Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 1089

Chapter 1089: Not Even Able to Withstand a Single Blow

“Zhang Clan?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

“Indeed. Even amongst the Sage Clans, the Zhang Clan is ranked in the top three. It would be no joke to say that they are one of the strongest clans throughout the entire Master Teacher Continent. Their inner disciples, consisting of those who possess bloodline of superior purity, can easily reach Saint realm by sixteen and Leaving Aperture realm experts by twenty! If a comparison must be made, the strength of the Zhang Clan is definitely above that of the Luo Clan!” Wu shi remarked.

“The Zhang Clan is so formidable?” Zhang Xuan was astonished.

“Indeed. If you really wish to court Luo shi, there’s a good chance that you will find yourself standing against these two clans. But of course, given Principal Zhang’s talents, it’s only a matter of time before you are able to surpass the Sage Clans. However, before then, it’ll be best for you to lie low. After all, your standing as a Celestial Master Teacher and Celestial Saint is simply too astounding. If the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe were to learn of this matter, they could very well dispatch the full might that they have at their disposal to destroy you, and that would put you in peril. Furthermore, you shouldn’t take it for a given that all master teachers are willing to side with you. Alright, that’s all that we wish to talk about. We’ll leave it to you to decide the path you wish to walk down!”

Wu shi smiled. “If you really wish to stand against the two Sage Clans, feel free to approach us for help. No matter how difficult the task may be, we are willing to stand behind you!”

“Indeed, Principal Zhang. Regardless of your choice, we will back you unconditionally!” Guild Leader Han added.

As long as the young man before them didn’t meet his end prematurely, there was no doubt that he would eventually achieve great things.

As powerful as the Sage Clans may be at the moment, give it a few hundred or a thousand years, and they would surely be nothing before the eyes of this young man.

But at the moment, without sufficient strength, it was still best for the other party to lie low. Otherwise, great trouble could very well ensue.

“You have my gratitude!” Understanding that the both of them were only saying those words to him out of concern, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and thanked them.

He knew that Luo Ruoxin’s background was bound to be atypical, but who knew that it would be that complicated?

It was no wonder why she was reluctant to accept him and had even warned him against it. If the opponent was going to be two Sage Clans, one would indeed have to stop and think twice.

“Principal Zhang has always been a wise and reliable figure, so I believe that you will be able to make the right decision yourself. Thus, we won’t say any more than that. We will be waiting for your arrival at Qingyuan Conferred Empire, so till then, farewell!” Wu shi, Guild Leader Han, Mo shi, and the others clasped their fists and took their leave.

“Principal Zhang, we are returning straight to our academies as well. Before we leave, we would like to express our earnest gratitude to you. It’s due to your leadership that we are able to overcome the ancient domain safely…” Wo Tianqiong and the others also walked over and bade their farewells.

“Principal Zhang, we will be returning to the Combat Master Hall now. We will make preparations for the arrival of your students for the exchange!” Jiang Yuan, Feng Xun, and the others from the Combat Master Hall did the same too.

Very soon, everyone went on their own way, leaving behind just Zhang Xuan, Zhang Yinqiu, Ji Yan, Tan Qing, and Luo Ruoxin.

“Alright, let’s return to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!”

Thus, the group began making their way back.

“Zhang shi, I heard from Feng Xun earlier that the students of our academy are intending to head to the Combat Master Hall for an exchange? May I ask what is the matter about?” Standing atop the back of the saint beast, Zhang Yinqiu hesitated for a moment before walking up to Zhang Xuan to ask.

Exchange—this was something usually conducted amongst powers of equivalent strength. For one, it was not uncommon for the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy to bring their students to Yunxu, Luoqing, and the other Master Teacher Academies so that they could learn from one another.

But the Combat Master Hall… One must know that the combat masters were existences capable of rivaling opponents who surpassed their cultivation realm. To bring their students there for an exchange… How was that any different from asking for a beating?

“When I was still a student, I established a student faction known as the Xuanxuan Faction, and I have specially conducted a few lessons which brought about a substantial rise in the overall fighting prowess of the students. I know that the Combat Master Hall is powerful, but I think that this is a good opportunity for them to see the world.” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

“But even if you have specially conducted a few lessons, our students are still bound to be far from matching up to the geniuses of the Combat Master Hall…”

“The combat masters are simply too powerful. While it does broaden their horizon, I fear that it would end up as a crushing blow to the confidence of our students, and that would impede their further growth…”

Hearing those words, Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing couldn’t help but shake their heads.

It seemed like Zhang shi was still too young.

As a Celestial Saint, it was natural that he could defeat Feng Xun and the others as easily as if dicing vegetables on a chopping board. However, their students were just ordinary humans. How could they be able to match up to the likes of the Combat Master Hall?

If they were to really head there for an exchange, wouldn’t they simply lose all of their confidence?

“Don’t worry, I have already given them a heads up. In this exchange, it doesn’t matter whether they win or lose. What is more important is for them to know that there’s always a higher mountain out there, as well as to give them a goal to strive for!” Zhang Xuan replied.

“This… Alright then!” Seeing that Zhang Xuan knew what he was doing, the crowd decided to go along with his decision.

The aerial saint beast traveled at an incredible speed, and within just a few days, the massive Hongyuan City had already come into sight.

“The rest of you can return to the Master Teacher Academy first. I intend to take a brief stop at my manor first…” Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and bade Zhang Yinqiu and the others farewell.

Before returning to the Master Teacher Academy, he wanted to first see how Wang Ying and the others were faring on their cultivation. As for the academy, there was School Head Mo and the others standing fort, so it was unlikely for anything to go wrong there. Besides, with the return of Zhang Yinqiu and the two vice principals, they were bound to have much to talk about, so Zhang Xuan felt that he should leave them to be.

Returning back to the manor, Zhang Xuan noted that Wang Ying and Liu Yang had made substantial advancement in their cultivation in his absence. They had started to cultivate the Saint Ascension Decipher, and their zhenqi had grown more condensed and substantial, granting them far greater fighting prowess than before.

Zhang Xuan divided the various treasures he had obtained from the ancient domain amongst them before calling Butler Sun Qiang over.

In the ten days of absence, Sun Qiang seemed to have grown even fatter. However, his cultivation remained the same as before—a clear sign that his heart was not on cultivating at all.

Naturally, Zhang Xuan gave him a good lashing yet again, but judging from past experience, it didn’t seem likely that it would work.

Perhaps it was due to how reliable and driven his students were that the world gave him such a worrying butler for him to fuss over.

While Zhang Xuan was offering his students pointers and teaching his butler a lesson, Zhang Yinqiu and the others finally returned back to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

“Even though Zhang shi is an incredible genius, he’s still a little too young and lacking in worldly experience. It is truly reckless of him to propose an exchange between our academy and the Combat Master Hall… I honestly think that he’s making too light of the matter!”

“My sentiments exactly. Which of the combat masters aren’t top-notch geniuses, invincible existences within their own cultivation realm? If our students were to clash with them, there’s a good chance that instead of motivating them, it would end up eroding their confidence and drive!”

Zhang Yinqiu, Ji Yan, and Tan Qing sighed.

Fighting a rival of the same strength as oneself could motivate one to strive harder so as to overcome the rival. However, when the gap between both parties was too great, it would only cause one to despair and fall into despondency instead.

This was simply how the human mind worked.

“How about this? Let’s first pay that Xuanxuan Faction which he talked about a visit first, and in the midst of doing so, we can warn them about the strength of the Combat Master Hall once more. At the very least, if we prepare them for what is about to come mentally, it’ll cushion the trauma that they would suffer later on!” After a moment of silence, Vice Principal Ji Yan said.

“Indeed. We should emphasize to them that the exchange with the Combat Master Hall serves to show them what the peak fighting prowess within their individual cultivation realms are, and they should lower their expectations beforehand so that they wouldn’t be too dismayed by their lack of strength.” Vice Principal Tan Qing nodded in agreement.

Before long, the trio had already made up their minds.

Considering that Zhang shi was currently the principal and he had already confirmed an appointment with the Combat Master Hall, it would be improper for them to attempt to veto his decision at this point. That would be undermining his authority and that of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. However, the least they could do was to give the students a heads up of what that was about to come and inform them that they were visiting the Combat Master Hall to study and not to challenge them. If they could ready their mindsets beforehand, the students wouldn’t be too affected by the disparity in their fighting prowess.

“Alright, let’s go over then!”

They had learned about the location of the Xuanxuan Faction’s headquarter from Zhang Xuan on the journey here, so it didn’t take long for them to arrive at their destination.

As Zhang Yinqiu was currently possessing the body of an Otherworldly Demon puppet, he chose to remain on the back of the aerial saint beast. On the other hand, Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing leaped down from the aerial saint beast and walked toward the headquarters. However, before they could get past the entrance, they were already stopped by several students.

“May I know whom you are looking for?” one of the students asked.

“I am here to look for the person-in-charge for the Xuanxuan Faction…” Vice Principal Ji Yan was slightly surprised to see that the students didn’t know who he was, but nevertheless, he still replied politely.

As most of the members of the Xuanxuan Faction were freshmen of the same batch as Zhang Xuan, they had never really seen the two vice principals before as the both of them had gone missing in the ancient domain two years back, so they were unable to recognize them.

“The person-in-charge? Alright, I’ll invite him over right now…” While the student didn’t recognize the two vice principals, he did notice that the two elders carried an extraordinary air of authority around them. Thus, he quickly left without much hesitation, and before long, he brought Ruohuan gongzi and Song Chao back with him.

The both of them were the founders of the Xuanxuan Faction, so naturally, they were their de facto leaders when Zhang Xuan wasn’t around.

“May I know the reason for the arrival of our guests?” Seeing that the two elders possessed strength far beyond them, Ruohuan gongzi and Song Chao exchanged swift gazes before clasping their fists respectfully.

“I heard that you intend to visit the Combat Master Hall for an exchange?” Not bothering to beat around the bush, Vice Principal Ji Yan got straight to the topic at hand.

“There’s indeed such a matter. This is also the reason why the members of the Xuanxuan Faction have been working hard recently so as overwhelm the Combat Master Hall with our prowess and teach them a lesson!”

This matter was no secret. There was no one in the academy who was unaware of the matter, so there was no need to hide it from the two guests either.

“Overwhelm the Combat Master Hall?”

“Teach them a lesson?”

Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing exchanged gazes, and the knot between their eyebrows tightened.

Are you honestly telling me that you intend to teach that bunch of monsters from the Combat Master Hall a lesson? Do you have a death wish?

Truly, the ignorant know no fear!

After a moment of silence, Vice Principal Ji Yan spoke up, “How about this? If you’re that confident in your ability, why don’t the both of us suppress our cultivation to your level and have a match with you?”

“You want to have a match with me?”

“That’s right. Those from the Combat Master Hall possesses strength far superior to their counterparts, so it won’t be easy for just anyone to defeat them. If you can defeat us when our cultivations are suppressed, it won’t be an issue for you to face the Combat Master Hall. Otherwise… I hope that you can head there with the intention to learn from them instead!” Vice Principal Ji Yan said.

“Very well, I understand your sentiments. We, of the Xuanxuan Faction, won’t bully you either…” Hearing the proposal made by the two elders, Ruohuan gongzi hesitated for a moment before turning his gaze towards a student who was sweeping the area not too far away. “You, come over here! Spar with these two elders for a while. Make sure to go easy on them so as to not hurt them…”

“…” Ji Yan and Tan Qing.

Seeing how that fellow, instead of sparring with them himself, ordered a student sweeping the area to fight with them instead, even instructing the latter to go easy on them… the two vice principals nearly exploded on the spot.

“Are all of the freshmen as arrogant as you? Very well, I sure am interested to see how powerful you are!” Clenching his jaws tightly, Ji Yan suppressed his cultivation to the same level as the sweeping student before beckoning with his hand, “Come!”

…

“Master, Vice Principal Ji has begun fighting with a student…” In the air, the Byzantium Helios Beast informed the old principal.

“Don’t worry, the both of them know what they are doing. They won’t go overboard…” Zhang Yinqiu replied with a reassuring smile.

He was just about to continue speaking when a gust of wind suddenly blew in the surroundings. Shortly after, he saw Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing flying over.

To his astonishment, the two Primordial Spirit realm experts had the mark of a broom imprinted firmly on their faces, and their clothes were soiled with dust and mud as well.

“What happened?” Zhang Yinqiu couldn’t help but ask.

“We were defeated…” The duo replied with unspeakable embarrassment on their faces.

“The both of you were defeated?” Zhang Yinqiu widened his eyes in disbelief.

Two powerful vice principals actually got pummeled? How was that possible?

Seeing the incredulous expression that Zhang Yinqiu had, the faces of the duo reddened further as they added, “We weren’t able to even withstand a single blow…”

Chapter 1090: Poison Hall Headquarters

Just recalling the offense of that sweeping student left the two vice principals on the verge of tears.

He was simply too powerful! It was as if he could peer right into the flaws of their movements. No matter how they attempted to dodge, the broom would accurately fall on their faces without fail.

Were it not for the fact that they possessed superior physical resilience as Primordial Spirit realm experts, they would probably have ended up bedbound!

Initially, they had thought that the sweeping student might just have been a hidden expert of the Xuanxuan Faction, so indignant with their loss, they had chosen another opponent to fight against. Yet, they actually lost even more tragically!

To think that they would be no match for the students when in the same cultivation realm!

“Zhang shi said that… he conducted a few lessons for them?” Seeing the pitiful plight that the two vice principals were in, Zhang Yinqiu suddenly recalled what the young man had said earlier, and his lips started quivering wildly. Just what in the world did Zhang shi teach them for the students to become so powerful?

Unable to take it any longer, he turned his gaze toward the Byzantium Helios Beast.

“Principal Zhang did conduct a few lessons for the students, but as for the exact details… I am not too sure about them either.” the Byzantium Helios Beast shook his head.

He had spent most of his time in the Myriad Anthive Nest cultivating, so he was not too sure about the happenings within the academy.

“Never mind, let’s find Mo Zhu and the others!” Seeing that the Byzantium Helios Beast wasn’t too certain on the details either, the trio hurriedly headed toward the Elder Hall.

Not too long later, they met Zhao Bingxu, Mo Zhu, and the others. The school heads were agitated to meet them once more, and the trio ended up explaining what had happened to them in the ancient domain. It took quite a while before the trio was finally able to pose the question that was on their mind.

“Ah. We had the Combat Master Selection not too long ago, and the Combat Master Hall ended up sending two parties to assess our students. However, they were defeated so tragically that they were completely sapped of their confidence. In fact, they even fled overnight just a day before they were supposed to fight with Principal Zhang’s direct disciple, not bothering to bid any of us farewell beforehand…” School Head Mo swiftly brought Zhang Yinqiu and the others up to date on recent matters.

“Are you certain that it isn’t our students who were sapped of their confidence?” The trio was frenzied by what they were hearing.

Just what in the world had happened to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy in the two years that they were trapped in the ancient domain?

“Not only so, Principal Zhang also managed to tame all of the spirit beasts and saint beasts on the Cloudmist Ridge, and he has distributed them among the students of the Beast Tamer School. Currently, just counting the number of Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beasts, we have more than twenty thousand of them. Also, Principal Zhang has conducted a few public lectures from time to time, and those have induced at least a twofold rise in the overall fighting prowess of our students…” Seemingly oblivious to the shock the trio was going through, School Head Mo continued explaining the various changes in the academy nonchalantly.

The more he spoke, the stiffer the bodies of the trio became. Eventually, before School Head Mo could finish his piece, the trio was already completely petrified.

It was just a moment ago that they had been worrying that Zhang shi was too young and inexperienced to manage the academy, but at this moment… they realized that they were the ones who were too inexperienced to manage the academy.

To think that they had even doubted the other party’s capabilities, it sure was a huge farce.

…

Ten days later, Zhang Xuan stood on the deck of a massive ship, looking ahead into the distance. The compartments of the ship housed the tens of thousands of Xuanxuan Faction members, and the heart of every single one of them was leaping in excitement. They could not wait to cross blows with the combat masters with their refined skills.

Over the prior ten days, Zhang Xuan had conducted another five lessons for them before packing them into the ship to set forth for Qingyuan Conferred Empire.

Due to the enormous size of the ship, they had to find dozens of saint beasts before they were able to take off.

For the exchange with the Combat Master Hall, Zhang Xuan had only brought School Head Mo and Pavilion Master Mo Gaoyuan with him. Zhang Yinqiu, Ji Yan, and Tan Qing, seeing that there would likely be no problem with the exchange, chose to remain behind at the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy to manage the matters there.

In truth, as Zhang Xuan knew that he would have to continue charging ahead in order to resolve his Innate Fetal Poison, as well as to get together with Luo Ruoxin, it was very unlikely that he would be able to spend much time in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy in the future. In fact, there was a good chance that he would not return there after heading to Qingyuan Conferred Empire, at least not in the short run. Thus, he had attempted to return the position of principal to Zhang Yinqiu.

However, the latter just would not agree to it no matter how he tried to convince him. Zhang Yinqiu was deeply concerned by the state he was in. He felt that if an incomplete person like him were to become the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, it might undermine its prestigious name.

As such, Zhang Xuan could only continue holding onto his title as the honorary principal. But of course, all of his responsibilities as the principal were still entrusted to Zhang Yinqiu to handle.

In the past ten days, Zhang Xuan had also paid a visit to the Blacksmith Guild to browse through their books in hopes of finding a way to heal the Golden Origin Cauldron, but it was a pity that the smithing mastery within Hongyuan City was deeply limited. He had found a way to give birth to a new spirit within an existing artifact, but waking up a dormant one was proving to be far more difficult than he had anticipated.

It was to save them that the Golden Origin Cauldron had ended up falling into the state it was in, so Zhang Xuan could not allow it to die just like that. After careful contemplation, he decided to pay a visit to Qingyuan Conferred Empire to study more advanced smithing techniques before making a move.

…

Looking at the fleeting white clouds and feeling the raging wind before his eyes, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

The day before their team set forth, Luo Ruoxin had paid a visit to him and informed him that she still had matters to attend to, so she had to leave Hongyuan Empire for the time being, and she would not be able to meet him in Qingyuan Conferred Empire either. As reluctant as Zhang Xuan was, he could only nod in agreement.

In any case, since he had already learned of her true identity, he did not need to worry about being unable to meet her in the future.

There was one thing that Wu shi had said that he agreed deeply with—his current strength was still insufficient to go against the Sage Clans directly. If he wanted to be together with Luo Ruoxin, he would have to work a lot harder.

“Zhang shi… this is a gift that my father and King Huai prepared for you. Fearing that you would be reluctant to accept it, they told me to hand it over to you only after we left Hongyuan City!”

