Chapter 1101

Chapter 1101: Is Your Xuanxuan Faction Still Recruiting? (1)

Xiao Qin’s lips twitched.

This sudden encirclement… Was he going to have to challenge a group single-handedly, and was the group going to ‘single-handedly’ challenge him?

Individually, they were all weaker than him, but the overwhelming fighting will that was reflected in his eyes left him feeling as if he was a prey standing amidst a group of predators… Didn’t they come from a weaker vassal state of Qingyuan Empire? Weren’t they exhausted from their long journey?

Not only was there not the slightest hint of exhaustion from them, their eyes were even gleaming in excitement. It was almost as if they were waiting for him.

“I am at Saint 1-dan pinnacle. Is there any one of you who is at the same cultivation realm as me?” Xiao Qin asked.

Since he was going to test the strength of the Xuanxuan Faction, it would only be a fair assessment if he were to face someone who was of the same cultivation realm as him. Otherwise, facing a weaker opponent, even if he were to suppress his cultivation, he would still be able to easily subdue his opponent with his superior battle experience and eye of discernment. That would be no different from bullying his opponent.

And of course, if he were to play it fair, hopefully, the other party would be too embarrassed to order a lynching on him too…

“Saint 1-dan?” Ruohuan gongzi frowned.

Their Xuanxuan Faction mostly consisted of freshmen, and it had only been several months since the start of the school term. Despite the incredible speed of their cultivation, their strongest member was still only at Perfect Harmonization realm. Thus, to find a member who had reached Saint realm was… Hmmm? It seemed like they did have a Saint 1-dan pinnacle member amongst them after all!

“Invite Senior Qiqi over!” Ruohuan gongzi turned around and issued an instruction to a nearby member.

The member swiftly sprinted away, and not too long later, Luo Qiqi appeared in the courtyard.

So far, other than the monstrous Zhang Xuan, this young lady was the strongest member of their faction.

“My apologies, but it seems like Senior Qiqi is the only one who has achieved a cultivation of Saint 1-dan pinnacle in our Xuanxuan Faction. Why don’t you… have a duel with her then?” Ruohuan gongzi said a little awkwardly.

Luo Qiqi was an individual who had received the individual guidance directly from Principal Zhang, so her cultivation and eye of discernment were far beyond that of the other members. It did seem like they were bullying the other party by having him face her.

“You want me to fight against a woman?” Xiao Qin frowned.

He was an unparalleled genius of the Combat Master Hall. Be it in terms of zhenqi, physical resilience, reaction speed, and the such, he was far superior to his other peers. To randomly find a woman to face him… Weren’t they looking down on him a little bit too much?

“What’s wrong with facing a woman?” Luo Qiqi frowned in displeasure. Raising her hands, she beckoned, “Make your move!”

“Since that’s the case, pardon me then!” Upon the other party’s insistence, Xiao Qin sighed lightly and did a gentlemanly bow. After which, he drove his zhenqi throughout his body, and an aura overflowing with strength surged from his body.

Hu!

Xiao Qin took a step forward, and his figure abruptly disappeared.

As a Thousand Men Commander of the Martial Arts Division, he specialized specifically in martial arts. It was just a single step forward, but there were at least seven to eight transformations contained in it. In an instant, multiple identical figures appeared all around him, making it impossible for one to determine which direction he was going to attack from.

Battle technique, Steps of Thousand Illusory Shadows!

Steps of Thousand Shadows was a battle technique which was created by a Primordial Spirit realm expert of the Combat Master Hall two thousand years ago. It could produce multiple illusory figures around one, making it impossible for one to determine one’s location. This would, in turn, make the opponent vulnerable to one’s attacks.

Even though his opponent was a woman, he still chose to go all out right from the start.

This was also one of the core teachings of the Combat Master Hall—Never underestimate any opponent that you are facing!

Huala!

As soon as the Steps of Thousand Illusory Shadows was executed, he raised his finger to serve as his sword and directed it against the opponent before him.

This was also a battle technique, known as the Rising Crouching Dragon. It was known for its swift and precise movements, reminiscent of a dragon swiftly subduing its prey, making it an extremely difficult move to guard against.

Even within the Combat Master Hall, there were hardly any peers who could equal him whenever he executed the two powerful battle techniques in unison.

“Not too bad!”

The young lady chuckled. Without resorting to any huge movements or battle techniques, she simply raised her hand and smacked downward.

It was a very simple palm strike!

Yet, for some reason, Xiao Qin felt as if his movement technique had been completely suppressed by the other party. It was sensation similar to being cornered by a predator; no matter what he attempted to do, there was no way he could avoid that palm strike.

“What is that move?”

Xiao Qin’s eyes narrowed in shock, and cold sweat trickled down his back.

While the young lady’s moves seemed simple enough, it was exquisitely executed in a manner which sealed all of the transformations[1] in his battle techniques. It seemed like no matter how he moved, there would only be a single conclusion—he would be sent flying by that palm strike!

“It seems like I can only clash with her forcefully…” As expected of a genius of the Combat Master Hall, Xiao Qin was able to derive the best solution to his current plight in an instant. Since he was unable to dodge the palm strike, he would only find himself defeated if he were to attempt all of his transformations desperately to escape. Thus, he gritted his teeth and raised his palm as well.

He might have lost in a battle of skill against the young lady, but he wouldn’t necessarily lose in a battle of strength.

While his defense wasn’t as formidable as that group of monsters from the Protector Division, his zhenqi and physical body resilience had still reached a fairly decent level. At the very least, he would be able to overpower most cultivators in a direct clash of power, let alone a female cultivator who was unlikely to specialize in strength.

Hu!

Just as he was about to thrust his palm forward to meet the other party’s, the young lady’s figure abruptly blurred before disappearing from his sight altogether.

“Shit…” Realizing that he had erred, cold sweat trickled down Xiao Qin’s body.

He had thought that the other party had intended to clash directly with him, so he had gathered all of his strength into his palm strike. Yet… it was actually a feint!

“AHHHHH!!” With a furious battle cry, Xiao Qin swiftly withdrew his attack and backed away.

Considering how he had been using his full strength, it was impressive that he was able to pull back his palm strike and retreat so quickly. However, it was a pity that he was still a step too slow. A powerful might suddenly pressed down from behind him, and even before it struck, he could already feel his organs being torn apart by the incredible might.

“I won’t be able to make it in time…” Knowing that it was too late for him to turn around and meet the other party’s attack, he quickly drove all of his zhenqi towards his back to ward off the force of the attack as much as he could.

At this point, he could only endure the strike and try to find a way to counterattack later on.

Gugu!

Anticipating a powerful strike landing on his back, he gritted his teeth and mentally resolved himself to withstand the strike. However, the powerful aura which had gathered behind him abruptly dissipated, and the pressure of the attack dissipated all of a sudden.

Bewildered, he anxiously turned around, only to see that the young lady had already retreated eight steps away. Standing calmly on the spot, as if not having moved at all, she calmly said, “You have lost.”

Pu!

Right after those words were spoken, Xiao Qin’s face suddenly turned ghastly pale, and a spurt of blood gushed from his mouth. Only in this instant did he realize that he had been completely sapped of his strength, and even remaining on his feet had become an incredibly arduous task for him.

It didn’t take him long to realize what was going on. Even though he had never directly clashed with the young lady throughout the fight, he had been forced to retract his zhenqi twice within a short duration of time, and the impact from doing so had caused immense damage to his body.

To be able to induce severe internal damage within him without even crossing blows… the young lady’s comprehension of combat and battle techniques were truly fearsome!

At this point, Xiao Qin had no choice but to admit that he wasn’t a match for the other party.

After recuperating for a moment, Xiao Qin stood up with a depressed look on his face and sighed deeply before conceding, “I have lost.”

He had thought that the rumors concerning the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy were mostly exaggeration, but after facing the young lady, he realized that the notion he had couldn’t be more wrong.

He couldn’t even withstand the might of a random woman within the Xuanxuan Faction, so how incredible would their top-notch expert be?

“Actually, your zhenqi, physical body strength, agility, and reaction speed are all not bad. What that is truly limiting you is your battle techniques!” Seeing Xiao Qin’s gloomy look, Luo Qiqi consoled.

“My battle techniques are limiting me?” Hearing those words, Xiao Qin’s mouth twitched, suffering an even greater blow than before.

He was the greatest genius of the Combat Master Hall’s Martial Arts division. Despite being only at Saint 1-dan, he had already grasped four Saint low-tier battle techniques!

It could be said that other than the Thousand Men Commanders whose cultivation were higher than him, there were no peers who possessed a deeper understanding of martial arts than him…

Despite such, the other party actually said that… his battle techniques were limiting him! This was a direct slap to his face!

“You don’t believe me?” Luo Qiqi chuckled softly, not offended by Xiao Qin’s response at all. “You can ask any student here and have them evaluate your performance in the fight earlier!”

“Evaluate? They will evaluate me?” Shaking his head, Xiao Qin looked at the several thousand students around him.

Most of them were at Perfect Harmonization realm, and there were some who were still only at Consonant Spirit realm. He wouldn’t even spare an additional glance at such cultivators on the streets, and yet, to have them evaluate his performance…

Were they able to see through the essence of his moves?

Were they able to understand how profound his moves were?

Evaluate his performance?

What a joke!

“You seem to doubt my words. Do you feel that they are unable to see through the flaws in your battle technique due to their limited cultivation?” Luo Qiqi shook his head. “It’s not that I want to traumatize you, but with your current comprehension of battle technique, even if you were to suppress your cultivation and fight with any one of them here, you wouldn’t survive past two blows!”

“Any one of them here?” Xiao Qin’s complexion turned extremely awful. “I know that I have lost to you, but I have to ask you not to humiliate me like that!”

No matter what, he was still an expert of the Combat Master Hall. To claim that he would be unable to receive two blows from Perfect Harmonization realm cultivators… that was blatantly making a mockery out of him!

“Senior Luo Qiqi is right, your strength is indeed very lacking.”

“Even if you were to lower your cultivation and fight with me, you still wouldn’t be a match!”

“We aren’t deceiving you. Your comprehension of battle techniques is truly appalling…”

Seeing the indignant look on Xiao Qin’s face, the crowd began remarking.

They were looking forward to the arrival of an expert who would allow them to go all out, but who knew that he would turn out to be so weak in the end. Honestly speaking, they couldn’t help but feel deeply disappointed.

Since the Combat Master Hall was going to challenge them, why didn’t they send a couple of stronger combat masters?

Given how appalling that fellow’s comprehension of battle techniques was, it was as good as sending them a sandbag to pummel!

Hai!

Everyone in the room couldn’t help but sigh deeply in lamentation.

“You all… Very well! I was afraid that it would be too much if I were to suppress my cultivation and challenge the rest of you, but since that’s what you all think, let’s do it then!” Hearing the sighs and seeing the disappointed looks around him, Xiao Qin was on the verge of exploding. Unable to take it any longer, he consumed a recovery pill to heal from his injuries before suppressing his cultivation with a roar. In the blink of an eye, his cultivation had fallen to Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle.

“I have already suppressed my cultivation. Is there anyone who wishes to fight against me?” Xiao Qin scanned his surroundings and he declared coldly.

“Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle? Many of us are at that cultivation realm here, so feel free to pick…” Seeing that the other party was still intent on challenging them, Ruohuan gongzi shook his head and replied.

“Alright!” Seeing how the leader of the Xuanxuan Faction was fearlessly asking him to have his pick, Xiao Qin couldn’t help but feel as if his face had been slapped once again. Gritting his teeth in anger, he scanned the surroundings and selected an ordinary-looking young man. That person seemed to be in his early twenties, and with his fair complexion and slender physique, he had an appearance reminiscent of a weak scholar.

“You want to fight with me?” The person who was specifically pointed out widened his eyes in shock, as if he had just won the lottery.

“That’s right!” Xiao Qin flung his hands majestically.

“I can fight with you, but you are injured at the moment. I would be bullying you if I were to fight with you like that…” After hesitating for a moment, a hint of excitement flashed across the eyes of the young man as he spoke earnestly. “Why don’t I tie both of my hands up then? I’ll fight against you without my hands… It should be fairer this way!”

[1] In this context, transformations refer to the maneuvers he could utilize under the current circumstances. To put it in analogy to a car, a car that is moving forward could choose to continue moving forward, swerve right, swerve left, or stop. That would mean that it has four possible transformations.

Chapter 1102: Is Your Xuanxuan Faction Still Recruiting? (2)

“Tie up both of your hands? Fairer?” Xiao Qin staggered, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

Are you suggesting that it would only be a fair fight against me after you tie up both of your hands?

Aren’t you underestimating me too much!

I, a powerful Saint 1-dan pinnacle expert, am challenging you to a fight, and yet, you think that I would only be a match for you with both of your hands tied?

A sharp pain assaulted Xiao Qin’s chest, leaving him feeling as if he would spurt blood at any moment.

“If you think that you will be able to withstand my attacks, do whatever you please!” Xiao Qin clenched his jaws so tightly that his teeth were on the verge of chipping, but he also knew that there was no point getting angry.

Thus, he took a deep breath to calm his state of mind before rushing forward.

The woman earlier was a Saint 1-dan expert just like him, and she was incredibly talented as well, so it was one thing for him to lose to her. He didn’t believe that he would lose to a random individual whom he had picked from a group of several thousand people as well.

Huala!

With his fingers hooked like claws, his hands darted forward with a sharp gust of wind.

Battle technique, Thunderbolt Heart Ripping Claws!

While this technique hadn’t reached Saint low-tier yet, it was well-known for its astounding prowess amongst Spirit pinnacle battle techniques. Upon reaching Major Accomplishment for this technique, one would be capable of pulling off lightning-swift movements that could mess with the opponent’s momentum, making it extremely difficult to deal with.

But of course, just the ability to mess with the opponent’s momentum wouldn’t justify the incredible infamy it had. What that had truly instilled fear in the hearts of the cultivators was how callous the technique was.

Everything that the claw latched itself onto would be torn off at lightning speed. If a cultivator were to put his guard down for a moment while facing this technique, his heart could very well be ripped out in the next moment.

It was due to how vicious the technique was that most master teachers would steer clear of it. However, these were the exact techniques that combat masters required to overwhelm their opponents in battle. The more vicious a technique was, the more likely that it would be effective in subduing or even killing their opponent. As a result, Xiao Qin had already reached an incredible level of mastery in the technique,

Huala!

Just as the Thunderbolt Heart Ripping Claws was about to land on its target, the scholarly young man suddenly took a quick step and dodged to the side. It was an extremely puzzling sight. The scholarly young man’s movements were visibly far slower than Xiao Qin’s, but for some reason, the scholarly young man was able to dodge his assault easily, as if having predicted the trajectory of his attack. On top of that, while the scholarly young man made the evasive maneuver, he lifted his leg and kicked it forcefully towards Xiao Qin’s lower body as well.

Facing the attack, Xiao Qin’s eyes narrowed.

He thought that the young man whom he had chosen out would only be average at best, but the movements made by the other party made him realize that he was sorely mistaken. The other party was far more terrifying than he had expected.

The Thunderbolt Heart Ripping Claws was extremely powerful, but the enhanced speed came at the expense of stability in his lower body. On top of that, the other party’s kick was accurately aimed at a location which he would definitely have to guard against but it was extremely awkward for him to do so.

“Thousand Leaf Threading Hands!” Knowing that he could be incapacitated if the kick were to land, Xiao Qin hurriedly opened up his claws and stroked the area in front of him gently.

It was a light movement reminiscent of a musician stroking its zither, but it was far more lethal than it looked.

The Thousand Leaf Treading Hands was a battle technique created by a demonic tunist. While its movements seemed completely harmless on the surface, in truth, every single finger harnessed a powerful surge of sword qi which could devastate any opponent easily.

The switch between the Thunderbolt Heart Ripping Claw to the Thousand Leaf Treading Hands was swift and seamless, devoid of the slightest lag in between, as if they were transformations of the same technique. This feat in itself showed that Xiao Qin’s reputation as the genius of the Martial Arts Division wasn’t just for show.

His mastery over his battle techniques had indeed reached an incredible level.

However, as incredible as his movements were, he was still outdone by his opponent. Seemingly having anticipated Xiao Qin’s movements, the scholarly young man leaped into the sky and accurately kicked his fingers with the tip of his feet.

Kacha! Kacha!

As the immense force gathered in the scholarly young man’s feet collided with Xiao Qin’s fingers, the crisp sound of bone shattering echoed resoundingly in the air. Before Xiao Qin could recover from this blow, a black shadow abruptly covered his view. A leg was headed straight for his face.

Peng!

Xiao Qin was sent crashing into the ground, and blood spurted uncontrollably from his mouth.

He struggled back to his feet with disbelief in his eyes.

He realized that from the start to the end, the scholarly young man really hadn’t used his hands at all. Yet, the other party was still able to defeat him so easily!

While he did lose to the Saint 1-dan pinnacle woman earlier on, he could rationalize his defeat as the woman being the most talented genius in the Xuanxuan Faction. But the scholarly young man was someone whom he had chosen at random, a mere Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator… and yet, he didn’t even survive two attacks from the other party!

Could it be that there was truly a mistake in the battle techniques that he cultivated?

“There’s no need to get depressed.” the scholarly young man consoled. “Your fighting prowess is not too bad, it’s just a pity that you met me! But well… I guess you could also count it as a blessing in disguise too, because I am one of the weaker members of the Xuanxuan Faction.

“Your moves are swift and powerful, and your ability to transit between different techniques is impressive. Your grasp of timing over battle techniques is rather commendable too. Despite all this, the reason why you are unable to achieve victory is because you place too much trust in your battle techniques and overlooked yourself!”

“Place too much trust in my battle techniques?” Unsure of what the scholarly young man was driving at, Xiao Qin frowned in incomprehension.

“That’s right. The aim of a battle technique is to effectively draw out the strength within a cultivator so as to overwhelm the opponent. However, it is important to note that it is a means to a battle, not an end to a battle! As powerful as a battle technique may be, it can only play an auxiliary role in battle,” the scholarly young man explained with a smile.

