Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 630: Guiding Hong shi

"Indeed!" Crown Prince Ye Qian also widened his eyes in astonishment.

Given how you arrogantly declared that you were going to challenge the three of them at once, I thought that you must have some kind of trump card that would allow you to defeat them. Or at the very least, you should have been able to fight on par with them. And yet... in just a moment, you were already bleeding from your nose. What are you up to?

How was this a duel? This was clearly a one-sided pummeling!

"Perhaps he hasn't caught the flow of the battle yet and accidentally got careless..."

Ye Qian tried to rationalize the situation before him but before he could finish his words, Luo Zhao's fist struck Hong shi's nose as well. Blood immediately spurted out from the latter's nose.

"Cough cough... Fine, I was mistaken. He isn't a match for the three of them at all..."

Ye Qian nearly choked on his saliva, and eventually, he shook his head in disappointment.

Hong shi wasn't weak at all, but fighting against three people with similar fighting prowess simultaneously was no easy feat. As the saying goes, 'hardly can two fists rival four hands'. But at this moment, Hong shi was facing six!

In the blink of an eye, he was already struck several times, and his face started swelling up.

Watching the sight from the banquet table, Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai were on the verge of going insane.

They thought that given how confident Zhang Xuan was, Hong shi would wipe the floor with the three of them and successfully win the slots for them. Who knew that he would be beaten up right from the start...

"Zhang shi, what's going on..."

They quickly turned their sights to Zhang Xuan, only to see the fellow with his eyes closed as if dozing off...

The duo immediately staggered on the spot.

It was just a moment that you convinced Hong shi to go up confidently, but now that the battle had begun, you actually started sleeping... What are you up to?

Even if you want to play a prank, you do know that now isn't the time, right?

If not for the fact that they had come together from Myriad Kingdom Alliance, they would have really thought that the other party was a spy...

"Zhang shi, what do I do?"

Under the furious assault of the three 5-star master teachers, Hong shi was about to come to the limit of his endurance. He quickly sent a telepathic message to Zhang shi.

Before the battle, Zhang shi told him that he would offer him some pointers to win after analyzing the movements of the other three. At this moment, his face had already swell to the size of a pig's head already, but the other party hadn't said a word at all. Panicking, he quickly turned his gaze over, but with a single look, tears immediately flowed down his eyes.

Aren't you going to look at their movements and analyze their flaws so as to offer me pointers?

Can you even see their movements with your eyes closed?

"I'm done for..."

In an instant, desolation struck Hong shi.

If he knew earlier, he would have never believed the nonsense of this fellow. Not only were they going to lose the three slots, he was even going to get beaten up badly at that... What the heck was this...

Just as Hong shi was giving all hope, he suddenly heard a faint voice sounding by his ear.

"Advance half a chi forward and inch slightly to the left. Use the Seventh Form of Origin Palm. Afterward, bend forward and use the Third Stroke of Dragon Capturing Palm..."

"Zhang shi..."

Hearing the voice, Hong shi suddenly jolted. He glanced to the side and saw that at some point, the young man had already opened his eyes, and a bright gleam glowed in it.

"Alright!"

Seeing the composed and confident posture of the other party, Hong shi couldn't help but feel inclined to trust him. Gritting his teeth, he immediately moved as the other party said.
……
...

"I thought that you might have grown formidable given how you dared to challenge the three of us at once. To think that you would be such a disappointment..."

After striking Hong shi's face squarely twice, confidence glowed brightly from Feng shi's face. At this moment, his wounds didn't seem to hurt as much anymore.

"Stop spouting nonsense. Beat him into surrendering first!"

Luo Zhao was also equally excited.

He was still burning with rage from being slapped in public. With such an ideal opportunity for vengeance lying right before him, how could he possibly allow it to slip by his fingers? Roaring furiously, his hands thrusted forward so quickly that it looked as though he had eight hands.

Spirit intermediate-tier battle technique, Hexad Arm Divine Fist!

"Indeed. Since he's courting death, let's grant his wish!"

Bellowing loudly, Chen Yue sent a kick over.

Even though his kick wasn't a battle technique, it was well-positioned to strike at Hong shi's blind spot.

Feng shi assaulting form the back, Luo Zhao from the top, and Chen Yue from the bottom. In an instant, the trio had sealed all routes of escape, rendering Hong shi in a desperate position.

Just when it was almost certain that Hong shi would surely be severely wounded in this encounter, as though having predicted his opponents' attacks, he suddenly moved forward and stepped into a spot out of range for all three attacks.

While he had already stepped out of range, the attacks from the trio didn't stop—or rather, they couldn't stop.

Feng Yu was punched in the head by Luo Zhao, Luo Zhao was kicked in the crotch by Chen Yue, and Chen Yue and struck in the chest by Feng Yu.

Peng! Crack! Huala!

Three loud sounds echoed simultaneously in the air. The trio found their vision darkening, and they nearly fainted on the spot.

In order to teach Hong shi a lesson he would never forget, they had harnessed their full strength behind the previous attack. How could they have known that they would hurt their own teammate instead?

"Damn it..."

With a roar, Feng Yu got back up and thrusted his fist at Hong shi furiously. But before his palm could reach, he saw a leg enlarging swiftly in his sight.

Peng!

His vision momentarily turned dark, and in the next instant, he was already flying in the air. His head crashed through one of the table of the banquet hall, leaving his lower half of his body twitching violently.

"You're seeking death..."

The overwhelming embarrassment that Luo Zhao felt from having struck one another earlier on sent blood gushing to his head. Furious, he charged forward and sent a fist straight toawrd Luo Zhao.

But Hong shi seemed to have predicted his move as well. The other party adeptly positioned himself at the blind spot of the fist and sent a kick over.

Peng!

He was struck in the crotch yet again.

"Wuuuuuuu..."

A cry of agony reminiscent of a rooster reverberated loudly in the hall. Luo Zhao immediately fell to the ground, curled together in a fashion similar to a prawn.

Even a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan expert like him couldn't possibly tolerate being struck twice consecutively in his weakest region. His heart jolted wildly as he suddenly realized that... he couldn't feel anything below...

"It's your turn!"

After sening two experts of the same tier flying, Hong shi suddenly found his confidence bursting through the roof. He took two steps forward before suddenly turning around swiftly with an outstretch palm.

Pah!

The sound of a palm striking a cheek echoed. Chen Yue staggered backward weakly, and a mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth. If one were to take a closer look, one could see three to four teeth amidst the bloodied mess.

Previously, when he struck Luo Zhao, he had held back. But now that they were in a battle, there was no longer any reason to do so. If not for the other party's enhanced physical resilience, the full might slap of a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan could have very well knocked his head off his neck.

Seeing this sight, the entire hall fell silent. Everyone's eyes were popping from their sockets, and they found themselves pushed to the brink of insanity.

Wasn't Hong shi still getting beaten up just a moment ago?

Everyone thought that it would just a short moment before he lost entirely. Yet... in the blink of an eye, he actually made such an astounding comeback!

To think that even the combined might of three Transcendent Mortal 6-dan experts couldn't even stop him. But if he was this formidable... how did he get beaten up in the first place?

"He saw through the enemy's movements and took countermeasures in advance. That is why Feng shi and the others are completely helpless before him!"

The hand that Wu Zhen was using to hold the wine glass turned visibly paler, and a grim expression appeared on his face.

Honestly, he didn't have much interest in the duels in such a remote place. Who could have thought that Hong shi would be such a fearsome person?

In just a few moments, he had already finished analyzing the other party's movements and made countermeasures for it.

This was no longer about cultivation but eye of discernment!

But how formidable must one's eye of discernment and deduction ability be to make this kind of judgements ten breaths into a battle?

Even Wu Zhen knew that he was incapable of such a feat!

"Probably only those monsters in the academy can achieve such a feat..."

A few figures surfaced in Wu Zhen's mind.

He was a formidable genius as well, and in a remote place like Huanyu Empire, his talent and cultivation were indeed envied by many. However, in Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, where all of the talented master teacher gathered, his skills could only be said to be average.

In fact, one of his companions in this trip, Luo Qiqi, possessed such astounding talent in fighting that he couldn't even start to compare with her.

Considering how Hong shi only managed to reach 5-star at such an advanced age, he honestly didn't think too highly of the other party. Thus, he never expected to see a battle adaptability that was on par with Luo Qiqi and the other monsters of the academy in him!

Are you for real?

"No, something is wrong. If Hong shi really possesses such capability, his name would have surely be known throughout entire Huanyu Empire. It also doesn't make sense how Luo Zhao and the others managed to strike him earlier on either if that was the case."

Wu Zhen frowned.

Earlier, when Hong shi was attacked by the three simultaneously, he panicked, causing his movements to be riddled with flaws and poor judgement. If he had such talent in battle, he should have shown it right from the start. It didn't make sense for him to suddenly be 'boosted' in the midst of the battle.

"Could it be..."

A slight frown appeared on Wu Zhen's forehead, and he quickly turned his gaze over to the young man who took the initiative to volunteer Hong shi for the battle.

The young man's lips was quivering slightly. Clearly, he was sending instructions telepathically to Hong shi.

"Telepathic communication? As I expected!"

It was obvious that Hong shi was reluctant to face the three in battle, and he had only agreed to it under the insistence of this fellow. Since this fellow had put Hong shi up to it, he must be confident of victory. Thus, Wu Zhen turned his suspicions to this person, and it seemed like his doubts were proven right.

"But still, a 4-star master teacher actually managed to influence the outcome of a battle among 5-star master teachers through his pointers? How can that be?"

The more Wu Zhen thought about it, the more shocked he felt.

There were two realms of different between Transcendent Mortal 4-dan and Transcendent Mortal 6-dan, but more importantly, there was a fundamental difference in their fighting style as well due to the utilization of soul.

Rationally speaking, it should have been impossible for the other party to understand the fighting patterns of Feng shi and others given his current cultivation realm... But reality had proven that not only did he understand their fighting patterns, he was even able to decipher it, granting Hong shi an opportunity to make a complete comeback. This eye of discernment... was so impressive that it was fearsome.

"I can verify my hypothesis just by trying it out!"

After a moment of shock, Wu Zhen suddenly thought of something and his lips crept up.

"Zhang shi!"

With a loud shout, Wu Zhen's voice reverberated throughout the entire hall.

"Hm?"

Stunned, Zhang Xuan turned his head over.

He didn't expect the Senior Wu whom even the crown prince had to treat with utmost respect would suddenly call for him.

Peng peng!

AHH!

In Zhang Xuan's momentary lapse of concentration, the sound of fists and legs sinking into flesh sounded, and a cry of agony accompanied it.

With the abrupt termination of Zhang Xuan's guidance, Hong shi fell into a disadvantageous position and was currently in the midst of being lynched once again.

"An inch diagonally to your forward right. Then, turn around and execute the Eighth Stroke of Dragon Capturing Palm..."

Zhang Xuan began sending instructions telepathically once more.

Hu hu hu!

Under his instructions, Hong shi regained the upper hand once more, suppressing the trio to the point that they could hardly catch a breather.

"Zhang shi!"

But at that moment, Wu shi's shout boomed across the room once more.

"Yes?"

Zhang Xuan turned around.

Peng peng!

AHH!

Hong shi screamed in agony once more.

"The hell!"

Seeing how Hong shi was struck the instant his instructions stopped, Zhang Xuan hurriedly turned his attention back and instructed, "Leap up slightly and once you land on the ground, retreat seven steps immediately..."

"Zhang shi!"

But before Zhang Xuan could finish his words, Wu Zhen's voice boomed across the room once more.

"What do you want?"

Zhang Xuan was on the verge of breakdown.

"I... am just shouting casually, you don't need to bother about me!"

Wu Zhen waved his hands casually.

"..." Zhang Xuan.

The hell, was this fellow really a talented student from Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy?

Why was he so childish?

While Zhang Xuan was sighing helplessly, in the dueling ring, Hong shi was crying. "Zhang shi, can you keep your attention here... You can't toy with me like that. If this goes on, I really might just die..."



Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 631: Lake Eye

Seeing that Hong shi was on the verge of a breakdown, Zhang Xuan couldn't be bothered with Wu Zhen anymore. He focused all of his attention into instructing Hong shi to victory.

On the other hand, Wu Zhen, having affirmed his hypothesis, no longer called Zhang Xuan anymore as well.

A few minutes later.

Feng Yu, Luo Zhao, and Chen Yue were lying on the floor, their bodies filled with wounds. They had surrendered.

They had no choice but to do so. No matter what they did, Hong shi seemed to always be a step ahead of them, leaving them completely helpless. If this were to go on, they might even die. Since that was the case, they might as well admit defeat.

The trio suffered such grievous injuries that probably even their own parents would find it hard to recognize them. If there was any consolation to them, it was that Hong shi wasn't in a good shape either. His cheeks and eyes were swollen red, his entire body was shaking unsteadily, there was blood all over him... If not for some kind of tenacity driving him, he would have also collapsed to the ground as well.

"Alright. Since Feng shi, Luo shi, and Chen shi have admitted defeat, the three slots shall be contributed by their team!"

Ye Qian was also surprised to see Hong shi emerge victorious in the battle.

He didn't possess Wu Zhen's sharp intuition, so he failed to see through the little trick involved here. As such, he thought that Wu shi had defeated the trio with his own strength, and this had left him impressed.

"Wu shi, may I request for a cup of medicinal wine for Wu shi's injuries?"

Seeing the severe injuries Hong shi had sustained, Zhang Xuan felt a little guilt-ridden. Thus, he stood up and walked over to Wu shi.

If not for this damned fellow calling him time and time again, even though Hong shi would still have suffered injuries, it wouldn't be as severe as it was now.

"Un!"

Wu shi did also feel a little embarrassed by his previous actions, so he took out the medicinal wine and poured out a cup.

Zhang Xuan infused a surge of zhenqi into the medicinal wine before passing it over to Hong shi for him to drink it.

It was only in the body that zhenqi could be stored for extended periods of time. In other words, while the gourd of medicinal wine in Wu shi might still be effective now, it would slowly turn back into ordinary wine.

As the Heaven's Path zhenqi contained in the wine flowed through Hong shi's bloodstream, his injuries began to heal.

"Thank you, Wu shi and Zhang shi!"

With his injuries recovered, Hong shi felt refreshed. He quickly clasped his fist in gratitude.

He really thought that he would die just now. Honestly speaking, he didn't expect Zhang shi to be so formidable as to be able to issue instructions that would lead him to an easy victory.

After all, those were master teachers of the same rank as him... Even in a one-to-one, he dared not say he would win. While he had suffered grievous injuries in this battle, he felt that it was worth it given that he was able to defeat the three of them.

