Library of Heaven's Path
Chapter 364-374

Chapter 364: Price, Three Spirit Stones (1)

An austere person, Qi Shengyu was a 4-star intermediate apothecary of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance.

He had always been in charge of overseeing the Wall of Pill Formulae.

The Wall of Pill Formulae was connected to many Tier 1 Kingdoms, and it was used as a platform to resolve the problems those guilds faced. Usually, there was nothing much for him to do, however today, upon reaching his position, he realized that it was activated.

“It’s from Tier 1 Tianwu Kingdom?”

Qi Shengyu could see the location and the identity of the person who activated the wall on the other side.

“Mu Yangfeng?”

Casually flipping open the list of apothecaries, Qi Shengyu browsed through the names and frowned. “A 2-star pinnacle apothecary? He must have just succeeded the 3-star apothecary examination and has yet to change his emblem! Even so, to activate the Wall of Pill Formulae and request for a grade-4 pill formula right after clearing his examination, isn’t he being too impatient?”

At which, his face turned grim.

Apothecaries who possessed an earnest desire to learn were welcomed by Qi Shengyu. However, one should at least reach 3-star pinnacle before requesting for a grade-4 pill formula to study. Clearly, the other party was being overambitious.

Despite having barely reached a rank of 3-star—not to mention, you haven’t even changed your emblem yet—to request for a grade-4 pill formula, are you taking this as a joke?

“Furthermore, he even asked for the formula of the grade-4 intermediate Frigid Yin Pill!”

After seeing the pill formula that the other party wanted, his rage crescendoed.

Apothecaries who had just cleared the 3-star examination would still be having difficulties forging a grade-3 primary pill, and yet, the other party was actually asking for a grade-4 intermediate pill formula…

Were all the apothecaries so overambitious nowadays?

“Hmph!”

Harrumphing coldly, he wrote out the price for the exchange.

You want a grade-4 pill formula? Fine, I’ll give it to you. However, you’ll have to be able to pay the price for it first. If you can’t, you better pull down your head and study humbly.

Thus, he intentionally inflated the price by three times so as to deter the other party.

As expected, as soon as he wrote those words, the Wall of Pill Formulae fell silent.

“Looks like the best way to deal with such ignorant fellows is to scare them off…”

Qi Shengyu muttered silently to himself as he poured himself a cup of tea and sipped on it.

He thought the other party would back down upon facing this obstacle, but contrary to his expectations, the Wall of Pill Formulae suddenly shone once more, and a line of words slowly floated into appearance.

“I don’t have the spirit stones you’re asking for, but I can answer any issues you are facing in your pill forging. If you have any queries, feel free to ask!”

Pu!

He spurted out his tea.

With widened eyes, Qi Shengyu coughed non-stop.

Feel free to ask?

Answer my question?

In that instant, ten thousand divine beasts stampeded across Qi Shengyu’s head.

The heck!

I am a 4-star intermediate apothecary! Even if I really had a query, I would consult a 5-star apothecary rather than a 3-star primary apothecary like you. To utter such arrogant words, aren’t you afraid of suffering a retribution from the heaven?

He thought that he could scare the other party off by inflating the price by three times, but what he received instead was the other party’s conceited response. Rage immediately flurried through his body.

“Apothecary Qi? What’s wrong?”

Seething with rage, he was just about to teach this disrespectful fellow a lesson when, ‘jiya’, the door to the room suddenly opened, and an elder walked in.

The head of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance Apothecary Guild, Su Xing!

He was the only 4-star pinnacle apothecary within the entire Myriad Kingdom Alliance!

“Nothing much, just that I’m facing an arrogant fellow from Tianwu Kingdom!” Suppressing his anger, Qi Shengyu harrumphed.

“An arrogant fellow?”

Guild Leader Su was stunned for an instant. Given their prestige as the headquarter of the Apothecary Guild for the Tier 1 Kingdoms, very rarely did members from lower branches dare to anger them. Qi Shengyu quickly recounted the matter to him, and he widened his eyes in shock at the entire matter. His gaze subconsciously turned to the Wall of Pill Formulae with a look of incredulity.

Your head!

A 3-star apothecary who had only achieved his breakthrough recently was actually telling a 4-star intermediate apothecary to shoot his question, as though a teacher?

This was no longer arrogance—more like having a screw loose!

After all, no rational person would dare to spout such words to a high-ranked apothecary!

It was no wonder why Qi Shengyu had flown into a rage. Even Su Xing himself felt dizzy-headed just by listening to the recount of the incident. That Apothecary Mu’s head must have surely suffered a stroke for him to dare to utter such nonsense!

“Show me his background…”

As the headquarter of all Apothecary Guilds in the lands of Myriad Kingdom Alliance, they had the information of all apothecaries within the area.

Soon, a file was delivered over by an apprentice, and grabbing it, they began browsing through it and… that fellow didn’t seem to possess any exceptional aptitude. To put it in short, he was nothing but average.

It had been an entire seventeen years since the other party had reached 2-star pinnacle. How could he act so arrogantly when he had only just achieved a breakthrough?

Was his head crushed by a door or did some savage beast accidentally kick it?

Su Xing blinked his eyes, stupefied.

“Guild leader, what should we do?”

Qi Shengyu harrumphed. “Should we indict this fellow of insubordination and strip him of his license?”

There was a common trait shared by many of the occupations in the continent—strict hierarchy. Lower ranked members were expected to treat those of higher ranked members with a high degree of respect. And this was an official rule.

Given how arrogant this fellow had spoken, they could easily charge him with insubordination and strip him of his apothecary license.

“Calm down, there’s no need to rush it. We should at least test him with a question first. It won’t be too late to charge him after he fails to answer it correctly!” After a moment of hesitation, Guild Leader Su replied.

One thing the world didn’t lack was eccentric individuals, and they couldn’t possibly strip him of his apothecary license just because he had spoken arrogantly.

Perhaps, he might really have to strength to back his words up.

“Alright!”

Qi Shengyu nodded. “It just happens that I have a question that I wanted to consult guild leader but haven’t gotten the chance to yet. I’ll pose the question to him and I hope that guild leader can help me vet his answer! If he were to answer it erroneously, I’ll make sure to knock deeply into his dense head that the prestige of a high-ranked apothecary is not to be challenged!”

“Un!” Guild Leader Su Xing nodded.

Upon seeing the other party’s agreement, Qi Shengyu picked up a brush and started writing on the wall.

“For the forging of the[Constellation Sea Pill], Purple Pearl Grass, Evening Sun Flower, and Three-leafed Green have to be fused together. Why would there be a loss in the medicinal properties of the medicinal herbs despite procedures being followed strictly?”

Seeing the question Qi Shengyu jotted down, Su Xing nodded his head.

This question was indeed rather difficult. Many 4-star apothecaries faced similar problems while trying to forge the Constellation Sea Pill.

Back then, he was no exception as well.

A lot of research and experiments had to be done before he managed to arrive at the correct answer.

However, to actually pose a question which he himself didn’t have the answer to, Qi Shengyu must be truly infuriated.

“Even some 5-star apothecaries would replace it hard to answer this question. It’s only due to my good fortunes that I chanced by the answer in an ancient manual. Given such, how could a person who had barely reached 3-star possibly answer it…”

Harboring such thoughts, Su Xing turned to look at the Wall of Pill Formulae, curious to see what the arrogant fellow on the other side would reply with.

…

Meanwhile, on the other end of the wall.

Apothecary Mu wasn’t the only one who had flown into a frenzy. Even Jiang Chen and Apothecary Hong Yun’s eyebrows were twitching furiously.

This was no longer just a simple case of wreaking havoc; this a challenge to the other party’s authority, a clear case of insubordination!

If the other party decided to indict Mu Yangfeng of this crime, they could easily strip his qualification as an apothecary straight!

“The elder on the other end of the wall must be infuriated!”

With twitching lips, Apothecary Hong Yun sent a look of sympathy to Mu Yangfeng.

The countdown to the end of his career had already started… Tick tick tick…

Weng!

Shaking his head, the wall suddenly flashed and a line of words appeared.

“Constellation Sea Pill?”

“Purple Pearl Grass, Evening Sun Flower, and Three-leafed Green?”

Seeing the content of the question, Apothecary Hong Yun was completely bewildered.

He didn’t even know what the Constellation Sea Pill was, so how could he possibly know the reason behind the loss of the medicinal properties of these three herbs?

He immediately sneaked a peek at Mu Yangfeng and saw a constipated look on the other party’s face.

Then, he turned his gaze to the culprit of this entire mess, Liu Cheng.

That fellow seemed to be confused as well, seemingly uncomprehending of the question. Just as Apothecary Hong Yun was wondering how Liu Cheng was going to resolve this mess, the other party suddenly stood up and touched the Wall of Pill Formulae…

Then, picking up a brush, he began writing once more.

…

“Dry the Purple Pearl Grass under extreme heat for three days, remove the roots of the Tenth Sun Flower, and choose a Three-leafed Green with a maturity of five years and below!”

Words soon appeared on the Wall of Pill Formulae, and upon reading its content, Qi Shengyu abruptly stood up, and his nose flared in anger.

“Nonsense, what utter nonsense!”

“The Purple Pearl Grass possesses yin attribute and it thrives in dark places. Once exposed to extreme heat, its medicinal property would dissipate swiftly. It wouldn’t even survive for a day, lest three!”

“As for the Evening Sun Flower, it is known to bloom only under the evening sun. Only with the setting of the celestial flame would the earthen flames be reignited, and through its roots, the Evening Sun Flower absorbs the earthen flames to nourish itself and develop its medicinal properties. If the roots, where the bulk of its medicinal property is harnessed in, were to be removed, how much of medicinal property could it possibly retain?”

“As for the Three-leafed Green, under normal circumstances, its maturity would require at least ten years. At just five, it would be no different from other ordinary grasses, devoid of any medicinal property…”

“If I were to do as he says, the loss of medicinal properties is just a small matter—I fear that there might even be none at all!”

The more Qi Shengyu spoke, the faster his words got. Cracking sounds originating from his clenching of fists echoed loudly in the room.

There were no 4-star apothecaries who had the experience of forging Constellation Sea Pill who didn’t know the medicinal properties of these three main ingredients.

The advice the other party offered were a complete joke, utter rubbish!

“Guild leader, there’s no need to consider it anymore. There’s clearly something very wrong with this fellow’s head. I’ll apply for the stripping of his apothecary license right now…”

Harrumphing coldly, Qi Shengyu turned to look at Guild Leader Su to seek his judgement on this matter. But to his surprise, he only saw the latter, who he had known to be able to keep his composure under all circumstances, staring at the wall with widened eyes, completely dumbstruck.

“Guild leader…”

He couldn’t help but shake the other party to wake him from his daze.

“Ah?”

Only then did Su Xing finally recover from his shock and, with quivering lips, he replied, “This… His method is correct!”

“Correct?”

It was Qi Shengyu’s turn to be dumbstruck this time around.

Are you for real?

“Due to its yin attribute, cold energy easily accumulates in the Purple Pearl Grass, and during the forging of the Constellation Sea Pill, this cold energy would hinder the fusing of the medicinal herbs, thus inducing the dissipation of medicinal properties. As such, it has to be exposed to extreme heat to remove the cold energy!”

“As for the Evening Sun Flower, it serves primarily as a mediating factor. While its roots do possess incredible medicinal properties, it is, in fact, excessive. It only neutralizes the medicinal properties of the Purple Pearl Grass. The same goes for the Three-leafed Green as well…”

“This is what I read on an ancient manual. Even 5-star apothecaries would replace themselves stumped by this question… How did he know this?”

Qi Shengyu was dumbfounded. “Guild leader, you mean that… the solution he proposed is correct?”

“That’s right. Not only is it correct, it is perfect. I have tried it out myself and there’s no problem with it!”

Su Xing nodded.

“This… How is this possible?”

Qi Shengyu felt as though he was going insane.

He thought that the other party was just an arrogant fellow who had just passed the 3-star apothecary examination. He couldn’t have expected that the other party would be able to solve such a difficult question which even he was stumped by…

Are you for real?

Am I the 4-star intermediate apothecary, or is he?

Chapter 365: Price, Three Spirit Stones (2)

“Guild Leader Liu, is it really alright… for you write these words?”

In the Apothecary Guild, Mu Yangfeng even felt like dying now.

He should have stopped the other party from writing anything!

It was one thing for you to know what the Constellation Sea Pill was, but you should at least check on it! To write the answer right after touching the wall, aren’t you being too casual?

Even though Apothecary Mu didn’t know the reason behind the loss of medicinal property in the Purple Pearl Grass, Evening Flower Sun, and Three-leafed Green, as a 2-star pinnacle apothecary, he still knew a little about them.

Exposing a cold attribute medicinal herb to the extreme heat, removing the roots of the Evening Sun Flower, to demand for the maturity of the Three-leafed Green to be as low as possible… What the heck are you writing?

Anyone who knew the least bit about pill forging would know that this was utter bullshit. It deviated completely from the core principles of pill forging. Was Guild Leader Liu really trying to do him in?

Without a doubt, the 4-star apothecary on the other end would surely be stomping his feet in anger. If the other party could, he might have rushed over to kill him this instant.

Initially, he was extremely grateful to the other party for guiding him to forge a grade-3 pill. He felt as though the other party had brought him to the peak of life, but at this moment, he realized that he was just imagining things.

The other party was bringing him to the very top of the mountain before pushing him down into the valley!

Otherwise, have you ever seen a low-ranked apothecary speaking to a high-ranked apothecary like that?

Just as his lips twitched furiously and he felt that he was doomed, the wall before him lit up once more.

“I’m done for…”

Certain that what that would be written on the wall would be his punishment, his heart turned cold. Unwilling to face reality, he immediately turned his head away to avoid seeing the content of the message.

But to his astonishment, he heard Apothecary Hong Yun breathing heavily, as though he was suffering a heart attack out of shock.

“Apothecary Mu, lo… look…”

With a shaking finger, he pointed at the wall.

Doubtful, Apothecary Mu turned to take a look, and with a glance, he felt as though his heart was about to burst apart. He suddenly froze on the spot.

It took a long while before he managed to utter a word.

“This… What is going on?”

Bright and forceful words appeared on the wall — Correct, this can strike off the payment required for the Frigid Yin Pill formula.

Correct?

Apothecary Mu rubbed his eyes and confirmed that he wasn’t seeing things. He found the sight before him impossible to comprehend.

The few casual words that Guild Leader Liu wrote with a confused look on his face was the correct answer? Am I dreaming?

“It’s good that it’s correct. With this, my career should be fine…”

Relief gushed through his body. Since it was correct, it was unlikely that the other party would strip him of his apothecary license for insubordination. At the very least, his career was safe now.

Heaving a sigh of relief, he was just about to say something when the wall in front glowed once more and a line of words appeared.

“Grade-4 pinnacle [Energy Aperture Pill]; it is common for the cauldron to explode during the forging process. How can this problem is solved?”

“Grade-4 pinnacle pill?”

“Energy Aperture Pill? I’ve heard of this pill before. It is a grade-4 pinnacle pill, and even 5-star apothecaries would replace it hard to forge. After consumption, it will open up a person’s energy apertures, thus boosting their cultivation. As such, it is an extremely valuable and sought after pill… The other party is posing a question on it?”

The entire room fell silent.

Was the 4-star apothecary on the other side insane?

Despite Guild Leader Liu’s lack of respect, not only did the other party not pursue the matter, the other party even continued asking questions. Could it be that… this Guild Leader Liu was really that incredible as to be able to even guide a 4-star apothecary on his pill forging?

