Library of Heaven's Path
Chapter 700-707

Chapter 700: Repaying Malice with Benevolence

The entire room was silent.

Everyone stared at one another, unable to utter a single word.

‘You said that the other party’s physical body was too weak for him to be qualified to teach a person possessing the Emperor’s Bloodline. Yet, you ended up shattering nearly all of your bones while trying to pummel the other party. What else do you have to say?’

Many gazes turned toward the young man, only to see him lying on the ground in a mess. His body was contorted in awkward angles. With his bones shattered to such a degree, he was unable to stand up.

“You… are qualified to be Young Master Tao’s teacher…”

Tears were threatening to spill from the young man’s eyes.

Never had such an incident occurred to him ever since he’d started cultivating his physical body.

He used his full might to pummel the other party, and yet, the other party remained completely unharmed whereas his bones were shattered instead. Not even the elders of the Yuan Clan possessed such astounding defensive ability!

Was the other party still mortal?

‘If I knew that your physical body was this strong, I would have never provoked you!

‘If this was going to be the case, I should have just left obediently just now when you asked me to. At the very least, I would still be unharmed. And now… With my bones shattered to such a degree, how am I going to fare in the future?’

“Cultivation is an endless journey. We might possess the Emperor’s Bloodline, but that doesn’t mean that we are invincible. Zhang shi has only taught you that there’s always a mountain higher than the other.”

Sighing, Elder Yuan flicked his finger, and a pill was shot into the young man’s mouth.

The reason he didn’t stop the young man from challenging Zhang shi earlier was because he intended to see the depths of the latter’s prowess as well. Who would have thought that he would be so powerful?

The pill immediately dissolved as soon as it entered the young man’s mouth. A moment later, the young man finally recovered slightly, and he struggled to his feet strenuously.

Seeing the young man’s state, Elder Yuan sighed in lamentation.

“Given the degree of damage to your bones, it’ll be hard for you to recover to how you were. You won’t be able to cultivate your physical body anymore in the future.”

The greatest taboo for physical body cultivators was the breaking of their bones. If it was just a bone or two, it could still be healed via consuming pills. However, considering how the young man’s bones were shattered into near smithereens, there was no way he could get back to how he was before.

In other words, the young man’s cultivation had been crippled through this fight, and his future achievements had been capped.

While there were Saint recovery pills within the clan which was capable of healing even such grievous injuries… given that the young man didn’t belong to the main family and that his bloodline wasn’t pure either, he wasn’t qualified to use such precious resources.

“Yes!” The young man nodded with a desolate expression.

His cultivation wasn’t outstanding in the clan in the first place, and he had been despised due to that. Now that he had lost his cultivation, it wasn’t hard to imagine how tragic his plight would be in the future.

“Alright, only with setbacks will one grow wiser, so don’t be too harsh on yourself.”

After which, Elder Yuan turned to Zhang Xuan, and admiration gleamed in his eyes. “To be able to cultivate your physical body to such an astounding degree despite your young age, Zhang shi is indeed worthy of admiration. May I know… if you’re interested in coming to our Yuan Clan? Given your age and your physical body prowess, as long as you persevere, it is just a matter of time before you become an honorary elder there!”

“An invitation to the Yuan Clan?” On the main seat, King Huai widened his eyes upon hearing those words, and his breathing hastened.

Zhang shi might not have heard of the Boundless Empire’s Yuan Clan, but he knew very well what that power represented.

Even if it was just an offer to become a guard of the Yuan Clan, he would surely grasp the opportunity without any hesitation.

But just as he thought that Zhang shi would immediately agree to the request in delight, the latter shook his head in disdain and said, “I don’t have any interest in that.”

Hearing those words, King Huai’s body jolted in astonishment. “Zhang shi, do you understand the significance of becoming an honorary elder in the Boundless Empire’s Yuan Clan?”

“Who cares what kind of significance it has, I don’t have any interest in it!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands nonchalantly.

No matter how impressive becoming an ‘honorary elder’ might be, in the end, he would be nothing more than a subordinate. He was a person who would become a 9-star master teacher one day. Before that, all powers were nothing more than fleeting clouds.

Besides, how could he possibly lower himself to serve as an honorary elder for his student’s clan?

“That’s a huge pity…”

Seeing Zhang Xuan rejecting the offer without any hesitation, Elder Yuan shook his head in disappointment. Sighing, he raised his head once more and asked, “Zhang shi, about our young master…”

Zhang shi hadn’t given his opinion regarding Yuan Tao’s matter yet. Even though Elder Yuan possessed incredible power, he dared not offend a person who could possibly become the next head of his clan.

“Sigh!”

With a deep sigh, Zhang Xuan turned to the young man not too far away and said, “Yuan Tao, come over here!”

“Teacher!”

Yuan Tao responded and hurriedly rushed forward.

Zhang Xuan rubbed the plump boy’s head with his hand as complex emotions surfaced in his eyes. Memories flashed across his head as reminisced about the time they had spent together. The sorrow of parting jabbed at his heart, but as a teacher, he knew that he couldn’t limit his own students.

“Cultivate well after you return to your clan. Don’t let me down!”

“Teacher…”

With reddened eyes, Yuan Tao kneeled on the floor. “I won’t go! I want to stay by your side…”

Zhang Xuan shook his head slowly. “Since the Yuan Clan possesses the complete heritage of the Emperor’s Bloodline, you should leave with Elder Yuan. This is the route you should take if you aspire to reach for greater heights! Following behind me will only limit your accomplishments.”

Yuan Tao’s body stiffened upon hearing those words.

“Alright, as my student, you should decisively grasp any opportunity that comes your way. Work hard, awaken your bloodline, and make me proud!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands.

No matter how reluctant he was, he knew that he had to let go.

Students are just like birdlings. No matter how well one taught them, if they don’t try to venture beyond their nest, they will never learn to fly.

A greater world lies out there for them! That is the place where they belong!

Only by experiencing the various elements of the world will they fly higher and higher, and eventually reach the peak.

“Alright!” Seeing that his teacher had made up his mind, Yuan Tao clenched his jaws and nodded.

After convincing Yuan Tao, Zhang Xuan turned to Elder Yuan and said, “Elder Yuan, my student is a troublemaker, so I’ll be depending on you to take care of him in the future!”

“Of course, you can count on me for that…” Elder Yuan froze for a moment upon seeing that sight, and admiration slowly gleamed through his face.

He could tell the deep concern Zhang Xuan harbored for Yuan Tao, and it would surely be difficult for him to part with the latter. Nevertheless, upon realizing that his student had a much better path before him, he still decisively chose to send the latter there. There were very few master teachers who could do the same!

As long as he could survive amidst the harsh world, Zhang shi would surely achieve great things in the future!

“Yuan Tao is my direct disciple. If I hear that he has been subjected to some grievances or unfair treatment, have no doubt that I will come knocking on the gates of the Yuan Clan!” Zhang Xuan warned with a grim expression.

He might be weak at the moment, but he was growing stronger rapidly. If the Yuan Clan dared to torment Yuan Tao, he wouldn’t mind trampling them into the ground!

“Don’t worry. Young Master Tao possesses the complete Emperor’s Bloodline, making him the future hope of our clan. How could he possibly subject him to grievances or unfair treatment?” Elder Yuan hurriedly reassured.

It had been more than a dozen millenniums since a complete Emperor’s Bloodline had appeared in the Yuan Clan. Yuan Tao played a pivotal role to the revival of the Yuan Clan, so how could the Yuan Clan possibly treat him unfairly?

“That would be for the best!”

Zhang Xuan nodded. Following which, he grabbed a wine cup from a table a distance away and smiled. “Allow me to propose a toast to Elder Yuan!”

“This…”

Zhang Xuan’s action of grabbing the wine cup may seem normal, but Elder Yuan’s eyes narrowed upon seeing that sight.

Zhang Xuan was around one and a half meter away from the table, and yet, he was still able to grab the wine cup without the utilization of zhenqi… In other words, Zhang Xuan’s arm had instantaneously extended by a length of half a meter!

To extend one’s arm abruptly without the use of zhenqi…

Elder Yuan’s body stiffened as the thought flashed across his mind.

‘Could he have cultivated his bones and muscles to the Undying realm?’

Legend had it that upon reaching a certain level of cultivation in one’s physical body, not only would one’s physical body become extremely tough, their body would also become incredibly flexible.

Upon reaching that realm, their bones and muscles would be able to extend in a way that defied common sense. At the same time, the enhanced elasticity also allowed their bodies to revert back to its original form even when squashed like a pancake!

As such, this was known as the Undying realm.

Even though it wasn’t invulnerability in the strictest sense, the ability to extend one’s limbs freely and recover from lethal force were already exceptionally valuable capabilities, especially in battle.

Even in their clan, only the legendary old ancestor had achieved such a feat!

Considering how the young man before him was able to extend his arm half a mater without tapping into his zhenqi, even if he hadn’t truly reached the Undying realm, he was surely not too far from it!

To actually train one’s physical body to the limits and reach Undying realm at twenty…

Was this even possible?

Was the fellow before him some kind of monster in human skin?

It was no wonder his junior lost so tragically. Even he himself hadn’t advanced this far in his physical body cultivation!

If it was before, he would have taken the other party’s threat to be a joke. However, such thoughts had vanished completely from his mind.

No matter how weak the other party’s cultivation was at the moment, given how his physical body had already reached or was extremely near to the Undying realm, his future achievements would surely be immeasurable. Even despite the dozens of millenniums of history behind the Yuan Clan, a day might come when the entire Yuan Clan would have to bow before him.

Caught up in his astonishment, when Elder Yuan finally recovered, he realized that the young man had already gulped down the wine in his cup and returned back to the secret chamber. A moment later, he returned with an impassive expression.

“Let’s leave!”

Zhang Xuan beckoned for his students before striding out of the main hall.

“We’ll be leaving now!”

Zheng Yang and the others bade Yuan Tao farewell before hurriedly leaving behind Zhang Xuan.

Having accompanied one another on this long journey, a strong relationship had already been forged among them. Thus, they couldn’t help but feel dejected by this parting.

“Zhang shi…”

Seeing Zhang Xuan leaving decisively, Elder Yuan was just about to say something when the other party suddenly flicked his hand and tossed a wine gourd over.

Catching it instinctively, he heard the other party’s voice sounding in the air.

“Connect the fractured bones carefully before drinking this medicinal wine. He will be able to make a full recovery.”

“This…”

Elder Yuan was stunned for a moment after hearing those words. Following which, he swiftly passed the medicinal wine to his junior to drink.

The young man had already reconnected his bones using his zhenqi earlier on. Upon learning that the medicinal wine could possibly heal his injuries, he gulped it down without any hesitation.

Gugugugu!

As the medicinal wine rushed down his throat, a warm surge of energy abruptly burst from his stomach and gushed through his entire body. He felt a numbing sensation in the broken bones throughout his body as the warm surge washed over them. In just a few breaths, he could already stand up even without relying on zhenqi to balance himself. All of the injuries he had sustained vanished into thin air, as if he hadn’t been injured in the first place.

“This…”

The young man narrowed his eyes, and his body began trembling in agitation. He thought that he was doomed for life, but this turnaround came so abruptly.

Elder Yuan’s body stiffened as well.

“Saint… recovery medicine?”

This kind of medicine was invaluable even in their clan. Yet, the other party actually tossed it to them as though it were nothing at all. This was truly a huge favor to them!

“Zhang shi… thank you!”

Understanding the value of the medicine, the young man immediately dropped to the floor and kowtowed in gratitude.

He had provoked the other party intentionally with a sharp tone earlier on, intending to harm him even. Yet, not only did the other party not harbor a grudge against him for that, he even gave him such a valuable medicine…

How magnanimous he must be to repay malice with such great benevolence!

‘So this is a master teacher!’

It was no wonder Young Master Tao would be willing to turn down even the heritage from the Yuan Clan to pursue him. The other party’s character was indeed worthy of respect.

While the young man was kowtowing in gratitude, Yuan Tao’s clenched fists were trembling with overwhelming emotions. Looking at his teacher’s departing back, tears streamed freely down his face.