With this, he had brought glory to Hongfeng Empire!

"There's no need to stand on ceremony..."

Wu shi waved his hands. After which, he turned his gaze to Zhang Xuan in interest.

However, knowing that this wasn't the occasion to be asking anything, he eventually turned away without asking anything.

"Wu shi, can we get a cup of medicinal wine as well?"

As soon as Zhang Xuan and Hong shi returned to their seats, Feng shi, Luo shi, and Chen shi walked up to Wu shi and asked.

They had seen Hong shi making a complete recovery after drinking the medicinal wine, and this had left them green in envy. Feeling the aches throughout their bodies, they toughened up their courage and walked over to ask.

"Fine!"

Wu shi eyelids twitched. He was unwilling to offer the medicinal wine to them, but eventually, he still took it out and poured a cup for each of them.

"Our gratitude to Wu shi!"

They quickly drank it down, and a spicy taste rushed up their throat.

After waiting for a moment, they realized that their injuries were still as severe as before. Perplexed, they asked, "Wu shi, could you have taken the wrong gourd..."

"Impossible, this is surely the one that I received earlier..."

Wu shi frowned. "It might not be working as well due to your severe injuries. Why don't you try applying it externally?"

Saying so, he poured another cup for them.

"You're right!"

Previously, Zhang Xuan also poured the wine on Bi shi's arm to heal it. Perhaps due to their injuries being much more severe, its effectiveness might be limited through consumption.

With such thoughts in mind, they poured the wine carefully on their injuries.

Tzzzzz!

The burning sensation of the alcohol left them gritting their teeth in pain. They waited for a long moment, but there was no sign of their injuries recovering. On the contrary, there were signs that pus was forming instead. Feng Yu, Luo Zhao, and Chen Yue were stumped.

Isn't this a Saint recovery medicine that will allow us a full recovery just by applying it?

Then why are our wounds not healing that? On top of that, what is with that sharp pain accompanied with a slight itch on them?

Hong shi obviously recovered after drinking the wine given though! Could Wu shi have offered them a smaller portion out of his bias?

"Wu shi, I think we might need more medicine. Can you give us a few more cups..."

Luo Zhao asked timidly.

"Scram!"

Wu shi howled.

You must be joking! There is only a gourd of the recovery wine Hong shi have, and yet you ask for a cup after another. That's enough of you!

But still, he did feel a little perplexed over the matter. Was the effectiveness weakened due to their serious injuries?

That must be the case!

After all, the few of them did look slightly better than they did before.

In truth, while most of the zhenqi that Zhang Xuan had infused into the wine had dissipated, some of it still lingered.

Thus, even though Luo Zhao and the others didn't make a full recovery like Hong shi, they still recovered significantly. Their wounds had stopped bleeding, and walking wasn't a problem for them anymore.

"..." Seeing Wu shi flying into a rage, Luo Zhao and the others didn't dare to push their case any further. Thus, they hurriedly returned.
……
...

"Since the slots have been decided, let's allocate the zones now!"

Since the distribution of the slots had been confirmed, Ye Qian turned to look at the crowd and said, "The Cleansing Lake is infused with the spiritual energy from the Verdant Mountain and Dragon-scaled River, granting it the ability to nourish one's soul. As such, this spirit lake is known as the divine land of Huanyu Empire. Even members of the royal family are not allowed to enter the premises as they please—they have to obey the rules of entering only once per decade, at the time of the opening of the Cleansing Lake."

"Since you should about these, I won't elaborate too much on it!"

Hong shi and the others nodded.

This matter was public knowledge.

"As a blessed land for cultivators, the Cleansing Lake possesses mystical effects to the soul. However, one thing you might be unaware of is that it's also an extremely dangerous place. The slightest carelessness could possibly result in death!"

Ye Qian spoke grimly.

"An extremely dangerous place? Death?"

"Isn' it a spirit lake rich in spiritual energy?"

"Indeed, why would it be dangerous?"
……
...

Everyone was taken aback.

Even Luo Zhao, Feng Yu, and the others also frowned questioningly.

They had heard of the Cleansing Lake's unique property in nourishing one's soul and advance one's cultivation, but they had never known it to be fraught with danger.

What kind of danger could a lake rich in spiritual energy possibly have?

"It's no lie that the Cleansing Lake is a spirit lake. However, the current of the lake is extremely violent, and even a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan cultivator could be killed easily if he were to enter it! Back then, when our founding ancestor found this blessed land, he sent in his men to investigate the region, only to have none of them return."

Ye Qian explained gravely.

"Even Transcendent Mortal 9-dan cultivators could be killed easily?"

Everyone was stunned. "Then..."

If even a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan cultivator couldn't survive the currents of the lake, aren't they seeking death by entering it?

What kind of blessed land for cultivation was this?

"There's no need to panic, allow me to finish my words first!"

Seeing the shocked expression on everyone's faces, Ye Qian chuckled, "The dangers regarding the Cleansing Lake are very true, I'm not exaggerating it in any way. However, there's a solution to the matter. After many years of scouting and innumerable lives paving the way forward, we finally uncovered some of the secrets of the lake. There's a safe zone in the Cleansing Lake where cultivators can enjoy the benefits of the lake without being crushed into pieces!"

"We call this location as the 'Lake Eye'. The Lake Eye is where the spiritual energy from the various sources intersect and form a fragile balance, thus creating a safe zone. However, the Lake Eye will only appear once every ten years."

"Lake Eye?"

"Once every ten years? Is this the reason why the Cleansing Lake only opens once every ten years?"

"That must be the case..."

Upon hearing the explanation, everyone suddenly came to a realization.

They had always been puzzled as to why the Cleansing Lake only opened once every ten year. Initially, they thought that the royal family was just maintaining a monopoly over the lake, but from the looks of it now, they were sorely mistaken. The true reason was to protect them from danger.

"Lake Eyes aren't too big—each of them only have a radius of around two meters each. Furthermore, the amount of spiritual energy harnessed in each of them is limited as well. Once all of the energy inside is fully absorbed, the Lake Eye will collapse inward! In other words, the person cultivating inside a Lake Eye must escape immediately upon realizing the spiritual energy inside is dying out. Otherwise, one might just lose his life in the lake."

Ye Qian said.

"Radius of two meters? The amount of spiritual energy harnessed is limited? Then..."

Everyone was perplexed.

Considering that fifteen people were entering the Cleansing Lake, how could a Lake Eye with a radius of two meters possibly be enough?

If they were to take turns, considering how the spiritual energy in the Lake Eye was limited, they would have to decide on the order of entry as well!

"As everyone should know, when a soul is trapped within a body, it is equivalent to having a cage around it. Under such circumstances, its growth will be severely limited!"

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

The body of an ordinary cultivator was no different from a shackle to a soul, locking it tightly in place.

Even if one were to obtain manuals to cultivate one's soul, one's soul would still be limited to the boundaries of one's body.

To make an analogy, it was just like a potted plant. No matter how far the roots of a plant could reach, it would be confined to the limits of the pot.

"After making many calculations, we have found that the time limit for both Consonant Spirit realm and Cosmos Bridge realm cultivators is three days. Any longer than that and the Cleansing Lake will be rendered ineffective. Besides, three days is also the duration that a Lake Eye can maintain itself for. As such, the empire has determined a time limit of three days for this."

Ye Qian said. "The champions for the Master Teacher Tournament will be given three days, first runner-up two days, and second runner-up one day!"

The crowd nodded.

This was also the prize promised in the Master Teacher Tournament.

The first place will be given three days to cultivate at Cleansing Lake, the second place two days, and the third place one day.

"Everyone must be perplexed as to how a Lake Eye with a radius of two meters can have fifteen people cultivating in it at the same time... In truth, ten Lake Eye will appear each time the Cleansing Lake opens!"

"Ten?"

"That's right, ten! Based on previous rules, the five champions of the Master Teacher Tournament will be granted a Lake Eye of their own to cultivate for three days whereas the second and third place will share a Lake Eye, and they will cultivate for two days and one day respectively."

Ye Qian continued.

The five champions would take up five Lake Eye on their own whereas the ten second places and third places, due to their differing cultivation duration as per their prize, would share the other five. In this way, the ten Lake Eyes were fairly distributed.

"However... this year is an exception!"

At which, Ye Qian paused for a moment before continuing, "Sixth Princess, Senior Wu, and the others would require a Lake Eye each, and I also need an individual one as well. Thus... you will have to share the remaining five amongst yourselves!"



Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 632: I'll Challenge All of You

"We have to share the remaining five?"

Everyone frowned.

This was especially for the champions in Feng shi, Luo shi, and Chen shi's group.

Under normal circumstances, they would be entitled to an entire Lake Eye themselves. However, now that they had to share their resources, there would surely be insufficient spiritual energy in the lake for them to cultivate for three days.

But while they felt indignant, there was nothing they could do. The Sixth Princess, Wu Zhen, and the others were Grade 2 students from the Master Teacher Academy, as well as their future seniors. It would be improper to have them share the Lake Eye while they take one up for themselves.

Putting everything aside, even if the Sixth Princess volunteered to share her Lake Eye... who would dare to take up the offer?

To dishonor the princess of Hongyuan Empire, a 5-star master teacher... only if one was tired of living.

"Un. I feel apologetic toward you regarding this matter as well. I'll leave the distribution of the Lake Eye to you all!"

Ye Qian said apologetically. "I'm fine with any allocation you all decide upon!"

"We get to choose? Alright then!" Luo Zhao hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I have a proposal. Other than the crown prince, there's still another master teacher from Huanyu Empire. He, along with Hongfeng Empire, will share two Lake Eye, whereas Hongfeng, Qianfeng, and Zhuyue will take the remaining three!"

"Indeed, we'll concede since Hongfeng Empire won the duel. I'm willing to give them the two Lake Eyes!" Chen Yue and Feng Yu's eyes lit up.

If they could take down one Lake Eye each, they could have their top three cultivate a day each in the Lake Eye. This would be the best deal they could take.

"No way!"

Hong shi frowned.

In the previous duel, the other party had already lost three slots, and they only had six people who could enter the Cleansing Lake. Six people sharing three Lake Eye against four people sharing two Lake Eye, wouldn't their position be equal then?

What would be the point of the previous duel then?

You must be joking!

"Then what do you want?"

Luo Zhao frowned.

"We want the two Lake Eyes independently! The remaining three shall be shared among you and the master teacher from Huanyu Empire!"

Hong shi said.

"You want to take two Lake Eyes independently? You're dreaming!" Feng Yu and Chen Yue harrumphed.

Even if they were to consider the three slots they had just lost, if they were to allow Hongfeng Empire to take two Lake Eyes independently, that would be equivalent to seven people sharing three Lake Eyes. That would be a huge disadvantage to them, how could they agree to it?

"I disagree to it as well!" Luo Zhao shook his head.

"You disagree to the matter? Then why don't we fight once more to decide this? Since we have all taken the medicinal wine and our injuries are mostly healed!"

Hong shi flung his sleeves and stood up.

After winning a match against the three of them, he was overflowing with confidence.

"Fight?"

The mouths of Luo Zhao and the others twitched.

Fight your head! Besides, which eye of you saw that our injuries are mostly recovered?

You're able to walk perfectly fine but everyone can clearly see that we're limping around. We weren't able to defeat you earlier on when we were in a better condition, how could we possibly defeat you now?

"Why? You dare not accept my challenge? Stop finding excuses! Each of you had two cups of medicinal wine earlier whereas I only took one. Even though I look fine on the surface, my injuries are as severe as yours!"

Hong shi lifted his eyebrows.

"The heck with your as severe as yours!"

Luo Zhao and the others were rendered speechless.

You are able to walk around perfectly normally whereas we can't even sit steadily, and you say that your injuries are as severe as ours? You sure are thick-skinned, you know...

"Fine, let's fight then. However, it won't be us since we just had a match, and there would be little point in repeating the same thing. Why don't we have the other members of our group clash it out!"

Gritting his teeth, Chen Yue gestured to the members of his group behind him.

"Indeed, instead of fighting once more, why don't we leave it to them to determine the distribution of the Lake Eye. In any case, they are the ones who are impacted by the ultimate outcome!"

Luo Zhao's eyes shone with excitement as he quickly nodded in agreement. "The winning team will get to choose which of the two proposals we'll go by!"

"No! Like I said just now, the members of your teams have consumed Consonant Spirit Pills, and this is unfair to my team!"

Seeing the other party insists on dueling with Zhang shi and the others, Hong shi hurriedly rejected the idea.

Even the member with the weakest cultivation amongst them was a small realm higher than the member with the highest cultivation in his group. How could his group possibly win the duel?

If he were to agree to the duel, there would be no doubt that they would lose.

"The Consonant Spirit Pill can only be found in the capital, and in this sense, we're all on equal standing. You only have yourself to blame for a lack of preparation for the matter!"

Feng Yu harrumphed, "So do you dare or not? Let me just remind you that we have the majority here. If you insist on having it your way, we can just bypass your objection when it comes down to it!"

"Indeed. We need not waste our time arguing with you. If you refuse to agree to the duel, I suggest you just admit defeat!" Luo Zhao added.

The three of them had already made up their minds to never fight with Hong shi ever again, so it was impossible for them to accept the latter's challenge.

On the other hand, the men that they brought here had already consumed a Consonant Spirit Pill each. With their superior cultivation, wouldn't it be a walk in the park for them to suppress those from Hongfeng Empire?

"You..."

Seeing the three of them gang up against him, Hong shi's breathing hastened in anger. He was just about to say something when Zhang Xuan suddenly interjected.

"Alright then, we can accept your challenge... however, don't you think a three versus three is a too troublesome?"

"Troublesome?"

Seeing the same fellow from before speaking up again, Feng Yu and Luo Zhao narrowed their eyes, "Then what do you suggest?"

"Simple, I'll face all nine of your men alone. I don't mind whether you come one by one or all at the same time. As long as you defeat me, our Hongfeng Empire will give all of our Lake Eyes to you... but if you were to lose, you are to give all of your Lake Eyes to us. What do you think of it?"

Zhang Xuan glanced at them with a faint smile.

"You want to fight nine people singlehandedly?"

"This fellow must be joking!"

"Indeed! A mere Transcendent Mortal 4-dan cultivator actually thinks he could defeat nine Consonant Spirit realm cultivators in a duel? He must be dreaming!"
……
...

In an instant, an uproar broke out in the room.

Having emerged triumphant from the Master Teacher Tournaments in their respective region, they were all proud geniuses. How could they possibly allow a fellow who was far weaker than them to mock them? This was intolerable!

"Luo shi, allow us to teach that arrogant brat a lesson! He has been grating on my nerves right from the start!"

