly, they were well aware of the affairs surrounding the middle-aged man.

“I…” Hearing the sneers, the face of the middle-aged man, Song Zhen, paled. He opened his mouth to speak, but eventually, he closed it without saying a word.

“Alright, you should stop making a fool out of yourself here and scram. Our teacher has no intention of meeting you, so it doesn’t matter how many times you come here!” One of the two 4-star blacksmiths waved his hands impatiently.

Song Zhen was about to explain the situation when Zhang Xuan suddenly raised his hand, stopping him. After which, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze toward the duo and said, “He isn’t the one who wants to meet your teacher; it’s me. Get Sun Jin out here to receive me!”

“You want our teacher to receive you? Who do you think you are?” Hearing the arrogant words spoken by the young man before him, one of the 4-star blacksmiths guarding the door harrumphed coldly, the disdain in his eyes reflected clearly for all to see.

Given his teacher’s standing, even the city lord of Firesource City had to submit a visiting scroll in advance before paying a visit. Yet, this twenty-year-old fellow actually dared to speak such haughty words, wanting his teacher to receive him. The ignorant sure were fearless!

“I will give you three counts to get out of my way, or else I will toss you out myself!” The other blacksmith threatened menacingly.

Seeing that the duo wasn’t planning on letting him enter, Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, “Since he has no intentions on receiving me, it seems like I will just have to go in by myself.”

Right after saying those words, Zhang Xuan turned his eyes away from the duo and began making his way into the room.

As the principal of the Master Teacher Academy, not even a 7-star master teacher would dare to keep him waiting outside.

Seeing that the young man was trying to barge in forcefully, the faces of the two 4-star blacksmiths warped in astonishment.

“Audacious! What are you trying to do?”

They hurried forward to block the young man’s path as they raised their palm, prepared to make a move.

However, before they could launch their strike, an overwhelming might crashed down upon them.

Peng peng!

The duo was knocked flying simultaneously before crashing heavily into the wall. Their faces reddened, and fresh blood spewed from their mouths.

With just a look, Zhang Xuan could tell that this wasn’t the first time that the two 4-star blacksmiths had oppressed others. Toward such people, he had no intention on holding back at all. With a simple exertion of his zhenqi, the duo was already severely wounded.

The two of them were only at Cosmos Bridge realm, so it was only natural that they wouldn’t even be able to withstand a simple exertion of zhenqi from Zhang Xuan.

Struggling to his feet, one of the 4-star blacksmiths exclaimed, “Someone is trying to barge in forcefully!”

His voice was very loud, and it swiftly resounded through the main hall of the Blacksmith Guild.

“Someone is trying to barge in? What is going on?”

Countless pairs of eyes turned toward them.

However, Zhang Xuan paid those curious gazes no heed at all, proceeding in with an impassive look on his face.

Song Zhen had thought that the other party was paying a visit to the Blacksmith Guild to find a solution to his problem, but who could have known that the other party would forcefully barge in in such a manner? Horrified, he couldn’t help but cower in fear. However, after a moment of hesitation, he clenched his jaws in determination and decided to follow behind the other party.

No matter what, it was apparent that the other party was doing it for him, so how could he back away at this moment?

On the other hand, noting that Song Zhen had decided to follow behind him, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

Even though he was determined on bringing judgement upon Sun Jin today, it could pose some trouble to him should Song Zhen choose to back down at this crucial moment.

“Trying to barge into our Blacksmith Guild? You are seeking death!”

“Quick, stop that fellow!”

Hearing the shouting from the 4-star blacksmith, seven middle-aged men within the room hurried forward to surround Zhang Xuan.

Dressed in their blacksmith robes, there were either four or five gleaming stars on the emblems pinned in front of their chests, indicating their ranks. Without any hesitation, they drew their weapons and launched an assault at the two intruders.

As the occupation that was second only to master teachers in Firesource City, blacksmiths had their pride and dignity to uphold. Any action that undermined the prestige of the Blacksmith Guild had to be dealt with sternly to show others that blacksmiths weren’t to be trifled with. Thus, upon hearing that someone was forcefully barging into the Blacksmith Guild, their first thought was to apprehend the other party before anything else.

Seeing the seven middle-aged man assaulting him without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan sneered coldly, “Noisy!”

Without even shooting them a glance, Zhang Xuan placed his hands behind his back and continued walking forward.

Peng peng peng peng!

The crowd who had rushed forward to attack him were all knocked back. The stronger the attack was, the more forceful the counterattack against them was. Under the immense impact, their faces paled, and blood spurted from their mouths.

