LHP 950+

1381-1390

Chapter 1381: Crossing Hands with Feng Ziyi

Translator:StarveCleric

Editor:StarveCleric

Feng Ziyi was the top ranker of the Mountain Gate examination, outdoing even Zhang Yu of the Zhang Clan. Zhang Xuan had met him once during the gathering of their Elite Division class prior to being abruptly taken away by Luo Xuanqing.

Previously, he had only known Feng Ziyi to be the direct disciple of a grand elder from the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, but during the journey to obtain the Dongxu Gourd, he learned from Yuan Xiao and the others that he was actually the real Yang Xuan's direct disciple... In other words, the real counterpart to the fake persona he had come up with!

And for the other party to have waited for him here for several days...

It couldn't be that the other party had found out about him faking his identity and came over here to apprehend him?

"Did... he mention the reason why he's looking for me?" Zhang Xuan asked anxiously.

It would still be fine if it was just Feng Ziyi, but if Yang Xuan were to find out as well, he would have no choice but to flee.

As the most enigmatic and strongest grand elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, there was little doubt that Yang Xuan had already achieved a level far beyond Saint 9-dan. There was no way he would be able to stand against a figure like that.

"Well, he didn't say anything at all, but he's oddly patient. Despite being well aware that you aren't around, he still refuses to leave, insistently waiting here for a few days straight..." Sun Qiang said with a deep frown.

"That's clearly an attempt to corner me..." Zhang Xuan's lips twitched upon hearing those words.

There had been completely no interaction between him and Feng Ziyi in the past, so other than the matter of him being 'Yang Xuan's direct disciple', he couldn't think of another reason why the latter would willingly wait here for a few days straight.

"Right, Zhang Jiuxiao is here as well. Just like Feng Ziyi, he has been here waiting for you for quite a few days now too." Sun Qiang suddenly recalled another matter and said.

"Jiuxiao? What's he doing here? Is he acquainted with Feng Ziyi?" Zhang Xuan was slightly taken aback.

Considering how Zhang Jiuxiao was a student of the Ordinary Division, barely meeting the mark to qualify as a student of the Sanctum of Sages, it didn't seem too likely for him to be acquainted with the number one expert of their Elite Division class.

"Young Master, are you intending to meet them? Otherwise, I can just relay a message to them that you are currently in seclusion." Noticing a hint of dilemma on Zhang Xuan's forehead, Sun Qiang proposed.

"It's fine, I'll meet them." Zhang Xuan replied.

What that would come would eventually come. There was no point evading the matter. He might as well meet the other party to see what the other party was intending to do.

Besides, considering how the Shrine of Seers and Spirit Awakener Hall were reduced to rubble, the other party should have already received the news of his return by now... There was no way he could continue hiding from the other party anymore.

Having made up his mind, he didn't hesitate to make his way over to the main hall of his residence.

Walking in, he saw two young men seated patiently on the guest seats. One of them stood up in agitation upon seeing him and exclaimed, "Zhang shi, you are finally back! You sure have kept up waiting for long. I believe you should be familiar with Senior Feng over here too. I didn't expect that he's actually Yang shi's direct disciple too, coming from the same roots as you, so I specially brought him over to meet you..."

Naturally, the young man who had stood up was Zhang Jiuxiao.

"Yang shi's direct disciple?" Zhang Xuan asked as he directed a long, meaningful look at Zhang Jiuxiao.

If thoughts could kill, Zhang Jiuxiao might have died a thousand times over in that short moment.

All this while, he had been wondering who was the culprit that revealed the news of him being Yang Xuan's student, but who could have thought that it would actually be an insider leak...

Zhang Jiuxiao had been in Qingyuan City during the same period of time as him, and he was rather close with Wu shi and the others too. All it would take was a simple ask for him to find out Zhang Xuan's lineage...

So, it wasn't too surprising for him to know about his relationship with 'Yang Xuan'.

But... it's one thing for you to know, but why do you have to boast about it in front of Feng Ziyi?

If, touchwood, this news were to get to the ears of the real Yang shi, won't I be a goner?

Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella in frustration. Rage bubbled furiously within him, but there was no outlet for him to vent it at all. In the end, he could only suppress his overflowing fury and chuckle awkwardly, "You... are from Yang shi's lineage too?"

Feng Ziyi stood up, and instead of answering the question, he raised his palm and gestured to the center of the hall, "I would like to request to have a duel with you."

"A duel?" Zhang Xuan asked with a deep frown.

"That's right." Not bothering to explain his intention, Feng Ziyi drove his zhenqi, and an intense aura rippled forth from him, threatening to crush the surrounding air into fragments.

"This is... Phantasmal Space realm primary stage?" Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in astonishment.

The previous time he met Feng Ziyi, the latter was only at Grand Dominion realm advanced stage. Yet, in just a short twenty or so days, he actually managed to raise his cultivation by two stages, reaching Phantasmal Space realm primary stage... This was truly fearsome!

While the bottleneck that one had to overcome in order to achieve a breakthrough to Saint 7-dan Phantasmal Space realm was significantly lower as compared to that of Saint 8-dan Dimension Sundering realm, it was still inconceivable for any cultivator to do so within a short span of twenty days.

What was even more astounding was that the other party was only in his mid-twenties, roughly twenty-four or twenty-five this year... With such talent, it was just a matter of time before he became one of the powerhouses of the Master Teacher Continent!

Noticing Zhang Xuan's hesitation, Feng Ziyi chuckled coldly and said, "I did manage to make some advancements during this period of time, but it seems like you have achieved quite a few breakthroughs yourself too. The previous time we met, you were only at Leaving Aperture realm primary stage, but in just a short twenty days, you have already managed to reach Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle. You were able to defeat Zhang Zhuo and the others as a Leaving Aperture realm primary stage cultivator, so you should be far stronger now, right? You didn't hesitate to challenge those of the Zhang Clan, so why would you hesitate at the notion of fighting against me?"

While Zhang Xuan was astounded by the rate at which Feng Ziyi was advancing his cultivation, the vice-versa was true as well.

Feng Ziyi remembered that Zhang Xuan was only at Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle when he challenged the Mountain Gate examination, but in less than a month, his cultivation had actually risen by an entire realm, reaching Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle. This rate of cultivation was one which even he would pale far in comparison against!

Furthermore, the other party also wielded superior fighting prowess that allowed him to challenge cultivators far beyond his tier, as shown by how he managed to defeat Zhang Zhuo and the others back then.

In truth, Feng Ziyi's initial intention was to confront Zhang Xuan on the rumors of him being Yang Xuan's direct disciple too, but upon recalling the peculiarities surrounding the latter, his blood suddenly raced in excitement, and an urge to challenge the latter to a battle struck him.

"Since you are so earnest in your request, it would be impolite for me to turn you down." Knowing that there was no way to shun the matter, Zhang Xuan walked to the center of the room and gestured, "Feel free."

As long as Yang Xuan didn't appear in the picture, there was nothing for him to fear.

A blade was already above his neck, regardless of whether he pushed ahead or retreated. Since that was the case, he might as well retaliate.

If Feng Ziyi wanted to make a move on him, he would have to first defeat him!

Hu la!

Seeing that Zhang Xuan had accepted his battle, Feng Ziyi stepped forward as well and flicked his hand softly.

Huala!

A Dominion swiftly engulfed the main hall. Any Spiritual Perception that attempted to perceive within the barrier would abruptly vanish, as if falling into another dimension. At the same time, Feng Ziyi also pushed his palm downward, and an oppressive might froze the surrounding space, leaving one feeling as if one was standing in the midst of a vacuum, making even breathing nigh impossible.

"He's indeed rather strong." Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

Even though Feng Ziyi was only at Phantasmal Space realm primary stage, the strength he had displayed so far was already on par with the Phantasmal Space advanced stage Bi Hongyin!

True, Bi Hongyin was still slightly lacking as compared to Luo Xuanqing and the others, but with her caliber, she could already be considered as one of the top geniuses of the Sanctum of Sages, far surpassing most of the other students... And yet, to wield strength comparable to her despite being two cultivation stages weaker, Feng Ziyi was truly a frightening individual!

A feeling of tightness swiftly constricted Zhang Xuan's chest. He knew that he would only be plunged in a worse position if he were to retreat at this point, so he roared furiously, "Break!"

His voice seemed to be tinged with a powerful force that hammered down on one's soul like a wreaking ball. In just an instant, cracks swiftly spread across the Dominion before it shattered with a resounding explosion.

Through studying the books Bi Hongyin had relating to demonic tunes, he managed to raise his comprehension and mastery of demonic tunes to the caliber of an 8-star demonic tunist. He was still unable to exert the full prowess of an 8-star demonic tunist due to the limitations of his cultivation, but nevertheless, his attacks were still plenty fearsome. Without a transcendental state of mind, it would be impossible to withstand it.

After breaking the Dominion with a roar, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger and sent a surge of sword qi in Feng Ziyi's direction.

Considering that his cultivation was far beneath the other party, it would be extremely dangerous for him to hold back. Thus, he infused the full prowess of his offensive Sword Quintessence into the attack.

Tzzzzzzzz!

In the midst of its trajectory, the surge of sword qi suddenly burst open to engulf the entire area, creating something reminiscent to the sea. It wasn't the Sea Severing Sword of the Three Swords of Lingxu, but the combined prowess of the countless sword qi within this 'sea' was plenty terrifying. They converged like a vortex and crushed down on Feng Ziyi with devastating might.

"Formidable!" Feng Ziyi's eyes lit up upon seeing this move. "Under normal circumstances, it should be impossible for any cultivator beneath Saint 7-dan realm to withstand the Dominion of a Phantasmal Space realm cultivator. Yet, with just a roar, he was able to sever my control over my Dominion before creating his own Dominion using his sword qi to suppress me..."

The reason why Grand Dominion realm experts were so powerful was because they commanded absolute authority within the territory of their Dominion.

Considering that the other party was only at Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle, having yet to comprehend Dominion, the other party would inevitably be in a disadvantageous position facing him straight-on. In view of that, the other party actually chose to craft out his own Dominion using his sword qi in order to accrue sufficient power to fight on equal grounds with him...

This was something he had never thought of before. It was truly a brilliant move!

Peng!

As soon as the other party's sword qi collided with his palm, Feng Ziyi was forced to retreat two steps.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan was forced to retreat eight steps.

In this short encounter, it was apparent who wielded the absolute advantage in terms of sheer strength.

"For someone who is two cultivation realms weaker than me to be able to withstand my attack, I must admit that you are indeed a person of great capability. However... let's see if you'll be able to do the same for this too!" With eyes gleaming in excitement, Feng Ziyi charged forward once more.

Hu!

His silhouette swiftly turned illusory, as if he had warped into a phantasm. In just the blink of an eye, he had already covered ten meters to stand right before Zhang Xuan.

"His speed is incredible too..." Zhang Xuan was alarmed.

In terms of instantaneous burst speed, the other party was actually no slower than his Heaven's Path Movement Art!

The reason why Luo Xuanqing was capable of moving faster than him was due to his high cultivation realm and superior grasp of spatial laws, but to think that Feng Ziyi would be so fast as well... As expected of Yang shi's direct disciple, a genius from the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters! His abilities were truly off the charts!

From the previous encounter, it was apparent that it would be unwise for Zhang Xuan to face Feng Ziyi's attacks head-on, considering the disparity in their strength. Thus, in response to the latter's sudden approach, he quickly activated his Heaven's Path Movement Art to retreat.

Tzzzzzzz!

But as fast as he retreated, Feng Ziyi's advancement was even faster. The latter's outstretched finger seemed to be ready to pierce a hole open in his throat at any moment.

Hu hu hu!

Zhang Xuan quickly switched between various movements arts in hopes of shaking Feng Ziyi off, but as if his shadow, the latter remained tight on his tail. Slowly, he began to panic a little.

"At this rate, I just might lose..."

Even though Zhang Xuan was still able to keep the other party's finger off his throat for the time being, he would risk losing control over the momentum of the battle at this rate. Once that were to happen, it would only a matter of time before his loss.

"I'll just have to take a risk!" Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan made up his mind, and his eyes turned solemn.

He abruptly halted his footsteps as he forcefully compressed the muscles before his neck.

Hu!

As a result of his sudden stop, Feng Ziyi's finger struck Zhang Xuan's neck. However, the anticipated piercing didn't occur. On the contrary, a sound reminiscent to the metallic reverberation of two weapons clashing with one another sounded instead.

Heaven's Path Golden Body!

After learning the newest version of Heaven's Path Golden Body compiled from Yuan Xiao's physical body cultivation technique manuals, the resilience of his physical body had become comparable to half-Saint high-tier artifacts.

To put it in other words, as long as Feng Ziyi didn't wield a Saint high-tier weapon in his hands, it would be nigh impossible for him to impale him!

"It should be my turn now!"

Feng Ziyi was visibly stunned by the failure of his finger to impale Zhang Xuan's throat. Knowing that this was a good opportunity for him to strike, Zhang Xuan clenched his fist tightly and thrust it forward.

This punch harnessed not only the strength derived from his zhenqi but from his physical body and soul as well. Even before landing on its target, the other party's Phantasmal Space realm Dominion had already begun shattering inch after inch, reminiscent of a popped bubble.

"You... How is this possible?" Feng Ziyi was aghast.

Chapter 1382: A Sixth

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

It was one thing for a Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle cultivator to be able to call forth strength that was on par with a Phantasmal Space realm primary stage expert like him, but more importantly than that, the timing and positioning of the other party's fist was indescribably ingenious. It was timed right in the lapse between the dissipation of his previous surge of might and the regathering of his strength.

In other words, the other party's had managed to see through the flaws in his fighting style despite only having exchanged a single blow!

One must know that the cultivation technique and battle techniques he practiced were no weaker than the top-notch techniques that the core members of the Zhang Clan and Luo Clan practiced!

It would be impossible for even Fei shi to see through such profound battle techniques and cultivation techniques in such a short period of time, and yet, the young man before him was already able to find their flaws and exploit them even.

"But if you think that you can defeat me just like that, you are being far too optimistic!"

Feng Ziyi's shock only remained for less than a tenth of a breath before a sharp glint surfaced in his eyes. He tilted his body slightly sideways in order to bring forth sufficient power to return a fist of his own toward Zhang Xuan.