A crisp voice came from behind him, and Yu Fei-er walked up to Zhang Xuan’s side.

For the exchange at the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall, Luo Qiqi, Hu Yaoyao, and she had tagged along as well. They were considered members of the Xuanxuan Faction as well, so they had been allowed to join the trip.

“Gift?” Not expecting Emperor Yu Shenqing and King Huai to prepare something for him, Zhang Xuan took the storage ring from Yu Fei-er’s hands.

“Knowing that Zhang shi is proficient in the art of smithing and pill forging, they have prepared some ores and medicinal herbs within the ring. They aren’t particularly valuable or rare, but they have prepared many portions of them so that you need not fret about being short of ingredients!” Yu Fei-er said with a smile.

As the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Xuan was bound to have a bright future ahead of him. Naturally, Yu Shenqing and the others were reluctant to let go of this huge tree.

“Actually, I am the one who should be thanking your father!” Knowing their intentions, Zhang Xuan decided to accept the gift graciously.

Thinking back, had Yu Shenqing not given the Bodhi Seed to him, which he had used to grow a Bodhi Saint Tree within his folded space, there was a good chance that they would have been unable to overcome the Black Sand of Oblivion in the ancient domain!

He had been too busy over the past ten days, so it had slipped his mind to extend his gratitude to Emperor Yu Shenqing for the matter.

Choosing not to delve too much into this topic, Yu Fei-er looked at Zhang Xuan with a heated gaze. “Zhang shi, I have recently met with some troubles in my cultivation. May I ask you to give me some pointers?”

“Of course…” Zhang Xuan nodded.

While he was offering some pointers to Yu Fei-er, Luo Qiqi, Hu Yaoyao, and the others also dropped by. Thus, he decided to share the recent insights he had regarding cultivation with them as well.

After receiving the warning from Kong shi, he had not rushed into cultivating for the past few days. Instead, he had been thinking about the path that he intended to head down.

While he hadn’t managed to create any formidable cultivation technique or battle technique, he did reinforce his cultivation further, allowing him to tap into his newfound strength more smoothly.

His insights were profound yet concise, making them valuable pointers to any cultivators. Luo Qiqi, Yu Fei-er, and Hu Yaoyao benefited greatly from his teachings.

A month passed in a flash.

The three ladies advanced substantially in their cultivation within that period of time.

After three months of cultivation, Yu Fei-er had managed to achieve a breakthrough to Half-Saint pinnacle, and Hu Yaoyao had managed to reach Nascent Saint pinnacle.

Of course, the one who had made the greatest advancement within that period of time was none other than Luo Qiqi. Two months ago, her cultivation had still been at Chrysalis realm pinnacle, similar to Yu Fei-er. However, within this short period of time, she had managed to advance her cultivation to Saint 1-dan pinnacle, putting her on par with Zhang Xuan!

Even Zhang Xuan could not help but be astonished by the rate at which she was advancing her cultivation. It seemed like she was indeed a person of great talent.

Her recent improvement was not just limited to her cultivation; her mastery at pill forging had also made significant progress as well. With her current proficiency, she could probably forge any grade-7 primary pill easily.

While the three of them were improving at light speed, Zhang Xuan’s two direct disciples, Wang Ying and Liu Yang, weren’t slacking either. Within a span of two months, Wang Ying had managed to advance from Chrysalis realm primary stage to Nascent Saint pinnacle. It was the same for Liu Yang as well.

It was due to them cultivating a simplified version of the Saint Ascension Decipher that their cultivation was not advancing too quickly. If it had been an ordinary Heaven’s Path Divine Art, they would have long reached higher realms.

On the other hand, Sun Qiang’s progress was still the slowest of them all as his heart was not in cultivating. Nevertheless, with Zhang Xuan’s spot-on guidance, as well as the vast resources he had available to him, his progress was still much faster than the normal students of the academy.

At this moment, he had already reached Ethereal Treading realm pinnacle, just a step away from Chrysalis realm.

After a month of cultivating, Zhang Xuan had fully reinforced his Saint 1-dan pinnacle cultivation. Even though he had not achieved a breakthrough, his true fighting prowess could already be said to be invincible among all cultivators beneath Primordial Spirit realm.

More importantly, he had found that his Soul Depth had also increased quite a bit after the Saint Ascension Ordeal, rising from the initial 21.1 to 23.1.

The difficulty in raising one’s Soul Depth was not constant. Instead, just like cultivation, it became increasingly harder to raise one’s Soul Depth the higher it was. Raising one’s Soul Depth from 1.0 to 3.0 wasn’t difficult, but raising it from 21.1 to 23.1 required at least several dozen times the effort required for the former.

Even so, if not for the Heart Ordeal being too easy, the growth of Zhang Xuan’s Soul Depth would surely have been more than that.

As Zhang Xuan had spent most of the journey cultivating, he did not converse much with others. After an entire month of traveling, a humongous city finally came into sight.

The capital of Qingyuan Empire, Qingyuan City!

…

As Zhang Xuan and the others arrived at Qingyuan City, Poison Master Bai Ting and Poison Master Hai Mingjin finally arrived at the Poison Hall headquarters with Wei Ruyan.

Chapter 1091: Tome of Poison Legacy

The headquarters of the Poison Hall was located amid a massive mountain range. Unlike the other branches, which were concealed by formations, it was an enormous city that extended for several thousand kilometers, exposed in the open.

It had an economy of its own, producing and selling its own resources, reminiscent of a mini kingdom.

Upon seeing the majestic city before his eyes, Bai Ting couldn’t help but remark, “It is said that vast majority of the mountain range has been laced with lethal poison, and any personnel who isn’t a poison master of the Poison Hall would be swiftly poisoned to death. As such, there is no need for the headquarters to conceal itself from the eyes of the world at all.”

The Poison Hall was a feared existence throughout the Master Teacher Continent. Thus, for safety considerations, most branches were concealed within a formation so that the other occupations would not be able to find it.

However, it was different for the headquarters. It was in plain sight amid the mountain range, not concealed by any formation at all. Nevertheless, due to the fact that the mountain was filled with countless poisonous worms and venomous beasts, anyone who wished to enter the Poison Hall headquarters would have to pay a heavy price.

This was also why, even though the location of the Poison Hall headquarters was common knowledge, no one dared to make a move on it. Even the Master Teacher Pavilion would have to think thrice before launching a crusade against it.

“I wonder if the day will come when poison masters are able to walk beneath the light once more, just like the other occupations…” Hai Mingjin sighed as he shook his head bitterly.

Even though the headquarters were built in the open, it still had to be constructed in the depths of a mountain, different from the other occupations, which were located in prosperous and majestic cities.

The cold and sinister image of poison masters was simply too deeply imprinted into the minds of the populace, causing them to be fearful of poison masters. Such a point of view was not something that could be changed easily.

“I also hope that such a day will eventually come. Fortunately, it seems to be within sight!” Glancing at the young lady behind whom he had carefully embraced with his zhenqi, a gentle smile surfaced on Bai Ting’s face.

Ever since leaving Jingyuan City, they had flown for nearly two months without rest, but the young lady still showed no signs of awakening. Furthermore, the poisonous aura that was emanating from her body only seemed to be getting stronger and stronger.

Were it not for the antidotes that she had provided them back when she was still conscious and disguised as Sun Qiang, even with their incredible resistance to poison as 7-star pinnacle poison masters, they would have already been poisoned to death by now.

For the mere aura she emanated passively to be intolerable for poison masters of their strength, the Innate Poison Body sure was fearsome!

Unique constitutions were something that came innately with one’s birth, so there was nothing they could say about that. However, what had truly impressed them was the deep level of understanding the founder possessed regarding the use of poison.

On their journey to the Poison Hall headquarters, they had been musing over the poison knowledge that the founder had imparted to them previously. The deeper they delved into the knowledge, the more fearsome they realized that the founder was. It could be said that the knowledge that they had gained over the past two months was far more than what they had learned in the previous several dozen years! On top of that, the antidote that they had been given was truly miraculous. It was no joke to call it the antidote to all poisons!

Not only was it able to neutralize the poison emanating from the young lady, it could even curb the toxins from the poisonous worms and venomous beasts on the mountain range!

A few days ago, Bai Ting had been bitten by a poison worm, and they had thought that he was a goner. However, shortly after consuming the antidote, he managed to make a full recovery from the poison! To think that a simple pill would actually be effective against a myriad of poisons… Even though they were seeing it with their own eyes, they still couldn’t help but find it inconceivable!

If not for the antidotes that they were given, they would have probably died multiple times before they could come to this point.

“As long as the founder awakens and regains her full strength, it won’t be difficult for us to win the acknowledgement of the other occupations. The Poison Hall has never suffered from a lack of experts, but it’s a pity that none of them are willing to submit to the other, so they end up building and ruling over their own factions instead. This has led to the Poison Hall being severely segregated, and we are unable to stand our ground before the other occupations. As a result, we have been forced to hole up in remote places, unable to stand in the light.”

Recalling the various happenings in the Poison Hall over the past few centuries, Hai Mingjin couldn’t help but sigh.

Truthfully, the Poison Hall did not start out in such a manner. At the very start, they shared the sunlight along with the other occupations, and poison masters didn’t have to hide their identity from the others out of fear.

The Poison Hall had ended up in its current plight was because there had been no single poison master who was outstanding enough to take over the position of the head of the Poison Hall after the passing of their founder.

As the rules governing the Poison Hall were not as strict as that of the other occupations, it was not uncommon for poison masters to kill one another. Furthermore, they had no particular standard to the disciples that they accepted, thus resulting in there being both kind-hearted individuals and evildoers amid their ranks. Due to such circumstances, the strength of the Poison Hall had been on a constant decline, thus resulting in the current plight it was in.

If there was a person whom everyone in the Poison Hall was willing to recognize and submit to, their plight could very well have been very different. Perhaps, they might even have reached the same level of prosperity as they had achieved back then.

“Let’s not get ahead ourselves for the time being; the current Poison Hall seems to be very different from how it used to be. I have informed my teacher about my arrival in advance, and out of safety considerations, I decided not to inform my teacher about the founder. Even so, my teacher still told me to be very careful when heading over and that I should make sure not to catch anyone’s attention. It appears that the Poison Hall is currently caught in an intense faction rivalry, and even my teacher is helpless to stop it.” Bai Ting sighed.

“Your teacher? Do you mean Myriad Poison Eminence, Lin Jianghai?” Hai Mingjin asked.

Even though Bai Ting was his close friend and they had both come from the same Poison Hall, the other party had never really told him about his heritage before. He had only managed to fathom a guess from the other party’s poison arts.

“Indeed, my teacher is Poison Master Lin Jianghai. I have studied under him for thirty years, but due to my lacking talent, I was unworthy of inheriting the essence of his heritage. Otherwise, I would have been an 8-star poison master by now.” As soon as Bai Ting spoke of his teacher, his voice immediately became very respectful.

He felt deeply indebted to his teacher.

Without his teacher, there would not be the current him. Even if he was not his teacher’s direct disciple, the debt that he owed his teacher was still something that he could not hope to repay in his lifetime.

Recalling the various information concerning the Poison Hall headquarters, Hai Mingjin could not help but comment. “The Poison Hall headquarters consists of the Two Guardians, Four Eminences, Twelve Poison Kings, and 72 Tier-1 Hall Masters. Even the weakest of these experts is at 8-star pinnacle. The Myriad Poison Eminence is ranked in the middle of the Four Eminences, and even the weakest of his direct disciples is an 8-star poison master. Those who manage to become his disciple are the most outstanding of all poison masters, and they are deeply envied by others!”

Even though he was only a 7-star pinnacle poison master, he had been looking forward to visiting the headquarters, so he had read quite a few books regarding it. As such, he had a rough idea regarding the various powers within the headquarters.

As there had not been a single poison master who could win the respect of everyone else, the seat of the hall master had been empty for countless years. The affairs within the Poison Hall were basically dealt with by the Four Eminences, and as for the Two Guardians… they often spent their days wandering the lands, so it was extremely hard to contact them. Even the poison masters of the headquarters had rarely seen them around.

As such, the Four Eminences were known to be the pinnacle of authority and power within the Poison Hall.

As one of the disciples of the Myriad Poison Eminence, even if Bai Ting was not a direct disciple, he was still allowed to travel in and out of the Poison Hall headquarters freely.

Otherwise, given that both of them were mere 7-star poison masters, they would have been shut out at the entrance.

“Alright, let’s hurry up and enter the city. The poison aura within the founder’s body is running out of control. If we don’t suppress it soon, I fear that her life might be in danger!” Bai Ting urged before proceeding ahead with Wei Ruyan.

The city in the Poison Hall headquarters was not any much different from the capitals of the kingdoms and empires outside. Other than poison masters, there were also ordinary civilians that lived in the city.

Walking through the streets, Bai Ting and Hai Mingjin could not help but glance at one another in confusion.

Usually, the streets should have been bustling with life, but there was not a single soul in sight. Shops at both ends of the streets were tightly shut, and there were no vendors or anything of that sort. It was cold and desolate. Did something happen?

But that should not have been the case!

If the Master Teacher Pavilion were to make a move on the Poison Hall headquarters, it would have surely caused a huge commotion throughout the Master Teacher Pavilion, and they could not possibly have been unaware of the matter. So, that was unlikely to be the case.

But… other than the Master Teacher Pavilion, what else could sap the life out of the massive Poison Hall headquarters?

“Let’s continue heading in!” Hai Mingjin proposed.

“Un.” Bai Ting nodded.

At that point, a voice suddenly sounded. “Is the person ahead of me Junior Bai Ting?”

The duo raised their heads and saw a middle-aged man flying over.

Perhaps due to his hunched back, the middle-aged man had a short stature of roughly 1.6 meters. He did not seem like a particularly impressive figure, but the eight stars on the emblem in front of his chest showed that he was not a person whom one should underestimate.

Upon seeing the other party, Bai Ting immediately clasped his fist and bowed. “Senior Yuan Ling!”

Hearing that name, Hai Mingjin had the fright of his life. “Yuan Ling? Could he be the 8-star pinnacle poison master who once succeeded in poisoning a Saint 8-dan saint beast to death?”

He did not know too many 8-star poison masters, but Yuan Ling’s reputation made it impossible for him to not know of the other party.

As an 8-star pinnacle poison master, Yuan Ling was one of the 72 Tier-1 Hall Masters. His greatest known feat was to have concocted the ‘Cloudsmoke Powder’. Colorless and odorless, the Cloudsmoke Powder warped into the form of a cloud when scattered, allowing it to drift along with the wind. With a sufficient dosage, it would be lethal even to a Saint 8-dan expert!

It was said that Hall Master Yuan Ling was once pursued by a Saint 8-dan saint beast, and left with no choice, he had released the Cloudsmoke Powder and poisoned the latter to death.

It was due to this battle that he had become well-known throughout the Empire Alliance. There was no one among the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Poison Hall who knew not of his name.

Who knew that such an incredible figure was actually Bai Ting’s senior? It was truly shocking to think of it!

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony. Teacher heard that you have reached Leaving Aperture realm and intend to take the 8-star poison master examination, so he had me fetch you!” Yuan Ling smiled.

Due to Zhang Xuan’s advice, Bai Ting had not revealed the matter regarding the founder yet, using his intention to take the 8-star poison master examination as a pretext to enter the Poison Hall headquarters instead. This way, it would guarantee them a safe passageway into the Poison Hall without any trouble.

“Thank you, senior. Right, weren’t you dispatched to the Huaijin branch? Why are you at the headquarters as well?” Bai Ting asked curiously.

Under normal circumstances, the heads of the regional Poison Hall branches were not allowed to leave their post. Thus, it was peculiar for Yuan Ling to be in the headquarters and even fetching him personally.

“You haven’t heard of the matter yet?” Yuan Ling was taken aback. A moment later, he nodded in realization and said, “Right, it has been many years since you left the headquarters, so it’s understandable that you are unaware of the current situation. Right Guardian Shen Jue returned recently, claiming to have found an artifact of the founder.

“Using this, he intends to organize the Grand Conference of Poison Masters and appoint himself as the new hall master. As such, the 72 Tier-1 Hall Masters were all summoned to the headquarters to attend the conference, and the crowd in the city has also headed over to watch the commotion. That’s why the streets are completely empty today!”

“Right Guardian Shen Jue?”

“An artifact of the founder?”

The duo frowned upon hearing those words. Intrigued, Bai Ting continued asking, “May I know… what artifact it is?”

“It’s the founder’s ‘Tome of Poison Legacy’!” Yuan Ling replied.

Chapter 1092: The Founder Arrives

“Tome of Poison Legacy?” Bai Ting and Hai Mingjin leaped in astonishment.

According to the rumors, the Tome of Poison Legacy was an artifact personally written by the founder of the Poison Hall. She had detailed all of the secrets of her poison arts within the book, and it was the artifact that all poison masters craved to obtain. However… it was said to have disappeared from the face of the world along with the founder.

After the founder died, there were quite a few hall masters who had taken over after her. However, as they had not inherited her true heritage, they were unable to receive widespread acknowledgement among the poison masters, resulting in the current chaos within the Poison Hall.

For the longest time, everyone had thought that the Tome of Poison Legacy had disappeared for good, but who would have thought that Right Guardian Shen Jue would actually manage to retrieve it!

“Indeed! With this artifact, he can be officially inaugurated as the new hall master of the Poison Hall without any doubts about his legitimacy. Just that… Forget it. Let’s not talk about this any further. You’ll understand once you meet teacher anyway!”

Yuan Ling was still intending to continue speaking when he paused for a moment and swallowed his words. Beckoning the both of them to follow him, he flew ahead.

The duo followed him closely.

As Saint 5-dan experts, their flight speed was beyond ordinary. It did not take them long to arrive at a vast residence located at the center of the city.

With Yuan Ling taking the lead, they walked toward the hall where their teacher had taught them in the past. Before they could enter it, arguing could be heard echoing from within.

“He’s using that as an excuse to climb over us! Why should our teacher do it? At the very most, we’ll just fight it out with him!”

“He’s going too far, we can’t just sit silently by the side and let him do whatever he wants!”

“Just because he says that it’s the Tome of Poison Legacy, are we supposed to accept it like that? Is there anyone who can verify his words? I remember that our teacher had a grudge with him back then. He must be trying to make use of this matter to get rid of his rivals so as to successfully promote himself to hall master!”

“It’s not like we don’t know how narrow-minded that Right Guardian of ours is. With such a card in his hand, he’s bound to make a move against us.”

…

Walking into the room, they saw dozens of poison masters gathered, each of them with an indignant look on their face.

