LHP 950+

1281-1290

Chapter 1281: Sword Quintessence

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Five minutes?" The sword on the stone platform froze.

Sword Quintessence was the highest level of comprehension toward swordsmanship, so naturally, it was no easy feat to achieve that realm. Without several centuries of experience and accumulation, it was nigh impossible to make the breakthrough.

Even the Old Sword Maestro, famed to be one of the greatest geniuses in swordsmanship in his era, had to work ceaselessly for more than a hundred years before he managed to achieve that realm!

On the other hand, the young man before him appeared to only be in his early twenties, and yet, he actually claimed that he would be able to achieve a breakthrough within five minutes...

How could that be possible?

"Elder, that is clearly nonsense! He's obviously trying to stall for time. If we don't kill him right now, there's no saying that he would do within those five minutes!" Seeing that the situation was developing in a direction beyond his control, Ji Lingzhen exclaimed anxiously.

I didn't summon you out to chat with the enemy... As a weapon, can you at least show some professionalism?

"Shut up!" the sword bellowed furiously.

Weng!

Before Ji Lingzhen could even react, a powerful surge of sword qi was already darting his way. Horrified, he quickly channeled his zhenqi to defend himself.

Peng!

However, the sword qi still overcame his defense and struck his chest squarely. His face reddened, and a spurt of fresh blood escaped from his mouth. At the same time, a glaring horizontal cut appeared across his chest.

All along, while Ji Lingzhen knew the sword to be a Saint high-tier artifact, he had no idea what its exact tier was. However, when he felt the sword qi emanated by the sword, he immediately realized that the true strength wielded by the sword was far beyond his imagination.

Just a simple sword qi was enough to render him completely helpless. If the sword were to attempt to claim his life, there would have been nothing he could have done about it!

"Try uttering another word, and I'll kill you this instant!" the sword harrumphed coldly.

It was also no wonder why it would be angry.

Prior to the Old Sword Maestro's death, he had sealed the sword here as an inheritance for his successor. There were two conditions that the successor had to meet in order to unseal it.

Firstly, he must fully comprehend the conceptualization behind the '剑 (Sword)' character outside. Secondly, his comprehension of swordsmanship must achieve the level of Sword Quintessence.

Only when these two factors were met would the sword finally be freed from the stone platform. Over the years, many geniuses had found its way to it, but it was a pity that none of them had been able to meet the two conditions simultaneously.

Ji Lingzhen could be said to be the one who had come the closest to unsealing it in the past several thousand years, but it was a pity that despite several centuries of hard work, he was still unable to take the final step to achieving Sword Quintessence...

If Zhang Xuan was really able to achieve Sword Quintessence, he would be able to free it from its restraints. Naturally, how could it allow others to interfere with this hard-to-come-by opportunity?

"Elder..." Not expecting that several centuries of companionship would actually mean nothing as compared to a couple of words uttered by Zhang Xuan, Ji Lingzhen trembled in fury. Clenching his fists tightly, he exclaimed, "That fellow over there has used the Impartation of Heaven's Will and demonic tunes in order to sway you. It's clear that he's up to no good!"

"Sway me?"

"That's right, elder. There's no sword practitioner who doesn't know how difficult it is to achieve Sword Quintessence. Even the Old Sword Maestro had to take many years of hard work before managing to achieve that realm!" Ji Lingzhen spoke with a worried tone.

"He's only at Upper Sword Heart, not even reaching the level of Half-Quintessence. How could he possibly achieve a breakthrough to Sword Quintessence within just mere minutes? That's obviously an attempt to stall for time. He's probably intending on using some kind of lowly method to tame you..."

"This..." Hearing those words, the sword hesitated.

There was some sense to what Ji Lingzhen had said. If it was that easy to achieve Sword Quintessence, it wouldn't have been known as the threshold to the pinnacle of swordsmanship!

Back in those years, countless sword experts of the Empire Alliance had come to challenge the Old Sword Maestro, and there was no lack of 8-star master teachers amongst them. However, all of them ended up being defeated by his superior comprehension of swordsmanship.

From this, it could be seen how difficult it was to achieve the level of Sword Quintessence.

From such a perspective, it was indeed doubtful whether a young man in the early twenties would be able to achieve this breakthrough or not.

"That fellow is a despicable and scheming fellow. Without a doubt, he's up to his underhanded tricks once more. Elder, I suggest that you kill him right this instant just to be safe..." Noticing that the sword was starting to sway in his favor, Ji Lingzhen immediately pressed on with an anxious tone.

But halfway through his words, his body suddenly stiffened instinctively. Following which, an unbelievably grand and pure Sword Intent burst into the sky.

Hong long!

It was as if huge waves had been raised in the Sword Lagoon. In the blink of an eye, countless sword qi began gathering toward them, forming a frightening hurricane around them.

"This is..."

Ji Lingzhen clearly felt the Sword Intent within his body being suppressed entirely, preventing him from even moving a single step. An ominous premonition loomed over his mind, and his face paled. He slowly turned his stiffened neck over in the direction where the Sword Intent was coming from.

The young man who was just talking a moment earlier came into his sight. His eyes were still completely shut, but in this moment, it felt as if he had transformed into a sharp blade which could challenge even the deities even.

Weng weng weng weng!

Countless blades flew in from outside the formation, and they swiftly took a kneeling stance before the young man, as if paying respects to their new emperor.

"Servility of the Myriad Swords... This is Sword Quintessence?" Ji Lingzhen widened his eyes in fright before slowly shaking his head in disbelief.

It was just a moment after he said that it was impossible for the young man to achieve a breakthrough to Sword Quintessence and he was just stalling for time when such a situation occurred. At this moment, he couldn't help but feel as if the world had directed its full malicious intentions toward him.

Seven hundred years ago, he reached Half-Quintessence. Ever since then, he had been trying to further his mastery of swordsmanship to take the final step forward, and for this, he had resorted to all sorts of means and studied all kinds of books. Yet, no matter what he tried, he was still unable to grasp the realm above Half-Quintessence. On the other hand, the young man had only closed his eyes for a few minutes, and he had already reached the level that was beyond his reach...

The stark contrast between both of their plights left him on a mental breakdown.

Had it not been for his firm mind, the final string of rationality in his mind might have just snap there and then, leaving him falling endlessly down the abyss of lunacy.

He has really comprehended Sword Quintessence? This is really bad...

On the other hand, Ji Lingfeng's eyes were narrowed in horror.

He thought that as long as they were to engage the help of the Old Sword Maestro's personal sword, they should be able to get rid of Zhang Xuan without any trouble. In fact, that was one of the contributing factors why they chose to make their move here, so that they would at least have a trump card to fall back on if things went awry. Yet, who could have thought that the both of them would end up hooking up together, and Zhang Xuan even managed to achieve a breakthrough to Sword Quintessence...

At this rate, the sword might even acknowledge Zhang Xuan as its master!

To put it in concise terms, they were in deep shit.

Run! Realizing this, Ji Lingfeng suppressed the pain that was resonating throughout his body with every move and fled as fast as he could out of the mist.

Even though he had only managed to get through the Chaotic Palace Beguilement Formation thanks to Ji Lingzhen's directions back then, he had memorized the passageway from the previous experience. Furthermore, the formation had been mostly destroyed by the burst of Sword Intent from the awakening of the sword, thus making it easier from him to escape from the area.

Hualala!

Barely after taking two steps out, before he could even get far, he suddenly felt a chill running through his body. Before he could do anything, he suddenly felt the upper half of his body tumbling forward uncontrollably.

Turning his head over, he saw Ji Lingzhen retracting his finger coldly, and the nonchalant look on the latter's face was as if saying the deed he had just committed was nothing worthy of note.

He watched as Ji Lingzhen turned around to the stone platform and clasped his fist respectfully, saying, "Elder, I only made a move on Zhang shi under the deception of my foolish younger brother. As you know, it has been many years since I left the Sword Lagoon, so I was unaware of the happenings outside..."

"You..."

Padah!

Ji Lingfeng's upper body fell onto the ground, and blood spurted wildly from the severed halves of his body. Even up to the moment of his death, his eyes were widened in disbelief, as if not daring to believe that his elder brother would actually kill him with his own hands.

Used to seeing bloodshed, the sword didn't flinch at the slightest by the gore before its eyes. Instead, it bellowed coldly in response to Ji Lingzhen's words, "Silence! Don't interrupt that lad's breakthrough!"

"Yes!" Ji Lingzhen hurriedly fell silent and stood obediently on the spot.

Since even a newcomer like Ji Lingfeng was able to see through the attitude of the sword, how could Ji Lingzhen, who had accompanied the sword for hundreds of years, possibly be oblivious to it?

The requirement to taming the sword was to comprehend Sword Quintessence. Since Zhang Xuan had successfully reached Sword Quintessence, and he had also displayed a thorough understanding of the conceptualization behind the character the Old Sword Maestro had left behind, it was only a matter of time before he successfully tamed the sword.

Once that were to happen, Ji Lingzhen would be a goner. Thus, he decisively chose to slay Ji Lingfeng and pin all the blame on the latter.

In the face of life and death, so long as he could survive, he wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice the life of his kin!

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan paid no heed to the mess that was happening at the moment. Under the protection of his clone, he immersed himself in the profound knowledge contained in the new Heaven's Path Sword Art which he had compiled earlier.

This sword art could be said to have contained the wisdom of the strongest sword practitioners in not just the Conferred Empires but even the Empire Alliance as well! As Zhang Xuan's comprehension of swordsmanship deepened, his Primordial Spirit also began morphing in the shape of a sword, and he felt like he could call forth devastating might with just a wave of his hand.

When his Primordial Spirit finally completed the metamorphosis into a sword form, he found that he seemed to command a natural authority over swords that were weaker than him. With just mere thoughts, he was able to drive them into action.

But of course, this was just the most elementary form of control. If he wished to wield absolute control over the sword, he would still have to gain the acknowledgement of the sword and tame it.

Nevertheless, this was already an extremely frightening ability

This effectively meant that no sword practitioner of the same cultivation realm as him could rival him anymore!

"With the deepening of my comprehension toward swords, I can now infuse Sword Intent even to the simplest of movements. Also, when I'm wielding a sword, the fighting prowess I can exert is around twofold as compared to when I'm fighting with fist art or palm art!" Assessing the Sword Intent flowing within his body, Zhang Xuan began to make a primary gauge of his current strength.

As expected of Sword Quintessence, it's indeed formidable... Now that I have achieved this level of strength, I wonder if I'll be able to defeat my clone... A thought suddenly came into Zhang Xuan's mind.

However, he soon shook his head, Forget it, I don't have masochistic tendencies!

He and his clone might have originated from the same soul, but through the superior capabilities of the Nine Hearts Lotus, his clone wielded a fighting prowess far beyond his. Every time Zhang Xuan thought that he had made substantial improvement and wanted to exact vengeance for his previous humiliation, he would find that his clone had grown even stronger...

It should probably be the same this time around.

Both their souls were connected, allowing them to share everything telepathically. As soon as their minds connected with one another, his clone would also be able to grasp Sword Quintessence as well. Given so, whatever advantage he had over his clone would be undone as well.

If he were to really dare make a move, there was little doubt that the one who would be lying miserably on the ground afterward would be him.

With this lingering thought in mind, Zhang Xuan slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing that came into his sight was a hundred or so Saint intermediate-tier swords bowing right in front of him, every single of them trembling in fear.

I see. So that's the reason why the Dusk Cloud Sword was so fearful of Ma Minghai back then... Zhang Xuan thought.

He found that he had the strength to easily wipe away the spirit of any of the swords with just a thought. Given so, how could the sword spirits not know fear?

"Zhang shi, congratulations on your breakthrough! Please pardon me for my previous disrespect. It's due to the deception of the despicable Ji Lingfeng that I made an erroneous judgement. I beg for your forgiveness!" Following which, Zhang Xuan swiftly heard an exclamation,

Turning over, he saw Ji Lingzhen kneeling on the ground not too far away. Even though the latter was trying to keep himself composed, the slight trembling of his body still betrayed his innate fear.

Ji Lingzhen was already no match for Zhang Xuan previously, and the situation had only just worsened. The sword on the stone tablet was clearly biased against him, and the young man had already had more than a hundred Saint intermediate-tier swords under his command at the moment as well. If the young man really wanted to kill him, all it would take would be a mere thought.

"You are asking for my forgiveness?" Zhang Xuan scoffed.

Conducting a swift scan of his surroundings, he suddenly noticed that Ji Lingfeng had already been killed. Then, he traded glances with his clone, and through a telepathic interaction, he swiftly understood what was going on, and a deep frown emerged on his forehead.

To be willing to kill even his own brother, Ji Lingzhen was really the worst of scums. Morals and principles clearly meant nothing to him at all.

Thus, Zhang Xuan communicated telepathically with his clone for a moment before turning his gaze back to the stone platform.

"Zhang shi!" the sword exclaimed in agitation.

It had been sealed here ever since the death of the Old Sword Maestro, and it had been nearly ten thousand years since then. Even though it had spent most of its time in hibernation, it still direly craved for freedom. If there was a chance for it to leave this damned place, it would grasp it without any hesitation.

"Zhang shi, I have the heritage of the Old Sword Maestro on me. You have to pull me out from the stone platform for it to show..." the sword informed Zhang Xuan telepathically.

"Pull you out?" Zhang Xuan asked before coming to a realization.

He hadn't really thought of it in such a manner previously due to the astounding power displayed by the sword, but the words that the sword had just spoken made him realize that the reason why the sword hadn't moved all this while was because there was some kind of seal trapping it in the stone platform.

For even something as strong as the sword to be unable to free itself, the seal was bound to be exceptionally powerful.

Thus, Zhang Xuan couldn't help asking, "If even you are unable to struggle free of the seal, how can I possibly be able to free you?"

Chapter 1282: I Won't Be Learning Them Anymore

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"This stone platform was left behind by the Old Sword Maestro as well, and only sword practitioners who have comprehended Sword Quintessence would be able to break the seal and pull me out! However, I'm not too sure about how it can be done either..." the sword replied awkwardly.

The Old Sword Maestro had passed away shortly after sealing it in the stone platform, and it had spent most of its time hibernating since then. All it knew was that in order to be freed from the stone platform, it would need to find a sword practitioner who had comprehended Sword Quintessence and the conceptualization of the '剑 (Sword)' character. As for how that sword practitioner could draw it out from the stone platform... Embarrassingly, it didn't know a thing at all.

"You aren't too sure how it can be done either?" Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan couldn't help heaving a deep sigh. "Alright, let me give it a try then."

The sword was a Saint high-tier artifact. It would be of great use to him, so he wouldn't turn down an opportunity to obtain it.

With a swift movement, Zhang Xuan appeared before the stone platform. He grabbed the sword and exerted all of his force.

However, it was as if the sword was nailed into the stone platform, not budging in the least.

Frowning, Zhang Xuan began examining the stone platform closely.

"It's an artifact created by a celestial designer! No wonder..."

With Zhang Xuan's current strength, he could pluck up even an entire mountain if he wanted to. Yet, for him to be completely helpless before a seemingly ordinary stone platform...

So, he decided to take a closer look, and he swiftly found that the entire stone platform was a celestial designer mechanism. Unless one were to use a special method to resolve both the seal and the celestial designer mechanism simultaneously, or else it would be impossible to release the sword.

"The sword said earlier that only those who had achieved Sword Quintessence would be able to draw it from the stone platform. Perhaps I need to utilize my Sword Intent while drawing the sword out for it to work..."

With this thought in mind, Zhang Xuan tightened his hands on the handle of the sword before closing his eyes. He quickly morphed his comprehension of Sword Quintessence into a surge of Sword Intent and slowly drove it through his body.

Hong long!

It was as if something had been activated. With a resounding buzz, a peculiar power abruptly burst forth from the stone platform. Following which, a powerful wave of Sword Intent rippled into the surroundings before swiftly forming a barrier around the area.

The first thing Zhang Xuan noticed was that his Spiritual Perception had been isolated by the barrier of Sword Intent, preventing him from sensing anything beyond the barrier. The converse was likely to be true as well—those outside were unlikely to be able to sense what was going on within the barrier too.

Frowning in uncertainty, Zhang Xuan was just about to release his grip of the sword to assess his current situation when he suddenly saw a few lingering Sword Intent in the area slowly gathering before his eyes, gradually forming the silhouette of an old man.

The old man had a slightly emaciated figure, but his very presence felt like an incredibly sharp sword which would slice through anything standing before it.

