Chapter 1125

Chapter 1125: Teacher, Thank You for Your Guidance

Shi Hao had spent a whole twenty years at Saint 1-dan pinnacle before being able to gather that much power. He had thought that the other party would have been in Saint 1-dan for decades at the very minimum since he was lamenting over the long period of time he had been in the realm, but who would have thought…

A month…

A month…

Long your head!

To reinforce your cultivation to such an extent within such a short period of time, and you still say that you’ve spent a long time in the realm… Will you die if you stop boasting?

Shi Hao felt the pain in his heart intensifying even further.

The others also had the same expressions on their faces. If only they were strong enough, they would have rushed forward to give him a good pummeling.

That fellow was truly asking for it!

To grumble about a month being too long, and even complaining that he would be unable to face his students…

With such speed, are you sure you are cultivating and not flying?

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan, who had only noticed the bitter expressions on the faces around him, shook his head helplessly.

That was truly his honest opinion; he was neither boasting nor showing off. Putting aside Zhao Ya, Yuan Tao, and the others, who were going to inherit powerful heritages, even Wang Ying had reached Nascent Saint pinnacle and was about to achieve a breakthrough anytime soon. On the other hand, his apothecary student, Luo Qiqi, had already achieved strength on par with him, Saint realm 1-dan pinnacle, and if he did not achieve a breakthrough soon, the other party might very well surpass him.

It was not that he did not want to take his time, but with his students chasing right behind him, if he slacked off in the least, he would find himself lagging far behind them. Honestly speaking, he was also in a very difficult situation. Why wouldn’t anyone just take him seriously when he said such words?

It truly was not easy to be a teacher!

Suppressing the urge to sink his fist into the other party’s face, Shi Hao lowered his head and asked, “To be able to accumulate such an immense reserve of zhenqi within a single month, may I ask how Sun shi cultivates? If it is not too much to ask, we would like to learn from you as well!”

Realizing that this might be an opportunity for them, the others echoed Shi Hao’s words and bowed deeply as well.

They had been stuck in the same cultivation realm for several years or even several decades for some. To them, cultivation was a lengthy and tiresome process, reminiscent of water droplets slowly grinding away on a rock. Yet, the young man before them had only cultivated for a month, and he had already amassed sufficient strength to destroy ten stone walls simultaneously. If they could learn his cultivation technique, their cultivation would surely soar rapidly as well.

“How do I cultivate?” Hearing the question, Zhang Xuan turned to look at the crowd before him and smiled. “Actually, it isn’t anything complicated. A single word—conception! Take your Art of Drawing Ocean as an example. I heard that you hunted down saint beasts and gathered Saint-tier medicinal herbs in order to complement the innate flaws in your body. You even went to the extent of heading underground to temper your zhenqi through the heart of the lava. You did manage to advance your fighting prowess significantly through such methods, but there’s a cap to how far you can go by relying on external means. It will be harder for you to advance any further in such manner!

“The Art of Drawing Oceans empties out great oceans and converts them into devastating power for you to wield. In order to truly comprehend the conception behind the cultivation technique, you have to first understand the boundlessness of the ocean and comprehend its natural state. Once you manage to comprehend its conception, your body will naturally become as vast and boundless as the ocean, too!”

Zhang Xuan had seen the manual for the Art of Drawing Oceans in the library earlier, and after compiling it with the other manuals, he had gained a deep understanding of what the cultivation technique was at its very core.

“Conception?” Shi Hao hesitated for a moment before continuing on. “I once spent half a year on a remote island in the hope of comprehending the essence of the cultivation technique, but I didn’t make much of an improvement that way. That’s also why I chose to resort to external means instead.”

There were at least several thousand books explaining the Art of Drawing Oceans in the library, and a couple of them had spoken about conception. Drawing on those insights, Shi Hao had attempted to further his cultivation that way too, but his effort had turned out to be futile. As such, he had only been able to try other means. It was fortunate that hard work did not fail him, and his cultivation finally achieved a level far surpassing the others.

“Do you know why you weren’t able to succeed despite spending half a year on a remote island?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“This…” Shi Hao halted.

If he knew, he would have already corrected it long ago. He would not have ended up seeking alternative means.

“Your mind is too fixated on surpassing the record!” Zhang Xuan placed his hands behind his back and sighed deeply. “Your fixation on the record had made you deeply apprehensive, depriving you of even the courage to challenge the trial once. You have always told yourself that you would only challenge the trial once you have reached the very apex of Saint 1-dan, but where is that apex? Do you think that you are already at the apex? If you have truly reached the apex, why aren’t you able to rival a single finger of mine?

“The vast ocean accepts every river that converges into it. To master the Art of Drawing Oceans, your state of mind must be vast as well. Struggle not, fight not, desire not, plead not, and only then will you be able to peer into the essence of the technique. But you are too fixated on whether you can surpass Combat Master Feng Moxiao’s record or not. From the very start, your state of mind has been incredibly narrow. With such a mindset, you will never be able to comprehend the sheer vastness of the ocean no matter how long you remain on a remote island.” Zhang Xuan sighed.

When he sparred with Shi Hao, the Library of Heaven’s Path had compiled a book on the other party. With a glance at it, he could tell that despite Shi Hao’s strong foundation in the Art of Drawing Oceans, he had inadvertently gone down the wrong path.

“I…” Shi Hao’s body stiffened. Closing his eyes, the twenty years of hard work he had devoted to furthering his cultivation flashed through his mind.

Some time later, he opened his eyes once more. Stepping forward, he kneeled down and kowtowed. “I have benefited greatly from Sun shi’s teachings. If you hadn’t pointed out the path for me, I might have continued deviating from the true path and eventually limited my own accomplishments!”

After all of those memories played in his mind, he understood that he had erred.

Had it not been for the timely reminder from the young man before him, he would have continued treading down the same path. Perhaps, his cultivation would still rise swiftly, but eventually, he would find it harder and harder for him to reach higher realms, and the Primordial Spirit realm could very well have ended up becoming a pipe dream for him.

It was fortunate that someone had pulled him back from the cliff before that happened. It was still not too late for him to change.

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony; we are just exchanging insights with one another.” Zhang Xuan hurriedly helped Shi Hao up.

Another combat master stepped forward and asked, “I have been stuck at Saint 1-dan pinnacle for five whole years. Five years ago, I failed to clear the Trial of Inner Breath, and five years later, I am still unable to overcome my limits. I hope that Sun shi can offer me some pointers. Have I gone down the wrong path for my cultivation, or is my state of mind still too lacking?”

“Execute a battle technique.”

“Yes!”

The combat master began executing a forceful punching routine. His zhenqi flowed through his body with incredible momentum, creating resounding cracking sounds.

“That’s enough.” Zhang Xuan stopped the other party halfway through. “If I’m not mistaken, you cultivate the Combat Master Hall’s River Reversing Art, right? River Reversing and Drawing Oceans, these two cultivation techniques boast the greatest zhenqi quantity within the Inner Breath Division. Under normal circumstances, five years of accumulation should have allowed you to clear the examination easily, but you still remain limited by your bottleneck. This isn’t a problem with your talent. You are still cultivating based on the formula left behind by Combat Master Bai Mo two thousand years ago, aren’t you?”

“H-how did you know?” exclaimed the combat master in shock.

Combat Master Bai Mo was known for his astounding accomplishment in the River Reversing Art, so the combat master idolized him greatly. Thus, he had been cultivating based on the insights left behind by the other party.

However, he had kept the matter a secret from others, so how did the young man before him know about it?

“Combat Master Bai Mo was born with innate divine strength, and he specialized in water attribute cultivation techniques. Naturally, he was well suited to cultivate the River Reversing Art. On the other hand, you are of the earth attribute, and earth curbs water. Naturally, your improvement is significantly slower when you try to emulate Combat Master Bai Mo’s actions. You can try cultivating the Compact Gaia Formula left behind by Combat Master Hong Jiang instead. In less than a month, you should be able to achieve a breakthrough!” Zhang Xuan said.

“Earth attribute? Am I not of the water attribute?” The combat master was visibly surprised by Zhang Xuan’s words.

“You were born with the water attribute, but an earth attribute medicinal herb that you have consumed has resulted in earth becoming your dominant attribute instead,” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

Even though one’s constitution was predominantly decided at birth, under the right circumstances and with the right artifacts, it was still possible for it to change.

Such was the case for the combat master before him.

He had been born with the water attribute, but a certain medicinal herb that he had consumed unknowingly had ended up sealing his original water attribute constitution. As a result, his rate of cultivation had ended up slowing significantly, resulting in his seeming loss in talent.

“This…” The combat master was taken aback. In an instant, a thought seemed to strike his mind as he recalled something, and his body jolted. He immediately bowed deeply and said, “Sun shi, thank you for your guidance. You have truly opened my eyes.”

In this moment, it was apparent to all of the combat masters that the young man before them wasn’t just powerful—his eye of discernment had also reached an unbelievable level.

“Sun shi, I also face some problems with my cultivation…”

Seeing that two combat masters had benefited greatly from the young man’s guidance, the eyes of the other combat masters lit up, and they charged forward in excitement.

“Everyone, there’s no need to get anxious. I know that all of you are interested in knowing how you can increase the amount of zhenqi in your body, so why don’t I conduct a lecture to impart my insights on the matter instead? Hopefully, it will prove to be of some use to you.” Seeing that everyone had gathered around him, Zhang Xuan quickly calmed them down with a smile.

After everyone had settled down, he started his lecture. “In order to enhance the quantity of zhenqi in one’s body, it is of paramount importance that one comprehends how a body contains zhenqi—the dantian! Only when the dantian is sufficiently large will one be able to store a greater amount of zhenqi…”

Zhang Xuan’s voice was resounding, and small flowers began descending from the sky.

Combat masters were the strongest fighting force of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and they devoted their lives to protecting mankind from all threats. Naturally, Zhang Xuan would not turn them down.

After all, this was also part of his responsibility as a master teacher.

Even though they were going to be the opponents of the Xuanxuan Faction during the exchange, in a sense, it would also be beneficial to the Xuanxuan Faction if their opponents were strong. Perhaps, it might motivate the members of the Xuanxuan Faction to work harder than ever.

After comprehending the Heart of a Teacher, the concept of lineage had already become blurred in his mind. He was no longer as fixated on the idea of ‘my student’ and ‘the others’ anymore. As long as the other party was of good character and was willing to learn, he would not hesitate to teach them.

…

“You are saying that… this was caused by Sun shi?” Standing within the Trial of Inner Breath, Division Head Wei widened his eyes in disbelief.

“That’s right. It was still perfectly intact when Shi Hao left the area. It was only after Sun shi left that the area fell into such a state!” Xiao Bo quickly replied.

“To destroy all of the stone walls in a single palm strike and attain a score of 100… Just how much zhenqi does he have?” Division Head Wei’s breathing hastened in agitation.

All along, he had thought that even if Sun shi was powerful and had formidable burst power, there was no way the amount of zhenqi that he had would be able to match up to normal combat masters, let alone a genius of Shi Hao’s caliber. At that moment, he could not help but notice how naive his thoughts had been.

To devastate the trial with a single palm, the amount of zhenqi that Sun shi wielded had already reached an inconceivable level!

“I have no idea either, but with his strength, if we can convince him to join our ranks, our Combat Master Hall will be peerless among all of the Conferred Empire Combat Master Halls!” Xiao Bo said.

“You’re right.” Division Head Wei nodded.

Ever since the establishment of the Combat Master Hall, the highest record that anyone had achieved was 38 from Shi Hao. On the other hand, Sun shi, in a single palm strike, had managed to achieve a score of 100. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before he pierced a hole in the heavens!

Without a doubt, there was no combat master in any other Conferred Empire Combat Master Hall who could possibly possess such an astounding zhenqi reserve.

“Let’s go. We’ll invite him to join our Inner Breath Division!” The more Division Head Wei pondered over the matter, the more seduced he was by the idea. Thus, he immediately turned around and left.

“Division Head Wei, what do we about the trial then?” Xiao Bo asked anxiously.

He had been planning to take the Trial of Inner Breath right after Sun shi, only to find it devastated. Given that it had been utterly destroyed, the promotion system that had been put in place would fall apart!

“Don’t worry about it. After we deal with Sun shi’s matter, I will head to the Formation Master Guild and invite Guild Leader Han over to help us repair the trial’s formation. While the formation is at grade-8, it shouldn’t be too difficult for him to repair it once he studies the blueprint.” Division Head Wei smiled.

He might be unable to fix the formation in the Trial of Inner Breath, but he could always engage the help of the local Formation Master Guild.

With Guild Leader Han’s help, that should not be a problem at all.

“Alright, let’s head out!” After explaining the matter, Division Head Wei left the passageway and headed to where he had left Sun shi previously. At the same time, he was deeply contemplating which words he would use to convince the other party to join his Inner Breath Division.

But before he even arrived at his destination, he heard a calm voice echoing in the surroundings.

“… and that is the way to enhance the amount of zhenqi that you have!”

Raising his gaze, Division Head Wei saw the many combat masters of his Inner Breath Division bowing sincerely to Sun shi with reverence in their eyes.

Together, they exclaimed loudly, “Teacher, thank you for your guidance!”

Chapter 1126: Grand Constellation Finger

“Teacher…” Division Head Wei and Xiao Bo were startled.

They had only left for the Trial of Inner Breaths for a moment, so how in the world… did so many combat masters of the Inner Breath Division suddenly become Sun shi’s students?

Didn’t they acknowledge their teacher a little, no, way too fast?

Division Head Wei was utterly confused by the twist in the situation before him. He could not comprehend what was going on at all.

While combat masters were expected to obey the orders of their superiors, the relationship between division heads and the combat masters under them was similar to that of brothers. There was not a particularly strict hierarchy between them.

It was for this reason that Shi Hao and Xiao Bo had expressed themselves rather casually before Division Head Wei, not restraining themselves in the least.

For a teacher to suddenly pop out before those brothers all of a sudden…

He had been intending to bring Sun shi into the Inner Breath Division, but all of a sudden, the latter had become everyone’s teacher. What the heck was going on?

Just as he was wondering what kind of sorcery Sun shi had cast over them, the young man suddenly shook his head and said, “There’s really no need for this. Please rise. The path to cultivation is not one that should be walked in isolation. Only through trading insights and learning from one another will we be able to advance further. It’s sufficient for us to speak to one another as peers; there’s no need for you to address me as your teacher.”

It was just a simple lecture from him, so he did not think that they would suddenly acknowledge him as their teacher. This had left him in an awkward position.

“Sun shi’s teachings are direct, and they point directly toward the essence of cultivation. I have benefited greatly from your guidance. Given so, it’s only right for me to address you as my teacher. In fact, I am honored to have you as my teacher!” Shi Hao said.

As a renowned genius of the Combat Master Hall, it was inevitable that he was a prideful person.

Under normal circumstances, it would be hard to say whether even the hall master himself would be able to win his respect, and yet, he was showing such deep reverence for the man before him.

Not only did the other party enlighten him on the problems in his cultivation, more importantly, the guidance he had offered was truly full of wisdom, clearing the shadows veiling his eyes. As long as he absorbed all of the knowledge, he was certain that he would be able to advance his zhenqi capacity significantly to an unfathomable level.

Such valuable knowledge, and the other party had imparted it to him without any reservations.

Just this generosity in itself was sufficient to make him willingly address the other party as his teacher. This was how he felt deep in his heart as well.

“Indeed, Sun shi. We earnestly regard you as our teacher, so please don’t turn us down!”

“With the knowledge that you have imparted to us, we’ll surely be able to advance our cultivation swiftly. Clearing the examination will be a walk in the park!”

…

The others quickly nodded in agreement.

“This…” Division Head Wei was completely stunned.

It was a moment ago that he had wondered whether Sun shi had used some kind of underhanded method to force the combat masters in the Inner Breath Division to become his students, but upon seeing this sight, it was apparent that it was an earnest gesture from the depths of the combat masters’ hearts.

He had only left for the Trial of Inner Breath for a moment… Just what in the world did Sun shi lecture on that won him the respect of so many people within this short period of time?

“Alright then…” Seeing that the combat masters were determined, even though Zhang Xuan was a little troubled by the matter, he eventually relented and nodded in agreement.

Just as he had said, he only regarded it as an exchange, and it was with this notion in mind that he had conducted a lecture for them. It was never his intention to accept them as his students, so he could not help but feel a little lost when all of them suddenly addressed him as their teacher.

It seemed like being too outstanding was a trouble as well. No matter where he went, everyone just wanted to take him as their teacher. How problematic!

“Division Head Wei, you have returned. Alright, let’s head to the Martial Arts Division then!” Just as Zhang Xuan was a little unsure of what he should do at the moment, he suddenly saw Division Head Wei walking over, so he quickly grasped this opportunity to free himself from this slightly awkward situation.

“Alright then…” Division Head Wei nodded blankly. Without saying too much, he began leading Zhang Xuan toward the Martial Arts Division.

The Martial Arts Division was not far from the Inner Breath Division. It was only a short walk before they arrived at their destination.

“Division Head Feng is a good friend of mine. We have known each other for more than three hundred year now. As long as I make a request on your behalf, he should allow you to browse through his collection,” Division Head Wei said with a smile.

Division Head Feng used to be a renowned master teacher of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion. He was skilled in all kinds of battle techniques, and his fighting prowess was terrifying. Eventually, Hall Master Xing personally invited him over, offering him the position as the head of the Martial Arts Division so that he could help groom generation after generation of combat masters.

Division Head Wei had already been acquainted with him before the other party joined the Combat Master Hall, and their relationship had only gotten closer since then.

A combat master stepped forward and said, “Reporting to Division Head Wei, our division head went out a moment ago, and he hasn’t returned yet.”

“He hasn’t returned yet?” Division Head Wei frowned.

“I’m afraid so.” The combat master lowered his head apologetically.

“When he returns, tell him that there’s something I need his help on.” Since Division Head Feng was not around, there was nothing they could do. Thus, Division Head Wei could only shake his head in disappointment.

“I’ll relay your message to him, Division Head Wei,” the combat master replied with a smile. “Actually, if Division Head Wei is seeking to borrow our division head’s book collection, there’s no need to wait for our division head to return. Our division head has stored most of the battle technique and cultivation technique manuals he has collected in the Trial of Martial Arts. As long as one successfully clears the trial, one will be granted access to that collection for as long as one wants!”

“Trial of Martial Arts?” Division Head Wei asked.

He rarely had time to come over to the Martial Arts Division, so he was unsure of the various systems in place for it. On top of that, he did not recall the Martial Arts Division having a trial in the past.

“That’s right. In the Trial of Martial Arts, the challenger will first pick a battle technique from among several hundred, and as long as you are able to defeat the puppet left behind by our division head while using the battle technique, you will be considered to have cleared the trial,” the combat master explained.

Division Head Wei nodded in realization.

In a sense, it was a system that was strikingly similar to their Inner Breath Division’s.

One should learn other battle techniques only after one had achieved a certain level of mastery in the battle technique one was currently practicing. After all, even if one were to learn a huge array of battle techniques, it would be completely meaningless if one could not use them effectively in battle.

“Sun shi…” Division Head Wei turned to seek Zhang Xuan’s opinion.