His fist was directed straight toward the other party's chest, and the latter's punch was directed toward his chest too. He was aiming for a direct showdown!

"Let's see how formidable your defense is!" A hint of callousness flashed across Zhang Xuan's eyes when he saw Feng Ziyi's response.

Without bothering to even change his positions, he drove the Heaven's Path Golden Body, and a slight golden shimmer flowed across the surface of his body.

Peng!

Zhang Xuan's fist smashed into the other party's chest, and in that instant, he felt as if he was punching a boulder. A numbing sensation swiftly crawled from his fingers up his arm. At the same time, Feng Ziyi's fist also smashed into his body, and a stifled feeling welled up in his chest, forcing him to retreat several steps.

"Your physical body..." Zhang Xuan was astonished.

It was due to cultivating the Heaven's Path Golden Body that the resilience of his physical body was on par with half-Saint high-tier artifacts, but to his astonishment, the resilience of the other party's physical body was actually on par with him!

Even though it seemed like their direct confrontation had ended in a draw, the truth was that he had lost out a little due to his limited cultivation.

"Hahaha, wonderful!" Feng Ziyi roared in laughter.

Even in a clash of brute strength, the young man before him was actually able to stand toe-to-toe with him. He flexed his arms a little, and as if someone had blown air into his muscles, his body began bulging out, filling his loose robe.

It seemed as if he had just eaten some kind of incredible tonic that transformed his slender body into that of a bulked up, brawny man in an instant.

Peng!

Taking a step forward, he immediately felt immense pressure weighing down on him.

In just a short instant, Feng Ziyi's aura and strength had actually surged to twofold.

"What kind of secret art is that?" Zhang Xuan clenched his fist tightly in astonishment.

In his past year of journey through the Master Teacher Continent, he had seen plenty of secret arts that gave one an explosive boost of strength, but he had never seen one which allowed an individual to enhance his muscle mass without any side effects at all.

However, he knew that he didn't have the luxury of allowing his thoughts to wander in this moment either. Driving his Heaven's Path Golden Body to its limits, he sent another punch over.

Peng peng peng peng!

In just the blink of an eye, the two of them had already traded more than ten blows. A deafening gale raged within the hall, threatening to tear the entire building down. At this point, Sun Qiang and Zhang Jiuxiao had already backed out of the hall.

Nevertheless, even the lingering air current that escaped from the hall was sufficient to leave them with a stinging sensation all over their body, as if a fearsome inferno was blazing on them.

"It wasn't too long ago that my strength was still on par with Zhang shi... But in just a few months, such a huge gap has been pulled between us!" Zhang Jiuxiao was shocked.

张九霄骇然.

He could still clearly remember the days back in Qingyuan City when they were still an equal match for one another, and there was hardly any disparity in their strength at all. It was in remembrance of those days that he worked exceptionally hard during this period of time, hoping that he would be able to catch up with the other party. Yet, who could have thought that despite all the effort he had put in... the gap between the both of them only grew larger!

With the other party's current strength, even a punch from afar was sufficient to smash him into a lump of meat.

The difference between the both of them was already immeasurable at this point.

Hula!

At this point, Feng Ziyi suddenly flicked his wrist and drew a sword. He slashed it lightly in the air, and the air in the room seemed to flow naturally along with the movements of his sword.

"Why don't we move on to a weaponry battle instead?"

"Sure, why not?"

Zhang Xuan casually tapped his finger forward, and in the next moment, more than a hundred swords suddenly materialized floating around him.

"What are you doing..." Feng Ziyi narrowed his eyes in astonishment, and before he could finish his words, what that could only be described as an entire sea of sword qi suddenly crushed down on him.

Peng! Peng!

He was immediately sent flying by the immense force, and his back crashed right through a wall of the residence. An instant later, the wall was reduced into dust under the furious assault of the sword qi too.

Feng Ziyi flew back for roughly seven to eight hundred meters before the force pushing him back finally alleviated enough for him to regain his balance. At this point, his face was completely pale, and his hands were shaking non-stop. The web in between his thumb and forefinger felt as if it would tear apart at any moment.

He had to take quite a few huge mouthfuls of air before he finally managed to catch a breather and calm down his billowing zhenqi. He turned his gaze toward Zhang Xuan with a look of disbelief and said, "You... J-just what kind of move is that?"

He was a Saint 7-dan Phantasmal Space realm primary stage expert whereas the other party was merely a Saint 5-dan pinnacle expert. Yet, despite their vast disparity in cultivation, the other party was still able to render him helpless with just this single move... Just what technique was it for it to be so formidable?

"It's the Old Sword Maestro's Sea Severing Sword." Zhang Xuan replied calmly.

There was no reason for him to hide this matter. Considering how famous the Old Sword Maestro was, as long as Feng Ziyi were to do some digging up, he should be able to uncover this easily.

"Impossible!" Feng Ziyi immediately exclaimed. "Putting aside Sea Severing Sword, not even the Heaven Desecration Sword wields that much strength!"

The Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters possessed a vast collection of battle techniques manuals from all over the continent. While the Old Sword Maestro's Three Swords of Lingxu wasn't passed down, there was still some brief information regarding it in the library. Through analyzing the Old Sword Maestro's history and sword style, it wasn't too difficult for those who had comprehended an offensive-type Sword Quintessence to make a rough deduction of the prowess of the Three Swords of Lingxu.

Putting aside Sea Severing Sword, not even the strongest sword move of the Three Swords of Lingxu, Heaven Desecration Sword, was able to command such explosive power.

"It's true that the Old Sword Maestro's original sword art didn't wield such power. However, I did some modification to it." Zhang Xuan explained.

To be fair, the Old Sword Maestro's version of Sea Severing Sword wasn't weak, but without a doubt, it paled far in comparison to the current version of it he was using.

The main reason why his Sea Severing Sword was so powerful, allowing him to even sent Jian Qinsheng flying back then, was because he had managed to resolve the hulking number of flaws it was plagued with, thus forming a perfect Heaven's Path Sword Art.

"You did some modification to it?" Feng Ziyi widened his eyes in utter shock.

He could believe it if it was his teacher who had modified the Old Sword Maestro's sword art to such an extent, but the young man before him was only a Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle cultivator! Was it really possible for him to alter the Sea Severing Sword to this level?

"Indeed. Without altering it, how could I possibly send you flying using just a third of its strength?" Zhang Xuan explained with a smile.

"A third of its strength?" Feng Ziyi's cheeks twitched uncontrollably upon hearing those words.

He had to use his strongest means just to fend against the sword art the other party had executed earlier, but even so, he was still sent flying several hundred meters away. He thought that this was already very exaggerated, but this turned out to just be a third of its strength?

Suppressing the urge to spurt blood, Feng Ziyi turned his gaze over to Zhang Xuan and said, "Considering the imposing might that your sword art harnesses, there's no way it could only be a third of its original strength..."

Considering what a close match they were earlier—to be more exact, he was even slightly in the upper hand then—how could the other party possibly be able to suppress him using just a third of his strength just after wielding a sword?

Could this be psychological warfare from the other party in order to crush his confidence?

"This... How embarrassing! I didn't think that you would be able to see through it. Well, I am actually quite a humble person, so I thought that it wouldn't be good for me to brag too much. But since you have seen through my lie, I guess it would be rude for me to continue deceiving you. Actually, I have only used a sixth of my true strength in the earlier attack..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head as he revealed awkwardly.

After all, Feng Ziyi was 'Yang shi's' direct disciple, so he had made sure to hold back a little while making his move. Thus, he only used a sixth of his original strength in the earlier attack.

He was hoping not to shatter the other party's confidence by being a little humbler, but he ended up being exposed instead.

Since that was the case, as embarrassing as it was, he could only admit to it.

On the other hand, upon hearing those words, Feng Ziyi nearly fainted on the spot.

What he meant was that the other party had used his full strength but attempted to pass it off as just a third of his full prowess so as to strike a blow to his morale... but who could have thought that the other party would claim that the inaccuracy was a result of his humility instead!

"Since that's the case, I want you to launch an attack of full might against me. I want to see just how powerful that sword art of yours is in its most powerful form!" Feng Ziyi harrumphed with gritted teeth.

He didn't believe that it was possible for the young man before him to actually be so powerful.

"You want me to launch an attack of full might against you?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "I'm afraid that a lapse in control might result in your death instead."

Part of the reasons why he didn't dare to use his full strength was because the other party was Yang shi's direct disciple, but more importantly than that, if he were to devote his full strength to executing the Sea Severing Sword, he would have to expend all of his zhenqi before the sword art could be stopped... It was one thing when his zhenqi capacity was still lower, but after the alteration he had made to his dantian through the Dongxu Gourd, the amount of zhenqi he had in his dantian rose to fivefold of what it previously had. If he were to lose control of the sword art once more, a huge problem could very well occur.

"Lose control?" Hearing those words, Feng Ziyi gritted his teeth and said. "Don't worry, I am a Phantasmal Space realm expert. I possess many means, such that even if you were to lose control of your attack, it won't be that easy for you to hurt me!"

"This..." Zhang Xuan was still a little hesitant. "I do acknowledge your strength, but we are currently surrounded by the freshmen residences. If I were to let loose here, I fear that I would accidentally destroy the buildings in the area..."

It had barely been half a day since he returned from outside, but he had already brought down the Spirit Awakener Hall and the Shrine of Seers. If he were to destroy the freshmen residences as well, he might very well end up giving away the pinnacle spirit stone in his hand as compensation.

"This..." Feng Ziyi took a look at his surroundings.

Zhang Xuan's residence had become rather tattered due to the battle they had earlier. Considering how the defense formation cast over each residence wasn't too strong, they really just might cause huge destruction if they were to continue fighting like that.

"Since that's the case, let's head to the Hall of Propriety then. It happens that Fei shi has brought the students from the Elite Division there to conduct mock battles today. Do you dare to have a duel with me there?" Feng Ziyi pondered for a moment before proposing.

"Hall of Propriety? Very well then." Zhang Xuan nodded.

The Hall of Propriety was the place where students would fight against one another. There were top-notch defensive formations there in order to minimize the destruction resulting from any battle, and there were even spectator stands and mechanisms to analyze one's stats. Not only was there no need to fear causing unnecessary damage, more important, one would be able to gain an insight into one's current strength and flaws and grow stronger through working on them.

"Let's go." Seeing that other party had agreed to it too, Feng Ziyi turned around and headed straight for the Hall of Propriety.

Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan quickly followed along too.

So far, of the five halls, Zhang Xuan had been to the Hall of Erudition, Hall of Attainment, and Hall of Solidarity, but he hadn't been to the Hall of Propriety yet. If the place was really as sturdy as the rumors put it out to be, he would be able to head there often to try out his skills.

Chapter 1383: You Aren't

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

In contrast to the bleak emptiness of the other halls, there was a huge flow of crowd in and out of the Hall of Propriety. Cultivators were everywhere the eye could see.

Even though there were many esteemed occupations in the Master Teacher Continent, it still didn't change the fact that fighting prowess was still the most vital foundation to a cultivator.

For this reason, battling was an integral part of any cultivator's life, and the Hall of Propriety served as a location for that purpose. Each day, it would attract countless students who sought to raise their fighting prowess and cultivation through practical battles.

Following behind Feng Ziyi, it didn't take long for them to arrive at an independent hall. The vast hall was divided into countless dueling rings, each of which was covered in a transparent barrier a little reminiscent of a glass enclosure.

"Fei shi and the others are over there." Feng Ziyi pointed forward.

Turning his gaze over, Zhang Xuan saw Fei shi, Zhang Yu, and the other students of the Elite Division standing before a dueling ring.

Walking closer, he noted that there were two figures battling in a nearby dueling ring, and upon a closer look, a smile crept onto his lips. The two fighting individuals happened to be familiar faces.

Chen Leyao and Zhang Zhuo!

The previous time Zhang Zhuo fought with Chen Leyao, he suffered a humiliating defeat, being slapped publicly and even knocked out shortly after. He had been resting over the past few days, and not only did he manage to recover fully from the injuries he had sustained, his strength had also risen to greater heights. Unable to hold himself back anymore, he immediately challenged Chen Leyao to a duel, hoping to avenge himself.

Powerful surges of zhenqi flew here and there within the dueling ring as the two fighters utilized their means one after another, but surprisingly, they were actually equally matched with one another for the time being.

"Not bad!" Upon seeing the sight, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

Chen Leyao had achieved a breakthrough to Grand Dominion realm under his guidance twenty days ago, so he thought that her cultivation would still be a little shaky. Contrary to his expectations, she had already successfully reinforced it, allowing her to stand against Zhang Zhuo on equal grounds.

It seemed like she hadn't been slacking off for the past twenty days. She had already managed to assimilate everything he had taught her.

"Zhang shi, who do you think will be able to achieve victory?"

All of a sudden, a voice sounded by the side. Turning his head over, Zhang Xuan saw the second ranker of the Elite Division looking his way—Zhang Yu.

Previously, Zhang Yu didn't think much of Zhang Xuan, feeling that a person who had barely met the mark to enrolling into the Elite Division wasn't worthy of his attention. However, after seeing how the latter was able to guide Chen Leyao into making a breakthrough, he swiftly realized that the latter actually possessed extraordinary strength and eye of discernment, so thoughts of winning the latter over to his side began formulating in his mind.

"They..." Zhang Xuan was just about to answer the question when his eyebrows shot up slightly in surprise. He turned to Zhang Yu once more and asked, "You offered some pointers to Zhang Zhuo?"

He had seen the extent of Zhang Zhuo's prowess with his eyes in the battle twenty years ago. While his cultivation was not too bad, his combat skills were still sorely lacking. It was due to that that Chen Leyao was able to easily defeat him under his guidance.

Had he been as skilled as Feng Ziyi instead, things would have never proceeded so smoothly then.

Yet, in this very moment, Zhang Zhuo was managing to fend off most of Chen Leyao's move, a huge contrast from the incompetent fighter he was before. Most likely, this matter had a lot to do with Zhang Yu.

"I gave him five minutes of my time." Zhang Yu placed his hands behind his back and said in composure. However, the glee and pride in his eyes couldn't be concealed.

The young man before him managed to induce Chen Leyao to achieve a breakthrough within five minutes and defeat Zhang Zhuo, so he decided to offer five minutes worth of pointers to Zhang Zhuo and have him defeat Chen Leyao.

