Chapter 850

Chapter 850: Bodhi Saint Tree

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

When Mu shi arrived at Zhang Xuan’s manor, they realized that Senior Byzantium Helios had wrapped everyone within his power, so no one had been injured in the catastrophe.

At this very instant, Zhang shi was standing before a towering cauldron, bellowing furiously.

“What did you guarantee me before the pill forging? To be unable to withstand even the medicinal energy of a mere grade-7 pill, how can you have the cheek to call yourself a Saint artifact? Saint artifact your head!”

He was indeed very infuriated by this incident.

That fellow had promised him that it would have no trouble forging a grade-7 pill. That was the reason he had gone to the extent of using the Impartation of Heaven’s Will to control Apothecary Lu and the others so as to guarantee that there were no mistakes in the steps at all.

All of the medicinal herbs prepared were of excellent maturity, and there was no mistake whatsoever, so the pill was swiftly formed.

Yet… in the instant that the pill was formed, it turned out that the one who would drag his feet wasn’t Apothecary Lu and the others but the Guardian Saint Artifact of the Master Teacher Academy, Golden Origin Cauldron!

Unable to properly hold in the rampaging energies harnessed within it, the lid of the Golden Origin Cauldron abruptly burst open, resulting in the energies destroying everything in the area.

It was fortunate that no one was injured, but his manor… It was gone just like that!

“I-I didn’t know that you were going to forge such a potent pill either…” Berated by Zhang Xuan, the Golden Origin Cauldron tried to explain itself indignantly.

It was indeed a Saint artifact, but it was a weapon cauldron and not a pill cauldron. Even though a formation had been cast over it to manage the temperature regulation, its physical structure still wasn’t optimized for pill forging. Forging an ordinary grade-7 pill was already stretching its limits, but the pill that Zhang Xuan was forging just had to be the Grand Intermittence Pill… It was already a huge blessing that it wasn’t blown to smithereens on the spot!

“If you had been able to hold on, that pill would have surely reached grade-8! Look, due to your error, the final product is only a grade-7 Inscribed Pill. What a huge waste of those precious medicinal herbs!” Zhang Xuan harrumphed coldly.

He knew that the Golden Origin Cauldron couldn’t be blamed for this matter, but he simply couldn’t hold back his rage.

One must know that there was a huge qualitative difference between a grade-7 Inscribed Pill and grade-8 pill!

It was such a waste of Jiang Qingqin’s Phoenix Timber Core and the high maturity medicinal herbs that the other old elders of the Apothecary School had prepared for him!

“Grade-8? Grade-7 Inscribed Pill?”

On the other hand, after hearing those words, Apothecary Lu and the others finally understood what kind of pill they had just forged, and their bodies wouldn’t stop trembling in excitement.

Big Brother, the Grand Intermittence Pill is a grade-7 pill in itself. It is already an incredible feat to forge it to the level of an Inscribed Pill. There is no guarantee that 8-star pinnacle apothecaries would be capable of doing the same.

And yet, you were thinking of forging it to the level of a grade-8 pill?

Man, you are really about to break out of the atmosphere!

“Forget it. At the very least, the pill is fine. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to compensate for it even if I were to sell you off!” After berating the Golden Origin Cauldron one last time, he took a deep breath and released his anger before storing the pill in a jade bottle.

After which, he finally noticed the presence of Mu shi and the others. He clasped his fist and greeted, “Mu shi, school heads!”

Recognizing the pill, Mu shi asked, to verify the matter, “Senior Uncle… the pill that you have just forged, is it the Grand Intermittence Pill?”

“That’s right.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“To be able to forge the grade-7 Grand Intermittence Pill to the point that Pill Mist is produced… Inconceivable, truly inconceivable!” Mu shi exclaimed. “The Grand Intermittence Pill has the ability to regrow limbs. If it isn’t inconvenient, may I ask why Senior Uncle is forging this pill?”

As a pill overflowing with vitality, the Grand Intermittence Pill could heal even the most severe injuries and even induce the regrowing of limbs. It wouldn’t be too far off to claim that the pill only fell short of bringing back the dead. Not to mention, the pill that Zhang Xuan had forged was just a step away from reaching grade-8.

“It is to save a junior,” Zhang Xuan replied.

After which, he gestured for the Byzantium Helios Beast to bring Wei Ruyan over before taking out the jade bottle once more.

“Is this the person whom Senior Uncle hopes to save?” Mu shi frowned.

“That’s right.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“This young lady’s body is currently too frail. I fear that your Grand Intermittence Pill might be a little too potent for her current condition. The chances are that it could end up worsening her condition instead,” Mu shi said.

As the common adage among physicians went, ‘over-nourishment kills the frail’.

Even for a Saint realm 3-dan expert like him, it would be difficult to absorb and assimilate the overwhelming medicinal energy contained within that Grand Intermittence Pill fully, let alone an unconscious and frail young lady.

Most likely, her body would be utterly destroyed by the overwhelming medicinal energy before it could work its wonders.

“It’s not a problem.” Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually.

He uncorked the jade bottle, and a dense surge of spiritual energy immediately gushed into the surroundings. In the next instant, a pill abruptly surged into the air, attempting to flee.

At the level of a Grade-7 Inscribed Pill, the Grand Intermittence Pill possessed spirit, granting it the instinctive ability to avert danger. Even though it hadn’t developed sentience yet, given sufficient time, it could develop sentience like the Golden Origin Cauldron. If it were allowed to continue developing, a day might come when it could even morph into a human.

“Trying to flee? Come back!”

However, Zhang Xuan seemed to have expected that the pill would react in such a manner. With a cold harrumph, he abruptly closed his fists, and a surge of energy suddenly emerged from the pill itself, sealing its movements.

Following which, the pill was forcefully pulled back to the ground by the surge of energy.

Having gone through the books in the library of the Apothecary School, Zhang Xuan knew that grade-7 pills possessed such a property, so he had left a hand in advance.

Using his zhenqi to support the Wei Ruyan’s lower jaw, Zhang Xuan opened her mouth and fed her the Grand Intermittence Pill.

Tzzzzzzzz!

As soon as the pill entered her body, a sizzling sound reminiscent of searing metal coming in contact with iced water sounded. At the same time, Wei Ruyan’s ghastly pale face gradually began to regain a healthy red glow. However, a short moment later, it stopped.

At this point, even though Wei Ruyan seemed to be in a better state than before, she was still in a deep sleep, and there was no sign of her regaining consciousness.

Zhang Xuan quickly placed his fingers on the other party’s pulse before heaving a sigh of relief.

If it had been someone else, perhaps they might have succumbed to the overwhelming medicinal energy contained within the Grand Intermittence Pill and died.

However, Wei Ruyan was a unique case. Her unique constitution was so powerful that she could even poison a saint herb like the Ten-leafed Flower while unconscious. A grade-7 Inscribed Pill might contain immense medicinal energy within it, but most of it had turned into nutrients to feed her Innate Poison Body.

While the Grand Intermittence Pill wasn’t enough to cure her affliction entirely, it did help her body to recover to perfect health. Even the trauma that she had suffered back in her mother’s womb had healed as well.

With the recovery of her body, even if her soul remains unconscious for the time being, she shouldn’t be in any danger… Zhang Xuan thought.

“To still remain unconscious despite having consumed the Grand Intermittence Pill… Senior Uncle, what kind of affliction is this young lady suffering from?” Mu shi asked in astonishment.

One must know that the Grand Intermittence Pill was so potent that it would be difficult for him to bear it! It was one thing for a frail patient to be fine after consuming it, but for her to remain unconscious after that, the affliction she was suffering from sure was fearsome!

“On top of her frail physical body, her soul has suffered some damage as well. Even though her body has recovered with the consumption of the Grand Intermittence Pill, her soul is still far too weak for her to regain consciousness,” Zhang Xuan explained.

At that instant, he suddenly thought of something and asked, “Mu shi, do you know where I can obtain living saint herbs that can nurture souls? I need as many of those as possible!”

He didn’t have any clue as to where he could find saint herbs to nourish Wei Ruyan’s soul, but Mu shi might know where he could source them.

After a moment of contemplation, Mu shi shook his head. “I do know of a few places that sell saint herbs capable of nurturing souls, but all of them are dried. Living saint herbs… I really don’t have any idea in mind.”

“You don’t know either?” Zhang Xuan sighed in disappointment.

He could easily find dried saint herbs in the Apothecary School and Physician School as well, but it was a pity that those were useless for Wei Ruyan’s current condition.

For his treatment, the saint herb must be alive.

At this moment, Zhong Dingchun, who was among the group of school heads who had gone over to check out the situation, abruptly spoke up. “Zhang shi, if you really require a living saint herb, I do know of one in Hongyuan City!”

As the head of the Physician School, he maintained an intelligence network on medicinal herbs so that he could easily source them when he required them.

“Oh? Where is it?” Zhang Xuan asked anxiously.

“In the royal palace of Hongyuan Empire, there is a Bodhi Saint Tree. It is known to possess exceptional effectiveness in nurturing souls,” Zhong Dingchun said.

“Bodhi Saint Tree?” Zhang Xuan frowned. He had never heard of such a tree before.

“Rumor has it that the tree was brought back from the wilderness by the ancestors of the current Hongyuan royal family. Knowing that it has the effect of nurturing souls, they chose to plant it in the royal palace to benefit the generations to come. This is the reason the royal offspring of Hongyuan Empire possess exceptionally powerful souls!”

After a moment of hesitation, Zhong Dingchun continued, “However, the tree is one of the most important treasures of the royal family, so I fear that they might not be willing to lend it to you!”

“I see…” Stroking his lower jaw, Zhang Xuan fell into deep thought.

“It happens that there is a banquet at the royal palace tonight. I should make use of the opportunity to take a look at the Bodhi Tree and determine if it will be effective on Wei Ruyan first. If it is, it will be worth giving it a shot.

“Anyway, thank you for your advice, School Head Zhong!” Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

“There is no need to stand on ceremony, Zhang shi!” Zhong Dingchun hurriedly replied.

After which, Zhang Xuan tried asking for some more details regarding the Bodhi Tree, but it seemed like the others didn’t know much about it either. Thus, he could only shake his head helplessly.

“Zhang shi, I will send some men to help you repair your manor,” Zhao Bingxu said.

It would be truly tragic if the future principal of the Master Teacher Academy were to be rendered homeless, and such publicity could have adverse effects on the inauguration ceremony three days later.

“I will be depending on you, School Head Zhao!” Zhang Xuan nodded in gratitude.

If only he’d known that such a mishap would occur in the forging of the Grand Intermittence Pill, he would have surely taken the others to a clearing to conduct the pill forging. At the very least, he wouldn’t have ended up destroying his own residence.

“Un!” Zhao Bingxu nodded.

After which, Mu shi and the school heads bade farewell and returned to the Master Teacher Academy.

It had already been afternoon when Zhang Xuan first returned to his manor from the Saint Ascension Platform. After which, he had attended the hearing at the Elder Hall and forged the Grand Intermittence Pill. Time passed swiftly, and unknowingly, the sun had already set, allowing darkness to permeate the sky.

Looking at the rubble, Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before gently placing Wei Ruyan in the Myriad Anthive and instructing Sun Qiang, Wang Ying, and the others to spend their night at the residences in the Master Teacher Academy, which they were allocated as guest elders of the Martial Arts School.

After this was done, he was just about to make his way to the royal palace to attend the banquet when something suddenly caught his eye, and he stopped in his tracks.

His gaze swept across his surroundings, and he couldn’t help but notice that the rubble around him seemed to be laid in a formation resembling a massive dragon prowling the grounds.

Is this… the earth dragon? Zhang Xuan’s eyes narrowed in astonishment.

Looking at this formation, he couldn’t help but recall the clue that he had obtained from Wu Yangzi regarding the location of his treasure!

In his old residence, beneath Three Stars of the Earth Dragon!

If what he was seeing before him was the earth dragon in the clue, then… what could the three stars be?

Zhang Xuan immediately turned his gaze upward.