“I don’t mind giving the Trial of Martial Arts a try,” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

Since he could access the books just by clearing the trial, there was no need for him to owe a favor to Division Head Wei over this minor matter.

“Alright, I’ll lead the both of you over then!” The combat master smiled before leading the way forward.

Not too long later, they arrived at a vast hall. Similar to the entrance of the Trial of Inner Breath, it was crowded with combat masters. Most of them had grim expressions on their faces.

“This is the Trial of Martial Arts. The wall over there lists the names of the many battle techniques for the trial. As long as one is able to achieve Major Accomplishment in any one of them, one will be qualified to challenge the puppet our division head left behind. After defeating the puppet, one will be able to enter the library and assess our division head’s collection of books. Sun shi, are there any familiar battle techniques on the list that you see? If there are any, tell me and I’ll register you for the trial!” the combat master said.

In the short talk they had while walking over, he learned that it was not Division Head Wei who wanted to browse through the books but the young man before him.

However, for the young man to be accompanied by a division head, he could not help but wonder what kind of identity the young man had.

“Let me take a look.” Zhang Xuan nodded as he turned his gaze to the wall.

There were all kinds of battle techniques listed on it—’Thousand Leaves Palm’, ‘Fist of Red Thread’, ‘Asterism Finger’…

There was a huge variety, and making a swift count, there were actually more than two hundred techniques listed!

“There are so many of them?” Zhang Xuan was astonished.

“It’s our division head’s hobby to collect such manuals. Listed up there are all of the common Saint-tier battle techniques in Qingyuan Empire. Is there a technique that Sun shi specializes in?” the combat master asked.

“This…” Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a little awkward. “This is the first time I have heard of these battle techniques. I haven’t practiced even one of them before.”

These battle techniques were unique to the Combat Master Hall and the Qingyuan Empire, and considering that it hadn’t even been a day since Zhang Xuan arrived here, there was no way he could have heard of any of these battle techniques before, let alone practiced them!

The combat master was taken aback. “All of the easier Saint-tier battle techniques in the Qingyuan Empire are listed up there. As a Saint 1-dan pinnacle cultivator, Sun shi… has never practiced any of them before?”

Of the two hundred or so battle techniques, 180 of them were straightforward and easy to master. Yet, to actually not know a single one of them… just how weak was he?

“I have only cultivated one Saint-tier battle technique so far, but it isn’t among the two hundred techniques up there,” Zhang Xuan replied with an embarrassed smile.

Most of his stronger battle techniques had come from the Hongyuan Empire, but none of them had reached Saint-tier yet. Only the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, which he had learned from the ancient domain, had reached Saint-tier, but even so, he thought that there were too many flaws in it, so he had not practiced it anymore afterwards.

“You have only learned one Saint-tier battle technique? And it isn’t within the list?” The combat master glanced at Zhang Xuan with an inconspicuous hint of disdain in his eyes.

He had thought that the other party was a genius from some powerful clan, but who would have thought that he was an inexperienced greenhorn instead?

In the Martial Arts Division, combat masters who hadn’t mastered at least three Saint-tier battle techniques would not even dare to walk with their heads up.

“That’s right,” Zhang Xuan replied. Following which, he pondered for a moment before adding, “Do you have any of the manuals for the battle techniques listed on the wall? I’ll quickly learn one before challenging the Trial of Martial Arts.”

He might not have learned any of the battle techniques listed on the wall, but it was not a problem at all. He could always just learn on the spot.

“You’ll quickly learn one before challenging the Trial of Martial Arts?” The combat master nearly burst into laughter.

If it was not for the fact that the young man had been brought there by Division Head Wei, he would have berated the other party at this very moment.

Saint-tier battle techniques might have been commonplace in the Martial Arts Division, but any single one of them could easily be considered a trump card in a battle in the Qingyuan Empire.

It was true that most of the listed battle techniques were straightforward, but it would still take at least several years of practice before one could achieve Major Accomplishment in any one of the techniques and challenge the puppet.

Even the more talented geniuses of their Martial Arts Division would require at least two years of practice before they dared enter the Trial of Martial Arts. Yet, this fellow sure spoke big words. It sounded as if he would challenge the trial right after learning it on the spot.

Ignorance sure emboldened guts!

Pushing his displeasure back down, the combat master advised patiently, “I understand your desire to clear the Trial of Martial Arts, but mastering a battle technique isn’t as easy as you think it is. Regardless of the battle technique, it will require diligent practice over numerous years before one can even come close to reaching Major Accomplishment.”

“Thank you for your advice, I appreciate that. However, I think that it’s worth a try. If you have a manual of any of the listed battle techniques, I hope that you can lend it to me for a moment,” Zhang Xuan replied.

If he could compile the Saint-tier battle technique given by the other party with his current collection in the Library of Heaven’s Path to create a Heaven’s Path battle technique, he could still consider cultivating it. Otherwise, there was no way he would waste his effort on it.

“You… Alright then!”

The combat master was going to fly to a rage after seeing how obstinate Zhang Xuan was on the matter, but noting that Division Head Wei was by the side, he could only suppress his rage. Flicking his wrist, he took out a book.

“This is the manual for the Grand Constellation Finger that I am currently practicing. It’s among the two hundred battle techniques on the wall, but I’ll have to warn you that it might be a little difficult for you. I had to spend seven years on it before I was able to reach Minor Accomplishment!” the combat master explained with a hint of pride on his face.

“You took seven years to reach Minor Accomplishment in the Grand Constellation Finger?” Division Head Wei suddenly thought of something, and his eyebrows shot up. “Wait a moment, are you the genius of the Martial Arts Division whom Division Head Feng often speaks about, Jiao Tan?”

When they were looking for Division Head Feng, he had been the only combat master who happened to be in the vicinity, so they had approached him out of convenience to ask for the latter’s whereabouts. As such, they were not aware of the other party’s name.

However, upon hearing of the name of the battle technique and the duration the other party had taken to cultivate it to Minor Accomplishment, Division Head Wei suddenly recalled this matter.

The Grand Constellation Finger was definitely the most difficult to master out of the two hundred battle techniques listed on the wall, as well as the most powerful one. Even Division Head Feng had required 23 years before he could achieve Minor Accomplishment in the technique, but the other party had only taken seven years. His talent was truly frightening.

“Indeed, that’s me!” Combat Master Jiao Tan nodded with an air of dignity around him.

Chapter 1127: Eleven Breaths

“I see!”

Upon learning that the other party was the famed genius of the Martial Arts Division, a figure who stood toe-to-toe with Shi Hao, Division Head Wei nodded before turning to Zhang Xuan. “Sun shi, let me get another battle technique for you. Mastering the Grand Constellation Finger won’t be easy. Even among the two hundred battle techniques listed on the wall, it’s considered one of the harder ones.”

Considering that Division Head Feng was not a combat master and didn’t receive the systematic training that they underwent before, it was not surprising that he had taken two decades to achieve Minor Accomplishment in the technique. However, Jiao Tan was the most talented individual of the Martial Arts Division of the current generation, and yet, he had still taken seven years to reach Minor Accomplishment. It was no wonder the Grand Constellation Finger was famed as one of the hardest battle techniques to master in the Martial Arts Division!

Zhang Xuan shook his head as he casually took the manual of the Grand Constellation Finger from Jiao Tan’s hands and flipped through it. “There’s no need to go through so much trouble; I’ll just practice this one.”

To him, as long as he could compile a Heaven’s Path battle technique, it mattered not which of the two hundred battle techniques he practiced.

Knowing that he would draw hostility from the other party if he attempted to dissuade him too much, Division Head Wei conceded. “Alright then. If you wish to give up at any point in time, feel free to tell me. I’ll bring you another battle technique.”

Often, a cultivator had to try practicing the battle technique themself before they would truly understand how difficult it was.

Once the other party stumbled on the technique, failing to even achieve Novice mastery quickly, he would finally understand how difficult the Grand Constellation Finger was.

Clearly, Jiao Tan also harbored the same thoughts in mind. He stared at the conceited young man before him intently, waiting to see the look of desperation on the other party’s face once he realized that he could not comprehend the content of the manual.

However, his expectations did not come to be. Instead of desperation, he found himself looking at a face frowning in disgust.

“What do you mean by that?” Jiao Tan questioned in displeasure.

It was one thing for the other party to be unable to comprehend the manual, but what was with the look of disgust on his face? It was as if the other party thought that he was too good for their battle technique!

Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before replying, “It’s nothing!”

After which, he turned his attention back to the manual in his hands, and a moment later, he sighed deeply and said, “Forget it. I guess there’s no choice!”

With a look of resignation reminiscent of one who was ready to face death, Zhang Xuan closed his eyes.

“You…” Seeing how the other party’s expression grew even more exaggerated than before, Jiao Tan felt so wrathful that he could have blown up on the spot.

The Grand Constellation Finger might not have been a top-notch battle technique, but it was at least one of the stronger techniques in the Martial Arts Division. Normal cultivators would find it profound and difficult to cultivate, but they would still be honored to learn it. Yet… this fellow had a look of complete repulsion on his face, as if a fly had entered his mouth. That was really a little too much!

Jiao Tan harrumphed coldly. “What’s with your poor attitude? Even if you can’t comprehend the intricacies of the Grand Constellation Finger, surely you need not act in such a disrespectful manner…”

But before he could finish his words, a powerful aura carrying an air of antiquity and vastness suddenly burst forth from the young man before him. Following which, the young man suddenly raised his right hand and tapped at the space before him with his forefinger.

Tz la!

A burst of zhenqi tore across air, creating a deafening, piercing sound reminiscent of a piece of paper being torn into two. One could vaguely see stars rotating around the young man’s fingertip, as if he had the world in his hands.

The Grand Constellation Finger was a technique created by an elder of the Combat Master Hall more than ten thousand years ago. That elder had carefully observed the movements of celestial bodies, and emulating the positioning of the stars with his zhenqi, he had created this finger art.

This technique was feared not only for its powerful physical might. The finger art carried the vastness of the universe within it as well, and those facing it would feel as if they were traversing through boundless space, exerting great pressure on their souls. As such, it was extremely difficult to guard against this attack.

However, it was also for the same reason that it was extremely difficult for ordinary cultivators to comprehend. There were even some who had dedicated their entire lives to it, only to remain oblivious to the power of the stars on their deathbed.

Jiao Tan’s initial intention of offering the Grand Constellation Finger to Sun shi was because he could not stand the other party’s arrogance and wanted to teach him some humility. However, upon seeing the burst of zhenqi from the other party’s finger, his eyes narrowed, and his body trembled. “This is… Novice?”

He had thought that the other party was just putting on an act in order to spare himself from the embarrassment of being unable to comprehend the battle technique, and yet, just after shutting his eyes for an instant, he had actually managed to achieve Novice mastery!

One must know that even Jiao Tan himself had taken an entire year to reach Novice mastery!

Tzzzzzzz!

While Jiao Tan was astonished beyond measure, the zhenqi gathering on the young man’s finger was swiftly growing stronger and stronger, to the point where a deep rumbling sound could be heard from the sheer accumulation of power. In that instant, Jiao Tan felt as if the entire room had turned dark, and the stars around him threatened to fall upon him.

“This is… Initiate?” Jiao Tan gulped down a mouthful of saliva as his face turned completely pale.

The biggest hurdle in the Grand Constellation Finger lay in the initial phase, where one had to comprehend the power of the stars in order to draw upon the might of the technique. Once one overcame this challenge, the subsequent cultivation of the technique would be a little easier and faster. But even so, it was not supposed to be so fast!

How long did the other party take?

Ten breaths?

Five breaths?

Or only two breaths?

A tap of his finger, and the other party was already at Initiate. Before he could even begin to process what was going on, the other party was already at Initiate…

Is this even humanly possible?

Jiao Tan’s felt his throat turn dry. He quickly turned his gaze to ask Division Head Wei just what kind of background the young man came from to be able to grasp the Grand Constellation Finger so easily, only to see Division Head Wei staring at the young man with bulging eyes as well.

Clearly, Division Head Wei had not expected the young man to be able to advance from Novice to Initiate that quickly either.

After all, this was something that defied common sense.

“Division Head Wei…” Fearing that he would interrupt the cultivating Sun shi, Jiao Tan opted to send a telepathic message over instead.

“Hmm?” Division Head Wei was jolted out of his shock.

“Has Sun shi… really not practiced the Grand Constellation Finger in the past?” Jiao Tan asked doubtfully.

Recalling the various incredible deeds the young man had achieved earlier, Division Head Wei contemplated for a moment before replying. “That should be the case. There’s no need for someone of his caliber to lie about something as minor as this!”

A collaboration between the hall master and two division heads, and Sun shi was still able to escape unscathed. Not only so, he even managed to find an opportunity to tap into the formation of the Heart Division to subdue them. And just earlier, he had destroyed all ten stone walls in the Trial of Inner Breath with a single palm strike.

Surely a person of such great capability would not need to lie just to inflate his ego. It was more likely that the Grand Constellation Finger was simply easy to him.

“If he has not practiced the Grand Constellation Finger before and really managed to reach Initiate within just a few breaths… won’t he catch up to my seven years of effort and reach Minor Accomplishment in just a single day?” Jiao Tan uttered with widened eyes as his lips quivered in horror.

“Surely not. There’s a huge rift between Initiate and Minor Accomplishment, so it shouldn’t be possible for anyone to do it so quickly… Ah?”

Halfway through his words, Division Head Wei abruptly exclaimed in shock.

At this point, the young man had straightened his arm, and a vortex reminiscent of a revolving stellar river appeared at his fingertip. Just looking at that incredible mass of power rotating on the fingertip could easily leave one light-headed.

“Minor Accomplishment…”

The duo fearfully took two steps back.

It was just a moment ago that Division Head Wei had said that the other party would not reach Minor Accomplishment that day, but the next moment, he was forced to swallow his words.

Hu!

Upon achieving Minor Accomplishment, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes. He looked at the vortex of power gathered on his fingertip and sighed deeply before turning his gaze toward Jiao Tan.

“Does the Trial of Martial Arts only open to those who have achieved Major Accomplishment in their battle technique?”

Jiao Tan was not too sure why the other party was asking such a question, but he swiftly nodded in response. “That’s right…”

Only one who had achieved Major Accomplishment in any of the two hundred battle techniques would stand a chance in the Trial of Martial Arts. Over time, this had become the prerequisite to challenging the trial.

Jiao Tan was just about to explain this matter to the young man when the latter sighed deeply and said, “I see…”

Following which, the young man closed his eyes once more.

“What?” Jiao Tan’s cheeks twitched. “You aren’t thinking of… pushing for a breakthrough to Major Accomplishment right now, are you? The Grand Constellation Finger is highly demanding on zhenqi, and a forceful breakthrough without prior preparation could easily result in severe internal injuries.”

Once again, before Jiao Tan could finish his words, the young man raised his finger and tapped on the space before him once more.

Huala!

The air in the area was suddenly compressed tightly together. All of a sudden, Jiao Tan felt as if he was standing in the middle of the universe with innumerable stars around him. Each and every one of the stars was flying toward him with incredible momentum, threatening to crush his body into smithereens.

“Domain of Stars…” Jiao Tan’s body trembled intensely. “This is… the level of mastery exceeding Major Accomplishment, Consummation?”

The mastery of a battle technique could be divided into five levels: Novice, Initiate, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Consummation.

It was just a moment ago that he had said that reaching Major Accomplishment would be nigh impossible, and the following moment, the other party managed to reach Consummation with such ease.

It seemed like from the moment he came into contact with the manual till he cultivated to Consummation, all in all… only a dozen or so seconds had passed!

And he, the most talented individual of the Martial Arts Division, had spent seven years only to reach Minor Accomplishment.

An overwhelming sense of defeat left him feeling as if he would explode on the spot.

There would be no damage if there hadn’t been any comparison.

Not knowing that his short moment of cultivation had scared Division Head Wei and Jiao Tan to the point that they were going to spew blood at any moment, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes.

Truthfully, if it was not for the collection of books within, he would never have lowered himself to cultivating the Grand Constellation Finger.

Even after compiling it with the finger arts in his Library of Heaven’s Path, there were still five flaws in it!

He had never thought that he would cultivate such a flawed battle technique in his life. It was for this reason that he had such a conflicted expression on his face.

It was simply too hard to swallow this finger art!

This must surely be the darkest stain in his history of cultivation!

However, it could not be helped. He had to clear the Trial of Martial Arts to find more Saint 2-dan cultivation techniques in order to achieve a breakthrough. Otherwise, who knew how much longer it would take him?

It was fortunate that none of these flaws demanded a catalyst for him to cultivate the battle technique, or else he would have been in deep trouble.

Shaking away the frustrations in his mind, Zhang Xuan said, “I’m done. Combat Master Jiao Tan, I will have to trouble you to register me for the Trial of Martial Arts.”

Most of the flaws were regarding the tearing of the cultivator’s meridians upon the execution of the technique, putting the cultivator in excruciating pain. However, with Zhang Xuan’s Heaven’s Path zhenqi, he could heal those tears swiftly, so it did not pose a problem.

In any case, he only required it to clear the trial. At most, he would just avoid using it in the future.

“Y-yes!” Jiao Tan finally recovered from his shock. Cowering back slightly, he quickly left the area. Not too long later, he returned. “Sun shi, I have negotiated with the combat masters in charge and gotten you the next slot for the trial!”

A large crowd would challenge the Trial of Martial Arts each day, but the number that would eventually pass the trial was very low.

Considering that the young man had been brought over by Division Head Wei himself, and he had already achieved the level of Consummation for the Grand Constellation Finger, it was not anything much to let him go first for the trial.

“Thank you for your help.” Zhang Xuan clasped his fist in gratitude before following Jiao Tan forward.

The door to the trial happened to open at this moment, and a young man walked out with a gloomy expression on his face. With just a look, it was obvious that he had failed the examination.

“Sun shi, this way.” Jiao Tan gestured into the opened doorway.

Zhang Xuan walked in, and in the blink of an eye, he had already disappeared from everyone’s sight.

“Jiao Tan, just what is that fellow’s background that you would intervene in his stead to give him priority in the queue?”

“I don’t know either…” Jiao Tan shook his head.

“You don’t know? Then, surely you do know what battle technique he is going to be challenging, right?” the combat master asked again.

Based on the reported battle technique, it was possible to deduce the other party’s background.

“He’s challenging the Grand Constellation Finger!” Jiao Tan said.

“Grand Constellation Finger? Isn’t that the battle technique you are cultivating at the moment?”

“I heard that that battle technique is incredibly difficult to master. Even someone as talented as you took seven years in order to reach Minor Accomplishment! For that fellow to dare challenge that battle technique, has he already achieved Major Accomplishment in it? But judging from his appearance, he doesn’t look old enough.”

The combat master from before frowned. “Given his young age, how long could he possibly have cultivated the technique?”

“Probably…” It was intended as a hypothetical question, but Jiao Tan happened to have the answer to it. With a bitter smile, he said, “Twelve breaths. Ah, no, it should be eleven breaths!”

Chapter 1128: Division Head Feng’s Misery

Hu!

As soon as Zhang Xuan stepped through the door, a puppet at the very end of the room stood up.