A young man standing behind Luo Zhao stood up, and his aura suddenly burst forth—Consonant Spirit realm advanced stage!

He possessed the strongest fighting prowess even among the other eight who consumed Consonant Spirit Pills as well.

"Feng shi, I'll go. That fellow caused you so much pain. If I don't get him apologizing on his knees, I will be unworthy to be called a master teacher of Fengyuan Empire!"

A young man behind Feng shi also stood up.

Following the duo, the other seven people behind Feng shi, Luo shi, and Chen shi also couldn't remain seated any longer, and they glared at Zhang Xuan furiously. If looks could kill, he would have been torn to shreds then.

"Are you certain you want to duel with him?"

Seeing the agitation and anger in everyone's eyes, Luo shi asked once more.

"That's right!"

"That fellow has no respect for his elders at all, he deserves to be taught a lesson!"

The group of nine hollered angrily.

Very few people knew that Feng shi had plummeted from the sky due to this fellow, but they had seen how he made things difficult for Luo shi earlier.

In fact, the duel between Hong shi and the three pavilion masters was his idea as well. Not to mention, he was uttering such arrogant words at the moment. Unforgivable!

"This..."

Luo shi turned to Feng shi and Chen shi.

This matter was important, he dared not represent the entire group.

After all, no one thought that Hong shi would be able to defeat the three of them earlier as well... but reality shoved the contrary to their faces.

This fellow may seem to be the weakest of the group, but what if he had some trump cards up his sleeves?

"To think that you would have to hesitate so long at my challenge! If you dare not accept it, we can drop the idea... I knew that you were all spineless cowards! Master teachers? Geniuses? Pui!"

Before Feng shi and Chen shi could make their stand, the young man before them shook his head in disappointment.

"You..."

Luo shi and the others exploded into rage.

This fellow was really too much!

This was especially with the expression on his face at this moment, he was clearly making a mockery out of them!

"Fine, we'll accept the challenge! However, I want to confirm if you can represent your entire team."

Gritting his teeth savagely, Luo Zhao asked.

"If I were to lose, all of Hongfeng's Lake Eyes will be given to you. If you were to lose, all of your Lake Eyes will be given to us. Rest assured, my words can represent my team!" Zhang Xuan said nonchalantly.

"Alright then!"

Luo Zhao gestured to the person behind him. "Li Xiulian!"

"Luo shi!"

The Consonant Spirit realm advanced stage expert who was the first to confront Zhang Xuan earlier stepped forward.

He was the champion of Qianfeng Empire's Master Teacher Tournament, Xiulian gongzi.

"Go up and teach him a lesson. Make him know that there's always a mountain higher than the other!" Clenching his fists tightly, Luo Zhao instructed angrily.

In a normal duel between master teachers, no matter how angry either sides was at the other, they would be instructed to stop once the victor was clear. Yet, Luo shi was now telling Xiulian gongzi to beat Zhang Xuan up thoroughly. This reflected how angry he was at this moment.

"Don't worry, Luo shi! I'll have him know the difference between Clarifying Turbidity realm and Consonant Spirit realm!"

Harrumphing coldly, Xiulian gongzi stepped forward and gestured to Zhang Xuan. "Aren't you arrogant? Come, let me see if your skills are as formidable as your mouth!"

"Zhang shi... be careful!"

Hong shi said worriedly.

He had great confidence in Zhang shi's skill... but the opponent he was facing was a Consonant Spirit realm advanced stage cultivator. There was simply too huge a gap between the both of them!

If he were to lose, Hongfeng Empire would lose all of their Lake Eyes, and everything they had done before would be in vain.

Behind him, Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai were frowning deeply.

Zhang shi had indeed performed spectacularly back in Myriad Kingdom Alliance, but still, they found it hard to believe that he could match a Consonant Spirit realm advanced stage cultivator.

"Don't worry!"

Noticing the worry in everyone's eyes, Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly. He walked to the center of the room and glanced at the young man before saying, "I don't think you'll suffice. You should have the eight of them up as well. Otherwise, I would feel like I'm bullying you all!"

"You..."

Seeing how the other party was still spouting such arrogant words now, Xiulian gongzi clenched his fists tightly. "There's no need for it! I'm more than enough to handle you!"

Hu!

Roaring angrily, he charged forward and smashed a fist at Zhang Xuan's face.

At Consonant Spirit realm advanced stage, one's soul was one with one's body. Amidst the furious gust of wind, there was a soul pressure that rendered one incapable of sprouting any thoughts of retaliation.

If it was any other Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle cultivator, he would have lost instantly to this blow without making a single move at all.

But Zhang Xuan was no ordinary Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle cultivator. Upon seeing the fist, he simply chuckled lightly. Bending his middle finger and thumb together... he flicked lightly.

Peng!

The tip of Zhang Xuan's figner collided with Xiulian gongzi's fist. Before the latter could even process what was going on, he was flying in the air. After a flight of roughly a dozen meters, he crashed into one of the vats of wine placed in the distance, soaking his entire body wet.

Placing his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan stared down on Xiulian gongzi, who was lying weakly on the floor, and chuckled, "It seems like you aren't enough at all!"



Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 633: Fighting With Closed Eyes

Silence.

Everyone rubbed their eyes forcefully, thinking that their eyes might be playing tricks on them.

That was a Transcendent Mortal 5-dan Consonant Spirit realm advanced stage expert! Despite exerting an attack of full might, he was actually sent flying back with a light flick of the other party's fingers...

How much strength did that flick harness?

"How could a Consonant Spirit realm expert be sent flying with a single flick..."

Hong shi widened his eyes, and he subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

To achieve that feat with a flick, one must have perfect understanding of the force and trajectory of the attack. Even Hong shi himself would find it hard to accomplish such a feat in a real battle!

Yet, the other party managed to do it so easily... Could the other party's Clarifying Turbidity realm be feigned? Could the other party actually be at Cosmos Bridge realm just like him?

But that couldn't be! He was around when the other party achieved a breakthrough to Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle. To reach Cosmos Bridge realm within a short month? Impossible!

"It seems like... he didn't use his full strength when he fought with me back then. To think that I thought that I would be able to surpass him as long as I put in some hard work..."

Bi Jianghai widened his eyes in shock at the scene as tears threatened to flow down his eyes.

He thought that luck had played a huge factor in the other party's victory over him, and as long as he cultivate diligently, he should be able to catch up very quickly. But at this moment, he realized that... he couldn't be any more mistaken than that.

The other party probably didn't even use a tenth of his true strength when fighting with him!

Putting everything aside, even ten of him wouldn't survive that flick!

Luo Xuan also felt his throat turning dry.

He had bragged before his teacher, Luo Huang, that Zhang shi was nothing when the other party induced Ten Li of Vacuum with his Spirit Gathering Dictum at the next moment. Now, the other party even defeated a Transcendent Mortal 5-dan Consonant Spirit realm advanced stage expert with a single flick of his finger...

How could he ever match up to him?

It felt like they existed in completely different dimensions!

"How in the world did that fellow do it?"

Crown Prince Ye Qian uttered in disbelief.

"That single flick from Zhang shi... probably harnesses a might of at least 5,000,000 ding!" Narrowing his eyes, Wu Zhen analyzed.

"5,000,000 ding? This... Isn't he just a Clarifying Turbidity realm cultivator?"

Ye Qian swayed feebly from astonishment.

A typical Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle cultivator should only possess 1,600,000 ding of strength. In fact, even a Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle cultivator would only possess 3,200,000 ding of strength. 5,000,000 ding, that was a might comparable to a Cosmos Bridge realm intermediate stage cultivator! How could a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan harness such force?

"I've no idea either. However, the Master Teacher Continent is extremely big, and there are many unique constitutions out there. Based on what I know, there are indeed some people who possess the talent of Herculean strength. While their cultivation may not be particularly high, they are able to exert strength far beyond their cultivation realm!"

Wu Zhen said.

"Senior is saying that he might have a unique constitution that augments his strength? Then... could he be just like that person?" Ye Qian suddenly recalled something and asked.

"Indeed, he's probably just like that senior!"

Wu Zhen nodded. Turning back to look at Zhang Xuan, he said, "Seems like a formidable figure is about to rise from your Huanyu Empire!"

"If he really does possess that kind of talent, then indeed!" Recalling 'that person's' extraordinary and fearsome abilities, Ye Qian couldn't conceal his agitation.

Given that Zhang shi originated from Huanyu Empire, if he were to make it big, the standing of the empire would also rise proportionately.

"It's still a little too early to come to a conclusion now. Let's watch on first!"

Ignoring the other party's agitation, Wu Zhen said.

"Un!" Ye Qian replied as he turned his sight back to the dueling ring anxiously.
……
...

Zhang Xuan's feat of defeating Xiulian gongzi in a single blow had left everyone flabbergasted. Luo shi and the others had their mouths widened, unable to utter a single word.

"There is something disquietening about this fellow. The rest of you should attack together!"

It took awhile before Luo shi could recover, and he immediately instructed anxiously.

All of their slots for the Cleansing Lake, which came only once every decade, was at stake here. It might seem a little underhanded, but there was no other choice now!

Hu!

Hearing those words, the remaining eight members immediately stepped forth and surrounded Zhang Xuan.

"You are all coming at me together? Good!"

Zhang Xuan stretched his back lazily.

Previously, when he offered instructions to Hong shi in his battle, he suddenly thought of something. This group of people came at a perfect moment, he could use them to verify his doubts.

Hu!

With a quick dash, Zhang Xuan immediately appeared before one of the eight. Without any intricate movements, he raised his palm and thrust it toward the man.

"Damn it!"

Seeing that he was the first one to be attacked, the young man's face darkened. Howling furiously, he gathered his strength from every ounce of muscle in his body and struck back.

Just as the fist and palm were about to collide with one another, Zhang shi's figure suddenly swayed before him. Before he knew it, a leg suddenly flew toward his abdomen.

"The heck!"

The young man's eyes nearly popped out from his sockets upon seeing the leg. Before he could even exclaim in shock, he was already sent flying. Huge mouthfuls of blood spewed from his mouth.

He was on the verge of tears. Wasn't this way too underhanded! Given how the other party looked as though he had put all of his strength into that palm, he could have never guessed that it was only a feint, and that the real threat was lying beneath!

After sending one flying, Zhang Xuan immediately stepped backward. His movement had allowed him to dodge the fist of another master teacher who was attempting to backstab him while his attention was preoccupied. Following which, he jerked his arm and struck the other party's lower jaw.

Hu!

That master teacher immediately saw the sight before darken before he flew into the air.

Peng peng peng peng!

After dealing with the two, Zhang Xuan treaded around the remaining six as though a phantom. It was as if he could foresee how his opponents would collaborate with one another and how they would attack. Every single time he launched an attack, someone would surely be sent flying.

"As I expected!"

As the group was being cleared one by one, the gleam in Zhang Xuan's eyes gradually brightened.

When he instructed Hong shi on how he should deal with Luo shi and the others, he attempted to use the Library of Heaven's Path to see their flaws. He thought there would be a total of three books compiled on Luo Zhao, Feng Yu, and Chen Yue respectively, but to his surprise, only one was formed.

Written on it was the flaws of the collaboration among the trio.

In other words, the Library of Heaven's Path had viewed their collaboration as an entirety and evaluated on it as a whole.

Through exploiting the flaws written on the book, not only would one be able to interrupt the opponents' momentum, one would also be able to predict the opponents' movements and defeat them easily.

In other words, with this ability, it mattered not to Zhang Xuan how many oppoentns he had to face.

This was precisely the reason why he wanted to challenge all nine of them at once to test it out.

And the effects really didn't let him down. Despite fighting eight opponents whose cultivation was significantly higher than his, he didn't feel the slightest pressure at all.

"Un. I'll exploit this flaw this time. Move left by three chi and launch a back kick..."

While Zhang Xuan's consciousness was immersed in the Library of Heaven's Path, his body was moving accordingly to exploit the flaws written on the books, thus dodging every single attack of his opponents and counterattacking at every possible opportunity.

"These fellows' collaboration is really poor. There are flaws here and there. Sigh, I'm finding hard to decide which flaw I should exploit from this huge list... How frustrating!"

After kicking another one flying, Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella stressfully.

The other party had only formed a team on the spot, so there were a lot of flaws in their collaboration. There were several hundreds listed throughout the entire book. It was fortunate that Zhang Xuan didn't suffer from decidophobia or else he would surely faint from stress!

But even so, the huge range of possible flaws to exploit and counterattacks he could make still made him feel a little troubled.

Instead of getting tired from fighting, he was suffering due to the astounding number of ways to defeat his opponents. If his opponents were to learn from this, they would surely cry themselves to death.

"Forget it, I'll just point randomly at the flaws. Whichever I point on would be the one I'll exploit!"

Closing his eyes, Zhang Xuan randomly pointed at a part of the book, and the flaw he was pointing toward immediately surfaced in his mind.

"Alright, this will be it!"

Having decided on the flaw to exploit, Zhang Xuan swiftly analyzed the way to best exploit it before diving into the crowd once more.

Peng peng peng peng!

Yet another scream of agony echoed in the hall.
……
...

In the royal palace located not too far away from the crown prince's Eastern Palace.

Emperor Ye Wentian was seated on his high throne.

Standing before him was a green-robed elder with snowy-white beard. He carried an exceptional aura that reflected both erudition and composure.

If Hong shi was here, he would surely be able to recognize the other party as his teacher, the pavilion master of the Huanyu Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, 5-star high-tier Master Teacher Wei Jiang!

"The Cleansing Lake would be opening tomorrow, I wonder how the matter regarding the distribution of the slots is going on!" Ye Wentian muttered with a frown.

It was Ye Qian's initiative to befriend the Sixth Princess and the others. As such, he decided to leave this entire matter for Ye Qian to handle. It had been awhile since the banquet had begun, so he began to wonder if the matter had been decided already or not.

"Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. His Highness has always been a composed and reliable person, not to mention, he's also a genius master teacher as well. A matter as small as this can't possibly stumble him!"

Wei Jiang smiled. "Besides, didn't you send someone to look into that matter? He should be coming back to report on the matter very soon."

"You're right!" Ye Wentian smiled. "It might be my age catching up with me, I'm finding myself worrying over the smallest matters nowadays..."

Ye Wentian sighed deeply. At that moment, a guard suddenly walked into the room with a dumbstruck face.

"How is it? Is the matter regarding the distribution of slots confirmed yet?"

Ye Wentian asked with a frown.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the matter has been settled..." The guard hurriedly clasped his fist.

"Oh? How was it settled? Tell me about it!" Ye Wentian asked in curiosity.