Countless stars scattered throughout the seemingly endless night sky came into sight.

How am I to know which three stars Wu Yangzi is referring to? Zhang Xuan frowned in frustration.

All he had received from the clue was ‘Three Stars of the Earth Dragon’. There was no clue as to which three stars it was referring to, or even their general location!

He might have found the earth dragon, but without the three stars, he wouldn’t be able to pinpoint the location of the treasure. Was he supposed to overturn every inch of ground in the manor to find the treasure?

Besides, if it was possible to find the treasure by doing so, it would have long been uncovered by someone else in the last two thousand years.

Thinking that it might be helpful to get a bird’s eye view, Zhang Xuan executed the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps and leaped into the sky.

The collapsed rubble seemed to meander on the ground, connecting with the dark sky at the horizon, as if a massive dragon that was on the verge of soaring into the heavens.

Eye of Insight!

Knowing that it was impossible to find it just like that, Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight before turning his gaze to the point where the earth dragon intersected with the dark sky.

Translator’s Thoughts

StarveCleric StarveCleric

Again, this chapter was only three words under costing another spirit stone.

Chapter 851: Scarlet Firefly Fruit

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

At the point where the earth dragon and the dark sky intersected was a river that flowed along the walls of the academy and into the depths of the seemingly boundless darkness.

Looking along the body of the earth dragon, there were several ponds with flowers and trees by the side. It resembled patches of clouds, which further accentuated the image of a dragon rising to the heavens.

After studying the area for over ten minutes, Zhang Xuan’s head was starting to spin from overusing his Eye of Insight. Shaking his head, he could only stop there.

From what he had deduced so far, it seemed like the three stars Wu Yangzi had referred to weren’t literal stars or a figurative description of the geography. It didn’t seem like he would be able to figure out what it was with just a quick glance, and a more thorough investigation was required.

Nevertheless, having found the earth dragon, he was already at the halfway mark to finding Wu Yangzi’s treasure. As long as he were to put in some more effort, he should be able to find the three stars easily.

After all, if Wu Yangzi was willing to reveal the location of his treasure, he would have hidden it with the expectation that someone would be able to find it.

Thinking that he should head to the banquet first and continue his investigation after that, Zhang Xuan was just about to descend back to the ground when he saw a figure in the distance flitting swiftly toward the manor.

“Hu Yaoyao? What is she doing here at this time?” Zhang Xuan muttered under his breath.

The Eye of Insight could peer through the darkness, thus allowing Zhang Xuan to recognize the other party immediately. However, it didn’t seem like she had noticed him in the sky, bypassing him and rushing straight to a vantage point amid the rubble.

Despite being a Chrysalis realm pinnacle expert, it still wasn’t easy for her to find a person in the dark. Flicking her wrist, she took out a Night Illumination Pearl and began scanning the area carefully.

“Zhang laoshi!” she shouted.

As an apprentice, her relationship to Zhang Xuan was reminiscent to that of a teacher and a student, so she had changed the way she addressed him accordingly.

Zhang Xuan was just about to descend back to the ground to reply to her call when he suddenly noticed something. The faint glow of the Night Illumination Pearl in Hu Yaoyao’s hand was reflected in a pond not too far away from where she stood, and from his point of view, it bore an uncanny resemblance to a star.

“Could it be…”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly turned his gaze to the other ponds in the courtyard as well. As expected, as if resonating to one another, the faint radiance of the Night Illumination Pearl was reflected in their surfaces as well.

This addition to the formation created a picturesque sight of the earth dragon traversing across the night sky, journeying in the accompaniment of the stars.

Over the past two thousand years, the layout of the manor has gone through massive changes. Perhaps, at the very start, there might only have been three ponds… I will have to find the original three stars then!

There should only be three stars according to the message left behind by Wu Yangzi. If the light reflected in the ponds were the stars mentioned in the clue, he had too many of them at the moment.

However, this didn’t necessarily mean that Zhang Xuan’s direction was wrong. Too long a time had passed, so the layout of the manor could have undergone numerous changes.

Others might stumble before this problem, but this isn’t an issue to me… Zhang Xuan smiled confidently.

It would be difficult for even Mu shi to decisively determine which of the current eight ponds were existent two thousand years ago, but this was a piece of cake for Zhang Xuan. With the Eye of Insight, he could easily tell how long each pond had been around for.

In just a few moments, he had already confirmed which the three ponds he was looking for.

After which, he swiftly mapped out the midpoint of the triangle formed by the three stars.

The resulting location was a towering ancient pine tree positioned just in front of the manor’s main hall.

It seems like the treasure is hidden beneath the pine tree! Zhang Xuan thought.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan descended to the ground and walked up to Hu Yaoyao.

“You were looking for me?”

“Zhang laoshi, you are fine! I really didn’t expect you to go so far just to find Wu Yangzi’s treasure…” Hu Yaoyao was visibly relieved for a moment after seeing Zhang Xuan before gesturing to her surroundings speechlessly.

Do you know how much this manor cost? If you do, how could you destroy it like that?

Even if it is to find Wu Yangzi’s treasure, surely you didn’t have to reduce the manor to this state?

Black lines streaked across Zhang Xuan’s face as he heard those words. “I didn’t do this to find the treasure. It was an accident…”

“It can’t be that you came here to watch the commotion after hearing that the manor has collapsed?”

“N-no, it’s not that… I have something that I need your help on!” Hu Yaoyao said.

She had heard about the treasure that Wu Yangzi had left behind, but many of her predecessors had already attempted to find it, to no avail. Thinking that there was little hope in that direction, she had decided to not pay it any heed.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.

While Hu Yaoyao was docile before him, she was still one of the most influential figures in the Master Teacher Academy, and she had many tricks up her sleeves as well. What kind of matter could it be that would require his help?

Hu Yaoyao hesitated for a moment before speaking. “To tell you the truth, Dong Xin, Long Cangyue, Xue Zhenyang, and I have found a treasure that can increase the chances of making the breakthrough to Half-Saint by twenty percent…

“Naturally, we are planning to obtain the treasure, but… there are two powerful beasts guarding it, and we aren’t a match for them. Thus, we hope to seek your help for this matter!”

“A treasure?” Zhang Xuan fell into deep thought.

Back then, he had once followed Hu Yaoyao to a gazebo and overheard them speaking about some kind of treasure maturing by the end of the month, and looking at the current date, it did seem to be about time to harvest it.

“That’s right. You possess both strength and knowledge, so we were unable to think of anyone more suitable to help us with this matter than you,” Hu Yaoyao said.

Even though the four of them were powerful figures who no one dared to offend in the academy, for some reason, all of them had stumbled before him. She had become his apprentice, Xue Zhenyang had become his grandstudent, and Dong Xin, the most pitiful one of them, had not only become his great grandstudent but was expelled from the academy as well.

Long Cangyue, who had chosen not to take any action, was the sole survivor of their group.

Typically speaking, considering how three out of four of them had some kind of grudge with Zhang Xuan, they would be reluctant to seek his help. However, with that object’s date of maturity swiftly approaching, they were pressed on time. They had to make a move soon or else those two huge fellows would have devoured it for themselves. By then, they would be left with nothing at all.

Thus, after some serious discussion, they had eventually decided to seek Zhang Xuan’s help.

That fellow might be the God of Destruction, but he had proven that he was a capable individual on multiple occasions. Otherwise, the three of them wouldn’t have been subdued by him either.

“To be able to increase the chances of making a breakthrough to Half-Saint by twenty percent, what kind of treasure is it?” Zhang Xuan asked curiously.

Back at the Saint Ascension Platform, he had seen many insights from the predecessors, and from that, he had gained a rough understanding of how difficult it was to make a breakthrough from Chrysalis realm to Half-Saint. To talents like that, twenty percent could make a huge difference.

Under the dim light of the Night Illumination Pearl, Zhang Xuan could see Hu Yaoyao biting her crimson lips together hesitantly before saying, “It is the Saint realm medicinal herb… the Scarlet Firefly Fruit!”

“Scarlet Firefly Fruit?” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before his eyes abruptly lit up.

He had heard of the Scarlet Firefly Fruit before. It was a saint herb with a scarlet exterior, and upon maturity, it would release a beautiful fluorescent light reminiscent of a firefly.

Growing by absorbing sunlight and moonlight, the fruit had a maturity period of a hundred years. On top of that, it was extremely rare and couldn’t be artificially cultivated, thus making it very difficult to obtain.

While consuming the Scarlet Firefly Fruit wouldn’t guarantee a breakthrough to Half-Saint, its ability to increase the chances at doing so was more than sufficient to make Chrysalis realm cultivators go insane over it. Even Zhang Xuan was moved by its effects as well.

Even though Zhang Xuan’s cultivation was only at Ethereal Treading realm primary stage at the moment, around two realms away from reaching Half-Saint, given his current rate of cultivation, as long as he had sufficient high-tier spirit stones and the relevant cultivation technique, he should be able to reach it within six hours.

The compilation of insights from the Saint Ascension Platforms had already greatly boosted his chances at making a breakthrough, and the aid of the Scarlet Firefly Fruit could make his breakthrough go even more smoothly.

For one, as a cultivator of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, the spiritual energy he required to make a breakthrough was enormous. While he did obtain quite a lot of Earth Vein Spirit Essence from the Cloudmist Ridge, it was hard to tell if it would still be effective by the time he reached Chrysalis realm.

After all, the Earth Vein Spirit Vine was still slightly lacking in purity. However, if he could obtain the Scarlet Firefly Fruit… he could confidently say that Half-Saint was finally within sight!

“That’s right. Based on our investigation, there is a total of ten Scarlet Firefly Fruits in the area. As long as you help us obtain them, we will split them equally among us, meaning that each of us will obtain two fruits!” Hu Yaoyao said.

“Two each?” Zhang Xuan stroked his lower jaw in contemplation before nodding slightly. “I am fine with that!”

Given that he hadn’t participated in the scouting and the preparation work, it was indeed not bad that he was going to receive an equal share.

And of course, if he were to contribute more than proportionately to the obtaining of the Scarlet Firefly Fruits later on, he could always renegotiate the distribution then.

“So, you will help us?”

Honestly speaking, Hu Yaoyao had thought that Zhang Xuan would try to bargain for more favorable terms for himself, so she was slightly taken aback when she heard him agreeing to it so readily.

“Of course!” Zhang Xuan nodded. “When are we setting off?”

“We can set off now if you are ready. We will be riding on Dong Xin’s tamed beast, and it will take roughly three days for us to arrive at our destination. So, even at the very minimum, our trip will take seven to eight days!” Hu Yaoyao said.

“Seven to eight days?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

His inauguration ceremony as the next principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy was three days from now, so he couldn’t afford to leave for such a long period of time now.

“That’s right. We have made a rough calculation of when the Scarlet Firefly Fruit will mature, but we will be arriving earlier to give us some leeway in case it matures earlier. However, if it matures later than we expected, we might end up spending a few more days there,” Hu Yaoyao said.

“You are saying that the trip could be even longer than that?”

Didn’t that mean that he might spend nearly half a month away from the academy?

That was too long!

He could potentially raise his cultivation to Nascent Saint in half a month. To waste it for a mere Half-Saint was not worth the time and effort.

And most importantly of all, he would miss the inauguration ceremony as well.

“But the inauguration ceremony for the new principal of the academy is three days from now. If we leave now, we will definitely miss it,” Zhang Xuan said.

“I have heard of the matter, too. According to the rumors, the reason Mu shi was sent to our academy was to nominate our next principal. I sure do wonder who our next principal is… I tried asking my teacher, but she refused to say anything about the matter. However, it should probably be either School Head Lu or School Head Zhao. They are the most respected elders in the academy, and they wield the greatest influence as well. Thus, the probability of them becoming the next principal should be the highest!”

At which, Hu Yaoyao smiled and reassured, “Don’t worry, I have asked my teacher, and she has granted me the special privilege to skip on the inauguration ceremony to obtain the Scarlet Firefly Fruit. Besides, Zhang laoshi, you aren’t a student of the academy now, so it shouldn’t matter to you who becomes the next principal of the academy, right?”

