Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 600

Chapter 600: Finals (1)

“Transcendent Mortal 4-dan Clarifying Turbidity realm. ‘Clarify’ refers to the soul whereas ‘turbid’ refers to the body. Usually, right after the breakthrough, the ‘clear’ and the ‘turbid’ would still be intermixed together as though a puddle of murky water. If Zhang shi was given an hour’s time for the ‘turbid’ to settle, his fighting prowess would surely soar greatly. To fight right now… His fighting prowess would still be no different from a Yin-Yang realm pinnacle cultivator!”

“Before the distinction between ‘clear’ and ‘turbid’ is drawn, one’s body and soul would remain stuck together. In the worst-case scenario, Zhang shi’s fighting prowess might even dip due to this.”

“But Bi shi can’t be blamed for this either. In the end, this is a tournament, and if I were in his shoes, I would have done the same as well!”

“The champion seat of the Master Teacher Tournament has always been highly regarded. He couldn’t possibly give up now that the crown is right before him…”

…

There was a significant proportion of the crowd who shook their heads upon seeing Bi shi’s actions.

Master teachers are humans as well, and there is no human in this world that is free of desires. This final duel concerned both prestige and an invaluable high-tier spirit stone. There is no one who could possibly allow this to slip past their fingers.

As such, they were able to empathize with Bi Jianghai as well.

Yin-Yang realm-the harmony of both yin and yang would complement and drive the growth of the other. Upon breaking through to Clarifying Turbidity realm, both yin and yang would amalgamate to form a puddle of murky water. With an hour of conditioning, as the ‘clear’ rose and the ‘turbid’ sank, the distinction between the two would gradually become clearer, thus inducing a surge in one’s fighting prowess. However, as Zhang shi’s opponent, how could Bi shi possibly watch idly and allow him to do as he pleased?

Unwilling to spare the slightest chance to his opponent, Bi shi immediately called for the resumption of the duel. With this, Zhang shi’s breakthrough became the very factor dragging him down.

“Damn it, that cowardly lad!”

“He is completely devoid of the magnanimity a master teacher should have…”

Pavilion Master Kang, Su shi, and the others were leaping in anger.

“Don’t worry!”

Seeing everyone worrying for him, Zhang shi smiled, stood up, and proceeded to the stage.

“Zhang shi possesses overwhelming talent that allows you to rival stronger opponents. Even Wu shi and Liao shi were defeated by you. I respect your strength, and I wish to challenge you in a cultivation duel. I hope that you won’t turn me down!”

Bi Jianghai raised his hands grandly as he spoke.

“Come!”

Just as the others guessed, this fellow challenged him to a cultivation duel. Zhang Xuan smiled lightly in response to those words.

Hong long!

Hearing Zhang Xuan’s affirmation, Bi Jianghai’s eyebrows shot up, and he immediately dashed forward with a fist.

He feared that something awry might happen if he were to drag the duel out, and thus, he went at Zhang shi with his full strength right from the start.

The might of a Consonant Spirit realm diffused from the immense might of his fist, as though the ripples from a rock falling into the surface of a body of water. Before the fist could even strike, one could already feel an immense pressure weighing down on one’s soul.

An ordinary Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle expert possessed 1,600,000 ding of strength while a Consonant Spirit realm primary stage expert harnessed a might of 2,000,000 ding.

The fist felt as though a humongous mountain charging towards one. A huge gust of wind burst into the surroundings.

Even though Zhang Xuan’s cultivation had risen immensely recently, he had never faced an expert of this caliber before. He felt his blood pumping rapidly through his body, and his meridians seemingly enlarged in anticipation of the battle that was about to come.

“Good!”

Laughing heartily, Zhang Xuan dashed forward and faced that fist with one of his own.

Heaven’s Path Divine Fist!

Peng!

With the collision of both fists, Zhang Xuan was forced seven to eight steps back.

In order to examine the might of his physical body, Zhang Xuan opted not to utilize the strength derived from his soul cultivation. As such, he suffered a setback in the very first blow. Nevertheless, with a slight smile on his face, he charged forward once more.

“Humph!”

Seeing the other party charging up to him despite his cultivation still being unstable from the previous breakthrough, Bi Jianghai’s eyebrows shot up.

Even though he didn’t hurt the other party in the previous encounter, he got a clear glimpse of the other party’s current strength-around 1,200,000 ding. That was the level of a Clarifying Turbidity realm intermediate stage expert, but it was still a long way from rivaling his current might.

“Zhang shi, you’re indeed a formidable opponent. Your understanding of cultivation is indeed astounding. But… if this is all you’ve got, I’ll be taking the champion seat then!”

With a huge gust of wind, Bi shi opened his fist into a palm and thrust it forcefully in a downward trajectory at Zhang Xuan.

Hong long!

A huge palm print appeared on the stage instantaneously. As though the claws of a ferocious tiger, it fell down onto Zhang Xuan.

“It’s… Bi shi’s [Great Reversal Adamantine Palm]!”

“This is a Spirit middle-tier pinnacle battle technique! With this move, he is invincible even among those of the same cultivation realm. This is bad!”

“To use his ultimate move at this start of the battle, he sure is vicious!”

…

Seeing the action on the stage, some exclaimed and some gasped in shock.

Great Reversal Adamantine Palm was an extremely powerful fist art, and it was one of the battle techniques that Bi Jianghai specialized in. To use it so early into the battle, it seemed like he intended to end things swiftly.

“Oh? Let’s see how powerful this move of yours is!”

Instead of dodging, Zhang Xuan charged up and faced it with yet another fist of his own.

Peng!

As the fist and the palm collided, Zhang Xuan’s face reddened, and he was sent flying several meters away like a flying rubber ball before coming to a stop.

It was a little forced for him to catch an attack of a Consonant Spirit realm without tapping into his soul cultivation.

“That’s not it, this doesn’t seem to be Zhang shi’s true strength!”

While watching the duel on stage, amidst the crowd, Wu Tianhao frowned.

In his previous duel with Zhang shi, he was sent flying at the first encounter. While he knew that the other party did use his own momentum against him, the strength the other party displayed definitely didn’t just number up to 1,200,000 ding. How could his strength plummet by so much after a breakthrough?

“Indeed. Even if Zhang shi’s strength is inferior to the other party, as long as he uses his sword art like he did in my duel, Bi Jianghai will surely be in for a hard time. Why… is he not leveraging his strengths but facing his opponent with brute strength instead?”

Liao Wuzhi also frowned in confusion.

Having exchanged blows with Zhang shi, they understood how fearsome that young man’s means and might were. Considering the unbelievable capability he had shown in the previous duel, why was he foolishly crossing fists with Bi Jianghai head-on at this moment?

Peng peng peng peng!

While they were perplexed over the matter, the duo on stage crossed blows several more times. Every single time, Zhang shi would use his full might to face the other party, only to end up knocked back pathetically each time.

At this time, Zhang shi seemed no different from a brute who knew nothing but pure violence.

Someone amidst the crowd suddenly shouted, “Wait… Is it just me or is Zhang shi… only using a single hand? I don’t think he has used his other hand throughout the battle?”

Hearing the shout, the crowd suddenly realized that Zhang shi had indeed only been using his right hand throughout the battle. His left hand had been hanging idly by his body, as though it was injured.

“A Clarifying Turbidity realm cultivator facing a Consonant Spirit realm expert with a single hand, what’s wrong with him?”

“Could he be injured? No, that can’t be it. He used that hand when he was demonstrating a sword art to Liao shi just a moment ago…”

“Could it be that he is handicapping himself? But he’s already in a disadvantageous position, why would he do so?”

Everyone also realized that something was wrong, and bewilderment filled their faces.

Only an expert would handicap himself when facing a weaker opponent. Zhang shi was clearly the disadvantageous side, and yet, he was adamantly using only a single hand?

“Wait… It looks like a spirit stone… I think Zhang shi is holding a spirit stone in his left hand!” a sharp-eyed master teacher exclaimed.

“Holding a spirit stone? It can’t be… He is trying to absorb spiritual energy while battling to achieve a breakthrough?”

“Now that you say it, it does seem to be the case. But to cultivate in the midst of a battle… Am I dreaming?”

“I think that’s really the case. Taking a closer look now, Zhang shi’s aura does feel significantly stronger than before!”

…

Noticing the abnormality, the master teachers in the square stared at one another with sheer disbelief reflected in their eyes.

Zhang shi was actually grabbing a spirit stone in his motionless hand. This means that… he had been absorbing spiritual energy non-stop over the course of the battle to reinforce and advance his cultivation!

But how was that possible?

“Incredible! Incredible!”

Naturally, Pavilion Master Kang also noticed this abnormality. A thought surfaced in his mind, and in an instant, his heart suddenly quickened in agitation.

“In Clarifying Turbidity realm, the clearer the distinction between the ‘clear’ and the ‘turbid’, the stronger one’s cultivation becomes. But to do so would require significant amount of time… Zhang shi knows that he’s short on time… The reason why he faced his Bi shi’s attack with brute force instead of skill is not because he’s arrogant, but that he intends to use the might from the other party’s blows to quicken the separation process and raise his cultivation!”

“Forcefully quicken the separation process of ‘clear’ and ‘turbid’?”

“This… How in the world does he intend to do it?”

Su shi and Ling shi had been trapped in the Clarifying Turbidity realm for a long time now, but they were still unable to advance to pinnacle-tier. Upon hearing that such a method actually existed, they widened their eyes as though they had seen a ghost.

“Bi Jianghai has also barely reached Consonant Spirit realm. Thus, his control over his soul and physical body is still incomplete. As a result, his attacks are tinged with both soul energy and zhenqi. Zhang shi is exploiting this by facing the other party’s zhenqi and soul with his own zhenqi and soul respectively. Through this, he can forcefully jolt his body and soul apart…”

A combination of shock and admiration shrouded Pavilion Master Kang’s face. “If Zhang shi was a puddle of murky water before, through tapping into the might of the other party’s cultivation, he has already jolted the ‘turbid’ and ‘clear’ apart, reinforcing his cultivation. In fact, his cultivation is even rising swiftly at the moment!”

“Making use of his opponent’s attacks to jolt the ‘turbid’ and ‘clear’ apart to raise his cultivation?”

“This… This is too exaggerated!”

Su shi and the others widened their eyes in shock.

The other master teachers who came to the same conclusion also had looks of disbelief on their faces.