Swiftly scanning the room, Bai Ting noted that they were all the seniors and juniors who had studied alongside him back then. Most of them had already attained the strength of 8-star poison masters.

In the center of the room sat an elder who was dressed in plain clothes. He had an elusive aura that could hardly be felt, and his breathing was so indistinct that it was impossible to tell whether he was alive or not. Had he not been seated in the center of the room, one could have overlooked him very easily.

Intrigued, Hai Mingjin secretly used his Spiritual Perception to scan the other party, and the result that he got left him startled.

To his shock, his Spiritual Perception actually reflected that the space that the plain-clothed elder took up was completely empty!

What incredible strength he wields… Hai Mingjin narrowed his eyes in astonishment.

It was obvious that the person before him had achieved strength far beyond his imagination, such that even his Spiritual Perception was incapable of perceiving the other party’s existence.

An expert of the other party’s caliber did not need to even raise his hand to destroy him. Just a single thought, and his soul would have been helplessly crushed. There was such a huge disparity in their strengths.

It was unimaginable how powerful the elder would be if he were equipped with poison!

Truly terrifying!

“Teacher, Junior Bai Ting is here!” Ignoring the crowd’s argument, Yuan Ling stepped forward and reported.

“Un.” The elder nodded before turning his gaze to Bai Ting. “I thought that you wouldn’t be able to make a breakthrough when your heart turned cold after the incident. Not bad, you are still able to qualify as an 8-star poison master in the end. You didn’t let me down!”

“Teacher…” Bai Ting’s eyes reddened as he stepped forward and kneeled on the ground.

Ever since leaving the headquarters, he had never met his teacher because he felt too ashamed to face him. Upon seeing his teacher once more, the emotions that had welled up within him for many years could not be contained.

The elder smiled. “Alright, you are going to be an 8-star poison master very soon, so you shouldn’t cry over minor matters like this!”

“Yes!” Bai Ting nodded. Standing up, he turned a confused look to his teacher and asked, “Teacher, I happened to overhear someone saying that someone wants you to do something… If I may ask, what does that mean?”

Judging from how indignant everyone was, it was bound to be nothing good.

“It’s nothing much.” The elder waved his hand before sighing deeply. “You should focus your effort on taking the 8-star poison master examination while you are here and leave as soon as you’re done. The Poison Hall is no longer the safe place you know of. We might face bloodshed very soon, so escape as far as you can.”

“This…” Bai Ting frowned in confusion.

His teacher was one of the Four Eminences, so what could have happened for him to speak such depressing words?

Furthermore… shouldn’t Shen Jue’s retrieval of the Tome of Poison Legacy and inauguration as the new hall master have been a joyous event?

Noting the confusion in Bai Ting’s eyes, an 8-star poison master stepped forward and explained, “I believe you should have heard the news that Guardian Shen has found the Tome of Poison Legacy and intends to become the new hall master, right?”

“Yes!” Bai Ting replied with a nod.

Senior Yuan Ling had just informed him of the matter.

“The Tome of Poison Legacy is an artifact left behind by the founder, and it carries lethal poison. There is only one way to open it, and it’s through the Life Tribute ritual. Guardian Shen intends to have our teacher conduct the ritual,” the 8-star poison master said through gritted teeth.

Hearing those words, Bai Ting’s eyes widened in shock.

Poison masters had a habit of sealing their manuals using lethal poison. In order to open such manuals, one would have to possess the ability to undo the poison. Otherwise, one would have to wear away the poison with life.

In other words, it was using human lives to wear away the poison on the manual. If one was not enough, two. If two were not enough, three… There was bound to be a limit to the poison laced on the manual, so there would come a point where it was sapped dry.

This was also what the Life Tribute ritual was!

Life Tribute was an extremely callous ritual, and it undermined the dignity of life. This was one of the practices that had the poison master occupation deemed as a type of demonic art, causing it to be snubbed by the orthodox occupations.

“But… why our teacher?” Bai Ting asked through gritted teeth.

His teacher was one of the Four Eminences, so why would they sacrifice such an esteemed individual for the Life Tribute?

“Our teacher had a conflict with Guardian Shen many years ago, so we believe that this is Guardian Shen’s attempt to get back at him. Furthermore, the poison on the Tome of Poison Legacy is indeed too potent, such that it’s impossible for even normal humans to approach it. As such, it can only be neutralized by 9-star poison masters. It’s for this reason that Guardian Shen specifically singled out Teacher so as to further build his prestige. Through this incident, he wishes to send out a stern warning to the entire Poison Hall so that none dare oppose him!” the 8-star poison master replied with clenched fists.

While the Life Tribute could wear away the toxicity of the poison, its effectiveness was also dependent on the strength of the tribute. Considering the potency of the poison that laced the Tome of Poison Legacy, even if they were to sacrifice twenty thousand ordinary humans, it still would not wear away the poison.

Only 9-star poison masters wielded sufficient strength to wear away the poison on the Tome of Poison Legacy. Anyone other than that would not do.

“Since he’s obviously using this matter to get back at us, can’t Teacher just turn him down?” Bai Ting asked anxiously.

“Teacher can indeed turn him down, but Guardian Shen… is forcing Teacher to comply with his demands in the name of the greater good!”

“In the name of the greater good?”

“Indeed. He promised all of the poison masters that as long as the Tome of Poison Legacy is opened, he will pick out the easier content and make it public knowledge for all poison masters to study, thus substantially raising the overall prowess of the Poison Hall. Through this promise, he is attempting to sway public opinion against our teacher, thus forcing Teacher to conduct the Life Tribute ritual. All of the poison masters in the headquarters are currently loitering around the area. They are claiming that they intend to witness the inauguration ceremony, but in truth, most of them are just keeping up surveillance over the manor, fearing that Teacher will attempt to escape,” the 8-star poison master said with reddened eyes.

Only in trying times would one be able to see through the hearts of those around them.

The poison masters who were close with his teacher or usually fawned on him had all fled as far as they could, leaving behind only his students to guard the area.

Bai Ting could not help but clench his fists tightly as well.

Indeed.

With such terms to draw the other poison masters in, his teacher would have no choice but to become the sacrifice. Otherwise, with public opinion working against him, it would not be long before he fell from grace.

Interrupting the words of the poison master, the elder sitting in the center of the room waved his hand.

“Alright, I have already made up my mind on this matter. After I’m dead, don’t come to this manor anymore. Stay as far away as you can so that we will at least be able to preserve our heritage.”

No one would dare think of laying their hands on his disciples while he was alive, but once Shen Jue got his way, there was no doubt that he would turn his eyes to his disciples next.

The Poison Hall was not as strictly bound by rules as the Master Teacher Pavilion. In here, strength spoke the loudest. Without sufficient strength, the only fate one would face was death.

“Teacher…” Upon hearing those words, those present could not help but feel disconsolate. Even Yuan Ling’s eyes had reddened as well, and a sorrowful silence drifted in the air.

At this moment, Bai Ting’s voice abruptly broke the atmosphere.

“Teacher, actually… you need not sacrifice yourself. It might not be that easy for Guardian Shen to become the hall master either!”

“Hmm?”

Hearing those words, everyone quickly turned their gazes over. Even the elder could not help but frown.

“Junior Bai, why would you say such words?” Yuan Ling asked.

“It’s nothing much. If it was any other occasion, Guardian Shen would indeed be qualified to become the hall master with his contribution of retrieving the Tome of Poison Legacy, and no one would dare say anything against it. However… I fear that the tome won’t be sufficient now!” Bai Ting spoke confidently.

“He won’t be able to become the hall master even with the Tome of Poison Legacy? What do you mean by that?” Yuan Ling frowned, unsure of what Bai Ting was driving at.

The others were bewildered by Bai Ting’s words as well.

What was the Tome of Poison Legacy? An artifact that the founder had left behind. To draw a parallel, it was equivalent to Kong shi’s Great Codex of Spring and Autumn; it was the supreme treasure of the Poison Hall. It could be considered the symbol of authority of the founder, and anyone in possession of it would receive the acknowledgement of all poison masters.

It was precisely due to Shen Jue obtaining the Tome of Poison Legacy that his teacher was put in a spot at the moment.

Yet… his junior was saying that even a person in possession of the Tome of Poison Legacy was unqualified to become the hall master? Then… who in the world was qualified to become the hall master?

“Junior Bai, I have no idea what you are getting at. The Tome of Poison Legacy is the supreme artifact of the founder, and anyone in possession of it will naturally gain the greatest authority within the Poison Hall.” The 8-star poison master shook his head. “Unless the founder appears at this moment, there’s no way we can prevent him from becoming the hall master!”

“Senior Lu is right. I have indeed invited the founder here today!” Bai Ting chuckled.

“You have invited… the founder here?”

“Junior Bai, the founder passed away several dozen millenniums ago, so how could you possibly invite her here?”

“This isn’t a joking matter, Junior Bai.”

…

Everyone was startled for a moment before shaking their heads.

If the latter had said that he had found another artifact of the founder, they might still have been able to believe it. However, to have found the founder herself… Wasn’t that the same as daydreaming?

“I have indeed found the founder. She’s only a fragmented soul at the moment, and she’s currently possessing the body of this young lady.” Bai Ting pointed to the person behind him.

It was only at this moment that everyone noticed that Bai Ting had wrapped his zhenqi around a young lady. He gently placed her down before unwrapping his zhenqi, and in an instant, poison aura immediately burst out of Wei Ruyan’s body, causing everyone to involuntarily take a step back.

Before anyone could comprehend what was going on, the elder seated in the center, Lin Jianghai, suddenly exclaimed in disbelief.

“This is… the Innate Poison Body?”

The Innate Poison Body was the unparalleled unique constitution of their Poison Hall. Ever since the passing of their founder, the Poison Hall had not been able to find a single individual who possessed such a constitution. Who would have thought that one would suddenly appear before them at this moment?

“She doesn’t just possess the Innate Poison Body; she has the Poison Soul Constitution as well!” Bai Ting said.

“This…” Lin Jianghai’s body trembled in agitation. “What is going on? Why is this young lady unconscious?”

“It’s like this…” Bai Ting began to explain how he had met the ‘founder’ at a Poison Hall branch and promised the latter that he would bring the young lady to the headquarters.

“You are saying that… the soul of our founder has possessed the body of this young lady? It’s only because of her inability to withstand the pressure from the Poison Soul Constitution in her weakened state that she has fell into a coma?” Lin Jianghai’s body stiffened from shock.

“Indeed. If you don’t believe me, you can take a look at this pill that we were given!”

Flicking his wrist, Bai Ting took a jade bottle out from his storage ring.

With a smile, he took out a pill that the ‘founder’ had given him, and he presented it to his teacher.

Chapter 1093: Spare Me, Founder (1)

He had consumed the pill multiple times on the journey to the headquarters, so by now, there was only a single pill left in the jade bottle.

Upon taking a closer look at the pill, Lin Jianghai frowned. “Isn’t this… a pill used for reinforcing one’s core?”

As a poison master, he was very familiar with all kinds of medicinal properties. With just a glance, he could tell that the pill before him was an ordinary pill that was used for reinforcing one’s core. Other than that, there was nothing special about it.

“That was what I thought at the start too, but after it was reforged in the founder’s hand, it transformed into an all-cure antidote!” Bai Ting said.

Lin Jianghai frowned.

His title as the Myriad Poison Eminence had originated from the huge variety of powerful poisons he had up his sleeves.

For an ordinary pill for reinforcing one’s core to be able to cure all poisons… was that not as good as saying that little pill was his nemesis?

Extending his Spiritual Perception to the pill before him, he could see what was within the pill in an instant. The more he looked at it, the more perplexed he felt.

Based on his eye of discernment and deep understanding of medicinal herbs, there was definitely nothing different about the pill before his eyes. It was no different than the products that were commonly sold in the market. Putting him aside, even if a Saint 5-dan cultivator were to eat three jin[1] of such a pill, it would not have any effect at all. To call such a pill an all-cure antidote, wasn’t that exaggerating its effects a little?

For him, a 9-star poison master, one of the greatest poison users in the world, to be unable to see through what was special with the pill… Had it not been for how confidently Bai Ting had spoken, he would have surely had the latter thrown into the ditch that very instant.

“Are you certain that it has the effect of curing any poison?” Lin Jianghai asked doubtfully.

“If Teacher doubts my word, I can prove it to you right now…” Bai Ting smiled confidently. Turning around, he asked, “Senior Yuan Ling, may I know if you have any of your Cloudsmoke Powder with you at the moment?”

“I do.” Yuan Ling nodded as he passed a jade bottle over.

As the most powerful poison he had ever concocted, it went without saying that he would bring it no matter where he went in case he found himself in an emergency situation.

“Poison Master Hai, I will need to trouble you on something…” Grabbing the jade bottle, Bai Ting beckoned Hai Mingjin over.

“Poison Master Bai, you need not stand on ceremony with me. If you have anything to ask of me, feel free to speak!” Hai Mingjin walked over.

“Actually, it’s nothing much. I would just like to trouble you to consume this bottle of Cloudsmoke Powder…” Flicking his wrist, Bai Ting passed the jade bottle over.

“Ah?” Hai Mingjin’s lips twitched wildly.

He had been wondering what Poison Master Bai was up to, but to think that the other party wanted to use him as a Pill Sample Beast for the poison!

The best way to determine the effectiveness of an antidote was not to examine its constituents but to try it out oneself. That was the most direct and efficient method.

But…

Shouldn’t it suffice for you to test it on a Pill Sample Beast or something? Why do you need me to do it?

Without hesitating for long, Hai Mingjin walked over with gritted teeth. “Alright then.”

While he was a little reluctant to serve as a test subject, when he recalled how mystical the pill that the founder had produced was, he still confidently propped open the lid of the jade bottle and gulped down the Cloudsmoke Powder contained within.

Pu!

Right after consuming the poison, his face turned pitch-black, and blood spewed wildly from his mouth.

The crowd frowned upon witnessing that.

With their knowledge as 8-star poison masters, they could easily tell it wasn’t an act staged between the both of them. That fellow was truly poisoned.

“Here!” Knowing that the Cloudsmoke Powder acted quickly, Bai Ting dared not dawdle. He hurriedly fed Hai Mingjin the antidote in his hand.

Hai Mingjin hurriedly swallowed it.

Hu!

Shortly after consuming the pill, Hai Mingjin’s pitch-black complexion began to revert back to normal. However, perhaps due to him consuming too much of the Cloudsmoke Powder, the antidote wasn’t sufficient to cure the poison altogether. Half of his face managed to revert back to white, but the other half still remained completely black, creating a peculiar sight.

Nevertheless, the antidote still did help to suppress the poison and stabilize Hai Mingjin’s condition for the time being. With an awkward look on his face, he said, “Cough cough! Poison Master Bai, do you still have any more antidote? I think I might have eaten too much of the Cloudsmoke Powder, and a single pill isn’t sufficient to cure it…”

Due to the limited size of the pills, the amount of Heaven’s Path zhenqi they could harness was also limited. Even though they could neutralize any poison, the grade of the Cloudsmoke Powder was simply too high. A single pill was not sufficient to neutralize it entirely, thus resulting in the current situation.

Bai Ting’s lips twitched. “That was the last pill…”

“Ah? I also completed my bottle on the journey to the Poison Hall…” Hai Mingjin’s body shuddered, and he nearly burst into tears.

It was supposed to just be a simple experiment to showcase the effectiveness of the pill to the others, but he ended up landing himself in such a state. Was there anyone more pitiful than he was?

Just what in the world did he do to deserve this?

“This…” Bai Ting’s eyebrows twitched uncontrollably.

He was intending to display the prowess of the founder’s all-cure antidote to the crowd, but… who would have thought that he would not have sufficient pills for it!

“Alright, there’s no need to experiment anymore. That’s indeed an all-cure antidote!” While the duo was feeling vexed by the situation they were in, Lin Jianghai raised his hand and spoke. “Yuan Ling, neutralize that young man’s poison!”

“Yes!” Yuan Ling walked up to Hai Mingjin and stroked his hand softly down the latter’s back.

In an instant, Hai Mingjin noticed a feeling of comfort rushing through his body, and the remaining blackness on his face also vanished without a trace.

“To be able to convert a pill meant for reinforcing one’s core into an all-cure antidote that is capable of neutralizing even the Cloudsmoke Powder… This is indeed an inconceivable feat…” Ignoring Hai Mingjin, Lin Jianghai stood up and walked up to Wei Ruyan with a look of disbelief.

If he still harbored some reservations a moment ago, he was completely certain at this moment.

Putting aside the young lady’s Innate Poison Body and Poison Soul Constitution, he had examined the antidote earlier carefully with his Spiritual Perception, and he had been certain that there was nothing special with it. Yet, it was actually capable of neutralizing poisons, even those at the level of the Cloudsmoke Powder. This was truly a little frightening.

He had taken a look at Yuan Ling’s Cloudsmoke Powder before, and it was a poison that was so potent that it could easily claim the life of even a Saint 8-dan expert. To allow a mere core reinforcing pill to be able to cure the poison of the Cloudsmoke Pill without any problem, that was indeed an incredible technique.

He found that even he was unable to comprehend the logic behind it.

Probably, only the founder possessed such incredible means.

“Teacher, you believe me?” Bai Ting’s eyes lit up.

“Un. Other than the founder, I can’t think of anyone else who could possess such incredible skills…” Lin Jianghai nodded with a smile. “Alright, let’s go and attend the inauguration ceremony. Since Shen Jue wants me to die, let’s see who will get the final laugh!” A sharp glint flashed through Lin Jianghai’s narrowed eyes.

As a person who had managed to survive in the Poison Hall and climb to the very peak, Lin Jianghai naturally was not a ‘good’ person either.

“We’ll listen to your command!” Seeing that their teacher had regained his confidence, the morale within the room lifted as they walked out with clenched fists.

The inauguration ceremony would be held in a square not too far away from the residence. Practically the entire populace of the Poison Hall headquarters had come over to spectate the event, such that it was impossible to see the end of the crowd with a single glance.

Placed on the pedestal at the very center of the square was a floating book that shimmered with a faint radiance. Beneath it stood a black-robed poison master who emanated an astounding aura.

Seeing the newly-arrived group, the black-robed poison master smiled. “Eminence Lin, you are finally here!”

His voice boomed resoundingly across the entire square. “I see that you have chosen to conduct the Life Tribute ritual to open the Tome of Poison Legacy. Good! Don’t worry, your sacrifice won’t be in vain. I’ll spread the content within the tome to the entire Poison Hall and lead it to greater heights!”

“Eminence Lin, as one of the Four Eminences, you have enjoyed the stipends of the Poison Hall for many years. It’s time for you to do your part for the Poison Hall!”

