Chapter 1184

Chapter 1184: Pavilion Master Gou Admits Defeat

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

While a teacher should enlighten others without discrimination, Pavilion Master Gou had truly crossed Zhang Xuan’s bottom line. For his own selfishness, he had chosen to disregard the truth and selfishly sided with Vice Pavilion Master Tian. The stronger a person like that was, the greater a threat to humanity they were.

Thus, how could he possibly impart Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Art to the other party?

Zhang Xuan was a kind and generous person, but that did not mean that he was undiscerning and naive.

He had a clear gauge of who he should accept as his student and who he should never accept as his student.

“Pardon me, I was getting ahead of myself…” Pavilion Master Gou’s face sank in disappointment.

It was just a moment ago that he had forced the other party into crashing their Master Teacher Pavilion, so why would the other party be willing to impart his battle technique to him now?

He should be glad that the other party had not killed him on the spot!

“I have lost…” Pavilion Master Gou closed his eyes momentarily and shook his head. A moment later, he opened his eyes and announced, “Zhang shi has successfully cleared the first phase of the pavilion crashing!”

The first phase was to defeat all of the master teachers of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and given that Zhang Xuan had managed to get all ten thousand master teachers to submit to him and defeat the strongest Pavilion Master Gou, he had already cleared it.

“Hold it for a moment. I haven’t fought with Vice Pavilion Master Tian yet, and I don’t think it’s right that we skip straight past him!” Zhang Xuan interjected.

“Even I am not a match for you, let alone Tian Qing. Thus, there’s no longer any meaning in you fighting him,” Pavilion Master Gou said.

However, Zhang Xuan did not seem to be convinced by that explanation. He was just about to argue when Tian Qing clasped his fist and said, “I am not an opponent for you either. I admit my defeat!”

A hint of disappointment surfaced in Zhang Xuan’s eyes.

To be honest, he was still seething with rage with Vice Pavilion Master Tian. If only the other party had agreed to have a duel with him, he would surely have pummeled the other party deep into the ground, never to see the light of the day again!

But since Vice Pavilion Master Tian had admitted his defeat, there was no excuse he could use anymore.

After all, the act of pavilion crashing was bound by rules, and the entire process was supervised by the headquarters. It would not be good for him to intentionally kill another master teacher here.

“The Master Teacher Tower is over there. Follow me.”

The Master Teacher Tower housed the wills of the strongest master teacher of each generation. Some of them had reached the level of 8-star low-tier, and there were those who had achieved accomplishments even higher than that. Naturally, it would not be an easy feat to overcome them.

As such, the first phase of pavilion crashing was actually considered a mere warm up.

The true test lay ahead.

This was the challenge that had halted the footsteps of countless geniuses in history.

Following behind Pavilion Master Gou, it did not take long for Zhang Xuan to see a seven-story tower looming over him.

Knowing that a great trial lay ahead, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath and gathered his concentration before making his way in.

As soon as Zhang Xuan’s silhouette disappeared amid the darkness of the tower, a master teacher could not help but ask apprehensively, “Will Zhang shi… succeed?”

“It’ll be very difficult. While our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion isn’t ranked at the forefront of the Eight Conferred Empires, it has still produced four 8-star master teachers in history. Of them, He shi even managed to reach 8-star high-tier in his lifetime. With the extensive knowledge he possesses and the incredible power he wields, the will he has left behind in the Master Teacher Tower won’t be that easy to overcome,” another master teacher within the crowd replied.

The first master teacher nodded in agreement. “Indeed. 8-star master teachers are existences that are considered near the peak of the Master Teacher Continent. Be it their knowledge, state of mind, or comprehension of cultivation, it would be difficult for ordinary master teachers to match them.”

“Jeez, I hope that Zhang shi will be able to clear the examination. If he succeeds, as his students, we will be able to share his glory as well!”

“I am also fervently praying for his success. It has been a long time since anyone has crashed a pavilion. If he succeeds, think about the fame that it will bring us! In the future, I’ll be able to brag to my friends that my teacher is a successful pavilion crasher!”

The two master teachers spoke with looks of anticipation on their faces.

Pu!

Hearing the words of the duo, the severely wounded Pavilion Master Gou suddenly felt his injuries acting up once more, and fresh blood spurted wildly from his mouth. It took quite a while before he managed to calm himself down once more.

