Library of Heaven's Path
Chapter 566-574

Chapter 566: Invincible

“This…”

“Strong…”

Hearing that voice and looking at that huge depression before their eyes, all color was flushed out from the faces of those present in the area. At that moment, the entire residence fell deathly silent.

Sect Leader Bai wasn’t the strongest among them, but he was far from being the weakest. Not to mention, he was known for his speed. Even Sect Leader Luo Huang would trail far behind him in a race.

But… despite his overwhelming speed, he was still killed in less than half a breath…

Not to mention, Yang shi didn’t even move in the least. Even though it happened right before them, no one was able to determine how Sect Leader Bai was killed, and how such a huge depression was created.

Judging from the might of the move, putting aside Sect Leader Bai, even if all of them were to team up together, they still wouldn’t be able to withstand that attack!

Strong!

Ridiculously strong!

Terrifying!

Everyone trembled uncontrollably as fear seeped out from their hearts and grasped their entirety.

As Yang shi had spoken casually to them, they subconsciously relaxed. Only at this very instant did they realize that… despite being half 5-star master teachers, they were no different from an ant before the eyes of the other party!

Given the other party’s strength, even if he were to destroy the entire Huanyu Empire, it was unlikely for the Master Teacher Pavilion to utter a single word of complaint, let alone, half 5-star master teachers like them.

Rules only applied to weaklings!

True experts reasoned with their might. With true strength, even the Master Teacher Pavilion would have to take a step back and give in!

What had happened before them served as the perfect example. Given that an 8-star master teacher was willing to speak nicely to them, they should’ve just listened obediently. Since Sect Leader Bai decided to defy him, there was no one he could blame for his own foolishness.

To maintain its strength, the Master Teacher Pavilion was also very realistic. It couldn’t possibly punish an 8-star master teacher just to redress the grievances of a mere half 5-star ant. Not to mention… this ant even dared to defy the words of a high-rank master teacher. This, in itself, was flouting the rules already!

The hierarchy among master teachers wasn’t just for show.

The words of an 8-star master teacher were no different from an imperial edict. When commanded to die, one had no choice but to die. To actually dare to defy orders and attempt to run away, aren’t you afraid of implicating your family and your sect? If word were to spread, no one would spare him the slightest sympathy.

If master teachers couldn’t even instill discipline and respect among their own ranks, how were they supposed to do the same to the rest of the world?

“Is that… a battle technique or a divine treasure?”

Pavilion Master Kang and Alliance Head Zhao trembled in fear as they stared at the giant depression just outside the residence.

Yang shi had moved way too fast for their eyes to perceive clearly what he had done.

Vaguely, they seemed to have seen a golden book suddenly appearing in midair and smashing down on the other party… But everything happened too quickly for them to verify it.

After all, they had seen cultivators wielding a sword, spear, saber-and the more remote ones-meteor hammer, chain whip, and jagged scissors… But they have never heard of someone wielding a book as a weapon!

A book… No matter how thick it was, it was no different from a brick! Not to mention, its texture was also soft, thus making it incapable of harming the physical body of a Transcendent Mortal. Since that was the case, how could it be used to kill?

If the other party had really used a mere book to smash a Consonant Spirit realm advanced stage expert into minced meat, leaving no grounds for him to react at all, not to mention, creating such a huge depression at that… How strong must he be?

In any case, the techniques of a higher existence like the other party were something unfathomable to them!

“This…”

Everyone was astounded by how Yang shi’s killed Sect Leader Bai in a single move, all except for Wang Ying. She was surprised by the formidable might that Yang shi had shown as well, but what that had truly stunned her was something else that she had noticed.

With a weak personality, she didn’t stand out against Zhang Xuan’s other students. However, she had a meticulous personality that compelled her to pay attention to every slightest detail. This was also the reason why she could keep up with the others despite her lower talent.

As such, she had grasped the cultivation and battle techniques which Zhang shi imparted her very thoroughly.

Wang Ying, Sun Qiang, Zheng Yang, and the others had seen Zhang shi using this technique before, and given that Yang shi was Zhang shi’s teacher, it wasn’t too surprising for him to be capable of the same technique as well.

But Wang Ying clearly noticed that… when Yang shi executed the technique, his movements were exactly the same as Zhang shi’s, just that the former was significantly faster in his movements.

That day, upon seeing Lu Chong being stabbed by the other party, Zhang shi, out of rage, threw out a golden book and smashed the enemies who tried to them harm into minced meat… And his movements were precise the same as Yang shi’s at this moment.

Even when executing the same battle technique, everyone had their own quirks that couldn’t be copied by another.

It was similar to how an apprentice cook couldn’t possibly cook a dish with the exact same appearance and flavor as his teacher.

For both of their actions to be identical, there was only one explanation… that was that the both of them were the same person!

Wang Ying began examining Yang shi thoroughly, and upon catching sight of something, she clasped her mouth in shock.

No doubt, the person standing in the air had many differences from Zhang shi, be it his appearance and his clothing. Logically speaking, Wang Ying should have been unable to determine anything at all. However… she saw a faint grayish mark around Yang shi’s neck.

Back then, in the soul oracle tomb, Zhang shi had his neck grabbed by Mo Hunsheng, and even though he managed to reverse the situation then, the encounter had left a grayish mark on his neck. Two months had passed since then, and the grayish mark had fainted to the point that it was nearly imperceptible. Even so, if one were to pay careful attention, one could still see the rough outline of it. And just a moment ago, when she met Zhang shi, she saw the very same mark on him…

And the location was completely identical!

For Yang shi to share Zhang shi’s mark, and for the both of them to share the exact same techniques…

Furthermore… It seemed like Yang shi and Zhang shi had never appeared together before!

Could it be that…

Yang shi was Zhang shi?

While it was inconceivable, it wasn’t entirely impossible. After all, Zhang shi had disguised himself as Liu shi before, and it took her a long while before she managed to notice anything at all.

Shocked, Wang Ying’s body began to sway weakly.

…

Of course, no one noticed what was going through the mind of Wang Ying. Even if they noticed the shock on her face, they would have attributed it to the astounding means Yang shi had displayed.

At this moment, everyone’s faces were inhumanly pale, and they dared not utter a single word for fear to bringing Yang shi’s wrath upon them.

“I was foolish to allow the greed for Kong shi’s handwritten letter to blind my morals. I deserve to die!”

Seeing how not even the corpse of Sect Leader Bai remained, Sect Leader Luo Huang resigned himself to his fate.

Since Yang shi was willing to make a move against Sect Leader Bai, he didn’t think that he would be an exception. Rather than defying the other party and potentially bringing wrath upon his family and sect, he might as well give it up.

Gritting his teeth, Sect Leader Luo Huang raised his head, and with determination gleaming in his eyes, he said, “I hope that Yang shi can spare our Fleeting Cloud Sect and my student after my death. This entire operation was an initiative of my own, and they played no part in this…”

It was nothing much for him to die. What was more important was for the Fleeting Cloud Sect to not be implicated by this matter.

If he were to anger the other party, and the other party directed his wrath toward the Fleeting Cloud Sect, it would be too late for regrets.

“Teacher…”

Hearing his teacher resigning himself to his fate and pleading on his behalf, Luo Xuan panicked.

He had already recovered from the injury he had sustained from being crushed by the Demon Cinque Beast, and thus, he followed the group along for this operation. But he never expected to see an 8-star master teacher in action.

“There’s no need to speak any further. Have Elder Wang inherit my position after my death…”

Knowing that it was impossible for him to escape from this, Sect Leader Luo Huang calmed down instead and started to delegate his will.

“Teacher…”

Unwilling to see his teacher die, Luo Huang gritted his teeth. Mustering his courage, he walked forward and clasped his fist. “Yang shi, since the rest of us can redeem for our sins by paying spirit stones, can our Fleeting Cloud Sect exchange for my teacher’s life by paying a hundred middle-tier spirit stones?”

“What rubbish are you spouting…”

Hearing his disciple speaking such words, Sect Leader Luo Huang immediately rushed forward to stop him.

The other party was an 8-star master teacher. The only reason why he gave such an alternative instead of killing all of them was probably only because he was unwilling to see so many fellow master teachers dying at once…

Do you really think that an expert of the other party’s caliber would actually care about that little bit of middle-tier spirit stones?

Putting aside middle-tier spirit stones, even high-tier spirit stones and top-tier spirit stones might not even move him!

To buy my life with just mere spirit stones… How could the other party possibly compromise with such an offering?

The words of an 8-star master teacher were as good as law. Not even a 7-star master teacher could possibly hope to sway the decisions an 8-star master teacher made. To expect to do so with mere middle-tier spirit stones…

If it could be resolved that easily, Sect Leader Bai wouldn’t have taken such a huge gamble, only to end up as meat paste.

Just as he thought that his student was being immature at such a crucial timing and was about to knock the idea off his head, the figure in the air suddenly spoke nonchalantly, “Make it 150 middle-tier spirit stones, and I can spare his life!”

“What?”

For an instant, Sect Leader Luo Huang thought that he was hearing things.

My life… is only worth 150 middle-tier spirit stones.

Middle-tier spirit stones were indeed precious, but given the huge wealth the Fleeting Cloud Sect had accumulated over the years, it wasn’t too difficult for them to fork out such a sum.

After all, they had won the championship of the Master Teacher Tournament on many occasions. Just the prize they had earned was already extremely fearsome. Not to mention, the sales of half 5-star master teacher long-range Tutelage Jade Tokens was also a good source of income…

Middle-tier spirit stones were indeed precious, but how could it be compared to his life as the sect leader?

But… the other party actually agreed to such a trade?

While he was overwhelmed with disbelief, Yang shi’s dissatisfied voice sounded from the air.

“Why? Are you reluctant to pay? If that’s the case, just kill yourself!”

“We’re willing to pay, we’re willing to pay!”

Only at this moment could he confirm that it was all true. How could he possibly hesitate at such a crucial juncture? Flinging his wrist, he took out a pile of middle-tier spirit stones, and in an instant, the spiritual energy in the air intensified.

150 middle-tier spirit stones, not one more, not one less.

“Un!”

In the air, Yang shi nodded his head in satisfied. Closing his palm, the middle-tier spirit stones flew into his storage ring.

“Alright, you’re spared. As for the others, pay the spirit stones and scram!”

“Yes…”

After paying twenty middle-tier spirit stones each, everyone rushed out of the residence as though frightened animals in a stampede.

Only when they were out of the residence did they heave a sigh of relief. They subconsciously glanced at the huge depression at the entrance, and a bizarre expression crept onto their faces.

Cough cough, Sect Leader Bai sure died a wrongful death…

If he had known earlier that he could buy his life with spirit stones, he would have surely never done something as foolish as that!

To be reduced to meat paste over mere spirit stones, if his soul was looking at this sight, rivers would surely be spilling from his eyes at this very instant…

But still, who could have thought that a life of a sect leader would only be worth 150 middle-tier spirit stones. That was a value even lower than a Consonant Spirit realm spirit beast! What in the world was this?

Even so, from this, they could tell that Yang shi truly didn’t care about their lives!

Indeed, how could the life and death of a bunch of ants possibly interest him?

Similarly, they wouldn’t have been particularly concerned about the life and death of a mere 1-star master teacher as well.

After walking a safe distance away, Sect Leader Luo Huang heaved a sigh of relief and instructed his disciple, Luo Xuan, “After returning, strictly warn all disciples against offending Zhang shi, his students, and even the common populace of Myriad Kingdom City regardless of the situation!

“Yang shi isn’t a person we can offend. Not even Huanyu Empire and Hongyuan Empire can afford to get on his bad side as well… Putting aside his rank as a master teacher, just his cultivation itself would make him, even in the territory of a Conferred Empire…

“Invincible!”

Chapter 567: Transcendent Mortal 3-dan Pinnacle [2in1]

“In the territory of a Conferred Empire… Invincible?”

Luo Xuan’s body stiffened, and his face went pale in fright.

Similar to the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, the Fleeting Cloud Sect, as a whole, was an Unranked Empire as well. Above them was Huanyu Tier-2 Empire, followed by Hongyuan Tier-1 Empire, and finally, Conferred Empire…

In other words, this Yang shi was an invincible existence even in an empire three levels higher than theirs!

It was no wonder why he didn’t care for their lives at all. An expert of that level did possess the qualification to look down on them.

After recovering from the shock, Luo Xuan asked, “Teacher. What about Kong shi’s handwritten letter…”

Their main purpose here was to secure Kong shi’s handwritten letter. But given the other party’s immense might, it would surely be impossible for them to steal it from him, so what else could they do next?

“You’d better forget about the matter regarding Kong shi’s handwritten letter. It is best not to get involved in matters concerning high-tier master teachers or else it could bring a huge catastrophe to our sect!” Sect Leader Luo Huang instructed gravely.

To live in this world, one had to know their place. If Yang Xuan was only a half 5-star master teacher or even a 5-star master teacher, even if they couldn’t obtain the letter, they would surely spread the news around so that he wouldn’t be granted peace. But given that the other party was an 8-star master teacher, if they were to get on his bad side, that would really spell a disaster.

It was an unspoken rule to never speak of the affairs of high-ranked master teachers. Even the Master Teacher Pavilion would step forward to silence them if they dared to say anything unseemly about Yang shi.

A master teacher of that level was a precious asset to the Master Teacher Pavilion. It would be wise to feign ignorance of the matter unless one was tired of living.

“Yes!” Luo Xuan hurriedly nodded his head.

Just as the saying goes, ‘a retainer should never gossip about their emperor’.

To gossip about one’s superior was insubordination in itself, and in the strict hierarchy of master teachers, that could possibly warrant death.

“Also, from today onward, try to avoid contact with those from White Helios Sect… They are already done for,” Sect Leader Luo Huang said.

White Helios Sect was another gigantic sect of a similar scale to their Fleeting Cloud Sect. In fact, there was a chance that the other party might overtake them in the near future to become the strongest power among the twenty-eight regional powers. But… it was a pity that they offended Yang shi, and their sect leader was killed.

Even if Yang shi was magnanimous enough to spare the White Helios Sect, the other sects would still try to avoid them for fear of getting on Yang shi’s bad side. In fact, there might even be some, especially their enemies, who would make use of this opportunity to get even with them. It probably wouldn’t take long for them to be split among the other powers and disappear in the annals of history.