“Think about it, your sacrifice will become the blessing of the entire Poison Hall, allowing us to achieve greater heights. This is something to rejoice over! Rest assured, your name shall be echoed for all of the later generations to hear!”

On the stage, another two men shouted along with Shen Jue.

They were both from the Four Eminences as well, figures of equal standing to Lin Jianghai.

Ignoring their words, Lin Jianghai leaped onto the stage as he sneered coldly. “Guardian Shen, Eminence Wang, and Eminence He, I came here not to conduct the Life Tribute ritual but to discuss the nomination of our new hall master!”

“Discuss the nomination of our new hall master? Eminence Lin, has age clouded your mind? Guardian Shen has obtained the Tome of Poison Legacy, an artifact of the founder, so it’s only right for him to inherit the position of the poison master. Do you think that you can find another Tome of Poison Legacy in the world?” Eminence Wang sneered back.

“The Tome of Poison Legacy is one of the most important artifacts to our Poison Hall. Since Guardian Shen has managed to retrieve it for us, it’s only natural that he assumes the highest position as well. Are you trying to disregard Guardian Shen’s contribution, or are you trying to disregard the founder?” Eminence He harrumphed.

These two had long since decided to stand on the same side as Guardian Shen, so their words were filled with disdain and ridicule for Lin Jianghai.

“You need not play such meaningless word games with me. Since I dared to propose the discussion of the nomination of the new hall master, naturally, I have made my preparations beforehand.” Lin Jianghai flicked his wrist grandly before declaring, “I have not found the Tome of Poison Legacy, but… I have found the founder!”

Upon saying those words, Lin Jianghai tilted his head toward the sky and bellowed, “Invite the founder in!”

Huala!

Yuan Ling, Bai Ting, and the others carefully carried Wei Ruyan over and placed her lightly down on the pedestal.

“Founder?”

“What does that mean?”

A commotion broke out amid the crowd. All of the poison masters glanced at one another in confusion, unsure of what was going on.

“Founder?”

Shen Jue and the other two Eminences also frowned upon hearing those words.

“Indeed. This young lady over here is the founder of our Poison Hall!” Lin Jianghai waved his hand grandly as he pointed toward Wei Ruyan. “Her soul has survived through the ages before claiming the body of this young lady over here, who possesses the Innate Poison Body. It’s only a matter of time before she wakes up, and under her leadership, our Poison Hall will be brought to unprecedented glory!”

“She’s the founder?”

“You must be joking! The founder passed away several dozen millenniums ago, so how could she possibly be a lady as young as that?”

Everyone was taken aback at first before a huge commotion broke out among them.

At this point, Shen Jue also could not help but sneer coldly, “Eminence Lin, it seems your reluctance to contribute to the Poison Hall has eroded your rationality. You simply picked a person off the street and proclaim that she is the founder. Why don’t you go a step further and claim that she’s Kong shi then?”

“Indeed!”

Shouts of approval broke out among the crowd below as well.

The Myriad Poison Eminence had always been a rational and dependable figure, but why was he acting so rash this time around?

To claim that an unconscious young lady was the founder… He had to be joking!

“Audacious!” Lin Jianghai roared authoritatively. “Guardian Shen, as a 9-star poison master, how blind must you be to be unable to recognize the Innate Poison Body?”

“Innate Poison Body?”

“The young lady possesses the Innate Poison Body?”

An uproar exploded among the crowd. Shen Jue was also stunned for a moment before he hurriedly turned his gaze toward the young lady. Indeed, there was something amiss about the young lady, and a cold gleam flashed across his eyes.

“The Innate Poison Body is a unique constitution that has only appeared in the founder in the past several dozen millenniums. None of us standing here have ever seen it before. For you to simply bring a young lady in here and claim that she possesses the Innate Poison Body… I’m afraid that you will have to show us more evidence than that! Besides, even if she does possess such a unique constitution, how can you prove that she’s related to the founder?”

Flinging his sleeves, Shen Jue sneered coldly. “In order to prevent me from becoming the hall master so that you can continue sitting on your high horse, don’t you think that you’re crafting too huge of a farce over here?”

“Crafting too huge of a farce?”

“That could very well be the case!”

“No one among us has really seen the Innate Poison Body as well, so it’s impossible to verify it on the spot. Furthermore, for a person possessing the Innate Poison Body to suddenly emerge at this moment after all this time, how can there be such a huge coincidence in the world?”

…

As expected. Right after Shen Jue said those words, echoes of agreement sounded among the crowd.

They were already skeptical when Lin Jianghai said that the young lady was the founder, and Shen Jue’s words served to further deepen their doubts.

[1] 3 jin = 1.5kg

Chapter 1094: Spare Me, Founder (2)

While the constitution of the young lady on the stage did resemble the Innate Poison Body, no one present there had actually seen the true Innate Poison Body in person, so it was difficult for them to verify the matter on the spot.

Furthermore, for Lin Jianghai to proclaim that he had found the founder shortly after Shen Jue had found the Tome of Poison Legacy… No matter how one looked at it, it appeared that Lin Jianghai was making it up to willfully go against Shen Jue.

“The Innate Poison Body is also known as the Constitution of Disaster. Once unrestrained, the individual will begin releasing lethal poison from her body uncontrollably. I believe that all of you should have been well aware of this matter even before I spoke. Even though this young lady is unconscious, she has been passively releasing lethal poison from her body and soul. If Guardian Shen does not trust me, you can try to gather the poison aura together and see if you are able to withstand it or not! If even a 9-star poison master like you is unable to withstand it, that should be enough to prove whether she truly possesses the Innate Poison Body or not!” Lin Jianghai chuckled.

There were not any more of the all-cure antidotes to prove that the young lady was the founder, but the poison aura that she emanated was the best proof in itself.

While it might not cause much damage in the short-term, it would be lethal even to a 9-star poison master if he were to take in too much of it.

Not even 9-star poison masters could fake such an ability.

“This…” Shen Jue was taken aback.

With his eye of discernment, he was definitely more than capable of seeing whether the young lady before him possessed the Innate Poison Body or not. However, it was just moments before his inauguration, and he was just a single step away from becoming the hall master. If he were to acknowledge that the young lady before him was indeed the founder, this opportunity would slip right through his fingers.

And this was not a conclusion that he was willing to accept.

“Eminence Lin, do you take us for fools? Since you have prepared an Innate Poison Body, it’s only a given that you see through the act and prepare a sufficiently lethal poison beforehand. Guardian Shen would only be falling into your trap if he really attempted to take in the poison aura. I will have to earnestly ask you not to bring such unseemly schemes into this solemn ceremony!” Eminence Wang shouted.

“Indeed. Others might not know much about you, but as fellow Eminences, I know you quite well. If you are reluctant to die, just say so. It’s really laughable how you can come up with such nonsense when it’s time for you to play your part. The Poison Hall has truly misjudged you…” Eminence He sneered coldly.

“There’s no need for you to change the subject over here and attempt to sway public opinion against me. If it’s that easy to feign the Innate Poison Body, our Poison Hall also wouldn’t have been in tatters for so many years!” Lin Jianghai waved his hand. “Whether this young lady is truly the founder or not, we can easily invite the wills of the predecessors and have them judge for us!”

Just like the Master Teacher Pavilion, the Poison Hall also retained the wills of their predecessors. If there was any matter that the Poison Hall had trouble confirming, they could invite the predecessors over to make a judgement for them.

The wills of the predecessors would not lie, and they would not be swayed by their sentiments either. This would allow them to make a fair judgement.

“There’s no need to bother the predecessors over something as minor as this. All we want to know is whether she possesses the Innate Poison Body or not, right? That’s simple. I will just have to check that no one has planted poison on her, and if the poison aura she is emanating truly comes from her body and soul, we will be able to confirm that she does possess the Innate Poison Body,” Shen Jue said with a frown.

He had already confirmed that the young lady before him did possess the Innate Poison Body, and that convinced him that he could not allow Lin Jianghai to invite the predecessors to judge the matter. Once it was publicly affirmed by the predecessors that the young lady did indeed possess the Innate Poison Body, there would be no way he could become the hall master anymore. The trouble he had gone through to obtain the Tome of Poison Legacy would have been in vain.

As formidable as he was, there was still no way he could match up to an individual who possessed the Innate Poison Body. It was clear whom the poison masters would eventually side with.

Hong long!

Right after saying those words, Shen Jue raised his hand and grasped at Wei Ruyan.

Hula!

Propped up by his zhenqi, the young lady floated silently in midair. Her eyes were tightly shut, reminiscent of a sleeping beauty.

“Let me take a look…”

While slowly making his way toward Wei Ruyan, a hint of killing intent flashed across Shen Jue’s eyes as he slipped a sliver of his will from his Primordial Spirit discreetly into the young lady’s body.

He was going to kill the young lady under the pretext of checking on her.

Once the young lady was dead, there would be nothing that Lin Jianghai could use against him anymore. What founder or Innate Poison Body, none of that was useful to a dead person!

After the deed was done, he could push everything onto Lin Jianghai. He could claim that in his attempts to feign the Innate Poison Body, he used excessively lethal poison and ended up killing the young lady.

In any case, the young lady had been in an unconscious state right from the start, so no one would be able to tell for sure when the young lady truly died anyway.

His movements were extremely discreet. Lin Jianghai had not thought that the great Right Guardian of the Poison Hall would actually be so despicable as to attempt to claim the life of the founder before everyone’s eyes, so he was also oblivious to Shen Jue’s movements too.

Hu!

As soon as the sliver of will entered the young lady’s body, it immediately dived straight for her consciousness.

As a 9-star poison master, his strength had already reached an unfathomable level. Even though it was only a sliver of his will, it was so powerful that even Saint 6-dan experts would not be able to withstand it.

Huala!

Upon reaching the depths of her consciousness, he saw a young lady floating quietly in midair. Her eyes were tightly shut, but a faint poisonous aura could be seen constantly emanating from her.

As expected, she does possess the Poison Soul Constitution as well! Shen Jue’s complexion turned even more awful.

It was already sufficiently difficult to find an individual who possessed the Innate Poison Body, but to think that she would have the Poison Soul Constitution as well! If this young lady were to survive, even if he managed to become the hall master today, it would not be long before he would be forced to abdicate for her inauguration!

Individuals who possessed both of the constitutions were simply too fearsome. If they were to study the Way of Poison, their fighting prowess would surely surge through the ranks. It wouldn’t take long for even a 9-star poison master like him to be outdone!

I have prepared for several centuries for this position. No matter who you are, I won’t let you get in my way…

With a cold glint in his eyes, Shen Jue roared frenziedly. He warped his hand into a deadly sword and slashed it toward the unconscious young lady.

The sword possessed such overwhelming force that it would kill the young lady even if she was conscious, let alone while she was in a dormant state.

Tzzla!

Just as the sword was about to cut through the young lady, a powerful aura abruptly burst forth from Wei Ruyan’s consciousness. Following which, an immense might gushed out and stopped the sword in its path.

What? Shen Jue narrowed his eyes in alarm.

In the next moment, a figure appeared before his eyes.

He was a will as well. He was not a Primordial Spirit, but he carried the inviolable authority of one who had been acknowledged by the heavens. Shen Jue could not help but feel an incredible pressure weighing down on him.

“Celestial Master Teacher? You are… Kong shi?” Shen Jue’s face paled in fright.

He had not thought that he would encounter another will in the consciousness of the young lady, much less a Celestial Master Teacher!

In all of history, there had only been a single known Celestial Master Teacher, and he was none other than the World’s Teacher. Could the man before him truly be that legendary figure?

“Trying to lay your hands on my student? I’ll have you pay for this with your life!” The figure narrowed his eyes before raising his palm.

Tzzzzzz!

Several surges of zhenqi immediately gushed into the young lady’s consciousness. Unlike ordinary zhenqi, these surges of zhenqi seemed to command the very might of the world itself, as if the heavens themselves were passing judgement upon an evildoer.

“No, that isn’t…” Horrified, Shen Jue tried to explain himself, but it was already too late.

Like hot oil encountering the sparks, his will immediately burst into flames. Before he could even cry in agony, his will had been reduced to ashes.

Pu!

With the elimination of his will, the real Shen Jue, who was in the midst of checking Wei Ruyan’s condition outside, reeled in shock, and blood spewed from his mouth.

That will had originated from his Primordial Spirit, and its destruction had been so abrupt that his main body ended up suffering light injuries as well.

“Guardian Shen…” Not expecting the ‘new hall master’ whom they had embraced to abruptly spurt blood while checking on the condition of a young lady, Eminence Wang and Eminence He hurriedly rushed forward to check on his condition out of worry. However, what they met with instead was a pair of eyes filled with fear and horror, as if they had encountered a monster.

“Quick, we need to go now…” With a pale face, Shen Jue quickly turned around to leave. However, before he could even take the first step away, he suddenly felt an indomitable aura rising from the young lady behind him. The aura was, in every sense of the word, overwhelming. It felt as if the world was collapsing around him, and no matter where he ran or hid, he would never be able to get away.

Hong long long!

The young lady slowly rose into the air, and despite the lack of any wind, her pitch-black hair was fluttering. Her tightly-shut eyes paired with the poisonous aura that was flowing ceaselessly from her body created a truly sinister sight.

“Do you think that you will be able to escape after attempting to crush my soul with your Primordial Spirit?” A cold, androgynous voice that induced panic and despair in the hearts of the listeners sounded from the depths of the young lady’s body.

“Crush her soul?”

“Guardian Shen attempted to kill the young lady?”

Everyone was stunned for a moment before directing furious gazes toward Shen Jue.

They had thought that he was truly intending to check if the young lady possessed the Innate Poison Body, but who would have thought that his true intention was to eliminate her!

“Shen Jue, you…” Lin Jianghai was so furious that he almost erupted on the spot. Cold sweat drenched his entire body.

To think that he was completely oblivious to it when Shen Jue attempted something right before his eyes… If something had really happened to the founder, how could he ever have faced the predecessors?

“I…” Shen Jue’s face paled. Turning to look at the young lady, he forcefully suppressed his fear and replied, “I am just testing you. It was not my intention to kill you.”

“Testing me? Humph! I was the one who singlehandedly created the Poison Hall many years ago, do you think that a brat like you is qualified to test me? Who do you think you are?”

The young lady’s eyes were still shut, but her body was slowly drifting down from the air. Every single inch she moved downward, the pressure that Shen Jue felt increased twofold. It did not take long for Shen Jue to be completely drenched in sweat, and he felt like he was swiftly approaching his limit.

He was a 9-star poison master, and his strength had already reached a frightening level. Yet, he found himself completely powerless before the other party, as if he was a mere puppet!

“I…” Under the immense pressure, Shen Jue found himself incapable of uttering a single word.

Considering how the other party was able to wipe away his will in just an instant, it was apparent that the other party’s strength far surpassed his!

More importantly, he was convinced that the person before him was Kong shi, and this realization sapped his entire body of its strength.

“Back when I dominated the continent, there was not a person who dared challenge me. As a junior who has inherited my legacy, how dare you raise your hand against me? Has your arrogance made you forget your own position?” The young lady’s voice erupted once more. Every single word of hers seemed like thunder within the ears, leaving one not daring to respond.

“Elder, I really didn’t intend to make a move against you. I just wanted to see who you are,” Shen Jue replied anxiously.

“Do you know who I am now?” the young lady sneered coldly.

Before Shen Jue could respond, Eminence Wang stood forward and bellowed furiously, “Who in the world are you? Where did you get the guts to cause trouble in the inauguration ceremony of our new hall master?”

He had not experienced what Shen Jue had undergone within Wei Ruyan’s body, so he was unaware of what kind of terrifying monster he was standing before. Even though the young lady was emanating a powerful aura, he had made a mental gauge and determined that he would be able to defeat her with his strength. This was also why he dared to step forward and question her.

“Who am I?”

A chilling laughter burst from the mouth of the young lady.

Huala!

A book appeared from the glabella of the young lady, and in the blink of an eye, it grew to several hundred meters wide. The book emanated the divine aura of the heavens, sealing the movements of those within the area.

Peng!

Everything happened in a flash. Before Eminence Wang could even comprehend what was going on, he had already been reduced to a lump of meat.

After crushing Eminence Wang, the young lady placed her hands behind her back as she stood loftily in the air, reminiscent of a demon or a deity.

“Do you know who I am now?”

Witnessing the horrific sight before them, Shen Jue and Eminence He quickly kneeled to the ground.

“Founder, spare me…”

Chapter 1095: Spirit Awakener

Eminence Wang was a 9-star poison master just like them. Putting aside his proficiency in poison, his cultivation itself had already reached an unfathomable level. To be crushed in a single strike such that even his Primordial Spirit had no chance to escape at all… it would probably be very easy for the young lady to do the same to them as well.

The Innate Poison Body, the Poison Soul Constitution, and strength beyond measure… Without a doubt, the young lady before them had to be the founder!

Not only were Shen Jue and Eminence He frightened into kneeling down, all of the poison masters who had gathered around the area hurriedly got onto their knees, not daring to show the slightest disrespect to the young lady before them.

The young lady harrumphed coldly. “I don’t wish to see anyone doubt me anymore. If anyone is harboring any thought of turning against me, know that you will share the same fate as Eminence Wang!”

She then turned to Shen Jue and Eminence He, and with an impassive look, she uttered coldly, “Offer your souls to me, and I can spare your lives.”

“Yes!”

At this point, could Shen Jue and Eminence He afford to hesitate in the slightest? They hurriedly offered their souls to the young lady.

Given how the other party could slay Eminence Wang as easily as snapping the neck of a chicken, she would not require too much more effort to get rid of them!

Gaining possession of Shen Jue and Eminence He’s souls meant that she now held absolute control over their life and death. As such, she no longer had to fear the duo turning against her.

After that was settled, she turned to Lin Jianghai and sent him a telepathic message. “Gather all of the 9-star poison masters in the Poison Hall here to awaken my constitution. I want to recover to my peak as soon as possible.”

“Yes!” Lin Jianghai had already heard of the story from his student, Bai Ting, earlier, so he was not too surprised by the happenings.

Hu!

After hearing Lin Jianghai’s response, the young lady fell back to the ground with her eyes still tightly shut, seemingly falling back into her unconscious state.

However, after that incident, there was no one who dared to look down on the young lady anymore. All of the gazes directed toward her were filled with fear and deference.

Lin Jianghai quickly gathered all of the 9-star poison masters that were currently in the headquarters, and with their combined strength, they managed to suppress and fully awaken Wei Ruyan’s Innate Poison Body.

…

Three days later…

Wei Ruyan had finally awakened. Sitting on the highest throne that belonged to the hall master of the entire Poison Hall, she looked into the distance with her fists tightly clenched.