As 5-star blacksmiths, their cultivation had already reached Transcendent Mortal 8-dan or 9-dan. Yet, despite their strength, they had still been sent flying just like that, as if saying that they weren’t even qualified to be considered an opponent to Zhang Xuan.

Seeing the entire sight from behind, Song Zhen’s face paled in astonishment, and his body began trembling.

Back when the other party flicked away the sword in his hand, he had already known that the other party was a powerful expert. However, he didn’t think that the other party would be so fearsome!

The strongest expert he had met ever since he was young was the guild leader of the Blacksmith Guild. Yet, to his shock, he realized that the young man before him seemed to be even stronger than the guild leader of the Blacksmith Guild!

“Quick, someone is trying to barge in…”

Hualala!

Right after the seven of them fell to the ground, another group of men rushed in. They were all 5-star blacksmiths as well, and as soon as they entered the room, they immediately launched a torrent of attacks toward Zhang Xuan. However, just like before, the attacks were completely ineffective. A moment later, they were left lying on the ground as well.

After striking down three waves of guards, the duo finally arrived at the lounge.

“Song Zhen, what do you mean by this?” Right after stepping into the lounge, they saw an old man glancing over in their direction with fury blazing in his eyes.

There were two 6-star blacksmiths standing beside the old man.

“I…” Upon seeing the old man, Song Zhen’s face paled. As if the other party’s authority had been marked deep into his bones, he found himself unable to speak a word at all.

“We don’t mean anything much; we are just here to ask if you manage to sleep well at night. You filled your apprentices with hope, only to usher them toward despair. Don’t you feel the slightest guilt within you?” Zhang Xuan walked straight toward the main seat in the lounge before turning a heavy gaze toward the old man.

The old man’s cheeks twitched slightly, and with a face livid with rage, he bellowed, “Who are you? This is the Blacksmith Guild, not a place where you can fool around!”

“Fool around?” Zhang Xuan shook his head with a wry smile before turning a sharp gaze toward the old man. “I am here to return justice to Song Zhen!”

One of the 6-star blacksmiths standing beside the old man stepped forward and sneered coldly. “Return justice to Song Zhen? What justice does he need? Despite studying under Sun Jin laoshi for more than twenty years, he hasn’t even managed to clear his 1-star blacksmith examination yet. What justice does that trash need? It’s only because of Sun Jin laoshi’s magnanimity that he was allowed to remain here for so long. Otherwise, the Blacksmith Guild would have long chased scum like him out of its doors!”

The 6-star blacksmith seemed to be in his early forties, and he possessed a cultivation of Nascent Saint as well. The gaze that he directed toward Song Zhen was filled with mockery and disgust.

“I am talking to Sun Jin, who do you think you are to interject in our conversation?” Zhang Xuan’s face darkened. “Kneel down!”

Kacha!

All of a sudden, the 6-star blacksmith felt an immense might crushing down on him. Without any time to react at all, his knees caved him, leaving him kneeling helplessly on the ground.

“How dare you cause trouble here? Who in the world gave you the guts to do so?” Seeing his companion being forced to kneel on the ground, the other 6-star blacksmith flew into a rage. Bellowing furiously, he whipped out a sword and charged right toward Zhang Xuan.

As the sword pierced through the air, a freezing gust of wind seemed to permeate the entire room. Even though the 6-star blacksmith only possessed a cultivation of Saint 1-dan primary stage, the sword in his hand had reached the level of Spirit pinnacle!

Through the augmentation of his sword, even a Saint 1-dan intermediate cultivator would find it hard to stand against him.

Facing the other party’s ferocious assault, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger casually, and the sword immediately flew out of the other party’s hand. In the next moment, the sword flew into his hands, and with a resounding ‘ding!’, the sword had acknowledged its new master.

Pu!

Seeing his personal weapon taking another man as its master, the face of the 6-star blacksmith turned ghastly pale, as if he had seen a ghost. Stifled by the sight he had just seen, a huge mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth.

“Who in the world are you?” Seeing how the young man was able to incapacitate one of his students with a word and have a Spirit pinnacle weapon acknowledge him as its master with a flick of his finger, Sun Jin’s face finally turned grave.

“Like I said, I am here to return justice for Song Zhen.” Zhang Xuan turned his cold gaze toward Sun Jin. “Do I really need to point it out explicitly to you?”

“I have taught Song Zhen for more than twenty years, and yet, he still wasn’t able to become a 1-star blacksmith. What business is it of mine that his talent is mediocre?” Sun Jin spat through gritted teeth.