“This…”

Staring at the young man not too far away with a bizarre look, Apothecary Mu was just about to step forward and discuss with him on how to solve this problem when the other party picked up a brush and started writing once more.

Taking a look at the words the other party wrote, Mu Yangfeng, who had just barely heaved a sigh of relief at having preserved with career, saw his vision go dark. His heart nearly leapt out of his mouth.

Apothecary Hong Yun and Jiang Chen fared no better than him. They felt their knees caving in, and they swayed weakly on the spot.

Brother… You are about to bash through the heavens.

On the wall, four words shone brightly——

Price, three spirit stones!

…

“This fellow… Does he really think that we’re trying to learn from him?”

On the other end of the wall, upon seeing the words Zhang Xuan wrote, Qi Shengyu nearly erupted.

Right after recovering from the shock from the other party’s answer, he felt that there was a need to continue testing the other party to see whether he possessed true capability or merely lucked out in his guesses.

Thus…

Guild Leader Su raised the current question to see what the other party would answer. However, the other party simply replied with four words…

Price… Price your head!

I am testing you, a 3-star apothecary, in my capacity as a 4-star apothecary of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance Apothecary Guild. And yet, you demand payment?

The heck!

This is a test! A test! Don’t you get it?

Do you really think that we don’t know the answer and that we are consulting you on it?

“Agree to his request!”

After hesitating for a moment, Su Xing nodded.

“Agree?”

This time, Qi Shengyu was stunned.

“Actually… I don’t know the answer to this question as well. I’m just curious to see what kind of answer he would give!” Su Xing replied.

“You… don’t know?” Qi Shengyu fell to the ground.

You are the most capable apothecary in the entire guild, reaching a rank of 4-star pinnacle. What do you mean by you don’t know the answer…

Aren’t we supposed to be testing him?

Why did it become a consulting session instead?

Besides, if you don’t know the answer as well, how can we determine the authenticity of his answer?

Even though Qi Shengyu was shocked, under the persistence of the guild leader, he still wrote ‘Agreed’.

After which, the other party replied with two words ‘pill formula’.

After hesitating for a moment, Qi Shengyu wrote the pill formula for ‘Energy Aperture Pill’ on the wall.

Weng!

Soon, words appeared on the wall once more.

“The medicinal herbs required for the Energy Aperture Pill are volatile, and they react violently with one another. Thus, one has to first soak the medicinal herbs in flowing water to remove its volatility before adding in a stalk of Quxi Grass…”

“I’ll try it out…”

The solution recorded on the wall was quite simple. After taking a look, Guild Leader Su immediately tested it out. Not too long later, he came to a stop. Catching the scent of the fragrance from the cauldron, he was dumbstruck.

It’s correct!

To think that the method the other party provided was actually correct!

To think that a question which even a 4-star pinnacle apothecary like him couldn’t solve was answered by a fellow who had just become a 3-star apothecary so easily. On top of that, the answer was flawless…

What in the world was going on?

“The person on the side probably isn’t Mu Yangfeng. Apothecary Qi, go and check who he is…”

After a moment of silence, he suddenly came to a realization.

If Apothecary Mu was that capable, he would have become a famous figure long ago. How could he possibly remain unknown for so long?

“Alright, I’ll head to Xuanyuan Conferred Kingdom now…”

Upon coming to the same conclusion, Qi Shengyu hurriedly nodded his head.

Tianwu Kingdom was a territory of Xuanyuan Conferred Kingdom. As such, he had to head to the latter first.

“Un. However, hold it for a moment first. Let’s first sound the bell and summon all of the apothecaries in the alliance to the guild now!” Guild Leader Su instructed.

“Yes!” Qi Shengyu nodded, turned around, and left.

…

“Alright, done!”

After collecting the Frigid Yin Pill formula in the library, Zhang Xuan chuckled.

With this formula, he would be able to forge the Frigid Yin Pill to awaken Zhao Ya’s unique constitution.

Not only did he not spend any money on the pill formula, someone would even be sending spirit stones to him. In a sense, he had profited from this deal.

“Right, when will the other party send the spirit stones over?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“This… Such a thing has never happened, so I’m not too sure either… However, based on my estimations, it should take around half a month!”

Mu Yangfeng contemplated for a moment before answering.

At the start, he was shocked, but eventually, everything faded and only numbness remained.

When requesting for a pill formula from the headquarters, everyone had to pay a heavy price. Yet, not only did this fellow manage to get his pill formula, he even earned some spirit stones from the headquarters…

If not for personally witnessing this sight, he wouldn’t believe it even if someone were to coerce him at knife-point. At this moment, his head still felt light, as though he was in a dream.

“Half a month? That’s still alright…”

Zhang Xuan nodded.

It was quite good for him that he would be getting three spirit stones in half a month’s time.

“Guild Leader Liu, what do we do now?” Mu Yangfeng asked.

“Since the pill formula is here, naturally, we have to forge it. Help me gather these medicinal herbs…”

Zhang Xuan said.

“Even though the Frigid Yin Pill is a grade-4 pill, based on what I’ve seen just now, the medicinal herbs required aren’t too rare. We should be able to replace all of them in our Apothecary Guild. However… even if we manage to gather all of the medicinal herbs, without a grade-4 apothecary here, we can’t forge it!”

Mu Yangfeng looked at Guild Leader Liu doubtfully.

Apothecary Hong Yun was also perplexed.

The most proficient apothecary in the entire Tianwu Kingdom’s Apothecary Guild was the guild leader at 3-star primary. No one else here was capable of forging a grade-4 pill!

Even if they managed to get the pill formula and gather the medicinal herbs, they were unable to do anything at all!

“Who says that it is impossible to forge a grade-4 pill without a 4-star apothecary?” Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually. Then, he turned to Apothecary Mu and said, “Aren’t you here? You can just forge it for me…”

“Me?”

Shocked, Mu Yangfeng nearly fainted on the spot.

He was well aware of his pill forging skills. He was only at the level of an ordinary 2-star pinnacle, and the only reason why he successfully forged a grade-3 pill was because of the other party’s guidance…

Grade-4?

He didn’t even dare to harbor such thoughts!

“Don’t worry. Let’s just gather the medicinal herbs for now, I’ll instruct you on it later on!”

Knowing what the other party was worrying about, Zhang Xuan consoled him.

“You’ll instruct me?” After hesitating for a moment, Mu Yangfeng looked at Zhang Xuan doubtfully. “Can I really succeed?”

If it was anyone else, Apothecary Mu would have surely thought that he was bragging. However, he had seen too much miracles from this youngster from the moment he met him until now. Perhaps, the other party might really be able to guide him to successfully forge a grade-4 pill.

“Don’t worry. Even if we don’t succeed, we’ll just fail. At the very worst, the cauldron will only explode…”

Zhang Xuan answered casually.

“The cauldron will only explode?” Mu Yangfeng’s lips twitched and he nearly fainted. “Do you know how strong the explosion will be… if the cauldron explodes while forging a grade-4 pill?”

Even though it was only a level between grade-3 and grade-4, there was a qualitative difference between the two. It was just like how a Phantom equipment and Spirit equipment were two completely different concepts.

Even a Zhizun realm expert could be blown to smithereens if unprepared against a grade-4 pill explosion… Needless to say, Zongshi realm cultivators like them!

To think that you said it will only explode…

If it truly exploded, the entire Apothecary Guild would disappear from the face of this world.

“It will blow the entire Apothecary Guild up?” After hearing Apothecary Mu’s explanation, Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

He thought that, at the very worst, an explosion similar to that when Mo Yu forged the pill in the Beast Hall would occur. He didn’t think that the explosive power of a grade-4 pill would be so great.

“Un. On top of that, the medicinal herbs of a grade-4 pill are also extremely valuable. Even though our guild has them all, the total cost of them all adds up to a huge fortune! A single set would cost… around three spirit stones! In terms of gold coins, it is impossible to buy it without a hundred million…”

Apothecary Mu continued.

“Three spirit stones? Costs more than a hundred million gold coins?”

Before Apothecary Mu could finish his words, the young man before him trembled. Then, he quickly turned to the Wall of Pill Formulae with crimson eyes, picked up the brush, and started writing, “Is the apothecary on the other side still there? Do you have any other questions? Three spirit stones for one, the more the better. I can answer all of your queries now…”

“…”

Mu Yangfeng.

“…” Jiang Cheng and Apothecary Hong Yun.

On the other side.

“…” Guild Leader Su Xing.

Chapter 366: Tenacious Lu Chong

Upon hearing the price of the medicinal herbs, Zhang Xuan’s heart crumbled.

After spending an entire night of effort to earn three spirit stones, he only managed to earn enough to buy the medicinal herbs…

This is robbery!

Do you think that it is easy for me to earn spirit stones? Do you all need to go that far?

Holding his brush, Zhang Xuan waited for a very long time, but the other party didn’t reply at all. Clearly… he had no other questions.

“Stingy! To think that he’s still a 4-star apothecary, it’s just a small sum of money. Scrooge!”

Tossing the brush aside, Zhang Xuan bellowed.

What the heck is this!

Aren’t you a 4-star apothecary? Aren’t you a huge figure in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance? To be unwilling to even spare three spirit stones… I’ve never seen someone as miserly as you…

“Scrooge…”

Mu Yangfeng and Apothecary Hong trembled.

Brother, you’re the scrooge, alright?

Since the other party has no questions, he can’t possibly give spirit stones to you for free…

To scold a 4-star apothecary stingy and scrooge… You’re probably the only one in the entire kingdom…

“Guild Leader Liu, we’ll take the spirit stones from the headquarter as the compensation for the medicinal herbs. I’ll prepare the rest for you now…”

Afraid that the other party would do extreme things once more, Mu Yangfeng hurriedly said and left.

This Guild Leader Liu was indeed a person of great capabilities, but his guts were too huge for Mu Yangfeng to bear.

Mu Yangfeng had always faced higher tier apothecaries with utmost respect. Yet, the other party didn’t seem concerned about the hierarchy at all, spewing criticisms without the slightest hesitation…

Mu Yangfeng was afraid that he would die of shock if he remained here.

“We…”

Just as Apothecary Hong Yun and Jiang Chen were about to leave, the young man turned to look at them with a bright smile. With glowing eyes, he asked, “Those scrooge don’t even dare to ask their questions once they heard that they needed to pay… What about you two? Feel free to shoot. As long as you have the spirit stones to pay, I’ll solve any problems you have…”

“We don’t have any…”

Frightened, their faces turned pale. They quickly shook their hands.

“No questions? Then… Are you all ill? I can treat you as well…” Zhang Xuan continued.

“…”

Apothecary Hong Yun and Jiang Chen.

…

The efficiency of the Apothecary Guild was one to behold. In less than an hour, they had already gathered all of the medicinal herbs required for the forging of the Frigid Yin Pill.

After confirming again and again that the duo didn’t require any treatment, Zhang Xuan followed behind Mu Yangfeng with a regretful expression, and before long, they entered one of the Pill Forging Chambers prepared for the apothecaries in the guild.

The best cauldrons were here, and a formation was also set up in the surroundings. Even if a cauldron explosion were to occur, the operations of the guild wouldn’t be affected at all.

“Guild Leader Liu, are you sure that… you want me to forge it?”

Looking at the medicinal herbs and cauldron before him, Apothecary Mu hesitated.

Grade-4 pills were also known as Spirit pills. Even if one didn’t store it in a jade box, it would absorb spiritual energy from the world automatically, thus preventing its quality from deteriorating with time.

Legend has it that someone had once dug out pills of this level from an ancient tomb, and despite countless years had passed, not only did the pills not lose their effectiveness, they even became more potent. Some of the pill at Formation level reached Satiation and even Perfection!

This kind of pill didn’t just have a high demand on one’s pill forging skill, it also required one to possess superior cultivation. Otherwise, if something were to crop up and a cauldron explosion occurred, it would very possibly result in one’s death.

Even though Guild Leader Liu had asked for his help, Mu Yangfeng didn’t have any confidence in himself at all.

“Later on, just strictly forge by my instructions. You mustn’t make even the slightest mistake!” At this moment, Zhang Xuan’s face was completely grave.

After browsing through the books in the guild, Zhang Xuan understood the difficulty of forging a grade-4 pill.

Even though he was able to rectify all of the errors in the forging process through the Library of Heaven’s Path, it was still an extremely difficult task to have a Zongshi successfully forge a grade-4 pill.

“Alright!”

Despite knowing of the risks that came with forging a grade-4 pill, Apothecary Mu also knew that this was a valuable experience. Even if he were to fail in the forging, it would definitely help bring his pill forging skills to new heights. Thus, he didn’t hesitate for long before clenching his jaws and agreeing to it.

The young man before him had created way too many miracles. Deep down, he had already developed a deep trust for the other party’s capability. If he were to turn down this opportunity today, he knew that he would regret it for life.

“Let’s start then!”

Mu Yangfeng meditated for a moment to reach his tiptop condition before walking forward to the cauldron. With a slight wave of his hands, a flame ignited beneath the cauldron.

Xiong xiong xiong!

Under the intense heat, the cauldron started to turn red.

“Add in the Alfalfa Flower. Two breaths after, add in the Motherwort Grass. Fourteen breaths later, add in the Coldfrost Leaf…”

Zhang Xuan started to issue instructions non-stop.

Mu Yangfeng followed all of Zhang Xuan’s instructions strictly, not daring to make the slightest mistake.

Hualala!

Medicinal herbs were thrown into the cauldron one after another, slowly fusing with one another under the heat of the cauldron.

…

Outside the Pill Forging Chamber.

To prevent interrupting the duo, Apothecary Hong Yun and the others remained outside.

“Do you think that… they will succeed?”

After a long moment, Jiang Chen asked.

“I’ve no idea either… It would be impossible for any other people, but this Guild Leader Liu cannot be understood by common sense…”

Apothecary Hong Yun shook his head.

Until now, he was still unable to gauge the full extent of Liu Cheng’s ability.

While requesting for a pill formula on the Wall of Pill Formulae, he was able to solve a question which stumped even the 4-star apothecary on the other side of the wall, leaving the other party tongue-tied…

His capability was way beyond imagination.

“Indeed!”

Jiang Chen felt a sense of defeat.

He was the son of Pavilion Master Jiang, and he was considered as a genius as well. Even though he couldn’t compare up to Mo Hongyi and Mo Yu, but he was considered as one of the most talented geniuses among his peers.

He thought that even if he lost out to those two monsters in terms of talent, he could catch up to them through hard work. However, when he met Zhang Xuan and Guild Leader Liu, he realized that…

There was a huge difference among geniuses as well.

Despite being a physician, Guild Leader Liu was actually attempting to instruct a 2-star pinnacle apothecary to forge a grade-4 medicine just through his understanding of medicinal herbs… He felt like if he were to tell anyone about it, the other party would just think that he was a lunatic.

“However, regardless of whether he succeeds or not, Apothecary Mu’s pill forging skill would surely rise greatly. In fact, with this experience, it is not entirely impossible for him to become a 4-star apothecary…”

Apothecary Hong Yun felt deep regret.

Even if this pill forging failed, just the experience itself would allow Apothecary Mu’s pill forging skills to reach a whole new level. As long as he builds on it, it would just be a matter of time before the other party surpasses him.

He could already see the seat of the guild leader falling to the Apothecary Mu and not him.

If not for his bragging, this opportunity might be his! It’s truly a huge pity…

However, opportunities only present themselves once, and time couldn’t be turned back!