It was Zhang laoshi who didn’t scorn him for being the last place in Hongtian Academy and accepted him as his student!

It was Zhang laoshi who turned him from an ignorant and reckless weakling into a Transcendent Mortal ream expert!

It was Zhang laoshi who went to great lengths to search for medicinal herbs to awaken his unique constitution!

It was Zhang laoshi who stayed up at night to modify his cultivation technique for him…

‘Teacher… rest assured. I will surely work hard after returning to my clan so as to not let down your expectations!’ Yuan Tao vowed with great determination.

Chapter 701: Bazaar

After leaving King Huai Manor, Zhang Xuan turned to Sun Qiang and instructed, “Sun Qiang, replace suitable living quarters with a good atmosphere in proximity to the academy within the next two days!”

As a student of the Master Teacher Academy, he was allowed to stay at the Academic Sea. However, going by the rules, Zheng Yang and the others weren’t qualified to live there. This was also part of the reason Hong shi and the others allowed them to leave with King Huai without much protest.

While it wasn’t a problem for them to stay in the Academic Sea for a few days, complaints from the other students would arise soon enough if their stay stretched on. Rather than having to deal with the mess then, they might as well replace suitable lodgings now. This way, it would be more convenient for Zhang Xuan to conduct lessons for them, and Zheng Yang and the others need not be so restrained as well.

“Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded.

As the butler, he was in charge of the miscellaneous affairs of the group. The others only needed to focus on their cultivation.

“Teacher, I think I am on the verge of a breakthrough!”

After relaying some instructions, Zhang Xuan was just about to return to the Academic Sea when he heard Wang Ying’s voice. Turning around, he saw a powerful aura flowing around the latter’s body. Her zhenqi was trembling in her acupoints, and it seemed that she would make a breakthrough at any moment!

She was currently at Yin-Yang realm pinnacle, so with this breakthrough, she would reach Transcendent Mortal 4-dan Clarifying Turbidity realm.

She had been working hard over the past month, and she had long reached the peak of Yin-Yang realm, but the impetus for a breakthrough just didn’t seem to come somehow. However, the intense emotion from the parting with Yuan Tao had resonated with her cultivation, thus allowing her to take this final step forward.

“Great Violetwing Beast!”

Knowing that opportunities for achieving a breakthrough didn’t come easily, Zhang Xuan immediately beckoned his tamed beast telepathically. Then, with a sweep of his zhenqi, the group soared into the air and landed on the back of the Great Violetwing Beast.

Several dozen breaths later, they finally returned back to the Academic Sea. After arranging for Zheng Yang and the others to stay at his room for the time being, Zhang Xuan took Wang Ying to a silent chamber and stood guard for her as she attempted the breakthrough.

In Clarifying Turbidity realm, one’s soul and physical body would be clearly divided into two. Even though Wang Ying possessed a simplified version of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art so making the breakthrough shouldn’t be a problem at all, it would still be difficult for her to maintain the consonance between her body and soul while preventing their merging.

Nevertheless, she would only benefit the greatest from this breakthrough if she were to achieve a breakthrough while enduring this pressure. Thus, Zhang Xuan didn’t intend to interfere at all.

Gugugugu!

Her acupoints furiously devoured spiritual energy from the surroundings as zhenqi rushed through her body. With a harrumph, a surge of zhenqi rushed up her Baihui acupoint and gushed out.

Boom!

The division of clarity and turbidity—Transcendent Mortal 4-dan Clarifying Turbidity realm reached!

At this moment, Wang Ying exuded an overwhelmingly powerful aura reminiscent of a sword.

‘This is… a breakthrough in her Will of Mind?’

Zhang Xuan’s eyelids twitched furiously.

Just like master teachers, cultivators could also achieve breakthroughs in their Will of Mind as well. The only difference was that the former was more sided toward the analytical aspect whereas the latter was more sided toward practicality in combat.

Even though a breakthrough to Clarifying Turbidity realm would boost one’s cultivation significantly, it still wasn’t possible for one to exude such a sharp aura. Clearly, Wang Ying had reached a higher realm in her Will of Mind!

Scarlet Heart realm!

‘This is truly a fortuitous encounter!’

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

In the Fighter realm, the cultivation of one’s physical body and zhenqi took priority, but beyond Clarifying Turbidity realm, the importance of Will of Mind would start to shine through.

After all, this was intricately tied to the purity of one’s soul. If one could temper their Will of Mind, their cultivation would be much smoother and faster in the future.

Humans are beings possessing sentience, and thus they are vulnerable to the disturbances around them. This made it nigh impossible for them to focus all of their attention to the task they had at hand.

However, the Crimson Heart realm allowed one to toss aside their miscellaneous thoughts to focus their efforts on cultivating. In such a state, one’s cultivation would be several times more effective than usual!

It could be said that upon reaching the realm, Wang Ying’s cultivation would only grow faster and faster, and she would eventually far surpass Zheng Yang and the others.

‘Even though this lass is reticent, it seems like she possesses great determination…’

Zhang Xuan shook his head with a bitter smile.

Wang Ying’s talent was not on par with Zhao Ya, her resilience was not on par with Lu Chong, her flexibility was not on par with Zheng Yang, her cunningness was not on par with Yuan Tao, and her worldliness was not on par with Liu Yang… But even so, she still managed to stand her own ground and shine among them. And now, she had even comprehended the Crimson Heart realm!

It seemed like meticulousness and composure were the strongest factors influencing the advancement of one’s cultivation!

“Given her rate of cultivation, it won’t be long before she requires a Consonant Spirit realm cultivation technique. However, I don’t have one at the moment…”

Since Wang Ying was already past the crucial period, there was no need for Zhang Xuan to stand guard anymore. While he was heartened by Wang Ying’s breakthrough, another new problem cropped up, and he pinched his glabella.

While Zhang Xuan had reached Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle, he had only managed to do so due to the assistance of the white-robed lady and the means of a soul oracle. He still didn’t have a Consonant Spirit realm Heaven’s Path Divine Art manual in the Library of Heaven’s Path yet.

He had to quickly search for it, or else Wang Ying might replace her cultivation stagnating very soon.

Thus, after leaving the secret chamber, he immediately headed toward Hong shi’s room.

Upon replaceing the other party, Zhang Xuan asked, “Hong shi, do you know where I can replace Consonant Spirit realm and Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation technique manuals?”

“Cultivation technique manuals? I can replace a few for you, but… how many do you need?” Hong shi was slightly startled by Zhang shi’s request.

“The more the better,” Zhang Xuan replied.

“Give me a moment, I’ll take a look…”

Saying so, Hong shi walked out of the room. Not too long later, he returned with several dozen books.

“I was able to replace forty Consonant Spirit realm cultivation technique manuals, but I could only replace three for Cosmos Bridge realm!” Not knowing what the other party intended to use the secret manuals for, Hong shi tried to gather as many books as he could.

The fifty geniuses from Huanyu Empire were all Consonant Spirit realm cultivators. Thus, it wasn’t too difficult to gather some cultivation technique manuals from them. However, gathering Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation technique manuals would be tricky.

Only Feng shi and Luo shi had some in their possession.

“Forty…” Zhang Xuan brushed his fingers through them and shook his head.

Forty books might already be an impressive collection to others, but to Zhang Xuan, it was far from sufficient from meeting his goal.

Passing the books back to Hong shi, Zhang Xuan asked, “Where can I replace more cultivation technique manuals? The quality doesn’t matter, I am only interested in the quantity.”

“Then… how many books do you need?”

Hong shi was stunned to hear that even forty books were less than sufficient.

Even he would have to take several months before he could finish reading and comprehending those books. Yet, Zhang shi actually said that it wasn’t enough. How many did he need then?

“At least a thousand!” Zhang Xuan replied.

“A thousand?”

Hong shi staggered and nearly fell to the ground.

Even though all kinds of cultivation techniques appeared in the world after the establishment of the Master Teacher Pavilion as though flowers blooming with the onset of summer, replaceing a thousand different cultivation technique manuals was still an extremely difficult feat!

After all, there wasn’t a single cultivation technique that came to the world just because one willed it to. Each of these cultivation techniques contained the crystallization of an expert’s comprehension of the cultivation realm and their relentless effort to refine it.

“That’s right. Do you know where I can replace them?” asked Zhang Xuan, oblivious to the shock going through the other party’s mind.

“This…”

Seeing that the other party didn’t seem to be joking, Hong shi rubbed his glabella and said, “The Master Teacher Academy will surely have plenty of books there. I think you will be able to easily replace tens of thousands of the books you want there…”

The Master Teacher Academy was a place which gathered the talented master teachers all over the world. Over many millennia of heritage, many cultivation techniques and secret arts had been left behind by generations of geniuses, thus forming an impressive collection. However, as Zhang Xuan had yet to become an official student of the academy, not to mention that he didn’t have any academic credits either, he would be unable to access the books there.

“Right!”

Suddenly, a thought came to Hong shi, and his eyes lit up. “There will be a bazaar for the freshmen over the next few days, and there will surely be some who are selling cultivation technique manuals too. You can go over to take a look. Given how many freshmen there are in the Academic Sea, it shouldn’t be a problem for you to replace a thousand books!”

“Bazaar?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

“Un! The freshmen from the various empires have brought along the local specialties from their own empires, as well as their own unique cultivation techniques. By conducting this bazaar, the freshmen will be able to get acquainted with another, trade resources, and share their own views and experiences on cultivation. This way, everyone will be able to raise their fighting prowess to some extent, thus increasing the overall chances of clearing the entrance examination!” Hong shi said.

“Alright. Where is this bazaar conducted? I’ll go and take a look!”

Upon hearing that there was such a gathering, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

“It is conducted on the center ship in the middle of the Academic Sea!”

Hong shi pointed.

At the center of the Academic Sea was a gigantic lake. Zhang Xuan had thought that it was just for scenery purposes, but who knew that the bazaar would actually be conducted there?

Zhang Xuan left the residence and walked toward the lake. It didn’t take him too long to arrive at his destination. Even though spring had already set in, the frigidity of winter had yet to dispel entirely. The slight breeze sweeping across the surface of the lake carried bone-chilling intent with it.

Gazing toward the center of the lake, Zhang Xuan saw a gigantic vessel floating at a distance of several thousand meters away. A bustling crowd was gathered on it.

“There are small boats over there to row participants of the bazaar over…”

The vessel floated in the middle of the lake, and there was no path leading to it. After scanning the surroundings, Hong shi noticed a small rowing boat not too far away, and the duo immediately walked over.

Hong shi walked up and asked, “How much does it cost to get to the Great Bazaar?”

The elderly rower raised his droopy eyes and replied, “A middle-tier spirit stone!”

“A middle-tier spirit stone? This is daylight robbery!” Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in shock.

Even a low-tier spirit stone felt extravagant for a journey this short, and yet, this old man wanted a middle-tier spirit stone. Wasn’t he taking advantage of their situation!

“Daylight robbery? If you replace it expensive, you can traverse across the lake yourself! But let me warn you, there are plenty of Transcendent Mortal 7-dan and 8-dan spirit beasts in the Academic Lake, so do try not to get eaten!”

Seemingly used to this scene, the old man shrugged off Zhang Xuan’s words with a smirk.

Since there were land-bound and aerial spirit beasts, naturally there were aquatic spirit beasts as well. In fact, they were even more numerous than land-bound spirit beasts.

Considering the size of the lake, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there were plenty of powerful spirit beasts in it.

Having reached Consonant Spirit realm, even though one was still unable of flight, stepping across a body of water wouldn’t pose a problem. Just that… if there were spirit beasts in the water, one would have to think twice before doing so. Who knew if an aquatic spirit beast would be waiting with widened jaws under the next step one took?

On the other hand, the boat seemed to be imbued with some kind of formation that deterred the aquatic spirit beasts.

“This…” Hong shi hesitated. Just as he was still considering whether to take the ride or not, a middle-tier spirit stone was thrown into the hands of the old man, and with a blur, two silhouettes landed on the boat.

“Set off!”

