Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 591

Chapter 591: A Supernatural Occurrence?

I asked you to teach me how to defeat Qin Lei in the duel, why are you telling me to pour meat soup over him instead?

Big Brother, I’m a master teacher, not a thug! To conduct such shameless actions…

Besides, if I were to do that, I would only enrage the other party. What use would it be to the duel?

Ruohuan gongzi thought that Zhang Xuan would at least offer a decent solution given his astounding means, but never in his dreams did he expect the other party to be so… unreliable!

If he were to really do so, his reputation would immediately plummet to rock-bottom!

He wasn’t the only one feeling light-headed, Pavilion Master Kang and the others also widened their eyes in shock.

Pouring soup over the other party?

What kind of move is that?

Perplexed, they instinctively turned their eyes over to Zhao Feiwu, in hopes for an explanation.

Given how the latter was able to analyze Qin Lei’s thoughts logically a moment ago, she might be able to do the same this time round too!

But with a single glance, they staggered.

Zhao Feiwu’s eyes were so widened in shock that they could simply snap out of their sockets anytime now. She was as dumbfounded by Zhang shi’s words as they were.

While her cultivation was lacking, she possessed incredible wisdom that allowed her to make sense out of most situations… but what in the world does this ‘pour it over your opponent’ mean?

This… The gap in logic was simply too huge for me to follow!

The dueling format is likely to be flaw identification, and Ruohuan gongzi hopes to win the match… And so, you instructed the latter to pour meat soup over his opponent. Something just doesn’t sound right here!

How the heck am I supposed to analyze such a ridiculous situation?

“You aren’t willing? Then I can’t help you either…”

Zhang Xuan shook his head in disappointment.

He had already offered a solution; if the other party was unwilling to carry it out, there was nothing he could do.

While White Helios Sect’s Sect Leader Bai Kaizhi had once laid his hands on Zheng Yang and the others, he had already been punished on the spot, and Zhang Xuan didn’t think there was any need to implicate the juniors in this matter. The reason why he was helping Ruohuan gongzi was solely out of their relationship. If the other party wasn’t willing to reciprocate, he didn’t wish to push his ground either.

Ruohuan gongzi knew that the only hope he had at victory at this point was to follow Zhang shi’s instructions. Clenching his fists, he asked, “If I do as you said… can Zhang shi really guarantee my victory?”

“Guarantee? No one can guarantee anything. If you believe in me, do as I say. Otherwise, we can just drop the matter!”

Zhang Xuan continued eating.

If Zhao Feiwu’s analysis turned out to be accurate, and the other party really intended to slap his face, then he was confident that his plan would bring Ruohuan gongzi to victory.

Otherwise… it would prove to be futile.

“This…”

Ruohuan gongzi fell into contemplation, but it didn’t take too long for him to make up his mind. Gritting his teeth, he declared, “Alright, I’ll go!”

The top ten would get a chance to study at Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. If he could grasp this opportunity, he would surely achieve incredible accomplishments in the future. If he let it slip through his fingers… Becoming a 5-star master teacher could possibly remain an obstacle that he would never overcome in his lifetime.

Weighing that against Qin Lei… his wrath did seem insignificant in comparison.

The world is like a race to get to the top of a pyramid; the further you advance, the more competition you will face. If Ruohuan gongzi didn’t make a move, the other party would simply take him as a stepping stone.

Fairness doesn’t exist in this world. If one were to keep thinking of the welfare of others, one could never hope to climb to the top.

“Cough cough. Ruohuan, you should reconsider this…”

Hearing that his student was really going to pour meat soup over Qin Lei, Pavilion Master Kang’s eyebrows twitched. “I fear that if you were to do that, Qin shi would beat you to death… and our relationship with White Helios Sect would be a goner!”

Ruohuan gongzi’s lips twitched.

Indeed. If he were to do so, the other party might just smash him into a lump of meat paste.

“Would you simply remain still as he tries to beat you? You have legs, run! Besides, there are so many master teachers watching, he won’t dare do anything overboard… Besides, you should have confidence in your physical resilience, you won’t die that easily!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands. “In any case, I’m here so you don’t have anything to worry about. I can guarantee you that as long as you run away after that, he’ll allow you to leave without beating you up!”

“…” Ruohuan gongzi.

Without beating me up? Hahaha…

“Alright then!”

Knowing that he had no other choice but to listen to Zhang shi to win, Ruohuan gongzi tossed aside his hesitation. Gritting his teeth, he took the bowl of meat soup and walked over to Qin Lei.

Somehow, it seemed to reflect the desolate sight of a soldier marching to his own doom.

Seeing him walk toward Qin Lei, the lips of Pavilion Master Kang and the others couldn’t help but twitch.

While they had faith in Zhang shi, this was… a little too much!

“Zhang shi… will he really be fine?”

Zhao Feiwu couldn’t help but ask.

“How can he be fine?” Grabbing a piece of meat and stuffing it into his mouth, Zhang Xuan replied with a slightly muffled voice.

“How can he be fine?”

The crowd’s eyelids twitched violently.

If it wasn’t fine, why did you instruct Ruohuan gongzi over? Are you that intent on seeing his sorry plight?

The expression on everyone’s faces clearly said that they would never let him go if he didn’t explain this matter clearly to them. Thus, Zhang Xuan began speaking.

“Your analysis is logical. There’s an eighty percent chance that Qin shi will choose flaw identification as the dueling format… however, there’s still a twenty percent room of error!”

“Un!”

Zhao Feiwu nodded in agreement.

No matter how logical her deduction was, she wasn’t Qin Lei and she couldn’t read his thoughts precisely. It was possible for the other party to have other thoughts in mind regarding this matter.

“If I were to pour a bowl of meat soup on you to provoke you, what would you do?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“I would… beat you up!” Zhao Feiwu replied.

“Indeed, that is likely to be Qin Lei’s reaction too. However, looking at it from another perspective, such an action could be considered as a direct signal from Ruohuan gongzi that he wants a physical duel. As a 4-star master teacher, Qin Lei will surely deduce this much… Under such circumstances, how do you think he’ll react?”

“This…”

Everyone was stunned.

Pouring a bowl of meat soup on someone-that is a clear act of provocation. To be provoked before the duel, it was clear that his opponent wanted him to propose a physical duel…

It would be hard to believe that Ruohuan gongzi didn’t have anything up his sleeves given such circumstances.

While Qin Lei might be confident in his fighting prowess as well, Ruohuan gongzi’s actions would surely sprout a seed of doubt in his mind. Given how much he wanted the champion seat, he would surely choose to opt for another dueling format so as to avoid any possible mishaps. At the same time, this would also reflect his magnanimity and create a positive impression of himself.

“At the same time, if Qin shi were to attempt to hit Ruohuan gongzi after being poured with meat soup, we’ll be able to analyze his movements. If so, we can make some preparations for the duel later on!” Zhang Xuan said.

If the other party didn’t execute a battle technique, he would be unable to peer into the other party’s flaws. And in a normal and fair duel, it was nigh impossible for Ruohuan gongzi to win Qin Lei.

On the other hand, if Qin Lei were to execute his battle technique out of rage, a book on him would be formed in the Library of Heaven’s Path, and Zhang Xuan would be able to exploit his flaws.

As for whether Ruohuan gongzi would be beaten up or not, that wouldn’t be any of his business.

Ruohuan gongzi would just have to treat it as the price of victory.

“I see…”

Hearing the explanation, everyone came to a realization, and they widened their eyes in admiration.

They thought that Zhao Feiwu’s analysis was already impressive, but Zhang shi’s thoughts were clearly deeper and more thorough.

Within a short period of time, not only did he realize the possible errors in Zhao Feiwu’s analysis, he even found a way to cover it up while executing his plan… Incredible!

It was fortunate that he was on the same line as the Myriad Kingdom Alliance; the group shuddered at the thought of facing an opponent like that.

“Look, it’s starting!”

At that moment, Su shi suddenly pointed forward.

Everyone turned their gazes over, and at this moment, Ruohuan gongzi was already standing before Qin Lei.

At this moment, Qin Lei was also in the midst of his meal. Perplexed to see his opponent carrying a bowl toward him, he was a little stunned.

“Qin shi, nice to meet you!”

Ruohuan gongzi nodded.

“Y-you too!”

Qin Lei frowned.

“Before we start on our duel, I’d like to discuss something with you…” Ruohuan gongzi said politely.

“Discuss something with me? What is it? If you wish to admit defeat now, there’s no need for it!”

Qin Lei harrumphed coldly. But before he could finish speaking, a steaming hot liquid came flying toward him, drenching his robe.

“The heck!”

In that instant, it was as if something within Qin Lei had snapped, and frenzy overtook his rationality.

He thought that that fellow was here to admit defeat in hopes that his pride could be spared on the stage later on. Never in his dreams did he expect a bowl of steaming meat soup to come flying toward him instead…

“I’ll kill you…”

Roaring furiously, he immediately drove his zhenqi and a powerful aura came gushing out. He raised his palm and directed it toward Ruohuan gongzi forcefully.

Hu!

But Ruohuan gongzi was already prepared for this. He immediately leaped to the side and ran away. “Pardon me, Qin shi. I didn’t do it on purpose, I simply lost my grip on the bowl…”

“…”

Black lines streaked across everyone’s face.

To carry a bowl of meat soup over for no reason, and you say it wasn’t intentional?

Not to mention, you were around two to three meters away from the other party. For the meat soup to travel that distance despite it being a slip of your hands… you’re incredible!

Touch your conscience and ask yourself if you can believe that excuse!

“Damn it…”

After hearing those words, Qin Lei’s rage flurried. Just as he was about to rush over to kill that fellow, an elder suddenly stopped him.

“Elder Zhou…”

Seeing that the one stopping him was an elder of his sect, Qin Lei hurriedly stopped.

“Don’t fall for the other party’s ploy…” Elder Zhou spoke to him through zhenqi telepathy.

“Fall for the other party’s ploy?” Qin Lei was taken aback.

“Indeed. The other party is clearly coming over intentionally to provoke you. If you were to strike him now, there is a good chance that you might be stripped of your qualification as a participant in the tournament!” Elder Zhou said.

As a prestigious event held every decade, the Master Teacher Tournament had strict rules. If participants were to fight out of their match, there was a chance that they might be stripped of their qualification.

“But…” Qin Lei’s body froze. He understood the logic behind it, but he still found it hard to suppress his anger.

As a proud 4-star pinnacle master teacher to be splattered with meat soup, it would be a wonder if he wasn’t angry!

“With the death of our sect leader, our White Helios Sect is currently facing its greatest crisis. You must get into the top ten in this tournament, or else… it’ll only be a matter of time before our sect is annexed by the other powers!” Elder Zhou spoke gravely.

He was present in the confrontation against Zhang shi that day, and the sight of Yang shi killing their sect leader was still fresh in his mind.

Having offended a plausible 8-star master teacher, their White Helios Sect was facing the greatest calamity in its existence. Their only hope at this point was for Qin Lei to successfully get into the top ten!

Once he got into Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, the other powers would have to reconsider their options before laying their hands on them.

“Since that fellow is here to provoke you, he must have some kind of ace up his sleeves. Or else, he might have already given up on the tournament and he wishes to pull you down with him!”

Elder Zhou continued. “You mustn’t fall for his ploy!”

“Then what should I do?”

Qin Lei’s heart jolted, and he immediately forced himself to calm down.

“There’s no need to get even with him immediately. We should first continue on with the idea we decided upon and confirm the spot in the top ten. After the tournament, you can always challenge him to a [Master Teacher Confrontation], or even a… [Life-and-Death Battle]!”

Elder Zhou harrumphed. “By then, he will be in your palms, and you will be able to do whatever you want with him. Even if you were to tear him into pieces, there would be no one to stop you!”

“This…” Qin Lei hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth in savagery. “Alright, I’ll challenge him to a Life-and-Death Duel after the tournament. If I don’t kill him, I won’t be called Qin Lei!”

…

“Hmm? He actually didn’t chase me?”

After a moment, Ruohuan gongzi turned around and saw that no one was behind him. At this moment, he suddenly recalled what Zhang shi said. “Is this a… supernatural occurrence?”

Chapter 592: Beguiling (1)

Even though he didn’t know whether it was a supernatural occurrence or not, one thing was for sure-Zhang shi’s judgement was spot-on. For this, he was extremely awed with the other party’s foresight.

In the past, he had been reveling in his position as the number one genius of Myriad Kingdom Alliance, and he thought that there was no one in the world who could best him. But after seeing this young man, he realized that he was still far from matching up to true geniuses.

Returning back to the group, Ruohuan gongzi respectfully clasped his fist and asked, “Zhang shi, what do I do now?”

“Sit down and eat!”

Zhang Xuan gestured.

Ruohuan gongzi was dumbstruck.

You got me to pour meat soup over the other party to provoke him; going to such an extent, I thought that you would have some incredible plan in mind, and yet… you’re asking me to eat now?

“Your match is about to start, and you’ll only have the strength to fight once you’re full. Without energy, how do you expect to emerge victorious against your opponent?” Zhang Xuan rolled his eyes.

There was only an hour of resting time, and it was about to come to an end. If he didn’t hurry, the tournament was going to resume.

“Alright!”