No matter how heavy the regret weighing down his heart was, it was all too late.

…

In a small room in the Tianwu Academy.

The naked Lu Chong slowly opened his eyes.

Using a towel to wipe off the sweat which dripped off his body, he exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.

“It’s already my fourth time…”

Looking at the bottle of medicinal powder, which was still more than half full, Lu Chong hesitated.

“Teacher said that my strength will reach my limit after five times. If so, the medicinal powder will become useless… In the past few trainings, I can sense that the effectiveness is getting worse and worse. Most probably, after the fifth time, my strength will only reach the level of Tongxuan realm pinnacle. It’ll still be difficult for me to exact vengeance!”

Lu Chong gritted his teeth.

Liu laoshi had once told him that it would take around five times before he would successfully cultivate the Poison Body.

Thus, he had been cultivating doggedly in the last few days. As soon as he recovered, he would immediately continue with his training. Through his determination, his strength grew swiftly.

However, a problem also soon became apparent to him.

That was… the effects of the poison powder was slowly weakening. The previous time, his improvement was already less than half of his first session.

He could foresee that it wouldn’t take long before the poison powder became completely ineffective.

“Since it comes down to this… I should just use all of the poison powder at once!”

Tenacity flashed across his eyes.

Strictly following his teacher’s instructions, the bottle should still be around half full by the time he completed the five sessions.

Since the effects of the fifth session were going to be minimal, what would happen if he tried increasing the dosage?

“To exact my vengeance, I’ll have to go all out!”

Lu Chong gritted his teeth, and without using the silver needle, he poured all of the poison powder directly at his acupoint.

Dabbing a little bit of poison on his acupoints through a silver needle and smearing it directly on his skin were two very different concepts. Even if Zhang Xuan was here, he would definitely think that the other party had gone mad.

Boom!

A heart-piercing pain suddenly struck him, and intense vertigo caused Lu Chong’s body to sway vigorously.

“I can’t die yet, I need to exact my vengeance first. Father, mother, and big sister, I will avenge all of you…”

Familiar faces flashed across his mind, and Lu Chong howled furiously.

Of his entire clan consisting of 137 members, he was the only one left. How could he die before revenging them?

Gugugugugu!

The lethal poison seeped into his blood vessels and flowed through his entire body. Excruciating pain tore his entire body. If there was such a thing as hell, this must be it.

Compared to the pain he felt during the first time he came into contact with the poison powder, the suffering he was undergoing now was ten times worse!

If not for his increased tolerance to pain after the past few days of suffering, he might not have even persevered past a single breath!

Even so, he felt a strong sense of dizziness clouding his head, and it seemed as though death was looming right on top of him.

“Teacher has high expectations of me, father, mother, big sister, and the others are still waiting for me to avenge them. Hang on…”

Bellowing tenaciously, Lu Chong bit on his tongue tightly. Blood slowly trickled down the corner of his mouth.

For the past two years, he had been keeping completely silent while cultivating as though his life was on the line. What was that for?

Despite the pain and the risk of death, he chose to cultivate the Poison Body. What was that for?

As long as my enemies aren’t dead, I, Lu Chong, cannot die!

Boom!

After what seemed like an eternity, the pain finally started to fade. Only then did Lu Chong’s mental state loosen, and his vision immediately turned dark and he fainted.

Before he fainted, the poison powder dissolved in a surge of incredibly pure zhenqi and slowly fused with his body, causing his strength to rise.

This zhenqi was the one which Zhang Xuan left in Lu Chong’s body when the latter made the vow to not divulge the techniques to others.

If it wasn’t for it protecting his heart, no matter how strong Lu Chong’s will was, it was impossible for him to survive the onslaught of the lethal poison.

For some reason, under the onslaught of the lethal poison, the zhenqi seeped into his body and augmented the flexibility and strength of his muscles.

Just like that, his strength exceeded that of the foreseen limit of Tongxuan realm pinnacle.

…

Apothecary Hong Yun and Jiang Chen waited for nearly two hours before the Pill Forging Chamber opened and two figures walked out.

They were Apothecary Mu and Guild Leader Liu.

At this moment, the duo’s faces were white and they looked exhausted. Sweat soaked their clothes, and their appearance was nothing short of unkempt.

“Could it be that…”

Gedeng, upon seeing the appearance of the duo, an ominous premonition appeared in their heads as they hurried up to the duo.

Chapter 367: Mo Hongyi Fell Into the Fecal Drain

“How did it go?”

Apothecary Hong Yun stepped forward and asked.

“Success…”

Mu Yangfeng was exhausted, but excitement twinkled in the depths of his eyes. He turned to look at Guild Leader Liu in reverence.

Having forged alongside him, Mu Yangfeng finally understood how deep his understanding of pill forging was.

This wasn’t a level that one could reach based solely on one’s understanding of medicinal herbs.

Even though he had followed the other party’s instructions strictly, several crises still occurred throughout the process.

It wasn’t because he had made a mistake, but because his cultivation was too low. Tianwu Kingdom was a decently powerful kingdom, but it still wasn’t capable of forging grade-4 pills yet.

For the forging of the pill, maintaining the flame, as well as the temperature of the cauldron, required zhenqi.

There were many times that the pill forging nearly failed due to the depletion of his zhenqi. If not for the many regeneration pills that he had forged throughout the years, he might have died of exhaustion then and there.

Every time his zhenqi ran low and a crisis occurred, this Guild Leader Liu would use inconceivable but surprisingly effective means to salvage the situation. Even though it seemed as though failure was inevitable, he produced miracle after miracle, which led to the ultimate success.

It was as though he could see the situation in the cauldron with his own eyes, and he knew what he had to do to prevent an explosion.

He truly couldn’t imagine how someone of the other party’s age could possess such vast and deep knowledge of pill forging.

Just like Apothecary Hong Yun had guessed, he had learned many things through this pill forging. Regardless of whether it was his skill or his mental fortitude, he had experienced a huge growth. It probably wouldn’t be long before he managed to forge grade-3 primary or even intermediate pills independently!

“Success?”

Seeing Apothecary Mu’s look of admiration, Hong Yun and Jiang Chen also turned to look at Guild Leader Liu, dumbstruck.

To think that the other party could really create a miracle! This was result that one couldn’t accept easily even when seeing it for oneself!

…

After the successful forging of the Frigid Yin Pill, there was nothing left for Zhang Xuan to do here. After a moment of rest, Zhang Xuan started to help Mu Xueqing trigger the medicinal energy accumulated in her body.

Apothecary Mu had prepared the medicinal fluid long ago, and Mu Xueqing had also reached the peak condition, allowing Zhang Xuan to start on the treatment immediately. Using the silver needles as a medium, Zhang Xuan infused the Heaven’s Path zhenqi into the other party’s body.

As soon as that pure zhenqi came into contact with the accumulated medicinal energy within Mu Xueqing, it was as though a spark of flame had come into contact with gasoline. A huge flame was ignited, and massive energy started streaming through her entire body via her meridians.

Pilipala!

Crisp sounds, reminiscent of exploding bamboos, reverberated consecutively throughout her body as numerous acupoints were opened.

Knowing that Mu Xueqing wouldn’t be in any danger under the protection of the medicinal fluid, Zhang Xuan bade Mu Yangfeng farewell and left the guild.

After replaceing a remote alley, he disguised himself as Yang Xuan and walked towards the residence.

By the time he reached the residence, it was already late at night. It was fortunate that Zhao Ya was still awake. He passed the Frigid Yin Pill to her and instructed her to consume it as soon as possible.

After which, he passed to her the sword Beast Tamer Wang gave him back at the Beast Hall.

This sword was at a significantly higher tier than the one he broke, and it complemented Zhao Ya’s disposition.

After dealing with these miscellaneous matters, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a surge of fatigue, so he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.

Honestly, he had underestimated the difficulty of forging the Frigid Yin Pill. If not for the Library of Heaven’s Path instantaneous updates which allowed him to peer into the flaws of the forging, an explosion would have occurred.

Keeping his mind working at maximum capacity had exhausted both his body and his soul, causing his face to pale.

Seemed like he had to avoid doing matters beyond his strength. Otherwise, he might just die from exhaustion one day.

…

By the time Zhang Xuan woke up the next day, the sun was already up.

After a good rest, he felt revitalized.

After asking the others, he found out that Zhao Ya had gone into seclusion to cultivate. Thus, he delegated some instructions to Sun Qiang before leaving the residence for Tianwu Academy.

He hadn’t met Lu Chong for two days already, so he felt that he should check on his condition now that he had the time.

“Teacher, you’re here…”

As soon as Zhang Xuan reached the entrance of the classroom, Meng Tao immediately rushed up to him.

“What’s wrong?”

Zhang Xuan looked at him.

Meng Tao had always been a composed person. It was impossible for him to be waiting at the entrance of the classroom for him for nothing.

“Teacher, Sun laoshi has been waiting for you since morning, and it has already been two hours since he arrived!” Meng Tao quickly reported.

“Sun Cheng?”

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

Wasn’t that Mo Hongyi? Why would he look for him now?

Walking into the room, he saw Mo Hongyi sitting quietly on a stool in the classroom, sipping quietly on a cup of tea.

“You’re finally here! You sure kept me waiting…”

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan walk in, Mo Hongyi flashed a bitter smile.

Zhang Xuan was indeed incredible. To pass the 2-star master teacher exam, Mo Hongyi had been holing himself up in the classroom, not daring to leave at all. Every single day, he would spend eight to ten hours conducting lessons so as to build trust with his students.

This fellow spent less than an hour in his classroom every day and disappeared frequently… Yet, his students were still completely infatuated with him!

They even went to the extent of fighting with ‘Zhang shi’s’ students for his honor…

This was truly maddening!

Mo Hongyi had no choice but to submit to him.

“Let’s go in to speak!”

The classroom was filled with students, so it wasn’t a good location to speak. Thus, Zhang Xuan beckoned Mo Hongyi into the mini tutoring room.

“I have two matters to discuss with you!”

Mo Hongyi dived straight into the topic. “Firstly, the principal asked me to convince you to meet with Zhang shi for a meal so that no conflict will evolve between you two over the students’ fight!”

“Meet with Zhang shi?” Zhang Xuan blinked in shock. “How can I agree to that…”

Meeting with himself? And have a meal at that?

How in the world can he do it?

“Who asked you to be so high profile…” Seeing the fellow who had broken most of his records suffering from this dilemma, Mo Hongyi chuckled gleefully.

You were only asked to act as an ordinary teacher, yet you went to the Physician Guild to take on the role of their guild leader, and the students you teach even insisted on fighting it out with ‘Zhang shi’s’ students…

Given how high-profile you are, it will be difficult for you not to attract any attention!

You were the one who put yourself in such an awkward position!

“Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. I know that you won’t agree to it anyway. However, given the principal’s attitude, if I tell him that I am unable to persuade you, he’ll definitely come to look for you personally! At that time, it’ll be difficult for you to turn him down!”

Mo Hongyi shook his head as he changed the topic. “Let’s talk about the second matter then. After the past few days of effort, I think the Trust Level of my students should have already reached 40. Thus, I intend to return to the Master Teacher Pavilion to end the examination!”

“Your students also seem to hold a high level of trust in you, so why don’t we go together! Once you end the examination, others will know that Liu laoshi is Zhang shi, and you will be able to get out of this dilemma. At the same time, your students will also stop their quarreling!”

“Un…”

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xuan nodded.

The condition that the Master Teacher Pavilion gave them was to earn a Trust Level of 40 from their students within ten days in their disguised self.

This time was just a limit on the examination. If one could achieve this feat earlier, one would be able to end this examination in advance.

However, if it turned out to be a fail, the students would definitely know their true identity, making it impossible for them to continue on with the examination. If so, it would be a fail for their 2-star master teacher examination.

After the past few days of guidance, putting Mu Xueqing and Lu Chong who Zhang Xuan were exceptionally close to aside, Meng Tao and the others were also completely obedient to his words. Even if their Trust Level in him wasn’t too high, Zhang Xuan was confident that it had already reached 40, allowing him to pass the examination.

Seeing the other party agree to it, Mo Hongyi chuckled. “Alright, then let’s visit the Master Teacher Pavilion tomorrow morning then!”

“Alright!” Zhang Xuan replied.

This matter wasn’t too complicated, so after coming to an agreement, Mo Hongyi bade his farewell and left. He wanted to continue on his lesson to make one last push.

Returning back to the classroom, Zhang Xuan guided Meng Tao and the others on their cultivation before asking, “Where’s Lu Chong? Why isn’t he here today?”

“He should be cultivating. I’ll get him here…”

Meng Tao replied and left.

As a student of the academy, Lu Chong lived in the dormitory.

Knowing that it would take some time before Meng Tao can get Lu Chong here, Zhang Xuan took a seat. While overlooking the students’ cultivation, he poured himself a cup of tea and placed it to his lips.

Just as his lips came into contact with the cup, he suddenly frowned.

“Dry Earthen Powder?”

Zhang Xuan had never taken the poison master examination, but after taking in all of the books in the Poison Hall, he already possessed the capability of a 2-star pinnacle poison master.

Even before coming into contact with the tea in the cup, he already noticed the lethal poison contained within.

Dry Earthen Powder was a type of grade-2 pinnacle poison, and it was effective even on Zongshi realm pinnacle experts. Even though it wasn’t deadly, it could sap a person’s energy completely and induce both nausea and diarrhea, leaving him in agony.

Who would spike his teacup?

And why?

Frowning, Zhang Xuan was just about to ask who had come into contact with his tea set when Meng Tao suddenly rushed back in with a bizarre and frantic expression.

“Liu laoshi, bad news!”

“What’s wrong, has something happened to Lu Chong?”

Seeing the other party’s expression, Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up.

He had told the other party to look for Lu Chong, yet the other party came back with a panicked expression. Did that fellow deviate from the cultivation technique he taught him, and a problem had occurred?

If the student he taught during this period of time were to go berserk or die…

Putting aside failing the 2-star master teacher examination, he might even be expelled!

If it was in the past, given how he possessed the Library of Heaven’s Path, being a master teacher or not meant nothing much to him.

However, if he didn’t become a 9-star master teacher before reaching thirty, the Innate Fetal Poison in him would act up, causing his death. He had to pass the examination!

Even though he knew that there were other ways as well, there was no guarantee that he would be able to replace them…

If he couldn’t replace those solutions, there was no point knowing of their existence! The best chance that he had now was this.

Others might deem it impossible, but to Zhang Xuan, as long as he cultivated diligently and found the corresponding cultivation technique manuals he required, there was a high chance he could succeed.

“That shouldn’t be it. I have sent in a surge of Heaven’s Path zhenqi to protect his heart. Furthermore, he has already survived the hardest ordeal, so he shouldn’t meet with any problem!”

Before leaving, Zhang Xuan had made sure to double check that the zhenqi he infused earlier was still within Lu Chong’s body. Since he had survived even the hardest ordeal, there should be no reason why a problem would occur now.

“It’s not Lu Chong!” Meng Tao shook his head. A bizarre expression slowly unfurled on his face. “It’s Sun Cheng laoshi! H-He…”

“What about him?” Zhang Xuan asked.

With an awkward expression, Meng Tao replied, “H-he fell into the fecal drain…”

Chapter 368: Two Methods

In the campus, the autumn wind blew and the tree rustled.

“I must say that Sun laoshi’s classes are indeed impressive!”

Walking along the corridor, Zhao Wuxing commented.