As the leader of the Bewitching Devil Faction, she had heard about the conflict between School Head Lu and Zhang Xuan, and how the latter had been kicked out of the academy.

Given that Zhang Xuan wasn’t even considered a student of the academy anymore, it shouldn’t matter to him who became the next principal.

Naturally, he should have nothing to do with the inauguration ceremony.

“This…” A bitter smile surfaced on Zhang Xuan’s lips.

It just so happened that he did have a role to play in the inauguration ceremony, and a huge one at that.

“You should quickly make your decision. The Scarlet Firefly Fruit will be maturing in the next few days, so we have to set off as soon as possible!” Hu Yaoyao urged.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan proposed, “Since that’s the case, let’s set off straight later in the night then. However, instead of riding Dong Xin’s tamed beast, I suggest that we ride on mine. We should be able to make a round trip within a day with that.”

He still had to attend the banquet at the royal palace to determine whether the Bodhi Saint Tree could be used to save Wei Ruyan or not before heading out.

Considering Dong Xin’s current cultivation realm, her tamed beast should also be at Chrysalis realm at the very most, so the speed of travel wouldn’t be too fast. However, if they were to ride on Byzantium Lad, they should be able to cover the three days’ journey within half a day.

That would save them quite a bit of time.

“Your tamed beast? You mean your Great Violetwing Beast?” Hu Yaoyao frowned. “But its speed is likely slower than Dong Xin’s tamed beast, right?”

Chapter 852: Wu Yangzi’s Treasure

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

The Great Violetwing Beast was only at Half-Chrysalis realm whereas Dong Xin’s tamed beast was a Chrysalis realm intermediate stage spirit beast.

The former might be capable of flying at fast speed, but in terms of overall performance, the latter was definitely superior.

Given that Dong Xin’s tamed beast would require three days just to make a one-way trip, do you really believe that your Great Violetwing Beast could make a roundabout trip in a day? You must be joking!

“It’s settled then. Meet me at Leiyuan Peak at the Zi hour 1 tonight, we will set off from there!” Zhang Xuan noticed the doubtful expression on Hu Yaoyao’s face, but since they would understand when the time came, he didn’t think that there was any need for him to explain himself.

“… Alright then.” Seeing that Zhang Xuan was unwilling to speak, Hu Yaoyao didn’t ask on as well. Turning around, she returned back to the Master Teacher Academy.

After she left the manor, Zhang Xuan didn’t rush off to the royal palace to attend the banquet. Instead, he made his way to the ancient pine tree in the courtyard.

Since this tree was located beneath the Three Stars of the Earth Dragon, the treasure should be in its vicinity.

Activating the Eye of Insight, he began to examine the pine tree carefully. However, despite scrutinizing every inch of it, he was unable to find anything peculiar at all.

But that was to be expected. If it could be found that easily, someone else would have claimed the treasure long ago.

Wu Yangzi mentioned that I have to put down three formation flags according to the Three Stars, and the items will surface automatically…

Recalling the words Wu Yangzi had mentioned back then, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out three formation flags and a Night Illumination Pearl.

With a swift leap, he returned to the area where Hu Yaoyao stood previously and raised his Night Illumination Pearl up high. In an instant, three brilliant stars appeared in the three ponds scattered around the courtyard.

“Go!” With another flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan tossed the formation flags into the air.

Sou sou sou!

The three formation flags fell directly onto the stars in the three ponds simultaneously.

Weng!

With a faint buzz, the ground suddenly started rumbling slightly, as if the earth dragon had come to life. Following which, the towering pine tree abruptly burst apart, revealing a medium-sized metal box within.

Zhang Xuan rushed over and grabbed the box.

“Is this the treasure Wu Yangzi left behind? It sure is well-hidden!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in excitement.

Even though the box sprung from the pine tree, he could tell that it was actually not hidden within the pine tree but a hidden space inside.

In other words, had Zhang Xuan not found the three stars and inserted the three formation flags, he wouldn’t have been able to find the box even if he were to reduce the pine tree to dust.

Studying the pine tree carefully, it seemed like some kind of formation with a function reminiscent of a storage ring was set up around the area, and the center of the formation was where the pine tree was located. This was also the reason why Wu Yangzi’s treasure remained unfound even after two thousand years later.

“This is a Celestial Designer Mechanical Container!” After analyzing the tree, Zhang Xuan turned his attention back to the metal box.

Each Celestial Designer Mechanical Container was exquisitely built using a unique blueprint designed by a celestial designer. Without an understanding of the structure of the box, it was impossible to unlock it.

However, this wasn’t a problem for Zhang Xuan.

Muttering ‘Flaws!’ beneath his breath, a book materialized in the Library of Heaven’s Path. He browsed through it quickly before tapping on sixteen different points on the box with his finger.

Kacha!

With a crisp click, a mechanism whirred into action, and the box was opened.

The first thing that Zhang Xuan saw inside the box was a pitch-black ore which was around the size of a fist. It emanated a bone-chilling frigid air.

“Since you found this box, it can only mean that I have met with some kind of mishap…”

Along with the whirring of the mechanism, a faint voice sounded in the air.

It was Wu Yangzi’s voice.

You did meet with mishap… Upon thinking about how the number one blacksmith of Hongyuan Empire ended up being trapped within an underground cavern til his death, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but sigh deeply in lamentation.

Wu Yangzi thought that he was contributing to mankind by turning those Otherworldly Demons into puppets and killing them, but the truth was that Vicious was making use of his smithing capability to turn his subordinates into everlasting guards that could protect him until his comeback.

“Regardless of whether I have passed away or not, the fact that you were able to find my treasure means that there is fate between you and me. Contained in here are my most valuable possessions, so I hope that you can use them wisely.

“The ore in the box is known as the Black Goldcrystal Ore. I had to go to great lengths in order to obtain it. If you were to add even a pinch of it into the weapon you are forging, you will be able to raise its quality up a notch.”

“Black Goldcrystal Ore? This is the Black Goldcrystal Ore?” Zhang Xuan’s breathing hastened in agitation.

As a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith, he had a deep understanding of the various valuable ores in the world. Of those, the Black Goldcrystal Ore was definitely one of the most expensive and rarest ores

Putting everything aside, if he had added a pinch of it into his Half-Saint Glacier Rain Sword during its forging process, he would have been able to successfully raise it to Saint-tier!

This was how valuable it was!

Just a pinch of it could have such miraculous effects, and an entire fist of it was sitting right before him… Its price was inestimable!

It would be hard to tell whether one could afford it even with ten thousand high-tier spirit stones on hand!

It was no wonder why Wu Yangzi would regard it as one of his most valuable possessions!

“But of course, an object that only has the effect of raising an artifact’s tier can’t be considered my greatest treasure. The second item I have left behind here is the manual of my Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body!” the voice continued.

Zhang Xuan turned his gaze back to the box, and he saw a secret manual labeled ‘Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body’ on its cover.

As he had already obtained it back in the underground chamber, he wasn’t particularly excited to see it.

“If you have obtained this cultivation technique from me elsewhere, the chances are that the cultivation technique you have received… is a fake! This is the only real version of Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body in the world, and only by cultivating this version will you be able to grasp the true essence of the technique. If you were to continue cultivating the other version, your cultivation will eventually go berserk…” the voice revealed.

“The one in the underground chamber is a fake?” Astonished, Zhang Xuan swiftly picked up the book, and a replica appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path.

He swiftly looking through the version in the Library of Heaven’s Path, and a moment later, he shook his head.

The book contained within this box was indeed different from the one Wu Yangzi left in the underground chamber, containing far fewer mistakes in it. However, that made no difference to Zhang Xuan.

He had already resolved most of the flaws of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body with his Library of Heaven’s Path back in the underground chamber when he first cultivated the technique. In other words… not only was the current version he was cultivating correct, it was even more perfect than the ‘authentic’ version in the box.

To Zhang Xuan, it didn’t matter how flawed a book was. As long as it contained content that would contribute to the compilation of a perfected Heaven’s Path manual, it would be useful to him.

Compile!

Zhang Xuan muttered as he compiled the two versions of Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body together before browsing through it once more.

With a swift glance, his eyes lit up.

It seems like I will be able to cultivate the Third Incandescence very soon…

Of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body he had compiled previously, with the exception of the First Incandescence, he required certain items to serve as a catalyst for him to cultivate the subsequent levels.

The Second Incandescence required the Earth Flame Heart whereas the Third Incandescence required the Origin Heavy Water.

He had learned the price of the Origin Heavy Water by eavesdropping on Hu Yaoyao’s conversation. A bottle of it cost ten high-tier spirit stones, and he would require at least ten of them to successfully cultivate the Third Incandescence.

In other words, he would require a hundred high-tier spirit stones for it!

He didn’t have the money for that, so he had been putting off the issue so far. However, after compiling the ‘authentic’ version of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body along with the one he currently had, even though he still required Origin Heavy Water to cultivate the Third Incandescence, the quantity required had decreased significantly.

From the initial ten bottles, he only needed one now!

“There are some changes to the Fourth Incandescence and Fifth Incandescence as well…”

While the ‘authentic’ version of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body wasn’t able to resolve the remaining flaws contained in his current version, it did help to alleviate it by reducing the amount of each item required to cultivate the subsequent levels.

It seems like Wu Yangzi was still wary of the Otherworldly Demons after all… Zhang Xuan thought as he kept the manual into his storage ring.

It was fortunate that he had borrowed physical body cultivation technique manuals from Luo Qiqi, resolved its flaws, and imparted the correct version to Luo Qiqi. Otherwise, her cultivation might have very well gone berserk.

But thinking about it, Wu Yangzi didn’t have any other choice but to remain wary either.

Surrounded by Otherworldly Demons, how could he possibly dare to leave behind a manual of his secret art without any reservations? If the Otherworldly Demon were to obtain his Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body and use it against mankind, wouldn’t he become a huge sinner?

“The final treasure I have left behind is also the most important one of all. It is due to my possession of this that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had set their eyes on me. If you are an ordinary cultivator, I hope that you can hand it over to the Master Teacher Pavilion, and if you are a master teacher, I hope that you can deal with it carefully. Make sure that it doesn’t fall into malicious hands…” the voice spoke grimly.

“Hand it over to the Master Teacher Pavilion?” Zhang Xuan muttered in confusion as he took out the remaining item in the box.

Taking a closer look, it was a piece of goatskin with countless years of history behind it. Resembling a map, it had many labels written in bizarre characters which he had never seen before.

“What is this?” Zhang Xuan muttered as he tried to analyze it with the Library of Heaven’s Path.

While he did manage to compile a book on the map, it only contained details regarding the fabric used. The bizarre characters on it which seemed to be landmark labels on the map didn’t have any flaws, so they were reflected how they originally were in the book.

Unable to derive anything conclusive from the map, Zhang Xuan could only keep the goatskin into his storage ring.

Even though he couldn’t tell what the map was for, given how careful Wu Yangzi was with it and that the Otherworldly Demons were dying to lay their hands on it, it was definitely an extremely important artifact.

“If my descendants are still around, I hope that you can treat them kindly. The greatest regret of my life is to have implicated them in the mess that I got involved with…” After introducing the three treasures, the voice continued speaking in a melancholic tone.

Zhang Xuan could sense Wu Yangzi’s conflicted emotions when he was recording this message. The latter seemed to have known that his possession of the map would result in his enemies going after his family as well, but standing in between the welfare of his family and mankind, he had no choice but to choose the latter.

“Don’t worry, your descendant is currently my apprentice. I will take care of her well!” Zhang Xuan promised solemnly.

He had initially taken in Hu Yaoyao as his apprentice to uncover the location of Wu Yangzi’s old residence, but after learning of the sacrifices that Wu Yangzi had made for mankind, he felt obliged to repay the favor to Hu Yaoyao.

Even if he didn’t accept her as his direct disciple, he would at least acknowledge her as his official student and offer her some guidance in her cultivation and supporting occupations.