To exploit the opponent’s flaws to raise one’s cultivation in the midst of a battle… If Bi Jianghai were to realize it, he would surely be spurting blood at this moment. He had put his full might into his blows, only to be used by the other party as a whetstone.

“When I was watched Bi shi achieve a breakthrough in his previous duel, I was impressed by his guts and mental fortitude. But after seeing Zhang shi’s performance… I realized that his achievement is really nothing much to brag about!”

“Indeed. In the end, achievements are relative. Achieving a breakthrough on the spot against cultivating constantly in the midst of crossing blows, there’s really no comparing the two!”

“To use the might of one’s opponent to temper oneself… The slightest mistake could possibly lead to tragic outcomes, probably only Zhang shi has the guts to do so!”

…

Since they were able to see through Zhang shi’s intentions, naturally, they also understood the dangers in his actions.

When facing a stronger opponent, even if one were to face them with one’s full strength, it would still be hard to stand one’s ground. On the other hand, Zhang shi was actually multi-tasking in the battle, cultivating constantly as he crossed blows with the other party. How brave and confident of his abilities must he be to actually employ such a tactic?

Even though they were witnessing the sight personally, they still couldn’t help but feel frenzied.

“It’s fortunate that I lost in a single move. Otherwise, I would only have embarrassed myself more…”

Wu Tianhao smiled bitterly.

Liao Wuzhi also nodded in agreement.

The both of them did feel indignant losing to Zhang shi, but after seeing this sight, they realized that their swift defeat was actually a blessing instead…

To be cooperating as though a fool while your opponent uses you as a cultivation tool, could that be the pinnacle of humiliation?

Soon, Bi Jianghai also came to a realization, and he roared furiously, “Damn it, how dare you take me for a whetstone? Don’t even dream about it!”

He thought that if he were to fight the other party before he reinforced his cultivation, the other party would surely panic, resulting in an easy victory for him. Who could have thought that he would end up being used as a whetstone instead? The immensely stifling frustration in his heart left him on the verge of going insane.

“Damn you!”

Bellowing angrily, his aura surged instantaneously, breaking through the bottleneck of Consonant Spirit realm primary stage.

“Supreme Demented Demon Fist? This is bad…” The face of an elder of Gazing River Sect darkened.

Chapter 601: Finals (2)

Supreme Demented Demon Fist was a secret art passed down within the lineage of the Gazing River Sect. It was never made known to outsiders, and once executed, one’s strength would instantaneously rise by a small cultivation realm for a short period of time. However, one’s original cultivation would suffer a sharp fall afterward.

It wasn’t easy for Bi Jianghai to reach Consonant Spirit realm. If his cultivation were to regress due to this duel, not only it be a pity for Bi Jianghai, it would be a huge loss to the Gazing River Sect as well.

One must know that of the twenty-eight powers in the surroundings, the number of Consonant Spirit realm experts was truly limited. At the very least, it numbered below one hundred.

Not to mention, there was only a total of five of them in Gazing River Sect. An additional one to the lineup could bolster their forces significantly, deterring their enemies while elevating their position.

Besides, the other party was a top-notch genius who had broken innumerable records. If anything were to happen to him, how would their Gazing River Sect face the Master Teacher Pavilion?

“Insane! That fellow has gone insane!” a pale-faced elder uttered hoarsely.

“Can we stop him?” another elder asked, but the only response he received was the shaking of heads from his peers.

The rules of the Master Teacher Tournament prohibited anyone from interfering with an ongoing duel in view of fairness.

“Zhang shi will have to deal with this himself. Let’s hope that he can produce a miracle once more!”

“Indeed. But still, I fear that it’s impossible for a Clarifying Turbidity realm primary stage to match a Consonant Spirit realm intermediate stage! Those are two completely different levels. There’s little hope, unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless… Zhang shi summons his tamed beast, Demon Cinque Beast!”

“Demon Cinque Beast? You’re right, why didn’t I think of that? As a beast tamer, Zhang shi has the right to bring his tamed beast to battle. With Demon Cinque Beast’s Consonant Spirit realm cultivation, defeating Bi shi would be a walk in the park!”

“Your words make sense, but will Zhang shi do so?”

“This…”

The person who offered the suggestion fell silent.

Even though Zhang shi might seem like a casual person, he had shown that he would never compromise on the fairness of a duel.

Since he had agreed to the duel, he would only use his own strength to triumph over his opponent. It was impossible for him to summon his tamed beast to assist him!

“Don’t think too much, let’s just watch on. Perhaps a miracle might really happen…”

Everyone continued watching the duel nervously.

Master Teacher Tournament emphasizes heavily on fairness. Many people already felt contempt for Bi Jianghai due to him exploiting the other party’s weakness and employing a mutually-assured destruction technique now only fanned the crowd’s displeasure.

On the contrary, Zhang shi, who fought on valiantly despite being in such a dangerous position, won everyone’s admiration instead.

While the crowd was worrying for Zhang shi, the duel on the stage had also reached its climax.

With the execution of the Supreme Demented Demon Fist, Bi Jianghai’s cultivation surged, and his maximum strength rose to 2,400,000 ding. His attacks wielded such immense might behind them that it created a feeling of helplessness in those facing it.

“You came just on time!” Without the slightest hint of panic or fear, Zhang Xuan’s eyes gleamed in excitement as he charged forward with a howl.

Peng peng peng peng!

The air in the surroundings billowed. The duo crossed blows, and to the crowd’s astonishment, they were actually equally-matched.

“This…”

“Zhang shi’s cultivation is indeed increasing continuously!”

“Clarifying Turbidity realm primary stage, intermediate stage, advanced stage… How much time has passed since the start of the battle?”

“Pinnacle! He’s already at Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle! Has it been ten breaths? Or is it twenty? He actually advanced from Clarifying Turbidity realm primary stage to pinnacle in this period of time? How can this be possible?”

…

Everyone thought that with the activation of the Supreme Demented Demon Fist, Zhang shi was doomed. Who could have known that not only did he manage to stand his ground, he was even getting stronger every moment. In just a short twenty breaths, he actually advanced all the way from Clarifying Turbidity realm primary stage to pinnacle!

It felt just like a dream even though they were witnessing the sight with their own eyes.

This was way too fearsome!

There were many who spent decades to progress from Clarifying Turbidity realm primary stage to pinnacle, and yet, in less than a single minute, Zhang shi had managed to achieve the very same feat while reinforcing his cultivation on top of that!

His rate of progress would leave those who dared to proclaim themselves as geniuses ashamed.

Hong shi’s face also paled upon seeing the sight, and he couldn’t help but mutter to himself, “To use the pressure from the soul and zhenqi of a Consonant Spirit realm to temper one’s body and quicken the separation of ‘turbid’ and ‘clear’ so as to raise one’s cultivation, even I am miles apart from him in terms of guts and confidence!”

With his eye of discernment, he was able to see through Zhang Xuan’s intentions as well.

For a Clarifying Turbidity realm cultivator to face a Consonant Spirit realm expert without fear and even use the latter to temper oneself and break through one’s bottleneck, it was hard to tell whether even Pavilion Master Mo would be capable of such a feat.

Hong shi knew that Zhang shi would surely excel in all aspects as a master teacher. After all, with guidance of a potential 8-star master teacher, it would be hard to believe that he was ordinary… But it seemed like he was still underestimating the latter. Even the latter’s seeming weakness-his cultivation-was also unmatched by others as well.

It was as if they were people from two different worlds.

“It seems like he is the champion of this tournament.”

Only at this moment did Hong shi’s floating heart finally find ground.

Pavilion Master Mo Gaoyuan had taken out one high-tier spirit stone to get on good terms with Zhang shi and Yang shi. Fortunately, Hong shi had managed to accomplish the implied mission the he had for him.

As expected of the student of an 8-star master teacher, Zhang shi was truly superior in all aspects, even his fighting prowess and mental fortitude.

Hong!

While anxiety and nervousness overwhelmed the crowd below, on the stage, Zhang Xuan had reached a very profound state of mind.

In truth, the plan to make use of the other party’s might to advance his cultivation was just a thought he had all of a sudden. He thought that it would be extremely difficult to succeed, but the results turned out to be much better than he thought.

As concentrated zhenqi flowed through his meridians like a torrent, Zhang Xuan’s aura and strength increased qualitatively.

Under normal circumstances, even when using a middle-tier spirit stone, it would take at least two hours before he could reach Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle. But this time, not only did he reach Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle within an extremely short period of time, on top of that, his zhenqi capacity had increased significantly, and his ability to drive zhenqi was also enhanced. All of these would be equivalent to several months of effort, thus saving him a lot of time on cultivation.

At Yin-Yang realm pinnacle, he possessed 1,000,000 ding of strength. At this moment, it had increased by twofold to 2,000,000 ding!

Factoring in the strength of 1,600,000 ding derived from his soul cultivation, it totaled up to 3,600,000 ding. With such might, he could kill even a Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle expert with a single punch.

After all, a normal Consonant Spirit realm cultivator would only possess 2,000,000 ding of might in primary stage, 2,400,000 ding in intermediate stage, 2,800,000 ding in advanced stage, and 3,200,000 ding in pinnacle!

Power!

While he was enjoying the changes his body was undergoing, Bi Jianghai was about to go insane.

Under normal circumstances, his opponent should have been subdued after executing his ultimate technique.

Who knew that… the more he fought, the colder his heart became. He had tried all means and tricks, but it seemed as though the other party could deal with his attacks leisurely as though they were nothing. This made him feel extremely embarrassed, and he found his tolerance hitting its limit.

“I’ll destroy you!”

Roaring furiously, he utilized every ounce of energy contained within his body without any reservations.

The rampaging zhenqi gushed out as though a torrent, swallowing Zhang Xuan whole in an instant.

“This is bad!”

Hong shi, Pavilion Master Kang, and the others narrowed their eyes.

This was no longer just a duel anymore. With such frenzied offense, this was already at the level of a life-and-death combat. The slightest mistake could lead to the death of one party.

“This is madness! He has gone mad!”

The faces of the elders of Gazing River Sect turned ghastly pale.

Even though they weren’t present in the encounter with Yang shi, they had heard some secret intelligence from their sources and knew that Zhang shi’s background was extraordinary.

Otherwise, given how many artifacts and humans he had broken, he would have already been stripped of his rights as a participant of this tournament. It wasn’t just once that they had seen the frenzied expression of the usually composed Hong shi in the course of this tournament, and the fact that he still allowed Zhang shi to continue despite all of the trouble he had caused affirmed their doubts.