"Old Sword Maestro?" Zhang Xuan called out warily.

Even though the old man was an existence formed solely of just Sword Intent, Zhang Xuan could sense that the other party retained memories of his past. Even just as a congregation of Sword Intent, the other party still wielded might far beyond his means.

"I am Jian Zhen, the man whom others know as the Old Sword Maestro! Since you were able to awaken the will I have left behind, you must have successfully comprehended Sword Quintessence. With this, you are qualified to inherit my heritage..." the old man placed his hands behind his back and said.

One could vaguely see Sword Intent rippling within his black eyes, as if granting him the keenness to discern everything in the world.

"Kneel down and pay respects to me as your teacher, and I'll impart you the Three Swords of Lingxu and the method to undoing the seal on the stone platform!"

"Pay respects to you as my teacher?" An inconspicuous frown emerged on Zhang Xuan's forehead.

"To inherit my heritage and my wisdom, naturally, you have to acknowledge me as your teacher!" the Old Sword Maestro replied with a tone of unquestionable authority.

"My Three Swords of Lingxu—Sea Severing Sword, Ocean Cataclysm Sword, and Heaven Desecration Sword—are top-notch battle techniques. Even the experts of the Empire Alliance would kill for the opportunity to learn them! If my days hadn't been numbered, I wouldn't have left my heritage here for any outsider take it for their own!"

Typically speaking, when an expert wanted to pass down his heritage, he would first assess his student's nature, talent, and many other aspects before deciding on whether to impart to the latter his heritage. After all, there was no expert who wouldn't want to find an outstanding successor to further his legacy. However, by the time the Old Sword Maestro arrived in the Sword Lagoon, he was already on the verge of death, so he wasn't in the physical state to set too many trials. Thus, he could only leave behind the '剑 (Sword)' character and the stone platform to assess his successor.

Nevertheless, even if he couldn't make a wholesome assessment of his successor, he was determined to have his successor acknowledge him as his teacher before imparting to the latter his heritage.

It might appear to be an empty title on the surface, but to those of the Master Teacher Continent, the solemnity of their lineage was something they wouldn't compromise on.

"Since you have spent a long time to decipher the words I have left behind, I believe that you must have been moved by my heritage for some time now. Considering how you are able to comprehend Sword Quintessence at your young age, I believe that you should be able to accomplish great things in the future. After you acknowledge me as your teacher, not only will I teach you the Three Swords of Lingxu, I'll also impart to you the essence of my comprehension of swordsmanship. As long as you train diligently, you should have no trouble becoming a top-notch swordmaster in the Empire Alliance within three hundred years!" the Old Sword Maestro said proudly.

He had absolute trust in his own swordsmanship.

Since the young man went through all of the trouble to come here and study the '剑 (Sword)' character he had left behind, it would mean that the young man was interested in obtaining his heritage.

Naturally, as the senior and teacher here, he should put on an authoritative air deserving of his standing.

Otherwise, how could he win the trust and respect of his successor?

"Three hundred years just to become the top-notch swordmaster in the Empire Alliance? That's too long, I can't afford to wait till then!" With a conflicted look on his face, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He had to become a 9-star master teacher before thirty in order to get rid of his Innate Fetal Poison before it blew up on him.

More importantly, he needed to wield strength on par with an 8-star pinnacle master teacher by the third month of the next year so that he could have the strength to free Luo Ruoxin from her engagement with the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan.

Three hundred years just to reach the peak in the Empire Alliance... That was simply too slow.

"You can't afford to wait till then? What do you mean?" the Old Sword Maestro narrowed his eyes in agitation.

It wasn't easy for him to find a suitable successor, and there was no way he was going to let this opportunity to pass down his heritage go. As a show of power, he released a powerful burst of Sword Intent into the surroundings, causing the air to moan from the pressure.

"Are you afraid that my sword art is too profound, and you are afraid that you won't be able to succeed? If that's the case, you don't have to worry so! The fact that you are able to comprehend the conceptualization behind my '剑 (Sword)' character shows that you aren't lacking in intelligence. I know that the Three Swords of Lingxu might be profound, but as long as you study it diligently, there's still at least 30% chance that you might succeed... But of course, the shorter the duration you take to comprehend the conceptualization behind my '剑 (Sword)' character, the higher your chances of success!"

The reason why the Old Sword Maestro had left behind the '剑 (Sword)' character was simple. He wanted to test the intelligence of his successor.

Without sufficient intelligence, even if he imparted to his successor the complete Three Swords of Lingxu, the latter would still be unable to grasp it.

Due to the lack of time, he was unable to construct the required mechanism to impose a time limit on the duration of comprehending the '剑 (Sword)' character. However...

"Judging from your young age, it shouldn't have been too long since you started comprehended my '剑 (Sword)' character, right?" the Old Sword Maestro asked. "I figure that it shouldn't have been ten years yet. If so, your chances of success would be at least 60%!"

"This..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head and he tried his hardest to remember how long he took. "I think I took around... a minute?"

He had barely glanced at the words on the stone wall before taking in the insights left behind by the predecessors. In total, he probably only took just six seconds or so...

Of course, it would be too shocking if he said that he had taken only six seconds, so he intentionally multiplied it by ten times to cushion the blow.

"A-a minute?" the Old Sword Maestro was taken aback. The Sword Intent he had diffused in the area also began trembling in resonation to his emotions, and it felt as if they would dissipate at any moment soon. "You said that you only took a minute to see through the conceptualization of the character I have left behind?"

"Indeed. It was just a single character, but it consists of 107 different Sword Intents and sword arts. If I'm not mistaken, the heritage should be a Sword Formation. That is the most convenient method to combine all of those differing Sword Intents and sword arts together." Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. "It actually isn't that difficult to deduce this much."

"You... in just a minute, you were able to see through how many sword arts there were in that character?" Unable to recover from his shock, the Old Sword Maestro exclaimed in disbelief.

A moment later, a thought came to his mind, and a deep frown containing a hint of displeasure furrowed itself in between his brows. "Lad, it seems like you have learned how to lie despite your young age... You said that you were able to see through the conceptualization behind the character I have left behind within a minute, so why don't I give you a test then? If you are really able to figure it out, I'll believe your words!"

He had concealed the Sword Intents and sword arts deeply within the '剑 (Sword)' character, such that even swordmasters of the same tier as him would be stunned upon coming into character with the character for the first time, unable to make sense of what it was. Yet, the young man actually said that he was able to figure it out within a minute... Most likely, he was either lying or he had simply made use of the wisdom of predecessors to figure it out.

"You wish to test me? Very well." Zhang Xuan replied nonchalantly.

"I'll execute a sword art right now, and you'll try to see how many Sword Intents and sword arts are infused into it."

After those words were spoken, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a killing intent surging toward him.

An ocean of sword qi materialized before his eyes, as if he had been dragged into a wholly different world. Be it the constantly changing currents or the fleeting clouds, there was not a single glance within the world where one was unable to find any sword qi.

"How about it? Are you able to tell how many sword arts are in my move?" After doing all that, the Old Sword Maestro turned his gaze to Zhang Xuan.

"This..." Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I can't tell."

"Such an obvious question, and you can't tell anything at all. How do you expect me to believe your words then?" the Old Sword Maestro frowned in disapproval.

The Sword Intents and sword arts infused in the previous move he had executed were more apparent than those in the '剑 (Sword)' character he had left behind. Through this, the other party's claim that he had comprehended the '剑 (Sword)' character was pretty much overthrown.

Facing the Old Sword Maestro's doubt, Zhang Xuan didn't panic in the slightest. Instead, he chuckled softly and said, "I wasn't able to tell how many Sword Intents and sword arts are in that move, but I did manage to discern seventeen flaws in it!"

The reason why he was able to decipher the '剑 (Sword)' character was due to the compilation of the insights from countless preceding experts. Otherwise, if he were to do it himself, he would have taken several months at the very least... Given how fast the Old Sword Maestro's previous move came and go, even if he had comprehended Sword Quintessence, he was still unable to count the number of Sword Intents and sword arts in just a glance.

Besides... why should he go through the trouble of counting the number of Sword Intents and sword arts?

It would suffice for him to know the flaws.

"You found seventeen flaws in my move? Nonsense!" the Old Sword Maestro's face turned livid with rage.

Paying no heed to the Old Sword Maestro's wrath, Zhang Xuan began on a monologue, "The first flaw, even though the sword art you have executed is grand and imposing, it's needlessly intricate. If I'm not mistaken, it's designed as such so as to be utilized as a technique to trap others. However, considering the immense might that is devoted to the technique, to use it as a technique to trap and not kill is a huge waste of energy. In other words, the focus of the technique is wrong!"

"The second flaw, while infusing a Sword Intent targeted toward damaging Primordial Spirits would enhance the might of the sword art significantly, it also makes it more demanding on the user's soul energy and state of mind. Should the sword practitioner be unable to meet the basic requirement of the sword art, its execution could very well result in a backlash, which could make one vulnerable for a period of time, thus creating an opening for one's opponent to exploit..."

"The third flaw..."

"The fourth flaw..."

...

"The seventeenth flaw, the sword art is powerful but its might is unnecessarily scattered. If the might were to be devoted in a single move, it would have allowed the sword practitioner to overpower and slay his opponent in an instant. Yet, you had to divide the might among more than a dozen of transformations in the sword art, making it excessively complicated and even weakening it in the midst of doing so..."

Shaking his head in disappointment, Zhang Xuan raised his head to look at the Old Sword Maestro, "May I know there's anything you disagree with regarding my analysis?"

"Y-you..."

Initially, the Old Sword Maestro didn't think of anything much when the young man first spoke. However, the more he listened to the young man's words, the paler his face became. Eventually, by the time the young man listed the seventeenth flaw, his body was already trembling wildly.

As a swordmaster, he was still vaguely aware of the various problems there was in his sword arts... For the other party to be able to discern them with just a look, and even analyze them at a deeper level than him at that...

Just how in the world did he do it?

Gradually, the Old Sword Maestro's astonishment transformed into overwhelming joy, "With such intelligence and eye of discernment, you'll surely be able to master the Three Swords of Lingxu swiftly!"

His eyes glowed in excitement, and just as he was about to urge the young man into acknowledging him as his teacher once more so that he would be able to pass his heritage down, the young man suddenly sighed.

"For even a casual sword art you have executed to be plagued with flaws, your Three Swords of Lingxu is bound to be nothing much too... Forget it, you can leave your sword arts for yourself. I won't be learning them anymore!"

"Ah?"

The Old Sword Maestro froze on the spot.

Chapter 1283: Three Swords of Lingxu

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Countless people wanted to learn the Old Sword Maestro's Three Swords of Lingxu. To be honest, the reason he had been severely injured back then was also due to his enemies wanting to acquire his sword art manual.

Here he was, offering the Three Swords of Lingxu to the young man, but the young man actually rejected him with such a look of disdain on his face.

The overwhelming frustration he felt left his chest feeling a little stifled.

"While I'm not interested in your sword art, your sword is indeed of some use to me." Zhang Xuan turned to the Old Sword Maestro and asked, "If it's not too much, can I take it away with me?"

As powerful as the Old Sword Maestro had made the Three Swords of Lingxu out to be, through the Sword Intent the other party had emanated earlier, Zhang Xuan could tell that there were still many flaws in the other party's comprehension of swordsmanship.

Instead of learning swordsmanship from the other party, he would be better off collecting ordinary Saint-tier sword arts and compiling them into the Heaven's Path Sword Art.

He would be able to improve faster that way, his foundations would be stronger, and most importantly of all, he would not have to become the Old Sword Maestro's student!

To be honest, he had become so used to being a teacher himself that he found it a little awkward to become the student of another individual, even if just in title.

Seeing that the young man was still reluctant to learn his sword art, the Old Sword Maestro said with a frown, "I have sealed the Lingxu Sword in the stone platform using a technique from the Three Swords of Lingxu. If you don't learn my sword art to a certain level of mastery, it'll be impossible for you to draw out the Lingxu Sword."

He had sealed the Lingxu Sword in the stone platform using the Three Swords of Lingxu. Only those who had mastered the technique to a certain level would be able to free the Lingxu Sword and take it away. Naturally, the purpose for doing so was to ensure that his heritage was properly passed down.

Those who did not inherit his heritage would never be able to take the Lingxu Sword away.

After explaining that, the Old Sword Maestro was just about to begin round two of convincing Zhang Xuan to acknowledge him as his teacher when the young man suddenly bent down and touched the ground casually. Then, he kicked the four corners of the stone platform once.

Kacha!

The crisp whirring of mechanisms filled the air.

Zhang Xuan gave the stone platform one powerful stomp.

Hu!

The Lingxu Sword leaped out of the stone platform and fell into Zhang Xuan's hand.

"You... You are actually able to undo the seal and mechanism I have put in place?" The Old Sword Maestro's figure flickered in astonishment. Had he not suppressed his emotions in the last moment, he might have dissipated on the spot!

It was just a moment ago that he had told the other party that he had to learn the Three Swords of Lingxu before he could extract the sword when something like this happened.

Are you here to tear down my show?

More importantly... he had put a lot of effort into crafting the stone platform and the seal so as to ensure that nothing would go wrong, such that it would be impossible for even him to forcefully extract the sword without going through the proper means. Yet, that fellow actually succeeded in retrieving the sword with just a few casual kicks.

In that moment, the Old Sword Maestro felt like he was just a dancing clown before the young man. All of the preparations he had made were nothing more than a joke to him!

"The seal and the stone platform you have prepared are not too bad, but it's pity that they have fatal flaws in them..." Paying no heed to the other party's current state, Zhang Xuan chuckled as he lowered his head to assess the sword in his hand.

The Lingxu Sword had a black blade, so there was no sharp glint typical of a sword to it. At the same time, there was no sword qi that could be felt from it either. On the surface, it appeared to be no different from any ordinary sword out there.

It was only when Zhang Xuan held it in his hand that he realized what a frightening weapon it was.

He found that there was absolutely no impediment when he drove his zhenqi through it. Even with a casual swing, he would be able to bring forth power far beyond his imagination.

His cultivation was still too lacking for him to be able to bring out the full prowess of the sword, but even if he could just wield a tenth of it, he would still be able to slay a Grand Dominion realm primary stage cultivator easily!

This was how frightening the Lingxu Sword was!

Weng!

Just as Zhang Xuan was feeling the overwhelming strength of the Lingxu Sword, the latter suddenly began trembling intensely, seemingly trying to free itself from Zhang Xuan's grasp.

"Hmm?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"It's due to the nourishment of my Sword Intent over many years that the Lingxu Sword managed to become this strong. Without learning the Three Swords of Lingxu and my sword cultivation technique, it'll be impossible for you to tame the Lingxu Sword. You should understand that a sword that can't be tamed is unusable in battle..." the Old Sword Maestro explained proudly.

He had forged and nourished the Lingxu Sword personally, and his will was infused into it. How could others possibly tame the Lingxu Sword so easily?

But before the Old Sword Maestro could finish his explanation, the young man had already bellowed furiously, "Stop thrashing around!"

Following which, he tapped the Lingxu Sword on several points with his fingers.

Kacha! Kacha!

A series of crisp echoes rang in the air, and it did not take long for the Lingxu Sword to tremble in astonishment. It hurriedly halted its shaking and kneeled respectfully on the ground.

"Paying respects to Master!"

"Un." With a wave of his hand, Zhang Xuan stowed the Lingxu Sword into his storage ring. Then, he turned his sight back to the Old Sword Maestro and asked doubtfully, "What did you say earlier? I wasn't really paying attention!"

Zhang Xuan had been so busy trying to examine the strength of the Lingxu Sword that he did not hear what the Old Sword Maestro was saying.

"I-it's nothing much..." The Old Sword Maestro's mouth twitched uncontrollably, and the body he had formed out of Sword Intent began to dissipate.

Even though his death had left the Lingxu Sword free to take any master, he knew his sword very well. He had forged the Lingxu Sword personally, and he knew that it was an incomparably arrogant individual. Yet, to submit to the young man in the blink of an eye... this was a blow that he could not take.

"Alright. If there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave first!" Zhang Xuan clasped his fist before turning around.

"This... You haven't even learned the Three Swords of Lingxu yet; how can you leave like that?" the Old Sword Maestro exclaimed in agitation. "The area is shrouded by the Sword Intent I have infused into the stone platform previously. Unless you learn my Three Swords of Lingxu, forcefully barging through will make you severely inju..."