She might have been unconscious, but she could vaguely feel what her teacher had done for her.

Not only did her teacher risk his life to infiltrate the Poison Hall in search of a cure for her, he had even severed a portion of his soul and slipped it into her consciousness so as to protect her from whatever danger she might have faced on her journey.

This was a deed so great that she truly had no idea how she could repay him.

Recalling her teacher’s kind smile and elegant disposition, Wei Ruyan’s eyes reddened, and she secretly made a vow in her heart. Teacher, Ruyan will not let down your expectations.

Her mother had died shortly after her birth, and her father had eventually left her as well. For as long as she could remember, pain and suffering had been an integral part of her life. No matter how she struggled and ran, she could never escape from it. Who knew how many times she had lamented the callousness of the heavens? But just as she thought that she was at the end of her road, the world brought her teacher to her.

For her, he had calculated every single possibility so as to ensure that no harm would come to her. For her, he was willing to brave through danger so as to buy her a sliver of hope. For her, he had stood unwaveringly before 9-star poison masters to protect her.

With such a teacher, what else could she possibly hope for?

…

I never thought that the soul fragment that I left with Wei Ruyan would end up being forced into action as well. The Poison Hall headquarters is far more dangerous than I imagined.

Just as the flying ship was descending upon Qingyuan City, Zhang Xuan felt the will that he had left with Wei Ruyan dissipating from overexertion, and he sighed deeply.

Unlike the Master Teacher Pavilion, chaos and lawlessness was the norm for the Poison Hall. It was a place where only those who possessed absolute strength could win the acknowledgement of others. Fearing for Wei Ruyan’s safety, he had decided to deposit a fragment of his soul and a golden page with Wei Ruyan in case she landed herself in a dangerous position.

From the looks of it, it was fortunate that he had prepared thoroughly. Otherwise, that student of his might have lost her life.

Currently, he was a little too far away to perceive what had happened in the Poison Hall headquarters, but considering that the golden page had been used, Wei Ruyan should be safe for the time being.

Putting aside 9-star poison masters, even 9-star master teachers would be helpless before the golden page. It should not have been too difficult to instill deference into the hearts of the poison masters once it was used.

“Principal Zhang, Combat Master Feng and Combat Master Jiang are here.”

While Zhang Xuan was deep in thought, Ruohuan gongzi walked over and reported. Raising his gaze, he saw that Feng Xun and Jiang Yuan were indeed in the midst of flying over to the ship.

Zhang Xuan walked forward to greet them.

In the past month of absence, Feng Xun had managed to achieve a breakthrough to the Primordial Spirit realm as well. His strength had grown significantly greater and steadier from before. It was apparent that he had been working hard over the past month.

As for Jiang Yuan, he had successfully reinforced his Primordial Spirit realm primary stage cultivation, and his mind had grown considerably more resilient as well. It seemed like being possessed by the Skyleaf King had made him realize that his greatest weakness lay in his mind, so he had decided to focus his efforts on that aspect.

“Principal Zhang, you are finally here!” Feng Xun said with a smile.

Considering the enormous size of their ship and the comparatively lower cultivation of the aerial saint beasts pulling the ship along, it was natural that Zhang Xuan’s group would take longer to arrive at Qingyuan City.

However, this had worked in their favor as well. So far, those from the Combat Master Hall had already learned about the happenings in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, so they had all prepared beforehand. So as to uphold their honor, the combat masters were far more motivated and driven than ever, and morale among them was at an all-time high.

Within just the span of a single month, the overall fighting prowess of the Combat Master Hall had risen significantly; even the head of the Combat Master Hall was delighted to see it.

“The Combat Master Hall has prepared accommodation for you and your students. Come, let me bring you over!” Jiang Yuan said.

“Alright!”

Controlling the saint beasts, the flying ship ascended once more, and not too long later, under Jiang Yuan and Feng Xun’s lead, they arrived at a massive manor. It was extremely vast, spanning over an area of a hundred qing[1]. Even though Zhang Xuan had brought a large number of students along with him, the size of the manor was still sufficient to house all of them comfortably.

After settling the group into the manor, Feng Xun walked to Zhang Xuan and said, “Principal Zhang, the exchange will be held three days from now. Our Combat Master Hall will hold a grand welcoming ceremony to receive you then!”

“I’ll be troubling Combat Master Feng then.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Considering how his students had just made the long journey from Hongyuan City to Qingyuan City, it was natural that they were feeling mentally fatigued at the moment. In order to be in their peak state for the exchange, it would be best for them to have a few days of rest. The date of the exchange had probably been arranged in consideration of that.

After confirming the date that the exchange would be held, Feng Xun and Jiang Yuan took their leave. Shortly after that, Zhang Xuan beckoned for School Head Mo to come over.

“Have the students condition their state and cultivate diligently in preparation for the exchange three days from now. I have some matters that I have to attend to, so I’ll be heading out for the time being.”

The purpose for holding an exchange with the Combat Master Hall was to broaden the students’ horizon, so it did not matter whether they won or lost.

After all, it was impossible for everything to go smoothly in cultivation. Besides, occasional losses weren’t too bad either. It would help to build their mental resilience and aid them in maturing as a person.

Putting everything aside, even Zhang Xuan had suffered constant losses to his clone as well. Yet, despite losing time and time again, he had never lost his confidence and drive. Instead, he saw his clone as a goal that he should strive for, and that only served to fuel his motivation.

Upon hearing that Zhang Xuan was heading out, School Head Mo nodded slightly. A moment later, he suddenly realized something, and he turned a worried gaze toward Zhang Xuan. “Principal Zhang, we are currently in the capital of Qingyuan Conferred Empire, and there are many experts here. When you are outside, you must make sure to not act recklessly. Otherwise, even we will be unable to help you when you get into trouble.”

Their principal was an incredible person. On top of possessing unparalleled talent, he was righteous as well. However, he had just one single flaw—recklessness.

Back in Hongyuan Empire, they could still cover up for him given the prestigious standing of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. However, in Qingyuan City, there were many individuals whose standing was above theirs, so it was still best for them to proceed carefully. They were only there for an exchange, so it would be best if they did not cause trouble beyond their means.

Seeing the worried look on School Head Mo’s face, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly. “Rest assured, I am only heading out to find a way to treat the Golden Origin Cauldron. I won’t cause any unnecessary trouble!”

He had always conducted himself prudently, so why did School Head Mo have such a poor impression of him? It was as if the other party regarded him as a troublemaker.

“That’s good…” School Head Mo heaved a sigh of relief.

Honestly speaking, he was a little skeptical about what Zhang Xuan had said. However, the latter was still the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, his direct superior. As an elder of the academy, it was within his rights to offer words of advice to the principal, but if he went too far, it could be considered insubordination.

After leaving the manor, Zhang Xuan asked around for the direction to the Blacksmith Guild before heading over.

The Golden Origin Cauldron had fallen into a coma after saving the expedition team, and as its master, it was only right for him to find a way to save it.

Before Zhang Xuan reached the Blacksmith Guild, a rather peculiar looking building came into sight. The building was reminiscent of a tower, rising straight into the clouds. Its top was rather slender, and it arched slightly downward like the neck of a swan.

Reading the plaque that hung at the entrance, Zhang Xuan was intrigued.

Spirit Awakener Guild? What kind of occupation is a spirit awakener?

He knew quite a bit about the various occupations in the world, but he had never heard of spirit awakeners before.

Just as Zhang Xuan was deep in thought, an attendant suddenly walked up to him and said, “This young master over here, are there any artifacts that you need enchanted? At just a price of ten middle-tier spirit stones, I can introduce you to the best spirit awakener in our guild. I guarantee that it will definitely be well worth your money.”

The attendant was a young man in his early teens. His cultivation was only at Transcendent Mortal 1-dan, but the brilliant gleam in his eyes seemed to hint that he was a particularly resourceful person.

Zhang Xuan casually took out ten middle-tier spirit stones and tossed them over to the attendant.

To the current him, middle-tier spirit stones were not worth much. He would not feel guilty no matter how many of them he splurged. Since the attendant seemed to know quite a lot regarding spirit awakeners, it would be a good opportunity to learn more about the occupation.

“Is spirit awakener… a unique occupation?” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before asking.

Hearing Zhang Xuan’s question, the attendant replied with a question of his own. “Young Master, you aren’t a local, right?”

“I came from Hongyuan Empire,” Zhang Xuan answered with a nod.

The attendant chuckled. “That explains it. It’s not uncommon for those who came to Qingyuan Empire to have never heard of spirit awakeners before.”

“In the strictest sense, spirit awakener cannot be considered as a unique occupation, but without a doubt, it’s one of the most lucrative occupations in Qingyuan Empire. There are countless cultivators who have come seeking their services, and even those from the Master Teacher Pavilion visit often!”

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan asked, “What can spirit awakeners do?”

Even if spirit awakener was not a unique occupation, considering how even master teachers sought their services, there was bound to be something extraordinary about them. It was probably an occupation similar to herbologist; even though it might not have a distinct heritage required for it to be considered a unique occupation, their outstanding prowess in handling medicinal herbs was indeed something that mankind direly needed.

“As the name suggests, spirit awakeners have the ability to enchant spirits!” the attendant said. “For example, there are some cultivators who might find it hard to advance to Consonant Spirit realm due to having reinforced their cultivation too much. In such circumstances, if a spirit awakener assists in guiding the soul along, the cultivator will be able to achieve a breakthrough smoothly.

“Also, when weapons lose their spirit, spirit awakeners are also able to enchant a new spirit into it, thus breathing life into the weapon once more. On top of that, spirit awakeners are also able to guide souls into a unique state of mind that makes it easier for them to be refined and tempered. All in all, it is an occupation that is centered around support!”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. “This… Do spirit awakeners have the ability to awaken a dormant spirit within an artifact as well?”

“Of course! Other occupations might be completely helpless before a dormant spirit, but spirit awakeners definitely wield such a capability,” the attendant replied proudly. “Anything concerning souls and spirits come under the expertise of spirit awakeners! If that’s what you are seeking, then I must say that you have come to the right place!”

“Very well, take me in,” Zhang Xuan said with a nod.

His purpose of heading to the Blacksmith Guild was to awaken the Golden Origin Cauldron’s spirit, but seeing that the spirit awakeners happened to specialize in this field, he decided to pay their guild a visit first.

While leading the way forward, the attendant asked, “Young Master, do you have an artifact whose spirit has become dormant?”

The spirits contained within artifacts were not too different from souls. They could be severely damaged in the midst of battle, and they would also gradually erode with time as well. Many powerful artifacts had met their downfall in such a manner.

While reforging an artifact would grant it a new spirit, such a process could be highly damaging to the artifact, resulting in a decline in its tier. This was where spirit awakeners came in.

In addition, there were formidable spirits who were unwilling to submit to their masters. In such cases, a cultivator might also opt to have the spirits erased so as to have a more subservient spirit enchanted into it.

“That’s right!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“May I know what tier your artifact is? Depending on the tier of your artifact, the rank of the spirit awakener you need will differ as well,” the attendant said.

“Saint intermediate-tier!” Zhang Xuan replied.

[1] Qing = 100 mu = 666.67 hectares. To make a comparison, a single football field is one hectare, so it’s a really huge manor.

Chapter 1096: Vice Guild Leader Xu

“Saint intermediate-tier?” The attendant leaped in shock.

Saint artifacts were extremely precious commodities within the Qingyuan Empire. Even Saint low-tier artifacts were extremely rare, let alone Saint intermediate-tier artifacts. The most powerful weapon currently wielded by the emperor of the Qingyuan Empire, the Infinite Sword, was also only at Saint intermediate-tier.

If a Saint intermediate-tier artifact appeared in an auction, it would definitely attract countless experts’ attention.

Due to Zhang Xuan’s young age, the attendant had thought that he would only have a Spirit pinnacle artifact in his possession at best. Yet, who would have thought that Zhang Xuan actually had an artifact of such caliber with him?

The attendant couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master… are you a master teacher?”

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded. Slightly intrigued by the attendant’s question, he asked, “How did you know that?”

He was not wearing his master teacher robe at the moment, and there did not seem to be anything about him that would suggest that he was a master teacher either. How did the attendant know that he was a master teacher?

“If you weren’t a master teacher, your Saint intermediate-tier artifact would have long been snatched from your hands,” the attendant said with a bitter smile.

All Saint intermediate-tier artifacts could be considered top-notch treasures within the Qingyuan Empire. Any news about them would induce countless cultivators to gather together like ravenous piranhas, and they would do everything that they could so that the Saint intermediate-tier artifact would be theirs in the end. Considering how young Zhang Xuan was, it was hard to believe that he would be able to retain possession of his Saint intermediate-tier weapon by himself.

Unless… he was a master teacher!

Considering the vast power that the Master Teacher Pavilion wielded, there were very few who would have the guts to steal from a master teacher.

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

He knew of this as well.

Had it not been for his standing as a master teacher, there would have surely been many who would attempt to obtain his cultivation technique, and he would have met with much trouble along the way. He would not have been able to progress this far so smoothly.

Being a master teacher was a heavy responsibility, but it was also a huge umbrella that protected one as well.

After confirming that the other party was a master teacher, the attendant decided not to dwell too much on the matter.

“A 7-star spirit awakener is needed to wake the spirit within a Saint intermediate-tier artifact. In our guild, there are only three people who have achieved this level, and they are our guild leader and the two vice guild leaders. I will help you to make arrangements now.”

Zhang Xuan nodded. A moment later, he asked curiously, “You mentioned earlier that the guild leader and the two vice guild leaders are 7-star spirit awakeners. Is the ranking system for spirit awakeners the same as the other occupations?”

“That’s right. However, the lowest rank for spirit awakeners is 4-star,” the attendant replied.

“The lowest rank is 4-star?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed to hear those words.

“That’s right. While other occupations range from 1-star to 9-star, spirit awakeners have to take the 4-star examination right after their apprentice stage,” the attendant said. “This is just an arrangement to align our ranking system with the other occupations. Conventionally, spirit awakeners are divided by low-tier, middle-tier, and high-tier. Low-tier spirit awakeners range from 4-star to 5-star, middle-tier spirit awakeners range from 6-star to 7-star, and high-tier spirit awakeners range from 8-star to 9-star. However, as this ranking system deviates from the convention adopted by the other occupations, it isn’t preferable.”

After a moment of thought, Zhang Xuan nodded in realization. “I see.”

Since the occupation dealt with spirits and souls, the minimum requirement to becoming a spirit awakener would be to possess a cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 5-dan Consonant Spirit realm. At such a level of cultivation, one could already be deemed to be at 4-star pinnacle or half 5-star in other occupations.

If the Spirit Awakener Guild ranked their members from 1-star, they would not be able to match their ranking system with those adopted by the other occupations. Thus, for convenience purposes, they decided to set their lowest rank as 4-star.

Ultimately, there were countless occupations in the world, and there were all kinds of unique or even bizarre rules for them as well.

For example, there was a unique occupation in the Master Teacher Continent known as a seer. They wielded the power to peer into the secrets of the heavens, allowing them to foretell fortunes and calamities. This mystical art required them to have a deep understanding of the world in order to interpret it, so the minimum requirement to become a seer was to possess a cultivation of Saint realm.

Naturally, their lowest rank would be even higher than that of spirit awakeners, starting off from 7-star.

The 7-star spirit awakener that the attendant spoke of was effectively referring to middle-tier spirit awakeners. Judging from the conventional ranking system, an individual of that rank would possess a cultivation of Saint 2-dan at the very minimum.

While maneuvering their way through the Spirit Awakener Guild, Zhang Xuan continued asking questions, and it did not take long before he gained some understanding of the circumstances of the guild.

The guild leader and vice guild leaders were Primordial Spirit realm cultivators, and they could be considered top-notch experts within Qingyuan City.

Following behind the attendant, Zhang Xuan entered a vast hall.

Taking a swift look, Zhang Xuan saw quite a few cultivators queuing neatly in a line, waiting for a spirit awakener to help them temper their souls so that they could further raise their cultivation.

At the very front of the line, he saw a Clarifying Turbidity realm cultivator walk up to the young man ahead of him and say, “I haven’t been able to make a breakthrough into Consonant Spirit realm due to my inability to sense my soul, so I hope to receive your pointers for this matter.”

The young man nodded as he gestured to the round platform in front of him. “Sit down!”

The Clarifying Turbidity realm cultivator quickly took his seat on the middle of the round platform.

Shortly after the cultivator sat down, the young man placed his palm on the ground, and a surge of light began creeping its way toward the round platform, creating a circle of light around the cultivator.

“Relax your body,” the young man said. His voice carried some kind of magic to it that compelled others to obey him.

The Clarifying Turbidity realm cultivator could not help but shut his eyes, and gradually, he fell into a unique state of mind.

Witnessing this scene, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. He is… trying to stimulate the cultivator’s soul? He is assisting the cultivator in sensing his soul so that the latter can achieve a breakthrough? Incredible!

His opinion of spirit awakeners, based on what he had heard from the attendant earlier, was that it was an occupation that specialized in means that stimulated the soul. However, it seemed like it was not as simple as he had thought.

The occupation seemed to be a little similar to soul oracles. While soul oracles possessed expertise in strengthening themselves through unique means, spirit awakeners used their abilities to support others.

Taking the Clarifying Turbidity realm cultivator for example, he had been unable to sense his soul thus far, so he had not been able to reach Consonant Spirit realm yet. However, under the stimulation of the spirit awakener, his soul had grown stronger, making it easier for his body to tap into it. As such, it should not be long before he achieved a breakthrough.

Hong long!

While Zhang Xuan was still deep in thought, the Clarifying Turbidity realm cultivator suddenly howled in agitation, and his aura surged swiftly. In a single push, he managed to break the bottleneck that had limited him and reached the Consonant Spirit realm.

Seeing how the cultivator managed to achieve a breakthrough within just a few minutes, Zhang Xuan could not help but feel a little impressed. No wonder everyone seeks to head to higher tier empires, there are indeed more opportunities here.

In places like the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, the Consonant Spirit realm was a huge hurdle that most failed to overcome despite working their entire life. Over here, however, the very same bottleneck could be overcome that easily. Spirit awakener was indeed an extraordinary occupation.

However, while it was common knowledge that there were more opportunities in higher tier empires, not everyone could afford to move to such an empire.

Putting aside the dangers that lurked throughout the long journey from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance to Qingyuan City, the cost of living within higher tier empires was frightening as well. Just a single enchanting session could easily cost up to a high-tier spirit stone!

Not even the Alliance Head Residence of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance could afford to fork out such a sum.