“The battle techniques that you have utilized in your fight against Senior Qiqi and me are indeed powerful. If it had been any other cultivator, there would be no doubt that they would have fallen by now. However, in our eyes, your reliance on powerful battle techniques only became flaws for us to exploit.

“To give you an example, that claw art that you have used against me earlier boasted of incredible speed and astounding might. However, have you considered any countermeasure should your attacks fail to land on your opponent?”

At this point, the scholarly young man paused for a brief moment before continuing. “Even the strongest of battle techniques would be meaningless if you can’t land it on your opponent! The reason why I chose to dodge your claw art at the very last moment is because I could tell that you would be wide open in that very instant. In that instant, all of your strength would be centered on your upper body, leaving your lower body wide open!

“Thus, I aimed my kick at your lower thigh. No matter how fast you are able to drive your zhenqi, it would have been difficult for you to channel your zhenqi from your hands to your legs at a moment’s notice. You probably thought that this was a negligible flaw due to the incredible speed of your claw art, but under the careful manipulation of an expert, even the smallest of flaws could be exacerbated many times over. That being said, your response is truly commendable. Realizing that you would not be able to reinforce your defenses in time, you decisively chose to switch your method of offense.

“Your new offense consisted of a light stroking motion. Under its gentle exterior, I could sense sword qi gathering on your fingertips. If I’m not mistaken, it should be a type of battle technique as well. I have to admit that it’s quite a powerful move, but its attacks are very straightforward too. A sword might be sharp, but that’s only when you are standing before its blade. Just by leaping into the air, I was able to avoid your attack easily. Then, with a simple kick on your fingers, I was able to overcome your battle technique very easily and even inflict considerable damage.” The scholarly young man shook his head in pity.

As a whole, the strength of the fellow before him was still decent, but it was a pity that his movements were too rigid.

“Y-you…” Xiao Qin’s body trembled in shock, as if a streak of lightning had struck his body.

The other party’s analysis was spot-on. Those were indeed the flaws of his battle techniques… It was no wonder why he lost so tragically!

“All of you… were able to see through my flaws as well?” Xiao Qin turned to the crowd around him and asked hoarsely.

“Considering how weak you are, it would have been difficult not to see through your flaws!”

“Your attacks are too straightforward, being able to see through the flaws in it is truly nothing much…”

“To tell you the truth, Hu Chun has only listed a small portion of the flaws in your battle techniques. It goes without saying that the more powerful a battle technique is, the greater damage it could deal, but… if one is unable to land his blows, what would be the use even if one were to wield the most powerful battle technique in the world?”

…

Hearing Xiao Qin’s question, a huge commotion broke out amidst the crowd.

“Unable to land his blows…” Xiao Qin muttered in a daze as he heard the comments around him.

Indeed.

Battle techniques were designed to allow a cultivator to amplify his strength so as to deal greater harm to his opponent. However, if one’s battle techniques couldn’t connect with one’s opponent… what would be the use?

No matter how many battle techniques one were to learn, it would only be for show!

“I have benefitted from your guidance…”

The realization of this fact came as an epiphany to Xiao Qin. He had a feeling as if the clouds that had been covering his eyes all along had finally been parted, revealing an entirely new world to him. Thankful, he bowed deeply to the crowd before him.

For many years, he had been aiming to cultivate as many powerful battle techniques as he could, and he took pride in that as well. He mistakenly assumed that powerful battle techniques equaled greater fighting prowess.

Such a logic may hold true against ordinary cultivators, but when faced with a true expert, his overreliance on battle techniques would have been a fatal flaw!

As the saying goes, ‘the greater the breadth, the lower the depth’!

No matter how smooth his transitions between battle techniques were, they were still ultimately different battle techniques. There were bound to be several flaws in between that others could make use of.

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony. Actually, we also learned all of these from our principal as well. It’s only due to his guidance that we were able to attain the current eye of discernment and astute combat sense that we possess. Otherwise, as ordinary master teachers, there’s no way we could have been a match for you!” the scholarly young man replied.

“Your principal?”

“That’s right. Our principal is an incredible genius. Despite being younger than us, his understanding of combat far surpasses our understanding. He is the one who taught us that the precision of an attack is far more important than the strength harnessed in it. For example, in the fight earlier, if you had shifted your first attack to the left by three centimeters and taken an additional step forward, I would have been unable to counterattack at all.” the scholarly young man said.

“This…” Frowning, Xiao Qin simulated the scene in his mind, and his eyebrows suddenly shot up in astonishment.

He was right!

If he had done so, the scholarly young man wouldn’t have had any time to dodge his claws, let alone launch a counterattack at his lower body!

“And for the second move, the concept of wielding sword qi on your hands with a gentle stroking motion is a good idea, but your movements are simply too rigid. If you were to complement it with the motions of Gentle Palm as well, you would have been able to cover your sides as well. Even if I had leaped into the sky and dodged your first attack, I would still have been in your attack range, thus forcing the match into a direct collision. If so, it would have been hard to tell who would emerge victorious…” the scholarly young man continued analyzing.

Xiao Qin’s body stiffened once more.

The main reason why his fingers were kicked so easily earlier was due to the sword qi on his fingers being unable to reach his opponent, thus leaving him wide open.

If he were to complement his stroking motion with the underlying concept of the Gentle Palm, the enhanced flexibility in his hand movements would have allowed him to cover a greater arc of attack before him. If so, he would have been able to fend against his opponent’s kick as well…

“Our principal had once told us that if it would be better to cast away all techniques if all one did was rely on them blindly. It’s your overreliance on battle techniques that resulted in your lack of flexibility in battle, thus placing you in a disadvantage against other cultivators…” the scholarly young man sighed.

With his fists tightly clenched, Xiao Qin finally absorbed everything that he had heard, and he exhaled a mouthful of turbid gas. With admiration in his eyes, he commended, “To be able to have such insights, your principal is truly an incredible genius…”

These combat insights were far more profound than those in the Combat Master Hall. Just by these in itself, it was apparent that the principal that they were speaking about was a terrifying genius.

“Of course, our principal is a genius like no other in the world! Not only so, he also has a magnanimous heart that is boundless like the ocean. As long as one is willing to learn from him, he would impart what he knows without any hesitation.” The scholarly young man smiled.

“He would impart what he knows without any hesitation to anyone who is willing to learn?”

“Indeed. But due to his limited time, he has no choice but to limit his efforts on the members of the Xuanxuan Faction for the time being. It is also for this reason that countless cultivators dream of joining our Xuanxuan Faction!” Ruohuan gongzi interjected at this point.

“T-this…”

With his fists tightly clenched, many emotions flashed across Xiao Qin’s face. A moment later, he spoke up meekly, “May I ask if… your Xuanxuan Faction is still recruiting?”

Chapter 1103: The Xuanxuan Faction Has Taken Our Men In!

“You are asking if we are still recruiting?”

Looks of bewilderment filled the faces in the area.

“That’s right!” Xiao Qin gritted his teeth in determination. “I wish to join the Xuanxuan Faction!”

“This…” Upon hearing those words, everyone’s eyes lit up. Ruohuan gongzi burst into laughter before replying, “That’s not a problem at all! If our principal were to learn than an outstanding expert like you wishes to join our ranks, he would definitely be delighted as well!”

“So… you are agreeing to it?” Xiao Qin asked nervously.

If there were only one or two strong individuals amongst them, he could still attribute it to their outstanding talent. However, when all several thousand members were that powerful, it could only mean that they had an outstanding teacher.

The primary goal of a combat master was to advance their fighting prowess. Only with greater strength would they be able to protect mankind from the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and other threats.

Considering that the Xuanxuan Faction was willing to impart its knowledge to anyone who was willing to learn, allowing him to attain power swiftly, why should he hesitate in joining its ranks?

“Of course, our Xuanxuan Faction welcomes all kinds of talent!” Ruohuan gongzi chuckled as he flicked his wrist and took out a book. “Here is a manual which contains the compilation of our understanding of the knowledge that our principal has imparted to us thus far. It isn’t complete, but it does cover many aspects of battle. You can take a look first, it might just prove to be of help to you in furthering your strength!”

“This…” Xiao Qin took the book, and upon taking a brief glance at it, his heart suddenly jolted in astonishment.

Even just by looking at the first page, he could tell by his eye of discernment and keen instinct for battle techniques that the content compiled within the book was an unparalleled manual of combat insights.

As long as he studied it diligently, he would definitely be able to bring his strength up another level.

While he was shocked by the content of the manual, he also couldn’t help but feel a little moved.

It was just a moment ago that he requested to join the Xuanxuan Faction, but the other party still chose to hand him such a valuable book without the slightest bit of hesitation.

The deep trust that they showed in him left him with an indescribable feeling of warmth within.

“There is only one rule to our Xuanxuan Faction, and that is to obey Principal Zhang Xuan’s commands and strive to assist him wherever possible. Other than that, there are no particular boundaries for our Xuanxuan Faction. We promote the sharing of knowledge amongst members without any concealment so that we can grow together as a whole.” Seeing through Xiao Qin’s thoughts, Ruohuan gongzi explained.

From the very start, the Xuanxuan Faction was only a student faction, not an official organization. Furthermore, the primary aim why the organization was founded was to band the freshmen together so that they would be able to protect themselves from the tyranny of the seniors, so the management wasn’t particularly strict.

Even though Zhang Xuan had become the principal and their primary aim had already ceased to exist, the culture of the free communication of knowledge and resources had still been preserved.

The more capable members would help to explain difficult concepts to weaker members, and those who were equal in strength would learn from one another and improve together… It was also under such a culture that even the average members of the Xuanxuan Faction were able to advance their cultivation by so much within a short span of several months, such that even a Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall would be no match for them.

On the other hand, seeing that the Xuanxuan Faction had its ideology based upon the true essence of ‘teacherhood’, creating a culture of transparency of knowledge regardless of background, Xiao Qin couldn’t help but feel deeply impressed.

“I am Xiao Qin, a Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall. To tell you the truth, I have come here with the intention to assess whether the Xuanxuan Faction is qualified to have an exchange with the Combat Master Hall. However, after taking a look, the Xuanxuan Faction is indeed as amazing as the rumors put it out to be. And its leader, Principal Zhang Xuan, is truly the role model of all master teachers!”

At this point, Xiao Qin’s eyes lit up as he continued, “To be honest with you, there are still several hundred combat masters out there waiting for my news. If it’s not too much, I hope to bring them into the Xuanxuan Faction as well!”

He was rather familiar with most of the combat masters who had come to the manor today, and most of them were deeply interested in advancing their fighting prowess. Without a doubt, the Xuanxuan Faction was an ideal platform for them to achieve their goals. If they were to learn of this, they would surely join the Xuanxuan Faction without any hesitation.

“Several hundred combat masters will be joining the Xuanxuan Faction?”

The crowd couldn’t help but be stunned by the news.

“Does the Combat Master Hall permit you to join other organizations?” Ruohuan gongzi couldn’t help but ask.

No matter what, the Combat Master Hall could be considered as a military branch of the Master Teacher Pavilion. It didn’t seem likely for it to allow its members to join other organizations easily.

“The Combat Master Hall has no particular rules regarding that aspect. Furthermore, considering that the Xuanxuan Faction is a student faction of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, it can be considered as an organization of the Master Teacher Pavilion as well. Thus, there should no problem in us joining the Xuanxuan Faction!” Xiao Qin replied with a smile.

The rules of the Combat Master Hall were mainly directed towards preventing combat masters from betraying mankind, but considering that the Xuanxuan Faction was an organization of master teachers, it was unlikely that it would cross the bottom line of the Combat Master Hall.

Besides, the Xuanxuan Faction was also a lax organization with few commitments. Even if the hall master were to learn of this matter, it was unlikely that he would say much about it either.

“Since that’s the case, feel free to invite your friends over then… This would also be a good opportunity for our members to learn from you all as well!” Seeing that it wasn’t a problem, Ruohuan gongzi nodded.

“Alright!” Xiao Qin quickly left the manor, and not too long later, he returned with two hundred men behind him.

Naturally, it was inevitable that there would be some battles in their first encounter with one another, but considering how even Xiao Qin wasn’t a match for the members of the Xuanxuan Faction, less had to be said about the other combat masters.

In less than two hours, the two hundred combat masters had nothing but admiration left for the members of the Xuanxuan Faction. They fought with one another for the opportunity to interact with the members of the Xuanxuan Faction at a deeper level.

The more that they crossed blows and traded insights with the members of the Xuanxuan Faction, the more astounded they were by the level of comprehension that their principal had regarding combat. At the same time, the admiration they felt toward their principal also inevitably deepened as well.

To impart such profound combat insights to the public without any reservations was almost unthinkable! Just what kind of person was their principal?

The combat masters who had just joined the Xuanxuan Faction couldn’t help but be filled with curiosity towards him.

…

The Elder Conference Hall of the Combat Master Hall.

“I have taken a look at the report sent in by Zhuo Qingfeng and Feng Xun, and the fact that Principal Zhang Xuan was able to raise the fighting prowess of ordinary members to match combat masters shows that he’s an extraordinary figure. We should pay close note to the students during the exchange, and if there are talented individuals amongst them, try to recruit them into our ranks so as to bolster the forces of our Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall!” an elder seated on the main seat of the conference table stroked his beard and said.

This was none other than the head of the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall, as well as Half-Leaving Aperture realm expert, Xing Zhuoyuan.

While the notion of an exchange with the Master Teacher Academy of a vassal nation sounded ridiculous, it was a motion endorsed by a few Thousand Men Commanders of their Combat Master Hall. As such, Xing Zhuoyuan was also interested to see whether the little Master Teacher Academy was truly as powerful as everyone put it out to be.

If that was truly the case, he could try to bring in some of their talents into their branch so as to further strengthen themselves.

“Hall Master Xing is indeed wise, our thoughts have been too narrow!”

“With Hall Master Xing’s sharp insight, our Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall would surely rise to greater heights!”

Upon hearing Xing Zhuoyuan’s explanation, the various division heads and elders couldn’t help but nod in commendation.

When they first heard that Xing Zhuoyuan had approved the exchange, they were astounded.

The Combat Master Hall had always been a symbol of strength for the master teachers, an unreachable target for them. Considering how the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy was just a cradle for master teachers in a vassal nation of Qingyuan Empire, it was beneath their Combat Master Hall to hold an exchange with them.

It was only at this moment did they finally comprehend the thoughts which Xing Zhuoyuan had put into this matter.

If one were to describe master teachers as the geniuses amongst the populace, the combat masters would be the geniuses amongst the geniuses. Even within a group of several thousand master teachers, there might not even be a single individual who would be qualified as a combat master.

It was due to the high standards of the Combat Master Hall that there were very few combat masters around. If what Zhuo Qingfeng and the others said were true, and the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy was truly filled with powerful individuals who could subdue cultivators beyond their current cultivation realm, it would indeed be a good opportunity for them to pull in some fresh blood.

“Right, Hall Master Xing. Even though the exchange has been set on three days from now, there are many combat masters who feel indignant at the notion of having to face the students of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy as equals, so they have secretly sneaked off to the accommodations of our guests intending to try out their skills…” At this moment, an elder suddenly recalled a certain matter and reported.

The head of the Martial Arts Division, Division Head Feng!

Just like the school system of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, the Combat Master Hall was also divided into multiple divisions. All in all, there were a total of ten divisions, namely the Weapon Division, Fist Division, Palm Division, Footwork Division, Martial Arts Division, Internal Breath Division, Guardian Division, Soul Division, as well as the most secretive Heart Division!

Each of these divisions represented a complete heritage, and it served to draw out the full potential of a combat master in a certain aspect.

For example, the Weapon Division could be divided into saber, sword, spear, and the various weapons. Those who were able to join its ranks were mostly combat masters who had grasped Weapon Intent.

On the other hand, the combat masters of the Palm Division specialized in palm arts and wielded incredible strength, and the combat masters of the Footwork Division specialized in movement techniques and possessed outstanding agility.

As for the Soul Division, combat masters would cultivate their souls and learn battle techniques effective against bringing down souls there.

As there was a limit to what an individual could learn, it was impossible for one to be capable in every single field. As such, the Combat Master hall divided the combat masters into the various divisions based on their proficiency. Through specialization, not only would they be stronger individually, they would also be able to better complement one another in group battles against the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

“I have heard of that matter too. Don’t worry, just let them be. This will also be a good opportunity to see if the Xuanxuan Faction of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy is truly as capable as Zhuo Qingfeng and the others put them out to be!” Hall Master Xing replied with a chuckle.

Xiao Qin and the others had thought that they had managed to slip out without catching anyone’s notice, but considering how more than two hundred combat masters had suddenly vanished from the Combat Master Hall, it didn’t take long for the others to catch wind of what they were up to.

In fact, almost every single division head and elder on the conference room was aware of it. However, they chose to left the combat masters to their own devices.

“That’s what I thought too, so I allowed them to act as they please. I have already sent someone to scout the situation, so we should receive some news very soon!” Division Head Feng nodded.

“Seems like all of us have the same intention in mind. We have also sent scouts of our own over, so we should be able to learn whether the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy is the real deal this time around… Good, it seems like the news is in!” Halfway through another division head’s words, he suddenly flicked his wrist, and a Communication Jade Token appeared in his hands.

With a smile still lingering on his lips, he lowered his head to take a look, and his face abruptly stiffened.

“What’s wrong? Did our combat masters lose in a duel against them?” Upon noticing the peculiar expression on the division head’s face, Hall Master Xing asked.

“News has come in on my side as well. Let me take a look…” Division Head Feng seemed to have felt something as well, and a Communication Jade Token materialized in his hands. Upon scanning the content, he suddenly froze on the spot as well, unable to speak a word.

“What’s going on? Say something!” Taking the reactions of the two division heads into sight, an elder couldn’t take it any longer, and he exclaimed in frustration. Thus, he walked forward and took the Communication Jade Token from Division Head Feng’s hand. However, after taking a look, he froze on the spot too.

It took a very long time before Hall Master Feng was able to exclaim with a tearful voice, “Hall Master Xing… it seems like before we could even recruit them into our ranks, our combat masters have already been taken in by the Xuanxuan Faction!”