Before the Old Sword Maestro could finish the word 'injured', the young man had already placed his finger casually on the barrier of Sword Intent, and with a light 'hu la!', the entire barrier of Sword Intent vanished without a trace.

"Cough cough!" The Old Sword Maestro's face turned completely crimson. At this point, he could not bother keeping up the impression of an expert anymore. A pleading look surfaced in his eyes as he spoke. "Why don't you reconsider the matter? My Three Swords of Lingxu is really, really formidable..."

"I know, but I truly can't become your student!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

The Old Sword Maestro hesitated for a moment shaking his head in resignation. "It's fine if you don't become my student. All I ask is that you pass down my heritage down to the later generations."

He had thought that as long as he could accept a talented student, he would be able to bring honor and glory to his heritage. But... the young man before him was simply too outstanding! Considering how even he could not see the depths of the young man before him, it was clear that it would be nigh impossible for him to get the young man to acknowledge him as his teacher. At this point, all he could hope was for the young man to impart his heritage to a suitable person and pass down his lineage.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before turning around. "I can help you find a suitable successor to the lineage of your swordsmanship. Where's your sword art?"

"It's over here." A light flickered through the Old Sword Maestro's eyes, and a surge of Sword Intent flew straight for Zhang Xuan. Zhang Xuan did not dodge, and in an instant, he saw countless surges of sword qi flashing across his eyes. They swiftly formed a sword art manual.

Just as the Old Sword Maestro had said earlier, there were only three moves to this battle technique. However, every single move wielded might that could not be underestimated.

In fact, even the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, which Zhang Xuan had learned earlier, paled in comparison to it.

Most likely, this is a Saint high-tier battle technique... Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

The Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm was a technique that Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had come up with in his earlier years, and limited by his knowledge and experiences, it only met the mark of a Saint intermediate-tier battle technique. On the other hand, the Three Swords of Lingxu clearly wielded far superior might, reaching the level of Saint high-tier.

It was no wonder the Old Sword Maestro was so confident in his heritage. There was indeed a basis for his confidence.

A moment later, Zhang Xuan sighed grudgingly. But... why are there so many flaws in it? How am I supposed to learn it like that?

Sea Severing Sword, Ocean Cataclysm Sword, and Heaven Desecration Sword—each of these techniques harnessed strength and speed far greater than the last. However, the number of flaws they possessed were also so numerous that they left him completely speechless. Putting everything aside, even the most basic Sea Severing Sword had a total of 336 flaws.

Just by looking at it, Zhang Xuan had already lost his interest in learning the sword art.

"More importantly, these sword arts require the complementation of 108 swords in order to execute..."

Typically speaking, it would be impossible for a battle technique to have so many flaws, or else there was no way one could practice it without one's cultivation going berserk. The main reason the Three Swords of Lingxu had so many flaws was because the sword arts did not consist of the movement of a single sword. Rather, it was a Sword Formation, requiring a total of 108 swords in order to execute!

With each of the 108 swords moving individually, it was inevitable that there would be many more flaws in the sword art compared to other battle techniques.

Seeing the look of disgust on the face of the young man after receiving his heritage, to the point where it almost seemed like he would just vomit, the Old Sword Maestro sighed deeply and said, "This is the Three Swords of Lingxu, which I devoted my entire life into creating. If you don't wish to learn it, I hope that you will at least find a successor for it. Please don't let my lineage end here!"

"Don't worry. Even though the sword arts in your Three Sword of Lingxu are plagued with flaws—just the depletion of zhenqi is a nightmare in itself—the might they harness is still considerable. I'll try to find a way to make some improvements in them before passing them on to a suitable successor in your stead." Zhang Xuan clasped his fist sincerely.

In truth, he was only irked by the high number of flaws in the sword arts, and just the thought of the number of high-tier sword art manuals that he had to gather in order to perfect the Three Swords of Lingxu was enough to leave him feeling deeply fatigued. On the whole, he still thought that the Three Swords of Lingxu was a decent technique, wielding considerable strength.

"Ah..." Stifled by the young man's words, the Old Sword Maestro's figure flickered once more. "I'll be counting on you then..."

After saying those words, 'pah!', he dissipated on the spot.

All he wanted to do was to pass down his heritage... but never in his dreams did he expect to meet such a fellow. In the end, he even dissipated from sheer indignation and rage before he could even pass down his comprehension of swordsmanship.

"Jeez!" Seeing the figure of the Old Sword Maestro disappearing before him, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply. "Since I have learned your sword arts and taken your sword, I'll see your wish to the end and bring honor and glory to your swordsmanship!"

The fact that the Old Sword Maestro had gone to the trouble of setting up these trials despite the severely wounded state he was in back then was more than enough to show his determination to pass his heritage down. He did not want the sword arts he had created with much difficulty to disappear from the world just like that. He hoped to pass them down to the later generations and have them shine in their hands.

Since that was the case, Zhang Xuan would help him pass down the Three Swords of Lingxu to the right successor after he had improved it so that his name could be sung through history.

This stone platform is a treasure as well. I should take it with me!

The fact that the stone platform was able to trap the Lingxu Sword showed that it was made from decent materials. So, Zhang Xuan threw it into his storage ring with a flick of his hand.

If he could not find a use for the stone platform for the time being, using it as a sheath did not sound too bad. At this point, Zhang Xuan could not help but remember that, in his previous life, sword experts in novels were able to defeat their opponents with just their sword sheath. In the future, while his sword was still sheathed in the stone platform, he could lift the ten-meter-long stone platform to smash his opponent, too. The thought of it left him tingling a little in excitement.

After the stone platform was removed, the flow of the stream reverted to normal. Zhang Xuan stretched his back lazily before slowly making his way out. Barely after taking a few steps, he saw Ji Lingzhen lying on the ground, his breathing halted.

"I only told you to teach him a lesson, why did you kill him?" Zhang Xuan turned to his clone and frowned.

"I wasn't the one who did it. It was them!" The clone gestured to the area behind Ji Lingzhen.

Turning his gaze over, Zhang Xuan first noted that the mist that had been shrouding the area was dissipating along with the gradual collapse of the Chaotic Palace Beguilement Formation. Next, he saw several hundred people lying unconscious all around the area.

They were the sword practitioners who had been studying the '剑 (Sword)' character in front of the stone wall earlier.

Zhang Xuan swiftly assessed their conditions and confirmed that they were just unconscious, not dead, and he heaved a sigh of relief. Soon, a hint of doubt arose in his mind.

Shouldn't they have been busy studying the '剑 (Sword)' character outside?

Why would they have fainted there?

"The rising pillar of Sword Intent earlier made it known to everyone on the island that a treasure has surfaced, so they rushed over here in hope of claiming the treasure. So, I told them that Ji Lingzhen had managed to obtain the treasure, and they immediately rushed forward and lynched him to death. However, they were not able to find anything on him, so they turned their sights to me instead. So, I could only knock all of them out!" Zhang Xuan's clone replied with a casual shrug.

His clone wielded the strength to defeat even the Grand Dominion realm primary stage Ji Lingzhen easily. Even though the cultivators gathered in the area were not weak, they were still far from matching up to him.

"I see. It's good that they aren't dead, or else things could get troublesome." Hearing his clone's explanation, Zhang Xuan knew that he would also have made the same call if he were in the same position.

Men blinded by greed are irrational. Force works better than words on them.

Zhang Xuan quickly put his clone back into the Myriad Anthive Nest before making his way out of the mist. Soon, he heard numerous footsteps outside, and shortly after, Brother Sun and the other candidates of the secondary selection appeared in his sights.

Chapter 1284: Taming of the Swords

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"It's really you!" Upon seeing Zhang Xuan stepping out from the mist, a cold glint flashed through Brother Sun's eyes.

When they saw the pillar of Sword Intent emerging earlier, they had swiftly realized that a treasure had emerged in the world. Anyone who obtained it would surely be able to rise through the ranks and make a name for themselves even in the Sanctum of Sages!

Even though they were master teachers, they were still humans with desires. This was a rare opportunity for them as well. They could not allow it slip through their fingers just like that. No matter what, they had to at least give it a try.

They could not allow Zhang Xuan to hog it just like that!

The master teachers swiftly moved to surround Zhang Xuan tightly, and their representative, Brother Sun, said with a cold voice, "Hand over the treasure and share it with all of us, and we'll consider sparing you this once. Otherwise, don't even dream of getting away today."

"Treasure?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"You need not feign ignorance before us. All of us know that we are at the Sword Lagoon, and the previous pillar of Sword Intent is a clear sign that the heritage of the Old Sword Maestro has surfaced. Quickly hand it over, and we can spare you this once. Otherwise... this matter won't just end with you losing your slot!" another master teacher bellowed coldly.

As long as the young man did not use his artifacts, there was nothing of him to fear!

Even if he did use his artifacts, considering how many of them were here, they would still be able to incapacitate him swiftly.

"That's right! Zhang shi, you should know the position you are in very well!"

"There's no denying that you possess incredible strength, and you possess powerful artifacts as well. However... are you certain that you will be able to withstand our combined strength?"

...

The other master teachers looked at Zhang Xuan coldly.

After that fellow embarrassed all of them the previous day, they had already had a huge bone to pick with him. Now that the heritage of the Old Sword Maestro was at stake as well, they did not hesitate to show their hostility toward him.

"Are you all going to disregard your standing as master teachers and snatch my possession?" Zhang Xuan frowned in displeasure.

Due to the standing and identity that master teachers had on the Master Teacher Continent, they would usually conduct themselves honorably and respectably. When it came to the allocation of a treasure, they would compete with one another fairly through duels. However, those men gathered there clearly had no intention of playing it fair. They were outright forcing him to hand over the heritage to them.

"Snatch? It's only natural for a treasure to go to those deserving of it! If you wish to keep it for yourself, you should first consider if you have the capability to do so!" Brother Sun waved his hands impassively. "Alright, let's not waste our breath anymore. Attack him! Don't give him any opportunity to release his puppets!"

"That's right!"

Huala!

The next moment, the master teachers surrounding Zhang Xuan charged forward simultaneously.

All of them knew that Zhang Xuan had an army of puppets in his possession, and once released, things would become troublesome for them. For this reason, they did not hesitate to gang up on him. In an instant, zhenqi abruptly flooded the entire Sword Lagoon, causing the air to turn a little suffocating from the viscosity of the energy.

To be able to clear Zhao Xingmo's preliminary selections, there was no doubt that they were all outstanding geniuses possessing talent and strength on par with Zhang Jiuxiao. Even though this was the first time they were collaborating with one another, they were still able to draw out strength far beyond a normal cultivator's imagination.

Gathered together, their strength was like a river gushing forward relentlessly, threatening to tear down everything in its path.

Given the momentum of their offense, it was likely that even a Half-Grand Dominion like Pavilion Master Yue would have been hard-pressed to withstand their attack.

"Not too bad!" Seeing how those master teachers were able to draw out so much strength from their teamwork, Zhang Xuan nodded leisurely. Then, he drove his Sword Quintessence.

In the blink of an eye, his presence seemed to have turned into a sharp sword, and a burst of Sword Intent rose into the clouds. At the same time, he emanated a dangerous aura that threatened to tear anything in its path into shreds.

In the face of Zhang Xuan's aura, the master teachers revealed looks of astonishment and fear, but they did not allow their emotions to impede their offense at all.

Wuuuuuuuu!

With the summoning of Zhang Xuan's Sword Intent, countless gales rose throughout the Sword Lagoon, and innumerable swords began flying in his direction.

"Since you were the ones to make the first move, don't blame me if you get hurt."

Hu!

With a cold harrumph, Zhang Xuan's figure abruptly vanished from the spot. Through the Unbounded Voyager, he flitted at a speed as fast as a specter.

Hu!

Zhang Xuan charged right into the river of energy created by the master teachers, and as if a sharp blade, he sliced their attack in two. After which, more than twenty individual surges of sword qi abruptly burst forth from his body, aimed at each of the master teachers.

Had it been before, the combined prowess of the crowd might have been able to stop him. However, after he had comprehended Sword Quintessence, his sword qi had grown far sharper and more condensed than before. While Brother Sun and the others were not weaker, they were insufficient to put up a fight against him.

Tzzzzzzzz!

In just ten breaths, all of the master teachers were wounded by the sword qi.

However, their injuries were not too severe. Zhang Xuan's goal was just to punish them; he did not intend to claim their lives.

But the master teachers did not seem to have any ideas of backing down. On the contrary, seeing how their collaborative offense had been neutralized so easily, and the young man had even managed to launch a successful counterattack, their eyes reddened further with greed.

"That fellow has been hiding his strength all along. With his current prowess, even Pavilion Master Yue would be no match for him."

"Isn't he from the Qingyuan Empire? How can he be so powerful? Have you all realized it yet? He was only at Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage yesterday, but at this very moment, he is at the pinnacle stage!"

"Not only so, it seems like he has managed to comprehend Sword Quintessence as well."

"There's no doubt about it. This must be the result of inheriting the Old Sword Maestro's heritage. Otherwise, there's no way he could grow so much within this short period of time."

...

They had fought with Zhang Xuan the previous day as well, and while he had not been weak, it was certain that he had not been so strong!

For his cultivation to rise by two small cultivation stages within a single day... there was no way this had nothing to do with the Sword Lagoon! After all, there was no cultivator who could possibly advance his cultivation so quickly!

"To be able to raise an individual's strength by such a degree within a short period of time, the heritage of the Sword Lagoon is truly no joke." Clenching his jaws tightly, Brother Sun bellowed, "Everyone, we must unite! If we don't stand together on the same front, not only will we be unable to obtain the treasure and the heritage, there's a good chance that we might all lose our lives here!"

"Yes!" the crowd echoed in response.

Just a day ago, the young man could only achieve victory when their cultivation was lowered, but today, he had already gained the strength to rival all of them simultaneously. If they could obtain the heritage of the Old Sword Maestro for themselves, they would be bound for greatness!

"Move!"

With a furious roar, the geniuses immediately charged up together.

Even though their teamwork had been decent previously, all of them had held back quite a bit. After all, after they defeated Zhang Xuan, there was a chance that they would have to fight it out among themselves for the allocation of the heritage. However, after witnessing Zhang Xuan's strength with their own eyes, they realized that they would not even get to come close to the heritage if they continued holding back at this point.

With their wills united by a common foe, their combined strength soared to new heights.

Innumerable surges of zhenqi began gathering together to form a huge cluster of power that covered a radius of over several hundred meters. Under the immense influx of power, the air became as viscous as mud. Putting aside a cultivator, even weapons would find it hard to proceed in the face of such atmosphere.

Kacha! Kacha!

Immense pressure weighed down on Zhang Xuan, who stood at the very center of this hurricane of energy. The overwhelming power tugged and pulled at his body, as if attempting to tear him into shreds.

"Humph!" Facing the offense of the master teachers, Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes frostily.

He had shown them mercy, but they had simply taken his magnanimity as a sign of weakness and carried on their offense. With this, he felt that his tolerance had come to a limit.

There was indeed no end to a human's greed.

From their attitudes, it could be seen that even if he imparted the Three Swords of Lingxu to them, they would still think that he was holding something back.

Since that was the case, it was time to take forceful measure and have them know the meaning of fear.

Without wasting any words, Zhang Xuan pushed his foot against the ground and dashed into the crowd of master teachers.

For some reason, the viscous space created by the full might of all of the master teachers present seemed to be completely ineffective on him. He flitted through the area as if a phantom, and with every grasp, he would accurately catch a master teacher, acquire his jade token, and send him flying with a light push.

Just like that, the master teachers fell one after another.

While the collaborative offense of the master teachers was powerful, through his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan was still able to find many flaws here and there, allowing him to overcome it with ease.

Peng peng peng peng peng!

It was almost as if Zhang Xuan was a tiger diving into a crowd of goats. As many master teachers as there might have been, there were none who lasted more than a breath before him.

"My jade token!"

"He took away mine as well!"

"He isn't just knocking us down; he's taking away out jade tokens too! Be careful!"

It did not take long for all of the master teachers to be collapsed on the ground, and every single one of them were moaning in pain.

Since Zhang Xuan had been able to guess that a part of the test was to have confidence in one's strength and keep one's jade token with one, the other master teachers had also come to realize the same as soon as they calmed down, and they had chosen to bring it along with them as well. Yet, who would have thought this would end up presenting a chance for Zhang Xuan to acquire all their jade tokens at once?