Even though Sun Cheng laoshi, who came in at the same time as Liu Cheng laoshi, was outshone by the latter, he did possess true ability.

It was just yesterday that Liu Changyan and he listened to a lesson from Sun laoshi, and they benefitted greatly from it.

“Indeed, his lessons are very good. I think that he’s even better than Hu laoshi!”

Liu Changyan nodded.

Actually, the class which they wanted to listen into was Liu laoshi’s, but he was rarely around. They had looked for him a couple of times but to no avail.

Eventually, when they heard the rumors that Sun laoshi’s classes were not bad as well, they went to attend his lessons. In an instant, they were astounded.

Sun laoshi may seem unimpressive, but his understanding of cultivation reached an unbelievable level. Even the most impressive star teacher in Tianwu Academy seemed to pale in comparison to him.

“Liu laoshi and Sun laoshi are people of great capability. But why would they be obscure before being accepted by the academy?”

While they were impressed by the means of the duo, they harbored their doubts as well.

All gold shines. Given how capable the two teachers were, it should have been impossible to bury their radiance. They should have long been famous figures in a region, so how could they be only discovered now?

“I have no idea, but since the academy took them in, it must have looked into their backgrounds beforehand so there should be no trouble!” Liu Changyan shook his head. “Actually, we need not pay too much heed to this matter, it is sufficient as long as their lecture is good. Let’s listen to Sun laoshi’s lessons more frequently. The most important thing we have to do right now is raising our cultivation!”

Tianwu Academy had an open concept, and all students were allowed to enter classrooms freely to listen to the lectures of other teachers.

For top geniuses like them, ordinary lessons were already ineffective. Only by going around the classes and broadening their horizons could they grow.

“You’re right… I have a new idol now – on top of Zhang shi and Liu laoshi – Sun laoshi!”

Zhao Wuxing chuckled.

“I feel the same as well. His ability to explain profound concepts so easily truly opens up my mind…”

Liu Changyan nodded. Halfway through his words, he suddenly froze. Then, he pointed to a direction and asked, “Look, isn’t that Sun laoshi?”

Following the other party’s finger, they saw a youngster staggering weakly with spiritless eyes.

Who else could it be other than the formidable Sun Cheng laoshi they just spoke of!

“What’s wrong with him? Let’s take a look…”

When they met the other party yesterday, he was still filled with energy and vigor. Why would he be reduced to such a state today?

“Could it be that… he is in the midst of cultivating some powerful battle technique?”

Suddenly, a thought appeared in Zhao Wuxing’s mind, and his eyes lit up in excitement.

It was rumored that there was a powerful battle technique in Tianwu Kingdom which one could only execute when drunk. Even though the movements seemed sloppy, similar to that of a drunk person, it was profound and possessed great might.

Sun laoshi had touched on this battle technique when he was explaining and deciphering the various cultivation techniques and battle techniques. Upon seeing his current state, the duo couldn’t help but think of this matter.

“It’s possible!” Liu Changyan nodded. He couldn’t help but utter in amazement, “Such a profound movement. It looks as though it is full of openings, but… there is high possibility that it is intentional!”

Most of the talented geniuses in the academy had bizarre quirks, and given how capable this Sun laoshi was, he might be the same as well. Until now, they still found it hard to believe that there could be such a formidable teacher in Tianwu Academy.

Upon seeing the other party’s weak and bizarre footsteps, their first thought was that he was cultivating some powerful battle technique rather than something had happened to him.

“Look at this move. It seemed to be sided toward the east, but it is actually a movement to the west. This must a high-level feint technique…”

“This move also seems quite incredible. His kneecap suddenly caving in might make it seem as though he is falling down, but in truth, this is a good move to avoid an opponent’s attack. I should give it a try later on…”

Just as they were complimenting the other party, they suddenly paused.

“The heck! Sun laoshi has fallen into the latrine pit! Save him…”

The Sun laoshi, who they were complimenting to the heavens a moment ago, had suddenly lost his balance and fallen into a latrine pit.

Since there were public toilets in the academy, there were drainage systems for it as well. These drainage systems were located at the corner of the academy, far away from the official paths.

As though drunk, Sun laoshi’s footsteps were wobbly and unstable. The duo thought that he was practicing some formidable battle technique, and never in their wildest dreams could they have imagined that he would suddenly fall into the drain.

They quickly rushed forward and, enduring the stench, they fished him out. Zhao Wuxing and Liu Changyan stared at one another with faces burning red.

They had just said confidently that Sun laoshi was definitely practicing some powerful martial arts when he fell into the drainage pit… The heck, what was going on?

For a teacher with such incredible understanding of cultivation techniques and battle techniques to fall into the fecal drain while walking…

Despite witnessing the sight with their own eyes, they were still stumped. They couldn’t comprehend the situation.

“Sun laoshi, could it be that… you are tired of living?”

After grabbing a few pails of water to wash up, Zhao Wuxing couldn’t help but ask.

Pu!

Upon hearing those words, Mo Hongyi’s face immediately turned pale and spurted a mouthful of blood.

Your head!

Even if I am tired of living, I would at least choose to choose some better location to jump… Have you seen anyone jumping into the fecal drain to commit suicide?

Even if I wish to die, I won’t degrade myself like that!

I’ve been poisoned, alright…

This kind of poison can numb one’s mind, leaving one unable to control oneself. Otherwise… Do you think that it is possible for me to fall in?

It’s fortunate that he was using his impersonated identity. Otherwise, if word were to spread around the kingdom that the genius Mo Hongyi had fallen into fecal drain, how could he meet anyone else in the future?

“Other than drinking a cup of tea at Zhang Xuan’s classroom this morning, I didn’t do anything else…”

Despite his dismal, Mo Hongyi didn’t dwell on his misfortune. Instead, he slowly inferred and deduce the situation.

Upon waking up, he went straight to Zhang Xuan’s classroom, and while waiting for him, the only thing he consumed was a cup of tea. Could it be that… the tea was poisoned?

From the looks of it, that seemed highly probable!

However, his arrival at the Liu laoshi’s classroom was opportune. It was impossible for the other party to bank his hopes on an uncertain factor. In other words, the other party’s target was… Master Teacher Zhang Xuan!

But who could it be? Who would be so daring as to lay his hands on a master teacher?

“Wait. Yesterday night…”

A thought suddenly flashed through his head, and he recalled the three figures he saw in Zhang Xuan’s classroom yesterday.

All along, he had thought that they were the newly-accepted students of ‘Liu Cheng’, so he didn’t think much of it. Yet, in the two hours he spent in the classroom, he didn’t see any of the trio.

Despite not being Liu Cheng’s students, they suddenly appeared in his classroom in the middle of the night. Could it be that…

“They are… Zhang Xuan’s student?”

Recalling the appearance of one of them, Mo Hongyi’s mind suddenly jolted. He remembered where he had met them before.

Back when Zhang Xuan was taking the 1-star master teacher examination, he had brought his students along. It’s these students who allowed him to pass the House of Trust with a Trust Level of 85, breaking his own record.

Back then, overwhelmed by astonishment, he only briefly glanced at their appearance. Thus, he didn’t have a clear memory of their appearances.

As such, the second time he met them, he only found their faces familiar. However, thinking about it now, that seemed to be the case…

Zhang Xuan’s student had tried to drug ‘Liu Cheng’, and… he accidentally took the other party’s place!

What the heck was this?

Who in the world did I offend?

It’s one thing for those two female students of yours to cause such a huge ruckus throughout the capital… But on top of that, your remaining students even sneaked here to poison you!

If they wish to poison you, so be it. But what does this have to do with me…

Mo Hongyi felt a stifled feeling in his chest, and tears streamed down his face.

Due to his talents, his name had induced awe through Tianwu Kingdom and even the neighboring kingdoms when he was just five. No one dared to disrespect him, so when did he suffer such grievous injustice before…

…

“Mo… Sun laoshi dropped into the fecal pit?”

Hearing Meng Tao’s words, Zhang Xuan nearly choked on his own saliva.

That was Mo Hongyi, a Zongshi realm pinnacle expert, one of the top ten strongest cultivators in Tianwu Kingdom, the idol of countless young ladies…

Yet, he fell into the fecal pit?

What was going on?

“Yes. When I went out, I saw Zhao Wuxing and Liu Changyan helping him out… Teacher, you should hurry and take a look!”

Meng Tao urged him.

Zhang Xuan nodded and he swiftly walked out of the classroom. Walking around two hundred meters, he saw a stiff ‘Sun laoshi’ lying on the floor, staring at him with a look of anguish.

“Liu laoshi, could Sun laoshi be tired of living? You should hurry up and talk him out of it…”

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, Zhao Wuxing and Liu Changyan stood up and clasped his fist.

“Tired of living?” A bizarre expression was on Zhang Xuan’s face.

In just four to five days, he managed to induce a Trust Level of forty among his students with his disguised identity. He was currently filled with expectations to pass the 2-star master teacher examination… So how could he possibly be tired of living?

“Don’t worry, let me take a look!”

Replying so, Zhang Xuan walked up to Mo Hongyi.

At this moment, the other party’s face was pale, and a powerful stench was emanating from his body. His lips were quivering, and it seemed as though he was trying to say something but his body wouldn’t listen to him.

“He is… poisoned?”

Even without the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan could immediately tell what was going on.

With a glance, he could tell that the other party was poison… And on top of that, it seemed to be rather similar to the effects of the ‘Dry Earthen Powder’ that someone laced his tea set with.

“You drank the tea in my classroom?”

Zhang Xuan immediately understood the situation.

The tea was laced with poison, and Mo Hongyi was acting abnormally. It was obvious that he had drunk the tea.

Upon realizing this, Zhang Xuan was tongue-tied.

Dry Earthen Powder was a grade-2 pinnacle poison. Not only could it induce nausea and diarrhea and leave one completely weak, it would also numb one’s nerves, leaving one unable to move one’s body properly.

This fellow was caught off guard. It was no wonder why he fell into the fecal drain.

The poison concocted by poison masters were scentless and tasteless, making it nearly impossible to guard against. On top of that, even Zongshi realm pinnacle experts, despite their strength, had no immunity to their poison either. This was the reason why poison masters were such a feared existence, and few were willing to come into contact with them.

Furthermore…

Given how severe his symptoms were, he seemed to have consumed quite a lot of the poison.

Probably around an entire bottle!

Wuwu!

Upon hearing Zhang Xuan deducing the matter accurately, Mo Hongyi tried to nod his head, but he was lacking the strength to do so. Thus, he could only whimper in response.

“Un. Since you’re poisoned, then we should replace a way to treat you… I have two methods. One will require quite a bit of medicnal herbs, and it’ll take one to two days! As for the other, I am confident that I can treat you by today! Which one… do you choose?”

Zhang Xuan gazed questioningly at Mo Hongyi.

Mo Hongyi struggled to put out two fingers.

“The second one, is it? Alright…”

Nodding his head, Zhang Xuan lifted up his hand.

Pah!

A powerful slap struck him.

“…”

With eyes widened in disbelief, Mo Hongyi fainted.

Chapter 369: Kong shi Admits a Disciple, the Student of the Sage

Before passing out, Mo Hongyi’s heart was filled with boundless resentment.

I came to look for you out of goodwill, yet first, I was poisoned by your students, then, I ended up being knocked unconscious by your slap…

How in the world did I offend you?

“Liu laoshi…”

Zhao Wuxing and the others were perplexed as well.

Ignoring their shocked gazes, Zhang Xuan took out a few silver needles, and driving his zhenqi, he pierced the needles at several acupoints of the other party.

He had read about the ‘Dry Earthen Powder’ in some books before, so he knew about the symptoms and the treatment method. Under normal circumstances, one would have to concoct the antidote, and the entire process was lengthy and troublesome.

However, if he were to use the silver needles and Heaven’s Path zhenqi, it could be solved in a matter of moments.

However, his zhenqi was extremely pure, so he couldn’t allow any outsiders to learn of it. Mo Hongyi was a genius, and his cultivation realm also equaled his own. Instead of being stumped by his questions later on, Zhang Xuan decided to knock him out first.

Before long, more than a dozen of silver needles were pierced into the locations where the bulk of the poison aura was accumulated. Under the cleansing from Heaven’s Path zhenqi, the poison was absorbed by the silver needles, causing their surfaces to turn black. Mo Hongyi’s pale face slowly alleviated, and traces of redness returned to it.

“Incredible…”

Zhao Wuxing and Liu Changyan stared at one another in shock.

They had heard of Liu laoshi’s amazing feat of solving nineteen questions on the Wall of Dilemma consecutively, making him the new guild leader of the Physician Guild. Even so, they didn’t have a clear grasp of his abilities. Upon seeing it firsthand now, they finally realized how fearsome the capability of the other party was.

Even without conducting a diagnosis, with just a few needles, he was able to heal the incapacitated Sun laoshi. Compared to him, the physicians in the academy seemed like complete amateurs.

“You two, send Sun laoshi back. He should wake up in about two hours!”

After finishing the acupuncture and confirming that the poison in the other party’s body had been expelled, Zhang Xuan instructed the duo.

Grade-2 pinnacle poison was an extremely fearsome substance. Even if it was cleared from one’s body, it would take a while before one could recover from its damage.

Of course, if Zhang Xuan were to infuse a little more Heaven’s Path zhenqi into the other party’s body, he should be able to wake up swiftly. However, he would be unable to explain away his Heaven’s Path zhenqi that way.

“Yes!” Zhao Wuxing and Liu Changyan quickly lifted Sun laoshi and carried him to his classroom.

“Someone wants to poison me. Mo Hongyi only happened to be at that spot at the wrong timing and drank that drugged tea… Who is the one trying to kill me?”

Rubbing his glabella, Zhang Xuan was stumped.

He was currently ‘Liu Cheng’ and he didn’t remember offending anyone. Who in the world would go through so much trouble to procure such a valuable poison to kill him?

Could it be those men from the Physician Guild?

Were they unhappy that he had become the new guild leader?

Zhang Xuan immediately shook his head.

Physicians were responsible for healing the injured and treating the sick, and those who choose this occupation carried compassion in their hearts. At the very least, they wouldn’t resort to such lowly methods.

Putting aside the fact that this Dry Earthen Powder wasn’t fatal, more importantly, if he were killed and the headquarter were to investigate this matter, the physician would stand to lose more than he had gained.

After pondering for a long moment, Zhang Xuan was unable to fathom who it was. Thus, he rubbed his glabella and decided not to be bothered about it anymore.

“Let’s go to Lu Chong’s dormitory!”

With Meng Tao leading the way, the duo soon arrived at the student dormitory.

Rather than living with the other students, Lu Chong stayed in a storage room beside the dormitory.

A typical room in the Tianwu Academy student dormitory consisted of four students. The reason why Lu Chong decided to stay there was because he was afraid of revealing his secrets in his sleep talk.

The storage room was small and dirty, but he would be able to guard his secrets here.

“Lu Chong! Lu Chong! Why didn’t you come to class today? Teacher is here to meet you!”

Walking to the door, Meng Tao nodded.

There was no response. Gedeng, Zhang Xuan’s heart skipped a beat.

Could this fellow have truly collapsed from the poison?

Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan kicked open the door and walked in.

The room was small, and all kinds of miscellaneous objects were placed here. However, it was packed properly, and at the very corner, there was a small bed where one could rest on.

“No one is here?”

The place was small, and with a brief glance, Zhang Xuan could see that there was no one in here.

“Teacher…”

Meng Tao noticed something, and he passed it over to Zhang Xuan.

It was an envelope, and written on it was ‘To Liu laoshi’.