“You are saying that it has nothing to do with you?” Picking his ear leisurely, a look of disappointment surfaced on Zhang Xuan’s face. “I don’t like to hear those words. Tell me the truth.”

“You…” Seeing that the other party wasn’t about to let the matter rest easily, veins began popping out of Sun Jin’s temper. With a frown of displeasure, he harrumphed. “What I said is the truth. There is nothing I can do about his lack of talent. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Song Zhen about the matter yourself. A person who can’t even smith a Mortal-tier weapon, what can I possibly do to help him?”

“It seems like speaking the truth is something very difficult for you. Since that’s the case, why don’t I share something with you? Perhaps it might help you jot your memory…”

Gazing deeply at Sun Jin, Zhang Xuan said calmly, “The cultivation technique he practices is suited for finding ores, but it happens to be in conflict with earth flames, thus making it impossible for him to smith. Can you tell me what is going on here?”

“This…” Sun Jin was astonished to hear those words, but he didn’t allow it to show on his face. Nevertheless, his fists couldn’t help but clench tightly behind his back. “He is just an ordinary apprentice; how would I know what kind of cultivation technique he practices? Do you expect a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith like me to bother myself with even the cultivation technique of a mere apprentice?”

“You…” Those words seemed to have triggered an explosion in Song Zhen’s face. With a face scarlet with agitation, he exclaimed, “But you were the one who imparted my cultivation technique to me! You even offered me many pointers so as to ensure that I wouldn’t err… How can you possibly be unaware of it!”

---

Chapter 1023: Twisted

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

---

The cultivation technique that he practiced had been personally taught to him by Sun Jin. Every time he met with a problem in his cultivation, Sun Jin would always step in personally to guide him. This was also the reason he was extremely grateful to the other party, and he felt deeply guilty that he had brought shame to the other party’s name. That was also one of the major contributing reasons he had eventually decided to end his life.

Yet, why was the other party denying it now?

“Nonsense!” Sun Jin flung his sleeves and harrumphed coldly. “You aren’t my direct disciple or even my student, you are just a mere apprentice. Who do you think you are for me to impart a cultivation technique to you and even personally guide you along?”

“I…” Song Zhen’s body shook in disbelief.

He wanted to scream that what he had said was the truth and that he wasn’t lying. Yet, he wasn’t able to find any way to refute the other party’s words at all.

Back then, when he first learnt that cultivation technique, the other party had told him that it was a very formidable technique and that others might attempt to lay their hands on it should they learn of its existence. As such, he had hidden the nature of his cultivation technique very well for the past twenty-four years. Who could have known that it was a trap laid by the other party from the very start? At this point, there was no way he could explain it anymore.

After all, given his identity, it was indeed irrational to think that a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith would devote time to guiding him personally.

“I have taught you for more than twenty years, and this is how you return my kindness? To actually bring someone over to injure my disciples… Song Zhen, I must have been blind to have taken you in back then!” Sun Jin bellowed furiously.

“You are going overboard with your acting.” Seeing how the other party’s disposition was growing stronger and stronger with each word spoken, as if he was the one who had the moral high ground, Zhang Xuan tapped his finger on the table beside him impatiently. “Since you are unwilling to speak the truth, I guess I’ll just have to find some other way to get it out of you.”

After saying that, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger.

Peng!

As if struck by a sudden streak of lightning, Sun Jin’s figure retreated swiftly into the distance before coughing violently on the ground, and fresh blood spouted from his mouth.

“You…” Not expecting the other party to make a move against him, overpowering him with a mere strike of his finger, Sun Jin’s body trembled in disbelief.

Arrogant! The other party was too arrogant!

This was the Blacksmith Guild they were in!

To barge in and attack him fearlessly, did the other party think that the Blacksmith Guild was just for show?

Wiping his finger on his sleeve, as if disgusted by how dirty it was, Zhang Xuan gazed down coldly upon the fallen Sun Jin. “How about it now? Do you recall anything yet?”

“You…” Sun Jin clenched his jaws tightly as his face flushed crimson. Knowing that he couldn’t admit to the matter at any cost, he bellowed back, “All that I have said is the truth!”

“The truth?”

“That’s right! He’s just a mere apprentice, a person who hasn’t even qualified as a 1-star blacksmith yet. How can he be qualified to have me lie for him?” At this point, a look of savagery surfaced in Sun Jin’s eyes as he roared, “And you! Regardless of who you are, to dare to act so arrogantly in the Blacksmith Guild, I have to say, you are a goner!”