With no other better idea in mind, Ruohuan gongzi could only follow the other party’s instruction. He sat down and began to eat ravenously.

The dinner prepared by the Alliance Head Residence was indeed sumptuous. Soon, they were full, and by then, the tournament was already about to start.

“Memorize the contents on it. You just have to recite it later on!”

Just as Ruohuan gongzi was still perplexed as to how he should deal with Qin Lei, Zhang shi passed a piece of white paper to him. It was filled with scribblings that were written by the other party during the meal just a moment ago.

Surprised, he quickly swept through the contents of the paper, and his eyes immediately widened. “Zhang shi, do I really have to say… this?”

“Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded affirmatively.

Ruohuan gongzi vision immediately darkened, and he nearly broke down in tears.

Big Brother, you are pushing me off a cliff here! Are you that unhappy that I wasn’t beaten up just now?

If I were to say what is on the paper, that fellow would probably forfeit his candidature just so that he could strangle me to death.

“Stop wasting time idling and quickly memorize it. Remember, you must recite it word-for-word. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your victory!”

Seeing Ruohuan gongzi wallowing in his sorrow, Zhang shi urged him with a frown.

Tears glittered in Ruohuan gongzi’s eyes.

If only he’d known earlier, he would have never asked Zhang Xuan for help. At this moment, it felt as though he was onboard the ship of a pirate, and there was no backing out now.

“Alright!”

Gritting his teeth, Ruohuan gongzi quickly started memorizing the contents on the paper. Soon after he was done, a gong sounded, and Hong shi’s deep voice reverberated through the entire square. “The tournament resumes. Would the participating master teachers come onto the stage?”

Everyone replied and hurried up.

On the round stage, Ruohuan gongzi took a deep breath before walking over to the dueling stage labeled A.

For a moment, his silhouette looked slightly valiant.

Knowing that it was too late for second thoughts, he had decided to simply follow Zhang shi’s instructions. If death was what that awaited him, so be it!

“Humph!”

Qin Lei also walked toward dueling stage A as well. Recalling how the other party provoked him previously, his rage immediately surged.

Seeing that all participants were on their respective stages, Hong shi announced, “The match begins. Start discussing the format of the duel!”

“Since White Helios Sect was first place in the previous tournament, the right of choice is in my hands!”

Harrumphing coldly, Qin Lei turned at the detestable young man before him and said, “I choose… comprehension of cultivation!”

“Ah?”

Hearing that everything had gone as predicted, Ruohuan gongzi was momentarily stumped.

“Why? You dare not accept my challenge?” A light flickered across Qin Lei’s eyes.

“What do I have to fear? Comprehension of cultivation, is it? So be it then! What are the rules?” Ruohuan gongzi replied.

“Good!”

He thought that the other party would reject his proposal, but the other party accepted it candidly instead. Heaving a sigh of relief, Qin Lei explained, “Simple. We’ll both execute a battle technique, and each of us will point out the flaws in it. Whoever points out more flaws will be the winner!”

“Un!” Ruohuan gongzi nodded.

…

“It went exactly as your analysis predicted!”

Seeing the sight, Pavilion Master Kang and the others turned to look at Zhao Feiwu.

Even though this lady wasn’t a master teacher, her wisdom was indeed impressive.

“Un. All that is left is to see whether the note Zhang shi gave him is effective or not!”

Zhao Feiwu chuckled lightly.

The most she could do was to deduce the content of the competition. Whether Ruohuan gongzi would be able to emerge victorious or not would depend on the content of the note that Zhang shi passed to him.

“Un!” The group nodded their heads.

While they were speaking, the duo on the stage were already done executing their battle techniques.

After having seen the entire set of movements from Qin Lei, Ruohuan gongzi was completely stumped.

He had never heard of the other party’s fist art before, needless to say, seen it… How in the world was he supposed to point out any flaws?

“Going by the rules, I’ll go first!”

Seeing the confusion on the other party’s face, Qin Lei sneered coldly. “If I’m not mistaken, the fist art that Ruohuan gongzi executed is a Spirit intermediate-tier battle technique known as ‘Seven Forsaken Fists’. It’s indeed a formidable technique, but it’s a pity that your mastery is still lacking… I could see a total of four flaws!

“First, having barely reached Transcendent Mortal 4-dan, your zhenqi isn’t sufficiently pure yet. Even though your movements seem to be in place, you’re lacking the essence of the technique…

“Second, the core of the Seven Forsaken Fist is forsaken heart, forsaken emotions, forsaken intent, forsaken benevolence, forsaken fate, forsaken thoughts, and forsaken desires. However, you aren’t able to meet even a single one of these notions. Given that your movements and your intent are at odds, no matter how much you practice the technique, it will be nothing more than an empty shell!

“Third…

“Fourth…”

Soon, Qin Lei finished listing out the flaws in Ruohuan gongzi’s technique. Every single point of his stabbed straight into the vitals. There was no one who wouldn’t lose his confidence upon hearing too much of such words.

“Incredible!”

“With just a single look, he was able to point out the four main flaws behind the technique. As expected of one of the strongest contenders for the champion seat, he’s indeed fearsome!”

“I was looking intently at Ruohuan gongzi’s movements too, but I wasn’t able to see a single problem about it…”

…

Upon hearing Qin Lei’s words, a huge commotion raked up among the crowd below.

Nearly everyone present here was a master teacher or an expert, and they possessed a sharp eye of such things as well. The technique Ruohuan gongzi executed felt wholesome, and with just a single look, it was clear that he had devoted many years of his time into it…

But even so, Qin Lei was still able to easily list out four major problems. His eye of discernment wasn’t inferior to even some half 5-star master teachers.

“Seems like it’ll be hard for Ruohuan gongzi to win in this round!”

“Un. I had been paying close attention to Qin Lei’s execution, but I wasn’t even able to tell what battle technique he was executing!”

“I am also unable to make sense out of it…”

Everyone discussed with hushed voices as they looked toward the stage, curious as to how Ruohuan gongzi would deal with this situation.

With a cold smirk on his face, Qin Lei was also staring at Ruohuan gongzi intently.

The battle technique he had just executed had come from some ancient ruins. Even Hong shi might not be able to recognize it, needless to say this fellow.

Thus, he was confident that he would win this match.

“It’s your turn. If you can’t say anything constructive, you should just admit defeat!”

Seeing the conflicted expression on Ruohuan gongzi, Qin Lei harrumphed.

“This…”

At this moment, Ruohuan gongzi seemed to have come to a major decision and gritted his teeth. “If I’m not mistaken, there’s something wrong… with your brain!”

“What?”

The square fell deathly silent instantaneously.

Wasn’t it a duel in pointing out flaws in battle techniques? When did it become an insulting competition instead?

“What did you say?”

Hearing those words, Qin Lei immediately exploded in rage.

“Despite not having completed nourishing your soul, you forcefully tried to achieve a breakthrough to Consonant Spirit realm and drove your zhenqi into your head. And in that attempt, both your soul and your brain are wounded. Am I mistaken about that?” Ruohuan gongzi said.

“This…”

Qin Lei frowned.

After Sect Leader Bai Kaizhi, who was also his teacher, was killed, he understood the bad state the sect was in and panicked. Thus, he forcefully tried to advance to Consonant Spirit realm.

In that process, one’s zhenqi had to be driven into one’s head to open up the Heling acupoint. Only with the opening with this acupoint can one make the leap to become a Consonant Spirit realm expert… But Qin Lei wasn’t ready yet then. The head was a vulnerable region, and yet, he willfully drove his zhenqi into his, thus causing significant damage to his soul and brain. As a result, he was suffering from splitting headache whenever night falls.

But he had never told this matter to anyone, even the elders of the sect for fear of worrying them. How did the other party manage to see through this?

“Not only so, there are innumerable traumas from cultivating incorrectly all over your body. For the sake of impressing others in this tournament, you even cultivated a battle technique of unknown origin… If I’m not mistaken, to master it, you would need thirty-two acupoints all over your body to resonate in harmony, right?

“This requirement in itself isn’t a problem; most battle techniques have such demands from the cultivator. However, this battle technique sought to connect the Baihe and the Yongquan acupoints. The former pulls in the clear aura of the sky whereas the latter absorbs the turbid aura of the earth. As the two of them collide, an intangible cage is formed, locking your soul firmly into your body!

“In other words, without any fortuitous encounter, it’s impossible for you to reach Consonant Spirit realm! If you don’t believe my words, you can try driving your zhenqi into your Bihai acupoint. If you feel a numbing sensation there, it means that your soul has already started declining. Alternatively, you can also try your Qinzhen acupoint. If you feel an itch, it means that the internal of your body has grown oddly stiff, and it is nothing more than a cage at this point…

“Other people cultivate in hopes of advancing to higher realms, and yet, you do so only to seal your path of progress… Isn’t there something really wrong with your head?”

Since Ruohuan gongzi had already made up his mind, he tossed aside his hesitation and recited everything that Zhang shi had him say.

In any case, he couldn’t understand the other party’s battle technique. At this rate, he would lose anyway. Thus, he decided to take the gamble; at the very least, there was a ray of hope down this path.

After he was done, he thought the other party would immediately rush forward to pummel him up or insult him. But shockingly, the other party remained bizarrely motionless. It was as if he had met with something incredulous, leaving his face pale with shock.

‘Could it be that… I was spot-on?’

Gedeng! Ruohuan gongzi’s heart skipped a beat.

When he saw the content of the note, he thought that it was just nonsense Zhang shi made up on the spot. If he were to recite it, the other party would surely rush up to kill him… Never had he entertained the thought that it would actually be true. The other party had barely raised his hands back then, and Zhang shi was able to tell all of this?

“Of course, if you don’t believe me… you can continue trying for Consonant Spirit realm. You’ll feel a surge of powerlessness, or perhaps, your zhenqi, suppressed by some sort of power, might even be unable to enter your head.”

Ruohuan gongzi’s eyes lit up, and endless confidence seemed to surge into him at this instant. Ignoring the other party’s shocked expression, he continued, “Despite being a 4-star pinnacle master teacher, you cultivated a battle technique blindly without analyzing its true nature, and yet, you still dare to challenge me to a comprehension of cultivation duel… How much more arrogant can you get?”

Qin Lei’s body swayed weakly as though it had lost its backbone.

He had just tried out everything that the other party had said, and it turned out that the other party was completely spot-on… Could it be that he had really cultivated incorrectly?

To err so greatly despite being a master teacher, how was he supposed to guide others then? This wasn’t only a loss in this duel, this was a loss for him as a master teacher as well.

“Alright, I’ll stop here… As a fellow master teacher, I can tell you this. There’s still a way to resolve your problem at this point, but the longer you delay it, the harder it’ll be for you to make a full recovery…”

Ruohuan gongzi waved his hands. “I’m a magnanimous person, so as long as you admit your defeat, I’ll impart you the solution to your problem.”

Chapter 593: Beguiling (2)

Beneath the stage…

“Zhang shi, this is what that was on your note… You managed to discern this much?”

Pavilion Master Kang and the others stared at the young man before them with widened eyes.

He was well aware of his own student’s capability.

He couldn’t even tell what battle technique Qin Lei executed previously, and yet, his disciple was able to logically deduce facts that left the entire crowd stumped. Unless Zhang shi was involved, there was no way his disciple could be capable of this.

“That’s right!” Zhang Xuan admitted.

“But… Qin shi had only driven his zhenqi and lifted his palm, how in the world were you able to discern so much?” Even after hearing the words of affirmation from the person in question, the crowd still found the matter too difficult to believe.

Ruohuan gongzi did manage to provoke Qin Lei by pouring meat soup on him, but in the end, a fight didn’t break out, and both sides hardly made any moves… Yet, to make such an in-depth analysis under such circumstances, are you for real?

What kind of eye of discernment is this?

“But… what kind of battle technique did Qin Lei cultivate? To think that there would actually be a battle technique in the world that would lock one’s soul and prevent one from achieving a breakthrough!” Su shi couldn’t help but express his shock.

A 4-star pinnacle master teacher possessed astute senses surpassing that of ordinary cultivators. How could Qin Lei possibly cultivate a battle technique that would seal his soul without realizing it himself?

“I’ve no idea as well…” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

“You don’t know? Then…” Everyone frowned.

If you don’t know what battle technique it is, how do you know what kind of sensation would be induced by stimulating the respective acupoints?

The Bihai acupoint corresponds to the soul whereas the Qinzhen acupoint is the point connecting the body to the soul.

These were common facts that all Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle experts know of. Under normal circumstances, the triggering of these acupoints with zhenqi should nourish one’s souls… Given that such anomalies happened, it would be hard to believe that there was nothing wrong with the other party.

But… if you don’t even know what battle technique the other party cultivated, how in the world do you know that his Qinzhen acupoint is closed and his soul is wounded?

“It’s a lie!” Zhang Xuan replied calmly.

“A lie?” Everyone froze.

“The cultivators of the White Helios Sect cultivates the White Helios zhenqi, which is a type of zhenqi possessing yang attribute. Back then, when Bai Kaizhi came to attack my residence, my teacher told me about it!” Zhang Xuan said.

“Un…” Pavilion Master Kang and the others nodded their heads.