From the looks of it, he knew that Zhang Xuan would look for him, so he made preparations beforehand.

Zhang Xuan swiftly tore open the envelope.

There was just a line of words, and the meaning behind it was simple.

“Liu laoshi, pardon your unfilial student, but I can’t abandon my vengeance for my parents and kin. Please don’t look for me!”

“He… went to exact vengeance?”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

He knew that Lu Chong was carrying a huge burden in his heart, and there wasn’t a single day that he didn’t think about exacting vengeance on his enemies. Even so, to rush over as soon as his Poison Body was successfully cultivated, wasn’t he being a little too anxious!

Even so, Zhang Xuan could understand his impulse.

How could a person allow the murderer of his family and relatives to get away scot-free? He had toiled silently for two years just for this, and upon seeing his goal right before him, how could he remain seated?

“Just that, I wonder who his enemy is…”

Afraid of implicating him, Lu Chong had never revealed who his enemy was. Even though Zhang Xuan wanted to look for Lu Chong, he didn’t have any idea where he should start from!

“Pay close attention to the movements in Tianwu Royal City these few days. If anyone is killed or there’s any sort of uproar, notify me immediately!”

Zhang Xuan instructed.

Those students of his came from distinguished families. Alone, Zhang Xuan might be unable to replace anything, but through their connections, he should be able to get some news soon.

Since Lu Chong was going as far as to feign mute, there was a high probability that his enemy was in the capital, and he possessed a high standing at that!

Thus, if he were to make his move, it would surely cause a huge commotion. By then, it shouldn’t be a problem to replace him.

“Reckless!”

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He was just thinking of imparting the other party a battle technique after he had finished cultivating his poison body to increase his chances of winning.

Who knew that the other party would leave as soon as he was done, not even greeting him at that. Despite his composed nature, he sure acted rashly.

Actually, Zhang Xuan knew that Lu Chong was doing this because he didn’t want to implicate him.

If Zhang Xuan were to replace out about it, he would surely interfere in his matters. Even more so, if he were to meet in danger, there was a high possibility that Zhang Xuan would stand up for him. If so, Zhang Xuan would be implicated to this matter as well.

In order not to bring harm to his respected teacher, he chose to depart by his own, leaving behind just a letter.

This fellow may be young, but he sure had a lot of thoughts.

“Let’s return to the classroom first!”

Sighing, Zhang Xuan started walking back toward the classroom.

Even though he felt that the fellow was acting too rashly, Zhang Xuan felt moved by his gesture.

“Teacher and student. What makes a teacher? What makes a student?”

Zhang Xuan contemplated as he walked.

Ever since his transcension, he had been accepting students and teaching them for his own motives.

He was earnest in his job as a teacher, and the knowledge he imparted was also carefully selected with the welfare of his students at heart… But in truth, from the very start until now, he hadn’t been able to understand the true meaning behind a teacher.

It was just like a pair of young parents. They might shower unconditional love and concern for their child, but the notion of being a parent was still blurred to them.

Zhang Xuan was only a librarian of a high school in his previous life, so he wasn’t a teacher in the truest sense.

Even though he had accepted quite a few students, his time with them hadn’t been long, and he was plagued with many other affairs as well.

Somehow, Lu Chong’s actions had unwittingly struck a chord in his heart.

“Does imparting knowledge make a teacher? Does accepting knowledge make a student?

“That’s not it! Being a teacher isn’t that simple, and being a student isn’t that easy!”

The interactions he had with Zhao Ya, Mu Xueqing, Lu Chong, and all of his others students slowly trickled through his mind, and gradually, the fog veiling Zhang Xuan’s mind gradually cleared.

“It’s camaraderie, it’s responsibility, it’s interdependence, it’s…”

Boom!

After a seemingly long yet short period of time, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt everything before him clearing it. It seemed as though something blocked him had been removed, and he felt enlightened.

Then, a powerful energy shaped as though countless lines descended from the skies and seeped into Zhang Xuan’s head, causing his mind to become clearer and richer.

“Don’t allow anyone to interrupt me, I am going into seclusion!”

Sensing the change in his State of Mind, Zhang Xuan could no longer hold himself back. After instructing Meng Tao, he walked into the mini tutoring room and sat down.

…

Master Teacher Pavilion.

“Father, I’m speaking the truth. That Liu Cheng laoshi really guided Apothecary Mu to forge a grade-4 pill…”

Jiang Chen looked at this father, who was seated a short distance away from him.

The sight yesterday was too shocking that he had yet to recover from it even now.

After looking through numerous books, he realized the impossibility of guiding a 2-star apothecary to forge a grade-4 pill. In any case, it wasn’t something that could be explained by possessing absolute knowledge in medicinal herbs.

In other words, that Liu laoshi was likely to be an apothecary, an extremely skilled one at that.

“Ok, I believe you!” Pavilion Master Jiang nodded.

He already knew that this senior of his possessed pill forging skills far beyond others. Even so, this feat was still beyond his expectations.

“Father, tell me the truth. Is Liu laoshi related to Senior Uncle Zhang?”

Seeing that his father was nonchalant, Jiang Chen raised his doubts.

Jiang Chen had been harboring this doubt since yesterday.

Zhang shi was skilled in pill forging, and so was Liu laoshi! The day that Zhang shi disappeared for the 2-star master teacher mission, Liu laoshi appeared… The coincidences between these two absolute geniuses couldn’t help but make him consider this possibility.

Seeing that his son was getting doubtful, Pavilion Master Jiang opened his mouth to speak, but he suddenly paused and his face warped in shock.

“What?”

He wasn’t the only one. Jiang Chen was dumbstruck as well.

“It’s the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall!”

Pavilion Master Jiang quickly dashed out, and Jiang Chen followed closely behind.

After leaving the residence, he realized that all of the master teachers had been alarmed, and they were all headed anxiously for the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall.

The Teacher Acknowledgement Hall was where master teachers were where master teachers were given their emblem and officially acknowledged.

After passing the examination, the new master teachers were to apply for their emblems here, pay respects to Kong shi, and request for the acknowledgement of the Master Teacher Pavilion. It was similar to how normal clans paid respect to their ancestors.

As for the Question Symposium, it was more like a public declaration of one’s identity after one was acknowledged in the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall. However, Zhang Xuan had applied for the 2-star master teacher examination right after passing the first examination, so he hadn’t had the chance to come here yet.

Huhuhuhu!

Many master teachers arrived at the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall at the same time, and they lifted their heads to take a look.

The innumerable memorial tablets of the predecessors were shaking non-stop, as though an earthquake was going on.

Putong! Putong! Putong!

One after another, the memorial tablets fell over.

“Trembling of Myriad Tablets, this is… [Celestial Master Teacher]?” Pavilion Master Jiang’s lips quivered.

“That isn’t just the case. Pavilion master, look…”

A master teacher pointed at a direction.

Hearing those words, Pavilion Master Jiang and the others immediately looked over.

At the center of the room, Kong shi’s statue was trembling slightly non-stop as well.

“This is… Kong shi Admits a Disciple, the Student of the Sage?” Pavilion Master Jiang exclaimed.

Chapter 370: Unwilling to Become Your Student

One was required to go through all kinds of examinations to become a master teacher. Only then could he earn the acknowledgment of the Master Teacher Pavilion, obtain the corresponding emblem, and gain the respect of the masses.

This was the standard procedure.

However, there were also exceptions of geniuses who were born with capabilities way beyond that of the typical master teacher.

Given their overwhelming ability, they couldn’t be assessed through normal means and naturally, a standard rank couldn’t be assigned to them.

Take Kong shi as an example. As the founder of the Master Teacher Pavilion, who had the qualifications to test him?

Such people possessed natural learning abilities so superb that they could gain the approval of heavens and assume the identity of a master teacher automatically.

They were known as [Celestial Master Teachers]!

As a title bestowed by the heavens, Heaven Master Teachers were recognized as master teachers even without undergoing trials and test. In fact… their standing was higher than that of ordinary master teachers.

After all, who dared to defy the will of heaven?

Nonetheless, such geniuses only existed in the legends whereby Kong shi was the only one back then who had reached such a level. Never could they had expected that someone from their guild would succeed!

To achieve the well sought-after standing of Celestial Master Teacher was already fearsome enough but for Kong shi’s statue to be trembling along as well…

This made everyone even more frenzied!

According to the books, Kong shi had infused a sliver of his consciousness in his statues. As long as an existence whom he was willing to accept as disciple appeared, it would tremble.

This was a dictum that was followed strictly by all master teachers.

However, such a person had never appeared despite the passing of innumerable years. In other words, no one was able to win Kong shi’s recognition to become his student.

Who could have thought that at the moment someone was bestowed the title of ‘Celestial Master Teacher’, the statue would begin to shake as well. In other words… Kong shi had acknowledged this very person and wanted to accept him as his disciple!

A disciple of Kong shi. And that is… the student of the Sage!

Empyrean Kong shi had accepted many disciples in his lifetime, and rumors had it that they amounted to more than three thousand.

However, the numbers had dwindled as more and more of them passed away as time went by. Even the most formidable 9-star master teacher in existence now could only be considered a descendant among their descendants.

By becoming the student of Sage meant that even 9-star master teachers had to call him elder or even old ancestor!

To think that such an incredible existence would appear in their guild…

If news of this matter were to spread, the entire world would be thrown into a frenzy.

Who was it?

Mo Hongyi? Zhang Xuan?

Or was it one of them here?

The Teacher Acknowledgement Hall of the Master Teacher Pavilion only reflected the news and did not pinpoint the identity of the person.

Thus, even though everyone was shocked, they were unable to confirm for sure who the lucky person who won Kong shi’s favor was.

“Even so… The Sage’s acceptance of a disciple is a huge affair. I’m afraid that it’s impossible to hide this matter…”

Pavilion Master Jiang muttered.

Once the matter had been confirmed, the entire world would be informed of it. All kingdoms and Master Teacher Pavilions would receive the news.

When that time comes, people from all kingdoms would come to offer their blessings.

If that really happened, it would be impossible for that person to hide even if he wanted to.

“Indeed. Our guild will become famous…”

“Incredible! After such a long interval, Kong shi is going to accept a disciple?”

…

The eyes of countless master teachers glowed with euphoria.

But…

Before they could even finish their sentence, Kong shi’s statue suddenly stopped trembling and with a sudden jolt, ‘kacha!’, a crack running down the middle of the statue appeared.

Upon seeing this sight, everyone was once again stunned. Pavilion Master Jiang’s eyes widened to their limits.

“This is…”

“Kong shi wishes to admit a disciple, but… he was rejected?”

Complete silence.

Everyone looked as though they had just seen a ghost.

Since a teacher could choose his student, a student could choose his teacher as well.

Therefore, even if Kong shi was considered as the teacher of all beings and was respectfully addressed as the Empyrean, he still had to ask for the other party’s permission when intending to admit him as his disciple. If the other party was unwilling, he couldn’t force himself on the other party either.

The shaking of the statue had meant that Kong shi was willing to accept the other party as his disciple, but its subsequent fracture meant that… the other party had rejected him!

Rejecting the opportunity to become Kong shi’s student?

The heck!

Who in the world is this formidable person?

To refuse the offer to become the student of the greatest man in the world, could you be any more arrogant than that?

…

In the small classroom.

Zhang Xuan’s mind was operating at high intensity as he tried his best to absorb the unique energy that descended from the skies.

These slivers of energy seemed to fuse perfectly with his soul, causing his eyes to become clearer.

“It is increasing my Soul Depth…”

Having read the books in the Master Teacher Pavilion, Zhang Xuan understood what was going on.

This was neither spiritual energy nor zhenqi, this was Insight Energy!

All that wished to become a master teacher had to possess the State of Insight Will of Mind.

And to raise one’s Will of Mind Soul Depth, one had to absorb this kind of unique Insight Energy.

Back then, the Enlightenment Jade that Zhao Ya’s father gave him possessed this kind of energy, and it was through absorbing it that he managed to recover his Soul Depth back to 0.1.

“Absorb!”

Even though Zhang Xuan was surprised by the sudden appearance of the Insight Energy, he showed no indication of wanting to stop at all.

Since he had attained his previous Soul Depth level with the help of the golden pages instead of cultivating his soul through the cultivation of a secret manual, he had never seen or absorbed Insight Energy before. Even so, he knew how precious it was.

To master teachers, it was definitely a priceless treasure!

Tzzzzz!

As Zhang Xuan absorbed the Insight Energy that descended from the skies, his Soul Depth slowly inched forward.

After an unknown period of time.

His body jolted, and he came to a stop.

“There’s nothing left…”

Looking around, Zhang Xuan knew that he had absorbed the final sliver of the energy that had fallen and exhaled deeply. With a flick of his wrist, a Stone of Insight appeared in his hands.

He immediately got into the state of Heart of Tranquil Water.

Numbers appeared on the stone.

11.1!

“Despite absorbing for so long, my Soul Depth only increased by 1.0?”

Zhang Xuan pouted.

He had thought that his Soul Depth would increase significantly after absorbing so much Insight Energy. At the very least, it would increase by eight or ten. Yet, betraying his expectations, it only raised by 1.0!

This was way too little!

If anyone else were to know of his thoughts, they would definitely rush forward to strangle him.

To raise a mere 0.1 Soul Depth, others had to endure all kinds of hell, toiling in extreme cold and heat just to train their mind.

In contrast, he had gained this 1.0 Soul Depth in a single go, yet he wasn’t satisfied…

Of course, if they knew that he could raise his Soul Depth by 5.0 using the golden page, they would definitely think otherwise.

Zhang Xuan shook the dismal in his head away and slowly opened his eyes.

String after string of Insight Energy flowed in his eyes, allowing him to peer through the fabric of the world to see its very essence.

Glancing at a saber on the weapon rack, he saw a faint apparition striking on a lump of metal, slowly shaping it.

With just a single look, he could see the forging process of the saber, its tier, as well as its flaws.

Not too far away, behind a table, there was an apparition of a towering tree. The tree was hacked down and worked on by craftsmen…

“This is…”

A name appeared in his mind, causing Zhang Xuan’s eyes to widen and his fists to clench tightly together.

Eye of Insight!

It was said that formidable master teachers could expend their Soul Depth to activate their Eye of Insight to peer into the essence of matter, the strengths and weaknesses of battle techniques as well as cultivation techniques.

It was just like how even Zhizun experts were unable to notice his original face under the human mask of ‘Liu Cheng’, but those who possessed the Eye of Insight could see through it in an instant and peer at the original appearance of the person.

This was precisely the reason why high-tiered master teachers were fearsome existences.

With just a single look, they could see through the problems and ailments of a person, and guide them to resolve it.

Despite that…

“I thought that only 6-star master teachers are able to comprehend this technique? What’s going on?”

After checking the details of the Eye of Insight in the books, Zhang Xuan felt bewildered.

According to the records, only 6-star master teachers possessed the strength to comprehend this powerful talent.

How could he possess it when he wasn’t even a 2-star master teacher.

Boom!

Just as he was pondering over this matter, the sight before him blurred, and his consciousness seemed to have been pulled by an overwhelming strength reminiscent of a vast ocean into a chaotic dimension.

Then, an elder with a snow-white beard walked over and a compassionate voice sounded in Zhang Xuan’s head.

“I wish to take you in as my disciple, do you accept?”

“You want to take me in as your disciple?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. Then, he quickly shook his head and said, “I refuse!”

What a joke! Possessing the Library of Heaven’s Path, he was able to see through the flaws of everything with a look. From his perspective, there was no need for him to acknowledge any teacher at all.