"The matter regarding the slots to enter the Cleansing Lake was decided by a duel among the Four Great Vassal States..."

The guard said.

"A duel? That is a wise decision. It would indeed be good to have the young geniuses from each Vassal State interact with oen another..."

Ye Wentian chuckled.

"That's not it... it's not the young geniuses from the Vassal States who fought with one another but... Hong shi from Hongfeng Empire singlehandedly facing Luo shi, Feng shi, and Chen shi! Furthermore..."

At which, the guard suddenly paused for a short moment. It seemed as though he was still trying to convince himself that he wasn't dreaming. "Hong shi managed to defeat all three of the pavilion masters... And thus, the three slots are to be contributed by Hongfeng, Qianfeng, and Zhuyue Empire!"

"You mean that... Hong Qian singlehandedly defeated Luo Zhao, Feng Yu, and Chen Yue?" Jiang Wei widened his eyes in disbelief. "Describe the duel to me in detail!"

"Yes!" The guard hurriedly recounted what he had seen previously.

"H-how could this be?" Hearing the other party's recount of the story, Jiang Wei and Ye Wentian trembled in shock.

They were well aware of how strong Hong Qian was. To singlehandedly defeat three opponents of the same fighting prowess... How could that be possible?

"Putting that aside, so the matter regarding the slots have been decided... Then what about the five Lake Eyes?"

After a moment of shock, Ye Wentian suddenly thought of something and asked.

As the emperor, he also knew that the allocation of the Lake Eyes was the crux of this matter.

"The young master teacher from Hongfeng Empire that I just spoke of, Zhang shi, fought against all nine young master teachers from Fengyuan, Qianfeng, and Zhuyue simultaneously... and he emerged victorious. As such, Hongfeng Empire is now in possession of all of the Lake Eyes..." The guard said.

"He fought against nine master teachers simultaneously? Didn't you just say that this Zhang shi only possesses a cultivation of Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle, and is the weakest among all of the master teachers there?"

Ye Wentian couldn't help but exclaim. "Given that all nine opponents are stronger than him, how in the world did he fight? Did he use some kind of special means?"

A Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle fighting against nine Consonant Spirit realm experts? How could he possibly have won? How in the world did he fight against them? Did he use some kind of special trick?

"He... he..."

The guard swallowed his saliva, and a bizarre expression appeared on his face. "He fought with his eyes closed..."



Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 634: Combat Master

Fought with his eyes closed?

Ye Wentian and Wei Jiang were stunned.

What kind of trickery was this? Could this be... some kind of secret art?

"That's right! His eyes were closed, and he had a difficult expression on his face. It was as if his opponents were too easy such that he was reluctant to lay his hands on them... and in a moment, all nine of his opponents were already lying on the floor..."

The guard recounted the sight that he had jsut seen a moment ago.

Ye Wentian and Wei Jiang stared at one another...

This was possible as well?

A Clarifying Turbidity realm fellow actually defeated nine Consonant Spirit realm with his eyes closed, and even felt troubled at his opponents being too easy for him...

The heck, are you sure you aren't telling us a joke?

"It's true..." The guard's face flushed in agitation. He knew that no one would believe his story, but it was the absolute truth.

"To fight against a stronger opponent without any difficulty, could it be..." Jiang Wei narrowed his eyes.

"Has Wei shi thought of something?"

Ye Wentian asked.



"Do you mean the sub-occupation of master teacher which specializes in fighting, combat master?"

Ye Wentian asked.

"That's right!"

Wei Jiang nodded his head. "While master teachers are known to be unrivaled among those of his cultivation realm, their primary purpose is still to educate and nurture experts, thus strengthening the might of the human race. However... to fight against Otherworldly Demons and other forces that threaten the human race, we need a fighting force of the highest tier. As such, the sub-occupation combat master was born!"

"Combat master is a branch of master teacher that specializes in combat. While they could be considered as master teachers as well, there's a huge difference between them and a typical master teacher. For example, master teachers would require a fixed number of supporting occupation to be promoted to the next rank while they have no such requirement—as long as they could pass a combat examination, they would be promoted to the next rank... Of course, the difficulty of the combat examination is staggering as well! Among ten thousand master teachers, it would be hard to tell whether even a single one could pass such an examination. As such, most combat masters possess unique constitution or special bloodlines that grant them innately superior fighting prowess..."

"And given how this Zhang shi was able to fight nine Consonant Spirit realm experts despite being at Clarifying Turbidity realm, could it be possible that... he possesses the talent to become a combat master?"

Wei Jiang's eyes gleamed in excitement.

If the statistics of becoming a master teacher was one in ten thousand, the statistics of becoming a combat master would be one in ten thousand master teachers. Every single one of them could be said to be truly invincible in their tier, and they possessed the strength to challenge even those stronger than them.

Despite the millenniums of history behind Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, the number of master teachers who had been promoted to combat masters could be counted with one's fingers.

If... a combat master could emerge from Huanyu Empire, the entire empire would prosper because of the individual.

"Now that you speak of it... it might really be possible!" Ye Wentian froze for a moment before his eyes slowly widened.

"Let's hurry over to take a look. If it's true, this is great news for our Huanyu Empire!"

Wei Jiang stood up and hurriedly walked over to the crown prince's Eastern Palace.

Ye Wentian also quickly got up and hurried over.
……
...

Exhaling a deep breath, Zhang Xuan clapped his hands and shook his head.

At this moment, the nine master teachers from Fengyuan, Qianfeng, and Zhuyue were lying on the floor, moaning in pain.

Actually, without the Library of Heaven's Path, given Zhang Xuan's superior soul cultivation, the nine of them still wouldn't be a match for him nevertheless. However, since the other party had flaws he could exploit, there was no reason for him not to do so.

"You all lost..."

Ignoring the injured group, Zhang Xuan turned his sights to Luo Zhao and the other pavilion masters and said, "Now, all five of the Lake Eyes belong to our Hongfeng Empire!"

"..." Luo Zhao, Feng Yu, and Chen Yue staggered. At this moment, they felt as though they were going mad.

Those were the top three in their respective Master Teacher Tournaments!

In order to raise their strength, they even bought a Consonant Spirit Pill for each of them... And yet, the nine of them couldn't even rival a Clarifying Turbidity realm cultivator?

This should have been an easy win for them, and yet, they didn't even manage to nick the other party's clothes...

They thought that their alliance could allow them to push all of the bad things to Hongfeng Empire, but it simply ended with them without any Lake Eyes at all...

What the hell was this!

The more they thought about it, the more stifled they felt.

If only they knew earlier, they would have never created such a farce. If they were to just go the conventional route, they would have at least gotten a Lake Eye!

Putting aside how their plan had failed utterly, every member of their team, be it the elderly or the young, were also thoroughly wounded on top of that. Their faces had swollen to almost double the size. How were they supposed to face the others like that?

"Cough cough. Zhang shi, Luo shi and the others mean no harm. They only did these in hopes of obtaining the best for their juniors. No matter what, Hongfeng Empire are allies with Huanyu Empire and the other Vassal States. Since there are five Lake Eyes and only three people in your group, why don't you give the remaining two to them? This way, they can at least be accountable to their countrymen when they return."

After a long moment of silence, Ye Qian coughed and spoke up.

If three Vassal States that traveled all the way here were to return empty-handed without getting any of the slots, it would surely cause great discontentment.

He wouldn't be able to explain this farce to his father and Pavilion Master Wei either.

But... Hongfeng Empire did win all of the slots through fair means. All parties were agreeable to it, so it was inappropriate for him for advise Zhang shi otherwise. As such, he felt extremely embarrassed.

"Give two Lake Eyes to them? That's fine by us. However, the master teacher from the empire is to share the Lake Eyes with them as well so that our members can enjoy a Lake Eye each!" Knowing that he would be putting the crown prince in a spot if he were to claim all of the Lake Eyes, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in agreement.

Since there were only three of them, three Lake Eyes were sufficient. Rather than letting the other two go to waste and potentially incurring the hostility of everyone else here, he might as well generously give them away.

"Thank you!" Not expecting the other party to be so agreeable to the matter, Ye Qian nodded his head in approval. He gestured for a guard to come over and instructed, "Bring me that Gold-scaled Armor!"

"Yes!"

The guard turned around and left, and not too long later, he brought a resplendent armor back.

"This is a Spirit intermediate-tier pinnacle armor crafted by the skin of a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Avalanche Gold-scaled Beast. In awe of Zhang shi's magnanimity, I would like to give this to you!"

Ye Qian waved his hand, and the guard immediately passed the armor over.

"This... How could I accept this?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony!"

Ye Qian waved his hands. "I would be embarrassed if you do not accept it!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Knowing that this was the compensation the other party was giving him for the two Lake Eyes, Zhang Xuan knew it would be inappropriate for him to turn it down. Thus, he nodded and kept the armor in his storage ring.

"Zhang shi, you have my gratitude for giving the two Lake Eyes to us. Here are two Consonant Spirit Pills. I hope you can accept this as a token of goodwill!"

Luo Zhao also stepped forward and passed a jade bottle over.

Since even the crown prince had offered a gift in compensation, they couldn't possibly just sit still and accept the two Lake Eyes without any reciprocation.

The three Vassal States had bought a total of eleven Consonant Spirit Pills. After giving one each to their men, there were two remaining.

"Un!"

Grabbing the pill, Zhang Xuan casually kept it in his storage ring.

Luo Zhao, Feng Yu, and Chen Yue had accepted the bet and lost fair and square. If the other party were to refuse to give them the Lake Eyes, there was nothing they could do.

Under such circumstances, it was indeed a great favor for them to be given two Lake Eyes. Taking two Consonant Spirit Pills from them in return was nothing much in comparison.

Besides, accepting the Consonant Spirit Pills also meant that the other party had already repaid their debt, so it was beneficial from the other three's point of view as well. As for Zhang Xuan, he had no interest in having them indebted to him either.

"Since the distribution of the slots and Lake Eyes have been determined, I hereby declare the start of the banquet. I hope that everyone can enjoy themselves tonight!"

Ye Qian gestured grandly, and beautiful court ladies immediately came in with many delicacies in hand.

This crown prince was indeed a man who knew how to enjoy himself. Every single dish in the banquet was worth a huge sum, and this entire feast could probably leave even the wealthy bankrupt.

"Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai, you should take these Consonant Spirit Pills. Consume them after we return from the banquet!"

Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan passed the two Consonant Spirit Pills that he had just received from Luo shi and the others to them.

While this pill could raise a Consonant Spirit realm expert's cultivation by a small realm unconditionally, this effect could be said to be negligible to him

As long as he could gather sufficient Consonant Spirit realm cultivation technique, achieving a breakthrough was not much different from eating and drinking to him. It would be a waste for him to consume it, so he might as well put it to better use.

"You're giving it to us?"

Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai were taken aback.

It was not like they didn't know how valuable the pill was. To think that the other party would be giving the two pills received to them, this...

"Un. Quickly raise your cultivation before entering the Cleansing Lake. Don't waste the slot that I've obtained for you all with great difficulty!" Zhang Xuan said calmly.

"Thank you, Zhang shi!"

The duo's eyes turned red, and they quickly bowed in gratitude.

While the others were scheming against one another to obtain the best resources for their cultivation, Zhang shi was generously offering such a valuable gift to them... and this gesture left them touched from the bottom of their heart.

Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai was still thinking of pitting it out with the other party to see who was better in the Master Teacher Academy. Only now did they realize that they didn't just lose out to the other party in terms of cultivation, even their magnanimity was paling far in comparison to the other party.

If the thoughts of the duo were to be known by Luo shi and the others, they would surely burst into tears.

This fellow—magnanimous?

Magnanimous your head! Can't you see how badly we were done in?

Those slots and Lake Eyes should have been ours, and yet we still had to thank the other party humbly for them... You actually call such a despicable and shameless man magnanimous?
……
...

Outside the crown prince's Eastern Palace.

"Your Majesty, Wei shi!"

The two figures who walked over from the distance left the guards on duty leaping in shock.

"I'll inform His Highness right now to have him welcome Your Majesty and Wei shi..."

The two most authoritative men in Huanyu Empire had come to visit late at night abruptly, there was no one who wouldn't be scared out of their wits.

"There's no need for that, you should just continue remaining on duty. Wei shi and I are just going in to take a casual look!"

Ye Wentian waved his hands casually before walking in with Wei Jiang.

"If... Zhang shi really possesses the talent to become a combat master, what should we do?"

As the duo navigated through the Eastern Palace, Ye Wentian asked.

"What else can we do? Of course we should immediately report it to the Master Teacher Academy and have them groom him specially! This kind of talent is extremely important to the Master Teacher Pavilion. You should be aware of it as well!" Wei Jiang said with a grim expression.

"Un!" Ye Wentian nodded.

While he wasn't a master teacher, he did know a thing or two about combat masters.

Dubbed as the Emperors of Combat among the master teachers, if Zhang shi were to become an official combat master, his standing might immediately soar above that of the principal of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!

"Just that... the conditions to becoming a combat master is extremely stringent, one has to go through many difficult tests to be qualified as one. How can we ensure that he's really capable of becoming a combat master?"

Ye Wentian frowned.

There were many specific tests that a master teacher had to undergo before he could be officially accepted as a combat master. It was an extremely troublesome process.

"This... Let's take a look first before deciding on anything..." Wei Jiang hesitated for a moment before speaking. Halfway through his words, he suddenly heard footsteps ahead of him. Taking a closer look, he saw three figures just ahead of him.

Getting a clear glimpse at their appearance, Ye Wentian quickly rushed forward, "Ye Wentian pays respect to Sixth Princess! I see that Luo shi and Xing shi are here as well!"

They were no other than the Sixth Princess Yu Fei-er, Luo Qiqi, and Xing Yuan, who were here for the banquet.

"So it's Emperor Wentian. I just happen to have something I need to talk to you about."

Upon seeing that it was Ye Wentian, Princess Fei-er's eyebrows shot up, "How in the world do you govern your Huanyu Empire? If you're sick of your job, just give the word..."



Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 635: Paying Respect to Zhang laoshi

"I..."

Ye Wentian leaped in shock at those words, and cold sweat immediately started trickling down his back.

He may be the emperor of Huanyu Empire, but before the other party, he dared not pull his weight.

Huanyu Empire was only one of the many Tier 2 Empires beneath Hongyuan Tier 1 Empire. If the other party really wanted to replace him with someone else, not even Wei Jiang would be able to help him.

"Pardon me, but may I know the reason behind Your Highness's anger? I might not be talented, but I have worked hard in governing this country... If Your Highness thinks that I might have failed in certain aspects, I'll definitely do my best to correct my flaws so as to not let down Hongyuan Empire's trust in me..."

