Library of Heaven's Path
Chapter 975-982

Chapter 975: Zhang Xuan Wants to Organize an Exchange Visit

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

As a 7-star high-tier master teacher, Wu shi was more than glad to see talented fresh blood in the Master Teacher Pavilion.

However, his rage at You Xu’s betrayal had given him a bad impression of the new principal as well, which was also the reason he had snubbed Zhang Xuan right from the start. On top of that, Zhang Xuan was also a little too young to have become the principal of a Master Teacher Academy. Achieving success too early in life tended to result in complacency, and that could be a particularly dangerous trait for a master teacher. He felt that a little bit of suffering to quell the other party’s pride and temper his state of mind could go a long way.

He had thought that he would be able to easily make the other party learn that the world was larger than he thought and that there was always a man greater than the other. Yet, he had become the one learning that there was a man greater than the other instead.

Just the thought of it left him feeling stifled within.

Wu shi shook his head with a bitter smile. It is no wonder he was able to become a principal at his age and win Mu shi’s praise and respect, inducing the latter to willingly address him as Senior Uncle. He sure isn’t an ordinary person!

He had always respected those who had made great contributions to humanity, and the young man before him had personally descended into the Subterranean Gallery despite his esteemed position as the principal and rescued forty 6-star master teachers, slain hundreds of Otherworldly Demons, and repaired the seal.

Any of those three were feats worthy of respect!

Knowing all this, Wu shi decided to put aside his airs and apologized earnestly. “Principal Zhang, I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions without trying to understand the situation. I ask you forgive me for my previous offense!”

Master teachers valued etiquette, and a mistake was a mistake. Even if he was a 7-star high-tier master teacher, it was only right for him to admit his mistake wherever he had erred.

“Wu shi is being too polite; we are fellow master teachers working for mankind. Considering how dangerous the expedition will be, it is only right for you to act prudently.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“I am glad you didn’t take it to heart.” Wu shi also nodded. Putting aside the matter, he continued the discussion regarding the expedition. “Alright, since we have decided that everyone will be joining in the expedition, we shall meet in one month at Firesource City.”

“Firesource City?”

“Un. Based on You Xu’s account and the scouting done by our Master Teacher Pavilion, the entrance to the ancient domain is located in the vicinity of Firesource City,” Wu shi replied.

The map of Hongyuan Empire came into his mind, and Zhang Xuan asked to confirm, “If I recall correctly, Firesource City is located near the boundary of Hongyuan Empire, close to the Saint Ascension Platform, right?”

Due to the close proximity between Firesource City and the Saint Ascension Platform, only a distance of several hundred kilometers, there were many pilgrims who would drop by for a short stay. As such, it had quite a prosperous economy.

“Yes, it is a city close to the Saint Ascension Platform,” Wu shi replied. “The Saint Ascension Platform is the ground where Kong shi ascended to Sainthood, and the ancient domain is located close to it. Perhaps, there might be a connection between the two, but obviously, it is still too early to make any assumptions! We don’t have enough information.”

“Un.”

The crowd nodded.

Anything relating to Kong shi shouldn’t be spoken of easily without any concrete proof.

“Speaking of the Saint Ascension Platform, I must speak about something that happened just a while ago.”

Wu shi chuckled softly as he turned his gaze to the crowd. “Kong shi left behind his writings on the Saint Ascension Platform, and three months ago, someone actually uncovered the true meaning behind those words, causing a huge ruckus then! Honestly speaking, I would really love to meet the expert who received Kong shi’s acknowledgement. If possible, I would like to acknowledge him as my teacher and learn from him.”

As Wu shi spoke, the admiration in his eyes deepened. Halfway through his words, he suddenly noticed that Wu Ran’s face had reddened to the point that it seemed like it would blow up at any moment. Displeased with the other party’s reaction, he frowned. “Principal Wu, is there something wrong? If I remember correctly, you are the leader of the Saint Ascension Circle, aren’t you? After so many years of research, you were unable to figure out the true meaning of Kong shi’s writing. Yet, someone else actually succeeded in doing so… Don’t you think that it is an incredible feat?”

“Cough cough!” Wu Ran’s eyes flew around the place. Unable to take it anymore, he said, “Wu shi, the expert who deciphered Kong shi’s writing… is right before you!”

“Right before me?” Taken aback, Wu shi’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Who is it?”

“It is… the person you said put on airs, Principal Zhang,” Wu Ran said with a complicated expression.

“Principal Zhang?” Wu shi staggered on the spot, and he nearly fainted from the heavy shock.

You must be joking with me?

A Nascent Saint actually managed to replace mistakes in Kong shi’s writing?

Zhang Xuan also felt a little awkward, not knowing what to make of the situation. “The person you are speaking of… does indeed seem to be me!”

What is this? The man who put me down as if I was nothing a moment ago is actually saying that he wants to acknowledge me as his teacher. Sigh, these must be the problems that a person too outstanding faces all the time. What a dilemma!

“For several dozen thousand years, everyone thought that there couldn’t be a single mistake in Kong shi’s writing, so they cultivated strictly according to it. You are the man who found the mistake in it and courageously questioned it publicly… T-this…” Wu shi’s lips trembled in frenzy.

As a 7-star high-tier master teacher, he had thought that he would be able to easily teach the new principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy a lesson for his lapse of responsibility regarding You Xu’s matter so as to send out a stern warning to him. Who could have known that he would be the one who was taught a lesson instead?

For so many years, there had not been a person who dared doubt Kong shi’s words. Even thinking about it was blasphemous to them!

This notion had become far too ingrained in their minds to change.

This was precisely why, when they heard that someone actually voiced doubts regarding the Kong shi’s writing in the Saint Ascension Platform, they had been extremely shocked. This was equivalent to challenging a prevalent mindset that had dominated the Master Teacher Continent for many, many years, as well as challenging Kong shi’s authority.

He had thought a person possessing the courage to do so would at least be a Saint 3-dan or 4-dan expert, a person who had a deep understanding of Sainthood. Who would have thought that it would turn out to be a twenty-year-old man whom he had just lectured a moment ago!

It could be said that the shock the other party had given him today was far more than what he had suffered in his entire life.

At this point, he felt that he should start rethinking life.

Seeing how shocked the other party was, Zhang Xuan shook his head. “It’s nothing much. Kong shi was ultimately still a mortal. There is no mortal who doesn’t make mistakes.”

There was no man in the world who was infallible, and Sages weren’t any exception to the rule!

“Y-you…”

Upon hearing these words, everyone’s face paled. Wu shi even hurriedly closed his palm to seal the surroundings with his zhenqi, fearing that those words would have been overheard by others.

“Principal Zhang, Kong shi is the World’s Teacher! His affairs mustn’t be spoken of so lightly…” Noticing that their principal was unaware of the convention, School Head Mo hurriedly sent a telepathic message over to advise him.

“Oh.” Zhang Xuan scratched his head. He had only just recalled a moment ago that in this world, a lower ranked master teacher was forbidden from speaking about the affairs of a higher ranked master teacher easily.

It was also thanks to this very rule that no other master teacher dared to look into his other persona, Yang Xuan.

As the World’s Teacher, the founder of the Master Teacher Pavilion, Kong shi was naturally an existence that one shouldn’t speak lightly of. If it was found that Zhang Xuan had spoken of him disrespectfully, he would be criticized by many master teachers.

In fact, it was not entirely impossible for him to killed on the spot for his rudeness.

Those of the Master Teacher Continent had been brought up to respect their teachers, and the word ‘teacher’ held an exceptional position in each of their hearts. On the other hand, Zhang Xuan still retained the modern thinking he had in his previous life, so it was only natural that many would replace it hard to accept his different line of thoughts.

It seemed like he really had to pay more attention to such matters in the future. Otherwise, if others were to use such an incident against him, he could be really put into a spot.

“I apologize for my prior faux pas. Please do not take it to heart,” Zhang Xuan apologized.

School Head Mo quickly reacted with a soft chuckle. “Principal Zhang, what are you referring to? I didn’t hear anything at all.”

“Indeed, we didn’t hear anything either.”

The others nodded in agreement.

Since it was a matter regarding Kong shi, it was best to play a fool and act as if they hadn’t heard anything at all.

Firstly, it was to avoid the fire from getting on them as well. Secondly, they could avoid offending the talented Principal Zhang.

In order to alleviate the awkward atmosphere, Liao Song asked, “Principal Zhang, your other two students, Wang Ying and Liu Yang, intend to challenge the trial of our Combat Master Hall as well. When do you think it will be convenient for them? It will be best for them to do it as fast as possible so that we can return soon.”

“Let’s hold the trial tomorrow then.” At this point, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before speaking once more. “Also… there is a faction in our academy known as the Xuanxuan Faction. If it is not too much trouble, I hope to bring them to your Combat Master Hall in the future so as to broaden their horizon. They will be able to interact and learn from one another.”

It was impossible to become an expert by cultivating in isolation. The Combat Master Hall was filled with experts, and if the Xuanxuan Faction could interact with them, they would be able to broaden their horizons and learn about many new things. That would be beneficial to their growth in the future.

Zhang Xuan had been contemplating this issue for the past few days, and since Liao Song was there, it was a good opportunity to broach this subject.

“Xuanxuan Faction, interaction…” Recalling what they had undergone two days ago, when they had just entered the academy, Liao Song’s face paled and his heart jolted in terror.

Even just hearing the word ‘Xuanxuan’ could easily send shivers up his spine at this point.

If it had been a normal interaction, it could be beneficial for the members of the Combat Master Hall as well. After all, everyone had their own unique interpretation of combat, and perhaps the insights that the students had could serve as a source of inspiration for their members. However, it was the Xuanxuan Faction they were talking about here.

If that group of tens of thousands of monsters were to visit their Combat Master Hall, would their members lose all faith and confidence?

Looking at the deep frown on Liao Song’s face, an expression that looked as if he had eaten two jin 1 of salted vegetables, Zhang Xuan asked worriedly, “What’s wrong? Am I putting you on the spot?”

“It’s not that…”

Gritting his teeth, Liao Song said, “It’s like this. Our Combat Master Hall branch is located in Qingyuan Empire, which is more than a month’s journey from here. The reason I was able to arrive quickly is because I was in proximity to Hongyuan City when I received Zhuo Qingfeng’s message. The ancient domain will be opening in a month. Why don’t we talk about it once more after we survive the expedition?”

Qingyuan Empire was a significant distance away from Hongyuan Empire. Even if one rode on a saint beast, it would still be a journey of many days.

“You’re right. Since that’s the case, why I don’t I just show you and your members to them later on so that you can interact with one another? Those fellows really can use some of your men’s pointers. Also, this will also be a good opportunity for them to see the true experts in this world so that they don’t become complacent!” Zhang Xuan said with a smile.

The fellows of the Xuanxuan Faction had also listened to his lecture, but they hadn’t really internalized his teachings through practical combat yet. If they could spar with the experts of the Combat Master Hall, they would be able to improve by leaps and bounds.

“Pointers? True experts?” Hearing those words, Liao Song’s lips twitched, and he nearly blacked out on the spot.

We might be considered experts before others, but to the freaks of the Xuanxuan Faction… Expert your head!

We were completely crushed by the Xuanxuan Faction right after we entered the academy, so what pointers could we possibly offer them?

You must be joking!

“It is an interesting notion, but I think we will pass on it.” Liao Song waved his hand and turned it down awkwardly.

“It’s just a normal interaction. Or does Combat Master Liao think that the students of our academy are too weak and are unworthy of your guidance?” Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.

Naturally, he was unaware of the traumatic experience that Combat Master Liao had gone through. However, this was a rare opportunity for the Xuanxuan Faction to meet and interact with combat masters, so he wanted to vie for this opportunity for his students.

Besides, the combat masters specialized in fighting. Shouldn’t they be eager to join in, especially since it was a rare chance for them to display their skills?

“That’s not it…” Liao Song waved his hands.

“It’s settled then! It’s just a normal spar to learn from one another; nothing bad will come of it! However, I will have to ask your combat masters to go easy on my students so as to not traumatize them too much,” Zhang Xuan said affirmatively with a bright smile on his lips.

“Alright then…” Looking at the sincere and earnest face, Liao Song could tell that the other party wasn’t attempting to humiliate him. Left with no choice, he could only nod in agreement with despair reflected in the depths of his eyes.

Well, the interaction would help to raise the fighting prowess of their combat masters too.

Chapter 976: [Chapter 976?]