Chapter 1104: Even The Division Heads Have Jumped Ships

“Our combat masters have been taken in by the Xuanxuan Faction?”

“What do you mean?”

The crowd frowned. Even Hall Master Xing had a bewildered look on his face.

“The two hundred combat masters who went to challenge the students of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy have all joined the Xuanxuan Faction…” Division Head Feng uttered in a daze.

“They have all joined the Xuanxuan Faction?”

Everyone was dumbfounded for a moment before those words could finally be processed in their minds. A stabbing pain struck their chests, leaving them unable to catch their breath.

Hall Master Xing even nearly stumbled and fell out of his chair.

It was just a moment ago that he confidently claimed that the Combat Master Hall would be able to make use of this opportunity to bring in some new blood and bolster their forces. And yet, before they could even manage to poach the other party’s students, they ended up losing their men instead…

What the heck was this!

“Preposterous, this is preposterous! A bunch of combat masters actually joined a rural organization… Tell them to return back to the Combat Master Hall this instant, or else I shall have their names erased from the records!” one of the division heads stood up and bellowed furiously.

All along, the Combat Master Hall had always been the one selecting men from other organizations. Never once had anyone managed to poach their men before.

“But would it be inappropriate for us to do so? Our Combat Master Hall has no rule that prevents our members from joining other organizations, and we don’t have the right to restrict them from learning the other occupations either…” Another division head raised an objection.

While the Combat Master Hall was a little more rigid than the Master Teacher Pavilion, it wasn’t governed by too many rules either. Combat masters were still granted a considerable degree of freedom, so to threaten them seemed to be going a little overboard…

“There are no rules in the Combat Master Hall that hinders them from joining other organizations, but if all combat masters were to do so, what would become of our Combat Master Hall? If everyone were to fool around like that, who will stand up to protect mankind when disaster strikes? We need to sever the problem at the root before it gets out of hand!”

“Indeed! There mustn’t be a precedent for such a matter, or else, what would become of the pride and dignity of our Combat Master Hall?”

Two of the division heads harrumphed.

The crowd fell silent.

Those words did make some sense.

The Combat Master Hall had no explicit rule that prevented its members from joining other organizations, and all along, there had been no need for there to be such a rule, either. Most combat masters were highly devoted to their training, so very few of them had any time to join other organizations.

However, it was a different matter this time around. Two hundred combat masters were intending to join another organization together, and this could potentially pose a problem. If combat masters were to start segregating themselves by their affiliations, it would affect the camaraderie and morale of the Combat Master Hall.

As such, precedence mustn’t be allowed!

If their members were no longer united, how were they supposed to defend mankind from its threats?

There were simply too many empires that had fallen to factional rivalry, and as an organization that stood at the frontlines to protect mankind from threats, the Combat Master Hall couldn’t afford to risk such a thing happening!

“Alright, I’ll inform them right now…” Division Head Feng hesitated for a moment before nodding. He tapped his finger on the Communication Jade Token and sent a message over.

Weng!

A few moments later, new words emerged on Division Head Feng’s Communication Jade Token, and after browsing through it swiftly, he staggered and nearly fell to the ground.

“What’s wrong?”

Taking Division Head Feng’s reaction into sight, the crowd couldn’t help but ask anxiously.

The head of the Martial Arts Division had always been s a composed individual, so why did he seem so edgy today?

Just what kind of news was it that would leave him so deeply jolted?

“My subordinate has just relayed the commands to Xiao Qin and the others… and the response he received was that if the Combat Master Hall were to force them to back out from the Xuanxuan Faction, they would rather renounce their identities as combat masters…” With twitching lips, Division Head Feng revealed the news he had just received.

“They would renounce their identities as combat masters?”

“How is that possible? They have just barely come into contact with the Xuanxuan Faction, and they are already so deeply loyal to them? Just what kind of charm does Zhang Xuan possess for them to act in such a manner?”

A huge commotion broke out within the room. The others didn’t take the news any better than Division Head Feng.

Becoming a combat master was something which countless cultivators dreamed of every single day. It was an honor, as well as a calling… Those bunch of rascals had only come into contact with the Xuanxuan Faction once, and yet, they were already willing to go to the extent of renouncing their identities as combat masters just to join them?

“Just what kind of spell did that Zhang Xuan cast over them? This won’t do… I must teach those arrogant fellows a lesson!” an elder roared furiously as he stood up.

The head of the Fist Division, Chen Zhuqing!

He was the most hot-headed individual amongst the Ten Division Heads, so he was the first to lose his temper upon hearing that his subordinate had been beguiled and poached by a measly little organization from a vassal Tier-1 Empire.

“I’ll go with you!” Another elder stood up as well.

The head of the Footwork Division, Lu Wangqiu!

Lu Wangqiu was a good friend of Chen Zhuqing’s, and he knew about the latter’s fiery temper. Thus, he felt that it would be best for him to tag along so as to defuse the situation if required to.

Besides, even though he was much more rational than Chen Zhuqing, he shared the same thoughts as the latter, so he wanted to see what was going on too.

“If possible, try to avoid any conflicts. Zhang Xuan might only be the principal of a Tier-1 Master Teacher Academy, but he has close ties with Wu shi and the others from the Master Teacher Pavilion. More importantly, he’s Zheng Yang’s teacher… It would suffice to teach him a lesson so that he understands that the Combat Master Hall isn’t to be trifled with, there’s no need to make this matter bigger than it is!” Hall Master Xing instructed.

As fellow master teachers, there was no need for them to fall out with one another. Such a thing wouldn’t benefit either of them.

Not to mention, Zhang Xuan was even the teacher of that incredible genius, Zheng Yang!

Zheng Yang was a rare genius that emerged only once every few millenniums, so there was a very good chance that he could clear the examination and become their Progeny of Combat. If that were to happen, as Zheng Yang’s teacher, Zhang Xuan’s standing would soar beyond measure as well. Thus, it was best to avoid offending him, or else it could turn out bad for them in the future.

While Zhuo Qingfeng and the others had reported Zhang Xuan to be an extraordinary genius as well, the information which the Combat Master Hall had regarding the latter’s capability was severely limited as the latter rarely made a move. As such, they didn’t think that Zhang Xuan would be more formidable than Zheng Yang.

Even though Zhang Xuan was Zheng Yang’s teacher, it didn’t necessarily mean that Zhang Xuan would be more talented than Zheng Yang. After all, the main job of a teacher lay in clarifying doubts and guiding the students towards the right path. It wasn’t too rare to see students surpassing their teachers.

“Rest assured, Hall Master Xing.”

“We know what we have to do!”

The two division heads replied before leaving the room.

Their departure left the room plunging into silence.

At this point, the group was still unable to overcome the fact that the infallible Combat Master Hall was actually outdone by a rural organization… This was something unthinkable to them.

“Actually, this isn’t necessarily bad for us. Our Combat Master Hall has been in a lofty position for too long, so this might be a good opportunity to dispel the complacency amongst our members…” Noting the low morale in the room, Hall Master Xing consoled with a smile.

“Un.”

The crowd nodded.

Indeed. The Combat Master Hall was too used to being in a higher position than others, and this matter could make their members understand that even the Combat Master Hall wasn’t infallible.

“Division Head Chen is a little hot-headed, but with the rational Division Head Lu with him, nothing bad should occur… We should make sure to question those rascals thoroughly when they return so as to find out why they would rather renounce their identities as combat masters just so that they could join the Xuanxuan Faction!”

“There would be nothing for us to say if the combat masters have chosen to stay in the Xuanxuan Faction by its own merit, but if the Xuanxuan Faction has resorted to bribery and beguilement… Hmph, we will have to report it to the Master Teacher Pavilion and have them deal with those black sheeps!”

“To attempt to poach our members, that Zhang Xuan sure is brazen!”

…

The various division heads and elders harrumphed with wintry faces.

While the others were still discussing the matter, Division Head Feng took out his Communication Jade Token and said, “The both of them have already arrived at the manor, and they are currently in the midst of communicating with the members of the Xuanxuan Faction…”

Division Head Chen had sent a message over to report their progress.

“Tell Division Head Chen to bring those rascals over here right after he’s done. I wish to question them personally to find out what happened!” Hall Master Xing said.

“Alright!” Division Head Feng nodded as he raised his Communication Jade Token to write on it. In that moment, a burst of light suddenly flashed from his Communication Jade Token, and a line of words surfaced on it.

Division Head Feng lowered his gaze to take a look at the newly-arrived message, and with just a look, his body stiffened for the third time.

“You… What has happened this time around? It can’t be that the other members still refuse to return even though two division heads have headed there personally to pick them up?” Hall Master Xing asked coldly as an air of hostility emanated from him.

For the Xuanxuan Faction to refuse to release their men even when they had already dispatched two of their division heads, weren’t they looking down on them a little too much?

“That’s not it…” Division Head Feng quickly shook his head. With utter disbelief and shock reflected in his eyes, he mumbled with quivering lips, “It seems like Division Head Chen and Division Head Lu… have joined the Xuanxuan Faction as well! They said that they won’t be returning to the Combat Master Hall for the time being…”

Pu!

“What did you say?”

“The both of them… have joined Xuanxuan Faction as well?”

The crowd was frenzied by what they had just learned.

Those who went to the Xuanxuan Faction to challenge them ended up joining them, and those who went to retrieve their missing members also decided to jump ships… Just what kind of sorcery did the Xuanxuan Faction possess for those who headed there to be unwilling to return?

“Are you certain?” Hall Master Xing’s body was trembling uncontrollably. Completely overwhelmed by the situation, he didn’t even realize that he had tugged away a huge chunk of his beard.

He knew Division Head Chen and Division Head Lu very well. The both of them would never condone such matters, which was also why the both of them had volunteered themselves to head over there in the first place. So… how in the world did they end up joining the Xuanxuan Faction?

“This…”

The other elders and division heads glanced at one another at a loss.

“Everyone, follow me over to the manor. I want to see with my own eyes just what kind of sorcery that Zhang Xuan has cast over our combat masters!” After a moment of tense silence, Hall Master Xing rose to his feet and flung his sleeves furiously.

“Yes, Hall Master Xing!”

The others nodded in agreement.

To be honest, they were also perplexed as to why even the two division heads would choose to remain at the Xuanxuan Faction. Was the Xuanxuan Faction really that great?

Leaving the hall, it didn’t take long for them to be standing in the aerial space above the manor.

“Look, they are all below…”

Beneath their feet, they spotted Division Head Chen and Division Head Lu standing amidst a huge crowd.

“Who among them is Zhang Xuan?” one of the division heads asked.

“Zhuo Qingfeng has passed a painting of him to me, and it doesn’t seem like he’s amidst the crowd…” Hall Master Xing shook his head.

He had scanned the entire surroundings with his Spiritual Perception right after he arrived at the area, but there wasn’t anyone who fitted Zhang Xuan’s description.

The situation was a little bewildering to him. If Zhang Xuan wasn’t around, why did the combat masters choose to stay in the Xuanxuan Faction on their own accord?

“Don’t head down first. Let’s watch what they are up to before we decide on what to do…” Hall Master Xing raised his hand to stop the others from making a move before focusing his senses on perceiving what was happening below.

With his sharpened hearing, he could hear the voice of a male speaking below, “Little Chen, your fist art is actually not too bad. The main reason why you aren’t able to defeat me is because your mind is plagued by too many miscellaneous thoughts. Fist art requires one to converge their mind, spirit, and psyche into a single point before bursting forth. In your current state, there’s no way you will be a match for me!”

“Little Chen?”

The others also heard those words, and they glanced at one another with twitching lips.

It was one thing for a seventeen-year-old fellow to be talking to Division Head Chen with a lecturing tone, but to call him Little Chen on top of that…

“It’ll be easier for you to comprehend it through a demonstration. Alright, suppress your cultivation to Nascent Saint pinnacle for a moment, I’ll give you an example of what a decent punch should be like!” the young man said.

“Alright!” Nodding, Division Head Chen suppressed his cultivation to Nascent Saint pinnacle. After which, he raised his fist, and an incredible aura burst forth from him.

“That is… Division Head Chen’s strongest fist art, Ravaging Dragon In the Wild?”

“That young man is going to suffer badly!”

Seeing that Division Head Chen was going to use his famed move, the faces of the combat masters tensed.

Boom!

Two fists collided together, causing a powerful shockwave to ripple in the surroundings.

Sou!

In the next instant, Division Head Chen was sent flying.

“Cough cough. I failed to hold myself back yet again, pardon me…” the young man scratched his head helplessly.

“…” The crowd.

Chapter 1105: Roughly Four Hours

Peng!

Division Head Chen crashed heavily into the wall, causing his body to be covered in dust and dirt. After a series of violent coughing, he got back to his feet and flew back. Even though his face had paled from the injury he had just suffered, there was an inconcealable excited gleam in his eyes.

As the head of the Fist Division, it went without saying that his specialty lay in fist arts. With the sheer prowess of his fist, he could easily crush opponents of higher cultivation realm than him.

Yet, despite the young age of the fellow before him, he found that the latter’s comprehension of fist art had reached a level far beyond his imagination.

“How can I further improve my fist art?” Division Head Chen clasped his fist and asked earnestly.

‘It is not the senior but the skilled that becomes the teacher’. He might have been the head of the Fist Division, and the other party might have been younger and possessed a lower cultivation than him, but it was indubitable that the other party was far beyond him in the field of fist arts. It was no shame for him to lower his head and ask for the other party’s guidance.

“Your fist art looks decent on the surface, but it lacks an indomitable spirit behind it… If I’m not mistaken, you must have cultivated quite a lot of battle techniques, right?” the young man asked.

“That’s right. Altogether, I have cultivated 42 fist arts…” Division Head Chen replied awkwardly.

In the past, whenever someone asked him how many fist arts he had learned, he would answer them with a proud look on his face. However, in this moment, he seemed to vaguely understand what the young man was driving at, and he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed by it.

“When it comes to battle techniques, one’s strength is determined by the mastery of one’s technique, not the number of techniques one has learned. Learning too many battle techniques would just result in one’s mind, spirit, and psyche being divided. Ever since my teacher imparted to me my fist art, I have been spending the past year refining that one single move so as to ensure that I have grasped it perfectly. That’s also the reason why my fist is able to wield such might. You have learned a total of 42 fist arts, but how much time are you able to devote to each of them?” the young man asked.

“This… I spent roughly twenty years on each of them… I am nine hundred this year…” Division Head Chen scratched his head awkwardly.

“…” Realizing that he had misspoken, the young man’s face reddened, and he quickly changed the subject. “Time is not the only factor that matters in the cultivation of fist arts, devotion is very important as well. Alright, since you have joined our Xuanxuan Faction, I’ll impart to you a trick as to how you can align your mind, spirit, and psyche together in order to maximize the might of your fist!”

“Thank you!” Division Head Chen’s eyes lit up in agitation.

“That youth is actually offering pointers to Division Head Chen?”

“I can still hardly believe it at this point, but… that fist executed by the young man is truly too fearsome. I don’t think that we’ll be able to withstand it either!”

The division heads and elders in the air were shocked by what they had just seen.

Despite the young age of the person that was teaching Division Head Chen, they had to admit that his fist art was truly powerful. As martial arts fanatics themselves, they couldn’t help but feel interested in it.

“It should be out of his desire to learn that fist art that Division Head Chen decided to join the Xuanxuan Faction… But what about Division Head Lu?” After learning of the reason why Division Head Chen had jumped ship, the crowd couldn’t help but turn their gazes towards where Division Head Lu was at.

Standing in front of Division Head Lu was a young lady who seemed to be around sixteen or seventeen too. Despite her young age, she had a delicately-shaped face that was extremely beautiful.

The young lady seemed to be saying something to Division Head Lu. Focusing their senses at their conversation, the group could vaguely hear what was being said between the both of them.

“… Little Lu, your movement technique is not too bad, but it’s excessively flamboyant. Flamboyant movement techniques can overwhelm the weak, making them err in panic. However, such a trick wouldn’t work against experts. One will just appear as nothing more than a fool before their eyes!”

With her hand behind her back, the young lady spoke in a disappointed tone. “The main aim of a movement technique is to allow one to close in on an enemy swiftly so as to catch him off guard, thus creating an opportunity to subdue him. Squandering all of one’s zhenqi solely on producing illusions will only effectively make one’s attack weaker than it should be!

“Lower your cultivation to a realm higher than me, which is Saint 1-dan pinnacle. I’ll show you what a movement technique should be like!” the young lady said with a deep sigh.

“Alright!” Division Head Lu nodded before suppressing his aura. In the blink of an eye, his cultivation had been lowered to Saint 1-dan pinnacle.

“Alright, let’s begin!”

Right at the start of the battle, Division Head Lu’s figure suddenly blurred, and five illusory clones appeared around him. Each of them felt lifelike, and they emanated the very same aura as one another, making it nigh impossible to figure out which was real and which was fake.

“That’s Division Head Lu’s Nine Shadows Step!”

“Upon mastering the Nine Shadows Step, one is capable of producing nine illusory clones simultaneously, making it an extremely fearsome technique to guard against. Even though Division Head Lu is only able to produce five of them due to his suppressed cultivation, it still wouldn’t be easy to deal with that technique!”

“So far, there have been very few people who have managed to overcome the might of the Nine Shadows Step…”

“Even I would have to retreat and reconsider my moves before dealing with that movement technique…”

…

Hall Master Xing and the others watched the situation with grim expressions on their faces.

Saint 1-dan was the minimum cultivation required to execute the Saint low-tier Nine Shadows Step. The movement technique was greatly feared even within the Combat Master Hall itself, such that in a battle at the same cultivation realm, there was none among them who were capable of overcoming it.

“Prepare yourself, I am going to make a move…” While the combat masters were still awed by the sight before them, the young lady suddenly spoke with a solemn voice.

Following which, a figure blurred before everyone’s eyes, and it seemed as if a shadow had darted forth. In the next instant, however, the shadow seemed to have returned back to where it was.

Padah!