“Thank you!” As if responding to Zhang Xuan’s words, the voice spoke these two final words before the whirring of the mechanism faded into silence.

There are two problems that I will have to address now. First, what is the map for? Second, why does the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe hope to lay their hands on it for? Zhang Xuan thought as he rubbed his glabella.

Hu Yaoyao’s concealment of her heritage and Wu Yangzi’s wariness, these seemed to be telling him that Hongyuan City wasn’t as safe as it seemed.

Wait, perhaps Vicious might know a thing or two about it… Such a thought suddenly surfaced in Zhang Xuan’s mind.

The map seemed to be an extremely old relic, and Vicious had lived since the ancient times. Perhaps, he might be able to read those words on the map and deduce what it was for.

Just as he was about to bring Vicious and his clone out from the Myriad Anthive Nest, he suddenly sensed something, and his eyebrows shot up. In the next moment, he saw a beautiful silhouette flitting through the night, headed in his direction.

1. (Zi hour: 2300~0100)

Rate Translation Quality

Chapter 853: Banquet

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

She was Luo Qiqi.

Upon seeing her, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. He quickly sent a telepathic message to her. “You came at a good time! I have found Elder Wu Yangzi’s treasure!”

Flicking his wrist, he took out the metal box and the three artifacts.

Since he had received Wu Yangzi’s heritage along with Luo Qiqi, and the latter was Wu Yangzi’s direct disciple at that, she had the right to know what the treasures were and share possession of them as well.

“You’ve found it?” Stunned, Luo Qiqi turned her sight to the items in Zhang Xuan’s hands.

Luo Qiqi widened her eyes in disbelief. “This is… Black Goldcrystal Ore?”

“You recognize it?” Zhang Xuan asked.

Due to the sheer rarity of Black Goldcrystal Ore, he had never seen it in person before, only learning of its existence from the books. It was due to Wu Yangzi’s explanation that he was able to confirm its identity before using the Library of Heaven’s Path, and yet, Luo Qiqi actually recognized it with a single glance. Could it be that her eye of discernment was beyond his?

One must know that even though he might not be the most capable blacksmith in Hongyuan Empire, he was definitely the most knowledgeable one. Even Zhao Bingxu, the head of the Blacksmith School, was far from a match for him in terms of knowledge.

“I have seen some before. However, the piece I saw was only the size of a walnut, and the price was already astronomical. Considering the size of this one, I can hardly even imagine how much it is worth,” Luo Qiqi exclaimed.

“You have seen Black Goldcrystal Ore before?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

Even if the piece she had seen was just the size of a walnut, it was sufficient to show that her background was anything but ordinary.

“Un!” Luo Qiqi nodded. After which, she turned her sights to the other two objects, and upon seeing the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, she seemed relieved that she hadn’t cultivated the wrong version.

“You should take the authentic manual for now. I will help to alter it to suit your constitution better when I have the time!”

After passing the correct Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body over to the other party, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze to the map and asked, “Do you happen to recognize the words on this map?”

Luo Qiqi shook her head. “I have never seen such words before.”

“I see… Allow me to keep the map for the time being then. Once I figure out what the map means, I will get back to you and bring you there,” Zhang Xuan said.

“As for the Black Goldcrystal Ore, I will try to find a way to melt it to forge a weapon for you.”

“Thank you, teacher!” Luo Qiqi nodded in gratitude.

Each of the three items was incredibly valuable, but her teacher didn’t hide them from her and take them for himself. That said a great amount about his character.

At this moment, Luo Qiqi finally recalled her aim for coming over, and she hurriedly said, “Oh right, teacher, I am here to invite you to the banquet at the royal palace…”

Yu Fei-er had invited her, Zhang Xuan, Xing Yuan, and the others to the banquet in the royal palace. Knowing Zhang Xuan’s personality, she knew that he might attempt to skip the banquet, and she had also heard the news about his manor collapsing as well, so she specially made the journey here to take a look.

Knowing that he had to make the trip to the royal palace to take a look at the Bodhi Saint Tree, Zhang Xuan nodded. “Let’s go.”

Leaving the rubble of the manor, the duo got onto a carriage that Luo Qiqi had prepared beforehand and headed to the royal palace.

It didn’t take them too long to arrive at their destination.

Befitting of its status as the center of authority of a Tier-1 Empire, Hongyuan Empire’s royal palace was enormous. Before the towering gates stood two rows of guards, every single one of them possessing the cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Cosmos Bridge realm. With several hundreds of them gathered in a spot, their presence exerted a huge pressure on those walking between them.

Stepping through the palace gates, Zhang Xuan noticed all kinds of formations in the area, and even the weakest of them was a grade-6 primary formation. Those who were unfamiliar with the layout of the royal palace would swiftly find themselves trapped within a labyrinth, unable to escape.

With traps potentially springing on one with each step, not even a Saint realm 1-dan expert would dare to casually step into the royal palace.

Handing over their invitation letters, a guard led them around the royal palace, and soon, they were standing before a huge palace.

“This is the place where the banquet is held,” Luo Qiqi said.

At this moment, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled this matter and asked, “Right, I forgot to ask. What is the occasion today? Why are we invited to the banquet?”

Even the royal family couldn’t possibly hold such a grand banquet for no good reason.

“You don’t know?” Seeing how her teacher came here without even knowing anything at all, Luo Qiqi was rendered speechless.

“You were also there when Yu Fei-er handed me the invitation letter. She didn’t tell me anything, so how could I possibly know?” Zhang Xuan replied in bewilderment.

“…” Luo Qiqi slapped her forehead and shook her head.

Her teacher was a person of great capability, but his emotional quotient was truly lacking.

An esteemed princess of the empire invited you to a banquet; the least you could do was to ask around, find out what the occasion is beforehand, and make preparations accordingly! After all, this is the monarchy of an empire we are talking about! But this… if I hadn’t gone to the manor to bring you over, would you still be loitering around the rubble, at a loss of what to do?

“Today is Yu Fei-er’s… birthday banquet!” Luo Qiqi said. “His Majesty has invited the young talents from all over the empire along with her good friends to celebrate this occasion!”

“Birthday banquet?” Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan’s eyelids began twitching.

“That’s right. Don’t tell me that you didn’t even prepare a present?” Luo Qiqi stared at her teacher with a frustrated look.

“Am I supposed to prepare one?” Zhang Xuan returned her a blank stare.

None of you told me that it would be a birthday banquet, how was I supposed to know that I had to prepare a present?

I don’t even know what an appropriate gift for a lady would be; how am I supposed to pick one out for her? Besides, I have been busy the entire day, so I wouldn’t have had the time to find one either.

“You…” Luo Qiqi shook her head, not knowing what she could say to enlighten that blockhead of a teacher she had.

Even if you didn’t know that it is Yu Fei-er’s birthday, that is a personal invitation from the emperor that you have over there. Shouldn’t you prepare some gifts to at least avoid leaving an unfavorable impression? To arrive empty-handed… you are probably the only one who dares do such a thing!

“Forget it. I have some items here; you can make do with them for the moment…”

Flicking her wrist, Luo Qiqi took out a few items that most ladies would fancy.

There was a massive pearl, a hair ornament embedded with precious gems, a fragrance pouch with a unique aroma… They were all fairly expensive accessories.

“It’s fine! If it comes down to it, I will just leave the banquet. Don’t worry about it!” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

In the first place, he wasn’t really interested in the banquet. The main reason he wanted to come to the royal palace was to take a look at the Bodhi Saint Tree and see if it could be used to save Wei Ruyan. If he was going to be snubbed for not bringing a present, there didn’t seem much point remaining at the banquet then.

“Leave the banquet?” Luo Qiqi frowned, but seeing the serious look on her teacher’s face, she could only give up on persuading him otherwise. “Alright then…”

As close friends, she knew Yu Fei-er’s personality and temper very well. The latter wasn’t one to care about gifts. As long as Zhang shi was present at her birthday banquet, she would be satisfied.

Thus, the both of them stepped into the palace and began making their way over to the main hall.

The corridor linking the entrance of the palace to the main hall had a particularly tall ceiling that made one feel minuscule in comparison. There were various extravagant ornaments placed along the corridor, which gave it a dignified and regal air. A thick red mat of around half a chi wide stretched from the entrance of the palace all the way to the main hall. There was a pleasantly soft and springy sensation stepping on it.

Activating his Eye of Insight discreetly, Zhang Xuan took a brief look into the main hall. To his astonishment, he saw countless formations laid out inside the main hall. Some were for defensive purposes and some were for offensive purposes, but most of them were for the sole purpose of fortifying the room.

Grade-6 pinnacle Stabilization Formation, grade-6 pinnacle Grand Monolith Formation, grade-6 pinnacle Castle Fortification Formation… Why would the main hall of the royal palace require so many Fortification Formations? Zhang Xuan wondered in bewilderment.

As the center of Hongyuan Empire, the royal palace was constructed by the most capable of craftsmen, so there was little to question about its stability. It wouldn’t collapse even in the face of a massive earthquake, so it was baffling to see so many Fortification Formations in the room.

Forget it, it’s not like it’s any of my business anyway… Zhang Xuan shook the thought out of his head, deciding not to think deeper into it.

He was only there to attend the banquet, so the formations in the area shouldn’t matter to him.

“Qiqi, Zhang shi, you are here!” Just as they were standing before the entrance of the main hall, they suddenly saw Xing Yuan and Wu Zhen walking over.

They were dressed in brand-new master teacher robes, and it seemed like they had specially dressed themselves up for the occasion. There was an air of nobility around them, and they seemed extraordinarily spirited.

“Has the banquet begun yet?” Luo Qiqi asked.

“Not yet. Not all of the guests have arrived yet,” Xing Yuan said with a smile.

Hearing that, Luo Qiqi heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good!”

As an entire group, the four of them stepped into the main hall.

The main hall was around eight hundred square meters large, and it was supported only by the four pillars at the corners. There were countless Night Illumination Pearls embedded in the tall ceiling, making the hall brightly lit as if it was day.

After taking a seat, Zhang Xuan took another look around the room and noticed that there were eight elegantly-dressed young men in their twenties already in the hall.

Judging from their movements and gestures, they seemed to be from the upper society.

“These are the offspring of the empire’s nobility,” Xing Yuan informed Zhang Xuan through zhenqi telepathy.

Zhang Xuan nodded in response.

He had expected such a sight when he learned that it was a birthday banquet earlier on.

Most likely, the emperor had invited those young men in order to pick out a suitable husband for Yu Fei-er.

With the extended lifespan that Transcendent Mortal cultivators possessed, it was uncommon for cultivators to marry in their twenties. However, Yu Fei-er’s marriage had political implications. If she could bring in a powerful ally to the royal family earlier on, it could help to further affirm the royal authority.

Even though most of these youths weren’t students of the Master Teacher Academy, they possessed extraordinary strength. The strongest of them had a cultivation equaling Hu Yaoyao and the others’, Chrysalis realm pinnacle, a single step away from reaching Half-Saint.

To possess such capability in their twenties, they could be considered top-notch geniuses even when placed against the students of the Master Teacher Academy.

“Xing Yuan, you seem to have quite a few competitors here?” Luo Qiqi teased.

As his good friend, she knew that Xing Yuan was interested in Yu Fei-er and had been courting her for some time. However, it was a pity that the latter didn’t reciprocate his feelings.

“This…”

Xing Yuan’s face reddened as he subconsciously shot a glance toward Zhang Xuan. With an awkward smile, he said, “I know that I am not good enough for Yu Fei-er, so I have already given up those thoughts…”

He did like Yu Fei-er, but the latter was uninterested in him. On the other hand, she seemed to possess some inexplicable feelings for Zhang shi. After some consideration, he felt that it would be better for him to give up on this futile pursuit.

Putting aside the fact that Zhang Xuan had saved all of them, his accomplishments in the Master Teacher Academy were also not something he could ever hope to match.

On top of that, the other party was also the respected leader of the powerful Xuanxuan Faction.