Chapter 976: Arriving at the Xuanxuan Faction

Translator: StarveCleric | Editor: Millman97

After confirming the matter with the other party, Zhang Xuan turned to Zhao Bingxu and instructed, “School Head Zhao, make some preparations. We shall construct a flying ship for our academy.”

Zhao Bingxu nodded.

The construction of a flying ship was a huge project, but there were tens of thousands of students in the Blacksmith School. With all of them working simultaneously, it wouldn’t take too long to finish it. The only reason Hongyuan still didn’t have one to date was due to their lack of saint beasts to drive it.

However, having tamed the nine kings of the Cloudmist Ridge, as well as many other Half-Saint and Nascent Saint beasts, they had sufficient beastpower to drive the flying ship.

Since Zhang Xuan intended to take the members of the Xuanxuan Faction to Qingyuan Empire to conduct an exchange with the Combat Master Hall, it was infeasible to fly them over on spirit beasts. Who knew how many trips it would take to fly them there and back? If they could obtain a flying ship, that would make things much easier.

After settling the matter, the crowd chatted for a moment longer.

“Firesource City is around a week’s journey away from here. The ancient domain hasn’t opened yet, and there is no point in us arriving there too early either. Since that’s the case, why don’t we make our own preparations within this period of time and meet up at Firesource City when the time comes?” Wu shi proposed.

“That’s a good idea!”

Voices of approval sounded among the crowd.

Not only was it pointless for them to arrive at Firesource City earlier, they might also catch the attention of the Otherworldly Demons and prompt them to prepare in advance to deal with them, thus resulting in unneeded trouble.

“Alright then, we will take our leave first.”

After saying so, Wu shi and Mu shi left the assembly room.

As the other academies were too far away, Wo Tianqiong and the others decided to remain in Hongyuan for the time being.

After arranging for School Head Mo to take good care of them, Zhang Xuan beckoned for Liao Song, Zhuo Qingfeng, and the other combat masters to gather before bringing them to the Xuanxuan Faction headquarters.

Before even arriving at their destination, they could already see plenty of people cultivating and practicing their battle techniques by the side.

With just a look, rage bubbled within Zhang Xuan, and his face darkened in anger. Unable to take it any longer, he roared furiously, “Stop whatever you are doing and come over! What in the world are you all doing?”

As the leader of the Xuanxuan Faction, he had great expectations for it. This was the reason he had lectured them tirelessly and even brought the combat masters over so that they could train with them.

He had thought that his hard work would bear him some fruits, but when he came over, these fellows… Just what in the world were they practicing?

Their movements were slack and lacking force, and their timing and combat sense were completely lacking. It was as if someone had starved them for days! Were they trying to swat flies?

“What in the world are they doing?”

Hearing the bellow, Liao Song, Zhuo Qingfeng, and the others glanced at one another, their eyebrows leaping up in astonishment.

In their eyes, the battle techniques that this group of students had been practicing were already plenty fearsome.

Why was the other party speaking as if they were making a huge mistake?

Weren’t his expectations a little too high?

At this point, Ruohuan gongzi, Song Chao, and the others rushed out to greet Zhang Xuan. “Principal Zhang.”

“What happened to what I taught you all before leaving?” Zhang Xuan roared furiously.

What the heck is this?

I put in so much effort into lecturing all of you, but what is it that you all are doing? How disgraceful!

“We are… already practicing very seriously!” The faces of Ruohuan gongzi and the others reddened.

“You call this practicing very seriously?”

With a deeply disappointed look, Zhang Xuan pointed to the few students not too far away and said, “The Autumn Wind Heralding Rain you were practicing previously might look impressive, but it is, in truth, an utter joke! What do you need so many feints for? In the first strike, as long you were to just lower your palm by three inches, you would have already been able to fell your opponent!”

After which, Zhang Xuan pointed to another student and said, “The Emerald Leaf Swordsmanship that you were practicing a moment ago is clearly an offensive move, but you actually practiced it as a defensive move! It would still have been fine if you actually managed to protect yourself well through that move, but as long as your opponent lowers their posture and attacks your lower body, what do you think will happen?

“As for your Chaotic Demon Hammering Art, it might look powerful and grand on the surface, but in truth, you aren’t channeling your zhenqi into your strength well. If one were to replace the point where your zhenqi intersects, even without making a move, just a sharp gaze in itself can potentially cause your zhenqi to fall into disarray, thus causing you severe injuries from the backlash…

“As for that…”

Zhang Xuan pointed to another eight more students, and every word he spoke left the pointed student lowering his head in shame.

They realized that all of the mistakes pointed out earlier had been covered in Principal Zhang’s lecture back then, but they had somehow accidentally neglected it while practicing their battle techniques.

Thus, upon hearing what Principal Zhang said, they could only lower their heads silently in shame.

It was no wonder Zhang Xuan would get so enraged upon seeing them.

He had imparted his knowledge unreservedly, and he had thought that after a few days of hard work, everyone would at least have been able to internalize 60% to 70% of what he had covered back then. However, from the looks of it, they didn’t even manage to internalize 20%!

For master teachers, wasn’t their intelligence a little too poor?

Of course, one thing that Zhang Xuan had failed to realize was that his breakthroughs and modification of the Saint Ascension Decipher in the Subterranean Gallery had enhanced his eye of discernment, deepening his understanding of combat.

As a result, he was noticing more mistakes in the students’ techniques than ever, and naturally, he thought that they hadn’t made any improvements at all.

“T-this…” Liao Song and Zhuo Qingfeng’s breathing hastened.

Those movements were overwhelmingly powerful and completely flawless in their eyes, and yet, the other party had been able to point out fatal flaws within them so easily. Wasn’t his eye of discernment way too powerful?

It was no wonder he was able to defeat a Saint 2-dan combat master easily despite possessing only the cultivation of a Nascent Saint.

Just his eye of discernment in itself was already far beyond what they could compare with.

At this point, one of his subordinates, Zhou Ye, sent a telepathic message to him. “Liao shi, since there are so many flaws in their battle techniques and maneuvers, is it possible for us to exploit them to cleanse ourselves of our previous shame?”

For a Hundred Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall to be defeated by an ordinary student of a Master Teacher Academy so easily, it was natural that he would be frustrated and vexed. Over the days, this feeling only seemed to have deepened.

Upon hearing that there were actually so many flaws in the moves of the Xuanxuan Faction members, his eyes immediately lit up in excitement.

“It is, but… I fear that it won’t be as easy as you think to replace their flaws.” Liao Song shook his head.

As easy as Principal Zhang made it seem, even a person with his eye of discernment couldn’t see through the flaws in the maneuvers of those Xuanxuan Faction members, so he didn’t believe that his subordinate would be able to do so either.

How could one exploit a flaw they didn’t even know of?

“Then… what if we replace the weakest of them to challenge? There are thirty thousand of them, so it is impossible for all of them to be powerful!” Zhou Ye exclaimed.

“This…” Liao Song hesitated.

The other party was right. Every person had varying levels of aptitude for combat. Even if they had all listened to the same lecture from Principal Zhang, what they were able to comprehend and learn would inevitably be different from one another.

Just as there were incredibly powerful cultivators among the thirty thousand members of the Xuanxuan Faction, there were bound to be weak ones as well.

Take the few students whom Principal Zhang had berated earlier, this clearly showed that there were still many of them who were lacking in one way or another.

“Enough. What we should be thinking of is not to exploit their weaknesses to defeat them, but to reflect on and improve ourselves through them.”

Just after Liao Song had lectured the others, Zhang Xuan began the introduction. “I believe I need not introduce Combat Master Liao, Combat Master Zhuo, and the others. I have invited them here today to offer you some pointers. Make sure to learn diligently later on and don’t slack off.”

“Yes!” The crowd nodded.

“Combat Master Liao, these are the students I was talking about. I have only lectured them for an afternoon, so their fighting prowess isn’t too impressive yet. Just do whatever you can, and it will be best if you can show them how powerful combat masters are so that they could have a goal to pursue!”

After introducing both sides to one another, Zhang Xuan smiled.

“Ah…”

Liao Song was just about to speak when Ruohuan gongzi abruptly walked over and greeted, “Liao shi, we meet once again.”

He was feeling a little embarrassed for pummeling the other party without knowing their identity.

“Yes, indeed. We meet again.” Liao Song nodded in response.

“Alright, I will leave you all to it. I still have some matters to attend to, so I will be taking my leave first!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands.

Since there was still a month’s time before the ancient domain opened, he was intending to use this period of time to pay a visit to Jingyuan City to replace the Poison Hall and resolve Wei Ruyan’s condition.

But first, he would have to make sure that everything was in order so that he could leave in peace.

Thus, he had brought these combat masters over in the hope of tempering the members of the Xuanxuan Faction.

If he could give them a glimpse of the strength of the combat masters, they could realize the gap between them and not embarrass them that badly when they went for the exchange later on.

On the other hand, hearing that Zhang Xuan was going to leave, Liao Song heaved a sigh of relief and clasped his fist. “Farewell!”

It would be best if the other party wasn’t around. Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing if their combat masters were to be defeated by the other party’s students after all that was said!

“Un.” Zhang Xuan turned around and flew toward his residence. In the blink of an eye, he had already disappeared from sight.

Turning to the members of the Xuanxuan Faction, Liao Song clasped his fist and smiled. “Pleased to meet you all. While Principal Zhang has asked us to offer pointers to you, what he truly means is for the both of us to learn from one another. We can spar with one another so as to deepen our understanding of battle techniques.”

Ruohuan gongzi nodded in agreement.

It wouldn’t do to just learn the theories of combat. Only by the accumulation of experience through practical combat would one be able to improve.

Zhou Ye stepped forward. “Leader, I would like to challenge an expert of the Xuanxuan Faction!”

“Brother Zhou!” Ruohuan gongzi recognized the other party, and he greeted him with a smile. “I will help you replace an opponent.”

While he had managed to defeat Zhou Ye back then, the other party’s fighting prowess was still considerable. The members of the Xuanxuan Faction looked formidable on the surface, but just as what Zhou Ye thought, there was a significant gap in the fighting prowess among them. Not every single one of them was a match for the combat masters.

“There is no need to go through that much trouble.” Zhou Ye interrupted Ruohuan gongzi and asked with a smile, “Is it possible for me to select my own opponent?”

If he wished to cleanse himself of his shame, he would have to select a weak opponent. Otherwise, if Ruohuan gongzi were to pick an opponent for him, he would only be defeated once more.

“You wish to select an opponent yourself?” Ruohuan gongzi frowned. He could see through the other party’s intention clearly, but after a moment of hesitation, he still nodded in agreement. “Feel free!”

The purpose of this sparring session was to enhance their fighting prowess, not to vie for honor. Losing here was not a big deal.

“Thank you.” Hearing the other party agree to his request, Zhou Ye heaved a sigh of relief.

He began scanning the crowd to replace an opponent.

The Xuanxuan Faction had more members than what one could see with a single glimpse. It wasn’t very easy to determine the strength of an individual among the crowd from outside.

A moment later, Zhou Ye’s eyes lit up as he pointed toward a certain figure. “I choose that person!”

“You choose her?” Turning to look at the person whom Zhou Ye had pointed at, Ruohuan gongzi’s lips twitched. “Are you certain?”

“I am!” Zhou Ye nodded.

He had met a few of the male students of the Xuanxuan Faction, and he hadn’t been a match for them. Thus, he decided to challenge a lady this time around.

The lady he had chosen looked like she was in her early twenties, and she was extremely beautiful as well. At first sight, his heart was already moved.

If he could defeat the other party and display tremendous strength in the process, perhaps he might be able to win the other party’s favor and capture her heart.

More importantly, the other party’s cultivation was equal to his, Chrysalis realm. This way, he wouldn’t have to suppress his cultivation, allowing him to exert the full extent of his might.

“If you are really certain, alright then…” Seeing Zhou Ye insisting on it, Ruohuan gongzi could only shake his head.

He walked toward the young lady and explained the situation. The latter frowned for a moment before giving a nod of agreement and then walking to the nearby dueling ring.

Leaping onto the dueling ring as well, Zhou Ye bowed gentlemanly and asked with a smile, “I am Zhou Ye. May I know how to address you?”

“I am…” The young lady looked at Zhou Ye and spoke with a nonchalant voice.

“Yu Fei-er!”

Chapter 977: The Combat Masters Fled

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The young lady whom Zhou Ye had chosen was none other than Yu Fei-er.