Ye Wentian quickly said.

This Sixth Princess was still fine earlier this morning, why would she be chastising him all of the sudden?

"Hmph, to think that there would be hooligans even within the capital..."

Recalling that shameless young man, Princess Fei-er gritted her teeth in anger.

To think that a princess like her would actually lose a bet and become the maid of another, this was truly the greatest humiliation she had ever suffered!

"Hooligan?" Ye Wentian was taken aback.

He thought that the other party was dissatisfied with his governance, but hooligan... what was with that?

What kind of hooligan could possibly provoke this princess like that?

"Indeed. It's a young man in his twenties. Just from that shameless look on his face, one can tell that he's no good person. I met him in the Mystical Treasure Hall!" Princess Fei-er said.

"Mystical Treasure Hall? Alright, I'll send my men to look into the matter right now..."

Knowing that the other party's dissatisfaction didn't originate from a problem in his governance, Ye Wentian heaved a sigh of relief. He hurriedly clasped his fist and bowed, "When I find him, I'll capture him and send him over to Sixth Princess so that you can deal with him as you deem fit!"

"Who wants to deal with him?"

Princess Fei-er stomped his feet in frustration, "Did I tell you to capture him?"

"I..."

Ye Wentian suddenly felt his head blowing up. He had no idea how to respond to the other party's words.

He had long heard that Princess Fei-er had an eccentric personality, but to think that there would come a day that he would be subjected to it!

He was the emperor of Huanyu Empire, a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan pinnacle expert! To be chastised as though a child in his face, just the thought of him left him light-headed.

But even if someone were to inflate his guts, he would never dare to talk back to the other party.

Putting aside the other party's identity as the Sixth Princess of Hongyuan Empire, just the fact that she was accepted as the direct disciple by the principal already made her a figure that few would dare to offend.

"What I? How could an emperor like you not know his own men?" Flinging her hands, Princess Fei-er harrumphed coldly.

"..." Ye Wentian looked as though he had eaten a bittergourd.

Huanyu Capital extends for several hundred kilometers, and the population exceeds a hundred million... No matter how formidable I am, I can't possibly know every last one of my citizens!

"Alright!" Seeing the situation turn awkward, Luo Qiqi stepped forward and smiled. "Emperor Wentian, Fei-er just has an eccentric personality so you need not take this to heart! It's truly nothing much, so you need to worry about it!"

After which, she turned to the lady beside her and sent a telepathic message over, "Didn't you get Ye Qian to look into the matter already? When he finally uncovers that fellow, I'll help you get back at him for you and win you back..."

Princess Fei-er was already an adult, but she still retained some of her childishness. Sometimes, her behavior could really leave one at a loss as to cry or to be mad.

Losing a bet and becoming another's maid wasn't an honorable affair, so you shouldn't be going around telling others about it. Besides, it's your own personal matter, why are you venting your anger on Emperor Wentian instead?

"Alright!"

Hearing the promise from her best friend, Princess Fei-er felt her rage subsiding a little. Ignoring the emperor, she puffed up her chest and said, "Let's go to the banquet!"

"Un!"

Luo Qiqi and Xing Yuan hurried forward. Ye Wentian and Wei Jiang glanced at one another and shook their heads together. Afterward, they followed behind the trio to the banquet hall as well.

The Sixth Princess was famous for her eccentric personality. It was fortunate that his son, Ye Qian, didn't have any intention of courting her. Otherwise, he would probably suffer a great deal. Putting everything aside, Xing Yuan had pursued her for many years already, but he was still subjected to the rapid emotional changes of the latter.
……
...

As the group over here headed for the banquet hall, the guard at the entrance took a detour, rushed to the banquet hall, and informed Ye Qian of this matter privately.

"Father and Wei shi are here? Sixth Princess too? Why are they together?"

Taken aback, Ye Qian quickly stood up and announced, "Everyone, Sixth Princess, my father, and Wei shi will be arriving very soon, so let's stand up to welcome them!"

"Sixth Princess is coming?

"I didn't expect Wei shi and His Majesty to be coming here too!"

Upon hearing that the Sixth Princess of Hongyuan Empire and the others were coming, everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and stood up.

Just like the others, Zhang Xuan also got to his feet and turned his gaze to the doors. At that moment, a few figures walked into the hall.

The one leading the way was a lady dressed in a purple dress which accentuated her beautiful figure. Paired with pale, smooth skin, her beauty was indescribable.

"She is Sixth Princess?"

"How beautiful!"

"I think I'm falling in love with her, what should I do..."

"Falling in love with her? Why don't you take a good look at yourself? With a face swollen as though a pig's head, I think you should pray that your appearance won't disgust her instead!"

"Talk about yourself! Your nose is entirely crooked, you aren't anywhere better than me..."

Upon seeing the beautiful lady, the eyes of the master teachers in the room suddenly glowed in excitement.

The Sixth Princess resembled a goddess who had stepped out of a painting, and her presence sent the blood of young men running.

Just that, with the exception of the crown prince and a few others, all of the young men in the banquet hall had been beaten up badly by Zhang Xuan, and the sight of a group of disfigured men staring at one in agitation seemed more like a scene of horror instead.

"Sixth Young Mistress? Sixth Princess?"

Zhang Xuan was also taken aback.

He never thought that the Sixth Princess would actually be the Sixth Young Mistress whom he met at Mystical Treasure Hall.

It was no wonder why she could afford to take out several hundred of middle-tier spirit stones at a single go...

On the other hand, as soon as the Sixth Princess and the others entered the banquet hall, they were immediately met with bruised and swollen faces, and this left them confounded.

Shouldn't the banquet involving master teachers be refined and dignified?

Why did all of them look as though they had come from a butchery instead then?

The swelling on their faces were so severe that their eyes could hardly open, and some of them even had an arm cast hanging before their chest... What was going on?

In fact, why were the 5-star master teachers in the room severely wounded as well?

"Sixth Princess, it's him..."

Just as Princess Fei-er was completely baffled by the scene before her, a voice suddenly sounded by her ear. Frowning, she traced the other party's finger, and the sight she saw immediately caused her to stagger.

It was the fellow who nearly angered her to death back at the Mystical Treasure Hall! He was actually here!
The other party was holding a wine glass in his hand casually, creating a leisurely atmosphere around him.

"Qiqi, it's that fellow..."

Gritting her teeth tightly, Princess Fei-er turned to point out her mortal enemy to her close bosom, only to be stunned by the sight before her once more.

The eyes of her cold and composed close friend were actually shining in agitation, as though they had caught sight of a treasure chest.

Princess Fei-er was stunned.

Could her close friend be fond of men who were beaten up?

"It's him..."

Amidst her confusion, Luo Qiqi suddenly pointed her finger toward a young man.

"That... Qiqi, I know that he's my enemy, but surely you need not... get so agitated!"

Upon realizing that it wasn't due to some bizarre taste in men, Princess Fei-er became even more speechless.

I was the one who was forced to become the other party's maid. The one who should be getting angry and agitated should be me, right? Then why are you getting so excited all of the sudden?

Perplexed, Princess Fei-er was just about to ask about the matter when her close bosom suddenly started charging up to that hateful fellow.

"Qiqi, evem if you want to teach him a lesson for my stead, you need to take note of the occasion..."

Princess Fei-er nearly fainted on the spot.

Qiqi has always been a reliable and dependable figure, why would she suddenly get agitated and act so recklessly?

There are so many master teachers in the room. If she were to teach the other party a lesson here, won't the matter of me being the maid of the other party be exposed as well?

Just as Princess Fei-er was about to rush up to stop her, her close bosom was already standing right before the hateful fellow. Following which, her close bosom clasped her fist and bowed respectfully, "Student Qiqi pays respect to Zhang laoshi!"

"What?"

All of the words Princess Fei-er wanted to speak suddenly jammed in her mouth, and her eyes widened in shock.

What is this situation?

Aren't you going to teach him a lesson in my stead?

Student... Zhang laoshi?

Could it be that... this hateful fellow is that... refined, magnanimous, intelligent, and awe-inspiring young talent you spoke of?

But he is a shameless hooligan though? Why would he suddenly turn into such an impressive figure in your mouth?

What is with this situation?

Princess Fei-er's face twitched intensely, and she nearly burst into tears.

She was still thinking of having her close bosom teach that fellow a lesson, but who knew that the latter would betray her as soon as the both of them met...

Where's your loyalty to your friend? Shouldn't you at least show some hesitation in your betrayal?

On the other hand, the others in the hall petrified instantly.

"The lady who's with Sixth Princess... should be Luo Qiqi Luo shi!"

"The famed ice beauty of the Master Teacher Academy is actually... Zhang shi's student?"

"What's going on?"
……
...

Luo Zhao and the others were aware of Luo Qiqi's nickname.

While the latter might be beautiful, she was known for being cold and distant... And yet, she was currently bowing excitedly before a person who was even younger than her, addressing him as teacher even...

Did reality really need to be so exaggerated?
“……”
"..."

Wu Zhen and Xing Yuan's mouth twitched at that sight.

In terms of familiarity, they were relatively closer to Luo Qiqi than the others in the room, and they knew much more than about her as well.

Hongyuan Academy Apothecary School's most talented genius, as well as a cultivator possessing a fighting prowess far above them, she was ranked in the top few amongst Grade 2 students, and her fame far exceeded the Sixth Princess in the academy.

For a proud phoenix like her to actually acknowledge Zhang shi as her teacher...

Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or are the both of them pulling our legs?

"Oh, Little Qi, it's you! Why are you here?"

Zhang Xuan was taken aback to see Little Qi here.

Wasn't this lass at the Apothecary Guild earlier?

But after giving it some thought, he suddenly came to a realization.

The fact she came from the headquarter of the local Apothecary Guild meant that she came from Hongyuan Tier 1 Empire... On top of that, given that she was a master teacher as well, it was highly likely that she was a group with the Sixth Princess and Wu Zhen. It was precisely due to these people that he had to fight over the Cleansing Lake slots that should have belonged to him in the first place.

"Little Qi?"

Dang lang!

The wine glass in Wu Zhen's hand fell to the ground.

The Sixth Princess and Xing Yuan suddenly felt their legs turn weak, and they nearly fell to the ground.

"I came here with my friends. Teacher, this is Hongyuan Empire's Sixth Princess, Yu Fei-er!"

Luo Qiqi nodded before hurriedly introducing her close bosom to her  teacher.

"Un, I've met her before!"

Zhang Xuan nodded, "I see, so your name is Yu Fei-er... What are you waiting for, hurry up and pour me a cup of wine!"

"Zhang shi, you do know that she's the Sixth Princess of Hongyuan Empire..." Hearing Zhang shi's words, Ye Qian nearly fainted on the spot.

Ye Wentian also found his sight turning dark.

Even he dared not breathe loudly before the Sixth Princess. What is a 4-star master teacher like you acting so arrogantly for...



Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 636: Banned From Talking

"You..."

Princess Fei-er nearly spurted a mouthful of fresh blood.

Pour you a cup of wine? Pour your head!

Didn't I redeem myself for ten days already?

I'm not your maid now, alright?

"I know!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "We've met previously, and we can be considered friends right, Sixth princess?"

"Of course!"

Glaring at Zhang Xuan with a look that exclaimed that she would strangle the other party if she could, Yu Fei-er clenched her teeth tightly and replied.

She had no other choice. By saying that she was his friend, the other party was already sparing her dignity. If the other party were to say that she was her maid, she would really die of shame.

"I'll pour it for you!"

Yu Fei-er stomped her way to the closest bottle and poured Zhang Xuan a bottle of wine while insulting the latter in her mind. If she could, she would really want to skin this hateful man alive.

But of course, she would never do that. She did lose the bet fair and square, and her master teacher emblem was hostage to the other party as well. She couldn't do anything even if she wanted to!

"Alright!"

Seeing the reluctance on the other party's face, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Back then, when we were having the bet, you tried to make me kneel before you! So what if you're a princess? This is just returning a little bit of the favor to you.

"Teacher... Fei-er is my good friend, so is it possible..."

Seeing that her good friend had turned so red that she might explode at any moment, Luo Qiqi didn't know whether she should laugh or cry at this situation.

She could have never expected the rotten fellow her close bosom wanted to strangle so badly would actually be her apothecary teacher.

She regarded the both of them highly, so she wished to resolve the conflict between them.

"She's your friend? Alright then, I'll give her ten days off..."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

On the other hand, Princess Fei-er thought that with her good friend intervening in her stead, the other party would drop the matter entirely. Who knew that it would only be ten days? Her face immediately flushed in anger, and she raged, "Qiqi, there's no need no need to plead with him. Isn't it just spirit stones? It's not like I don't have any..."

"It's good that you have spirit stones to repay me. Since that's the case, I believe there's no need for me to offer you any discount. The ten days off shall be voided!" Zhang Xuan's eyes gleamed as he said.

Ten days was equivalent to around 700 middle-tier spirit stones! If he could save it, he should definitely do it.

"You..."

Princess Fei-er nearly spurted blood on the spot.

"Teacher is just jesting with you, calm down..."

Seeing that her good friend was on the verge of collapsing from anger, Luo Qiqi shook her head and said, "Right, didn't you say that you want to learn pill forging from Zhang laoshi? He's right here..."

"Hmph! I'll rather learn from a pig than from him!"

Princess Fei-er gritted her teeth.

"Alright then!"

Knowing that it was impossible to resolve the conflict between her good friend and Zhang laoshi at the moment, she could only try to pacify the both of them in the future.

With the arrival of the guests, the banquet resumed.

However, with Emperor Ye Wentian and Wei shi in the room, as well as the Sixth Princess who could just erupt at any moment, the atmosphere grew visibly tenser, and the merry from before dampened.

A while later, Luo Zhao and the others couldn't stand it any longer and bade their farewell.

Considering how their entire group was beaten up so badly, they had to return quickly and recuperate. Otherwise, considering how the Cleansing Lake was opening tomorrow, the two slots that they had might just go to waste!

"Your Highness, we'll be taking our leave as well!"

Seeing the others leave, Hong shi also stood up and clasped his fist.

"Wait for a moment!"

Just as the group was about to leave, Wei Jiang stepped forward and approached them.

"Wei shi!"

When the group entered, Crown Prince Ye Qian had introduced the other party to be the pavilion master of the Huanyu Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, a 5-star high-tier master teacher. Not daring to pull his weight before such a figure, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and greeted.

"Zhang shi, may I speak to you for a moment?"

Wei Jiang smiled.

"It's my pleasure to do so!"

Seeing that the other party wanted to talk to him privately, Zhang Xuan smiled in response.