The White Helios Formula that most members in the White Helios Sect cultivated was indeed a yang attribute cultivation technique. Upon mastering it, one’s attacks would be augmented with immense destructive force.

Having suffered a tragic defeat against them, they went to investigate the other party, so they were well aware of the basic information surrounding them.

“The food provided by the Alliance Head Residence consists mainly of food that seeks to revitalize, such as spirit beast meat and medicinal herbs. Am I right about that?” Zhang Xuan asked.

In truth, the Alliance Head Residence also provided the same food to the members of the other sects and empires as well.

Spirit beast meat, savage beast meat, and even precious medicinal herbs rich in spiritual energy were used in the cooking so as to nourish and energize the exhausted participants.

“That’s right!” Zhao Feiwu nodded her head.

She was involved in the choosing of the ingredients for the food, so she was well aware of this matter.

“What would happen if a cultivator practicing a yang attribute cultivation technique consumes extremely nourishing food?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“His cells will become lively, and his flow of zhenqi would hasten…” Pavilion Master Kang replied.

It had a similar effect to consuming stimulant. After all, if a person rich in ‘hot energy’ were to consume nourishing food, his body would surely be overflowing with energy, resulting in physical restlessness.

Just that… wouldn’t that simply put him in a better condition for battle?

“Under normal circumstances, it would only induce positive effects to the cultivator. However, you’ve neglected an ingredient used in the brewing of the soup. If I’m not mistaken, there is ‘Jade Yin Grass’,” Zhang Xuan said.

“There’s indeed Jade Yin Grass. Even though that grass is known for its cold yin properties, it has the effect of cooling one down and boosting one’s cognitive capacity. On top of that, it is a famous delicacy as well…”

Halfway through her words, Zhao Feiwu suddenly realized something, and her eyes widened.

“It’s indeed a famous medicinal herb, but the problem lies exactly with its cold yin properties. Given that we are still in the midst of the tournament, Qin Lei is likely to be filled with excitement. On top of that, his yang zhenqi and the nourishing food he had consumed left him practically brimming with energy… And at such a moment, a soup containing yin energy was poured over him. I believe even if I don’t explain this, you should understand the consequences of the matter!” Zhang Xuan smiled.

“The abrupt collision of yin and yang; to protect itself, the body would automatically shut its acupoint… If all of his acupoints are closed, that explains why his soul is locked in his body… Y-you actually designed this senario?”

Coming to a realization, the faces of Pavilion Master Kang, Su shi, and the others paled in frenzy.

They thought that Zhang shi had incredible capability to be able to analyze so much regarding Qin Lei; they didn’t expect that it was all a huge ploy set up to trap Qin Lei from the initial pouring of the soup.

Not only was each chain of the plan linked tightly to the next, leaving little room for failure, there was also very little evidence to trace back the matter. If Zhang shi hadn’t explained the matter, they would have probably never realized it. As the person standing in the center of everything, Qin Lei was unlikely to be any wiser than them… His loss was already fixed from the moment Zhang shi’s help was engaged!

This was… way too formidable!

“I just happened to think of it!” Zhang Xuan nodded in response.

In truth, the entire plan lay upon a single fact-Qin Lei had attempted to achieve a breakthrough to Consonant Spirit realm and failed, causing his soul to be damaged. Without this laying the foundation for all the latter theories, it would be impossible to convince the other party of this hoax.

This was how humans worked, as well as a common ploy used by fortune tellers. With a single fact to set the foundation, the parts that came afterward would seem much more believable.

Not to mention, it was based on solid theories known by all 4-star pinnacle master teachers. On the contrary, it would be hard for him not to believe those words instead.

“Since it’s a lie, then… Ruohuan said that he has a solution…”

Suddenly, Pavilion Master Kang recalled what Ruohuan gongzi had just said, and a premonition suddenly struck him.

If this was all a lie, what kind of solution could Ruohuan gongzi offer?

“Just watch on…”

Zhang Xuan gestured to the stage.

The group hurriedly turned their sights over.

At this moment, Qin Lei, after a long internal struggle, sighed deeply and said, “I admit my defeat. I beseech you to impart me the solution to my problem!”

He was already in the top sixteen. Even if he were to fail now, he could still vie for the last two placing of the top ten.

But if his problem wasn’t resolved, his cultivation would be unable to advance any further. Just the thought of it was completely unacceptable to him.

Weighing the pros and cons, he decided to admit defeat and accept the other party’s guidance.

In any case, it was just a matter of time before he killed this fellow. What harm was there to give a little glee to a dying man?

“Admit defeat? Qin shi actually admitted defeat?”

“It seems like Ruohuan gongzi’s words were spot-on!”

“Impressive! We weren’t even able to recognize the battle technique and yet he had managed to see through even the flaws in Qin shi’s cultivation. When did Ruohuan gongzi become so impressive?”

“I think I saw him consulting Zhang shi just a moment ago. Do you think that it’s possible that this is all Zhang shi’s doing?”

…

Qin Lei admitting defeat was huge news that generated an enormous uproar amongst the crowd.

One must know that there was a huge disparity in the capability between Ruohuan gongzi and Qin Lei. This huge reversal had sparked thoughts in the minds of many.

Many of them had seen Ruohuan gongzi seeking Zhang shi’s pointers during the break previously.

“Since you’ve admitted defeat, I’ll help you then!”

Hearing the other party admit his defeat, Ruohuan gongzi began trembling in agitation, knowing that he had gotten into the top eight. “Actually, the solution is simple. Your Qinzhen acupoint is only sealed temporarily due to some external stimulus. As long as you rest well tonight, you’ll be fine tomorrow…”

“Rest well tonight?”

Qin Lei widened his eyes in shock. His vision went dark, and a mini explosion occurred in his head.

If he still couldn’t tell that he had been played a fool, he would be unbefitting as a 4-star pinnacle master teacher.

“I’ll kill you…”

Howling furiously, he prepared to charge over angrily.

“Alright, a loss is a loss. On top of knowledge and physical strength, the Master Teacher Tournament also seeks to assess one’s adaptability. It’s due to your own ignorance that you were deceived, you shouldn’t pin the blame on anyone else!”

Hong shi flicked his sleeves, and Qin Lei immediately stopped with a stagger.

Given that Qin Lei had willingly admitted defeat after being duped, there was no one he could blame for it.

“I…”

Since even Hong shi was speaking up, Qin Lei knew that there was nothing else he could do at this point. His teeth bit tightly on his lips out of rage, and fresh blood regurgitated at the back of his throat, threatening to spill at any moment.

What the heck was this. He had marched onto the stage so confidently, only to be fooled by someone else… and not to mention, he actually willingly admitted defeat!

Damn it… Jun Ruohuan, if I can’t kill you, I’ll abandon my name!

Qin Lei howled furiously inside.

…

The results were out, Ruohuan gongzi had successfully advanced to the next round. As soon as he got off the stage, he immediately turned to look at Zhang shi in agitation.

In truth, when he first read the content on the paper, he thought that he would surely be beaten to death. He never thought that he would actually succeed!

Top eight of the Master Teacher Tournament… This was a result he never thought would be possible!

“Thank you, Zhang shi!”

He clasped his fist respectfully.

It was still a while ago that he still tried to compete with this young man over everything. But at this point, such a notion vanished completely from his mind.

This fellow may seem a little dense on the surface, but if one were to try to compete with him, one would only end up utterly defeated.

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony. Given how badly Qin shi was scammed, he will surely apply for a Life-and-Death Duel against you. For now, you should think of how you would face him first!” Zhang Xuan said.

“Un!” Ruohuan gongzi nodded in response.

If two master teachers had an irreconcilable grudge, they could apply for a Life-and-Death Duel to resolve the matter once and for all.

Given how badly Qin Lei was humiliated before such a huge crowd, there was a good chance that he would apply for one right after the tournament. If the headquarters were to give their consent, Ruohuan gongzi would have to face him.

But still, the headquarters rarely consented to Life-and-Death Duels unless in extreme situations. And even if it did, Ruohuan gongzi wouldn’t necessarily lose to the other party.

In truth, the paper that Zhang shi gave him contained major flaws on the other party’s cultivation and battle techniques, and he had already memorized them all. As such, it was impossible to tell who would be the one destroyed in a Life-and-Death Duel.

Putting aside the matter, Ruohuan gongzi warned with a grave expression, “Zhang shi, your opponent for this round is Wei Changqing of the Zijin Sect. I’ve heard that this fellow is extremely formidable, so you must be careful later on!”

The lots were only drawn at the initial phase, and the matching would follow by a certain fixed format afterward. The person Zhang shi would face was Wei Changqing, a formidable genius of the Zijin Sect.

“You’ve heard of him?” Zhang Xuan asked curiously.

“Even though he’s not in the top ten of the list of contenders, it doesn’t mean that he’s incapable… His greatest flaw is only his lacking cultivation; just like you, he’s a Transcendent Mortal 3-dan pinnacle cultivator! To be able to get into the top sixteen despite his lacking cultivation, I’m sure you can imagine how talented he is in other aspects!”

Ruohuan gongzi’s eyebrows shot up. “I spectated his previous match, and he used his supporting occupation as a blacksmith to force his opponent to admit his defeat!”

“Un!”

Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had seen the match too, and honestly speaking, that fellow was indeed impressive.

Without true capability, it was nigh impossible for a Transcendent Mortal 3-dan pinnacle to triumph over a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan in smithing.

As smithing wasn’t one of Zhang Xuan’s supporting occupations, it would be impossible for the other party to challenge him in this field… But if the other party were to challenge him in a duel of pill forging… that may prove to be a little troublesome.

Chapter 594: Duel of Beast Taming

While he was a 4-star apothecary, he had only gotten his emblem through Pill Discourse. Pill forging was still impossible for him!

In a match of pill forging, Zhang shi, being unable to forge anything at all, would surely lose tragically.

But still, given that pill forging required significant preparation, it was unlikely to appear in the Master Teacher Tournament.

“In any case, you just have to know that he is impressive in his supporting occupations, and you shouldn’t accept any duel of that sort!” Ruohuan gongzi advised.

Wei Changqing’s cultivation was lacking, but he excelled in his supporting occupations. Knowing this, Zhang Xuan could use his right to reject a proposed dueling format once to vie for better conditions for himself.

While the Myriad Kingdom Alliance group was discussing this issue, an air of desolation seemed to be floating around the group from Zijin Sect.

“That Zhang shi has been barging his way through every single obstacle with astounding means. I fear that there’s very little hope for you!” an elder from Zijin Sect lamented with a deep frown etched on his forehead.

“That monster seems to possess no weakness at all, how are we supposed to compete with him?”

No one here thought well of their own participant.

If it was anyone else, even if the person was Luo Xuan, they would surely give it their all. But against that freak, they simply couldn’t see any hope at all, and a wave of helplessness overwhelmed them.

“I can’t help but admit that he’s nearly flawless as a master teacher too, but I find it hard to believe that his astounding capabilities… could extend to his supporting occupations too!” Wei Changqing narrowed his eyes.

He specialized in his supporting occupations, and he had absolute confidence in that field.

“I’ve had someone look into it, and his four main supporting occupations are namely 5-star appraiser, 4-star formation master, 4-star physician, and 4-star beast tamer!”

Wei Changqing lifted up his fingers and counted, “My four supporting occupations are 4-star blacksmith, 4-star tea master, 4-star painter, and 4-star beast tamer! The only common supporting occupation we have is beast taming, but this is more than sufficient!”

“More than sufficient? It can’t be that you intend to challenge him in beast taming?” The elders of the sect glanced at one another. “Beast taming is an extremely troublesome process…”

If one wished to compete in the field of supporting occupation, both competitors must share the same supporting occupation. Otherwise, if only one side was learned in the field, there would be no point to the duel at all.

While Zhang Xuan did have other supporting occupations such as apothecary and painter, they hadn’t reached 4-star yet. As such, the only viable option was beast taming.

Unaware of the rules, Zhang Xuan was still worrying over the latter challenging him to a duel of pill forging.

However, beast taming required one to be close to a spirit beast, and sometimes, this process could take several years…

On the other hand, the duel for the Master Teacher Tournament had to be completed within an incense’s time.

There was a clear lack of time for this!

“Don’t worry, I’ve an idea in mind. In the field of beast taming, I’ll never lose out to him!” A gleam flashed across Wei Changqing’s eyes.

“It’s good that you’re confident, but make sure not to force yourself…”

“Indeed. Even if you were to lose, do be polite to the other party. We’ll make sure to reward you greatly when we return back to our sect!”

“Otherwise, you might as well admit defeat now. Our sect will at least be able to retain its pride…”

None of the elders had much faith in him.

“…” Wei Changqing’s eyes twitched uncontrollably.

Are you on my side or Zhang Xuan’s side?

It’s one thing for you not to support me, but to actually advise me to admit defeat… Just the thought of it left him speechless!

‘Humph, Zhang Xuan. I’ll defeat you so as to shut these old fogeys up!’

Gritting his teeth, Wei Changqing howled frenziedly within.

Clenching his fists tightly, he proceeded to the stage.

This match was no longer about the top ten placing anymore, what was at stake was… his dignity.

If he wished to retain his dignity, he would have to defeat Zhang shi and prove his capability!

…

On the stage labeled D, looking at the young man opposite to him, Wei Changqing gritted his teeth tightly.