She had been with Zhang Xuan for two months while he was undergoing the Empire Building test, cultivating diligently under the other party’s guidance. To date, her cultivation had already reached Chrysalis realm pinnacle, and her fighting prowess was even more fearsome. The reason she had gone to the Xuanxuan Faction was to have a chat with Zhang Xuan, but who knew that the latter would just turn around and leave? She was already frustrated by this matter, so when she heard that someone was foolish enough to actually challenge her to a duel, she agreed to it.

Having been brought up in a doting environment, Yu Fei-er tended to allow her emotions to dictate her actions. No matter who he was, as long as the other party had provoked her, she would pummel him unhesitatingly!

She wasn’t an official member of the Xuanxuan Faction, but given her close relationship with Zhang Xuan, there was no one in the Xuanxuan Faction who considered her an outsider.

“Yu Fei-er? What a beautiful name!” Zhou Ye remarked with a fine smile.

“Let’s begin!” Yu Fei-er couldn’t be bothered to waste her breath with the other party, so she raised her hand coldly and beckoned for the other party to begin.

“Sure, let’s begin!” Zhou Ye nodded excitedly. With a confident glint in his eyes, he said, “Since we are only sparring, I think there is no need to use weapons. It will be bad if we accidentally injure one another. Don’t worry, I will try my best not to injure you…”

To be able to reach Chrysalis realm at such a young age, the other party was indubitably a talented individual. However, he, Zhou Ye, was not an easy opponent either!

So what if she was from the Xuanxuan Faction as well?

He might not be a match for Zheng Yang, Wei Ruyan, and the others, but he didn’t believe that he would lose twice to opponents who had only sat through an afternoon lecture from Principal Zhang.

Hu!

With such thoughts in mind, Zhou Ye stepped forcefully against the ground and began charging toward the young lady.

Driving his zhenqi furiously to gather his full strength, a loud rumbling reminiscent of thunder boomed from his palm.

Upon seeing that sight, Liao Song nodded in approval. “Sevenstar Thunder Palm! Zhou Ye sure isn’t going easy on the other party at all.”

Perhaps due to the loss he had suffered the previous time around, he didn’t go easy on his opponent just because she was a lady. Instead, he was proceeding more careful than ever. In the very first move, he had already executed his strongest attack.

The Sevenstar Thunder Palm made use of seven acupoints on one’s palm in order to construct the Sevenstar Formation to harness one’s zhenqi with the might of thunder. It was a Spirit pinnacle battle technique, and even Half-Saint cultivators would have to flee before this technique, needless to say, a delicate young lady like the other party.

On the other hand, the unbelievably beautiful young lady remained completely motionless on the spot, seemingly scared out of her wits by the incredible momentum of Zhou Ye’s attack.

Frowning, Zhou Ye exclaimed in alarm, “Be careful…”

But before he could finish his words, the young lady before him suddenly flicked the delicate sleeves of her robe.

“What is she doing…”

Just as Zhou Ye was perplexed as to why the other party would abruptly flick her sleeves in the middle of the battle, his entire body suddenly jolted. An unbelievable force reminiscent of a devastating hurricane was rushing right toward him.

Hu la!

Before he could fully exert the might of the Sevenstar Thunder Palm, it was extinguished like a candle flame amid a storm. Following which, he felt a dull pain in his chest, and with a cry of agony, he was knocked out of the dueling ring.

Putong!

He collapsed on the ground.

“This…” Liao Song and Zhuo Qingfeng glanced at one another, and their bodies stiffened in astonishment.

How could that young lady possess such fearsome strength?

They had once crossed hands with the members of the Xuanxuan Faction on a previous occasion, and the opponents they had faced did possess combat sense far greater than theirs. But in terms of strength, their combat masters had still held the upper hand.

Yet, the sheer might from a casual flick of the young lady’s sleeves had actually sent Zhou Ye flying… Just how powerful was she?

This was way too exaggerated!

After knocking Zhou Ye out, Yu Fei-er turned to Liao Song and the others and said, “Suppress your cultivation down to my level and come at me all at once!”

She was already unhappy at having been deprived the opportunity of speaking to Zhang Xuan, and these fellows had actually provoked her at such a sensitive moment. They were simply courting death!

Who of Hongyuan Empire didn’t know that she, Yu Fei-er, had an explosive temper? She was never one to hold herself back. A bunch of puny combat masters actually dared to provoke her while she was in a bad mood. If she didn’t knock the teeth out of their mouths, her surname wouldn’t be Yu!

“What an arrogant woman. Allow me to teach her a lesson!” Hearing Yu Fei-er’s words, a Chrysalis realm combat master couldn’t stand it any longer and leaped onto the dueling ring.

However, before he could even land on the ground, a figure abruptly materialized before his eyes, and in the next instant, a palm struck his chest.

Peng!

Before he could even get onto the dueling ring, he had already been pounded into the ground, coughing huge spurts of blood.

She had been listening to Zhang Xuan’s lessons every single day in the two months she had accompanied him. The result of that was a tremendous surge in her cultivation, as well as a frightening growth in her fighting prowess.

“Damn you!” Seeing how their companion had been knocked down before he could even get on the dueling ring, the other combat masters were enraged.

Roaring furiously, they suppressed their cultivation to Chrysalis realm pinnacle and charged forward.

“Why don’t you try speaking with your fists instead of your mouth?” Paying no heed to the furious roaring of the combat masters, Yu Fei-er leaped forward and dashed into the midst of the combat masters.

Pili pala!

Ten minutes later, other than Liao Song and Zhuo Qingfeng, the remaining combat masters were lying on the ground with looks of despair in their eyes.

Many of them possessed strength beyond Chrysalis realm, but with their cultivation suppressed to Chrysalis realm pinnacle, they found themselves being severely outmatched by the young lady. In fact… they couldn’t even withstand a single blow from the other party!

The young lady was indeed beautiful, but she felt like a rampaging dinosaur shaped in the form of a human. The overwhelming strength that she wielded was far beyond their means!

Staring at his fallen subordinates, Liao Song clenched his fists tightly. “You aren’t an ordinary member of the Xuanxuan Faction, are you?”

He had met the ordinary members of the Xuanxuan Faction, and while they weren’t weak either, they were nowhere as fearsome as the rampaging young lady before his eyes. Even compared to Zheng Yang and the others, she didn’t pale far in comparison.

There was no way a single lecture or two from Principal Zhang could make her that powerful!

With such thoughts in mind, Liao Song asked, “If I am not mistaken, you… are Principal Zhang’s student, aren’t you? Otherwise, there is no way you can be that powerful…”

“You are the one who is Principal Zhang’s student, your entire family is Principal Zhang’s students!” Triggered, Yu Fei-er bellowed furiously as she charged straight toward Liao Song.

At this moment, the words that she dreaded to hear the most were that she was Zhang Xuan’s student. If such a relationship between the both of them were to be affirmed, she would have to sever all of those thoughts of hers.

Yet, that fellow just had to pick right at her wounds. Unforgivable!

“You…” Not expecting the other party to fly into such a rage at a casual question from him, Liao Song nearly keeled over. He hurriedly dodged the attack and began suppressing his cultivation down to the other party’s level. Shortly after he did so, he saw the young lady’s palm raining down on him frenziedly.

“Liao shi…” Upon seeing this sight, Zhuo Qingfeng couldn’t help but turn his gaze away.

No doubt about it, his old friend was in for a round of suffering.

And as expected, five minutes later…

Liao Song’s entire body was swollen red, and his face was ghastly paled.

Even after suppressing his cultivation to Chrysalis realm, his fighting prowess was still on par with that young lady’s. But… it was as if that young lady had completely lost her rationality! Without any care or concern, she threw out blow after blow in quick succession. Even with his strength, it didn’t take long for him to succumb.

It was fortunate that he had managed to protect his face right to the very end. Otherwise, he would have no face to face the others for many days to come.

“Humph!” After venting her frustration, Yu Fei-er tilted her face upwards and harrumphed before turning around to leave.

Right after she left, Hu Yaoyao walked into the headquarters with an expectant look. “Is Principal Zhang around?”

“Principal Zhang isn’t around, but the members of the Combat Master Hall are. Does Senior Hu want to try fighting them?” Ruohuan gongzi replied respectfully.

“There are combat masters here? Sure…”

A ravishing smile blossomed on Hu Yaoyao’s lips.

…

With the combat masters tempering the fighting capabilities of the members of the Xuanxuan Faction, Zhang Xuan could finally put his mind to ease. He returned to the manor to take a look at Wei Ruyan. After confirming that he had managed to suppress the poison aura within her body for the time being, he heaved a sigh of relief.

After which, he had Sun Qiang gather Wang Ying and the others.

“Teacher…”

Wang Ying and the others greeted upon seeing Zhang Xuan.

“I am going to take Wei Ruyan to Jingyuan City to uncover the whereabouts of the Poison Hall. Here are several manuals containing the cultivation techniques and comprehension of battle techniques I have compiled. Read through them quickly and voice whatever doubts you have regarding them now!”

Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out a few books and passed them over.

On the way back from the academy, he had quickly penned down his newfound comprehension of the Saint Ascension Decipher and several new insights regarding battle techniques.

He had no idea how long he would be gone for, so he decided to leave these items for them so that his departure wouldn’t impede their cultivation.

“Yes!” Wang Ying and the others nodded before hurriedly taking the books.

The knowledge contained in the books was very profound, but having learned the Saint Ascension Decipher, it didn’t take too long for them to comprehend it. Within less than six hours, they had already gained a deep understanding of the material.

Zhang Xuan also explained the parts that they were uncertain about in detail.

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

“Alright. Wang Ying and Liu Yang, you will be challenging the Dragon Gate Formation tomorrow, so make sure to internalize what I have taught you today,” Zhang Xuan instructed.

One of the reasons he was in such a rush to teach them was to prepare Wang Ying and Liu Yang for the Dragon Gate Formation.

He had never seen it before, but after hearing Zheng Yang’s account on clearing the trial, he could tell that it wouldn’t be easy.

Wang Ying and Liu Yang had become his students rather early on, and they were diligent in their studies as well, but with their current strength, it would be difficult for them to clear such a difficult trial within two hours without resorting to special means like Zheng Yang.

However, if they could further their cultivation of the Saint Ascension Decipher and deepen their comprehension of combat, they could stand a pretty good chance.

“Yes!” Wang Ying and Liu Yang nodded before turning their attention back to internalizing the knowledge they had just learnt.

Some time later, they finally managed to fully digest the new knowledge that their teacher had imparted to them, and their fighting prowess rose significantly.

Getting to their feet, Wang Ying and Liu Yang turned to their teacher and declared confidently, “Teacher, we will surely clear the Dragon Gate Formation!”

They hadn’t been too confident about clearing the trial previously, but after digesting everything their teacher had just taught, they felt that they were ready to face it.

Furthermore, they had also shared the battle techniques they had just learned with one another, thus granting them more cards to play against the combat masters. In their current state, they were confident of victory.

“Good!” Zhang Xuan nodded in approval. Taking a look out of the window, he saw that the sun had already risen; it was daybreak.

“Alright, let’s head to the academy now.”

Together with his two students, Zhang Xuan headed to the Master Teacher Academy, but barely after stepping through the entrance, School Head Mo suddenly rushed up to him with an anxious look on his face.

“Principal Zhang! I just went to the combat masters’ accommodation and… they are all gone! They have left without bidding farewell, leaving just a letter behind.”

“They have left?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

Weren’t they going to assess Wang Ying and Liu Yang? Why would they suddenly leave overnight without bidding farewell?

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan took the letter from School Head Mo’s hands and quickly scanned it.

Chapter 978: Jingyuan City

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

There were only two lines of words on it, and the message was simple.

It said that they still had something to do at the Combat Master Hall, so they had to take their leave in advance. They would meet them later on when the ancient domain opened. As for the reason for their departure, they hadn’t said a word about that.

After reading the message, Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

Weren’t they still doing fine yesterday, agreeing to a sparring session with the Xuanxuan Faction and saying that they would work together to improve collectively? Why would they suddenly leave in the blink of an eye?

Why were the elders and master teachers whom he came into contact with always so unreliable?

Despite having lived in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy for some time, they actually left without bidding farewell at all, as if there was some kind of monster chasing them behind their backs. This was really far too disrespectful of them.