His purpose was simple. He just wanted to prove that he was stronger than the young man before him, and his eye of discernment was far superior as well.

"It's indeed rather impressive that you can induce such improvement in Zhang Zhuo in just five minutes." Zhang Xuan nodded.

As expected of the man who was second only to Feng Ziyi in the Mountain Gate examination. It seemed like Zhang Yu was no simple character either.

The talent and eye of discernment he had shown were already on par with Zhang Chun and Zhang Feng; he only lost out to those two in terms of time and accumulation.

It was no wonder why the Zhang Clan was publicly recognized to be the number one Sage Clan in the Master Teacher Continent. As much as Zhang Xuan was unwilling to recognize it, there was no denying that they had many talents amongst their ranks.

"What do you think of the situation? Who do you think will emerge victorious?" Zhang Yu glanced at Zhang Xuan and asked once more.

"Zhang Zhuo did improve by quite a bit within this period of time, but Chen Leyao hasn't been slacking off either. I'd say that since Chen Leyao has won the battle twenty dates ago, she should be able to do so this time around too." Zhang Xuan replied with a light chuckle.

Back then, when he was offering pointers to Chen Leyao in order to deal with Zhang Zhuo, he had brought up many of the latter's flaws. While the latter did make substantial advancement in his combat skills within this period of time, it was still impossible for him to shake off all of those bad fighting habits that had already been lodged deep into his bones within such a short period of time. As long Chen Leyao was no fool, she should be able to uncover quite a few of them easily, exploit them, and achieve the final victory.

"It was luck the previous time around, and luck won't favor you every single time..." Zhang Yu remarked casually with a slight smirk and he watched the duel with his hands behind his back.

In his view, the reason why Chen Leyao was able to achieve victory the last time around was because the young man before him had made a thorough investigation into Zhang Zhuo's profile, thus winning the battle of preparations. So, he made sure to look into Chen Leyao carefully and offered Zhang Zhuo very specific pointers in dealing with her.

With this, there was just no way on earth that Chen Leyao would stand a chance against Zhang Zhuo.

On the other hand, noting Zhang Yu's response, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

In truth, it mattered not to him whether who won or lost the duel. Sometimes, the loser could stand to earn much more out of a duel as compared to the winner. Just take him for an example, he had won so many battles everything was starting to feel meaningless. In the deepest region of his heart, he deeply craved a defeat from a cultivator of the same cultivation realm...

But it was a pity that this simple request of him was never meant to be. No one in this world could give him what he wanted, so this wish was doomed to remain unfulfilled for the rest of his entire life.

Kacha! Kacha!

While Zhang Xuan was deep in thought, in the dueling ring, Zhang Zhuo seemed to have suddenly activated some kind of secret art, causing his aura to intensify all of a sudden. This abrupt change caught Chen Leyao off guard. She was still able to stand toe-to-toe with Zhang Zhuo straight on previously, but in this moment, even dodging was starting to get real difficult for her.

She was forced to retreat time and time again, and it didn't take long before she was forced to the corner of the dueling ring. For the looks of it, it seemed her loss was sealed.

"There's no need to watch any longer. The conclusion is clear!" Seeing how Chen Leyao was trapped, completely losing control of the momentum of battle, Zhang Yu's lips curled up in delight.

"Indeed. The conclusion is clear." Zhang Xuan nodded.

What he saw was a completely different image from Zhang Yu.

Even though Chen Leyao was indeed forced to the corner of the dueling ring, every single step that she moved was very steady, seemingly intentional actions to lure the opponent in. On the other hand, even though Zhang Zhuo appeared to hold the upper hand, being in the offensive position, the truth was that he had already lost all composure due to the time limit resulting from the activation of his secret art.

Looking at the situation from this perspective, it was clear that who was the one that truly wielded the upper hand in this battle.

It must be said that Chen Leyao had really been working hard during this period of time. She had managed to internalize all of his teachings to heart and even achieved an even deeper level of comprehension to them.

It was heartening to see that his efforts were not wasted.

Just as the conclusion of the duel was just around the corner, a voice suddenly sounded, "Zhang shi, there's no need to worry about causing any accidental damage here. This way please."

Feng Ziyi had already gotten up to another dueling ring with a sword in his hand, and he was looking at Zhang Xuan with fighting will burning in his eyes.

"Feng Ziyi wants to challenge Zhang Xuan?"

"But Zhang shi is ranked at the very bottom of the Elite Division! Even though he possesses an exceptional eye of discernment and outstanding ability to guide others, his cultivation is only at Leaving Aperture realm. There's no way he could be a match for Feng Ziyi! Isn't Feng Ziyi going a little too far by challenging him?"

"Indeed. What's going on?"

A huge commotion broke out amidst the crowd.

Without a doubt, Feng Ziyi was the most prominent figure in their batch, and most viewed him as their goal. They hoped that they would be able to surpass him one day, but naturally, they also understood how slim the possibility was...

Considering how powerful Feng Ziyi was, if he was going to challenge anyone, it should be Zhang Yu or the others who were ranked in the top few in the Mountain Gate examination. Why was he challenging the last person in the Elite Division instead?

Even if he won the battle, his victory would only be frowned upon by others. After all, what kind of glory could one earn from defeating the weak?

"Brother Feng, I can be your opponent instead if you need a sparring partner." Zhang Yu stepped forward and said with a frown.

However, Feng Ziyi simply waved his hands and said, "You aren't a match for me."

Those words immediately caused Zhang Yu's eyes to turn cold. He leaped onto the dueling ring and harrumphed frostily, "How would you know without a fight?"

In the first place, he was already displeased at being outdone by Feng Ziyi back at the Mountain Gate examination. He was willing to concede that Feng Ziyi was a formidable adversary, but he couldn't accept been told by the latter to his face that he wasn't a match for him.

Instead of challenging me, the second ranker of the Mountain Gate examination, you chose to challenge the fiftieth place candidate instead...

Since you dare to snub me, I'll just have to show you what I'm worth then!

Hong long!

While Zhang Yu was still in the midst of his leap toward the dueling ring, he had already gathered strength in his palm and forcefully pushed it down upon the figure who stood at the middle of the dueling ring beneath him.

He was afraid that Feng Ziyi would reject his battle, so he used the most powerful capability he had at his disposal right from the start, not holding back at all.

"Not bad." Zhang Xuan nodded upon seeing the might of Zhang Yu's move.

It seemed not Feng Ziyi wasn't the only one who had grown substantially during his absence; clearly, Zhang Yu hadn't been slacking off either. He had already reached Grand Dominion realm pinnacle, just a step away from reaching Phantasmal Space realm.

As expected of the most talented genius of the Zhang Clan in this intake. Regardless of which aspect one assessed him from, he was indubitably a formidable figure.

"Like I have said, you aren't a match for me."

Standing in the face of Zhang Yu's attack, Feng Ziyi didn't even lift his eyelid. Instead, he tilted his body and thrust his palm up in a leisurely motion.

"Stop being so full of yourself. You might be a talented individual, but I'm also a one-in-a-million genius as well. You never know who will be the one standing at the very end of this battle!" Hearing the haughty words coming out of Feng Ziyi's mouth, Zhang Yu felt so furious that it almost seemed as if he would erupt like a volcano.

As he roared furiously, he drove the zhenqi in his body to its limits and channeled it all toward his palm, as if he wouldn't be content unless he reduced the entire dueling ring into dust.

However, before this surge of strength could even strike Feng Ziyi, Zhang Yu suddenly felt the might of the other party's palm piercing right through his attack and striking his chest squarely.

Peng!

With a look of disbelief on his face, Zhang Yu was sent flying into the sky before being planted into the ground not too far away.

In the view of others, he was sent flying as if he was a mere pesky fly before he could even leap onto the dueling ring. There was probably no better way to highlight the huge disparity in strength between the both of them.

"A one-in-a-million genius?" Feng Ziyi shook his head with a trace of mockery on his lips. He gazed down derisively at Zhang Yu as he said, "Perhaps it's about time for you to wake up from your delusions!"

Chapter 1384: Too Low Profile!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"You..."

Not expecting that he would be knocked down by a single slap from Feng Ziyi despite using his full strength, Zhang Yu forcefully pulled his head out from the ground and glared at Feng Ziyi with frenzied eyes.

He was a person blessed by the heavens. Even within the powerful Zhang Clan, he was known as an invincible existence to those around his age. He thought that even if he wasn't a match for Feng Ziyi, he would at least be able to put up a good fight. Yet, who could have thought that he would be knocked down before he could even get onto the dueling ring?!

And most importantly of all... he was even viewed in such disdain!

The sheer humiliation he felt from Feng Ziyi's actions left him feeling a crazed inside.

But as angry as he was, he also swiftly realized that Feng Ziyi had managed to enter Phantasmal Space realm a step earlier than him... It might only be a small step of difference between the two of them, but this small rift simply unbreachable.

Forcing himself to calm down, several doubts began surfacing in Zhang Yu's mind, "If he has already reached Phantasmal Space realm, why does he still want to challenge Zhang shi?"

If Zhang Xuan's strength was around their level, it could still be understandable that Feng Ziyi could feel threatened by his existence and wanted to challenge him in order to establish his dominance. However, with his breakthrough to Phantasmal Space realm, the latter would be considered to have reached the higher echelons of the Sanctum of Sages, such that even some of the senior students wouldn't be a match for him at all. It simply didn't seem logical that Feng Ziyi would still be so caught up with a mere freshman despite his immense strength.

Peng!

While Zhang Yu was still in a state of confusion, a dull thud suddenly echoed, and a figure suddenly flew over in his direction and landed right beside him.

It was Zhang Zhuo, whom he had thought would win without any trouble earlier.

In this moment, Zhang Zhuo's face was swollen like a pig's head, an indescribably wretched sight. The ferocious aura that he commanded previously had vanished without a trace, and he was lying with a rather bizarre posture on the ground.

Zhang Yu's eyebrows immediately shot up in disbelief. He hurriedly turned to the stage and saw Chen Leyao walking down the dueling ring with a slightly pale face, but there was an exhilarated gleam in her eyes. She headed straight toward Zhang Xuan's direction before clasping her fist and bowing deeply.

"Impossible... This is impossible! How can she win against Zhang Zhuo?"

It was understandable why he would be sent flying by Feng Ziyi in a single slap—after all, the latter had already reached Phantasmal Space realm—but Zhang Zhuo wielded the absolute advantage in the earlier battle! It was irrational for it to end in such an outcome!

It could be said that Zhang Zhuo's loss was even more inconceivable than his own loss.

"Impossible?" Hearing those words, Chen Leyao puffed up her chest angrily and harrumphed, "If I can't even defeat Zhang Zhuo after Zhang shi's guidance, wouldn't that mean that I am regressing as time passes by? Zhang shi's guidance isn't something that just anyone can learn!"

Zhang Xuan was their young court chief's teacher, and it was a huge insult to compare the guidance from such an esteemed elder to that of an insignificant figure like Zhang Yu!

"But..." Zhang Yu clenched his fists tightly in indignation.

It was one thing for him to lose to the Phantasmal Space realm Feng Ziyi, but to lose to a mere Leaving Aperture realm fellow as well... He couldn't accept this! He just couldn't accept this!

This won't do. Others will eventually find out that I have offered pointers to Zhang Zhuo... What will become of my honor if I were to be found losing to someone as weak as Zhang Xuan? Zhang Yu narrowed his eyes menacingly.

Should I just challenge him to a battle? If I subdue him with absolute strength, I should be able to suppress with those rumors...

At this moment, Feng Ziyi's voice suddenly sounded from the dueling ring once more, "Zhang shi, show me if your full strength is really as formidable as you have put it out to be!"

"As you wish." Seeing that the other party was determined to try him out, Zhang Xuan unhesitatingly leaped up to the dueling ring and tapped his finger forward.

Wu wu wu wu!

Over a hundred swords immediately materialized all around Zhang Xuan. Every single one of them was pointed toward Feng Ziyi, each of them carrying a solemn aura.

"Good!" Having tasted how powerful the sword art was earlier, Feng Ziyi dared not to take it lightly.

He immediately drew out a semicircle with the sword in his hand and used it as a medium to channel his sword qi together, thus forming something reminiscent of a light barrier.

"Is that... the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters' Descending Cotton Sword Art?" Zhang Yu exclaimed grimly.

"Descending Cotton Sword Art?" a bewildered individual amidst the crowd asked.

"It's a Saint high-tier battle technique created by a master teacher in the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters while observing the drifting cotton in the air. In terms of defensive ability, it's only second to the Flowing Water Swordsmanship of the Third Sanctum Head. Once executed, a world full of flying cotton would drift around reminiscent of falling flowers, creating an effect similar to that of the ultimate technique of the Yinyang Court, the Fallen Snow Sword..." Zhang Yu explained.

At this moment, he finally realized just how powerful Feng Ziyi was. Even without using his prowess as a Phantasmal Space realm expert, it would be nigh impossible for him to defeat the latter once the Descending Cotton Sword Art was activated.

Unless... he activated the ability of his unique bloodline!

But unless in a life and death situation, it would be best for him not to tap into that power, or else he would only be depleting himself needlessly. Even though he commanded quite a high standing in the Zhang Clan, which granted him access to a lot of resources, recovering from the side effects of activating his bloodline would still be extremely troublesome.

Despite his deep understanding of swordsmanship, he still chose to take a defensive stance right at the start of the battle... Does this mean that Zhang Xuan really wields the strength to stand against Feng Ziyi?

Amidst his shock, Zhang Yu also seemed to have dawned upon something as he turned his gaze to the young man standing opposite to Feng Ziyi with a look of intrigue.

If even someone as powerful as Feng Ziyi opted to take a defensive stance right at the start of the battle... wouldn't that mean that Zhang Xuan was even more powerful than him?

But no matter how powerful Zhang Xuan could be, he's only a mere Leaving Aperture realm cultivator. There's bound to be a limit to how powerful he is. Zhang Yu shook his head as he turned his gaze back to the dueling ring, not wanting to miss anything of the duel.

He saw Feng Ziyi tapping his left hand forward, and 'weng!'. Along with a surge of zhenqi, another layer of light barrier was formed in front of him.

"That's the Big Dipper Origin Aegis!" Zhang Yu's lips twitched in disbelief.