A resounding echo sounded, and the five illusory clones dissipated. Division Head Lu’s body was scrunched together reminiscent of a shrimp, and yellowish bile was spewing in large mouthfuls from him.

Judging from the looks of it, it seemed like the young lady had struck his abdomen.

“She… made a move?” Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, everyone felt their throats running dry.

Even with their eye of discernment, they were unable to see the young lady’s movements… Just how fast could she be?

They had never imagined that a day would come where the head of the Footwork Division would have his ultimate skill overcome by another movement technique…

Terrifying!

“Too fast… I am really no match for you. Young Miss, I beseech you to teach me…” After a long moment, Division Head Lu finally recovered from the blow. Struggling back to his feet, he looked at the young lady before him in admiration before clasping his fist earnestly.

When he first heard that the members of the Combat Master Hall would rather join the Xuanxuan Faction than return, he was extremely furious.

Thus, as soon as he arrived, together with Division Head Chen, they challenged a few of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy students and defeated them all. It was around that moment that Liu Yang, who was currently teaching Division Head Chen at the moment, and Young Miss Wang, who was standing before him at this very moment, came out.

The both of them suppressed their cultivation down to their levels, and yet, to their horror, they were unable to withstand even a single blow from them…

It was then that they realized how powerful the Xuanxuan Faction was, and they couldn’t resist the urge of wanting to learn from them as well.

“The aim of a movement technique is fast, faster, and fastest. As long as one’s speed is beyond a certain mark, the rest wouldn’t be a problem anymore…” the young lady explained.

After listening to her lecture, Division Head Lu couldn’t help but feel impressed.

The other party’s explanation delved straight into the essence of movement techniques, leaving him feeling deeply enlightened. The various notions which had become walls that limited his fighting prowess seemed to have shattered after hearing her words.

To think that despite studying movement techniques for several centuries, his comprehension of movement techniques would turn out to be beneath that of a young lady. It was truly a huge embarrassment.

Sighing deeply, Division Head Lu was just about to speak when he suddenly heard Division Head Chen’s exclamation not too far away.

“Hall Master Xing, you are here too! Come down, let’s join the Xuanxuan Faction together…”

Astonished, Division Head Lu quickly raised his gaze, and only then did he notice Hall Master Xing and the other elders’ and division heads’ presence.

As the group had been standing quite a distance away, and they had also used their Primordial Spirits to conceal their aura, not even Division Head Lu had noticed their arrival.

“Indeed, come down here and join us. The members of the Xuanxuan Faction truly have an insightful and refreshing perspective towards combat. At the very least, it’s far more profound than the knowledge that we impart within the Combat Master Hall! We should all join the Xuanxuan Faction and further our fighting prowess together!” Division Head Lu shouted with a bright smile.

“This…”

The lips of Hall Master Xing and the others twitched.

They were still planning to observe the situation a little longer and decide on a feasible course of action before heading down. Yet, those two fellows actually shouted for them like that, betraying their presence… It would be deeply impolite for them to remain hidden under such circumstances, so they could only all get down.

“I am the head of the Combat Master Hall’s Weapon Division. May I know who is skilled in weaponry? I can suppress my cultivation and have a fight with you!” Since they were already discovered, there was no need for them to hesitate any longer. The head of the Weapon Division flicked his wrist, and a spear appeared in his grasp. With a slight flick, a sound reminiscent of the call of a dragon echoed in the air.

Knowing that the entire Combat Master Hall might just end up joining the Xuanxuan Faction if they didn’t do anything at this point, they were left with no choice but to fight for the sake of their pride and honor!

“Allow me…” the young man who was teaching Division Head Chen stepped forward.

Liu Yang!

While he specialized in fist arts, he did learn some spear arts from Zheng Yang for a period of time.

As for the other members of the Xuanxuan Faction, while they would suffice to deal with ordinary combat masters, they were still a little lacking to deal with the division heads.

The previous battle that they had with Division Head Chen and Division Head Lu had already proven the point. It was due to their successive losses that they ended up inviting them, the direct disciples of Principal Zhang, over.

“Very well!”

Seeing that the other party’s cultivation was only at Half-Saint pinnacle, the head of the Weapon Division also suppressed his cultivation to the same level.

Hu la!

Once that was done, he flicked his wrist, and his spear burst forth with incredible momentum.

As expected of the head of the Weapon Division. Even before the spear could reach Liu Yang, the formidable wind pressure that it created as a result of its movement was already hard to withstand.

Even though the head of the Weapon Division had suppressed his cultivation to Half-Saint, the might that he wielded with a spear was still something which not even a Saint 1-dan expert would be able to withstand.

“Incredible…”

“Division Head Zhou’s Charge of the Roaring Dragon is indeed formidable. As expected of the battle technique which boasts the greatest fighting prowess within the Combat Master Hall! There’s probably no one in the same cultivation realm who could possibly face it head on!”

“I have fought against him once, and he had used that technique against me. Back then, I could only quickly beguile him with my soul art before quickly making my escape… In a straight encounter, there’s no way anyone would be able to withstand it!”

“The same goes for me as well. I could only flee from it for the time being and find a way to counterattack afterward…”

…

Hall Master Xing and the others nodded in approval.

As the pride and honor of the Combat Master Hall were at stake here, they couldn’t tolerate a loss here. Thus, it was relieving to see the head of the Weapon Division, Division Head Zhou, resorting to his strongest battle technique right from the start. Even if they were the ones facing that battle technique, they had no confidence to say that they would be able to escape intact from it.

Hu!

While they were still chatting with one another, the young man made a move.

The young man raised his spear and pushed it forward with incredible force. It wasn’t a particularly exquisite or sharp move, but it pierced through the air in an instant. As a result of its incredibly swift movement, it looked as if the spear had been lengthened in midair, and in the blink of an eye, it appeared right before Division Head Zhou.

Huala!

The might of Division Head Zhou’s Charge of the Roaring Dragon dissipated entirely, and the tip of Liu Yang’s spear stopped right before Division Head Zhou’s throat.

In a single move, Division Head Zhou had been defeated!

“Your spear art is much faster than mine. I have lost…” With a pale face, Division Head Zhou’s body froze.

Even though he was the head of the Weapon Division, that move which the young man had utilized previously had already far surpassed his current means. He realized that he was completely helpless before it.

“Your spear art is not too bad. I only defeated you by exploiting an opening in your spear art…” Liu Yang said with a smile.

“I have studied spearmanship for more than 842 years now, and I have always thought that I have already grasped the essence of the Way of Spear, and there is no peer who would be able to defeat me. Yet, who could have known that there was still a higher mountain…”

Shaking his head, Division Head Zhou looked at Liu Yang and asked, “May I know… how long have you been practicing spearmanship?”

“Roughly…” Liu Yang tried to calculate the duration which he had been learning spearmanship for. A moment later, he replied with a serious expression, “… Four hours!”

“…” Pavilion Head Zhou.

Chapter 1106: The Stifled Hall Master Xing

Division Head Zhou cried.

As the head of the Weapon Division, he had dedicated his entire life to studying spearmanship—a whole eight hundred years! Even if the other party only had decades of experience with the spear, he still could have accepted the outcome. After all, everyone had a differing aptitude for spearmanship. There were simply some geniuses in the world who could easily achieve what others spent their entire lives pursuing within just several years.

However, what the young man before him truly specialized in was fist arts! As for spearmanship, the other party had only practiced it for four hours, and yet, he was still defeated that easily.

Seeing the twitching face of the old man before him, as if he was about to faint at any moment, Liu Yang couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for traumatizing him. Thus, in hopes of lessening the blow, he quickly added, “This… Actually, I don’t remember it clearly anymore. It could have been more than four hours.”

Back then, in order to face the Dragon Gate Formation of the Combat Master Hall, he, Wang Ying, and Zheng Yang had imparted their skills to one another unreservedly so that they would have more options to choose from.

Due to the limited time they had, they could only quickly grasp as much as they could. Therefore, Liu Yang had allocated four hours to comprehending the essence of spearmanship.

No… Thinking back, it seemed like it should have been less than four hours… Was it three hours? Or perhaps two?

He had been too engrossed in his training back then, so he could not quite remember it anymore.

Liu Yang frowned.

“Alright…” Seeing how the young man before him was consoling him with a troubled expression on his face, Division Head Zhou could not help but feel deeply stifled in his chest. Blood seemed to well up at the back of his throat, just a little push away from spurting from his mouth.

Seeing that the head of the Weapon Division had been defeated, another elder stepped forward to challenge them. “I am the head of the Palm Division, Yan Qinghai. I would like to challenge you to a duel.”

“Palm Division?” Liu Yang frowned. With a nod, he stepped forward and said, “Alright, I’ll be your opponent then…”

Wang Ying stepped forward and interjected. “You just had a match, so you should take a rest for now. I’ll face him.”

Not expecting Wang Ying to vie with him, Liu Yang shook his head. “But Senior, he specializes in palm arts. My fist art is a more compatible match for him compared to your leg art, so it will be better for me to fight him instead!”

“I learned a palm art from Teacher recently, and I haven’t found an opponent to practice it with yet. I think this would be a good opportunity for me to give it a try,” Wang Ying admitted.

“Teacher also taught me that move too. I want to give it a try as well,” Liu Yang replied.

Wang Ying frowned in displeasure. “Well, you just had a match, so you must be exhausted by now. I think it would be good for you to take a rest first. It wouldn’t do for you to lose and soil our teacher’s reputation.”

Liu Yang harrumphed in response. “It’s not like you weren’t watching the previous round; it was no challenge at all! I didn’t even use a thousandth of my zhenqi; that kind of depletion can be recovered within just two breaths! I would have to face a thousand of such opponents to actually be exhausted.”

“…” Division Head Zhou.

“…” Division Head Yan.

“…” The crowd from the Combat Master Hall.

The heck!

Can’t you all show some respect for your opponents?

We can hear every word you say over here, you know…

No matter what, we are still top-notch experts from the Combat Master Hall. Don’t you think it’s inappropriate for you to view us with such disdain?

At the very least, you should spare some consideration for our pride and honor.

“Fine fine, you are the senior, so your words count…” After a long argument, Wang Ying finally managed to suppress Liu Yang via her seniority and successfully snatched the right to face the head of the Palm Division, Yan Qinghai.

“Let’s start!” With an excited look on her face, Wang Ying stepped up to Division Head Yan Qinghai and said, “I only learned my palm art recently, and I haven’t had the chance to try it on anyone yet. I’m not too sure how it’ll turn out, so I ask of you to go easy on me.”

Hearing the argument between Liu Yang and Wang Ying had left Division Head Yan Qinghai on the verge of erupting. Thus, upon hearing her say such humble words at this moment, he could not help but think that Wang Ying was making fun of him.

“It’s too late for you to beg for mercy now!”

With a furious roar, he raised his palm and executed his strongest trump card without any hesitation.

Hong long long!

The palm strike harnessed such incredible force that loud explosions sounded from the compressed air, causing the surrounding temperature to rise to a fearsome level.

Saint low-tier battle technique, Palm of the Crimson Dragon!

The Palm of the Crimson Dragon was named after the legendary Crimson Dragons, which were known to live within searing lava. It harnessed the energy of pure yang, granting the palm strike the power to melt even steel.

It was due to this technique that Division Head Yan Qinghai had become one of the top experts in the Combat Master Hall.

Hu!

Facing Division Head Yan Qinghai’s relentless assault, Wang Ying’s first instinct was to dodge with her movement technique, as per her usual strategy. However, recalling her initial intention, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to remain rooted to the spot. Driving her zhenqi furiously, she executed the palm art that her teacher had imparted to her.

Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm!

According to her teacher’s account, it seemed like her teacher had also learned the palm technique not too long ago, and he had not had a chance to use it in battle, either. Nevertheless, based on her understanding of the technique, it seemed like it wielded strength beyond measure.

The two palms collided.

Sou!

“Ahh…” With a cry of agony, Division Head Yan Qinghai’s figure was sent retreating into the distance. He swiftly broke the seal on his cultivation and recovered his strength back to its peak, thus allowing him to steady his figure midair. Nevertheless, his face still paled from the previous impact.

“Did you really just learn this palm art? You have never used it in battle before?” Division Head Yan Qinghai asked with a look of disbelief.

“Indeed. On our way to Qingyuan City, my teacher said that he had recently learned a new palm art, so he imparted it to us and instructed us to practice it well. However, the cultivation of the palm art turned out to be more troublesome than I thought. The practitioner has to build up their emotions in order to draw out the true prowess of the technique, but that can be difficult to pull off in the midst of a battle. So, after cultivating it for a while, I thought that it was rather meaningless, so I never really used it afterwards!” Wang Ying replied.

The greatest flaw in the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm lay in the necessity to build up one’s emotions in order to enter the ideal state of mind to draw forth the strength of the technique. However, despite Wang Ying’s strength, she was only a teenager, and limited by her experiences, she was unable to comprehend true sorrow. Thus, after cultivating it for a while, she felt that it was too troublesome and decided to shove it away altogether.

“Meaningless? You decided to seal away such a powerful palm art just like that?” Division Head Yan Qinghai widened his mouth in shock. There was an indescribably stifling sensation in his heart that left him feeling choked up within.

He had only traded one blow with the young lady before him, but with his eye of discernment, he could tell that the palm art she had executed was far stronger than every single battle technique he knew of!

Such a powerful technique, and yet, the young lady said that its cultivation was troublesome and meaningless.

Unable to hold it any longer, Division Head Yan Qinghai took in a deep breath and, with a reddened face, asked hesitantly, “Can you… impart this palm art to me?”

“Of course! Our teacher is a magnanimous person, and he would never hesitate to teach those who are willing to learn. If you truly wish to learn the palm art, I can impart it to you right now…”

Wang Ying had never learned such a troublesome battle technique ever since she started cultivating. Not only did it require her to align her mind, spirit, and psyche, she even had to build up her emotions and immerse herself within it during its execution. That was too troublesome!

In her view, such a troublesome technique probably wouldn’t be too powerful or practical in combat. Thus, there was no harm imparting it to the other party.

“Y-you are really… willing to impart it to me?” Division Head Yan Qinghai widened his eyes in shock. A moment later, he took in a deep breath, assumed a grave expression, and declared, “From now on, I am a member of the Xuanxuan Faction as well. Anyone who tries to advise me to leave here shall be my sworn enemy!”

“…” Hall Master Xing.

“…” The other division heads.

There was a long silence drifting in the air before another elder finally stepped forward.

“I am Division Head Lu of the Footwork Division. Is there anyone who is willing to face…”

However, before Division Head Lu could finish his words, Hall Master Xing stepped forward and said, “Enough. I see that our two friends over here are already exhausted from all the fighting they have done, so let’s call it a day.”

“Hall Master Xing…” There was a hint of anxiety in Division Head Lu’s words.

Aren’t we here to cause trouble?

How can we give up right now?

“Cough cough. Division Head Lu, let’s just call it a day. In any case, those from the Xuanxuan Faction will stay here for a couple of days, so we have more than sufficient time to exchange insights with them,” Hall Master Xing replied.

At this rate, he might very well find all of his division heads becoming members of the Xuanxuan Faction! How humiliating it would be for him if that happened!

After a long moment of silence, Division Head Lu could only sigh deeply and reluctantly give up on the idea. “Alright then…”

The battle techniques that the two youths had utilized were simply too astounding. Even he could not help but feel tempted to learn them as well. However, the look on Hall Master Xing’s face clearly showed that he would go into a frenzy if another division head jumped ship to the Xuanxuan Faction. It seemed like he would just have to sneak back here later in the night.

After holding back the tempted division heads for the time being, Hall Master Xing turned to Liu Yang and Wang Ying and asked with a smile, “These two friends over here, may I know where Principal Zhang currently is?”

“Our teacher went out early in the morning, and he hasn’t come back yet,” Wang Ying replied.

“He hasn’t come back yet?” Hall Master Xing nodded. “I see. Tell him that I’ll be paying a visit soon to discuss the details of the exchange.”

“Alright, I’ll relay your words to him.” Wang Ying nodded.

“Un. We’ll be taking our leave now.”

After saying those words, Hall Master Xing left the manor with the few remaining division heads and elders without any hesitation.

He rushed all the way back to the Combat Master Hall, and it did not take long for him to return to the Elder Conference Hall.

Everyone took their seat, and a queer silence permeated the air.

In this trip, not only had they failed to bring back their combat masters from the Xuanxuan Faction, they had even lost two more division heads. With this, only six were left of the initial Ten Division Heads. To make matters worse, there was an excited gleam within the eyes of several division heads, which hinted that they might defect very soon.

To think that his initial thought was to draw in fresh talents from the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy into the Combat Master Hall during the exchange. Yet, before he could draw in a single person, the other organization had already taken in so many of their men.

The more Hall Master Xing thought about the matter, the more stifled he felt.

After the silence lingered long enough, Hall Master Xing took a look at the faces before him and asked, “What are your views on the matter today?”

“This… The Xuanxuan Faction is indeed extraordinary in its own way. If I’m not mistaken, those two youths who faced Division Head Yan and Division Head Zhou should be Principal Zhang’s direct disciples. The battle techniques that they executed were truly impressive!”

“Indeed, indeed! This is my first time seeing someone overcoming Division Head Chen’s fist art with sheer force! That young man’s spear art is also very impressive as well, I never could have imagined that Division Head Zhou would be defeated in a single move!”

“To be honest, the palm art executed by the young lady is the most profound and powerful battle technique I have seen. That palm strike that she executed wasn’t just powerful, it gave me a feeling that I was sinking deep into the crevices of space, preventing me from dodging the attack…”

…

The several division heads and elders in the room discussed excitedly.

“Cough cough!” Hall Master Xing clutched his aching chest in despair.

He was asking them to offer suggestions to resolve the current quandary they were in, but… those faces filled with admiration and excitement… What the heck?

Was the heritage of their Combat Master Hall really beneath that of a mere Master Teacher Academy?

“Enough! This meeting is adjourned!” Knowing that the division heads and elders were still overwhelmed by the battle techniques they had witnessed at the Xuanxuan Faction, he realized that they were in no state to be discussing the matter, so he waved his hand and sighed deeply.