Taking a closer look at the two figures who had just appeared on the boat, they were the young man and Senior Feng, whom Zhang Xuan defeated with just a single finger before.

Upon receiving the middle-tier spirit stone, the elder grabbed his oars and dipped them into the lake. Slowly, the boat began to advance toward the vessel at the center of the lake. The young man glanced at Zhang Xuan derisively and said, “Why bother going to the bazaar when you can’t even fork out a single middle-tier spirit stone…”

Even though Senior Feng didn’t say anything, contempt could be seen in his eyes as well. Zhang shi had defeated him with a single finger before a huge crowd. While the other party had gone easy on him, it was still inevitable that he felt humiliated by the matter. As such, he still felt some degree of hostility to the other party.

Therefore, he couldn’t help but feel a little gleeful when he saw that the ‘great’ Zhang shi was unable to fork out even a single middle-tier spirit stone.

But at that moment, the two men standing by the shore abruptly leaped into the sky.

Hu!

They landed on the back of a giant Great Violetwing Beast.

The massive spirit beast flapped its violet wings, creating a powerful gale that created huge waves on the surface of the water. Even the boat also began to rock violently before the powerful gale. In the blink of an eye, the Great Violetwing Beast was already halfway through the journey to the vessel in the middle of the lake.

Chapter 702: Exchange!

“A Half Transcendent Mortal 9-dan Great Violetwing Beast?”

Senior Feng and the young man were stunned, and their eyelids began twitching uncontrollably.

As Transcendent Mortal 5-dan cultivators, even if they were to own an aerial spirit beast, it would only be at Cosmos Bridge realm at most. Considering the limited height they could fly at due to the ceiling above them, chances were that they could be struck down by a sudden assault from the Transcendent Mortal 7-dan or 8-dan spirit beasts in the lake.

On the other hand, the Great Violetwing Beast was different. Standing at Half 9-dan, any spirit beasts which dared to challenge it would be slaughtered in an instant.

And as expected, just as this thought was lingering in their mind, a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan fish abruptly leaped from the surface of the water with a gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth, wanting to swallow Zhang Xuan and Hong shi whole. But before it could even reach them, a swift strike from a talon crushed it to death. The Great Violetwing Beast dug out its inner core adeptly before throwing the carcass back into the lake.

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Senior Feng’s voice uttered with a hoarse voice, “How can he have such a powerful tamed beast?”

Wasn’t he a Consonant Spirit realm cultivator just like them?

To actually have tamed a half 9-dan spirit beast to be his tamed beast… How in the world did he manage to do it?

He thought that the other party was just a miser who wasn’t even willing to spend a single middle-tier spirit stone on a boat ride, and he had felt gleeful and a sense of superiority at having successfully stole the other party’s ride. However, upon seeing this sight, he suddenly realized… how laughable his actions were!

With such a formidable spirit beast, one wouldn’t even spare a second glance at this shabby boat…

Putting aside paying for the ride, they wouldn’t be willing even if they were to be paid for the ride!

“Senior Feng… why did they suddenly stop in the middle of the lake?”

Amidst his shock, the perplexed voice from the young man beside him suddenly sounded. Lifting his gaze, he saw the Great Violetwing Beast pausing in midair, not in a hurry to head to the bazaar at all.

Didn’t he ride on his aerial spirit beast so that he could arrive at the bazaar faster? Why would he be stopping in the middle of the lake then?

While he was still bewildered by the issue, the Great Violetwing Beast suddenly flapped its wings once more and glided down to the surface of the water. Its talons reached deep into the water and clamped down on something.

Hu la!

Another Transcendent Mortal 8-dan aquatic spirit beast resembling a prawn was crushed to death by its talons, and its inner core was swiftly retrieved from its body.

After this, the Great Violetwing Beast returned to the air. A moment later, it swooped down to another part of the lake once more…

“They are… hunting?”

The duo along with the rower glanced at one another in astonishment.

To others, this lake was no different from a dangerous landmine. They would never traverse through it without sufficient preparation. Yet, that fellow actually regarded this place as a treasure trove and began fishing for prey…

“How can the Great Violetwing Beast capture the spirit beasts in the water?”

What came along with their astonishment was disbelief.

The Great Violetwing Beast was indeed formidable, there was little to argue about that, but no matter how strong it was, its field of expertise lay in the air. The aquatic spirit beasts should have been able to avoid it easily in their own home ground even if they were no match for it… so how could the Great Violetwing Beast hunt them down so accurately?

It was as if it could predict where the aquatic spirit beasts would swim to. Every strike it made was bound to end in a kill…

But how was this possible?

“Indeed… More importantly, no matter how powerful the Great Violetwing Beast is, it shouldn’t be that easy for it to kill a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast either…”

Even if a half 9-dan was stronger than an 8-dan, the gap wasn’t so huge as for the Great Violetwing Beast to kill them in a single strike. This was particularly so for spirit beasts, which possessed superior defense to human cultivators. But… the Great Violetwing Beast seemed to be able to discern the weaknesses of the spirit beasts in the water accurately and strike them down precisely…

This was way too formidable…

While those on the boat were completely dumbstruck by the sight before them, Zhang Xuan was currently staring at the inner cores with his hand with a satisfied smile.

To trade at the bazaar, he would require some capital, but he didn’t have a penny to his name at the moment. Since there were so many spirit beasts that were rushing forward to fill his pockets, it was only right for him to accept their offerings gratuitously.

The inner core of a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast could serve as a medicinal herb, the foundation of a formation, or even be complemented with one’s cultivation technique to enhance one’s cultivation. As such, it was an invaluable cultivation resource that could easily fetch a hefty price.

As for how the Great Violetwing Beast managed to grasp the aquatic spirit beast accurately, as long as the aquatic spirit beasts attempted to launch an attack, it wasn’t too difficult to discern their flaws and track down their locations through the Library of Heaven’s Path.

Just like that, in less than an hour, they had managed to kill 19 Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beasts and 25 Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beasts, and a bucket of inner cores was gleaming in Zhang Xuan’s storage ring.

“There don’t seem to be too many Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beasts left in the lake. Let’s head to the bazaar.”

Eventually, the group circled the lake for a few rounds but were unable to replace any prey. Thus, they could only end the hunt regretfully.

While there were many aquatic spirit beasts in the lake, those that had reached Transcendent Mortal 7-dan and 8-dan were still in the minority.

Besides, considering the huge massacre that had just happened, those remaining would surely be laying low so as to avoid the Great Violetwing Beast now.

Knowing that there was little point continuing on with the hunt, Zhang Xuan issued some instructions to the Great Violetwing Beast, and the latter flapped its massive wings and flew toward the vessel in the lake.

Not too long later, Zhang Xuan and Hong shi landed on the vessel.

The vessel was extremely big, possessing a diameter of several hundred meters. A huge, bustling crowd traversed to and fro the innumerable stalls laid out throughout the vessel. There were all kinds of resources available here, and customers could be seen haggling with the vendors everywhere.

“Those two are the ones who were hunting in the lake using the Great Violetwing Beast!”

“To regard the feared lake as his personal hunting ground… is that fellow really a freshman?”

“If he isn’t a freshman, how could he possibly get in here?”

“Considering their flawless coordination, the Great Violetwing Beast is definitely his tamed beast. But that is exactly what that is confounding! Even though one’s elders could assist with the taming process as well, it would still require both the beast tamer and tamed beast to interact with one another from young to achieve this level of intimacy… However, the Great Violetwing Beast is already beyond two hundred whereas that fellow has barely reached his twenties. This means that it is highly likely that he tamed the Great Violetwing Beast personally…”

“For a person who has yet to reach Transcendent Mortal 6-dan to actually tame a half 9-dan spirit beast… When did beast taming become so easy?”

…

News of the Great Violetwing Beast hunting in the lake had spread like wildfire across the bazaar. Thus, upon seeing Zhang Xuan and Hong shi, the crowd couldn’t help but assess them in bewilderment.

Those who came to the bazaar were the most talented of master teachers from the various regions, and they possessed keen eyes. As such, they could tell that the Great Violetwing Beast was Zhang Xuan’s tamed beast.

But… for a Consonant Spirit lad to tame a half 9-dan spirit beast, this was contrary to common sense in itself! They were unable to make sense of the situation despite wracking their brains frenziedly.

There was simply too huge of a gap between them, and they found it too difficult to accept it.

This was as if an ant had tamed a divine dragon. It was simply inconceivable!

After a moment of chatter, an explanation suddenly emerged.

“Most probably, the Great Violetwing Beast might have gotten injured, and he managed to win the other party’s goodwill by saving it…”

“That’s possible!”

It wasn’t entirely impossible for a weaker beast tamer to tame a stronger spirit beast, but luck played a vital role in such situations.

“Humph! So he has just lucked out!”

Upon realizing this, their astonishment slowly vanished.

In the end, luck was nothing more than an external and uncontrollable factor. The winds of fortune couldn’t possibly blow one’s way all the time. In the end, one would still have to rely on one’s own capability in the academy.

“Zhang shi, what should we do…”

Not expecting to stir up such a huge commotion, Hong shi couldn’t help but feel a little nervous with so many eyes centered on them.

“Don’t worry!”

With a chuckle, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out an inner core. Sweeping his gaze through the crowd, he shouted, “I am trading this Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast inner core for a suitable Consonant Spirit realm cultivation technique. As long as it is suitable, I’ll exchange it for the book!”

“A book for an inner core? Zhang shi…”

Hong shi’s body swayed weakly from side to side, and he nearly fainted.

Wasn’t this way too cheap?

They had only obtained a few dozen inner cores from the hunting earlier on, and if they were to exchange a single inner core for one book… putting aside how they would make a huge loss, they would only be able to gather a few of books like that!

“Are you serious?”

“As long as it is a Consonant Spirit realm cultivation technique manual, you are willing to exchange the inner core for it?”

Hearing those words, the eyes of the crowd immediately lit up even though they were still a little skeptical about the situation.

Ever since the establishment of the Master Teacher Pavilion, many cultivation techniques had surfaced in the world. Throughout the years, there had been many noble experts and master teachers who had contributed their own cultivation techniques to the public for the advancement of humanity. While these manuals weren’t accessible to everyone, it wasn’t too difficult for them, as master teachers, to access these books

In fact, many of the master teachers had studied these cultivation techniques and extracted their strengths to create their own unique skills.

Thus, even though these cultivation techniques might be valuable to the populace, they didn’t mean much to master teachers. It was definitely in their favor if they could trade a single cultivation technique manual for a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan inner core.

“I vow on my honor as a master teacher that I mean my words. As for Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation technique manuals, I am willing to trade for them with a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast inner core!” Zhang Xuan replied.

“However, the prerequisite is that it has to be suitable for me. If it is not suitable, I won’t make the trade. However, you need not worry. I can tell whether the manual suitable for me just by touching it, and I definitely will not open the book if it is not suited for me. Thus, you need not worry about exposing your cultivation techniques for free. In fact, even if it is suitable, I will return the manual right after flipping through it. I won’t need the original copy, and I won’t make any copies either!”

“If it is unsuitable, you will not open the book to look at it?”

“Even if it is suitable, you won’t take the manual? You will give away a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan or 8-dan inner core just to flip through it?”

“This is truly a wonderful deal!”

…

Upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, everyone’s eyes immediately gleamed in agitation.

Initially, there were many who were hesitant because they were fearful of exposing their cultivation techniques to the world. However, the promises that Zhang Xuan made had alleviated their fears.

“I have a total of 22 Consonant Spirit realm cultivation techniques over here. You can take a look to see if there’s anything suited in there!”

At that moment, a master teacher suddenly walked up, flicked his wrist, and passed a pile of books over to Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan brushed his finger over the books before eventually shaking his head. “My apologies, but none of your books are suited for me…”

“None of them are suited?”

Hearing those words, the master teacher couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. Shaking his head, he retreated back into the crowd.

After that person retreated, the crowd became even more agitated.

The other party wasn’t lying! He had only touched the books, he didn’t attempt to flip them open at all.

Surely there was no one so formidable as to determine the content of a book just by touching its exterior, right?

Since their cultivation techniques wouldn’t be exposed to the public… what else was there for them to worry about?