To actually try to kill a figure with such powerful backing with all your might, what else can you be if not insane?

Just as everyone was panicking, Zhang Xuan, whose consciousness had finally returned from feeling his internal changes, noticed the rampaging energy before him. Thus, he casually waved his palm.

Boom!

A cloud of dust flew up. But even amidst the cloud of dust…

Sou!

Bi Jianghai, who had channeled all of his strength against Zhang Xuan, was sent flying as though a mosquito struck by a fly swat. In an instant, just like Wu Tianhao from before, he flew into the sky.

“Ah?”

“What happened?”

“I’ve no idea too. I saw Zhang shi casually waving his palm and Bi shi was suddenly sent flying…”

Everyone was dumbstruck.

After so many matches, they had a clear gauge of Zhang shi’s strength already. Going by rational deduction, he should have been pummeled to the point that his head would have swollen to the size reminiscent to that of a pig’s head already. Yet, not only was he completely fine, the Consonant Spirit realm Bi shi was sent flying instead… What in the world happened?

When did Zhang shi become so mighty?

“This…”

Seeing Bi shi sent flying into the distance, Zhang Xuan finally awakened fully from his trance, and his eyes widened in shock. Scratching his head helplessly, he was extremely tempted to cry. He quickly tried to explain himself, “I didn’t do it intentionally…”

His concentration had lapsed for a moment due to his breakthrough, thus resulting in him overexerting his strength. On top of that, he also didn’t expect that seemingly formidable fellow a moment ago would be so weak…

What in the world was this? It was one thing for him to injure those participants before, but now, he even sent his opponent of the finals flying with a single slap. At this point, all he could see of the other party was a black dot… If he were to say that he didn’t do it intentionally, would anyone believe him?

“Bi shi…”

Seeing the genius of their sect disappearing further and further from sight, the few elders whose heart was hanging a moment ago heaved a huge sigh of relief.

“Hong shi and everyone else, it’s due to the lack of discipline in our Gazing River Sect that we nearly caused a huge calamity. We’ll bring Bi Jianghai back now and teach him a lesson immediately. We’re too embarrassed to accept second place…”

One of the elders-in-charge of Gazing River Sect stood up and apologized in embarrassment.

In the Master Teacher Tournament, everyone knew the accepted limits and stopped appropriately. On the other hand, the genius of their sect actually tried to kill his opponent. If not for Zhang shi achieving a breakthrough at the very last moment, he might have actually died.

With such lack in decorum, it could be said that they had infringed on the rules of the tournament. Even if no one spoke a word, they would still be too embarrassed to remain here.

“This…”

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

What in the world are you talking about? If that’s the case, shouldn’t my right as a participant have been revoked for many times already?

“Elder, you are being too harsh on yourself. Bi shi only lost his calmness and struck a little harshly due to my provocative actions. In truth, he hasn’t caused any damage at all. Why don’t we just call it quits…”

“You’re willing to let the matter go? Thank you, Zhang shi!”

Hearing Zhang shi plead on behalf of their sect, the faces of the elders of Gazing River Sect reddened in agitation, and the entire group knelt to the floor.

Did you see that?

This is the magnanimity a master teacher should have!

Bi Jianghai watched tearfully in the air. ‘Magnanimity? I would love to have it as well. But to do so… I would have to defeat this monster first…’

Chapter 602: Combat Soul Constitution

“Alright. Since the champion of our tournament is already decided, let’s move on to determine the other placings…”

After calming down the agitated crowd, Hong shi continued on with the tournament.

At the current moment, only the first and second places were decided. The tournament still had to go on to determine the third to the tenth place.

After all the excitement, the crowd was lacking in interest for the duels that followed. Two hours later, the top ten places for the Master Teacher Tournament were finally out.

Wei Yuqing, who suffered a tragic defeat against Zhang Xuan, performed extraordinarily well in the remaining duels and successfully advanced into the top ten. Qin Lei, who was eliminated by Ruohuan gongzi back then, also displayed spectacular abilities and clinched ninth place.

Actually, if not for Zhang Xuan’s interference, he would be at least in the top five placing. Nevertheless, being in the ninth place, he was at least granted the opportunity to become a student of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy as well, thus making this trip worthwhile.

“Zhang shi, here is your prize!”

Once the placings were confirmed, the prizes were given out. The first place was given a high-tier spirit stone, an opportunity to study at Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, and three days to cultivate in the Cleansing Lake.

While presenting the prize to Zhang Xuan, Hong shi sent a telepathic message over. “Zhang shi, the high-tier spirit stone is a private gift from Pavilion Master Mo Gaoyuan to the participant in the first place…”

Since Pavilion Master Mo intended to express his goodwill to Zhang shi and Yang shi, naturally, his name should be made known to the other party. Otherwise, wouldn’t everything be done in vain?

Only then did Zhang Xuan come to a realization.

This explained why the prize this year was much more generous than previous years!

In truth, it wasn’t too difficult to guess this. Given ‘Yang shi’s’ astounding means, it was natural that Pavilion Master Mo would want to get on his good side.

In any case, this matter was beneficial to Zhang Xuan.

After all, that was a high-tier spirit stone! Its value was equivalent to ten thousand middle-tier spirit stone. If not to embarrass himself, Zhang Xuan would have surely opened the jade box then and started examining the spirit stone already.

Placing the prize carefully in his storage ring, Zhang Xuan was filled with agitation and excitement.

With a high-tier spirit stone in his possession, his future cultivation would become much easier. At least in the short run, he wouldn’t have to worry about spiritual energy anymore.

After distributing the prizes, Hong shi announced, “Alright. The Master Teacher Tournament has come to a conclusion. The top three of the tournament shall follow me to Huanyu Empire tomorrow to claim their prize of cultivating in the Cleansing Lake!”

“Tomorrow?”

“So soon?”

“There’s no choice. Huanyu Empire is more than a million kilometers away, and if we don’t rush there, we might miss the opening of the Cleansing Lake. If so, we might miss this opportunity!”

“That’s true. The Cleansing Lake opens at the start of the year for each opening, and there’s barely a month until then. If we don’t rush now, we might fail to make it in time…”

Upon hearing from Hong shi that they were leaving tomorrow, the participants were astonished. However, they soon understood his intentions.

The Cleansing Lake was the most valuable treasure of the Huanyu Empire’s royalty, as well as the foundation of its establishment. The grounds would be opened once every decade, and it wasn’t too long to it now. If they didn’t hurry now, they might just miss this opportunity by.

“Alright, you should return to make preparations. We’ll set off tomorrow noon!”

Hong shi waved his hands to dismiss the group.

By now, it was already late at night, and the time left for them to prepare was less than a day.

“I should also make some preparations!”

Zhang Xuan stood up.

There were many things he had to deal with, and time was tight.

“Pavilion Master Kang, thank you for your care during this period of time. This is a cultivation technique my teacher prepared for you, and if you were to cultivate it accordingly, it should assist you in reaching Consonant Spirit realm!”

Flicking his wrist, a book appeared in Zhang Xuan’s palm as he passed it over.

Pavilion Master Kang had really helped him a lot during this period of time, especially the trip to the Glacier Plain Court. Without his help, it would be impossible for him to nurture his soul sufficiently so as to divide into two and successfully forge his clone. At the same time, Zhao Ya wouldn’t have met with such a rare opportunity either.

As such, Zhang Xuan specially compiled a cultivation technique manual to deal with the various flaws the other party suffered from. As long as the other party cultivated along with it, it would just be a matter of time before he reached Consonant Spirit realm.

“Reach Consonant Spirit realm? This cultivation technique was prepared by Yang shi?”

Pavilion Master Kang’s breathing immediately hastened, and his eyes reddened in agitation.

Yang shi, an existence likely to be an 8-star master teacher. Just receiving a single pointer from such a person was a huge blessing in itself. To think that he would even have a cultivation technique created just for him, he truly had no idea how he could ever repay this favor.

Putong!

Pavilion Master Kang kneeled onto the floor, and with a grim expression, he kowtowed eight times toward Zhang Xuan’s residence before standing up.

“Su shi and Ling shi, these are yours…”

Of course, Zhang Xuan couldn’t possibly forget about these two. Without them, he wouldn’t have been able to participate in the Master Teacher Tournament.

After receiving the cultivation technique, Su shi and Ling shi also thanked him profusely.

Zhang Xuan had always remembered grudges and favors clearly.

“Zhang shi, can I follow you to Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy?”

Knowing that Zhang Xuan was about to leave, Zhao Feiwu’s eyes reddened.

This young man had solved her ailment, granting her a whole new life. Gratitude, along with the experiences at Xuanyuan Kingdom, soul oracle tomb, and such, had left her with an indescribable emotion toward the latter. Just that, she was too embarrassed to face her own emotions.

But now that separation was right before them, she couldn’t hold herself back anymore.

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Xuan said, “Your cultivation is still too low, you might stumble into a lot of trouble if you were to head there now. It would be safer if you study under Pavilion Master Kang here!”

After which, he turned to the elder beside him and said grimly, “Pavilion Master Kang, I’ll be entrusting Princess Feiwu to you!”

“Hehe, Zhang shi, you need not worry. I’ll take her in as my direct disciple and teach her well. I won’t let you or Yang shi down!” Pavilion Master Kang gave his word.

“Thank you!” Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

Actually, this was also another reason why he gave Pavilion Master Kang the cultivation technique manual.

Along the way, Zhao Feiwu had helped him a lot. As the daughter of the alliance head, she was unlikely to care much about fortune, resources, or so. Rather than that, it would be more practical to help her find a good teacher. This way, she would be able to live the life she wanted.

And Pavilion Master Kang was clearly the most suitable choice.

“Thank you, Zhang shi…”

Hearing the arrangements, Zhao Feiwu flashed a bitter smile and thanked Zhang shi. She found the entire matter hard to accept, but knowing that Zhang shi was doing this with her welfare at heart, she eventually nodded her head.

Zhang shi was destined to achieve great things in the future. A small, little princess of the alliance like her couldn’t possibly compare to him. No matter how reluctant she was, she knew she had to let go.

After bidding Pavilion Master Kang and the others farewell, Zhang Xuan returned to his residence. The moment he entered, he saw Mo Hunsheng walking over with widened strides.

“Zhang shi!”

Mo Hunsheng clasped his fist.