If Feng Ziyi execution of the Descending Cotton Sword Art had already left him deeply bewildered, the activation of this light barrier had left him disconcerted.

The Big Dipper Origin Aegis was a secret art which a 9-star master teacher from the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters came up with while observing the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper. This technique was known for its impenetrable defense to those of the same cultivation realm.

But to execute this technique on top of the defensive Descending Cotton Sword Art... just what in the world was Feng Ziyi trying to guard against?

Hula!

However, that wasn't the end of his shock yet. Feng Ziyi flicked his finger and crushed a jade token which materialized from his storage ring.

Weng!

A layer of light purple shimmer swiftly covered him.

"That's a protective amulet forged by a Phantasmal Space realm expert! Even though it's not as powerful as the Grand Cosmos Protective Amulet, it's still more than enough to guard against the attack of any Saint 7-dan expert..." Zhang Yu's lips twitched once more.

Aren't the two of you going to fight with one another?

Why is Feng Ziyi throwing out so many defensive measures then, even activating an invaluable protective amulet for it? Just what in the world is Zhang Xuan capable of that is able to instill such deep fear in him?

Kacha! Kacha!

While Zhang Yu still in a state of absolute bafflement, Feng Ziyi's body began bulging once more, and in the blink of an eye, he made the transformation into a muscular, brawny man.

"Wait a moment... isn't that the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters' Golden Toad Metamorphosis? It's said to be created by a master teacher while observing the cultivation method of the Golden Toad. This technique will cloak one in a thick layer of scales, granting one unparalleled defense and strength!" Zhang Yu tore his hair in frenzy.

"Just what the hell is he guarding against?!"

The first thing every cultivator would learn was how to defend. Only when one was capable of protecting himself would he be able to slay his opponent. Understanding this logic, Zhang Yu often spent his time studying the various defensive techniques out there in the world, so he was extremely knowledgeable about the subject.

But... to activate so many formidable defensive means at once, had Feng Ziyi gone insane or was Zhang Xuan really worthy of him setting up so many defensive measures for?

"Are you ready?" Paying no heed to the completely flabbergasted crowd below, Zhang Xuan asked with a smile.

"I'm ready. You can start now." Feng Ziyi took in a deep breath before nodding.

While he thought that it was very likely that Zhang Xuan was bragging, just to be safe, he still chose to utilize every single defensive mean at his disposal.

"Very well. Brace yourself!" Saying these words, Zhang Xuan tapped his finger ahead.

The zhenqi in his body was immediately infused into the swords in the sky, and in the blink of an eye, the swords had already whizzed forward, forming a massive sea of sword qi, drowning Feng Ziyi within it.

"This..." Zhang Yu's face turned aghast at the sight, and he subconsciously retreated eight steps as cold sweat rained down his head.

He had just made a quick calculation and found that even if he were to devote his full strength into defense, he would still stand no chance at withstanding that attack!

Wasn't Zhang Xuan just a Leaving Aperture realm cultivator?

How could he possess such astounding offensive prowess?

Zhang Yu felt his throat turning hoarse from sheer fear. In his peripheral vision, he caught sight of Fei shi staring into the dueling ring with his mouth agape, and as if someone was gripping onto his throat, his body trembled uncontrollably.

Astonished by Fei shi's reaction, Zhang Yu turned his gaze over and asked, "Fei shi, you aren't able to withstand that sword art either?"

Fei shi slowly closed his eyes before shaking his head. Suppressing the horror he felt within, he replied with a bitter smile, "I'm afraid so. If he were to execute it against me in a real battle, there's a fair chance that I might lose my life!"

"It's that powerful?" Zhang Yu's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

It was fortunate that he didn't challenge Zhang Xuan earlier on, or else he could have very well landed himself in a far worse state than Zhang Zhuo was in.

"No wonder why he's able to make Zhang Chun and Zhang Feng submit to him... I didn't think that I would fail to see through him as well. Without a doubt, he's the most terrifying individual in your batch!" Fei shi exclaimed.

"What? Zhang Chun and Zhang Feng submitted to him?" Zhang Yu felt as if a lightning bolt had just fallen upon him.

He had been too busy cultivating over the past few days that he wasn't aware of the most recent happenings in the Sanctum of Sages.

"Indeed. Zhang Chun came to look for me yesterday to obtain Zhang Xuan's profile, saying that he has been beaten up by the latter and wanted to exact vengeance... And from the looks of it, it seems like he hasn't fully recovered from his injuries yet!" Fei shi said with a nod.

Zhang Xuan was a freshman, and Fei shi was the person-in-charge of this new batch of students. Naturally, if Zhang Chun wanted to uncover anything concerning Zhang Xuan, the best way was to go through him. It was due to this that he found out about the matter of Zhang Xuan beating up Zhang Chun.

Even though Zhang Chun refused to elaborate on the matter, the tragic state he was in was more than sufficient for Fei shi to fathom a good guess about what had happened.

"As for Zhang Feng... I just heard news that Zhang shi had just challenged the Spirit Awakener Hall and became its Inceptive Sage. The first thing he did after becoming the Inceptive Sage was to enchant Zhang Feng's body and commanded it to hit itself hard..."

Fei shi flicked his wrist and threw a Communication Jade Token over.

Considering the huge ruckus that his student had caused, naturally, as the person-in-charge, he had already received the relevant news.

"He became the Inceptive Sage of the Spirit Awakener Hall... and he enchanted the physical body of a living human?" Zhang Yu's lips twitched, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

All along, he thought that the only one who was worthy of his attention in this batch of freshmen was Feng Ziyi, but who could have thought that there would be a true monster lurking in their midst...

Others might not be familiar with them, but he knew the Zhang Chun and Zhang Feng brothers very well. They were top geniuses in the Zhang Clan, his idol for a period of time. And yet, they actually were defeated by a freshman...

If these words hadn't come directly from Fei shi, he wouldn't have dared believe such a thing to be true!

"Given his strength and capability, why is he only ranked in the fiftieth place in the entrance examination?" A question suddenly surfaced in Zhang Yu's mind, and he asked.

Since even he was able to clinch the second place, Zhang Xuan should be able to take the first place easily with just the swordsmanship he was executing.

"It's probably because he has a humble personality and wishes to maintain a low profile... Otherwise, isn't it too much of a coincidence for him to be exactly in the fiftieth place, no more no less..." Recalling what had happened back then during the entrance examination, Fei shi said.

It was only in the last three minutes that Zhang Xuan shot up to the fiftieth place, not showing any hints of his astounding talent prior to that. Very clearly, he had been holding himself back throughout the examination.

"You're right..." Having heard of that incident as well, Zhang Yu nodded in realization as admiration seeped into his eyes.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "He really is too low profile!"

Chapter 1385: Call Me Senior!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

In order to increase their chances of eventually becoming Inceptive Sages in the Sanctum of Sages, every single one of them pushed themselves to perform to the best of their abilities during the entrance examination. Just take him for example, he didn't sleep a wink for the three days of the examination, fearing that a moment of slack could mean a loss in opportunity for him.

On the other hand, the young man was content with just enrolling into the Elite Division. Ranking and the sort didn't mean a thing to him at all!

In fact... even when he was doubted by so many people, he didn't even bother to speak up against them.

As tranquil as a still lake, achieving a state of perfect inner peace; this must be what true experts, true talent, and true humility truly were.

"Indeed. If not for Feng Ziyi's challenge, I would have never known that there would be such a formidable figure in this batch of freshmen." Fei shi remarked as well.

He was just about to continue showering praises on Zhang Xuan when a student suddenly rushed over to him and whispered a few words in his ears. His eyebrows suddenly shot up, and he quickly turned around.

"Elder Han Fu, what brings you here today?" Fei shi asked with utmost politeness.

Zhang Yu also quickly turned around, and he saw an old man with snowy white hair and beard standing before him. This old man seemed to exude a transcendental aura, similar to a deity from the heavens.

"Elder Han Fu?" Zhang Yu quickly recounted everything relating to the Sanctum of Sages he had seen in the Zhang Clan, and his face swiftly turned grim.

"The first elder of the Sanctum of Sages' Spirit Awakener Guild, a Saint 8-dan pinnacle expert..." Zhang Yu noted in shock.

He hurriedly clasped his fist and bowed, "Zhang Clan's Zhang Yu pays respects to Elder Han!"

"There's no need to stand on ceremony." Elder Han casually waved his hand before turning his gaze to the dueling ring anxiously. "When will Zhang shi be done with his battles?"

"May I know the reason why Elder Han is looking for Zhang shi? If it's an urgent matter, I can help you stop the duel." Fei shi said.

The other party was the strongest expert of the Sanctum of Sages' Spirit Awakener Hall. Even if Zhang shi had become the Inceptive Sage, it still shouldn't warrant the other party coming down here personally to look for him.

"I don't know how I should speak of this..." Hearing Fei shi's question, Elder Han's face turned scarlet in embarrassment. "Actually, I just want to ask him when the guardian golem he has enchanted earlier will finish its run. Due to its increasing speed, it has already knocked down the halls of four other guilds in the vicinity of the Spirit Awakener Hall. If it doesn't stop soon, I'm afraid that our Spirit Awakener Hall will become a public enemy in the Sanctum of Sages..."

Just by having the guardian golem walk seven steps, one would have already broken the record for the Spirit Awakener Hall for the past three thousand years. Yet, not only did the young man make the guardian golem do warm-ups, he even made it run non-stop... It had already been a few hours now, but it was still sprinting relentlessly, refusing to stop. He had tried to stop it, only to be knocked over every single time. He was completely helpless against it.

And honestly speaking, it would still be fine if the guardian golem were to obediently run its lap. Due to the unique nature of the material used to craft the golems, it was only a matter of time before it came to a halt... but the golem just had to do frog leaps, push-ups, squats, leg raises, sprints, fast sprints, front rows, back flips, and somersaults on top of that...

And that wasn't the worst of it yet. The lap it was running was growing bigger and bigger, such that it was beginning to expand its running course through the various guilds situated in vicinity to the Spirit Awakener Hall, crashing down everything that stood in the way of its run...

If it didn't stop soon, the other guilds might just destroy their guardian golem out of rage, and that would be truly problematic.

"The guardian golem of the Spirit Awakener Hall is running non-stop?"

"It has knocked down quite a few guilds already?"

Fei shi and Zhang Yu staggered on the spot.

"Also, when I came over, I saw that the Shrine of Seers had been reduced to rubble. According to what I have heard, it seems to be related to him too. So, I was a little worried that they might attempt to cause him trouble." Elder Han said.

"The Shrine of Seers has been reduced to rubble?" Fei shi and Zhang Yu looked at one another with twitching lips...

What happened to being low profile?

These were matters that no low profile individual could possibly pull off!

Unable to take it any longer, they raised their gazes toward the dueling ring.

And what they saw was Feng Ziyi being pressed against the transparent glass-like barrier around the dueling ring, his face warped like a fried dough twist. Sword qi continued assaulting him relentlessly from behind, and his eyes seemed to have lost all light, as if he had lost all hope for life.

"Too powerful..."

The four barriers which Feng Ziyi had prepared in advance had all shattered, and his entire body was filled with sword slashes. At this moment, he appeared no different from a miserable beggar.

Seeing this sight, the two of them couldn't help but gulp down a mouthful of saliva.

For the might of the sword qi to remain so powerful even after tearing down so many defensive barriers... This level of offensive power was something which not even Fei shi was capable of.

"Zhang shi, I would like to ask when will..." Seeing that the barrage of sword qi was still pushing forward relentlessly, showing no signs no stopping at all, Fei shi shouted.

However, before he could finish his words, Feng Ziyi's furious bellows echoed in the air, "You liar! Liar! You said that you only used a sixth of your full strength, but you only used a tenth earlier!"

The direct disciple of Yang shi was already on the verge of going insane.

When the other party first said that he had only used a third of his strength, he immediately thought that it was a lie. Then, when the other party said that it was actually a sixth instead, he became even more convinced of his prior assumption, which was also the reason why he proposed coming over here to see for himself whether the other party's words were true...

But in the end, a sixth did turn out to be a lie as well...

Because it wasn't a sixth but a tenth!

If it's a tenth, just say that it is a tenth! Why in the world would you say that it's a sixth? Because of that, I didn't put up sufficient defensive measures, and I nearly got beaten to death!

Do you know that your humility nearly cost my life?

Hong long long! Hong long long!

It was only when the zhenqi in Zhang Xuan's body was drained of its final drop did the Sea Severing Sword finally came to an end. While gasping for air, a look of helplessness could be seen on his face.

Even if the massive increment in his zhenqi capacity to fivefold of its original amount and the recent breakthrough of his cultivation from Leaving Aperture realm primary stage to pinnacle, he was still unable to fully control the Sea Severing Sword yet. Once executed, he would have to deplete his zhenqi dry before he could stop.

In the past, due to his lacking zhenqi, the Sea Severing Sword would stop after a few breaths. This time around, however, the barrage of sword qi lasted for a whole ten minutes before finally fading to an end.

Exhaling deeply, Zhang Xuan retracted his swords from the dueling ring before raising his head. The first thing he saw was Feng Ziyi being pressed against the transparent barrier of the dueling ring in a very weird position. Nearly all of his clothes had been ripped at this point, and while he still had breath remaining in him, he had sustained severe injuries.

"I didn't lie to you. While I was executing my sword art, new inspiration suddenly came to me, allowing me to raise its prowess by a little bit more..." Zhang Xuan quickly rushed over to help Feng Ziyi down from the protective barrier while explaining in a slightly awkward tone.

This time around, it really wasn't his fault. He hadn't lied to the other party at all. It was simply because he had never executed the Sea Severing Sword with such might before, so there was plenty of time for him to experiment with new things in the midst of its execution. Through trial and error, he managed to gradually refine the might of the Sea Severing Sword, thus resulting in its offensive might growing stronger and stronger.

While there were already no flaws in the Sea Severing Sword at this point, the might of his attack was still affected by how well he could coordinate his spirit and his movements together. Naturally, the more in harmony he was with his swordplay, the stronger his swordsmanship would be.

"You are able to raise the might of your sword art by such a huge proportion in the midst of its execution?" Feng Ziyi spurted blood.

It is already such a powerful sword art, and you were still able to enhance its prowess in matters of minutes... All those who called themselves swordmasters would really have to lower their heads in embarrassment before you!