“Allow me…”

The allure of the Transcendent Mortal 7-dan and 8-dan inner cores was simply irresistible. The crowd hurriedly whipped out their secret manuals and rushed forward.

Soon, a mountain of cultivation technique manuals was stacked before Zhang Xuan.

However, after brushing his finger across them… it turned out that only two of the entire stack were suitable…

Of course, Zhang Xuan had picked these two books out randomly to pass. Otherwise, if he were to refuse all trades, it wouldn’t take too long for the crowd to lose their interest, and he wouldn’t be able to continue his business.

Two hours later, Zhang Xuan stopped his business and declared, “My apologies, but I’ll be stopping here today. Why don’t you all return to search for whatever cultivation technique manuals you have? From tomorrow onward, I’ll trade any Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation technique for two Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast inner cores!”

He had gathered quite a few Consonant Spirit realm cultivation technique manuals in the Library of Heaven’s Path, but the number of Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation technique manuals was still terribly limited. Thus, he could only up his stakes to see if he could attract more people.

Chapter 703: The Complete Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps

“Trading a cultivation technique manual for two Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast inner cores?”

“If we really make that trade, we will be rich!”

“Indeed! Furthermore, he is only taking a look. I’ll copy some of my sect’s Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation technique manuals tonight and bring them over tomorrow!”

“I’ll go as well!”

…

After hearing Zhang Xuan’s promise, everyone’s eyes immediately lit up with zeal. Some of the more excited ones even approached the two fortunate winners to study the type of cultivation techniques that Zhang shi had chosen.

“Let’s go!”

Ignoring the excited crowd, Zhang Xuan glanced at Hong shi, and the both of them leaped up onto the back of the Great Violetwing Beast once more and flew back to their residence.

Seeing how Zhang Xuan departed on a mighty beast whereas they could only humbly return on a boat, they couldn’t help but feel a little envious inside.

There was indeed a huge difference between people!

On the other hand, Senior Feng and the young man were on the verge of tears.

They had come to the bazaar in hopes of selling some of their possession. However, everyone’s attention ended up being attracted by Zhang shi, resulting in no one sparing even a glance at the items they had laid out.

They felt so frustrated that they could spurt blood.

But there was nothing they could do. After Zhang Xuan and Hong shi left, they gloomily returned back to their residence as well and shut themselves in, not daring to head out anymore.

The heck! They had suffered so many traumas in just the past few hours… If this were to continue, they might just end up banging their heads on a pillar to end it once and for all…

…

Returning back to his room, Zhang Xuan compiled the Consonant Spirit realm’s Heaven’s Path Divine Art and cultivated it. With this, his zhenqi became even purer and more stable. After which, he organized the cultivation techniques so as to prepare a suitable simplified version to impart to his students.

Just as Zhang Xuan was done, Wang Ying also finally woke up from her breakthrough. With a clear demarcation between the clarity and the turbidity in her body now, she was overflowing with strength.

Seeing that Wang Ying was taking the lead yet again, Zheng Yang and Liu Yang immediately dove back into their cultivation, anxious to catch up with her.

Their teacher had a total of six direct disciples. Of the six, Zhao Ya had gone to the Glacier Plain Court whereas Lu Chong was currently seeking out the Ancient Domain of Soul Oracles. Now, even Yuan Tao was heading to the powerful Yuan Clan to inherit its heritage. If they didn’t work hard now, they would end up lagging far behind the others!

Understanding the emotions they felt, Zhang Xuan patiently pointed out their flaws and how they could further improve.

By the time he was done, it was already late at night.

After a good night’s rest, Zhang Xuan headed back to the bazaar the next day. There was already a huge crowd by the time he arrived, and they had collected an ample amount of Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation techniques to trade with him.

Just like yesterday, Zhang Xuan randomly picked out a book and gave away two Transcendent Mortal 8-dan inner cores while rejecting the rest. Of course, he didn’t forget to collect all of those books in his Library of Heaven’s Path either.

In less than two days, he had already collected around seven hundred books. Even though it was still insufficient to form a complete Heaven’s Path Divine Art, he wasn’t too far from it.

After busying himself for the entire day, he left behind another promise to exchange the cultivation technique manual for three Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast inner cores before departing, thus hyping up the crowd once more.

But even though the reward Zhang Xuan had offered was alluring, the amount of Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation technique manuals offered to him was decreasing swiftly.

As most of the freshmen were still at the Consonant Spirit realm, they didn’t have too many Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation technique manuals on them. Not to mention, most of those at the bazaar had come from Tier-2 Empires, where Cosmos Bridge realm experts and cultivation technique manuals were relatively rare.

Thus, in the third day, Zhang Xuan only managed to gather two hundred books.

Nevertheless, with around nine hundred books at the moment, he wasn’t too far away from his goal of one thousand.

In truth, one thousand was a just rough estimation. If the cultivation technique manuals he gathered were sufficiently advanced to cover all of the flaws present, he could still compile the Heaven’s Path Divine Art regardless of whether he had a thousand books or not. Just as Zhang Xuan was about to give it a try, he suddenly heard an expectant voice.

“I don’t have any cultivation technique manual, but I do have a battle technique manual… Can you take a look to see if it’ll do or not?”

Raising his gaze, Zhang Xuan saw a young man looking at him expectantly. “I am truly in need of a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast inner core, so I would be grateful to you if you can make this exception…”

“Battle technique?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. “What kind of battle technique is it? Allow me take a look!”

“Alright!”

The young man flicked his wrist, and an ancient bamboo scroll appeared in his hands.

“This is a movement technique, but it is… incomplete…” the young man said embarrassedly.

He had received this ancient bamboo scroll coincidentally while he was undergoing a training session in the past. Initially, he’d thought that he had stumbled upon an invaluable treasure, but he swiftly realized that a huge chunk of the movement technique recorded in the scroll had been torn away or was illegible due to substantial damage, thus making it impossible to cultivate the technique.

Since he urgently required a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast inner core to concoct a medicine at the moment, he decided to take it out in hopes that he might be able to interest the other party in the trade.

“A movement technique?”

Hearing that it was an incomplete battle technique, Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before reaching his fingers out toward it.

Weng!

An equivalent ancient bamboo scroll immediately appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path.

After looking through the contents swiftly, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but shake his head.

This battle technique recorded was extremely high tiered, making it an invaluable battle technique. However, just as the other party had said, the battle technique was terribly incomplete. Not even the Library of Heaven’s Path was able to fill up the holes to restore it, thus making it impossible to learn.

In other words… it was a useless scroll!

‘You want to trade a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast inner core with this? Surely you must be dreaming!’

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan was just about to turn down the other party’s offer when a thought came to mind.

‘It seems that this Cloud Treading Movement Technique bears quite some resemblance to the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps. I wonder if I can compile the both of them together…’

The Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps was a secret manual that he had obtained coincidentally from an elder in the Appraiser Hall back then. After compiling it with numerous movement technique manuals, he had gained the ability of flight despite not having reached Saint realm yet. However, there was a huge flaw in the technique—it consumed way too much zhenqi. If not for Zhang Xuan’s incredibly pure Heaven’s Path zhenqi, he might not have been able to even last for a short moment in the sky.

All along, Zhang Xuan had been trying to replace a suitable battle technique to complement the final three flaws of the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps, but the manuals he had access to were simply far too low tiered. Maybe… this incomplete manual just might be the key to it!

The more Zhang Xuan thought about it, the more convinced he became. Thus, he summoned the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps manual over as well.

‘Compile!’

With a silent mutter, light burst into the surroundings, and a new book appeared—the enhanced version of Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps.

“There are no more flaws?”

After checking the content, Zhang Xuan’s eyes glowed in agitation.

After compiling the incomplete Cloud Treading Movement Technique along with the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps, the three remaining flaws of the latter technique had finally vanished!

With the enhanced Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps, he would be able to remain afloat for several hours without worrying about falling down!

In other words, his flight ability was already comparable to a Saint’s. At the very least, he would be able to avoid the awkward situation of abruptly plummeting from the sky like many times before.

‘This is wonderful!’

Zhang Xuan clenched his fists in elation.

This was a huge trump card. It would allow him to easily escape from anyone who hadn’t reached Saint realm.

‘It seems that even the incomplete manuals that others don’t need can become useful to me as well. I can use them to complement the flaws of my compiled techniques. I should try to collect such items in the future too,’ Zhang Xuan thought excitedly.

These ancient manuals were incomplete, making it unfeasible to cultivate them. However, through the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan could extract the correct verses from these manuals to complement the missing gaps in his techniques, thus perfecting them.

“As fellow master teachers, it is only right for us to help one another. Your book might be useless to me, but since you urgently require a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast inner core, I will give one to you!”

In a good mood, Zhang Xuan placed the ancient bamboo scroll in his storage ring and passed a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast inner core over in exchange.

Just the fact that this ancient bamboo scroll could make up the flaws of the Parallel Heaven Scroll of the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps meant that it was well worth an inner core!

“Thank you…”

In truth, the young man didn’t harbor great expectation in this matter, and he was just trying his luck. After all, he knew that the ancient bamboo scroll was incomplete and useless. Thus, upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, his face immediately flushed agitatedly.

“Incomplete manuals work as well? I have two of them here…”

“I have an incomplete cultivation technique manual here…”

…

Seeing that Zhang shi was accepting even incomplete scrolls at a hefty price, a wave of enthusiasm washed through the crowd once more.

With many years of heritage, every single power possessed numerous incomplete cultivation technique and battle technique manuals. As these items were of no use to normal cultivators, they were often left untouched. To think that this fellow would actually trade inner cores for them… wasn’t he a little too dumb?

In an instant, a mountain of incomplete manuals was stacked up before Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan swiftly brushed his fingers through them, and a moment later, he shook his head.

While incomplete scrolls could indeed complement the missing gaps in the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, it had to have some substance to it first. If the manual only contained superficial content, then it would be useless no matter how many of such manuals he collected.

A moment later, after gathering a few more cultivation technique manuals, Zhang Xuan realized that he wasn’t much progress, so he decided to call it a day.

Heading toward a private chamber prepared in the residence, he instructed for others not to interrupt him before going into seclusion.

‘I wonder if I can form the Cosmos Bridge realm Heaven’s Path Divine Art…’ Zhang Xuan thought as he sat down in the chamber.

He had gathered nearly a thousand Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation technique manuals already, and he had obtained quite a few incomplete manuals on top of that. Perhaps, he might be able to form a complete Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Heaven’s Path Divine Art.

Thus, diving into the Library of Heaven’s Path, he muttered “Compile!”, and a moment later, a book was floating in front of him.

“The Cosmos Bridge realm Heaven’s Path Divine Art… is flawless!”

Swiftly flipping through the book, Zhang Xuan burst out laughing from joy.

He’d thought that he would have to spend some time earning academic credits in the academy before he could compile a complete version of the Cosmos Bridge realm Heaven’s Path Divine Art, but the bazaar allowed him to accomplish this in advance.

With this, he would be able to successfully cultivate to Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator and boost his fighting prowess significantly!

‘I should cultivate the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps first!’

Putting the Cosmos Bridge realm Heaven’s Path Divine Art aside for the moment, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze to the flawless Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps.

Having cultivated this technique once, it wasn’t too difficult for him to master the complete version.

As Zhang Xuan circulated his zhenqi through his meridians, he felt his body grow significantly lighter and freer.

Boom!

After a period of time, as if a shackle tying down his body previously had been blasted open, Zhang Xuan felt his body becoming as light as a feather.

Hu!

The cross-legged Zhang Xuan slowly floated in the air, and he began drifting all around the room.

“As expected of the flawless Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps. The zhenqi consumption is indeed much lower than before…”

Sensing the zhenqi consumption from the utilization of the technique, Zhang Xuan’s eyes gleamed in excitement.

In the past, zhenqi would gush out of Zhang Xuan’s body as if a burst dam as soon as he utilized this technique. Despite possessing the incredibly pure Heaven’s Path zhenqi, the zhenqi consumption from the execution of this technique was still extremely frightening to him. But at this moment, Zhang Xuan’s zhenqi was flowing slowly as though a small stream by a village. At the current rate of consumption, he could easily maintain his flight for several hours.