Despite collaborating with one another, they were actually unable to withstand a single move from the other party at all. How in the world did this freak cultivate to gain such monstrous capabilities?

In this moment, Brother Sun and the others were still in a state of disbelief, unable to believe what had just happened.

"Since you all tried to eliminate me, it's only right for me to do the same to you. This isn't a breach of the rules, right?"

Paying no heed to the state of shock the master teachers were in, Zhang Xuan flicked his hand, and the twenty jade tokens floated right in front of him.

"You dare!"

The crowd immediately panicked.

Those jade tokens represented their chances to enter the Sanctum of Sages. If they were to be destroyed, it would mean that they had failed the secondary selections, and they would be unqualified to enter the Sanctum of Sages anymore.

Their initial thought had been that as long as they collaborated with one another, they should be able to eliminate Zhang Xuan with ease. Yet, instead of overpowering the young man, they had ended up placing themselves in a precarious situation.

"Is there any reason I shouldn't do it?" Zhang Xuan scoffed coldly as he closed his grip.

Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!

The crisp echo of the jade tokens shattering sounded simultaneously, and in an instant, all twenty jade tokens were reduced to powdery remains.

Seeing the sight, the master teachers were completely frozen for a moment.

" Ahhh! "

Gradually, the master teachers returned to their senses. Some let loose despaired howls, some collapsed to the ground in utter shock, and some glared at Zhang Xuan in hostility, as if swearing to exact vengeance.

"This is catastrophic. If all of us have been eliminated simultaneously, doesn't that mean that... that bastard is the only one who has cleared the secondary selection?" Brother Sun muttered in disbelief.

There was a total of 33 candidates participating in the secondary selection, and the selection should have come to an end as soon as thirteen candidates were eliminated. However, if all of them were eliminated simultaneously... would that make Zhang Xuan the only one who had cleared the selection?

If that was really the case, they might really lose their minds!

Furthermore, how was Zhao Xingmo supposed to explain this matter to the Sanctum of Sages? For there to be only a single candidate from the Empire Alliance...

Wuuuu!

Just as complete chaos had descended upon the situation, a series of whistling sounds suddenly echoed from afar. Soon after, more than a hundred Saint intermediate-tier swords flew over, surrounding Zhang Xuan tightly.

"These... are the superior swords that have chosen to remain in the Sword Lagoon?" one of the master teachers exclaimed with narrowed eyes.

Each year, the Sword Lagoon would draw countless sword practitioners in. When these sword practitioners died in the Sword Lagoon, their swords were likely to choose to rest in Sword Lagoon due to the Sword Intent lingering in the area.

Due to this, there were also sword practitioners who would visit the Sword Lagoon in the hope that they might be able to take away some formidable swords to enhance their fighting prowess.

"These swords are able to grow by devouring the Sword Intent lingering in the area, so they tend to abhor outsiders who interrupt their peace in the Sword Lagoon. For this reason, they assault cultivators from time to time. Haha! It seems like Zhang Xuan is in deep trouble this time around!"

Coming to realize what was going on, the master teachers burst into gleeful laughter.

So what if you have eliminated all of us?

Now that you are surrounded by so many Saint intermediate-tier swords, no matter how powerful you are, there's no way you will escape from here alive!

"Kill him! Let's all go down together..." Brother Sun roared frenziedly.

But before he could finish his words, the swords abruptly fell to the ground respectfully.

"Paying respects to Master!" the hundred or so swords declared simultaneously, their deafening voices shaking even the clouds.

"Master?"

"These swords have all recognized Zhang Xuan as their master?"

The master teachers were completely flabbergasted and crazed by the sight before them.

Chapter 1285: The Results Are Voided

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"You are acknowledging me as your master?"

Not only were the crowd flabbergasted, Zhang Xuan was startled as well. It took a long while before he was able to make sense out of what was going on.

It seemed like the Sword Intent released by the Lingxu Sword had benefited these swords greatly, so all of them ended up submitting to it.

And now that the Lingxu Sword had acknowledged Zhang Xuan was its new master, these swords also unhesitatingly chose to do the same as well.

Adding Lingxu Sword into the group, and I would have a total of 108 swords, thus meeting the weapon requirement for the Three Swords of Lingxu. Could this be the reason why the Lingxu Sword agreed to help Ji Lingzhen make a move on me over the Sword of Faint Whisper and Sword of Faint Warble? Zhang Xuan wondered.

There was a total of 107 Saint intermediate-tier weapons in the area, and adding the Lingxu Sword in the equation, he would have the number required to execute the sword arts in the Three Swords of Lingxu.

Did this mean that the Old Sword Maestro hasn't been able to gather the swords required for the Sword Formations after he created the Three Swords of Lingxu? Was that the reason why his enemy was able to severely wound him, forcing him to escape to the Sword Lagoon? Another thought appeared in Zhang Xuan's mind.

One of the greatest difficulties in executing the Three Swords of Lingxu was gathering the swords required to set up the Sword Formations. Could it because the Old Sword Maestro wasn't able to gather the required number of swords that resulted in his eventual defeat?

Otherwise, given the overwhelming strength that the Old Sword Maestro wielded, as well as the tremendous might he could bring forth via his Three Swords of Lingxu, it should have been extremely difficult for anyone to defeat him.

However, Zhang Xuan also knew that there was no point thinking about these matters anymore. There was no way he could affirm his deductions at this point. With a swift flick of his hand, he kept all of the swords into his storage ring.

After he kept those swords, the resounding call of a crane suddenly echoed in the air. Soon after, a majestic crane could be seen gliding over from the horizon.

Zhao Xingmo and Pavilion Master Yue were standing on the back of the crane, gazing down at the defeated candidates on the ground.

Zhang Xuan had used the Myriad Anthive Queen to control the surrounding Myriad Ants, preventing Zhao Xingmo and Pavilion Master Yue from noticing anything. Nevertheless, as time passed, they still eventually realized that something was amiss, so they began making their way over. When they felt all of the jade tokens except for Zhang Xuan's had shattered, they nearly fell off the back of the crane.

The secondary selection was set to be three days long, but in less than half a day, all of the candidates except for one had been eliminated... This was too that exaggerated!

The crane slowly landed on the ground, and after making sense out of what was going on, Zhao Xingmo turned to Zhang Xuan with tearful eyes.

He knew that the young man was a troublemaker, but surely the latter didn't have to do this during the secondary selection! This was too much!

For a candidate to single-handedly eliminate all of the others, how was he supposed to report this matter to the Sanctum of Sages?

After all the trouble he had gone through searching for candidates, he couldn't possibly just bring a single person back to the Sanctum of Sages with him, right?

Putting aside whether the Sanctum of Sages would be willing to accept such an outcome or not, there would surely be a huge uproar from the Eight Conferred Empires and the various tier-3 Sage Clans!

"Zhao shi, the law doesn't punish the masses. If everyone has failed the secondary selection, that could be a sign saying that there's a major loophole in the secondary selection. Since that's the case, why don't we balance out the rules and conduct another round of selection? It would be fairer for the candidates this way." Pavilion Master Yue shot a glance at Zhang Xuan before quickly clasped his fist toward Zhao Xingmo.

"Indeed, I agree that there's a need for a new round of selection too..."

"I think that it's only rational to do so as well..."

Seeing that there was hope for them, Brother Sun and the others quickly spoke up in agreement to Pavilion Master Yue's words as well.

If there wasn't a new round of selection, they would all be eliminated right here. Naturally, they knew where they should stand

"This..." Zhao Xingmo hesitated.

He couldn't just take a single person back to the Sanctum of Sages with him, but... the rules were the rules. If he were to alter it at his convenience, that would be compromising the integrity of the selections.

If that was the case, every single candidate who failed the selection would just demand to retake the selection once more, thus rendering the significance of the selection pointless.

"I'll report this matter to the Sanctum of Sages and have the elders make a judgement on this matter." Zhao Xingmo pondered for a moment before replying.

The situation had already exceeded his authority. It would be best for him to report it upward and have them make a judgement instead.

"Yes!" Since Zhao Xingmo had already said so, they weren't in a position to say anything more.

"Zhang shi, since you have received the heritage contained in our Sword Lagoon, I hope that you can return it to our Qianchong Empire. I'll thank you in the stead of the Qianchong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion and its countless master teachers..." Pavilion Master Yue turned to Zhang Xuan and said.

Previously, while the other master teachers were explaining the reason behind their elimination, they had also spoken about the emergence of the Old Sword Maestro's heritage as well.

"Return?" Zhang Xuan turned to Pavilion Master Yue with a look that suggested that a fool was talking to him. "The Sword Lagoon has been in Qianchong Empire for at least ten thousand years now, but not a single person has been able to acquire it. This only goes to show that none of you are deserving of the heritage. Since I have the luck and capability to acquire it, why should I hand it over to you?"

"Zhang shi, you can't put it like that. The Sword Lagoon is a heritage that is passed down from generation to generation in our Qianchong Empire, and it serves to motivate countless master teachers to work harder and charge forward bravely. It has already come to be a spiritual pillar of Qianchong Empire, as well as an identity that civilians of Qianchong relate with. Since you aren't from Qianchong Empire, it's only natural for you to return the heritage to us. If you were to take it away with you, you would be robbing an entire Conferred Empire of its spiritual pillar and identity." Pavilion Master Yue replied.

His words weren't heavy, and there was a smile on his face as well. However, there was a clear resolve in his words which showed that he wouldn't bow down on this matter.

His intentions were clear— the heritage in the Sword Lagoon belongs to Qianchong Empire. Since you aren't from our country, don't you dream of taking it away!

If you don't return it, should any chaos happen to Qianchong Empire, it'll all be your fault... Let's see how you'll account the matter to the headquarters if that were to happen!

Pavilion Master Yue's voice might be gentle, but the steely threat behind it was impossible not to notice.

Seeing through the hidden meaning behind Pavilion Master Yue's words, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly and said, "Since you claimed that it's a spiritual pillar and identity of your Qianchong Empire, why hasn't anyone obtained it over the past ten thousand years? To leave a heritage lying in the dust, preventing it from bringing prosperity to generations to come, isn't your Master Teacher Pavilion a little too incompetent?"

"Ah..." Pavilion Master Yue's lips twitched upon hearing those words, and his face turned crimson.

"Trying to extort the heritage out of another because you aren't able to obtain it yourself, is this how the Qianchong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion operates? It seems like I really should report this matter to the headquarters and have them look into the prevalent culture here!" Zhang Xuan continued.

"This... Zhang shi, I'm just worried that your reputation will be affected if you were to keep the heritage with you, I don't bear any ill will toward you..." Knowing that he wasn't on the side of reason, Pavilion Master Yue could only concede.

"You're worried my reputation will be affected? Pavilion Master Yue, I must say that you are worrying unnecessarily. However, there happens to be something which I would like to report to the headquarters which I think you might want to worry about." Zhang Xuan replied coldly.

"May I know what's the matter?" An ominous premonition came to Pavilion Master Yue, and his eyebrows began twitching slightly in worry.

"Zhao shi is the one who chose the location of the secondary selection, and even as candidates, we aren't aware of the location beforehand. Yet, not too long after entering the Sword Lagoon, I was met with an ambush. I suspect that someone on the inside has intentionally leaked news concerning the secondary selection to my enemy in order to harm me. Therefore, I hope to have the Empire Alliance investigate this matter and redress my grievances!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand imposingly.

It would be too much to shrug off Ji Lingzhen and Ji Lingfeng's presence in the Sword Lagoon as a coincidence. It was more likely that they had known that he would be there for the secondary selection.

It was just yesterday that he had beaten up Pavilion Master Yue, so the latter had the motive to backstab him. On top of that, it was likely that Zhao Xingmo had approached Pavilion Master Yue to obtain his assistance in helping to coordinate the miscellaneous matters concerning the secondary selection so as to ensure that it would proceed smoothly. Thus, it was likely that he knew of the location of the secondary selection in advance as well...

So, other than Pavilion Master Yue, Zhang Xuan couldn't think of anyone else who would and could do such a thing.

A hint of deep horror was reflected in the depths of Pavilion Master Yue's eyes, but he knew better than to allow it to show on his face. With a tone reminiscent to a senior kindly advising a junior, he said calmly, "Zhang shi, since you have gotten off unscathed and obtained the heritage even, this matter can be considered as a blessing in disguise. Let's not blow things up or else it might reflect badly on the Master Teacher Pavilion. Why don't you leave it to our Qianchong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion to deal with this matter instead? I promise you that I'll root out the culprit and..."

"I'll hand the heritage of the Old Sword Maestro to the headquarters and report the happenings over the past two days to them. As for what they will do about the matter, that would be none of my business." Zhang Xuan interjected coldly, speaking with a decisive voice.

Had it not been for the many trump cards he had hidden up his sleeves, he could have surely been killed by Ji Lingfeng. For the head of a Master Teacher Pavilion to collude with outsiders to harm an elder of the Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion, just this crime itself was enough to drag Pavilion Master Yue down to his doom.

As for the specifics of how Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion would deal with this matter, Zhang Xuan wasn't interested to know.

"I..." Pavilion Master Yue was at a loss for words.

Thinking about the fate that would befall him, his face turned ghastly pale, and his body collapsed weakly to the ground.

He was indeed the one who had leaked the news concerning Zhang Xuan's whereabouts to Ji Lingfeng. If no one were to investigate this matter, he might still be able to get away scot-free. However, if the headquarters were to be dragged into this matter as well, there was no way he would be getting off with what he had done.

After all, that would be equivalent to harming his own brethren, and the Master Teacher Pavilion would never tolerate such actions!

"Zhang shi, what happened?" Noticing that something was amiss from the conversation between the two, Zhao Xingmo couldn't help but ask.

"Zhao shi, this is what I have faced after entering the Sword Lagoon. You can take a look." With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan passed a jade token over.

Looking through the content in the jade token, Zhao Xingmo's complexion swiftly turned livid.

He was the one who had set the rules and details of the secondary selection, and this included the location as well. He had made great deal preparations to ensure that news wouldn't be leaked out in advance, and yet, Zhang Xuan still ended up being ambushed...

"Yue Yiquan! How dare you do such a thing beneath my eyelids? Very well! I'll have this matter reported to the headquarters in the name of the Sanctum of Sages. You better have a good reason prepared for that by then!" Zhao Xingmo bellowed coldly before flinging his sleeves coldly.

"Zhao shi..." Pavilion Master Yue's face was ashened.

The Sanctum of Sages was the highest master teacher training institution beneath the Master Teacher Pavilion, and its standing was higher than even that of the Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion. If Zhao Xingmo were to report this matter in his capacity as a guide from the Sanctum of Sages, the highest headquarter would surely keep a close lookout for the matter as well.

In other words, there was really no way out for him anymore.

At the very start, all he had intended was to exact vengeance for his wife's brother and have that insignificant figure from Qingyuan Empire learn that a quasi 8-star master teacher wasn't someone he could afford to humiliate... Yet, while trying to do the other party in, he ended up drawing flames upon himself instead.

His future, standing, and reputation... All of these were going right down the gutter. From the respected head of the Qianchong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, he would soon become a scorned criminal.

If only he knew that this would happen to him, he would have never gone up against Zhang Xuan...

In this moment, Pavilion Master Yue felt deep regret for his actions.

"Let's go!" Couldn't be bothered about Pavilion Master Yue, Zhang Xuan swiftly got onto Zhao Xingmo's crane and began flying back to Qianchong City.

Soon, they arrived back at the Master Teacher Pavilion.

"Zhang shi, I'm sorry that I have let you down..." Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, Zhang Jiuxiao immediately walked forward and apologized in dejection.

Zhang Xuan had spent much time and effort on him in order to help him to enter the Sanctum of Sages, but he ended up being the first one to be eliminated in the secondary selection. While he felt dispirited from his failure, he felt even more apologetic for letting Zhang Xuan down.

"How were be eliminated shortly after the selection begin?" Zhang Xuan asked in intrigue.

"I..." Zhang Jiuxiao's face turned crimson. "I was assaulted by a sword..."

It turned out that shortly after landing on the Sword Lagoon, Zhang Jiuxiao found himself assaulted by a top-notch Saint intermediate-tier sword.

As the sword wielded strength far beyond his capability, it didn't take long for his jade token to be shattered.

"That's most probably Ji Lingfeng's Sword of Faint Whispers..." After asking about the appearance of the sword, Zhang Xuan replied with a shake of his head.