On top of that, there were also multiple restrictions here and there. There was indeed a huge sum of money flowing around Qingyuan City every single day, but without reaching a certain level of proficiency in an occupation, one would never be able to lay their hands on the resources flowing through the area.

“Alright, we’ll stop here today. I need some time to rest, and I will only return in ten days’ time!”

As the Clarifying Turbidity realm cultivator achieved a breakthrough, the young man’s face gradually turned ghastly pale, as if he had overexerted himself.

Fearing that the young master before him would be unaware of the matter, the attendant explained, “Spirit enchantment is very taxing on the soul, so spirit awakeners can only serve three people in a single sitting, and they then have to rest for at least ten days afterward!”

Zhang Xuan nodded.

As a soul oracle who commanded a deep understanding of souls, he could see through the difficulties that lay in spirit enchantment. Ten days was indeed the minimum time required for them to recover from their exertion.

Proceeding ahead, Zhang Xuan saw a few others spirit awakeners; some were helping to temper the souls of cultivators while others were busy enchanting weapons. In order to ensure that they could be served before the spirit awakener exhausted themselves, there were even some who paid a hefty sum to purchase the queue positions of those ahead of them.

After taking a swift look around, Zhang Xuan could not help but remark, “It’s indeed a lucrative occupation.”

The cultivation of a soul was very different from the cultivation of a physical body and zhenqi. The latter two were at least tangible, making it easier for cultivators to grasp them, but the same could not be said for souls. As a result, it was not uncommon for cultivators to face trouble cultivating their souls, and this was where spirit awakeners came in. They could hasten the growth of one’s soul, thus saving the cultivator much time and fumbling around.

At the same time, taming the spirit within a weapon was also a troublesome process. Depending on the spirit one was dealing with, there were those who had not succeeded even after many years of effort. Since that was the case, it was sometimes a more viable option for the cultivator to eliminate the spirit and have a spirit awakener enchant a more obedient one in.

These two abilities were more than sufficient to lay the foundations for the explosive popularity of the occupation.

Circling through the crowd, they finally arrived at the doorstep of a vast room. “Just ahead of us is the area where Vice Guild Leader Xu works. I have to give you a heads up first; the prices for Vice Guild Leader Xu’s spirit enchantment tend to be steeper, especially when it’s a Saint intermediate-tier artifact we are talking about here.”

“How much will it cost?” Zhang Xuan had known that it would not be cheap from the start, so he dove right into the topic at hand.

“100 high-tier spirit stones!” the attendant replied.

“It’s still alright. That isn’t too expensive.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

As long as he could save the Golden Origin Cauldron, even ten thousand high-tier spirit stones would not be an expense too high for him to incur, let alone a hundred.

Huala!

With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out a hundred high-tier spirit stones.

Upon seeing the sum, the attendant hurriedly nodded in agitation before saying, “Give me a moment to report the matter to Vice Guild Leader Xu.”

After which, he entered the room, and it did not take long for him to return with a relieved look on his face. “Young Master, it seems like your luck is not bad today. Vice Guild Leader Xu happens to have one more slot left. Allow me to bring you in!”

Following behind the attendant, Zhang Xuan walked into the room.

The room was roughly a hundred square meters large, and there was a beautiful lady, who looked to be in her early thirties, sitting at the center of the room. Even though she had concealed her cultivation, her subtle gestures had a peculiar air to them, a feeling that he had felt from Wu shi and Guild Leader Han as well. It seemed that she was a Primordial Spirit realm expert, too.

“Vice Guild Leader Xu, this is the master teacher who wishes to awaken the spirit within his Saint intermediate-tier artifact!” the attendant introduced.

“Un.” Vice Guild Leader Xu nodded before turning her assessing gaze toward Zhang Xuan. With a slightly surprised expression, she asked, “You have a Saint intermediate-tier artifact?”

She could tell that the young man before her was only at Saint 1-dan pinnacle. Even if he was a master teacher, he should not have been qualified to wield such a strong artifact yet.

“That’s right.” Zhang Xuan nodded as he brought the Golden Origin Cauldron out from his storage ring. “The spirit of my artifact has fallen into a deep sleep, so I hope that Vice Guild Leader Xu can help me awaken it.”

“Deep sleep?” Vice Guild Leader Xu got up from her seat and walked up to the Golden Origin Cauldron. After a careful examination, a tight frown etched itself onto her forehead, and she turned her gaze back toward Zhang Xuan.

“Its will is currently deep in sleep. Are you intending to create a new will to replace it, or do you intend to wake it from its sleep?”

There were two ways for an artifact with a dormant spirit to regain spirituality. Firstly, creating a new spirit and replacing the dormant spirit with it. Secondly, awakening the dormant spirit.

“I intend to wake it from its sleep,” Zhang Xuan quickly replied.

Creating a new spirit within the Golden Origin Cauldron was equivalent to having the current Golden Origin Cauldron killed. That was something that he would never do.

“This might pose to be a little difficult…” Vice Guild Leader Xu shook her head. Just as she was about to continue speaking, someone suddenly knocked at the door once more, and an attendant walked in.

“Vice Guild Leader Xu, Elder Dao Kou wants you to enchant his disciple’s Embryonic Soul in order to push for a breakthrough to Primordial Spirit realm!”

“Dao Kou?” Vice Guild Leader Xu frowned. “Tell him that I don’t have any more slots for today…”

But before she could finish her words, an elder suddenly barged in with a middle-aged man following behind him.

“No more slots? I’m quite certain I heard that you have only conducted spirit enchantments for two people so far. Shouldn’t you still have one more slot today?”

Chapter 1097: I Hate It When Others Pose Before Me

The elder seemed to be in his sixties. He had snowy hair and sharp eyebrows that were reminiscent of arrows. The intense aura of slaughter that he carried hinted that he was a veteran of the battlefield, and the great power pulsating from his body revealed that he was a Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm primary stage cultivator.

“He’s one of the Twin Bandits of the Northern Meadows, Earth Flitting Bandit Dao Kou!”

Upon seeing the other party’s appearance, the face of the attendant swiftly paled in fright, and he quickly sent a telepathic message to Zhang Xuan. “That man over there is known as the Earth Flitting Bandit, and he’s a dominant figure among those living near the Northern Meadows. Not only does he wield outstanding strength, more importantly, he is arrogant and obeys no rules. It’s best not to get on his bad side.”

The Northern Meadows was the name of a territory under Qingyuan Conferred Empire, and it spanned over an area that was even larger than Hongyuan Tier-1 Empire. To be able to become a dominant power there bore testimony to the immense strength that Dao Kou wielded.

“So what if he obeys no rules? Vice Guild Leader Xu has already taken my spirit stones, is she intending to go back on her words?” Zhang Xuan shook his head, paying no heed to what the attendant was saying.

The Master Teacher Pavilion would not allow lawlessness to occur in areas where it was stationed. Even if the other party was a Primordial Spirit realm expert, he would still have to lower himself accordingly.

“That’s not what I mean. The Earth Flitting Bandit Dao Kou is a vindictive person, so you have to be careful around him. It’s not his first time snatching spirit enchantment slots from others, and the previous clients who have turned him down ended up suffering tragic fates.”

While the attendant was filling Zhang Xuan in on the matter, Vice Guild Leader Xu shook her head and said, “I have only conducted spirit enchantment for two clients so far, but this gentleman over here arrived before you, and he has already paid the fee for it as well. Thus, I’m afraid that you will have to wait for the next session!”

As the vice guild leader of the Spirit Awakener Guild, it was a given that she would have to obey the rules.

Not to mention, the person before her was a master teacher at that.

“You said that this lad came earlier than me? That’s an easy problem to resolve!” With a hearty laugh, Dao Kou walked up to Zhang Xuan, and with an authoritative and pressurizing voice, he said, “This friend over here, hand your slot to me. You paid a hundred high-tier spirit stones earlier, right? Here are two hundred, consider it compensation from me!”

As he said those words, he flicked his wrist, and a pile of two hundred high-tier spirit stones appeared on the ground before him.

To double the price in a single breath, this was definitely a deal that few could resist.

Right after saying those words, Dao Kou placed his hands behind his back, waiting for the other party to pick up the high-tier spirit stones. In his view, there was no way a Saint 1-dan cultivator would be so foolish as to offend him over a mere slot.

Contrary to his expectations, the young man did not seem to have heard what he had said at all. The young man continued looking at Vice Guild Leader Xu and asked, “You said that it will be difficult to awaken its spirit, may I know what the difficulties you will face are? Perhaps, I might be able to offer some assistance…”

Seeing how the young man was disregarding his teacher, a look of displeasure surfaced on the middle-aged man’s face as he bellowed furiously, “Brat, are you deaf? Can’t you hear that my teacher is talking to you?”

However, Zhang Xuan continued speaking to Vice Guild Leader Xu as if the middle-aged man was invisible. “I might not have much of an understanding of spirit enchantment at the moment, but I am willing to learn.”

“Learn?” Vice Guild Leader Xu shook her head. “Spirit awakener isn’t a unique occupation, but it isn’t something that one can master swiftly. It’s unlikely for you to be able to make it in time if you start learning now. Waking a dormant spirit requires very precise control, and it’s a particularly troublesome process as well. I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to succeed.”

“This…” Zhang Xuan frowned. “Then… will there be any harm if you fail to wake the Golden Origin Cauldron up?”

Failure was still acceptable. What would be truly unacceptable was if the Golden Origin Cauldron’s spirit dissipated as a result of it.

“Don’t worry, failure will not cause any harm to the spirit of the artifact,” Vice Guild Leader Xu replied with a smile.

“I’ll have to trouble Vice Guild Leader Xu on this matter then. If you wake the Golden Origin Cauldron up, I’ll surely repay your favor generously!” Zhang Xuan bowed deeply.

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony. I am not really confident of success, so I ask of you not to hold too much hope. However, rest assured that I’ll try my best!” Vice Guild Leader Xu nodded.

Given that the other party was a master teacher and had such a valuable artifact in his possession, he was bound to be no ordinary figure. Thus, Vice Guild Leader Xu’s voice showed not the slightest hint of disrespect.

However, while Vice Guild Leader Xu dared not provoke the young man before her, the same could not be said for Dao Kou and the middle-aged man.

“Brat, we are talking to you over here. How dare you disregard us?” Not daring to offend the vice guild leader, the middle-aged man walked straight up to Zhang Xuan with blatant killing intent in his eyes.

It was one thing for the other party to disregard him, but how dare the other party disregard his teacher as well? This was unforgivable!

With his Saint 3-dan pinnacle cultivation, even if he did not make a move, the pressure he exerted was sufficient to leave any Saint 1-dan cultivator trembling in fear.

Zhang Xuan shot a nonchalant glance at the middle-aged man before speaking impassively, “Young man, watch your attitude. If you show some humility, I can consider replying to your request!”

“You’re seeking death!” Hearing those words, the middle-aged man’s face twitched in anger.

To think that a twenty-year-old brat would dare to address him as a young man and speak to him as if an elder lecturing a junior. He could not help but feel be overwhelmed.

Boom!

Unable to hold himself back any longer, the middle-aged man raised his palm and thrust it toward Zhang Xuan.

Seeing that sight, Vice Guild Leader Xu’s face darkened. She instinctively stepped forth to stop the middle-aged man, but before she really did anything, the young man raised his gaze and bellowed, “Scram!”

Boom!

It was as if a clap of thunder had exploded within the room.

Deng deng deng deng!

Seemingly having suffered a heavy blow, the middle-aged man’s face suddenly turned ghastly pale before his attack could land, and he was forced to retreat eight steps back. Blood spewed from his mouth.

Even though the middle-aged man’s cultivation was far higher than Zhang Xuan’s, Zhang Xuan was a Celestial Saint whose fighting prowess was invincible beneath Primordial Spirit realm. Against a cultivator who was not even a master teacher, he didn’t even need to lift a finger—just a shout could easily breach the latter’s mental barriers and send his cultivation into disarray.

“Yan Qi!” Seeing that his student had suffered severe damage with a single shout, Dao Kou’s face darkened. He quickly rushed forward and infused zhenqi into his disciple’s body so as to suppress his wounds. After that was done, he raised his gaze and glared at the young man with a frosty gaze. “Terpsichore and demonic tunist? This friend over here, don’t you think that you went overboard?”

With his vast battle experience, he could immediately see through the young man’s attack.

It was just a single word, but infused within it was the strength of a demonic tunist and terpsichore, making it nigh impossible to guard against.

“If I hadn’t retaliated, I would have been the one lying on the ground at this moment,” Zhang Xuan replied coldly before turning his gaze away.

“My student is indeed a little hot-tempered, but he doesn’t move without a reason!” Dao Kou sneered coldly. “Since you have harmed my student, I believe that I have every right to return justice to him. Humph, seeing how you are just a measly Saint 1-dan cultivator, I won’t bully you. Three moves. If you can touch even my clothes within three moves, I will drop this matter and leave immediately. Otherwise, I’ll have you pass your slot on to me and leave, or else be prepared to face my wrath!”

As a powerhouse of the Northern Meadows, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

“Three moves?” Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up. “Sure, make your move!”

“…” Dao Kou suddenly felt incredibly stifled within. “I am saying that I’ll allow you to make three moves against me!”

A look of amazement appeared on Zhang Xuan’s face. “Are you certain?”

“Of course!” Dao Kou replied confidently.

While the young man might have seemed formidable, being able to force back and injure his disciple with a roar, he could tell that the other party was simply a skilled user of soul arts.

It was inevitable that those who devoted their effort to furthering their soul arts would be weak physically. This was common sense among cultivators. Besides, considering how young the other party was, how strong could he possibly be?

This was also why Dao Kou had proposed such a challenge!

Those in the Northern Meadows would know that this was an unfair match. Putting aside the fact that Dao Kou was a Saint 4-dan cultivator, he happened to specialize in speedy maneuvers as well. For him to be matched against a Saint 1-dan lad… that was simply overkill!

“Alright then!” Paying no heed to the smug smile on Dao Kou’s lips, Zhang Xuan nodded.

In the next moment, his figure abruptly blurred. Before anyone could process what was going on, he was already standing before Dao Kou.

While he was reluctant to cultivate the Unbounded Voyager due to the multitude of flaws in it, he had not left it lying around the past month. He had been trying to fuse portions of it into the Heaven’s Path Movement Art, and this had raised his speed significantly. While it was still impossible to pull off the near instantaneous movement of the Unbounded Voyager, it was still a fearsome ability in close quarters.

From the moment he moved to the point he appeared before Dao Kou’s eyes, it did not even take a tenth of a breath.

Hu la!

Right after Zhang Xuan’s figure appeared, a fist swiftly followed.

“You…” Not expecting the other party to rush at him before he was even ready, and with such speed at that, Dao Kou’s face paled in fright.

He immediately raised his hands to retaliate, but to his shock, he realized that the fist of the young man before him was far swifter than he was.

A sharp pain assaulted his chest, and with a cry of agony, he was sent flying away.

Peng!

Knocked heavily into a wall, Dao Kou slowly slid to the ground before his eyes rolled up. He had fainted.

“The Earth Flitting Bandit Dao Kou specializes in speed, and his movement technique, Fallen Footsteps, allows him to move as swiftly as an elusive specter. You really mustn’t fight with him…”

It sounded complicated in words, but everything happened within a split second. When the young attendant heard Zhang Xuan accept challenge, he hurriedly sent a telepathic message over. However, before he could finish his words, Dao Kou was already lying helplessly on the ground. Rendered completely speechless, he felt as if insanity was about to overrun his mind.

From the looks of it, it was apparent that the young man before him was not too much older than he was. Yet, who would have thought that he was able to severely injure an Embryonic Soul realm expert with a bellow and a Primordial Spirit realm expert with a fist?

With his movement technique, Fallen Footsteps, the Flitting Earth Bandit Dao Kou could outmaneuver even a Primordial Spirit pinnacle expert. It was for this technique that he was renowned throughout the Northern Meadows. Yet, before Dao Kou could utilize his movement technique, he was knocked out.

The attendant could not help but gulp in fear.

It was fortunate that he had not thought of stealing the Saint intermediate-tier artifact from the other party’s hands. If he had done so… he could very well have been the one lying on the ground at this very moment.

“Teacher!”

At that moment, the middle-aged man also finally recovered from his daze, and he quickly rushed forward to save his teacher.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xuan glanced down at the unconscious Dao Kou and shook his head.

Three moves?

You can’t even withstand a single one! With such meagre strength, what are you showing off for?

I thought that you would at least be a worthwhile opponent.

Honestly, I despise people like you who try to pose when you don’t even have the capability to do so.

Shameful! Truly shameful!

To be fair, if Dao Kou had used his true prowess as a Primordial Spirit realm expert against Zhang Xuan from the very start, he would have at least been able to stand his ground.

However, of all things, he had chosen to give Zhang Xuan a three-move advantage; he was just asking for suffering!

Not everyone was qualified to allow Zhang Xuan an advantage!

Putting aside a mere Primordial Spirit realm primary stage, not even the Leaving Aperture realm primary stage Skyleaf King had dared give him any advantages, and despite that, the Skyleaf King had still ended up being crushed in the end!

While Zhang Xuan’s strength was still a little off from matching up to Primordial Spirit realm experts, he had many aces up his sleeves that would allow him to easily subdue them in battle.

Sighing deeply, Zhang Xuan shook his head and stared into the distance. A forlorn look crept into his eyes, as if an undefeated expert asking for a single worthy rival.

“I hate it when others pose before me, and you just had to do it. You really put me in a spot there.”

Chapter 1098: Taking the Spirit Awakener Examination

To be honest, he had already been very low profile by not bringing Wu shi, Guild Leader Han, or the Master Teacher Pavilion into the picture, but that fellow just had to offer up his face for a good slap.

How was Zhang Xuan supposed to hold himself back?

Forget it! As an adult, I should remain calm in the face of a child’s tantrums.

Ignoring the teacher-disciple duo, Zhang Xuan turned his attention back to Vice Guild Leader Xu.

Upon sensing the other party’s gaze on her, Vice Guild Leader Xu’s eyebrows shot up.

The reason she had sided with Zhang Xuan earlier was because he was a master teacher, and it was important for her to uphold rules in the Spirit Awakener Guild. She had intended to stop Dao Kou if he really made a move against the young man, but to her surprise, the battle ended before she could even say a word.

Without a doubt, it was a thorough victory for the young man before her!

For a Saint 1-dan pinnacle cultivator to knock out a Saint 4-dan expert with a single punch…

Just where in the world did this monster pop up from?

A thought suddenly emerged in Vice Guild Leader Xu’s mind. Could it be that… he’s an expert from the Combat Master Hall?

Combat masters tended to seclude themselves so that they could focus their efforts on their training. As such, even though there was a Combat Master Hall branch in Qingyuan City, she had not really seen many combat masters around.