How did such a lawful and courteous person like him end up being surrounded by such a bunch of undependable acquaintances? Ah, how distressing…

“Did anything happen in the Combat Master Hall?” Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan turned to School Head Mo and asked.

“That doesn’t seem likely. I asked them about it through our shared mode of communication, and they said that they just had some private matters to attend to. As for what the private matter was, they weren’t willing to speak of it no matter how I asked them about it… Oh, right! Principal Zhang, when I returned yesterday night, I noticed that all of them were injured. Could it be related to that?” School Head Mo pondered for a moment before replying.

Earlier, while returning to his residence after finally having finished the matters at hand, he had happened to see Combat Master Liao and the others returning to their accommodations with bruised faces and swollen cheeks. In order to avoid potential awkwardness, he had chosen not to ask about it. But thinking about it now, there was a very high chance that the two matters were related.

“Injured?” Zhang Xuan scratched his head in bewilderment.

Hadn’t they gone to offer pointers to the members of the Xuanxuan Faction? How did they end up getting injured instead?

“Forget it, there’s no point thinking too much about the matter. We will know the truth when we ask them a month later.”

Since the combat masters had already left, there was no point thinking about it. Besides, he didn’t have the time and effort to deal with it either.

After asking a few more questions and discussing the academy’s administrative issues with School Head Mo, he returned back to the manor and reminded Wang Ying and the others to work hard on their cultivation. When all this was finally done, he carefully placed Wei Ruyan into the Myriad Anthive Nest, got onto the back of the Byzantium Helios Beast, and began heading for Jingyuan City.

The journey in search of the Poison Hall was going to be incomparably dangerous, so he chose not to bring his other direct disciples along, and he didn’t intend to tell anyone else about his whereabouts either. In any case, it would be much more convenient for him to move alone than in a group too.

Jingyuan City was located at the extreme northeast of Hongyuan Empire, located in proximity to Hongyuan Empire’s largest inland sea. As compared to Hongyuan City and Firesource City, it was relatively poorer and shabbier due to its remote location and cold climate all year round.

As merchants rarely visited Jingyuan City, there weren’t too many people who knew of the situation there. The information that the Master Teacher Academy had on it was also rather lacking.

All that was known about it was that it was a small borderside city with frigid weather all year round. Considering the Poison Hall’s nature of building its branches in remote locations, there was indeed a good chance that the Hongyuan Empire Poison Hall was located here.

Of course, it was still too early to say for sure.

While the old principal had put a lot of work into acquiring that intelligence, there was no guarantee that it would be definitely true.

This was why Zhang Xuan had chosen to make haste. A month might have seemed like a long time, but given the secrecy shrouding the Poison Hall, it might not necessarily be sufficient.

…

“My fame has grown considerably after becoming the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. If I were to suddenly appear in Jingyuan City in my own identity, I could risk alarming the Poison Hall…”

Seated on the back of the Byzantium Helios Beast as he advanced towards the small city marked on the map, Zhang Xuan lowered his head contemplatively.

He was no longer the nobody he was back then. He was currently the esteemed principal of one of the Four Great Master Teacher Academies of Qingyuan Conferred Empire, and his standing was on par with a 7-star master teacher.

The Poison Hall had always been in a tense relationship with the Master Teacher Pavilion. If he were to recklessly barge into Jingyuan City and investigate the whereabouts of the Poison Hall, he could very well face grave danger when his identity was exposed.

Thus, there was a need for him to don a disguise.

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Xuan began to warp his muscles and bones. His facial features began to change from those of a twenty-year-old young man to a forty-year-old middle-aged man’s, and his physique also grew much bigger than before.

At the same time, driving his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, the aura shrouding him also began to change. It became a little violent and ferocious, unlike the restrained and low profile disposition he usually commanded.

In his current state, if he didn’t explicitly state that he was Zhang Xuan, not even Wang Ying or his other direct disciples would be able to recognize him.

The Heaven’s Path zhenqi allowed him to conceal his aura, and the Heaven’s Path Golden Body allowed him to alter his appearance freely. Considering that he was able to pass off as even an Otherworldly Demon with those two means, how difficult could it be for him to disguise as another human?

The Byzantium Helios Beast flew ahead at full speed, and ten days later, a city covered in snow appeared over the horizon.

Looking at it from afar, it was significantly smaller than Hongyuan City. Nonetheless, as compared to Huanyu City and the Myriad Kingdom City, it was still of a sizeable scale.

Many dull gray buildings were erected amidst a field of clear white snow, and they stretched all the way into the faraway distance. From above, the city resembled a tranquil ink painting.

“It is already nearing the middle of summer, but this land is still covered in snow…” Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but be awed by the work of nature.

It was now the season when Hongyuan Empire would normally be covered by a lush layer of greenery. Yet, the city before him was freezing cold, leaving him feeling as if he had stepped into a different world.

“You should get into the Anthive Nest first.”

Landing in a remote forest, Zhang Xuan had the Byzantium Helios Beast enter the Myriad Anthive Nest before making his way through the field of snow towards the city.

The Byzantium Helios Beast rarely appeared in public view, but it was still best for him to remain hidden just to be safe.

After paying the entrance fee of ten low-tier spirit stones, Zhang Xuan entered the city.

Walking through the streets, Zhang Xuan thought, It won’t do for me to search blindly through the city. I must replace a guide to bring me around!

The clues he had received thus far had pointed to Jingyuan City to be the most likely location where the Poison Hall was located, but there was no way he would be able to replace its exact whereabouts easily.

Back then, to enter the Red Lotus Ridge Poison Hall, he had to depend on the local Great Herb King to lead the way. Otherwise, there was a good chance he wouldn’t have been able to replace it even if he were to spend his entire life searching for it.

This was also the main reason why the Poison Hall was able to preserve its lineage for so long despite its betrayal back then.

After taking a look around the city, Zhang Xuan suddenly noticed a bustling tavern not too far away.

“Severing Sorrows Pavilion… Severing one’s sorrows through joy and wine, a fine name indeed!” Chuckling softly, he made his way towards it.

A tavern was usually the place of gathering for those from all walks of life, making it an ideal location to scout out intelligence. Besides, after flying for more than ten days, Zhang Xuan’s mouth was already craving a bite of good food. It would be a good opportunity for him to let loose for a bit and try out the local delicacies.

“Guest, this way please…” An attendant welcomed Zhang Xuan with a fawning smile.

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded as he casually tossed a middle-tier spirit stone over. “Give me the quietest seat inside.”

“Sure thing!” The attendant’s eyes lit up as he hurriedly led the way, “I will bring you to your seat!”

A middle-tier spirit stone was no longer of much value to Zhang Xuan, but to weaker cultivators or ordinary citizens at the lower end of the social stratum, it was a huge fortune.

After settling down in his seat, Zhang Xuan casually ordered several of the local specialties before gesturing for the attendant to come closer.

“This is my first time in Jingyuan City. If I need to gather some information, who would be the best person for me go to?”

There was no way a humble attendant of a tavern could possibly have any substantial news about the Poison Hall, so Zhang Xuan couldn’t be bothered to ask directly about it. Thus, he decided to ask for a reliable news source instead.

The sale of information was always a lucrative trade regardless of location. It wasn’t rare for cultivators to offer astronomical prices in exchange for vital information, so information brokers could always be found in most cities.

“If you wish to gather information, the best place to go is, without doubt, the [Inkcloud Quarter]! They command the most extensive intelligence network in Jingyuan City, and the information they provide is also the most accurate of all…” the attendant said with a hushed voice.

“Inkcloud Quarter?”

“Un. It’s the biggest marketplace of our Jingyuan City. Not only do they sell artifacts, pills, and other common commodities, but they also deal in information as well! Even intelligence on the Hongyuan royal family isn’t beyond reach there! Just a while ago, someone had specially purchased intelligence on Princess Yu Fei-er, planning to head to the capital to propose to her…”

Due to the generous tip Zhang Xuan had offered him earlier, the attendant was extremely friendly.

“Propose?” Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Given Yu Fei-er’s explosive temper, anyone who dared to propose to her would probably be pummeled to death on the spot.

However, the fact that the Inkcloud Quarter had intelligence on Princess Yu Fei-er despite their long distance from the capital was a testimony to the capability of the Inkcloud Quarter.

Zhang Xuan proceeded to ask about its location, and after learning that it wasn’t too far away, he dismissed the attendant.

Despite how remote Jingyuan City was, the food was excellent, and Zhang Xuan devoured it delightfully. After he finished, he got up and left for Inkcloud Quarter.

Inkcloud Quarter was a massive market dealing in almost everything that one could think of it, be it paintings, ores, formation plates, or anything of the sort.

There were several guards standing imposingly at the entrance, each of them exuding a powerful aura that deterred any potential troublemakers. They were all Transcendent Mortal 7-dan Perfect Harmonization realm experts.

Such strength would definitely place them amongst the ranks of the top experts of Huanyu Empire, and yet, they were serving as mere guards here. It seemed like there was indeed something extraordinary about Inkcloud Quarter.

Walking in, Zhang Xuan found himself surrounded by vendors and huge crowds walking to and fro. It was extremely lively.

Intelligence regarding the Poison Hall was definitely classified, so it was impossible for the ordinary vendors around him to be selling such vital information. Thus, Zhang Xuan walked straight up to the front desk, and with a cold face, he commanded, “Get your manager here. I have something to ask him!”

As he said those words, he lifted his forefinger. A surge of incomparably sharp sword qi that sent shivers down one’s spine flickered on the tip of his finger, revealing his Nascent Saint pinnacle cultivation.

“Y-yes!”

Seeing that the man before him was far beyond his means to deal with, the front desk receptionist hurriedly got up and left. Not too long later, he returned with a middle-aged man.

“Esteemed guest, I am the manager of Inkcloud Quarter, Zhu Xiao. May I know what request you have of us?”

The middle-aged man was a Half-Saint cultivator. While he was surprised by Zhang Xuan’s powerful aura, he was still able to retain his composure as he maintained an attitude that was neither humble nor arrogant before him.

“Arrange a quiet chamber for me. I have something important to talk about!” Zhang Xuan glanced at Zhu Xiao nonchalantly and said.

“This way, please!” Without any hesitation, Zhu Xiao stepped forward and led the way.

They quickly arrived at a private room. Zhang Xuan took a look around the area before nodding in approval.

He really had to say that he was impressed by the extent to which the Inkcloud Quarter had gone in order to maintain the confidentiality of their dealings. There were all kinds of formations set up around the room, such that even if a battle were to occur within, those outside still wouldn’t notice a thing. Its security was indubitably top-notch.

“Are you satisfied with this room?” Zhu Xiao asked with a smile.

“Not too bad.” Zhang Xuan nodded. After which, he turned a sharp gaze towards Zhu Xiao and spoke, “I want intelligence on the Poison Hall. Offer a price!”

“Poison Hall?” Zhu Xiao frowned. He shook his head and said, “I’m afraid that I will have to disappoint you. We don’t have any news on the Poison Hall here, so I will have to ask you to ask something else.”

“You don’t have any news on the Poison Hall?”

At this point, Zhang Xuan abruptly burst into a hearty laughter. Flicking his wrist, he took out a pile consisting of more than a hundred high-tier spirit stones and asked, “Is this enough?”

Upon seeing the huge pile of high-tier spirit stones, Zhu Xiao’s eyebrows visibly shot up in astonishment despite his attempt to retain his composure. Eventually, he clenched his jaws and replied, “My apologies, but this isn’t a problem of money. Our Inkcloud Quarter truly doesn’t have any news on the Poison Hall!”

Paying no heed to the other party’s words, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out another gleaming pile of five hundred high-tier spirit stones. In an instant, the spiritual energy in the air grew considerably more concentrated.

“Is this enough?”

“T-this…”

Zhu Xiao’s face paled. “This matter is already beyond my jurisdiction. I have to report it to my boss…”

Chapter 979: Poisoning Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

He was only the manager of the Inkcloud Quarter. A trade which involved a humongous sum of several hundred high-tier spirit stones, there was no way he was qualified to make a judgement on this matter.

“Go ahead!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

If it was that easy to uncover news on the Poison Hall, there was no way the old principal would have been unable to replace it back then.

Knowing that it would be a difficult fight, Zhang Xuan decided to throw out huge amounts of money out right from the start so as to force the other party to negotiate with him.

Even if the other party really didn’t have any concrete news on the Poison Hall, the Inkcloud Quarter, given its long establishment in Jingyuan City, should still have some clues regarding the matter.