This was the influence that a high-tier master teacher possessed.

Every single action of theirs could easily cause a chain effect.

In fact… even if Yang shi didn’t make a move, just a word of his could make the other sects charge forward and tear him and Sect Leader Bai apart.

It was precisely the reason why he was willing to sacrifice himself just to have Yang shi’s word to spare his sect. As long as Yang shi expressed his agreement to the matter, the other sects, in deference to Yang shi, wouldn’t dare go that far.

After all, if Yang shi had agreed to sparing the Fleeting Cloud Sect, an attack on them would mean defying Yang shi, and that was no different from courting death!

The same scene was also occurring in the other sects.

The pressure from Yang shi’s appearance was simply too great. Even if they wanted to spread rumors about Kong shi’s handwritten letter, Huanyu Empire Master Teacher Pavilion would surely stop and silence them.

…

In the courtyard, everything regained calmness once more.

The fourteen powers who had come haughtily all ended up leaving with their heads lowered after paying twenty middle-tier spirit stones each.

“Yang shi…”

Looking at the expert in the air, Pavilion Master Kang, Su shi, and the others bowed respectfully.

“Un, you’ve done well. I’ll go to your branch to conduct a lesson when I’m free!”

Yang shi nodded his head in satisfaction.

“Thank you, Yang shi!”

Hearing the promise, Pavilion Master Kang and the others were delighted.

That was possibly an 8-star master teacher! A single lesson of his could possibly save years of needless effort from their part.

“Alright, you all should leave for now!”

After making the promise, Yang shi casually waved them away.

“Yes!”

Hurriedly nodding their heads, Pavilion Master Kang, Alliance Head Zhao, and the others were about to leave when Yang shi suddenly instructed, “Wait a moment. Free their bindings first before leaving!”

Zheng Yang, Sun Qiang, and the others’ mouths had been bound by Sect Leader Luo Huang’s zhenqi for trying to explain Zhang shi’s actions.

Not expecting the formidable Yang shi to ask them to solve something so simple, Pavilion Master Kang and the others were stunned for a moment. Even so, they stepped forward and freed the few people of their restraints and fed them pills to heal their injuries.

After all was done, they clasped their fists and bowed. “We’ll be taking our leave then!”

“Un!”

Yang shi nodded with his head tilted upward, seemingly thinking of something deep and profound. Then, with an unfathomable expression, he placed his hands behind his back and started walking toward the distance.

“Expert! This is a true expert!”

Seeing the other party’s disposition and means, Pavilion Master Kang and Alliance Head Zhao found themselves filled with awe for him.

If this didn’t constitute as an expert, nothing in the world could!

Despite being a high-rank master teacher, Yang shi didn’t abuse his authority and strength and, instead, remained humble and magnanimous. Even though the other party had already barged into his residence, he allowed them to leave after paying some middle-tier spirit stones. And after all was done, he flung his sleeves and left freely, caring not for the matters of the secular world…

At this moment, all they felt for the other party was endless respect and awe.

They bowed to see the other party off when they suddenly heard the sound of something falling from the sky. Sounds reminiscent of ‘putong!’ and ‘aiya!’ could be heard. It seemed like someone had fallen from the sky.

They quickly raised their gazes to look around, but Yang shi had already disappeared. All that was left was an endless blue sky.

“Did… Yang shi just fall down?”

The few of them glanced at one another in disbelief.

The person who had just fallen from the sky… couldn’t possibly be Yang shi, right?

But as soon as this idea popped into their mind, they immediately shook their heads.

You must be joking!

Yang shi was very possibly an 8-star master teacher, at that level of cultivation even an entire day of flight wouldn’t result in his exhaustion. How could he possibly suddenly fall from the sky? He must have moved too fast such that he had disappeared from their eyes.

After reasoning it out within themselves, they hurriedly left the area.

“To think that the old master would be so formidable!”

“Grandteacher is indeed incredible!”

After the departure of the few people, the courtyard fell silent. Sun Qiang, Zheng Yang, and the others were still relishing in the excitement from watching Yang shi’s incredible show of strength. Only Wang Ying rushed straight into the courtyard anxiously.

While everyone had been busy recuperating from their injuries, her eyes were fixated on ‘Yang shi’, and she saw how his face paled and fell from the sky.

If the other party was truly an 8-star master teacher, how could he possibly get exhausted by that short moment of flight and fall from the sky?

Zhang shi must have used some sort of unique method to push himself so as to resolve the crisis.

Upon rushing into the inner courtyard, she glanced at the area where Yang shi fell toward and saw a slight depression on the ground around the size of a head. Most likely, the other party must have crashed into the ground head first. But… why wasn’t there anyone around?

“Where is he?”

After overexerting himself and falling from a high altitude, the other party must be injured. But why wasn’t he around?

Wang Ying was worried.

“Wang Ying, what are you doing here instead of channeling the medicinal energy from the pill to heal your wounds?”

Just as Wang Ying was about to continue searching, a nonchalant voice sounded. Turning around, she saw Zhang shi standing not too far away with a frown on his face.

With a flushed face, Wang Ying hurriedly explained, “Teacher, I… I seemed to have seen Yang shi falling from the sky, and in fear that he might be injured, I came over to take a look!”

“Injured? You must be jesting. How could a person of my teacher’s caliber get injured?”

Frowning, Zhang shi waved his hands casually. “Alright, you should leave and focus on your recuperation. I’m currently discussing Lu Chong’s issue with teacher, and I don’t wish to be interrupted!”

“Yes, teacher!”

Seeing that Zhang shi’s clothes were completely intact, devoid of any signs that he had just fallen from the sky, Wang Ying could only clasp her fist and leave. She was truly perplexed by this bizarreness.

Was she really… mistaken?

Were Yang shi and Zhang shi two different people?

Otherwise, how could Zhang shi possibly be completely fine after falling from the sky, to the extent that there wasn’t the slightest disturbance in his zhenqi?

Gritting her teeth, Wang Ying thought confidently, ‘Even if I’m mistaken about this matter, I’m certain about the mark Mo Hunsheng left on teacher’s neck!’

She had made sure to verify the mark multiple times previously, and she was certain of it! Even if she failed to prove anything this time, she was confident of her conjecture!

‘I should try to look for teacher the next time Yang shi appears…’ Wang Ying thought.

Since Zhang shi refused to admit the matter, it would be inappropriate for her to ask about it. The only way she could verify her theory was to confirm that Zhang shi was absent whenever Yang shi was around. If she could prove that, then there was high chance that they were the same person!

By then, Zhang shi wouldn’t be able to refute her argument anymore.

With such a thought, Wang Ying left.

As soon as she left, Zhang Xuan immediately smiled bitterly and returned to his room.

If Wang Ying was still present at this moment, she would surely be able to verify that Yang shi and Zhang shi were the same person from his back view.

That’s because… the back of Zhang shi’s head was cloaked with dust. In fact, even his pants were completely soiled. If not for the stone pillars hiding his figure, he would have surely been exposed.

…

Returning to the room, Zhang Xuan quickly changed his clothes, and only then did he heave a sigh of relief.

Wang Ying’s conjecture was spot-on—Yang shi was indeed him.

If he had appeared as Zhang Xuan just now, it was likely that a fight would have broken out. Given his current cultivation realm, he wouldn’t be a match for all of those experts.

Left without a choice, he could disguise himself and appear as Yang shi.

As for the powerful aura he exuded, that mainly came from Mo Hunsheng.

After being trapped in the Nine Hearts Lotus for so many years, the other party’s grasp over his cultivation became weak, and the only thing impressive about him at the moment was his disposition. But in this situation, it happened to be what Zhang Xuan needed the most.

Due to the other party’s accumulation over the years, the powerful aura the other party’s soul exuded was comparable to even a Half-Saint. On top of that, in order to further convince the crowd of his cultivation, Zhang Xuan appeared from the skies. From the very start, everyone was already convinced that he was a Saint, and that was the main reason why he wasn’t exposed.

As for Sect Leader Luo Huang’s injuries, it was caused by Zhang Xuan’s ability as a soul oracle.

His current soul cultivation was at Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle. While it would be hard for him to match the other party in a straightforward fight… in a battle of souls, Zhang Xuan would never lose to the other party.

After all, a Consonant Spirit realm expert would have barely started the cultivation of his soul. There was no way a novice soul could match up to a powerful soul which had even been tempered by the Yin-Yang Lake.

But still, if Sect Leader Luo Huang had retaliated, Zhang Xuan’s attack might have collapsed, and he would be exposed. It was fortunate the impression of Yang shi’s invincibility as a Saint had been deeply imprinted into Sect Leader Luo Huang’s mind, thus making him dare not retaliate at all for fear of inducing the other party’s wrath.

As for the Soul Impartation afterward, while it did look formidable, it was actually rather simple. Back then, Mo Hunsheng had also transferred the soul cultivation techniques to him via the same method, and after grasping it, it wasn’t too difficult for him to do the same to Xue Yiyao as well.

And regarding the Demon Cinque Beast’s breakthrough, it was something he had done on many occasions before.

Everything was perfect, and the only flaw was the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps. Even with his higher cultivation and zhenqi capacity, he could still only sustain flight for ten minutes or so.

Naturally, the reason why he fell vertically down was due to his zhenqi being sapped dry.

It was fortunate that no one noticed it. Otherwise, all of his effort from before would have gone to waste.

“Sigh, what is this…”

It was just a moment ago that he inspired everyone’s awe and fear. Yet, the next instant, he ended up crashing into the ground and nearly spewing blood. The huge contrast between the two left Zhang Xuan dismal.

The Red Dust Heaven Ascending Step was indeed formidable, and being able to fly was something to rejoice about… However, during its course of activation, one was unable to sense the amount of zhenqi one had left, thus creating a high tendency for one to abruptly fall from the sky.

It was fortunate that Zhang Xuan was able to sustain all the way to the end. Otherwise, if he were to fall in the midst of threatening the others, it would have been hard to explain himself.

“Looks like… Wang Ying managed to see through my disguise!”

Recalling how Wang Ying rushed into the inner courtyard and the doubt on her face, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Given that Wang Ying noticed something as well, there was a good chance that the others might have noticed something as well.

If others were to learn that the unparalleled ‘Yang shi’ was just a made-up character, the group from before would surely return to cripple him.

“Looks like I should forge my clone soon… With a clone, I would be able to appear simultaneously in both identities, and no one will doubt me anymore!”

Zhang Xuan clasped his fists tightly.

He had learnt the Soul Severing Technique from Mo Hunsheng, and using the Nine Hearts Lotus as the foundation, it wouldn’t be too difficult for him to forge a clone. However, it would require vast amount of spiritual energy for him to do so, and thus, he had been putting off the matter. However, with at least 600 middle-tier spirit stones in his possession at the moment, he could afford such expenditure already.

“I should raise my cultivation first!”

The Nine Hearts Lotus hadn’t matured yet, and the best way to induce its maturity was through vast quantity of Heaven’s Path zhenqi… With so many middle-tier spirit stones in his hand now, that wasn’t a problem.

Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out the Spirit Gathering Formation plate, activated it, and sat in the middle of the formation. Following which, he casually threw out a dozen of middle-tier spirit stones and began driving the Heaven’s Path Divine Art. The dense spiritual energy in the surroundings began rushing into his body.

The overwhelming spiritual energy flowing through his body left Zhang Xuan with an indescribably soothing sensation, and warm tears gathered in his eyes.

In the past two months, he had been suffering from a huge shortage of spirit stones, resulting in a huge need for him to be thrifty. This was the first time he could afford to cultivate so extravagantly!

It seemed like there was a need for him to extort from those fellows a few more times in the future. After all, he would surely need even more spirit stones in the future.

Hong long long!

Under the surge of spiritual energy, his consumed zhenqi was swiftly replenished, and soon, with a slight buzzing sound, he reached Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle!

But Zhang Xuan didn’t just stop there.

Origin Energy realm pinnacle!

Yin-Yang realm primary stage!

…

Yin-Yang realm pinnacle!

Two hours later, Zhang Xuan successfully reached Transcendent Mortal 3-dan pinnacle!

His zhenqi strength totaled up to 1,000,000 ding, which was 200,000 ding greater than other Yin-Yang realm pinnacle cultivators. That was already comparable to a Clarifying Turbidity realm primary stage cultivator!

(Ordinary Yin-Yang realm primary stage cultivators possess a strength of 500,000 ding, intermediate stage 600,000 ding, advanced stage 700,000 ding, and pinnacle 800,000 ding! Clarifying Turbidity realm primary stage cultivator start with 1,000,000 ding, intermediate stage 1,200,000 ding, advanced stage 1,400,000 ding, and pinnacle 1,600,000 ding.)

Adding the strength of 1,600,000 ding derived from his soul cultivation, the maximum strength he could wield at the moment was a hulking 2,600,000 ding!

With this strength, he could even match a Consonant Spirit realm intermediate stage expert.

(Consonant Spirit realm primary stage 2,000,000 ding, intermediate stage 2,400,000 ding, advanced stage 2,800,000 ding, and pinnacle 3,200,000 ding,)

That was something completely unheard of!

“Now, I should nurture the Nine Hearts Lotus…”

As Zhang Xuan didn’t have sufficient Transcendent Mortal 4-dan cultivation techniques to form the corresponding complete Heaven’s Path Divine Art, he could only stop here. Thus, flicking his wrist, he took out the Nine Hearts Lotus, grabbed it, and began infusing huge amount of zhenqi in.

“AH… DON’T KILL ME…”

But as soon as zhenqi seeped into the lotus, a sound reminiscent of a pig being butchered echoed in the air-Mo Hunsheng.

“Ah, pardon me. I forgot your existence…”

Too anxious to nurture the lotus to maturity, Zhang Xuan forgot that the fellow hiding in the lotus was particularly fearful of Heaven’s Path zhenqi.

“…” Mo Hunsheng was in tears.

I had just expended myself to save you and you actually forgot about me so quickly? How heartless can you be?

“Don’t worry. I’ll pull you out now,” Zhang Xuan said sheepishly. As long as Mo Hunsheng remained in the lotus, he wouldn’t be able to drive the lotus’s maturity with his zhenqi.