Since Ji Lingfeng had gone to the extent of laying an ambush for him in the Sword Lagoon, he was bound to have dug his background as well. Perhaps it was out of worry that Zhang Jiuxiao would foil things up, in view of the relationship between the both of them, Ji Lingfeng chose to eliminate him right from the start.

"I have really let down the expectations you have for me this time around..." Zhang Jiuxiao lowered his head in shame. He really didn't know how he should face the young man before him.

In this moment, Zhao Xingmo's voice suddenly sounded.

"Due to the unexpected event occurring in the secondary selection, the results will be voided. Everyone will be following me to the Sanctum of Sages to participate in the final selection!"

"The results will be voided?" Zhang Jiuxiao was taken aback. "Zhang shi, what's going on? Wait a moment, shouldn't the secondary selection last for three whole days? Why did you all return so early?"

As he was taken out of the Sword Lagoon right after he was eliminated, he was unaware of the happenings afterward.

"The remaining candidates ganged up on me, attempting to eliminate me, and I accidentally... eliminated all of them..." Zhang Xuan replied.

"You accidentally eliminated everyone else?" Zhang Jiuxiao was stunned.

Chapter 1286: Ruoxin, Here I Come!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Amidst a furious gale, an aerial saint beast soared swiftly through the sky, leaving behind white streak in its trail.

In the room on the back of the aerial saint beast, Zhang Xuan looked at the young man sitting before him and nodded in satisfaction.

Due to the results of the secondary selection being voided, it was decided that all of the candidates would head to the Sanctum of Sages together to undergo the final selection.

While the other candidates would shoot Zhang Xuan looks of hostility from time to time, they didn't conduct any acts of aggression toward him during the trip.

Along the way, Zhang Xuan imparted the Three Swords of Lingxu and his comprehension of swordsmanship to Zhang Jiuxiao.

And as expected of a genius from the Zhang Clan, Zhang Jiuxiao's ability to absorb new knowledge was not too bad. In just half a month, he managed to raise his comprehension of swordsmanship up to the level of Half-Quintessence. While it was still a long way off from comparing to up to Zhang Xuan, his mastery of swordsmanship could be said to be unmatched against the other sword practitioners amongst the candidates.

Not only so, he also managed to advance his cultivation to Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle. With his current strength and superior comprehension of swordsmanship, he would be a match for even Brother Sun and Ma Minghai.

From someone who was barely able to clear the selections of the Sanctum of Sages, Zhang Jiuxiao had grown to become one of the strongest candidates in the running.

Upon reaching a certain bottleneck, one's fighting prowess would begin to stagnate, improving at a rate much slower than before. To make an analogy, this was just like how it was relatively easier to improve one's timing in a 100 meters sprint from 13.0 seconds to 12.0 seconds. However, to improve it from, let's say, 10.3 seconds to 10.2 seconds, was no easy feat at all. This was because one was already nearing his physical limits and talent, so it would take a lot of effort and time in order to make any visible improvement, if possible at all.

This was the situation which Zhang Jiuxiao was facing. Even though he possessed considerable talent and a unique cultivation technique, he was already nearing his bottleneck. Under such circumstances, it would usually take significant time and effort for him to just raise his fighting prowess by a visible level. And yet, within half a month, he actually managed to achieve such a huge breakthrough. If this were to be known to others, it would definitely shock many speechless.

This could almost be said to be a mean which only 9-star master teachers were capable of!

"Finally, I have reached the Unbounded Voyager 2-dan!"

While offering guidance to Zhang Jiuxiao, Zhang Xuan hadn't been slacking off on his training either. In half a month, he fused the movement techniques he had learned together with the Unbounded Voyager and perfected the Unbounded Voyager 2-dan to the level of Heaven's Path. Naturally, he didn't waste any time learning it too.

It was a pity that he was currently on the back of an aerial saint beast and it wasn't convenient for him to try out the technique, so he wasn't sure how the effects were.

On top of that, he had also fully reinforced his Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle cultivation as well. The Primordial Spirit in his body was pulsating with power, ready to make the breakthrough to Half-Leaving Aperture realm at any moment.

However, Zhang Xuan's greatest breakthrough still lay in his swordsmanship.

After comprehending Sword Quintessence and learning the Three Swords of Lingxu, his understanding of swordsmanship had advanced by leaps and bounds. Putting aside the Lingxu Sword, even if he only had the Glacier Rain Sword in hand, he would still be able to bring forth strength far beyond imagination.

In the past, he would only be barely a match for a Grand Dominion realm primary stage even if he were to utilize all of his means. But now, as long as he had a sword in hand, he would be able to crush any Grand Dominion realm primary stage cultivator with ease.

The most important thing I have to do right now is to gather more sword art manual and perfect the Three Swords of Lingxu. If I could perfect them into Heaven's Path battle techniques too, I would be able to bring my fighting prowess to greater heights once more! Zhang Xuan thought as he got to his feet.

There was no doubt that the Three Swords of Lingxu wielded tremendous might, but it was unfortunately plagued with far too many flaws. For a perfectionist like Zhang Xuan, it was simply much too bitter of a pill to swallow.

Fortunately, considering that the Sanctum of Sages was the highest master teacher training institution on the continent, there should be plenty of sword art manuals there for him to perfect the Three Swords of Lingxu.

While Zhang Xuan and Zhang Jiuxiao were cultivating diligently, Ma Minghai, Brother Sun, and the other candidates weren't idling around either. In fact, perhaps due to the setbacks they had suffered during the secondary selection, they were more tenacious than ever in their training.

While they failed to make a significant breakthrough in their fighting prowess, the experience did temper their state of mind, making them far more resilient than before.

An uncarved jade will never become a treasure. As top geniuses from their own region, they have been accustomed to being at the top. The experience of being outdone by another will be beneficial to their future growth... Taking this scene into sight, Zhao Xingmo nodded in approval.

The candidates who had cleared his preliminary selections were all the greatest of geniuses, so it was inevitable that there would be some complacency in them. The indignance at their defeat against Zhang Xuan would drive out the complacency within them, pushing them to work harder than ever in hopes that they would be able to return the humiliation in the future.

While Zhao Xingmo was looking at the candidates contemplatively, a master teacher suddenly stepped forward and asked, "Zhao shi, what will the format of the final selection in the Sanctum Sages be? Would it another battle?"

The one who had asked the question was Brother Sun.

Upon hearing those words, the other candidates also halted their cultivation and turned their heads over in curiosity.

They were about to reach the Sanctum of Sages very soon, so they were rather curious about how the final selection would be like. After all, it was the final hurdle standing between them and the Sanctum of Sages.

"The final selection will be far more difficult than the preliminary selection and secondary selection. It won't be just a battle..." At this point, Zhao Xingmo hesitated for a moment, seemingly trying to find a term for it, before replying, "To be more exact, it would be like an overall evaluation!"

"Overall evaluation?"

The crowd was intrigued.

"The Sanctum of Sages is the highest master teacher training institution on the Master Teacher Continent, and those who wish to enter it must display qualities far surpassing an ordinary man, be it in terms of strength, wisdom, adaptability, magnanimity, courage, and such. The final selection serves to conduct an overall evaluation of all of these qualities to determine whether a candidate is qualified to become a student of the Sanctum of Sages. Naturally, its difficulty will also be far greater than the previous two rounds of selections!"

At this point, Zhao Xingmo paused for another moment before continuing on, "Based on past experiences, there is a great chance that the final selection would be... challenging the Mountain Gate!"

"Challenging the Mountain Gate?"

"That's right. The Mountain Gate is an examination ground which the Master Teacher Pavilion has spent a great deal of effort to set up. It serves to assess a cultivator's state of mind and strength by putting him through a series of tests, each with a pre-allocated amount of time. The shorter the duration one takes each test, the higher one's score will be... And those who are unable to clear the tests within the preallocated period of time would be eliminated!" Zhao Xingmo explained grimly.

This was the standard selection trial used to assess candidates seeking to join the Sanctum of Sages, so revealing it in advance wasn't an infringement of the rules.

Zhao Xingmo gestured to the two young men who had assisted him in conducting the preliminary selections and said, "The two of them have also challenged the Mountain Gate in the past, but they failed to clear it. Nevertheless, as they had achieved decent results in it, they were offered the opportunity to become listening in students in the Sanctum of Sages."

"Doesn't that mean that they are geniuses who have cleared the preliminary and secondary selections as well?"

The crowd was astonished.

Only those who had cleared the preliminary and secondary selections would be qualified to take the final selection... Even though all of them were allowed to take the final selection this time around, it was due to the Sanctum of Sages granting them a special exception. Otherwise, thirteen of them wouldn't be standing here at this very moment.

"You're right. They did manage to clear the preliminary and secondary selections, but they failed to clear the Mountain Gate, so they were eliminated in the final selection." Zhao Xingmo nodded.

"Zhao shi, based on your previous experience as a guide, how many of us do you think will be able to clear the Mountain Gate?" Ma Minghai couldn't help but ask.

"Your talents and strength are decent, but in the final selection, you will be pitted against top-notch geniuses from the most powerful clans and organizations all over the Master Teacher Continent. Based on my previous experience, if you are lucky, ten of you might be able to clear the Mountain Gate. Otherwise, there would only be one or two of you, or perhaps, even none at all!" Zhao Xingmo replied.

The challenge of the Mountain Gate wasn't just a selection exercise amongst the thirty of them. There would also be other candidates from the Empire Alliance, Sage Clans, and major powers all over the continent. The geniuses from those powers had access to superior cultivation resources, especially top-notch cultivation techniques and battle techniques, and some even possessed unique bloodlines...

While individual prowess was important in clearing the final selection, luck also played a crucial role as well. As talented as the thirty or so of them were, the vast difference in their background would make it rather hard for them to match up to the other candidates from the Empire Alliance, Sage Clans, and other major powers. If they were lucky, they might still be able to vie ten slots or so over. Otherwise, they might find themselves without even a single slot at the end of the final selection.

Such a situation did happen in history before.

"Jiuxiao, you are from the Zhang Clan too, so you should know quite a bit about the final selection too, right?" Seeing the looks of disbelief from the candidates around him, Zhao Xingmo turned to Zhang Jiuxiao and asked.

"Yes. From what I heard, the competition there is extremely rife. Even for the Zhang Clan, there are years where over half of the candidates they have sent would fail the final selection..." Zhang Jiuxiao nodded.

Even though he was from a side family in the Zhang Clan, he was still rather informed about the situation concerning the Sanctum of Sages, as well as the difficulty of the final selection.

The Zhang Clan had no lack of offspring, and there were plenty who were stronger and more talented than him. Yet, every year, many of them would challenge the Mountain Gate and fail tragically. From this, it could be seen how difficult the trial was.

"There's a genius from the same side family as me named Zhang Yunqi. He was twenty-eight last year, and he has already cleared his first lightning tribulation, successfully making the breakthrough to Leaving Aperture realm primary stage. In our group, he can already be considered to be a nigh invincible existence, and yet, he still failed the final selection..." Zhang Jiuxiao explained.

"Even a Leaving Aperture realm primary stage cultivator had failed the final selection?"

The crowd was stunned.

Currently, even the strongest of them all was only at Quasi Leaving Aperture ream. If even a True Leaving Aperture realm expert had failed the final selection, didn't that practically mean that none of them stood a chance at all?

"Indeed. However, the final selection isn't based solely on one's cultivation realm. Zhang Yunqi's younger brother was only at Primordial Spirit realm advanced stage, but he managed to clear the final selection in the end... To be honest, I can't really tell what the criteria to clear the Mountain Gate is!" Zhang Jiuxiao said with a bitter smile.

Plenty of geniuses from the Zhang Clan would challenge the Mountain Gate each year, but there was no specific pattern to be observed by those who managed to clear it. Sometimes, a clan member with high cultivation realm could challenge the Mountain Gate for multiple years, only to fail each time. Sometimes, a clan member whom others didn't bear much hope for would clear the Mountain Gate with flying colors at the first attempt.

"There are many variations to the tests of the Mountain Gate. Even those who were participating in the same final selection could find themselves facing different trials. As such, there's no way to train or prepare for it in advance. One can only enter with a flexible mind and adapt to the circumstances." Zhao Xingmo explained.

"This..."

The crowd fell silent.

They had asked about the format of the final selection in hopes that they would be able to make preparations for it so as to boost their chances of clearing it. However, after hearing the details, they realized that things were far more complicated than they had thought it out to be.

However, that was to be expected. If it was that easy to enter the highest master teacher training institution, wouldn't it be flooding with students by now?

"My advice is for you all not to get too worried about the matter. After entering the Mountain Gate, just complete the tests to the best of your abilities. Even if you can't clear the final selection, you will still have plenty of opportunities as long as you can make it as a listening in student. As a listening in student, you will have the opportunity to take the final examination again in subsequent years!" Noticing the apprehension and nervousness on the faces all around, Zhao Xingmo advised with a smile.

While the Sanctum of Sages was very strict in the selection of its students, it did offer other avenues for candidates who were reluctant to give up. As long as one's results in the final selection weren't too bad, one could always opt to become a listening in student and challenge the Mountain Gate in subsequent years.

But of course, as one who was challenging the Mountain Gate for the second time, they would be judged far stricter than other candidates. Nevertheless, in order to raise the spirits of the crowd, Zhao Xingmo chose to bottle that up in his heart. Otherwise, their nervousness could very well affect their performance in the final selection.

"I see. That's a relief to hear..." Hearing that there would still be a chance for them even if they were to fail the final selection, the crowd heaved a sigh of relief.

"Alright, we should be arriving at the Sanctum of Sages very soon, so make some preparations. If nothing goes wrong, the final selection should be held within the next three days!"

After chatting for a while more, Zhao Xingmo suddenly pointed to the area ahead and announced.

Everyone hurriedly looked forward, and soon, a massive city came into sight. Located in the middle of a mountain range, it seemed to be shrouded by a massive Spirit Gathering Formation, drawing the spiritual energy in a radius of several hundred thousand li into the area. Even before landing in the area, the rich spiritual energy in the air had already left them feeling deeply refreshed.

"That's the Sanctum of Sages?" Abruptly getting to his feet, Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly in agitation.

"Ruoxin, here I come!"

Chapter 1287: Ancient Sage Bo Shang

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

The very reason why he came to the Sanctum of Sages was to seek Luo Ruoxin and free her from the engagement with the Zhang Clan so that he could be with her...

He had put in so much effort to come this far, and he was currently just a step away from meeting her, so how could he not be agitated?

Rest assured, I'll marry you openly. I'll never put you in a spot and make you choose between me and your family. Zhang Xuan vowed as he calmed down his agitated heart.

This engagement concerned two of the strongest clans on the Master Teacher Continent, so his mission was bound to be fraught with difficulties. But, so what?

Anyone who dared to stand in his way, even if the other party boasted the strongest power on the Master Teacher Continent, he would simply crush whatever opposition they had down like a domino!

Exhaling deeply, Zhang Xuan gazed at the world beneath him.

A cluster of towering buildings rose from the ground, reminiscent of a crouching behemoth prowling in the mountain range. Its sheer grandeur bestowed it with a natural air of majesty and authority.

The person who founded the academy must have possessed a comprehension of formation on par with 9-star formation master... Zhang Xuan noted in wonderment.

The entire academy was built along the mountain range, and every single bit of it was exquisitely constructed, placing it in perfect alignment with its surroundings. Looking at it from above, it felt as if one was looking at a beautiful artwork.

From this, it could be seen that the founder of academy, on top of being a 9-star formation master, was likely to be a highly-skilled landscaper 1 as well.

"The founder of the Sanctum of Sages is Ancient Sage Bo Shang. He has followed Kong shi and learned from him as one of his direct disciples!" Noticing Zhang Xuan's astonishment, Zhao Xingmo remarked.

"Kong shi's direct disciple?" Zhang Xuan was startled.

Despite the prestige of the Sanctum of Sages, he had thought that it was just an organization created by a 9-star master teacher or one of the normal students under Kong shi. He hadn't even considered the possibility that it was founded by Kong shi's direct disciple!

"Indeed. Otherwise, how could the Sage Clans possibly be willing to send their inner clan members to the Sanctum of Sages to study?" Zhao Xingmo replied with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Ah, that's true." Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

In truth, this was also something he had been wondering about all along. Clans as powerful as the Zhang Clan and the Luo Clan were bound to at least have some 9-star master teachers in their ranks, as well as experts of most major occupation. Given so, was there really a need for them to send their offspring to the Sanctum of Sages to study? After all, they should have the resources required to groom their own offspring!