Not only so, the speed of his flight had increased considerably as well. Even though he was still far from a match for the Great Violetwing Beast, he had the confidence to catch up to Transcendent Mortal 6-dan aerial spirit beasts.

And more importantly, the flight speed would continue to increase along with the rise in his cultivation!

Just as Zhang Xuan was slowly returning to the ground to rest, an idea abruptly surfaced in his mind.

‘I wonder if I can fuse the Heaven’s Path Movement Art together with the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps…’

Since both the Heaven’s Path Movement Art and Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps were both movement techniques, could they be fused together?

And if they could, what would be the result of it?

Curious, Zhang Xuan decided to give it a try!

Immersing his concentration in the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan placed the two books side by side.

“Compile!”

A new book appeared before Zhang Xuan’s eyes.

“This…”

Taking a look at the contents, Zhang Xuan’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Chapter 704: The Start of the Entrance Examination

However, the content of the book was completely nonsensical. Each line didn’t follow from the previous line, making it impossible to comprehend at all. Just the sight of it left Zhang Xuan’s eyes spinning.

“It seems like… I am underestimating the difficulty of this matter…”

Swiftly flipping through the book, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly and tossed it to the ground.

These two books were perfect on their own, and while it was possible to combine the books together, it only ended up introducing many flaws into the technique, making it impossible to cultivate at all.

To make an analogy, it was like mashing abalone, durian, loquat, watermelon, milk, chicken, salmon, and many other ingredients together… They were delicacies on their own, but when mixed together, the only logical decision one could make was to toss the entire pot away.

‘It seems that while the Library of Heaven’s Path can compile battle techniques to form a perfected manual, it is incapable of fusing perfected manuals together…’

Zhang Xuan shook his head in disappointment. A moment later, a thought suddenly appeared in his mind, and determination surfaced in his gaze. ‘But while the Library of Heaven’s Path isn’t able to fuse the two manuals together, it should be possible for me to attempt it manually.’

The Library of Heaven’s Path could sieve out the correct portion of a manual and combine them with many others to form a perfect manual, similar to how a cook sieves a bucket of flour to whip up the best noodles. Putting two perfected manuals together would be no different from mixing two different types of flour together. Given the differing nature of the flours, if one didn’t have anything to bridge the differences, it was inevitable that the quality of the noodles would drop.

It was the same in the case of Heaven’s Path Movement Art and Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps. One was a flight movement technique whereas the other one was a land movement technique. With a fundamental difference between them, the result of the compilation of the two was bound to be plagued with problems.

But… while the Library of Heaven’s Path was incapable of bridging the difference, it didn’t mean that Zhang Xuan was unable to do so!

Despite the differences, they were still movement techniques. If Zhang Xuan were to succeed in compiling the two together, he would be able to enhance his flight speed significantly.

With such a thought in mind, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in excitement.

‘I should give try executing the Heaven’s Path Movement Art in midair…’

A surge of hot blood gushed to Zhang Xuan’s head, and without any hesitation, he took in a deep breath and leaped to the sky. While floating in the sky, he attempted to execute the Heaven’s Path Movement Art to advance forward.

Putong!

But before he could execute the Heaven’s Path Movement Art, the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Step which was holding him up in midair suddenly stopped operating, and his body suddenly plummeted down. With a dull thud, he crashed back onto to earth, creating a huge depression in the ground upon impact.

‘This isn’t right…’

With a face cloaked with dust, Zhang Xuan’s complexion darkened.

He’d thought that this should be a simple feat, but reality couldn’t be any further from his expectations.

Given the might of his soul, multitasking wasn’t a problem for him anymore. However, both techniques required one’s zhenqi to pass through the same meridians, and attempting to execute both simultaneously would result in a clash of zhenqi, thus canceling one another out.

And the result? A tragic fall from the sky.

It seemed like fusing battle techniques together was not as easy as he’d thought.

But thinking about it, if it was that easy to fuse battle techniques together, there wouldn’t be a need for such thorough classifications within every class of battle technique.

‘Or maybe I should try executing the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps in the midst of Heaven’s Path Movement Art instead…’

Zhang Xuan didn’t give up right after that failure. Instead, he contemplated for a moment before trying it once more.

Previously, he had executed the Heaven’s Path Movement Art in the midst of his Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps. Perhaps, if he were to swap the order… he might be able to succeed.

While Zhang Xuan was busy trying to put both his battle techniques together, outside the room, Sun Qiang walked up to Zheng Yang, who was in the midst of practicing his spear art, and asked, “Where is the young master?”

“Teacher is currently in the midst of cultivating in seclusion, and he doesn’t want anyone to interrupt him!” Retracting spear, Zheng Yang exhaled deeply, and a breath of white air drifted from his mouth.

In this period of time, while he had been trying to advance his cultivation, he hadn’t slacked off on his battle technique training either. Under Zhang shi’s guidance, his comprehension of spearmanship had deepened significantly, and the might of his spear art had also become much more formidable.

In terms of cultivation, he might not be a match for Wang Ying. However, in a true fight, he would surely be able to stand his ground against the latter.

“Seclusion?”

Sun Qiang scratched his head. “Alright. If Young Master comes out of seclusion, tell him that I have already found appropriate living quarters, and we can move in anytime!”

“You have already found new living quarters?” Retracting his spear, Zheng Yang’s eyes lit up.

The Academic Sea was filled with master teachers, and even though Hong shi and the others hadn’t said anything, they didn’t feel comfortable living here.

“Yes, but it’s not easy to replace available residences in the vicinity of the Master Teacher Academy. I have found one with a small courtyard and a few rooms for the time being… I’m afraid that it’ll be hard to replace anything bigger than that. Even if we manage to replace one, it is likely to cost an astronomical sum!” Sun Qiang said.

Countless young experts had gathered here to enroll in the Master Teacher Academy, and a significant proportion of them came from a wealthy background. Naturally, they would also attempt to replace a lodging in the vicinity of the academy as well.

As a result, most of the residences in the area had been bought by them. As such, it was impossible to buy any even if they had the money. And even if that one happened to be free by chance, the prices would be driven to an astronomical sum by the great demand, thus making it impossible for them to acquire it.

After all… they were indeed rather poor at the moment.

“It’s sufficient that we replace a living quarter for the time being…”

Zheng Yang nodded.

“However, this isn’t feasible in the long-term. We might be fine with living in such humble quarters, but what if the old master were to come and visit? How can we allow a noble 8-star master teacher live in such a small residence?”

Sun Qiang shook his head. “I think it will be better if I discuss with the young master to decide on what we should do about this matter…”

Sighing, Sun Qiang was just about to speak when a loud crashing sound echoed from the room ahead of them. It seemed like something had fallen heavily to the ground.

“Didn’t you say that the young master is currently cultivating in seclusion? What is that sound then?”

Taken aback, Sun Qiang was just about to push the door open to replace out what was going on when another dull thud sounded. The wall before them shook, and a head popped out from the wall.

“Teacher!”

“Young Master…”

Upon recognizing the face on said head, the duo was taken aback. However, before they could comprehend what was going on, ‘sou!’, the figure disappeared from their sight. Their respected young master and teacher suddenly flew backward abruptly and crashed into the opposite wall, creating a huge hole.

Peng peng peng peng!

Zhang Xuan went crashing all around like a rubber ball. Under the massive impact of his rapid movements, the fortified room suddenly collapsed inward.

Upon seeing this sight, Sun Qiang and Zheng Yang glanced at one another, and their lips twitched violently.

‘Didn’t you say that you were cultivating?

‘Then what are you doing crashing into those walls?

‘What kind of cultivation requires you to knock yourself into a wall? Look at your face, it is already immensely swollen…’

Hu!

Just as they were staring at the sight before them with their mouths agape, Zhang Xuan suddenly shot out from the room and crashed into a huge tree in the courtyard head first, leaving his legs twitching uncontrollably outside.

“Teacher…”

Finally recovering from the shock, Zheng Yang hurried over to pull Zhang Xuan out from the tree, only to see the latter’s face livid with frustration. “Teacher…”

“Young Master, we are just poor! There’s no need to lose hope in life over a money issue…”

Sun Qiang also ran up to talk some sense into Zhang Xuan out of goodwill.

“Cough cough!”

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan’s face darkened further. He hurriedly waved his hands and said, “I’ll be going out for a moment! Sun Qiang, go and look for Hong shi to pay for the damaged properties…”

Ignoring the bewildered duo, Zhang Xuan leaped into the sky, and the Great Violetwing Beast immediately flew over. Soaring through the night sky, they headed to the city walls.

Given the size of his room in the Academic Sea, if he were to continue training there, the entire place could possibly be destroyed before he could successfully put the two techniques together. Thus, he decided to venture out to replace a larger area where he could train.

Not too long later, they arrived at a hill some distance away from Hongyuan City.

A bright moon hung in the sky, and a night breeze blew lightly. Birds and insects warbled harmoniously in the surroundings, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

‘This is it!’

Crossing his legs, Zhang Xuan first recovered the zhenqi he had expended before turning his attention back to compiling his movement techniques.

Peng peng peng peng!

Very quickly, a loud thud, reminiscent of someone’s head crashing into trees or boulders, accompanied with pained moans, echoed throughout the entire hill.

The incident would eventually grow to become a horror legend among the populace, as well as a tool for parents to warn children against venturing in the wilderness at night.

…

The next day…

“Is Zhang shi back yet?”

Hong shi paced around the room nervously.

When he’d heard the room collapse the previous night, he’d immediately rushed over. However, he’d only appeared in time to see Zhang shi disappearing in the horizon. He’d thought that the latter was only going out to cultivate for a moment, and he would be back very soon. Who could have known that he would be gone until now?

Today was the day of the Master Teacher Academy’s entrance examination. If he were to miss it, he wouldn’t be able to get into the academy!

“The young master left yesterday, and he isn’t back yet…” Sun Qiang shook his head in confusion as well.

The young master had always been normal, so why did he suddenly go knocking his head on concrete yesterday as if suffering from a stroke?

Not only that, to actually stay out late after that… it couldn’t be that he had given up on living!

Unable to stand it any longer, he turned to Zheng Yang and the others and asked, “Did any of you agitate Young Master last night?”

“We didn’t…”

Zheng Yang and the others shook their heads, baffled by the situation before them as well. “Teacher only told us that he was going to cultivate in seclusion. We know nothing else other than that!”

They’d also been astonished when they’d heard that their teacher had gone around bashing his head into walls and trees last night, and this had left them deeply worried as well.

“What is going on…”

If he hadn’t been provoked by anyone, why would the young master suddenly display such abnormal behavior? Sun Qiang fell into deep thought.

Just as he was wondering where he should go looking for the young master, the person-in-question suddenly returned cloaked in dust.

Judging from his appearance, it seemed like he had been rolling on the ground all night long instead of cultivating. If they didn’t know better, they would probably have thrown him a few gold coins if they met him on the streets.

“Young master, you…”

Sun Qiang hurriedly rushed up in a ditz.

“I am fine!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. Turning to the elder standing behind him, he said, “Hong shi, let’s go…”

“You are going to participate in the examination… in such a state?”

Seeing Zhang Xuan’s state, Hong shi’s lips twitched in shock.

‘Other examinees would wash themselves thoroughly and don fresh clothes so as to leave a good impression with the invigilating teachers and elders.

‘Yet, with an appearance that seems to suggest that you went out begging for alms last night, and your crimson eyes, a result of extreme fatigue… Are you sure you are ready for the examination?’

“It matters not!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands nonchalantly.

He had spent the entire night experimenting, and his zhenqi had been fully depleted five times. He had also crashed so much that he’d ended up a state of near death last night, and the result… was still a failure.

Putting two battle techniques together simply involved too many intricate details that made it impossible to refine swiftly.

Nevertheless, even though Zhang Xuan had yet to succeed, his control over the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps had grown significantly, allowing him to move at faster speeds. At the same time, his comprehension of battle techniques had also deepened from his trial and error, and this would serve him well in true battles.