Master teachers of other Master Teacher Pavilions would lay down their lives to guard the honor and pride of their pavilion, so why were his master teachers wishing for Zhang Xuan’s victory instead?

Do you even realize that this is your Master Teacher Pavilion too? Once he succeeds in crashing the pavilion, you will be humiliated, too! Glory your head!

Noticing the look on Pavilion Master Gou’s face, Wu shi could immediately tell what the other party was thinking about, and he shook his head. “Those who conduct themselves morally will find help coming their way, while those who lack principles will find themselves isolated from the others. Pavilion Master Gou, regardless of whether Principal Zhang is able to clear the Master Teacher Tower or not, you have already lost the hearts of your men. Even if the headquarters do not pursue this matter, it is likely that no master teacher within the Master Teacher Pavilion will willingly follow your orders anymore.”

While Vice Pavilion Master Tian’s act of framing Zhang Xuan had been carried out discreetly, considering how the matter had blown up to such a degree, there was no way the truth could be hidden any further.

A person who stood bravely against an entire Master Teacher Pavilion in order to redress his grievances, as compared to a pavilion master who chose to overlook the evil of others just to save his own skin and retire peacefully… it was apparent with a single look whom the crowd would choose to side with.

Due to this matter, Pavilion Master Gou would be despised by all master teachers in the world, never to make a comeback.

“I…” Realizing the same, Pavilion Master Gou’s face turned ashen in despair.

In truth, he had also realized that his days of glory were over from the moment the other party declared that he would crash the Master Teacher Pavilion.

But… he had not expected that those master teachers whom he had fought alongside with previously would abandon him so utterly either.

His eyes colored with desolation, Pavilion Master Gou gazed into the sky with a complicated look. “Have I… really done wrong?”

The initial hopes and dreams in bettering the world when he first became the regional pavilion master had eroded over the long five hundred years. Unknowingly, his priority had shifted into desperately protecting the authority and prestige that he held instead. Perhaps karma had truly come around to bite him.

With a suffocating sensation within his chest, he turned to Wu shi and asked, “What is the background of Zhang shi?”

“He’s the most diligent and talented individual I have ever seen in the world,” Wu shi replied with a brilliant gleam in his eyes.

A person who insisted on reading and bettering himself no matter what kind of circumstances he was in… Just Zhang Xuan’s attitude toward studying was one that he should really strive to learn from.

Perhaps, it was due to how studious Zhang Xuan was that he was able to achieve what he had at such a young age, possessing strength far beyond his.

…

Zhang Xuan slowly advanced after entering the huge doors of the Master Teacher Tower.

Having challenged the Master Teacher Tower once back at Xuanyuan Kingdom, he knew the rules concerning it.

The wills of the outstanding predecessors of the Master Teacher Pavilion were deposited here, and every single one of them wielded superior strength. It was nigh impossible to defeat them in a normal duel, and due to that, the test would tend to concern the fundamental abilities of master teachers instead, such as lecturing, discerning flaws, offering pointers on battle techniques, and so on.

As such, what was tested in this second phase was not one’s strength but how accomplished a master teacher one was.

Hu!

After proceeding for some time, an illusory figure suddenly appeared before Zhang Xuan. He was the guardian of the very first test, an 8-star low-tier master teacher who had risen from the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion 13,000 years ago, Zhao Zhen.

Seeing that the person who was crashing the pavilion was only a twenty-year-old, Master Teacher Zhao Zhen frowned. “To crash a Master Teacher Pavilion at such a young age, what kind of grievances have you suffered?”

“The incumbent pavilion master has sided with evildoers to sully my reputation just to preserve a clean record and protect his own position…” Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and began explaining the matter.

“There’s actually such a matter? The Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion really is getting worse generation after generation! It is high time to do some internal reorganization!” Zhao Zhen harrumphed furiously before turning his sights back to Zhang Xuan once more.

“I know that you have suffered greatly from this matter, but as one of the guardians of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, I cannot let you pass me so easily. Otherwise, if everyone attempted to crash the Master Teacher Pavilion whenever something happened, the authority of the Master Teacher Pavilion will be undermined. I hope that you can understand that.”

“I understand.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Seeing how earnest the young man was, Zhao Zhen nodded in approval.

“My test will be on discerning flaws in my battle technique. I will execute a battle technique, and as long as you can find a single flaw in it, you will have cleared my test.”

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan’s face brightened up. “Alright!”