“How is it?” Zhang Xuan asked.

He had asked the latter regarding Lu Chong’s condition even before joining the Master Teacher Tournament. After a day of effort, the latter should have some results by now.

“Reporting to young master, Young Master Lu Chong has just finished his cultivation, and I’ve taken a look at his condition. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a unique constitution among soul oracles… [Combat Soul Constitution]!” Mo Hunsheng said.

“Unique constitution?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

If the latter really had a unique constitution, the Library of Heaven’s Path should have already long detected it. How could it elude him?

“Combat Soul Constitution is not something one is born with. Usually, it is developed after a life-and-death experience or a wave of immense emotions. Such a constitution is extremely rare and cannot be emulated by any means. If I’m not mistaken, Young Master Lu Chong has only just awakened it…” Mo Hunsheng explained.

“Let’s go over to take a look!”

Nodding his head, Zhang Xuan walked into the courtyard.

Not too far from the corridor, Lu Chong was cultivating while standing. His soul was dancing in the air, and it seemed to carry a majestic aura to it.

“Transcendent Mortal 2-dan soul?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes widened in shock.

When he left earlier this morning, the latter was still at Zongshi realm only. How could he become so powerful over a single day?

Soul cultivation was similar to zhenqi cultivation in the sense that it was slow and accumulative. To actually break through four cultivation realms-Zhizun, Half-Transcension, Prolonged Longevity, and Origin Energy realm-in a single day… that was really way too fast!

“Flaws!”

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan willed.

Weng!

With a soft buzz, a book appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path.

Quickly flipping it open, Zhang Xuan swiftly browsed through the content and froze.

Lu Chong was indeed different from before. Just as Mo Hunsheng said, he had awoken the Combat Soul Constitution.

But from the looks of it, this awakening seemed to be incomplete.

Recalling what he encountered in the other party’s consciousness, a thought emerged in Zhang Xuan’s head.

‘This is probably what I saw back then…’

Back then, when he used the Soulrouse Incense to wake up the other party’s soul, he had seen a gigantic figure lying in the other party’s consciousness. Thinking about it now, that should be the result of the Combat Soul Constitution.

“Regarding this constitution… How can it be awakened?”

Zhang Xuan glanced at the Soulless Metal Humanoid before him.

After a moment of contemplation, Mo Hunsheng replied, “Reporting to young master, it’s extremely troublesome to awaken such a constitution totally. It might require a visit to the Ancient Domain of Soul Oracles!”

“Ancient Domain of Soul Oracles?” Zhang Xuan was stunned.

Mo Hunsheng hesitated for a moment before he said, “Yes, that is the place where soul oracles originate from. In the Ancient Domain of Soul Oracles, one can find the energy of ancient souls, that is a crucial catalyst to awakening the Combat Soul Constitution completely. There’s no other way around it!”

“Ancient Domain of Soul Oracles? Where is that?”

“It is… at the utmost east of the continent. I also don’t know exactly how far it is from here…” Mo Hunsheng scratched his head.

“You don’t know how far it is from here?” Zhang Xuan’s face darkened.

If it was too far, how was he supposed to head there?

The Master Teacher Continent was incomparably vast, and even several hundred thousand kilometers would require many days of flight. Yet, from Mo Hunsheng’s tone, it was apparent that he meant a distance of dozens or even a hundred million kilometers…

Without several years of traveling, it was impossible to cover such distance.

“Actually… if young master trusts me, I can take Young Master Lu Chong there. This way, it won’t interrupt your cultivation while allowing Young Master Lu Chong to grow swiftly,” Mo Hunsheng said.

“You’ll take him there?”

Zhang Xuan fell into deep contemplation.

If he wanted to climb up as a master teacher, he would have to remain in public view. Furthermore, with the threat known as the Innate Fetal Poison looming above him, spending several years searching for the Ancient Domain of Soul Oracles was clearly too much of a luxury for him to afford.

However, if he were to delay Lu Chong’s growth by forcing the other party to follow him, it would indeed be unfair for the other party.

The ideal situation was indeed to split up.

“We’ll see what he thinks!”

After a moment of thought, Zhang Xuan felt that Lu Chong should have the right to decide.

Thus, he interrupted Lu Chong’s cultivation and explained the matter to him.

Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, the young man nodded his head earnestly.

“Teacher, I wish to go to the Ancient Domain of Soul Oracles!”

He shared the same thoughts as Zhao Ya when she made her decision back then. He knew that he would only be a burden if he were to remain by his teacher’s side. If he were to grasp this opportunity, he might be able to be of true use to his teacher in the future.

He didn’t wish to remain as a burden to his teacher.

“Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll respect your decision. Mo Hunsheng, I’ll be leaving Lu Chong to your care!”

Seeing that Lu Chong had made his decision, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply before nodding his head.

Chapter 603: Lecture (1)

There would eventually come a day when a student would have to leave their teacher.

Zhang Xuan understood this fact, and he knew he would have to part with his students one day. Ever since the incident with Zhao Ya, he had been preparing himself mentally. But even so, he still found himself gripped with reluctance when faced with the situation.

“This is a surge of zhenqi from me. It should help you if you face danger!”

Pulling Lu Chong to a room, Zhang Xuan began delegating some matters to him.

His plight was very different from that of Zhao Ya. Zhao Ya would be taken care of by the Glacier Plain Court, and it was unlikely that she would be in any danger. On the other hand, Lu Chong and Mo Hunsheng would be traversing across the continent to search for a place which might not even exist. The journey would be fraught with danger, and this surge of zhenqi may help to protect them, even if just once.

“Demon Cinque, you shall follow Lu Chong…”

After instructing some matters, Zhang Xuan called Demon Cinque Beast over.

While safety shouldn’t be a problem given that a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan expert, Mo Hunsheng, was escorting him, they would still require an aerial spirit beast for their travel. As a Transcendent Mortal 5-dan spirit beast, Demon Cinque Beast should prove to be useful for them.

After settling all of the issues he could foresee, he brought Lu Chong to Wang Ying and the others for them to bid their farewell.

Two of the original six students have left, and everyone couldn’t help but feel slightly depressed.

After settling the arrangements regarding Lu Chong, Zhang Xuan went to look for his ‘junior’, Garden Owner Xue.

For the time being, the latter didn’t have any intention of heading to a higher-tier empire, so she wasn’t going to tag along with Zhang Xuan.

By the time everything was done, the sun was already up in the sky, and it was soon going to be the meeting time with Hong shi and the others.

“Let’s go!”

With everything settled, Zhang Xuan proceeded to the square near the Alliance Head Residence with Zheng Yang, Wang Ying, and the other students beside him.

Since he had promised to conduct a lecture, he decided to settle this too before leaving.

However, before he could even reach the square, he could already see an uncountable number of people in the square, stretching all the way to the limits of his eyes.

“Sect Leader Hu, you’re here to listen to Zhang shi’s lecture as well?”

“Well, this is the first champion of the Master Teacher Tournament who won with such a huge landslide. Since he is going to conduct a lecture, there’s no way I can miss this!”

“Indeed. There are several centuries of history behind the Master Teacher Tournament already, and Zhang Xuan is the first person to achieve such astounding records. Look, even Sect Leader Zhi and Sect Leader Liu are here…”

“You’re right! Even Hong shi’s lectures wouldn’t be met with such popularity…”

“I don’t know about how popular Hong shi’s lectures are, but at the very least, we half 5-star master teachers wouldn’t be able to match up to this…”

“There are so many people here that I can’t help but feel envious. Speaking of which, I tried putting myself into Zhang shi’s position in the tournament, but I realized that I wouldn’t be able to emulate his achievements at all! To think that a person who has just passed the 4-star master teacher examination would be able to achieve feats beyond that of a half 5-star master teacher… It is no wonder why he enjoys such exploding popularity!”

…

The entire square was full of life.

“All of them are here to listen to my lecture?”

Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes in shock.

In his view, it would already be a huge achievement if several thousand people were to attend his lecture on the basics of cultivation. Never could he have expected that he would be able to rally so many people here. For a moment, he even suspected that there was a second, hidden stage to the Master Teacher Tournament that he was unaware of.

How many people are there here?

Hundred thousand? A million?

Not to mention… There were many who were hanging on walls and standing on trees as though ninjas as well.

And what is with those aerial savage beasts in the sky?

“I heard that those who were unable to get a seat in your lecture went to rent savage beasts from the Beast Hall…” Pavilion Master Kang explained awkwardly.

“I understand the part about aerial savage beast, but what about those grounded ones?”

Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but ask about them.

He could understand the reason behind the mass of aerial savage beasts in the sky, but by the side of the square, there was also a bunch of land savage beasts lying down. There was the Sabretooth Tiger, Half-limbed Gale Wolf, Sable Ape…

What were they doing here?

“After hearing that you were going to conduct a lecture, Hall Master Han Chong of the Beast Hall sent all of the savage beasts and spirit beasts in the Beast Hall over to support you,” Pavilion Master Kang said.

“…” Zhang Xuan.

This could be called support as well?

Just the beast tamers would suffice; what kind of support are you giving me through sending this bunch of savage beasts over?

“Actually, Zhang shi’s reputation is simply too great. Knowing that you are going to conduct a lecture, there is no one who is willing to be left out!” Pavilion Master Kang said.

In truth, Hall Master Han had no choice either… After the Master Teacher Tournament, Zhang shi’s reputation exploded. Everyone wanted to listen to the lecture that was to be conducted by this top-notch genius… Even the intelligent savage beasts and spirit beasts couldn’t hold themselves back…

And thus, such a sight occurred.

The square outside the Alliance Head Residence was extremely vast, and it could contain even a million people at once. And yet, at this very moment, it was so cramped that there was hardly room for one to fidget. Even Pavilion Master Kang himself found such a sight unbelievable.

He had conducted similar public lectures before, and with fifty thousand people participating, that event was proclaimed to have changed the history of Myriad Kingdom Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion. Never in his dreams did he expect the popularity of Zhang shi’s lecture to be so over the top…

There were indeed vast differences even among fellow humans…

“Forget it. It doesn’t matter how many people are here, I just have to conduct my lecture properly!”

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan decided not to think too much into it. Thus, he raised his foot and began heading toward the stage at the very center of the square.

…

Li Hanbing was sixteen this year, and he was a beggar. He had been an orphan as far as he could remember, and he had always been a subject of mockery and a target for humiliation.