Had Zhang Xuan not known about Song Zhen’s affairs in advance, he might very well have fallen for Sun Jin’s act. However, having learned of the atrocities that Sun Jin had committed over the years, he didn’t have the slightest shred of pity for the other party. Shaking his head in disappointment, he said, “It seems like you are unwilling to speak after all!”

To be honest, Sun Jin was indeed a very crafty person. Knowing that he would be severely punished if he were to be caught misguiding his apprentice, he had prepared in advance so as to absolve himself of any blame.

As long as he refused to admit that he had taught Song Zhen his cultivation technique, there was no one who would be able to do anything to him.

After all, the previous batch of apprentices whom he had imparted the cultivation technique to had nearly died out. There was nothing that the other party could possibly find to utilize against him.

But while such a mean might be effective in fooling others, there was no way it would work on Zhang Xuan.

If he really wanted the other party to speak, he could easily find several dozen methods to do so.

The only reason he hadn’t done so was give the other party an opportunity.

“What I am saying is the truth,” Sun Jin insisted adamantly, but before he could finish his words, he felt another aching sensation at his chest, and he was sent flying once more. The injuries he had sustained this time around was even more severe; it felt as if something had mashed his internal organs together. He lay weakly on the ground, unable to get back up.

“How is it? You still can’t remember?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“It will make no difference even if you kill me. If you dare kill me, you will definitely be chased to the end of the world by the Blacksmith Guild,” Sun Jin roared angrily.

He knew deeply that he couldn’t admit to it. The moment that he did so, he could very well be sentenced to death by the guild. On the other hand, if he were to deny it vehemently, there would be nothing the other party could do, having no evidence on hand.

“Since you desire to die, allow me to grant your wish!”

Zhang Xuan flicked his finger once more, and a surge of sword qi flew toward Sun Jin.

“Hold it right there!” At this instant, a loud bellow sounded, and three white-bearded elders entered the room. Upon seeing the surge of sword qi, they hurriedly rushed forward to deflect it.

Dressed in conventional blacksmith robes, there was an emblem with six gleaming stars pinned on the chests of each of the three elders. With the three of them making a move simultaneously, a powerful might reminiscent of the relentless currents of a river burst forth.

Boom!

The two forces collided, cancelling one another out.

The eyebrows of one of the elders shot up, and a powerful air of authority exuded from him. Stepping forward, he glared at Zhang Xuan with wrathful eyes.

“This friend over here, to barge in here and severely wound one of my elders, are you belittling us, or does the Blacksmith Guild mean nothing to you?”

Upon seeing the elder, Song Zhen hurriedly sent a telepathic message to Zhang Xuan. “H-he is Guild Leader Zhong…”

“Guild Leader Zhong?”

“Un, Guild Leader Zhong Mingchun. He is a Saint 1-dan pinnacle expert, as well as a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith. His strength is even superior to the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and it is no joke to say that he is the strongest expert of our Firesource City,” Song Zhen explained anxiously.

Due to its unique geographical terrain, the Blacksmith Guild and Apothecary Guild had developed to become far more prosperous and stronger than the other occupations. As a result, the head of the Blacksmith Guild was even stronger than the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

Now that an expert of Guild Leader Zhong’s caliber had gotten involved in this matter as well… how were they to resolve this issue?

Before Zhang Xuan could say a word, Sun Jin had already climbed to his feet and exclaimed furiously, “Guild Leader Zhong, save me! He actually dared to make a move against me. This is completely preposterous; he does not care about the law at all. A person like him must be killed, and his corpse must be incinerated with the earth flames so as to serve as a warning to others.”

“I am a blacksmith myself, so naturally, I have no thoughts of belittling the Blacksmith Guild!” Paying no heed to Sun Jin, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out his 6-star blacksmith emblem.

“You are a 6-star blacksmith?”

Upon seeing the emblem, Guild Leader Zhong frowned. A moment later, he spoke with a grim voice. “Even if you are a 6-star blacksmith, any grudges you have with Sun Jin should be resolved through the headquarters. If you had applied for a Life-and-Death Duel beforehand, there would have been nothing that we could have said about the situation. However, to barge into our guild and harm one of our men, there is no way you are getting out of here alive today. Set up the formation!”

Right after saying those words, Guild Leader Zhong waved his hand.

Hualala!

The two elders beside him immediately rushed into their positions, forming a unique formation around Zhang Xuan.