However, it was a pity that his obstinacy in figuring out how to put the two battle techniques together last night had deprived him of the opportunity to cultivate the newly compiled Cosmos Bridge realm Heaven’s Path Divine Art. As a result, he was still at Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle.

“Alright then, let’s go…”

Hearing Zhang Xuan say that he was fine, and understanding how important the examination was, Hong shi immediately brought Zhang Xuan onto the aerial spirit beast prepared by the academy, and the duo quickly flew for Hongyuan Mountain Range’s Leiyuan Peak.

Leiyuan Peak was only around two hundred kilometers away from the Academic Sea, so it didn’t take them too long to arrive at their destination.

Nearly all of the freshmen had already arrived. From afar, the moving crowd resembled the waves of an ocean. It was truly an incredible sight.

“There is a higher number of freshmen taking the entrance examination this year, with the number at around thirty thousand. However, the academy is only accepting twenty thousand this year, so a third of the examinees will be eliminated!” Hong shi said with a suppressed voice.

“Eliminating a third of the freshmen?”

Zhang Xuan’s lips twitched.

Considering that each of those present were the top elites of their respective regions, eliminating a third of them was truly fearsome. As expected of the Master Teacher Academy of a Tier 1 Empire!

Chapter 705: Betting!

The first time Zhang Xuan had seen so many master teachers was back when he was in Myriad Kingdom City. But even so, the number was only around a thousand or so. Yet, just the entrance examination of the Master Teacher Academy itself already involved thirty thousand 4-star pinnacle and half 5-star master teachers…

Just the thought of it was scary in itself.

But nevertheless, considering the circumstances surrounding Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, this was understandable.

This was the only Master Teacher Academy in this region. It accepted students that were not only from Hongyuan Empire but from other Tier 1 Empires as well.

Taking into account the dozen or so Tier 1 Empires and the countless sects and Master Teacher Pavilions they had in their region, it was natural that there were this many talented master teachers.

It was no wonder Tianxuan Kingdom was known as ‘ancient ruins’. To not even have a single master teacher, it was indeed a backward location.

Feng shi, Luo shi, and the others walked up to Zhang Xuan and said, “We don’t have any alliances with anyone in the entrance examination, so our team will be depending on you, Zhang shi…”

Even though they’d had several conflicts with Zhang Xuan in the past, considering they were from the same geographical region and the powerful competitors they would be facing in the entrance examination, they had decisively chosen to put aside their differences and unite together as one. This was the greatest hope they had in passing the entrance examination.

“Don’t worry!”

Looking at the Huanyu Empire freshmen around him, Zhang Xuan nodded in assurance.

There was a total of fifty master teachers from Huanyu Empire that would be taking the entrance examination. Putting aside the top three from each Vassal State, the others were mainly 4-star pinnacle master teachers possessing a cultivation of Clarifying Turbidity realm.

With such cultivation, they were indeed considered mediocre within the group. Thus, for them to triumph over the competitors and pass the examination as a whole was, honestly speaking, very difficult!

This was precisely the reason they chose to ally with Tier 2 Jinhai Empire. Considering they were from a Tier 2 Empire as well, they’d thought that the strength of both teams would be roughly equal, so they should at least have been able to vie for an equal distribution at the very worst. Who knew that they would be completely defeated by the other party, and nearly turned into meat shields?

It was fortunate that Zhang shi arrived at that crucial period and saved them from that tragic fate.

But while they did manage to prevent the worst from happening, the crux of the problem still existed—their lack of strength. It was already too late to do anything else, so they could only put all of their hope in Zhang shi, and pray that he would be able to lead the group successfully through the entrance examination.

“You have our gratitude!”

Feng shi, Luo shi, and the others clasped their fists gratefully.

Thinking back on what they’d done to the other party, they felt extremely ashamed of themselves. Putting themselves into Zhang shi’s shoes, if someone had treated him the way they did back at Huanyu Capital, they would surely have exacted vengeance during the entrance examination and made things difficult for the examinees from the other Vassal States. However, Zhang shi harbored no such vindictive thoughts at all.

In terms of magnanimity, they were truly nowhere near the other party.

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony!” Seeing the expressions on their faces, Zhang Xuan chuckled light-heartedly, indicating that the past was the past. At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded from not too far away.

“Is this the man who defeated you?”

Turning around, Zhang Xuan saw a dark-skinned young man walking over with the defeated Senior Feng from Jinhai Empire following behind him.

The one who spoke was the dark-skinned young man in front. He had a tall stature, and his arms and legs were unusually long. His gaze was sharp and cold, as if a dagger was hidden in the depths of his eyes.

“Cosmos Bridge realm?”

Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up.

The other party didn’t conceal his aura at all. The might of a Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator lingered around him as if the searing heat of a sun, exerting an immense pressure on the group.

At the Cosmos Bridge realm, a connection would be forged between one’s consciousness and the world, granting one enhanced intimacy with nature. Even though a Consonant Spirit realm cultivator wasn’t weak, it could hardly compare up to a Cosmos Bridge realm expert.

But while the young man had reached the Cosmos Bridge realm, the emblem pinned on his chest only had 4 stars.

Reaching the Cosmos Bridge realm was just one of several prerequisites to becoming a 5-star master teacher. One had to have five 5-star supporting occupations as well as a Soul Depth of 15.0.

Often there were a couple of Grade 1 students who already possessed a cultivation realm beyond their current master teacher ranking, but due to their various other aspects being unable to catch up, they weren’t qualified to be promoted to the next rank.

Clearly, the young man before him was such a case.

Nevertheless, he would still be a fearsome adversary.

To acquire such strength before thirty when he had yet to enter the Master Teacher Academy, he could be said to be ranked amongst the top even within the thirty thousand freshmen this year.

“Yes!” Senior Feng nodded.

“This…”

Hearing the other party’s confirmation, the young man frowned.

He had been acquainted with Senior Feng for some time already, and knowing the latter’s strength, he thought that a person who could defeat the latter should be at least a formidable Cosmos Bridge realm expert, but… this? What the heck?

Dirty as if he hadn’t bathed for many days, exhausted to the point that his eyes were bloodshot, countless swelling marks on his face…

The other party had clearly suffered a tragic beating not too long ago…

More importantly, even though the other party was at Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle, he didn’t feel exceptionally powerful either… With the other party’s disposition and appearance, he wouldn’t have spared the other party a second glance anywhere else.

Was this really the man who smacked the confidence out of his good friend, leaving him in a slump?

Fearing that the other party wouldn’t believe his words, Senior Feng hurriedly explained, “Brother Yu, don’t underestimate Zhang shi. He… possesses extraordinary capabilities. He was able to defeat me with just a single finger!”

However, the more he spoke, the more uncertain he became.

Looking at Zhang Xuan’s current state, he couldn’t help but wonder if this was really the man who wounded him.

Why did it seem as if he had lost to a poor beggar?

“A single finger?”

Brother Yu shook his head. Turning to Zhang Xuan, he asked, “You are Zhang Xuan, Zhang shi? Since you defeated Feng Wu, may I challenge you to a match?”

“A match?” Zhang Xuan was just about to turn the other party away by claiming that he was busy when an idea suddenly struck him. With glowing eyes, he measured the other party from head to toe and asked, “What are you going to bet on the match?”

It just so happened that he was a little short on cash at the moment. Even renting a residence was difficult for him with his current finances. If he could earn some pocket change from a duel to tide him over this period, that would be for the best.

Sun Qiang hadn’t had the time to clear away the artifacts he had obtained from the Mystical Treasure Hall before coming here, and there weren’t any familiar faces in Hongyuan City that they could approach to fetch good prices for their items. As such, their funds were running extremely low at the moment.

“Bet?” Brother Yu was surprised by Zhang Xuan’s words.

“That’s right. What is the point of having a match if there is nothing on the line?” Zhang Xuan shrugged.

He wasn’t interested in wasting his effort for nothing. If there were no material gains to be earned from having a match, why should he waste his time?

Brother Yu’s face darkened, and his eyebrows shot up in displeasure.

“You… Do you know what I want to compete against you in?”

No matter what, they were all master teachers, respectable members of the society. To place a bet on a respectable contest between fellow peers was really a little too cheap!

‘You are just a mere Consonant Spirit realm cultivator. It is one thing that you aren’t afraid of me, but you don’t even know what we are contesting in, and yet there you are talking about bets… Are you just that certain that you will be able to win?

‘How far can your arrogance go!

‘Presumptious!’

His initial impression of this fellow already wasn’t good, but at this moment, it had dropped to rock bottom.

Ignoring the other party’s disdain, Zhang Xuan waved his hands nonchalantly.

“As long as you can offer something that interests me, I’m fine with anything you propose!”

“Since you’re that confident, I’ll fulfill your wish then!”

Harrumphing coldly, Brother Yu flicked his wrist, and a bunch of spirit stones appeared before him, “I have 1000 middle-tier spirit stones here. As long as you can defeat me, feel free to take them away!”

“1000 middle-tier spirit stones?” Zhang Xuan glanced at the pile of gleaming spirit stones.

“That’s right! You have never seen so many spirit stones in your life, right? But you need not worry, I don’t expect you to repay me should you lose… All of you have to do is to apologize to me before all of the freshmen here for your disrespect,” Brother Yu said with an air of superiority with his hands behind his back, emulating the disposition of a transcendental expert.

Considering how Huanyu Empire was below average compared to the other Tier 2 Empires, as well as the other party’s shabby looks and attitude, it was clear that the other party was a poor bloke. To people like this, a thousand middle-tier spirit stones was probably a huge fortune, the like of which they had never seen in their lives before.

“Wait a moment…”

Seeing how the other party droned on and on, Zhang Xuan raised a hand to stop him. “Don’t you think a thousand middle-tier spirit stones is too troublesome? Why don’t we just go with one?”

“One? You call one middle-tier spirit stone a bet? Even the salary that I pay my subordinates is much more than that…”

Hearing the other party’s suggestion, Brother Yu sneered coldly. But at that moment, he suddenly felt Senior Feng nudging him and pointing to Zhang shi’s hand. Perplexed, he turned his gaze over, and his eyeballs nearly popped out from his eyes.

There was a spirit stone in the other party’s hand that was emanating a blinding radiance.

“H-h-high-tier spirit stone?”

Brother Yu’s lips trembled, and his body shook weakly.

“Indeed, one high-tier spirit stone,” Zhang Xuan replied calmly.

“…” Brother Yu’s vision darkened, and he nearly keeled over.

Even for someone as rich as him, he only possessed middle-tier spirit stones. High-tier spirit stones were objects that only Saints were qualified to trade.

‘To actually use a high-tier spirit stone as a bet…

‘Are you sure that you are a Consonant Spirit realm cultivator from Huanyu Empire?’

Given how shabby the other party looked, he thought that the other party would surely be a poor bloke. Who knew that he would suddenly whip out a high-tier spirit stone… What was with this huge contrast?

“Why? You don’t have any high-tier spirit stone? If you don’t even have the capital to make a bet, why are you bothering me? Go and play by the side, I don’t have the time to be playing with you…”

Seeing the other party’s frenzied expression, Zhang Xuan tutted in disdain.

‘Why are you pretending to be wealthy when you don’t even have a single high-tier spirit stone?’

Seeing the contempt on Zhang Xuan’s face, Brother Yu and Senior Feng’s faces darkened.

What the heck was this? They were here to humiliate the other party; how did they end up being the ones humiliated instead?

This was especially so with the other party’s expression. It was as if he was snubbing them for being poor…

“Fine, let’s bet on a high-tier spirit stone then!” Brother Yu flung his sleeves furiously and harrumphed.

“Sure, where is your high-tier spirit stone then? Show me. Otherwise, what am I supposed to do when you don’t have the money to pay up? There are simply too many scammers nowadays!” Zhang Xuan said.

“You…”

Brother Yu clenched his fists tightly in anger. Thus, he turned to Senior Feng and said, “Take out your ‘Aerial Strike Amulet’!”