On the other hand, seeing that the young man had loosened up instead after hearing the content of his test, as if it was already a done deal, Zhao Zhen frowned. “Don’t think that it will be easy to find a flaw in my battle technique. I won’t be going easy on you just because of your plight. I will be using my most prided battle technique, one that I have refined again and again in my lifetime in order to perfect it. While I cannot say that it’s flawless, most 7-star pinnacle master teachers would need numerous months before they could find a single flaw!”

“I understand. Pardon me, but I am in a hurry, so can we get it over and done with quickly?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“You…” Displeased, Master Teacher Zhao Zhen flung his sleeves furiously.

As an 8-star low-tier master teacher, a test from him could not possibly be as easy as it sounded. Yet, that young man was taking him lightly, even saying that he wanted to get it over and done with as if everything was already in his grasp. Was he really that confident in clearing his test, or was he just another conceited fool?

“The battle technique that I will be using is known as the Autumn Breeze Intertwining Silk Hands. It’s a technique that I came up with while observing the falling leaves being raked up by the autumn wind, only to be entangled in a spider’s web. I’ll first execute it once for you.”

Master Teacher Zhao Zhen raised his hands and drew out fine zhenqi threads from the tips of his fingers. With elegant movements, he skillfully weaved it into a spider’s web that entrapped everything within it. If someone was within the spider’s web’s area, they would surely find themself getting helplessly entangled if they tried to escape from the area.

“I have never executed this battle technique before anyone, so you need not try to find any shortcuts around this test. Also, do not even think that you will be able to pull the wool over my eyes; it won’t work. My technique consists of ten moves, and each of them is stronger than the last. The one that I have just executed is only the first move, Entwining Threads of Golden Silk. After I am done executing all ten moves, I will give you four hours to contemplate over the matter. If you are able to find a single flaw in my technique, you pass. Otherwise, I will have to regretfully inform you that your pavilion crashing has come to an end,” Master Teacher Zhao Zhen said as he executed the technique.

Typically speaking, he would grant those crashing the pavilion two days to analyze the intricacies in his battle techniques. However, the young man before him had spoken arrogantly, so he had chosen to narrow the timeframe to four hours instead so as to hammer down the other party’s arrogance.

When the other party finally came to realize his own arrogance upon failing to come up with anything after four hours, he would loosen the time restriction.

Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, “There’s no need to execute all ten moves or wait four hours; I can list your flaws now.”

It was only in the spur of the moment from Pavilion Master Gou’s humiliation that he had chosen to engage in pavilion crashing. His priority was still to be promoted to 7-star master teacher and find ways to earn more concentrated high-tier spirit stones to raise his cultivation. He did not have any time to waste here.

“You will list my flaws now?” Zhao Zhen was taken aback.

He had only used a single move, but the young man was ready to list his flaws? What utter nonsense!

“Your Autumn Breeze Intertwining Silk Hands does not look bad on the surface, wielding strength that would easily put it in the forefront of Saint intermediate-tier battle techniques. Upon mastering the technique, the zhenqi threads can be skillfully utilized in many ways to restrict an opponent’s movements, making it an extremely difficult technique to deal with. However, it’s unfortunate that it is riddled with quite a number of flaws. I did a rough count earlier, and it seems like there is a total of 37 flaws!” Zhang Xuan said.

“37 flaws?” Zhao Zhen’s face darkened in rage.

I have only used the first move of my battle technique, and it’s already questionable in itself whether you are able to find a single flaw from it or not. Yet, you are telling me that you have already found 37?

In an instant, the last traces of goodwill that Zhao Zhen felt toward the young man before him vanished.

“Indeed.” Oblivious to Zhao Zhen’s thoughts regarding him, Zhang Xuan thought that the other party was just skeptical about there being so many flaws in his technique, so he swiftly explained, “The creation of a battle technique must involve trial through practical battles as well to test its effectiveness and might. Considering that you have never imparted the battle technique to anyone else or tested it out in battle, I must say that it’s already impressive that there are only 37 flaws in your battle technique.”

“You!” Hearing those words, Zhao Zhen nearly exploded on the spot. With a livid face, he uttered coldly, “Since that’s the case, why don’t you tell me where the 37 flaws are? If you can’t, don’t blame me for getting nasty with you!”

Chapter 1185: Pavilion Crashing, Success!

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

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

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

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

“This…” Zhao Zhen was stunned.