However, if the Sanctum of Sages was founded by one of Kong shi's direct disciples, that would change the nature of things.

Just on that fact in itself, there was bound to be something extraordinary about the Sanctum of Sages.

"Ancient Sage Bo Shang is neither the most famous nor the most powerful of Kong shi's direct disciples, but he possesses an extraordinary ability in imparting knowledge and ideology to others. It has been several ten thousand years since the Sanctum of Sages was founded, and despite the trial of time, Kong shi's ideology is still perfectly passed down from generation to generation. Students there are able to feel the very spirit of the World's Teacher, as well as his deep desire to bring mankind to greater heights! Learning in such an environment could open up one's mind, allowing one to view the society and the entire world from a higher perspective from before, thus giving them an insight into how they could better use their strength to bring about greater prosperity for mankind. This is something that no clan or blessed land is able to do!" Zhao Xingmo continued on.

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

Naturally, there was no doubting Kong shi's selfless spirit for mankind.

Just the very fact that Ancient Sage Bo Shang was passing from Kong shi's knowledge and ideology in full from one generation to the next was more than enough to reinforce the Sanctum of Sages' position as the number one training institution in the world.

It was no wonder why all powers over the world wanted to send their offspring in. Just the inheritance of Kong shi's spirit represented a prestige that no other blessed land could possibly bring.

"I have heard of the affairs of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu before, and just out of curiosity, may I know that compared with Ancient Sage Bo Shang, who is stronger?" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask.

"Well... Ancient Sage Qiu Wu is Kong shi's servant whereas Ancient Sage Bo Shang is his direct disciple. But of course, this is a matter from ancient times, and it involves Ancient Sages at that, so it wouldn't be our place to speak too much about it." Zhao Xingmo replied with a smile.

"I see..." Zhang Xuan nodded in response.

While Zhao Xingmo didn't point it out explicitly, the meaning behind his words was clear. Ancient Sage Bo Shang was stronger than Ancient Sage Qiu Wu!

To make a comparison, it was just like how Sun Qiang and Zheng Yang were like to Zhang Xuan, albeit Sun Qiang might not exactly be a good comparison.

While Sun Qiang did receive Zhang Xuan's guidance from time to time, his fighting prowess was still nowhere in comparison to Zheng Yang and the others.

"Of Kong shi's 72 direct disciples, the ten strongest are referred to as the 'Ten Apostles', and Ancient Sage Bo Shang is one of them. He's one of the few possessors of the Eye of Insight, which grants him strength unmatched by most." Zhao Xingmo said.

As a member of the Sanctum of Sages, he revered the founder of the academy deeply, and he was also well-versed in the latter's background as well.

"Eye of Insight?"

"Un. Ancient Sage Bo Shang is the second master teacher after Kong shi to comprehend Eye of Insight, and he even created a set of optic arts for it. It was said that back in the war against the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, a look from him would kill even an ordinary Otherworldly Demon Emperor instantaneously! However, it was a pity that despite having being passed down over the years, no one has been able to master the optic arts he has created..." Zhao Xingmo shook his head in lamentation.

"Optic arts? Kill even an ordinary Otherworldly Demon Emperor instantaneously?" Zhang Xuan was astonished.

He possessed the Eye of Insight, and he knew what it was capable for. So far, he had only known it to wield the ability to peer through the facade to look into the essence of things, identifying the intrinsic flaws in them... To be able to kill others with just a look, this was something he had never imagined to be possible before.

If that was really the case, wouldn't the Eye of Insight be a really frightening ability?

"Indeed. But of course, the set of optic arts isn't easy to master. Those who are able to master it to that extent would have already inherited Ancient Sage Bo Shang's heritage, and they would be immediately conferred the position of the head of the Sanctum of Sages! Just to give you a sense of what that represents, the standing of the head of the Sanctum of Sages on the Master Teacher Continent would only be higher than that of the heads of the Zhang Clan and the Luo Clan." Zhao Xingmo remarked.

"Becoming the head of the Sanctum of Sages?" Seeing through the hidden meaning behind those words, Zhang Xuan frowned. "Is there no sanctum head for the Sanctum of Sages at the moment?"

As the number one training institute of the Master Teacher Continent, it served to groom generations and generations of geniuses. There were many elders and clan heads of the Sage Clans that used to be students from the Sanctum of Sages... So, how could the Sanctum of Sages have no sanctum head at all?

"One of the requirements to becoming the head of the Sanctum of Sages is to possess the Eye of Insight and master the optic art which Ancient Sage Bo Shang has left behind. It has been three hundred years since such an expert has appeared in the Sanctum of Sages, so the affairs are currently managed by a deputy head." Zhao Xingmo explained.

These matters couldn't be considered as secrets. Those who were members of the Sanctum of Sages were aware of such matters, so there were no qualms about speaking of them to Zhang Xuan.

"I see." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Most powers with long history had their own set of heritage. If one was unable to inherit the heritage, one would be unable to receive the acknowledgement of the predecessors. This would, in turn, make it nigh impossible for them to earn the recognition from the crowd and have them submit to one.

This was especially so for an organization as prestigious as the Sanctum of Sages. These requirements were viewed with grave importance, and there was no way of working around them.

Taking a step back, if someone were to really attempt to circumvent the requirements and proclaim himself as the head of the Sanctum of Sages... Putting aside the headquarters of the Master Teacher Pavilion, even the students of the Sanctum of Sages themselves would rise up in opposition to it!

And for the sanctum head to not even be recognized by his own students... Putting aside the question of legitimacy, was there anything more disgraceful than that?

"Alright, we have arrived at our destination. Let's head down."

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to ask on, Zhao Xingmo suddenly declared loudly. Glancing downward, he noted that the aerial saint beast had already stopped right above an empty square, and it was beginning to descend slowly.

Zhang Xuan knew that this wasn't a good timing for him to ask on, so he decided to hold his questions off for later.

Hula!

Soon, the aerial saint beast landed on the ground, and the group swiftly leaped off its back.

The square was filled with many men and all sorts of saint beasts. It seemed like they had rushed here from all over the Master Teacher Continent to participate in the final selection as well.

Even with a swift glance, it could be seen that every single one of them possessed exceptional strength.

"Zhao shi, are we going against these men in the final selection?" Ma Minghai asked with quivering lips.

While they weren't the weakest bunch in the square, there were plenty who were stronger than them. The powerful auras that they exerted were more than enough to tell Ma Minghai and the others that they stood no chance against them in a proper duel.

Back when they were still in their own homeland, they had always thought that they were top geniuses on the Master Teacher Continent. Even if there were people in the world who were more talented than them, the disparity between them was unlikely to be too great. However, after seeing the crowd that had gathered in the area, they swiftly realized that their thoughts were too naive.

"Most of them are inner clan members of the Sage Clans. On top of the superior purity of their bloodlines, they were also given the best guidance from young, so it's only natural that they would be that strong. In any case, like I have told you earlier, strength is only one of the criteria being assessed in the Mountain Gate. As long as you were to perform to the best of your abilities in every test, you should stand a decent chance. So, there's no need to be too worried..." Noting the air of anxiety shrouding the group, Zhao Xingmo consoled.

The inner members of Sage Clans were able to grow swiftly in the earlier stages of their cultivation through awakening their bloodline. Furthermore, they were also had access to the best cultivation resources and the best guidance from a very young age, so it was a given that they would be stronger than the other candidates.

With that huge of a difference in the starting line, it was inevitable that there would be some distance between them at this point. This was an innate factor, so there was nothing they could do to help that. Nevertheless, as long as the group continued working hard, they might just be able to catch up with them.

"We understand. Thank you, Zhao shi."

Even though the group understood this much too, they still couldn't help their nervousness.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan was secretly scanning his surroundings with his Eye of Insight.

As expected of the offspring of Sage Clans, they are indeed powerful."

Not only were there Leaving Aperture realm cultivators who had undergone the lightning tribulation amongst the crowd, there were even some who had reached Half-Grand Dominion realm! To possess such strength when they weren't even in their thirties yet, their talents could be said to be almost on par with him!

As powerful as Zhang Xuan's fighting prowess was at the moment, his true cultivation was still only at Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle at the moment, a long distance away from reaching Half-Grand Dominion realm.

"Hm? There seems to be quite a few who aren't master teachers amongst them..." someone within the group suddenly remarked.

Zhang Xuan had also noticed the same as well.

There were quite a few young men in the square who weren't wearing master teacher robes, and they didn't carry the disposition that master teachers would usually have either.

"The Sanctum of Sages serves not only to groom master teachers but those of the other occupations as well, such as blacksmith and apothecary. As such, those from the other occupations would come to challenge the Mountain Gate each year too." Zhao Xingmo replied with a smile.

The Sanctum of Sages was the highest training institute on the Master Teacher Continent, but it didn't seek to just cultivate master teachers. It also had heritages for the other occupations as well.

In fact, the number of non-master teachers amongst the candidates, as a whole, was far higher than the number of master teachers.

"So that's the case..." Everyone nodded.

All of the candidates from the Eight Conferred Empires only numbered thirty in total. If the secondary selection had gone as planned, there would only be twenty of them left.

But on the square, there were more than ten thousand young men, and this disproportionate number of candidates was deeply bewildering to them. However, if the scope of the candidates wasn't just limited to master teachers, that would make perfect sense.

Even though the occupations in the world were divided into Upper Nine Paths, Middle Nine Paths, and Lower Nine Paths, that didn't mean that there were only 27 occupations in total. It was only a conventional terminology used to rank the occupations.

There were at least a thousand occupations out there in the world, and which occupation wouldn't have a couple of geniuses each year? Given so, it was within expectations that there would be so many candidates taking the final selection.

"Let me see how the strength of the geniuses from the other occupations are like..." Upon understanding all of these, Zhang Xuan began assessing those of the other occupations.

A moment later, he shook his head.

While there were plenty of experts amongst those of the other occupations too, on the whole, they were still rather lacking as compared to master teachers.

After all, master teacher wasn't the number one occupation in the world for nothing.

"Hm?" Just as Zhang Xuan was about to retract his gaze, he suddenly caught sight of a certain group which made his eyes light up in agitation. "Are those people... from the Glacier Plain Court?"

Chapter 1288: Zhang Qian

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Standing nearby were a few young ladies. They were dressed in white robes, identical to those of the Glacier Plain Court back when he was at the Myriad Kingdom Alliance branch.

Zhang Xuan had not received any news about Zhao Ya since she left, and he had been wanting to know how she was faring since then. Since he happened to meet the members from the Glacier Plain Court, it was a good opportunity to ask about her condition.

Considering that they had been selected to participate in the final selection of the Sanctum of Sages, the group over there would likely possess considerable standing in the Glacier Plain Court. Thus, there was a good chance that they were aware of how Zhao Ya was doing.

"Zhao shi, I'll head over there to take a look," Zhang Xuan informed Zhao Xingmo before making his way over.

"Over there?" Zhao Xingmo took a glance over and remarked, "Those ladies over there are from the Glacier Plain Court. It'll be best not to get on their bad side."

"Oh?" Zhang Xuan was surprised by the warning. "Are the members of the Glacier Plain Court known to be unreasonable?"

Zhao Xingmo shook his head and replied, "That's not it. Most of the members of the Glacier Plain Court are beautiful ladies, so their group tends to be extremely popular in the Sanctum of Sages. In fact, most take pride in marrying one of their members, so there are plenty of people who attempt to chat them up on a daily basis. I fear that you might get snubbed if you approach them abruptly."

The young man before him was very talented, and his eye of discernment was incredible as well. However, who would have thought that he was actually so lecherous!

On their first meeting, the young man had already asked him about the details of the number one beauty of the Sanctum of Sages, the Luo Clan's little princess. And now, as soon as he spotted the beautiful members of the Glacier Plain Court, he was drawn in and wanted to approach them.

Do you know that the Sanctum of Sages isn't like the Qingyuan Empire? Even if you possess incredible talent, you can't just react in such a manner every time you see a beauty. At this rate, it's just a matter of time before you get beaten up by someone!

"Ah... I just intend to ask them something. I'm not intending to chat them up."

How could Zhang Xuan be unaware of what Zhao Xingmo was thinking after hearing those words and seeing the expression on the latter's face? Black lines immediately streaked across Zhang Xuan face.

He had always conducted himself honestly and righteously, rarely overstepping his boundaries unless truly necessary. Yet, for the other party to treat him like a pervert... that was a great insult to his character!

"No matter what, you have to make sure to tread carefully. There are no weaklings in the Sanctum of Sages. Try to be as low profile as you can, and don't ever get into a conflict with anyone!" Zhao Xingmo advised.

First, the young man forcefully got him to allocate two slots to the Qingyuan Empire during the preliminary selection through his scheming. Next, the young man made a mess out of the secondary selection, forcing him to have to bring everyone over.

And now, barely after they had arrived, he was already trying to approach the group from the Glacier Plain Court.

Can't you just give it a rest for a while? Will you die if you stop causing trouble for a moment?

"Don't worry," Zhang Xuan reassured with a smile, "I've always been one to keep a low profile. I won't get into any trouble, so rest easy!"

This time, he was only heading over to ask some questions. Surely, nothing bad could happen from asking a few questions, right?

"That would be for the best. I'm only your guide, so I won't be able to help you with anything that happens from here onward. So, allow me to give you a few words of advice. The Glacier Plain Court possesses great power and influence in the Master Teacher Continent, and they used to be on par with the Zhang Clan and Luo Clan in the past. Even though they might have been declining in recent years due to the absence of a court chief, their prowess is still not to be underestimated," Zhao Xingmo warned with a stern frown.

He was only in charge of selecting the candidates and taking them over to the Sanctum of Sages. Anything beyond that was out of his jurisdiction, and it was not his place to interfere either.

Nevertheless, they had still spent some time together, and he had a rather favorable impression of Zhang Xuan. So, he still hoped that the latter would not get into trouble in the Sanctum of Sages.

Especially not with a power as strong as the Glacier Plain Court.

Knowing that the other party was saying those words out of goodwill, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and replied, "I understand!"

"Un." Zhao Xingmo nodded before falling silent.

After which, Zhang Xuan made his way over to the members of the Glacier Plain Court and asked with a smile, "May I ask if you all are from the Glacier Plain Court?"

"We are."

The young ladies turned around and responded, but their faces were devoid of any emotion. Complete indifference, as if trying to distance themselves from the young man before them.

As those of the Glacier Plain Court cultivated yin attribute cultivation techniques, their personalities tended to be a little cold.

"I am a cultivator from the Qingyuan Empire, and I hope to enquire about a certain matter," Zhang Xuan said earnestly.

"Don't you think that your pick-up line is a little too old-fashioned?" one of the young ladies sneered coldly, the disdain in her eyes clear for all to see.

The Glacier Plain Court was one of the top powers in the Master Teacher Continent, and they were ravishing beauties possessing exceptional talent. As a result, there were many who tried to chat them up every single day, and over time, they had seen all kinds of means that others would use. The one that the young man before them was using, trying to enquire about a certain matter—it had been many years since anyone had tried using that on them! It was a pick-up line that had expired a very long time ago!

A complete lack of creativity. Zero marks for effort!

Seeing that he had been misunderstood, Zhang Xuan shook his head with a bitter smile as he quickly explained, "You are really misunderstanding my intentions. I have an acquaintance who entered the Glacier Plain Court recently, and I haven't been able to gather any news on her. I happened to spot your group here, so I was wondering if I could perhaps enquire about her affairs from you!"

"An acquaintance? You aren't going to say that your acquaintance is one of us, are you?" The disdain on the young lady's face deepened.

She had heard so many of such pick-up lines that she could recite most of them from memory.

In the short time that they had spent in the square so far, there had already been five groups of men who had approached them, wanting to get close with them.

'Young miss, you look familiar. I think we might have met in our previous life.'

'Aren't you tired? Because you have been running through my mind all day long.'

She had simply heard too many of such pick-up lines; any more of them could very well cause her ears to grow warts!

"Of course not. The person I wish to ask about is a young lass called Zhao Ya. She should have been brought into the Glacier Plain Court by one of your elders that goes by the name of Liu Xuan," Zhang Xuan said.

The young lady menacingly narrowed her eyes as she snapped furiously. "Audacious! Is the name of our young court chief something that you are worthy of uttering?"

"Young court chief?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Stop putting on an act!" An imposing aura burst forth from the young lady as she glared at Zhang Xuan threateningly, as if daring him to continue spouting nonsense. "Leave right now, and I can let this matter slide. Otherwise, don't blame me for getting nasty!"