As a 6-star soul oracle, Mo Hunsheng would be able survive for a very long time out of the lotus. Otherwise, Zhang Xuan could also loan him the Soulless Metal Humanoid to house his soul.

As for how he should get Mo Hunsheng out, Zhang Xuan had already thought of an idea.

Since the other party needed a soul to take his place so that he could escape, he would just have to make one for him.

“Soul Severing Technique!”

Seated cross-legged, Zhang Xuan drew his soul out. Then, following the method which Mo Hunsheng taught him beforehand, he began splitting his soul in two.

Since there was no other soul he could use, he would just have to use his own.

Furthermore, it just so happened that Zhang Xuan wanted to use the Nine Hearts Lotus to forge a clone. A portion of his soul would have to enter the Nine Hearts Lotus eventually, so this wasn’t a problem at all.

Absorbing the dense spiritual energy from the surroundings, Zhang Xuan slowly tore his soul into two.

The severing of a soul was, in essence, no different from tearing one’s body into two. The pain that one had to suffer during the process was unimaginable.

Furthermore, it was an extremely risky technique. The slightest mistake could possibly result in the dissipation of one’s soul.

If not for having brought the technique up to the level of Heaven’s Path, he would have surely dared not cultivate this technique. The success rate was simply too low.

Back then, it had taken astounding luck on Mo Hunsheng’s part to successfully split his soul in two.

Soon, the three-meters large soul was severed into two human-sized ones.

“Done…”

After severing his soul, Zhang Xuan had one portion return back to his physical body before exhaling deeply. At his moment, his face was incomparably white.

“Most probably, I won’t be able to utilize my soul energy for a period of time!”

This was unlike what he did in the case of Lu Chong, where he only needed to sever a small portion of it.

This time, his soul was divided in two. It would take at least two months for him to recover to his original condition. He had to avoid using his soul energy during this period of time or else he would risk aggravating his injuries.

Chapter 568: Forging the Clone

But still, it was all worth it.

His soul was divided into two, but he could sense the consciousness of the two, as though his existence had been split in two. Even though his fighting prowess had gone down for the time being, once he recovers, his strength would increase greatly.

Furthermore, given that both minds were linked, and they could communicate via mere thoughts, once they collaborate together, the strength wouldn’t be as simple as one plus one equals to two. With perfect teamwork, it could easily be three, four, or even higher.

On top of that, the severed soul was capable of cultivating as well. As time passed, it would only grow stronger and stronger.

“Time to begin!”

The soul glanced at the original body and smiled faintly before dashing into the Nine Hearts Lotus.

Hu!

As soon as it approached the lotus, it immediately felt an overwhelmingly powerful suction force pulling it in into a dark space.

“Master…”

After the soul steadied itself, Zhang Xuan saw middle-aged man standing not too far away. The middle-aged man clasped his fist and greeted the soul respectfully.

Mo Hunsheng!

Considering how that fellow was a 6-star soul oracle and how long he had lived, Zhang Xuan thought that the other party would be an elderly with white hair and beard. Yet, to his surprise, the other party looked like a fragile scholar instead.

Having signed the Soul Contract, even though Mo Hunsheng had successfully escaped from the Nine Hearts Lotus, he was still Zhang shi’s subordinate. If he were to harbor the slightest thought of defiance, Zhang shi could easily crush him with a thought.

“Is this your original appearance?” Zhang Xuan’s divided soul asked.

As an intangible existence, souls could be morphed to take on any shape.

“Yes. The soul of a soul oracle retains the appearance it had when it was first drawn from the body. This appearance of mine will still remain the same even if I live for another ten thousand years,” Mo Hunsheng replied.

While souls could be morphed into countless shapes, they would still have a ‘default appearance’, which was the form of the body when the soul was first drawn from the body.

“Un. I’m here to replace you. You can leave now!”

The severed soul waved his hand. “However, I can’t replace a suitable body for you at the moment. You can possess the Soulless Metal Humanoid for the time being. Once I replace a physical body suitable for you, I’ll allow you to possess it!”

While Mo Hunsheng was powerful enough to exist outside in his soul form, as time passed, he would still suffer from the Five Declines and grow weaker.

The only way to prevent that was for him to possess a suitable body.

As a master teacher, Zhang Xuan couldn’t possibly allow his subordinate to possess any innocent bystander. Thus, he could only have the other party possess the Soulless Metal Humanoid for the time being.

As the Soulless Metal Humanoid was a body forged specially for the use of soul oracles, diving in and out of it wouldn’t incur the Possession Decline.

“It’s no problem. As long as I can leave this darned place, I’m willing to stay anywhere…”

Mo Hunsheng nodded his head excitedly.

He was about to be driven mad from being trapped here for several ten thousand years. As long as he could escape this place, he didn’t mind possessing the Soulless Metal Humanoid for the time being.

Besides, Zhang shi had also promised to replace a fitting body for him to possess too. There was nothing for him to hesitate for.

“I’ll be heading out first then!”

With a bright glow from his soul, Mo Hunsheng dashed out of the Nine Hearts Lotus.

Seemingly realized that Mo Hunsheng was about to leave, a powerful energy lurking in the dark space crept toward him in an attempt to keep him here. However, Zhang Xuan’s severed soul harrumphed and blocked its path.

Hu!

The energy was halted for a split moment, and making use of this opportunity, Mo Hunsheng leaped out of the Nine Hearts Lotus and appeared in the outside world.

“You’re out!” Zhang Xuan glanced at him.

“Yes!” Having regained his freedom, Mo Hunsheng glanced at his surroundings in agitation.

“You should enter the Soulless Metal Humanoid for the time being!”

With a slight smile, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out a coffin housing a Soulless Metal Humanoid.

Nodding his head, Mo Hunsheng opened the coffin and dived into the Soulless Metal Humanoid. The next moment, the eyes of the Soulless Metal Humanoid opened, and it stood up.

“Master!”

A human-height puppet walked toward Zhang Xuan and bowed grandly, as though a valiant commander greeting his superior.

“You should call me young master like the others!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands.

“Yes, young master!” The humanoid clasped his fist.

Glancing at the humanoid, Zhang Xuan asked, “How strong are you at the moment, and how much of your strength can you exert at the moment?”

Given Mo Hunsheng’s powerful cultivation, there was a good chance that the other party was more powerful than him now that he was freed from the Nine Hearts Lotus, even when he was within the Soulless Metal Humanoid.

“I was the one who crafted these Soulless Metal Humanoids, so I can bring out almost hundred percent of my strength in them!” Mo Hunsheng replied.

“Hundred percent? Meaning, you can bring out the full strength of a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan expert?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

The other party was only inches away from achieving the breakthrough to Half-Saint before he was trapped in the Nine Hearts Lotus. Even though he had expended much of his soul energy throughout the years, he was still able to retain his cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 9-dan.

Didn’t this mean that he had a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan subordinate beside him now?

With such an expert, even without ‘Yang shi’s’ presence, no one would dare to cause him any trouble!

“Un!” Mo Hunsheng nodded.

“Not bad. For the time being, guard the entrance and don’t allow anyone to enter. I’m going to forge my clone and I don’t want anyone to interrupt me!” Zhang Xuan instructed.

Mo Hunsheng nodded and left the room.

After which, Zhang Xuan turned his attention to the Nine Hearts Lotus, and a serious expression appeared on his face.

“Time to start!”

With a flick of his finger, a surge of zhenqi gushed into the Nine Hearts Lotus.

The Heaven’s Path zhenqi was deadly to Mo Hunsheng due to the imperfections of his Soul Guiding Method, but Zhang Xuan’s severed soul didn’t possess such weakness. As Zhang Xuan pumped his zhenqi into the Nine Hearts Lotus, its black surface gradually turned white.

This showed that it was gradually maturing.

The lotus required a vast quantity of Heaven’s Path zhenqi to mature, but fortunately, Zhang Xuan had sufficient middle-tier spirit stones on hand.

After a period of time, with a light jolt, the last shred of darkness disappeared from the surface of the lotus, resulting in a perfectly milky-white appearance.

“As expected of a God artifact!”

With just a glance, Zhang Xuan felt a jolt run through his body, and he couldn’t help but feel allured by the Nine Hearts Lotus.

Previously, the lotus was as black as ink, similar to a demonic tool. However, at this instant, it felt like a treasure that had come from the highest heavens, an inviolable item.

Every single aspect of it spelled extraordinary!

He could foresee that if its existence were to be made known to the public, a huge fight for it would occur. Even 7-star or 8-star master teachers would replace themselves unable to hold back their greed.

After all, master teachers were still mortals as well. Unlike true saints, they possessed worldly desires and experienced negative emotions too.

Even the wise Kong shi had once destroyed an entire kingdom out of rage when his student was killed, needless to say, others.

“Forge!”

Knowing how precious this item was, Zhang Xuan decided to get it done as soon as possible. Thus, without any hesitation, he grabbed the lotus and infused a surge of zhenqi into it.

Mo Hunsheng had imparted the way of forging a physical body to him, and it wasn’t a very complicated process.

He enveloped the entire lotus with his zhenqi to facilitate the fusing of his severed soul along with the lotus. At the same time, the zhenqi also tempered the lotus, and slowly, a flawless body was being formed.

After some time, the severed soul had fused perfectly with the body, and the formation of the body was complete. Slowly, the pair of eyes on the body opened.

“Done!”

Seeing his clone getting to his feet, Zhang Xuan smiled in delight.

Two pair of eyes in the room stared at one another, and Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a very peculiar sensation. It was as if he was looking into a mirror. At a moment, it felt as though he was the other party, and in the next, it felt as though the other party was him.

As the clone was forged from his soul, it shared the same consciousness as the original body. In fact, even the knowledge and battle techniques they cultivated were shared as well.

In other words, if the clone were to read through a book, the original body would learn the same knowledge as well. But of course, this was all there was to it. The cultivation of the two of them was still separate.

“Currently, the clone is still in its nascent form. The bulk of is cultivation consists from my severed soul. I should first raise its cultivation first!”

The newborn clone possessed no strength whatsoever-even if it did, it mainly originated from the soul fused into the body. It had to start its cultivating its zhenqi from scratch.

After wearing clothes, the clone sat at the center of the Spirit Gathering Formation formed by the formation plate.

Geji! Geji!

The clone began cultivating according to the Heaven’s Path Divine Art.

“Hmm?”

A moment later, Zhang Xuan frowned.

He had cultivated the Heaven’s Path Divine Art before, and he was very familiar with it. Yet, why was his clone unable to do the same?

The moment his clone tried to do so, an immense pressure would push down on it, threatening to reduce the body into dust if he were to push on.

A conjecture appeared in Zhang Xuan’s mind.

“Could it be that… other than my original body, no one else can cultivate Heaven’s Path Divine Art, not even my clone?”

He did try to impart the complete Heaven’s Path Divine Art to his students before, but none of them had been able to cultivate it for some reason. Left with no choice, he could only modify it or introduce a few minor flaws into the technique.

He thought that it might just be a matter of level of comprehension, but from the looks of it now, given that his clone shared the same consciousness as him, that wasn’t the case.

‘This might have something to do with the Library of Heaven’s Path!’ Zhang Xuan thought.

The Library of Heaven’s Path had been accompanying him since his rebirth. Perhaps it was only because of its existence that he was able to cultivate the Heaven’s Path Divine Art. On the other hand, his clone, even though it was sharing his soul, due to the non-existence of the Library of Heaven’s Path to it, was unable to cultivate the Heaven’s Path Divine Art.

Most likely, the Library of Heaven’s Path was a loophole in the world in itself. The heavens would never allow anyone to peer into its essence, and the very concept of perfection is non-existent in the world. This is a law of the world, and those who attempted to break it would replace themselves hindered.

“Since it’s impossible, I just have to modify it then!”

Since Heaven’s Path Divine Art was out of question, Zhang Xuan would have to introduce some minor flaws into it. He had done the same for Zhao Ya and the others as well, so it wasn’t too difficult for him to do so.

Gugugugu!

Cultivating the Heaven’s Path Divine Art with some minor flaws introduced, the clone could finally circulate his zhenqi smoothly without any hiccups, and his aura began growing more and more powerful as his cultivation surged.

As expected of a physical body forged by a God artifact. The cultivation speed of Zhao Ya and the others couldn’t begin to compare with it.

In just three short days, it progressed all the way from Fighter 1-dan Juxi realm to Transcendent Mortal 3-dan Yin-Yang realm pinnacle!

In other words, the clone possessed strength equivalent to him now.

While part of the reason was due to there being sufficient spirit stones to fuel his cultivation, it was still a shocking feat.

“This would suffice. There’s no need for it to cultivate battle techniques since we can just share them via our souls!”

Given that the clone and the main body shared a common consciousness, they could easily share knowledge. Even without any practice, the clone was able to execute Heaven’s Path battle techniques at the same level of the original. But of course, these had to have some minor flaws introduced into them as well.

“Let’s see how powerful it is… Come, give me a punch!”

Zhang Xuan looked at his clone with a smile.

Since there was no Strength Measuring Rock Pillar in the room, there was no way to ascertain the current strength of the clone precisely. However, Zhang Xuan could still fathom a rough gauge through trying it out with his own body.

Hu!

The clone sent a punch over, and with a casual smile, Zhang Xuan faced it with one of his own too.

The two punches collided.

Peng!

Before Zhang Xuan could react, he felt a sharp pain on his arm, as though he had been struck by a humongous mountain. He was immediately sent flying, and his head crashed through several layers of walls before being planted in the rock-filled courtyard.

“The heck… What is this…” Zhang Xuan cried.

Chapter 569: Mo Gaoyuan Seeks an Audience

“Sorry but our young master is currently in seclusion; he isn’t meeting any guests!”

In the residence, Sun Qiang looked at two individuals apologetically.

The two individuals were Elder Hu and Master Teacher Song Chao. Upon knowing that Zhang shi was back, they visited the residence everyday no matter how many times the sharp-tongued Sun Qiang tried to chase them away.

“I know, but the tournament is going to begin tomorrow. No matter what, Zhang shi has to come out of his seclusion today…” Elder Hu smiled awkwardly.

Even though the fourteen powers had hushed all news regarding that incident back then, as one of the powers involved in the tournament, Elder Hu did know a thing or two about it.