Had it been someone else, there would be no way they could tell whether the clues were true or not, thus making it potentially a futile attempt. However, it was different for Zhang Xuan. He could easily ascertain the authenticity of those clues and dig out the whereabouts of the Poison Hall with certainty, even if it was located beneath the ground.

“Yes!” Zhu Xiao quickly rushed out of the room, headed for a vast room that stood at the heart of the Inkcloud Quarter.

“Boss!” Stepping into the vast room, Zhu Xiao immediately clasped his fist and greeted the middle-aged man before him.

The boss of Inkcloud Quarter, Hu Yunsheng. A Saint 1-dan pinnacle expert!

“What’s wrong?” Hu Yunsheng was in the midst of flipping through some documents when Zhu Xiao abruptly entered. Lifting his gaze, he asked calmly.

“Boss, I just met with a guest earlier, and the other party requested to purchase… information regarding the Poison Hall!” Zhu Xiao reported.

“Information regarding the Poison Hall?” Hu Yunsheng frowned. “Just do the usual, tell him that we have no such news and drive him away!”

“I told him that that we don’t have any news on the Poison Hall, but the other party immediately took out more than five hundred high-tier spirit stones and insisted on purchasing it! As such, I came over here to report the matter to you!” Zhu Xiao swiftly went through the details of the matter.

“Five hundred high-tier spirit stones?” Hu Yunsheng narrowed his eyes in astonishment.

The fact that even the esteemed school heads of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, be it School Head Mo or School Head Zhao, could only afford to take out a few dozen high-tier spirit stones at any point in time went to show just how huge a fortune it actually was.

Five hundred high-tier spirit stones… Even the annual profits of the entire Inkcloud Quarter didn’t amount to that!

“That’s right!” Zhu Xiao nodded.

“What kind of person is he?” Hu Yunsheng asked with a deep frown.

Pondering for a moment, Zhu Xiao replied, “He seems to be in his forties. He is slightly stronger than me, possessing a cultivation of Nascent Saint pinnacle. As for his background, I am not too sure about that either…”

“A Nascent Saint pinnacle cultivator was actually able to take out five hundred spirit stones at once?” Hu Yunsheng could hardly believe what he was hearing.

Even he didn’t have five hundred high-tier spirit stones in his possession at the moment, so how could a Nascent Saint pinnacle cultivator possess such wealth?

Could it be that the other party had originated from some powerful organization or affluent clan?

“Bring me over to take a look!” Hu Yunsheng stood up and said.

“Yes… But boss, we really don’t have much news regarding the Poison Hall at hand. If he were to insist on it, what should we do?” Zhu Xiao asked.

Even within Jingyuan City, the Poison Hall was an existence shrouded in secrecy. As extensive as the intelligence network of Inkcloud Quarter was, they were still unable to uncover anything much about the Poison Hall, let more its whereabouts.

“I will decide depending on the circumstances later on. If he has a powerful backing, I can consider handing over the information we have gathered on the Poison Hall thus far. However, if he is just an ordinary nouveau riche 1 … there is no way our Inkcloud Quarter is going to let a fat lamb who has wandered into our midst escape!” A cold glint flashed across Hu Yunsheng’s eyes.

Inkcloud Quarter wasn’t just an ordinary business, it was the dominating power of Jingyuan City’s underworld as well. If the other party had a powerful backing behind him, he might still have to think twice before acting. Otherwise, for an ordinary Nascent Saint cultivator to hold so much wealth in his possession… he would really be letting himself down if he were to allow this juicy piece of meat to flee from his mouth!

“This… But if he has so many high-tier spirit stones on him, even if he was a noveau riche, he would have surely recruited experts to protect him…” Zhu Xiao was still worried.

Only with power would one be able to protect one’s own wealth, this was common sense to all cultivators.

For the other party to publicly flaunt his wealth without the slightest hint of fear, even if he didn’t have any powerful clan or organization backing him, it was almost certain that he must have prepared a hand in case such a situation arose. In other words, if they were to lay their hands on the other party, it could possibly bring trouble upon Inkcloud Quarter.

“Hehe, wasn’t he looking into news concerning the Poison Hall? Surely it shouldn’t be too surprising for him to be killed by the Poison Hall, right? As long as we were to conceal it well, we will be able to get away with it easily!” Hu Yunsheng sneered coldly.

“This…” Zhu Xiao hesitated for a moment before nodding.

That was indeed true.

The Poison Hall was intent on concealing its whereabouts, so anyone who was seeking them could very well pose a threat to them… As long as they were to carry it out well, there would be no one who would suspect Inkcloud Quarter to be the culprit.

“Alright, prepare the gourd of fine wine in our storage for our guest. Later on, pay careful attention and act on my command!” Hu Yunsheng waved his hand and said.

“Yes!” Zhu Xiao nodded before quickly rushing off.

He returned a moment later, and the both of them made their way for the chamber which Zhang Xuan was currently seated at.

“I heard that you are intending to purchase information regarding the Poison Hall?” Upon arriving in the room, Hu Yunsheng took a seat and began assessing the middle-aged man before his eyes carefully.

The other party commanded a powerful aura, he was indeed a Nascent Saint pinnacle cultivator. However, his appearance was unfamiliar, probably not a local to Jingyuan City.

There were only that many Nascent Saint cultivators in Jingyuan City and the surrounding cities. Inkcloud Quarter had a detailed profile on every single Nascent Saint expert in the vicinity, and there was none that matched the characteristics of the middle-aged man before him.

“That’s right.” Zhang Xuan replied impassively.

Hu Yunsheng lowered his head contemplatively for a moment before raising his gaze to say, “The Poison Hall is not only shrouded in secrecy, they are also known for being vindictive. If they were to replace out that we have leaked their news, we might very well suffer their vengeance… May I know how I can address you, and what your motive for seeking the Poison Hall is? Pardon me for being a little wary over here, but we will have to take that into consideration before coming to a decision.”

“I am Sun Qiang.” Zhang Xuan replied.

As the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, his real name was extremely well-known throughout Hongyuan Empire, so it would be unsafe for him to use it even when disguised. On the other hand, his butler, Sun Qiang, wasn’t too well-known in comparison. Even if the other party was aware of Sun Qiang’s existence, the other party would just think that it was a coincidence.

“Sun Qiang? Are you… from Qingyuan City’s Sun Clan?” Hu Yunsheng pondered for a moment before asking.

“That’s not it.” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

“Then… the descendant of the leader of Lofty Tiger Sect?” Hu Yunsheng continued.

Zhang Xuan shook his head once more.

“Then…”

Hu Yunsheng consecutively asked about more than a dozen famous individuals and clans in Hongyuan Empire going by the surname of Sun, but Zhang Xuan shook his head at all of them.

“Ask no more, I am just a normal, wandering cultivator. I have no particular background that is worthy of note. The reason why I am looking into the Poison Hall is due to some private matters that I have to settle. Don’t worry, I won’t implicate anyone in this matter, and I won’t tell anyone that I have obtained my information from your Inkcloud Quarter!” Seeing that the other party was determined to dig up his background, Zhang Xuan waved his hand impatiently and said.

“A normal, wandering cultivator?” Hu Yunsheng chuckled softly. “I see. Since Brother Sun has already said so, I won’t waste your time any further. I have a few pieces of information regarding the Poison Hall, but they aren’t too detailed… Zhu Xiao, bring them over for Brother Sun!”

“Yes!” Zhu Xiao nodded and got to his feet.

Before he could walk out of the room, Hu Yunsheng suddenly issued another instruction. “Before you gather the documents, bring some fine wine and delicacies here first!”

After which, Hu Yunsheng turned to Zhang Xuan and said, “Brother Sun, it will take some time to compile the information, so I will have to ask you to be patient. Meanwhile, allow me to interest you in some food and drink!”

Not too long later, Zhu Xiao returned with a few plates of side dishes and a gourd of wine before leaving once more.

“Brother Sun, please!” Chuckling softly, Hu Yunsheng poured a cup of wine and handed it over to Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan took the cup of wine and asked with an earnest smile, “May I know how I should address you?”

“Ah, how could I have forgotten to introduce myself… My surname is Hu!” Hu Yunsheng said.

“Hu? I happen to have a friend who goes by the surname of Hu as well, and she is as wily as a fox, making her a really difficult person to deal with. How good it will be if she could be as honest as Brother Hu…” Zhang Xuan spoke meaningfully.

“Hahaha, the foundation of business lies in trust. How can I possibly run a business without being honest?” Without the slightest bit of embarrassment, Hu Yunsheng said.

“Well said! If only there are more honest merchants like you out there in the world, the world will be a better place! Cheers!”

Zhang Xuan lifted his cup and gulped the wine down.

“Cheers!” Hu Yunsheng chuckled softly as he brought the wine cup to his lips before placing it down once more.

Seeing that Hu Yunsheng had only taken a sip, Zhang Xuan eyebrows shot up, ” Brother Hu, aren’t you looking down on me 2 ?”

“Of course not! I just have a lot of things to attend to, and alcohol doesn’t go well with me. So…” Hu Yunsheng’s lips twitched for an instant before he hurriedly explained.

“What do you mean by alcohol doesn’t go well with you? As a businessman, you should be more decisive when you drink! Come, let me help you!” Grabbing Hu Yunsheng’s shoulder with his right hand and the wine cup with his left, Zhang Xuan chuckled as he lifted the cup up to the other party’s mouth.

Seeing that Zhang Xuan was actually going to force feed him, Hu Yunsheng’s face darkened in displeasure. “There is no need to trouble Brother Sun for this. I can do it myself…”

“It is no trouble at all. We are brothers, there is no need to stand on ceremony…” Zhang Xuan said as his lips curled up into a bright smile.

“I..” Seeing that the other party was intent on forcing that cup of wine into his mouth, Hu Yunsheng immediately drove his zhenqi to struggle himself free from the other party’s grip and knock the wine cup away. To his horror, he realized that he was unable to move at all, as if someone had bound him tightly.

The other party’s zhenqi felt like unbreakable shackles on his body, rendering him completely immobile.

“This…” Hu Yunsheng’s eyes narrowed in alarm as cold sweat trickled down his back.

He had let his guard down, thinking that the other party was just a Nascent Saint cultivator. But upon feeling the astounding strength the other party was exerting, he immediately realized… How could a fellow possessing such strength possibly be a Nascent Saint? Even with his Saint 1-dan pinnacle cultivation, he would only be utterly crushed in a fight!

The other party had been feigning weakness all along to lure him in!

Just where in the world did this fellow come from?

To make things worse, the other party seemed to have noticed that something was wrong with his wine and was force feeding it to him…

“Come, drink! There is no need to get courteous with me here!” In the midst of his shock, the wine cup was already right before his mouth. Without any time to react, the wine was already poured down his throat.

“Cough cough cough!” Choked by the wine, Hu Yunsheng coughed so violently that tears began streaming down his face.

It took a while before he could recover from it, but in the next moment, he saw the other party grabbing the entire wine gourd, and before he could say a word, the other party stuffed it into his mouth.

Gudong, gudong, gudong!

Wine flowed relentlessly down his throat, nearly taking his final breath away with it.

That was wine laced with lethal poison! Even if he had the antidote, his body would still suffer tremendous damage from drinking so much at once! Who could have known that in his attempt to hunt down a prey, he would be done in by his prey instead?

Gugugugu!

In just a few moments, with his mouth pried open by the other party’s fingers, the entire gourd of wine gushed into his body.

After forcing the wine down his throat, the other party finally released his grip and looked at him with a radiant smile, “How was the wine? Good?”

“You…” Hu Yunsheng pointed a finger at Zhang Xuan with a face reddened with rage when a bout of sharp pain suddenly struck him. He hurriedly took out a pill and popped it into his mouth. After which, he glared at the middle-aged man with killing intent flaring from his eyes, “Who in the world are you?”

“I am Sun Qiang. Didn’t I tell you that earlier?” Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. At which, he suddenly patted his face, and as if having just recalled something, he said, “Oh, I nearly forgot. I just added some extra ingredients to your wine, so it might be a little more potent than usual. You said that you don’t do well with alcohol, so I hope that it isn’t too strong for you…”

Right after saying those words, Hu Yunsheng’s face paled and his entire body stiffened. ‘Eurgh!’, a mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth.

“You poisoned me?” Hu Yunsheng’s eyes narrowed in horror.

“You are a poison master?”