As soon as she released her strength, her cultivation immediately showed. Despite her young age, the young lady was actually at Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle! Even among the impressive geniuses that had gathered there, she could be considered as an expert.

"Calm down, I just want to ask you..." Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan continued to explain the matter, but the young lady seemed to have reached the limit of her patience. She raised her hand and struck out at Zhang Xuan.

Her palm was imbued with a frosty energy that induced a spine-chilling sensation within one, as if threatening to freeze everything in the surroundings.

"This..."

Zhang Xuan did not think that his serious question would actually end up provoking the other party into making a move against him. Sighing helplessly, he raised his finger in preparation to counterattack, but before he could do so, a figure suddenly appeared before him, and the energy built up abruptly dissipated.

Zhao Xingmo.

"This friend from the Glacier Plain Court, I am a guide from the Sanctum of Sages, Zhao Xingmo. This young man over here is a candidate under me, and if he has offended you in any way, I ask for your pardon..."

It was just a moment ago that the young man had promised him that he would not get himself into trouble, but the young man had ended up provoking the other party into making a move after just a few words. Unable to watch on any longer, he had ended up charging in to mediate in the fight.

"Since Zhao shi has spoken on his behalf, I'll overlook the matter this once." Seeing that a guide had stepped in to mediate the matter, the young lady glanced at Zhang Xuan coldly before flinging her sleeves and turning away.

"Thank you." Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhao Xingmo turned to Zhang Xuan with a frown and said, "Let's return."

"I really have something I would like to ask her..."

All Zhang Xuan wanted to know was whether Zhao Ya was faring well or not, but not only was the young lady unwilling to say anything, she even tried to make a move on him. Was there something wrong with her head?

"You said that you wouldn't provoke them, but as soon as you spoke, you actually called their young court chief a young lass. Aren't you clearly taunting them?" Zhao Xingmo berated with a deep frown.

Worried about Zhang Xuan, he had been keeping an eye on the situation, and he had heard the conversation between the two of them from the start to the end.

"This..." Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

Zhao Ya was his student, so there was no problem with him calling her 'young lass'. However, he had failed to consider the fact that Zhao Ya was also their young court chief at the moment. From their perspective, his method of addressing her was indeed rather disrespectful.

No matter what, the Glacier Plain Court was still one of the strongest powers on the Master Teacher Continent. The standing of their young court chief could be said to be on par with a 9-star master teacher, and yet, a young lad like him actually addressed her in such a manner. It was no wonder the young lady had gotten angry.

In a sense, this was like directly addressing the emperor by his name and even calling him a young lad.

"Alright, let's go back... I've heard of the affairs of the Glacier Plain Court's young court chief too. She possesses the Pure Yin Body, and the Glacier Plain Court only brought her back several months ago. I know she is rumored to possess beauty on par with the little princess of the Luo Clan, but still..." As Zhao Xingmo spoke, he looked at the young man before him and shook his head.

This young fellow was not just a pervert—he was practically blinded by his lust!

He looked into the affairs of the Luo Clan's little princess before coming to the Sanctum of Sages, and now that he had encountered the members of the Glacier Plain Court, he actually rushed straight forward to enquire about their young court chief.

Are you going to do that to every beautiful lady you come by?

While both of them might be young, they are figures who could rattle the entire Master Teacher Continent with just a stomp of their feet. Just how gutsy are you to actually dare to think of making a move on them?

"Zhao Ya is my... There's a close relationship between the both of us. I honestly only wish to ask you for some news on her..." Unwilling to give up, Zhang Xuan could only change his words.

Previously, when he had addressed Zhao Ya as a young lass, the young lady had nearly exploded. If he said that she was his student, wouldn't the young lady overturn the heavens?

Upon hearing those words, the young lady's eyes immediately widened with rage. Unable to hold her burning fury in anymore, she stepped forward and bellowed furiously.

"Close relationship between the both of you? What kind of nonsense are you spouting? The young court chief of our Glacier Plain Court is sacred and virtuous—how dare you insult her in such a manner? Zhao shi, pardon me, but I'll have to ask of you to step away. No matter what, I must teach this insolent fellow to watch his mouth!"

"This..." Zhao Xingmo was frenzied.

Previously, that fellow claimed that he was acquainted with the Luo Clan's little princess, and now, he actually claimed that there was a close relationship between him and the young court chief of the Glacier Plain Court.

Just who do you think you are?

The young prodigy from the Zhang Clan?

Do you really think that everyone in the world ought to know of you?

"There must be some kind of misunderstanding..." As crazed as Zhao Xingmo felt on the inside, he still tried to maintain a composed exterior as he attempted to mediate in the conflict.

From his point of view, given Zhang Xuan's capabilities, he would clear the final selection without a problem. It would really be a huge pity if he was injured prior to the final selection.

The young lady harrumphed. "There's no misunderstanding over here. While our Glacier Plain Court has been lying low in recent years, that's not to say that we will tolerate others defaming us in such a manner! How can I simply watch as that bastard insults our young court chief like that? If I don't teach him a lesson, what will become of the authority and prestige of our Glacier Plain Court?"

She took two steps toward Zhang Xuan and eyed him intimidatingly, saying, "Since you dared to speak of our young court chief in such a manner, surely you won't shy away from a fight, will you?"

"You wish to challenge me to a fight?" Seeing how the young lady had even gone to the extent of challenging him to a fight, Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, "If I defeat you, will you tell me the current circumstances of Zhao Ya?"

Seeing how the young man was still persistently addressing their young court chief by her name, the young lady's face turned livid. "You are really courting death..."

But before the young lady could make a move, a leisurely voice suddenly sounded in the air. "This fairy over there, it's not worth it getting angry over an arrogant brat like him. Leave him to me. It would be a huge pity if you dirtied your hands over someone like him!"

Following which, a white-robed young man holding a fan in his hand slowly walked over.

With an elegant flick of his wrist, he folded his fan and chuckled. There was a refined air shrouding him, making him appear gentlemanly.

"The Zhang Clan's Zhang Qian greets the fairies of the Glacier Plain Court. It's a delight to meet you all!"

Chapter 1289: I'm In A Rush For Time

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Glacier Plain Court's Chen Leyao pays respects to Zhang gongzi!" Withdrawing her palm, the young lady clasped her fist and returned the greetings

"Zhang Clan?" Zhang Xuan turned to the young man who had just appeared and assessed him carefully.

Zhang Qian appeared to be in his mid-twenties, and his cultivation felt deep like the unfathomable ocean. Just like the Glacier Plain Court's Chen Leyao, he had reached Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle as well.

It was no wonder why Zhang Jiuxiao could only be considered as one from the side family in the Zhang Clan. Even after receiving his guidance, Zhang Jiuxiao still paled far in comparison to Zhang Qian.

"So you're Fairy Leyao! I have long heard rumors of your affairs. A palm to subdue seven swords, a breath to freeze three thousand li... The Seven Bandits of Shunyan City has been going wreaking havoc all around, and if not for your help, they might have really brought forth a huge catastrophe!" Zhang Qian chuckled refinedly.

"Zhang gongzi, you're flattering me!" Chen Leyao's eyebrows shot up, but her tone remained nonchalant, showing no particular emotion to Zhang Qian's words.

In order to enter the Sanctum of Sages and resolve the trauma in her cultivation, she had worked herself down to her bone, spending most of her time cultivating. As a result, the only notable affair concerning her was about how she had single-handedly brought down the vicious Seven Bandits of Shunyan City, thus saving many lives from dying in their hands. It wasn't a particularly huge affair, but the fact that Zhang Qian was aware of it showed that he had been keeping a lookout for her affairs.

"I have always been in awe of Fairy Leyao's strength and talents." Zhang Qian complimented once more. "I have heard the conversation between the two of you, and that young man over there has been really disrespectful to you that I couldn't even stand watching it anymore. Why don't I teach him a lesson in your stead, so that you don't have to dirty your hands for someone like him?"

"... I'll be leaving the matter to you then, Zhang gongzi." Chen Leyao could tell that Zhang Qian was intentionally fawning on her, and after a moment of pause, she eventually nodded. "It'll do to just teach him a lesson. There's no need to go too far."

It wasn't like there was some kind of irreconcilable grudge between the both of them, so there was no need to blow things out of proportions. She was only unhappy at how the young man had addressed the name of their young court chief so casually and it would suffice to just teach the young man a lesson so that he would never dare do it again.

"Fairy Leyao sure is kind. Don't worry, I won't go too far!"

Huala! Zhang Qian opened the foldable fan in his hand, and as he turned his gaze toward Zhang Xuan, the smile on his face vanished, replaced with frostiness in his eyes. With a disposition which suggested that he had everything in grasp, he said, "This friend over here, I'll give you two options. You can choose to apologize and compensate for the mistake you have done. I won't ask for too much, just two Saint intermediate-tier artifacts will do. Otherwise, I'll make a move and force you to apologize and compensate. Once that happens, don't expect to be able to get off with just compensating two Saint intermediate-tier artifacts!"

"Apologize? Compensate?" Zhang Xuan nearly burst into laughter.

Couldn't be bothered with that self-assuming fellow, he turned his gaze back to Chen Leyao and said, "Young lady, I didn't know that she has become your young court chief, so if there's anything I have said that has offended you, allow me to apologize to you right here. I am acquainted with your young court chief quite a while back, so I just would like to know how she's faring in the Glacier Plain Court."

Considering how Zhao Ya's current standing in the Glacier Plain Court, it was understandable why Chen Leyao would get mad at how he addressed Zhao Ya directly by her name.

While Zhang Xuan did find Chen Leyao's words and actions rather offending and reckless, he didn't come to pick a fight. In any case, an apology cost nothing at all, and if he could find out how his student was faring by apologizing, he would gladly do it.

Before Chen Leyao could say anything, Zhang Qian's face had already darkened in fury. "Brat, I am talking to you right here. Are you deaf?"

As one of the geniuses of the esteemed Zhang Clan, he was respected no matter where he went to. No one would dare to snub him even in the slightest. Yet, this brat actually ignored him altogether... This was something that the prideful him couldn't accept.

"I'm enquiring something from the young ladies of the Glacier Plain Court, and I don't think this has anything to do with you, right? Do the members of your Zhang Clan have the habit of drifting to wherever there are ladies and rudely interject in the business of others?" Zhang Xuan glanced at Zhang Qian with cold eyes filled with contempt and disdain as he flung his sleeves. "You really should go for therapy to cure that bad habit of yours!"

Trying to use me as a stepping stone to impress the girls?

Young man from the Zhang Clan, you should already be thankful that I haven't knocked on your doorstep yet. For you to actually be getting on your high horses in front of me, do you really think that your Zhang Clan is untouchable in the Master Teacher Continent?

"What did you say?" Zhang Qian narrowed his eyes menacingly as veins popped on his temples.

Even though his bloodline was purer than Zhang Jiuxiao's, his standing on the Zhang Clan was actually not too high. If he could establish good relations with those from the Glacier Plain Court, he would be able to become more highly-regarded in the Zhang Clan, which would, in turn, open up more opportunities for him, allowing him to soar through the ranks.

It was for this reason that he unhesitatingly stepped forward to help Chen Leyao when he saw that she had gotten into an argument with another.

He thought that by bringing out the Zhang Clan's name, he would be able to scare the other party into submission. Yet, he never thought that the young man would actually have such a fearless attitude toward the Zhang Clan!

"Unless you are deaf, you should have heard what I have said perfectly clear. Stop sticking your nose into where it doesn't belong and scram to the side, or else I'll have to no choice but to teach you a lesson..." Zhang Xuan ordered coldly with a wave of his hand.

The other party should be thankful that he had a good temperament. If it had been anyone else in his place, he would have surely beaten the other party up by now!

"It's over..." On the other hand, Zhao Xingmo, who had been watching the entire scene from the start to the end, nearly fainted on the spot.

The young man had just said that he was extremely low profile and would avoid trouble, but in just a few moments, he had already successfully turned the disciples of the Glacier Plain Court and an offspring of the Zhang Clan against him...

If this is what you mean by low profile, are you going to tear down the entire Sanctum of Sages once you go high profile?

"You're courting death!" Unable to take Zhang Xuan's taunting, Zhang Qian roared furiously before charging forward.

In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to have become viscous. An incredibly powerful energy converged in on Zhang Xuan, shrouding him within it.

As expected of a genius from the Zhang Clan, despite being at Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle as well, his fighting prowess was nearly on par with the other Vicious he had encountered at the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows.

It was not to say that Vicious was weak, but after several dozen of millenniums to death and having barely awoken from the seal the Qingtian Emperor had cast upon him then, the strength that the other Vicious could exert was really severely limited then. Furthermore, the other Vicious consisted of only the head and the eyes, which meant that his fighting prowess would be severely limited as well.

Nevertheless, despite such factors, Vicious was still an existence which could rival Kong shi back then, so it could be said to be rather amazing for Zhang Qian to be able to wield strength on par with him.

"Hmph!" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes coldly.

As powerful as Zhang Qian might be, there was no way Zhang Xuan would lose against him with the current strength he wielded. Just as he was about to make a move as well, a burst of sword qi suddenly flew toward Zhang Qian.

Hong long!

Noticing the burst of sword qi, Zhang Qian released a powerful ripple of zhenqi in retaliation, and the sword qi dissipated in an instant. Not too far away, a groan echoed inconspicuously, but that faint sound couldn't escape from the notice of those present here. It seemed like in the earlier encounter, the person who had made a move against Zhang Qian had been injured instead.

"Zhang Jiuxiao, you actually dare to raise your hand against me?" Zhang Qian roared furiously.

When he turned his head over, he saw Zhang Jiuxiao rushing forward to stand in front of Zhang Xuan. His slightly pale face hinted that he was the one who had clashed with Zhang Qian earlier and sustained some injuries from it.

No matter what, he was only at Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle, an entire cultivation realm weaker than the Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle Zhang Qian.

"Zhang Qian, we are here all here to participate in the final selection of the Sanctum of Sages. There's no need to make things so tense among us..." Suppressing the suffocated sensation crushing his chest, Zhang Jiuxiao clasped his fist and said.

Zhang Xuan was his benefactor, so even though he knew that he was no match for Zhang Qian at all, he couldn't bring himself to simply look away from the matter.

"You said that there's no need to make things so tense among us? That might be true a moment ago, but I do see a need for it now!" With a warped look on his face, Zhang Qian roared furiously. "I'll deal with you once we return to the Zhang Clan. Now, don't get in my way and scram!"

"If you want to make a move here, you'll have to start with me!" Zhang Jiuxiao replied adamantly, refusing to back down.

"Jiuxiao, it's fine. I'll deal with him myself." Zhang Xuan placed a hand on Zhang Jiuxiao's shoulder to indicate that it was fine before stepping forward.

He understood Zhang Jiuxiao's intentions, but he didn't think that there was a need for that.

In truth, Zhang Jiuxiao wasn't trying to play the hero here. He knew that there was a huge disparity in strength between Zhang Qian and him, and he knew that he would only be tragically defeated if a fight were to occur. However, he still chose to intervene in the conflict because that would be the only way to minimize the implications of the matter.

As the number one Sage Clan on the Master Teacher Continent, the Zhang Clan wielded frightening power in its hands. While it wouldn't stoop so low as the mobilize its influence to interfere in the matters of the younger generation, it was still inevitable that there would be plenty of people in the Sanctum of Sages who were eager to butter up to Zhang Qian and the other offspring of the Zhang Clan. It was for this reason that very few people dared to cross Zhang Qian and the other offspring of the Zhang Clan, or else they could find every step they took in the Sanctum of Sages fraught with difficulties.

If Zhang Jiuxiao were to take the blame for this matter, in view that he was an offspring of the Zhang Clan as well, he would just suffer a bit of punishment and that would be the end of things.

However, what Zhang Jiuxiao didn't know was that Zhang Xuan didn't fear the Zhang Clan at all. As long as he wanted to marry Luo Ruoxin, it was only a matter of time before he became an enemy of the Zhang Clan.

Besides, he didn't fear the suppression of the Zhang Clan either. With the Library of Heaven's Path, would he have to fear anyone attempting to stifle his growth?

Since Zhang Qian was the one to start the conflict, there was no reason for him to defer meekly to the other party!

With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze back to Zhang Qian and spoke with casual contempt, "Alright, hurry up and make your move. I'm in a rush for time, so I don't have too much time to waste on you!"