If he really were to attempt to compete with the other party, he just might end up making enemies out of several tens of thousands of students in the Master Teacher Academy as well. How could he possibly match that?

“I advised you to give up long ago, but you just wouldn’t listen. Well, it’s still good to see you getting over it,” Luo Qiqi replied.

She knew very well how her close friend viewed Xing Yuan, so she had tried to advise him on the matter several times privately, but the latter had refused to listen.

He might have already spent many years courting Yu Fei-er, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for him to give up on it now.

“Xing Yuan, the two people beside you look unfamiliar. Why don’t you introduce them to me?”

Just as they were speaking, they were interrupted by a masculine voice. Following which, a smiling young man in his mid-twenties walked over with a wine glass in his hands.

That young man had eyes as sharp as lightning, and he carried a dignified disposition fitting of nobility, which seemed to further accentuate his good looks.

Of the youths gathered at the banquet, he was the strongest of them all, possessing a cultivation of Chrysalis realm pinnacle.

Chapter 854: Shen Jun

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“It’s Young Master Shen Jun, I see…”

Upon seeing the other party, Xing Yuan’s face darkened in displeasure. Nevertheless, he still made the introduction. “They are students from the Master Teacher Academy as well, the schoolmates of Princess Yu Fei-er. He is Zhang shi, and she is Luo shi!”

“So, it’s Zhang shi and Luo shi! Pleased to meet you, I am Shen Jun!” The young man clasped his fist and greeted them before raising his wine glass to offer a toast and drinking it in advance.

Zhang Xuan and Luo Qiqi also raised their wine glasses and drank in reciprocation.

“That young man is Shen Jun, the young master of the Shen Clan, one of the Four Great Clans of Hongyuan Empire. Young and talented, he has contributed greatly to the royal court and was conferred the position of a general of the empire. He is currently Xing Yuan’s greatest rival, and in their past clashes, Xing Yuan has suffered a fair bit due to him,” Wu Zhen discreetly informed Zhang Xuan after noticing the confused look on his face.

“Four Great Clans?” Zhang Xuan replied.

“Un. Other than the royal family, the strongest powers in Hongyuan Empire are the Four Great Clans. Those clans either possess great influence in the royal court or command numerous experts, so even the royal family has to tread carefully around them. Other than the Shen Clan, there is also the Xing Clan, which Xing Yuan is from, my Wu Clan, and the Liu Clan. In terms of standing, the Shen Clan is first, and following closely behind is the Xing Clan, and finally the Liu Clan and the Wu Clan,” Wu Zhen said.

Hearing that Wu Zhen was from the Four Great Clans too, Zhang Xuan was astonished. “So, you are an offspring of the Four Great Clans?”

There was a huge difference between Xing Yuan and Wu Zhen in terms of their disposition and the artifacts they had, so he had always thought that Wu Zhen had come from a humble background.

“I am an offspring from the branch family of the clan, so naturally, my standing is different from an offspring of the main family like Xing Yuan,” Wu Zhen explained awkwardly.

Bloodline was viewed to be of the utmost importance in the succession of large clans, resulting in a vast difference in the standing between that of the main family and the branch family.

For one, just because Xing Yuan was from the main family, he had a high standing in the clan, and the clan devoted many resources to grooming him.

As Wu Zhen and Zhang Xuan had communicated telepathically, their exchange might seem long, but it had occurred in just a brief moment.

After Shen Jun put down his wine glass, he turned to Xing Yuan and smiled. “I have a request to ask of you all, but I am not sure if it is appropriate to raise it.”

“Since you aren’t sure whether it is appropriate to speak of it or not, you might as well keep quiet.”

Seemingly aware of what Shen Jun was going to say, Xing Yuan rejected him flatly.

Disregarding Xing Yuan as if he was only throwing a tantrum, Shen Jun began to speak elegantly. “From the moment I met the Sixth Princess when I was twelve, I knew that she would become my life goal. So that I can be worthy of her, I have worked hard to achieve the standing and strength I possess today. As master teachers, you should be able to tell how much effort I have put in over the years. Even so, the thought of giving up has never crossed my mind. I knew that this was all necessary if I wanted to be qualified to stand beside her one day…”

The topic of his speech was his past history with Yu Fei-er, and the feelings he harbored for her.

Upon hearing those words, Xing Yuan’s face turned livid.

Even though he had made up his mind to give up on courting Yu Fei-er, how could he let go of those emotions that he had held dearly for many years? To confess his love to Yu Fei-er before him, it was clear that Shen Jun was trying to humiliate him.

After introducing his history, Shen Jun requested with a smile, “… Thus, I intend to propose to take the Sixth Princess’s hand before His Majesty later on, so I would be honored if you can speak on my behalf when that time comes.”

“Speak on your behalf? Dream on!” With his teeth clenched tight, Xing Yuan looked as if he was going to explode at any moment.

“Now now, there is no need for you to get mad. I didn’t expect to count on you in the first place!” Shen Jun chuckled lightly in response to Xing Yuan’s rage.

Turning his gaze to Zhang Xuan and Luo Qiqi, he continued, “I hope that the both of you can help me with this matter… Putting aside that, I do hope to become friends with you two. Here is a token of sincerity from me, I hope that you can accept it!”

After saying those words, Shen Jun raised his hand and beckoned, and a young man walked up from behind. With a flick of his wrist, he took out two jade boxes and placed them on the table.

Opening the box, spiritual energy immediately gushed into the air, bringing a refreshing breeze to everyone’s face. Astonishingly, there were two high-tier spirit stones in each box.

To gift them two high-tier spirit stones each on their first meeting, Shen Jun sure was generous.

However, this also reflected how extreme his means were. There were no cultivators who could possibly reject high-tier spirit stones, but if they were to accept them, they would no longer be in a good position to voice their objections to Shen Jun’s proposal.

As expected of the young master of the Shen Clan, he sure knew how to deal with people.

“You are giving us four high-tier spirit stones to speak up on your behalf? Young Master Shen sure is generous! Qiqi, since he has offered them to us, it would be impolite for us to turn him down. Take them!” Zhang Xuan replied enthusiastically with a smile.

Four high-tier spirit stone was a huge sum of money. It would be a huge waste not to take them, especially since the other party was giving them to him for free.

“Yes!” Luo Qiqi, of course, knew that her teacher was not one to fall for such cheap trickery like that. The chances were that he already had an idea in mind. Thus, she stepped forward without any hesitation and stowed the high-tier spirit stones into her storage ring.

Shen Jun’s mouth twitched for an instant before he swiftly covered it up naturally with a chuckle. “Haha, Brother Zhang sure is a straightforward man. We will definitely get along well!”

His address toward Zhang Xuan had changed from ‘Zhang shi’ to ‘Brother Zhang’, as if to symbolize how close they were, and he shot a provocative glance toward Xing Yuan before returning to his seat.

Truthfully, Shen Jun also didn’t expect that Zhang Xuan would actually accept the four high-tier spirit stones. After all, his loyalty to Xing Yuan was on the line here.

“Zhang shi…” Xing Yuan panicked after watching Zhang shi actually accept Shen Jun’s high-tier spirit stones despite the latter’s provocation.

Seeing that Xing Yuan had lost his composure over this matter, Zhang Xuan calmly pointed out, “There is no need to worry. After all the time you have spent with Yu Fei-er, do you think that she is the sort of person to bend to mere words?”

“This…” Those words washed away Xing Yuan’s doubts in an instant.

If the lady he was interested in could be moved easily with words, he wouldn’t have been unsuccessful despite years of effort.

Yu Fei-er was a person with her own thoughts, and she was extremely obstinate about them. Once she had made a decision, even a hundred bulls couldn’t hope to reverse it.

It was also due to this obstinacy that she would rather serve as Zhang shi’s maid than accept Xing Yuan’s goodwill.

How could a person with such a personality be moved by mere words?

“Since our words won’t sway Yu Fei-er’s decision, why should we reject a free gift that he offered us?” Zhang Xuan flashed him a meaningful smile. “Even to an offspring of the Shen Clan’s main family, four high-tier spirit stones should still a huge sum.”

“This…” Xing Yuan’s eyes widened as realization struck him.

His Xing Clan didn’t pale too much compared to the Shen Clan, and his standing in the Xing Clan was also nearly equivalent to Shen Jun’s.

Considering how it was difficult for Xing Yuan to access the high-tier spirit stones of the clan with his current standing, even with Shen Jun’s higher cultivation realm, it was unlikely that his plight would be much better than his own…

Thus, despite the generous exterior that Shen Jun had put up, his heart was probably bleeding when Luo Qiqi stowed the four high-tier spirit stones into her storage ring.

Most likely, Shen Jun was just making use of this opportunity to humiliate Xing Yuan and sow discord among them, but who could have known that Zhang Xuan would shamelessly accept his spirit stones…

Shen Jun had already said that those spirit stones were for them, and as the young master of the Shen Clan, he would be a laughingstock of the city if he were to go back on his word…

Most likely, his heart must be filled with regret and remorse at this very instant.

Having understood all of this, Xing Yuan’s eyes lit up, and the negative emotions he had accumulated from the encounter with Shen Jun earlier dissipated without a trace.

Turning his eyes to Zhang shi once more, he couldn’t help but feel deep respect and admiration for the other party.

And the truth was that Zhang Xuan was right. Young Master Shen’s heart was indeed bleeding at this very instant.

He had taken out those four high-tier spirit stones to oppress Xing Yuan, but who would have thought that the other party would be so shameless as to accept them…

Furthermore, the other party accepted them so candidly, without the slightest hint of hesitation at all.

Are you sure you are Xing Yuan’s friends?

Where did your loyalty to your friends go?

Just as Shen Jun returned to his seat, a young man before him secretly sent a telepathic message to ask, “Brother Shen, who is that fellow?”

The young man was an offspring of the Liu Clan, one of the Four Great Clans as well.

Shen Jun harrumphed coldly. “A greedy fellow!”

“Greedy?” Liu gongzi was baffled by Shen Jun’s response.

Judging from the ‘greedy fellow’s’ clothes, he seemed to be a master teacher.

Aren’t master teachers upright and incorruptible? How can he be greedy then?

…

The encounter with Shen Jun was only a small matter, so Zhang Xuan didn’t pay much heed to it. At this moment, his attention was focused on uncovering the details of the Bodhi Saint Tree and determining if it would be effective at healing Wei Ruyan’s soul.

Thus, he turned to Xing Yuan and asked, “I heard that there is a Bodhi Saint Tree in the royal palace that has the effect of nourishing one’s soul. Is that true?”

“Bodhi Saint Tree? Now you mention it, I think I have heard of such a matter before!” Xing Yuan nodded.

As the offspring of the Four Great Clans, he was privy to some of the deep secrets in the royal palace.

Hearing that Xing Yuan knew of its existence, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up as he continued his questioning. “Then, do you know where in the royal palace it is located?”

“If I recall correctly, it should be in the emperor’s sleeping chamber,” Xing Yuan said. “This is a secret of the royal family, so I am not really sure about it either.”

If it had been someone else, there was no way Xing Yuan would have revealed these secrets so easily. However, he was indebted to Zhang Xuan for saving his life, and he believed in the latter’s integrity as well.

“Sleeping chamber?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

He wasn’t too sure where the emperor’s sleeping chamber was, but it shouldn’t be too difficult for him to find it if he were to search thoroughly.

The emperor’s sleeping chamber must be in the location filled with powerful defensive formations and patrols in order to ward away assassins. As long as he moved in that direction, he should have no problem finding it.

I have to find an opportunity for my soul to slip away and take a look around, Zhang Xuan thought.

Given his current cultivation, it would be impossible for him to slip under the radar of the experts in the royal palace and find the emperor’s sleeping chamber, unless he were to move as a soul.

With the intangible property of a soul, as long as he didn’t encounter any Saint realm experts specializing in the study of souls, he should be able to avoid detection.

With this thought in mind, Zhang Xuan turned to ask the young lady seated beside him, “Qiqi, when does the banquet start?”