Chapter 980: Sepulture Flower

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

He had been keeping a close watch over the other party’s actions while the poisoned wine was forced down his throat. From the very beginning, the other party had never touched the wine at all, coming into contact with the cup and gourd only. Considering the discreet poisoning method, there was no doubt that the other party was a poison master!

More importantly, the poison was so potent that even a Saint 1-dan pinnacle expert like him was rendered powerless. Without a doubt, the other party must be a 6-star poison master at the very minimum.

For a poison master of your caliber to not even know the location of the Poison Hall… Were you intentionally doing this to teach me a lesson?

It was laughable that he even tried to use poison against the other party… In the end, he ended up getting a taste of his own medicine…

“Hah, why would I bother looking for the whereabouts of the Poison Hall if I wasn’t a poison master?” Sneering coldly, Zhang Xuan snapped his fingers and commanded, “Come, puke a mouthful out for me!”

Zhang Xuan had known from the very start that the other party had poisoned the wine. Through driving his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, he was able to neutralize it easily. After which, he secretly infused two surges of Heaven’s Path zhenqi into the wine, thus lacing it with lethal poison.

Due to the incredible purity of the Heaven’s Path zhenqi, it was capable of infiltrating any single acupoint and organ of a human body, making it nigh impossible to guard against it. Even with a cultivation of Saint 1-dan pinnacle, the other party was still completely powerless against it.

“AHHH…”

Right after Zhang Xuan said those words, his zhenqi rampaged within Hu Yunsheng’s body and induced a scream of agony from him, followed by a spurt of a fresh blood.

“Y-you… I will kill you!” With a pale face, Hu Yunsheng forcefully drove his zhenqi and charged at Zhang Xuan.

As the boss of Inkcloud Quarter, he was an existence that even the city lord of Jingyuan City had to defer to. Yet, for him to actually be poisoned by a Nascent Saint, the immense fury coursing through his veins turned his face was red as lava. He leaped forward vehemently and crushed his palm down upon Zhang Xuan.

“You sure aren’t obedient at all. Come down!”

Sitting idly in his seat, Zhang Xuan lifted his eyelid to glance at Hu Yunsheng idly before snapping his fingers once more.

Pah!

Before the palm could even strike, Hu Yunsheng’s entire body jolted as if he had been electrified. He crashed back down onto the ground, his body splayed out as if a toad.

“T-this poison… is sentient?” Hu Yunsheng gasped in disbelief. His body trembled uncontrollably upon the realization, and his face suddenly became ghastly pale.

Poisons could be classified into two categories, non-sentient and sentient

Non-sentient poison was dangerous, but more often than not, they could be resolved by replaceing the correct antidote. On the other hand, sentient poison was capable of averting danger or even obeying commands. It might not be possible for one to resolve the poison even with the antidote in hand.

However, concocting a sentient poison was an extremely complicated process. Just like gu, it had to be reared. Even at the bare minimum, one had to be an 8-star master teacher to be able to concoct it. Could it be that the middle-aged man before him was such a poison master? (Gu is basically a poisonous insect which can be planted into another’s body to create certain effects, such as forcing a person to love another, put one under great suffering, control the other’s mind, etc. It is more commonly associated to certain ethnic tribes in ancient China, and can be considered as a combination of black magic and poison.)

But to become an 8-star master teacher, one had to possess a cultivation of Saint 6-dan at the very minimum! Every single person who had reached that level was a famed expert of the Master Teacher Continent, so why would such a person possibly come to such a remote little city in search of the local Poison Hall?

In that instant, Hu Yunsheng’s heart trembled in trepidation as fear swiftly overwhelmed him.

“Hehe!” Zhang Xuan chuckled softly, not bothering to explain at all.

He could control his Heaven’s Path zhenqi with his will remotely. As such, even though his zhenqi wasn’t sentient, he could easily produce effects similar to one.

But of course, this only applied at close distances. If he was too far away from the target, Zhang Xuan’s psyche would be unable to reach his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, thus making it impossible for him to control it anymore.

A true sentient poison would be like his Innate Fetal Poison. It would be impossible to struggle free of it no matter where one went, rendering the afflicted completely helpless before it.

Realizing that there was no way he could stand up against the other party, Hu Yunsheng’s face reddened and paled intermittently, and after a long while, he gritted his teeth tightly and uttered, “I… admit defeat!”

What else could he possibly do in this situation? He couldn’t defeat the other party, and the poison he had sustained further worsened his position. At this point, his life and death hinged on the other party’s whim.

He thought that he had truly struck gold this time round, but in the end, it turned out to just be a bait to lure him in. Just the thought of it left him incredibly stifled within.

“This is more like it…” Receiving Hu Yunsheng’s surrender, Zhang Xuan smiled in satisfaction. “I want to know everything you have on the Poison Hall.”

Hu Yunsheng gritted his teeth and replied, “Honestly speaking, despite the extensive connections that our Inkcloud Quarter has, it doesn’t know much about the Poison Hall. They are an extremely careful bunch…”

“You just have to tell me whether the Poison Hall is located in the vicinity of Jingyuan City.” Zhang Xuan said.

“Yes!” Hu Yunsheng nodded. “In the past few years, there have been quite a few people seeking the whereabouts of the Poison Hall as well, so I have been keeping a lookout myself too. Based on the information I have received so far, I am certain that it is in the Viridian Cloud Sea. However, I still don’t have enough information to pinpoint the specific location. Furthermore, according to what I have heard, it seems like it is impossible to enter the Poison Hall without a special token, even if one were to replace the real location!”

“Viridian Cloud Sea?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

The Viridian Cloud Sea was the largest inland sea of Hongyuan Empire, spanning a distance of around several hundred thousand kilometers from one end to another. Vast and boundless, there were countless ferocious spirit beasts and saint beasts in its midst. Even a Saint 5-dan expert would hesitate to enter it.

If the Poison Hall was in the midst of the Viridian Cloud Sea and was concealed by a formation, it was nigh impossible for one to replace it without knowing the exact location.

It was no wonder why the old principal was only able to track the Poison Hall down to Jingyuan City. It was indeed really well-hidden.

“Yes. An elder of the Poison Hall unintentionally leaked the news while he was purchasing something at our Inkcloud Quarter a while back… Other than that, I really know nothing else other than that…” Hu Yunsheng said with a reddened face.

Afflicted by the other party’s poison, if he didn’t receive the antidote soon, he could very well lose his life. However, he really didn’t have the crucial information which the other party wanted to know.

In truth, the news that the Poison Hall was located in the Viridian Cloud Sea… could be considered to be completely useless. The Viridian Cloud Sea spanned over such a huge area, and it was teeming with countless saint beasts on top of that. Who could possibly have the strength and time to comb the entire area?

“Purchasing something at your Inkcloud Quarter?” Paying no heed to Hu Yunsheng’s worry, Zhang Xuan frowned at the few other words that the other party said instead. “What did the elder of the Poison Hall buy from you here?”

“There was a hundred-year-old Sepulture Flower for sale in a previous auction we conducted. It is an extremely rare medicinal herb which serves as an excellent mediating factor in the concoction of many poisons, so it caught the attention of one of the elders of the Poison Hall… Eventually, he took it away at a very low price…” Hu Yunsheng said with a livid face.

He had spent over a hundred high-tier spirit stones in order to obtain the Sepulture Flower, and he had expected to profit greatly from it… Yet, that Poison Hall elder actually poisoned more than a dozen of his subordinates, and even he himself was nearly afflicted as well. Left with no choice, he could only agree to selling it at a discounted price.

It could be said that he had made a huge loss in that deal, and even a year’s worth of profits wasn’t sufficient for him to cover that loss.

This was precisely reason why Inkcloud Quarter rarely dealt in medicinal herbs anymore. The risk was simply too great. If poison masters were to willfully steal their medicinal herbs, there was nothing they could do about it.

“Do you have any medicinal herbs that the Poison Hall will require in your Inkcloud Quarter? It will be best for it to have as high a maturity as possible so that it can lure their men over.” After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan asked.

Hu Yunsheng might have been unaware of the location of the Poison Hall, but the elders of the Poison Hall themselves were bound to know.

It was entirely possible to use a medicinal ingredient they required to lure them out of their dens. As long as one of them were to appear, he could subdue the other party and force him to lead him to the Poison Hall. This way, the problem would be solved.

While his understanding of poison was still only equivalent to that of a 2-star poison master, he possessed Heaven’s Path zhenqi, which could easily neutralize most poison. Even if a 7-star poison master were to appear before him, he had nothing to fear.

But of course, anything beyond that could very well be beyond his means. Take the Innate Fetal Poison for example—its ability to avert danger made it impossible for his Heaven’s Path zhenqi to do anything to it.

It was not without reason that the poison masters could instill deep fear in the hearts of the cultivators of the Master Teacher Continent. They did indeed possess capability and strength rivaling their reputation.

Had it not been out of fear of the Master Teacher Pavilion, as well as the high difficulty and risk in pursuing the Way of Poison, there would indubitably have been a seat in the Upper Nine Paths for poison masters.

“Medicinal herbs that the Poison Hall requires?” Understanding the other party’s intention, an embarrassed look appeared on Hu Yunsheng’s face as he said, “Our Inkcloud Quarter hasn’t taken in any medicinal herbs in recent years. Even if we do have a few, they are unlikely to be of much value and won’t be sufficient to move the poison masters!”

After the setback that he had suffered, he got a clear glimpse into how fearsome poison masters were. As a result, he had made up his mind to steer clear of the medicinal herb business.

Otherwise, if a few more of such robberies were to occur, wouldn’t his Inkcloud Quarter go bankrupt?

“I see… Do you know what kind of medicinal herbs will be able to move the poison masters?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

“Based on what I know, the 7-star poison master examination requires one to concoct a poison capable of killing a Saint 2-dan expert, and such poisons usually require the Sepulture Flower… If anyone were to have a high maturity Sepulture Flower, it will surely draw many poison masters in! Just that… the Sepulture Flower is an extremely rare medicinal herb. To tell you the truth, it was a huge stroke of luck that we were able to obtain it the last time…” Hu Yunsheng said.

“Sepulture Flower?” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before sighing deeply.

Back during his inauguration ceremony, the saint beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge did give him quite a lot of medicinal herbs. However, there didn’t seem to be any Sepulture Flowers amidst the pile. He also didn’t recall seeing that medicinal herb amongst the various items he had collected thus far.

It seemed like he would really have to go to some trouble to obtain the Sepulture Flower.

“Since that’s the case… I want you to make a public announcement saying that Inkcloud Quarter has recently obtained a 200-year-old Sepulture Flower, and it will be auctioned very soon. It will do as long as we are able to draw the poison masters in.” Zhang Xuan said.

His only goal was to lure the poison masters out, not to obtain a Sepulture Flower. The most important thing he had to do at the moment was to draw the other party out. Everything else could be decided later on.

“This… Even so, I fear that things might not go as planned! If a poison master doesn’t utilize any poison, there is no distinctive trait to tell him apart from an ordinary cultivator. If they were to realize that the news regarding auctioning the Sepulture Flower is fake, they might not make a move, and there will be no way for us to confirm their identity.” Hu Yunsheng said with a bitter smile.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before nodding, “You’re right.”

Just like the soul oracles, poison masters were one of the most loathed occupations on the Master Teacher Continent. As such, they would rarely display their means publicly unless required, making it nigh impossible to identify them.

He could only assess the information of a cultivator through the Library of Heaven’s Path after he had used a battle technique, so it would be futile if the poison master didn’t use any battle technique. On top of that, there would surely be many people who would be at the auction. Sieving an individual or two out of a huge crowd was no easy task.

“More importantly, if they were to abide by the rules and purchase the Sepulture Flower through the normal bidding process, that would place us in a very bad position…” Hu Yunsheng continued.

It was true that he was coerced to sell his Sepulture Flower at a loss to a poison master the previous time, but that could have been considered as an exception rather than the norm. After all, it was not like the Poison Hall was a band of heinous villains. If the other party were to purchase the Sepulture Flower honestly but they were unable to produce the medicinal herb… it probably wouldn’t take long for the entire Inkcloud Quarter to be destroyed under the poison master’s wrath.

“That’s right…” Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella in frustration.

It seemed like his idea was not feasible.

At that point, a thought came to Hu Yunsheng, and he said hesitantly,”Actually… there might be no need for us to feign it. The Sepulture Flower might be rare, but… I just recalled a person who could very well have it, and the maturity is bound to exceed a hundred years at that!”