Seeing the other party’s hostile gesture, Zhang Xuan was stumped.

It should be his first time meeting the other party, why did the other party look as though he had killed his father and claimed his wife?

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan tried asking, “Have we met before?”

“We have never met before! But I’m determined to defeat you!” Wei Changqing declared furiously. “I decide to challenge you to a duel in our supporting occupation, that is… beast taming! Do you dare to accept the duel?”

“Beast taming?” Not expecting the other party to propose such a dueling format, Zhang Xuan frowned. “How would this match go?”

“Simple. Since you’re a 4-star beast tamer, you would surely have your own tamed beast. Why don’t we call our tamed beasts over, and we’ll give one another an incense’s time to interact with each other’s tamed beast. Whoever commands the greater degree of loyalty from the other party’s tamed beast will be deemed the winner!” Wei Changqing said.

“Exchange tamed beasts to tame for an incense’s time… Are you certain about it?” Zhang Xuan looked at the other party with a bizarre expression.

The other party’s intent was clear-I’ll tame your tamed beast while you tame mine; whoever manages to induce more loyalty from the other party’s tamed beast will be the victor.

This was a common competition format between beast tamers.

Just that… this fellow really wanted to compete with him in beast taming?

“Of course!”

Wei Changqing sneered coldly. “Why? To think that the most popular contender for the champion seat would actually fear my beast taming ability? Are you that fearful of me?”

“Alright then!”

Seeing that the other party was serious in his proposed duel format, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

…

“Compete with Zhang shi in beast taming? Is that fellow… mad?”

Hearing the content of the duel, Zhao Feiwu stared at the fool with a gaze brimming with sympathy.

You must be unaware that Zhang shi only took two breaths to tame the Demon Cinque Beast. To actually challenge him to this… Are you that desperate to find some excitement in your dull life?

I’ve seen people with suicidal tendencies, but you seem to top the list…

The mouths of Pavilion Master Kang and the others twitched.

Even though they had never witnessed Zhang shi taming a beast, they had heard of it from Hall Master Han Chong of the Beast Hall personally on the day of the selection round.

A spirit beast which even he was unable to tame despite years of effort, Zhang shi actually managed to turn it into a loyal guard for his residence. Are you certain that you can win?

…

“Seems like this will be an interesting match to watch. Wei Changqing is a famous genius beast tamer, and I’ve heard that he has once participated in a beast taming competition and became the champion!”

“I’ve heard of the same as well. Zhang shi really shouldn’t have accepted this challenge. Unlike the other duels, a duel of beast taming won’t be just about one’s own capability. One would have to possess sufficient resources in one’s possession as well!”

“It might be hard for him to advance to the top eight…”

…

Contrary to Zhao Feiwu and the group’s sympathetic expression, the other master teachers, ignorant of Zhang Xuan’s astounding feats, had a grave expression on their faces.

Beast taming is an expensive occupation which demands one to have sufficient treasures in one’s possession.

Otherwise, if one couldn’t even attract the spirit beast’s attention, how could one possibly induce loyalty in the latter?

The Myriad Kingdom Alliance was clearly much poorer than the Zijin Sect; in terms of beast taming, the latter was in an advantageous position.

“Look, the both of them have summoned their tamed beasts over!”

Amidst discussions from the crowd, a huge gust of wind suddenly blew in the air above them. Two gigantic spirit beasts flew over and landed on the stage.

They were Demon Cinque Beast and Wei Changqing’s tamed beast.

Zhang Xuan glanced over.

The other party’s tamed beast was a gigantic Beryline Spirit Beast. It was at Transcendent Mortal 4-dan primary stage-far weaker than Demon Cinque Beast.

“This is your tamed beast?”

Wei Changqing had thought that the other party’s tamed beast would be around the same cultivation realm as his, and he was confident in winning significant loyalty from it. Who knew that the other party’s tamed beast would turn out to be so powerful? Wei Changqing’s face immediately collapsed, and tears brimmed in his eyes.

It would be amazing if a normal Transcendent Mortal 3-dan pinnacle expert could tame a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan spirit beast… and yet, you actually tamed a Consonant Spirit realm fellow? How in the world did you do it?

“Feel free to go first. I’m in no hurry!”

Zhang Xuan gestured. After which, he turned to Demon Cinque Beast and said, “Wei shi over here hopes to tame you, so do cooperate with him!”

“Roar?”

Demon Cinque Beast was stunned for a moment. It twisted its gigantic head to the young man not too far away, and in an instant, the young man felt a huge pressure on his soul. It was as if his soul was placed into a furnace which would burn him into cinders.

“I…”

Feeling the immense pressure on him, Wei Changqing’s mouth twitched. His body couldn’t help but shudder, and he nearly spurted blood.

This… If I can’t even get near to it, how in the world can I tame it?

Flicking his wrist, Wei Changqing took out a jade bottle and said, “Brother Demon Cinque, this is the blood essence of a Transcendent Mortal 5-dan spirit beast that I prepared for you. May I know if you would be interested in it?”

Prying the jade bottle open, a dense concentration of spiritual energy immediately surged into the surrounding.

Blood essence of a Transcendent Mortal 5-dan spirit beast!

“What a generous offer!”

“Indeed! This single bottle is probably worth a minimum of a dozen middle-tier spirit stones!”

“You’re giving a very conservative estimate; chances are it would be much higher than that. There’s no spirit beast who wouldn’t be tempted by that. Zhang shi is really in trouble this time round!”

“Seems like Wei Changqing came prepared…”

Seeing the generous offer, a huge commotion broke out below.

The blood essence of a stronger spirit beast posed irresistible attraction to a weaker spirit beast. There were countless spirit beasts who would submit before such a treasure.

It was no wonder Wei Changqing dared to challenge Zhang shi to such a duel. It seemed like he came prepared.

If Zhang shi couldn’t offer anything more valuable than that, he would surely lose this match.

“Roar!”

Seeing the Transcendent Mortal 5-dan spirit beast blood essence, Demon Cinque Beast’s eyes lit up. It immediately lifted its thick claws and snatched the jade bottle over.

“Ah?”

Not expecting the other party to simply snatch the blood essence over, Wei Changqing panicked, “There’s no need to hurry. As long as you promise to become my friend, I’ll give it to you… Y-you… What are you doing? The heck!”

He thought that he would surely win the other party’s goodwill with the spirit beast blood essence in hand. Who knew that before a shadow would come crashing down on him before he was done speaking. Before he realized it, he was already beneath the other party’s claws.

“You… return my spirit beast blood essence…” Wei Changqing roared furiously, but before he was done with his words, he felt the force of the claw pressing down on him intensifying.

Putong!

An indentation appeared on the stage, and Wei Changqing was pushed into the ground.

“I…”

Wei Changqing was on the verge of tears.

No matter what, he was a 4-star master teacher, as well as a respected beast tamer. To be smashed into the ground by a spirit beast… The stifled feeling in his heart left him extremely frustrated and frenzied.

“Listen to me… As long as you let me go, I have better things to offer you… Pu!”

But just like before, the pressure pushing down on him was hiked up yet another notch before he was done speaking. Snap! His ribcage creaked, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted from his mouth.

In the next instant, he suddenly felt an ache on his finger-his storage ring had been taken away by the gigantic spirit beast on top of him.

“You…”

Wei Changqing was about to go insane.

No matter what, you’re a Consonant Spirit realm spirit beast, and you already possess some degree of intelligence. Shouldn’t you try to uphold your dignity rather than snatch whatever you want as though a willful child?

While he was spewing blood, he heard the Demon Cinque Beast above him howl. Following which, with a tinge of peculiarity, Zhang shi’s voice sounded, “My Demon Cinque Beast says that… as long as you submit to it and become its tamed human, it will return your storage ring to you…”

“Submit? Tamed human? Pu!”

Wei Changqing’s vision went dark.

Big Brother, I’m here to tame your spirit beast, not to have your spirit beast tame me…

Chapter 595: What Are You Feigning Death For?

Back on Coax Ridge, the Demon Cinque Beast had been a bandit of the region. Even the Alliance Head Residence and the Beast Hall were unable to do anything about it. Those who dared challenge it were either killed or pummeled and thrown to some remote corner of the world.

Yet, this fellow actually dared to try and tame it. He could be considered lucky to have survived until now!

Roar!

Waving the spirit beast blood essence and storage ring with its claws, Demon Cinque Beast roared once more.

“Cough cough!”

Zhang Xuan coughed before translating sheepishly, “It wants you to drink the spirit beast blood essence…”

As Demon Cinque Beast was his tamed beast, he could communicate with it directly through his soul even if he didn’t comprehend beast language. It wasn’t too difficult for him to understand such simple expressions of the other party.

“Drinking the blood essence of a spirit beast…” Wei Changqing burst into tears.

Spirit beast blood essence was only effective against spirit beasts! If a human were to drink it, not only would it be ineffective, he might even find scales or hair growing all over him, as though a monster… or in the worst-case scenario, it might even spell death!

After all, not everyone possessed Heaven’s Path zhenqi to neutralize the violent energy contained within the blood essence.

Roar!

Seeing no movements from the person under it, Demon Cinque Beast roared once more as it opened the jade bottle and tried to stuff it in the other party’s mouth.

“Zhang shi, save me! I-I won’t try to tame it anymore…”

Wei Changqing’s face immediately paled in fright, and his soul nearly drifted out of his body.

Judging from the other party’s vigorous actions, it seemed as though the Demon Cinque Beast wanted him to eat the jade bottle on top of the spirit beast blood essence. If he didn’t beg for mercy now, he would be dead soon.

What the heck is this?

He confidently declared that he would tame the other party’s spirit beast, but… this huge fellow simply refused to follow conventions.

There was no spirit beast, even tamed ones, who could resist the allure of Consonant Spirit realm spirit beast blood essence. Upon sight, they would immediately fawn on him in hopes of obtaining it. Yet, this huge fellow thought of it as trash, and even tried to feed it to him…

Will you be glad only after I’m dead?

To think that a 4-star beast tamer would end up crushed under a spirit beast and be tamed by the latter instead, what in the world was this…

Seeing that Wei Changqing would really die if this were to go on, Zhang Xuan reprimanded, “Alright Demon Cinque, that’s enough!”

“Roar!”

With a disappointed look, Demon Cinque lifted its claws and walked over to the side of the stage. As for the storage ring and the jade bottle of spirit beast blood essence, it didn’t seem like it had any intentions of returning them.

You must be jesting, these are my spoils of war. You want me to return them? Dream on!

“Cough cough!”

Spewing another two mouthfuls of blood, Wei Changqing struggled to his feet with a ghastly white face.

He hadn’t even begun his taming when he was already left on the verge of death by a spirit beast. If word were to get out, he would be too ashamed to call himself a beast tamer… He would simply be mocked!

He hesitantly turned around to look at Demon Cinque Beast, hoping to get back his storage ring and spirit beast blood essence, only to meet the latter’s glare instead. A shiver went down his spine.

How could he possibly get back his stuff like that? The other party’s glare seemed to be saying, “It is already out of utmost benevolence on my part that you’re still breathing now.”

Tears streamed down Wei Changqing’s face.

I am here to find prestige… Why does it seem like I’m only embarrassing myself here?

“It seems like you didn’t obtain the slightest loyalty from my tamed beast… Is there any point pushing on with the duel?” Zhang Xuan asked.

The winner of the duel would be the one who managed to induce a higher Loyalty Level from the other party’s tamed beast. Since Wei Changqing didn’t obtain the slightest shred of loyalty from Demon Cinque Beast, he was already fated to lose. There wasn’t any point in continuing with it.

“Of course we should go on. Beast taming hinges on luck; you might not fare any better than me. If you were to fail as well, it could end in a draw…”

Wei Changqing gritted his teeth as he spoke.

There wasn’t much time left. Even though he wasn’t able to tame Demon Cinque Beast, the other party might not be able to win the loyalty of the Beryline Spirit Beast.

It might just end in a draw!

At the very least, he would be able to retain some of his dignity this way.

“Are you certain?” Zhang Xuan asked the other party with a peculiar expression.

“Of course!”

Seeing the Zhang Xuan’s expression, Wei Changqing thought that the other party was unconfident. Regaining his confidence, he sneered coldly, placed his hands behind his back, and turned to his tamed beast, “Beryline Spirit Beast, Zhang shi over here will be trying to tame you. As long as you stand your ground and get back at him for me, I’ll give you whatever you want when we return home. I can even find a suitable Ancient Bloodline to induce a Bloodline Evolution for you…”

“Roar!”

Hearing its owner’s promise, Beryline Spirit Beast’s large eyes gleamed in determination as it hurriedly nodded its head.

“Shameless! How can one be so shameless!”

“Indeed. Zhang shi told Demon Cinque Beast to cooperate with him, and yet he actually told his tamed beast to not give in no matter what happens! How is Zhang shi supposed to tame the Beryline Spirit Beast like that?”

“That is cheating!”

“This is supposed to be a fair duel, and yet, he gave his tamed beast such orders. Does he have no dignity?”

…

Hearing Wei Changqing’s words, a huge uproar broke out amidst the crowd below.

Zhang shi had told Demon Cinque Beast to cooperate with you. You were the one who lacked the capability to do so and ended up being beaten up instead!