“I have already told you my identity. As the guild leader, instead of investigating the situation, you chose to set up a formation to deal with me instead. Don’t you think that you are being a little too hasty here?”

He had already revealed his identity as a 6-star blacksmith, and yet, the other party still unhesitatingly chose to make a move against him. After all of the talk about rules and order, the other party was still siding with his own men!

“Take down that insolent fellow first before we talk about the matter!” Ignoring Zhang Xuan’s words, Guild Leader Zhong bellowed furiously before raising his palm and charging forward.

Hong long!

As Guild Leader Zhong made his move, the other two elders also raised their palms. The three surges of zhenqi formed a unique formation that shrouded the entire lounge.

Under the effects of the formation, the three of them could transmit their powers to one another freely, allowing them to practically double the strength of an individual among them in an instant. Guild Leader Zhong might only have been at Saint 1-dan pinnacle a moment ago, but with the other two elders infusing their strength into him, he had gained the power to face even a Saint 2-dan primary stage cultivator face-on.

Taking a glance at the formation, Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Three Stars Violetmoon Formation?”

As a 6-star pinnacle formation master, he saw through the other party’s seemingly profound formation with a single glance.

The Three Stars Violetmoon Formation had been created by a Saint realm formation master two thousand years ago. Requiring three men for it, the formation served to create a remote connection between the trio, allowing them to put their strength together and exert a might far greater than a normal collaboration among them.

For Guild Leader Zhong and the two elders to go all out and utilize such a formation right from the start, they must have felt threatened by his strength.

“If you know of the formation, you would do well to raise your hands and surrender peacefully. Perhaps, I can consider sparing you this once. Otherwise, today shall be the day of your death!”

Zhenqi rumbled in Guild Leader Zhong’s palm, threatening to burst forth at any moment.

“Day of my death?” Zhang Xuan shook his head, his face reflecting the deep disappointment he had in the other party. “Despite serving as the guild leader, you are unaware of the atrocities committed by your own subordinate, allowing him to bring harm upon many budding blacksmiths. Not only so, you jump swiftly to conclusions, choosing to turn against me to protect your own subordinate without investigating the matter. It seems like it’s about time to clean up the Firesource City Blacksmith Guild!”

Even if Guild Leader Zhong wasn’t able to see through the anomaly in Song Zhen’s cultivation technique in a glance like Zhang Xuan had, he should have at least noticed or heard something about the huge reserve of ores that Sun Jin had amassed over the years. That should have been enough to send warning bells ringing in Guild Leader Zhong’s mind to investigate the matter!

Regardless of whether Guild Leader Zhong was intentionally covering for Song Zhen or hadn’t noticed it in the first place, there was one thing that was certain—he had seriously failed in his responsibilities as a guild leader, and he had to be punished for that.

“We can talk about that once you survive our attack!”

On the other hand, seeing how the other party was uttering such big words even when death was imminent for him, Guild Leader Zhong harrumphed coldly. Stepping forward, a powerful aura reminiscent of an imposing dragon burst forth from him, and a huge congregation of energy exploded out.

Boom!

That huge congregation of energy swiftly warped into a massive sword as it bolted toward Zhang Xuan with unbelievable speed.

Song Zhen’s face paled in fright, and he exclaimed anxiously, “Be careful!”

The might gathered within the massive sword felt so great that it seemed as if it could even split the world in two. Not even a Saint 2-dan expert could possibly stand against such immense force.

It was for his sake that the other party had come here. If the other party were to be killed because of him, he would feel guilt-ridden for life.

Clenching his jaws in determination, Song Zhen was just about to charge forward to take the attack in Zhang Xuan’s stead when the other party abruptly grabbed the teacup on the table beside him and poured its contents forward.

Weng!

The next instant, the massive sword of zhenqi abruptly swerved upward.

Boom!

The sword tore through the roof, leaving debris and dust scattering all around the lounge.

He actually deflected that attack with a single cup of tea? This… Unable to believe his eyes, Song Zhen rubbed his eyes forcefully, seemingly trying to check if he was dreaming.

The trio had brought out the might of the Three Stars Violetmoon Formation perfectly, such that even Saint 2-dan experts would have had no choice but to flee before that overwhelming strength. Yet, that fellow had actually deflected that powerful attack with just a cup of tea? Just how in the world did he manage to do it?

As much as Song Zhen was astonished, Guild Leader Zhong and the others were flabbergasted by the ludicrous sight before them as well.

To redirect the might of their formation with just a cup of tea, that was something that had exceeded the scope of their imagination. Inconceivable!