To be able to chase away so many powerful experts and keep them completely silenced about the matter afterward, Zhang shi’s background must be astounding.

Thus, even though his original intention was only to buy the Soulless Metal Humanoid, he eventually ended up visiting every day in hopes of forging a close relationship with this Zhang shi.

“Even though that’s true, I can’t guarantee you that the young master will come out of his seclusion today…” Sun Qiang nodded his head.

Ever since young master returned, he had locked himself in his room, and it had been half a month since then.

Also, the old master also appeared that once. After that incident, he disappeared without a trace. Even Sun Qiang himself couldn’t verify whether these two individuals were truly still in the residence.

“That… After Zhang shi is out of his seclusion, can Butler Sun send someone to inform me of the matter? I’m sure you can tell that I’m really interested in buying the Soulless Metal Humanoid,” Elder Hu said.

“This…”

Sun Qiang frowned, and the disposition of a high-rank master teacher’s butler naturally flowed out of him. “I don’t have the rights to make such a decision. It’ll depend on the will of the young master. If he is unwilling to meet you, I can’t force a meeting either!”

Ever since that day, Sun Qiang’s standing had been on a nearly vertical rise, and even Alliance Head Zhao and Pavilion Master Kang had to visit him personally. As time went by, the authority and prestige he enjoyed gradually built on his disposition.

“Indeed! A person of Zhang shi’s caliber can’t possibly entertain everyone who comes knocking at his door…” Elder Hu played along with Sun Qiang.

“Of course. The young master is a man of great stature. Even Sect Leader Luo Huang of the Fleeting Cloud Sect has been chased away by me in the past few days!” Sun Qiang spoke proudly.

Sect Leader Luo Huang had paid his visit the past few days, but before he could even reach the entrance, he was already chased away by the guards with sticks in their hands.

You must be joking! Surely you should have thought of this possibility when you came to attack us!

To apologize only after learning of our old master’s might… Do you think that there is really such a good deal in the world?

“Indeed. A person like Zhang shi is destined for great things. How could it be possibly to meet him that easily? All I hope is that Butler Sun could help to speak up on my behalf before the other party…” Elder Hu’s mouth twitched, but he hurriedly continued with his fawning.

But before he could finish his words, a loud explosion sounded, and following which, they saw a figure being planted onto the ground before them.

“Audacious! Do you think that Zhang shi’s residence is a place where you can wreak havoc?”

Seeing how the other party actually dared to make a move here, even going to the extent of tearing down the walls, Elder Hu was just about to display his ‘goodwill’ toward Zhang shi when Butler Sun rushed forward and asked worriedly, “Young master, what’s wrong?”

“Young master? Zhang shi?”

Elder Hu’s vision darkened, and his body swayed weakly. For an instant, he felt as though blood was regurgitating in his mouth, threatening to spew out at any moment.

That dirty and unkempt beggar who was head planted into the ground… was Zhang shi?

A man of great stature…

How was that fellow whose head was planted into the ground and was chewing on soil in his mouth… had anything to do with great stature?

He had just gone along with Butler Sun to praise Zhang shi to the point that the latter seemed no different from a deity from the heavens when the latter sudden appeared in such a manner…

Elder Hu felt as though he was about to cry.

And he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Standing beside him, Song Chao’s mouth was also twitching violently.

Having met Zhang shi a few times before, he was able to recognize the other party at first sight. There was no doubt-that unseemly person on that floor was indeed Zhang shi. The previous few times, the other party carried such a refined and authoritative disposition that he couldn’t help but feel awed toward, but now…

This… was simply too much of an image changer.

“Cough cough cough!”

Plucking his head out of the ground, Zhang Xuan felt dismayed.

Despite being at Transcendent Mortal 3-dan pinnacle as well, not to mention, he cultivated the complete Heaven’s Path Divine Art… and yet, he was nearly beaten to death by his clone!

What the heck was this?

For the main body to be unable to match up to the clone… Wasn’t he really too useless?

But while he was dismayed, he soon understood the underlying reason behind this matter.

Regardless, the body of his clone was forged out of the Nine Hearts Lotus, a God artifact. Even though the cultivation technique his clone was cultivating was weaker than his, just the might of the physical body itself was easy to make up for its deficiency and even exceed the original body. It would be no joke to say that the clone was an invincible existence in his class.

Unless… Zhang Xuan continued to cultivate the Heaven’s Path Golden Body and reached the very limits of it. Otherwise, for a long time, he would remain outclassed by his clone.

“Forget it, since the one stronger than myself is myself, there’s no need for me to feel so frustrated over it…” Zhang Xuan consoled himself.

In any case, both bodies could be considered as a part of him, so there was nothing for him to get depressed over.

Seeing Butler Sun’s worried look, Zhang Xuan patted the dust off his robe and replied, “I’m fine, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s just that I met some minor problems with my cultivation a moment ago!”

“Alright!”

Even though Sun Qiang was perplexed to hear that the other party had met with some problems in his cultivation, he suppressed his doubt and clasped his fist, “Young master, Elder Hu and Master Teacher Song Chao from the Blue Frost Sect is here. They are interested in buying your Soulless Metal Humanoid, and they’ve been visiting for the past few days…”

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled the matter.

“Song Chao? Soulless Metal Humanoid?”

Back then, in the Southern Herb Garden, Zhang Xuan convinced Song Chao to purchase a metal coffin for one middle-tier spirit stone, and he promised the latter that as long as he brought sufficient money, he would sell the remaining three Soulless Metal Humanoid to him.

But currently, Mo Hunsheng needed the Soulless Metal Humanoid to house his soul. On top of that, there was a need to keep spare in case one of them wore out in the midst of battle…

If Zhang Xuan were to sell all of them, it would be impossible for him to replace a second one in the world.

After all, the occupation of soul oracles had already gone extinct in the world, and the number of Soulless Metal Humanoid was extremely limited in the world. It would be no exaggeration to say that the odds were that he would never replace a fifth one in the world.

Besides, Zhang Xuan didn’t lack middle-tier spirit stones at the moment, so he wasn’t as keen to sell them at the moment.

“Zhang shi, I am Elder Hu from Blue Frost Sect. I believe you have met Master Teacher Song Chao before…”

After a moment of hesitation, Elder Hu and Song Chao stepped forward.

“Un, pleased to meet you, Elder Hu!”

Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and greeted the other party. After which, he scratched his head sheepishly and replied, “Pardon me. I did have three Soulless Metal Humanoid in my hands before but… you came too late. I’ve already sold them already. I’m afraid that you have made a wasted trip!”

It wasn’t convenient for him to talk about Mo Hunsheng, so he decided to just claim that he had already sold the Soulless Metal Humanoids.

“You’ve sold all of them?” Not expecting for such a hiccup to occur, Elder Hu was taken aback.

“Indeed. You should also know that hidden in the Soulless Metal Humanoids are the secrets of the soul oracles. There are simply too many people interested in buying them, and I only had a few of them in my hands…”

Zhang Xuan waved his hands apologetically when the ground suddenly rumbled, and a towering figure rushed into the hall.

“Young master, what happened? Are you alright?” Mo Hunsheng asked worriedly.

He had been standing guard outside the room so as to ensure the young master’s safety. Yet, somehow, the young master still ended up being sent flying. Alarmed, he hurriedly rushed over to check on the young master’s condition.

“This is… a living Soulless Metal Humanoid…”

Elder Hu’s vision went dark.

Big brother, didn’t you just say that you’ve already sold all of the Soulless Metal Humanoid? For a living one to walk out the next moment… What the heck was this?

“Cough cough!”

Zhang Xuan also didn’t expect to be exposed right after he uttered the lie, so his face went red in embarrassment. “Th-this… is not a metal humanoid. It is a guard of mine which cultivated a unique battle technique that resulted in his current appearance!”

“A unique battle technique?”

Elder Hu and Song Chao’s bodies swayed weakly.

Do you really think we are blind?

This is obviously a Soulless Metal Humanoid, right?

We are all fellow master teachers. No matter how bad our eyes of discernment are, we can at least distinguish between a normal guard and a puppet.

“Alright!” But even so, since the other was clearly unwilling to broach the topic, they weren’t in a good position to ask either. After all, while the Soulless Metal Humanoid was important, it wasn’t worth getting on Zhang shi’s bad side for it.

After chatting a while longer, they confirmed that Zhang shi had no intentions whatsoever to sell the Soulless Metal Humanoid, and thus, Elder Hu and Song Chao could only leave in disappointment.

Before the both of them left, Zhang Xuan instructed them sternly not to spread any news regarding the sentient Soulless Metal Humanoid.

Right after the duo left, Zhang Xuan immediately turned to the tall, golden figure beside him and berated furiously, “To run out in such a form, are you that worried that no one would recognize you?”

The topic of Soulless Metal Humanoids was intricately linked with the soul oracles. If one were to be found running about freely, there would surely bring a huge uproar, and the Master Teacher Pavilion might even choose to conduct an investigation. If so, things could get troublesome.

“I…” Mo Hunsheng also knew that he was too reckless, so he was feeling a little sheepish.

But still, considering that the other party had been trapped for innumerable years in the Nine Hearts Lotus prior to this, he couldn’t really be blamed for his lack of consideration. Thus, Zhang Xuan put the matter aside and asked instead, “Is there any way for you to conceal your appearance and aura?”

Mo Hunsheng contemplated for a moment before replying. “There is a way, but it might take a few days…”

“That’s good. Then, for the next few days, you should try to stay out of public view…”

Seeing that there was indeed a way for Mo Hunsheng to conceal his aura and his appearance, Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Then, turning to Sun Qiang, he asked, “Butler Sun, in the past few days that I’ve been in seclusion, did anything happen?”

For the past half a month since he had returned, he had been in seclusion. Thus, there was a need for him to catch up with the latest happenings.

“Reporting to young master, ever since the old master’s previous appearance, the other sects and empires have toned it down and the city has become much more peaceful. In the past few days, Pavilion Master Kang, Alliance Head Zhao, and Princess Feiwu have been coming by every day, but after confirming that you were still in seclusion each time, they would leave in disappointment,” Sun Qiang said.

The old master’s presence had humbled all of the powers in the city. The arrogant geniuses of powerful sects and empires had become as obedient as domesticated kittens, not daring to cause any trouble at all in fear of getting on Yang shi’s bad side. After all, the wrath of an 8-star master teacher was something that neither they nor their sects could bear.

After thinking for a moment, Sun Qiang continued, “Also… the perpetrator of the entire incident, Ding Hong, has been killed by Sect Leader Luo Huang of Fleeting Cloud Sect!”

In truth, Zhang Xuan had wanted to get rid of that ticking time bomb that night, but as he was disguised as Yang Xuan, he would surely have exposed his true cultivation if he were to make a move personally. Besides, it was beneath Yang shi to make a move on such an insignificant ant. As such, he’d had no choice but to hold himself back.

However, it seemed like the sect leader of Fleeting Cloud Sect was indeed a smart man. He probably knew of Yang shi’s dilemma and completed the job on the other party’s behalf.

“Is there anything else?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“Young Master Lu Chong should be waking up in the next few days. Other than that, the only important matter left would be the Master Teacher Tournament…”

Sun Qiang was just about to continue speaking when an impassive voice suddenly rang from the outside.

“Hongyuan Tier-1 Empire Master Teacher Pavilion’s Pavilion Master, 6-star pinnacle Master Teacher Mo Gaoyuan, seeks an audience with Yang shi!”

Chapter 570: Yang shi’s Disappointment

“6-star master teacher?”

Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows twitched, shocked by the sudden appearance of Pavilion Master Mo.

Wasn’t the most formidable master teacher in Myriad Kingdom Alliance only at 4-star pinnacle? Where in the world did this 6-star pinnacle master teacher come from?

The fundamental requirement of becoming a 6-star master teacher was a cultivation realm of Transcendent Mortal 9-dan, and a 6-star pinnacle master teacher… was probably a true Saint!

For a Saint to actually seek his audience…

Just the thought of it left Zhang Xuan’s hair standing on ends.

Even acting before a half 5-star master teacher was stressful enough for him. There wasn’t a single moment throughout the incident which he didn’t fear that the other party would see through his disguise. And yet, to do so before a true Saint…

For pretending to a high-rank master teacher and scaring others with a false identity, that was a breach of the master teacher moral code. The other party would reserve all rights to kill him on the spot!

In other words, the moment he was exposed as a fake… that would be the moment he would breathe his last breath!

“The news of Yang shi’s appearance must have leaked out…”

Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella in dismay.

Given that such a formidable master teacher had run over to seek an audience with Yang shi, that could only mean one possibility… the matter that had happened that day had reached the ears of Hongyuan Tier-1 Empire.

If Zhang Xuan was a little stronger, he would at least be more confident in his disguise. But the choice wasn’t up to him now. The other party was already at his doorstep, he couldn’t possibly turn the other party away at this point.

What to do?

“No, I should tell the other party that my teacher isn’t around…”

Gritting his teeth, Zhang Xuan was just about to instruct Sun Qiang to relay those words, when the person beside him bellowed, “What are you making such a fuss about? Are you trying to show off your loud voice? Don’t you know the basic manners to visiting another? Wait at the doorstep first, I’ll report this matter to the old master!”

Zhang Xuan turned his face stiffly around, only to see Sun Qiang with a disdainful expression on his face. Sun Qiang, noticing that the young master’s gaze was on him, said contemptuously, “Who does he think he is? So what if he’s a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, does he think that he’s the only one who can transmit his voice telepathically? Even a 7-star pinnacle master teacher would have to wait obediently at the entrance for the old master to summon him in! To cause such a huge fuss, is he trying to start a revolt?”

Putong!

Zhang Xuan’s body suddenly felt weak. In that instant, he even forgot to breathe and nearly died of suffocation.

He was still worried over how he should deal with the 6-star master teacher outside when the fellow beside him uttered such words…

It was too late for him to make excuses now!

No matter what, the other party was a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, a person standing at the very tip of the pyramid known as a Tier-1 Empire. To actually bellow at such a figure like that, sparing him no pride at all… Brother Qiang, you are about to break through the atmosphere!

While tears were streaming down Zhang Xuan’s face, Sun Qiang looked at him expectantly and asked, “Young master, wasn’t the old master discussing the issue regarding Young Master Lu Chong with you?”