“Yes!”

The division heads and elders rose from their seats and bowed deeply to him before backing out of the room.

Soon, silence returned to the room. At this moment, only Hall Master Xing and an elder were left.

The elder was the head of the mysterious Heart Division of the Combat Master Hall, Liao Bujin.

“What is your view of the matter?” Hall Master Xing asked.

“Hall Master Xing, I don’t think that this is necessarily bad news for our Combat Master Hall!” Division Head Liao replied.

“You think that this matter could be beneficial for us?” Hall Master Xing frowned.

Why did he feel so skeptical at those words?

“Undeniably, the members of the Xuanxuan Faction possess a terrifying comprehension of combat. It is inevitable that our combat masters, who seek to advance their fighting prowess, have been seduced by their strength. However, as much as it is a threat, this is also a good opportunity for us as well. If we could absorb the Xuanxuan Faction into our Combat Master Hall, it will only be a matter of time before we are able to surpass the Combat Master Halls of other Conferred Empires!” Division Head Liao said.

“This… I also get the logic, but judging from the current circumstances surrounding the Xuanxuan Faction, will they be willing to join the Combat Master Hall?” Hall Master Xing shook his head dejectedly.

“Actually, that isn’t a difficult problem to resolve. From what I can see, they are deeply loyal to Principal Zhang. Thus, if we can convince Principal Zhang to join the Combat Master Hall, I don’t think that we will have any trouble absorbing the Xuanxuan Faction as well!” Division Head Liao said with a smile.

“This…” Hall Master Xing was stunned for a moment before slowly nodding.

What Division Head Liao said was indeed true. If they could convince Zhang Xuan to join the Combat Master Hall, they would be able to turn the threat of the Xuanxuan Faction into a blessing instead, and their forces would become stronger than ever!

But…

Bringing Principal Zhang into the Combat Master Hall did not seem like an easy feat!

“Hall Master Xing, with your current Half-Leaving Aperture realm cultivation, if you could just find a powerful spirit awakener to nourish your soul and make it even more wholesome, you might just be able to clear the Trial of Inner Demons of the Heart Division and obtain that secret art,” Division Head Liao said with a sharp glint in his eyes.

“By then, no one at the same cultivation realm will be a match for you! With that, you can challenge Principal Zhang to a duel with him joining the Combat Master Hall as the stake… If it works out, it will just be a matter of time before our Combat Master Hall rises to glory!”

Chapter 1107: Cang Xu

“The highest secret art of the Heart Division is a technique left behind by the founder of the Qingyuan Combat Master Hall. Of the many generations of hall masters, only five have succeeded in clearing the Trial of Inner Demons to acquire the technique.” Hall Master Xing frowned. “It won’t be easy…”

Division Head Liao was right. If he could master the greatest secret art of the Heart Division, he would be peerless in his class. No matter how powerful those from the Xuanxuan Faction were, they would still be no match for him.

The Heart Division was the most mysterious division of the Combat Master Hall. Instead of cultivating their body, soul, or battle techniques, their main focus lay in cultivating their heart and overcoming the fearsome Inner Demons within them. If one could clear the Trial of Inner Demons, they would be able to acquire the greatest secret art left behind by their founder, thus making one peerless in one’s class.

Of course, Hall Master Xing had considered taking the trial before, but each time, he had ended up shying away out of fear. The trial was simply too difficult, such that only the greatest of geniuses among the preceding hall masters had succeeded in clearing it.

“I know that it won’t be easy, but… we don’t have any other choice! Judging from the state of the remaining division heads, most of them will probably end up joining the Xuanxuan Faction as well. If that happens, we will become nothing more than an empty shell, and the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall will become a joke in everyone’s eyes!” Division Head Liao said bitterly.

He also knew that it would be nigh impossible to accomplish it, but they were already cornered. At this point, they did not have any other choice.

Hall Master Xing sighed deeply.

He knew that at this rate, it would only be a matter of time before their Combat Master Hall effectively became a subsidiary of the Xuanxuan Faction.

With his influence, he was still able to suppress the news for the time being. However, as the saying goes, paper cannot hope to contain fire.

It was only a matter of time before the news was leaked and became known to the public. For the great Combat Master Hall to become a subordinate organization of a student faction of a Tier-1 Empire… He would never be able to raise his head in public anymore!

The inept Hall Master Xing would become a laughingstock in all other Combat Master Halls!

More importantly, the Convention of Combat Masters among Conferred Empires was just around the corner… Nothing could be allowed to happen at this critical period!

“Hall Master Xing, we are already standing right at the cliff. We have no choice but to give it a try,” Division Head Liao persuaded.

Taking a deep breath, Hall Master Xing nodded grimly. “You’re right. No matter what, I’ll have to give it a try.”

The situation at the Combat Master Hall was not too optimistic. The Trial of Inner Demons was dangerous, but at the very least, it was not fatal. Currently, this was the best shot they had.

“Guild Leader Ruan and Vice Guild Leader Chen of the Spirit Awakener Guild are my friends, so I can bring you to them. As long as they assist us, your Primordial Spirit will be able to become more wholesome, and clearing the Trial of Inner Demons shouldn’t be too difficult!” Division Head Liao said.

“I’ll be troubling you then, Division Head Liao!” Hall Master Xing nodded in gratitude.

Although spirit awakener was only a supporting occupation, their expertise in the field of Primordial Spirits and souls were indeed valuable to cultivators. With their help, his Primordial Spirit could be made more wholesome, thus making his mind more focused. With that, he would be less vulnerable to the beguilement of the Inner Demons.

There were also many Half-Leaving Aperture realm experts who would engage the help of spirit awakeners so that their minds would not be crushed by the excruciating pain of the lightning tempering their soul during the Leaving Aperture Ordeal.

Based on the statistics compiled by the Combat Master Hall, the probability of Half-Leaving Aperture realm cultivators clearing the Leaving Aperture Ordeal was only 10%, but with the help of a spirit awakeners, the probability could be raised to 30%!

It was for this reason that spirit awakeners were so highly sought after, the demand highly exceeding the supply.

In fact, despite not being classified as a unique occupation, the Spirit Awakener Guild’s main headquarters held a prestigious standing in the Master Teacher Continent. The influence it wielded was on par with even the stronger Sage Clans.

After all, the stronger one became, the heavier one’s Inner Demons would become. The ability of spirit awakeners in tempering the soul and making it more wholesome in itself made them an organization that most powers wanted to befriend.

It was said that there were at least six powerhouses in the continent who had declared that anyone who became an enemy of the Spirit Awakener Guild would have to face them as well. Not only so, there were also many experts in the Master Teacher Pavilion’s main headquarters who had specially joined the Spirit Awakener Guild to learn spirit enchantment as well, thus furthering the Spirit Awakener Guild’s sphere of influence.

It was for this reason that despite the relatively weak fighting prowess of the occupation, not even the Combat Master Hall dared offend them.

“Alright, let’s go!” Division Head Liao nodded.

Having made up their minds, the duo stepped out of the Elder Conference Hall and flew straight for the Spirit Awakener Guild.

…

In the Spirit Awakener Guild, Zhang Xuan followed behind Guild Leader Ruan and the others with a sheepish look on his face, and soon, they arrived in a spacious room.

After taking their seats, Guild Leader Ruan turned to Zhang Xuan and asked, “May I know how I can address you?”

Zhang Xuan had not introduced himself to anyone in the Spirit Awakener Guild, so not even Vice Guild Leader Xu knew of his name.

“I am Zhang…” Zhang Xuan was just about to say his name when he paused for a brief moment. Then, with a refreshing smile, he continued, “Cough cough, I am Sun Qiang!”

Considering how he had caused so much trouble here, bringing the other party’s guild building to life, it would be best if he did not reveal his name. Otherwise, if they were to raise their complaints with the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, how would he ever be able to raise his head before the students again?

“So, you’re Sun gongzi!” Guild Leader Ruan pondered for a moment, but there was not a person she knew of in the Combat Master Hall who fit the criteria. Perplexed, she asked, “Sun gongzi, you aren’t from our Qingyuan City, right?”

“That’s right. I just arrived in Qingyuan City not too long ago,” Zhang Xuan replied with a nod.

“I see!” Guild Leader Ruan also nodded. “Back to the topic at hand, the reason we invited gongzi over is because we have something that we require your help on. You have enchanted our guild building and brought it to life. In light of that, we hope that… you can tame it and pass over its ownership to us, or else… you can just join our Spirit Awakener Guild and become one of us!”

“Join the Spirit Awakener Guild?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “I am a master teacher, so I’m afraid that it would be inappropriate for me to join other guilds. I’ll help you tame the guild building instead. However… I am not too sure how I can go about doing it, so I’ll need you to guide me along.”

It was really an accident that he had enchanted the entire guild building!

How could he have known that the black pillar was part of the supporting structure of the building? It was at the same spot as where the examination puppets were on the previous floors, so he had thought that it was part of the examination as well. Who would have thought that the entire guild building would come to life instead?

Hearing the young man turn down her invitation, Guild Leader Ruan could only shake her head in disappointment. “Actually, it isn’t too difficult. Sun shi, you just have to draw out the awakened spirit of the guild building and have it contract with me!”

To be honest, the other party’s ability to successfully enchant the entire guild building without going through proper training showed that he possessed unparalleled aptitude for spirit enchantment!

It was a real pity that the other party was a master teacher, not to mention, a male!

Otherwise, she would have surely recommended him to the main headquarters!

Even though the Spirit Awakener Guild had men, they were in the minority. The entire lineage, and that was including their founder as well, was dominated by females. No matter how talented a man was within their guild, it would be hard for him to enter the top echelon.

“I see.” Zhang Xuan nodded. “That shouldn’t be a problem at all.”

Just as the other party had said earlier, the guild building possessed deep loyalty to him as he was the one who had awakened its spirit. As long as he commanded it so, its spirit should be willing to contract with Guild Leader Ruan.

“I’ll be troubling Sun shi then!” Guild Leader Ruan replied with a smile. “Let’s do it outside. The sealing of the contract requires both parties to face one another, so it would be impossible to do it in here.”

The sealing of the contract required the spirit of the guild building to offer a portion of its spirit to her, and their location was not suited for it, considering that they were currently in the ‘stomach’ of the guild building.

Thus, the four of them flew out of the room and gazed at the guild building face-to-face in midair.

Due to the movements of the guild building after it came to life, huge cracks had emerged on the tidy streets, and the civilians in the area had long evacuated as far as they could, leaving behind only a few dozen relatively powerful spectators in the vicinity.

Their gazes were centered on the guild building as well, seemingly intrigued by how such a huge building had suddenly come to life.

Noting that the three guild leader and vice guild leaders were standing behind him, Zhang Xuan said sheepishly, “Let me try communicating with its spirit.”

He turned his gaze toward the building, and using his means as a spirit awakener, he tried to establish contact with the spirit within it.

Huala!

Seemingly having heard Zhang Xuan’s calling, the building shook slightly as it raised its head once more.

Seeing that it was possible to communicate with the building, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He began discussing the matter of having it contract with Guild Leader Ruan.

While Zhang Xuan was in the midst of communicating with the building, hidden in an alley not too far away from the Spirit Awakener Guild, a white-haired elder was glaring at him with hateful eyes.

“That is the man who injured you?”

Standing beside that white-haired elder was another old man. The old man had a moustache shaped like the ‘八’ character, his eyes were slanted diagonally, and there was a crimson scar on his glabella that was eerily reminiscent of a closed eye.

“Yes, that’s him! You must kill him and have his corpse torn to shreds, or else I’ll never be able to quell the anger in my heart!” the white-haired elder spat with tightly gritted teeth.

He was the Earth Flitting Bandit of the Northern Meadows, Dao Kou!

He had been knocked out by Zhang Xuan’s punch previously, and after regaining consciousness, he had found himself unable to forgive that arrogant young man. Thus, he had gone to seek out the old man beside him and brought him over.

Naturally, the old man was the other member of the Twin Bandits, Sky Bearing Bandit Cang Xu!

Cang Xu was a Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle expert, and it was due to his overwhelming strength that the Twin Bandits enjoyed such great fame in the Northern Meadows.

“Don’t worry. No matter who he is, I will have his soul crushed for daring to hurt my brother!” Cang Xu harrumphed coldly. “However, based on what you said earlier, it seems like that person is a master teacher. His Saint 1-dan cultivation isn’t a threat at all, but the Master Teacher Pavilion will come after us if it is found that we have killed a master teacher!”

The Master Teacher Pavilion was not a power to be trifled with.

Even for just a 4-star master teacher, one could only report him to the Master Teacher Pavilion and have them deal with him. If one were found to have harmed a master teacher of their own accord, they would be severely punished for their actions!

Once the Master Teacher Pavilion made a move, there was no one in the continent who could get away unscathed, let alone the both of them!

Dao Kou harrumphed. “So what if he’s a master teacher? As long as you use your secret art, you should be able to get rid of him discreetly. The Master Teacher Pavilion will never be able to link his death to you!”

“You shouldn’t underestimate the prowess of the Master Teacher Pavilion. If they really try to investigate the matter, they will surely be able to uncover the truth. However… a mere Saint 1-dan small fry won’t be worthy of them putting much effort into the matter!” Cang Xu sneered.

As long as the Master Teacher Pavilion put its mind to it, it would be able to uncover the truth of even the most discreet of murders. However, the time, manpower, and resources that would have to be spent on it would be extremely great as well.

Even if it was through a surprise attack, the fact that the young man had been able to knock out Dao Kou in a single punch hinted that his standing in the Master Teacher Pavilion should not have been too low. But that still would not be sufficient to justify the Master Teacher Pavilion paying such a heavy price to investigate his death!

“As you know, I was only barely able to learn the secret art with the guidance of an elder. I cannot afford to be interrupted in the midst of the technique, or else I will suffer a severe rebound. I will need you to protect me later on while I try to snatch his soul,” Cang Xu said.

His secret art was, in fact, a soul art that he had found in an ancient domain. It was capable of killing another discreetly, making it extremely difficult to guard against.

It was through such means that they were able to dominate the Northern Meadows, with none daring to get on their bad side.

Dao Kou nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll guard you!”

“Un.” Cang Xu nodded back. “The secret art only works when I am in within three hundred meters of the target. We will have to find a quiet spot a little closer to the Spirit Awakener Guild.”

Chapter 1108: Pummeling the Guild

As fearsome as the secret art was, it had its limits, too. It was best to execute it within a distance of three hundred meters so as to ensure its effectiveness.

As Primordial Spirit realm experts, they were able to conceal their aura and hide their presence easily. In the blink of an eye, they had already made their way over to another alley not too far away from the Spirit Awakener Guild without catching anyone’s attention.

After swiftly assessing the distance, Cang Xu noted that it was precisely three hundred meters, and he heaved a sigh of relief. He looked at Zhang Xuan in the sky with narrowed eyes as he said menacingly, “Let’s do it here!”

“Alright!” Dao Kou nodded as he warily scanned the surroundings.

Cang Xu would be in a vulnerable state while he was executing the secret art. He would not be able to move, so someone had to protect him during that period.

As Cang Xu took a seat on the ground, he drove his zhenqi furiously. Blood suddenly began seeping from the crimson scar on his glabella, producing a hair-raising sight.

Tzzzzzzz!

A sinister killing intent slowly drifted from his glabella. Something that was reminiscent of a Primordial Spirit floated above his head, and it slowly morphed into the shape of a mini altar.

The mini altar had a peculiar form unlike any other. If Zhang Xuan had witnessed this scene, he would have immediately recognized the altar as identical to the one that he had snatched from the Jadeleaf King, except for the fact that it was much smaller.

Upon seeing the appearance of the altar, Dao Kou heaved a sigh of relief.

As mystical as his brother’s secret art sounded, it was rather simple in theory. It involved using the cultivator’s Primordial Spirit as a medium to draw in the target’s soul. Once this happened, the target, being deprived of their soul, would die unknowingly. It was troublesome to execute, but its value lay in how discreet it was. Even a 7-star pinnacle master teacher might not notice the attack even if it was happening right before his eyes!

Weng!

As Cang Xu drove his zhenqi, light shone from the altar, and a bizarre-looking figure emerged from it. The bizarre-looking figure made some peculiar movements similar to an awkward tribal dance to summon Zhang Xuan’s soul.

Soft mutterings reminiscent of dream talk echoed in the air as a slight glow radiated from the altar. The slight glow, invisible to the eyes of others, slowly crept up and gathered around Zhang Xuan’s body, shrouding him entirely in it.

Got him!

Sensing that the other party’s soul was within his grasp, Cang Xu smiled in excitement. He quickly used his Primordial Spirit to drag Zhang Xuan’s soul toward the altar.

How can it be so heavy?

A tug, and Cang Xu knew that something was amiss. For some reason, the other party’s soul felt as heavy as a mountain. Despite his tug, it was not budging in the least!

In this moment, he felt like a cricket trying to fell a tree.

Cang Xu was perplexed. What is going on?

With his strength as a Primordial Spirit pinnacle cultivator, even if he assaulted an expert of the same cultivation realm as him, he would still be able to easily drag the other party’s soul toward him. Yet, how could the soul of that Saint 1-dan young man possibly be so heavy?

I don’t believe that I won’t be able to pull him over.

Narrowing his eyes, Cang Xu harrumphed coldly within as he tugged with even greater force.

…

While Cang Xu was straining himself over there, Zhang Xuan was currently communicating with the spirit of the guild building.

“Be a good boy and seal the contract with that nice auntie over there…” Zhang Xuan communicated his thoughts over to the spirit of the guild building.

Hualala!

Upon hearing those words, the spirit of the guild building suddenly rippled anxiously, seemingly expressing its opposition to the notion.

It was the young man before it who had awoken its spirit, so naturally, it was only willing to submit to him. It was deeply reluctant to be contracted to another being other than him.

“Hmm?”

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to continue persuading the spirit of the guild building, he suddenly felt a light yank on his soul. The sensation… felt a little similar to being bitten by a mosquito or being tugged by a little child. He instinctively retaliated by pulling back on whatever was tugging on his soul, but before he could process what it was, the guild building before him suddenly leaped up furiously.