Gesturing for Hong shi and the others to return to their living quarters first, Zhang Xuan followed behind Wei shi, and the duo walked into a room.

"May I ask if... Zhang shi is a combat master?"

There was a formation set up in the room that prevents anyone from eavesdropping on the conversation inside.

"Combat master? What is that?"

Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

Combat master was a higher order secret of the Master Teacher Pavilion. As such, the books that Zhang Xuan had access to didn't have any details on them, so he wasn't too clear on what it was.

"Err... it's a sub-occupation of master teacher that specializes in combat..."

While explaining the matter regarding combat masters to the other party, Wei Jiang carefully examined the other party's expression.

Noting that the other party didn't seem to be putting on a front, he felt a little perplexed.

He did harbor some doubts that the other party was a combat master before—after all, how else could he possibly defeat nine cultivators with a cultivation higher than his?

He had seen the pitiful state of the master teachers the other party had beaten up. But while their faces were swollen and it looked rather appalling on the surface, he could tell that the person who pummeled them went easy on them.

As long as they were to apply some medicine to their wounds, they would be as good as new in a day or two.

To be able to go easy while fighting nine master teachers of higher cultivation than him... how powerful must he be?

"There's such a branch of master teacher?"

Hearing that there was actually a sub-occupation known as combat master, Zhang Xuan was astonished.

He thought that all master teachers were responsible for imparting knowledge to the masses. To think that there would actually be a branch specializing in combat as well!

It did intrigue him how master teachers could drive away Otherworldly Demons when most of them were immobilized just by the killing intent of the latter.

What Wei shi said had addressed his doubts... the ones in charge of defending mankind wasn't the average master teacher but a specialized group that possessed superior fighting prowess!

"Why would Pavilion Master Wei think that I'm a combat master?"

Zhang Xuan asked curiously.

"I heard that you were able to easily defeat nine other people who possess higher cultivation than you..." Wei Jiang replied.

"I see!" Coming to a realization, Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I've only heard of this sub-occupation, so I can't possibly be one of their members!"

"Then... do you have a unique constitution?" Wei Jiang asked.

"The reason why I am able to defeat the nine of them is because I was able to see through the flaws in their battle techniques and exploit it against them..."

Zhang Xuan replied. "It wasn't because of a unique constitution!"

Speaking of unique constitutions, he had three students who possessed them. Honestly speaking, he was a little envious of them.

"Alright then!"

Seeing the other party admitting that he wasn't a combat master and didn't possess a unique constitution, Wei Jiang was slightly disappointed.

If a combat master were to come from Huanyu Empire, it would surely strike its name across the entire world.

Unless awakened, a unique constitution was nearly undetectable. Not even a 5-star high-tier master teacher like him would be able to detect it.

The duo chatted a little longer, but the questions that Wei Jiang had were all adeptly sidestepped by Zhang Xuan.

The reason why Zhang Xuan was able to defeat multiple opponents far above his current cultivation was due to two reasons, the Library of Heaven's Path and Heaven's Path Divine Art, and his ability as a soul oracle.

But these two were secrets that mustn't be made known.

As such, despite Wei Jiang's questions, Zhang Xuan admitted to nothing at all.

"I've bothered Zhang shi!"

After a moment later, after realizing that it was impossible for him to gather any useful clues from Zhang Xuan, Wei Jiang could only clasp his fist and bid farewell.

"Don't worry about it!"

Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly in response before walking away.

Not too long after Zhang Xuan left, the door to the room was opened, and Emperor Ye Wentian rushed in with an anxious look.

"How is it?"

"It's unlikely that he has a unique constitution, but... I'm not sure whether he's a combat master or not!" Wei Jiang shook his head.

"Not sure?" Ye Wentian was perplexed.

"Un. To qualify as a combat master, one has to pass through multiple exams. Zhang shi might be able to defeat those with cultivation above him, but I feel that he's still rather lacking in comparison to a real combat master... Forget it, let's not think about it. I'll report this matter to Hongyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion and leave it to Pavilion Master Mo to make a judgement on this matter!"

After a moment of contemplation, Wei Jiang said.

With his current standing, he was indeed unqualified to make such judgement.

As such, he decided to simply report this matter and allow the headquarter to make a decision on it.

"Indeed, it would be best for this matter to be reported to the headquarter!"

Ye Wentian pondered for a moment before nodding his head.

Wei Jiang flicked his wrist, and an object that covered his entire palm appeared on his hand. He wrote his report on the object. Then, with a flash of light, the words written disappeared.

The effects of a Communication Token was similar to a Communication Wall, just smaller in scale, thus allowing one to bring it around easily.

Back then, Hong shi also made use of this object to send a message to Mo Gaoyuan.

Weng!

A few moments after the information was sent over to the other side, the Communication Token glowed once more.

"This..."

Seeing the words on the token, Wei Jiang's eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"What did Pavilion Master Mo say?"

Seeing the bewildered expression of his old friend, Ye Wentian frowned.

"Look..."

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Wei Jiang passed the Communication Token over.

Ye Wentian lowered his head to look at the message written on the Communication Token, and he immediately froze in place as well.

There was only a single line of words written on the Communication Token.

"For the matter regarding Zhang Xuan, do not discuss, ask, or speak of it!"

Hu!

Right after he looked at the words, the words on the Communication Token faded.

"A silence restraint... Could it be that Pavilion Master Mo is acquainted with Zhang shi?"

Ye Wentian narrowed his eyes in shock.

A silence restraint was usually a form of respect a lower ranked master teacher would show to a higher ranked master teacher. Given that Zhang shi was only at 4-star, why would Pavilion Master Mo issue such an order?

Could it be that... Pavilion Master Mo knew Zhang shi beforehand?

Otherwise, why would such a situation occur?

"He must have known the other party in advance. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to give such a response so quickly..."

Wei Jiang nodded in agreement.

While Mo Gaoyuan did pay Myriad Kingdom Alliance a visit, he left right after paying Yang shi a visit. Other than Zhang Xuan, Hong shi, and a few other people, no one was aware of the matter.

Wei Jiang might be Hong shi's teacher, but he wasn't informed of this matter either.

"Then... What should we do?"

Ye Wentian asked.

"Since Pavilion Master Mo has made such a decision, let's not speak about it. In any case, Zhang shi is going to enter Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. If my memory serves me well, the academy has a Combat Master Selection once every five years. It should be starting very soon... If he does possess potential in that aspect, he would surely do well then!"

Wei Jiang said.

"Combat Master Selection? Now that you speak of it, there is indeed such a matter... However, for an outsider to join the ranks of the combat masters, he must be a half 5-star master teacher at minimum. Considering how Zhang Xuan is only at Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle currently, who knows how long it would take for him to reach Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle!"

Ye Wentian nodded his head and sighed.

"Regardless of when he could qualify as a combat master, since Pavilion Master Mo has already sent a silence restraint, let's just remain silent and watch on!"

Wei Jiang nodded.

"You're right!"

Ye Wentian replied.
……
...

While the duo was having their discussion behind closed doors, Zhang Xuan found himself intercepted as soon as he left the crown prince's Eastern Palace.

"Zhang shi, I would like to talk to you privately!"

A slender figure blocked his path.

"Sixth Princess?"

Upon realizing the other party's identity, Zhang Xuan frowned.

It was the Sixth Princess whom he had taken as his maid. Why was she looking for him at such an ungodly hour?

"Un! This isn't a convenient place, follow me!"

Princess Fei-er harrumphed before dashing off to one direction.

But a moment later, she realized that there was no movement behind her. Perplexed, she turned her head around and her body immediately shook in rage.

The young man didn't follow behind her at all! The other party simply placed his hands into the pockets before walking in a completely opposite direction.

"You... Why didn't you follow me?!" She hurriedly turned around and harrumphed angrily.

"I'm not interested in whatever you have to say!"

Zhang Xuan shrugged.

"You..."

Princess Fei-er's breathing grew agitated, and yet again, she found herself on the verge of erupting.



Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 637: Library of Yellow's Path

To think that despite her standing as a princess and her beautiful appearance, the other party would actually ignore her entirely and walk away. Can a person like him even be called a man?

"Fine, we'll talk here then!"

Fearing that the other party would walk away once more, Princess Fei-er gritted her teeth and began talking telepathically, "I didn't know of your aptitude in deciphering stone pillar and lost to you. On that, I've nothing much to say. I did lose the bet fair and square, and I'm willing to acknowledge them... However, I wish to propose another wager. Do you dare to accept it?"

Given this fellow's shameless face, how could she have ever expected for him to be a master teacher of such astounding capability?

She was willing to acknowledge her loss in the bet, but what that angered her was the other party's demand afterward.

If she didn't rid herself of this 'master-servant' relationship soon, who knew when would this fellow suddenly go insane and command her to serve him wine or massage his legs?

Her pride as her princess would never allow her to do such things. If that was going to be the case, she might as well commit suicide this very instant.

"You still want to wager with me?"

Seeing how this lady refuses to give up, even going to the extent of proposing another bet, Zhang Xuan stopped and turned to look at her with a peculiar expression. "As a maid, what rights do you have to propose a wager against me? Also, are you sure you have the capital to do so?"

"You..." Princess Fei-er glared at Zhang Xuan with eyes burning with rage.

If not for this fellow being a master teacher and winning a wager against her, she would have just smacked him to death.

"Alright, if you don't have anything else, I'll be taking my leave. It's already late at night, and I'm exhausted. I don't have the strength to be playing with you!"

Waving his hands casually, Zhang Xuan continued walking toward the living quarters of Hongfeng Empire. However, barely after taking two steps, a gust of air carrying a slight aroma suddenly blew behind him. The Sixth Princess had rushed forward and blocked his path yet again.

Due to her rage, her chest was expanding and contracting rapidly, seemingly intent on squeezing their way through her dress.

"Stop it right there!"

She waved her hands and zhenqi immediately gushed into the air, forming a wall.

"Just because I refused your bet, you decide to force me into it? Despite being a maid, you tried to lay your hands on your master. Don't you have any basic etiquette?" Seeing the lass getting anxious, Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly.

"I've paid you 700 spirit stones to redeem myself for ten days. At the moment, I'm not considered as your... maid!"

Harrumphing coldly, Princess Fei-er waved her hands. "If you were to provoke me any further, as your senior, surely it is within my rights to teach a junior a lesson!"

The top ten of the respective Master Teacher Tournaments were all given the opportunity to study at Hongyaun Master Teacher Academy. As a Grade 2 student, Princess Fei-er could be considered as Zhang Xuan's senior.

Going by this logic, it was indeed acceptable for her to teach Zhang Xuan a lesson.

After which, Princess Fei-er closed her hands, grabbing at the surrounding air.

She was simply too enraged at the fellow before her.

No matter what, she was determined to teach this fellow a lesson today so that he would know some manners!

Huala!

Through the might of a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator, the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to be drawn in by a bridge, forming a tight barrier that isolated the duo from the world.

She was clearly embarrassed at laying her hands on the other party after losing a bet. Thus, she sealed the space so as to not allow anyone see it.

"It's indeed nothing much to teach one's junior a lesson, but... are you sure you want to do this?"

Seeing the other party seal the space, Zhang Xuan glanced at her with a bizarre gaze.

It was just a moment ago that he pummeled a bunch of Consonant Spirit realm cultivators into shouting for their parents. This lady should be well aware that his true fighting prowess was far beyond Clarifying Turbidity realm. To intend to lay her hands on him before such uncertainty, she must be very confident in her strength!

"Stop spouting useless stuff! I'll make sure you obediently have this bet with me!"

Harrumphing coldly, Princess Fei-er rushed up to Zhang Xuan and thrust a palm at him.

Huala!

Zhenqi gushed forth furiously from her palm and formed an intangible horizontal umbrella-like barrier, sealing all possible path of escape for Zhang Xuan. No matter where he tried to escape to, he would only crash into a wall of zhenqi.

Spirit high-tier battle technique, Seal of the Golden Umbrella!

Not only does this technique seal space, it also seals a person's zhenqi as well, thus limiting one's mobility. On top of that, it was also tinged with the might of one's soul, causing one's opponent to feel immense lethargy.

It seemed like she knew that even though her 'junior' may seem weak on the surface, his fighting prowess was astonishing. As such, she immediately executed her strongest attack at the very start of the battle.

"Hehe!"

Zhang Xuan's soul had been tempered by his cultivation of the Heaven's Path Soul Art. Even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert couldn't faze his soul, so how could he possibly be afraid of the other party's attack?

Swiftly flipping through the book compiled on the other party's flaw in the Library of Heaven's Path, Zhang Xuan shook his head and stomped his feet on the ground.

Huala!

Under the might of the stomp, a crack swiftly crept across the ground, causing Princess Fei-er's to lose her balance. This caused the trajectory of her palm to shift slightly, thus creating an opening for Zhang Xuan to avoid her attack.

With a slight tilt of his body, Zhang Xuan dodged the other party's palm. Following which, he clenched his fist tightly and immediately counterattacked with a punch.

While the other party was a Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator, she was still at primary stage. Given that the combined might of Zhang Xuan's soul cultivation and zhenqi cultivation far surpassed the other party's strength, it was hard to tell who would win at this point.

Not expecting the other party to deal with her Seal of the Golden Umbrella with just a simple stomp, Princess Fei-er was taken aback. But even so, she recovered quickly and swiftly returned the other party's fist with another palm strike.

A head-to-head collision!

In her view, no matter how powerful the fellow before her was, he was only a Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle cultivator. As a Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator, she couldn't possibly lose to the other party.

Peng!

The collision of the two fists jolted Zhang Xuan's body, and he was forced to retreat several steps to nullify the force. On the other hand, while Princess Fei-er managed to stand her ground, her face was filled with horror as though she had seen a ghost.

She had put her full might behind her battle technique, and she thought that the sheer force would inflict grievous injuries and send the other party flying several dozen meters. Who knew that he would be completely unscathed after taking several steps back...

Was he really at Clarifying Turbidity realm? Why did he seem no weaker than her, a Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage cultivator then?

While she was overwhelmed with shock, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"Seems like it's time to upgrade my Heaven's Path Fist Art..."

His Heaven's Path Fist Art was flawless and invincible among those of the same tier... but its might was severely limited by the tier of fist art manuals that he collected.

While he could easily destroy a Spirit low-tier battle technique with his current tier of Heaven's Path First Art, it was hard for him to match up to a Spirit high-tier battle technique.

It was just like how even though a genius in a first grade could achieve full marks even in the hardest exams each time, he might not even pass the an average seventh grade exam.

Heaven's Path battle techniques were indeed formidable, but it still had its limitations, especially against battle techniques of far higher tier than it.

As such, despite his strength being superior to the other party, he was still forced back.