His greatest dream was to become an expert, but what a pity it was… His humble background disallowed him from obtaining any cultivation technique or cultivation resources.

As the saying goes, the poor study and the rich train. Without sufficient resources to back up one’s cultivation and the guidance of teachers, it was difficult for him to make any progress.

As such, despite being sixteen this year, he was still trapped in Fighter 1-dan Juxi realm, unable to make any progress.

Most probably, he would remain this way for his entire life.

He thought that it would be impossible for him to ever listen to the lecture of a master teacher. But one day, he suddenly heard that an incredibly talented master teacher known as Zhang shi was going to conduct a public lecture on the basics of cultivation… Upon hearing this news, he rushed to the square the night before to secure a spot for himself before waiting patiently.

“It’s starting…”

After a long wait, he saw a figure walking majestically up the stage.

“This Zhang shi doesn’t seem much older than me…”

He thought that the champion of the Master Teacher Tournament would at least be in his late thirties, but the latter didn’t even seem to have reached his twenties yet. He couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment.

He had waited for an entire day, but at this moment, he feared that he might have only wasted his time.

Would his hopes fall flat once again, just as they had many times before?

In truth, the Master Teacher Pavilion would organize public lectures every month, but the content tended to be rather profound. An orphan like him who had never gone through proper education wouldn’t understand a single word of it, and thus, wouldn’t benefit from it as well.

He had tried attending those several times, but he quickly realized that it was futile. On the contrary, he lost confidence instead.

There were some master teachers, who like proud academics, wished to be recognized and wanted to be respected for their work. There was no problem with this, but they treated these public lectures as a platform to showcase their knowledge… and if the content of their lecture was too simple, it would seem as though they were incapable.

As such thoughts proliferated among the master teachers, the culture behind the public lectures seemed to change as well. Earnest cultivators attending the lecture soon realized that those lectures were impractical for them.

Considering the young age and astounding accomplishments of the person on the stage, it was likely he would just be yet another proud master teacher fishing for glory through this public lecture. It seemed that… he would only be disappointed once again.

“Seeking the Heaven’s Path can be viewed as an arrow placed against a bowstring. Too high, it has to be lowered; too low, it has to be raised; too taut, it has to be loosened; too loose, it has to be tightened. Heaven’s Path is about supplementing one’s deficiencies with one’s strengths…”

Hu!

A voice sounded in his ear.

Even though he was a thousand meters away from the stage, every single word of Zhang shi reached his ears with resounding clarity.

“As expected, I don’t understand it at all…”

Listening attentively, he realized that this public lecture was no different from those he had attended before. He couldn’t understand a word at all.

In the end, all master teachers were cut from the same cloth. Public lectures were just platforms for them to boast about their knowledge; it mattered not to them whether it was meaningful to their audience or not.

And those audiences were also equally hypocritical… For fear of exposing their ignorance, instead of questioning the lecturer, they feigned understanding and even showered the lecturer with praises.

After all, if one turned out to be the only unknowledgeable one in the room, how embarrassing would that be?

This is simply human nature…

Shaking his head in disappointment, Li Hanbing stood up and prepared to leave. But right after he took his first step, he suddenly felt a jolt in his acupoint. Following which, he felt a numbing sensation in his Baihai acupoint, and a huge wave of spiritual energy was drawn in from the surroundings and circulated continuously throughout his body.

Kacha! Kacha!

With a crisp sound, he noticed something similar to small lake appearing within his lower abdomen.

“This is… dantian?”

Li Hanbing’s eyes widened in shock, and his body trembled.

After breaking through Fighter 1-dan Juxi realm, one would form a dantian in one’s lower abdomen, allowing one to store spiritual energy… Li Hanbing had been trapped in Juxi realm for a very long time, and he thought that this would remain so… Who could have known that a few words from Zhang shi would actually induce a breakthrough within him?

“But I don’t understand the content of the lecture at all? Why am I still able to achieve a breakthrough?”

Li Hanbing was stunned.

He didn’t understand a single word of what Zhang shi said, so… how could he have suddenly achieved a breakthrough?

Shouldn’t the lecture be ineffective to his cultivation if he couldn’t understand a word of it?

Raising his head to look around, he saw several beggars, who had come here along with him, sitting on the floor with smiles overflowing with happiness on their faces. Their auras had also grown significantly stronger.

“Heaven’s Path is about supplementing one’s deficiencies with one’s strengths… So, this is the law of nature. It means that only if we cultivate alongside the flow of nature can we improve quickly…”

Suddenly, a thought emerged in his head.

Even though the other party’s words were extremely profound, completely incomprehensible to him, but for some reason, he could understand the intent behind the other party’s words as though they were conceptualizing right before him.

Heaven’s Path, the law of nature!

Quickly sitting down, he felt his spiritual energy flowing slowly through his dantian.

Kacha! Kacha!

A crisp echo sounded from his body again and yet again as his cultivation soared non-stop.

Dantian realm primary stage!

Dantian realm intermediate stage!

Dantian realm advanced stage!

His cultivation rose quickly as though he were a balloon and someone was blowing into him.

He still couldn’t understand the other party’s words, but for some reason, he was still able to gain a much deeper understanding of what cultivation was… and it aligned with his own comprehension of it as well.

“This is the lecture of a true master teacher…”

As though having drunk a heavenly brew, a smile slowly crept onto Li Hanbing’s face.

His happiness wasn’t derived from his rise in cultivation, but the knowledge that was slowly building up within him. He could actually understand the intent behind the other party’s words clearly! It was as if the lecturer, Zhang shi, was conducting a one-to-one lesson for him!

As he listened on, the spiritual energy in his body continued circulating, and all of a sudden, his body jolted lightly-Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm, reached!

Zhenqi realm could be considered as one’s official inauguration as a cultivator. To think that a beggar like him could actually reach such a level as well…

Zhang shi, from today onward, you will be the only teacher I will ever recognize!

Li Hanbing kneeled onto the floor as he made a solemn vow.

Chapter 604: Lecture (2)

In the vast main hall of the Fleeting Cloud Sect’s base in Myriad Kingdom City, Sect Leader Luo Huang glanced at the young man before him.

“Others might not have realized anything in the previous duel, but don’t think you can hide it from me. I’ve been your teacher for more than decade now!”

“I knew that I wouldn’t be able to hide it from you…”

Smiling bitterly, Luo Xuan admitted to it frankly. “I did hold myself back in the duel with Bi Jianghai!”

“For what reason?” Sect Leader Luo Huang asked.

“Given Zhang shi’s ability, there’s no doubt that he would be able to progress on to the finals. If I were to defeat Bi shi, I would have to face him. As teacher knows, our relationship with Zhang shi is rather poor at the moment. Rather than worsen the conflict with him… I might as well forfeit and allow the Gazing River Sect to deal with this trouble!”

Luo Xuan clasped his fist, and with an apologetic look, he continued, “Teacher, please pardon me for making such a decision of my own accord!”

“Good. The fact that you were able to think that far means that you’ve already grown up!”

Sect Leader Luo Huang nodded his head in satisfaction. “Don’t worry. Not only am I not blaming you for that, I even want to commend you for your decision! To be able to weigh the pros and cons in the midst of a tournament and make such a decision is indeed no easy feat. Regardless of whether it is Zhang shi or Yang shi, they aren’t people we can afford to cross. It’s best that we stay out of their path for the moment and slowly mend our relationship with them in the future!”

“Yes. I was also thinking the same!” Luo Xuan nodded.

Seeing his student becoming so sensible, putting the welfare of the sect before his own pride, Sect Leader Luo Huang felt gratified. Stroking his beard, he asked, “So, you’ve seen Zhang shi’s capabilities with your eyes. What do you think about it?”

“Zhang shi?”

A sharp gleam flashed across Luo Xuan eyes, “I can’t deny that he’s a difficult opponent. There are even several aspects which I am inferior to him in… But if I had proceeded to the finals and challenged him in a duel, I don’t think that I would have lost!”

“Oh?” Sect Leader Luo Huang glanced at Luo Xuan in interest.

“Taking the round on knowledge impartation for example, even though he seemed to have fared impressively, if I’m not mistaken, he probably resorted to hypnotism. Otherwise, how could all of the hundred people possibly acknowledge him?” Luo Xuan declared confidently.

Smiling lightly, Sect Leader Luo Huang replied, “You said that he resorted to hypnotism, but what about Huang shi? He also acknowledged Zhang shi as well!”

In that duel, Zhang Xuan even made Huang Zheng desperately attempt to acknowledge him as his teacher, and the incident had made him a huge laughingstock. While the hundred people on the stage could have been hypnotized, how could a 4-star pinnacle master teacher be hypnotized that easily?

Hearing his teacher’s words, Luo Xuan sneered coldly, “Actually, if it wasn’t for how ridiculous he was behaving, I’d not have seen through Zhang shi’s ploy. How could a 4-star pinnacle master teacher possessing a Soul Depth beyond 14.0 possibly willingly acknowledge Zhang shi, who wasn’t even using Impartation of Heaven’s Will then, as his teacher? This in itself is a huge joke!”

As a fellow 4-star pinnacle master teacher, Luo Xuan knew how formidable and proud experts of his class were. If Zhang shi had used Impartation of Heaven’s Will, there might still be a possibility of it happening; after all, one would be forced to move contrary to one’s will. However, to win over Huang shi with just basic knowledge of cultivation in itself… Are you trying to fool a three-year-old kid?

“He must have feigned it to please Zhang shi. But in the end, his acting turned out to be too poor, and his plan backfired on him!” Luo Xuan harrumphed.

Even a 5-star master teacher couldn’t possibly win over a 4-star master teacher by lecturing on basic knowledge. If Zhang shi was truly capable of such as feat, it would mean that his capability already surpasses that of a 5-star master teacher!

“It’s a rational argument. Is that the reason why you refused to attend his public lecture?” Sect Leader Luo Huang nodded in agreement.

They had heard of Zhang shi’s public lecture, but they didn’t think there was any need for them to attend it.

“It’s just a lecture on basic knowledge, what is there to listen to? In the end, it all boils down to the same old things. I’m sure I could conduct one as well as his, so there’s no point wasting my time there,” Luo Xuan replied. After which, he clasped his fist confidently and said, “Teacher, I wish to attempt a breakthrough to Consonant Spirit realm right now. Can you guard me for a moment?”

“Hehe, don’t worry about it!” Sect Leader Luo Huang smiled.