As such, she did not know much about the combat masters either. However, considering that the Saint 1-dan pinnacle young man was able to knock out a Primordial Spirit realm expert so easily, there was little doubt that he was one of the legendary combat masters, and from the looks of it, his standing was likely rather high as well.

This would explain why he had a Saint intermediate-tier artifact in his possession.

Previously, Vice Guild Leader Xu had thought that the young man was only able to remain safe due to the protection from the Master Teacher Pavilion, but from the looks of it, his individual strength seemed to play a huge role in it as well.

While Vice Guild Leader Xu knew that the young man before her was not an ordinary figure, she still thought that it was best to offer a word of advice after some thought.

“Gongzi[1], it’ll be best for you to remain on your guard. The Twin Bandits of the Northern Meadows are extremely famous figures. The Earth Flitting Bandit Dao Kou is one thing, but his elder brother, the Sky Bearing Bandit Cang Xu, will be a difficult foe to fight against. It’s said that he has already reached Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle, and he possesses many sinister means, making him a difficult opponent to deal with.”

Of course, with just a cultivation of Primordial Spirit realm primary stage, there was no way Dao Kou could become a dominant power of the Northern Meadows. The one who was truly formidable of the Twin Bandits was the elder brother, Sky Bearing Bandit Cang Xu!

Wielding incredible strength, even Vice Guild Leader Xu would not dare face him in a direct battle.

After all, spirit awakener was only a supporting occupation. Their abilities were not suited for battling.

“Thank you for your advice!” Knowing that the other party was advising him out of goodwill, Zhang Xuan responded with a smile. After which, he glanced at the Golden Origin Cauldron and asked, “May I ask, when will it be convenient for you to wake up my artifact?”

“Let’s do it right now,” replied Vice Guild Leader Xu.

She first walked around the Golden Origin Cauldron twice before abruptly pressing her palm against a certain portion of the Golden Origin Cauldron.

Weng!

A brilliant light shrouded the Golden Origin Cauldron.

Zhang Xuan stared at the situation nervously.

Around ten minutes later, Vice Guild Leader Xu retracted her palm before taking several steps backward. By this moment, her face was already ghastly pale. “It seems like I was underestimating the difficulty of the matter. If I’m not mistaken, your cauldron fell into a deep sleep from being struck by lightning, correct? If that’s the case, I fear that I am not sufficiently powerful to wake it!

“Spirits are extremely weak to lightning; I believe you should know of this as well. If it had fallen asleep due to other reasons, I might still have been able to wake it by pushing myself a little further. But this is beyond my current capability.”

Vice Guild Leader Xu shook her head.

“Then… do you know of anyone who can wake the spirit in my artifact then?” Zhang Xuan asked.

After a moment of contemplation, Vice Guild Leader Xu replied, “Based on what I have seen so far, the lightning has not only eroded the will within, it has also left some remnants throughout the cauldron. To wake the spirit within the cauldron, one would have to drive one’s soul energy beyond the region filled with lightning remnants. In order to do so, one would have to be at Leaving Aperture realm at the very minimum. During the Leaving Aperture Ordeal, the cultivator’s Primordial Spirit is tempered by lightning, granting it decent resistance to lightning. However, I fear that no one in the Qingyuan Empire Spirit Awakener Guild has reached that level yet!”

Even the strongest individual in the Qingyuan Empire Spirit Awakener Guild, their guild leader, had barely reached Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle. She was still far from reaching Leaving Aperture realm, so it was unlikely for her to be able to accomplish the task in the short-run.

“You mean that… due to lightning remnants on the cauldron, it’ll be impossible for anyone beneath Leaving Aperture realm to wake the spirit within? What about souls with resistance to lightning? Will they work as well?” Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.

“Theoretically, yes. But of course, the soul would still have to possess proficiency comparable to a 7-star spirit awakener in order to wake the spirit within. However… where in the world can one find a soul that is resistant to lightning?” Vice Guild Leader Xu replied.

Primordial Spirits and souls were of the yin attribute, which meant they were highly vulnerable to lightning. So far, she had never heard of any Primordial Spirit or soul beneath Leaving Aperture realm that did not fear lightning.

“Proficiency comparable to a 7-star spirit awakener?” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before lifting his gaze to ask, “Vice Guild Leader Xu, may I know what the conditions to browsing through the books in your guild library are?”

Since there was no one in the Qingyuan Empire Spirit Awakener Guild who was sufficiently skilled to wake the Golden Origin Cauldron, perhaps he should give it a try himself.

While lightning was the greatest threat to any soul or Primordial Spirit, his soul had been through the field of lightning and Saint Ascension Ordeal, thus making it more wholesome than the others. Ordinary lightning could no longer pose any threat to him.

“Conditions to browsing through the books in our library?” Vice Guild Leader Xu was slightly taken aback by Zhang Xuan’s abrupt question. She hesitated for a brief moment before replying, “Our guild doesn’t use the conventional rank restriction that other occupations use. As long as you pay a certain fee, you will be able to freely browse through our books and even copy them if you like. However, you aren’t allowed to take away the original book.”

Zhang Xuan was delighted to hear those words. “I wish to browse through all of the spirit awakener books, from 4-star to 7-star. May I know how much I have to pay?”

Only unique occupations with a perfect heritage would be stricter on their hierarchy. Typical occupations did not have that many requirements.

In fact, some would even loosen the conditions so as to attract more people into it, thus bolstering their forces.

Vice Guild Leader Xu did a swift calculation before responding. “To browse through all of the books, you will have to pay a sum of two thousand high-tier spirit stones.”

“Here you go!”

With a flick of his wrist, two thousand high-tier spirit stones appeared on the ground.

“This…” Vice Guild Leader Xu was taken aback.

Even she would have difficulty whipping out two thousand high-tier spirit stones all of a sudden, and yet, the other party willingly forked them out so decisively just to browse through books. Wasn’t he a little too extravagant?

“Alright, I’ll have to trouble Vice Guild Leader Xu to show me to the library.”

To the current Zhang Xuan, it was not an issue for him to whip out two thousand high-tier spirit stones. If he could save the Golden Origin Cauldron and learn a new occupation on top of that, it would definitely be well worth the sum spent.

“Alright…” Seeing the earnest look on the young man’s face, Vice Guild Leader Xu could tell that the other party was not joking. Thus, she accepted the spirit stones and said, “Follow me.”

Zhang Xuan swiftly stowed the Golden Origin Cauldron back into his storage ring before following her.

Leaving the room, they walked through a long corridor for quite some time before eventually arriving at a vast room.

It was the library of the Spirit Awakener Guild.

At the entrance of the room, Vice Guild Leader Xu handed a token to Zhang Xuan before she began briefly explaining the rules.

“You are free to read any book you want, and if you want, you can cultivate in here too. If you suddenly have a stroke of inspiration while reading the books, there are also puppets that you can try enchanting. Those puppets are classified by ranks, and the higher rank the puppet is, the more difficult it is to enchant it. If you succeed in enchanting the spirit within a puppet of a certain rank, that means that you have achieved the corresponding level of mastery as a spirit awakener as well.”

While spirit awakener was an extremely lucrative occupation in Qingyuan Empire, it was not a unique occupation, so it was not bound by the rules that governed them. Even the examination for it was relatively informal and simple.

“Thank you!” Zhang Xuan nodded before taking the token from the other party’s hand.

“Alright, you may enter now. Actually, there are quite a handful of people who visit our library everyday in hopes of learning the art of spirit enchantment, but it’s a pity that very few of them succeed!” Vice Guild Leader Xu sighed deeply.

Considering how lucrative the occupation was, it was inevitable that many wished to learn its arts. However, the conditions to become a true spirit awakener were simply too harsh. On top of possessing a strong soul, one also had to be capable of pulling off precise maneuvers with their soul energy. In a sense, being able to become a spirit awakener could be considered an inborn talent. Just reading the books was not sufficient for one to grasp the art of spirit enchantment.

Without saying much, Zhang Xuan pushed the door open and stepped in.

The first floor of the library was not too huge, consisting of only several dozen shelves. All in all, there were a few hundred thousand books.

Just as Vice Guild Leader Xu had said earlier, there were quite a few people flipping through books within the library. Most likely, they were also intending to grasp the art of spirit enchantment, just like him.

In order to not stand out too much from the others, Zhang Xuan walked up to the first shelf and casually took out a book. Putting on an impression of being absorbed into the book, his eyes slowly glanced down the shelves.

Hualala!

Whichever book his eyes fell upon swiftly materialized within the Library of Heaven’s Path.

In less than ten minutes, Zhang Xuan had already succeeded in collecting all of the books on the shelves.

Compile! Zhang Xuan willed.

Innumerable books gathered together, fusing as one to form a single book. Zhang Xuan flipped it open lightly and began browsing through it.

It was the 4-star Heaven’s Path Spirit Enchantment Art.

Swiftly flipping through the contents, Zhang Xuan gained a deeper understanding of the occupation.

To put it in the simplest terms, enchantment was the act of using one’s soul energy to nourish the spirit of an artifact or the soul of a cultivator.

The prerequisite to doing so was for one’s soul to be attributeless. This was so as to avoid the spirit awakener’s infusion of soul energy from being rejected by the receiver.

Just the very first prerequisite of their soul being attributeless was already a hurdle that most cultivators would never be able to overcome in their life. However, this was not a problem for Zhang Xuan at all.

As one who cultivated the Heaven’s Path Soul Art, his soul was devoid of any attributes. Otherwise, he would not have been able to imitate the aura of others perfectly and deceive others with his disguise.

After browsing through the entire book, Zhang Xuan swiftly internalized what he had learned before driving his soul energy through his body. All in all, it took him less than an hour to fully grasp the 4-star Heaven’s Path Spirit Enchantment Art.

Let me see if it works or not, Zhang Xuan thought as he walked to the corner of the room, where he found a bizarre-looking puppet. The puppet had eight arms and four heads, and it seemed to be made of some kind of peculiar material. It was impossible to determine what tier it was.

Even so, Zhang Xuan could not be bothered to use his Eye of Insight or Library of Heaven’s Path on it. Tapping into his soul energy, he placed his palm on the ground in front of the puppet before extending his consciousness toward it.

In an instant, Zhang Xuan suddenly found himself standing in a world of perfect darkness. Driving his soul energy, he sought to create a spark of light within this world.

Weng!

A burst of light shrouded the puppet.

Geji! Geji!

A few breaths later, Zhang Xuan successfully enchanted a spirit into the puppet, and it gradually came to life. Its hands and heads began twisting and moving about randomly, creating quite a peculiar sight.

Opening his eyes, Zhang Xuan thought with a smile, Seems like the 4-star spirit awakener examination isn’t too hard after all.

He had been wondering how difficult the occupation would be, but judging from how he could enchant a spirit within the puppet so easily, it didn’t seem to be as difficult as he had thought.

After that was done, he began making his way to the second floor.

There were also several hundred thousand books on the second floor as well. It did not take long for Zhang Xuan to finish collecting them and form the 5-star Heaven’s Path Spirit Enchantment Art.

Once he was done grasping it, he headed to the puppet in the corner and successfully enchanted a spirit into it once more. Seeing that he was done for the second floor, he headed up to the next floor.

…

Four hours later, Zhang Xuan stepped onto the fourth floor.

The entire room was filled with 7-star spirit awakener books. He swiftly collected them into the Library of Heaven’s Path and compiled the 7-star Heaven’s Path Spirit Enchantment Art before heading to the corner where the puppet had been placed on the previous floors. However, when he arrived at his destination, what he saw left him with a deep frown instead.

There isn’t a puppet for this floor? Wait a moment, what is that pillar for?

There was no puppet for him to enchant on the fourth floor. In its place was a fairly large pillar that extended from the ceiling to the floor.

Perhaps, it might be a weapon. If I successfully enchant it, I should be qualified as a 7-star spirit awakener!

With such thoughts in mind, Zhang Xuan walked up to the pillar.

[1] Gongzi is a term that is a respectful manner of address toward another, and it’s somewhat similar to saying “This gentleman over here”.

Chapter 1099: The Lively Guild

On the previous few floors were the four-headed eight-armed puppets. Even though there was none to be seen on this floor, the black pillar before him should serve a function similar to that of the puppets before.

“Never mind, I’ll know once I give it a try…” Sitting on the ground, Zhang Xuan placed his hand on the ground, and a circle of light swiftly shrouded the pillar. Just like before, Zhang Xuan extended his consciousness to the pillar, and he suddenly found himself plunged into a world of absolute darkness.

“Light up!” Knowing that the presence of light within this dark world represented the successful enchantment of the object, Zhang Xuan drove his Heaven’s Path Spirit Enchantment Art and tapped on the space ahead of him with his finger.

Weng!

A spark of light came to life, warding off the darkness. However, its radiance was extremely weak, reminiscent of a candlelight flickering in the midst of a powerful gale, on the verge of extinguishing at any moment.

“Hm?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

Previously, as long as he drove his Heaven’s Path Spirit Enchantment Art, he would have been able to light up the entire world. However, it had only managed to produce a spark of light this time around, and it looked as if it would be extinguished at any moment. This meant that due to certain properties of the artifact, it was much harder to enchant a spirit into it.

“As expected of the 7-star spirit awakener examination. It’s indeed much harder than the examinations before…” In face of such a situation, instead of wallowing in his failure, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in excitement instead.

Honestly speaking, he felt that the previous few examinations were nonsensical. It was so easy that just anyone could clear it with ease. Finally, there was something that was worthy of a challenge!

“I sure would like to see how difficult the 7-star examination will be… Regardless of the cost, I’ll definitely be going to light you up today!” With a worthy challenge standing before him, Zhang Xuan’s fighting will was stoked.

While other spirit awakeners could only conduct three enchantments within a day before going into a period of long rest, Zhang Xuan found that he wasn’t bounded by the same limits. Perhaps it was due to the flawless Heaven’s Path Spirit Enchantment Art, or maybe it was simply because his soul was far stronger than that of his counterparts, he found that he could easily enchant dozens of times in a single day without feeling fatigued.

Thus, he raised his finger and tapped the space in front of him once more.

Yet another spark of light appeared. Just like the one before, it was flickering weakly amidst the darkness, but nevertheless, it still succeeded in driving the darkness slightly further away.

“Merge!” Driving his soul energy, Zhang Xuan brought the two sparks together, and they slowly fused together with one another.

As those two sparks were spirits which he had enchanted into the pillar, it harnessed his will, so it wasn’t too difficult for him to merge them together.

But of course, it was also due to the flawless Heaven’s Path Spirit Enchantment Art that he was able to produce identical spirits that could be merged together in the first place. While ordinary spirit awakeners could enchant spirits of similar attributes, it was inevitable that the spirits they enchanted would differ slightly from one another due to imperfections.

Naturally, it went without saying that spirits of differing attributes couldn’t be merged together. Otherwise, that would be equivalent to creating two wills within a single artifact. The two wills would vie with one another for possession over the artifact, and if things were to go wrong, the weapon could very well be destroyed. Back then, it was due to this problem that the Hongyuan royal family’s Bodhi Saint Tree nearly lost its life.

Hu!

The merged spark was significantly brighter than before, lighting up a significant portion of the darkness. While it was still insufficient to drive off the darkness entirely, the spark was no longer at risk of extinguishing soon anymore.

“Indeed, it works!” Zhang Xuan thought in excitement.

It was out of a moment of inspiration that he thought of merging the spirits together, and he hadn’t really thought that it would work out so well. Delighted, he continued tapping the space ahead of him.

Hu hu!

Another two sparks appeared, and Zhang Xuan swiftly merged them into the one.

With four sparks merged together, the initial flicker of flame had finally grown into a flame torch. It glowed brilliantly amidst the darkness, bringing light to at least a radius of hundred meters.

“What a massive space…” With enhanced visibility, Zhang Xuan was finally able to get a glimpse into the space he was in.

For the puppets before, the worlds of darkness were only several meters to around a dozen meters in radius. A single spark of light was more than sufficient to light up the entire space. But in the space he was currently in, he had already lit up more than a hundred meters of the area, but the end was still nowhere in sight… Wasn’t this weapon a little way too big?

The larger a weapon was, the stronger its spirit had to be in order to sustain it. But… he had already enchanted four spirits, and yet, the end was still nowhere in sight. Wasn’t this pillar an extremely fearsome existence?

“Well, I didn’t thin that the 7-star spirit awakener examination would be so difficult. However, I don’t believe that I won’t be able to light it up with my strength!” Seeing that even a torch of flame was insufficient to light up the entire world, Zhang Xuan began feeling a little competitive.

As one who cultivated the Heaven’s Path Spirit Enchantment Art, if he couldn’t clear the examination, wouldn’t he be letting down the Library of Heaven’s Path in his mind?

“Continue!”

Driving his soul energy swiftly, Zhang Xuan tapped on the area before him and produced several more sparks of light. However, the consecutive enchantments had expended quite a bit of his strength, causing his face to pale from weakness.

Even though his soul was much stronger than an average person, there was still a limit to how much he could bear. If he were to overexert himself, it could potentially create grievous damage to his soul.

Hu hu hu!

Fusing all of the sparks together, it didn’t take long for the torch of flames to turn into a bonfire. The area shrouded by light expanded amidst the world of darkness, but there was still no sign of reaching the ends.

Until the world was fully lit up, the enchantment couldn’t be considered a success.

“Forget it, I’ll go all out!” Gritting his teeth tightly, Zhang Xuan continued the process frenziedly.

After fusing thirty-two sparks together, the bonfire finally turned into something that was reminiscent of a blazing sea of flames or a searing sun, illuminating the surroundings.

Hong long long!

The space trembled, and finally, Zhang Xuan was able to see the ends of the space.

To his astonishment, the consciousness of the artifact actually extended for several kilometers! It was no wonder why it was so difficult to enchant a spirit into it.

Having finally succeeded, Zhang Xuan felt a feeling of weakness consuming his body. At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel deeply intrigued.

Having cultivated the Heaven’s Path Spirit Enchantment Art, his comprehension of spirit enchantment had reached 7-star pinnacle, and his skills could possibly be on par with even 8-star primary spirit awakeners. He was certain that Vice Guild Leader Xu and the others weren’t able to match up to him in terms of efficiency in enchanting.

Considering how he had nearly tired himself to death before clearing the examination… did they really clear the same examination as well?

Wasn’t it a little too hard for a 7-star spirit awakener?

…

In a vast room in the Spirit Awakener Guild, three ladies were seated together. They were the most three most influential figures in the guild, Vice Guild Leader Xu, Vice Guild Leader Chen, and Guild Leader Ruan.