But even so, with this collision, he also got a good grasp on the other party's strength... and he could confidently say that it would be extremely difficult for the other party to defeat him as well.

"Hmph!"

Seeing how her younger 'junior' was actually able to stand on equal grounds as her, Princess Fei-er harrumphed coldly and charged forward once more.

"This lass..."

The other party's attack gradually became faster and more forceful, but at the same time, more reckless as well, as though she had become desperate. Zhang Xuan shook his head. Aiming right at a flaw, Zhang Xuan raised his foot and kicked straight at the other party's chest.

"You... Shameless!"

Seeing that the other party was going to attack her chest, Princess Fei-er cried in anger. She subconsciously cowered backward, causing the divergence in the attack she had just launched. Naturally, yet another flaw appeared with this mistake.

Hu!

Her palm which should have struck Zhang Xuan ended up striking thin air. Panicked, she quickly looked around, but the young man had already vanished from her sight.

"What? Where did he go?

In the blink of an eye, the other party simply vanished from her sight. Taken aback, she quickly tried to look around when her eyes suddenly narrowed. She hurriedly turned around.

However, it was already too late. As the other party's feet connected with her bottom, she felt a dull ache there.

Hu!

With a cry of pain, she flew twenty meters into the air before falling back to the ground. The impact from the fall had created some tears in her elegant clothes, and her face was covered with mud.

At this moment, rather than a princess, she seemed more like a beggar instead.

"You hooligan..."

Princess Fei-er cried.

Carrying the royal bloodline, the others wouldn't even dare to defy her words, needless to say, disrespect her.

And yet, this fellow kicked her chest to push her away, and making use of the chance in the opening of her zhenqi barrier, he maneuvered to her back and kicked her bottom...

The heck!

Don't you know that a lady's chest and bottom are not to be hit?

And yet, you actually struck the both of them consecutively... How much more shameless can you get?

The stinging pain on her bottom left her both embarrassed and enraged. Pressing against the ground, she immediately got to her feet and charged forward in a rampage.

At this moment, her anger had already turned frenzy.

But before she could reach the other party, the other party had sent yet another kick toward her.

Upon seeing where the kick was headed for, Princess Fei-er's lips twitched violently.

The trajectory and timing of the kick were precisely timed to seal off her attack. If she were to continue charging on, she would definitely crash into the other party's kick.

Furthermore... as well as most importantly of all, the region where the kick was headed for was once again... her chest!

"You thug!"

Gritting her teeth tightly, Princess Fei-er thrust her palm against the ground instead, and making use of the momentum, she leaped into the air. Just as she was considering how she should launch her next attack, she felt yet another stinging pain on her bottom.

"You..."

Hu!

Once again, she was sent flying and fed another mouthful of soil.

This time, she crashed much more heavily, and her clothes were torn even more badly. Her face and hair were completely filled with mud.

"Can't you... fight fairly?"

Princess Fei-er was on the verge of tears.

As a man, you shouldn't bully a lady like that! To kick two times consecutively on the bottom, how am I supposed to face others in the future?

Don't you have the slightest moral or etiquette as a master teacher?

"If I were to say that I didn't do it intentionally... will you believe me?"

While she was on the verge of tears, cold sweat was also flowing down Zhang Xuan's back.

While he did possess strength superior to the other party, he was still at a significantly more disadvantageous position due to his lower cultivation. Both his speed and reflexes were far beneath that of the other party. Thus, he had no choice but to move according to the flaws listed on the Library of Heaven's Path...

But the attacking regions that the Library of Heaven's Path reflected just had to be the other party's chest and bottom...

Zhang Xuan scratched his head awkwardly... Did he use the wrong library this time around? Could he have accidentally accessed the Library of Yellow's Path instead?

"Fine... I'll have a wager with you, alright?"

Frustrated, Zhang Xuan could only resign himself.

He was better off accepting the wager than to continue on with the fight. Otherwise, it wouldn't be long since the other party's clothes would be completely ripped, and the stinging pain on her bottom would prevent her from walking.

And if this were to be made known to others, he would die of embarrassment.

"Wager..."

Princess Fei-er's lips twitched as tears flowed down her cheek.

This is no longer a matter about having a wager or not, alright...



Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 638: Unlucky Wu Zhen (1)

"If we were to continue fighting, I fear that... you might sustain more severe injuries. Let's just forget about it! I'll wager with you whatever you have in your mind..."

Seeing the two clear footprints on the lady's bottom, Zhang Xuan said awkwardly.

He wouldn't be a match for the other party in the normal battle, but if he were to continue resorting to the Library of Heaven's Path, who knew what kind of awkwardness would evolve from it?

He already felt embarrassed kicking the other party twice in the bottom. Even if his thick skin, he couldn't bring himself to do it anymore.

"Alright!"

While Princess Fei-er was so angry that she could tear off her hair at this very instant, she knew that she was the one in a disadvantageous position should the fight continue. Thus, she took in a deep breath and nodded.

But even so, the flames in her pitch-black eyes continued to blaze, seemingly searing the hateful man with her gaze.

"Since we're both heading to the Cleansing Lake tomorrow, let's have a wager on it!" Princess Fei-er said.

"That's fine by me. How do you want to do it?" Zhang Xuan asked.



Princess Fei-er continued, "The Spirit Cleansing Incense can detect the concentration of the spiritual energy in the Lake Eye, and it would burn down at differing rates depending on the rate of depletion of spiritual energy. An average rate would be one incense a day, so the three days estimate approximates to three incense sticks. Regardless of which Lake Eye one was in, once the three incense sticks burn out, one must leave its premises immediately."

Given that there's a fixed amount of spiritual energy in each Lake Eye and that every cultivator had a different rate of cultivation, the approximation of three days wouldn't hold for everyone. As such, a more accurate way of detecting the depletion of spiritual energy in the Lake Eye was required so that the cultivators inside wouldn't be exposed to danger—the Spirit Cleansing Incense.

These incense would start burning immediately once they are put inside the Cleansing Lake, and based on the rate of depletion of spiritual energy in the Lake Eye, it could burn down at differing paces. Once three incense sticks had burned out, one must leave immediately. This was a rule that had been set long ago, and no one was allowed to break it.

This had been explained back at the banquet, so Zhang Xuan knew about it too.

"So... our wager is very simple. Tomorrow afternoon, we'll enter the Cleansing Lake at the same time, and whoever's Spirit Cleansing Incense burns out first will be the winner!" Princess Fei-er said.

"Whoever's Spirit Cleansing Incense burns out first will be the winner?" Not expecting this to be the wager, Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

The rate at which the Spirit Cleansing Incense burns down is proportionate to the rate of one's absorption of the spiritual energy the Lake Eye. And to absorb the spiritual energy from the Lake Eye swiftly, a strong soul was required.

To put it simply... the stronger one's soul is, the faster one's Spirit Cleansing Incense burns down.

As a Cosmos Bridge realm expert, the other party's soul had undergone the nourishment in the Consonant Spirit realm. Clearly, the other party was taking advantage of Zhang Xuan for possessing a cultivation of only Clarifying Turbidity realm and thus a weaker soul than hers...

Just that... She would have never imagined that she was gravely mistaken. Not only was his soul not weak, it was far stronger than hers!

Having cultivated the Heaven's Path Soul Art, his soul could already operate independently from his body. In a battle of absorption of spiritual energy from the Cleansing Lake, not even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert would be a match for him.

"Are you certain you want to wager on this?"

Zhang Xuan looked at her with pity.

With such a wager, she was destined to lose.

"Indeed! Why? You were still so gleeful a moment ago, are you chickening out now?" Princess Fei-er spoke confidently.

"This..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head. "Fine, let's talk about the bets then!"

"Simple. If I were to win, I'll no longer be your maid anymore, and I won't owe you any spirit stones either! On the other hand, if you were to win... I'll pay you another ten thousand spirit stones... or remain your maid for another five months. How about it?"

Princess Fei-er said.

"Remain my maid for another five months? There's no need for that..."

Zhang Xuan shook his head without any hesitation.

Honestly, he didn't need a maid at all, needless to say, a proud princess like the other party. Back then, he had only raised the matter so as to get even with the other party. In terms of practicality, spirit stones were definitely far superior.

"What else do you want? Do you expect me to marry you?"

Hearing the other party shooting down her offer, Princess Fei-er gritted her teeth in anger.

"Marry me?" Zhang Xuan was stunned. "You wish!"

"You..."

Princess Fei-er grabbed her hair in a frenzy.

There were countless master teachers in the Master Teacher Academy who were dying to win her fancy, and yet this fellow actually scorned at the thought of being married to her... Who do you think you are?

"I don't need you to become my maid for another five months, just give me ten thousand spirit stones if you were to lose!" Zhang Xuan waved his hands.

"Fine, that's a deal..."

With clenched jaws, Princess Fei-er stomped away.

She really couldn't stand talking to this fellow for a second longer. She feared that she might just suffer a heart attack on the spot and die.

Sneaking through the premises, she managed to reach her living quarters without being seen when Luo Qiqi suddenly walked up to her. Upon seeing her unkempt state, the other party was dumbfounded. "What happened?"

At the current moment, Princess Fei-er's clothes were ripped at several parts, revealing her snowy skin. Her hair and face had clumps of mud sticking onto it, as though she had been rolling on the ground. She looked extremely scruffy at this current moment.

"It's nothing much... I suffered some injuries so I might need you to apply some recovery medicine to me later on!" Princess Fei-er said.

She lost a bet fair and square, and yet she went to confront the other party and even attacked him... It would still be fine if she succeeded, but she ended up being beaten up instead. Even her bottom had swollen up due to being kicked...

She would rather die than to tell anyone of this shameful affair!

"You're injured?" Luo Qiqi frowned. "Who did it?"

"I said that I'm fine! Just apply the medicine for me..." Princess Fei-er's face flushed.

"Alright."



"There's no need for that, Wu Zhen just gave up a bottle of Saint recovery medicine. He said that it can heal any external wound, no matter how severe, within moments... Help me apply some!"

Princess Fei-er flicked her wrist and took out a wine gourd.

While she was a little embarrassed to have the other party apply the medicinal wine on her, especially on her bottom, it was much better than suffering and limping around.

"Saint recovery medicine?"

Luo Qiqi was taken aback.

"Un. It's said to the a gift from one of the Vassal States. They tested it out on the spot and it's shown to be extremely effective. Even a bleeding wound could heal instantly with it!"

Princess Fei-er said. "He insisted that I should accept it. Let's see whether it lives up to the rumors then!"

"There's actually such a formidable medicine?" Luo Qiqi commented in awe as she entered the room with Princess Fei-er.

But not too longer later, a shout of agony reminiscent of a pig being butchered echoed. Following which, Princess Fei-er's furious howl echoed across the entire mansion.

"AHHH... WU ZHEN, TO HELL WITH YOU!"

With a doubtful expression, Wu Zhen looked out from his door.

"Who called for me?"
……
...

After parting with Princess Fei-er, Zhang Xuan returned to his own room.

He took out out the Glacier Rain Sword and had it acknowledge him as its master. Giving the sword a try, he found it to be very handy.

After which, he kept the sword, sat down, and began conditioning his body to recuperate from the immense exertion from the previous two battles a moment ago. But soon, perhaps it was the exhaustion from flying for more than a month catching up with him, he soon fell into a deep sleep.

When he finally opened his eyes once more, it was already daylight. As soon as he walked out from his room, Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai immediately walked up to him with an agitated expression which reflected both excitement and gratitude.

After returning back to their rooms yesterday night, they immediately consumed the Consonant Spirit Pill given to them and successfully achieved a breakthrough to Consonant Spirit realm intermediate stage.

While it was only one small cultivation realm, their soul had become much stronger, and their zhenqi had grown denser as well.

And all of this was thanks to the young man before them.

"Let's go to the royal palace. The Cleansing Lake is opening today, so we'll have to hurry!"

After eating breakfast, Hong shi walked over and said.

Hongfeng Empire had performed exceptionally in deciding the distribution of slots this time around, crushing the other three Vassal States. This had left him excited and motivated.

The royal palace was much grander and larger than the crown prince's Eastern Palace. Its resplendent design carried a strong hint of authority which brought out a solemn atmosphere in the area. Those who entered would find a pressure pressing down against them, inducing deference in them.

Under the lead of two eunuchs, they walked into the main hall of the royal palace. Luo Zhao, Feng Yu, and the others had already arrived at this point.

After a night of recuperation, everyone seemed to look much better. However, if one were to take a closer look, the swelling and wounds were still visible.

While one's physical body would grow stronger along with the rise in one's cultivation, one's recovery ability would slow in contrast.

While they did possess precious recovery medicine, its effectiveness pale far in comparison to Zhang Xuan's zhenqi, which could heal any wounds instantaneously.

"Hm? What's with that fellow?"

It wasn't surprising to see injuries on them, but there was one did leave Zhang Xuan a little taken aback.

For some reason, Wu Zhen, who had sat beside the crown prince yesterday night and accepted everyone's gifts, had a black eye on his face. There were vague but clear traces of swelling which indicated that he had suffered a vicious beating by someone yesterday night.

Given that he was a talented student of Master Teacher Academy, a figure whom even Emperor Ye Wentian and Crown Prince Ye Qian had to regard with utmost respect, who would dare to lay their hands on him, not to mention, reduce him to such a tragic state?

Zhang Xuan wasn't the only one who was surprised by the turn of events. Perplexed gazes from the others in the main hall would fall on him from time to time as well.

"Zhang shi... I have something I would like to ask you!"

At that moment, Wu Zhen noticed Zhang Xuan and stomped over angrily.

"Paying respect to Wu shi!"

Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

"Don't give me this nonsense. Tell me, what's wrong with this medicinal wine?" Flicking his wrist, Wu shi took out the wine gourd angrily.

While this fellow claimed that this was a gift from Hong shi, he could tell that Zhang shi was surely involved in this matter.

"This medicinal wine?"

Zhang Xuan froze for a moment before coming to a realization. "You used it?"

This 'medicinal wine' was in fact just plain white wine. The only reason why it could heal injuries previously was due to him infusing his zhenqi in. But as time passed, the zhenqi would slowly dissipate, and thus, the healing property would gradually fade.

It seemed like this fellow had used it and it was ineffective.

"I wasn't the one who used it... but it's completely ineffective!"

The more Wu Zhen thought about it, the angrier he felt.

When he heard the Sixth Princess calling for him yesterday, he excitedly ran over, thinking that the other party wanted to reward him for giving her the medicinal wine. Who knew that he would only be viciously beaten up instead. It was only then did he realize that the medicinal wine was completely ineffective.
The more he thought about this matter, the more furious he felt. Thus, he stomped straight up to Zhang Xuan as soon as he saw the latter.