“Thank you, teacher!” Replying gratefully, Luo Xuan sat on the floor, closed his eyes, and began cultivating.

In truth, he could have made a breakthrough during the fight with Bi Jianghai as well, but he intentionally suppressed his cultivation.

Once he achieved that breakthrough, his strength would soar. By then, he wouldn’t have a legitimate reason to lose to the other party anymore.

Gugugugu!

Energy flowed through his body, creating a sound reminiscent to the croaking of frogs. Luo Xuan drove his cultivation swiftly in an attempt to break through the final wall blocking his path.

“Hmm? Why can’t I absorb any spiritual energy?”

But a moment later, he opened his eyes.

No matter how hard he tried to draw in spiritual energy, it was completely ineffective. It was as if the spiritual energy in the air was dried out, rendering him incapable of cultivating.

“Sect leader! Sect leader! Bad news…”

Just as he was perplexed by the bizarre situation, an anxious voice suddenly sounded, and Luo Xuan’s junior suddenly dashed into the room.

“For you to get so anxious, what’s wrong?” Sect Leader Luo Huang’s face darkened.

“It’s Zhang shi’s lecture…” the junior hurriedly said.

“What’s wrong with the lecture? Did he create a miracle with the basic knowledge of cultivation?”

Luo Xuan shook his head. Following which, a frown appeared on his forehead, and he questioned, “Didn’t teacher ban everyone from attending the lecture? Did you all sneak out?”

“We… didn’t go to listen to the lecture. We only went to take a look!” The junior’s face turned crimson.

The sect leader did order that no one was to listen to the lecture, but out of curiosity, they sneaked out and saw something that they should have never seen there.

“Take a look? What did you see then?” Luo Xuan asked.

“We saw… in Zhang shi’s lecture, spiritual energy was pouring into the square, and many who had been trapped in their bottleneck achieved a breakthrough during the lecture…” the junior said.

“Spiritual energy was pouring into the square? How could that be possible!”

Luo Xuan shook his head.

Spirit Gathering Diction, this is an ability that only 5-star master teachers possess!

How could a 4-star master teacher possibly influence the spiritual energy in the surroundings to such an extent, not to mention, while lecturing on basic knowledge?

“It’s true! If you doubt my words, you can try sensing the spiritual energy in the surroundings…” the junior quickly said.

“Spiritual energy?”

Gedeng!

Luo Xuan suddenly recalled his inability to draw in spiritual energy a moment ago.

Just as astonishment struck him, his teacher narrowed his eyes and began trembling uncontrollably. “This is… Spirit Gathering Diction, Ten Li of Vacuum!”

(Li = 0.5km, 10li = 5km)

“Ten Li of Vacuum?”

The two were taken aback.

They had heard of Spirit Gathering Diction-it was an ability that only 5-star master teachers possessed. What does ‘Ten Li of Vacuum’ means?”

“I-it’s… an ability that only 6-star master teachers possess…” Sect Leader Luo Huang’s lips trembled as his eyes widened. It seemed like even he dared not believe this to be true.

“6-star master teacher?”

Luo Xuan and the junior trembled in astonishment.

“Rumor has it that 6-star master teachers are able to gather spiritual energy within a ten li radius through their diction for those cultivating under their tutelage, forming a huge vacuum…”

Sect Leader Luo Huang’s teeth clattered together. “Under such a situation, a cultivator would grow at a swift pace that is not any inferior to Cultivation Impartation…”

“Zhang shi is only a 4-star master teacher, and the topic he is lecturing on is only basic knowledge of cultivation. How could the ability that only 6-star master teachers possess be triggered?”

Luo Xuan was in disbelief.

It was just a moment ago that he declared confidently that the other party had cheated in a knowledge impartation match. Yet, in the blink of an eye, the other party had drawn in spiritual energy from a ten li radius for his lecture…

Are you serious?

“No matter how he did it, hurry up and gather the members of our sect and have them attend the lecture! Otherwise, our Fleeting Cloud Sect will lag behind the other sects, and it won’t be long before we lose our title as the strongest power…”

Sect Leader Luo Huang immediately stood up in a panic.

A lecture that could create ‘Ten Li of Vacuum’ would definitely be highly beneficial to one’s future cultivation… And yet, their entire sect actually missed it! The loss they suffered from this oversight in decision was incalculable!

It could be foreseen that the sects who went to listen to the lecture would surely find their overall fighting prowess soaring, and it would just be a matter of time before they surpassed their Fleeting Cloud Sect.

This was especially so for the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. Most of the people who attended the lecture were from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. The deeper understanding of cultivation they gained from the lecture had created a bright future for all of them.

With this group of ‘potential experts’, in less than twenty years, the Myriad Kingdom Alliance could possibly soar to the peak of the twenty-eight regional powers.

It was for the ability to nurture many experts that high-tier master teachers were feared and respected.

“Attend the lecture? It’s too late. Zhang shi is only lecturing for two hours and… it’s about to end already. Besides, even if we were to head there now, there’s already no space for us…” the junior said.

“No space…”

Sect Leader Luo Huang’s face paled, and he nearly fell to the ground.

Indeed. Upon sensing spiritual energy disappearing from the surroundings, which cultivator wouldn’t rush over to listen to the lecture?

It was already too late for them.

“Our Fleeting Cloud Sect… We lost a chance to climb to greater heights… just like that…”

Sect Leader Luo Huang’s body trembled in regret.

If only they had attended the lecture, with the huge amount of resources their sect possessed, they would surely have risen the quickest. Surpassing Hongfeng Empire, where Hong shi came from, wouldn’t be a dream. But now… they could only sigh in lamentation.

The opportunity had already slipped past their fingers, and no matter how they clawed at it, they couldn’t possibly take it back.

“You said that… you would be able to conduct a lecture as well as him?”

The more he thought about, the more stifled he felt. Thus, he turned his gaze over to Luo Xuan.

“I…”

Luo Xuan’s body trembled, and he nearly burst into tears.

He thought that the gap between him and Zhang shi wasn’t too wide, and he could catch up with some diligence. Only at this instant did he realize that they were of completely different standing, and there was no basis of comparison at all!

It was laughable that he even got ahead of himself and lost intentionally in the fight against Bi Jianghai so as to not offend Zhang shi in case he won the finals. Even if he had got into the finals… the only possible fate was to be crushed!

“It seems it wasn’t hypnotism that all one-hundred people acknowledged him… he indeed possesses such capability!”

How could a person capable of employing ‘Ten Li of Vacuum’ possibly lower his pride to hypnotize others just to win? Not to mention, a person with such capability could possibly win easily even without it…

Huang shi and the other cultivators were earnestly acknowledging Zhang shi as their teacher…

And they noticed this fact way too late!

…

The same sight was also occurring in the other sects who skipped the lecture.

Upon learning that Zhang shi had managed to induce Ten Li of Vacuum through a lecture, everyone flew into a frenzy.

Those who attended such a lecture would surely walk out of it with an incomparably solid foundation. Very few bottlenecks could stifle their cultivation in the future, and they would grow stronger swiftly.

It could be said that this two-hour lecture would determine their fate. No amount of gold or spirit stones could make up for this loss of opportunity.

…

“It seems like… the rise of Myriad Kingdom Alliance is inevitable. It’s time to redraw the map of the twenty-eight regional powers!”

In the Alliance Head Residence, Alliance Head Zhao stood up with his fists tightly clenched. He glanced at the young man lecturing on the stage with eyes reddened in agitation.

Chapter 605: Capital of Huanyu Empire

Ever since inheriting the seat of the alliance head, he had been working hard to strengthen the alliance to protect and extend the borders of the empire. But the foundation of Myriad Kingdom Alliance was simply too weak.

The probability of success of the task that he was undertaking was nearly zero.

And yet, this impossibility was shattered with a single lecture from Zhang shi!

The million Myriad Kingdom Alliance citizens listening to the lecture would become sturdy pillars propping up the rise of the empire; it would be impossible to stop the rise of Myriad Kingdom Alliance anymore!

“Zhang shi, thank you…”

Alliance Head Zhao bowed respectfully.

This young man had brought new hope to the entire Myriad Kingdom Alliance!

…

“Using diction to draw in spiritual energy from the world for others to cultivate, is he really… lecturing on fundamental knowledge of cultivation?”

“I once thought that it was a waste of time to uncover the basics thoroughly. But from the looks of it now, I’m mistaken. Sorely mistaken.”

“This basic knowledge forms the very foundation of cultivating. It’s just like the foundation of a building; only with a strong foundation can it rise to greater heights…”

“I’ve truly benefitted immensely from this lesson. From today onward, Zhang shi is our half teacher. If anyone intends to harm Myriad Kingdom Alliance, Zhang shi’s homeland, in the future, we can’t stand idly and watch anymore…”

…

The innumerable experts amidst the crowd thought and discussed similar things.

After listening to Zhang shi’s lecture, they were considered as half a student of his. Thus, they felt obliged to stand up for him in the future.

“… protecting one’s core and going along with nature, these are the basics of cultivation! Alright, I’ll stop my lecture here.”

With the lecture coming to an end, the young man on the stage flicked his wrist, and a brush appeared. Painting on midair, a massive phoenix soon appeared before everyone’s sight.

Leaping off the ground, the young man stepped onto the back of the phoenix and flew into the distance.

This event would eventually go down in the annals of history.

Myriad Kingdom Alliance Year 3372, winter.

A million cultivators gathered to listen to Zhang shi’s lecture, and Ten Li of Vacuum was induced in the course of the lecture.

At the end of which, he soared into the skies on the back of a phoenix.

The million cultivators kneeled down and addressed him as their teacher.

…

White clouds floated over the backdrop of a blue sky. Several massive aerial spirit beasts whizzed across the sky, sending innumerable savage beasts and birds escaping chaotically in fear.

On the back of a spirit beast, Zhang Xuan, who was in the midst of his meditation, slowly opened his eyes.

It had been nearly a month since the public lecture in Myriad Kingdom City.

In this period of time, they had spent nearly every day on the back of the aerial spirit beast, and mental exhaustion was starting to pile up.

As they would be leaving their homeland for a long period of time, the traveling master teachers brought along their family and servants, and Hong shi had to prepared ten whole spirit beasts to house everyone.

None of these spirit beasts possessed cultivation lower than Transcendent Mortal 4-dan, and they caused a huge ruckus no matter where they went, sending countless creatures darting away in fright.