Luo Qiqi took a look around the surroundings before replying. “Not all of the guests have gathered yet, so I would estimate… around an hour!”

“That’s plenty of time. I just had a sudden spurt of inspiration, so I would like to cultivate for a moment. Stand guard for me, don’t let anyone interrupt me!” Zhang Xuan instructed.

“You want to cultivate here?” Luo Qiqi widened her eyes in shock.

We are at a banquet, a place where people drink, sing, and make merry… and you want to cultivate?

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“Alright then…” Hearing those words, Luo Qiqi couldn’t help but feel awed by her teacher.

With his diligence, it was no wonder her teacher was able to improve so swiftly. There were very few who could go to this extent.

“Thank you.”

Closing his eyes, Zhang Xuan slipped his soul out of his body.

Having studied both demonic tunes and terpsichorean arts, his understanding of souls had deepened. This had granted him the ability to better conceal the presence of his own soul, allowing him to slip away from the main hall without catching anyone’s attention.

After slipping out of the main hall, he didn’t dart around randomly to search aimlessly. Instead, he flew to a greater altitude and activated his Eye of Insight.

In an instant, the many formations set up throughout the royal palace appeared right before his eyes.

The place with the highest concentration of formations is there…

Soon, he narrowed down his search to a certain residence.

If it had been before, even in his soul state, he wouldn’t have dared to venture into an area filled with grade-6 formations. However, after going through the books in the Formation Master School, there was currently no one in the territory of Hongyuan Empire who could match him in the field of formations. No matter how powerful or profound the formations in the royal palace might be, they were no different from unclothed ladies, their secrets lying bare for him to see.

After maneuvering skillfully around numerous sentries, mechanisms, and formations, he soon arrived at the residence.

Chapter 855: Thousand Tempering Soul Refinement Art

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Origin Convergence Formation?

Standing on the wall of the residence, Zhang Xuan frowned. A grade-7 formation?

This wasn’t the largest residence within the entire royal palace, but it had the most formidable formation of all—a grade-7 formation.

A formation of that grade had already surpassed Hongyuan Empire’s level.

It seems like that is the most important place in the royal palace. The Bodhi Saint Tree must be inside! A glint flashed through Zhang Xuan’s eyes.

According to what Zhong Dingchun said, the Bodhi Saint Tree was the foundation to the royal family’s power, so it must be very tightly-guarded. This residence met that requirement perfectly.

Whether it would be able to save Wei Ruyan or not, he would just have to enter and take a look for himself.

Zhang Xuan began studying the grade-7 formation with his Eye of Insight, but a moment later, he shook his head.

With my current cultivation, it will take quite some time to decipher a grade-7 formation…

It was possible for him to find the Life Gate and slip in discreetly without alarming anyone, but based on his estimations, he would need at least two hours to work it out.

Considering the dangers lurking within the royal palace and that the banquet would be starting in an hour’s time, he couldn’t afford to take that much time.

I have no choice then!

With a thought, Zhang Xuan used his soul energy to pick up a tree branch and toss it into the residence.

Weng!

Like a rock tossed into calm water, the formation immediately whirred into action, and a series of crisp sounds echoed throughout the area.

Countless swords flashed across the air, and in an instant, the tree branch was reduced to shreds.

It was a powerful Slaughter Formation!

In the moment that the formation activated, Zhang Xuan immediately muttered softly, “Flaws!”

The Library of Heaven’s Path wasn’t able to compile books on formations when they were in their dormant stage. Thus, he had to activate it before he could see the problems with it.

A book materialized in the Library of Heaven’s Path, and Zhang Xuan swiftly flipped through it.

After gaining an understanding of the formation, he immediately headed to the center of the formation and kicked it forcefully.

Hu!

The formation came to an immediate halt.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan hurriedly made his way into the residence.

Other than the Slaughter Formation set up outside, it didn’t seem like there was anything special about the residence. Perhaps due to the banquet, there was not a person in sight. Zhang Xuan swiftly scanned the entire premises, but the Bodhi Saint Tree was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he found several ancient tombstones.

Was I mistaken? Zhang Xuan frowned.

According to the information he had received from Zhong Dingchun, the Bodhi Saint Tree was likely to be of the utmost importance to the royal family. However, there was nothing resembling a tree to be found in the courtyard… Perhaps, the safest place wasn’t the most tightly-guarded place?

But assuming that was the case, why would a grade-7 formation be set up there?

In order to protect those tombstones?

Or could it be that… those tombstones were more valuable than the Bodhi Saint Tree?

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan headed to the closest tombstone to take a closer look.

Judging from the severe wear and tear, the tombstone was extremely old, possibly having existed for thousands of years. There were several large characters inscribed on it.

These words were unlike those of a painter; there wasn’t any form of unique intent that could be felt from it. In fact, the handwriting was only an inch away from being classified as hideous. However, for some reason, just by looking at it, Zhang Xuan felt his soul being drawn in by some kind of inexplicable force.

Thousand Tempering Soul Refinement Art!

These large words were inscribed on the top of the first tombstone.

Is this a soul cultivation technique? Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in excitement.

It was well-known that the soul was the hardest to cultivate, and this was especially so after the soul oracles went extinct. It was significantly easier and more effective to cultivate one’s zhenqi, so there were very few soul cultivators in the world. As such, there weren’t many soul cultivation technique manuals existent in the world.

This was also the reason his soul had reached a bottleneck at Perfect Harmonization realm pinnacle, unable to advance any further.

He had come to this residence thinking that he would find the Bodhi Saint Tree, but who could have known that he would stumble upon a soul cultivation technique instead!

That might not have been much to others since cultivating one’s soul was an arduous process with disproportionate returns, but this was definitely a treasure to him.

He had received the Transcendent 1-dan to 9-dan cultivation techniques of the soul oracle from Mo Hunsheng, but there were many flaws in the later portions, making them unsuitable to be cultivated. Perhaps, with this Thousand Tempering Soul Refinement Art, he might be able to resolve those flaws.

“Flaws!” Zhang Xuan turned his sight to the tombstone, and a book materialized in the Library of Heaven’s Path.

After the previous experience at the Saint Ascension Platform, he knew that he could replicate written content into the Library of Heaven’s Path through his sight even if it wasn’t a book.

He quickly did the same for the other tombstones before heaving a sigh of relief.

As he was still within the royal palace, and danger was lurking around him, this wasn’t the place for him to process his newfound knowledge.

For the time being, he had to get out of the area as soon as possible.

However, just as he was about to leave the residence to continue his search for the Bodhi Saint Tree, a bellow suddenly reverberated across the room. “Who’s there?”

Following which, an immense might came crushing toward his soul.

“This is bad!” Alarmed, Zhang Xuan hurriedly moved away, dodging the attack by a hair’s breadth.

After which, he turned around and saw a middle-aged man staring at him intently.

The middle-aged man seemed to be in his mid-forties, and he was dressed in posh clothes. He harnessed a powerful aura, which commanded subservience from others.

In his eyes, Zhang Xuan could see vortices that seemed to reflect his existence.

An expert specializing in souls… Zhang Xuan’s eyes narrowed in alarm.

With a swift glance, he could tell that the other party, rather than really seeing him, was able to sense his presence, similar to Wei Ranxue back then.

It seemed like it wasn’t for no reason that the royal family was able to maintain a tight grasp of power over a country as powerful as Hongyuan Empire. It was filled with experts who could fend off even the elusive soul oracles.

“Which brazen vermin dares to barge into the royal palace?” The middle-aged man harrumphed coldly as he sent a punch over.

An overwhelming might of a Saint 1-dan pinnacle swiftly tore through space to strike its target.

An expert of that caliber was indubitably ranked amid the top power tier in Hongyuan Empire.

“Flee!” Zhang Xuan immediately dove out of the residence decisively, knowing that he wouldn’t be a match for the middle-aged man.

“Trying to flee? Do you think that the royal palace is a place where you can come and go as you please?” Sensing the presence hiding within the room attempting to flee, the middle-aged man’s eyebrows shot up, and he swiftly raised his hand and grabbed firmly.

Hong long!

A huge palm print fell from the heaven, sealing all of Zhang Xuan’s paths of escape.

He might not be able to see me, but having cultivated his soul, he is able to sense my presence… If this goes on, I might just lose my life here… Trapped, Zhang Xuan’s soul tensed anxiously.

He was in far greater danger currently than when he had encountered Wei Ranxue previously.

At the very least, Wei Ranxue seemed to be trying to apprehend him for investigation back then, so she had held back in her attacks. However, this middle-aged man had gone all out from the start, seemingly determined to vanquish him from the face of the world.

Considering that he was an ‘unidentified intruder’ in a seemingly important area of the royal palace at the current moment, it was natural that the other party would be uneasy.

Zhang Xuan swiftly moved to dodge the palm strike, but he was still nicked at the edge of his soul, inducing fiery pain upon him.

No, this won’t do. I won’t last long like this. But despite his anxiety, Zhang Xuan didn’t allow panic to cloud his rationality. Instead, he swiftly analyzed his current circumstances.

His soul cultivation was only at Perfect Harmonization realm pinnacle, and against a Saint 1-dan pinnacle opponent, he couldn’t possibly hope to stand his ground.

But if all he did was evasive maneuvers, he would only be gradually worn thin and die.

A glint flashed across Zhang Xuan’s eyes as an idea surfaced in his head. The Slaughter Formation!

With his current strength, it would be impossible for him to defeat the other party. His only hope lay in the Origin Convergence Formation set up around the residence.

Having compiled a book on it in the Library of Heaven’s Path, he had gained a clear grasp of the formation’s layout and flaws. To escape, he would have to borrow the strength of the formation.

Having made up his mind, he immediately darted to the core of the formation. At the same time, the middle-aged man also sent another palm strike at him.

With his life on the line, Zhang Xuan dared not hesitate. He immediately kicked the core of the formation forcefully. “Activate!”

Hong long!

The halted formation immediately came to life, and an abrupt burst of mist shrouded the middle-aged man in an instant.

This is my chance! Zhang Xuan thought as he quickly darted out of the residence.

Considering that the middle-aged man was able to enter the residence as well, it was likely that he was able to control the formation. In other words, it was only a matter of time before he disabled the formation and came after him.

Knowing that he had to get as much distance between him and the middle-aged man as possible, Zhang Xuan fled as fast as he could.

“Damn it!”

On the other hand, the middle-aged man didn’t expect that the intruder would be able to control the formation as well, and he bellowed in frustration. By the time he stepped out of the formation, he was unable to detect the other party’s presence anymore.

“Just what could it be?” Standing in the air above the residence, the middle-aged man pondered with a livid expression.

The content inscribed on the tombstones was profound, and without proper guidance, it was impossible to comprehend it. As such, he didn’t fear the soul cultivation technique being leaked out. However, to be able to enter the royal palace freely and even control their grade-7 formation… this was way too exaggerated!

Had he not sensed the formation in the residence being halted and come to investigate the matter, it was unlikely that the intruder would have been found at all.

“It seems like it’s about time to step up the security of the royal palace…” the middle-aged man muttered.

Regardless of whether the intruder was a saint beast or a human, the only thing he could do now was augment the defenses of the royal palace and eliminate the intruder the next time he struck.

…

That was a close shave!

After fleeing some distance away from the residence, Zhang Xuan dove into a nearby building to conceal himself and decide on his next move.

He could easily see through the flaws of the formation in the building, so he was able to slip through them easily.

Having escaped so far, he should already be out of the other party’s detection range by now, and he heaved a sigh of relief.

The royal palace of Hongyuan Empire sure was impressive. To think that there would be soul experts in the palace as well!

But giving the matter some thought, considering that the Bodhi Saint Tree had the ability to nourish souls, the members of the royal family should possess extraordinarily powerful souls. Paired with some soul techniques, even if they were still far from matching up to the soul oracles, they would still be an incredible force to reckon with.

It seemed like the search for the Bodhi Saint Tree wouldn’t go smoothly after all.

Forget it, the banquet should be starting soon. It’s about time for me to make my way back now.