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

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

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

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

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

“You…” Zhao Zhen widened his eyes in shock.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hu la!

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

Huala!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…” Zhao Zhen was crazed.

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

Pop!

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

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

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

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

…

Outside the Master Teacher Pavilion…

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

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

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

Hu!

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

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

“This… He cleared the test?” Wu shi was taken aback.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Dissipated?”

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

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

What could possibly be happening within?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Weng!

A brilliant burst of light rose into the sky.

Hong long!

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1186: 7-star Master Teacher!

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Huala!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I…” Pavilion Master Gou’s face turned completely red.

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

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

“Yes!”

The master teachers swiftly scattered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Time really flies!

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

“I see.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

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

“What about King Zhongqing? Have you captured him yet?”

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

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

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

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

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

“Apprehend Tian Qing? How?” Wu shi was stunned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“This…” Wu shi’s body stiffened upon hearing those words. “Principal Zhang, could you have discovered something regarding that?”

Zhang Xuan shook his head. “It’s still speculation at the current moment.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes!” the crowd replied.

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

Chapter 1187: Arrest

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

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

Wu shi sent a telepathic message to Zhang Xuan. “Principal Zhang, that’s where Chen Zhe lives…”

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

“Un.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“But…” Wu shi was still a little worried.

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

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

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

Wu shi pondered for a moment before nodding. “That’s true.”

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

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

Wu shi and the others widened their eyes in alarm.

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

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

“Underground?”

Everyone looked at Zhang Xuan with an incredulous look.

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

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

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

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

“Alright!”

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

Weng!

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

Peng!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Escape? Do you think that you will be able to escape?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scanning the surroundings carefully, Zhang Xuan suddenly frowned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zhang Xuan walked forward and stomped forcefully on the ground.

Huala!

The ground immediately parted, revealing a stone door.

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

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

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

It’s Starluster Stone… Zhang Xuan frowned.

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

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

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

It was for this reason that the rock was named ‘Starluster’.

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

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

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

It was a vast underground chamber.

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

This… A grade-8 formation?

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

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

Something was definitely amiss.

Let me see what the formation is channeling power toward.

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

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

“T-this…”

Chapter 1188: Tian Qing’s Death

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Huala!

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

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

“Break!”

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

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

This… Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in astonishment.

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

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

Cang Xu had used such a technique against him.

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

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

So, this is how they carried out the killings.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hu!

His soul flew out from his glabella.

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

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

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

Hu!

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

Weng!

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

…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Huala!

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

Boom!

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

Putong!

A tattered body was coughed out of the cauldron.

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

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

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

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

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

Zhang Jiuxiao walked up to the corpse and muttered with a complicated expression, “He’s dead…”

“Dead?” Wu shi walked up to take a look.

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

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

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Chapter 1189: Is Someone Thinking About Me? Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“Bring his corpse back to the Master Teacher Pavilion!”

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

Sighing deeply, Wu shi waved his hands.

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

Life sure was unpredictable.

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

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

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

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

“Passageway?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Zhang shi!”

The crowd swiftly gathered around Zhang Xuan.

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

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

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

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

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

“Cultivation technique?”

“What kind of cultivation technique could possibly stop one’s breathing and halt one’s heartbeat?”

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

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

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

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

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

Those were clearly signs of death!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bam! Pu!

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

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

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

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

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

Did you have to attack me so mercilessly?

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

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

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

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

“He really is cultivating…”

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

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

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

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

“Yes!” An elder nodded before leaving the underground chamber.

…

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

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

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

“Zhang shi, we meet again.”

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

“It’s you?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“This…” The copper-masked figure frowned.

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

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

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

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

“You aren’t the only one?”

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

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

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

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

…

Ah choo!

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

Is someone thinking about me?

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

Chapter 1190: The Demands of the Copper-Masked Figure

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…” Seeing the other party’s actions, the copper-masked figure clawed at his hair in frenzy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Huala!

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

Seeing the movements of the copper-masked figure, a glint flashed across Zhang Xuan’s eyes. “That’s… a soul oracle technique!”

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

Tzzzzzz!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You’ll bring me back to life?” Zhang Xuan asked in bewilderment.

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

“Soulless Metal Humanoid…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“He isn’t?”

The copper-masked figure harrumphed disdainfully. “He’s just a loyal dog!”

“Then… what about Tian Qing?” Zhang Xuan asked on.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“How could it be you?”