Throughout his journey, Zhang Xuan had been spending his time studying and cultivating. Not only did he reinforce his zhenqi cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle firmly, his soul cultivation even broke through the barrier to Transcendent Mortal 5-dan, and he advanced all the way to pinnacle-tier.

A soul cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 5-dan amounted to a strength of 3,200,000 ding. Stacking his zhenqi cultivation of 2,000,000 ding on top of that, he was able to wield a maximum might of 5,200,000 ding! That was comparable to Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Cosmos Bridge realm intermediate stage experts!

Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Cosmos Bridge realm; 4,000,000 ding at primary stage, 4,800,000 ding at intermediate stage, 5,600,000 ding at advanced stage, and 6,200,000 ding at pinnacle.

With a might of 5,200,000 ding, Zhang Xuan’s strength was near to that of an advanced stage cultivator. At his current strength, it would be difficult for even Hong shi to defeat him.

The cultivation of 4-star master teacher usually ranged from Transcendent Mortal 2-dan to 4-dan.

Transcendent Mortal 5-dan Consonant Spirit realm usually equated to half 5-star master teacher.

Only upon reaching Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Cosmos Bridge realm would one be qualified as a 5-star master teacher.

It hadn’t been long since Hong shi had been promoted to a 5-star master teacher, and his cultivation realm was around Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage. If Hong shi didn’t exploit the unique ability of his current cultivation realm, he would be unlikely to be able to withstand even a single punch from Zhang Xuan.

To gain the strength equivalent to a 5-star primary master teacher within two months of being promoted to a 4-star master teacher; only a monster like Zhang Xuan would be capable of such a feat.

Zhang Xuan wasn’t the only one whose cultivation increased by leaps and bounds. His students, Zheng Yang, Wang Ying, and the others, also witnessed significant growth in their cultivation as well.

Zhao Ya and Lu Chong’s departures made them treasure their time with Zhang shi even more. They had been cultivating diligently every single day, and with the huge pool of spirit stones Zhang shi gathered, their cultivation was increasing at an alarming rate on a daily basis.

One by one, the four students managed to reach Transcendent Mortal realm, and at this very moment, their cultivation levels had already stabilized at Transcendent Mortal 2-dan Origin Energy realm.

Not only so, Zhang Xuan also reorganized the Heaven’s Path battle techniques and imparted them to his students, thus inducing a massive rise in their fighting prowess.

The one who had improved the slowest was probably Butler Sun Qiang.

This fellow didn’t possess the slightest interest in cultivation, and as such, he would slack off the moment no eyes were on him. If not for Wang Ying supervising him, he would probably remain in the same cultivation realm for his entire life.

Nevertheless, trapped on the back of a spirit beast, he had nothing better to do either. As such, he had also managed to advance from Transcendent Mortal 1-dan Prolonged Longevity realm to 2-dan Origin Energy realm pinnacle.

At the current point, his cultivation was still higher than Wang Ying, who was the strongest among the remaining students.

The reason for his rapid improvement despite his indolence wasn’t due to his talent. Rather, he had consumed a part of Mo Hunsheng’s soul, which allowed him to inherit the other party’s comprehension of cultivation. With this serving as his foundation, and factoring in Zhang Xuan’s guidance and the seemingly endless supply of spirit stones for his use, his progress could be said to be slow already.

It should have been a joyous occasion that everyone was making progress in their training, but the current Zhang Xuan couldn’t find the mood to celebrate.

This was because… the six hundred or so spirit stones which he had taken from the Fleeting Cloud Sect and other powers had just completely run dry.

Zheng Yang, Sun Qiang, and the others didn’t consume many of them, the culprit behind this incident was mainly Zhang Xuan himself.

Back then, in order to hasten the maturing of the Nine Hearts Lotus, Zhang Xuan expended around two to three hundred middle-tier spirit stones. After which, he gave a portion to the departing Lu Chong and spent another huge bunch to advance his soul cultivation to Consonant Spirit realm…

It could be considered a blessing that the six hundred middle-tier spirit stones lasted them until now…

Rubbing his glabella, Zhang Xuan thought, ‘Looks like I’ll have to use the high-tier spirit stone for my future cultivation…’

So far, he hadn’t used the high-tier spirit stone that he’d received from the Master Teacher Tournament yet as he couldn’t bear to use it. But now that his supply of middle-tier spirit stone had run dry, he had no other choice.

“Zhang shi, we’re about to reach Huanyu Capital!”

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to take the high-tier spirit stone to take a look, Hong shi suddenly walked over.

For this journey, Hong shi chose to share a ride with him, and along the journey, Zhang Xuan helped solve some of the problems he was facing in his cultivation. In a sense, this was his way of compensating the other party for destroying his artifacts.

Naturally, this was all done in the name of ‘Yang shi’.

In any case, the other party seemed to possess absolute to trust to this ‘teacher’ of his, so there was no harm using the latter’s name.

After receiving Zhang Xuan’s pointers, Hong shi enjoyed significant improvement in his cultivation. At the same time, his respect for this young master teacher also deepened.

“The capital?”

Zhang Xuan stood up and walked over to the window. A massive city came into his sight.

Pitch-black city walls were embedded into the earth as though a thick iron mail. Countless elegant buildings rose all the way into the distant sky, and from afar, it resembled an undulating mountain range. They bore testimony to the long history of the city.

“Huanyu Capital has more than ten thousand years of history behind it. The founding emperor, Ye Huanyu, led four of his brothers to conquer the lands, thus eventually forming this immense empire!”

Hong shi glanced downward, and both graveness and awe were reflected in his eyes. “The eastern end of the capital is connected to the Verdant Mountain whereas the western end is connected to the Dragon-scaled River. From afar, it looks no different from a sprawling giant.”

“Un!” Zhang Xuan lowered his glance to examine the city.

Just as Hong shi had said, the capital was indeed majestic. It extended for hundreds of kilometers. As though a gigantic fortress, just the sight of it created an indestructible image in the minds of onlookers.

Even though there was no complicated formation set up around the capital, it seemed to blend in with nature, creating an unblemished and soothing atmosphere.

“Huanyu Empire Master Teacher Pavilion’s Pavilion Master Wei Jiang is my teacher, a 5-star pinnacle master teacher and Transcendent Mortal 8-dan pinnacle expert. The emperor, Ye Wentian, has also reached Transcendent Mortal 8-dan as well,” Hong shi explained.

“5-star pinnacle master teacher? Transcendent Mortal 8-dan?”

Zhang Xuan’s mouth twitched.

Upon reaching Transcendent Mortal 5-dan Consonant Spirit realm, one’s soul and body would be harmonized together as one, and one’s strength would be brought to whole new heights. One’s enhanced soul would also significantly increase one’s comprehension of cultivation as well.

Beyond this realm is Cosmos Bridge realm.

Cosmos Bridge realm, a bridge that connects one with the world, creating a unique synergy between man and nature. Even without cultivating consciously, spiritual energy would flow along the bridge into one’s body and nourish it, thus inducing a constant rise in one’s cultivation.

At this realm, one’s zhenqi or soul would grow at a rapid pace. Eventually, one would gain the power to move mountains and displace oceans.

After this realm is Transcendent Mortal 7-dan Perfect Harmonization realm.

Perfect Harmonization realm, the unification of everything into one entity. One’s energy would become even purer and aligned with nature. At the same time, one’s soul would also grow stronger as well.

Following which is Transcendent Mortal 8-dan Ethereal Treading realm. At this level, one’s zhenqi and soul would enjoy a massive growth spurt. More importantly, one would gain some control over the laws of nature, allowing one to step on thin air.

In other words… one would be able to rise up into the skies. However, horizontal motion is still too difficult at this realm, so it couldn’t be considered flight yet.

To think that Huanyu Empire Master Teacher Pavilion’s pavilion master would actually be an expert of this caliber, just the thought of this in itself was frightening.

Even though Zhang Xuan had improved greatly during this period of time, he was still far from matching up to such experts.

But of course, having grasped the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps, even if he found himself on the losing end of a fight, he could still escape into the skies safely.

“I’ve already had someone report our arrival to the Master Teacher Pavilion, and someone should be fetching us soon…”

After introducing Huanyu Empire’s emperor and the Master Teacher Pavilion’s pavilion master, Hong shi chuckled.

While the twenty-eight regional powers were significantly weaker than Huanyu Empire, the Master Teacher Tournament still held some weight in the empire. Otherwise, Hong shi, a 5-star master teacher, wouldn’t have been dispatched to host the event

Qiu qiu qiu!

Roar roar roar!

But as soon as he was done saying those words, a series of beast calls sounded, and around a dozen gigantic aerial spirit beasts flew over toward the group.

These aerial spirit beasts weren’t too large in size, and a single figure could be seen standing on top every single one of them.

Chuckling lightly, Hong shi said, “Alright, the escorting party is here. Later on, they’ll lead us straight to the royal palace…”

But halfway through his words, an impassive voice suddenly sounded in the air.

“Hong Qian, it has been long since we last met… It is unfortunate, but it seems like you came at a bad time. I advise you to turn around and leave immediately!”

Chapter 606: Obstruction

Came at a bad time?

Leave?

Zhang Xuan frowned.

Rather than welcoming, this group seemed to be provoking them instead!

If they were here to escort them in, why on Earth would they ask them to leave as soon as they met?

The other master teachers on the back of other spirit beasts also came out of their rooms, curious to see what was going on.

They wanted to see who was so audacious as to speak to Hong shi in such a manner.

“Feng Yu?”

Hearing those words, Hong shi frowned.

“You’re right!”

The man on the spirit beast that was leading the entire group chuckled lightly in response.

At this moment, both sides were only several hundred meters apart, and they could already clearly see the appearance of the other. The other party was a fifty-year-old elder dressed in a long, golden robe. His gray beard drifted along with a slight breeze. From his appearance, the other party resembled an enlightened sage.

“I came under the invitation of Huanyu Empire and the Master Teacher Pavilion, and naturally, I’ve no reason to leave. If Brother Feng wishes to leave, I don’t mind sending you off!” Hong shi said.

During which, he sent a telepathic message to Zhang Xuan to explain the situation.

“This Feng Yu is the pavilion master of Fengyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, and the both of us have never been on good terms before. While the twenty-eight powers under Hongfeng Empire were conducting the Master Teacher Tournament, they were doing the same as well…”

“Fengyuan Empire? One of the Four Great Vassal States, Hongfeng Empire?” Zhang Xuan asked.