With his presence exposed, it was likely that the royal palace would tighten its guard on the Bodhi Saint Tree. His safety would be compromised if he were to continue searching for it. Thus, after a moment of hesitation, he decided to return to the banquet for the time being.

In any case, Wei Ruyan’s condition had been stabilized, so she wouldn’t be in danger in the short term. There was no need for him to take such a huge risk at the moment.

Thus, he discreetly made his way up to the roof, stared at the countless resplendent buildings and residences that stretched all the way to the horizon, and scratched his head blankly.

So… where is the main hall again?

Chapter 856: Advancement in Soul Cultivation

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Fleeing frantically for his life, he did not have the luxury of choosing his path. Thus, he just moved according to his instincts, heading to wherever it brought him to.

To make things worse, the royal palace was massive, and there were many buildings that resembled one another. Staring at the countless buildings in the area, he couldn’t help but fall into a daze.

To think that the esteemed Principal Zhang of the Master Teacher Academy… would actually get lost!

If he was in close proximity to his body, he might have still been able to sense it. However, putting aside the fact that he was quite a distance away at the moment, the royal palace was filled with formations and experts, resulting in a multitude of auras permeating the area, making it nigh impossible for him to sense his physical body.

Perhaps, he might be able to find his way around if he were to fly to a sufficiently high altitude, but after the previous incident, he knew that there were soul experts around the royal palace. With his presence made known, he couldn’t guarantee that there weren’t soul experts keeping a lookout over the airspace as well.

On top of that, the middle-aged man was likely still looking for him at the moment. He didn’t have the confidence to be able to flee from the other party once more.

He had been able to catch the other party off-guard with the Slaughter Formation earlier, but such a trick was unlikely to work twice.

As long as I head in single direction persistently, I should be able to get out of the royal palace…

Unable to find his direction and daring not to fly high, Zhang Xuan could only resort to the most unsophisticated method in the book.

He had once heard that if a person found themself lost inside a completely dark cave, the best way out was to continue advancing forward along the wall. No matter how deep the cave might be, one should eventually be able to find a way out.

This was the very method he had decided to employ. With all of the buildings identical to one another, if he were to attempt to return via his original route, putting aside the fact that he could very well bump into the middle-aged man once more, it was questionable whether he would be able to find the main hall or not.

Thus, the best option lying before him was to simply continue advancing in a single direction all the way to the end.

The royal palace was large, but he should eventually reach its end. Once he left the royal palace, he should be able to determine his location and find his way back to the palace entrance and the main hall.

Alright, this direction then! Having made up his mind, Zhang Xuan decided on a direction and began to move.

As a soul, he could float over the walls easily. As long as he didn’t go too high, it shouldn’t be easy for the soul experts in the royal palace to sense him.

What was troublesome were the formations in the courtyard and the occasional patrols in the area, so he had to move carefully.

However, it was fortunate that he possessed the Eye of Insight, and the soul cultivation technique he cultivated was the Heaven’s Path Soul Art too, allowing him to conceal his aura. Unless it was a Saint realm expert specializing in the study of souls, he should be able to bypass most patrols without an issue.

After passing by six residences, a bizarrely large residence suddenly appeared before him.

What is this place?

What had caught his eye about the residence was the immense Breath Isolation Formation set up around the area to conceal what was within.

Is there some kind of unspeakable secret concealed inside? Or… could it be that the Bodhi Saint Tree is in there?

The main purpose of the Breath Isolation Formation was to cast a barrier over the auras within, making it impossible for those outside to sense what was inside. For the ground to be protected by a Breath Isolation Formation instead of the usual defensive formations for the other residences, it seemed like there was something really important inside that the royal family was trying to hide.

Curious, Zhang Xuan slipped through the Breath Isolation Formation and began scanning the area.

This seems to be some kind of trial grounds. Am I already out of the palace?

The first thing he noticed was that there were many Strength Measuring Rock Pillars scattered throughout the courtyard, reminiscent of a training ground.

But the royal palace had its own barracks for soldiers to train at. Why would there be so many Strength Measuring Rock Pillars in this large residence?

Intrigued, Zhang Xuan wandered around the residence to take a look, and at the other end, he saw two walls lined side by side to form a narrow alley. Closing in, there seemed to be some sort of inscription on two walls.

“There are seven conventional ways that one can cultivate one’s soul. First, conception of intention. Second, facing one’s negative emotions. Third…”

There were various pieces of knowledge concerning the soul written on the two walls.

These are the bare basics to soul cultivation? Zhang Xuan thought.

The content contained on the walls was extremely simplistic, involving only the very basics of soul cultivation. It couldn’t even be compared to the Soul Guiding Method, which he had learned from Mo Hunsheng back then.

They were only useful to Consonant Spirit realm cultivators, who had just barely begun to start cultivating their souls.

The inscriptions extended from one end of the wall to the other. Reading on, Zhang Xuan began to inch deeper into the alley.

It seems like the cultivation techniques here are slightly more profound, Zhang Xuan remarked.

The knowledge contained on the portion of the wall deeper into the alley was slightly more profound than what he had read earlier on. Even though they still paled greatly in comparison to the cultivation techniques of the soul oracles, there was no doubt that they did have the effect of enhancing one’s soul energy if practiced diligently.

Staring into the depths of the long alley, Zhang Xuan curiously wondered, Does the content get more and more profound the further one proceeds into the alley?

Taking a few more steps in, he realized that the content became even more profound yet again. Perhaps, if he were to travel deep enough, the knowledge there could help to resolve the flaws existing in his Heaven’s Path Soul Art!

I still have some time before the banquet begins… Let’s do it then!

So far, it had only been ten minutes since he had left the main hall. He could still afford to explore a little longer.

Thus, he proceeded forward.

The content on the walls did get more and more profound the further he progressed. Even though it was still useless to him, it was at the level where an ordinary cultivator would consider it as a treasure.

Hmm? Why do I feel a slight pressure on my soul?

Proceeding slightly deeper, just as the end was in sight, he suddenly realized that there was some kind of force in his surroundings exerting pressure on his soul.

However, it was extremely weak. If he wasn’t paying any notice to it, he wouldn’t have even felt it.

Regardless of what it is, I should finish reading through the content on the walls first!

Knowing that there were profound soul cultivation techniques ahead of him, Zhang Xuan proceeded forward without any hesitation.

To him, the number of flaws in a soul cultivation technique didn’t matter. As long as he could gather a sufficient number of them to form a Heaven’s Path Soul Art, that would be enough. Thus, he took in all of the inscriptions on the wall without discriminating among them.

Wherever his gaze fell, the writings inscribed in the area would appear in the Library of Heaven’s Path in the form of a book.

By the time he reached the end of the alley, the complexity of the cultivation technique was already nearing the level of the Thousand Tempering Soul Refinement Art. It still wasn’t particularly profound, but at the very least, it wasn’t as unseemly as those he had seen earlier on.

At this point, the truth finally dawned on Zhang Xuan. From the basics to the advanced, this should be an area where the offspring of the royal family cultivate their soul…

The content at the very start of the alley was aimed at those who had just started cultivating their souls, and the profoundness deepened gradually the further one advanced. At the very end, the knowledge had begun to overlap with the stone tablets he had seen earlier.

Those who had reached this point should have already achieved a deep understanding of souls, not to his level perhaps, but at least on par with the middle-aged man he had encountered earlier.

Considering that these were valuable and rare soul cultivation techniques, it was no wonder the stone tablets he had encountered earlier were guarded by a grade-7 Slaughter Formation, and this residence was concealed a Breath Isolation Formation.

After reading the final writing on the wall, Zhang Xuan shook his head in disappointment. But still, these soul cultivation techniques are still far too basic…

Ordinary cultivators might find these soul cultivation techniques profound, but as one who had inherited the heritage of the soul oracles, they were still too basic.

To make an analogy, it was like a college student taking on a junior school student’s work.

Nevertheless, one thing praiseworthy about it was that even though the cultivation techniques were simple, they were well-structured and complete, and it was definitely possible to cultivate a powerful soul expert through it.

It must have taken the royal family quite a lot of effort to gather and organize this.

Turning his gaze away from the walls, Zhang Xuan saw an average-sized round door at the end of the alley. Seemingly fortified by some kind of power, it stood tightly-shut.

He moved over to the door and attempted to push it open, only to find that it wouldn’t budge.

Humph! With a frown, Zhang Xuan gathered his soul energy and pushed forcefully.

Kacha!

The round door was blasted open, revealing a vast hall ahead.

Curious, Zhang Xuan moved into the hall.

Hong long!

As soon as Zhang Xuan entered the premises, he immediately felt a massive force crushing down on his soul, threatening to tear it apart.

Humph!

Zhang Xuan immediately drove his Heaven’s Path Soul Art and a golden glow rippled across his soul, significantly reducing the pressure exerted on him.

With his discomfort alleviated, he began to scan the room, and he swiftly found the culprit behind the crushing force on his soul—four glowing statues.

The statues were tall and powerfully-built. Two wielded swords while the remaining two wielded massive sabers. They emanated a powerful aura around them that exerted a huge pressure on those who entered the room. Those who were lacking in their soul cultivation might just find their souls dissipating in the face of that immense force.

One thing that Zhang Xuan swiftly noted about the hall after his recovery was that the spiritual energy in the area was extremely concentrated, to the point that it was nearly tangible. It was similar to the sensation he had felt when he first entered the Lake Eye of the Cleansing Lake.

Wait… This spiritual energy has the property of nourishing souls? Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in excitement.

As souls tended to be more fragile compared to physical bodies, they needed to be nourished by more soothing spiritual energy. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so troubled over Wei Ruyan’s illness.

But while this spiritual energy can nourish souls, given that Wei Ruyan is still unconscious at the moment, even if I were to bring her here, she wouldn’t be able to absorb it either…

While the spiritual energy had the ability to nourish souls, Wei Ruyan couldn’t absorb and assimilate it into her soul given her lack of consciousness. This was also the reason why Zhang Xuan eventually chose to transfer her soul to a saint herb to nourish it.

But while she is unable to do so, I can. If I can strengthen my soul before treating her, I will be able to raise my chances of saving her!

With a stronger soul, he would be able to utilize his means as a soul oracle more effectively, which would be vital in rousing Wei Ruyan’s consciousness.

I should first see if I can compile the subsequent levels of the Heaven’s Path Soul Art first… With such a thought in mind, Zhang Xuan immersed his consciousness into the Library of Heaven’s Path.

Compile!

With a silent command, he compiled the soul oracle cultivation technique he had obtained from Mo Hunsheng with the numerous books that he had just collected.

Flipping it open, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. A perfect Ethereal Treading realm Heaven’s Path Soul Art…

By compiling the Thousand Tempering Soul Refinement Art and the other soul cultivation techniques here along with Mo Hunsheng’s soul oracle cultivation technique, he had successfully produced the Transcendent Mortal 8-dan Heaven’s Path Soul Art!

With a dense concentration of spiritual energy optimized for a soul’s absorption in the area, this was a good opportunity for him to raise his soul cultivation from Perfect Harmonization realm pinnacle. Thus, without any hesitation, he immediately sat down.

Driving the Ethereal Treading realm Heaven’s Path Soul Art, his massive soul seemed to have turned into a Spirit Gathering Formation in an instant. The surrounding spiritual energy was swiftly drawn around him and disappeared into his soul.

Gugugugu!

Zhang Xuan’s soul cultivation swiftly rose.

Hong long!

Before long, with a crisp echo, he had managed to achieve a breakthrough to Ethereal Treading realm.

Ethereal Treading realm intermediate stage.

Ethereal Treading realm advanced stage.

Ethereal Treading realm pinnacle!

Half an hour later, his cultivation had already reached Ethereal Treading realm pinnacle, and his strength rose to 20,000,000 ding!

Great!

With the breakthrough in his soul cultivation, his analytical ability had been enhanced, and his spirit had grown even more lively. By the time he looked at his surroundings once more, he realized that he had devoured nearly all of the spiritual energy in the room.