Its appearance looked no different from a real person. With its snowy hair and beard, it resembled a human in his sixties.

Most likely, it’s constructed in the form of Division Head Feng, Zhang Xuan deduced.

Division Head Feng was probably a celestial designer as well, which was not surprising since he came from the Master Teacher Pavilion in the first place. Otherwise, it should have been impossible for him to craft such a lifelike puppet.

If Zhang Xuan had not known in advance, he would have really thought that the figure before him was a true human.

“The battle technique you have chosen is the Grand Constellation Finger. If you are able to withstand my attack with just the Grand Constellation Finger, you will have cleared the trial. Otherwise, you’ll have to leave and try again next time,” the puppet said in an impassive tone.

“Alright.” Zhang Xuan nodded as he took a step forward.

Pitting the same battle technique against a puppet of the same cultivation realm, even if he did not use his Eye of Insight and Library of Heaven’s Path, he was still absolutely confident that he would be the one to emerge victorious in the very end.

…

“Reporting to Hall Master Xing, it appears that Division Head Wei has taken Sun laoshi to the Martial Arts Division.”

Hall Master Xing and the others had led Elder Qi to the Inner Breath Division, but Zhang Xuan and Division Head Wei were nowhere to be found. Thus, he had turned his sight toward Shi Hao, and he soon received his answer.

Hall Master Xing frowned. “What are they doing at the Martial Arts Division?”

“I’m not too sure either.” Shi Hao shook his head.

“Hold on a moment. Did you just address Sun shi as… Sun laoshi?” The sharp Division Head Liao swiftly noticed that there was something amiss with Shi Hao’s words.

Addressing Sun Qiang as Sun shi was a respectful way to refer to master teachers, but Sun laoshi meant something even deeper than that. It was a way to address one who had enlightened them greatly in their path.

“Yes, Sun laoshi has given us invaluable pointers in our cultivation; we are extremely grateful to him.” Shi Hao nodded.

“This…” Hall Master Xing and the others glanced at one another and frowned.

It was one thing for a spirit awakener to provide pointers to combat masters, but to win the respect of so many of them and have them acknowledge him as their teacher simultaneously… Just what in the world had happened?

Soon, upon clarifying the situation, the trio was dumbfounded.

Destroying the Trial of Inner Breath with a single palm strike and subduing Shi Hao with just a finger… Just how much zhenqi did Sun shi possess?

“Let’s head to the Martial Arts Division to take a look!” said Hall Master Xing, intrigued, before quickly making his way over to the Martial Arts Division.

Soon, he arrived at the entrance of the Trial of Martial Arts.

“You’re all here!” At this moment, Division Head Wei suddenly noticed the old man standing alongside Hall Master Xing and Division Head Liao, and his eyes lit up as he quickly clasped his fist respectfully. “Elder Qi, you are fine?”

“Un.” Elder Qi nodded. “Where is Sun shi?”

“Ah, he just entered the trial,” Division Head Wei replied with a smile.

“Trial?” Hall Master Xing frowned.

“Sun shi is trying to find some Saint 2-dan cultivation technique manuals, but there aren’t any suited for him in the Inner Breath Division. Thus, we came over to look for Division Head Feng, but he happened to not be around. So, Sun shi decided to challenge the Trial of Martial Arts so as to gain access to Division Head Feng’s collection of books!” Division Head Wei swiftly summarized the happenings.

Recalling when they faced the young man earlier and the astounding sight they had witnessed at the Inner Breath Division, Hall Master Xing stroked his beard and remarked, “With his strength, clearing the trial shouldn’t be a problem!”

A genius of Sun shi’s caliber would not face any trouble clearing the Trial of Martial Arts. There was no need to worry about him.

Hall Master Xing continued after a brief pause. “Speaking of which, didn’t Division Head Feng return to the Martial Arts Division right after our conference? He usually spends his time cooped up within the Martial Arts Division, and there have been no reports saying that he has sneaked out like the others. It’s a little weird that he isn’t around here.”

Except for collecting new cultivation techniques and battle technique manuals, Division Head Feng’s greatest hobby was to isolate himself in his living quarters to study battle techniques. In fact, there were many times when Hall Master Xing had invited him to various formal occasions, only to be rejected for this reason. Considering how he did not defect to the Xuanxuan Faction like Division Head Zhou and Division Head Wu, it seemed a little bizarre for him not to be in the Martial Arts Division.

“I was also wondering the same thing,” Division Head Wei said.

He had been a little perplexed by the matter when he heard from Jiao Tan that Division Head Feng wasn’t around. However, out of respect for Division Head Feng’s privacy, he had chosen not to enquire too deeply.

“Old Feng actually willingly came out of his den? Why do I find that inconceivable? Wait a moment, could it be…” In the middle of his words, Division Head Liao suddenly recalled a matter and froze.

“What’s wrong?”

Noting that Division Head Liao had thought of something, Hall Master Xing and the others quickly turned their attention to him.

“As you know, I have a close relationship with Old Feng. He regularly comes over to seek my help in clearing his inner demons. On one of these occasions, he told me that he has a bizarre habit.” Division Head Liao spoke with twitching lips. “From time to time, he hides in the Trial of Martial Arts and pretends to be the puppet so as to assess his combat masters personally.”

“Pretends to be the puppet?” Everyone was stunned.

They had not expected to hear such words.

“That’s right. The Trial of Martial Arts is usually conducted by the puppet crafted by Old Feng, but facing multiple combat masters every single day, it inevitably accumulates damage and breaks down from time to time. In such cases, he suppresses his cultivation and acts as the puppet to battle with the challenging combat masters.”

Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, Division Head Liao continued. “I only heard of this matter from him once though, so I took it as a joke. But… could it be true?”

A division head pretending to be a puppet in a trial was not a particularly shocking incident. Naturally, Division Head Feng would not tell such a secret to just anyone, so there were not many in the Combat Master Hall who knew of the matter. Or perhaps, Division Head Liao might even have been the only one aware of the issue.

For Division Head Feng to suddenly disappear despite there being no traces that he had left the Combat Master Hall… could he really be acting as a puppet in the Trial of Martial Arts at that very moment?

Hall Master Xing was stunned for a moment before asking anxiously, “What battle technique did Sun shi choose?”

Considering how dedicated Division Head Feng was toward the pursuit of battle techniques, there was no knowing if he would get serious with Sun shi! It would not be too much of a problem if Division Head Feng injured any of the combat masters—they would at least still be able to resolve it internally—but Sun shi was their esteemed guest!

“He chose the Grand Constellation Finger,” Division Head Wei replied.

“That is indeed a powerful battle technique, but it’s incredibly difficult to master as well. Sun shi actually managed to master such a powerful technique despite his age?” Hall Master Xing was stunned.

“He didn’t know any of the battle techniques, so Jiao Tan offered him the manual of the Grand Constellation Finger, and… he learned it on the spot.” Division Head Wei spoke hesitantly, unsure of how he should explain the matter to the others.

Before he could finish his words, Division Head Liao had already interjected in a panic. “He is going against Old Feng despite only learning the technique moments ago? You should have stopped him!

“Old Feng is a lunatic, you know! If he learns that Sun shi is challenging the Trial of Martial Arts after just learning the fundamentals of the technique, he will think that the other party is disrespecting the solemnity of the trial and fly into a rage! You also know how seriously Old Feng takes the cultivation of battle techniques! This is really bad. Old Feng won’t show any mercy once he is blinded by wrath. We have to rush in to stop him!”

At this point, Division Head Liao’s eyes were widened in horror, and goosebumps rose all over his arms.

Division Head Feng, just like his surname[1], was a true lunatic. He took everything relating to battle techniques seriously, and he would never allow anyone to sully it in the least. Given that Sun shi had just learned the Grand Constellation Finger moments ago, his lack of mastery would surely show through in the trial in an instant.

Once Division Head Feng realized the matter, he would spare no punches in teaching Sun shi a lesson! And against a raging Primordial Spirit realm expert, no matter how powerful Sun shi was, there was no way he could last too long against him

Jiya!

Panicking, Division Head Liao and the others quickly rushed toward the door of the Trial of Martial Arts to save Sun shi, but at that moment, the door suddenly creaked opened. A young man calmly walked out from the door.

As he walked, he leisurely adjusted his robe to tidy himself up.

Hall Master Xing and the others ran up to the young man, but upon seeing that the latter was completely unharmed, they couldn’t help but ask in intrigue, “Sun shi… are you fine?”

“Un, I’m fine,” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

“Have you… cleared the trial?” Division Head Wei asked.

“Un, it wasn’t too difficult. However, I am really impressed by how exquisitely the puppet is crafted. To fully emulate the situation in a true fight, it is even able to spurt blood! If I hadn’t known in advance, I might have just thought that it’s a real human.”

“Spurt blood?”

Upon hearing those words, the lips of the crowd began twitching wildly.

“I was also as surprised as you are back when I saw it! However, as exquisite as it is, there are still some glitches in it that requires fixing. After I defeated it in a direct clash at the same cultivation realm using the same battle technique, I asked it if I have cleared the trial yet or not, but it did not reply to me. So, I could only continue the fight with it.

“As if that wasn’t bad enough, its cultivation even started rising halfway through! I was afraid that I might be no match for it at that rate, so I made a preemptive strike and knocked it out. That should still be considered as a pass, right?” Zhang Xuan asked slightly worriedly.

“You knocked it out?”

“Its cultivation started rising halfway through?”

If they were still uncertain whether or not Division Head Feng was acting as the puppet before, Zhang Xuan’s words had fully confirmed their doubts—the puppet had to be Division Head Feng!

The puppet in the Trial of Martial Arts was not weak, but its strength was fixed. There was no way its cultivation would suddenly rise in the midst of a battle! The only plausible explanation was that it was Division Head Feng in disguise!

“Let’s go in to take a look!” Hall Master Xing and the others quickly bypassed Zhang Xuan and rushed into the trial, and with just a glance at the situation inside, their faces began twitching uncontrollably.

A bloodied Division Head Feng was smashed into the wall, and his clothes had been torn to shreds by some kind of devastating might. His current situation was as unkempt as one could imagine.

“It’s indeed Old Feng…” Division Head Liao quickly rushed forward and placed his fingers on the other party’s pulse, confirming that the figure before him was indeed a living human.

He flicked his wrist and swiftly popped a recovery pill into Division Head Feng’s mouth. At the same time, he drove his zhenqi into the latter’s body to help the latter assimilate the energy within the pill.

Not too long later, the unconscious Division Head Feng finally came to.

“What are all of you doing here?” Division Head Feng asked with a confused look.

“Were you assessing a young man earlier before… being knocked out?” Hall Master Xing asked hesitantly.

“Yes… that does seem to be the case. The young man who came in to challenge the trial earlier has a profound comprehension of the Grand Constellation Finger. Given the same cultivation realm and battle technique, I was no match for him at all! Intrigued, I discreetly raised my cultivation to see how far I could push him… but who would have thought that the fellow would suddenly rush over at that instant and knock me out with a flick of his finger? Then… then… I can’t recall anything anymore…” Division Head Feng’s face reddened.

It was not easy for him to meet someone who had achieved such incredible mastery in the Grand Constellation Finger. As a martial arts fanatic, it was inevitable that he would be fascinated by the matter. Wanting to witness the might of the Grand Constellation Finger in its full glory, he had attempted to push the other party a little further. But who could have expected that he would be knocked out before he achieved anything at all?

How embarrassing!

“You are really…” Hearing those words, Hall Master Xing could not help but sigh in vexation.

For an esteemed division head of the Combat Master Hall to be pummeled into such a tragic state by a mere Saint 1-dan fellow… Hall Master Xing really had no idea what to make of the matter.

However, recalling how he and another two division heads had been completely subdued by Sun shi back in the Heart Division at all, he realized that he was not really in a position to admonish Division Head Feng either.

“Right, how did you know that I was in here? Also, who is that young man?” Division Head Feng asked curiously. “I don’t think I have seen him around in the Combat Master Hall before.”

While he did not know all of the combat masters in the Combat Master Hall, he could still recognize most of their faces. The face of the young man looked extremely foreign to him, so there was a good chance that he was not from their Combat Master Hall.

“He’s a spirit awakener whom Hall Master Xing invited over to help enchant his Primordial Spirit,” Division Head Liao explained.

“He’s a spirit awakener?” Division Head Feng was stunned. “But he was able to overpower me easily even when the both of us were at the same cultivation realm. You are telling me that a spirit awakener has managed to attain such a deep comprehension of the profound Grand Constellation Finger?”

One must know that he was the head of the Martial Arts Division! With his deep comprehension of battle techniques, he wielded fighting prowess far surpassing his peers.

With such strength, it was nigh impossible for any cultivator of a lower cultivation realm to match him even when he had suppressed his cultivation to the other party’s level. Yet, a spirit awakener had not only managed to subdue him but even easily knocked him out when he attempted to raise his cultivation.

“It’s the truth. Sun shi isn’t just a spirit awakener but a master teacher as well. It’s like this…” Seeing the look of disbelief on Division Head Feng’s face, Hall Master Xing could only explain the various happenings earlier.

“This…” Division Head Feng’s body stiffened in shock, not daring to believe what he had just heard. “Just eleven breaths after he looked through the manual of the Grand Constellation Finger, he has already attained a mastery in the technique that far surpasses what I have achieved in the past several hundred years?”

Seeing that Division Head Feng had his confidence utterly shattered, Hall Master Xing quickly stepped in to change the topic. “It’s meaningless to judge true geniuses by our common sense. Come, I’ll introduce Sun shi to you.”

“Un.” Division Head Feng sighed deeply before nodding.

The very moment that the group stepped out of the trial room together, they saw innumerable combat masters kneeling and kowtowing on the ground. Their excited and admiration-filled gazes were directed toward a young man not too far away.

“Teacher, thank you for opening our eyes!”

[1] Old Feng’s ‘Feng’ (丰) has the same pronunciation as the character for insane in Chinese.

Chapter 1129: Saint 2-dan Heaven’s Path Divine Art

“This…”

Seeing even the most talented genius of his Martial Arts Division bowing to the young man, Division Head Feng was completely bewildered.

What in the world happened?

Aren’t the combat masters of our Combat Master Hall supposed to be prideful individuals who never bow to anyone?

The young man left the trial just moments earlier, and all of them had already acknowledged him as their teacher?

Unable to stand it any longer, Hall Master Xing walked up to Elder Qi and asked, “Elder Qi, this… what is going on?”

“Sun shi imparted some pointers on how one could more effectively utilize battle techniques… and it was deeply enlightening!” Elder Qi replied with a face flushed crimson from agitation, and his fingers were trembling non-stop. It was as if even he was tempted to acknowledge Sun shi as his teacher as well.

“Just some pointers on effectively utilizing battle techniques have left them in such a state?” Division Head Feng could hardly believe what he was hearing.

Their Martial Arts Division had a huge collection of insights from preceding combat masters on how one could maximize the effectiveness of their battle techniques in battle, but most of them were conflicting with one another. Each of them made sense in their own ways, thus making it impossible to tell the correct insights from the incorrect. For Sun shi to win the reverence of everyone here just by lecturing a bit on the subject… Wasn’t that a little too exaggerated?

“You are only saying that because you didn’t hear the content of his lecture. Forget it, it’ll be difficult to explain it to you at the moment. Just grab a combat master and ask him about the matter later on!”

Those who had not listened to the lecture would never comprehend how profound and novel that young man’s interpretation of the subject was. Ignoring the confused Division Head Feng, Elder Qi rushed up to Zhang Xuan and clasped his fist respectfully.

“Sun shi, we meet again. Thank you for saving my life back in the Jingyuan City!”

Even though Sun shi had altered his appearance, there was not much change to his voice. Just by hearing him speak, Elder Qi was certain that the young man before him was the middle-aged man who had saved him back then.

“It’s you! What are you doing here?” Zhang Xuan was surprised.

To his astonishment, the elder before him was the Eccentric Old Man whom he had met in Jingyuan City. Back then, the Eccentric Old Man had been plagued by a lethal poison, resulting in a languishing aura around him. However, in this moment, his face had a healthy red glow to it, and his aura felt more vigorous and livelier than ever. Had the other party not addressed him directly, he would not have believed that the person standing before him was actually the same old man he had met back then!

“It’s all thanks to Sun shi’s help. I was able to successfully make a full recovery after you cured my poison. Just a while ago, I successfully made a breakthrough, so I decided to return here to exact my vengeance!” Elder Qi replied.

Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

Without a doubt, Elder Qi’s poison was the result of someone’s malicious deeds. Considering how long he had suffered under the torture of the poison, there was no way he would be willing to let the culprit get away scot-free, especially since he had managed to regain his strength!

“Don’t worry about it. I have already received your medicinal herbs as compensation, so we’re even now,” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile. Then, he turned to Division Head Wei and said, “I have defeated the puppet earlier, so I should have cleared the trial, right? May I trouble you to lead me to the book collection?”

“Of course!” Division Head Wei’s lips twitched a little as he swiftly nodded.

Those who cleared the trial were able to access Division Head Feng’s collection of books. As this was the rule Division Head Feng had set himself, there was no one who would complain about that. There was no need to trouble Division Head Feng over this matter.

Besides, if the other combat masters were to learn of this matter, Division Head Feng would probably die of embarrassment.

Following behind Division Head Wei, Zhang Xuan soon entered a library.

On the other hand, upon noting Zhang Xuan’s departure, Hall Master Xing and the others hurriedly rushed up to Elder Qi and asked, “Elder Qi, is he… really the Sun Qiang you were talking about?”

The reason Elder Qi had hurried over so anxiously was to confirm whether the other party was the benefactor who had saved him previously.

“Un, he’s definitely my benefactor. It doesn’t seem like he’s the Zhang Xuan person whom you were talking about!” Elder Qi nodded.

Given that he was acquainted with Sun shi back at Jingyuan City, there did not seem to have been any need for the other party to disguise himself as another person back then. Going by this logic, it did not seem likely for the other party to be Principal Zhang.

“Thank goodness!” Hall Master Xing heaved a sigh of relief.

Noting the other party’s response, Elder Qi asked in bewilderment, “What’s wrong? Do you have a conflict with Principal Zhang? He’s well-respected in the Hongyuan Empire, and there’s hardly any discredit to his name. Did he offend the Combat Master Hall in some way?”

Zhang Xuan’s name was resounding in the Hongyuan Empire, to the extent that his reputation surpassed even that of Emperor Yu Shenqing. Countless youths regarded him as their idol.

Putting aside the many incredible feats and merits he had accomplished, there was not a shred of dishonor to his name. Given so, it should be safe to assume that he was a person of noble stature. Why would Hall Master Xing fear such a person so?

“There are no conflicts between us. It’s a long story.” Hall Master Xing realized that he had acted inappropriately upon hearing Elder Qi’s question, so he quickly waved his hand.

Division Head Liao sent a telepathic message to Hall Master Xing. “Hall Master Xing, since it’s confirmed that Sun shi isn’t Zhang Xuan, and considering his incredible talent and outstanding comprehension of battle techniques, if we could have him represent our Combat Master Hall in the exchange with the Xuanxuan Faction…”

Hearing those words, Hall Master Xing’s eyes lit up.