Could 4-star to 5-star master teachers conjure theories that surpassed that of the Library of Heaven’s Path?

In terms of cultivation, was there any technique that could surpass the Heaven’s Path Divine Art?

Besides, the other party had invaded his mind without any forewarning. Who knew whether he bore malicious intents?

It was better to be safe than sorry.

After all, it was just a moment ago that someone spiked his tea.

Hu!

As soon as he replied the other party, his body jolted once more, and he realized that he was still in the mini tutoring room. He hadn’t gone anywhere, and the sight just now seemed nothing more than a dream.

“An Illusion Formation? No, there can’t be any formation here. Otherwise, the Library of Heaven’s Path would have detected it… Could it be something similar to the Trust Crystal?”

Zhang Xuan thought.

The Trust Level test was something similar to what he had experienced; one’s mental state would be sent into an illusion, and they would undergo various events so as to test their compatibility with their teacher.

Could he had just met with something similar?

Otherwise, how could some old geezer just appear and ask to take him in as his student?

What in the hell is this? If you wish to take me as your disciple, you should at least name yourself! To put me into this kind of illusion without any warning, aren’t you being inconsiderate?

Harrumphing coldly, he immediately labeled that elder as shameless.

Of course, if he were to know that the elder was Empyrean Kong shi, and if he had agreed to become the other party’s student, his identity and standing would rise exponentially…

Would he spew blood and die straight from disappointment?

“Even if I don’t take the examinations now, I am already a recognized master teacher. No one will be able to refute that…”

Ignoring that inconsiderate old geezer, Zhang Xuan hid his Eye of Insight and clenched his fists excitedly.

After reading through the books, he knew that he had unintentionally comprehended the true meaning of ‘teacher and student’ and from there, he was recognized by the heavens, becoming a Celestial Master Teacher!

In other words, even if he didn’t take any examination, no one would be able to refute his standing as an official master teacher. There was already no need for him to continue his impersonation.

“However… the title of a Celestial Master Teacher is too conspicuous. I should take the examination as per normal. Anyway, I am just lacking the final step…”

Even though Zhang Xuan was excited, he knew that it was best to keep it to himself.

Celestial Master Teacher was a huge affair. If word were to spread, he might face quite a lot of trouble.

Keeping a low profile was the way to go.

No matter what others say, I, Zhang Xuan… have always been a low-profile person…

Chapter 371: Sealing Gossip

Silence!

Kong shi accepting a disciple was a huge matter that could shake the world to its core. Regardless of whether one was a master teacher or not, as long as one was a cultivator, one would surely be so excited to even forget their own names upon receiving such an honor.

Yet, this fellow… rejected it. On top of that, so decisively and affirmatively!

Who can tell me what had happened?

The appearance of a Celestial Master Teacher was already shocking enough… but to reject the offer to become Kong shi’s student, this was sufficient to send anyone into a frenzy.

All of the teachers in the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall fell to silence as though something had glued their mouths together. They stared at one another silently despite the huge storm raging in their minds.

This expert, if you don’t want to become Kong shi’s student, I would gladly take your place…

You should have at least left the slot to me, why must you reject the offer…

“Pavilion Master Jiang, what’s going on?”

After a long period of time, a master teacher finally turned to Pavilion Master Jiang and asked. At the same time, the gazes of the others also centered on him.

“I… I don’t know as well!”

At this moment, Pavilion Master Jiang had broken down internally as well.

He only rushed here because he felt an anomaly in the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall. Who would have known that he would witness such an earth-shattering matter?

To reject Kong shi…

Needless to mention this happening in the Tianwu Royal City, even if this matter had occurred in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, a huge bunch of people would die of shock.

Even 9-star master teachers were not capable of such a feat!

“You don’t know too?”

The master teacher hesitated for a moment before continuing on, “In this entire city, there are only two people worthy of becoming a Celestial Master Teacher… Zhang Xuan and Mo Hongyi! All you have to do is to tell us where the duo is and whether they are still in the capital!”

The alarm indicating the conferment of a Celestial Master Teacher would only affect the nearest Master Teacher Pavilion.

Since the alarm had sounded off at their Teacher Acknowledgement Hall, it meant that a master teacher in Tianwu Royal City must have achieved a breakthrough!

Naturally, the crowd’s thoughts would be directed to the duo.

“They…”

Pavilion Master Jiang hesitated for a moment.

“Let’s just tell them the truth. Becoming a Celestial Master Teacher meant that he is already a master teacher transcending beyond the rank system. The examination doesn’t mean much to him anymore…” Elder Zhu said.

“Un!” Pavilion Master Jiang nodded in agreement. “They are still in the capital. However, they are currently in disguise for the last test of the 2-star master teacher examination!”

“In disguise?”

Everyone was taken aback.

The House of Trust test in the 2-star master teacher examination was carried out in an extremely quiet and secretive fashion such that many of the master teachers on the spot didn’t know of it. In fact, it was the first time Jiang Chen was hearing of this as well.

“It’s like this!”

Pavilion Master Jiang explained the entire situation regarding the final test in the 2-star master teacher examination.

“You mean to say that… Guild Leader Liu Cheng who rocked the entire city at its core… is actually Zhang shi?”

As the explanation sank in, everyone was shocked once more. They felt dizzy-headed.

In the past few days, the two most talked about figures were the Master Teacher Pavilion’s Zhang Xuan and the Physician Guild’s Guild Leader Liu Cheng!

Everyone knew that these two were absolute geniuses, and they felt deep respect and envy for them. How could they have possibly imagined that… the two of them were actually the same person!

“It’s no wonder…”

Jiang Chen froze on the spot.

He had been suspecting the matter before, but even so, in the depths of his mind, he didn’t dare to think of it to be true. However, after hearing his father’s confirmation, he immediately came to a realization.

It was no wonder why the other party was so skilled in pill forging, even going to the extent of guiding a 2-star apothecary to successfully forge a grade-4 pill!

Even though Jiang Chen knew that Zhang Xuan was much more talented than him, he still couldn’t help but compare himself to the other party. He had always thought that as long as he followed strictly to the conventional route and continued working hard, he would catch up with the other party one day…

But at this moment… he realized that the gap was too huge! There’s completely no basis of comparison for the two of them!

Needless to say catching up with the other party, he couldn’t even see the other party’s back!

The other party was skilled in pill forging, Way of Medicine, painting, and beast taming… The other party had reached such astounding proficiency in so many occupations, how could he match up?

“Since the two of them are in the capital, the Celestial Master Teacher must be one of them. As long as we replace them and confirm the matter with them, we’ll know who it is!”

Suppressing his astonishment, a master teacher said.

“Indeed! Regardless of the matter, given that a Celestial Master Teacher had appeared, and that he had nearly become a student of the Sage, we have to replace out who he is…”

Another master teacher spoke up.

Within the radius of possibilities, there were only two plausible candidates, so it wasn’t hard to replace out who it was. No matter what, the guild couldn’t possibly stay ignorant when such a formidable figure had appeared in the land of their jurisdiction.

“Everyone, don’t panic. I’ll send an apprentice to take a look now!”

Pavilion Master Jiang turned around and left. Not too long later, he returned.

Liu Cheng and Sun Cheng were extremely famous teachers in Tianwu Academy, so it wasn’t too hard to get news on them.

“How is it?” Elder Zhu asked in agitation.

“Mo Hongyi… seemed to be ill. He is currently in a coma! On the other hand, Zhang shi is currently in seclusion, and he’s refusing all guests at the moment…” Pavilion Master Jiang said.

“There’s no doubt about it then, it must be Zhang shi…”

The group nodded in agreement.

Since the other party was in a coma, it was impossible for him to be the Celestial Master Teacher or to reject Kong shi. In that case, only one possibility remained… The only one who could create such a huge ruckus had to be the one who had shown them countless miracles right from his arrival, Zhang Xuan!

“Since we had confirmed Zhang shi’s identity, should we report this matter to the headquarter?”

A master teacher among the group asked.

“We can’t!”

Pavilion Master Jiang shook his head. “If it’s just him being conferred the title of a Celestial Master Teacher, there’s no problem reporting it to the headquarter. However… this Zhang shi had just rejected Kong shi. If the headquarter were to hear of it, they might burst into a rage…”

The crowd was dumbstruck.

Indeed.

Who is Kong shi? The number one person in history, the teacher acknowledged by the heavens and earth… It would be a huge pandemonium if people were to replace out that he was rejected!

On top of that, it wasn’t an honorable affair for Kong shi to be rejected. If they were to spread the news, they might incur Kong shi’s rage…

It would be hard to appease his anger even with their deaths.

“This matter is already way beyond our strength. The best choice we have at hand is to keep this matter to ourselves…” After a short moment, Pavilion Master Jiang instructed.

“Yes!”

The group was also clear on the severity of this matter. Thus, they nodded in assent without any hesitation.

Regardless of whether it was the conferment of a Celestial Master Teacher or Kong shi getting rejected, they were matters surpassing their understanding. Facing such matters, it was wiser for them to keep mum, to stay silent, ignorant, and uninvolved. Otherwise, they might just get killed someday because of it.

“Since that’s the case, let’s make an oath before Kong shi’s statue then!”

Pavilion Master Jiang spoke up once more.

“Yes!”

Soon, the oath was made, and everyone felt a peculiar energy seeping into their mind, sealing away what they’ve just learned. If they were to speak of the matter, they would be severely punished.

…

Oblivious to the fact that the Master Teacher Pavilion had already known everything, Zhang Xuan was still harboring the thoughts of keeping this matter to himself to maintain a low profile. He pushed open the door of the mini tutoring room and walked out.

Even though becoming a Celestial Master Teacher had raised his Soul Depth by a hulking 1.0 and aided him in forging the Eye of Insight, it didn’t boost his cultivation at all.

He was still at Zongshi realm pinnacle, and his strength was at 5000 ding.

“Teacher!”

Upon walking out, a lady immediately kneeled before him. Facing her teacher, her eyes were filled with reverence.

She was Mu Xueqing.

At this moment, she seemed to have just undergone an overwhelming change as a powerful aura reminiscent of a mighty dragon embraced her.

Triggering all of the medicinal energy accumulated within her body had allowed her to immediately break through the Pixue realm bottleneck to reach Tongxian realm primary stage!

In fact, from the aura, one could feel that she wasn’t too far from reaching Tongxuan realm intermediate stage.

She couldn’t have imagined that it was possible for her to grow so much stronger overnight.

“Not bad!”

Seeing her improvement, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

She had been consuming pills from young, and the medicinal energy that had accumulated in her body had reached an astounding level. It wasn’t completely unexpected for her to grow so rapidly.

“You have just achieved a breakthrough, remember to reinforce your cultivation properly. I’ll bring you somewhere tomorrow!”

Knowing that the other party’s Trust Level in him must have exceeded 40, and he could finally end the master teacher examination, Zhang Xuan instructed.

“Yes!”

Mu Xueqing nodded before retreating to a corner.

…

Emerald Pavilion was Tianwu Kingdom’s most famous expenditure abyss.

The single day of expenditure here was sufficient to leave a small clan of a Tier 2 Kingdom bankrupt.

Even so, carriages still arrived one after another at its doorstep.

It was the dream of countless people to become a frequent member here.

This was because this was where, of the surrounding thirteen kingdoms, the best alcohol was, the best beauties were, the best service was, the most conducive atmosphere for pleasure-making…

Regardless of male or female, any cultivators who had been here once would wish to come a second time. The thought would consume their mind, filling them with remembrance over their previous visit.

Even before stepping in, one could already feel a dense concentration of spiritual energy two times of that of the outside world gushing straight towards one. Cultivating here would definitely be more than two folds faster than the outside world.

Early this morning, a carriage stopped right at the entrance. The coach hurriedly got down and laid a stepping stone for the esteemed person seated in the carriage.

“Young master, we’re here!”

“Un!”

The curtain was parted, and a young man walked out.

The young man was dressed extravagantly, adding an air of nobility to him. However, a dark shadow would flit past in his eyes from time to time. Bruises could be seen on some exposed skin which indicated an incomplete recovery of recent injuries.

“Young master, are we… really going to look for Lin Lang gongzi? I heard that his services are expensive!”

The coach asked hesitantly.

“Who else can I look for if not him?”

With a steeled face, the young man said, “Even my clan has abandoned me. They are determined to send me over to Zhang Xuan to appease his rage! Right now, only the Lin Clan can protect me! As long as Lin Lang gongzi speaks up for me, so what if he passes his 2-star master teacher examination? Would he dare to offend the Formation Guild, as well as Xuanyuan Kingdom?”

If Zhang Xuan was here, he would have definitely recognized the person to be none other than the painter who was stripped buck naked by his own subordinates back then, Ji Mo gongzi!

After realizing that the person he offended was the genius Zhang Xuan, no one in the Ji Clan had dared to shield him anymore. Even his own father, the clan head, had wanted to tie him up and deliver him personally to ask for the other party’s forgiveness.

Knowing that he would be in for another round of suffering once he was sent over, Ji Mo sneaked out to seek for protection.

Other than the Lin Clan, there was no one else in Tianwu Kingdom who could protect him, not even the royal family!

Not only was the Lin Clan’s clan head the guild leader of the Formation Guild, his daughter was the princess consort of the Xuanyuan Kingdom’s crown prince. Even Pavilion Master Jiang Shu would have to spare the Lin Clan some face, needless to say, Zhang Xuan, who had just taken the 2-star master teacher examination.

As for the Lin Lang person he spoke of, he was known as the number one gongzi of Tianwu Kingdom.

He was the son of the Lin Clan’s clan head, the younger brother of Xuanyuan Kingdom’s princess consort.

It was only because of Ji Mo’s slightly superior talent and his identity as the son of the clan head of one of the Three Great Clans of the capital that he was able to get acquainted with the other party.

As for this Emerald Pavilion, it was an establishment of Lin Lang’s.

Chapter 372: Lin Lang

“The Lin Clan is the number one clan of Tianwu Kingdom, and Lin Lang is the sole son doted on by Clan Head Lin, needless to say, the younger brother of Xuanyuan Kingdom’s princess consort. Even Emperor Mo Tianxue would have to defer to him. As long as he agrees to it, young master has nothing to worry about!”

The coach hesitated for a moment before nodding.

There was no better solution for the current situation.

Once Zhang Xuan passes the 2-star master teacher examination, his standing and identity would rise greatly. If he were to pursue the matter then, the Ji Clan, despite being one of the Three Great Clans, would surely dare not oppose him.

2-star master teachers, especially an exceptional genius of the other party’s caliber, possessed immense prestige and influence.

On top of that, he was the senior of Pavilion Master Jiang, and there was an even more formidable teacher standing behind him…

At this point, Ji Mo didn’t dare to exact vengeance anymore; all he wanted to do now was to replace an influential mediator to resolve the dispute.

And the Lin Clan was the best bet he had.

“Un, let’s enter!”

Waving his hands, Ji Mo gongzi started walking toward the Emerald Pavilion with widened strides.

Judging from his ability to maneuver around the place easily despite the complex layout, he must be a frequent guest here often. Soon, he arrived at a vast room.

After exchanging some words with the guards at the door, he walked in.

A sight of magnificence unfolded before him as soon as he stepped into the room.

All kinds of gemstones were embedded into the vast lounge, and mats made from the hide of beasts filled the area. It was so extravagantly decorated that even the royal palace seemed to pale in comparison in terms of grandness.

Furthermore, under the effects of a formation in the room, not only was the completely underground lounge not stuffy, it felt like an otherworldly paradise instead.