“Brother Yu, that item…”

Hearing the other party’s request, Senior Feng’s eyebrows immediately twitched. He quickly tried to turn the other party down.

“Don’t worry, do you think he can defeat me?” Brother Yu placed his hands behind his back confidently.

“… Alright then!”

Recalling Brother Yu’s identity, as well as the content of the examination, Senior Feng hesitated for a moment before eventually nodding in agreement. He flicked his wrist, and a jade token immediately appeared in his hands.

Brother Yu took the jade token and showed it to Zhang Xuan. “This Aerial Strike Amulet is an artifact forged by a Saint. It allows one to withstand a single attack from a Saint without sustaining any damage. Its value is definitely equivalent to a single high-tier spirit stone!”

“Aerial Strike Amulet?”

Zhang Xuan’s finger reached out to touch the amulet before nodding in satisfaction. “This object is indeed worth a single high-tier spirit stone. Fine, I’ll accept your bet!”

Seeing the other party agree to the bet, the edges of Brother Yu’s lips crept up.

“Good. The winner of the bet shall be determined by… the results of the entrance examination!”

Chapter 706: Elder Mo

“Results of the entrance examination?”

Zhang Xuan frowned in bewilderment.

Weren’t the only two results of the entrance examination pass and fail? What did the other party mean by comparing their results?

Just as Zhang Xuan was just about to ask the other party to elaborate, a powerful voice reverberated throughout the entire field.

“Quiet down!”

Everyone immediately stopped their chatter and raised their heads to look over. Following which, they saw an elder floating in midair.

“Saint…”

Zhang Xuan’s body stiffened.

He could clearly feel the fundamental difference between his flight ability and the other’s. The other party’s flight ability was based on the world’s recognition instead of a forceful levitation through the skillful utilization of zhenqi.

It was just like the difference between a flying bird and a balloon. The latter levitated due to the fundamental laws of physics whereas the former was dependent on the flapping of its wings. The moment it grows tired and stops its movements, it would immediately plummet to the ground.

Just like the flying bird, the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps required its user to continuously pump zhenqi into the technique in order to maintain flight. The elder before him clearly didn’t belong to the same class, so the only explanation left was that he had reached Saint realm.

With a warm gaze from above, the elder said, “I am Mo Zhu, an elder of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. I will be the chief invigilator for this entrance examination!”

“He is Elder Mo?” a freshman in front of Zhang Xuan exclaimed agitatedly, upon hearing the elder’s introduction.

“Is Elder Mo very famous?” another freshman asked in confusion.

“Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy is famed for its Ten Great Master Teachers. The Ten Great Master Teachers are all 6-star pinnacle master teachers, as well as the ten most authoritative elders in the academy. They oversee everything that happens in the academy… and Elder Mo is one of them. Do you think that he is famous or not?” the first freshman said with a hushed voice.

“Ten Great Master Teachers?” The second freshman widened his eyes in shock.

Those who had heard of the Master Teacher Academy would surely have heard of the Ten Great Master Teachers as well. This title was determined via a selection process among the master teachers in Hongyuan Empire and the surrounding Tier 1 Empires once every fifty years. As the title was conferred directly by the superior Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, the title was official and possessed true authority.

As such, the Ten Great Master Teachers possessed exceptional standing, and even the emperor of Hongyuan Empire would have to pay respect to them in the capacity of a student. They were also entitled to the most valuable of resources of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

There was no student who didn’t take pride in becoming the student of any of the Ten Great Master Teachers…

He’d thought that such a formidable master teacher would surely be far away from him, but who knew that he would meet one before he had even officially enrolled into the academy?

The first freshman exclaimed agitatedly, “Indeed. Of the Ten Great Master Teachers, Elder Mo specializes in beast taming. But still, to think that he would invigilate the entrance examination personally…”

The Ten Great Master Teachers were legendary figures that most master teachers grew up admiring. Seeing the real person in the flesh, they could hardly curb the agitation they were feeling.

Even Brother Yu’s eyes were glowing with excitement upon seeing Elder Mo.

“I believe everyone should already know the topic of the examination. I have placed many spirit beasts in Leiyuan Peak ahead of us!”

Interjecting into everyone’s moment of excitement, Elder Mo continued with a warm smile, “All of those spirit beasts are aggressive beasts who have a track record of harming the innocent on numerous counts. I have confined them to the peak, and you are free to hunt them down as you like. As long as you slaughter a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle spirit beast and procure its inner core, I will consider you to have passed the examination!”

“Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle spirit beast?”

“Aggressive beasts who have a track record of harming the innocent?”

“This examination sounds extremely hard…”

Elder Mo’s description was brief, but as master teachers, they were able to understand the crux of the matter in an instant. Within an instant, their excitement was replaced with unease.

Due to the superior physique that spirit beasts were born with, their fighting prowess was extraordinary. A Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle spirit beast could fight a Consonant Spirit realm master teacher on equal grounds, and even if things turned out to be disadvantageous, it was likely that it would be able to escape safely.

Given that most of the freshmen involved in the examination were at Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle, it would be difficult for them to clear the examination!

Not to mention, considering the aggressive nature of the spirit beasts, they were bound to be difficult opponents to deal with. There was a vast difference between a spirit beast with vast fighting experience and a spirit beast with no fighting experience whatsoever.

‘It is no wonder why most parties have chosen to form an alliance…’ Zhang Xuan thought in realization.

He had been thinking that it was bizarre how the various parties chose to ally themselves with others for a mere hunt. After all, coordinating with another party was an extremely troublesome task. However, from the looks of it now, if they didn’t do so, there was a good chance they could end up being surrounded and killed by the spirit beasts.

To think that even an entrance examination would be so dangerous… At this instant, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled what Luo Qiqi had previously said about the Master Teacher Academy. It was indeed a competitive place where only those who could adapt would survive.

“The time limit is a single day. In other words, before sunset, you must return with the inner core in your hand. Only by fulfilling this criterion will you be considered to have cleared the examination! Otherwise… this will spell the end of your fate with the academy.”

Elder Mo continued, “Also, I would like to warn everyone that the cultivation of the spirit beasts on the peak isn’t just limited to Transcendent Mortal 4-dan. There are 5-dan, 6-dan, and even 7-dan spirit beasts there. Thus, you should be careful not to be slaughtered by the spirit beasts while hunting them down!”

The examinees had been informed of this in advance, so they weren’t too surprised by Elder Mo’s words.

Fighting prowess wasn’t all there was to a master teacher. Master teachers were expected to be all-rounders who were capable in all fields, and this test sought to assess this.

After a moment of silence, a freshman suddenly asked, “Elder Mo, if we manage to slay a Transcendent Mortal 5-dan or 6-dan spirit beast, how will the results be tallied?”

“Good question!” Elder Mo stroked his beard. “We will be using a points system to gauge your result in the examination, and those who score higher will get to come under the tutelage of better teachers in the academy. In fact, if you perform outstandingly, there is a chance that you might win the favor of the elders!”

“Win the favor of the elders?”

Everyone’s breathing hastened.

To be an elder in the Master Teacher Academy, one had to be a 6-star master teacher at minimum. Under the guidance of such a teacher, one’s capability would surely soar.

At the same time, one would also be entitled to the best resources and highest standing.

“As for how points will be allocated, that’s simple as well. It’s a cumulative scoring system,” Elder Mo said.

“Cumulative scoring system?” Everyone was slightly confused.

“That’s right. You will be scored based on the tier of the spirit beasts you kill. A Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle spirit beast will award you with 1 point. A Consonant Spirit realm primary stage spirit beast will award you with 10 points, intermediate stage 20 points, advanced stage 30 points, and pinnacle 40 points! As for Cosmos Bridge realm spirit beasts, a primary stage spirit beast will award you 100 points, intermediate stage 200 points… so on and so forth!”

Elder Mo paused then said, “The more points one scores, the better one’s results will be. Alternatively, one can also choose to share one’s points with another to help them clear the examination.

“For example, if ten people work together to kill a Consonant Spirit realm primary stage spirit beast, these ten points can be equally distributed among them to allow the ten people to clear the examination together!”

“We can also clear the examination by killing a Consonant Spirit realm primary stage spirit beast in groups of ten?”

“That’s great…”

Upon hearing the news, the eyes of the weaker freshmen immediately lit up, and they clenched their fists in agitation.

With their current strength, killing a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle spirit beast was extremely difficult for them. However, if they could coordinate with other master teachers and share the points earned, that would be a different story.

“It is for the purpose of driving away the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe that master teachers were born. To fulfill the responsibility we bear, not only must we be strong, we must also stand united and trust one another, working together to overcome all odds. This is crucial for the prosperity of mankind!” Elder Mo explained, knowing everyone’s thoughts.

Hearing those words, the crowd couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

‘Master Teacher’ didn’t refer to an individual but an entirety. Only through teamwork and mutual trust would master teachers be able to bring out greater might.

“Alright, I shall move on to the rules of the examination now.”

With a stern expression that seemed to be warning the freshmen against trying their luck, he said, “In this examination, you are not to attack other examinees and steal their inner cores. In other words, you cannot lay your hands on other master teachers for the purpose of obtaining even more points. Once caught, you will be stripped of your enrollment qualification, and you will never be accepted into the academy for life!”

As Elder Mo spoke of his punishment, his voice suddenly grew so heavy that it felt as if the sky itself was pressing down on them, and the air felt so viscous that even breathing was a difficulty.

A Saint raged; the world shattered.

Just the slightest expression of his displeasure was sufficient to deprive all Transcendent Mortal realm cultivators of their will to defy him.

“We aren’t able to attack other examinees and steal their inner cores?”

“Wasn’t that allowed in the past?”

“It seems they removed that section from the examination due to the potential acrimony it could induce among peers!”

“Sigh, I was still thinking of stealing other people’s inner cores to obtain a better result, but from the looks of it now… that is out of question!”

…

Spirit beasts were intelligent creatures. With so many people marching up the mountain to eliminate them, they would surely have hidden themselves well. As such, how could they be found easily?

Thus, quite a few of the stronger examinees had intended to prey on the weaker examinees to steal the fruits of their labor. Upon hearing that such behavior was not allowed, disappointment immediately surfaced on their faces.

However, an even larger proportion of the examinees heaved a sigh of relief.

Defeating a spirit beast was no easy feat; there was a good chance they might be severely injured in the midst of doing so. If the product of their hard work was stolen by others, they would surely burst into tears.

“Elder Mo, I would like to ask if master teachers can use their tamed beasts to hunt down the spirit beasts?”

This time, it was Senior Feng who asked the question.

Upon hearing Senior Feng’s words, everyone’s eyes immediately fell upon Zhang Xuan.

After numerous days of trading cultivation techniques for spirit beast inner cores in the bazaar, he had become known by a large portion of the freshmen. Most of them were aware that he had tamed a half 9-dan Great Violetwing Beast.

If that fellow were to use the Great Violetwing Beast to hunt, who would be a match for him?

Overwhelming strength paired with the capability of flight, there would be no one who could compete with him!

“A tamed beast can be considered as part of the strength of a master teacher as well. However, examinees will only be allowed to use their tamed beast once throughout the competition. Other than the first inner core hunted by a tamed beast, any subsequent inner cores procured through such a method will not contribute to the examinee’s score.”

Being able to tame a spirit beast could be considered as a person’s own strength as well. Nevertheless, if one were to rely completely on their tamed beast, that would be contrary to the purpose of the examination.

“Only once? That’s good!”

Hearing those words, Senior Feng heaved a sigh of relief.

If Zhang Xuan could only use his tamed beast once, it would be impossible for him to win against Brother Yu.

After explaining the issue regarding the tamed beast, Elder Mo surveyed the surroundings and said, “Alright, are there any other questions? Do raise them so as to avoid infringing on the rules and losing your qualification!”

“Elder, what about grade-5 formation plates?” another freshman asked.

“The same rule applies for anything that is beyond one’s cultivation realm. Just like tamed beasts, it can only be used once!” Elder Mo said.

Several more questions were asked, and Elder Mo answered each of them patiently.

Hearing the various rules and regulations of the examination, it was clear that the academy had put a lot of effort into planning the examination in order to accurately assess the strength of each examinee.