And now that it is the other party’s turn, you actually gave such orders to your tamed beast, even offering a huge incentive for it…

Do you have any pride?

Since this is a duel of beast taming, the conditions should at least be fair. What happened to the magnanimity a master teacher should possess?

“Embarrassing, how embarrassing!”

The various elders of the Zijin Sect clasped their faces. They didn’t expect a genius of their sect to resort to such underhanded tricks.

What is this…

With this, even if they were to win the Master Teacher Tournament, they would be too ashamed to face anyone.

…

“I’ll be starting then!”

Seeing that the other party hadn’t given up yet, Zhang Xuan shook his head with a bitter smile before turning to look at Beryline Spirit Beast.

“Roar!”

Roaring furiously, Beryline Spirit Beast, like Demon Cinque Beast, tried to crush Zhang Xuan under its claws.

It had seen how its master had suffered under Demon Cinque Beast, and it intended to get back at Zhang shi for this.

However, it only possessed a cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 4-dan primary stage. It couldn’t pose any threat to Zhang Xuan at all.

With a sidestep, Zhang Xuan dodged the attack and retaliated with a slap.

Pah!

A resounding slap struck Beryline Spirit Beast’s giant face. Before that giant fellow could react, it was already twirling in the air before being face-planted into the ground, leaving behind two gigantic, twitching feet exposed.

Zhang Xuan possessed the strength that rivalled even a Consonant Spirit realm intermediate stage expert, a might exceeding two million ding. Even a Spirit realm low-tier weapon would shatter before such immense might! If not for him holding back, Beryline Spirit Beast would already be crippled at this point.

Not to mention, the other party’s movement was too fast for it to even perceive, let alone retaliate. Beryline Spirit Beast stood no chance against Zhang Xuan from the very start.

“What?”

“With a single slap, he actually face-planted a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan spirit beast?”

“How much strength does it take to achieve such a feat?”

Everyone was flabbergasted.

Spirit beasts were blessed with superior physiques. With their powerful might and formidable defense, human cultivators of the same cultivation realm were hardly a match for them. In other words, this Transcendent Mortal 4-dan primary stage Beryline Spirit Beast would be match for even a Transcendent Mortal advanced stage cultivator.

Yet, it was actually face-planted helplessly into the ground with a single slap… What kind of monstrous strength did Zhang shi possess?

Isn’t that a little… way too fearsome?

Below the stage, the lips of Wu Tianhao, who had been recovered from the building and was currently spectating the duel, twitched in fright.

He thought that it was only a stroke of fortune that the other party managed to throw him off the stage. If he had been a bit more careful, he would not have lost. But at this moment, he realized that… it was a stroke of fortune that he was only thrown into the sky! If the other party had directed that slap at him then…

… his head might not have been attached to his neck right now…

“You said that he’s weak in physical duels?” Wu Tianhao glanced at his friend. “I’ll sever my friendship with you!”

“…” Wu Tianhao’s friend.

…

“Wait a moment. While Zhang shi does have the upper hand in a physical duel, if he continues to beat Beryline Spirit Beast up like that… how can he win the other party’s loyalty?”

“That’s right!”

“If Zhang shi fails to induce the slightest bit of loyalty in Beryline Spirit beast, won’t the duel end in a draw?”

“Damn it, Zhang shi should have been the winner. Once a draw occurs, things will get troublesome!”

After recovering from the shock, everyone came to a realization.

In a conventional beast taming process, one would take out alluring treasures that a spirit beast couldn’t reject to win its goodwill.

On the contrary, beating up a spirit beast would only result in an irreconcilable grudge with it.

As a 4-star beast tamer, Zhang shi should of aware of this! Why did he lay his hands on Beryline Spirit Beast then? Not to mention… his blow was exceptionally heavy!

Such actions would only incur the resentment of Beryline Spirit Beast. Not only would he not win the Loyalty Level of it, he would even be hated.

“Haha, let’s see what are you going to do now…”

Not expecting Zhang Xuan to be so reckless as to lay his hands on Beryline Spirit Beast, Wei Changqing nearly burst into laughter.

He had spent two entire years offering all kinds of treasures for the other party to choose, even hunting and sleeping with it before he managed to tame it.

Yet, this fellow actually sent such a heavy slap to it! Given Beryline Spirit Beast’s proud nature, it would be a huge blessing if it didn’t charge up to tear him apart.

To achieve a positive Loyalty Level under such a situation? Impossible!

Even though he failed to obtain the loyalty of Demon Cinque Beast, the other party also failed with Beryline Spirit Beast. If so, it would be a draw!

In fact… in terms of good will, he might even be said to be the winner!

Dang!

Just as Wei Changqing was trembling with delight, a tong sounded-an incense’s time was up.

An incense’s time was only a rough gauge for the duration of a match, but even so, it meant that the competitors should start wrapping up to determine the winner.

Zhang Xuan didn’t have any time to resort to any tricks anymore. It could be said that Wei Changqing was in a safe position already.

Humph!

Didn’t you all say that I should admit my defeat, and that I would surely lose?

Look, I’ve managed to achieve a draw with even the strongest contender of the tournament. Let’s see what else can you say…

The more he thought about it, the more excited he felt. Turning to the young man before him, he spoke proudly, “Zhang shi, since you failed to tame Beryline Spirit Beast and I failed to tame Demon Cinque Beast, why don’t we call it a draw?”

“A draw?”

“Indeed. In fact, given how you laid your hands on Beryline Spirit Beast and incurred its resentment, it can be said that you’ve already lost in terms of good will…” Wei Changqing said.

You all spoke of magnanimity? Here it is!

It should have been clearly Zhang shi’s loss, but I allowed him to go off with a draw…

“Resentment?”

Just as Wei Changqing was still immersed in his delight, the young man before him shook his head and kicked the gigantic legs twitching above the ground. “What are you feigning death for? Hurry up and acknowledge your new master!”

Huala! Roar!

Following which, Beryline Spirit Beast hurriedly plucked itself out of the ground, rushed to Zhang shi excitedly, and knelt down. It cuddled up to Zhang shi with its head, as though a cute pug fawning over its master.

“What?”

Wei Changqing’s body stiffened, and his eyes nearly fell to the ground.

How could this be?

Didn’t the other party just beat it up? Why was it acknowledging the other party as its master now?

Can anyone tell me what in the world is going on?!

Chapter 596: Sword Duel

Wei Changqing found himself standing on the brink of insanity. It was just a moment ago that he offered such a huge incentive to Beryline Spirit Beast for it to resist the other party’s taming.

And yet… in the blink of an eye, it had already betrayed him. Isn’t there a mistake somewhere?

If the other party had offered something beyond him, such as a higher-tier spirit beast blood essence, Wei Changqing would have conceded. But what the other party offered was a resounding slap instead…

Where did the pride you had when I tamed you go? Do you have any dignity?

“Beryline Spirit Beast, what are you doing? Have you already forgotten that you’re my spirit beast?”

Blood rushed to Wei Changqing’s head as his face reddened in rage. Roaring loudly, he stomped forward.

As my spirit beast, how can you kneel and fawn over another? If even this could be tolerated, there would be nothing in the world that couldn’t be tolerated!

Hu!

But before he could get close, a gigantic claw suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Peng!

Kicked squarely in his chest, Wei Changqing was sent flying backward, and blood spurted wildly from his mouth.

“You…”

Wei Changqing was frenzied. The one who struck him wasn’t anyone else but his own tamed beast!

To think that he would be kicked by his own tamed beast while giving it a piece of his mind. It seemed like the latter had really betrayed him…

I spent two years to tame you, and the money I spent on you is sufficient to build even a castle. And yet…

Just the thought of it caused another mouthful of blood to spurt from Wei Changqing’s mouth.

Big Brother, isn’t this going a little too far…

“Zhang shi… managed to tame Beryline Spirit Beast?”

“Furthermore, with just a single slap?”

…

While Wei Changqing was busy spewing blood, the crowd spectating the commotion also felt as though their heads were bursting apart. The sight before them was simply too inconceivable for them to accept.

Was this a supernatural encounter, a paranormal sight, or an occult occurrence?

With just a single slap, Zhang shi actually managed to tame Beryline Spirit Beast to the point that it didn’t even recognize its own master anymore, even kicking the latter away…

Why did it sound so fantastical?

“So this is… Zhang shi’s Beast Pummeling Taming Method?”

Pavilion Master Kang, Su shi, and the others found their lips twitching uncontrollably.

When they heard of it from Zhao Ya, they took it with a tinge of skepticism; after all, the very notion of it was simply too ridiculous. But upon seeing it, they realized that it was even more ridiculous and fearsome than what they had imagined.

To make a spirit beast betray its master and become subservient to one with a single slap, how in the world does this work?

“How humiliating!”

The various elders from Zijin Sect grasped their faces once more.

“Cough cough, you don’t need to kowtow anymore. I’ll take you in as my tamed beast!”

After Beryline Spirit Beast kicked Wei Changqing away, it started kowtowing profusely, in fear of being rejected.

Roar!

Seeing that the other party had agreed to it, Beryline Spirit Beast stood up, walked over to the edge of the stage, and stood beside Demon Cinque Beast as though an underling. Indescribable excitement glowed in its eyes. With a proud gaze, it glanced at Wei Changqing, whose face was trickling with blood.

“…”

Wei Changqing clutched at his own chest, stifled.

It was only at this moment that it suddenly struck him-the reason why Zhang shi kept asking him if he was certain. It wasn’t that the other party was unconfident… the other party was just afraid that he would be humiliated too badly.

If only he’d known, he wouldn’t have clutched on to his pride and defied the words of his sect elders. He would have just admitted defeat obediently.

Not only did he lose his storage ring and spirit beast blood essence, his sole tamed beast even betrayed him. In just a single duel, he had lost all of his wealth…

Just as he was thinking this, Zhang shi’s voice suddenly sounded. “Does this count as my victory?

“If you still have any disagreements, we can go another round…”

“There’s no need for it! I admit defeat.” Wei Changqing face paled in fright, and he hurriedly shook his head.

Go another round?

Just a single round could put me in such a tragic state. If I were to go another round, who knows whether I would be alive by the end of it or not.

Seeing the other party admit his defeat, Zhang Xuan smiled in satisfaction. Then, he turned to Demon Cinque Beast and gestured.

“Demon Cinque, return his possessions to him!”

“Roar?”

Demon Cinque Beast’s face was filled with indignation, but eventually, it still returned the jade bottle and the storage ring.

“This…”

Wei Changqing was taken aback.

Demon Cinque Beast had stolen these from him in the midst of his beast taming, and after his shameful actions, there would be no one who would protest even if Zhang shi were to take these things for his own. But to his surprise, Zhang shi actually chose to have it returned to him.

“Demon Cinque is lacking in propriety so do pardon him for his actions. It isn’t easy for you to accrue such wealth, so it is only right for me to return these to you!” Zhang Xuan said impassively.

“Zhang shi…”

Wei Changqing’s eyes reddened.

This is what a true master teacher should be like!

To win, Wei Changqing had shown an unsporting attitude and resorted to many underhanded tricks. Despite this, the other party overlooked it and defeated him honestly. On top of that, the other party didn’t fault him on his behavior either, going to the extent of even returning the confiscated goods…

This magnanimity… He felt as though he was nothing more than a clown. Compared to the other party, his actions were truly laughable.

‘From now onward, I shall be Zhang shi’s loyal follower. I’ll make anyone who dares to talk bad about him apologize!’

Clenching his fists tightly, Wei Changqing made a vow in his heart.

Formidable master teachers had their own followers as well. These followers would help to build the master teacher’s reputation and bring glory to his name.

To become a great master teacher respected throughout this vast continent, followers were a necessity.

Zhang Xuan couldn’t have expected that this casual whim of his would actually make this 4-star master teacher a follower of his.

Wei Changqing’s loss meant that Zhang Xuan had successfully progressed to the next round. Soon, the other stages also came to a conclusion, and the top eight candidates were out.

Luo Xuan and Liao Wuzhi, the two most popular contenders for the champion seat, were among the group. What that surprised Zhang Xuan was that Song Chao was also among the group. It seemed like even though the latter seemed a little dull-witted before him, he still possessed incredible capabilities.

With his help, Ruohuan gongzi was also within the group. However, the competition was extremely intense at this stage, and it would be difficult for him to progress any further than this.

Hong shi soon announced the pairings of the next match.

“Alright, let’s begin the round to determine the top four. I’ll announce the matches now. On stage A, Jun Ruohuan of Myriad Kingdom Alliance will face Luo Xuan of Fleeting Cloud Sect. On stage B, Bi Jianghai of Gazing River Sect will be facing Song Chao of Blue Frost Sect… On stage D, Zhang Xuan of Myriad Kingdom Alliance will be facing Liao Wuzhi of Frigid Gale Sect!”

“Liao Wuzhi?”

Hearing the name of his opponent, Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

He had heard of this name before. It was the genius second to only Luo Xuan on the list of contenders for the champion seat.

He didn’t expect to meet him in the round to determine the top four.

“Zhang shi, you must be careful of Liao Wuzhi. I’ve watched his previous matches, and all of them were physical duels. Furthermore, he won every single one of them with astounding might each time!”