Lu Chong’s soul was simply too strong. Even though Zhang Xuan had successfully awakened him back then, the other party still needed some time for his soul to fuse properly with his body before he would be able to regain consciousness. However, after half a month of conditioning, it should be about time for him to regain consciousness.

“I…”

Hearing the question, Zhang Xuan was stumped.

He had once told Wang Ying that he was discussing with Yang shi on how they could save Lu Chong… Given that Lu Chong was about to wake up already, it was indeed weird how not a trace of Yang shi could be seen.

“Is he in the room? I’ll go and ask him whether he wants to meet this 6-star master teacher or not!” Seeing that there was no response from the young master, Sun Qiang continued.

Knowing that it would be impossible for him to reply Sun Qiang’s questions, Zhang Xuan hurriedly interjected, “Cough cough, there’s no need for it. I’ll go ask him myself. For the time being, you should bring Pavilion Master Mo into the main hall…”

“Alright!”

Nodding his head, Sun Qiang headed to the entrance to invite the other party in.

Seeing the other party leave, Zhang Xuan walked toward one of the room in the residence while rubbing his glabella.

After that fellow’s intervention, there was no choice but for ‘Yang shi’ to appear already. But after giving it some thoughts, this matter would be inevitable even if Sun Qiang hadn’t said anything. After all, given that the other party had made the journey here from afar, it was indeed dubious if Yang shi didn’t appear.

Besides, it was likely that Pavilion Master Mo would return again after failing to meet him this once. In the end, he was just meeting the other party earlier.

But… How should be disguise himself before a 6-star pinnacle master teacher to convince him?

An expert of that level was likely to have already forged the Eye of Insight, allowing him to see through all falsehood.

He might have been able to pass off as a Saint by utilizing Mo Hunsheng’s aura, but if he were to do the same for Pavilion Master Mo as well, he would surely be exposed instantaneously!

The same goes for flight as well. Given that 4-star and 5-star master teachers hadn’t come into contact with the ability of flight yet, Zhang Xuan was still able to hoodwink them. To do the same with a Saint was… completely impossible!

There was a fundamental difference between flight induced by a battle technique and the ability of flight that Saints possessed.

“Since nothing works at all… why don’t I just abandon all disguise?”

After walking around the room in dilemma, Zhang Xuan suddenly came to a halt.

Since neither his aura nor flight would work… he might as well not disguise himself.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Xuan quickly changed into ‘Yang shi’s’ clothes and walked into the main hall.

…

Mo Gaoyuan was seated on the guest seat in the main hall, and Mo Chen and Hong Qian stood obediently behind him.

Upon arriving at Myriad Kingdom City, Mo Gaoyuan immediately rushed to look for Hong Qian to better understand the affairs that happened that day.

When he heard that Yang shi came from the skies, induced a breakthrough in the Demon Cinque Beast with just a surge of zhenqi, and conducted a Soul Impartation, he was filled with shock.

Wishing to ascertain this matter personally, he brought the both of them along with him to pay Yang shi a visit.

Mo Gaoyuan scanned the surroundings and a frown slowly etched on his forehead.

The layout of the residence was ordinary, resembling not the residence of a high-rank master teacher in the least. More importantly, the spiritual energy in the room was sparse just like anywhere else.

The living quarters of an 8-star master teacher, even without setting up any formation, due to his overwhelming cultivation in itself, could turn a barren plain into a lush field.

Powerful master teachers were aligned with nature, and they would naturally generate a spiritual energy force-field that would nourish their environment wherever they went.

It was precisely due to that reason that the top headquarters of the Master Teacher Pavilion was so concentrated in spiritual energy that even the most ordinary of cultivators would gain the speed of cultivation comparable to the greatest of talents there.

And yet, the residence before him showed no such signs. It was nothing more than an ordinary residence. What was going on?

Just when he was perplexed, a middle-aged man walked into the room.

That middle-aged man had light footsteps, and not the slightest zhenqi disturbance could be felt from him. No matter how one looked at him, he was nothing more than an ordinary human. In fact, one couldn’t be blamed if one were to assume that he was a cleaner of the residence.

Just as Mo Gaoyuan was about to ask who was that fellow, Butler Sun hurriedly walked forward and greeted, “Old master!”

Beside him, Hong shi’s body also jolted slightly, and the latter hurriedly sent him a telepathic message, “Pavilion Master Gao, this is Yang shi…”

“Him?”

Mo Gaoyuan was stunned.

He had never seen an 8-star master teacher before, but he had seen a 7-star master teacher in the past. Every single movement from a 7-star master teacher seemed to be harmonized with nature, and it exerted an immense pressure on one… But the person before him truly felt no different from an ordinary man…

8-star master teacher?

Are you mistaken?

Frowning, he glanced at Hong shi, only to see the latter nod his heads to confirm his suspicions. Only then did Mo Gaoyuan stand up and clasp his fists. “Hongyuan Tier-1 Empire Master Teacher Pavilion’s Pavilion Master, 6-star pinnacle Master Teacher Mo Gaoyuan pays respect to Yang shi!”

After which, he silently observed the other party carefully.

“Un!”

Yang shi remained nonchalantly after hearing the other party’s title. Instead, he simply turned around and walked on the main seat before turning to look at Mo Gaoyuan nonchalantly. “What is the reason for your visit?”

“I…” Not expecting the other party to ask him such a direct question, Mo Gaoyuan was tongue-tied.

After all, he couldn’t possibly say that he was unable to replace the other party’s name on the Master Teacher Registry, so he came to verify whether the other party was a fake.

“I heard that Yang shi has come to the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, and fearing that our reception might be lacking, I decided to come over to take a look…” Mo Gaoyuan replied awkwardly.

But before he could finish his words, the middle-aged man’s impassive voice sounded, “Are you done looking?”

“Ah… Yes!”

“Then you may leave now!”

After which, Yang shi stood up, placed his hands behind his back, and started walking out of the room.

“…”

Mo Gaoyuan’s lips twitched.

This… What is going on?

Can’t we at least converse properly?

Even if you’re an 8-star master teacher, surely there’s no need for you to act so high and mighty?

No matter what, I’m still a pavilion master of Hongyuan Tier-1 Empire, and I came down specially to pay my respects. Yet, to throw me out like that… aren’t you being too impolite?

“To tell Yang shi the truth, I’ve been facing some problems in my cultivation recently and I would like to consult Yang shi on them…”

Gritting his teeth, Mo Gaoyuan stood up.

He came all the way here from afar, and he couldn’t possibly leave just like that!

Since that was the case, he might as well pose a question to the other party. If the other party could easily solve a question that was even beyond him, then there was no doubt about the other party’s rank.

On the other hand, if the other party was unable to answer the question, then his position as an 8-star master teacher would indeed be doubtful.

Without turning his head, Yang shi spoke impassively, “Speak!”

“Yes… It’s a problem regarding the cultivation of Saint 1-dan…” Mo Gaoyuan hurriedly said.

“Saint 1-dan?”

Zhang Xuan, disguised a Yang shi, nearly keeled over.

I can explain the cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 1-dan, 2-dan, and 3-dan to you perfectly… but Saint?

He had only heard of the name of this cultivation realm just recently, so how could he possibly know the slightest thing about the cultivation of an expert of this level?

Putting aside offering pointer, he hadn’t even read books of such a level…

He would surely expose his ignorance the moment he starts to speak on the matter!

Not knowing of the dilemma in ‘Yang shi’s’ mind, Mo Gaoyuan revealed his dilemma.

“… How can one open the Zhukong acupoint without causing one’s zhenqi to leak out while maintaining a consistent rise in one’s cultivation?”

This question had confused him for a very long time. He’d had to browse through innumerable books before he was able to replace the answer. If the other party was able to provide the same answer as him, that would prove that the other party was a high-rank master teacher. Or else… the other party’s background would be worth looking into.

“May I know if… Yang shi has any solution to the matter?”

After posing his question, Mo Gaoyuan looked at Yang shi expectantly.

“Zhukong acupoint? Zhenqi leaking out? Maintaining a consistent rise in one’s cultivation?”

A mini explosion occurred into Zhang Xuan’s head, and he nearly spurted blood.

He had never even heard of this acupoint before, so how could he possibly know anything about zhenqi leaking out and what consistent rise in cultivation? Offering a solution to the problem was even beyond his means.

He was doomed!

“Yang shi…”

A moment had passed, but Yang shi still remained silent. Perplexed, Mo Gaoyuan called him questioningly when a cold harrumph suddenly sounded in the room.

“Are you really a 6-star pinnacle master teacher?”

Yang shi turned to look at Mo Gaoyuan with a cold gaze filled with displeasure.

“I… That’s right!”

Mo Gaoyuan was taken aback.

He was the number one expert in Hongyuan Tier-1 Empire, and everyone knew of his name. How could he possibly be a fake?

“That’s right? Then why can’t you even solve such a simple problem by yourself?”

With his hands behind his back, Yang shi shook his head in disappointment. “Seems like the standards for qualifying as a 6-star master teacher have dropped by a lot in the time that I’ve been away!”

Chapter 571: Yang shi, I Was Wrong!

Standards for qualifying as 6-star master teacher have dropped?

You’re saying that Mo shi isn’t qualified as a 6-star master teacher?

Hong Qian and Mo Chen’s body trembled violently.

That was the strongest master teacher of Hongyuan Tier-1 Empire. To utter such words means to question the other party’s professionalism. That was a huge insult in itself!

As expected, upon hearing those words, Mo Gaoyuan frowned in displeasure. “I passed the 6-star master teacher examination in Tianhong Conferred Empire, and it has been thirty-seven years since then. In the time, I’ve groomed two 6-star master teachers, twelve 5-star master teachers, and countless 4-star and 3-star master teachers. On top of that, the Hongyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion has achieved the top ten placing in the Master Teacher Tournament three times under me…

“How am I unqualified as a 6-star master teacher? I beseech Yang shi to correct my errors!”

This was a matter concerning his professionalism and pride as a 6-star master teacher. Even if Yang shi was a true 8-star master teacher, he couldn’t and wouldn’t back down.

“Those who seek to enlighten must be enlightened; those who seek to correct must be correct. Such is the way of a teacher!”

Challenged by the other party, Yang shi retained his usual composure and said, “If a teacher wishes to guide his student down the correct road, he must first ensure that he is on the right path. If he is treading on the wrong path himself, then the higher his achievements, the greater damage he will cause!”

The slightest mistake in a teaching could lead to the greatest of difference. If even the teacher’s understanding is wrong, then the more students he had, the further the wrong teachings would spread, and the greater the harm dealt.

“The question you have just raised can be considered to be one of the simpler ones already. If you can’t even solve such a simple question yourself, it only goes to show that your understanding of cultivation is flawed. Under such circumstances, how can you possibly guide your students correctly?”

Yang shi shook his head. “Alright, show me your punching routine so that I can take a look. If I’m not mistaken, given how you are unable to solve such a simple question, you are already going down the wrong path already!”

“Going down the wrong path?”

Mo Gaoyuan’s face darkened.

There was no one who could be happy to have such words spoke straight to him.

Not to mention, Mo Gaoyuan knew the answer to that question, and he only wanted to test the other party.

“I don’t have an interest in forcing anyone to do anything against their will!” Noting Mo Gaoyuan’s silence, the disappointment on Yang shi’s face deepened, and he shook his hands helplessly. “Sun Qiang, send the guests off!”

“Sure!”

Sun Qiang walked up and gestured to the door, “This unqualified Mo shi over here, I’ll have to ask you to leave. We don’t welcome you here!”

“You…” Mo Gaoyuan was in a terrible mood already, and yet, a lowly butler still dared to utter such sarcastic words to him. Infuriated, he nearly coughed out blood.

I could still tolerate it when Yang shi, an existence who could very well be an 8-star master teacher, treats me in such manner… But who do you think you are?

“Who knows how many lives it must have taken you to accumulate sufficient good fortune for the old master to offer you his pointer. All you have to do is to execute your punching routine, and yet, there you are hesitating… It’s the first time I’m seeing such a foolish master teacher. And you claim to be a 6-star pinnacle master teacher?”

The disdain on Sun Qiang’s face couldn’t be any clearer, “Pui!”

Huang dang!

Hong Qian and Mo Chen only felt their vision turning dark, and they nearly fainted on the spot.

Big brother, do you know how respected the person before you is? To dare to speak to him like that…

He is a person closest to becoming a 7-star master teacher in Hongyuan Empire, the number one expert of Hongyuan Empire. Even the emperor had to greet him in the capacity of a student upon seeing him… Yet, a mere Transcendent Mortal 1-dan fatty like you actually dared to utter such disdainful words at him…

‘Pui’ your head!

Do you think you are qualified to look down on him like that?

“You…”

While the duo was frenzied, Mo Gaoyuan nearly fainted on the spot.

In the past thirty-seven years of his life as a 6-star master teacher, there hadn’t been a single person who dared to utter such arrogant words before him. Yet, today, his professionalism was first brought into question and now, he was being looked down upon…

On top of that… the one who looked down on him was a mere subordinate!

His face became as black as the bottom of a pot. Mo Gaoyuan suppressed his rage and said, “Yang shi, it just happens that there’s one battle technique that I’ve been unable to decipher, so I hope that you can enlighten me on my faults!”

Even though he was infuriated by the actions of the fatty, he was still Yang shi’s subordinate, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to lash out at him. Thus, he decided to first test the depths of Yang shi’s capability before deciding on his next course of action.

And thus, before the other party could reply, he began executing his battle technique.

As expected of a Saint. As soon as he made a move, an overwhelming might immediately filled the entire room. It felt as though everyone was locked in a cage in the other party’s grasp, and there was nowhere to escape to.

Escaping from a Saint… was an impossible feat to them!

To seal even space with a single fist… Fearsome!

After taking a glance at the other party’s battle technique, a book immediately appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path, and Yang shi immediately immersed his consciousness in to take a look.

After affirming that the book was on Mo Gaoyuan, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He couldn’t help but send Sun Qiang a look of commendation.

To be able to even agitate a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, this fellow was indeed extraordinary.

Hu!

Soon, Mo Gaoyuan finished his punching routine and came to a halt. Clasping his fist, he said, “Yang shi, I seek for your guidance!”