It took a long while before Feng Ziyi finally recovered from his distraught state. He glared at Zhang Xuan furiously and said, "You are indeed formidable, but as master teachers, our core responsibility lies not in combat but teaching. So, I would like to challenge you to a duel of impartation!"

At this moment, Zhang Xuan had already finished instructing Elder Han Fu how he could control the guardian golem. Hearing that Feng Ziyi still wanted to continue on with the duel, he couldn't help but say, "Why don't we just forget it? I'm afraid that you'll be traumatized by it."

He had no idea why the other party was so insistent on challenging him, but if they were to really compete in the duel of impartation... there was really a good chance that the other party might just succumb to his mental trauma and go insane.

"There's nothing for me to be traumatized over! My teacher has told me that I'll be his only direct disciple, but all of a sudden, you appeared as well. I would like to see just how formidable of a person you are that he would make an exception and take you in as well!" Feng Ziyi harrumphed.

Make an exception? Those three words made Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Judging from those words, it seemed like the other party still hadn't realized that he was a fake yet. The other party thought that Yang shi had secretly accepted another student behind his back, so he came over to confront him out of jealousy.

And of course, the other party hadn't expected to suffer such a tragic defeat as well.

There are some formidable master teachers in the world who would leave their acceptance of students up to fate. As a result, other than he himself, not even his own students might necessarily know of each other's existence. Having read quite a few books, Zhang Xuan was aware of some of the eccentric quirks of master teachers.

Take him for example, if he were to take in another student right now, Zhao Ya, Wang Ying, Yuan Tao, and the others would definitely be unaware of the existence of their new junior.

"It's only out of sheer luck that I managed to win teacher's favor." Seeing that Feng Ziyi really wasn't intending to expose his fake identity, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He looked at the other party with an expectant look and asked, "I haven't met teacher for quite a long time now. May I know where he is at the moment?"

"I have lost contact with teacher two years ago, so I'm not too sure of his whereabouts at the moment either. I have tried to reach him through a Communication Jade Token, but it doesn't seem like he's able to receive my message." Feng Ziyi shook his head.

"That's a relief!" Zhang Xuan nearly leaped up in joy upon hearing those words.

All this while, his heart had been leaping in trepidation, fearing that the other party would tell on him. However, since the other party was unable to contact Yang shi, that would mean that he was at least safe for the moment.

As long as he became the sanctum head before Yang shi returned, with his newfound esteemed standing, no one would dare to challenge him even if his lie were to be exposed then.

In other words, time was vital to him at the moment. He would really have to make haste, or else everything could just blow up on him.

"That's a relief?" Feng Ziyi's eyebrows shot up.

Shouldn't you be disappointed that I am unable to contact our teacher? Why are you getting so excited instead?

"Ah, I misspoke. What I meant to say is 'That's a bummer'..." Realizing that he had accidentally spoken his thoughts out loud, Zhang Xuan quickly changed his words.

"Your words don't seem to match your attitude..." Feng Ziyi eyed Zhang Xuan in skepticism for a moment before asking, "So, how is it? Will you accept my challenge?"

"Junior Ziyi, you aren't a match for me, so why don't we just drop the matter? Since we are both Yang shi's students, I don't want to traumatize you unnecessarily." Zhang Xuan waved his hand casually.

"Junior Ziyi?" Feng Ziyi nearly exploded on the spot. "I have been with teacher since I was seven, and I'm older than you too. You should be addressing me as senior instead!"

"Isn't there the saying that it's the proficient one who should be viewed in esteem? I'm stronger than you, so it should go without saying that I'm your senior. If you can defeat me any day, I'll be more than happy to call you senior." Zhang Xuan replied leisurely.

Since Feng Ziyi was unaware of his lies, he could make use of him as a shield in order to verify his identity as Yang shi's student.

"You..." Feng Ziyi's face turned scarlet as words choked up his throat.

Despite possessing cultivation far beneath his, it was a fact that the other party's fighting prowess was way greater than him. Just on the sword art executed earlier, had the other party not redirected the might of the sword art elsewhere to reduce the impact on him, there was no way he would have still been alive right now.

Considering that they were both direct disciples and that their teacher hadn't explicitly stated their seniority, the convention was to view the stronger disciple as the senior. And given that he was unable to defeat the other party, there was indeed no convincing reason why he should be the senior.

"We'll decide that after the duel of impartation. If you can defeat me once more, I'll willingly acknowledge you as my senior." Feng Ziyi flung his sleeves and harrumphed coldly.

Seeing that Feng Ziyi was reluctant to give up on the idea, Zhang Xuan frowned. Just as he was about to speak up, a young man suddenly rushed into the hall with a peculiar look on his face.

"Fei shi, Elder Liao of the Corridor of Puppets is waiting outside. He says that he wishes to acknowledge Zhang Xuan as his teacher..."

"Elder Liao wishes to acknowledge... Zhang Xuan as his teacher?"

Whoosh!

Deathly silence devoured the entire hall.

Chapter 1386: Boreal Fire Poison

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Even though Elder Liao was just a bottom-level managerial elder, his cultivation had already reached Saint 7-dan Phantasmal Space realm. For such an expert to run over and acknowledge a Leaving Aperture realm cultivator as his teacher...

Was there not something really wrong?

The group of Elite Division students shot horrified glances at one another.

Feng Ziyi felt a stinging sensation on his face, and he felt so stifled that he could have spurted blood.

It was just a moment ago that he had insisted on challenging the other party to a duel of impartation when an elder possessing far higher cultivation than him came over to acknowledge the other party as his teacher. It was as if he had lost the battle even before it was even fought!

That face slap had simply come too quickly!

On the other hand, Zhang Yu felt completely crazed.

For even an elder to acknowledge him as a teacher, how was that low profile!

"Elder Liao from the Corridor of Puppets?" Zhang Xuan was also taken aback for quite a moment before realization struck him.

More than twenty days ago, while he was challenging the Corridor of Puppets, he had failed to rein in his strength and accidentally destroyed the entire corridor. Feeling deeply guilty of his actions, he had decided to offer some pointers to Elder Liao, advising him against practicing the Hiemal Yin Formula.

Back then, the other party did not seem to have paid much mind to his advice. However, the fact that he had rushed over to acknowledge him as his teacher meant that something must have gone wrong.

Upon making sense of the situation, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and said, "Let him in."

"Yes!"

The student shot a glance at Fei shi, and upon receiving the latter's approval, he quickly backed out of the room.

Not too long later, two students walked into the hall with a stretcher. There was a frail-looking old man lying on the stretcher, and he looked as if he would lose consciousness at any moment.

Standing by the side of a stretcher was an elder with a flowing white beard. His eyebrows were tightly knitted, reflecting a grim expression.

Feng Ziyi's eyebrows shot up upon seeing the elder, and he exclaimed in astonishment, "Divine Healer Bai Yu!"

"Bai Yu?" Zhang Xuan turned his gaze over to the elder as well.

Even though it had been more than twenty days since he enrolled into the Sanctum of Sages, he had spent a huge portion of his time outside, so he was unfamiliar with most of the elders and experts there.

"He's the person-in-charge of the Physician Guild in our Sanctum of Sages. His medicinal skills are said to have reached an unfathomable level, to the point that he's said to be able to breathe life back into any dying patient. Due to that, others respectfully address him as the Divine Healer!" Feng Ziyi explained.

In terms of fighting prowess, Divine Healer Bai Yu was nowhere near the top, but without a doubt, he was one of the most esteemed figures in the Sanctum of Sages.

Countless experts were indebted to him, and they would rally upon his call.

As such, he commanded great prestige and fame.

Zhang Xuan nodded in response to Feng Ziyi's words.

To have to be brought in on a stretcher with the Divine Healer following beside him... did Elder Liao ignore my advice and continued practicing the Hiemal Yin Formula? Zhang Xuan frowned in disapproval.

He had specially warned the other party against cultivating the technique, but the other party still landed himself in such a state. It was almost as if the other party was toying with his own life!

Physician Bai Yu stepped forward and asked, "Are you Zhang Xuan?"

On the stretcher, Elder Liao exclaimed, "Yes, he's Zhang shi... Zhang shi, please save me!"

In this moment, his face was completely pale, and it seemed as if there was a layer of frost atop his skin. His body was trembling non-stop, and before Zhang Xuan could even respond, he was already struggling to push himself upright.

"What happened?" Zhang Xuan asked Elder Liao with a grim voice.

To be honest, the reason he did not deal with the problem regarding Elder Liao on the spot back then was not only because the latter had a lack of trust in him. Even if the elder continued practicing the Hiemal Yin Formula, it should not have caused too much of a problem in the short-run. His warning should have led to the latter taking preventive measures as soon as he realized that something was amiss, so how did the latter end up in such a state still?

"Quiet down, or else no one will be able to save you!" Divine Healer Bai Yu tapped Elder Liao back onto the stretcher before turning to look at Zhang Xuan. "Are you the one who told him to stop practicing the Hiemal Yin Formula a while ago?"

"I did," Zhang Xuan replied.

"Utter nonsense!" Divine Healer Bai Yu waved his hand angrily as he glared at Zhang Xuan coldly. "Have you tried to fully understand the complexity of his physical condition before offering such advice? Do you know how severe a consequence you have caused by running your ignorant mouth?"

"What do you mean by that?" Zhang Xuan asked with a deep frown, not expecting to be bellowed at by the other party.

In order to compensate Elder Liao for the damage he had caused, he had used the Library of Heaven's Path to check on the other party's condition. The other party was suffering from some kind of trauma, which would only be further aggravated by the cultivation of the Hiemal Yin Formula. The continued cultivation of the technique would bring greater strain to his body, so he had decided to offer a word of advice to the other party.

Yet, why was this Divine Healer Bai Yu making it seem as if Elder Liao's current condition was caused by the advice he had offered?

Taking a step back, even if he was wrong, surely a Saint 7-dan elder would not be so obedient as to stop cultivating the Hiemal Yin Formula altogether, especially if it would cause huge problems to his body!

"What do I mean by that?" Placing his hands behind his back, Divine Healer Bai Yu sneered coldly. "Liao Xin was afflicted with fire poison while fighting with others a long time ago, so he requires the Hiemal Yin Formula in order to suppress it. Yet, you advised him against cultivating it, resulting in the fire poison to relapse. Are you going to deny that this is your fault?

"If you don't know the slightest thing about medicine, you should never diagnose others on a whim. If you are a physician, that makes it even worse. Did your teacher not teach you never to jump to a conclusion without analyzing the patient's physical condition carefully? A misdiagnosis can easily cost a person's life!" Divine Healer roared vehemently in anger.

He had a close relationship with Elder Liao, and he did not think that he would find the latter on the verge of death just after a few days of absence. How could he possibly not be angry?

If not for the latter listening to the atrocious advice of this young man, such a thing would never have happened.

"Are you trying to tell me that his condition is a result of the fire poison acting up?" Zhang Xuan asked with a deep frown.

A body coated with a layer of frost, and you are telling me that it's the working of a fire poison... Are you messing with me?

"Indeed. What he's afflicted with is the Boreal Fire Poison. Once it acts up, the surface of his body will become as cold as ice, but his innards will burn as if the magma underground. Before long, his zhenqi will be burned dry, and his dantian could very well be crippled. That's the reason he has to practice the Hiemal Yin Formula in order to keep the fire poison under control!" Physician Bai Yu harrumphed coldly.

"Boreal Fire Poison?" While Zhang Xuan did not think much of the term, Fei shi trembled in horror upon hearing those words, and his face paled conspicuously. "Physician Bai, are you referring to the Boreal Fire Poison that is found in Hanqi Subterranean Gallery?"

"Hanqi Subterranean Gallery?"

"Of the many Subterranean Galleries that link the Master Teacher Continent to the otherworldly battlefields, there are seven that are known to be extraordinarily dangerous, and the seventh on the list is the Hanqi Subterranean Gallery!"

"I have heard of it, too! The most frightening aspect of the Hanqi Subterranean Gallery is this Boreal Fire Poison. Despite being a flame, it harnesses all of the attributes of frost as well, commanding both the powers of heat and cold. Even a Saint high-tier artifact would find itself melting instantaneously into liquid in its face!"

Such hushed discussion could be heard from the crowd in the surroundings.

Most of the students in the Sanctum of Sages were top geniuses coming from all kinds of major powers and clans, so they had some knowledge of the various Subterranean Galleries even though it was classified information.

"Indeed, it's the Boreal Fire Poison. Back then, in order to prevent the Otherworldly Demons from reaching the Master Teacher Continent, he bravely dived into the midst of flames to fend them off. While he managed to survive the ordeal by sheer luck, he was unfortunately afflicted with fire poison as a result." Physician Bai Yu sighed with a shake of his head.

"I have tried all kinds of means in order to treat him, even blood and bone switching, but none of them worked. In the end, I could only make him practice the Hiemal Yin Formula in order to suppress it temporarily. The reason I left a while ago was to seek the Nymphaea Tetragona, hoping that it could resolve his problems once and for all. Yet, who would have thought that a freshman like you would actually convince him against cultivating the Hiemal Yin Formula, causing the fire poison to relapse and even assault the depths of his soul? Even I am completely helpless before such a situation!"

"This..." Hearing Divine Healer Bai Yu's words, everyone subconsciously turned their gazes to Zhang Xuan.

Even Fei shi had a deep frown on his face.

Physicians carried a heavy responsibility on their shoulders. As the saying went, 'an incompetent doctor kills'. As such, if a physician was uncertain about a patient's condition, it would be best for him not to treat the patient. Otherwise, he would only be harming himself and others.

"Physician Bai, I know that you are worried about me, but that isn't entirely the case. The reason I stopped practicing the Hiemal Yin Formula is because I could feel problems cropping up in my cultivation. Zhang shi really doesn't have any blame in this matter," Elder Liao said feebly.

"Even after what he has done to you, you are still speaking up for him?" Divine Healer Bai Yu harrumphed coldly in response to Elder Liao's words.

"He was able to tell that I practice the Hiemal Yin Formula with just a look, so I found his words credible," Elder Liao said weakly.

The Hiemal Yin Formula was one of the rare cultivation techniques that would not manifest its properties in one's zhenqi, making it extremely hard to discern. Yet, the young man was still able to recognize it with just a single glance. He had been overwhelmed by shock at that moment, and after returning back to his residence, he had given the matter much thought and felt that the young man's words made perfect sense. Thus, he had eventually decided to reduce his cultivation of the technique.