Puhe!

Due to the sheer size of the guild building, it was able to cover several hundred meters within a single leap. A resounding squish sounded beneath where it landed, and following shortly after was a shriek of agony similar to the sound of a pig being butchered.

“Brother!”

For some reason, Zhang Xuan found that shriek peculiarly familiar. Lowering his gaze, he saw Dao Kou, the man whom he had sent flying some time before, staring at the ground before him with a look of horror.

And in front of him, an old man was crushed into a meat patty under the sheer weight of the guild building.

While conducting the soul attack on Zhang Xuan, Cang Xu had been unable to move his body at all. Despite all the precautions he had prepared beforehand, he had never thought that the massive guild building would be able to move so energetically, and he ended up being crushed to death before he could even react.

No one would have thought that the Sky Bearing Bandit Cang Xu, who had the entire Northern Meadows trembling in fear at his name, would end up dying at the hands of a building.

“It really ended up trampling someone to death…” Zhang Xuan’s lips twitched as he watched his worst nightmare come to be.

Previously, he had been thinking that if the guild building ran amok, someone would eventually be hurt. To think that it actually happened…

Looking downward at the crying Dao Kou, he could not help but feel deeply apologetically.

It was just a moment ago that he had beaten the other party up, and now, the guild building that he had awoken ended up crushing the other party’s brother into a lump of meat. This fellow sure was unlucky!

Swiftly flying downward, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply and said, “My condolences. Rest assured, I’ll teach this guild building a lesson!”

“You bastard, I’ll kill you!”

However, for some reason, Dao Kou only seemed to become even more incensed upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s consolation. With eyes reddened in anger, he roared furiously and charged forward.

In his view, Zhang Xuan was the culprit who severely injured him and killed his brother, and his words appeared to be mocking him. Hatred clouded his mind, and he felt as if he would never be able to vent his anger unless he ripped the bastard in front of him into pieces.

Boom!

Before Dao Kou reached Zhang Xuan, an intense gust of wind tore through the area, and in the next moment, a massive figure suddenly came crashing down.

Paji!

Crushed under the guild, Dao Kou was flattened like a pancake, just like Cang Xu.

“You…” Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up in fury.

Building, you are too much!

How can you blatantly murder others right before my eyes? Do you think I’m blind? Unforgivable!

Angered, Zhang Xuan flew up to face the guild building before raising his palm.

Hong long!

A massive palm print formed of zhenqi gathered before him before bursting forth toward the guild building.

In face of Zhang Xuan’s wrath, the guild building whimpered indignantly, not daring to move in the slightest.

…

Hu hu!

Hall Master Xing and Division Head Liao were making their way over to the Spirit Awakener Guild.

While travelling, Division Head Liao had sent a message over to his acquaintances at the Spirit Awakener Guild through a Communication Jade Token.

After reading the message that had just appeared on his Communication Jade Token, Division Head Liao informed Hall Master Xing with a troubled frown, “Guild Leader Ruan is currently in the guild, but… it seems like she’s currently preoccupied with some matters at the moment. She might not be free to enchant your Primordial Spirit.”

It was a necessary formality for the head of the Combat Master Hall to send a notice before visiting the Spirit Awakener Guild. Otherwise, if there was no one there to receive him, it would not look good on Hall Master Xing’s part either.

“Preoccupied?” Hall Master Xing frowned. “Tell her that I’m willing to pay any price as long as she agrees to help me!”

The matter concerning the Xuanxuan Faction was extremely urgent. He had to resolve it as soon as possible, or he would be risking the utter disgrace of the Combat Master Hall. In order to prevent that, Hall Master Xing was willing to pay any price he needed to.

“Alright, I’ll relay your words to her!” Division Head Liao swiped his finger on the Communication Jade Token, and a moment later, he frowned. “She says that… she really has urgent matters to attend to, and she won’t be able help you today!”

“What about the other two vice guild heads?” Hall Master Xing asked.

“It seems like they are also with her,” Division Guild Liao replied.

“With her? What in the world are they up to?” Hall Master Xing flung his sleeves. “Tell them that our Combat Master Hall is willing to settle any problem they are facing as long as they are willing to nourish my Primordial Spirit!”

“Alright, I’ll try asking…” Knowing that this matter was of grave importance, Division Head Liao nodded and sent another message. A moment later, the Communication Jade Token in his palm glowed, and a line of words emerged.

Upon seeing what was written on it, Division Head Liao’s body stiffened, and he nearly fell from the sky.

Hall Master Xing frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“They said… They said…” the usually-composed Division Head Liao stuttered.

“They said that they are currently in the midst of watching someone pummel their guild!”

Chapter 1109: Huge Trouble

Hall Master Xing was stunned. For a moment, he thought that he had misheard.

“What did you say? Pummel what?”

Division Head Liao took another look at the words on his Communication Jade Token, and he replied with an indescribable expression on his face, “Pummel their guild…”

“Guild? What guild?” Hall Master Xing widened his eyes in bewilderment. “Did Guild Leader Ruan offend some other guild?”

“That’s not it. They are watching someone pummel their own guild… It seems like someone has succeeded in enchanting the Spirit Awakener Guild’s building, and the building has come to life!” Division Head Liao explained.

“Someone enchanted the Spirit Awakener Guild’s building?” Hall Master Xing’s lower jaw nearly fell to the ground.

Even though he was not a spirit awakener, he also understood that the larger an object was, the harder it would be to enchant it. Considering how large the guild building was, it was bound to be far more difficult to enchant it compared to normal artifacts. For someone to actually successfully enchant it… just which incredible spirit awakener could it be?

“It seems to be the deed of a foreign spirit awakener who goes by the name of Sun Qiang,” said Division Head Liao.

“Sun Qiang?” Hall Master Xing frowned.

Not knowing much about the Spirit Awakener Guild, the name did not ring a bell to him.

A thought suddenly flashed through Hall Master Xing’s mind, and he spoke with an excited gleam in his eyes. “Right! If that Sun Qiang person is able to enchant even the entire guild building, he will surely be more than capable of nourishing and stabilizing my Primordial Spirit, right?”

“You’re right!” Division Head Liao nodded in agreement.

He knew full well that even with Guild Leader Ruan and the other vice guild leaders’ proficiency in spirit enchantment, they were still incapable of enchanting something as large as the guild building. Given that Sun Qiang was able to do it, it could only mean that his proficiency in spirit enchantment was far greater than theirs.

If they could acquire his assistance, perhaps Hall Master Xing would really be able to clear the Trial of Inner Demons and obtain the heritage, thus resolving the crisis they were in!

“Let’s head over to take a look!” Agitated, the duo hastened their footsteps.

It did not take too long for them to arrive at the Spirit Awakener Guild. There, they saw a young man wagging his finger furiously at the massive building while bellowing angrily.

Meanwhile, the guild building’s long neck was lowered miserably. From time to time, it would nick the young man’s robe, seemingly trying to appease him.

“This…”

Even though they had heard that someone had successfully enchanted the Spirit Awakener Guild’s building, it was still shocking to see it with their own eyes.

Such a huge building was moving its body ceaselessly, and the paint and dust on it were tearing off layer after layer, causing a cloak of dust to rise in the area. It was a truly fantastical sight.

More importantly… that massive figure was actually fawning over the young man, trying its best to express its goodwill toward him. Hall Master Xing and Division Head Liao could not help but feel as if their perception of the world had just collapsed altogether.

“Guild Leader Ruan, Vice Guild Leader Chen, Vice Guild Leader Xu!” Stepping forward, Division Head Liao greeted the three ladies as he introduced his companion. “This is the head of the Combat Master Hall, Hall Master Xing!”

“It’s pleasure to meet you. I have long heard of your name…”

The three top brass of the Spirit Awakener Guild quickly greeted Hall Master Xing politely.

“Pardon me. As fellow residents of Qingyuan City, I should have come over long ago to greet you all.” After trading a few pleasantries, Hall Master Xing turned his gaze toward the young man before the guild building and remarked, “I don’t think that I have seen Spirit Awakener Sun Qiang around before…”

“He has just arrived at Qingyuan City not too long ago, and his proficiency in spirit enchantment is one that leaves even me deeply impressed. Hall Master Xing, if you truly hope to have your Primordial Spirit enchanted, it would be best for you to seek his assistance!” Guild Leader Ruan replied.

Honestly speaking, the cultivation of Hall Master Xing was a little too high for her spirit enchantment to work well on his Primordial Spirit.

“I’ll have to trouble Guild Leader Ruan to introduce me to him then.” Hall Master Xing quickly bowed.

“I also only just got to know him a while ago, so I’m afraid that there’s nothing I can do if he refuses to help,” Guild Leader Ruan said.

At this moment, Division Head Liao could not help but ask, “Guild Leader Ruan, if I may just ask, why is Spirit Awakener Sun Qiang beating up the guild building all of a sudden?”

This matter had left him deeply perplexed.

Since the other party had successfully enchanted the guild building, why was he pummeling it now?

“As the guild building has just been enchanted, it is still lacking in its judgmental ability. Earlier, it crushed two people to death, and that has caused Spirit Awakener Sun Qiang to fly into a rage!”

“It crushed two people to death?” Hall Master Xing and Division Head Liao were taken aback.

“Un. It crushed the Twin Bandits of the Northern Meadow, Cang Xu and Dao Kou, to death earlier on…” Guild Leader Ruan swiftly filled Hall Master Xing and Division Head Liao in on the matter.

“The Twin Bandits of the Northern Meadows have killed innumerable people in their time. Who would have thought that they would lose their lives here?” After hearing those words, the two combat masters were startled for a moment before shaking their heads at the capriciousness of the world.

The Twin Bandits of the Northern Meadows were notorious within the Qingyuan Conferred Empire. If not for the fact that they were often hidden amid the marshlands, they would have long been hunted down by others.

Previously, the Qingyuan Empire’s emperor had dispatched a force to have them eliminated, but the both of them still managed to get away. Eventually, they could only drop the matter.

Who knew that the both of them were brazen enough to step into Qingyuan City… and who would have thought that their lives would be ended beneath the feet of a mere building? Perhaps this was karma working its way around them.

While their minds were still dwelling on the matter, they suddenly heard the bellow of the young man ahead of them.

“Alright, stop acting pitifully here. Hurry up and seal the contract with Guild Leader Ruan!”

Zhang Xuan was truly angry.

As the saying goes, ‘an untrimmed tree grows bent; an undisciplined man turns crooked!’

It was indeed true that the spirit of the guild building had just awoken, so it might not have understood much of the world. However, if it were to go undisciplined, wouldn’t it go around killing others?

Zhang Xuan had always avoided causing trouble wherever he went, so why would a spirit he enchanted turn out to be so undependable?

How disappointing!

Seeing that Zhang Xuan was angry, the guild building dared not utter the slightest word of complaint. It indignantly stretched its slender neck toward Guild Leader Ruan.

Very soon, the contract was sealed.

“Thank you, Sun shi!” Having finally tamed the guild building, Guild Leader Ruan heaved a sigh of relief and clasped her fist toward the young man.

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony…” Zhang Xuan waved his hand casually. “This fellow seems to have a bad temper, killing people on a whim. You have to keep a tight watch over it in the future!”

“The Twin Bandits of the Northern Meadows don’t have too good of a reputation. In a sense, they deserved their fate. Rest assured, our Spirit Awakener Guild will deal with the matter, so Sun shi need not worry about it,” Guild Leader Ruan said with a smile.

The abrupt deaths of two Primordial Spirit realm experts could cause pandemonium, but this might just work out to be a blessing in disguise for the Spirit Awakener Guild.

Even though most would not dare act against the Spirit Awakener Guild on the surface out of fear for its connections, its low fighting prowess paired with its wealth still made it an attractive target for most, and there were those who operated in the shadows against it. However, if others were to learn that its guild building had just stomped two powerful Primordial Spirit realm experts to death, many would be deterred from the idea of laying their hands on the guild.

Such a matter could only be beneficial to them.

Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, “No matter what, they did die as a result of my doings. Here are two hundred high-tier spirit stones. If an opportunity arises, please hand it over to their offspring or kin!”

Even though the Twin Bandits of the Northern Meadows had committed many evil deeds and deserved to die, it should not have been by his hands. After all, they had not done much to him yet. Thus, he could not help but feel a little guilty about having killed them.

It had not been his intention to cause trouble.

All he wanted to do was to remain the pretty boy he was in the background, but trouble just had to keep knocking on his door.

Guild Leader Ruan hesitated for a moment, but seeing that Zhang Xuan had made up his mind, she eventually took the spirit stones from him and nodded. “This… Very well, we will handle this matter for you…”

At that moment, she could not help but feel a tinge of admiration for the young man.

He could have easily stood on the moral high ground and justified his actions through the immoral actions of the Twin Bandits, but he chose to acknowledge the portion of his sins in the matter as well. To stand up for what he did instead of making excuses, this was a true master teacher.

Putting everything aside, Kong shi had also caused a fair bit of trouble back then. However, it was how he resolved those problems that won him the admiration of all, thus allowing him to eventually become respected as the World’s Teacher.

“I’ll be troubling you then…” Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. At this point, he suddenly remembered something and added, “I prefer to keep a low profile, so I don’t want too many people to learn of this news. Thus, I hope that Guild Leader Ruan can help me keep a lid on the matter.”

“Low profile?” Guild Leader Ruan’s face twitched uncontrollably.

You enchanted the guild building, bringing it to life, shortly after you arrived and even killed two Primordial Spirit realm experts afterward…

Is this your definition of low profile?

Surely there is not a single person who is more high profile than you!

However, since the other party had made such a request of her, Guild Leader Ruan still nodded and said, “Sun shi, rest assured. We will warn those in the area to keep silent about this matter.”

It was also to their benefit for this matter to remain an enigma to the public. It might cause others to mistakenly assume that the Spirit Awakener Guild had a powerful expert in their midst, and this would further ensure their security.

“Sun shi, allow me to introduce you!” After chatting for a while longer, Guild Leader Ruan gestured Zhang Xuan over to two men standing not too far away. “These two men are the head of the Combat Master Hall, Xing Tianming, and the head of the Heart Division, Liao Bujin.”

“Head of the Combat Master Hall?” Zhang Xuan was stunned.

One of the main reasons he came to the Qingyuan Conferred Empire was to lead the Xuanxuan Faction to an exchange with the Combat Master Hall. The date that they had agreed on was three days from now, so he had not really expected to see the other party there.

“That’s right. Hall Master Xing and Division Head Liao, this is Spirit Awakener Sun Qiang. He is a master teacher as well,” Guild Leader Ruan said.

“Master teacher?” Hall Master Xing looked at Zhang Xuan with a frown. For some reason, he found the young man before him weirdly familiar. “May I know which Master Teacher Pavilion Sun shi is from?”

“I…” Zhang Xuan was just about to say that he was from Hongyuan Empire, but he quickly stopped himself before he could say those words.

If he were to reveal that he was from Hongyuan Empire, it would not take long for Hall Master Xing to connect the dots and uncover his true identity. If so, he would risk being exposed publicly that he had used a fake alias, and that would make the situation even more awkward.

“I have been wandering around with my teacher ever since I was young, so I haven’t joined any Master Teacher Pavilion branches yet. I only took my master teacher examination in a Tier-1 Empire Master Teacher Pavilion…” Zhang Xuan quickly changed his words.

In the strictest sense, that could not be considered lying.

He had not joined any Master Teacher Pavilions, and he had indeed been wandering around the area.

“I see…” Hall Master Xing nodded.

There were indeed quite a few itinerant master teachers who chose not to join a Master Teacher Pavilion, so it wasn’t particularly shocking.

However, considering the fact that the other party had not joined a Master Teacher Pavilion and yet could still wield such capability at his age, surpassing even Guild Leader Ruan and the others in the field of spirit enchantment, his teacher was bound to be no ordinary figure!

After trading some pleasantries, Hall Master Xing finally popped the request with a look of anticipation. “I heard that Sun shi has a deep grasp over spirit enchantment, so I came here hoping for you to enchant my Primordial Spirit…”

“Me?” Zhang Xuan was stunned.

In his studies, he did learn that spirit awakeners had the ability to nourish souls and Primordial Spirits, making them more wholesome. However, he had not thought that his first client would turn out to be… the head of the Combat Master Hall!

“Yes. I’ll be truly grateful if Sun shi accedes to my request,” Hall Master Xing quickly replied politely.

“That isn’t a problem. However… I have one artifact whose spirit is currently in a dormant state, and I need to wake it up first. If Hall Master Xing does not mind, may I ask you to wait for a moment while I treat it?” Zhang Xuan asked.

Considering how the head of the Combat Master Hall had come over and earnestly made this request of him, he had no reason to turn him down. Besides, with the Heaven’s Path Spirit Enchantment Art, reinforcing the other party’s Primordial Spirit was not a particularly difficult task for him.

However, the Golden Origin Cauldron took priority over that.

“This…” Hall Master Xing and Division Head Liao frowned upon hearing those words, and they shot a glance at one another.

Based on what they had heard, waking a dormant spirit was a particularly difficult feat to pull off even for a spirit awakener. More importantly, it was highly depleting on the spirit awakener’s soul energy as well. It was very likely that the other party would not be able to conduct a spirit enchantment for many days after that, and their matter couldn’t afford to be delayed.

Hall Master Xing hesitated for a brief moment before asking, “Sun shi, may I speak with you privately?”

Hearing those words, Guild Leader Ruan knew that they needed some space to discuss private matters, so she clasped her fist with a smile. “I have just sealed the contract with the spirit of the guild building, so I still have to familiarize myself with it. I’ll be taking my leave first…”

Vice Guild Leader Chen and Vice Guild Leader Xu followed closely behind her.

Seeing that the head of the Combat Master Hall wanted to speak privately with him, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and created an isolation barrier around him before turning his gaze back to the other party. “May I know what matter it is that you wish to speak of?”