Seeing that there were no more questions, Elder Mo gestured to Leiyuan Peak and said, “Alright. If there aren’t any more questions, the examination starts now. You can proceed up the mountain now!”

“Yes!”

Hearing the instructions, the thirty thousand participating freshmen immediately charged up to Leiyuan Peak.

The earlier they arrived, the higher the chance they would be able to successfully replace and hunt a spirit beast. Thus, none of the examinees were willing lag behind the others.

Chapter 707: Start of the Hunt

“Zhang shi, don’t forget our bet. Whoever obtains the most points will be the victor!”

Seeing the crowd rush up the mountain, Brother Yu turned to Zhang Xuan and sneered before rushing up the mountain alongside Senior Feng.

Seeing the crowd rush along, Zhang Xuan glanced at Luo Xuan, Ruohuan gongzi, and the others and said, “Let’s head on up as well!”

Only the examinees were allowed to be on the examination field, so the escorting members such as Hong shi weren’t allowed to enter. They had to watch from outside the area. Thus, the examinees could only depend on themselves.

“Un!”

Luo Xuan and the others nodded.

“Let’s head in that direction!”

Knowing that he was the leader of the group, Zhang Xuan scanned the surroundings, and his gaze eventually fell on a narrow valley. Pointing in that direction, he took the lead.

The other master teachers form Huanyu Empire followed closely behind.

Leiyuan Peak was actually relatively large in size. Putting aside the sharp cliffs, there was actually a lot of space to maneuver around. It was filled with innumerable gorges, boulders, and trees… Even an army of thirty thousand seemed insignificant against the entire peak.

The route which Zhang Xuan had chosen was one with very few people.

Even the weakest of the group was at Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle, so the group traveled at an extremely fast speed. In just ten mere minutes, they were already deep within the mountain forest.

Perhaps it was due to the lush greenery filtering out the rays of the sun, but cold air seemed to permeate the entire mountain.

In the tranquil forest, there wasn’t the slightest sound to be heard. Perhaps it was due to the earlier group driving away the beasts and birds, or perhaps the spirit beasts had gone into hiding knowing that master teachers were marching up the mountain to eliminate them, but the entire place seemed to be devoid of life.

“Zhang shi, where do we go now?”

By now, the group had been traveling for quite some time already. However, putting aside seeing a whole spirit beast, they hadn’t even seen a single strand of spirit beast hair yet. As such, Luo Xuan and the others couldn’t help but panic.

“Given the vast size of Leiyuan Peak, if the spirit beasts are intentionally hiding from us, it won’t be easy to replace them. However, there’s no need to worry. I have been looking out for the tracks of the spirit beasts, and I have already noticed something…”

Zhang Xuan smiled.

Putting aside his identity as a master teacher, he was also a capable beast tamer who was proficient in the Ancient Beast Language. Not to mention, his Eye of Insight also allowed him to easily spot the slightest trails left behind by spirit beasts.

If Zhang Xuan were to seek them out seriously, it would be impossible for the spirit beasts to hide from him.

After advancing for a moment longer, Zhang Xuan suddenly came to an abrupt halt. He indicated for the group to remain silent, and with a flick of his wrist, he took out a sword.

Huala!

With a swift movement, a sharp, cold gleam flashed across the steep cliff before him.

Just as the group was bewildered as to what Zhang Xuan was attempting to do, a deafening explosion suddenly sounded, and the boulder before them shattered. Following which, a gray figure suddenly dashed out.

Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle spirit beast… Gale Wolf!

To think that this fellow would actually be hiding inside a boulder.

“I’ll hand it over to you all. I’ll check out the situation in front!”

Knowing that Luo Xuan and the others shouldn’t have any problems with a spirit beast of this tier, Zhang Xuan chose to proceed ahead to scout around first.

The route ahead was tilted upward. Even though the route rather steep, it was fortunate that there were many plants around to serve as a stepping stone. Soon, Zhang Xuan had already covered a distance of seven to eight kilometers.

Hu!

Suddenly, Zhang Xuan came to a halt, and a deep frown appeared on his forehead.

“These marks indicate that a group of spirit beasts have passed through this area…”

Even though there were no clear marks on the field before him, Zhang Xuan was still able to easily tell that a group of beasts had just passed the area not too long ago through his Eye of Insight.

“Bluebacked Ferocious Bear, Steelfang Panther, Southern Yellow Tiger, Metal-arm Ape… Those are spirit beasts that specialize in speed! Furthermore, all of them have reached Consonant Spirit realm!” Zhang Xuan deduced, after a moment of observation.

Different spirit beasts would leave behind different trails. Of the beast horde that had passed through this area, he was able to identify at least a dozen of them.

These spirit beasts were usually the nemeses of one another, and yet they were actually traveling together. Most probably, just as Elder Mo had said, they had begun working together to stand against the humans.

“Zhang shi…”

Just as Zhang Xuan was trying to figure out the direction in which the spirit beasts were heading, Luo Xuan and the others finally caught up with him.

To them, a Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle spirit beast didn’t pose as a challenge at all. They were able to kill it swiftly.

However, their group was simply too big. Killing a Clarifying Turbidity realm spirit beast didn’t do much to help them as a group.

“Everyone, lower your voices. Let’s go for a big one!”

Zhang Xuan smiled mysteriously.

More than a dozen Transcendent Mortal 5-dan spirit beast had passed through this area. This was an opportunity as much as a threat.

If they could get rid of all of them, they would gain sufficient points to pass the examination.

If it was any other team or alliance, they would surely avoid clashing with such a large group. However, Zhang Xuan was different. His cultivation had reached Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle, and his fighting prowess far exceeded his peers. If he wished to, he could easily destroy the entire group of spirit beasts.

“Go for a big one?”

Having only just arrived, everyone in the group was unable to comprehend what Zhang Xuan was getting at.

“Un. Based on my observation, a group of Consonant Spirit realm spirit beasts have just passed through the area. As long as we can slaughter them, we should be able to gain sufficient points for all of us to clear…” Zhang Xuan chuckled.

“Consonant Spirit realm spirit beast?”

Everyone’s eyes immediately beamed with excitement.

A single Consonant Spirit realm primary stage spirit beast was worth ten points, so they only had to clear away five of those to earn sufficient points for all of them to clear the examination.

As for the danger involved, didn’t Zhang shi have a half 9-dan tamed beast? If put in a critical situation, he could simply summon the Great Violetwing Beast to save them…

“Follow me!”

Having come to a decision, Zhang Xuan immediately led the group down the trail the spirit beast horde had gone through.

A moment later, he suddenly stopped.

“Something is wrong…”

Ruohuan gongzi walked up and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“There are signs of a formation being set up just ahead, but there are no signs of battle at all…”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

“What does that mean?” The group seemed unable to follow what Zhang Xuan was saying.

“If there are signs of a formation being set up, it can only mean that… someone has prepared an ambush ahead! However, if there are no signs of battle, it can only mean that the spirit beasts noticed the trap and avoided it,” Zhang Xuan explained.

“Spirit beasts possess an innate sensitivity to the disturbances in the spiritual energy in their environment. They might have sensed the presence of the formation in advance and avoided it,” Luo Xuan interjected.

Spirit beasts possessed far sharper senses than humans. It shouldn’t be anything much for them to notice and avoid a formation!

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

It wasn’t as simple as Luo Xuan had said.

“This is a grade-5 Greencloud Illusion Formation. This formation is known for its inconspicuousness when inactive. Even a Consonant Spirit realm master teacher would replace it hard to notice this formation even when passing through this area…”

Even though the other party had already removed the formation, with his eye of discernment, he was still able to tell what kind of formation it was.

The Greenmist Formation was known for its ability to conceal itself, and without the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan would’ve found it hard to notice it as well, needless to say a group of spirit beasts!

He didn’t believe that a group of Consonant Spirit realm spirit beasts would possess a sharper eye of discernment than him.

“What is going on?”

Hearing that it was the Greenmist Formation, everyone immediately realized the bizarreness of the matter, and a deep frown appeared on their foreheads.

“I don’t know either… But in any case, let’s proceed forward to see what they are up to.”

Zhang Xuan wasn’t able to understand what was going on, but considering that the spirit beasts hadn’t left too long ago as judged from the fresh trails, he was certain he’d be able to figure out what was going on by following them.

“Alright!”

The others nodded and followed behind.

Just like that, the group proceeded on for another ten minutes before Zhang Xuan stopped once again.

Seeing the perplexed expression on Zhang Xuan’s face, Ruohuan gongzi walked up and asked, “What is it?”

Taking in the faint scent lingering in the air, Zhang Xuan said, “Someone tried to use a ‘Crimson Blood Pill’ as a bait for the spirit beasts earlier on, but… the spirit beasts ignored the bait completely…”

“Crimson Blood Pill?”

“Yes, it’s a grade-5 pill. Logically speaking, it should be irresistible to the Consonant Spirit realm spirit beasts…” The more Zhang Xuan thought about it, the more bewildered he became.

Zhang Xuan wouldn’t have been surprised if the spirit beasts could hold themselves back from any other bait, but this was the Crimson Blood Pill! Once consumed, it could induce a Bloodline Evolution in them. This was a rare opportunity for them to further raise their cultivation, and yet they still managed to hold themselves back. This was extremely unlikely.

Spirit beasts possessed intellect, but they were still primarily governed by their primal instincts. If they were capable of accurately discerning and avoiding traps, the number of tamed beasts in the world would surely be several times lower than it currently was.

It might be a coincidence that the spirit beasts managed to avoid the formation, but it would be going too far to call this a coincidence as well. There was something truly suspicious about this situation.

“What is even more doubtful is that the master teachers who set up the formation and prepared the Crimson Blood Pill bait are missing too!” Zhang Xuan continued.

Luo Xuan narrowed his eyes in astonishment.

“Missing? Could it be that… they have been killed?”

If the spirit beasts were strong enough to slaughter groups who were in possession of a grade-5 pinnacle formation and pill, the Huanyu Empire group would likely be unable to do any better against them either.

“That’s not it. If a battle had occurred, traces would surely have been left behind. Putting aside a group of Consonant Spirit realm spirit beasts, even if there were Transcendent Mortal 9-dan spirit beasts here, it would still be difficult for them to slaughter an entire team of master teachers without leaving behind any traces!”

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

All of the examinees taking the examination were elites among the master teachers. Given their talents, their homelands would surely have been more than willing to provide them with the best of resources to groom them. Naturally, they would definitely have some life preservation means on them too.

With their life preservation means, even if the group of Consonant Spirit realm spirit beasts had ambushed them, they should still have been able to escape without any trouble.

“This…” Everyone was starting to feel unsettled by the bizarre situation before them.

“If I am not mistaken, they must have noticed the spirit beasts and are tracking them at the moment…” Zhang Xuan revealed his deductions.

“Tracking them?”

“Un, this is the only logical explanation. Otherwise, there is no reason why the formation we saw earlier would be dismantled so cleanly, and there are no marks of battle around,” Zhang Xuan rationalized.

Ruohuan gongzi suddenly realized the incongruity in the entire story.

“That doesn’t make any sense. If the spirit beasts did notice the traps in advance and steered clear of them, they definitely would have left quietly so as to avoid alarming the master teachers. Furthermore, given that they were aware of the presence of master teachers in the area, how could they remain unaware if a group were to follow them?”

“That is precisely what that left me baffled!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Once the spirit beasts noticed the formations, for their own safety, they would surely leave silently so as to avoid alarming the master teachers.

It was already surprising that one group would actually notice them, but now there were two… It was as if the spirit beasts were intentionally revealing their tracks so that the master teachers could replace them.

The entire situation reeked of a scheme.

“We should continue following them to take a look…”

Knowing that they wouldn’t replace an answer by standing around, Zhang Xuan looked around and continued following the trail of the spirit beasts.

The others also followed behind.

In the next hour, the group circled a large round along the peak, and they noticed quite a few ambushes as well. From time to time, there were traces of battle too.

However, judging from the marks, it seemed that the spirit beasts had retreated immediately after encountering the master teachers. With their superior agility, they were able to get away easily as well.