“There is something bizarre about that fellow. Let’s use our strongest move!” Guild Leader Zhong roared furiously.

In the next instant, the three elders drew their swords. Three chilling gleams flashed through the air, heading right for Zhang Xuan.

This is bad.

Upon seeing Guild Leader Zhong and the other two elders drawing their swords, Song Zhen’s face turned as pale as a sheet of paper. It was apparent that Guild Leader Zhong and the others were enraged, and they were planning to kill Zhang Xuan! He hurriedly turned his gaze toward Zhang Xuan anxiously, only to see the latter frowning in displeasure.

“Are you done yet?”

After saying those words, he stood up and lifted the chair beneath him with a single hand before walking forward with widened strides.

A chair…? Seeing Zhang Xuan’s actions, Song Zhen nearly spurted a mouthful of blood.

Of your three opponents, two are wielding Spirit pinnacle swords and the last one has a Half-Saint sword in hand. Yet… you are going to face them with just a chair? Do you think that this is a street fight?

How in the world do you expect to win with such a weapon in hand?

---

Chapter 1024: You Are Principal Zhang?

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

---

Not only was Song Zhen frenzied by the sight before him, the mouths of Guild Leader Zhong and the others were also twitching uncontrollably, and they felt as if their minds were about to blow at that sight.

It was indeed true that the chairs of their Blacksmith Guild were extremely expensive commodities, made out of superior materials, but even so… it was still just wood! Perhaps it might have been a decent weapon in a street fight against ordinary humans, but to use it to deal with their Three Stars Violetmoon Formation was a blatant insult to them!

Gritting his teeth tightly, Guild Leader Zhong harrumphed coldly. “Since you are courting death, don’t blame us when you get hurt!”

Flicking his wrist forcefully, a sword qi reminiscent of a relentless waterfall flowed forth.

Huala!

In the blink of an eye, Guild Leader Zhong had already executed his strongest sword art.

Half-Saint battle technique… Knots of a Thousand Threads!

‘As if two interweaved webs, a thousand knots there are in my heart!’ 1

This battle technique was created by a lovesick swordmaster a thousand years ago. The main aim of the sword qi lay not in killing but coiling. Once struck by this technique, one would feel as if one had fallen into a marsh, unable to struggle free.

With Guild Leader Zhong’s current strength, complemented by the effects of the formation, not even a Saint 2-dan intermediate stage cultivator would be able to deal with it easily. It seemed like he was aware that ordinary means wouldn’t be effective on the other party, considering the other party’s extraordinary strength and deep comprehension of formations. As such, he had decided to use his strongest means in the hope of taking down the other party swiftly.

Hula!

The sword qi swiftly formed circle after circle. Once trapped within, even the most formidable of experts would have to suffer a fair bit to break free. Yet, the young man before him didn’t seem to be aware of the danger ahead of him. Holding the leg of the chair, he continued proceeding forward fearlessly.

“You came!” Guild Leader Zhong sneered.

Tzzzz!

With a skillful flick of his sword, the sword qi instantaneously surrounded Zhang Xuan.

I succeeded? Guild Leader Zhong nearly leaped up in excitement.

He had only intended to use this technique to harass the other party, hoping to uncover the full extent of the other party’s strength through it. Yet, who knew that he would successfully coil his sword qi around the other party so easily?

So far, he had never encountered a cultivator who could break free from his Knots of a Thousand Threads before!

Delighted, Guild Leader Zhong had just started thinking about how he should deal with the other party when the person who should have been trapped within his Knots of a Thousand Threads abruptly vanished, causing his sword qi to end up coiling around nothing. The next moment, the other party abruptly appeared right before him, and the blunt, squarish edges of the wooden chair came crashing down forcefully on his head.

“I…” Guild Leader Zhong’s body stiffened. Before he could make sense of what had just happened, a sharp pain abruptly assaulted his face.

Peng peng peng peng!

Despite the weak material used to make the chair, it had been reinforced by the other party’s zhenqi, making it as tough as steel. In the blink of an eye, his face was already completely soaked in blood.

“Wait a moment…” The other two 6-star blacksmiths who had been fighting alongside Guild Leader Zhong were also frenzied by the sight before them.

They had gone to the extent of utilizing a collaborative formation along with their strongest attack, and yet, they had still ended up being pummeled by the other party. More importantly… it was one thing if the other party had wielded a powerful weapon, but he was only equipped with the chair he had been sitting down on a moment ago! Just the thought of the current situation left them feeling so stifled that they could spurt blood.