“Xu Ying, what happened? You should know that the Twin Bandits of the Northern Meadows aren’t opponents whom we can afford to provoke. The Flitting Earth Bandit Dao Kou might not be much, but the Sky Bearing Bandit Cang Xu is not an enemy we can defeat! If they were to come after us, we will have to owe the Master Teacher Pavilion yet another favor…” Guild Leader Ruan said with a frown.

Dao Kou had come to have his disciple’s soul enchanted so as to push for a breakthrough to Primordial Spirit realm, only to end up being pummeled unconscious instead… It was after hearing that news that Guild Leader Ruan hurriedly called for an urgent meeting with the two vice guild leaders.

If the Twin Bandits of the Northern Meadows were reasonable individuals, they wouldn’t have been so fearful of them either. There were none in Qingyuan City who were unaware of their callousness and lawlessness. If they were to attempt to get back at them for this matter, given the limited strength the Spirit Awakener Guild wielded, they might find themselves in a helpless position.

By then, they would have no choice but to turn to the Master Teacher Pavilion for help.

“It’s actually like this…” Vice Guild Leader Xu swiftly went through the matter concerning Zhang Xuan.

“You are saying that… the fellow could very well be a combat master?” Guild Leader Ruan contemplated for a moment before nodding in agreement. “It would be best if that’s the case. No matter how arrogant the Twin Bandits are, they wouldn’t dare to challenge the Combat Master Hall!”

Putting aside that the Combat Master Hall was considered as a subsidiary of the Master teacher Pavilion, just the sheer amount of experts they had in their midst was sufficient to deter any occupation from offending them.

“If the Sky Bearing Bandit Cang Xu were to come and attempt to get even with us, you must make sure to push all the blame to that fellow. Don’t bring unnecessary trouble into our Spirit Awakener Guild. We are only a supporting occupation, we don’t have the strength to get involved in such conflicts.” Guild Leader Ruan instructed.

As spirit awakeners devoted their efforts to cultivating their soul so as to further their spirit enchantment abilities, they tended to be relatively weaker as compared to their counterparts of other occupations. As a result, they had no choice but to avoid conflicts as far as they could.

To be honest, if not for the order established by the Master Teacher Pavilion, there would probably have been many who would attempt to kidnap spirit awakeners for the valuable ability they possessed. They wouldn’t have been able to run such a lucrative business without any fear.

It was precisely for this reason that Spirit Awakener Guilds would only be established in places where the Master Teacher Pavilion held dominant power. They would avoid anywhere aside from those places so as to avoid unneeded trouble.

“Alright.” Understanding the position they were in, Vice Guild Leader Xu nodded in agreement. Suddenly, a thought came to her mind, and she asked, “Right, the young man hasn’t left yet. He said that he wishes to learn the art of spirit enchantment, and he’s currently reading in the library.”

“He’s reading in the library? A man wants to learn spirit enchantment?” Guild Leader Ruan frowned.

It was not that Guild Leader Ruan was looking down on men, but spirit enchantment required very precise control, which the ladies were more apt at. As a result, there were very few men within the Spirit Awakener Guild.

“I’ve already dispatched my student to check on him to see if he’s really studying. I think my student should be returning anytime now…” Vice Guild Leader Xu shared the same views as Guild Leader Ruan. She didn’t think that it was likely that Zhang Xuan would successfully become a spirit awakener either. Six hours had passed, and the other party should have already noticed it was futile and given up by now. Yet, he was still within the library. Thus, she couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive.

Jiya!

Right after speaking those words, a young lady suddenly barged into the room.

It was Vice Guild Leader Xu’s student, a 6-star spirit awakener.

“How is it? Is that lad really studying?” Seeing that her student had returned, Vice Guild Leader Xu asked with a smile.

“Reporting to Guild Leader Ruan, teacher, and Vice Guild Leader Chen, not only has he been studying within this period of time… he has even taken the spirit awakener examination as well…” the young lady recalled what she had just seen, and a look of disbelief surfaced on her face.

“He has taken the spirit awakener examination?” VIce Guild Leader Xu frowned. “It didn’t seem like he knew much about the occupation the previous time I saw him… In just six hours after he started studying, he’s already attempted the 4-star spirit awakener examination?”

In her previous encounter with Zhang Xuan, she could tell that the latter knew next to nothing about spirit awakeners. Yet, in such a state, he still dared to take the spirit awakener examination? You must be joking!

“He… Not only did he take the examination, he even succeeded in bringing the puppet that stands by the corner to life! The puppet is currently running around chaotically, and our sisters are trying our best to suppress it at the moment…” the young lady quickly replied.

“The puppet is running around chaotically? That can’t be!”

This time, it was Guild Leader Ruan’s turn to be perplexed. She turned to the young lady and asked, “One just has to successfully enchant two hands and one head of the puppet in order to clear the examination, so even if he were to successfully enchant the puppet, limited by its other body parts, it still shouldn’t be able to move… How could it possibly be running around chaotically?”

“He… He enchanted all four heads and eight arms of the puppet, bringing its entire spirit to life!” With quivering lips, the young lady also looked as if she could hardly believe what she had just said either.

“He managed to bring its entire spirit to life?” Shocked by what they had just heard, the three of them stood up simultaneously.

Due to the limitations of the human soul, it was a nigh impossible feat to enchant a spirit which was capable of moving four heads simultaneously… Putting everything aside, even 7-star spirit awakeners like them couldn’t dream of pulling something of that sort off. Yet, a fellow who knew nothing at all a moment ago managed to accomplish it just by reading a few hours of books?

“Just to confirm, you are saying that he managed to fully awaken the 4-star puppet?” Vice Guild Leader Xu asked anxiously.

If that was truly the case, the young man might very well be an extraordinarily talented spirit awakener!

“He didn’t just awaken the 4-star puppet… the 5-star and 6-star puppets, he has awakened those too! Currently, he is on the fourth floor of the library, seated before a pillar at the corner of the wall. I’m not too sure what he’s doing at the moment either…” the young lady said.

“You are saying that he managed to awaken the 5-star and 6-star puppet too?”

The bodies of the three of them jolted from shock.

A short moment later, Guild Leader Ruan frowned, “The 7-star puppet is spoiled, and as there hasn’t been anyone qualified to take the 7-star spirit awakener examination in recent years, we haven’t had it fixed yet. That pillar there should be the main pillar supporting our entire guild building. However, it isn’t an artifact, so it shouldn’t be possible to enchant a spirit into it. So, what could he be attempting to do…”

Boom!

Before Guild Leader Ruan could finish her words, the entire guild suddenly shook intensely.

Following which, an elder rushed into the room with a ghastly pale face.

“Bad news, guild leader! Our guild… has come to life!”

Chapter 1100: I Really Want To Keep a Low Profile!

“Our guild has come to life?” Guild Leader Ruan was taken aback.

The other two vice guild leaders were also perplexed as to what they were hearing.

“Yes! For some reason, our guild building suddenly stood up from the ground and ran away!” the elder cried anxiously.

Huala!

Before the elder could finish her words, the ground suddenly shook once more. Shortly after, outside the window, the top of the guild building, which bore some resemblance to the neck of a crane, suddenly leaned downward. The two windows at the very top seemed to serve as its eyes, as it assessed its surroundings curiously.

The many floors of the tower seemed to have become its body, and they shook non-stop, seemingly readying itself to take a step forward.

“This… the entire guild building has been enchanted with a spirit?” Guild Leader Ruan gulped down a mouthful of saliva and nearly cried.

Despite the unique design of their guild building, it was just an ordinary building and not an artifact. Given so, there should have been no way to enchant a spirit int it… How in the world did the fellow manage to accomplish it?

This was truly bad. Now that their guild building had a spirit, it seemed like it was about to run away at any moment…

If it were to really run away, how was she going to face the preceding guild leaders of the Spirit Awakener Guild…

“I heard that an elder of our guild has spent more than a hundred years to single handedly forge the support structure of our guild building. According to the rumors, it’s said that the support structure has reached the level of a Spirit-tier artifact. Could it be that… he has succeeded in enchanting the support system?” At this moment, Vice Guild Leader Chen suddenly recalled something and asked.

The unique architecture of the Spirit Awakener Guild was in truth the effort of a single elder many years ago. It was said that she had forged the supporting structure using the same methods which one would use to craft weapons in order to grant it the enhanced durability and resilience it required… Perhaps that was the real reason why the enchantment succeeded.

But…

Considering the sheer size of the supporting structure, just how huge of a spirit would one have to enchant into it in order to bring it to life?

“Regardless of how he did it, we have to stop him. Otherwise, where will we go if the guild building were to escape?” Guild Leader Ruan said anxiously.

This wasn’t the time for them to be wondering how it was done—their guild building was already on the verge of escaping! Putting aside the fact that they would lose their place of dwelling, more importantly, the Spirit Awakener Guild would become a laughingstock for the entire city if that were to happen!

Thus, the trio rushed out of the room and headed toward the library. Before they could arrive at their destination, they suddenly saw a young man walking over with a confused look on his face. The young man also caught sight of them, and he immediately walked up to them.

“Vice Guild Leader Xu, what is going on? Why is your guild building moving about?” Zhang Xuan asked in bewilderment.

The Spirit Awakener Guild sure was eccentric. He was still sitting in the library when the entire guild suddenly rose from the ground, seemingly ready to run off… Where did their civility go?

If such a huge building were to run through the crowded streets of Qingyuan City, many would be injured!

Besides, even if no one was harmed, it was bound to cause great damage throughout the city pavement and the nearby buildings as well.

“You still dare to speak about it…” Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, the trio nearly spurted blood.

Do you really have no idea what you have just done?

You were the one who enchanted it, so how can you shamelessly shirk responsibility now that it’s on the verge of running away…

Also… what’s that expression of yours?

“Did you enchant a black pillar earlier?” Suppressing her urge to blow up, Vice Guild Leader Xu asked with forced composure.

“I did.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Barely after he succeeded in enchanting the black pillar, the entire building suddenly began moving. Thus, he could only rush out before examining what he had enchanted and whether he had truly succeeded or not.

“Regarding that… the black pillar is the supporting structure of the guild building. Thus, when you enchanted it, the entire guild came to life…” Vice Guild Leader Xu explained through gritted teeth.

“Ah…” Zhang Xuan’s lips twitched.

He was still wondering why the Spirit Awakener Guild was so inconsiderate as to make its building move around in the middle of the city… But it seemed like he was actually the true culprit…

While others were enchanting weapons and souls, he actually enchanted an entire guild…

“Since you were the one who enchanted it, the guild building should be filled with gratitude toward you. I beg of you, get it to stop. If it were to get away, it would surely cause a huge commotion… Our Spirit Awakener Guild would be in deep trouble then…” Seeing that Zhang Xuan had finally understood what was going on, Guild Leader Ruan urged.

“Alright…” Not expecting that he would unintentionally land others into trouble just by taking the 7-star spirit awakener examination, Zhang Xuan’s face reddened in embarrassment. He quickly followed the trio out of the guild building.

Flying in the air, he looked at the massive building before him.

The building was extremely tall, almost reaching a hundred meters high. Its slender neck was swinging wildly in the air, reminiscent of a crane.

By this moment, everyone within the Spirit Awakener Guild had already evacuated from the building, and they were staring at that ‘living’ behemoth before them with flabbergasted looks.

“This… How do I get it to stop?” Seeing how the massive figure was preparing to sprint away as fast as it could, Zhang Xuan’s mouth twitched. He quickly turned to Vice Guild Leader Xu and asked.

“I don’t know either. You can try asking it, it should listen to you…” Guild Leader Ruan replied.

“Listen to me?” Zhang Xuan turned his gaze back to the massive figure before him with a doubtful look. In that moment, the Spirit Awakener Guild seemed to have caught sight of him, and it excitedly cuddled up to him with its thick neck.

“…” Zhang Xuan was stunned.

It seemed like his plan of keeping a low profile had backfired.

Before such a huge crowd, a guild’s base of operation was cuddling up to him, as if an obedient pet fawning on its master…

Honestly, all I wanted to do was to keep a low profile and not cause any trouble…

Dark lines streaked across Zhang Xuan’s face. Helpless, he could only reach out to stroke the other party’s neck and say, “Alright, you should stay here obediently. Try not to move around if there’s no need to do so…”

Roar!

Hearing those words, the massive building swiftly stopped its movements and obediently planted itself back onto the ground.

“Alright, it’s done…” Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He quickly turned back to look at Guild Leader Ruan and the others, only to see them staring at him as if he was some kind of terrifying monster.

“Cough cough. This gongzi over here, please follow me back in. I’ll pass your spirit awakener emblem to you. At the same time, our guild wishes to discuss the matter of taming the guild building with you… As long as you can transfer the ownership of the guild building to us somehow, we are willing to reward you handsomely!” Seeing as more and more people were gathering in the area, Guild Leader Ruan knew that this wasn’t the place to discuss matters, so she gestured to Zhang Xuan to follow her back into the guild building.

No matter what, this building was the base of operation for their Spirit Awakener Guild. It was one thing while it was dead, but now that it had come to life, the least they could do was to claim ownership of their own building. Otherwise, if their building were to suddenly riot on them and escape, how embarrassing would it be for them?

“Alright.” Zhang Xuan knew that he was at fault for this matter, and he also wasn’t willing to continue serving as a public exhibit by remaining in the area. Thus, he followed the trio back into the guild building.

…

While Zhang Xuan was busy learning the art of spirit enchantment in the Spirit Awakener Guild, something was happening in the Combat Master Hall. A large group of combat masters had come together to discuss how they should deal with the academy that they were going to hold an exchange with.

Xiao Qin was a Thousand Men Commander from the Martial Arts Division of the Combat Master Ten Divisions. Highly talented and driven, he was also known to his peers as Lunatic Xiao for his crazed passion for cultivation.

He had always regarded his identity as a combat master as his pride and honor. But recently, news regarding Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy kept echoing in his ears no matter where he went, and it had left him deeply displeased.

Just when had they, combat masters, been lowered to the point where they had to conduct an exchange with an ordinary Master Teacher Academy?

The more he thought about it, the more furious he felt.

Unable to stand it any longer, he called his companion over and asked, “Is that Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy really as powerful as you all describe it out to be? No matter what, we, combat masters, are a gathering of top-notch geniuses sieved out from the other master teachers. Every single one of us wields strength that could easily rival those of higher cultivation realm than us. No matter how powerful their Xuanxuan Faction may be, it isn’t possible for all of them to be on par with us. If that’s truly the case, there would be no purpose in continuing the Combat Master Selection!”

“I share the same thoughts as well. But I believe you should have seen the reports sent back by Zhuo Qingfeng and the others too. I know Zhuo Qingfeng quite well, and he isn’t one to spout nonsense on such matters!”

“I know that he won’t spout nonsense, but I still find the matter hard to believe. Wait, those from the Xuanxuan Faction have just arrived in their accommodations, right? Why don’t we take a look?”

“Now? Isn’t the exchange three days later?”

“Yes, but it would be good for us to take a look in advance so as to gauge the strength of our opponents. This way, we will be able to dominate the exchange…”

“Sounds good. However, we must make sure that our hall master doesn’t learn of this matter!”

“That’s a given. Rest assured, we’ll be heading there discreetly in plainclothes…”

…

All along, it had been their Combat Master Hall which had been conducting all kinds of selection exercises to absorb the talents from the various organizations all over Qingyuan Empire. Yet, to think that a day would come where an ordinary Master Teacher Academy would knock on their door and have an exchange with them. In truth, Xiao Qin wasn’t the only one who felt insulted by this matter. There were plenty of combat masters who felt that the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy was beneath them as well.

Thus, when the other combat masters learned of Xiao Qin’s plan, they also wanted to tag along so as to see whether the rumors they had heard were exaggerations.

“Alright, let’s go!”

Switching to their leisure clothes, the crowd began making their way over to the manor that the crowd from the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy were currently residing in.

Not too long later, they encountered another group of plainclothes combat masters.

“Combat Master Sun… You are all intending to cause those of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy some trouble as well?” Xiao Qin was slightly startled by the sudden appearance of the other group.

“Cause them some trouble? Of course not! We are just going there to see whether they are qualified to cross blows with us…” Combat Master Sun replied with a smile.

Seeing that their goals aligned with one another, the two groups decided to converge and proceed forward together. But after turning at a bend in the street, they met some familiar faces again.

“Combat Master Tan, you all…”

“Ah… We were just planning to pay our friends from the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy a visit so as to see if the accommodation is to their liking…”

…

The manor wasn’t too far away from the Combat Master Hall, but in the ten minutes journey, Xiao Qin met with eight waves of combat masters. All in all, there were at least several hundred of them.

“It seems like there are many who share the same thoughts as us!” Seeing how so many combat masters shared the same view as him, Xiao Qin nodded in satisfaction.

While the exchange was indeed set at three days from now, there was no particular rule stopping them from dropping by and greeting their guests!

“Guys, the other party will surely figure out that we are from the Combat Master Hall if we were to drop by just like that. How about we do this instead? For the time being, the rest of you will wait at the teahouse outside while I head over to try out their skills. Once I’m done, I’ll come back to report to you all…”

As they were about to reach the manor, Xiao Qin called for the entire party to stop before saying.

It was fine for them to interact with those of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, but if so many combat masters were to drop by at once, they could be cast under the suspicion of being hostile to their guests.

“Alright, we will wait here for you then. Return quickly, don’t keep us waiting for too long…”

Xiao Qin’s suggestion sounded reasonable to the party, so it didn’t take long before he was able to receive the approval of the majority.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Xiao Qin made his way over to the manor.

The manor was one of the properties of the Combat Master Hall, so Xiao Qin was able to maneuver his way through it easily. Before long, he saw a group of Hongyuan students cultivating in a vast courtyard.

“This friend over here, may I know who you are looking for? Perhaps I might be of some help to you.” Before Xiao Qin could get far, a smiling young man suddenly walked up to him and asked.

“I am Xiao Qin. I wish to meet the leader of your Xuanxuan Faction.” Xiao Qing clasped his fist and responded.

“I am Jun Ruohuan, and I can be considered as one of the leaders in the Xuanxuan Faction. May I know how may I help you?” Ruohuan gongzi asked.

“I heard that the students of the Xuanxuan Faction possesses exceptional fighting prowess, so I couldn’t resist coming over to try out your skills…” Xiao Qin replied.

“I see. That won’t be a problem, I can have it arranged for you.” Hearing that the other party wanted to try out their skills, Ruohuan gongzi could already roughly fathom a guess at what was going on.

Thus, he beckoned with his hand and ‘huala!’, several thousand people appeared around them.

“Here you go. They are all members of our Xuanxuan Faction. So, what kind of duel are you interested in? Feel free to state any request you have…”