At the center of the room, a young man lay on top of a luxurious mat made of beast hide, and beautiful ladies stood in position beside him to fulfill his needs. Laid out before him was a huge feast consisting of all kinds of delicacies, and the smell of marvelous wine tickled one’s nose.

Sitting opposite to him was another extravagantly-dressed young man. That extravagantly-dressed young man held onto a cup in his hands as he proposed a toast.

“Brother Ji Mo, it has been long since we last met…”

Upon seeing Ji Mo enter, the young man who was lying in the embrace of a beauty immediately beckoned him over.

“Lin Lang gongzi!”

Ji Mo clasped his fist.

“Come, allow me to introduce you. This is Kunqian Kingdom’s Prince Fei Xuan!”

Lin Lang gongzi pointed to the young man opposite of him and introduced the two to one another. “Prince Fei Xuan, this is Ji Mo gongzi from Tianwu Royal City’s Ji Clan!”

“So it’s Ji gongzi. To be able to become an official painter at such a young age, I have heard of your great name even from Kunqian Kingdom!”

Prince Fei Xuan smiled.

He was the prince who proposed to Mo Yu back then when Zhang Xuan visited the royal palace.

As his proposal had already failed, and judging that there was a good chance Guild Leader Liu would be able to cure the guardian beast, he decided in turn his efforts to the Lin Clan instead.

With the backing of the Formation Master Guild and the princess consort of Xuanyuan Kingdom, the Lin Clan was a massive power even among all Tier 1 Kingdoms. Even a prince like him didn’t dare to pull his weight before the Lin Clan.

Before arriving at Tianwu Royal City, Prince Fei Xuan had already investigated the distribution of power in the capital. From the intelligence he had gathered, it wasn’t too difficult for him to trace Ji Mo gongzi’s name to his profile.

After getting to know one another, Ji Mo sat down and traded some pleasantries with the duo before diving into the purpose of his visit. “Lin gongzi, in truth, the reason why I’m here today is because I have something I require your help on…”

“Oh?”

Lin Lang glanced at Ji Mo curiously.

“Actually, I… unintentionally offended Master Teacher Zhang Xuan awhile ago, and I fear that he might attempt to exact vengeance after clearing the 2-star master teacher examination. Thus, I would like to ask you to play the role of an mediator to resolve this dispute…”

Ji Mo gongzi said.

“Zhang Xuan? You mean that famous genius?” Lin Lang asked indifferently as he poured himself a cup of wine.

“That’s him…”

Ji Mo gongzi hurriedly nodded his head. Then, with a flick of his wrist, a scroll appeared in his hand. “I understand that it’ll be hard to resolve this matter. I recall that Lin gongzi fancies painting, so I prepared the [Withered Pine Painting] from Elder Jin Mantang for you. I hope that you can accept this gift of mine!”

“Withered Pine Painting? That’s the last painting Elder Jin Mantang left in this world! It is a masterpiece even among fifth level paintings! This painting is extremely valuable, and it is only due to the kindness the Ji Clan showed to the old master back then that he gifted this painting to express his gratitude. To present such a treasure to me… Not bad, not bad!”

Grabbing the painting, Lin Lang unrolled and examined it carefully before nodding in commendation. “Alright, I promise to help you on your matter!”

“Thank you, Lin gongzi!”

Ji Mo gongzi’s face flushed in agitation.

“It isn’t a huge matter anyway. 2-star master teachers may be impressive, but they mean nothing to our Lin Clan! He’s just a lucky fellow who managed to replace a good teacher!”

Lin Lang gongzi waved his hands casually and said, “When he’s done with his examination, I’ll send a letter to invite him over so that the two of you can meet one another and resolve whatever conflict you have!”

“Yes!” Ji Mo gongzi nodded vehemently.

If it was anyone else who said those words, he would have definitely scoffed. However, this Lin gongzi did indeed possess the rights to speak such words.

Even though the other party was only three years older than him, he was already a 2-star formation master. On top of that, just two months ago, he had managed to achieve a breakthrough, reaching Zongshi realm!

Furthermore, he had only used half a year to advance from Tongxuan realm pinnacle to Zongshi realm! Even though part of the reason was that of the immense resources that Xuanyuan Kingdom supplied to the Lin Clan, his talents still played an important part!

Above all, he had the Lin Clan behind him.

Xuanyuan Conferred Kingdom Master Teacher Pavilion had 3-star master teachers in their ranks. Even if Zhang Xuan could oppose the Lin Clan, it was impossible for him to oppose Xuanyuan Kingdom.

No matter how talented and respected Zhang Xuan was, he was nothing before Lin Lang.

“Lin gongzi, it’s best for you not to get careless. I’ve heard of Zhang shi before as well, and he seems to be a person of great means. His talent surpasses that of even your kingdom’s number one genius, Mo Hongyi!” Prince Fei Xuan interrupted.

Having resided in Tianwu Royal City for a few days now, he had a clear idea of the current situation in the capital.

There was none in the city who didn’t know of Zhang Xuan’s feat of breaking the all of the previous records set by Mo Hongyi.

“So what if he is a remarkable genius? His cultivation is only at Zongshi realm primary stage… If he wishes to survive in Tianwu Royal City, he would do well to keep himself in check!”

Lin Lang sneered in disdain.

So what if that Zhang Xuan is a genius?

Other than true strength, everything else was illusory.

This was the way of the world, and it would only become increasingly apparent in higher ranked kingdoms. Strength is the basis of one’s standing, and without sufficient strength, even if one had accomplished astounding achievements in their occupation, they would still be looked down by others.

“That’s true…”

Prince Fei Xuan nodded in agreement. Then, he continued, “Right, there’s another genius in the city recently, has Lin gongzi heard of Liu Cheng? According to the rumors, he is a teacher in Tianwu Academy!”

“You mean Guild Leader Liu who solved nineteen questions on the Wall of Dilemma in the Physician Guild?”

Lin Lang waved grandly and replied, “Of course I’ve heard of him, he’s indeed a great talent! However, his cultivation, being only at Tongxuan realm primary stage, is too weak. He’s nothing more than an ant that could be squeezed to death at a whim!”

“Alright, let’s not talk about these unpleasant matters in my Emerald Pavilion, we should have fun instead! Men, the food has already turned cold, change them!”

Chuckling lightly, Lin Lang commanded.

“Yes…”

Upon hearing his orders, a few servants hurriedly rushed forward and replaced those cold dishes with piping hot ones.

All of the servants were wearing a hat, but one of them wore it particularly low, making it difficult to make out his appearance. That servant glanced at Lin Lang, and overflowing hatred rippled in his eyes.

It was Zhang Xuan’s missing student… Lu Chong!

Chapter 373: Sorrowful Lin Lang

It was no wonder why Lu Chong refused to say anything at all before Zhang Xuan. No one could have thought that his enemy was the Lin Clan’s young master, Lin Lang!

The Lin Clan stood at the very top of the Three Great Clans, and it wielded tremendous power. Even though Mo Tianxue knew that it was likely to be them who poisoned the guardian beast, he still suppressed the news. From this, it was clear how much he feared their influence.

Lu Chong was alone and weak, and if he were to reveal the name of his enemy, it wouldn’t take long for those hoping to please the Lin Clan to deliver him to their doorsteps… As such, he would rather act as a mute than to speak.

The hatred only appeared for an instant. Before long, Lu Chong calmed down.

To be able to stop himself from talking for two years and endure the excruciating pain from the tempering of the poison for the Poison Body said a lot about his mental fortitude. His chance was right before him, and he naturally wouldn’t act rashly at this moment.

The Emerald Pavilion might seem calm on the surface, but he knew that there were many experts hidden within. If Lu Chong wanted to make a move, he had to succeed in a single try. Otherwise… he wouldn’t get another opportunity.

After placing the dishes on the table, Lu Chong slowly surveyed the surroundings before backing out of the room.

There were many experts in the room, making it an unfavorable location to make a move. Thus, Lu Chong decided to wait patiently for his chance.

After standing outside the room for a long time, ‘Jiya!’, Lin Lang walked out casually.

The wine of the Emerald Pavilion was specially concocted by masters in the industry. Even if a Zongshi realm expert were to consume it, he would definitely fall over, drunk.

At this moment, Lin Lang seemed to be extremely intoxicated. Featuring reddened cheeks, he walked towards the closest toilet in a wobbly fashion.

“This is my chance!”

Knowing that this was probably the best chance he would get, Lu Chong didn’t hesitate. He slowly followed behind Lin Lang and entered the toilet as well.

“Who is it?”

Seeing another party walking into the toilet, Lin Lang, who was relieving himself, frowned.

Hu!

Knowing that such an ideal chance wouldn’t come twice, Lu Chong didn’t bother to waste his time with words. He immediately charged forward and struck the other party with his palm.

However, before the palm could hit Lin Lang, a huge wind had already been whipped up in the toilet. The violent shock wave from his strike came crashing straight towards Lin Lang.

“Zongshi… Zongshi realm intermediate stage?”

Narrowing his eyes, Lin Lang immediately woke up from his drunken stupor.

Not only was the person who assaulted him a Zongshi realm expert, he even reached Zongshi realm intermediate stage.

Experts of these level were all famous and respectable figures in Tianwu Royal City. Little did he expect that one of them would disguise as a servant to assassinate him.

Lu Chong might have suffered pain worse than death itself by rubbing all of the poison on his acupoints, it had brought him gigantic benefits as well. Not only did he manage to break through Zongshi realm, his strength had even reached the level comparable to a Zongshi realm intermediate stage expert.

“You’re courting death!”

Bellowing coldly, Lin Lang immediately raised his palms to receive the other party’s assault.

Peng! Peng!

The two palms struck one another, and both sides retreated a single step from the collision.

Lu Chong’s face darkened.

Two years ago, when the other party slaughtered his entire clan, he was only a Tongxuan realm primary stage. Lu Chong thought that even if the other party were to improve swiftly, he would only be at Tongxuan realm pinnacle at best… Yet, to think that Lin Lang was at Zongshi realm intermediate stage as well!

However, there was no path of retreat now. If Lu Chong fails to kill the other party today, he would be killed instead.

Narrowing his eyes, Lu Chong drove his Poison Body to the limits of its ability and charged forward, sending consecutive swift and powerful palms straight at Lin Lang.

“Damn it!”

Even though Lin Lang had reached Zongshi realm intermediate stage, it was mostly due to the forceful nourishment from the consumption of various pills. His cultivation hadn’t been perfectly reinforced yet, causing him to be unable to bring out the full strength of a Zongshi realm intermediate stage cultivator. Under such conditions, how could he withstand Lu Chong’s tenacious attacks? He could only retreat continuously.

Putong!

Retreating backward, Lin Lang’s legs suddenly caved in and he fell down. The next moment, an overpowering stench immediately rushed up his nose, causing him to feel faint-headed in an instant.

Lowering his head to take a look, he realized that he had been forced to a fecal drain under the relentless attack of the other party.

“Damn you…”

Lin Lang had always abhorred dirtiness. Falling into the fecal pit had left his mind in a state of frenzy. Furious, a vicious streak was triggered within him, and with a furious roar, he charged at the other party without a second thought.

However, before he could reach the other party, Lu Chong had already sent a kick into his face, planting his face right into the fecal drain.

To make things worse, since Lin Lang was in the midst of shouting, feces were stuffed right into his opened mouth.

“I will kill you…”

Lin Lang was on the brink of going insane.

How could the number one gongzi of Tianwu Royal City, a person of such prestigious standing that even Mo Tianxue had to defer to, suffer such a setback from an anonymous opponent? Rage bubbled inside his chest.

Putong!

Before he could finish his words, his head was pushed right back into the fecal pit yet again, causing the brown liquid to smudge over his entire face and mouth.

“Lin Lang gongzi, the lady you presented me with is indeed not bad. Her figure and that sensation…”

Just as Lin Lang was being suffocated in the brown liquid, an intoxicated voice sounded, and Ji Mo gongzi walked in.

Peng!

Possessing only the strength of a Pixue realm, how could he be a match for Lu Chong? Before he could finish his sentence, the sight before him blurred, and he fell into the fecal drain as well.

“The heck! Who dares to hit me! Do you know who I am…”

Ji Mo gongzi howled furiously.

This was Emerald Pavilion, the grandest place in Tianwu Royal City, an establishment of the Lin Clan’s young master, Lin Lang. Who would be so audacious as to lay a hand on him here?

Was that person so tired of living as to offend the Lin Clan?

Putting aside the Lin Clan, Ji Mo was the son of the Ji Clan’s clan head. Although his standing couldn’t hold a candle to Zhang shi, he wasn’t someone anyone could simply offend.

Infuriated, he hurled insults furiously. However, halfway through his words, he saw a person blowing bubbles right beside him as a pungent stench attacked his nostrils. That person’s face was absurdly pale and bruises filled his body. It seemed as though he was on the verge of breathing his last…

Who else could it be other than Lin Lang…

“You… actually dare to lay your hands on Young Master Lin?”

Ji Mo gongzi was on the verge of going insane.

He had just threatened the other party with his own standing when he saw Lin Lang getting pummeled as well.

The Lin Clan only had this male offspring. Laying one’s hands on him was equivalent to waging a war against the entire Lin Clan. This was an act of suicide!

Hurriedly lifting his head, he saw a young man stepping on Lin Lang’s body, leaving the latter incapable of retaliation at all.

It seemed like Ji Mo had happened to walk in at a bad timing.

“No. If Lin Lang were to be killed, I’ll be doomed as well…”

Ji Mo understood how severe this matter was.

He had come here to look for Lin Lang, and the other party had ended up being killed in the toilet. Putting aside whether this mysterious assassin would be willing to let him go, even if he were to survive this ordeal, it would be difficult for him to withstand the wrath of the Lin Clan. In the worst case scenario, the entire Ji Clan might even be annihilated.

The heck, why do I have to meet with this kind of misfortune… Even if you want to kill Lin Lang, can’t you do it when I’m not around? Why did I have to happen to come to the toilet at this moment? If he were to die now, it’ll be as though I have stained my pants with mud, I’ll be in deep shit even if it isn’t shit…

More importantly… It’s one thing to kill the other party, but what did you mean by kicking the other party into the fecal drain?

Lin Lang gongzi had always paid careful attention to his image and had always assumed a gentlemanly facade before others that attracted many female fans. Yet, at this moment, a fetid odor was lingering around him while his white shirt had been stained yellow. To make matters worse, the overwhelming scent was causing the food that he just ate to threaten to rise up his throat…

Ji Mo clenched his jaws and whipped up his determination.

“Let go of Young Master Lin…”

Knowing that he couldn’t allow Lin Lang to die now, Ji Mo gongzi charged straight at the mysterious young man.

Peng!

Before he could finish his words, a leg met up with his face, causing him to be smashed into the walls of the toilet. Blood trickled down his mouth and nose.

Even though he failed to stop the other party, he managed to vie for sufficient time for Lin Lang to wake up.

Injured and humiliated, Lin Lang was on the verge of erupting.

“I had not intended to use this item at all. However, since it has come down to this, I want you dead…”

Roaring furiously, Ji Mo whipped his wrist, and a palm-size circular plate appeared in his palm.

“Formation plate?”

Upon seeing the object the other party took out frenziedly, Lu Chong’s eyes narrowed.

He had heard of this item from his older sister before. It was called a formation plate!

It was a method of compressing a formation into a small special jade plate. By triggering the jade plate, the formation inscribed on it would be activated, trapping or even killing one’s enemies. In addition, one could use trigger a formation plate even if one wasn’t a formation master.