Hall Master Xing gritted his teeth and said, “To be honest with you, our Combat Master Hall has been facing some huge problems recently. To deal with the threat at hand, I need to temper my Primordial Spirit as soon as possible so that I can clear the Trial of Inner Demons and raise my fighting prowess… or else, the consequences will be unimaginable! Thus… I hope that Sun shi will enchant my Primordial Spirit first. For that, our Combat Master Hall is willing to fulfill any request that you have!”

“Huge problems?” Zhang Xuan was startled.

What kind of problem or enemy was the Combat Master Hall facing that left its head scrambling to raise his fighting prowess?

It was unimaginable that there was an enemy that even the Combat Master Hall was unable to deal with. Just what kind of prodigious figure were they up against?

In that moment, Zhang Xuan could not help but feel a little apprehensive. It seemed like Qingyuan City was far more dangerous than he had thought!

Chapter 1110: Truly Impressive!

The Combat Master Hall was the guild that boasted the greatest fighting power within the Qingyuan Empire. Not even the Master Teacher Pavilion could compare to it!

Yet, even a power as strong as the Combat Master Hall was being forced to tread carefully, and judging from Hall Master Xing’s tone, it seemed like they had been backed into a corner, possibly at stake of being completely wiped out. Just the thought of it was sufficient to leave cold sweat dripping down his back!

However, giving some deeper thought to it, Zhang Xuan felt that he might have been giving the matter too much thought. After all, if a disaster were to truly strike, news should have already spread far and wide. At the very least, as the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, he should have been privy to the news as well. As the old adage goes, ‘no news is good news’. Given that Hall Master Xing still had the time to drop by the Spirit Awakener Guild to have his Primordial Spirit enchanted, the problem did not seem to be too severe.

“Pardon me, but may I ask what kind of problem the Combat Master Hall is facing? Perhaps, I might be able to help,” Zhang Xuan said.

Given how the Combat Master Hall had accepted his request for an exchange readily, it was only right for him to reciprocate the favor and help them when they were in need.

Hearing Zhang Xuan’s question, Hall Master Xing’s face reddened, and he quickly waved his hand. “Sun shi, thank you for your concern. However, it would be better for our Combat Master Hall to resolve this problem by ourselves. It will suffice if you can just help reinforce my Primordial Spirit so that I could successfully clear the Trial of Inner Demons…”

If others were to learn that the source of his trouble was a mere student faction from a Tier-1 Empire… he would never be able to raise his head anymore!

He simply could not bring himself to speak of this matter to another soul outside of the Combat Master Hall!

“This… Alright then!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Since he had already mastered the art of spirit enchantment, he could treat the Golden Origin Cauldron any time he wanted. Considering that the head of the Combat Master Hall had gone so far as to plead with him, he could not bring himself to turn the other party down.

“Thank you, Sun shi!” Hearing the other party’s agreement, Hall Master Xing was delighted. “Shall we find a better place to do the spirit enchantment?”

Due to the intricacies in enchanting a Primordial Spirit, it had to be conducted in absolute silence so that the spirit awakener would not be disturbed in the process. Considering that the guild building was running around at the moment, even killing two men at that, it did not seem like a fitting location to conduct the spirit enchantment.

“This…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

It did seem like the guild building would take some time to quieten down. Furthermore, it was one thing for the spirit enchantment to fail, but if the guild building were to go on a rampage once more and stomp the head of the Combat Master Hall to death, he could see himself being apprehended and executed not too long later.

“Our Combat Master Hall’s Heart Division has a formation that isolates the space within from the external world. Why don’t we head there instead?” Division Head Liao suggested.

“Sounds good.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

In truth, he had also been planning to drop by the Combat Master Hall to take a look, and since the other party was inviting him over at this moment, there was no reason for him to turn them down. Also, it would be a good opportunity for him to assess the fighting prowess of the combat masters before mentally preparing the members of the Xuanxuan Faction for it.

Otherwise, he would be put in a spot if that bunch were to get into trouble here.

After bidding Guild Leader Ruan and the others farewell, Zhang Xuan followed Hall Master Xing back to the Combat Master Hall.

The Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall was located not too far away from his accommodation. It was a majestic building that exuded a powerful aura, deterring any troublemakers from committing any foolishness.

“It is even bigger than the Spirit Awakener Guild…” Zhang Xuan was astonished. He could not help but wonder. If I were to successfully enchant this building, it would surely be able to run faster than the Spirit Awakener Guild’s building…

“Sun shi, this is our Combat Master Hall! Our Combat Master Hall is divided into Ten Divisions…” Seeing that Zhang Xuan was looking around curiously, Division Head Liao began introducing the basic structure of the Combat Master Hall. “… and I am the head of the Heart Division!”

“The Ten Divisions of the Combat Master Hall…” Zhang Xuan made a mental note.

He had never really heard about it from anyone before. He would have to inform Ruohuan gongzi and the others of the matter so that they could take note of it during the exchange.

“Footwork Division, Weapon Division, Palm Division, Fist Division… I can roughly fathom what those divisions are focused on, but what does the Heart Division specialize in?” Zhang Xuan asked with intrigue.

It was not too difficult to guess what the other divisions did from their names, but what in the world was the Heart Division?

“Actually, the Heart Division is the most important, as well as the most fearsome division in the Combat Master Hall!” The one who responded to Zhang Xuan’s question was Hall Master Xing.

“Oh?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

“One of the core responsibilities of the Combat Master Hall is to fend off the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. However, the killing intent that Otherworldly Demons emanate is incredibly potent, and over time, it will slowly corrode one’s mind and soul. In order to withstand their killing intent, it is of the utmost importance that combat masters possess mental resilience far surpassing others. It is also for this reason that the Heart Division was founded”! Hall Master Xing explained.

“As the saying goes, it’s the brave who survive an encounter on a narrow bridge. There are many cases where a cultivator possessing more condensed zhenqi, a more resilient physical body, and stronger soul energy ends up losing to an opponent far weaker than them! In a battle, it’s not only strength and technique that counts. More often than not, it’s a clash of wills as well, and the one with the stronger will is often the one standing at the end!”

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

He could relate with that point of view as well.

Taking himself for example, he had encountered plenty of opponents who were stronger than him in every aspect. However, be it the Scarletleaf King, Skyleaf King, or even Dao Kou, despite possessing the decisive advantage in a direct battle against him, they still ended up dying by his hand.

Ultimately, this could be boiled down to the differing intensity of their wills.

A cultivator lacking a strong will would find themself being beguiled or outmaneuvered by their opponent, thus eventually suffering an untimely death.

That was not to say that cultivating one’s body and zhenqi weren’t important, but only with a state of mind that was proportionately powerful with one’s abilities would one be able to bring forth one’s full strength.

Looking at Wang Ying for example, despite cultivating the Heaven’s Path Movement Art, her lack of confidence still eventually resulted in her loss in the Teacher Evaluation back at Hongtian Academy.

That matter had taught Zhang Xuan that he had to pay close heed to the mental development of his disciples as well. Even though Wang Ying was still a little shy in front of strangers, she was at least much more decisive than before.

“The development of the mind is extremely important. The combat masters of the Heart Division have a far firmer will compared to those from the other divisions, allowing them to stand unwaveringly before the temptations of the world,” said Hall Master Xing.

Of the two hundred combat masters who had joined the Xuanxuan Faction, there was not a single one that was from the Heart Division. In fact, while the other division heads were easily drawn by the benefits that the Xuanxuan Faction offered, Division Head Liao was the only one who had been able to retain his composure; he calmly strategized a solution out of the quandary for him!

All of this was a result of his cultivation of his state of mind.

At this point, Hall Master Xing could not help but feel deeply regretful for neglecting to enforce the cultivation of the state of mind within the Combat Master Hall. If he had done that in the first place, the Combat Master Hall might not have been cornered by the Xuanxuan Faction in the first place.

“The Trial of Inner Demons can be divided into many different levels, and the strength of the inner demon in each level differs from one another as well. By clashing frequently with one’s inner demons, one can temper one’s will and reinforce one’s state of mind!” Hall Master Xing explained.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

His will had become significantly more resilient after facing an inner demon during the Saint Ascension Ordeal, inducing a significant rise in his Soul Depth. Were it not for the inner demon being too weak, the benefits that he would have received could have been much greater than that!

A thought suddenly came to Zhang Xuan’s mind, and his eyes lit up. “The Trial of Inner Demons sounds truly interesting. Could I give it a try as well to temper my will?”

“Of course! That’s not a problem at all!” Hall Master Xing replied with a smile.

“You have my gratitude!” Zhang Xuan thanked him with a smile in return.

As long as he could withstand the temptation of the inner demons, he could elevate his state of mind to greater heights. Since the Trial of Inner Demons had such a function as well, it would be a waste not to use it!

While they were chatting, the three of them walked into the Combat Master Hall.

Behind the majestic building front was a cluster of buildings. They were clearly segregated into ten areas, which probably corresponded to each of the Ten Divisions.

Division Head Liao led the way forward, and it did not take long for them to arrive in the Heart Division.

Before them stood a huge, pitch-black building with a bizarre design that was strikingly similar to a heart. From afar, it looked as if the heart was beating swiftly.

“This is the Heart Division,” Division Head Liao said as he led the way into the building.

As soon as Zhang Xuan stepped into the building, he immediately felt rich spiritual energy gushing at him. Not only so, a unique atmosphere seemed to linger in the air within the building, bringing tranquility to one’s heart.

“We have set up a formation that gathers spiritual energy and calms the minds of those within the building. Sun shi, why don’t you conduct the spirit enchantment for Hall Master Xing here?” Division Head Liao proposed as they arrived in one of the rooms in the Heart Division.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

The Heart Division was much quieter than the Spirit Awakener Guild, making its environment much more suitable for conducting a spirit enchantment. It would probably be much easier for him to wake the Golden Origin Cauldron’s spirit here too.

After finding a suitable area within the room, Zhang Xuan gestured to the spot before him and said, “Hall Master Xing, please take a seat.”

“Un.” Knowing that this would determine whether or not they would be able to resolve the crisis that the Combat Master Hall was facing, Hall Master Xing quickly nodded and took a seat.

“Calm your mind and focus your consciousness within your Primordial Spirit,” Zhang Xuan instructed.

“Alright.” Hall Master Xing closed his eyes and centered his consciousness around his Primordial Spirit. In a moment, he entered a trance, reminiscent of a meditating old monk.

Not bad! Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in commendation.

It was just a moment ago that the other party had still harbored emotions of anxiety and apprehension, but in the blink of an eye, he had reined in his emotions entirely and freed up his mind. His control over his state of mind and emotions was truly terrifying.

It seems like Wang Ying and the others still have a long way to go, Zhang Xuan remarked internally.

Having learned the Heaven’s Path battle techniques from him, Wang Ying and the others could be considered invincible existences within their power class. However, in terms of state of mind, they were nowhere on par with Hall Master Xing.

The ability to control one’s state of mind freely might not seem like much, but it could play a decisive role in battle.

In controlled circumstances such as an official tournament, Zhang Xuan was confident that Wang Ying and the others would be able to achieve victory easily. However, if it was a fight to the death, the veteran combat masters would be able to play on their weak minds and make them panic, and this would inadvertently result in openings in their movements.

This was inevitable. It was possible for Wang Ying and the others to advance their cultivation swiftly, but the same was clearly infeasible for their state of mind. Ultimately, they were still too young. In terms of mental resilience, there was no way they could rival the much older and experienced combat masters.

Zhang Xuan made a mental note. I really have to pay more attention to the cultivation of their state of mind…

Those thoughts were swiftly tossed aside from his mind. He knew that this was not the time to be contemplating such matters. Raising his gaze to face Hall Master Xing, he focused his mind as he slowly placed his palm down on the ground.

Weng!

A circle of light shrouded Hall Master Xing.

Driving the Heaven’s Path Spirit Enchantment Art, Zhang Xuan warped his consciousness into a thin thread before carefully delving into the other party’s mind.

Enchanting an artifact was different from enchanting a Primordial Spirit. The former only required the spirit awakener to light up the flames of spirit within the artifact’s consciousness, but as for the enchantment of a Primordial Spirit, the spirit awakener would have to extend his consciousness into the cultivator’s mind and slowly search for the flaws and openings within it to repair.

As Zhang Xuan approached Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit, he could not help but widen his eyes in shock. He’s even more fearsome than the Skyleaf King…

Regardless of whether it was the quality or the size, Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit had far surpassed that of the Skyleaf King!

Considering that Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit was already far stronger than that of the Leaving Aperture realm Skyleaf King despite only being at the Half-Leaving Aperture realm, it was difficult to imagine how terrifying his might would be once he became a full-fledged Leaving Aperture realm expert!

With such incredible strength, he should be able to withstand a third of my strength if he suppresses his cultivation to my level, Zhang Xuan thought in awe.

Truly impressive!

Chapter 1111: What a Long Rift

Even though the Skyleaf King had only been at Leaving Aperture realm primary stage, his Primordial Spirit had already undergone the tempering of the Leaving Aperture Ordeal, bringing the strength of his Primordial Spirit to a whole new level. However, Hall Master Xing was only at Half-Leaving Aperture realm, but his Primordial Spirit was already far stronger than that of the Skyleaf King. This was truly frightening.

Even so, provided that they were in the same cultivation realm, it was still impossible for Hall Master Xing to defeat him.

After all, he had cultivated the Saint Ascension Decipher and ascended to become a Celestial Saint. In his power class, there were none who could possibly be a match for him. The fact that Hall Master Xing was able to withstand a third of his strength was already an incredible feat in itself.

Let me see what kind of flaws there are in his Primordial Spirit… Activating his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan began assessing the sight before him.

The Primordial Spirit ahead of him had a transparent quality reminiscent of a perfect crystal.

Any other spirit awakener in his place would have been awed by the overwhelming might of the Primordial Spirit, but with the sharp gaze of Zhang Xuan’s Eye of Insight, he was able to easily find innumerable flaws in the Primordial Spirit. There were many gaps that presented themselves in the form of depressions on the surface of the Primordial Spirit that would have prevented the flow of thought and power.

In a way, it was similar to glass; while it seemed flat and smooth to the human eye, one would find little bumps and depressions on it when placed under a microscope.

The Eye of Insight was capable of peering through the essence of items. Even though the other party’s Primordial Spirit appeared transparent and perfect on the surface, ultimately, it was not formed from cultivating the Heaven’s Path Divine Art. When magnified, Zhang Xuan was able to see all kinds of depressions and rifts on it.

After studying it for a moment, Zhang Xuan nodded. As long as I fill up those depressions, it will be difficult for inner demons to assault him.

Inner demons were formed from the deepest desires or the apprehension within one’s heart. If one’s Primordial Spirit was perfect, devoid of depressions and openings, it would be like a completely sealed egg, making it difficult for inner demons to breach one’s defenses.

Zhang Xuan smiled as he reached his hand forward. Fortunately, the depressions aren’t too big, so it won’t be too difficult to resolve the issue.

With every single tap, a bundle of spirit would fill up the depressions within Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit. The glow that it radiated gradually became brighter and brighter, and eventually, it was nearly blinding.

Hmm? There’s a long rift here. While traveling around Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit, Zhang Xuan suddenly caught sight of something that left a deep frown on his forehead.

At the back of Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit, there was a glaring rift that extended down the center, from one end to the other.

Even though it isn’t too deep, it has severed many of the connections within the Primordial Spirit, preventing it from functioning normally. Zhang Xuan stroked his lower jaw and fell into deep thought.

It seemed like Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit had been severely injured at some point, or else it was impossible for there to be such a huge rift on his Primordial Spirit.

Zhang Xuan scratched his head as he contemplated. It’s not too difficult to fill up the smaller depressions using the means I have learned from the spirit awakener books. But, such a huge rift… How should I go about fixing it?

Judging by huge size of the rift, reminiscent of a valley in the Primordial Spirit, it was apparent that ordinary means would not work on it.

To make an analogy, a wall that had depressions could easily be plastered over to make it smooth once more, but if half of the wall collapsed altogether, the repair work would be far more complicated than that.

Suddenly, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in excitement.

Wait… While ordinary methods will not work, if I use the method that I use for artifact enchantment within this rift, I might just be able to fill it up swiftly!

Ordinary methods were unlikely to work, but considering how his spirit enchantment could bring even the massive building of the Spirit Awakener Guild to life, it should not be too difficult for him to create a spirit within the crevice to fill it up.

There had been no records on anyone doing this before, but… didn’t Kong shi just offer him some advice not too long ago?

He had to innovate and forge his own path!

Sticking along with the conventions would just limit his potential!

And this was the time for him to do so. If he were to succeed, Hall Master Xing would surely be able to clear the Trial of Inner Demons easily and resolve the problem plaguing the Combat Master Hall!

Kong shi is the World’s Teacher; there can’t be any mistake trusting him! Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction.

He swiftly assessed the feasibility of the matter based on his comprehension on spirit enchantment. There might be some side effects from doing so, but it won’t affect his core.

One of the problems in this solution was that the spirit used to fill up the rift would have its own consciousness as well, similar to that of the guild building. There was a chance that it would run amok.

This would be a huge problem for anyone else, but not for Zhang Xuan. All he had to do was eradicate that consciousness right after the spirit was born.

If it had been any other spirit awakener in his place, the other party would probably have been forced into a bitter fight against the spirit in order to erase it, and in the process of doing so, that might even have harmed Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit. However, as a soul oracle and a poison master, Zhang Xuan had many means that would allow him to effectively deal with spirits.

Alright, it’s settled then…

Having conducted a simulation of the entire process in the head and confirming it to be feasible once more, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

Drawing his consciousness back to his body, he turned to Division Head Liao and instructed, “Division Head Liao, I’ll need you to guard us. By no means should anyone interrupt us during the course of the spirit enchantment!”

Division Head Liao nodded in response. “Rest assured!”

Nodding back, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath and closed his eyes once more. His will slipped into Hall Master Xing’s mind along with the light, and in the blink of an eye, he was standing before the rift once more. With a grim expression, he stepped forward and tapped on the rift lightly.

Hu!

The darkness within the rift was slightly cleared by the emergence of a spark of light.