“Oh? Who is it?” Hearing that someone had the Sepulture Flower, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

“I am not too sure what his name is, but he is a rather strange person. Everyone addresses him as [Eccentric Old Man]. He is quite into herbology, and he has accumulated quite a few precious medicinal herbs. He also has quite a collection of artifacts as well. The Sepulture Flower which I obtained the previous time around came from him… If you were to replace him, you might be able to replace another Sepulture Flower.” Hu Yunsheng said.

Chapter 981: Eccentric Old Man

Translator: StarveCleric | Editor: StarveCleric

“Eccentric Old Man? Where is he at? Bring me over to meet him!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

Since there was someone who had the Sepulture Flower, all he had to do was to purchase it! There was no need for him to hesitate at all!

“This…” Hearing those words, Hu Yunsheng smiled bitterly. “It isn’t that easy! The medicinal herbs in his possession are not for sale. It is impossible to purchase them no matter how much money one had. On top of that, the Eccentric Old Man has a very bad temper as well. There was once which the Jingyuan City Lord required a rare medicinal herb urgently, so he prepared a great amount of spirit stones that would suffice to buy three of that medicinal herbs at market price. Yet… he was thrown out the door before he could even speak a word…”

“The city lord was thrown out? Is the Eccentric Old Man very powerful?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

The city lord of Jingyuan City had to be at least a Saint 1-dan cultivator at the very minimum. Yet, for the other party to throw him out the door… it seemed like the Eccentric Old Man wasn’t going to be an easy person to deal with.

“His cultivation is on the same level as me, Saint 1-dan pinnacle. However, he has a Saint 2-dan tamed beast with him…” Hu Yunsheng replied.

“He is a beast tamer?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

Even taming a saint beast weaker than one was already arduously difficult, but the Eccentric Old Man was actually able to tame a Saint 2-dan beast despite only possessing a cultivation of Saint 1-dan. That was truly an impressive feat.

One must know that no one, not even School Head Mo, in the Master Teacher Academy had managed to achieve this feat! Thus, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but be bewildered as to why a talented figure like the other party would choose to reside at the remote Jingyuan City.

“I am not too sure either, but that tamed beast obeys every single one of his words. If anyone tries to cause trouble, it would kick them out immediately. Even I dare not do anything to it…” Hu Yunsheng said.

After chatting for a while longer, Zhang Xuam couldn’t help but shake his head.

Through Hu Yunsheng’s words, it could be seen that the Eccentric Old Man was indeed a rather peculiar person.

The Eccentric Old Man was indubitably a huge hoarder of valuable artifacts and medicinal herbs. Typically speaking, hoarders accumulated their goods in wait for a hike in the market price so that they could profit off their collection. However, putting aside selling his collection, the Eccentric Old Man didn’t even allow guests to enter his residence!

“Bring me over to take a look!”

Regardless of how eccentric that fellow was, Zhang Xuan knew he would need to meet him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have anything to lure the poison masters in.

In the ten days flight to Jingyuan City, Wei Ruyan remained unconscious throughout the entire duration. This went to say that her condition was steadily declining, and her life would be in grave danger if she wasn’t treated soon. Time wasn’t on their side, so Zhang Xuan had to grasp onto everything there was.

“You still intend to look for him?” Hu Yunsheng’s face turned bitter. “There is no way he will let us through the doors of his residence, and he might even send his tamed beast after us…”

The person before him had just arrived at Jingyuan City, so it was only natural that he knew not of how fearsome the Eccentric Old Man was. On the other hand, he had experienced it with his own body. A person whom even the city lord was helpless before, what could they possibly do?

Due to the many valuable artifacts and medicinal herbs that the Eccentric Old Man possessed, he had tried to visit the other party to negotiate with him many times, but he would be thrown out each time without fail.

“It’s fine, I know what I am doing.” Zhang Xuan replied.

His current identity was that of a poison master and not a master teacher. He didn’t need to abide by the troublesome rules that master teachers had to follow.

When there is a will, there is a way. There was bound to be a way which he could obtain the Sepulture Flower from the other party.

“Alright then.” Seeing that the other party had his mind made up, Hu Yunsheng knew that it was impossible for him to convince the other party otherwise. His life was still in the other party’s hand, so he could only agree to it.

Just as the both of them walked out of the room, Zhu Xiao also happened to be seen walking towards them. At the moment that Zhu Xiao saw the both of them, he couldn’t help but notice that not only was the middle-aged man was still alive, his boss was even walking subserviently behind the middle-aged boss. In that instant, disbelief covered his entire face.

However, there was no way Hu Yunsheng could explain anything to Zhu Xiao at this moment, so he quickly instructed Zhu Xiao to look after Inkcloud Quarter before leading Zhang Xuan to the Eccentric Old Man’s residence.

Had he not been poisoned, he could consider hinting Zhu Xiao to gather a few men and hide in the surroundings to prepare an ambush on Zhang Xuan. However, as long as he remained afflicted with the poison, he dared not to do so. Otherwise, he could very well die before making a move.

Furthermore, even if an ambush was carried out, he had a feeling that his subordinates would be the one who would be lying on the ground at the end of it, poisoned.

If poison masters could be killed that easily, the lineage of the Poison Hall wouldn’t have persevered for so long.

The residence of the Eccentric Old Man was located not too far from Inkstone Quarter. It took only a brief walk before an average-sized residence came into sight.

The entrance doors were tightly shut, and there was a plaque which stated that no guests were welcomed in the residence. The surroundings were cold and desolate, not a single guard was in sight. There was no way one could tell that it was the home of an esteemed Saint realm expert just by looking at it.

“Knock on the door!” Walking up, Zhang Xuan glanced at Hu Yunsheng and commanded.

“W-we are just going to knock on the door like that? Are you sure there is no need to prepare a visiting scroll?” Hu Yunsheng was taken aback.

It was manners to present a visiting scroll ahead of one’s visit to indicate one’s identity and reason for the visit… Would they really be able to enter just by knocking like that?

The other party was already a hot-tempered man. If they were to act so discourteously on top of that, wouldn’t that just place them in a worse position?

“Just knock on the door.” Instead of replying, Zhang Xuan urged Hu Yunsheng on with a smile.

Be it whether the other party was eccentric or not, as long as he was human, he was bound to have desires and goals. As long as that was the case, he was confident that he would be able to persuade the other party to sell the medicinal herb to him.

“Alright then…” Seeing that Zhang Xuan wasn’t listening to his advice, Hu Yunsheng shook his head as he walked up to the door and knocked on it.

Dong dong dong dong!

The knocking sounds were particularly resounding in the quiet streets.

Jiyaaa!

Before the doors to the Eccentric Old Man’s residence opened, the doors to the residence opposite to it opened instead. Following which, an old man and a servant walked out.

“There is no point knocking. The owner of that residence won’t meet with you.” Glancing at the duo, the old man advised.

“Won’t meet with us?” Zhang Xuan frowned. “Are you a subordinate of the Eccentric Old Man?”

“Of course not. I am just an admirer of his…” The old man waved his hands casually.

“I see. Continue knocking!” Hearing that the old man had nothing to do with the Eccentric Old Man, Zhang Xuan turned around and commanded Hu Yunsheng.

“You…” Seeing how that fellow refused to listen to his advice, the old man frowned in displeasure.

The face of the servant beside him also turned livid in anger. He walked up and glared at Zhang Xuan furiously, “How dare you speak to our old master like that! Do you know who he us?”

Zhang Xuan took a brief glance at the servant before turning his gaze away impassively, paying no heed to the other party at all.

Who cares who your old master is! Do you know who I am?

I am just afraid that your heart might not be able to take the blow!

Dong dong dong!

The knocking continued.

Not expecting to be ignored, the servant’s complexion turned awful. “Our old master is the head of the Physician Guild, Master Zhou Xuan!”

“Zhou Xuan?” Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, “Never heard of him before. Continue knocking!”

“Yes!” Hu Yunsheng’s lips twitched.

He didn’t have much interaction with Zhou Xuan in the past, so he only felt that the other party looked familiar. However, upon hearing the introduction, it immediately came back to himl.

The head of the Physician Guild… Even the city lord would treat him with utmost respect, not daring to offend him in the slightest. Yet, this fellow actually disregarded him altogether… Just the thought of it left him frenzied.

However, with his life in the other party’s hand, he could only feign ignorance and continue knocking on the doors.

On the other hand, both the servant and Zhou Xuan were leaping with anger.

As the guild leader of the Jingyuan City Physician Guild, Zhou Xuan’s standing was comparable to the city lord… After all, all humans would eventually be wounded or fall ill at some point in their life.

As such, while there were cultivators who dared to offend the leaders of the other guilds, there were none who were willing to get on Zhou Xuan’s bad side.

Yet, this fellow actually disregarded Zhou Xuan, treating him as if he was air…

“Didn’t you hear my words? Our old master is a 6-star physician!” the servant said through gritted teeth.

“I heard your words loud and clear. But the person I am looking for is the Eccentric Old Man, not your old master!” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

So what if the other party was a 6-star physician? Three months ago, a vice school head of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, who was a 6-star pinnacle physician as well, attempted to take advantage of him, only to be nearly played to his death. Given so, why should he have to fear the person before him?

“You…” the servant nearly fainted from anger.

6-star physicians were esteemed individuals who were respected no matter where they went, and yet, this fellow actually… didn’t care at all?

Damn it!

Did they not know what price they would have to pay for offending a physician?

Just as the servant was about to say something more, Master Zhou Xuan suddenly raised his hand to stop him before walking forward, “This friend over here, I have no idea who you are, and it doesn’t matter you know my identity or not. However, Senior Eccentric Old Man is unwilling to meet any guests, so there is no point for you to continue knocking!”

As the head of the Physician Guild, Master Zhou Xuan had met plenty of people in his time. Considering how the other party was able to remain composed even after learning his identity, it could only mean that the other party came from an exceptional background.

Thus, instead of bellowing at the other party like how his servant did, he chose to take on a persuasive tone.

“Unwilling to meet any guests?”

“That’s right. Senior Eccentric Old Man is a hot-tempered person, and he doesn’t like to be disturbed. Even our city lord had to send in several visiting scrolls before paying a visit himself. Just a word of advice, you will fare better leaving for the time being and have someone deliver your visiting scroll in first. Otherwise, you will just incur the other party’s ire by continue knocking here.” Master Zhou Xuan said.

What he said was true.

The Eccentric Old Man was a person who valued peace and didn’t like to be disturbed. Even after seeking an audience for so many days, he still wasn’t able to meet the Eccentric Old Man. To walk straight up to the doors without even preparing anything, wasn’t the other party just asking to be shut out completely?

“I see.” Zhang Xuan frowned before shaking his head in frustration. “Since that is the case…”

Zhou Xuan thought that after hearing his piece, the other party would turn around and back down for the moment to prepare his visiting scroll. Yet, the next few words he heard nearly left him keeling over.

“… Hu Yunsheng, knock the door down!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand, as if he was just doing something insignificant.

“Knock the door down?” Hu Yunsheng’s lips twitched, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

“That’s right.” Zhang Xuan shot a glance at Hu Yunsheng, and seeing the fear in the other party’s eyes, he sighed deeply. “Forget it, I will do it myself!”

Knowing that Hu Yunsheng dared not provoke the Eccentric Old Man, Zhang Xuan walked up to the door himself and thrust his fist forcefully against it.

Boom!

How could a wooden door possibly be able to withstand his tremendous might? In just a mere moment, countless wooden fragments and splinters flew into the residence.

The buzz from the previous explosion lingered in the air as a cloud of dust slowly drifted down.

“This…”

Seeing the lack of hesitation in the other party’s actions, a shiver ran through Zhou Xuan’s body, and he nearly blacked out.

I told you that the Eccentric Old Man doesn’t like to be disturbed, and yet, you knocked down the other party’s door…

Overwhelmed with anger, Zhou Xuan’s breathing hastened to the point that he could hardly catch his breath.

Where in this world did this fool come from?

Initially, he also didn’t pay much attention to the Eccentric Old Man, thinking that the other party was just putting on airs. A personal visit from the Physician Guild should have other party rushing out to welcome him. But there was one occasion which he chanced on the other party treating a patient that changed his view of the other party entirely. He realized that the other party possessed a mastery in the Way of Medicine that was far beyond his… In other words, the Eccentric Old Man was likely to be either a 6-star pinnacle or a 7-star physician!