“Un!”

Raising his eyelids, Yang shi walked over and said, “You have practiced your Dual Nascent Dragon Helios Punch well in the past twenty years, having reached Minor Accomplishment in the battle technique!”

Mo Gaoyuan was taken aback.

While there weren’t many people who cultivated the Dual Nascent Dragon Helios Punch, it wasn’t really an uncommon technique, so it wasn’t surprising that Yang shi would recognize it. But… how did the other party manage to accurately guess how long he had practiced the technique for?

After all, there were some talented people who were able to reach Minor Accomplishment within three days of practice while there were some who could never get past Novice despite devoting their entire lives to the technique. Given that Mo Gaoyuan was still a long way away from achieving Major Accomplishment, most people would have guessed that he hadn’t practiced this technique for too long… Yet, the other party was able to guess that he had immersed himself in it for twenty years already. The other party’s eye of discernment… was simply way too formidable!

Shocked, Mo Gaoyuan’s attitude gradually became respectful, “Yang shi is right. It has been twenty years and one month since I first practiced this technique…”

Knowing that the other party would reply in such a manner, Yang shi wasn’t surprised at all. He gazed at the other party impassively and asked, “Do you know the reason why you’ve only reached Minor Accomplishment in this technique despite practicing it more twenty years?”

“I don’t know…”

Mo Gaoyuan shook his head.

He was able to easily reach Major Accomplishment for all other techniques-this was the only battle technique that he had a problem with. He had looked through many books, but he was still unable to understand the reason why.

That was why he intentionally chose to execute this battle technique so as to pose this question to the other party.

“The essence of the Dual Nascent Dragon Helios Punch lies not in ‘Dragon Helios’ but ‘Dual Nascent’!”

Seeing the incomprehension in Mo Gaoyuan’s eyes, Yang shi continued, “As the saying goes, ‘fist for the young, stick for the veteran’. For a fist technique to be strong, strength is just one factor. More importantly, one must possess vitality as well. The idea of Dual Nascent behind the Dual Nascent Dragon Helios Punch refers to one’s body and one’s heart!

“If you were only a hundred or so when you first cultivated this fist technique, it wouldn’t have taken you too long to reach Major Accomplishment. However, it’s a pity that you only started when you were 120. Given that you have already aged, and the vitality in your aura is lacking… it’s difficult for you to execute a fist technique meant for youths!

“But of course, you can still make up for the deficiency with a young spirit. Through your deep understanding of battle techniques, it wouldn’t be too difficult for you to reach Major Accomplishment within twenty years… But it’s a pity that a fault occurred while you were striving for Void Pursuit realm, causing a trauma in your mind, resulting in your inability to comprehend the true essence of battle techniques!”

“Trauma when striving for Void Pursuit realm… h-how did you know about it?”

Shocked, Mo Gaoyuan was unable to retain his composure.

Saint 1-dan Void Pursuit realm… It represented the will of one to pursuing the essence of space. At this realm, one would gain the ability to soar freely in the sky.

“How did you know?”

Yang shi chuckled lightly. “The Dual Nascent Dragon Helical Punch, despite being known as a fist technique, is actually a technique that, through a firm footing on the ground, channels the strength throughout one’s body into one’s fist!”

Formidable fist technique tapped into the strength of one’s entire body instead of just one’s arms.

Upon hearing this, Mo Gaoyuan, as well as Hong Qian and Mo Chen, nodded their heads in agreement.

Yang shi continued, “But… when you launched your fist, your aura was a little unstable. Even though it looked as though you utilized the strength of your entire body, in truth, you only channeled the strength from your ankles upward, excluding your feet! The feet are where the Zhukong acupoint is located, and considering the problem you just asked, it isn’t too hard to deduce that you’ve met with some problem in your breakthrough to Void Pursuit realm!”

It was just a moment ago that Mo Gaoyuan asked ‘how can one open the Zhukong acupoint without causing one’s zhenqi to leak out while maintaining a consistent rise in one’s cultivation…’

For the zhenqi to bypass the feet, where the Zhukong acupoint is located, and taking into account the previous question Mo Gaoyuan asked, it wasn’t too difficult to deduce the situation.

“The problem in your cultivation caused your zhenqi to leak from your Zhukong acupoint, thus making it difficult for you to raise your cultivation… As such, you intentionally had your zhenqi bypass your feet when practicing the Dual Nascent Dragon Helios Punch… Even though you managed to solve your problem eventually, thus allowing your cultivation to improve once more, it’s a pity that the habit of avoiding your Zhukong acupoint for your battle techniques has already become deeply ingrained into you over the years, causing your progress in the Dual Nascent Dragon Helios Punch to stagnate!” Yang shi said.

“Th-this…” Mo Gaoyuan’s body stiffened, and he fell silent.

The other party’s words were spot-on.

Back then, when he was attempting a breakthrough to Void Pursuit realm, he accidentally made a mistake, resulting in a fault in his acupoint which caused his zhenqi to leak out. It was only after many years of studying that he managed to replace a solution to his problem, and this Dual Nascent Dragon Helios Punch happened to be a battle technique he cultivated before then.

Mo Gaoyuan was certain that this was his first time meeting Yang shi, and yet, the other party was able to deduce his condition just by looking at his battle technique…

How formidable must his eye of discernment be?

At the very least, he knew that he wasn’t capable of such a feat! In fact, even the 7-star master teacher he met back then wouldn’t be able to do the same too!

Could the other party really be an… 8-star master teacher?

He had come harboring doubts about the identity of the middle-aged man, but now, he was already seventy to eighty percent convinced.

While Mo Gaoyuan was still in shock, Yang shi’s voice continued, “Also, if my eyes don’t fail me, you must have met with some kind of danger or were in the midst of a fight when you were attempting a breakthrough to the Void Pursuit realm!”

“Yes…” Mo Gaoyuan nodded.

Back then, he was chased by his enemies, and at that crucial moment, he had no choice but to attempt a breakthrough to Void Pursuit realm to resolve the situation. Even though his breakthrough succeeded, and he managed to slay his enemies with his heightened strength, the forceful breakthrough had resulted in his Zhukong acupoint being damaged… thus resulting in a whole series of problems.

“As 6-star master teacher, you should have known that achieving a breakthrough to Void Pursuit realm requires absolute tranquility, and one has to slowly nourish the Zhukong realm with one’s zhenqi… And yet, you allowed yourself to be put into such a dangerous situation, leaving yourself no choice but to attempt such a dangerous breakthrough!

“You failed to assess your enemies accurately, and you failed to assess yourself accurately as well… Is this a mistake that a high-rank master teacher should make? Saying that you are unqualified is already downplaying the matter! Why? Do you have any objections to what I said? Or rather…”

With a slight frown, a majestic aura suddenly burst forth from Yang shi. “… do you still think that I am a fake?”

“I…”

With a reddened face, Mo Gaoyuan panicked.

“I’m sorry, Yang shi! I was wrong!”

Chapter 572: Lu Chong Awakens

It was true that he visited with the intention of testing the other party!

Having his intentions pointed out so directly left him in an incredibly awkward position.

For him to actually doubt the identity of such a formidable master teacher… It was fortunate that the other party had a good temper. Otherwise, if the other party were to offended by this matter, even the destruction of the entire Hongyuan Empire wouldn’t be sufficient to placate his wrath. Mountains of corpses and rivers of blood would be left in his wake.

“Pavilion Master Mo admitted his mistake?”

“Does this mean that… what Yang shi said was true?”

Hong Qian and Mo Chen glanced at one another in shock.

To be able to deduce this far through a mere punching routine, Yang shi’s eye of discernment was nothing short of terrifying… In other words, there was little doubt that he was a bona fide 8-star master teacher!

The moment such a thought surfaced in their minds, a jolt ran through their bodies.

Putting aside the other party’s esteemed ranking, just his cultivation as an 8-star master teacher made him a fearsome adversary that few would dare to cross the line with. The might he possessed was so powerful that it would leave any opponent in despair.

“When Yang shi first appeared, I was baffled by the lack of a powerful disposition that any experts should harness. It was as if he was an ordinary human. But thinking about it now, only a master teacher of Yang shi’s level would be capable of concealing his cultivation so thoroughly that not even Pavilion Master Mo is capable of peering through his facade!”

“Most choose to use their strength as a tool to win the deference of others. Only a person standing at the very top, having seen through the illusion of glory and prestige, would be willing to humble himself as an ordinary person!”

Harboring such thoughts in mind, their respect for Yang shi deepened.

There were no experts they knew of that could compare to the middle-aged man standing before them!

To view prestige and glory as nothing more than dirt, to remain humble despite being one of the strongest experts on the continent, and that charming confidence and astounding composure… These were qualities that too few possessed.

From the start to the end, the other party never tried to leverage his superior cultivation against them—a common move used to instill respect and fear. Throughout the entire encounter, he remained nothing more than an ordinary person…

Thinking about how they had acted as compared to the other party, they felt deeply ashamed of themselves.

It was no wonder why the butler would act so arrogantly. To the butler of an 8-star master teacher, a 6-star master teacher was indeed not any different from an ordinary person.

In fact… the cultivation they perceived in him might even be fake. There was a good chance that he wasn’t just a mere Transcendent Mortal 1-dan cultivator.

After all, how could an 8-star master teacher, a Saint expert, possibly regard a weakling so highly as to allow the other party to serve by his side?

As this thought came to mind, cold sweat drenched their backs.

It was lucky that they had maintained their etiquette before this Butler Sun. If they had really attempted to make a move against him, who knew what would remain of them now?

“There’s no need to apologize. It is only right for master teachers to question everything around them. There are those who pass off as high-rank master teachers to deceive others for their own profits, and it is imperative for us to investigate such matters to prevent such frauds from sullying the name of the Master Teacher Pavilion!”

Yang shi didn’t seem to have any intention of pursuing Mo Gaoyuan’s faults. Instead, with a deep tone, he lectured the other with in the capacity as an elder.

“I’ve benefited from Yang shi’s guidance!”

Mo Gaoyuan quickly stood up and clasped his fist.

“Alright, you may leave now. I don’t want anyone to learn of my presence here. You should know what to do.” Yang shi waved his hands.

“Yes!” Mo Gaoyuan nodded before retreating from the room with a bent back. Hong Qian and Mo Chen hurriedly followed suit.

Only after leaving the residence did the tenseness finally leave their bodies. Glancing at one another, they subconsciously wiped the cold sweat off their foreheads.

Yang shi didn’t fly into a tantrum or suppress them with his cultivation in the encounter. However, his clear eyes made them feel extremely uncomfortable. Those deep eyes seemed to peer right at their souls, and it felt like no disguise or facade could possibly fool those eyes. Before the other party, they felt stark naked.

It took a moment before they finally regained their composure. Mo Chen turned to Mo Gaoyuan and asked, “Teacher, what should we do now?”

“Let’s return!”

Mo Gaoyuan waved his hands.

“Return?” Mo Chen was taken aback.

They had taken nearly half a month to get here, and yet, just after trading some words with Yang shi, they were leaving already? Wasn’t this a little too fast!

“Since we’ve already achieved our aim here, what other reasons do we have to remain here?” Mo Gaoyuan shook his head. “Become a nuisance?”

“This…” Mo Chen was tongue-tied.

Indeed, their aim here was to confirm Yang shi’s identity, and since they had already achieved what they were here for, remaining here would only incur his displeasure. Since that was the case, they might as well leave immediately.

Hearing that they were about to leave, Hong Qian clasped his fist and asked, “The Master Teacher Tournament is going to commence tomorrow. Since Pavilion Master Mo and Mo shi are here, won’t you remain here to host the event?”

If the both of them could host the event, the prestige of the tournament would immediately shoot up several levels. This could also boost the reputation of Huanyu Empire as a whole.

“We’ll decline on the offer. Since that is a matter of Huanyu Empire, we shall not get involved in it!” Mo Gaoyuan shook his head.

Huanyu Empire was a Tier-2 Empire under Hongyuan Empire. There might be several troublesome implications if he were to disregard his identity and host the event.

“To tell the truth… Yang shi’s direct disciple, Zhang shi, will be participating in the tournament as well,” Hong Qian added in hopes of persuading the other party.

“Yang shi’s direct disciple?”

Mo Gaoyuan frowned. But soon, he shook his head once more and replied, “I’ll still have to pass!”

It wouldn’t be good for him to get involved in the affairs of a branch. His prestigious identity as the pavilion master of the Hongyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion meant that even the slightest action and gesture of his could have political implications, so it was imperative for him to act with caution.

“But still, since Zhang shi is participating, allow me to up the stakes!”

Mo Gaoyuan flicked his wrist, and a jade box appeared in his hands. With a light chuckle, he said, “This is a high-tier spirit stone. I shall leave this with you as the prize for the champion of the tournament.”

“A high-tier spirit stone?” Hong Qian’s breathing hastened.

One high-tier spirit stone was worth ten thousand middle-tier spirit stone.

High-tier spirit stones were an important cultivation resource even to a Saint. Hong Qian had never even seen one before, and yet, Pavilion Master Mo was actually offering it as the prize for the tournament. He couldn’t help but feel agitated by the matter.

“Un. Clearly, Yang shi is trying to temper his student through having him participate in this tournament. Since that’s the case, I should help to fan the flames through stimulating the motivation of the other competitors. Let’s see how this Zhang shi will fare in the tournament this way!” Mo Gaoyuan chuckled.

Since Yang shi wanted to put his student to the test, Mo Gaoyuan decided to lend him a hand.

High-tier spirit stones may mean nothing much to a high-rank master teacher like Yang shi, but to the master teachers from the regions surrounding Huanyu Empire, it was truly a priceless treasure!

Offering this as the reward for the champion would surely motivate the geniuses participating in the tournament to give it their all, and this would in turn serve as a trial to temper Zhang shi.

“Yes!” Understanding the intentions behind Pavilion Master Mo’s actions, Hong Qian carefully kept the jade box.

“Host the tournament well. Inform me of the results of the tournament as soon as possible!”