In the one-month journey, while Zhang Xuan had devoted most of his time to cultivating, he would have occasional chats with this 5-star master teacher, and from the latter, he gained a rough understanding of Huanyu Empire.

Huanyu Empire was a Tier-2 Empire, and under it were four Vassal States: Hongfeng Empire, Fengyuan Empire, Qianfeng Empire, and Zhuyue Empire.

These four states were conferred to the four brothers who fought alongside Founding Emperor Ye Huanyu, and while they were said to be of equal standing to Huanyu Empire, their standing was slightly lower than the former.

The Four Great Vassal States had many smaller empires under them. Take for example Hongfeng Empire where Hong shi came from, it governed the twenty-eight regional powers, namely Myriad Kingdom Alliance, Fleeting Cloud Sect, and so on.

The other three Vassal States were also in the same position.

If Zhang Xuan were to use the knowledge from his previous life to classify this structure, Huanyu Empire would be the entire country while Hongfeng, Fengyuan, and the other Vassal States were provinces. The twenty-eight regional powers would be cities, Conferred Kingdoms like Xuanyuan Kingdom would be towns, and Tier-1 and Tier-2 Kingdoms would be villages.

Just like Hongfeng Empire, the other Vassal States were also conducting the Master Teacher Tournament to pick out the individuals who were qualified to enter the Cleansing Lake.

“Un. I thought that the members of Huanyu Empire’s royalty would be here to pick us up, but it seems like they managed to catch hold of the news of our arrival and intercepted the news. As Master Teacher Pavilions of equal standing, a certain degree of rivalry is unavoidable. I fear that they bear hostile intentions.”

Hong shi frowned.

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

Considering how rude the other party was, they were unlikely to be here to have a friendly chat.

And as expected, while the duo was speaking, Master Teacher Feng Yu, who was standing opposite to them, bellowed loudly, “I tried speaking kindly to you, but you just choose not to listen! Hongfeng Empire is the furthest away from Huanyu Empire, and you came late as well, so there may be some things you are unaware of. Since that’s the case, allow me to fill you in. While the slots for the Cleansing Lake haven’t changed, Crown Prince Ye Qian of the royal family suddenly requires three more slots, and thus, we’ve had to cut our numbers. In other words… your group has already lost its opportunity to enter the Cleansing Lake! I’ll advise you to return now rather than embarrass yourself inside!”

“Requires three more slots?” Hong shi frowned.

Just like the Yin-Yang Lake, the Cleansing Lake also had a strict restriction on the number of people who could enter it. However, the slots were decided on beforehand, so how could Hongfeng Empire lose its slots just because it came late? How could a respected crown prince steal the slots of a Vassal State?

“That’s right. Why don’t you all report to Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy first, there’s no point in staying here for you anyway!”

Feng Yu smiled.

“We’ll decide for ourselves whether there’s any point in staying here or not, so Feng shi need not worry for us!”

Knowing that the other party was surely up to no good for obstructing them here, Hong shi couldn’t be bothered to waste his breath. Thus, waving his hands, he turned around and instructed, “Control your spirit beasts well, we’ll be heading straight for the Master Teacher Pavilion first.”

These aerial spirit beasts were rented from the Beast Hall and driven by its personnel.

Hualala!

Under the beast tamers’ control, the spirit beasts immediately formed a line, ready to advance at any moment.

“Hong Qian, aren’t you being a little too rude here? I came here to inform you of the matter kindly, and not only did you not reciprocate my favor, you even chose to snub me and leave. What do you mean by this?”

Feng Yu’s eyebrows shot up.

“I’ll ask teacher and His Majesty personally regarding the issue concerning the slots!”

Hong shi waved his hands.

Huala!

The aerial spirit beasts immediately spread their wings and attempted to bypass the other party by soaring to a greater altitude.

“You just want to do things the hard way. Chen Mo!”

Seeing the other party refusing to heed his advice, Feng Yu narrowed his eyes. He turned around and issued a command.

“Yes!” replied the young man behind him.

With a flick of his wrist, an ancient zither appeared in his palm, and pulling on it lightly, a melodious tune floated in the air.

Triiiing, triiiing!

The melody was constantly alternating between a high note and a low note. The tune was refined, and the melody sounded pleasant to the ear.

“What is he doing with the zither?”

“I’ve no idea…”

Not only did the zither lack the slightest hostile intentions, it was even gentle. It was extremely comfortable to the ears, and this left the Hongfeng Empire group perplexed.

Since the other party traveled all the way here to obstruct them, there was no reason for the other party to let them pass so easily. Yet, when they tried to leave, all the other party did was to have one of their members play a perfectly ordinary melody on his zither. What were they up to?

Demonic tunists did possess the ability to launch an offense on one’s soul via sound, but for them to be injured by such gentle music… Impossible!

More importantly… while their group wasn’t exceptionally powerful, every single of them was a 4-star pinnacle master teacher, and Hong shi, a 5-star master teacher, was present here as well. To influence everyone’s psyche with music here felt like an impractical move.

“Wait, this offense isn’t directed toward us, it’s directed toward the spirit beasts!”

At this moment, Hong shi finally came to a realization, and his face darkened.

“Spirit beasts?”

Taken aback, everyone quickly turned their sights to the beast tamers driving the aerial spirit beasts, only to see a livid expression on each of their faces.

“Not bad, you sure realized it swiftly. Indeed, Chen Mo’s [Void Tune of Heavens] possesses the ability to hypnotize spirit beasts and prevent them from advancing any further. In other words, as long as the music continues playing, you’ll be unable to advance even the slightest inch…”

Feng Yu chuckled softly.

“Void Tune of Heavens?”

Hong shi tried to drive the spirit beast beneath him, but it seemed as though the connection between him and the spirit beast was severed. All it was capable of at the moment was to remain afloat in midair.

It was as if someone had put a cage around the spirit beasts, preventing them from going any further.

And unable to move any further, they wouldn’t be able to enter the capital or the royal palace.

“Feng Yu, what are you up to?”

Enraged, Hong shi glanced at Feng Yu coldly.

“Nothing much. I just want you to accompany me here for a single day!”

Feng Yu smiled lightly before turning around to issue another instruction. “Chen Mo, continue playing the zither here. Don’t allow them to advance a single inch forward!”

“Yes!” the young man known as Chen Mo replied as his fingers danced around the zither, producing a beautiful melody.

“Humph, do you think that you can stop me with this?”

Not expecting the other party to resort to such forceful measures, Hong shi’s eyebrows shot up in displeasure. Emulating a sword through his finger, he flicked his forefinger lightly.

Wuuuuuu!

A piercing shrill echoed. A surge of sword qi was shot from the tip of Hong shi’s finger, headed straight for Chen Mo’s zither.

With the destruction of the zither, the melody would stop, and the bindings on the spirit beast would be dispelled.

But before the sword qi could even reach, ‘weng!’, a reverberation sounded. A huge protective barrier had appeared before Chen Mo, rendering Hong shi’s offensive ineffective.

“It’s a formation! The people on the dozen spirit beasts have coordinated with one another to set up a defensive barrier to protect Chen Mo. Given the long distance, it’ll be difficult for us to break the barrier!”

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He had been perplexed as to why Feng Yu would bring so many people over. After all, as fellow master teachers, it was unlikely that a battle would break out. It seemed like this was where his true intentions lay.

All of these people were likely to be formation masters, and they must be carrying some object on them. Using the spirit beasts as the formation flags, they succeeded in setting up a defensive formation around Chen Mo.

If not for the distance, putting aside Hong shi, even Zhang Xuan would be able to break the barrier easily with a single punch. The distance of several hundred meters was a difficult problem to solve. From such a distance, even the long-range sword qi would be unable to deal much damage. Not to mention, the other party seemed to be well-prepared, so it was unlikely that they would get a chance at stopping Chen Mo’s zither.

This was also what made demonic tunists fearsome.

Physical barriers meant nothing to them as long as their melody could get through.

This was probably also the basis of the other party’s confidence.

“Damn it…’

Hong shi gritted his teeth tightly.

He was also able to deduce this much.

They were in a bad plight. Under the effects of the melody, they were trapped at an altitude of several thousand meters away from ground, unable to descend or leave.

“The part regarding the slots should be true, and the results are likely to be out by today. He probably intends to keep us here to stop us from vying for those slots,” Hong shi said.

“That’s very likely!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Actually, this matter wasn’t too difficult to guess, and master teachers specialized in noticing even the most minor of details. If they couldn’t deduce this much, they might as well knock their heads onto a wall and fall dead.

“The capital might look near from here, but if we were to go proceed ahead by foot, it would take at least half a day. Besides… we’re in midair right now. Given that our spirit beasts are unable to move at all, we’re completely trapped here… What should we do?”

Hong shi began to panic.

Once he lost those slots, he wouldn’t be able to get it back even if he were to wreak havoc with the Feng Yu.

But… they were stuck in midair, and they couldn’t reach the other party’s zither either. Were they really doomed to watch as the slots for the Cleansing Lake slipped by their fingers?

“Actually, there’s a very simple way to resolve this issue!” Zhang Xuan smiled mysteriously.

“Simple? How can this matter be resolved simply?” The other party’s words left Hong shi stunned. “Our spirit beasts are immobile, and we’re too far to reach them as well. You can’t expect us to fly over to destroy the zither…”

“Fly over? That would be way too troublesome…” Zhang Xuan shook his head. Turning around, he instructed, “Everyone, block the ears of your spirit beasts.”

“Alright!”

Even though everyone had no idea what Zhang Xuan was up to, they still nodded their heads and carried out his instructions.

They had a deep trust toward this champion of the Master Teacher Tournament.

Soon, they managed to plug the ears of the spirit beasts on their side.

Now that all preparations were done, Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly as he turned to face the enemy.

“You said that there’s a simple way to resolve this matter? Despite your young age, you sure speak arrogantly. Hong shi, is this your student? Why do you seem to be regressing as time passes? Your juniors don’t seem to know the meaning of etiquette at all. It’s basic manners to remain silent while your seniors are talking…”

Hearing the words between the duo, Feng Yu sneered coldly. He was just about to reprimand the other party when the young man opposite to him opened his mouth, and a sound echoed into the surroundings.

“Moo!”

Hu! Hu! Hu! Hu!

Before they could even react, the spirit beasts beneath Feng Yu and the others began a free fall journey all the way to the ground.

“The heck, what is going on? AHHH…”