It was also for this reason that he rented the residence opposite to the Old Eccentric Man’s and delivered a visiting scroll over every single day. He hoped that he would be able to win the other party’s favor and learn a hand or two from him.

This was also why he ran out upon hearing that someone knocking on the doors of the Eccentric Old Man’s residence. He was hoping that he could possibly leave a good impression with the other party through this.

But… he had already said all that should be said, so why was this fellow so foolish? To knock down the other party’s door with a single fist…

What were they to do now?

No doubt about it, the Eccentric Old Man was bound to be fuming!

“Look, isn’t the problem settled now? Alright, let’s enter!”

Ignoring the frenzied Zhou Xuan, Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually and walked in.

StarveCleric

The chapter later in the night will come a little late.

Chapter 982: Green Spittle Poison

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

The residence wasn’t too big, but an astounding amount of spiritual energy had gathered in the area. With just a glance, Zhang Xuan could tell that there was a Spirit Gathering Formation set up in the area. It was of a fairly high grade, grade-6 pinnacle at the minimum.

Due to the presence of the Spirit Gathering Formation, the spiritual energy in the residence was several times more concentrated than that outside. The entire courtyard was densely filled rare medicinal herbs, those which one would hardly see on the market.

“Not bad!” Sweeping a glance at the surroundings, Zhang Xuan saw at least ten stalks of Saint herbs, and his eyes lit up in amazement.

Even You Xu didn’t have that many saint herbs in his garden back then.

Jiya!

While Zhang Xuan was still looking around, the doors to one of the rooms opened, and a haggard-looking old man appeared. Looking at Zhang Xuan and the others, he bellowed, “Who let you all in? How brazen!”

He was fuming mad.

After all, there wasn’t a person in the world who wouldn’t be furious when someone knocked down his door and barged into his residence…

Could there be an even more arrogant act than that?

“Senior, he was the one who forcefully charged in here. I didn’t think that he…” Seeing that the Eccentric Old Man was shaking with rage, Zhou Xuan hurriedly explained with quivering lips.

He mustn’t lose the good impression he had had accrued with great difficulty due to this!

“Bluetigris Beast, send our guests out!” Paying no heed to what Zhou Xuan was saying, the Eccentric Old Man commanded forcefully.

Hula!

Right after those words were spoken, a five-meters long saint beast emerged from the room by the side, and every step taken caused the ground to tremor violently.

Blue Tigris Beast, a Saint 2-dan primary stage saint beast! Its fighting prowess was, at the very least, on par with the Byzantium Helios Beast.

The incredible presence it commanded was pressurizing, leaving the faces of those standing before it paling and their bodies trembling.

This was especially so for Hu Yunsheng. In his previous visits to this residence, he had been viciously pummeled by that huge fellow. Meeting the other party once more, he couldn’t help but feel an innate fear towards it.

On the other hand, Zhou Xuan subconsciously took several steps back. He knew that there was no way he could match a saint beast of such strength with his current cultivation realm.

“Do you want to leave by yourself, or do you want me to reduce you to a lifeless corpse and toss you out?” The Bluetigris Beast glared at Zhang Xuan with its large, menacing eyes.

In face of the threat, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly and replied, “What if I choose neither of the options?”

“Why are you wasting your breath? Toss him out!” Waving his hands impatiently, the Eccentric Old Man turned around and started walking back into his room.

He had absolute trust in his tamed beast’s capability, so he didn’t think that there was a need for him to remain on the scene.

Right after he turned his back around, he heard the furious roaring of the Bluetigris Beast. Following which, a powerful shockwave burst into the surroundings, leaving the ground shaking violently.

An instant later, the sound of something being struck up into the sky echoed in the air.

Boom!

That something landed heavily on the ground, raising a cloud of dust in the courtyard.

“Hmph, know your place!” The Eccentric Old Man nodded in satisfaction as he continued walking away.

The Bluetigris Beast had always been known for its ferocity. Just by hearing the sounds, he could tell that that arrogant fellow had been floored.

“Forget it, there is no need to go too far. It’ll suffice to teach him a lesson, don’t kill him by acci-… Ah?” Shaking his hands, the Eccentric Old Man turned around.

Even though he didn’t really care for the other party, a person who dared to barge into his residence couldn’t possibly be of low standing. As a person who valued his peace, he didn’t cause more trouble out of this matter than it was worth.

However, before he could finish his words, the sight he saw left him body frozen in shock.

It took a long time before he was able to utter any words at all, “W-what is going?”

The scene before him was completely different as the one he had imagined. The Bluetigris Beast should have been teaching the other party a lesson, but at this moment, it was lying right in front of the middle-aged man, licking the other party’s palm fawningly, reminiscent of a loyal dog.

What in the world was with this ridiculous sight before him?

I told you to toss him out, not to please him!

Are you my tamed beast or his?

Uncomprehending of the situation before him, he turned his gaze to Zhou Xuan and the others, only to see the three of them completely dumbfounded as well.

Unable to take it any longer, the Eccentric Old Man roared, “Bluetigris Beast, what are you doing?”

This was truly unacceptable. For his own tamed beast to defy his orders and please another man instead, he would become a huge laughingstock should this matter be known to the public!

This was too humiliating!

“Master, I…” The Bluetigris Beast turned around to face his master, but not knowing how it should explain the situation, it scratched its head with its massive paws in frustration.

“Don’t worry, allow me!” Smiling, Zhang Xuan walked up to the Eccentric Old Man.

His cultivation was only at Nascent Saint pinnacle, but his true strength was even beyond that of the Saint 2-dan Combat Master Zhuo Qingfeng. As powerful as the Bluetigris Beast was, there was no way it could be a match for him.

After subduing it with a single strike, he was able to force it to obey his orders. He didn’t tame the Bluetigris Beast as the latter already had a master, but it no longer posed a threat to him.

“You are Senior Eccentric Old Man, right?” Zhang Xuan asked. “I have a request to ask of you here. I wish to buy a Sepulture Flower from you. The higher maturity it has, the better it will be.”

“You have a request to ask of me?” Glancing at the shattered fragments of his doors and his fawning tamed beast, the Eccentric Old Man’s lips twitched uncontrollably.

Is this how you make a request with others?

To destroy my doors as soon as you arrive and even leave my tamed beast… in such a weird state… You are clearly not making a request with me but coercing me to submit!

“You want to buy a Sepulture Flower from me? Sure, over my dead body!” With clenched jaws, the Eccentric Old Man roared with a face reddened in anger.

“Over your dead body?” Zhang Xuan sighed deeply before shaking his head helplessly. “Since you said so, I guess I have no choice then!”

After saying those words, his eyebrows shot up and a powerful aura burst forth from him. In the next moment, he charged forward and thrust his fist with incredible might.

Boom!

In that moment, the Eccentric Old Man couldn’t help but feel as if a hurricane was headed in his way. He could tell that the other party’s cultivation was clearly beneath his, but for some reason, the other party’s strength and zhenqi purity was way out of his league.

If that palm were to strike, he could very well be reduced to a slab of meat.

“Damn it!” The Eccentric Old Man’s face turned livid.

Exerting the full might of his body into his legs, he hurriedly leaped backward, and his silhouette flashed across space as if a streak of lightning.

He was only at Saint 1-dan, but his movement technique was particularly profound. In the blink of an eye, he had already made a clean escape from Zhang Xuan’s palm strike.

Fearing that the other party would continue his attack, he took this opportunity to leap backwards two more times to create a safe distance between them. It was only when he was nearly back-to-back with his residence did he finally come to a halt.

“Ah?”

Heaving a sigh of relief, he looked to his front and saw that the other party was still standing on the spot, seemingly not intending to continue his attack. The other party’s hands were behind his back, and his head was tilted slightly upward, seemingly gazing deeply into the heaven. A light breeze blew, and the other party’s robe fluttered slightly.

In that instant, the Eccentric Old Man couldn’t help but have the impression that the middle-aged man before him was an unparalleled expert, and his face twitched slightly.

Wasn’t this change a little too fast? It was just a moment ago that the other party had charged at him ferociously, intending to send him into death’s embrace. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he had already transformed into a transcendental expert who had seen through the vicissitudes of life… Even a professional actor couldn’t possibly leap from role to role that quickly!

He wasn’t the only one who felt crazed by the sight before him. Even Zhou Xuan and Hu Yunsheng were dumbstruck as well.

It seemed like the greatest strength of the fellow before them wasn’t his strength but his ability to switch faces. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking or what he was going to do.

“If you wish to kill me, so be it! Making fun of me? Don’t even think about it!” The Eccentric Old Man roared furiously.

He felt that the other party was intentionally toying with him. The other party clearly had the strength to kill him and take the Sepulture Flower easily, but he wasn’t making a move at all.

“Making fun of you? You are misunderstanding me!” Zhang Xuan shook his head before continuing, “I would just like to say that it has indeed been hard on you to persevere for so many years under the agony of the [Green Spittle Poison]

“Ah? Y-you…” Those words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the flames of anger burning within the Eccentric Old Man. He weakly staggered two steps behind, only to replace that he was already pressed against the wall of his residence. He opened his mouth to speak, but not a word would come out from his throat. Disbelief could be seen in his eyes.

Just like what the other party had said, he was indeed afflicted with the deadly Green Spittle Poison. It was only due to his extraordinary mastery in the Way of Medicine that he was able to survive for so long, but even so, he was swiftly approaching his limit… He had never told anyone about this matter before, and he was certain he had never met the middle-aged man before his eyes. So how could the other party tell with a single glance?

He couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

“Green Spittle Poison, a lethal poison contained within the saliva of the Saint 4-dan Green Spittle Snake. Even a Saint 4-dan cultivator could die in moments after being afflicted by it. If I am not mistaken, the reason why you are able to survive for so long is because you have consumed a Sevenflower Grass when you were younger, right?” Before he could ask about it, the middle-aged man had continued nonchalantly.

“I…” A shudder ran through the Eccentric Old Man’s body.

The other party was right. He had indeed consumed a Sevenflower Grass by accident when he was seven.

The Sevenflower Grass was a kind of slow-acting poison which gradually wore down one’s body. But while it wasn’t lethal in the short run, it could cause immense pain to the afflicted. It was for this reason that drove him to work frenziedly on the Way of Medicine, in hopes that he could cure himself one day.

It had been many years since then, and very few of his peers knew of it. For the middle-aged man before him to know about it as well… could the other party be his old friend?

Taking a closer look at the middle-aged man, he shook his head.

Be it the other party’s appearance or disposition, neither of them sparked anything in his mind.

He was certain that he had never met the other party before.

“Actually, it is not too difficult for me to deduce all of this. Those who have consumed the Green Spittle Poison will have a slight grayish hue over his body, and their iris will also turn grayish with a thin crimson line at the center, deeply resembling the eyes of a snake from afar.

“But of course, those evidences are only sufficient for me to deduce that you are afflicted with the Green Spittle Poison. What that made me certain that you have consumed a Sevenstar Flower when you were younger is the slightly white hue at your fingertips instead of a grayish one. If I am not mistaken, you must have accidentally pricked yourself with the thorns of the Sevenstar Flower while picking it!” Zhang Xuan said.

“This…”

The Eccentric Old Man’s body shuddered once more.

He was still too young back then, so there were several matters that he could hardly remember. However, under the other party’s reminder, he did vaguely recall that his finger had been pricked by a Sevenstar Flower in the past.

“The thorns of the Sevenstar Flower contains poison, but it happens to have the effect of neutralizing the venom of the Green Spittle Snake as well. Due to the both poisons clashing in your body, you were able to avoid immediate fatality. However, it had also become the cause of your immense suffering as well… If I am not mistaken, every night, at the Zi hour, your body will suddenly swell up, and you will feel an unbearable itch in your bones, right?” Zhang Xuan continued. (2300 – 0100)

The Eccentric Old Man’s body stiffened.

Seeing the other party’s expression, Zhang Xuan knew that he had already achieved his goal. With a bright smile, he said, “Alright. Shall we head to your room to discuss the sales of your Sepulture Flower now?”

The Eccentric Old Man hurriedly lowered his posture and invited Zhang Xuan in with a gesture, “Yes, of course! This way please!”

“Senior…” Hearing the conversation between the both of them, Zhou Xuan was completely bewildered. Subconsciously, he took a step forward, wanting to ask what was happening.

“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and prepare some tea for this venerable gentleman here!”

The Eccentric Old Man berated.

Phew, not late by too long