Su shi stepped forward and said. “Take the last match where he fought against a candidate of White Helios Sect for example, with just three slashes of his sword, his opponent was no longer able to raise his arm anymore and was forced to surrender!”

“Three slashes?”

“Un. In the entire tournament, the maximum number of moves he made with his sword was only three slashes. In fact, in the first round, he didn’t even draw his sword. He was able to knock out his opponent with just the sheath itself,” Su shi said with a grim expression.

Zhang Xuan’s previous matches coincided with Liao Wuzhi’s, and as such, he hadn’t really seen much of the other party’s duels.

“Even though he’s only at Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle, if my eyes fail me not… his true strength is comparable to even a Half-Consonant Spirit realm master teacher!” Su shi said.

Zhang Xuan nodded in response.

If what Su shi said was true, Liao Wuzhi was indeed formidable.

One must know that master teachers, with their keen eye of discernment and vast knowledge of cultivation in itself, are considered to be invincible within their power class. To be able to defeat a master teacher of higher cultivation realm is an incredible feat in itself.

“It’s about to start!”

After discussing a moment longer, Zhang Xuan saw the other party walking over to the stage, and thus, he began walking over without any hesitation as well.

At this moment, the aura shrouding Liao Wuzhi seemed to have reached the peak. His very presence was reminiscent of the sharp edge of a sword.

As soon as Zhang Xuan stepped onto the stage, Liao Wuzhi immediately said, “Zhang shi, I challenge you to a sword duel!”

“Sure. It just so happens that I’ve learnt a new sword art recently, and I’ve yet to try it out.”

Zhang Xuan smiled lightly.

He didn’t say those words out of humility; those words were the absolute fact. Not only had he never used the sword art before, he had never even practiced it before.

In other words, he had only emulated the sword art in his mind ever since learning it. As such, he wasn’t sure about exactly how strong it would be.

And this sword art was the enhanced version of Heaven’s Path Sword Art that he tidied up on his way to the Glacier Plain Court.

The Heaven’s Path Sword Art, Heaven’s Path Spear Art, and other Heaven’s Path battle techniques started out as movements, but beyond that point, it was hinged mainly on conception. A difference in conception could result in vastly different results for the same set of movements.

As such, master swordsmen were able to train through their thoughts; they didn’t need to go through the physical motions with a sword in hand.

To have not executed a sword art that one has learned and not know how powerful it is… Zhang Xuan was probably the only one in the entire history of the world.

Seeing the other party agree to it, Liao Wuzhi smiled. Then, he turned to Hong shi and said, “Hong shi, I’ve a request that I’d like to make!”

“Speak!” Hong shi nodded.

“I wish for a private duel with Zhang shi. I hope that you can accede to my request!” Liao Wuzhi said.

“You want a private duel? Alright, I can agree to that!” Hong shi nodded.

Given that Zhang shi was a powerful adversary, the chances were that Liao Wuzhi would have to resort to his trump cards, and it was understandable why he wouldn’t want his trump cards to be exposed in public.

As such, his request was reasonable.

In any case, everyone here was a master teacher, and there was no one who would be so shameless as to deny their own loss.

Hu!

Hong shi snapped his fingers, and a mist immediately rose in stage D, hiding it from the sight of others. Even a Consonant Spirit realm expert would be unable to peer through it.

“It’s a pity that we’ll miss out on such an exciting duel!”

“Indeed. Liao Wuzhi possesses incredible aptitude in swordsmanship while the depth to Zhang shi’s ability has yet to be uncovered. I thought that I could learn some things from their duel, but it turns out they will be conducting it in private… How frustrating!”

“Then, who of the two do you think would win?”

“My bet is on Zhang shi. There hasn’t been an opponent in the tournament who could match him so far. Liao shi might be powerful, but it is unlikely that he would be a match for him.”

“I disagree with your view. Liao shi’s aptitude in swordsmanship could be said to be unmatched by any of his peers. It’s like you didn’t see the previous duels he had; there was no one who could withstand the immense might of his swordsmanship. Given how skilled Zhang shi is in fist art, he must have devoted most of his time to it. There is a good chance that he might be lacking in his swordsmanship!”

…

The most anticipated duel ended up being a private one. Everyone couldn’t help but find it a huge pity.

“Shh, I think their duel… has already begun!”

Suddenly, someone amidst the crowd shouted. Following which, the guards and soldiers in the surroundings suddenly felt their swords in their hands shake, and an agitated metallic call sounded from their resonance.

“This is… Call of the Myriad Swords, Roar of the Dragons! But which of the two of them… has achieved Sword Heart realm?”

Chapter 597: Imparting Sword Art

Call of the Myriad Swords, Roar of the Dragons; this phenomenon was a manifestation of Sword Heart realm. Upon reaching such a level of mastery in swordsmanship, one’s sword would be granted spirit, allowing one to wield it as though it was one’s own limbs. To a master swordsman, this enhanced level of control could easily translate into a twofold increase in fighting prowess.

Those who had achieved this realm were already qualified to establish their own sects and start their own lineage of swordsmanship.

In fact, most of the current sect leaders and emperors in the world hadn’t even reached such a level yet. Just which of the duo in the mist was the one who had reached this astounding level of mastery, causing the innumerable swords out here to bow down to him?

And who was the one filling the entire stage with sword qi, leaving the crowd below with goosebumps?

“It must be Liao Wuzhi. Our two sects are stationed at the foot of the mountain beyond Myriad Kingdom City, and he has been practicing his swordsmanship by the waterfall every morning. The metallic echo of his sword reverberates through the entire valley, gushing up into the heavens. Back then, I realized that even if he hadn’t reached Sword Heart realm, he must at least be at Sword Intent realm pinnacle!”

“Now that you spoke of it, I suddenly remember seeing the marks he left behind in his training once. Through the manifestation of sword qi, his swings could easily reach a distance of several zhang (10 – 30 meters). That day, when I coincidentally walked by his training location, I realized that all of the marks on the ground are of equal depth! Most probably, only a person who has achieved Sword Heart realm would be capable of such precise control!”

“Well, Liao Wuzhi isn’t called the Unparalleled Sword Genius of the Frigid Gale Sect for nothing, after all.”

“Indeed. One who has achieved Sword Heart Realm is practically undefeatable among those of the same cultivation realm. Not to mention, Zhang shi’s cultivation is lower than the other party from the very start. I’m afraid the latter’s chance at victory is extremely slim!”

“I don’t share your viewpoint. On the contrary, I think that Zhang shi is the one who has reached Sword Heart realm! It’s not like you didn’t see the miracles he has created in past few rounds…”

…

Sensing the manifestation of seemingly endless sword qi within the mist, grave looks appeared on the faces of the master teachers below the stage.

“Sword Heart realm?”

Wu Tianhao’s body trembled.

His initial thought back then was to challenge Zhang shi to a sword duel instead of a fist duel. He thought that given his mastery in swordsmanship, the duel would be a walk in the park for him. How could he have known that Zhang shi would accept the fist duel?

Thus, he thought that if he had another chance to challenge the other party, he would surely propose a sword duel straight away. But after sensing the clash of sword qi before him, he lost all of his confidence.

Even if Zhang shi wasn’t the one who had comprehended Sword Heart realm, given how he could rival such an expert, his swordsmanship couldn’t possibly be poor.

At the very least, he knew he wouldn’t stand a chance against a Sword Heart realm expert.

“Can Zhang shi… win?”

Pavilion Master Kang and the others were worried.

“Don’t worry, he’ll surely win. Just that…” Zhao Feiwu’s eyebrows knitted together.

“Just that?”

Knowing that the Second Princess was close with Zhang shi, the others immediately turned their attention to her.

“Without a doubt, Zhang shi’s swordsmanship has already reached Sword Heart realm!” Zhao Feiwu revealed.

Back then, on Xuanyuan Kingdom’s Heaven’s Altar, Zhang shi has displayed the might of a Sword Heart realm expert. Standing atop the back of an aerial spirit beast then, Jin Conghai and her had seen everything clearly.

Along with the rise in his cultivation, his level of comprehension in swordsmanship must have been deepened as well. She had no doubt that the person who had gotten into the Sword Heart realm within the mist was him.

Even if that wasn’t the case, she was confident that Zhang shi’s swordsmanship mastery was in no way lower than this.

“Just that… he doesn’t have any suitable weapons…” Zhao Feiwu continued.

Zhang shi had risen too quickly. Even though he managed to accrue sufficient spirit stones to fuel his cultivation, he hadn’t been able to find a suitable weapon for himself.

Back at Honghai City Formation Master Guild, he even had to borrow the weapons of others to inscribe a formation plate.

While one’s swordsmanship mastery was important in a sword duel, one’s weapon also played a pivotal role. If one didn’t have a decent weapon to rival the weapon of one’s opponent, one would be immediately placed in a disadvantageous position.

“H-how… can this be?”

Pavilion Master Kang and the others were stunned.

With a teacher as formidable as Yang shi, they thought the one thing Zhang shi wouldn’t lack was cultivation resources. Who could have known that he wouldn’t even have a Spirit middle-tier sword? To fight against a formidable sword genius in a sword duel without a decent sword… how could he win?

If only they had known in advance, they would have surely gotten one for him. Now that the duel had already begun, they couldn’t interfere anymore.

“It’s too late to do anything, we can only have faith in Zhang shi!”

Zhao Feiwu shook her head.

While the group was still worried for Zhang shi, a voice suddenly sounded from the mist, “Hong shi, please release the formation!”

“The battle has ended?”

Everyone was stunned.

If the formation was going to be released, did it mean that there was already a conclusion to the duel?

But how much time had passed? Making a rough estimate, it seemed like it hadn’t been even two minutes since the start… A victor was already decided in this short period of time?

This was way too fast!

Hu!

Amidst perplexed gazes, the mist slowly scattered, revealing two silhouettes.

Zhang shi and Liao Wuzhi were still standing at their original position before the duel, as though nothing had happened before. There wasn’t the slightest wound or cut on their bodies either. It should have been a perilous sword duel, but on the surface, it seemed as though the fight hadn’t even started.

“This… So who won?”

“I’ve no idea either… but where is Zhang shi’s sword?”

“You’re right. Isn’t this a sword duel? Why isn’t Zhang shi wielding a sword?”

“It can’t be that Zhang shi has admitted defeat?”

…

The crowd quickly realized that, while there was a sharp sword in Liao Wuzhi’s hand, Zhang shi’s hands were completely empty. It was impossible to tell whether he had put the sword back into his storage ring or he didn’t take anything out in the first place.

It was impossible to discern who won or loss from this alone.

Just as the crowd was speculating the situation…

“I lost!” Liao Wuzhi declared suddenly. He shook his head and put his sword back into his storage ring.

“Liao shi lost?”

“What happened?”

A huge commotion immediately broke out after the shocking admit of defeat.

What in the world did Zhang shi do in that two minutes to make the Sword Genius Liao Wuzhi admit defeat so willingly?

“Zhang shi’s swordsmanship has reached a profound level that is far beyond me!”

Ignoring the shocked gazes from the crowd below, Liao Wuzhi stepped forward and clasped his fist, “I’ve reached Sword Heart realm primary stage, but I find myself unable to progress any further than that. May I ask Zhang shi to enlighten me as to how I should proceed from here onward?”

He was the only one of the entire Frigid Gale Sect to have reached Sword Heart realm, and thus, he could only slowly progress through trial and error. But at this stage, he found himself completely clueless as to how he could further progress.

Even though the person before him was even younger than him, his comprehension of swordsmanship was far beyond his own. If the other party could offer him some pointers, he would surely be able to climb to even higher heights.

“You want my pointers?”

Even though Zhang Xuan didn’t expect Liao Wuzhi to ask for his guidance so directly, he nodded his head impassively and raised his hand. “Pass me your sword!”

“Yes!”

Liao Wuzhi’s eyes lit up upon hearing those words. He immediately took out his sword and passed it to the other party.

With a flick of his finger, Zhang Xuan drew the sword, and a stifling cold gleam immediately reflected into the surroundings.

“Zhang shi… is going to offer some pointers to Liao Wuzhi?”

“That seems to be the case. But… if it’s just offering pointers, why can’t he use his own sword? After all, the sword has already acknowledged Liao Wuzhi to be his master. If the sword spirit were to resist Zhang shi’s control, he would be unable to fully display the might of his swordsmanship!”

“Indeed, how bizarre…”

…

A deep frown appeared on everyone’s forehead after seeing Zhang Xuan asking for Liao Wuzhi’s sword.

A Spirit-tier sword possessed spirit, and as long as the master it had recognized was still alive, it would be hard for anyone else to wield it. Since Zhang shi was going to display his impart some pointers to the other party, why couldn’t he use his own sword?

Just as the crowd was perplexed as to what Zhang shi was doing, the sword in the latter’s hand suddenly released a crisp call.

“Spirit Euphoria, the sword wants to acknowledge him as its master?”

“He made Liao shi’s sword acknowledge him just by touching it?”

Everyone was stunned.

One must know that making a Spirit-tier weapon acknowledge one as its master was an extremely troublesome process. There were many people who would spend years wiping their sword daily, treating it with utmost care and concern, and had yet to succeed. On the other hand, Zhang shi, with a single touch, actually induced Spirit Euphoria from Liao shi’s sword…

Wasn’t this way too unbelievable?