Initially, he could feel himself getting better and better, but who knew that the fire poison would suddenly act up three days ago, placing him in the current condition he was in?

Even Divine Healer Bai Yu found himself completely helpless before his condition.

With no other choice, he had suddenly recalled the words of this young man, so he had decided to seek him out.

Considering how the young man was able to see through his Hiemal Yin Formula and wield such astounding strength despite his young age, achieving feats that even the little princess of the Luo Clan failed to achieve, he thought that the other party just might have a way to resolve his current condition.

And that was what led to the previous declaration that he wanted to acknowledge the young man as his teacher.

As long as his affliction could be resolved, what qualms did he have with taking the young man as his teacher?

Not to mention, if the young man was really able to cure the Boreal Fire Poison, it would mean that his medicinal skills had reached a level that even the higher elders of the Sanctum of Sages would be deeply impressed by!

"Credible? If he's really credible, do you think that you'd be reduced to such a state?" Divine Healer Bai Yu was so angry that he could have exploded on the spot.

He really could not understand the mindset of this old friend of his.

He was the Divine Healer of the Sanctum of Sages, but instead of believing him, his old friend chose to trust a mere student who had cleared the entrance examination just a couple of days ago.

"Enough! Let me take a look at his condition!" Seeing how the duo was still arguing with one another at this point, Zhang Xuan walked toward Elder Liao.

He had checked on Elder Liao's condition using the Library of Heaven's Path, and given the state he was in then, there would be no problem with him stopping the Hiemal Yin Formula altogether. So, why would the fire poison suddenly relapse?

"You want to take a look at his condition? Do you even know medicine?" Divine Healer Bai Yu sneered coldly.

In response to that, Zhang Xuan casually flicked his wrist and threw an emblem over.

Catching it, Divine Healer Bai Yu lowered his head to take a look, and a slight hint of astonishment flickered across his eyes.

It was a physician emblem with seven glistening stars on it.

As a 7-star physician, even if the young man's medicinal skill was far beneath his, he should not be someone who would take a patient's condition lightly and spout nonsense.

Knowing that the young man was not just fooling around, Divine Healer Bai Yu's hostility alleviated slightly, and he said with a wave of his hand, "Fine, take a look then. I hope that you can give me a satisfactory answer today!"

Fei shi and the others also looked on the situation intently, curious about what the young man would do.

Zhang Xuan had displayed amazing prowess in swordsmanship earlier, and his ability to guide others on their cultivation was also extraordinary. Not to mention, he had also managed to become the Inceptive Sage of the Spirit Awakener Hall. If he was proficient in the Way of Medicine too, that would truly be incredible.

Paying no heed to the crowd, Zhang Xuan walked up to Elder Liao and placed his fingers lightly on the latter's pulse.

A moment later, he shook his head.

Seeing that there was something wrong with the young man's expression, Elder Liao asked with a deeply apprehensive tone, "What's wrong?"

"This..." Zhang Xuan was silent for quite a while before saying hesitantly, "Elder Liao, I would like to discuss something important with you."

"Zhang shi, feel free to speak. As long as I can be freed from my pain, I won't turn down any request that you have," Elder Liao replied in a feeble tone, reminiscent of an old man on his deathbed.

"That's good." Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. With an earnest look, he said, "I would like to knock you out for a moment."

"Knock me out?"

"That's right. If it's not convenient for me to do it, you can also faint by yourself. In any case, as long as you're out, I'll be able to discern the root of your illness and treat you." Zhang Xuan scratched his head awkwardly.

"..." Elder Liao.

"..." Physician Bai Yu.

Chapter 1387: You Are an Incompetent Physician!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Given Elder Liao's current condition, it was clearly infeasible to have him stand up and execute a punching routine. The fastest way was to knock the other party and analyze him through the Library of Heaven's Path as an artifact.

Previously, he could still rely on medicinal herbs to knock others out, but that would not work on a Saint 7-dan expert like Elder Liao.

"Utter nonsense!"

Before Elder Liao could say a word, Divine Healer Bai Yu had already lashed out furiously.

As the head of the Sanctum of Sages' Physician Guild, he had a deep understanding of the various diagnosis methods out there, and this was inclusive of those eccentric and unorthodox ones. But one that required the patient to be knocked out... Pardon his ignorance but he had really never heard of something like that!

Once a person was knocked out, there would be some deviation in their metabolism and other internal functions. While it was still possible to examine external injuries, it would be hard to analyze the internal traumas that the patient was afflicted with in such a state. So, for the young man to ask to knock Elder Liao out right from the start, just what the heck was he up to?

"How about it? Will you knock yourself out, or should I do it instead?" Paying completely no heed to the raging Divine Healer Bai Yu, Zhang Xuan looked at Elder Liao with a compassionate smile.

"I..." Elder Liao also doubted the existence of such a diagnosis method in the world, so he instinctively turned to Divine Healer Bai Yu with a confused gaze to seek confirmation.

"Forget it, I'll just do it myself then." Noticing Elder Liao's hesitation, Zhang Xuan decisively raised his hand and chopped down toward the top of Elder Liao's head.

Hu la!

The surrounding air swiftly compressed together, making breathing highly difficult. Just as Zhang Xuan's chop was about to reach the other party's forehead, he abruptly pulled his hand back.

Poof!

A short but resounding sonic boom echoed, and Elder Liao immediately fainted.

"That is... the Air Compression Spirit Clearing Art? The secret art that not even 8-star physicians are capable of pulling off?" Divine Healer Bai Yu's eyes narrowed in shock.

"Air Compression Spirit Clearing Art?" Fei shi asked in incomprehension.

"There are some injuries and illnesses that the treatment process is simply too difficult for those lacking in mental fortitude to bear. Thus, in order to prevent any unnecessary complications during the treatment, it would be best for the patient to be knocked out. However, regardless of whether it's the use of anesthesia or any other means, it would leave a certain degree of damage to the patient's body. This Air Compression Spirit Clearing Art makes use of a sonic boom resulting from the movement of one's palm to stimulate one's Primordial Spirit, forcing one to lose consciousness temporarily.

"It goes without saying that the ability to knock out a patient without causing any damage to his physical state can make a huge difference to patients who are already in a critical state and cannot take any more trauma. For this reason, most physicians would seek to learn it even though it's a demonic tune in the strictest of sense, but unfortunately, it's an extremely difficult skill to master. Even I am still unable of performing it, but who would have thought that that fellow over there would be able to pull it off?"

At this point, a hint of doubtfulness surfaced in the eyes of Divine Healer Bai Yu as he asked, "Could it be that... he's a highly-skilled demonic tunist too?"

On the other hand, seeing that Elder Liao has been knocked out, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He placed his fingers on the other party's pulse once more.

Weng!

A book materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path, and he quickly flipped it open.

With just a look, his eyebrows immediately began twitching wildly. He turned to the elder behind him and lashed out furiously. "You incompetent physician, will you only be happy after you treat Elder Liao to his death?"

"What did you say?" Divine Healer Bai Yu's face darkened upon hearing those words.

Hailed as the Divine Healer in the Sanctum of Sages, putting aside managerial elders, even the top elders would have to address him respectfully. Yet, this fellow actually dared call him an incompetent physician? The burning rage within him nearly caused him to blow up on the spot.

Hong long!

Unable to control his temper, a terrifying aura immediately gushed forth from him, plunging the surroundings into the midst of winter. Everyone's body immediately stiffened.

Saint 8-dan pinnacle!

An expert of this caliber could already be considered one of the top figures in the Master Teacher Continent!

Unfazed by the pressure from Bai Yu's aura, Zhang Xuan bellowed, "Are you really unaware of what I am saying? If you don't know how to treat Elder Liao, just keep your hands off him! To think that you would call yourself Divine Healer... More like Goodbye Healer!"

"You..." Seeing the deep disdain in the young man's eyes, Divine Healer Bai Yu felt a feeling so suffocating in his chest that it felt as if he would explode.

He had never been humiliated in such a way.

He glared coldly at Zhang Xuan before forcefully reigning his power back in. Flinging his sleeves coldly, he said, "No matter what your background is, if you can't give me an explanation that I am happy with today, don't blame me for getting physical on you!"

Those who were qualified to enroll in the Sanctum of Sages usually came from illustrious backgrounds. As angry as Divine Healer Bai Yu was, he still did not dare make a move recklessly.

"You still want me to explain to you?" Zhang Xuan shook his head and snorted.

He turned his gaze to the fainted Elder Liao and abruptly raised his leg and kicked the latter's head.

"What are you doing!" Divine Healer Bai Yu roared in shock.

Given how the strength and speed behind Zhang Xuan's kick, if it were to hit, Elder Liao's face would explode on the spot!

Are you insane?

You are here to treat, but first, you knocked out your patient, then you went ahead to berate me, and now, you are even attempting to murder your patient.

You really need to get your head treated!

Hu la!

Divine Healer Bai Yu rushed forward and flicked his hand, creating a ripple through space with his power of Dimension Sundering, thus successfully deflecting Zhang Xuan's attack.

"Get this hindrance out of the way." In the face of Divine Healer Bai Yu's impediment, Zhang Xuan raised his eyebrows and flicked his wrist.

Divine Healer Bai Yu was slightly startled by Zhang Xuan's words, and before he could even process what was being said, his heart suddenly jolted in fear.

Hu la!

A Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast suddenly materialized right before everyone's eyes, and a thick tail swept right in Divine Healer Bai Yu's direction.

"You..." Before Divine Healer Bai Yu could even react, he was struck squarely in his shoulder. An intense pain assaulted him as he was sent flying backward.

He was in the same cultivation realm as the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast, but the latter was still more powerful than him due to its innate Dragon Bloodline. On top of that, its appearance was too sudden, so he was caught off guard, causing him to suffer a setback right from the start.

"You bastard!" Divine Healer Bai Yu snarled with a livid expression.

He immediately prepared himself to dash forward once more, but before he could make a move, the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast was already before him.

Despite its massive physique, the movement of the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast was as swift as a bolt of lightning. Its enormous claws tore sharply through space, falling down upon him.

Given the speed at which the claws were moving, Divine Healer Bai Yu knew that he would not be able to evade on time, so he clenched his fists tightly to face the attack.

Hong long long!

The collision between the two experts caused a turbulent shockwave to ripple into the surroundings. The transparent barriers that shielded the individual dueling rings from the surroundings wavered non-stop, flickering in and out of existence, as if they would succumb to the pressure and shatter.

At the same time, conspicuous spatial ripples could be seen spreading outward, forcefully pushing the crowd back.

"What is happening?"

"Why did that saint beast suddenly appear out of nowhere?"

Fei shi, Feng Ziyi, and the others were dumbstruck.

Were they not in the midst of treating Elder Liao?

Why would they suddenly start fighting one another?

Furthermore, the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast was obeying Zhang Xuan's command, so it should be his tamed beast, right? But how in the world did he manage to tame a Saint 8-dan beast in the first place?

A tamed beast can be considered a beast tamer's strength as well. If I had really challenged Zhang Xuan earlier, I would have been tragically defeated. Zhang Yu felt cold sweat pouring down his back.

At this moment, he felt deeply thankful that Feng Ziyi had spoken up before he did. Otherwise, just a claw from the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast would have been sufficient to spell his death.

The Inceptive Sage of the Spirit Awakener Hall, pummeling Zhang Chun and Zhang Feng, subduing Feng Ziyi with a single sword art, berating Divine Healer Bai Yu without any hesitation, and bringing out such a powerful saint beast in public...

Previously, Zhang Yu had thought that Zhang Xuan was an extremely low-profile person, but from the looks of it now... it seemed that he just did not know the latter well enough!

There was probably no one as high profile as him!

In fact, even most high-profile individuals would only cause a commotion every now and then, but this fellow was inciting incidents one after another, as if he would not be content until he was constantly at the forefront of everyone's mind!

To think that he had even thought that that fellow was unworthy of his notice at one point in time... Even if he had viewed that fellow as his rival, that fellow might not even think that he was worthy of his attention!

The gap between the both of them was simply too great!

Shaking his head helplessly, he turned his gaze to the young man not too far away once more, only to see that the latter was not paying any attention to the battle in the sky. Instead, he was looking at Elder Liao with a hint of viciousness in his deep, black eyes.

"Time to begin!" the young man muttered.

Hu la!

He raised his leg once more and aimed it right toward Elder Liao's head.

Peng!

It landed on the latter's head, and in an unconscious state, the latter did not have the slightest ability to retaliate at all. He was sent flying right off the stretcher, smashing right through one of the walls of the dueling rings.

"This..." Zhang Yu's lips twitched.

Just what kind of grudge did he have with Elder Liao?

Or rather, what in the world was Zhang Xuan up to?

He should have known that he would never get out of the Sanctum of Sages alive if he killed Elder Liao!

While overwhelmed with shock, Zhang Yu saw Zhang Xuan rushing over in Elder Liao's direction, and before the latter could even land on the floor from the previous kick, his leg whipped forth once more.

Peng!

As if a football, Elder Liao flew into the air once more.

It was hard to tell whether it was an intentional action or not, but the direction that Elder Liao was flying toward happened to be where Physician Bai and the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast was clashing.

Both parties were pitting their full might against one another, causing an insane amount of power to ripple into the surroundings. Even ordinary half-Saint 9-dan experts would not dare get close, let alone the unconscious, Saint 7-dan Elder Liao. Before he could even come close, the might was already beginning to ravage his body, threatening to tear him to shreds.

"It's over..." Fei shi nearly collapsed to the ground from the sheer horror of what he was seeing.

Given how intensely the two experts were clashing with one another, unless a Saint 9-dan expert were to intervene in the battle, it would be impossible to stop them. Fei shi knew that even he would lose his life if he got involved at this point, much less the unconscious Elder Liao!

"Liao Xin!" Not expecting Zhang Xuan to make such a move either, Divine Healer Bai Yu was appalled.

However, he had already released his full might, and it was too late to retract it now. No matter how he shouted, it would not make a difference.

Weng!

Just as everyone thought that Elder Liao was doomed to die, a light buzz suddenly sounded from his body, and the frost shrouding his body abruptly expanded outward, forming a sphere of mist that extended for a radius of three meters.