Chuckling lightly, Mo Gaoyuan leaped onto the back of the saint beast with Mo Chen. Just as he was about to set off, he suddenly recalled something and turned around, “You would do well to bury the matter regarding Yang shi’s deep in your mind and never speak of it! Warn the various sects and empires participating in the Master Teacher Tournament of this matter as well. If any of them dares to blab on this matter, I’ll investigate the matter personally and crush them!”

His voice carried a sharp edge that induced goosebumps on one’s skin.

Since Yang shi didn’t want anyone to learn of his presence, there was a need to halt the flow of news sternly. Otherwise, if a mishap were to occur and the other party were to go on a rampage, no one would be able to stop him.

“Yes!” Hong Qian nodded.

Hu!

After warning Hong Qian, the saint beast flapped its wings, and before long, the trio disappeared amidst the boundless sky.

…

Mo Gaoyuan and the others left in trepidation, not knowing that Yang shi had also heaved a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off his forehead upon their departure.

It was truly too tiring to put on an act before a 6-star master teacher.

It was fortunate that the other party didn’t utilize or hadn’t comprehended the Eye of Insight yet. Otherwise, there was no doubt that Zhang Xuan would have been exposed.

“I should be safe now!”

At the very least, the present crisis was over. By the time the other party realized that something was amiss, Zhang Xuan should already be powerful enough to deal with the situation then.

After this matter, there should be no one who would dare to trifle with him within this period of time.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan was in the midst of contemplating his next course of action when an anxious voice sounded behind him. Lifting his gaze, he saw Wang Ying rushing into the main hall.

“Grandteacher, may I know where Zhang laoshi is? I have something urgent I need to speak to him about…”

“What happened?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

“Err… Only Zhang laoshi will be able to help me with this matter…” Wang Ying replied.

Even though there was a troubled look on her face, her eyes were still fixated on the grandteacher before her.

She was eighty percent certain that Yang shi and Zhang shi were the same person. Thus, she intentionally came over at this timing and asked such a question. If Zhang laoshi remained absent during this entire period of time, she would be able to affirm her conjecture!

“Only I’ll be able to help you with the matter? Wang Ying, what matter is it for you to act so secretively?”

Just as she was staring fixatedly at Yang shi to gauge his reactions, an impassive voice suddenly sounded. Turning around, she saw Zhang laoshi walking in from outside. The latter clasped his fist and greeted, “Teacher!”

“Un!” Yang shi nodded.

“This…”

Wang Ying widened her eyes, dumbstruck.

What was going on?

Yang shi and Zhang laoshi actually appeared together? But… aren’t they the same person?

Otherwise, how could they possibly have identical marks on their lower jaws?

Wang Ying was completely stunned.

She was extremely confident in her conjecture, and the abrupt situation caught her off-guard. For a moment, she was at a complete loss.

“Wang Ying!” Zhang laoshi called.

“Ah…”

Returning to her senses, Wang Ying’s face reddened in embarrassment.

It seemed like she was indeed overthinking the matter.

Zhang laoshi was Yang shi’s student, so how could the both of them possibly be the same person? Her eyes must have been playing tricks on her that day.

“Reporting to teacher and grandteacher, Lu Chong has awoken…” Wang Ying awkwardly clasped her fist.

It had been half a month since Zhang laoshi had used the Soulrouse Grass to save Lu Chong,

“He’s awake?” Zhang shi’s eyes lit up.

“Yes!” Wang Ying nodded her head.

“You should go over first, I’ll hurry over after I’m done!” Zhang shi waved his hands.

“Yes!” Wang Ying said before leaving the room.

Her departure left Zhang shi and Yang shi staring at one another, and after a moment later, the both of them heaved a sigh of relief.

He could tell that Wang Ying was still doubtful of his identity, and thus, he immediately summoned his clone over.

With both Yang shi and Zhang shi appearing at the same place simultaneously, no matter how confident Wang Ying was of her conjecture previously, she would have no choice but to accept it.

“Alright, you should return back to the room to rest first. I’ll go take a look on Lu Chong!”

Zhang Xuan waved his hands, gesturing for the clone return to the room. After ensuring that he was gone, he reverted back to his original appearance before walking over to Lu Chong’s room.

“Teacher…”

As soon as he entered the room, a young man immediately rushed forward and kneeled before him.

Who else could it be other than Lu Chong!

“Everything is fine as long as you’re awake!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head.

The other party had nearly died in order to save him… It was fortunate that the other party was fine now. Otherwise, Zhang Xuan would surely blame himself for life.

All of the efforts he had put into saving Lu Chong hadn’t gone to vain.

“Hmm? Your cultivation…”

Zhang Xuan was just about to speak when he suddenly noticed Lu Chong’s cultivation and froze.

Chapter 573: Lu Chong’s Peculiarity

The cultivation of the young man before him was exactly the same as before—Zongshi realm. At the same time, there wasn’t the slightest soul energy to be felt within him. It was as if what Zhang Xuan saw before in the other party’s consciousness was just a dream.

“Something is wrong…”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

He had once dived into the other party’s consciousness, and putting aside how the other party’s consciousness extended far beyond where his eye could reach, the other party’s soul was also as humongous as a mountain.

A thought popped into Zhang Xuan’s mind.

‘Is it because he hasn’t drawn his soul out yet?’

The strength of one’s soul couldn’t be perceived that easily. Only when one’s soul was drawn out could it be assessed.

Harboring such thoughts in mind, Zhang Xuan instructed, “I’ll impart you a soul cultivation technique. From now on, you should just focus on cultivating your soul; there’s no need for you to cultivate your zhenqi anymore!”

Raising his hand, he placed a finger on the other party’s glabella.

Weng!

A simplified version of Heaven’s Path Soul Guiding Formula appeared in Lu Chong’s mind.

Lu Chong’s Zongshi realm cultivation wasn’t built on zhenqi cultivation but the Poison Body he had cultivated through poison tempering. Physical body cultivation complemented soul cultivation more than zhenqi cultivation, and thus, Lu Chong would benefit more from this.

“Thank you, teacher!”

After swiftly browsing through the cultivation technique in his mind, Lu Chong turned to look at his teacher and clasped his fist in gratitude.

Even though his soul had gone into dormancy, he was still able to perceive the happenings around him subconsciously through his senses.

In other words, he was well aware of what his teacher had done for him ever since he’d gone into a coma.

Fighting against a Transcendent Mortal realm expert in Xuanyuan Kingdom despite being only at Zhizun realm; buying down the Soulless Metal Humanoid and venturing into the dangerous soul oracle tomb; severing his soul to nurture the Soulrouse Grass…

The favor that the other party had shown to him was so great that it would be impossible for him to repay it within this lifetime.

Not only so, the other party even gave him such a valuable cultivation technique without any hesitation…

Clenching his fists tightly in determination, Lu Chong thought, ‘Teacher, don’t worry. I’ll cultivate diligently so as to not disappoint you!’

He used to be a willful and lively person, but after the tragedy that befell his clan, reticence overshadowed all of his traits. Rather than expressing his gratitude verbally, he would rather show it through his diligence and perseverance.

After browsing through the cultivation technique manual twice and memorizing it entirely, Lu Chong exhaled deeply and sat down on the floor.

Zhang Xuan also sat by the side to guard him.

A soul drawn out for the first time was extremely vulnerable. The slightest mistake could possibly cause one’s soul to dissipate along with the wind. Back then, Zhang Xuan had drawn his soul out in an underground tomb, and on top of that, he was also cultivating the complete version of the Soul Guiding Formula. As such, he wasn’t exposed to such vulnerability. However, the same couldn’t be said for Lu Chong.

Zhang Xuan drew his soul and began observing Lu Chong’s condition intently.

Sometime later, Lu Chong’s body swayed, and his eyes gleamed brightly. A silhouette sharing the same appearance as him struggled out of his body.

He had succeeded in drawing his soul out!

“Hmm? His soul seems to be weak…”

Zhang Xuan frowned deeply.

Despite having drawn out his soul, Lu Chong still wasn’t as powerful as Zhang Xuan thought he would be. Rather, just like any other cultivator drawing his soul out for the first time, his soul was extremely weak, and even the weakest gust of wind could easily dissipate it.

What was going on?

Given the size of the latter’s consciousness and soul back then, how could his soul be so weak?

“Teacher!”

The world a soul perceives is very different from what one’s eyes can see. Seeing a different world before him, Lu Chong was visibly excited.

“Your soul is still very weak so try to suppress such intense emotions. Take this spirit stone and quickly cultivate to stabilize your soul!”

After throwing a middle-tier spirit stone to Lu Chong, Zhang Xuan tapped his glabella once again, imparting him the Heaven’s Path Soul Art.

Not just wind, even intense emotions could induce instability in a nascent soul. Thus, it was best for Lu Chong to cultivate as quickly as possible to stabilize his condition.

But in any case, given that Zhang Xuan was guarding by the side, and there were sufficient cultivation techniques and middle-tier spirit stones to drive Lu Chong’s condition, there shouldn’t be any trouble at all. After all, these were much better than the conditions Zhang Xuan had back then.

“Yes!”

Suppressing his emotions, Lu Chong’s soul sat before the middle-tier spirit stone and began absorbing the spiritual energy contained within to cultivate.

“His cultivation speed isn’t too fast either. Was I really mistaken?” Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

The rate of Lu Chong’s cultivation contradicted what Zhang Xuan had seen in the other party’s consciousness.

If Lu Chong really possessed Acquired Soul Physique, given his strong fundamentals, his cultivation would surely improve at an unimaginable speed, such that even Zhang Xuan might be left in the dust.

But contrary to Zhang Xuan’s conjecture, there was nothing extraordinary about the latter’s performance.

Could it be that… he was mistaken? Did Lu Chong not possess Acquired Soul Physique?

But if Zhang Xuan was mistaken, why would Lu Chong’s consciousness and soul be that huge?

While thinking about these doubts, Zhang Xuan noticed that Lu Chong’s soul had already stabilized. Since the other party had already overcome the vulnerable period, there was no need for him to stand guard anymore. Thus, Zhang Xuan left the room, looked for Mo Hunsheng, and raised his doubts with him.

Even though Mo Hunsheng had already imparted his techniques to him, the other party’s knowledge of souls still far surpassed his.

After all, the latter was a 6-star soul oracle who had lived several ten thousand years.

“That… I’m not too sure as well. Why don’t I take a look after Young Master Lu Chong is done with his cultivation?”

Mo Hunsheng wasn’t too clear what was going on as well, so he could only shake his head uncertainly.

It would be better if he could take a look personally so as to better understand the situation.

“Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head before returning to his room.

He had spent the entire night guarding Lu Chong for his cultivation, and the Master Teacher Tournament would commence that day. No matter what, Zhang Xuan should make some preparations for it.

While the prize of middle-tier spirit stones was no longer as attractive to him as before, it was still a good opportunity for him to strike out his reputation.

Otherwise, it would be hard for him to advance further as a master teacher.

Walking into the room, Zhang Xuan saw the clone cultivating by the side and said, “From today onward, you’re called Clone, and you shall address me as the Main!”

The clone nodded his head.

“I’ll be participating in the Master Teacher Tournament soon, so you can’t stay here anymore. Otherwise, if someone were to see you while cleaning up the room, it would be difficult for me to explain the matter…”

The residence they were currently staying at was offered by Zhao Feiwu, and there were attendants from the Alliance Head Residence here to tidy up the place. It was one thing if Zhang Xuan was still at the residence, but if he was off participating in the Master Teacher Tournament and one of the attendants were to see another Zhang Xuan here, wouldn’t that person be scared to death?

As for disguising himself as Yang Xuan… While the clone was capable of executing Heaven’s Path Disguise Art, he didn’t possess the Library of Heaven’s Path. That made it likely for him to give himself away if he were to meet high-rank master teachers.

The clone had also considered this problem, and he replied, “I’ll go into your storage ring then!”

“You can go into my storage ring?” Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment before a bitter smile appeared on his face.

The space in the storage ring was a vacuum. If any being were to enter the premises, they would die swiftly. Putting aside Transcendent Mortals, even Saints would be unable to survive under such conditions!

However, his clone was different. The physical body of the clone was crafted from a God artifact, the Nine Hearts Lotus. Breathing wasn’t required for its existence, flame and water couldn’t impair it, swords and sabers couldn’t wound it. It wasn’t a problem for it to be placed in the storage ring.

However, as Zhang Xuan was too used to the concept of ‘lifeforms cannot exist in the storage ring’, he instinctively asked the question.

“Store!”

Knowing that the clone could enter his storage ring, Zhang Xuan stretched out his hand and drew the clone into his storage ring.

Hu!

The clone immediately entered the storage ring, disappearing from sight.

Bringing his clone along with him would help him avoid many unnecessary problems. As for Yang shi being absent from the residence… It would only be weird if a high-rank master teacher of the other party’s caliber appeared frequently around the residence!

Leaving his room, Zhang Xuan headed for the main hall, where he saw Pavilion Master Kang, Ruohuan gongzi, and a few other people waiting.

At this moment, Ruohuan gongzi had already reinforced his cultivation as a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle sturdily. His eyes were filled with a brilliant energetic glow.

On top of his cultivation, it seemed like his comprehension of master teachers as an occupation had deepened significantly.

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, Pavilion Master Kang chuckled and gestured.

“The Master Teacher Tournament is a public event, and it will be conducted on the field outside the Alliance Head Residence. Zhang shi, let’s proceed over!”

“Alright!”

Nodding, Zhang Xuan was just about to leave when a figure suddenly stood in front of him.

“Senior, I’ll accompany you!”

“Se-senior?”

Zhang Xuan was taken aback. Turning around, he saw that Garden Owner Xue was in the room as well.

At this very moment, Garden Owner Xue exuded a steady aura which reflected perfect harmony between her soul and her physical body. Clearly, she had broken through her bottleneck and reached Transcendent Mortal 5-dan, Consonant Spirit realm!

It was only due to the impairment of her soul previously that she had been unable to progress any further from Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle.

But half a month ago, ‘Yang shi’ imparted her a technique that could heal her impaired soul. Along with the strong foundation she had built up through the years, she successfully advanced to become a Consonant Spirit realm expert.

On top of that, one could vaguely sense that her cultivation had already reached Consonant Spirit realm primary stage pinnacle. All she was lacking now was an impetus to advance to intermediate stage.

Zhang Xuan was initially surprised by the rapid growth of the latter, but after thinking about it, he soon came to a realization.