It was not much of an issue that he had been pummeled by an expert, but if the other blacksmiths were to learn that their guild leader had been viciously pummeled by a person wielding with a chair, they would become the laughingstock of the entire Firesource City!

As such, the two elders hurriedly charged forward to save their guild leader. The zhenqi in their bodies surged furiously as they drew out two white streams of silk-like sword qi.

However, before their attack could land on the young man, the sight before them abruptly darkened. All of a sudden, they found a chair headed right toward their faces as well.

Pilipala!

Zhang Xuan swung his arm relentlessly, bringing the chair down upon the trio before him.

They sure were shameless.

It was out of concern for their dignity that he had held himself back, but those three were so thick-skinned that they didn’t know when they would stop. What formation, strongest attack, and sword art? Shouldn’t they have realized that it was futile by now?

Even a Saint 2-dan combat master wasn’t a match for him; what could three Saint 1-dan fellows do? Putting aside setting up a formation, even if they were to bring their entire extended family over, they would still not have been a match for him!

After two minutes of merciless pummeling, the three most esteemed blacksmiths in the guild were eventually left lying on the ground, bruised all over.

“This…” Sun Jin was dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

He had thought that, with the guild leader and the two elders making a move simultaneously, they would surely have been able to subdue the other party easily. Yet, never in his dreams did he expect to see the other party easily suppressing the trio with just a chair in hand.

For a chair to actually overwhelm a Half-Saint weapon, just what was this?

“Alright!” After giving the guild leader and the two elders a harsh beating, Zhang Xuan finally placed the chair down and sat down on it once more.

“Are you willing to listen to my words now?”

“You… Who in the world are you?”

Not expecting a twenty-year-old young man to actually possess such astounding prowess, Guild Leader Zhong clenched his jaws tightly and roared, “Barging into the Blacksmith Guild and beating up the guild leader and elders, I have already reported this matter to the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion. Be prepared to face the wrath of Pavilion Master Feng!”

The Master Teacher Pavilion was in charge of maintaining the security and order of the region it was stationed in. Regardless of the identity of the young man before him, his act of barging into the Blacksmith Guild and intentionally wounding its members had already infringed upon the rules of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

The other party would have already gotten away by the time the personnel from the Blacksmith Guild headquarters arrived to deal with this matter. However, there was still the Firesource City Master Teacher Pavilion located not too far away, and once they learned of the matter, they would surely rush over at top speed.

While many had viewed him to be the strongest expert in Firesource City, Guild Leader Zhong knew that that was far from the case. In terms of fighting prowess, there was no doubt that Pavilion Master Feng was above him. On top of that, for some reason, many experts had gathered in the regional Master Teacher Pavilion in recent days. Once they dispatch their forces, they would surely be able to apprehend that fellow and teach him a lesson that he would never forget.

“Pavilion Master Feng? You are talking about Feng Yihui?” Zhang Xuan asked with an ironic smile on his lips.

“That’s right!” Guild Leader Zhong roared affirmatively.

The head of the Firesource City Master Teacher Pavilion, Feng Yihui, was his close friend, and they had known one another for more than a hundred years now. As soon as he learned that someone had barged into the Blacksmith Guild, he had immediately sent a message to inform the other party. Judging from the amount of time that had passed, the other party was due to arrive very soon.

All he could do now was pray for Pavilion Master Feng to arrive as soon as possible so as to back him up. However, at that moment, the young man before him abruptly turned his gaze outside and said, “Pavilion Master Feng, you have been watching this commotion long enough. Isn’t it about time you come in?”

“Watching this commotion? Pavilion Master Feng… has already arrived?”

‘Gedeng!’

An ominous premonition struck Guild Leader Zhong’s heart. He hurriedly turned his head and saw an old man walking over with an awkward look on his face.

“Zhang shi!” Upon walking into the room, the old man bowed deeply to the young man first before turning his gaze toward him. “Guild Leader Zhong…”

This old man was the head of the Firesource City Master Teacher Pavilion, Feng Yihui.

Upon receiving his old friend’s call for aid, he had immediately rushed over as soon as he could, fearing that the other party might have been in danger. However, when he arrived at the doorstep, he had realized that the so-called intruder was actually Principal Zhang, and he had immediately halted his footsteps.

Principal Zhang was a 6-star master teacher like him, but as the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, his standing was a tier above his, comparable to 7-star master teachers. Naturally, he didn’t have the right to question the other party’s actions.