Liao Wuzhi clearly didn’t expect this either, and his eyes widened in shock.

Back then, he had spent half a year of effort, during which, he even nourished it for an entire month with his own blood, before successfully making the sword submit to him.

Yet, the other party, with a single touch, won the loyalty of the sword… Was the gap between the both of them really this big?

While he was overwhelmed with shock, Zhang shi’s impassive voice sounded.

“Look carefully, I’ll only show it to you once!”

Thus, he quickly calmed himself down and focused his attention on the other party.

The crowd below also fell silent. Everyone’s eyes were widened, and they dared not blink in fear of missing out even the slightest detail.

To defeat Liao shi who had comprehended the Sword Heart realm, they wanted to see how far Zhang shi had progressed in the path of swordsmanship.

Hu!

Amidst everyone’s intense gazes, the sword in Zhang Xuan’s hand moved.

The sword which was emitting a stifling cold gleam a moment ago seemed to have lost its glow and strength in Zhang shi’s hand. The blow seemed to carry no weight behind it at all; at the same time, it felt like a movement from the extension of his hand-there was no dissonance in that simple movement at all.

Huala!

The cut was made toward Liao Wuzhi. After shooting past him, it quickly retracted. Even though there was minimal force behind the movement, it was extremely fast, so there were many who failed to catch its full motion.

Danglang!

Zhang Xuan sheathed the sword, threw it back to the other party, and walked off the stage.

“What a fast sword art!”

“Is this Zhang shi’s comprehension of swordsmanship?”

Everyone stared at one another in incomprehension.

Even Liao Wuzhi himself was confused.

While Zhang shi’s sword was fast, he could easily emulate that speed with his strength. In fact, he could go even faster than that… If this was all there was to it, there was nothing he could learn from this!

Hu!

Amidst his confusion, a wind suddenly blew, and a hair from his forehead was lifted into the air before slowly floating down.

“With his previous movement… he severed a strand of my hair?”

Seeing the floating strand of hair, Liao Wuzhi’s eyes narrowed.

Given his lush hair, to sever a single hair precisely without cutting any other, the other party’s control over his sword had reached an absurd level!

As expected of Zhang shi, fearsome!

“Zhang shi severed a hair with his sword without Liao shi noticing?”

“What kind of swordsmanship is that? How powerful must one’s control of the sword be to achieve such a feat?”

“I have no idea… But this is probably the very pinnacle of Lower Sword Heart… Perhaps, it might even be at the level of Middle Sword Heart!”

“Middle Sword Heart?”

Everyone fell silent in shock.

If they hadn’t witnessed such a sight for themselves, they would have never believed that anyone in the world would be able to control their weapon so precisely.

“Zhang shi, I thank you for your pointer…”

Liao Wuzhi clasped his fist respectfully.

Zhang Xuan departing figure suddenly stopped and asked, “Did you understand it?”

“I understand. The reason why Zhang shi severed a single hair is to tell me to refine my control over my sword…” Liao Wuzhi quickly stated his own understanding of the situation.

But before he was done speaking, Zhang shi shook his head. His back beneath the moonlight seemed to slump slightly in disappointment. “It seems like… you didn’t understand it!”

After which, he flicked his wrist lightly.

Hu!

Another wind blew, and the hair instantaneously split into dozens of segments which danced in their surroundings.

“It… wasn’t a single slash?”

Liao Wuzhi’s face immediately paled.

Chapter 598: Duel of Knowledge Impartation

It was impossible for the wind generated from the movement of the other party’s sleeve to sever the air. There was only one possibility to the current situation-Zhang shi’s previous movement wasn’t just a single cut… it was dozens of cuts!

However, these cuts didn’t sever the strand of hair entirely, making it seem as though it was still whole. It was only under the tug of the light breeze that they came to the limit of their durability and broke into dozens of segments.

Glancing downward to look at the floating segments of the strand of hair, he realized that each segment was of equal length, and the point of severance was smooth.

Even slicing a strand of hair with a sword was extremely difficult even for a Sword Heart realm expert, to consecutively cut a strand of hair dozens of time without severing it… How insane must one’s level of control be?

Liao Wuzhi’s body trembled uncontrollably. No words could express his emotions at this moment.

He’d thought that he had understood the other party’s pointer, but from the start to the end… he was merely scratching at the surface!

This wasn’t just mere control anymore. Rather, his sword had become a part of his body and gained ‘sensitivity’. That was the only plausible reason as to why he could accurately gauge the depth of each cut so it could be split apart with a slight breeze instantaneously…

Coming to a realization, he quickly lifted his head, only to realize that Zhang shi had already left the stage.

‘I’ll work hard so as to not let you down!’

Replaying the motion of Zhang Xuan’s sword in his head, Liao shi realized that this was a huge opportunity for him. Clenching his fists tightly, he walked down the stage and returned back to his group. In an instant, numerous elders of the Frigid Gale Sect immediately surrounded him.

“How did you lose just now? He didn’t seem to be holding a sword just now, what did he use to defeat you?”

The group was still bewildered by the happenings before.

Zhang shi didn’t seem to have even taken out his sword at all. But if that was the case, why did Liao Wuzhi admit defeat?

“What did he use to defeat me?”

Remembering the sight from before, Liao Wuzhi smiled bitterly before saying, “A finger…”

“A finger?”

Everyone was dumbstruck.

…

Luck no longer played as heavy a role in the battle for the top four. Song Chao and Ruohuan gongzi were forced to stop at this point. Other than Zhang Xuan, the other three who managed to qualify for the next round were all 4-star pinnacle master teacher, Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle experts.

As if trying to not let the expectations of the crowd down, they were all the most popular contenders for the champion seat as well.

This was especially so for Luo Xuan. In the fight against Ruohuan gongzi, he had achieved a near perfect victory.

While it was regrettable that Ruohuan gongzi had to stop here, he was already content. If not for Zhang shi, he might have been eliminated in the selection round. How else could he have possibly gotten into the top eight and gain the opportunity to study at Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy?

“For the next round, Luo Xuan of Fleeting Cloud Sect will be fighting against Bi Jianghai of Gazing River Sect, and Huang Zheng of Cascading Sand Sect will be fighting against Zhang Xuan of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance!”

Hong shi revealed the matching for the round.

“Huang Zheng of Cascading Sand Sect? The fellow who is placed fourth on the list of potential contenders for champion?”

Zhang Xuan glanced at the young man on the stage.

Placed in the fourth rank, this fellow was in no way inferior to Liao Wuzhi, be it his strength or his cultivation.

“Un. Zhang shi, be careful. Even though the dueling format Huang Zheng proposed in each match has been different, he still won every one of them with ease. His true capability is fearsome! In fact, I’m even thinking that he might have hidden his true strength!” Pavilion Master Kang said with a grim expression.

He had been paying attention to Huang Zheng’s duels, and even though the latter had chosen different dueling formats for each round, he was still able to triumph over his opponent easily. The latter’s capability seemed to be greater than what he had predicted.

In fact, the latter didn’t seem to lose out to Luo Xuan at all.

“It matters not who he is; having to face Zhang shi, he should be the one who’s worried!” Zhao Feiwu smiled.

“You’re right…” Pavilion Master Kang laughed awkwardly.

He had been worried that Zhang shi would be unable to survive the full tournament due to his lacking cultivation, but after the duels with Wu Tianhao and Liao Wuzhi, such a thought had vanished completely from his mind.

Zhang shi was just like an invincible God of War. Those who faced him in battle would meet tragic ends that would totally shatter their confidence.

While Huang Zheng had shown spectacular results in his previous matches, that was only because his opponents were someone else. Against Zhang shi… it was unlikely he would fare any better than the others.

Seeing the group’s confidence in him, Zhang Xuan smiled bitterly before walking up to the stage.

Huang Zheng was already on the stage at this point. Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, he clasped his fist and greeted, “Zhang shi!”

“Huang shi!” Zhang Xuan also returned the gesture.

“I wish to challenge Zhang shi to a match of knowledge impartation!” Huang Zheng said impassively.

“Knowledge impartation?”

“Un. The rules are simple. A hundred people will be randomly chosen from the square, and we’ll conduct our lectures simultaneously. Impartation of Heaven’s Will is banned in the duel. At the end of the lecture, whoever manages to awe more people to acknowledge him as their teacher will be the victor!” Huang Zheng revealed the rules.

Even the same dueling format could have different types of rules. But of course, if one were to find it unfair, they were allowed to reject it.

“I’ll accept your challenge!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

…

“Knowledge impartation? And Impartation of Heaven’s Will is banned? Isn’t this a little too much!”

“Indeed. Impartation of Heaven’s Will is a symbol of master teacher’s power, as well as their greatest strength. How could a match of knowledge impartation do without it?”

“Huang shi surely has it planned out well. Based on the previous experiences, it would be difficult to win against Zhang shi in any type of dueling format. However, knowledge impartation is different. Sometimes, no matter how good a teacher’s lecture is, if a student doesn’t simply doesn’t like it, he wouldn’t benefit much from it. As such… luck plays a significant role in this challenge as well. On top of that, Impartation of Heaven’s Will is banned in the challenge as well… It’s hard to tell who will win!”

“Indeed…”

Hearing the content of the competition, discussions broke out amidst the crowd.

Knowledge impartation didn’t hinge solely on the reputation and capability of the teacher only, there were many other factors in play as well. It was just like how even the most perfect of beings couldn’t possibly win the amity of everyone.

Human emotions are fickle, and this would be the greatest variable of them all.

Zhang shi might be able to win with absolute certainty in other types of duel, but this… it would be hard to say for sure.

As expected of one of the most popular contender for the champion seat, Huang Zheng was able to come up with a countermeasure swiftly and propose a dueling format that was the most advantageous to him.

Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t stand a chance at all.

…

The rules were simple, and since both sides had no objections, they started making preparations for the duel.

Soon, a hundred people were seated on the stage. Some were the guards from Myriad Kingdom Alliance while some were just ordinary spectators.

Having been chosen to listen to the lectures of two great master teachers, the eyes of the hundred people glowed in excitement.

This was a godsend for them. It was not every day that one got to listen to the lecture of two genius 4-star master teachers.

“The cultivation realm of the group ranges over a wide spectrum, so why don’t we just talk about some of the more fundamental knowledge behind cultivation instead? Otherwise, if we were to decipher a specific cultivation realm instead, those with lower cultivation realm would not understand, and those with higher cultivation realm would find it pointless!” Huang Zheng said.

The cultivation realms of the hundred people chosen ranged from Fighter 1-dan to Transcendent Mortal 3-dan. If they were to lecture on the cultivation of Transcendent Mortals, those still in the Fighter realm wouldn’t understand. On the other hand, if they were to decipher the cultivation of Fighters, the ones who had transcended that realm would simply yawn in boredom.

Only fundamental knowledge applicable to cultivation in general could pique all of their interest simultaneously.

“Alright!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

He was fine with this decision. He might be lacking in other topics, but in terms of fundamentals in cultivation… even Kong shi might not necessarily be able to speak better than him if he were here.

The fundamentals compiled by the Library of Heaven’s Path was completely devoid of flaws, and this was one feat that no master teacher could possibly achieve.

“Alright. The both of us will use telepathy to relay our lecture to the group, and they’ll be allowed to listen to the lecture of whoever they prefer. The time limit is an incense’s time, and whoever wins the acknowledgement of members of the group after the time is up will be the winner!”

Huang Zheng explained the content of the duel before waving his hands. “Let’s begin then!”

“Un. You go first!”

Zhang Xuan gestured patiently with a smile.

“I won’t stand on ceremony then!”

A glint flashed across Huang Zheng’s eyes, and he began on his lecture.

As he used telepathy to relay the content of his lecture, there was no one beneath the stage who could hear anything.

After listening to the other party’s lecture for a while, Zhang Xuan felt that the other party’s deciphering of the fundamentals wasn’t too bad and nodded his head in commendation. Only then did he step forward and begin as well.

…

“The duel has begun!”

“But given that the both of them are lecturing simultaneously, how does the listening group decide on whom they should listen to?”

“Simple, they’ll just listen to the lecture which content attracts and benefits them!”

“You’re right. Although most cultivators are incapable of multi-tasking, it isn’t too difficult for them to filter off the words of one side!”

Seeing that the duel had begun, discussions immediately sounded from the crowd.

“Who do you think will win this match?”

“It’s hard to say, but my bet is on Zhang shi again!”

“If Impartation of Heaven’s Will was allowed, Zhang shi surely wouldn’t have any problem. But given the rules, it’ll have to depend on whose fundamental knowledge of fundamental is stronger…”

“Considering the larger collection of profound books in the Cascading Sand Sect, Huang Zheng seems to be in a far better position!”

…

There was no one below who wasn’t curious about how this would turn out. Since they were unable to listen to the content of the lecture, they focused their attention on the group on the stage in hopes of being able to discern something.

But it was a pity that their hopes fell flat.

The group listening to the lecture seemed to have been hypnotized. They were indeed listening attentively with a look drunk in pleasure, but it was impossible to tell whether the cause of it was Zhang shi’s lecture or Huang shi’s lecture.