However, the spark was still too small to fill the entire rift. Zhang Xuan had to create another eight sparks before the light was able to cover the entire rift.

After that was finally done, he could not help but feel deeply exhausted.

Previously, in order to enchant the guild building of the Spirit Awakener Guild, he had produced thirty-two sparks, and over here, he had created another eight. All in all, he had already used the abilities of a spirit awakener more than forty times when the limit for the average spirit awakener was only three times.

With that, he had finally reached his limit.

I need to wipe away that newborn spirit.

Even though Zhang Xuan was exhausted, he knew that it was not the time to rest. Suppressing his exhaustion, he walked up to the rift.

He had to eradicate it as soon as possible, or else the clash of the two wills would cause Hall Master Xing great suffering.

Gathering his soul energy, a brilliant glow gathered on Zhang Xuan’s palm. He was just about to make a move when…

Hong long!

The door to the room suddenly burst open. Following which, an anxious voice exclaimed, “Hall Master Xing, bad news…”

Shit… Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in alarm.

He had just been about to speak when the massive Primordial Spirit before him rose from its dormant state. It abruptly released a powerful aura that jolted Zhang Xuan’s will out.

Hall Master Xing had awoken from his trance due to that shouting, and as a natural defensive mechanism of his body, Zhang Xuan’s will was viewed as a foreign object and forcefully expelled from his mind.

If Zhang Xuan had been in his peak state, he would still have been able to withstand the simple instinctive reflex of Hall Master Xing’s body easily. However, drained from all of the spirit enchantments he had done that day, he was feeling sluggish and weak all over, leaving him in no state to defend against Hall Master Xing’s reflexive actions.

Returning back to his body, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes and saw an old man standing within the room with a frantic look. Division Head Liao was berating the old man with a deep frown on his forehead, seemingly criticizing the other party for abruptly barging in forcefully.

Having regained consciousness, Hall Master Xing turned to the old man and asked, “Division Head Wei, what’s the matter?”

“Hall Master Xing, Division Head Wu of the Footwork Division has also left the Combat Master Hall for the Xuan… that place!” Division Head Wei reported anxiously.

As there was an outsider around, he did not dare say the name ‘Xuanxuan Faction’. Otherwise, if others learned that their combat masters had willingly defected to another organization, they would surely have become the joke of the town.

“He still went in the end,” Hall Master Xing muttered with a livid expression.

He had thought that his division heads would at least still be able to hold themselves back, but who would have thought that they would succumb to the temptation in the end?

He felt so choked up that he could vomit blood.

Hall Master Xing was just about to speak when the person who had just enchanted his Primordial Spirit for him, Sun shi, suddenly asked with a deeply worried look, “You… Are you still fine?”

“I’m fine. Right, I haven’t thanked Sun shi for enchanting my Primordial Spirit yet. I feel like my fighting prowess has been raised another notch, and my entire body is gushing with power!” Hall Master Xing replied with a smile.

As expected of a master spirit awakener, the other party’s means were indeed formidable. Just a single session of enchantment, and he could already feel the strength of his Primordial Spirit rising by leaps and bounds.

He felt that it would not be a problem even if he were to challenge the Leaving Aperture Ordeal in his current state.

“I see… I’m glad to see that you are fine!” Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

It seemed like he had worried excessively. Even though he had enchanted a spirit into the other party’s Primordial Spirit in order to fill the rift, it only made up a very small portion of it. Under the suppression of Hall Master Xing’s powerful Primordial Spirit, it was likely that it would be assimilated before it could do anything.

After thanking Sun shi, Hall Master Xing stood up with a resilient glint in his eyes. “Division Head Liao, prepare the formation. I’ll be heading over right now!”

There were only Ten Division Heads in the Combat Master Hall, and five of them had already defected to the Xuanxuan Faction. Granted that it was not a true defection—they were only there to learn battle techniques for the time being—but still… if others were to learn of the matter, it would not reflect well on their Combat Master Hall! Their pride and honor were at risk of being shattered!

He had to resolve this problem at its root once and for all.

“Alright!” Knowing that the situation was urgent, Division Head Liao quickly rushed into action as well. He led the way to a huge hall before placing his palm on a mechanism. A burst of light shone, and a one-man passageway emerged before them.

“I’ll be entering now,” Hall Master Xing stated. He turned around to look at Zhang Xuan and said, “Sun shi, I’m afraid that I’ll have to ask you to stay a while longer. If I fail the trial this time around, I might require your help once more…”

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

After which, Hall Master Xing stepped in.

Watching him leave, Zhang Xuan finally felt exhaustion overcoming his body. Thus, he took a seat on the ground, closed his eyes, and began meditating so as to recuperate from his previous exertion.

He had to drive his soul energy using the Heaven’s Path Spirit Enchantment Art ten times before his exhaustion finally alleviated. When he opened his eyes once more, he saw Division Head Liao pacing around the entrance nervously, looking into the passageway from time to time.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Xuan stood up and walked over.

“Hall Master Xing has been inside more than two hours now. I fear that something bad might have befallen him during the trial!” Division Head Liao replied with a worried frown.

“He isn’t out yet?” Zhang Xuan also frowned upon hearing those words.

He had been too busy recuperating previously, so he was not too aware of the passing of time. However, doing a swift calculation at the moment, it did seem like two hours had already passed.

This did not make sense. Regardless of whether Hall Master Xing passed or not, the results should have been out by now. It did not make sense for there to not be the slightest movements at all.

“Yes, he isn’t out yet,” Division Head Liao replied apprehensively. “No matter whether he has cleared the trial or not, he should have at least sent a message by now. However, there’s been no news from him at all.”

Right after those words were spoken, flurried footsteps suddenly sounded from the passageway. Following which, a figure came into sight.

“You are… Hall Master Xing? W-what happened to you?”

Upon seeing the appearance of the figure, Division Head Liao’s lips twitched as his body froze from astonishment.

At the same time, Zhang Xuan also caught sight of the figure, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

“What is that monster?”

Chapter 1112: Hall Master Xing Has Been Eaten

It was a face covered in huge tumors, and at the very top of his head, there was even a crimson tower of meat stretching half a meter upwards. In this moment, Hall Master Xing looked like a moving cactus!

It was only due to his face retaining some semblance to his original appearance that they did not suspect him of being an inner demon who had escaped from the passageway… However, his appearance was truly eerie!

Didn’t he just challenge Trial of Inner Demons?

Why did he look as if he had just been pummeled?

“Hall Master Xing!” Division Head Liao hurriedly rushed forward and cried, “Even if you couldn’t clear the trial, you shouldn’t have harmed yourself like this…”

The Trial of Inner Demons only served to assess one’s mind, so it didn’t pose any harm to the physical body. Yet, for Hall Master Xing to return in such a state… Was he so upset about failing the trial that he decided to harm himself?

“You…” Hall Master Xing nearly fainted from anger. He turned to Zhang Xuan, pointed at the tumors on his face furiously, and asked, “Sun shi, can you tell me what is going on over here?”

Not expecting to be dragged into the matter, Zhang Xuan was startled. “You are asking me? How would I know?”

“You really don’t know?” Hall Master Xing asked with narrowed eyes as he turned around.

Upon seeing what was behind Hall Master Xing, Zhang Xuan nearly spurted blood.

A crimson flower bud was growing right on the other party’s bottom.

A flower on the bottom and a cactus on the head… Zhang Xuan scratched his head in confusion for a moment when a thought suddenly came to him, and his lips twitched. Could it be that… I enchanted the spirit of a plant instead of an artifact into him earlier?

Naturally, different beings had fundamentally differing spirits.

Plant spirits could allow the medicinal herb it was harnessed within to mature swifter and healthier. However, if the spirit died, it was very likely that the entire medicinal herb would wither as well.

Such was the case for most saint herbs.

This was similar to the Bodhi Saint Tree. In the period of time that its spirit was asleep, it looked as if it was dead on the surface. This left Emperor Yu Shenqing in a panic, and he had searched far and wide for herbologists to treat it, nearly resulting in a calamity.

As such, dealing with spirits was also an extremely profound subject, such that it was worth others devoting their whole lives to studying.

That isn’t right. I’m certain that I used the method to enchant artifacts on it. Zhang Xuan frowned.

No matter how he thought about it, he just could not understand how an artifact spirit could have possibly turned into a plant spirit.

While he was deep in thought, the bud on Hall Master Xing’s bottom suddenly began blossoming, and an indescribably horrendous smell drifted from it. Shortly after, the cactus on his head also began blooming. In a moment, a bunch of flowers could be seen hanging on his head, making him look like a reindeer.

Its growth rate is clearly one of a plant spirit, so could I have really made a mistake? Wait, I’ve got it!

A thought suddenly struck Zhang Xuan at this moment. Even though I used the method to enchant artifacts on it, the rich vitality with Hall Master Xing’s body resulted in the artifact spirit displaying properties similar to those of a plant spirit. This is also why Hall Master Xing’s body has transformed in such a bizarre manner as well.

Zhang Xuan had not made any mistakes in his enchantment, but due to the differences in the environment, it was inevitable that the artifact spirit would display unexpected properties from when it was in an artifact.

Most artifacts were non-living until they were enchanted, as shown by their pitch-black world within them. On the other hand, Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit was pulsating with life. It was an environment far more nourishing than any soil. As such, it was inevitable that the spirit that Zhang Xuan had enchanted into his Primordial Spirit had grown frenziedly.

Cough cough!

Upon making sense of what was going on, a bizarre look crept onto Zhang Xuan’s face.

With the great strength wielded by Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit, he could still easily suppress the spirit within him, preventing it from running amok. However, shortly after having his Primordial Spirit enchanted, he had entered the Trial of Inner Demons, and his mind had come under attack. In his moment of weakness, the spirit had managed to make a comeback and grew frenziedly, thus resulting in the ridiculous circumstances at this moment.

But… what the heck was that plant?

While it resembled a cactus, it was not really one, and the flower on his bottom looked foreign as well.

Ah, it seemed like he had made a grave mistake trusting Kong shi’s words!

It was due to the other party’s advice that he had taken a leap of faith forward, in hopes of forging his path. Who could have known that barely after he took the first step, he already found himself dropping into a pit?

Kacha! Kacha!

Just as Zhang Xuan was in deep thought, the flowers of the cactus finally matured into fruits roughly the size of a jujube. Round and crimson, it might sound weird to say this, but it looked deeply appetizing.

“What the heck are these?” Seeing that fruits were growing on him, Hall Master Xing was on the verge of tears. He looked at Zhang Xuan desperately, hoping that the latter could resolve his situation.

Even though he was not too sure what was going on, he had an inkling that it had something to do with the spirit enchantment.

Otherwise, given that he had never possessed the ability to flower in the past, why would his talent as a plant blossom all of a sudden?

“Cough cough. I’m not too sure what has happened either. Perhaps you ate something unclean a while ago. Let me take a look at your condition, and I’ll see what I can do about it.” Knowing that he might be pummeled to death if he were to admit that he was the culprit, Zhang Xuan spoke without the slightest redness on his face.

Honestly speaking, it was not his intention for the situation to end up in such a manner. Judging from the size of the rift on Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit, Zhang Xuan knew that it would be nigh impossible for the other party to clear the Trial of Inner Demons if he left it be.

On top of that, it was apparent that Hall Master Xing was in a rush to raise his fighting prowess to deal with some kind of threat, and it was for this reason that Zhang Xuan decided to take the risk after confirming that it was feasible, and it would not pose any threat to the other party’s life.

Furthermore, he did plan to deal with the spirit, but he just had to be disrupted at the very last moment, resulting in his efforts being rendered futile.

Still, it was indeed a stupefying sight to see the head of the Combat Master Hall, one of the strongest experts in Qingyuan Empire, walking around with a cactus head covered with delectable fruits and a bizarre flower on his bottom.

If he were to charge an entrance toll for this exhibit, he could probably earn a huge fortune out of this.

“I have eaten something unclean?” Hall Master Xing stared at Zhang Xuan with an unbelievable look on his face. However, knowing that it was meaningless to point fingers at this moment, he could only concede. “Sun shi, I beseech you to help me…”

“Very well!” Sitting on the ground, Zhang Xuan began exerting his spirit awakener prowess once more and entered Hall Master Xing’s mind.

He adeptly maneuvered his way over to the other party’s Primordial Spirit, and when he looked at where the rift had been, he could not help but freeze.

His efforts had not been futile; the rift had been completely filled up at this moment. However, this had led to another troubling matter—Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit had already fused completely with the enchanted spirit.

This… Zhang Xuan’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. His Primordial Spirit is way too adaptable!

Typically speaking, the spirit that Zhang Xuan had enchanted should have been considered a foreign object, and the Primordial Spirit would have tried its best to expel it. Yet, within just two short hours, the spirit had actually succeeded in fusing perfectly with Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit.

Originally, all Zhang Xuan had to do was head to the rift and eliminate the consciousness within the spirit, thus putting it entirely under Hall Master Xing’s control. However, now that the spirit had already fused together with Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit, its consciousness had been intermixed together with Hall Master Xing’s, meaning that course of action was out of the question.

If he attempted to wipe out that consciousness, he would risk killing Hall Master Xing as well.

Most likely, the spirit must have hastened the fusion while his mind was preoccupied with the inner demons.

Had he known that such a situation would happen, he would have stopped Hall Master Xing from entering the Trial of Inner Demons at any cost. Now that the other party’s head had turned into a cactus covered with fruits and his bottom was sprouting a flower… This was truly a disaster!

Zhang Xuan withdrew his consciousness from Hall Master Xing’s mind as he frowned in distress.

It’s fortunate that the enchanted spirit doesn’t have any offensive ability. However, now that it’s fused into his Primordial Spirit, it is no longer possible to resolve the issue externally. He will have to eliminate that spirit himself.

There were indeed some cultivators in the world who used certain secret arts to consume plant spirits in order to enhance their Primordial Spirit and souls. While Hall Master Xing did not cultivate any such secret arts, it seemed like the sheer strength of his Primordial Spirit had helped to facilitate a smooth fusion with the spirit. However, the first step of those secret arts was to eliminate the consciousness within the spirits, and in Hall Master Xing’s case, the fusion had happened without him knowing, so he had ended up skipping the vital first step.

He did manage to perfect his Primordial Spirit in the end, but the existence of two consciousnesses within his Primordial Spirit had inevitably resulted in all kinds of bizarre problems cropping up.

For one, the spirit, through its instincts, was delightfully tapping into the huge reserves of vitality within Hall Master Xing’s body to grow non-stop.

While Zhang Xuan was still deep in thought, the cactus on Hall Master Xing’s head grew higher and higher, and the flower on his bottom grew more and more warped. From afar, he resembled a massive plant, rooted quietly to the spot.

Such a feeling was further accentuated as more and more jujube-like fruits sprouted from his head, making him seem like a bona fide fruit tree.

Noting that Zhang Xuan had withdrawn his consciousness from his mind, Hall Master Xing asked anxiously, “Sun shi, do you know any way to resolve this issue?”

“I have identified the root of your problem, but I still need some time to think the matter through,” Zhang Xuan said awkwardly.

What the heck was this?

The other party had earnestly made a request of him, but he had ended up causing such a huge mishap.

How embarrassing!

Hall Master Xing heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s good that you have identified the root of the problem.”

While there was still no solution at the moment, at the very least, with the root of the problem identified, there should still be hope for a cure.

Otherwise, if he had to spend his entire life in such a form, he would much rather have a knife plunged straight into his chest.

At that moment, ‘jiya!’, the door to the room opened. Division Head Wei walked in with large strides, and upon seeing the tree, he could not help but walk up to it and remark, “What a weird-looking tree!”

After saying those words, he reached out and plucked one of the fruits before biting down on it heartily. Then, he turned to Division Head Liao and Zhang Xuan, and asked, “Is Hall Master Xing not out yet? It has already been two hours!”

“…” Hall Master Xing.

“…” Division Head Liao.

“…” Zhang Xuan.

Grinding his teeth tightly together, Hall Master Xing replied menacingly, “I am over here…”

It was one thing for him to be treated as a tree, but to think that someone would actually eat his fruit.

“Hall Master Xing!” It was then that Division Head Wei noticed that Hall Master Xing’s face was on the tree. In that instant, the motion of his mouth came to a halt, and he widened his eyes in shock.

“Cough cough! Sun shi, you should quickly find a way to cure him. Otherwise, putting aside resolving our current crisis, he won’t even be able to face our fellow combat masters!” Division Head Liao said anxiously.

“Un. The reason for Hall Master Xing’s current condition is due to a spirit fusing with his Primordial Spirit. At this stage, I’m afraid that it’s impossible to solve his situation externally anymore. He will have to cultivate a technique to eliminate the spirit within his Primordial Spirit. Nevertheless, rest assured that he will revert back to normal once the spirit is eliminated,” Zhang Xuan explained.

Hall Master Xing heaved a sigh of relief before asking, “Then, is Sun shi in possession of any techniques that are capable of eliminating a spirit?”

“That… I’m afraid not!” Zhang Xuan scratched his head awkwardly.

The Spirit Awakener Guild did have techniques that allowed one to eliminate spirits externally, but the current predicament Hall Master Xing was in made it risky to adopt such a solution. And as for secret arts to eliminate a spirit internally… he did not have any such manuals in his possession.

Hall Master Xing staggered, and despair loomed in his eyes. “Am I doomed to live in this state for the rest of my life?”

“Actually, I do have another solution that will revert you back to normal swiftly…” Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Firstly, I’ll sever the plant offshoots from your body to hinder their activity. After which, I’ll concoct some poison for you to swallow. The poison serves to temporarily lower the vitality within your body and deprive the plants of their nutrients. With some time, they should wither and die off. However, you mustn’t use your cultivation during this period of time, or else they will come right back to life!”

“You want me to consume poison?” Hall Master Xing gulped down a mouthful of saliva as his face paled. He could not help but tremble at that thought.

Just a spirit enchantment from you has already left me in such a state. If I consume the poison you concoct, what in the world will happen to me?

At the same time, he could not help but ask doubtfully, “For you to be able to concoct poison, could you be a… poison master?”