As such, even when he saw Guild Leader Zhong being viciously pummeled by a chair, he had continued to hide outside, not daring to step in to intervene. However, he hadn’t expected that Principal Zhang would actually notice his presence.

With his presence exposed, he had no choice but to walk out awkwardly.

“Zhang shi? He is… a master teacher?” Noticing how respectful Pavilion Master Feng was when he greeted the other party, Guild Leader Zhong’s heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly turned his gaze toward the young man.

Didn’t the other party say that he was a 6-star blacksmith? Why did he become a master teacher all of a sudden? On top of that, for Pavilion Master Feng to treat the other party with such respect… Zhang shi…

“C-c-could you be… the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Xuan?” Guild Leader Zhong’s eyes widened in astonishment as realization struck him.

He had no idea whether Principal Zhang was at Firesource City or not, but he was aware that there were twenty thousand students from the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy who were in the midst of a mission there at the moment.

Of the twenty thousand students, ten thousand of them had blacksmith as their main supporting occupation, and they had just requested a substantial sum of smithing resources from them just two days ago, so naturally, he was aware of the matter.

Considering that there were twenty thousand students there, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the principal was here as well!

“Indeed, I am Zhang Xuan!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Principal Zhang? Song Zhen’s body stiffened in disbelief when he heard those words, and soon after, his eyes turned fiery with agitation.

It hadn’t been long since Principal Zhang had been inaugurated as the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, but his name was already well-known throughout the entire Hongyuan Empire. Even the citizens of a place as remote as Firesource City had all heard of his name.

For such a legendary figure to say that it was possible for him to become a blacksmith… Perhaps, there just might be hope for him!

Forming a stark contrast to Song Zhen’s excitement was Sun Jin’s look of horror. His eyes narrowed in disbelief as a feeling of weakness assaulted his entire body.

If the other party had only been a blacksmith, he might just have been able to deny it to the very end. But if the other party was a master teacher… it was doubtful that his strategy would be able to work!

The discerning eyes of the master teachers were not something that could be fathomed through common sense, and the Master Teacher Pavilion possessed incredible means that would make it nigh impossible for anyone to lie to them!

Not to mention, Zhang Xuan was the cream of the crop among the master teachers, a true legend!

Guild Leader Zhong’s face had paled with fright, but after all that had happened, he was reluctant to give up. “Even if you are… the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, surely it is against the rules for you to barge into the Blacksmith Guild and assault our men…”

Even if the other party had a standing higher than his, to barge into their base and wound so many of their men, surely the Master Teacher Pavilion wouldn’t condone such actions!

“Rules?” Harrumphing coldly, Zhang Xuan rose from his seat. Commanding the authority and disposition of a principal, he said, “Only those who abide by the rules deserve to be protected by the rules!”

“Only those who abide by the rules deserve to be protected by the rules?” Guild Leader Zhong was baffled by Zhang Xuan’s words. “When has our Blacksmith Guild broken the rules?”

“Song Zhen, come over!” Zhang Xuan turned to the middle-aged man by the side and beckoned him over.

“Yes!” Nodding, Song Zhen hurried forward.

“Exert your zhenqi,” Zhang Xuan instructed.

Song Zhen nodded before driving his zhenqi. The next moment, a heavy aura permeated the entire room.

“Th-this type of zhenqi…” Guild Leader Zhong’s eyes widened in bewilderment before they abruptly narrowed in realization.

As a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith, he could tell with a single glance what attribute the other party’s zhenqi was and whether it complemented the earth flames or not.

It was apparent that, with the middle-aged man’s zhenqi, it was impossible for him to become a blacksmith.

Seeing that Guild Leader Zhong understood what he was getting at, Zhang Xuan turned to Song Zhen and urged him on. “Tell your story to Guild Leader Zhong over here!”

“Yes.” Song Zhen nodded. “I was one of Blacksmith Sun Jin’s apprentices, and I have been learning smithing ever since I was seven. The cultivation technique that I am practicing has been taught by him…”

Without hiding anything, he repeated everything that he had told Zhang Xuan previously to Guild Leader Zhong.

Even though he still wasn’t too sure what was going on, he knew that Principal Zhang was doing all of it for him, and he trusted the other party as well.

“He imparted such a cultivation technique to you, and yet, he still urged you to take the blacksmith examination? How is this possible? Unless…”

Right after hearing Song Zhen’s words, Guild Leader Zhong face turned completely pale. With a face as cold as the biting frost of a winter night, he turned to look at Sun Jin.