Just as everyone was curious to see the results of the duel, someone amidst the crowd suddenly shouted, “Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai’s duel has ended…”

The crowd immediately turned their sights to the other stage and saw that the duel had come to an end.

Bi Jianghai’s eyebrows were arched upward. He was carrying a disposition reminiscent of a majestic dragon, unassailable by any.

On the other hand, Luo Xuan, the most popular contender for the champion seat, was standing opposite to him. He was shaking his head with slightly disappointed expression.

“What happened?”

“Who won?”

Seeing this sight, everyone was taken aback.

Bi Jianghai came from humble origins, and he wasn’t even among the top ten contenders for the champion seat. As such, everyone thought that he would surely end in defeat against Luo Xuan. But why does the scene tell a different story instead?

“Luo shi lost!” a master teacher who was spectating the duel said. His voice was tinged in disbelief, as though he found his own words hard to believe as well.

“Luo shi is the strongest contender for the champion seat, how could he possibly lose?”

There were many among the crowd who found this conclusion inconceivable.

“The both of them competed in a duel of cultivation. The both of them are equals, or rather, Luo shi was in a slightly more advantageous position. Logically speaking, he should have been able to win. Who could have thought that… with a stroke of good luck, Bi shi managed to achieve a breakthrough in the midst of the duel, reaching Consonant Spirit realm!”

That master teacher smiled bitterly.

“Achieve a breakthrough?”

“Consonant Spirit realm?”

Everyone was stunned.

Chapter 599: Give Me a Moment, I’ll Go Make Some Breakthroughs First!

Consonant Spirit realm was the first difficult hurdle of the nine dans of Transcendent Mortal. There were innumerable cultivators who found their footsteps stopping altogether at Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle.

This hurdle required one’s soul to be perfectly harmonized with one’s physical body. This balance was difficult to achieve even if one were to focus all of one’s effort into it. To do so in the midst of a battle… Wasn’t this Bi shi a little, no, way too lucky?

That was a realm that innumerable cultivators dream of! To actually succeed in such an unlikely situation…

“It isn’t surprising that Luo shi would lose under such circumstances. After all, that is Consonant Spirit realm!”

“While luck did play a role in Bi shi sudden breakthrough, the previous hard work he put into his cultivation and his guts were also crucial to creating this miracle. It seems like Bi shi is the true dark horse of this tournament!”

“He has remained humble all along, but at a crucial moment, he still managed to turn the tables around. Impressive!”

…

After finding out what happened during the duel, everyone was impressed.

Facing an equal in a duel was already a difficult feat in itself. To actually attempt a breakthrough at this moment, how much guts must it take for this?

Putting aside how powerful Bi shi was before, just his mental fortitude in itself was already extraordinary.

Even though Luo Xuan lost, considering his opponent, there was nothing for him to regret.

“Now the result of this match is out, let’s see whether Zhang shi or Bi shi will win in that duel…”

Since one match of the semi-finals was over, everyone turned their attention back to the other stage. They were curious to see which of the two geniuses would clash over the champion throne.

“They have stopped the lecture!”

“Un. The time is up, so it’s about time for them to wrap things up!”

Amidst mutters from the crowd, the hundred people seated cross-legged on the stage slowly opened their eyes, and an excited gleam flashed across each and every one of their eyes.

It seemed like this incense’s time lecture session had brought them immense benefits, resolving many problems they had faced in their cultivation.

“Who won?”

“I still can’t tell. We’ll have to see who the hundred people on stage will choose to acknowledge!”

“Un!”

Knowing that the conclusion to the match was near, everyone’s hearts beat anxiously. They quickly turned their glances over, curious to see who would emerge victorious.

With the end of the lecture, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief as well.

Even though he was confident in his lecture, he had no way of telling how the hundred people would choose.

After all, without Impartation of Heaven’s Will, the credibility of his words would be significantly lower. On top of that, they would also find it harder to comprehend some of the more profound and abstract concepts.

‘I’ve already tried my best, I can only wait for the results now!’

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan decided not to think too much into it. Thus, he turned his sight to the crowd and said, “Everyone…”

Zhang Xuan was just about to ask who was willing to acknowledge him as their teacher when a silhouette suddenly flashed across his eyes. A person had kneeled before him.

“Zhang shi, please take me in as your student. I’ll surely study hard so as to not let you down…”

“Huang shi, what are you doing?”

Taking a closer look at the face of the kneeling person, Zhang Xuan leaped in fright.

It was no other than his opponent, Huang Zheng!

Even though the both of them were conducting their own lectures, they could still listen to the content of the other party’s lecture. The content of Zhang Xuan’s lecture was incredibly profound, but he had managed to express it in a simplified form that anyone could easily comprehend.

“What?”

“Right after the lecture, before the others could make their decision, Huang shi has already tried to acknowledge Zhang shi as his teacher?”

“Can anyone tell me what is going on?”

“To make a 4-star pinnacle master teacher kneel with just fundamental knowledge… Just what in the world was spoken in the lecture?”

“Indeed! Furthermore, Impartation of Heaven’s Will wasn’t used at all throughout the lecture!”

…

The crowd below flew into a frenzy.

Based on Zhang shi’s previous feats, it was entirely possible for him to beguile Huang shi into kneeling before him. But… Impartation of Heaven’s Will was banned in the duel, and the content of the lecture was only fundamental knowledge of cultivation…

For Huang shi to kneel down just like that…

What in the world happened?

It was such an intense duel, but before the results were out, the other party had already kneeled down to acknowledge the other party as his teacher… No matter how composed the crowd was, they still felt as though their heads were about to be blown away from shock.

Must everything be so exaggerated?

“Zhang shi, we would also like to come under your tutelage…”

But that wasn’t the end of it. Every single one of the hundred cultivators on stage quickly rushed forward and kneeled before Zhang Xuan as well. Their eyes gleamed in earnest respect for the latter.

“All one hundred of them chose Zhang shi?”

In an instant, the entire square fell completely silent.

If two master teachers of the equivalent ranks were to conduct a lecture simultaneously, the result would usually be around half on both sides. After all, knowledge impartation in itself was subjective, and one’s choice could be easily influenced by one’s own emotions… And yet, all hundred cultivators actually chose to acknowledge Zhang Xuan as their teacher.

What in the world did he talk about to impress every last one of them?

On top of that, he even captured the heart of a 4-star pinnacle master teacher in the midst of doing so!

This… Even a 5-star master teacher wouldn’t be capable of such a feat!

“Alright, you all should get up. Regardless of the final result, I’ll conduct a lecture for everyone at the end of the tournament!” Zhang Xuan also didn’t expect so many to acknowledge him at once, and he couldn’t help but feel a headache.

“Yes!”

Hearing Zhang shi agreeing to conduct a lecture, the group nodded their heads and took a step back.

“In this round… Zhang shi is the victor!”

Seeing that everyone had finally calmed down, Hong shi nodded his head and announced the result.

“Don’t pull me, I must acknowledge Zhang shi as my teacher…”

Just as Hong shi was about to announce the final round, a scream of agony sounded. Shooting a glance over, his lips twitched uncontrollably.

Huang shi, who had walked onto the stage haughtily a moment ago, was kneeling earnestly before Zhang shi, unwilling to back down at all. In the end, he had to be dragged away by his fellow peers in the sect, but even so, he still continued shouting as though a lunatic.

“Sigh, this fellow is a goner…”

Seeing this scene of madness, Hong shi shook his head.

As a 4-star pinnacle master teacher, it struck him even more vividly how profound Zhang Xuan’s comprehension of cultivation was, and as such, he also suffered the greatest ‘side effect’.

Looking at the other party’s state, it seemed like he would never compromise until Zhang shi took him in as his student.

There was not a single round that Zhang shi didn’t pass without breaking anything. He didn’t even spare his fellow humans as well-those who faced him were either severely injured or went insane…

What the heck was this?!

It was as if shattering artifacts wasn’t sufficient to satisfy him. He had to destroy every last shred of the confidence of his opponent as well.

“Alright, we’ll rest for ten minutes before the champion round. Zhang shi will be facing… Bi shi!”

Ignoring the completely flabbergasted faces of the crowd below and the convulsing Huang Zheng, Hong shi announced the results.

Thus, Zhang Xuan walked down from the stage.

“Zhang shi, Bi shi has managed to reach Consonant Spirit realm in the midst of the round and defeated Luo shi…”

As soon as Zhang Xuan walked over, Pavilion Master Kang hurriedly pulled him to the side and explained the situation of the previous round to him.

“He managed to achieve a breakthrough in the midst of the duel and defeated Luo shi?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

This matter sounded bizarre even to him.

“Indeed. Even though there’s only a thin wall between Consonant Spirit realm primary stage and Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle, it is a whole new world on the other side. I fear that… he will challenge you to a duel of cultivation!”

“There’s no doubt about it, he will surely do that!”

Pavilion Master Kang, Su shi, and the others couldn’t help but feel worried for Zhang Xuan.

Even though Zhang shi was able to win against Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle Liao Wuzhi with his swordsmanship, it would still be difficult for him to face a true Consonant Spirit realm expert.

Consonant Spirit realm represented a perfect harmony between a tempered soul and a body; not only would one’s strength increase by leaps and bounds, one’s reaction speed and flexibility would be significantly enhanced as well.

At this point, one could be said to have stepped into the gateway of becoming a true expert.

It would be difficult to win against Zhang shi in any other challenge, so Bi shi would surely opt for a challenge that could utilize the advantage in his cultivation.

After all, no matter how spectacular Zhang shi’s results were, he was only at Transcendent Mortal 3-dan pinnacle. Regardless of how talented or astute his senses were, it was impossible for him to make up for the gap between two huge cultivation realms to defeat a Consonant Spirit realm expert.

No one had never done so, not even the geniuses in the long history of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

“He will surely propose a cultivation duel to Zhang shi, what should we do… We can reject the proposal, right?”

“Reject? He can just pick another dueling format that is heavily dependent on one’s cultivation realm!”

Everyone was anxious.

Zhao Feiwu couldn’t help but comment, “Considering Zhang shi’s ability to challenge even those stronger than him… if he could make a breakthrough to Clarifying Turbidity realm right now, he might still stand a chance…”

Despite being at Transcendent Mortal 3-dan pinnacle, Zhang shi was able to defeat Liao Wuzhi, who was at Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle. If he could make the leap to Clarifying Turbidity realm right now, he might still stand a chance.

“Make a breakthrough to Clarifying Turbidity realm… That is easier said than done! Already half of the ten minutes resting time is over, do you really think Zhang shi can make a breakthrough within five minutes?”

Hearing her word, a bitter smile surfaced on Pavilion Master Kang’s face as he shook his head.

Cultivating was similar to ascending a mountain. It was impossible to jump to the peak instantly, one could only progress slowly a step at a time.

Zhang shi had already made humongous progress in the past few months. How could he possibly just achieve a breakthrough within this five minutes?

That’s impossible!

Aren’t you pulling our legs?

“You’re right…” Zhao Feiwu shook her head as well. Just as she was about to rummage through her head for another solution, the young man beside her turned around and asked, “You’re saying that as long as I can reach Clarifying Turbidity realm, I’ll stand a chance against him?”

“That’s right…”

Zhao Feiwu nodded her head.

“Alright then. Give me a moment, I’ll go make some breakthroughs…”

Zhang shi nodded. Flicking his wrist, a middle-tier spirit stone appeared in his palm, and he gripped onto it tightly with both of his hands. In an instant, it was as though someone had set his aura ablaze, and his cultivation began raising at a rapid pace.

“Give you a moment?”

“It can’t be that Zhang shi intends to achieve a breakthrough right now?”

“What’s so surprising about that? It’s not like he has never achieved a breakthrough during crucial moments before…”

Hearing Zhang shi’s words, everyone was stunned.

Did you need to be so over the top?

Making a breakthrough as and when you like, do you really think that cultivating is that easy?

But before everyone could recover from their shock, they heard a buzz. Zhang shi seemed to have broken through some kind of barrier, and his aura rose swiftly.

“Transcendent Mortal 4-dan… Clarifying Turbidity realm?”

The mouths of Pavilion Master Kang and the others twitched.

We thought that you were just saying it on a whim, but you were actually serious about it?

Feeling the disruption in the spiritual energy in the air, from a distance not too far away, Bi Jianghai turned his gaze over to look at the Myriad Kingdom Alliance group.

He thought that he would be able to deal with Zhang shi easily now that he had reached Consonant Spirit realm. Who knew that the other party would actually make a breakthrough as well…

Zhang shi, is there anything in the world that you can’t do?

“No, I mustn’t allow him to continue on like that. Otherwise, I’ll surely lose the tournament…”

Gritting his teeth, Bi Jianghai dashed up to the stage, flung his sleeves, and declared, “Zhang shi, surely we should have already rested enough already. Since everyone is waiting, why don’t we just start now?”

“Start now?”

“He must feel threatened by Zhang shi’s breakthrough!”

“Indeed! Zhang shi has just barely made a breakthrough and he hasn’t had any time to reinforce his cultivation yet. Under such circumstances, he won’t be able to utilize his full strength, and it seems like Bi shi intends to exploit this opening. After all, once Zhang shi succeeds in reinforcing his cultivation, things might get shaky for Bi shi.”

Seeing Bi Jianghai proposing to resume the duel halfway through the break, the crowd frowned.