Indeed. After witnessing it with his own eyes, even he had no choice but to admit that the Xuanxuan Faction was a formidable foe. He had been confident of victory given that he had achieved a breakthrough and obtained the highest secret art, Vitreous Heart Tempering Sutra, of the Combat Master Hall, but on second thought, there was still a huge gap between their combat skills. If the Combat Master Hall were to win by sheer strength and not skill, it would not reflect too well on them either.

However, Sun shi was different.

In terms of combat skills, he could use a battle technique that he had learned moments ago to overwhelm Division Head Feng. In terms of state of mind, even the founder of the Heart Division had approved of him and willingly given him the highest control over the Heart Division’s formations. In terms of zhenqi, he could shatter ten stone walls in the Trial of Inner Breath simultaneously. In terms of real fighting prowess, he could escape from a collaborative offense from the three of them.

No matter how one looked at it, Sun shi was an expert among experts. There were none who could rival him in the same level!

If they could have him represent the Combat Master Hall in the exchange against the Xuanxuan Faction, the reputation of the Combat Master Hall would surely be boosted significantly. At the same time, it would also immensely increase their chances in bringing the Xuanxuan Faction under them.

“That’s a good idea!”

After another moment of deep contemplation, Hall Master Xing continued. “However… he’s ultimately not from our Combat Master Hall. If we have him fight on our behalf and others learn of it… will the reputation of our Combat Master Hall be sullied?”

“That won’t be a problem. We could have him represent our Combat Master Hall in the fight against Principal Zhang. If he wins, the Xuanxuan Faction will come under our Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall. Once that happens, not only will our reputation not take a dip, it will even soar to unprecedented heights,” Division Head Liao said.

“You’re right.” Hall Master Xing nodded.

That was indeed the case.

If they could have the bunch from the Xuanxuan Faction join the Combat Master Hall, their Qingyuan Empire’s branch would surely grow stronger and stronger. With time, they might even become a powerhouse within the Alliance.

Even if the Xuanxuan Faction had complaints then, they could deal with it internally. It would not affect their overall situation.

“But… what if he loses?” Hall Master Xing was still a little worried.

Sun shi was indeed a formidable opponent, but Principal Zhang was not a pushover either!

No matter what, he was the man who single-handedly groomed their potential Progeny of Combat, Zheng Yang, and he was also the man behind the overwhelming strength of the Xuanxuan Faction!

There was no way such a person like that could possibly be weak!

“If we lose, there will be no way around it. At the very most, our entire Combat Master Hall will join the Xuanxuan Faction!” Division Head Liao said grimly.

“This…” Hall Master Xing fell silent upon hearing those words.

“We have no other option at this point. Once it becomes known that Division Head Zhou, Division Head Lu, and the others have already defected to the Xuanxuan Faction, it will surely cause a huge uproar. With time, more and more combat masters will turn to the Xuanxuan Faction!” Division Head Liao said bitterly.

It was not that he wanted to do this, but they were truly cornered at this point.

In terms of overall prowess, the Xuanxuan Faction was definitely no match for the Combat Master Hall. However, their comprehension of combat had reached an unfathomable level; it was inevitable that the strength-seeking combat masters would be drawn to them.

Of course, this was not necessarily a bad thing. If the combat masters could learn from the Xuanxuan Faction, their fighting prowess would be brought up to a whole new level.

The only issue at the moment was who wielded the dominant position. If the Combat Master Hall was forced to be subservient to a lesser organization, they would become a laughingstock.

Given that this matter concerned the future of the Combat Master Hall, Hall Master Xing had to tread carefully regarding this matter. He thought deeply for a moment before eventually sighing in resignation. “You’re right, we can only do it this way now. I’ll talk to Sun shi about the matter later when he’s done browsing through the books.”

For the Combat Master Hall to be cornered by a lesser organization from a Tier-1 Empire, what a farcical situation they had found themselves in!

But that was indeed what was happening, so he had no choice but to face it.

It might seem absurd, but the Xuanxuan Faction could very well be the greatest crisis they had ever faced. The Xuanxuan Faction’s superior combat skills and philosophy of impartation without discrimination were a bad match for the Combat Master Hall. Putting aside the division heads, if not for the fact that the pride and honor of the Combat Master Hall lay on his shoulders, Hall Master Xing would have rushed over to learn from them as well.

At this point, he could only wish for the best.

…

This is the library of the Martial Arts Division? What an incredible collection of books!

Unaware of the thoughts of Hall Master Xing and the others, Zhang Xuan’s excited gaze was currently fixated on the innumerable shelves of books before him.

As expected of the Martial Arts Division, their collection was nothing short of impressive.

On top of the two hundred Saint-tier battle techniques listed for the Trial of Martial Arts, there were also tens of thousands of Spirit-tier battle techniques as well.

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in excitement. With these battle techniques, I might just be able to perfect the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm into a Heaven’s Path battle technique.

What he was lacking the most at the moment was high-tier battle technique manuals. With so many of them, he would be able to raise his comprehension of battle techniques up a notch, thus bringing his fighting prowess to another level.

Flaws!

Zhang Xuan swiftly laid his eyes on the first shelf and began collecting the books into his Library of Heaven’s Path.

Hualala!

Books were appearing in the Library of Heaven’s Path at an incredible speed.

Ten minutes later, Zhang Xuan had finally finished taking in all of the battle technique manuals.

There really is a substantial collection of Saint 2-dan cultivation techniques here!

After browsing through the battle techniques, Zhang Xuan turned his sight to the last few shelves and saw all kinds of zhenqi cultivation techniques. All in all, there were roughly several hundred of them.

There were also a couple of Saint 3-dan and Saint 4-dan cultivation technique manuals, but there were not too many of them, numbering only around four to five each.

Zhang Xuan swiftly glanced over them and collected them into the Library of Heaven’s Path as well.

Compile!

In the blink of an eye, three books appeared before Zhang Xuan’s eyes—Saint 2-dan, Saint 3-dan, and Saint 4-dan.

He swiftly flipped through them.

I have finally managed to form the Saint 2-dan Heaven’s Path Divine Art!

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in excitement as he heaved a sigh of relief.

Those hundreds of books had allowed him to perfect the Saint 2-dan cultivation technique. Unfortunately, there were still many flaws with the Saint 3-dan and Saint 4-dan cultivation techniques, so he could not cultivate them at the moment.

Nevertheless, he was satisfied.

I should just push for a breakthrough here, Zhang Xuan thought.

There was no one in the library, and it was extremely quiet. At the same time, he could not be bothered to find another place outside, so he headed to a corner and entered the Myriad Anthive Nest.

Considering his cultivation’s strong foundation, his breakthrough would surely cause a commotion. How embarrassing it would be if he were to accidentally destroy the other party’s library in the midst of doing so?

It would be safer for him to do it in the Myriad Anthive Nest.

In the Myriad Anthive Nest, he quickly found himself a quiet place before setting up a grade-7 Spirit Gathering Formation. Following which, he threw several thousand high-tier spirit stones in before sitting in the middle of it.

High-tier spirit stones were starting to become ineffective in his cultivation, so he needed a Spirit Gathering Formation to maximize their effects. Otherwise, if he were to just absorb them normally, it would be difficult for him to build up the momentum required for a breakthrough.

Once all preparations were ready, Zhang Xuan went through the Saint 2-dan Heaven’s Path Divine Art in his mind once more before devouring the surrounding spiritual energy greedily and swiftly converting them into zhenqi.

Saint 2-dan Spiritual Perception realm. At this level, cultivators would open their Incipient Eye, allowing them to perceive their surroundings more vividly than any of their other senses through their Spiritual Perception. While a breakthrough to this realm would not raise a cultivator’s basic strength by too much, the enhanced perception of one’s surroundings would allow one to make more precise movements in battle, and often, that could be the difference between victory and defeat.

This should be enough… Time to open my Incipient Eye!

With his eyes closed, Zhang Xuan’s consciousness slowly crept into his dantian before eventually stopping before his golden Origin Core, which sat at the center of his dantian.

Chapter 1130: Knock His Teeth Out!

With a tense look, Zhang Xuan began to drive his zhenqi according to the Saint 2-dan Heaven’s Path Divine Art.

A brilliant glow burst from his Origin Core, and it slowly began to revolve with increasing speed. An immense wave of spiritual energy gushed in from the surrounding formation, nourishing his Origin Core. In the blink of an eye, a vortex of spiritual energy reminiscent of a tornado had already formed above Zhang Xuan, producing a deafening whirring sound.

The process to opening one’s Incipient Eye was extremely complicated, so Zhang Xuan dared not let his guard down. He controlled the immense amount of zhenqi flowing through his body with incredible precision, not leaving the slightest gap for error.

Hong long long!

As spiritual energy was gathering at a rate too fast, the Myriad Anthive Nest began to shake violently. The Ten Kings of the Cloud Mist Ridge looked over with astonished looks, unable to believe what they were seeing.

They had reached Spiritual Perception realm not too long ago, and from their experience, opening the Incipient Eye should not have caused such a huge ruckus. But why was it that such conventions did not apply to their master?

Not only so, they even felt a powerful pressure weighing down on them.

…

Being driven by the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, the devoured spiritual energy was swiftly converted into the incomparably pure Heaven’s Path zhenqi before being channeled toward the Origin Core.

Tzzzzzzzz!

Under the massive influx of zhenqi, the massive Origin Core slowly opened up, similar to a blossoming flower. A being reminiscent of an eyeball slowly emerged from within, and it looked as if it would open its eyes at any moment.

This was the crucial period, and Zhang Xuan knew it as well. Widening his pores as large as he could, he swiftly consumed all of the spiritual energy around him and gathered it all together, forming an incredible deluge similar to a rapid river.

“Open!” Zhang Xuan roared as a torrent of zhenqi surged toward his Origin Core.

In the breakthrough to Saint 2-dan, a cultivator had to channel his zhenqi toward his Origin Core to tear open the Incipient Eye. As long as the point that the zhenqi was channeled toward was correct, the Incipient Eye should open easily, thus unlocking the cultivator’s Spiritual Perception.

Huala!

The torrent forcefully struck against Zhang Xuan’s Origin Core, causing a brilliant light to burst from the latter as it revolved on the spot from the impact. However, it slowly came to a halt, and the seemingly opening Incipient Eye reverted back to its original shape, as if nothing had happened at all.

Why isn’t it working? Zhang Xuan frowned.

He had strictly followed the Saint 2-dan Heaven’s Path Divine Art for his breakthrough, and under normal circumstances, he should have opened his Incipient Eye easily. Yet, why was nothing happening at all?

Could there be a problem with his Heaven’s Path Divine Art?

That was impossible!

Zhang Xuan took another look at his cultivation technique and confirmed that there were no flaws in it. Just to double check, he examined every single sentence carefully, and there was not a single mistake in any one of them. Frowning, he thought, I should give it another try.

Hong long!

Spiritual energy gushed into Zhang Xuan’s body once more, and after it was successfully converted into Heaven’s Path zhenqi, it was channeled toward his Origin Core.

Bam!

After the powerful collision of the zhenqi, Zhang Xuan’s Origin Core began spinning once more. However, just like before, it stopped not too long after and fell silent.

Zhang Xuan was bewildered. This…

His cultivation had always progressed smoothly all along, and not once had he failed in pushing for a breakthrough before. But this… He had already attempted it twice, but it still was not working!

That could not be right.

There was no flaw in his cultivation technique, and the amount of zhenqi that he had was sufficient as well.

Let me give it another try!

Frowning, Zhang Xuan attempted to push for another breakthrough.

…

Some time later, Zhang Xuan finally came to a halt. He was panting heavily at the moment, and there was a bitter smile on his face.

I finally get it. There’s no mistake in the cultivation technique, and I didn’t comprehend it incorrectly either. It’s that my Origin Core is too powerful, and the spiritual energy within high-tier spirit stones isn’t pure enough to stimulate it. That’s why I wasn’t able to open my Incipient Eye!

After multiple tries, Zhang Xuan had finally managed to make sense of the situation.

It was not that there was a problem in his cultivation; his Origin Core was simply too powerful.

The Origin Core formed from the Saint Ascension Decipher was too stable, and it had been further refined in the Saint Ascension Ordeal, which created a layer of sacred energy around it. To make a comparison, the sturdiness of his Origin Core was roughly at the level of a Saint intermediate-tier artifact. The purity of the spiritual energy within high-tier spirit stones was insufficient to break it open!

Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella in distress as he halted the formation and stood up once more. I must find an even purer source of spiritual energy.

He had encountered such a problem before. As his cultivation rose, his requirement for spiritual energy steadily increased as well. There was a time when his cultivation could be advanced greatly with just low-tier spirit stones, but before long, he had found himself needing middle-tier spirit stones, then high-tier spirit stones… and now, even high-tier spirit stones were not sufficient.

This was not a problem of quantity but quality.

If the quality did not meet the minimum requirement, no amount of quantity could make up for it.

Previously, he had already felt high-tier spirit stones becoming less and less effective on his cultivation, and the quantity he needed for each breakthrough was increasing exponentially. Nevertheless, he had thought that it should still suffice for a few more realms… but it seemed like he had been too optimistic.

The Combat Master Hall must have purer spirit stones. Let me see if I can purchase some from them.

While Zhang Xuan was helpless before this matter, the Combat Master Hall might just be able to resolve the issue.

After all, the Combat Master Hall was an organization that the Master Teacher Pavilion heavily invested in so as to create powerful experts to protect mankind. As such, they never lacked resources. This was also why he had sent Zheng Yang to the Combat Master Hall headquarters to vie for the position of the Progeny of Combat.

If Zheng Yang successfully cleared the trial, through tapping into the vast resources and complete heritage of the Combat Master Hall, he would likely be able to advance his cultivation at an astounding speed.

And more importantly, this was a good opportunity to temper his state of mind too.

Let me ask Hall Master Xing about the matter then, Zhang Xuan thought.

As long as he could obtain even purer spirit stones, he would be able to make a breakthrough to Spiritual Perception realm easily. However, such spirit stones were bound to be extremely valuable and rare. Nevertheless, he had no intention of taking them for free. As long as the Combat Master Hall was willing to sell them to him, he would surely pay a price that could satisfy them.

After leaving the Myriad Anthive Nest, Zhang Xuan swiftly left the library and entered the main hall of the Martial Arts Division, where Hall Master Xing happened to be waiting.

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up, and he quickly walked up to him. “Hall Master Xing, it’s great that you are here. I happen to have a matter that I need to trouble you on.”

“Hmm? Sun shi, feel free to state your request. There’s no need to stand on ceremony with me. As long as it’s something within my means, consider it done!” Hall Master Xing swiftly responded in delight.

He had just been wondering how he could convince Sun shi to help him with the matter of the Xuanxuan Faction when the latter suddenly said that he had a request.

After everything that Sun shi had done for their Combat Master Hall, mending his Primordial Spirit and gifting the altered Vitreous Heart Tempering Sutra back to them, he wasn’t in a good position to ask the latter for another favor. However, if Sun shi had a request to ask of them, that would make things easier for him.

“It’s actually like this… I need a spirit stone that is even purer than a high-tier spirit stone for my cultivation, and I would like to enquire if your Combat Master Hall has any. If so, I am willing to pay any price to purchase it!” Without beating around the bush, Zhang Xuan dived straight to the main point.

“This…” Hall Master Xing was slightly taken aback. “If you are seeking pinnacle spirit stones, that is a commodity that only those of Saint 6-dan and above are qualified to use, so I’m afraid that it will be nigh impossible to find even one of those in the Qingyuan Empire. You will have to head to a higher tier empire for that!”

“Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall doesn’t have any pinnacle spirit stones?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

“Regretfully, that’s the case.” Hall Master Xing shook his head. At this moment, he suddenly recalled something and said, “Actually, if you don’t mind, we do have some concentrated high-tier spirit stones. The spiritual energy contained within them is indeed significantly purer than ordinary high-tier spirit stones, so perhaps they might just work for you?”

“Concentrated high-tier spirit stones?” Zhang Xuan was bewildered.

He had never heard of such a thing before.

“Un. High-tier spirit stones can be mined from ordinary spirit veins, but concentrated high-tier spirit stones are only found in the more potent spirit veins that produces pinnacle spirit stones. In terms of purity, they are nowhere near pinnacle spirit stones, but there is no doubt that they are still much purer than high-tier spirit stones. It’s for that reason that they are known as ‘concentrated high-tier spirit stones’,” Hall Master Xing explained.

Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

Spirit veins could be divided into several levels, too. Some of the weaker spirit veins could only produce the inexpensive low-tier spirit stones, whereas those truly formidable ones could produce pinnacle spirit stones at their very core.

In those spirit veins that could produce pinnacle spirit stones, due to the incredible concentration of spiritual energy, even the outskirts of the spirit vein would produce spirit stones, and their quality far exceeded that of ordinary high-tier spirit stones.

“May I know how many concentrated high-tier spirit stones the Combat Master Hall has? If possible, I would like to purchase some,” Zhang Xuan quickly replied.

Since concentrated high-tier spirit stones were purer than ordinary high-tier spirit stones, they just might prove useful in helping him achieve a breakthrough to Saint 2-dan realm.

“In truth, even our Combat Master Hall doesn’t have too many concentrated high-tier spirit stones. All in all, we only have ten of them. However, if Sun shi requires it, we can give five of them to you!” Hall Master Xing said.

“That would be imposing too much on you. How much do they cost? I’ll just buy them from you,” Zhang Xuan replied.

If he were to accept a favor from the other party, he would probably have to pay it back somehow in the future. Since he was not in any lack of money, there was no need for him to owe such a debt to others for the sake of saving money.

Hall Master Xing hesitated for a moment before speaking. “To be honest with you, there’s something that we need Sun shi’s help on. If you can help us with this matter, we will be more than glad to give the five concentrated high-tier spirit stones to you!”

“May I enquire what it is?” Zhang Xuan was bewildered.

The Combat Master Hall was one of the strongest organizations in Qingyuan Empire, and Hall Master Xing had even recently made a breakthrough to the Leaving Aperture realm. It was really a little unexpected to hear that they would require his help.

“It’s regarding the trouble that I mentioned to you not too long ago,” Hall Master Xing said with an unsettled look.

“Oh?” Zhang Xuan’s interest was piqued.

“It’s a little embarrassing, but that trouble is caused by a single cultivator. That cultivator’s cultivation isn’t too high, but he wields incredible fighting prowess. I fear that given the same cultivation realm, there are none in our Combat Master Hall who are a match for him!” Hall Master Xing sighed deeply as he spoke with a vexed tone.

He had done a rough gauge, and even he would struggle to face Principal Zhang’s direct disciples given the same cultivation realm. It was likely that the teacher would be even stronger than that.

“If the cultivation of that cultivator who is causing you trouble is not too high, why don’t you just find someone to pummel him secretly? Surely it should suffice for you to scare him off? The Combat Master Hall isn’t as rule-bound as the Master Teacher Pavilion, so such should be fine, right?” Zhang Xuan asked.

The Combat Master Hall served a differing function from the Master Teacher Pavilion. The Master Teacher Pavilion served as the teachers of humanity, so naturally, they had to be role models for others, so it was inevitable that there would be many rules surrounding it. On the other hand, the Combat Master Hall served as the military of humanity, so it was not necessary for them to be as rule-bound as the Master Teacher Pavilion.