The four statues before him had also lost their glow, seemingly on the verge of breaking apart after being deprived of their energy source.

Chapter 857: Who Is the Principal?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

In Hongyuan royal palace, two young men dressed in lavish clothing were walking side by side.

Both of them seemed to be in their early twenties, and their cultivation was both at Perfect Harmonization realm as well.

“Fifth Brother, are you challenging the trial today as well?” the younger of the duo asked with a smile.

“Sixth Sister has managed to clear four trials after her previous breakthrough. As her elder brother, how can I lose out to her? If I can’t match her at the very least, Father might just start looking down on me!” the man addressed as Fifth Brother replied with a glint in his eyes.

The older of the duo was the Fifth Prince of Hongyuan Empire, Yu Hong, and the younger was the Eighth Prince, Yu Zheng.

“Even the most talented of us siblings, our Third Brother, only managed to clear the third trial when he was at Perfect Harmonization realm. Yet, Sixth Sister managed to clear the fourth trial. She sure is amazing! In fact, it is after hearing about her matter that I came over today to see if I can surpass my previous limit and reach higher grounds!” Yu Zheng nodded.

“The Thousand Tempering Soul Passageway works wonders in tempering one’s soul, but it also exerts immense pressure on it as well. Without a resilient mind, it could result in loss of consciousness or even a trauma in one’s soul. You have been dispatched to guard the borders until recently, so it must have been a long time since you have cultivated your soul. If you find yourself reaching your limit, don’t force yourself to continue. You can always try again another time,” Yu Hong advised.

“Don’t worry, Fifth Brother. I might have been guarding the border, but I haven’t slacked on my training either. Even if I can’t clear the third trial, I think I should still be able to get pretty far,” Yu Zheng said confidently.

Yu Hong nodded. “That’s good.”

…

Soon, the duo arrived at the ‘alley’ that Zhang Xuan had gone through previously.

“Let’s start then!”

Exchanging glances, the duo stepped into the passageway simultaneously with grim expressions. However, in just a few steps, they could already feel an overwhelming pressure crushing their soul, and their bodies began to sway unsteadily. Cold sweat began flowing down their backs.

“Hold on!”

The duo exchanged glances before clenching their teeth and pushing onward. As they ventured deeper into the passageway, their bodies began shaking more and more intensely.

Pu!

Yu Zheng was the first one to cave in. Spurting a mouthful of blood, his body abruptly fell to the ground. Sighing deeply, he said, “Fifth Brother, I can’t go on any further. I guess I am still stuck on the second trial for the time being… Good luck!”

“Thanks!” Yu Hong squeezed out through his clenched teeth before trudging forward arduously.

Inscribed on the walls of the passageway were soul cultivation techniques, but if one wanted to read them, one would have to endure the increasing pressure on their soul from the passageway. Each trial was roughly five meters, and there was a total of nine trials in the passageway.

If a Perfect Harmonization realm could clear the third trial, he could already be considered a talented soul cultivator.

Pu!

A few more steps later, Yu Hong’s face paled. His knees caved in, and he fell to the ground as well.

Even though he had been diligently cultivating his soul day and night, he was still unable to clear the third trial!

“I am still too weak…”

The two princes looked at one another and shook their heads in frustration.

Hearing that the Sixth Princess had managed to clear the fourth trial had motivated them to give the Thousand Tempering Soul Passageway another try, but their results still didn’t live up to their expectations. This passageway was simply far too difficult!

After resting for a moment and feeling the stabbing pain in their heads disappear, they stood up and left the premises.

“It seems like we are still too weak… I guess the current record holder is still Sixth Sister, right?” Yu Zheng asked.

“I would think so. Let’s go and take a look…” Yu Hong nodded.

The duo walked up to a wall outside the passageway, and Yu Hong placed his palm on it lightly.

This wall was known as the Wall of Records, and it detailed the results of the current record holder of the passageway’s challengers.

Weng!

With a slight buzz, a few words appeared on the Wall of Records—First Trial: Two Breaths!

“Two breaths? Sixth Sister cleared the first trial in two breaths? That is unbelievable!” Yu Zheng widened his eyes in astonishment.

“That is impossible! Even if she can reach the fourth trial, it shouldn’t be possible for her to clear the first trial in two breaths… Let’s take a look at her result for the second trial…” Yu Hong frowned in bewilderment as he swiped his hand on the wall.

Weng!

Yet another row of words appeared—Second Trial: Two Breaths!

“Two breaths again?”

The duo stared at one another in disbelief. They hurriedly swiped the wall once again.

Weng!

Third Trial: Two Breaths!

Fourth Trial: Two Breaths!

Fifth Trial: Two Breaths!

Sixth Trial: Two Breaths!

…

All the way up to the ninth trial, the recorded challenger had only used two breaths.

“Someone managed to clear the ninth trial… and in two breaths for all of them at that?”

The two princes exchanged glances, and they could see sheer horror reflected in the other’s eyes.

Was this for real?

They couldn’t even clear the third trial, and yet someone managed to clear all of the nine trials in two breaths each, no more and no less?

Was the person strolling instead of challenging the trials?

“The person who made the existing record didn’t leave their name behind,” Yu Zheng noted.

After a moment of contemplation, Yu Hong said, “Let’s call Uncle Bai here. He is in charge of this passageway, so he probably has some way of finding the person who left the record!”

“Alright!”

The duo left the passageway hurriedly, and not too long later, they returned with a middle-aged man following behind them.

If Zhang Xuan were there, he would surely be able to recognize the middle-aged man as the Saint 1-dan pinnacle expert he had encountered back in the residence filled with stone tablets.

“What happened for you two to call me over so anxiously?” Uncle Bai asked with his eyebrows knitted tightly together.

He was in the midst of pursuing that intruding soul, and he didn’t have time to waste with these two princes.

“Uncle Bai, did you or my father challenge the Thousand Tempering Soul Passageway in the last two days? How do you expect us to break the record you left there?” Yu Hong asked with a bitter smile.

“What are you saying? Why would we challenge the Thousand Tempering Soul Passageway?” Uncle Bai replied with a deep frown.

He had been spending his time studying the ancient stone tablets in recent years, so how could he have the time to spare to challenge the Thousand Tempering Soul Passageway.

This was even more so for Yu Shenqing, the emperor of Hongyuan Empire. With an endless stream of work on his hands, he couldn’t possibly find the time to challenge the passageway either.

“But… if isn’t my father or you, who else could have left that record?” Hearing Uncle Bai deny the matter, Yu Hong hurriedly placed his palm on the Wall of Records once more.

Weng!

The records reflected previously appeared again.

“T-t-two breaths?” Uncle Bai’s body staggered weakly, and he nearly fainted from shock.

“Even with His Majesty’s and my cultivation, we can only reach the eighth trial. Furthermore, beyond the sixth trial, every single step made will take us a very long time, and it could easily take up to an hour for us to clear the trial. To succeed in just two breaths… J-just who could it be?”

Uncle Bai was in disbelief as well.

The Thousand Tempering Soul Passageway was created by an old ancestor of the Yu Clan to challenge the later generations. The pressure emanated by the passageway had the astounding effect of tempering souls, and it was due to this that the Yu Clan was reputed for its soul cultivation amid the many Tier-1 Empires.

Countless outstanding geniuses had emerged in the Yu Clan over the years, but still, no one had succeeded in clearing the ninth trial to enter the hall… So how could there be a record reflected for the ninth trial?

Not to mention, two breaths?

If he recalled correctly, there wasn’t such a record when Yu Fei-er challenged the passageway yesterday after coming out of her seclusion…

“Could it be…” Uncle Bai’s eyes narrowed as he recalled the soul he had encountered earlier.

“No, I have to check the hall…” Realizing what could have happened, he quickly circumvented the passageway and headed to the hall lying behind it.

As the manager of the Thousand Tempering Soul Passageway, he had the authority to enter the hall even without clearing the passageway itself.

Pushing open the door, he rushed into the hall, and what he saw left his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

The dense concentration of spiritual energy that should have been inside the hall had disappeared without a trace, and the four ancestral sculptures that were used to temper the souls of later generations had lost their glow. With a touch, ‘huala!’, the sculptures crumbled to the ground.

“Damn it… Just who is that fellow?!” Uncle Bai felt as if he was going insane.

Harnessed in this hall was the overwhelming aura of their ancestors, and had he not been the manager of the Thousand Tempering Soul Passageway, he would have never dared to enter the grounds. Who could the intruder have been to be able to enter the hall and reduce it to such a state?

To be able to achieve this feat, just how powerful must his soul be?

“No, I must report this matter to His Majesty immediately…”

Alarmed, Uncle Bai hurriedly rushed to the main hall, where Yu Shenqing was.

…

In a majestic assembly room of the royal palace, Yu Shenqing had just finished going through the reports and was currently closing his eyes for a short rest.

An old eunuch walked into the room and said, “Reporting to Your Majesty, the Master Teacher Academy has sent a notice saying that the inauguration ceremony for the succeeding principal will be held in three days, and they have invited Your Majesty to witness the ceremony!”

“Un, understood. Tell them that I will be there!” Yu Shenqing nodded.

Even though the Master Teacher Academy was located within Hongyuan Empire, in terms of standing and influence, he could be said to be beneath the academy’s principal.

Upon becoming the principal of the Master Teacher Academy, that person could be said to have become the number one figure of Hongyuan Empire. Even he, despite being the emperor of Hongyuan Empire, wouldn’t dare to treat the principal with the slightest disrespect.

The old eunuch nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Right, did they mention who the succeeding principal will be?” Shen Yuqing asked.

“Your Majesty, they didn’t reveal who the succeeding principal will be, but they did mention that Mu shi from the headquarters will be overseeing the inauguration ceremony personally!” the eunuch replied.

“Mu shi? You are referring to 7-star master teacher Mu Yuan?” Yu Shenqing’s eyes lit up in agitation.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“If he is going to be overseeing the ceremony personally, the principal must be either Lu Feng or Zhao Bingxu. Send someone in to ask about the identity of the succeeding principal so that we can prepare an appropriate gift in advance!” Yu Shenqing waved his hands.

Lu Feng and Zhao Bingxu had different main supporting occupations, so their interests differed as well.

If it was Lu Feng, they would have to prepare some valuable medicinal herbs. If it was Zhao Bingxu, they would have to prepare some precious ores.

The fate of Hongyuan Empire was intricately linked with the Master Teacher Academy. If he could win the favor of the new principal, he might be able to consolidate the royal authority that the Yu Clan wielded.

The old eunuch frowned. “But Your Majesty, since they didn’t reveal the identity of the succeeding principal in the notice, I am afraid that we might not be able to receive an answer from them.”

If the other party didn’t reveal to them who the new principal was, it could only mean that they had a reason for doing so. Since that was the case, the result would be the same no matter how many times they asked for it.

Yu Shenqing waved his hands casually. “Tell them that it is a personal request from me, the school heads should at least give me some leeway. Besides, it’s no big deal to learn of the identity of the next principal in advance.”

As the emperor of Hongyuan Empire, even if his standing couldn’t be matched with the principal, he could at least be considered an equal to the Ten Great Master Teachers. If they were to ask under his name, the other party should speak.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” the old eunuch nodded.

“Right, has Fei-er’s birthday banquet begun yet?” Yu Shenqing suddenly asked.

“As Your Majesty is still here, we dare not start the banquet yet…”

“I see. Tell her I will be heading over now…” Yu Shenqing said as he stood up from his throne. “Right, is that Zhang Xuan fellow here yet?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, Zhang shi is currently seated in the main hall!”

“Has he caused any trouble yet?” Yu Shenqing asked with a frown.

“He has been sitting quietly ever since his arrival. He must be lying low, knowing that he is currently in the royal palace…”

The old eunuch knew that Shen Yuqing was interested in Zhang Xuan, so he had been keeping an eye out for his affairs.

“Good!” Shen Yuqing nodded. “Let’s go over to take a look!”

Thus, he began making his way toward the main hall, where the banquet was held.