However, formation plates were extremely valuable, and each of them was worth a huge fortune. There was less than a handful of it even in Tianwu Kingdom.

As a 2-star formation master, the son of the Formation Master Guild Leader, and the younger brother of Xuanyuan Kingdom’s princess consort, it wasn’t surprising for Lin Lang to possess this kind of survival mean on him.

“This isn’t good!”

Lu Chong knew that a formation would immediately cover the surroundings as soon as it is triggered.

Even though the might of a formation plate was inferior to that of a normal formation, it was still more than sufficient to trap a person who knew nothing about formations at all like Lu Chong.

The moment Lu Chong was trapped, not only would he be unable to kill Lin Lang, his life might even be in danger.

For the sake of exacting vengeance for his clan, he mustn’t die!

“Retreat!”

Without any hesitation, Lu Chong dashed out. In just half a breath, he was already at the entrance of the Emerald Pavilion.

Dressed in the attire of a servant, everyone thought that he was a servant whom Young Master Lin Lang had entrusted an urgent matter to. As such, he was able to make the escape quickly without much obstruction.

Weng!

As soon as he left the Emerald Pavilion, he felt an intense burst of spiritual energy behind him, and a layer of mist seemed to envelop the infrastructure.

The formation plate had already been triggered.

“I should hurry up and leave…”

Knowing that it wouldn’t take long before the Lin Clan sent men after him, Lu Chong didn’t dare to stop here. In the blink of an eye, he blended into the crowd and disappeared from the watchful eyes of others.

Having escaped from the Lin Clan’s pursuit once, he had learned how to prevent anyone from tracking him down, and he knew how he should act so as to avoid detection.

“Why was a formation triggered?”

“Did… something happened?”

“This is the formation plate that young master brings along with him everywhere. Damn it, young master is in trouble…”

…

As soon as Lu Chong left, an uproar broke out in the Emerald Pavilion.

The personal bodyguards of the young master immediately recognized that the abnormality originated from the formation plate that their young master always carried around. To go to the extent of even triggering his final mean for survival, he must be facing grievous danger.

“Hurry up and inform the old master!”

The formation spanned over the entire Emerald Pavilion, and most of the guards here lacked knowledge about formations. Thus, they didn’t dare to move around recklessly.

Even so, they had a special communication device. It didn’t take long for the news to reach Clan Head Lin, Lin Ruotian.

“What happened? Why would Lang-er trigger the formation plate?”

With eyes as cold as ice, Lin Ruotian enquired with a steeled face.

“You better hope that Lang-er is alright. If something goes wrong, all of you will be buried along with him…”

Glancing at the bodyguards coldly, Lin Ruotian walked into the Emerald Pavilion.

Even though the still-active formation plate made it difficult for one to discern direction, as a 3-star formation master, Lin Ruotian was able to maneuver around it with ease.

Walking straight towards the core of the formation, it didn’t take long before he reached the toilet.

“Why would it be here?”

Lin Ruotian was perplexed.

“Hurry up and replace the young master…”

The few guards hurriedly dived in upon hearing their master’s instructions..

A moment later, a swollen-faced fellow who was emanating a putrid stench was brought before Lin Ruotian.

As the state of the other party registered in his eyes, Lin Ruotian was taken aback.

He almost couldn’t recognize his own son.

Isn’t the place Lin Lang opened supposed to be a place to eat and drink? Why did he… fall inside the fecal drain?

“Who was it? Go, go replace the culprit! Even if you have to turn Tianwu Royal City upside down, you better bring the culprit to me…”

Soon, after understanding the situation, a furious bellow pierced through the air, shaking even the clouds.

Chapter 374: Tianwu Kingdom’s Book Collection Vault

Tianwu Academy, Zhang Xuan’s classroom.

After instructing Mu Xueqing on several matters, he commenced his lesson.

The Eye of Insight had significantly augmented his ability to impart relevant knowledge to others..

In the past, he had to tap into the abilities of the Library of Heaven’s Path to determine the flaws of Meng Tao and the others so as to guide and correct their cultivation methods.

But now, all he needed to do was to expend a sliver of his Soul Depth to understand the problems the other party met during cultivation and offer the most accurate solution for it.

“This is the strength of a master teacher…” Zhang Xuan’s eyes glowed.

Initially, Zhang Xuan had thought that master teachers were more of a title than anything else. Even though he had become a teacher, he didn’t have a clear concept of what it was.

After coming to an epiphany, his understanding of the occupation had reached higher heights. Every single action and gesture of his seemed to carry the disposition befitting of a teacher, and the slight sense of disharmony from before disappeared without a trace.

With the Eye of Insight, even without the Library of Heaven’s Path, he could easily peer into the essence of anything. He no longer needed to knock a person out or have him display a battle technique for everything.

Even though the information he could obtain through the Eye of Insight wasn’t as in-depth and detailed as that from the Library of Heaven’s Path, and he still couldn’t peer into the information of those possessing a cultivation higher than his, it was already a good start. As he grew stronger and his knowledge broadened, his Eye of Insight would continue to grow more and more formidable.

Compared to the past when he had to intentionally feign the role of a master teacher, his actions now seemed to carry the natural grace of a master teacher, fitting him perfectly into the ideal concept of a master teacher.

Very soon, he finished his lesson, but his students seemed to be drunk on his words. They felt their cultivation leaping, and it seemed as though they would achieve a breakthrough at any moment.

In the past, when they attended lessons, they had to force themselves to learn. As time went by, some of them even began to detest attending lessons.

However, after Liu laoshi became their teacher, they began to look forward to classes instead. Every single lesson made them feel as though they were drinking a barrel of divine wine, sending a surge of fresh air to all of them.

Unknowingly, their trust toward him slowly but steadily deepened.

“Teacher, Princess Mo Yu wishes to meet with you!”

As soon as the lesson ended, Meng Tao immediately walked forward.

“Un!”

Nodding his head, Zhang Xuan walked out.

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, Mo Yu smiled gently, and for a moment, it seemed as though a field of flowers had bloomed. “Liu laoshi, didn’t you say that you wish to browse through the book collection vault of the kingdom? My father has asked me to invite you over…”

Back then, when Zhang Xuan was treating the guardian beast, he brought up a request to browse through the kingdom’s book collection vault. However, the duel between the two of his students occurred and he ended up missing the opportunity.

Since there was nothing on at the moment, Mo Yu decided to come over to extend her invitation.

This was a show of goodwill from the royal family, as well as Mo Yu’s way of apologizing to him for hiding the matter regarding Zhao Ya and Mu Xueqing’s duel.

“Yes!” Zhang Xuan agreed to it.

Lu Chong had disappeared to exact his vengeance while Zhao Ya was in the midst of awakening her unique constitution.

He was only meeting Mo Hongyi tomorrow to head to the Master Teacher Pavilion together to end the master teacher examinations, so he had nothing to do at the moment. Thus, he decided to make good use of this time to broaden his knowledge through the books of the kingdom’s book collection vault.

With Mo Yu leading the way, the duo soon arrived at the book collection vault.

“This is our kingdom’s book collection vault. In it is the huge collection Tianwu Kingdom had gathered over the course of a thousand years. There are no books that you are seeking that that you will not replace inside!” Mo Yu introduced.

“Un!”

Zhang Xuan nodded his head.

Tianwu Kingdom had more than a thousand years behind it, and its collection reflected its long heritage. To Zhang Xuan, the genre didn’t matter—what mattered was quantity.

In terms of books… Zhang Xuan was probably the least picky reader in the world.

If anyone else were to know his thoughts, they would definitely spurt blood on the spot.

No matter how capable a master teacher is, even if he possesses photographic memory, browsing through ten thousand books is the maximum one could do in a day. Not to mention, a human’s vitality is limited. One would have no choice but to read selectively.

On top of that, different books were written from different people, and as such, they contained different concepts and content.

Often were the explanations in different books contradictory, making it extremely difficult for one to determine truth from false. If one were to absorb the thoughts of many different people without bias, it would just make one confused and lost.

Thus, reading more books wasn’t necessarily beneficial. Rather, one had to pick their books properly to pile up on their knowledge. Only this way would one’s understanding of a topic deepen.

Flipping through books randomly could cause one’s mind to fall into chaos, and their cultivation might even go berserk due to this.

But Zhang Xuan was an exception. All books recorded in the Library of Heaven’s Path would have their errors and flaws pointed out clearly. What that would have perplexed others meant nothing to him at all.

Walking into the book collection vault, Zhang Xuan took a brief glance and saw countless towering bookshelves erected all over the room. The number of books in here seemed to exceed ten million.

“What kind of books are you interested in? I’ll bring you there…”

Smiling, Mo Yu asked politely.

The reason why she was considered a genius was because of the humongous quantity of books that she had browsed through.

Ever since learning how to read when she was six, she would spend at least two hours reading here everyday. It would be no exaggeration to say that she was the most knowledgeable among her peers. At the same time, this had also given her a clear idea of the layout of this gigantic library.

Despite the hulking number of books here, she could still roughly point out the bookshelves of where the books one wanted to replace was.

“You should get along with whatever you intend to do. I can replace the books that I want by myself so I won’t trouble Your Highness on that! Besides, I prefer a quiet environment when I’m reading, so…”

Zhang Xuan said with an apologetic look.

His way of reading books was simply too astounding. Just by running around the library, he could record the contents of the books into his head.

If anyone else were to see it, they would definitely take him to be a lunatic. As such, he felt that it would be best for him to be alone while doing it.

“Alright, I’ll be going out now then!”

Seeing that the other party didn’t require her help, Mo Yu left the room slightly disappointed.

She felt that her charms were completely meaningless before this young man.

Men of her age group would naturally replace themselves allured by her looks, and they would try all means to perform and brag before her. Yet, this fellow seemed completely nonchalant to her presence, treating her as though she was merely a part of the background.

Sometimes, she couldn’t help but feel dismayed by Zhang Xuan’s response, or more exactly, lack of response.

Could it be that he was uninterested in women? Could he be… impotent?

Cough cough!

Princess Mo Yu’s face flushed.

Given how capable the other party was as a physician, even if he was impotent, he would surely be able to treat himself… So, it must be that her charms weren’t sufficient to attract the other party!

After all, the other party was a genius who even Mo Hongyi couldn’t compare up to. He must have high demands for his other half. Even though Mo Yu thought that she wasn’t a bad candidate as a partner, that was probably limited to the sphere of a Tier 1 Kingdom. The other party probably had his eyes set even further, so it’s only normal for him to not be interested in her.

Understanding all of these, she glanced regretfully at the young man, whose head was lowered in contemplation, before turning around to leave.

Mo Tianxue had asked her to look for means to strike up connections with Zhang Xuan and Guild Leader Liu, and it would be best if she could make one of them her future partner. But from the looks of it now… it was definitely impossible!

If Zhang Xuan were to know of her thoughts, he would definitely shake his head.

Rather than a lack of interest in beautiful ladies, Zhang Xuan just hadn’t met one who moved his heart.

Mo Yu might be pretty, but could she be prettier than Zhao Ya?

On the other hand, the latter was his student so that was out of question too.

Besides, he had spent his previous life in the digital age. What kind of beauty hadn’t he seen before? He had long built up a strong immunity to physical charm.

More importantly, he had just arrived at a foreign world, and he hadn’t truly come to terms with it yet. On top of that, there was a lethal poison within him that was threatening to blow up f he didn’t reach the level of a 9-star master teacher before thirty. Given the threat on his life, how could he be in the mood to pursue romance?

“I should begin now!”

Seeing that Mo Yu had left and he was the only person remaining in the book collection vault, Zhang Xuan breathed out deeply. He walked over to the first shelf, placed a finger on the first book, and started running.

Hualalala!

Under his touch, row after row of books appeared on the shelves of the Library of Heaven’s Path.

Having reached Zongshi realm pinnacle, as well as the strengthening of his soul, his rate of collection increased significantly.

…

Hu!

In a silent alley, Lu Chong stopped and panted heavily.

After leaving Emerald Pavilion, he changed into a fresh set of clothes, changed his hairstyle, and hid his aura. He thought that he was already safe, but somehow, the men from Lin Clan still managed to replace him.

He had escaped from them several times already, and in the midst, he had tried changing into many different sets of clothes, but the other party was still able to track him down each time.

“I have made sure to conceal my appearance back in the Emerald Pavilion, and during my escape, I made sure to stay out of open places as well. How could they still replace me so quickly each time?”

Lu Chong frowned doubtfully.

Despite his young age, he had undergone a near death experience before, and because of it, he had learned how to escape from one’s pursuers. Even though he had grown significantly stronger under Liu laoshi’s guidance, he didn’t act recklessly!

This assassination plot was actually carefully planned and refined over a long period of time. He had made sure not to catch anyone’s attention in the Emerald Pavilion, and he was certain that no one had seen his face during the time he was there. So, how could his pursuers still replace him each time?

“I can’t allow this situation to continue on like that…”

Lu Chong’s complexion was incredibly awful.

With his strength and wariness, he successfully evaded his pursuers several times. However, he knew that continuing on like this wasn’t a solution.

Given how relentless the other party was in their pursuit, it was just a matter of time before he was caught.

“If I were to head to Tianwu Academy, I might implicate teacher and the other students. Fleeing beyond the city isn’t an option either. Given the vast empty terrain outside, I’ll surely be found quickly. So, I can only replace a hiding place within the capital…”

Lu Chong was anxious, but he didn’t panic.

If he were to head to Tianwu Academy now, someone would definitely point out that he was Liu laoshi’s student, and this would bring calamity to his teacher and his peers.

His teacher was his benefactor, so this course of action was out of question!

As for escaping beyond the city…

Beyond the city gates, other than small patches of forests here and there, an empty plain extended to the horizon. Without the flow of crowd hiding his presence, he would only be making things easier for his pursuers.

Given the Lin Clan’s standing, they could definitely mobilize the kingdom’s army to encircle him.

If he were to be surrounded in the empty plains, he would truly be doomed.

Thus, the only solution was to remain in the capital. Under the concealment of the infrastructures and crowd, it would be easier for him to hide.

“But where can I hide for the Lin Clan to be unable to replace me?”

Lu Chong’s mind whirled swiftly.

Since the other party was able to replace him despite having escaped multiple times, it was likely that they possessed some kind of special mean to track him down. If he didn’t replace a good hiding spot, it would just be a matter of time before he was found again. He would be a goner if the other party manages to surround him.

“Right! Tianwu royal palace!”

Suddenly, Lu Chong’s eyes lit up. A location suddenly flashed across his mind.

Back then, the news of the destruction of the clan was so carefully restrained that not a single person in the Master Teacher Pavilion knew of it. Lu Chong would never believe it if the Tianwu royal family didn’t play a part in the matter!

Since they had colluded with one another, he might as well hide in the royal palace and leave those two to fight with one another!

After all, no matter how formidable the Lin Clan was, they couldn’t possibly brazenly demand to search the royal palace!

Even if they did, the royal palace couldn’t possibly give in the other party’s demands easily either. That would be a humiliation to the royal palace, sullying the prestige of the royal family.

With an idea in mind, Lu Chong headed straight for the royal palace.

Having successfully cultivated the Poison Body, Lu Chong’s current strength was at Zongshi realm intermediate stage. Even though his cultivation wasn’t top-notch in Tianwu Royal City, there were very few who could match up to him. Most guards wouldn’t be able to sense his presence.

It didn’t take long for him to arrive at the royal palace.