Besides, since the other party dared cause trouble despite his lack of strength, it should be well within the rights of the Combat Master Hall to retaliate. If he was the hall master, he would have had that cultivator pummeled into the ground first before talking the matter out.

Was there a need for them to be so vexed over the matter?

“Cough cough…” Hall Master Xing choked on his saliva. “That cultivator happens to be a master teacher…”

“He’s a master teacher?” Zhang Xuan stroked his lower jaw and frowned. “There could be troublesome repercussions if such forceful methods were to be used against a master teacher. However, that should not be a problem either. Master teachers are bound by many rules, so you can use that against him. For one, you could challenge him on something that he is not proficient in and force him to back down. Alternatively, you could bring in the Master Teacher Pavilion to mediate in the matter. If he still refuses to budge then, you could just capture him and have him sent to the Subterranean Gallery!”

Master teachers were protected by the Master Teacher Pavilion, so it would be difficult to deal with him directly. Nevertheless, given the considerably close ties between the Combat Master Hall and the Master Teacher Pavilion, it should be possible to deal with the other party through bureaucracy.

Since the other party was not too strong, he was likely just a 6-star master teacher. Even if he had powerful fighting prowess, his standing in the Master Teacher Pavilion was unlikely to be very high. Any higher ranked master teacher would be able to subdue him easily.

Zhang Xuan had been placed in such a situation several times himself, so he was rather familiar with it.

Surely, there was no need for Hall Master Xing to worry so much about this matter.

“If only it were that simple…” Hall Master Xing shook his head and sighed. “The other party is an upstanding and reputable master teacher, so we dare not go too far with him. That’s why we wish to invite Sun shi to fight in our stead. His cultivation realm is at the same level as yours, and with your means, we believe that you should be able to defeat him with ease!”

“You want me to fight him in your stead?” Zhang Xuan smiled confidently. “That isn’t a problem at all! I have never lost in a fight against a peer before! Don’t worry, I’ll help you knock all of his teeth out! He’ll regret having messed with the Combat Master Hall.”

Chapter 1131: Spiritual Perception Realm!

His current strength was nothing in Qingyuan Empire, but in terms of matching his peers, he had absolute confidence at victory.

Regardless of who it was, well, perhaps excluding that monster of a clone he had, as long as the other party was of the same cultivation realm as him, he was confident that he could have the other party crying for their daddies and mummies at the end of the duel.

To dare to cause trouble in the Combat Master Hall, he sure was brazen!

As long as I, Zhang Xuan, am around, regardless of which hole you have crawled out from or how formidable you might be, there won’t be a shred of arrogance left once I am done with you!

“With Sun shi’s promise, I am reassured…” Hearing those words, Hall Master Xing heaved a sigh of relief as a smile appeared on his lips.

Despite possessing only a cultivation of Saint 1-dan pinnacle, Sun shi was able to dodge the simultaneous attack from three of them. The great strength he possessed was undeniable. No matter how powerful Principal Zhang may be, he definitely wouldn’t be walking out of a duel with him unscathed.

“However, Sun shi, you still have to be careful. That trouble I told you is said to be an invincible existence in his cultivation realm. Even though I haven’t really witnessed his strength in person, the many rumors that surround him suggest that he isn’t any weaker than you!” Hall Master Xing hesitated for a moment before saying.

He was deeply confident in Sun shi’s strength, but the opponent wasn’t easy either. It was best to proceed carefully.

“He isn’t any weaker than me?” Zhang Xuan was slightly taken aback for a moment before nodding.

It was surprising to hear that there was someone who was able to match him in the same cultivation realm, especially since he cultivated the Saint Ascension Decipher and successfully ascended to become a Celestial Saint. However, considering the immense size of the Master Teacher Continent, there might just be true geniuses who could match him.

His clone was one such example… Despite being of the same cultivation realm, he didn’t recall a single occasion where he could defeat his clone in battle. It was truly frustrating.

Considering how wary Hall Master Xing was regarding the matter, the other party’s strength was likely to be truly frightening. It seemed like he had met his match this time around.

“Indeed. I have never met the other party in person, but just the fighting prowess of his students is already plenty frightening. At the same cultivation realm, even I would struggle to match them. Thus, Sun shi, you mustn’t underestimate your opponent…”

“Even you would struggle to match the other party’s students?” Zhang Xuan was astonished.

It was already incredible for the other party to be powerful, but who could have thought that the other party’s students would be so formidable as well. At this point, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but feel intrigued by the other party.

“Interesting. I’ll be looking forward to meeting him then…” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

If he could fight against such a talented master teacher, it might give him some inspiration as to how he could further his fighting prowess.

“Sun shi, we have appointed a duel with the other party earlier, and it will be held a few days from now. Meanwhile, why don’t you cultivate in our Combat Master Hall and further your fighting prowess? Each of our Ten Divisions has complete heritages, and they might prove to be of some use to you in further developing your strength.” Hall Master Xing said.

Given how quickly the other party had managed to cultivate the Grand Constellation Finger, he should be able to master the other expertises of their Combat Master Hall swiftly too. With the future of the Combat Master Hall at stake, they couldn’t afford to take any risk. As long as it was something that could boost their chances at victory, they would have to grasp tightly onto it.

“It would be a pleasure!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

He happened to be looking toward furthering his Heaven’s Path Fist Art, Heaven’s Path Palm Art, Heaven’s Path Movement Art, and the such at the moment, and the high-tier battle techniques of the Combat Master Hall were indubitably invaluable assets for that. This was a precious opportunity to learn, so naturally, he wouldn’t turn it down.

“Here is a token which represents my authority. With this in hand, you will be able to challenge any trial and enter any library in the Combat Master Hall freely!” Seeing how the other party was still able to remain humble despite his astounding strength, Hall Master Xing nodded in approval.

After which, he flicked his wrist and tossed a token over.

Zhang Xuan casually caught it.

After which, Hall Master Xing flicked his wrist once more and took out a slender but long jade container before explaining, “Here are the five concentrated high-tier spirit stones, I’ll pass them to Sun shi first as well. This battle is truly important to our Combat Master Hall, so I wish you luck in furthering your strength.”

“Thank you.” Not expecting to receive the spirit stones ahead of the battle, Zhang Xuan felt deeply grateful.

Since the other party trusted him so much, he had to return the favor and help the other party resolve their problem at its root. At the very least, he would pummel that troublemaker to the point where he would be unable to even manage his day-to-day functions!

The Combat Master Hall wasn’t an organization for the likes of him could trifle with!

…

Sitting quietly in an isolated chamber, Zhang Xuan quickly conditioned his current state to the peak before taking out the long jade container.

Right after giving Hall Master Xing his word, he quickly entered an isolated chamber to cultivate.

With the concentrated high-tier spirit stones in hand, it was about time for him to push for a breakthrough!

With a swift flick of his finger, the seal on the jade container vanished, and incredibly pure spiritual energy immediately began wafting from the container.

Placed within the container were five crystalline spirit stones. Transparent, Zhang Xuan could see the many streaks of pure spiritual energy flowing to and fro within it like little dragons. It felt as if they would burst out from the spirit stones at any moment and soar into the sky.

The spiritual energy within is indeed much purer than high-tier spirit stones… Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

Through his observation, he could tell that the purity of the concentrated high-tier spirit stone was at least twice the level of ordinary high-tier spirit stones. With it, he would definitely be able to overcome the Saint 1-dan bottleneck with ease.

Alright, time to begin!

Whipping out a spirit stone and grasping in his hand, Zhang Xuan closed his eyes.

Boom!

Pure spiritual energy immediately began surging into his body, and it was swiftly converted into Heaven’s Path zhenqi.

As ordinary high-tier spirit stones were simply not pure enough for the current him, he was only able to absorb an average of 10% of the spiritual energy within. On the other hand, using the concentrated high-tier spirit stones, he found that he could absorb nearly 100% of the spiritual energy within. The conversion efficiency was truly at a wholly different level.

To put it in other words, the effects of a single concentrated high-tier spirit stone was far greater than even several thousands of high-tier spirit stones combined!

Hu la!

In the blink of an eye, the newly-converted zhenqi finally arrived before Zhang Xuan’s Origin Core. With his previous experiences in attempting for a breakthrough, his movements were extremely smooth. With a thought, he had all of his zhenqi gushing towards his Origin Core like a furious torrent.

Geji! Geji!

Under the relentless striking of the torrent, the incredibly sturdy Origin Core finally began to open. However, barely after opening a slit, Zhang Xuan already felt that his zhenqi was running dry. If he were to stop at this juncture, it would render his previous efforts futile.

“Continue!”

At this crucial period, Zhang Xuan couldn’t afford to stop. Without any hesitation, he picked up another concentrated high-tier spirit stone and began absorbing the energy within.

Hong long!

A long time later, the sturdy Origin Core finally broke open. An object reminiscent of an eye sat in its place, illuminating the surroundings.

Along with the opening of the Incipient Eye, Zhang Xuan felt his consciousness suddenly extending beyond himself, into the surroundings. In the blink of an eye, every nook and cranny within the chamber lay bare before his consciousness.

Minor details which he would only notice with just his Eye of Insight previously, they could all be vividly felt by him at this very moment. Those books in the distance, even if he didn’t open them, he could still ‘see’ the content within each and every page.

This is Spiritual Perception? It is truly a powerful ability! Zhang Xuan’s face flushed in agitation.

Through the means of the soul oracle, he was also capable of scanning his surroundings with his soul energy. What was different about it and the Spiritual Perception was that the Spiritual Perception amplified what he could see by manyfold, as if someone had fitted a magnifier before his senses. Even the most minor of details could be perceived by him with astounding clarity.

It was no wonder why a breakthrough to Spiritual Perception realm would result in a huge leap in one’s fighting prowess despite the minimal increase in zhenqi and strength. Just by opening one’s Spiritual Perception in battle, a cultivator would be able to perceive every single move made by his opponent, allowing him to easily dodge, retaliate, or even predict the future moves that his opponent would make.

If I had the Spiritual Perception previously, I would have been able to flee from Hall Master Xing and the others with greater ease previously. It wouldn’t have been such a close shave each time around… Zhang Xuan thought as he exhaled a mouthful of turbid gas.

While he did manage to successfully flee from the combined assault of Hall Master Xing and the others earlier, it was by a hair’s breadth every single time. This was due to a lack of his grasp over his surroundings. His attention had to be fixed on dealing with the assault he was currently facing, leaving him unable to effectively perceive the movements of the other two to guard against them. This had left him in a truly bad position.

With his Spiritual Perception, if he were to find himself in such a position once more, he would be able to make the better decisions in view of his overall circumstances, and his escape would surely have been far smoother.

Continue!

The breakthrough alleviated the deep pressure that Zhang Xuan was feeling within from his students swiftly closing up to him. Heaving a sigh of relief, he picked up another concentrated high-tier spirit stone and began driving his zhenqi once more.

Spiritual Perception realm primary stage!

Spiritual Perception realm intermediate stage!

Spiritual Perception realm advanced stage!

Spiritual Perception realm pinnacle!

Within an hour, his cultivation had soared to Saint 2-dan pinnacle. However, at the same time, the five concentrated high-tier spirit stones had been completely depleted as well, reducing to mere white powder.

Let me see how far I can extend my Spiritual Perception for! With such a thought in mind, Zhang Xuan began concentrating on expanding his consciousness.

According to the records on books, depending on the cultivation technique one cultivated, the area where one’s Spiritual Perception could cover would differ as well. A typical Spiritual Perception realm pinnacle expert would generally be able to expand his Spiritual Perception over a radius of 400 meters or so.

Those who were stronger could reach 500 to 600 meters, but there was nearly no one who could reach the 1000 meters mark.

Given that he had cultivated the Saint Ascension Decipher and Heaven’s Path Divine Art, he was interested to see how he compared to other cultivators.

Hu la!

Extending his Spiritual Perception outward, it swiftly crept beyond the isolated chamber.

400, 500… Zhang Xuan counted mentally.

In the blink of an eye, it had already reached the 500 meters mark.

1000, 2000…

Zhang Xuan thought that 1000 meters should be where his limit lay, but he found that he could continue to push it forward with relative ease. Eventually, it was only at the 2500 meters mark where he found that he had reached his limit.

2500 meters, that’s roughly six times more than that of ordinary cultivators… Zhang Xuan thought excitedly as he retracted his Spiritual Perception,

He knew that his Spiritual Perception was bound to be powerful due to the strength of his Heaven’s Path Divine Art, but he hadn’t expected that it would be such an extent.

One must know that the space that one’s Spiritual Perception covered increased exponentially along with the increase in radius, so expanding one’s Spiritual Perception was an increasingly difficult task. In terms of the space covered, Zhang Xuan was more than two hundred times more than an ordinary cultivator!

With such a wide Spiritual Perception, he could easily notice the movement of anyone in the vicinity, making it difficult for anyone to spring an assault on him in battle.

On top of that, it seems like the keenness at which I can perceive my surroundings is far above that of other cultivators too. Zhang Xuan noted as he exhaled deeply.

This matter was truly too astonishing. If he were to speak of it, who knew how many cultivators would be scared to death.

As per his usual practice, it would be best for him to maintain a low profile.

The Combat Master Hall is indeed worthy of its title as one of the strongest organizations in Qingyuan City!

With even just a swift scan, Zhang Xuan found that the Combat Master Hall was filled with innumerable powerful formations which could easily kill even Primordial Spirit realm experts upon contact.

It was fortunate that he had strictly instructed Ruohuan gongzi and the others to keep those of the Xuanxuan Faction in check. Otherwise, if they were to cause trouble here, the consequences could be dire.

With my breakthrough to Spiritual Perception realm, I should be able to match Primordial Spirit realm experts now.

While Zhang Xuan’s strength hadn’t risen with his breakthrough to Spiritual Perception realm, his fighting prowess did increase significantly. In the past, he could only subdue Primordial Spirit realm cultivators through springing sudden assaults, but with his newfound strength, even Primordial Spirit realm experts would struggle to bring him down in a fair battle.

But of course, he would still do well to steer clear from Leaving Aperture realm experts like Hall Master Xing.

Still, just cultivating a single realm has taken me five concentrated high-tier spirit stones. Without a doubt, the need for spirit stones in my cultivation will only continue to increase… I really have to find a way to earn money… Staring at the white powdery remains on the ground, Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella in vexation.

Just when he thought that he had become a tycoon after slaying the Ten Kings of the Qingtian Lineage, a short moment of cultivation had put him back into his place as a poor bloke.

He really had to find a way to acquire more concentrated high-tier spirit stones, or else his cultivation would stagnate once more.

Forget it, I’ll deal with it later. For the time being, I need to deal with the trouble Hall Master Xing spoke of first. Let me head to the Fist Division, Palm Division, and Footwork Division to see what they have… Given how generously Hall Master Xing had treated him, it was only right for him to reciprocate the favor.

This was how diplomacy usually worked, and as the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, the Combat Master Hall was an ally he would want to bring over.

Understanding this, Zhang Xuan walked out of the isolated chamber and headed to the Fist Division.

Chapter 1132: Three Days Later

Hualala!

The crisp melody of tea flowing into a cup filled a tranquil room.

Hall Master Xing placed the teapot in his hand down before passing a fresh cup of tea over to Elder Qi.

Elder Qi took a sip of it, and his eyes immediately lit up. “Excellent tea! It’s no wonder it’s worth such a huge sum. Its quality is definitely worth the fortune spent on it!”

Hall Master Xing had specially bought these Cloudmist Flower tea leaves from the Hongyuan Empire. Back then, he had thought that it was a little pricey, and he had only intended to give it a try. However, upon tasting it, he realized that it was really worth its price.

“It sure is fine tea, isn’t it?” Hall Master Xing nodded in agreement as he sipped on his cup of tea.

Over the past three days of hard work, he had managed to further reinforce his cultivation, bringing his state of mind and Primordial Spirit to a whole new level.

At this rate, he would be ready to face the lightning ordeal by the time it fell.

Looking at the elder before him, Hall Master Xing asked, “Elder Qi, how has your cultivation been going recently?”

“The Combat Master Hall’s Spirit Gathering Formation is indeed formidable. Just by cultivating for a short three days, I managed to reinforce my Half-Leaving Aperture realm cultivation,” Elder Qi said with a stroke of his beard.

He had to admit that the training facilities within the Combat Master Hall were truly impressive. If it had been anywhere else, it would have taken at least several months before he fully reinforced his Half-Leaving Aperture realm cultivation. But here, he managed to do it within just three days!

Admittedly, it would be quite some time before he was ready to push for a breakthrough to Leaving Aperture realm, but with his body having adapted to his current level of cultivation, he would be able to draw forth incredible might at a wave of his hand.

“It’s only because Elder Qi has a strong foundation. Not just anyone is able to utilize the formation to its full potential as you did,” Hall Master Xing remarked.

Ultimately, the formation only played an auxiliary role in one’s cultivation. What was more important was the cultivator himself.

Elder Qi had braved through many threatening situations, and this had elevated his state of mind to a transcendental level, allowing him to advance his cultivation swiftly. In fact, Hall Master Xing suspected that the other party might even be able to clear the Trial of Inner Demons easily.

Choosing not to dwell too much on the topic, Elder Qi asked, “How has Sun shi been doing recently?”

He had been wanting to formally pay a visit to his benefactor to thank him, but in the past three days, he had found that the latter had been working even more diligently than him. In fact, there was hardly anyone who had caught a glimpse of him in the Combat Master Hall.

“You know, I really have to admit that Sun shi is a true genius!” Hearing that question, Hall Master Xing recalled the various reports he had heard over the past two days, and his eyes lit up in agitation.

“Genius?”

“Un. The first place Sun shi visited was the Fist Division. I presume that you should have heard of the Strength Assessing Fist Pillar there, right?” Hall Master Xing asked.

Elder Qi nodded.

The existence of the Strength Assessing Fist Pillar was no secret in the Qingyuan Empire. In fact, there were quite a few people who would visit the Fist Division in hopes of borrowing it to assess their current strength.

It was a Saint-tier artifact, and it could accurately gauge one’s punching strength.

“The record for the Strength Assessing Fist Pillar for Saint 2-dan was left behind by Combat Master Wang Ce eight thousand years ago. Combat Master Wang Ce was born with incredible strength, and he went on to cultivate the Art of Drawing Oceans and the strongest defensive secret art of our Combat Master Hall, thus strengthening his zhenqi and physical body to an unbelievable level.

“Not only that, he is also an avid fist practitioner. Over the years, he refined his fist art to an unprecedented level. Yet, he only achieved a score of 18 in the trial. On the other hand, with just two hours of cultivation, Sun shi broke the record and attained a score of 88!”

Even as he spoke of those words, Hall Master Xing’s eyes could not help but widen in disbelief as he imagined the situation in his head.

It was not without reason that achieving a record was considered a great honor. It could only be achieved by pushing one’s body to the very limits, achieving a level that could be considered very close to the limit of a human. As such, breaking a record was never an easy feat. Those who did succeed in breaking a record would also only achieve a score slightly higher than the previous record.

Yet, that fellow actually managed to clear the record with a score several times the previous score.