"You..." Seeing how lightly Zhang Xuan was taking him, Zhang Qian roared furiously and charged forward once more, sending a palm strike toward the other party.

The offense this time around was much stronger than before. The immense might behind the palm strike brought forth the slight rumbling of thunder, as if it was tearing open a vacuum in space.

"Powerful..."

"Zhang Qian might not be the strongest candidate dispatched from the Zhang Clan to participate in the final selection this time around, but his strength is still one that shouldn't be underestimated!"

"Even I would have some trouble taking on that palm strike face-on. It would better to dodge it before making another move, but it doesn't seem like Zhang Qian would allow that lad to do so..."

"That haughty fellow is in for some suffering!"

"Even if he wanted to chat those young ladies up, he should have found a better reason than that. Now that he has offended both the Glacier Plain Court and the Zhang Clan, even if he clears the final selection by some chance, he probably won't be able to survive in the Sanctum of Sages for too long..."

...

The surrounding crowd also swiftly turned their attention over to the commotion that was going on as well. There was a myriad of expressions on their faces, shocked, curious, intrigued, and much more. However, if one thing was clear, none of them thought well of the young man.

There was no one who dared to step forward to mediate in the conflict either, especially since the Zhang Clan was involved in the matter as well. There was no way they would risk getting flames on themselves just to help a stranger.

"This..." Chen Leyao also didn't expect things to blow out of proportions, and a slight frown emerged between her brows.

She thought that the young man was just a little thoughtless in his words, but at this point, conceited would be a more appropriate adjective to describe him!

She had long heard of Zhang Qian's name, even before arriving in the Sanctum of Sages.

Despite only being twenty-six this year, Zhang Qian had already reached Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle. On top of that, his aptitude toward battle techniques was astounding as well. Not only so, he also boasted vast battle experience, such that even Chen Leyao herself would be hard-pressed to subdue him. For a mere Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle lad to dare taunt him... Wasn't that lad just asking to be killed?

Hong long!

Before everyone's astonished gazes, the sheer force of Zhang Qian's palm tore a deep gorge right through the square.

"That's the Saint intermediate-tier battle technique, Soul Shattering Palm!"

"That strike doesn't just wield overwhelming physical might, it also boasts a powerful offensive power toward souls as well! If that strike were to land on one squarely, it would jolt one's soul and instantaneously knock one out, putting one at the mercy of another!"

"Even among Saint intermediate-tier battle techniques, it can be considered as one of the strongest!"

...

A huge commotion broke out amidst the crowd once more.

But at this very moment, a slightly disappointed voice sounded from the young man standing right in front of that powerful palm strike, "This is your move? Well, I guess it's not too bad considering that it's coming from you, but I really don't have any interest in playing with you right now, so pardon me then..."

Right after saying those words, the young man took a step forward and thrust his palm forward casually.

Kacha!

There was no astounding strength or overwhelming aura from that palm strike, but for some inexplicable reason, the majestic Soul Shattering Palm actually dissipated upon clashing with it.

Following right after, with a resounding 'pa dah!', Zhang Qian found himself crushed forcefully onto the ground like a toad, as if there was a mountain weighing down on him. He struggled wildly, but his body simply wouldn't budge at all. Frenzy and rage were written all over his face.

"This..."

"He subdued Zhang Qian in a single move?"

Everyone widened their eyes in frenzy.

"H-how is this possible?" Chen Leyao widened her eyes in disbelief.

"Settled." Without sparing a glance for Zhang Qian, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze back to Chen Leyao and said, "Young lady, you haven't answered my question yet. How is your young court chief faring in the Glacier Plain Court?"

Chapter 1290: Chen Leyao's Attitude

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Y-you..." Chen Leyao was at a loss for words.

She viewed her strength to be roughly on the same level as Zhang Qian, so Zhang Qian's defeat meant that she wouldn't have been able to withstand even a second blow from the young man as well!

If they were to really get into a battle, she would only be humiliated!

Wasn't he just a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle cultivator?

How could he be so formidable?

Cold sweat trickled down Chen Leyao's back. It was fortunate that Zhang Qian had stood in earlier, or else the one who would be crushed on the ground like a toad would have been her... If that were to really happen to her, she would never be able to hold her head high before others anymore!

"Just who in the world are you?" With tightly clenched fists, Chen Leyao asked.

It shouldn't be possible for someone who wielded such strength to be a nobody. So, how could she have never heard of the young man before?

More importantly, judging from the young man's overwhelming strength and how he was able to qualify for the final selection in the Sanctum of Sages, he should have a powerful background. Since that was the case, it was irrational to think that someone of the young man's caliber to stoop down to provoke them.

Building on that argument, could that mean that he was really acquainted with their young court chief? Or perhaps, was he... one of their young court chief's pursuers?

"I am a 7-star master teacher from Qingyuan Empire, so I doubt that you would have heard of my name. Don't worry, I don't mean you any ill-will. I'm just asking out of concern." Zhang Xuan replied.

As famous as Zhang Xuan might be in Qingyuan Empire and Hongyuan Empire, it was unlikely that his reputation would travel so far for even those of the Sanctum of Sages to have heard of him.

"Qingyuan Empire?" Chen Leyao pondered for a moment before shaking her head.

There was indeed no notable figure she knew of that originated from Qingyuan Empire.

Due to a war two decades ago, the Qingyuan Empire had become the weakest of the Eight Conferred Empires. Who could have thought that such a talented master teacher would emerge from their ranks at this point in time?

"Are you... really acquainted with our young court chief?" Chen Leyao asked hesitantly.

According to what she knew, their young court chief seemed to have come from Qingyuan Empire as well. Could the both of them really be acquainted with one another?

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded affirmatively.

Zhao Ya was one of his direct disciples, and together, they had forged their way out of Tianxuan Kingdom to the greater world out there. Their relationship couldn't be just covered with the word 'acquainted'.

"I have been a bit worried about how she has been doing ever since your Elder Liu Xuan took her to the Glacier Plain Court, so I thought that I would ask you since you are from the Glacier Plain Court as well. I really don't intend anything aside of that." Zhang Xuan explained earnestly.

"I see. If that's the case, I guess it would be fine to speak of her affairs to you..." Chen Leyao looked at Zhang Xuan's earnest eyes for a moment before nodding slowly. "To tell you the truth, I don't know much about our young court chief either. I know that she's extremely diligent in her cultivation, and her cultivation has been growing swiftly as well... While it hasn't been long since she arrived in the Glacier Plain Court, her strength already far surpasses ours, reaching a level unfathomable to us. As for the details, I'm afraid that I am not too clear about them myself either..."

Speaking up to this point, Chen Leyao's face couldn't help but redden.

While she did possess considerable talent as well, which made her a relatively famous figure in the Glacier Plain Court, she was still a long distance away from matching up to the young court chief.

As the young court chief had devoted all of her time to her cultivation, she hadn't been able to find an opportunity to interact with the other party over the past half a year since the other party's arrival. In fact, if not for the couple of times she had seen the young court chief from afar, she would have doubted if there was truly such a figure in their Glacier Plain Court at all. As a result of that, she knew next to nothing about the other party.

Zhao Ya's strength far surpasses theirs? Zhang Xuan was startled for a moment before nodding slowly.

As one who possessed the Pure Yin Body, her cultivation would surge forward once she awakened her unique constitution. On top of that, there was no doubt that the Glacier Plain Court would devote all of their resources into grooming her as well, so it was indeed not difficult for her to surpass Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle in half a year.

It seems like I really have to work harder... Zhang Xuan thought with a bitter smile.

It would really be embarrassing if he turned out to be the weakest amongst his students the next time they met.

"Thank you for your information. Pardon me for having imposed on you. Farewell." Seeing that Chen Leyao really didn't know much about Zhao Ya, Zhang Xuan decided to take his leave.

In any case, the fact that Zhao Ya had been recognized as the young court chief by the members of the Glacier Plain Court, and that her cultivation had risen beyond Leaving Aperture realm showed that the Glacier Plain Court hadn't been mistreating her. Since that was the case, he would be able to rest his heart easy.

His students would have their own lives to live too, he couldn't possibly keep an eye on them all the way. He would just have to be content with knowing that they were doing well.

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Xuan released the weight on Zhang Qian. Then, with a polite bow, he returned back to where he was standing.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony..." Seeing Zhang Xuan leaving without saying anything else, not even sparing her an additional glance, Chen Leyao's face reddened in embarrassment.

Previously, she thought that the other party was intentionally saying those words to chat her up, or perhaps, to build a relationship with the Glacier Plain Court. However, from the looks of it now... that was clearly not the case!

The young man had really only approached her just to ask a question.

If she had known it in advance, she wouldn't have been so self-assuming and implicate Zhang Qian in the matter...

As this thought came to her mind, she quickly turned her head over to look at the released Zhang Qian. The latter struggled to his feet with rage and mania written on his face.

"Damn it!" Zhang Qian spat indignantly.

He thought that this was an opportunity for him to perform before the beauties and get close with them, only to find himself crushed to the floor in a single move. The great humiliation he had gone through left him feeling so frustrated that he could go mad on the spot.

However, that encounter had also made him realize that the young man was someone whom the current him was no match for. As furious as he may be, he knew that he would only be embarrassing himself further if he were to rush up to the young man and confront him.

"Are you fine?" While Zhang Qian was at the peak of his rage, he suddenly saw Chen Leyao looking over with a concerned look.

"I... I'm fine!" With a reddened face, Zhang Qian quickly tried to regain his poise.

He attempted to flick open the foldable fan in his hand to block his face, only to find that half of the fan had been destroyed in the previous clash. Even though their battle was ended in a single blow, the shockwave that was released as a result of the blow was not one which ordinary fans could withstand. As a result, it ended up being reduced to an unseemly state.

"It's good that you're fine. Zhang shi, thank you for making a stand for me earlier. However, it seems like the friend from before means no ill-will, so I hope that you won't take this matter to heart." Chen Leyao said.

It was while trying to stand up for her that Zhang Qian ended up landing himself in such a state. Even though he ended up contributing nothing at all, she was still rather grateful to him for offering his help.

This entire incident had originated from her misunderstanding, and she felt deeply ashamed by her rashness as well. Thus, she felt that it was necessary for her to mediate between the both of them, and hopefully, they might be able to put aside their differences.

"No ill-will? Just on the very fact that he had belittled our Zhang Clan, there's no way I'll be able to make peace with him!" Hearing that Chen Leyao was even speaking on that young man's behalf now, Zhang Qian's rage intensified.

"Fairy Leyao, you need not say anything more. This thing has nothing to do with you anymore. That brat has insulted our Zhang Clan and even made a move on me. I'll have to return this favor to him, or else what dignity would I have in the Sanctum of Sages?"

As an offspring of the Zhang Clan, he was utterly crushed right before the faces of so many geniuses before they could even take the final selection. Without a doubt, this incident would be one of the darkest spots in his records. If he couldn't get even with the other party, he would be mocked for this matter for many years to come!

"This..." Chen Leyao had no idea what she could say at this point.

Indeed. With how far things had come, it was no longer just a personal conflict between her and that young man anymore.

"Zhang Yu, I want you to look into the background of that brat and find out why Zhang Jiuxiao is helping him!" While Zhang Qian might be arrogant, he wasn't a reckless individual. After a moment of thought, he turned to the side and instructed.

On the other hand, the young man known as Zhang Yu before him nodded in response before disappearing amidst the crowd.

Inner clan members like him tended to have some personal attendants, who would be in charge of taking care of their daily necessities and attending to miscellaneous matters.

Not too long later, Zhang Yu returned. He clasped his fist and reported, "Young Master, I have managed to dig up some things on that fellow. He's a master teacher from Qingyuan Empire, serving as the principal of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. He has once succeeded in crashing the Qingyuan Empire, which goes to say that he possesses talent and strength far beyond ordinary master teachers!"

Most of the affairs surrounding Zhang Xuan were recorded in the Master Teacher Pavilion, so it was actually not too difficult for those who knew where to look to acquire information on him.

"Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy? Not even worth a mention!" Zhang Qian scoffed derisively before a frown emerged between his brows. "However, the fact that he succeeded in crashing the QIngyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion does make him quite a troublesome figure to deal with!"

In his view, being a principal of a Master Teacher Academy in somewhere as small as Hongyuan Empire was no different from being the chief of some a remote village, an insignificant figure. However, if the young man had successfully crashed a Master Teacher Pavilion before... things wouldn't be that simple anymore.

There were certain restrictions imposed on pavilion crashing. For one, a master teacher's rank must not exceed that of the tier of the Master Teacher Pavilion he was crashing, and he must be a local in the region as well.

It was due to these two restrictions that only a small number of people had succeeded in pavilion crashing over the past several dozen millenniums. The very fact that the young man had successfully crashed a Master Teacher Pavilion was enough to show that he wielded extraordinary talent.

"But no matter how formidable he might be, he's still nothing more than a countryside bumpkin. Young Master, if you had used the power of your bloodline earlier, there was no way he would have been a match for you!" Zhang Yu said.

What that made Sage Clans extremely frightening wasn't their talent but their bloodline.

"Indeed, it won't be too difficult for me to defeat him if I were to tap into my bloodline. However, using that ability will drain me greatly, and I won't be able to recover in the short-run either. Given that the final selection is coming up, I can't afford to deplete myself at this point in time..." Zhang Qian shook his head.

It was not that he didn't want to use the power of his bloodline but he dared not to.

The power of his bloodline would exhaust his strength by far too much, such that even if he managed to teach that young man a lesson, his performance in the final selection would be impeded as a result... If so, he would be severely punished when he returned to the Zhang Clan.

The Zhang Clan also valued the slots for the Sanctum of Sages greatly as well.

"What do we do then?" Zhang Yu asked.

"There's no need to worry." Zhang Qian harrumphed as he narrowed his eyes menacingly. "Let him immerse himself in his glee for a couple of days. Once I get into the Elite Division of the Sanctum of Sages, he would be nothing more than a helpless bug in my grasp!"

"That's true..." Zhang Yu nodded in realization.

Naturally, students of differing degree of talent and strength had to be groomed under different environment and conditions. For this reason, the students of the Sanctum of Sages were allocated to one of the two divisions based on the results of the final selection, namely the Elite Division and the Ordinary Division.

The Elite Division was where most geniuses were gathered. They were groomed to be future Sages, and they stood a far better chance at entering the Inner Sanctum in the future.

Comparatively, the conditions for those in the Ordinary Division were considerably poorer.

Zhang Qian's goal wasn't just to clear the final selection; he wanted to get into the Elite Division as well, becoming one of the top existences amongst the students!

"With the greater degree of authority I would wield as a member of the Elite Division, I would be able to make his life in the Sanctum of Sages a living hell! After I have my fun with him, I shall have him expelled from the Sanctum of Sages so as to carve it deep in his mind that the Zhang Clan isn't an existence whom he can offend!" Zhang Qian sneered as his eyes turned completely cold.

At this moment, he suddenly recalled something, and he turned his head over, "Right, what's that fellow called?"

After all that had been said and done, Zhang Qian suddenly realized that he didn't even know what the young man was called.

"He goes by the surname of Zhang as well, but he isn't from our Zhang Clan. His name is Zhang Xuan!" Zhang Yu replied.

"Zhang Xuan? You said that the young man earlier is called Zhang Xuan?" Before Zhang Qian could even speak, Chen Leyao had already abruptly interjected in with an anxious look on her face.

"Yes, his name is Zhang Xuan. He's just a lowly figure who walked out of Tianxuan Kingdom, and he still has the cheek to adopt the same surname as us..." Zhang Yu harrumphed coldly.

However, before he could finish his words, Zhang Yu's body suddenly stiffened. A surge of chilling energy had abruptly gripped his body.

Following which, a palm suddenly flew for his face.

Pah!

With a resounding echo, Zhang Yu was sent flying out before crashing heavily into the ground. His shattered teeth scattered all over the floor, and blood spurted out of his mouth endlessly.

Seeing this, Zhang Qian stepped forward and asked with a livid expression, "Fairy Leyao, what do you mean by this?"

The person who had just made a move earlier was Chen Leyao, but why would she suddenly turn on them all of a sudden?

"Zhang Qian, you better keep the mouth of your subordinate in check. And you as well, if I were to find out that you have been disrespectful to Zhang Xuan, Zhang shi... Let it be known that our Glacier Plain Court won't sit idly!"

Placing her hands coldly behind her back, Chen Leyao spoke with unquestionable conviction.