In order to treat her impaired soul, Garden Owner Xue had been spending the past few decades absorbing the spirit of the medicinal herbs in her herb field. Even though it wasn’t able to heal her impaired soul, it didn’t go to waste either. If Zhang Xuan’s conjecture wasn’t off, there was a good chance that her cultivation would surge all the way to Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle within a short period of time.

“Indeed. Yang shi has accepted me as his student, and given that you’re his direct disciple… Isn’t it only right for me to address you as senior?” Garden Owner Xue clasped her fist.

“Ah… That’s true!” Only then did it hit Zhang Xuan.

That day, due to the urgent circumstances, he knew that there was a chance that his ‘scare’ might not work. Thus, he accepted Xue Yiyao as his student and imparted her with a technique to resolve the issue of her impaired soul.

Through doing so, he would be able to earn her gratitude.

And fortunately, everything went according to plan. A golden page was formed out of her gratitude, and it was through this that Zhang Xuan was able to smash Sect Leader Bai, thus successfully instilling fear into the others.

It was on a whim that he decided to do so—after all, there was no better solution then—so he forgot about the matter after that. He didn’t expect the other party to take it seriously.

Given that Garden Owner Xue was ‘Yang shi’s’ student and Zhang Xuan was the direct disciple, given the higher ranking of direct disciples in the lineage, it was indeed right for her to address him as such.

“There won’t be any danger in the Master Teacher Tournament, so you need not worry about it. It would be better if you stood guard here!”

Even though he knew that the other party was doing this out of goodwill, Zhang Xuan waved his hands to turn her down.

Given that the Master Teacher Tournament was an activity organized by the Master Teacher Pavilion, anyone who dares to cause trouble in it would be deemed as an enemy of the Master Teacher Tournament. There was no one who would dare to take such a risk. Thus, it was unlikely there would be any threat to Zhang Xuan’s safety.

“This…” Garden Owner Xue hesitated.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine!”

Waving his hands, Zhang Xuan followed behind Pavilion Master Kang and walked out of the main hall.

‘Master Teacher Tournament, here I come!’

Chapter 574: Prize of the Tournament

The reason why Zhang Xuan had traveled all the way to the Myriad Kingdom Alliance was for this tournament. While the final prize was only a hundred middle-tier spirit stones—it no longer possessed as much of an allure to him anymore with his newfound wealth—as long as he emerged as the champion, he would become highly-regarded by the Master Teacher Pavilion. With such, it would be easier for him to gain access to Transcendent Mortal 4-dan cultivation techniques.

Besides, his cultivation and capability had already reached a bottleneck in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. If he wanted to progress any further, he would need to venture into higher tiered empires. The top ten of this tournament will gain the chance to study at Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, and this was a good opportunity as well.

Thus, Zhang Xuan still bore some expectations for the Master Teacher Tournament.

“Zhang shi, I’ve spent the last few days compiling a list of potential contenders for the top ten places. You should take a look…”

Pavilion Master Kang handed a book over.

He hadn’t been idling about the past half a month either. He’d had his men investigate the other powers, and eventually, he managed to compile this list. With this list, the participants of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance would be able to prepare themselves. After all, like the saying goes, ‘If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles’.

“Thank you!”

Knowing that the other party had put in a lot of effort into the list, Zhang Xuan nodded his head and casually flipped it open.

“The number one contender to look out for is Luo Xuan, the direct disciple of Sect Leader Luo Huang of Fleeting Cloud Sect. 4-star pinnacle master teacher. Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle. Supporting occupations: 4-star physician, 4-star formation master…”

“This fellow is actually the number one contender to look out for?” A bizarre expression appeared on Zhang Xuan’s face.

Zhang Xuan remembered this fellow. Half a month ago, he used 150 middle-tier spirit stones to bargain with ‘Yang shi’ for Sect Leader Luo Huang’s life.

Based on what Sun Qiang had said regarding the other party, it seemed like the other party had also nearly died from being crushed under the Demon Cinque Beast.

This kind of fool was actually the number one contender for the champion seat of the Master Teacher Tournament?

“Cough cough!” Seeing Zhang Xuan’s bizarre gaze, Pavilion Master Kang immediately deduced what he was thinking about and coughed. “Actually, Luo Xuan isn’t as bad as you think. He’s extremely strong, and even if I were to go against him, it would be hard to tell who would emerge triumphant…”

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in agreement.

The Demon Cinque Beast possessed the Dragon Bloodline; it was normal for cultivators of the same cultivation level to be unable to match up to it. By no means should one judge Luo Xuan’s strength through that encounter! And of course, when Zhang Xuan met the latter in the capacity as ‘Yang shi’, given how even half 5-star master teachers dared not utter a single word of dissonance, naturally, a 4-star pinnacle master teacher like him wouldn’t dare to get ahead of himself.

So, in truth, Luo Xuan was still quite a fearsome adversary to face.

At the very least, there were very few cultivators at Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle who would be a match for him.

“But of course, even though he is placed number one in the contenders to look out for in the tournament, the truth is that the capabilities of the top ten on the list are around the same level. It’ll be hard to say for sure who would be in the first place!” Pavilion Master Kang continued.

Noting that, Zhang Xuan continued looking through the list.

And just as Pavilion Master Kang said, there really wasn’t much disparity in the capabilities of the top ten. They were all 4-star master teacher, Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle experts.

Given that they possessed similar cultivation realms and master teacher ranking, it would be impossible to tell who was above whom.

It didn’t take long for Zhang Xuan to finish browsing through the book.

Of the twenty-eight powers, a total of fifty-six participants had been elected, and even the weakest of them was a 4-star primary master teacher… in other words, Zhang Xuan was the weakest of the lot.

And considering how Ruohuan gongzi was the only 4-star master teacher back in the selection rounds, it was no wonder why the Myriad Kingdom Alliance was always placed in the lower rankings each tournament…

Furthermore, only powers with talents who placed amongst the top in the tournament would be granted better resources, and it was through such resources that they would be able to groom even more formidable master teachers… And vice-versa.

Thus, this formed both a virtuous cycle and a vicious cycle.

It wouldn’t be a mistake to say that if the Myriad Kingdom Alliance were to continue with its placing in the Master Teacher Tournament, it would be a matter of time before it was annexed by other powers, turning it into a mere name in history books.

This was precisely the reason why every single power viewed the Master Teacher Tournament with utmost importance, not daring to let their guard down at all.

“Song Chao?”

As he browsed through the book once more, in the twenty-fifth rank, he saw a familiar name-Song Chao.

He didn’t expect the fellow whom he had beguiled for so many times to be placed so highly in the list of contenders.

Digesting the information, Zhang Xuan gained a good grasp of the various contenders in the tournament.

“Zhang shi, your knowledge as a master teacher and in your supporting occupation is unmatched by any of the participants in the Master Teacher Tournament. Even though your cultivation is slightly lacking, as long as your luck is good, getting into the top ten… shouldn’t be a problem at all!” Pavilion Master consoled.

Zhang shi had accomplished extraordinary feats in the selection rounds, but before so many geniuses, his radiance became dim. Putting others aside, just his cultivation alone would pose a fatal weakness to him.

It was just like the wooden planks making up a pail; only when all of them were long could one fill the pail with more water. As long as one of the wooden planks was short, it would be all for naught.

Similarly, Master Teacher Tournament assessed one’s overall strength. Even if one was proficient in everything except for one aspect, that single aspect would be exploited by one’s competitors. Under such circumstances, it would be impossible for Zhang Xuan to achieve an even higher placing than that.

Knowing what Pavilion Master Kang was worried about, Zhang Xuan asked, “Are the tests for the tournament decided yet?”

Pavilion Master Kang pondered for a moment before replying. “It has already been decided… but we aren’t privy to such information. The tests are decided solely by Hong shi, and to uphold fairness, it was decided that he will announce the tests on the spot!”

Even Pavilion Master Kang wasn’t entitled to the contents of the examination. Otherwise, there was a possibility that he could conduct special training for the Myriad Kingdom Alliance’s participants to have them adapt to the conditions they would be subjected to in the tournament. If so, that would compromise the integrity of the tournament.

In any case, given that it was Hong shi hosting the event, as a 5-star master teacher and a master teacher of Hongfeng Empire, there was no need for anyone to worry about him siding with powers.

Hongfeng Empire was a vassal empire directly under Huanyu Empire, and it was significantly stronger than Fleeting Cloud Sect, White Helios Sect, Myriad Kingdom Alliance, and powers of that level.

Even among Unranked Empires, it was ranked at the forefront.

“Even though I’m not too sure what the tests will be, there has been some news on the prize recently!” Pavilion Master Kang’s eyes glowed in agitation.

“Prize? Isn’t it a hundred middle-tier spirit stones and the opportunity to study in Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy?” Zhang Xuan asked in bewilderment.

Zhang Xuan had heard of it from Su shi back then, and there was nothing to be awed about.

“That was indeed the case back then, but the prize has been raised recently. The new prize is so high that even I can’t help but feel moved!” Pavilion Master Kang said excitedly.

Last night, the heads of the various powers in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance received news from Hong shi regarding the increase in the prize of the tournament. When he first set eyes on the information regarding the prize, despite being a top expert and the head of a Master Teacher Pavilion, his breathing couldn’t help but hasten, and his eyes widened uncontrollably in disbelief.

He thought that the prize offered previously was already sufficiently generous, but compared to the new one… It was nothing at all! It was as though an ant meeting an elephant!

“Oh? What is the new prize offered?” Zhang Xuan asked in interest.

“The one who is placed first in the tournament will receive a high-tier spirit stone!” Pavilion Master Kang said.

“High-tier spirit stone?”

Wasn’t it a hundred middle-tier spirit stone? How did it turn into a high-tier spirit stone?

As though fearing that Zhang Xuan couldn’t understand the value of a high-tier spirit stone, Pavilion Master Kang explained, “A high-tier spirit stone has the value equivalent to ten thousand middle-tier spirit stone, and that’s assuming that there’s a person willing to sell it! Its value is unimaginable!”

“Ten thousand middle-tier spirit stones?” Zhang Xuan’s breathing hastened as well.

He had worked so hard, putting himself at grievous risk, only to extort 600 middle-tier spirit stones from the Fleeting Cloud Sect and thirteen other powers. Yet, to think that being placed first in the tournament would earn him a high-tier spirit stone straight… This was way too exaggerated!

“Indeed! And on top of the opportunity to study at Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, he will also be allowed to cultivate in ‘Cleansing Lake’ for three days…” Pavilion Master Kang continued.

“Cleansing Lake? What’s that?” Zhang Xuan asked curiously.

“It’s one of the greatest treasures of Huanyu Empire’s royalty, as well as the greatest foundation behind its establishment!”

Unconcealable envy shone in Pavilion Master Kang’s eyes as he said, “Cultivators who have managed to reach Clarifying Turbidity realm understand that ‘turbid’ and ‘clear’ also refers to one’s physical body and soul respectively. The Cleansing Lake is a blessed land that nourishes one’s soul. Cultivating there, one’s soul would undergo a metamorphosis, thus increasing one’s chance of achieving a breakthrough to Consonant Spirit realm significantly!

“If I were to get a chance to cultivate there for three days, the chances of me being able to reach Consonant Spirit realm would surely be more than fifty percent! However… the Cleansing Lake is one of the most precious resources of Huanyu Empire, and there are limited slots to its use. Only for the Master Teacher Tournament, which happens once every decade, are they willing to spare a few slots!”

Zhang Xuan nodded his head calmly in response, but on the inside, he was astonished.

To increase the chances of Pavilion Master Kang advancing to Consonant Spirit realm to more than fifty percent, that Cleansing Lake was indeed formidable!

A high-tier sprit stone, the opportunity to study at Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, and three days of cultivation in the Cleansing Lake…

Honestly, just any single one of them was enough to send countless experts into frenzy. And yet, for the three of them to be the prize of the champion of the Master Teacher Pavilion, fearsome!

“What about the second place?”

Since the reward for the first place was so generous, what about the second place?

“The second pales a lot in comparison. It’s three hundred middle-tier spirit stones, the opportunity to study at Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, and two days in the Cleansing Lake!” Pavilion Master Kang replied.

Even though it was just a single placing, the rewards had decreased by manifolds.

Putting aside the reduction of a single day in Cleansing Lake, there was a difference of thirty times in value between a high-tier spirit stone and three hundred middle-tier spirit stones.

“And the third place is one hundred middle-tier spirit stone and one day in the Cleansing Lake. As for the fourth to tenth place, they won’t be allowed to enter the Cleansing Lake, and they will only be given ten middle-tier spirit stones each. But fortunately, all of them will be given the opportunity to study at Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.”

Pavilion Master Kang recounted the rewards of the top ten of the Master Teacher Tournament.

“Seems like… I really must take the first place!”

Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly.

He was still thinking that it would suffice as long as he got into the top ten in the tournament, but with the increased rewards… his determination to obtain the first position was sparked.

Putting aside everything else, just the high-tier spirit stone in itself was invaluable to him.

With this, he could probably cultivate all the way to the pinnacle of the Transcendent Mortal without worrying about spirit stones.

Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, Pavilion Master Kang smiled bitterly.

“Indeed, it would be good to take the first place. However… how could it be so easy?”

There wasn’t anyone who wasn’t interested in the first place, especially with the increased reward. But considering the talented geniuses who would be participating in the tournament, it would be no easy feat.

Yang shi was a formidable master teacher; there were probably none who would dare to cross his path. However, Yang shi’s existence was only known amongst the top echelons of the fourteen powers, the participants of the tournament were unaware of it.

Thus, there would be no one who would go easy on Zhang shi just because he was Yang shi’s student.

Zhang shi might be formidable in other aspects… but when it comes to a battle of cultivation, he stood little hope.

Even though Pavilion Master Kang had entrusted his hopes to Zhang shi, he didn’t bear much expectation for the latter to take down the champion position.

“We’re here!”

Upon hearing Pavilion Master Kang’s sigh, Zhang Xuan was just about to speak but Ruohuan gongzi’s voice sounded. Lifting his gaze, he realized that they had already arrived in the square in front of the Alliance Head Residence. At the current moment, the square was bustling with huge crowds.

After so many days, the Master Teacher Tournament… was finally going to begin!