This was truly unbelievable!

“You said that he attained a score of 88?” Elder Qi’s lips twitched.

“Indeed. I was astonished by the score, too, so I went to look for him to ask him about the matter. But he said…” At this point, Hall Master Xing suddenly shook his head, and a look of utter defeat surfaced on his face.

“What did he say?”

“He said that… he attained a score of 88 because he felt that it was an auspicious number[1]. His pockets have been running dry recently, and he hoped that this auspicious omen could change his luck a little,” Hall Master Xing replied hoarsely.

“…” Elder Qi.

“And after he was done with the Fist Division, he went on ahead to the Palm Division.”

Hall Master Xing suddenly fell silent at this point. It took a long while before he was able to carry on.

“As you might know, the Combat Master Hall’s palm techniques can be divided into eighteen types, such as soft and gentle or hard and forceful. In order to assess one’s comprehension of a certain palm type, the Palm Division has a trial guarded by eighteen puppets. Usually, clearing even the first puppet is a difficult feat for most combat masters, and yet… after he entered, he immediately triggered all of the puppets into action, and with a palm each, he defeated all eighteen of the puppets. All in all, it didn’t even take him ten breaths!”

“He defeated all of the puppets with a palm each?” Elder Qi widened his eyes in shock.

“Indeed! More importantly, the palm type he used corresponded perfectly to each of the puppets. In other words, his palm art changed eighteen times within just a short ten breaths!” Hall Master Xing continued.

“How is that possible?” Elder Qi could not help but shudder upon hearing those words.

As the wrist was one of the most flexible parts of a human body, palm arts tended to be one of the more complicated and profound battle techniques. Using a gentle palm art and a forceful palm art drew on vastly different strengths, and an abrupt switch between the two could easily lead to severe injuries. Yet, to change between eighteen different types within just ten breaths… Was this really a feat that could be pulled off by a human?

Was the other party’s body forged of metal, making him impervious to the backlash from the abrupt switches?

If it had been Elder Qi himself doing it, he had no doubt that his meridians would have ruptured.

“The true shocker has yet to come. You should know of our Guardian Division, right?” Hall Master Xing asked.

“Of course I do,” Elder Qi replied with a nod. “The Guardian Division is known for its Divine Hammer, which is capable of analyzing the flaws of a cultivator’s body and tempering them through hammering, thus enhancing one’s defenses. Once all 1,296 acupoints have been tempered, even blades will struggle to slice through one’s skin. Through it, the Guardian Division has developed generations of formidable combat masters!”

If the Weapon Division was the strongest spear in the Combat Master Hall, the Guardian Division was definitely the sturdiest shield of it.

Those who could master its heritage would be nigh indestructible on the battlefield. Putting aside arrows, even Saint-tier weapons would hardly leave a mark on them. Just like the resilient cockroaches, they were a fearsome force regardless of where they went.

“Indeed. The Divine Hammer is a Saint intermediate-tier artifact, and it has exceptional capabilities in tempering the human body. However, its strikes produce excruciating pain that permeate deep into the bones, causing normal combat masters to be unable to even withstand a minute of its tempering. Even I am unable to last more than five minutes. But when Sun shi entered the Guardian Hall to allow his body to be tempered by the Divine Hammer…”

Hall Master Xing clutched his forehead and exclaimed incredulously, “… he actually fell asleep!”

“He fell asleep?” Elder Qi nearly spurted blood.

“He said that it was simply too comfortable, so he ended up dozing off. Honestly, if not for the fact that we were worried for his health and dragged him out, he might have just slept for several days straight in there!” Hall Master Xing said helplessly.

When he saw saliva flowing from the corners of Sun shi’s face, he had nearly fainted from horror.

Such excruciating hammering, and the other party could actually think of it as a mere massage and relax from it… It was truly inconceivable.

“After he woke up, he headed to the Footwork Division. In the Trial of Footwork, there are total of 122 hidden mechanisms. As soon as one steps into the trial, one will trigger the mechanisms, resulting in a relentless wave of attacks. The further one proceeds into the trial, the more complicated the attacks become, and the harder it is to dodge them,” Hall Master Xing explained.

Elder Qi nodded in response.

The trials of the Combat Master Hall’s Ten Divisions were deeply feared in the Qingyuan Empire, and this was especially so for the Trial of Footwork.

It assessed one’s reflexes, speed, judgement, and many other aspects. If one was lacking in any of those, one would be struck before one knew it.

“Before entering the Trial of Footwork, I earnestly warned Sun shi about the difficulty of the trial for fear that he would be injured by it. Yet, who could have known that… he walked in and out of the entire trial, but he didn’t even trigger a single one of the hidden mechanisms! Thus, I forcefully activated all of the hidden mechanisms as soon as he entered the second time around, filling the entire trial with weapons and threats. Yet again, he walked in and out, but he still didn’t encounter a single thing.”

Hall Master Xing looked at the sky with a look of despair and sighed. “It was then that I realized that he was simply too fast. Such that even before the hidden mechanisms could do a single thing, he had already passed by all of them.”

“Even the hidden mechanisms didn’t have time to react?” Elder Qi’s body trembled in disbelief.

The hidden mechanisms were controlled by a formation within the trial, and they would be triggered as soon as one entered the vicinity of the trap. Yet, to move so fast that even the mechanisms did not have time to process his existence… Just how fast did he move?

At such speed, the other party was capable of killing him before he could even perceive the other party’s existence!

“Indeed!”

The more Hall Master Xing spoke, the deeper the bitterness on his face became.

To be able to become the head of a regional Combat Master Hall, it went without saying that he was an incredible genius in his time too. With his talent, he thought that he could easily reach levels beyond his peers as long as he were to put in hard work.

But upon seeing Sun shi, he suddenly realized that his talent was really nothing at all…

Before the other party, he was like dirt before the brilliant sun.

Just by strolling around in each division for less than four hours each, he was able to accomplish achievements that were unmatched by any predecessors and probably by many future generations to come as well.

‘Genius’ was no longer sufficient to describe him. In fact, even ‘monstrous’ seemed to be a little inadequate.

On the other hand, after hearing Hall Master Xing’s story, Elder Qi’s mouth was wide open.

He had thought that even if Sun shi was able to make some advancement in his fighting prowess over the past three days, it would surely have been minimal. No one could have imagined that he would be able to cook up such a huge commotion!

It took a long time before Elder Qi was able to calm down his agitated mind, and taking a deep breath, he said, “It seems like you have really chosen the right person this time around. Sun shi shouldn’t have any problem dealing with the huge trouble you spoke of.”

After the past few days of interaction with Hall Master Xing, he had learned what the ‘huge trouble’ was. For a student faction of a Tier-1 Empire’s Master Teacher Academy to be able to force their Combat Master Hall to such a desperate state, it had to be said that the rumored Principal Zhang did live up to his reputation.

Even though he had never met Principal Zhang in person, just by looking at the strength of the Xuanxuan Faction, he knew that it would be unwise to underestimate the other party’s strength.

“Indeed. I was still worried if Sun shi would be able to match Principal Zhang, but honestly, after seeing what Sun shi has accomplished so far, I am really unable to fathom an opponent who would be able to match him.” After venting out the shock he had accumulated over the past few days, Hall Master Xing finally felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from his heart, and a smile returned to his lips.

Having seen the Xuanxuan Faction’s strength with his own eyes, it was inevitable that he was apprehensive about going against an opponent like Principal Zhang. However, after witnessing the peerless strength that Sun shi had displayed, all worries had vanished from his mind.

If a 6-star master teacher like Principal Zhang could defeat even a monster of Sun shi’s caliber, the Combat Master Hall might as well be replaced with the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

“That’s good. I am also interested to see Sun shi using his strength to surpass the undefeatable legend of the Hongyuan Empire!” Elder Qi nodded with a smile.

Taking a glance at the sky outside, Hall Master Xing said as he stood up, “Looking at the time, the members of the Xuanxuan Faction should be arriving very soon. Let me invite Sun shi over.”

Today was the day that the Combat Master Hall would be holding an exchange with the Xuanxuan Faction, and the latter should have been on their way over at that moment.

The Xuanxuan Faction was a huge headache, but Hall Master Xing did not think that they would lose in the exchange. After all, there was far more to a battle than just combat skills.

“Let me head there with you,” Elder Qi said as he stood up as well, and they began making their way out.

Shortly after they left the room, Division Head Liao walked up to them.

Noting that Division Head Liao was alone, Hall Master Xing asked with a frown, “Where is Sun shi?”

“He said that it was still early, so… he went to the Soul Division first!” Division Head Liao replied.

“Soul Division?” Hall Master Xing froze for a brief moment before his face turned ghastly pale. “The Trial of Soul in the Soul Division is managed by the Saint 4-dan Chrysoprase Soul Beast. Our Combat Master Hall had to pay a heavy price to invite it over… This is bad!”

“Chrysoprase Soul Beast?” Elder Qi pondered for a moment. “That saint beast is indeed born with a powerful soul, allowing them to easily knock out anyone. Are you afraid that Sun shi will be knocked out ahead of the exchange?”

“That’s not it. I’m afraid that he will tame the Chrysoprase Soul Beast!” Hall Master Xing exclaimed anxiously.

“…” Elder Qi.

[1] The number eight in Chinese is pronounced as “ba”, which sounds similar to the word for prosperity, “fa”. As such, eight is considered to be an auspicious number.

Chapter 1133: He Started It

If the Heart Division was the most mysterious division of the Combat Master Hall, the most bizarre division was probably the Soul Division.

In the Trial of Soul, a cultivator could temper their soul. However, a moment of carelessness could potentially place one in a disoriented state, temporarily robbing them of their ability to think rationally.

Zhang Xuan pushed open the door and entered the trial. As soon as he took a step in, he immediately heard a slight moaning sound by his ear, as if an aggrieved ghost was crying beside him. That crying seemed to capture the entirety of one’s attention, causing one to forget one’s initial purpose.

Zhang Xuan frowned as he halted his footsteps. It’s a type of demonic tune.

He had encountered a situation similar to this back at the Qiu Wu Palace as well. When used in the correct circumstances, demonic tunes could prove to be extremely dangerous, rendering one incapable of discerning fiction from reality. However, against Zhang Xuan, a cultivator of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, its effects were minimal.

Driving his zhenqi around his body, the effects of the demonic tunes immediately vanished without a trace. Through playing closer attention to the moaning sound, he was able to determine the general direction it was coming from, so he began heading in that direction.

The Trial of Soul was significantly larger than the Trial of Inner Breath and Trial of Martial Arts, spanning a radius of roughly fifty meters. However, as it was completely dark, it was impossible to determine where one was heading. Even one’s Spiritual Perception was inhibited by the formation within, leaving one unable to perceive too far ahead.

Slowly proceeding forward, Zhang Xuan advanced for around twenty meters before his body abruptly jolted slightly. An oppressive pressure had suddenly assaulted him, seemingly attempting to tear his soul apart.

A soul attack? Zhang Xuan was taken aback for a moment before coming to a realization. It seems like someone is controlling the trial.

If it had just been a simple trial, it was impossible for the formation to realize so swiftly that the demonic tune was not working and resort to a soul attack instead.

For most cultivators, such a soul attack would cause them such excruciating pain that they would not be able to move at all. However, for Zhang Xuan, such a soul attack was truly trivial.

Putting aside the fact that he was protected by his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, just the sheer size and strength of his soul made that pressure completely ineffective on him.

The more Zhang Xuan advanced forward, the greater the pressure became. At this point, even a Saint 3-dan cultivator would have already succumbed to the immense pressure.

Taking another two steps forward, Zhang Xuan finally identified the source of the pressure, and he chuckled softly.

“It’d be rude if I didn’t reciprocate the favor to you. Why don’t you try mine?” Zhang Xuan’s voice was not too loud, but it sounded clearly throughout the trial.

The following moment, an overwhelming surge of soul energy burst forth from his glabella.

Even though he did not have any soul cultivation techniques beyond Saint realm, the soul tempering that he had undergone during the Saint Ascension Ordeal had condensed his soul considerably, such that it had assumed a lucid crystalline form. With the enhanced strength of his soul, he was able to exert a pressure many times greater than before.

Hong long!

In an instant, it was as if the air had turned as viscous as mercury. An incredible pressure burst forth, directed toward the source of the soul.

Bam! Kacha!

The loud thud reminiscent of something falling heavily to the ground, accompanied with the sound of many things shattering simultaneously, echoed resoundingly in the air. At the same time, the ground also tremored intensely.

It was true that the other party’s soul was powerful, but it was still severely lacking compared to his.

“A soul attack? Who are you?”

The next moment, a furious voice boomed in the room. Following which, Zhang Xuan saw a massive saint beast walking out of the shadows.

That saint beast was probably the one who had attacked him earlier. Under the immense pressure exerted by Zhang Xuan’s soul, it had probably lost its balance for a moment and fallen to the ground, shattering many things beneath it.

“You are… a Chrysoprase Soul Beast?” Upon taking a look, Zhang Xuan matched the distinctive traits of the saint beast before him with the books he had browsed through, and he could not help but frown.

The Chrysoprase Soul Beast was a rather peculiar saint beast. Unlike most saint beasts, which relied heavily on their superior physical bodies in combat, the Chrysoprase Soul Beast specialized in soul offense instead. Blessed with an innately powerful soul, it could easily produce hallucinations and leave its opponents in a disoriented state.

It was an extremely rare beast, and not even the Beast Tamer Guild had seen many of them in its entire history. It was rather unexpected to see this rare beast in the Combat Master Hall.

This knowledge swiftly flashed through Zhang Xuan’s mind before he answered the other party’s question. “I am a master teacher who is here to challenge this trial!”

“You are a master teacher?” the Chrysoprase Soul Beast snorted. Deep hostility flickered across its massive eyes as it sneered, “How could a master teacher possibly be skilled in the means of the soul oracles? Speak, who are you?”

Zhang Xuan was stunned for a brief moment after hearing those words, but he swiftly recovered and replied with a smile. “Soul oracle? You must have misunderstood me somehow.”

The heritage of the soul oracles had vanished from the Master Teacher Continent several dozen millenniums ago. As such, not even master teachers would be able to identify it with certainty even if he utilized the means of a soul oracle before them. He had not really thought that the Chrysoprase Soul Beast would be able to recognize it with a single look.

It was not a crime to inherit the heritage of the soul oracles, but ultimately, just like poison arts, soul arts were viewed as unorthodox and depraved, and they were deeply feared throughout the Master Teacher Continent. In order to avoid trouble, it was best for Zhang Xuan not to admit to it.

Hearing Zhang Xuan denying the matter, the Chrysoprase Soul Beast scoffed coldly. “Don’t bother lying to me. I have seen soul oracles in action before, and I know their means very well.”

The next instant, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt overwhelming soul energy crushing heavily down on him, seemingly trying to smash him into smithereens.

“I was just born with a powerful soul; I am not a soul oracle,” Zhang Xuan replied with a frown.

The pressure that the other party emanated weighed down on Zhang Xuan like an immense mountain, threatening to crush him into bits. Any cultivator who had yet to reach Primordial Spirit realm would surely have caved in to such pressure instantly. However, to Zhang Xuan, it was truly nothing at all.

Seeing that his soul attack was completely ineffective against the young man before it, the eyes of the Chrysoprase Soul Beast narrowed slightly, and it harrumphed coldly. “Soul oracles are capable of drawing of their souls out and surviving independently. The truth will be clear once I shatter your physical body!”

With a furious roar, it abruptly leaped forward, and a massive claw flew toward Zhang Xuan.

Si la!

The furious momentum of the claws produced a sharp, shrill sound, leaving one’s hairs standing on end. It felt as if it would mercilessly rip anything before it in two.

“Hmm?”

Not expecting the other party to suddenly launch a lethal assault against him, Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows knitted together in displeasure. His feet swiftly took a few steps backward with amazing agility, thus dodging the other party’s assault perfectly.

Over the past three days, Zhang Xuan had made his way through the Ten Divisions of the Combat Master Hall and collected whatever books they had in them. With his newly collected books, he was able to compile several higher tier Heaven’s Path battle techniques.

Regardless of whether it was the might of his fists, the strength of his palm, or the sturdiness of his defenses, they had been elevated to a whole new level.

If he was only a match against Primordial Spirit realm cultivators three days ago, the current him could be said to be invincible among Primordial Spirit realm cultivators.

Or to put it in simpler terms, any cultivator who had not reached Half-Leaving Aperture realm would not be a match for him.

And among all his battle techniques, the improvement in his movement technique was the greatest. After collecting all of the books in the Footwork Division, he had finally managed to perfect the 1-dan of the Unbound Voyager into a Heaven’s Path battle technique, and he had immediately cultivated it on the spot.

It was through the Unbounded Voyager that he was able to move so fast that not even the hidden mechanisms had been able to perceive his presence.

“Where do you think you are going?”

Seeing that the young man had escaped from its claws, the Chrysoprase Soul Beast bellowed furiously as it raised its claws once more. A formation whirred into action, and in the blink of an eye, the Trial of Soul was completely sealed. There was no way to escape anymore.

Huala!

After sealing the surroundings, the Chrysoprase Soul Beast immediately launch another series of attacks against the young man before it.

On the other hand, after dodging several lethal attacks from the saint beast before him, Zhang Xuan’s patience finally wore thin, and he shook his head. “If a fight is what you want, a fight is what you’ll get.”

As his figure blurred, Zhang Xuan appeared by the side of the Chrysoprase Soul Beast in the blink of an eye before shooting a powerful fist toward the latter.

Peng!

Under the staggering might of Zhang Xuan’s fist, the Chrysoprase Soul Beast’s figure retreated swiftly before crashing heavily into the roof above. Its figure then plummeted heavily back to the ground, and a huge pool of fresh blood flowed out of its mouth.

So weak?

Zhang Xuan was startled by how easily he had managed to subdue the other party for a moment before he recalled the unique trait of the saint beast.

Chrysoprase Soul Beasts were blessed with powerful souls at birth, but their physical strength and resilience could only be considered average, possibly only at the level of an ordinary cultivator. There was no way it could withstand the might of his Heaven’s Path Fist Art.

As such, with just a single strike, it was already severely wounded.

Zhang Xuan shook his head. I accidentally used too much strength.

Even though the other party had tried to kill him, he was ultimately still the guardian of the Trial of Soul. It would be hard for him to explain this to the Combat Master Hall if it died after facing him. Furthermore, it was due to the other party’s doubts that he was a soul oracle that it had made a move on him, and considering the association of the soul oracles with the Otherworldly Demons, its actions were not completely unjustified.

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan slowly walked toward the Chrysoprase Soul Beast. I guess I’ll have to try saving it then.

…

While making their way toward the Soul Division, Division Head Liao said with a casual wave of his hand, “Hall Master Xing, the situation can’t be as exaggerated as you make it out to be. The Chrysoprase Soul Beast has a gentle personality; it’s unlikely that it will get into a conflict with Sun shi.”

The Chrysoprase Soul beast was the saint beast responsible for managing the Trial of Soul. While it would use demonic tunes and soul pressure to temper the challengers, it was actually a mild-mannered and meticulous individual. In the time that it had managed the Trial of Soul, there had never been a single mishap.