After which, the sphere began to surge upward, forming something that was reminiscent of a giant lotus flower.

The overwhelming power between the clash of might of Divine Healer Bai Yu and the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast struck the lotus squarely, and astonishingly, even though it wavered slightly, it was not destroyed at all! As such, the unconscious Elder Liao did not sustain any damage.

It seemed like the lotus had saved his life in this desperate moment.

"This..."

Upon seeing that, Divine Healer Bai Yu and the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast were startled for an instant.

The clash of their strengths was strong enough to cause even the massive protective formation cast over the Hall of Propriety to waver, and yet, a mere lotus that sprouted from Elder Liao was actually able to neutralize their attack entirely... Just what in the world was it?

"Now!"

As if having expected this situation, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out the pinnacle spirit stone that Luo Xuanqing had given him previously. Holding it tightly in his left hand, he began furiously absorbing its energy.

Hong long long!

Concentrated spiritual energy surged into his body, swiftly filling up the depletion he had sustained previously. Then, he lifted his right hand and tapped forward.

Si la!

The Lingxu Sword abruptly burst forth to strike down upon Elder Liao.

In the midst of its movement, the sword qi imbued within the Lingxu Sword extended to over several dozen meters, as if attempting to sever the world into two.

Puhe!

The sword cut down on the lotus shrouding Elder Liao, and shockingly, the seemingly invincible lotus actually began shattering like a mirror.

"How is this possible?" Divine Healer Bai Yu was stunned.

Even the combined might between him and the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast was insufficient to destroy the lotus, and yet, the other party managed to cut it apart with just a surge of sword qi. Could it be that the young man was even stronger than him?

Perhaps even reaching Saint 9-dan?

Chapter 1388: Treating Elder Liao

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

After a moment of shock, Divine Healer Bai Yu swiftly came to a realization.

It was not that the young man was far stronger than him or anything else. Rather, the lotus was already left on the verge of shattering after the combined attack between him and the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast, and the young man had aimed his attack at the very opening of the lotus.

Because of that, he was able to destroy the lotus with a single strike.

Nevertheless, it was still an extremely formidable feat.

Even he had not managed to find the opening of the lotus that had appeared out of nowhere yet, but the young man was able to see right through it, even accurately striking down on it from afar with his sword qi to destroy the lotus, not harming Elder Liao in the slightest. It had to be said that his eye of discernment and control over his strength had reached an astonishing level.

While Divine Healer Bai Yu was feeling deeply impressed by the young man's feat, he lowered his head to look at the young man, only to see that the latter did not show the slightest hint of joy at having sliced apart the lotus. Instead, there was a tight knot between his eyebrows, and his face was slightly pale.

"Hmm? What's going on?"

"There's something bizarre about the lotus..."

Just as Divine Healer Bai Yu was just about to ask what was wrong, he suddenly heard shocked voices from the crowd below. He immediately turned to look in Elder Liao's direction and saw that the scattered mist of the shattered lotus had attempted to dive into Elder Liao's body once more, as if it had a life of its own.

"Humph, don't you dare!" With a cold harrumph, Zhang Xuan flicked out several dozen silver needles and flung them in Elder Liao's direction.

Wuwuwuwu!

The silver needles fell right on the various acupoints all over Elder Liao's body, impeding the mist from delving back into his body. As if meeting its nemesis, the mist released a sizzling sound upon contact with the silver needles before dissipating.

Hu!

Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and pulled Elder Liao back from the sky, gently placing his back onto the stretcher. Then, he tapped his finger lightly on the latter's glabella.

"Cough cough!"

While violently coughing, Elder Liao opened his eyes once more and spurted out black blood. After which, he sat up from the stretcher.

Pipa!

A resounding cracking sound reminiscent of snapping bamboo shoots sounded from within his body.

"This is..." Divine Healer Bai Yu widened his eyes in shock. "He's making a breakthrough in his cultivation!"

He was well-aware of the circumstances surrounding his old friend. Under the assault of the fire poison, his friend's vitality had been waning constantly, putting him on the verge of death. Even with his superior medicinal skill as the Divine Healer, he was still unable to treat him. Who would have thought that with just a few needles and a simple tap on the forehead, the young man would actually be able to induce a breakthrough in his old friend?

Could he be seeing things?

Hong long long!

Before he could recover from his shock, more and more cracking sounds echoed from Elder Liao's body. Following which, his cultivation swiftly surged, rising from Saint 7-dan intermediate stage to pinnacle within moments.

Even so, the momentum in his surge of strength showed no sign of calming down. Elder Liao shattered his Phantasmal Space realm pinnacle bottleneck within ten breaths, and a Dominion tinged with the power of Dimension Sundering suddenly extended from his body.

It was only then that the rise in his cultivation gradually slowed to a halt.

Half-Dimension Sundering realm!

To rise from Phantasmal Space realm intermediate stage to Half-Dimension Sundering realm in a single shot, this rate of cultivation could be said to be unprecedented!

Divine Healer Bai Yu's lips twitched uncontrollably.

The cultivation of his old friend had never risen ever since he was afflicted with the fire poison. For several centuries now, he had remained stagnant at Phantasmal Space realm intermediate stage. Who would have thought that he would suddenly experience such a tremendous surge in his cultivation, shattering all of the bottlenecks that lay in his path?

"I..." Elder Liao was also shocked beyond words. Feeling the overflowing power harnessed within his body, he sat in a daze on the stretcher, wondering if he was in a dream.

Before he was knocked out, his vitality had been swiftly dissipating, putting him on the verge of death. But when he opened his eyes, not only did he fully recover from his illness, his cultivation had also risen by leaps and bounds. At this point, he was deeply frightened that he would simply wake up and find that it was all a lie.

Pah!

He slapped his face, and to his relief, stinging pain assaulted his cheeks.

"I am still alive?"

The sudden realization of this fact made Elder Liao tremble in agitation, and even to his own surprise, tears began streaming down his cheeks.

For how many years, he had teetered on the edge of death. He had thought that his time had finally come, and death had descended upon him to claim his dues. Yet, at the very last moment, a savior appeared, and not only was his affliction cured, he even achieved a breakthrough in his cultivation.

He pushed himself up from the stretcher and walked up to Zhang Xuan. Standing before the young man who had brought him out of his anguish, his knees fell to the ground.

"Zhang shi, thank you for saving my life."

Even though he had been unconscious and was oblivious to what had happened, he could tell that Zhang Xuan had paid a heavy price for him just by looking at the latter's pale face and trembling body.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony. To be honest, I didn't have much confidence either, considering the critical state you were in. It's a huge relief that everything turned out fine," Zhang Xuan replied with a forced smile.

Puhe!

He suddenly collapsed to the ground.

This time, his injuries were not faked.

He had just depleted himself from executing the Sea Severing Sword when he had to deal with Elder Liao's fire poison. Even if he had a pinnacle spirit stone in hand to replenish his spiritual energy, the immense mental toll he had been put under still left him on the edge of fainting at any moment.

"Zhang shi!" Elder Liao hurriedly stood up to support Zhang Xuan.

Hu!

Divine Healer Bai Yu also quickly descended from the sky to examine Zhang Xuan. "Don't worry, he's just suffering from overexertion. With sufficient spiritual energy and time, he should be able to fully recover from his condition without any lingering trauma."

The reason he wanted to make a move on Zhang Xuan earlier was because he thought that the young man bore malicious intentions toward Elder Liao. But with all that had happened, it was apparent that he had misunderstood the young man's intentions, so all hostility he bore toward the young man had disappeared without a trace.

More importantly, he had been looking into his old friend's condition for several centuries now, only to remain deeply helpless before it. Yet, in less than three minutes, not only did the young man manage to resolve his old friend's affliction, he even induced a breakthrough in the latter. On top of that, there was no medicine or any complex procedure to the treatment process at all.

This left him feeling deeply perplexed.

"That's good. That's good." Hearing that Zhang Xuan was fine, Elder Liao heaved a sigh of relief.

"Zhang shi, just... what is going on?" Divine Healer Bai Yu asked.

He had been a physician for many centuries now, but he had never seen any treatment method like this. And what was even more confounding was that it was actually extremely effective, vanquishing the affliction in just a few moments.

"Pardon me for my earlier insult. I had to provoke you in order to treat Elder Liao, so I hope that you won't take it to heart." Struggling up for a moment, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist apologetically.

"Don't worry about that, I won't take it to heart." Divine Healer Bai Yu waved his hand.

Putting aside being berated, even if he had been beaten up, he felt that it would have been well worth the price for his old friend to be treated.

Not to mention, he had been able to witness such miraculous medical skills on top of that. This had deeply incited his curiosity as a physician.

Divine Healer Bai Yu clasped his fist and requested with an earnest look in his eyes, "Zhang shi, I ask of you to answer my doubts."

Hearing those words, Fei shi, Feng Ziyi, Zhang Yu, and the others also quickly turned curious gazes over in their direction.

If Elder Liao had ingested a pill and driven his zhenqi in certain circulation pathways in order to resolve the fire poison, it would have been understandable that he achieved a breakthrough. But what had happened earlier... knocking out the patient, criticizing the principal physician, and pummeling the patient to the ground... how the heck did it turn out to be another treatment method? It was completely inconceivable to the crowd.

If it was that easy to treat an affliction, there would not be so many patients who died of illnesses every single day in the world.

"This..." Seeing Divine Healer Bai Yu's intent gaze, Zhang Xuan said with a bitter smile, "My apologies, but will you allow me to heal up a little before answering your doubts?"

He was feeling so feeble that he could faint at any moment now, let alone explain the situation to the other party.

"Of course, of course. Please pardon my lack of consideration," Divine Healer Bai Yu quickly replied in embarrassment.

He had been too focused on learning that he had forgotten the young man's current state.

"I have an Energy Repository Pill here that can help you recover from your depletion!" Divine Healer Bai Yu flicked his wrist and passed a jade bottle over.

As the top physician of the Sanctum of Sages, there were countless patients who sought his treatment each year. As a result, he had plenty of good items on him.

Zhang Xuan took out the Energy Repository Pill from the jade bottle, and after taking a look at it, he shook his head helplessly.

The pill was of good quality, but to him, it was not of much use anymore.

Due to his Heaven's Path zhenqi, there was a strict requirement on the concentration of the spiritual energy he could absorb. The higher his cultivation became, the higher the requirement was. While the Energy Repository Pill would be effective to even the average Dimension Sundering realm expert, it was no different from popping a sweet to him.

"Thank you, but I'm afraid that this pill is completely ineffective to me." Zhang Xuan shook his head as he passed the pill back into Bai Yu's hands.

"It's ineffective?" Bai Yu was taken aback. "I still have a couple of them here if you need more."

"Physician Bai, I appreciate your goodwill, but I think I'll find a way myself." At which point, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a brief moment, but he still could not bring himself to use his pinnacle spirit stone. So, he turned to the elder by the other side and said, "Elder Liao, may I trouble you a little?"

"Zhang shi, there's no need to stand on ceremony. Feel free to say whatever you require. As long as it's within my means, consider it done!" Elder Liao nodded.

"That's a relief." Zhang Xuan nodded as a hint of excitement flashed across his eyes. "Then, Elder Liao, I'd need to trouble you to achieve a breakthrough to the Dimension Sundering realm!"

"Achieve a breakthrough to the Dimension Sundering realm?" Elder Liao was stunned.

Chapter 1389: Frenzied Hu Qing

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Should the first instinct of a drained cultivator not be to look for spirit stones and pills to recover his vitality?

Why was the young man asking Elder Liao to push for a breakthrough to the Dimension Sundering realm?

It did not make sense at all!

Furthermore, pushing for a breakthrough to the Dimension Sundering realm meant that Elder Liao would have to face a lightning tribulation. After years of turmoil from the fire poison, his body had already been emptied out. If he attempted to push for a breakthrough right now, it was likely that he would be zapped to death.

Surely you aren't intending to send him to death's embrace shortly after pulling him back from the gates of hell?

Elder Liao was completely dumbstruck as well.

"I'll need you push for a breakthrough to the Dimension Sundering realm in order for me to recover. The reason you were able to make a breakthrough so quickly is due to the energy you have accumulated over several centuries. If I'm not mistaken, you should have enough drive in you to push for a breakthrough to the Dimension Sundering realm, right?" Zhang Xuan asked feebly.

The reason Elder Liao was able to achieve so many breakthroughs at once was not because of his exceptional talent or Zhang Xuan's miraculous treatment but because of the hard work he had put into cultivating over the past several centuries. Previously, his cultivation had stagnated mainly due to the fire poison, but once that had been resolved, the energy he had accumulated over this long period of time immediately burst forth, allowing his cultivation to soar.

Considering how much he had accumulated over the years, Elder Liao should not have just stopped at Half-Dimension Sundering realm. It would be sufficient for him to push to higher realms, just that he chose to suppress it forcefully out of fear for the Dimension Sundering Ordeal.

"But..." Elder Liao was conflicted.

"Don't worry, you will succeed," Zhang Xuan told him with a resolute gaze.

"Alright then." Seeing the deep desire in Zhang Xuan's eyes, Elder Liao gritted his teeth and removed the limitation he had placed on his cultivation.

Boom!

As soon as the energy was released, the surrounding air began growing viscous. Following which, through their Spiritual Perception, the crowd realized that storm clouds were beginning to congregate above them.

"Don't challenge your Dimension Sundering Ordeal here, or else the formations could cause the lightning tribulation to run amok. Let's head out instead..." Halfway through his words, Zhang Xuan suddenly widened his eyes in realization and halted.

On top of the defensive formations cast over the individual dueling rings, there were also aura isolating formations that served to prevent anything within from getting out. As such, it was likely that the lightning tribulation would not be able to find its target and strike the area in frenzy instead, similar to what had happened when he challenged his Leaving Aperture Ordeal.

But while this might end in a tragedy to others, this was exactly what he was wishing for!

The storm clouds would grow bigger as a result of being unable to find its target, thus providing a greater source of energy to him.

Just thinking of how it would be bigger than Luo Xuanqing's, Zhang Xuan could not help but tremble in agitation as he looked at Elder Liao with eyes filled with desire.

"You're right, I'll go out..." Elder Liao nodded, but just as he wanted to leave the main hall, the young man suddenly shook once more, and his body seemed to have become even feebler.