Furthermore, it was not like Sun shi had intentionally entered the Trial of Soul to wreak havoc. No matter how he looked at it, the chances of a conflict breaking out between the both of them was truly unlikely.

“I honestly hope for that to be the case, too. You also know how far I had to go in order to convince the Chrysoprase Soul Beast to become the guardian of the Trial of Soul. I can’t allow anything to go wrong at this point,” Hall Master Xing said with a bitter smile.

He also wished that nothing bad would happen, but Sun shi was simply too exceptional an individual. Every single time he challenged a trial, he would either break several records or cause a huge ruckus. Given so, he could not help but worry that the latter would somehow end up fighting against the Chrysoprase Soul Beast.

The Combat Master Hall could not have either of them getting injured at this point in time!

The three of them swiftly arrived at the Soul Division and entered the Trial of Soul.

Pushing open the door, they stepped into the trial, and the very first thing they saw was a giant Chrysoprase Soul Beast lying on the ground with its tongue sticking out from its mouth. Blood was trickling down from the edge of its mouth, forming a crimson puddle on the ground.

“Sun shi, w-what happened here?”

Not expecting his worst fears to actually come true, Hall Master Xing’s cheeks twitched uncontrollably. At this point, he really felt like crying.

“Hmm?” Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan turned around and saw the trio. A sheepish look crept onto his face as he asked, “Why are you all here?”

“We were afraid that you might get into a conflict with the Chrysoprase Soul Beast.” Hall Master Xing swiftly tried to mediate the situation. “I know that it might have attacked you, but that is its responsibility as the guardian of the Trial of Soul. It isn’t trying to pick on you or anything.”

He had rushed there in hopes of preventing any conflict between the duo, but he had ended up being a step too late.

Furthermore, from the looks of it, it seemed like the Chrysoprase Soul Beast had been done in real bad. It did not seem like it would recover anytime soon.

“If only that were the case…” Seeing Hall Master Xing speaking up on behalf of the Chrysoprase Soul Beast, Zhang Xuan shook his head. He was just about to begin explaining what had happened previously when the eyes of the Chrysoprase Soul Beast suddenly opened wide.

It exclaimed anxiously, “Hall Master Xing, don’t listen to his words! He’s a sou—”

But before it could finish its words, a certain young man had already sunk his feet into its face.

Peng!

Its words were stifled back into its throat as its massive body flew several dozen meters away before crashing back onto the ground. The floor of the Combat Master Hall was constructed of an extremely resilient material, but the impact of the Chrysoprase Soul Beast’s fall still created a huge web of cracks on the ground.

Its teeth plopped all around the ground as its head twisted to the side. It had fainted.

“Sun shi!”

Not expecting the young man to kick the Chrysoprase Soul Beast flying right before their eyes, Hall Master Xing and the others were stupefied. Panicked, they quickly turned to the young man, only to see the latter looking back at them with a helpless shrug.

“If I were to say that it made the first move… would you believe me?”

“…” Hall Master Xing.

“…” Division Head Liao.

“…” Elder Qi.

Chapter 1134: Who Is the Opponent Whom I Need to Defeat?

Hall Master Xing and the others felt as if they were on the brink of insanity.

We saw you kicking the Chrysoprase Soul Beast in its face with our own eyes; you nearly killed it with that blow. And yet, you are telling us that it made the first move?

Has anyone ever spouted such bullsh*t before?

Just how on earth did it offend you that you have to go so far against it?

Was there a need for a genius like you to get so serious against a beast?

Sighing deeply, Hall Master Xing explained, “Sun shi, if the Chrysoprase Soul Beast has offended you in any way, I beseech you to forgive it. The Combat Master Hall had to pay a hefty price before we managed to convince it to become the guardian of the Trial of Soul. If something happens to it, the operations of the Soul Division will be affected.”

“Hu…” As Zhang Xuan had expected, the other party really did not believe his words. Knowing that it would not make a difference no matter how much he argued, he shook his head and said, “I understand. I’ll help you treat it then.”

Seeing that Sun shi did not hold any hostility toward the Chrysoprase Soul Beast, Hall Master Xing heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s fine. Our Combat Master Hall has top-notch medicine to deal with injuries. I’ll just get my men to bring some over.”

“There’s no need to waste good medicine for this. Allow me to treat it instead,” Zhang Xuan said. “Don’t worry, I am a physician too. I won’t stoop so low as to harm my patient!”

“Ah, I nearly forgot that Sun shi is a formidable physician too!” Hall Master Xing came to a realization, and he burst into a hearty laughter.

The man before him was a formidable physician who could treat a poison that even Elder Qi was helpless before. With him treating the Chrysoprase Soul Beast, it should not be long before the latter was nursed to full health.

“Indeed, Sun shi’s medicinal skills are nothing short of amazing. Considering that the Chrysoprase Soul Beast has only sustained physical wounds, it shouldn’t be a problem for him.” Elder Qi nodded. “It would be a pleasure to see Sun shi’s medicinal skill in action…”

But as he said those words, his smile abruptly froze as his words came to a halt. Right before his eyes, he saw the young man walking up to the Chrysoprase Soul Beast and kicking it forcefully once more!

Peng!

The Chrysoprase Soul Beast flew right into the sky once more.

“…” Elder Qi, Hall Master Xing, and Division Head Liao.

Didn’t you say that you are a physician and you wouldn’t stoop so low as to harm a patient?

Didn’t you say that you are going to treat it?

Is there a physician in a world who treats their patient like that?

The trio nearly burst into tears.

Unable to stand it any longer, Hall Master Xing dashed forward and grabbed the hand of the young man before him and asked with a deep frown, “Sun shi, just what on earth do you want?”

If not for the fact that the other party was a benefactor to him and the Combat Master Hall, he would have definitely sent the other party flying with a slap at this very moment.

Peng!

With his hand grabbed by Hall Master Xing, Zhang Xuan had no choice but to stop what he was doing. He turned around and faced Hall Master Xing with a peeved look on his face and said, “Hall Master Xing, I am in the midst of my treatment. Move aside!”

“Ah?” Hall Master Xing was slightly taken aback by Zhang Xuan’s forceful words.

Before he could respond to those words, the Chrysoprase Soul Beast suddenly rose to its feet and walked up to Zhang Xuan before lowering its body subserviently. “Sun shi, Bro Sun, Grandpa Sun, won’t you kick me a few more times? As long as you give me a few more good kicks, I’ll even acknowledge you as my master!”

“…” Hall Master, Division Head Liao, and Elder Qi.

Hall Master Xing was afraid that the Chrysoprase Soul Beast would leave the Combat Master Hall out of rage from a conflict with Sun shi, and that was why he had rushed over as soon as possible to mediate between the both of them. Yet, who would have thought that the Chrysoprase Soul Beast would actually have an extraordinary interest in pain?

As long as he kicks you, you will even go as far as to acknowledge him as your master?

The heck! When I recruited you over back then, you were so arrogant, as if you were the master of the world! Why are you so subservient now?

Are those who specialize in soul arts as perverted as you are?

Wait a moment, isn’t this an opportunity as well? If I can get it to acknowledge me as its master, I won’t need to worry about it leaving the Combat Master Hall anymore, right?

After pondering for a moment, Hall Master Xing walked up to the Chrysoprase Soul Beast and cleared his throat. “Ahem! Chrysoprase Soul Beast, why don’t you acknowledge me as your master instead? I’ll kick you whenever you desire it!”

“…” Chrysoprase Soul Beast.

“…” Zhang Xuan.

Ignoring the sudden eccentric words from Hall Master Xing, Zhang Xuan turned to the Chrysoprase Soul Beast and said, “By now, you should know that I am not a soul oracle, right?”

The Chrysoprase Soul Beast’s lips twitched slightly as it quickly replied. “Erk… Of course you’re not!”

If he were to say that the other party was a soul oracle once more, it might just be killed on the spot.

Hearing those words, Hall Master Xing turned to the duo and asked, “Soul oracle? What are the both of you talking about?”

“Due to my abnormally powerful soul, it thought that I was a soul oracle and made a move against me,” Zhang Xuan explained.

“You suspected Sun shi of being a soul oracle?” Hall Master Xing turned to the Chrysoprase Soul Beast and shook his head. “You must be misunderstanding something here. Sun shi over here is a particularly formidable spirit awakener, and that’s why his soul may appear to be abnormally powerful. In fact, he was the one who helped treat the huge rift in my Primordial Spirit!”

“He’s a spirit awakener?” The Chrysoprase Soul Beast was stunned for a moment before awkwardness spread across its face.

Despite their differing field of specialties, spirit awakeners had a deep understanding of souls just like soul oracles. Otherwise, there was no way they would have been able to enchant weapons, nourish souls, and reinforce Primordial Spirits.

To think that he would actually suspect a spirit awakener of being a soul oracle and even make a move on the other party…

Seeing that the other party no longer doubted him, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. At this point, he could not help but recall a particularly intriguing piece of information he had heard from the other party, so he asked, “I remember that you said earlier that you have met a soul oracle, but didn’t the soul oracles go extinct many years ago?”

For it to have witnessed the means of a soul oracle in person, could it be that there were other soul oracles who had survived the wrath of the master teachers?

“That’s what I thought too. But a few decades ago, back when I was still traveling around the world, I encountered a soul oracle. He possessed exceptionally powerful means that allowed him to devour the souls of others to nourish his own. With my own eyes, I saw the soul of a good friend of mine being consumed, and I was nearly devoured myself. It was only due to my powerful soul that I was able to withstand his soul art and escape. This is also why I got particularly agitated when I saw you utilizing means reminiscent of a soul art and acted recklessly. Please do pardon me for that,” the Chrysoprase Soul Beast said.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan frowned.

There was indeed a soul art that allowed one to devour the souls of others to nourish their own. However, that was an extremely depraved technique, so Zhang Xuan had opted not to learn it.

“Where did you encounter the soul oracle?” Zhang Xuan asked.

The Chrysoprase Soul Beast pondered for a brief moment before replying. “I encountered the soul oracle in the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows.”

“The Marshlands of the Northern Meadows?” Zhang Xuan was startled.

Could it be related to Vicious?

Back then, when Cang Xu attempted to kill him back in the Trial of Inner Demons, he had used Soul Search on the other party and learned that Vicious had a body part hidden in the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows. For the Chrysoprase Soul Beast to say that he had encountered a soul oracle there… it seemed too much of a coincidence for the two matters to not be related to one another.

“There are soul oracles in the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows? Why have you never spoken of it before?” Hall Master Xing’s face darkened.

The duty of the combat masters was not only to fend off the Otherworldly Demons but to protect mankind as well.

If a soul oracle capable of consuming souls appeared, it was their responsibility to defeat them.

“I intended to do so, but it’s a pity that the Combat Master Hall has no one who stands a chance against him at all. If I had spoken of it, it would just have resulted in the unneeded deaths of combat masters!” the Chrysoprase Soul Beast replied.

“This…” Hall Master Xing’s face reddened.

Clearly, the Chrysoprase Soul Beast lacked confidence in the Combat Master Hall’s strength.

“Hall Master Xing, there’s no need for you to feel embarrassed by this. The means of the soul oracles are extremely difficult to deal with. Putting aside unprepared combat masters, it would be difficult for you to deal with the soul oracle even if you headed there personally.” As the Chrysoprase Soul Beast spoke, hostility surfaced in its eyes. “In fact, I only chose to accept your invitation to the Soul Division back then in hopes of tempering your Combat Masters’ souls and my own so as to exact vengeance for my good friend one day!”

Seeing its state, Hall Master Xing nodded in realization.

It was no wonder the Chrysoprase Soul Beast had never spoken about any further remuneration over these years. It seemed like its main purpose at the Soul Division was to avenge the friend whom it had lost to the soul oracle back then.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before asking, “Can you explain the situation to me? If the other party is truly a soul oracle, I might be of some help!”

His soul cultivation had already hit a bottleneck due to the lack of further soul cultivation techniques. Thus, it was about time for him to search for new ones, and this could very well be an opportunity for him. Besides, considering that this matter was likely related to Vicious, there was a need for him to head over there personally.

Hearing those words, the eyes of the Chrysoprase Soul Beast lit up. “Given that the strength of Sun shi’s soul exceeds even mine, it would be great if you could help us defeat that soul oracle!”

Over the years, it had assessed many combat masters, but not a single one had been able to satisfy its demand. On the other hand, even though the person before it was still young, his soul was exceptionally powerful, such that even it was not a match for his soul. If the other party could help it in dealing with the soul oracle, they might be able to subdue him!

“My friend was a Verdant Cloak Beast, and his cultivation had reached Primordial Spirit realm, just like me. We heard that the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows had Afloat Soul Flowers, which are rumored to be able to enhance one’s soul significantly upon consumption. Thus, we headed there together.

“However, before we could find the Afloat Soul Flowers, we met that soul oracle and ended up fighting him. He was unable to match the both of us, so he turned around and fled. However, in the middle of the night, he assaulted us in his soul form, and with a bellow, he extracted my friend’s soul from his body and captured it. I tried every single method at my disposal, but I was unable to retrieve my friend’s soul from his grasp. Eventually, I could only watch with my eyes as he devoured my friend’s soul whole.

“After that, he tried to capture my soul as well. However, fortunately, due to my powerful innate soul, I was able to withstand his soul art and flee. Otherwise, I would have lost my life there as well!”

Recalling the situation back then, the Chrysoprase Soul Beast could not help but feel a little frightened.

As a master of soul arts itself, it knew how frightening soul oracles were. Soul arts might have appeared to be relatively weaker in a direct battle, but due to their elusive nature, it was nearly impossible to guard against them. If a soul oracle put their mind to it, they could easily draw out the soul of another in the middle of their dreams.

“With just a bellow, he was able to draw out your friend’s soul?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

There was no record of such a formidable soul art from the heritage he had obtained from Mo Hunsheng.

The Chrysoprase Soul Beast nodded. “Indeed. Just by calling out the name of my friend, the soul oracle was able to extract his soul. No matter how my friend retaliated or how I tried to save him, it didn’t work at all.”

Recalling the various means he possessed as well, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement. “It’s indeed difficult to guard against the means of a soul oracle…”

Just as he was about to continue speaking, Division Head Wei suddenly rushed into the room.

“Hall Master Xing, they are here!”

“They are here?” Hall Master Xing nodded. “Sun shi, let’s discuss this matter later. The big trouble that I told you about previously is here.”

“Great. I have been wanting to meet the man who dared provoke the Combat Master Hall. Don’t worry, I will have his teeth knocked out for you!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Following behind Hall Master Xing, they swiftly left the Soul Division, and before long, they arrived before a vast square.

Before they could enter the square, an excited exclaim suddenly sounded.

“Teacher, we have been looking all around for you!”

Turning around, Zhang Xuan saw Wang Ying and Zheng Yang rushing up to him.

Behind them, the many members of the Xuanxuan Faction were lined up neatly. Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, they immediately clasped their fists and greeted him. “Principal Zhang!”

“Un, you came at a good time. It happens that I’m about to clash with an expert, so it’d be good for you to watch carefully!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had been thinking of asking Hall Master Xing to allow the members of the Xuanxuan Faction to spectate the battle as well. After all, it would be a good learning opportunity for them. However, considering how gravely Hall Master Xing regarded the matter, it did not seem right for him to turn it into a spectacle for others.

But since the entire Xuanxuan Faction was already there, he was spared from the dilemma.

“You are going to clash with an expert? Who is it?” Wang Ying asked curiously.

“It’s with… Wait a moment, let me ask first.”

It was only at this moment that Zhang Xuan realized that he still did not know whom his opponent was. Thus, turning to face Hall Master Xing, he asked with a polite smile, “Hall Master Xing, may I know whom the big trouble is? Who is the opponent whom I need to defeat?”

Chapter 1135: What? I Am the Big Trouble?

Till now, Hall Master Xing had always referred to that person as ‘big trouble’, and he had not said who the person was.

As such, Zhang Xuan had no idea who the other party was. All he knew was that the other party was an extremely skilled individual who possessed fighting prowess at the peak of his cultivation realm.

As one who had cultivated the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, he was confident that he would be able to subdue any opponent in the same cultivation realm easily, but he did not believe that he was truly invincible. After all, his clone was always around to remind him not to get complacent. Since his clone was able to attain strength far greater than him, surely there would be some amazingly talented cultivators in the world who might have been able to do the same.

As such, from the start to the end, he had never doubted that the ‘big trouble’ Hall Master Xing referred to could have been referring to him.

After all, he had never met with anyone from the Combat Master Hall in his identity as the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy ever since he arrived in Qingyuan Empire, so how could he possibly be the ‘big trouble’ the other party was talking about?

Furthermore, from the tone Hall Master Xing assumed, it was apparent that the Combat Master Hall was facing a great adversary, which further served to convince Zhang Xuan’s subconscious mind that it could not possibly be him.

After all, he was a humble individual who could not get any more low profile. Ever since he arrived in the Qingyuan Empire, all he did was pay a visit to the Spirit Awakener Guild, so it did not make sense for a Leaving Aperture realm expert like Hall Master Xing to be so worried about him.

…

After asking, Zhang Xuan waited patiently to hear from Hall Master Xing whom that formidable expert was, only to see the Leaving Aperture realm cultivator’s mouth twitching non-stop. His body staggered weakly from side to side, and it seemed as if he would collapse to the ground at any moment.

At this point, the thought of killing himself even flashed across Hall Master Xing’s mind.

After everything he had done to guard against the Xuanxuan Faction, it turned out that the other party’s commander had already infiltrated their camp, converting nearly all of the combat masters into his students.

To think that he was so naive as to believe that he had managed to find himself an expert to defeat Principal Zhang and resolve the crisis the Combat Master Hall was currently facing…

They had even gone to the extent of allowing Sun shi to learn their heritages, only to find out that he was actually Zhang Xuan at this point in time.

Not only did he fail to resolve the crisis, he even turned it into a catastrophe.

A mouthful of blood welled up at the back of Hall Master Xing’s throat, ready to spew forth at any moment. Hall Master Xing turned around to look at Elder Qi, only to see that the latter had a flabbergasted look on his face as well.

Back then, he had wanted to see Principal Zhang’s painting, which Zhuo Qingfeng had sent in, and compare it with Sun shi to verify if they were the same person. However, Elder Qi had happened to arrive at that moment and confirmed that Sun shi was his benefactor. He had guaranteed that Sun shi could not possibly be Principal Zhang.

From the looks of it now, it seemed that Elder Qi had no idea what was going on either.

If you don’t know, don’t make blind guarantees! Look at the trouble you have landed us in!

If only he knew this would happen, he would not have taken Elder Qi’s word for it.

It just so happened that Feng Xun, Jiang Yuan, and the others were cultivating in isolation at the moment, saying that they wanted to condition themselves so as to face the Xuanxuan Faction at full strength.

Everything had happened so coincidentally that it seemed as if the heavens had planned the doom of their Combat Master Hall themselves!

Clutching his chest, Hall Master Xing felt his breathing becoming more and more unstable.

He felt like he was a true fool. All of those schemes he had come up with to fend against the Xuanxuan Faction ended up as nothing more than a joke. If anything, it had only hastened the downfall of their Combat Master Hall.

Why did life have to be so difficult?

Unable to stand it any longer, Hall Master Xing asked, “You are… Principal Zhang? Then why did you call yourself Sun Qiang?”

Not expecting the other party to ask this question instead of revealing whom to beat up, Zhang Xuan was slightly taken aback. Sighing deeply, he spoke in a tone reminiscent of an expert attempting to conceal himself in the mortal world. “I don’t like to cause trouble or stand out too much. After I enchanted the Spirit Awakener Guild, I didn’t want to bring unneeded trouble to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy as a result of that, so I decided to adopt another persona instead.”

It was truly a trouble being too outstanding, he could not even conceal his true identity when he wanted to.

How frustrating!

“Pu!” Upon hearing those words and seeing how the other party was acting, blood spewed out of Hall Master Xing’s mouth, and his breathing became even more unstable.

You said that you don’t like to cause trouble or stand out?

Low profile?

Low profile your head!

Over the three days you have spent in our Combat Master Hall, the ruckus and commotion you have caused never halted at any single point in time. You even went to the extent of turning almost all of our combat masters into your students!

If not for the fact that you were too busy cultivating and challenging the trials, perhaps our Combat Master Hall might have become yours by now.

Every single time you challenged a trial, you just had to create a record that left others deep in despair… and you call that being low profile?

There is no one in the world who could be more high profile than you!

“Hall Master Xing, what’s wrong?” Seeing the Leaving Aperture realm expert before him abruptly spurting blood in the middle of a conversation, Zhang Xuan worriedly checked on him as he stepped forward, wanting to help Hall Master Xing.

“You…” Looking at the innocent look on the other party’s face, Hall Master Xing felt so angered that he could have erupted. However, he eventually forcefully suppressed it.

To be honest, he could not blame Principal Zhang for this either.

In the first place, he was the one who went to the Spirit Awakener Guild to engage the other party’s help. Besides, the other party had no obligation to report his true identity either, especially to a stranger like him.

And more importantly, the other party had agreed to help him get rid of the ‘huge trouble’ out of goodwill.

It was a pity that the heavens seemed to be playing a trick on them, resulting in such an awkward situation.

“It’s nothing; I’m just a little short on breath…” Hall Master Xing waved his hand and rejected Zhang Xuan’s help. Still unwilling to accept the truth, he asked once more, “You really are Zhang Xuan?”

“That’s right. I apologize for concealing this matter from you, but it was not my intention to lie to you,” Zhang Xuan replied.

“Alright then…” Hall Master Xing’s face reddened further, and his breathing grew even more erratic.

Noticing that there was something amiss with Hall Master Xing’s state, Zhang Xuan frowned. “Hall Master Xing, is there something wrong? You were still perfectly fine a moment ago… or could it be that big trouble has already made a move on you?”

To make a move right before his eyes without him noticing, it seemed like the ‘big trouble’ was far stronger than he had anticipated!

“Cough cough!” Unable to watch on situation any longer, Division Head Liao stepped forward and said, “Principal Zhang, the big trouble that Hall Master Xing is referring to… is actually you!”

He feared that if this situation were to continue, their hall master might just die from sheer frustration.

“What?” Zhang Xuan was startled. “I am the big trouble?”

“That’s right!” Seeing how the other party was completely oblivious to the matter, Division Head Liao nodded helplessly.

“But when you first mentioned the trouble in the Spirit Awakener Guild, I had not even been to the Combat Master Hall, and I haven’t met any of you before either.” Zhang Xuan was completely bewildered by the situation.

“Hu… You will have to ask them for this matter!” Division Head Liao said as he pointed to Wang Ying and the others.

Frowning, Zhang Xuan turned to his two direct disciples and asked authoritatively, “What did you two do this time around to make the Combat Master Hall so angry?”

“We…” Wang Ying’s face reddened as she said, “Some of the combat masters in the Combat Master Hall didn’t abide by the rules and sneaked over to our accommodation to challenge us ahead of the exchange. As such, they ended up being pummeled by our Xuanxuan Faction. After that… they insisted on joining us, so we welcomed them with open arms and taught them the battle techniques and combat skills that you have taught us.”

“That’s all? From the very start, the purpose of this exchange is to learn from one another, so… this shouldn’t be any problem at all…” Zhang Xuan frowned.

If the members of both organizations were just challenging and learning from one another, it should have been no big deal at all. Was there a need for Hall Master Xing and the others to label him as ‘big trouble’ and even display such deep fear for him?

“Cough cough. Actually, the combat masters that joined the Xuanxuan Faction aren’t just limited to ordinary members. It seems there are five division heads too. They were impressed by your teachings, so they joined the Xuanxuan Faction as well…” Seeing that his teacher was still a little bewildered by the situation, Liu Yang elaborated further on the matter.

“Even the division heads have joined our Xuanxuan Faction?” Zhang Xuan’s lips twitched.

He finally understood what was going on.

This was no longer a problem of whether they joined the Xuanxuan Faction or not, but that the dignity of the Combat Master Hall was at stake.

No wonder the Combat Master Hall regarded him as their top enemy! Who would have thought that within just three short days, this group of rascals would dare to do something so preposterous!

How infuriating!

“You all… Truly preposterous! It’s out of goodwill that the Combat Master Hall agreed to have an exchange with us, so how can you poach their members? Is this the right way to treat our friends? Regardless of whether we are master teachers or not, we must abide by our morals and conduct ourselves appropriately! Even if the division heads willingly joined the Xuanxuan Faction, it’s not right to bring them into the Xuanxuan Faction! Is this how I have taught you all this while? You are ruining the valiant reputation I have built up for myself! How am I to face our friends in the Combat Master Hall in the future…”

Zhang Xuan began to berate Wang Ying and the others from the Xuanxuan Faction furiously.

But before he could finish his words, the many combat masters behind Hall Master Xing finally arrived at the square.

Over the past few days, Zhang Xuan had been too busy cultivating and challenging trials, so they had not been able to consult him on the problems that they had. Thus, upon seeing him standing in the middle of the square, they could not hold themselves back any longer. The entire group rushed forward excitedly and kneeled onto the ground.

“Paying respects to Teacher!”

“…” Wang Ying.

“…”Liu Yang.

“…” Everyone from the Xuanxuan Faction.

Chapter 1136: Envoys From the Spirit Awakener Guild Headquarters Arrive

Wang Ying, along with the others from the Xuanxuan Faction, came to a realization.

Turning their gazes to Zhang Xuan once more, admiration couldn’t help but seep into their eyes.

As expected of their teacher (principal)!

They had to utilize every single means at their disposal before they were able to convince three hundred combat masters to join the Xuanxuan Guild. On the other hand, their teacher (principal) simply marched straight into the Combat Master Hall and took every single combat master as his student…

Truly, they had been too narrow-minded and timid. How could one capture a cub without entering a tiger’s den?

On the other end, Zhang Xuan’s face had turned completely green at this point.

He was in the midst of lecturing his students when this drama suddenly unfolded before his eyes… The words that he had been intending to speak ended up stifling in his mouth just like that, and he found his breathing becoming more and more unstable.

In this moment, he suddenly felt like he could empathize with Hall Master Xing.

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony. Let me introduce you, this is the Xuanxuan Faction which I have founded. This is a good opportunity for all of us to trade insights and learn from one another.” Zhang Xuan said with a wave of his hand.

“Yes!” The combat masters nodded.

“As for you all, this is also a good opportunity for you to learn from our friends at the Combat Master Hall. It’s true that you possess an advantage in terms of combat sense and fighting prowess, but in terms of battle techniques and state of mind, none of you are close to coming on par with them. You all still have much to work on!” Zhang Xuan instructed.

He had focused his effort on lecturing the Xuanxuan Faction on combat skills, so it was inevitable that those from the Combat Master Hall would be unable to match them. However, in terms of the foundations and sheer strength, the Xuanxuan Faction would definitely be on the losing end.

Ultimately, the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy’s foundation simply paled too much in comparison to the massive Combat Master Hall. In terms of resources and heritage, there was no comparing the two.

“You are members of the Xuanxuan Faction? I heard that Xiao Qin and the others have already joined your ranks… Are you still recruiting?”

“If not for my division head keeping a close eye on all of us the past few days, we would have long gone over!”

“I heard that you all possess exceptional strength for your cultivation realm, and I have long wanted to try your hand. Anyone interested in a duel with me?”

…

It didn’t take long for the combat masters and the members of the Xuanxuan Faction to mingle together harmoniously.

The Combat Master Hall had tried to lock down the news concerning the defection of Xiao Qin, the five division heads, and a few hundred other combat masters, but this matter was simply too big to be concealed. They might have been able to stop others from speaking about it in the open, but they couldn’t prevent gossiping in the shadows. By this time, most of the combat masters had heard bits and pieces of the matter, and they couldn’t help but be curious in the Xuanxuan Faction.

And at this moment, hearing that they were personally taught by the great Sun laoshi, their excitement was palpable.

Very soon, the members from both organizations began crossing hands.

Xiao Qin was the first representative to step forth from the Xuanxuan Faction, and he managed to utterly defeat a long-time rival of his in the Combat Master Hall.

Even those whom he was hardly a match for in the past couldn’t even last three blows in his hands.

Despite not receiving Zhang Xuan’s direct guidance, Wang Ying and the others still unreservedly imparted their knowledge to him. Through earnestly learning from their teachings, he had gained many new insights into combat, allowing his fighting prowess to advance by leaps and bounds.

Not to mention, he was a genius in combat himself. Three days wasn’t long, but it was still sufficient for him to make a substantial improvement. All in all, his fighting prowess had increased by at least twofold.

“We are willing to join the Xuanxuan Faction as well. We humbly ask of you to teach us as well!”

Seeing how swiftly their companions had improved under the tutelage of the Xuanxuan Faction, the other combat masters couldn’t hold themselves back any longer.

“Hai! Who could have thought that the ten thousand years of legacy of the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall would be destroyed in my hands…” Seeing the sight before him, Hall Master Xing knew that there was nothing he could do anymore. A look of defeat reminiscent of a failed examinee surfaced on his face, and an ache so sharp that it rendered him unable to breathe assaulted his heart.

As the hall master, it was a failure in itself for him to be unable to bring the Combat Master Hall to greater heights under his leadership, let alone the absorption of the Combat Master Hall into an organization from a Tier-1 Empire. He had prepared himself for the worst to come, but seeing it happen before his eyes was nevertheless heart wrenching.

“Hall Master Xing, there’s no need for you to blame yourself. This matter is not a bad thing for our Combat Master Hall; on the contrary, it could even be considered as a blessing!”

At this point, Feng Xun suddenly arrived on the square.

He had been in seclusion ever since he heard of the arrival of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy three days ago, intending to prepare himself to pull off a great comeback during the exchange. Yet, when he finally came out of his seclusion, this was the shocking sight that welcomed him. It was inevitable that he would feel slightly rattled within.

However, recalling the various incredible feats that Principal Zhang had pulled off previously, this matter didn’t seem to be too surprising anymore. In fact, he felt a little relieved even.

He wasn’t aware that Zhang Xuan had managed to become a Celestial Saint, but the various affairs that they had gone through together in the Qiu Wu Palace were still fresh on his mind. Without a doubt, there was no harm to maintaining such close ties with an organization headed by a master teacher as formidable as the other party. With this layer of relationship, their Combat Master Hall would surely develop swiftly, and it was just a matter of time before they overtook the other Conferred Empire Combat Master Halls!

“A blessing?” Hall Master Xing and Division Head Liao turned their gazes over.

“Indeed. Think about it, the young man whom Zhuo Qingfeng had brought to the headquarters to participate in the Progeny of Combat Selection, Zheng Yang, is Principal Zhang’s direct disciple!” Feng Xun nodded in agitation. “If Zheng Yang were to clear the Progeny of Combat Selection, that would effectively mean that he is the next head of our entire Combat Master Hall, a powerhouse even when taking the entire Master Teacher Continent into consideration! Not to mention, he… is also a member of the Xuanxuan Faction!”

“This…” Hall Master Xing and the others were taken aback.

They had been too focused on the fact that the Xuanxuan Faction was a Tier-1 Empire organization that they hadn’t considered matters from this perspective yet.

“Taking a step back, even if he fails the Progeny of Combat Selection, any genius who is qualified to participate in the selection is bound to become an elder of the Combat Master Hall at the very least. With him around, even if our Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall were to join the Xuanxuan Faction, who would dare mock us?” Feng Xun continued.

Hall Master Xing and the others fell into deep thoughts.

If one were to look at matters from that perspective, that was indeed the case.

Even though the Master Teacher Continent viewed seniority with grave importance, what was more important was the heart to learn.

No matter how old or senior an individual was, as long as the other party was more skilled than you in a single aspect, it would be worthwhile to learn from the other party.

Not to mention, Kong shi had acknowledged many individuals weaker than him as his teacher and learned from them without a shred of conceit or arrogance too! Since even a man respected as the World’s Teacher could lower himself, why couldn’t others do the same?

A willingness to humble oneself to learn should be respected, not ridiculed. What would be truly ridiculous was for one to choose ignorance over knowledge for his own pride!

If Zheng Yang were to become the Progeny of Combat, he would inherit the greatest heritage of the Combat Master Hall, and it would only be a matter of time before he became their next hall master. Surely there was no shame in joining the organization which the head of the powerful Combat Master Hall was a member of!

And even if the other party didn’t become the hall master, an elder of the powerful Combat Master Hall was still a plenty incredible figure in the Master Teacher Continent. Similarly, it would be an honor for them to be in the Xuanxuan Faction too.

“I understand.” Having thought things through, Hall Master Xing sighed deeply and nodded. With this, the knot in his heart was finally untangled. Turning to Zhang Xuan once more, he couldn’t help but feel deep respect.

For a man in his twenties to have all of the combat masters choose him over the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall, which had ten thousand years of legacy behind it, he was truly a fearsome figure!

“His background probably isn’t simple either!” Hall Master Xing remarked.

“From what I know, Principal Zhang’s teacher goes by the name of Yang Xuan, and his cultivation has reached an unfathomable level far beyond our imagination…” Feng Xun nodded in response.

“Yang Xuan?” Startled, Hall Master Xing widened his eyes slightly. “Could it be…”

“Hm? Has Hall Master Xing heard of Yang shi before?”

“I recall hearing about such a figure from my teacher before… There’s a formidable master teacher whom others address as Yang shi in the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, and his cultivation has achieved an astounding level matched by very few in the long history of the Master Teacher Continent! However, I’m not too certain as to whether this Yang shi’s name is Yang Xuan or not…” Hall Master Xing said.

“Hall Master Xing’s teacher? Do you mean… 8-star Combat Master Tong Qianqiu, the man who goes by the nickname of Inferno Adamantine?” Division Head Liao asked.

Even though Hall Master Xing had never spoken about his heritage, after several centuries of friendship, Division Head Liao was still able to fathom a thing or two.

Inferno Adamantine Tong Qianqiu was a formidable combat master renowned even in the Empire Alliance. With his steel fists, he instilled deep fear into his opponents. Once, in a battle, he had single-handedly slain more than several dozen thousand Otherworldly Demons, thus striking his name out in the Master Teacher Continent.

“Un.” Hall Master Xing nodded.

“If even Combat Master Tong has spoken such words, that Yang shi must be truly a formidable figure. If Yang shi truly is Principal Zhang’s teacher, that would explain the latter’s incredible capabilities. Under the tutelage of such a formidable master teacher, he was bound to achieve great things in the future!” Feng Xun said.

He had originally intended on challenging Zhang Xuan once more to cleanse his name, but in this moment, such thoughts had already vanished from his mind.

Since it was impossible for him to catch up with the other party no matter what he did, he might as well spare himself from the humiliation.

It wasn’t a bad thing to set high goals, but a human must understand his own limits. Being too fixated on something impossible would only narrow one’s scope.

…

While Hall Master Xing and the others were chatting, Zhang Xuan was busying himself with managing the exchange.

Facilitating the exchange between the two organizations was no easy task.

Under everyone’s request, Zhang Xuan conducted a lecture at the very end of the exchange. By the end of the lecture, it was already late at night, and the members from both organizations departed from the square excited and satisfied.

Deciding to stay overnight at the Combat Master Hall, Zhang Xuan beckoned Wang Ying and Liu Yang over and said, “Here are the fist art, palm art, movement art, defensive technique, and soul cultivation technique which I have organized over the past few days. Take a look through them and internalize them.”

Over the past three days, he hadn’t just been busy cultivating. He had also compiled a couple of battle techniques and cultivation techniques which even ordinary cultivators could practice. Since Wang Ying and Liu Yang were around, he could impart it to them first.

“Yes!” Wang Ying and Liu Yang nodded as they flipped open the book. It didn’t take them long to finish browsing through the book, and with a clap of their hands, the books were completely destroyed.

If these books were to be leaked out, they might draw unwanted attention onto themselves. Thus, it would suffice for them to retain a record of the technique in their minds and cultivate it silently.

“If you have any questions regarding the techniques, raise them now.” Seeing that they were done, Zhang Xuan turned to them and said.

Wang Ying and Liu Yang quickly barraged him with all of the doubts they had.

Two hours later, the duo finally gained a thorough understanding of the battle techniques and cultivation techniques.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan was just about to send them back to their accommodation when Sun Qiang abruptly rushed in at this moment.

“Young Master, Guild Leader Ruan of the Spirit Awakener Guild seeks an audience!”

“Guild Leader Ruan? Why would she be looking for me?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

It couldn’t be that the guild building was acting disobediently again and had secretly sneaked off?

But that couldn’t be! They had already signed a soul contract, so such a thing should be impossible!

“Invite her in!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Nodding, Sun Qiang left the room. Soon after, he returned with Guild Leader Ruan and a middle-aged lady.

The middle-aged lady that had come with Guild Leader Ruan looked to be in her late thirties. The clothes she wore were ordinary, but there was an air of grace and nobility around her that made none dare to underestimate her. Her disposition granted her an incredible presence that left one feeling tensed and deeply pressed.

“What incredible strength… Her cultivation seems to have even exceeded that of Hall Master Xing’s!” Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in alarm.

Even without the Eye of Insight, he could still easily discern the extraordinary strength wielded by the middle-aged lady before him. Despite having made a breakthrough to Leaving Aperture realm, Hall Master Xing was nowhere close to matching up to her.

In other words, even at the very least, she was a Leaving Aperture realm expert!

When had such a formidable figure appeared in the Spirit Awakener Guild?

“Pleased to meet you once more, Sun shi… or perhaps I should say, Principal Zhang!” While Zhang Xuan was still assessing the middle-aged lady with a doubtful look, Guild Leader Ruan walked up to him and greeted.

To be honest, she still found it hard to accept that the talented spirit awakener whom she had met a few days ago would turn out to be the principal of a Tier-1 Empire Master Teacher Academy.

“Guild Leader Ruan, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. May I ask for the reason for your visit at this late hour?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“To be honest with you, I have reported the matter regarding the guild building to the headquarters, and the headquarters regards the matter with grave importance. Let me introduce you, this is Elder Wei from our headquarters!” Guild Leader Ruan said.

“Headquarters? You mean the Spirit Awakener Guild headquarters?”