"It's fine. You don't have to head out anymore. Doing it here is fine."

Elder Liao blinked blankly.

It's just a moment ago that you told me to head out so that I don't destroy the Hall of Propriety accidentally, but all of a sudden, you are asking me to stay?

Zhang Xuan turned around and instructed, "Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast, you head out to attack the lightning tribulation first."

"You want me to attack... the lightning tribulation?" The Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast cowered backward, and it nearly plummeted from the sky.

It had been through the Dimension Sundering Ordeal before, and it had nearly died from that darned lightning tribulation. Its fear toward the lightning tribulation was so great that it would be paralyzed in the face of it, and yet, to attack it straight on...

It was still young, and it did not want to die yet!

"Master, can I... not go?" the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast looked at Zhang Xuan with large, pleading eyes, which might have possibly looked like puppy eyes had its eyes not been as big as lanterns. "If you feel that I haven't done a good job beating up that Bai Yu guy earlier, I can continue hitting him till you are happy. Just... don't make me face that lightning tribulation!"

Divine Healer Bai Yu's mouth quivered upon hearing those words.

"Stop with your nonsense and hurry up and do it!" Zhang Xuan frowned in displeasure.

"Alright..." Grumbling beneath its breath, the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast headed out with a despaired look on its face.

Hong long long!

A moment later, the ominous clouds grew even bigger. What had only covered the Hall of Propriety earlier expanded to encompass an area of over several hundred mu 1 .

Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction before turning to Bai Yu. "Physician Bai, I'll need you to attack the lightning tribulation too."

"Me too?" Divine Healer Bai Yu's lips twitched upon hearing those words.

"I'll be troubling you. Don't worry, there won't be any problem." Knowing what the other party was worried about, Zhang Xuan replied earnestly. "I know what I'm doing."

"You know what you're doing?" Bai Yu's body trembled upon hearing those words.

Is this what you mean by you know what you are doing?

Your head!

Isn't this obviously an attempt to murder Elder Liao?

Noting the other party's hesitation, Zhang Xuan said, "Since I have a way to drag him back from the gates of hell, I hope that you can believe me when I say that I have a way to him help tide through the lightning tribulation too."

"Alright then." After a long moment of hesitation, Divine Healer Bai Yu looked at Zhang Xuan's confident look and recalled the miracle that the young man had pulled off earlier.

Thus, he gritted his teeth and dashed out.

"..."

Seeing how Zhang Xuan had instructed the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast and Divine Healer Bai Yu to intercept Elder Liao's lightning tribulation, Fei shi, Feng Ziyi, and the others were completely flabbergasted.

They had never seen anyone committing suicide in such a manner.

Just what in the world was the young man up to?

...

In a certain room of the Hall of Propriety, several elders were seated in an oval.

The green-robed old man sitting at the end of the oval was the person-in-charge of the Hall of Propriety, Elder Hu Qing.

"For those matters, they can be resolved in such a manner..." Elder Hu Qing was in the midst of instructing the other elders when his eyebrows suddenly shot up, and he sprung to his feet.

"What happened?"

"Someone is undergoing their lightning tribulation?"

"Who in the world is so inconsiderate as to face their Dimension Sundering Ordeal here? This is really bad. The entire Hall of Propriety could very well be destroyed!"

Sensing the congregating storm clouds and ferocious crackling of lightning in the sky, the other elders also swiftly noticed that something was amiss.

If such powerful bolts of lightning really fell upon the Hall of Propriety, the entire place could very well be reduced to rubble!

"Assemble all of the elders. We'll protect the Hall of Propriety!" Hu Qing roared decisively before leaping up into the sky.

Hu! Hu! Hu!

In the blink of an eye, another dozen managerial elders leaped up as well, and floating in the midst of the sky, they looked at the accumulation of lightning with awful looks on their faces.

They had looked over the Hall of Propriety faithfully for many years, so how could they allow anything to undo their hard work?

After seeing that all of the elders had gathered around, Hu Qing bellowed an instruction with gritted teeth.

"Elder Zhao, I need you to check who is undergoing the lightning tribulation here."

Of all places that person could undergo their lightning tribulation, why did they have to choose there?

In fact, there was a facility in the Hall of Integrity built solely for the purpose of assisting cultivators in facing their lightning tribulation through alleviating the effects of the inner demons. Yet, to choose to do it here instead, was he intending to bring the entire Hall of Propriety down with him?

"Yes!" Elder Zhao quickly nodded.

But just as he was about to head into the main hall, he suddenly saw a Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast rushing out with a sonic boom, and with a golden hue infused into its claws, it dashed straight toward the storm clouds.

Kacha! Kacha!

Having come under the assault of another party outside of the cultivator supposed to face the ordeal, the area of the storm clouds immediately expanded.

"What is that fellow trying to do? Is it attempting suicide?"

All of the elders were frenzied by what they saw.

It isn't even your lightning tribulation, so why are you trying to attack it so desperately? Do you have a grudge with the person undergoing the ordeal?

"Hurry up and stop that fellow!" Hu Qing immediately barked out an order.

However, before any of the elders could move, the highly-esteemed Divine Healer Bai Yu suddenly flew out of the main hall as well.

With a flick of his wrist, he channeled imposing might in his palm, and with a forceful thrust, he struck it out toward the storm clouds in the sky.

Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!

The storm clouds immediately expanded to over a thousand mu wide, covering the vast expanse of the entire Hall of Propriety.

"Bai Yu, what are you doing!" Hu Qing nearly went insane on the spot.

Chapter 1390: Bon Appétit

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Divine Healer Bai Yu had a rather close relationship with the other elders in the Hall of Propriety, and they often went out for expeditions in seek of treasures and medicinal herbs together. Yet, in this crucial moment, despite seeing that someone was undergoing a lightning tribulation, not only was he refusing to help, he was even attacking it. This was no different from seeing a burning house and quickly grabbing a bottle of gasoline to pour on it!

Are you trying to seal off all chances of the individual undergoing the Dimension Sundering Ordeal from surviving the lightning tribulation, or are you uncertain whether the lightning tribulation was large enough to devastate the entire Hall of Propriety, so you chose to head out here to ensure it?

Hong long!

Paying no heed to Hu Qing, Bai Yu channeled might into his palm once more and sent another strike toward the storm clouds.

Kacha!

Provoked by those who dared challenge its rules, the lightning tribulation sent down two thick streaks of lightning down upon the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast and Bai Yu. In just an instant, the bodies of the duo stiffened as their hair and dragon scales stood on end before plummeting from the sky.

"The authority of the heavens isn't to be challenged," Hu Qing remarked with a shake of his head.

After which, he raised his hand and roared, "Activate the Grand Defensive Formation of our Hall of Propriety to fend off the lightning tribulation. At the same time, dig out that fellow who is undergoing his Dimension Sundering Ordeal and have him sent off to the Hall of Integrity immediately!"

"Yes!" Two elders quickly nodded, but just as they were about to dash into the main hall to grab the cultivator undergoing the Dimension Sundering Ordeal, the charred Bai Yu and Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast suddenly flew up once more and sent a furious surge of power toward the storm clouds.

Kacha! Kacha!

The lightning grew even larger. Lightning sparks crackled imposingly amid the storm clouds, as if heralding an impending catastrophe.

Divine Healer Bai Yu and the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast were both Saint 8-dan pinnacle experts, so their provocation easily caused a massive intensification of the lightning tribulation. At this point, what was above them could no longer be considered a Dimension Sundering Ordeal anymore. Even a Saint 9-dan expert would have a layer of skin torn off facing something of that caliber.

"This... How am I supposed to survive such a lightning tribulation?" Elder Liao collapsed weakly to the ground, paralyzed on the spot.

Just who in the world did he offend to warrant such a treatment?

It was just a moment ago that he was dragged back from the gates of hell, rekindling hope more in him. However, in the blink of an eye, he was shoved down into the abyss of despair once more!

Even though he had built up an extremely powerful foundation over the years, he knew very well that he would never survive even the first bolt of lightning from the billowing storm clouds above him!

"Calm down, everything will be fine. Just let those two make it a bit larger, and we'll be done." Noticing Elder Liao's panic, Zhang Xuan patted his shoulder and reassured him.

"..." Elder Liao felt even more stifled on the inside.

"Alright, I think it should be about time. Let's head out now." Seeing that the lightning tribulation had already congregated to its limit under the combined assault from the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast and Bai Yu, seemingly about to lose control at any moment, Zhang Xuan shook his head slightly in pity before beckoning Elder Liao to follow.

Theoretically speaking, it was possible for a lightning tribulation to grow stronger endlessly as long as it were to come under continual assault, but limited by its foundations, it would start crumbling apart once it grew beyond a certain size.

It was just like an engineer trying to modify a simple bucket and a spade into a massive excavator. It was simply an impossible act because of how poor the foundations they were working on were.

"We'll die if we head out at this point!" Elder Liao exclaimed with a pale face, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

Even though he had been through many life and death situations, he still could not help but feel natural apprehension and fear toward the might of the heavens.

"Die? Don't worry, that won't happen under my watch." Knowing what Elder Liao was frightened of, Zhang Xuan assured him with a radiant smile. "I'll help you deal with your lightning tribulation later on. What you have to do is release your strength whenever you see that the lightning tribulation is getting smaller or on the verge of escaping. Got that?"

"Lightning tribulation getting smaller? On the verge of escaping?" Elder Liao was dumbstruck by those terms. He could understand those words individually, but it became incomprehensible to him when strung together in a sentence. "Zhang shi, can you phrase it clearer? I don't understand what you are saying... I really don't..."

The lightning tribulation was a natural force sworn to never rest until the individual facing it finally succumbed, but why did it somehow become an adorable entity when filtered through your mouth?

What getting smaller and escaping... Do you take the lightning tribulation to be a pet in your house?

"It's fine that you don't get what I'm saying at this point. Just keep my instructions in mind and act accordingly later on." Knowing that it would be hard for him to explain this matter in a way that sounded convincing to Elder Liao, Zhang Xuan did not bother to elaborate further on the matter.

Instead, he flicked his wrist and took out various items to prepare as he began making his way out of the main hall.

"This..." Seeing how confident Zhang Xuan was, Elder Liao was a little lost for a moment. He briefly hesitated before he finally bucked up his courage and followed Zhang Xuan with a severe look on his face, reminiscent of a soldier marching to his death.

Zhang Yu gulped nervously before asking, "Fei shi, shall we head out to take a look too?"

"Un." Fei shi nodded.

Even though they were indoors, they could still somewhat sense the sheer size of the storm clouds through their Spiritual Perception. From how densely the lightning tribulation was gathered around them, they roughly estimated that it spanned over an area of a thousand mu. If it were to descend on them, it was likely that none of them would be able to escape.

But since Zhang Xuan was so confident about the matter, it would be worth heading out to see how he intended to deal with this crisis they were in.

Feng Ziyi quickly headed out as well, but barely after taking a few steps, he saw Zhang Yu stumbling over his own feet, nearly falling to the ground. He immediately frowned. "What's wrong?"

As a genius of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Yu should have been through plenty of huge affairs before. Surely, he need not be so frightened as to stumble over his own feet when they were not even completely out of the main hall yet, right?

Completely oblivious to Feng Ziyi's question, Zhang Yu stared at the sky with widened eyes as he muttered in a daze beneath his breath, "What the heck... is Zhang shi doing?"

Frowning, Feng Ziyi turned his gaze to the sky as well, and the sight that he saw left him frozen silly on the spot.

In this very instant, Zhang Xuan had whipped out a white cloth from somewhere and folded it neatly before his chest. He elegantly took out a cup of water and gargled his mouth, as if he was about to enjoy a sumptuous course in a top restaurant.

"Is he... going to eat?" Feng Ziyi scratched his head frenziedly at that sight.

He had been with his teacher for many years, but he had never heard of anyone getting so excited before the deeply feared lightning tribulation before!

Was that fellow here to challenge the lightning tribulation or dine on delicacies?

Kacha! Kacha!

In his moment of shock, he saw Zhang Xuan and Elder Liao walking out of the main hall. As soon as the star of the show appeared, the storm clouds in the sky immediately began rumbling intensely, seemingly ready to fall at any moment.

"Zhang shi, regardless of whether I am able to tide across this lightning tribulation or not, I would still like to thank you for saving my life." Elder Liao was still a little afraid prior to this, but upon seeing the vast expanse of storm clouds that plunged the entire world into darkness, he realized that there was no way he would be able to escape anymore.

It was either do or die. Perhaps it was the realization that he was completely helpless in this situation that made him accept the position he was in instead.

As someone who had bravely charged into the midst of the Boreal Fire Poison in order to fend off the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, Elder Liao was definitely no wimp, or else he would not have been promoted to become a managerial elder in the Sanctum of Sages in the first place.

"There's no need to waste your breath on such emotional words; nothing will happen to you. Just stay right here and wait for me. I'll be right back!" Zhang Xuan interjected with a wave of his hand before decisively leaping into the midst of the sea of lightning above.

"He's dashing right into the storm clouds?"

"But he'll die like that!"

Everyone was stunned. Even Hu Qing nearly fell from the sky upon seeing this sight.

They had seen cultivators who turned around as fast as they could upon meeting lightning, and they had also seen those who would bury themselves as deep underground as they could to hide from the lightning, but this was the first time they had seen someone dashing right into the lightning tribulation.

"Zhang shi..." Not expecting Zhang Xuan to make such a move, Elder Liao's eyes reddened in agitation.

The other party was dashing into the lightning tribulation all for him.

Just as he was about to dash in as well to assist the young man in fending off the lightning tribulation, the storm clouds suddenly billowed, and oddly enough, just as the young man had told him earlier, the storm clouds seemed to have contracted considerably.

"Hmm?" Perplexed, Elder Liao was just wondering whether he should release his energy as the young man had instructed him to do earlier, but then the lightning tribulation suddenly turned around and fled as if it had met its own nemesis.

Its speed was so fast that not even the fastest cultivator could possibly catch up with it.

Hu!

With the escape of the storm clouds, the sky swiftly cleared up, revealing Zhang Xuan's profile in the sky. In this moment, the young man was looking at the escaped storm cloud with a helpless look on his face. Just as he was about to speak up, his chest suddenly puffed up.

"Urrrrrpp!"

A resounding burp similar to the beating of a drum echoed crisp and clear.