"How could it be ineffective? Let me take a look. Alright, since your face is injured, why don't you give it a try!"

How could Zhang Xuan possibly admit to it, especially given how angry the other party was? Thus, grabbing hold of the medicinal wine, he shook it and infused a surge of zhenqi into it.

"Give it a try?" Wu Zhen thought that the other party would surely tremble in fear upon being confronted, but seeing the calmness on the other party's face, he frowned.

"Un, here..."

Passing  the medicinal gourd over, Zhang Xuan said. "Since you doubt its effectiveness, you should try drinking it!"



Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 639: Unlucky Wu Zhen (2)

"Drink it?" Wu Zhen was taken aback. "Shouldn't this medicinal wine of yours be applied externally?"

Yesterday night, when Bi shi's arm was stabbed by a dagger, his injuries healed just by applying the medicinal wine externally. Since that was the case, why was he so special as to need to consume the medicinal wine then?

"Depending on the type of injury, one would need to either apply it externally or consume it. If one were to choose the wrong method, not only would it be ineffective, it might even worsen the injury!" Zhang Xuan casually explained.

Since there wasn't much 'medicinal wine' left in the gourd, Zhang Xuan decided to push on with the story. In any case, by the time the other party realizes that something is wrong, the medicinal wine would have already finsihed, so whatever investigation done was bound to end inconclusive.

"There's such a matter?" Wu Zhen was in disbelief.

"You did see me use the medicinal wine yesterday night, and it was extremely effective... The only plausible explanation to its ineffectiveness is that you must have used it wrongly!"

Zhang Xuan said without the slightest hint of embarrassment on his face. "Like you said, you weren't the one using it. Most probably, the person who used the medicinal wine must have been confused between the two, resulting in the ineffectiveness of the medicinal wine!"

"Is that the case?" Wu Zhen was still slightly doubtful.

"Please, take a sip!" Zhang Xuan smiled.

"Alright then. If it proves to be ineffective, just wait and see how I'll take care of you!"

Harrumphing coldly, Wu Zhen picked up the wine gourd and took a sip.

As soon as the wine flowed down his throat, he immediately felt a warm surge of energy flowing through his bloodstream across his entire body. A moment later, the aching and swelling disappeared without a trace.

"This..."

Wu Zhen's eyes widened in disbelief.

Only upon trying it personally did he realize how incredible this Saint recovery medicine was.

He was beaten up to a pathetic state yesterday night, and he had tried applying the medicinal wine to his injuries, but it was completely ineffective. In the end, he had to use his own recovery medicine, but due to their limited effectiveness, he wasn't able to make a full recovery. As such, here he was in the royal palace with a swollen eye.

Thus, he thought that Zhang shi's Saint recovery medicine was a fake, but who knew that it would possess such astounding healing ability.

Within moments of consuming the Saint recovery medicine, his injuries disappeared instantly... This was too incredible!

"I wasn't lying, right?"

Seeing that the other party's injuries had healed, Zhang Xuan nodded his head. "Without a doubt, the other party must have used the medicinal wine wrongly. Why don't you ask him where he is injured, I'll help you analyze whether he should apply it the medicinal wine externally or consume it."

"Alright!" After a moment of hesitation, Wu Zhen nodded.

His credibility was at stake here. No matter what, he had to clarify the matter, or else he might just end up being labeled as a 'fraudster' for his entire life.

With the medicinal wine in hand, Wu Zhen immediately walked over to the Sixth Princess and clasped her fist.

"Sixth Princess, you've blamed me wrongly. It's not that this medicinal wine was ineffective but that you've used it in the wrong manner!"

After receiving Zhang shi's reassurance, Wu Zhen was filled with confidence.

"Used it wrongly?" The Sixth Princess had seen this fellow talking with Zhang shi privately, and she frowned upon hearing those words.

"Indeed. You just have to show me where you're injured and I'll immediately tell you whether you should apply it externally or consume it. I guarantee that you'll heal in an instant!"

Wu Zhen tilted his head up proudly, glad that he would be winning back his credibility.

"Where I am injured? And I've to show you at that?"

The Sixth Princess's face immediately turned scarlet in embarrassment.

The heck, are you doing it on purpose?

My injuries were caused by Zhang shi, and after chatting with him, you came over here and ask me to give you a look at my injuries...

In other words, you're saying that you want to look at my... bottom?

"That's right. As long as I know the region and severity of your injury, I'll be able to confirm for you whether you should apply the medicinal wine externally or consume it. You must have used it the wrong way yesterday for it to be ineffective..."

Wu Zhen chuckled as he explained the matter to let the other party know that she had blamed him wrongly for the matter yesterday. However, halfway through his words, his sight suddenly turned dark. A slap was flying straight toward him.

Pah!

The slap caused a crisp echo in the main hall. Wu Zhen spun for two rounds on the spot before regaining his balance. He was completely dumbfounded by the situation before him.

"You want to take a look? Why don't I send you to meet your maker..."

With a livid face, Sixth Princess sent a kick straight toward the fellow before her.

Peng!

Before Wu Zhen could process what was going on, he was already struck in the abdomen and was sent crashing onto the ground.

"Sixth Princess, why did you hit me? What did I do..." Wu Zhen cried.

He had gave the valuable medicinal wine which he didn't even bear to use to the other party out of goodwill, thinking that he could win the other party's fancy with this. In the end, he only ended up being beaten up. After clarifying the reason and testing it out himself, he came over to redeem himself, only to be pummeled once more...

Can anyone tell me what is going on?

How in the world did my kind gesture end up like that?

"Qiqi, please help me talk to Sixth Princess..."

Wu Zhen crawled up to his feet, only to see the Sixth Princess rushing forward angrily to continue beating him up. Frightened, Wu Zhen hurriedly plead for help.

"To dare to tease even Sixth Princess, you deserve it!" Luo Qiqi harrumphed.

She had heard the previous conversation as well. The fellow before her actually asked to look at the Sixth Princess's bottom! Even if he were to be executed on the spot, he would still be getting off light.

"Wu Zhen, how dare you tease Sixth Princess! You're courting death!"

At this moment, Xing Yuan also finally realized what was Wu Zhen up to, and he immediately rubbed his palms, preparing to give the latter a beating of his life.

He was the most loyal fan of the Sixth Princess, and he had followed her everywhere... To dare to tease the Sixth Princess before my eyes, you must be thinking that I'm invisible!

"..." Wu Zhen burst into tears.

I... really intended nothing more than goodwill...

"This..."

Seeing that Wu Zhen was pummeled viciously, Zhang Xuan scratched his head in bewilderment.

As expected of the geniuses of the Master Teacher Academy. Their thoughts truly couldn't be interpreted using common sense.

...

"Cough cough! Since everyone is here, let's head to the Cleansing Lake!"

Eventually, Emperor Ye Wentian couldn't watch on any longer so he interjected in the fight among the few geniuses.

"Let's go!"

Knowing that it was no longer early, everyone hurriedly followed him to the Cleansing Lake.

The Cleansing Lake wasn't in the royal palace nor within the boundaries of Huanyu Capital. Instead, it was located in the intersection between Verdant Mountain and Dragon-scaled River a distance away from the capital. The location was heavily guarded by the personal guards of the royal family.

The group rode on the aerial beasts prepared for them, and after half an hour of flight, a land filled with spiritual energy appeared before their sight.

Ther Verdant Mountain resembled an immense dragon lying on the ground whereas the Dragon-scaled River was reminiscent of a river of stars embedded on the ground.

Poets had once described this scenery as 'a dragon sipping from the winding river of stars'.

It was apparent that this land was a natural Spirit Gathering Formation with just a single look. Furthermore, under the suppression of the majestic aura of a dragon, the spiritual energy in the surroundings was gentle and nourishing to the soul.

"Incredible!"

With just a glance, Zhang Xuan's eyes immediately lit up.

It was no wonder why this could become the foundation of a Tier 2 Empire. The Cleansing Lake was indeed formidable.

It was far superior to the Spirit Gather Formation that he made.

The spirit beast gradually descended to the ground.

"The Cleansing Lake is up ahead. Before entering, I'll give everyone a Spirit Cleansing Incense as per the slots and duration agreed on previously!"

Ye Wentian instructed.

As he said so, a guard walked over with thirty Spirit Cleansing Incense in hand.

The Spirit Cleansing Incense was made of a material very different from ordinary incense. From afar, it looked like it was made of some kind of metal. It could float on water, and it would begin burning upon coming into contact with the Cleansing Lake.

As the Hongfeng Empire had three Lake Eyes to themselves, they were given nine Spirit Cleansing Incense, and of which, Zhang Xuan took three.

Since one could only remain in a Lake Eye for three days, three incense stick was sufficient for him.

By the time the Spirit Cleansing Incense was distributed, it was already near afternoon.

"Zhang shi, I need to talk to you!"

Seeing that the Cleansing Lake was just about to be opened, Zhang Xuan followed behind Ye Qian to the Lake Eyes when a voice suddenly echoed by his ear. Turning around, he saw Xing Yuan right behind him.

It was a Wu Zhen a moment ago, and now it was this fellow. What were they up to?

But even so, seeing the anxious look on the other party's face, Zhang Xuan decided to listen to what he had to say.

Thus, the duo moved to a corner beyond the sight of the others.

After which, Xing Yuan dived straight to the topic, "I know that you made a wager with Sixth Princess!"

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan didn't deny the matter.

The first time they made a bet at the Mystical Treasure Hall, this fellow was right there, and the other party personally saw his beloved Sixth Princess turning into his maid.

"I want you to lose, and make sure that Sixth Princess doesn't notice it!"

Xing Yuan said.

"Admit defeat?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

He was wondering what favor the other party was going to ask of him, but to think that it would be for him to admit defeat.

"Indeed. As long as you admit defeat, I'll accede to any request you have!"

Xing Yuan harrumphed.

"Any request I have?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

"That's right!"

Xing Yuan nodded.

"Alright. I'm sure you know that ten thousand middle-tier spirit stones are at stake in my wager with Sixth Princess. Since that's the wager... if you can give me two high-tier spirit stones to compensate my loss, I don't mind admitting my defeat!"

Zhang Xuan said calmly.

The Sixth Princess owed him ten thousand middle-tier spirit stones from the very start, and the bet at stake also involved another ten thousand. As such, that added up to twenty thousand, which was equivalent to two high-tier spirit stones.

He could easily control the speed at which he could absorb the spiritual energy in the Cleansing Lake. If he could earn two high-tier spirit stones from this matter, it would be a huge profit.

While a high-tier spirit stone was theoretically worth ten thousand middle-tier spirit stones, there were very few who would be willing to trade down a high-tier spirit stone. As such, even if Zhang Xuan were to obtain twenty thousand middle-tier spirit stones, chances were that he wouldn't be able to get two high-tier spirit stone in exchange for it.

"Two high-tier spirit stone?"

Xing Yuan's lips twitched.

Even with his background, it wouldn't be easy for him to produce two high-tier spirit stones for a bet.

"Since you're unwilling to accept my offer, forget it then... In any case, if Sixth Princess loses, she would have to compensate me a total of twenty thousand middle-tier spirit stones anyway..."

Zhang Xuan said.

Even though twenty thousand middle-tier spirit stones couldn't compare to two high-tier spirit stone, at the very least, he wouldn't be making a loss.

"Fine, I'll agree to your request!"

Xing Yuan gritted his teeth, "As long as you do as promised, I'll give you two high-tier spirit stones when we return to the academy. However... as promised, you mustn't reveal this matter to anyone!"

"Deal!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

To earn two high-tier spirit stones with less than three days of effort, this deal was highy beneficial to Zhang Xuan.

On top of that, he could also avoid offending Xing Yuan while placating the Sixth Princess.

Just as the duo was done negotiating, a violent rumbling sounded, and dense spiritual energy suddenly gushed into the surroundings. It was as if a massive Spirit Gathering Formation had just come to life.

"Look!"

Someone amidst the crowd suddenly exclaimed.

Everyone turned their gazes over and saw a pillar of concentrated spiritual energy bursting into the heavens. A refreshing gust of wind infused densely with spiritual energy blew at the crowd. With just a slight inhalation, one could feel one's soul trembling with excitement, as though the road to achieving a breakthrough was within their reach.

At the empty grounds in the distance, a massive lake slowly surfaced. Spiritual energy currents reminiscent of massive dragons roared furiously in it, as though they were going to soar into the heavens at any moment.

Ten depressions of similar sizes could be seen around the lake. They were all of a radius of two meters big, and they sat silently as though massive gemstones embedded on top of a tiara.

"The Cleansing Lake... is open!"

Upon seeing this sight, everyone clenched their fists tightly.



Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 640: Cheating?

The main purpose of visiting Huanyu Empire was for the Cleansing Lake. After such a long wait, amidst everyone's expectant eyes, the Cleansing Lake finally opened.

"Let's go over!"

Without wasting any time, Zhang Xuan and Xing Yuan hurried over to the crowd.

Seeing the raging currents within the Cleansing Lake, everyone immediately realized that Ye Qian wasn't overexaggerating at all.

The massive waves within the lake did emanate concentrated spiritual energy, but the energy flowing within it was also frightening in itself. Anyone who dares to enter it recklessly would surely be crushed into bits.

"Look!"

Amidst everyone's astonished gaze, Ye Wentian flicked his wrist, took out a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon, and threw it into the lake.

Kacha!

In the blink of an eye, the weapon which even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert would find difficult to destroy melted into a pile of liquid, which then sank to the bottom of the lake.

"This..."

Everyone's face twitched in fear.

Even though their physical resilience was far above ordinary humans, how could they possibly compare to a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon! If even such a tough weapon was reduced to a puddle in the lake instantaneously, they could already see themselves turning into dust were they to enter it.

It was no wonder why Crown Prince Ye Qian said that even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert wouldn't survive in the Cleansing Lake. Those words indeed rang true.

"Given how violent the lake water is, I suggest everyone to cultivate calmly within the Lake Eye and not to venture beyond it. Otherwise, even a deity wouldn't be able to save you!"

Ye Wentian wrapped it up with a warning.

"Don't worry, we won't get reckless!"

"We cultivate to grow stronger, not to die. Your Majesty need not worry about this matter!"

"That's too scary! There's no way we'll take such a risk..."
……
...

Everyone hurriedly shook their head.

Given even a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon was reduced into a puddle in an instant, who would possibly dare to venture into that fearsome lake?

"Alright. Everyone, pick a Lake Eye. The ten Lake Eyes possess equivalent effectiveness, so there's no need to worry. If it's preferable, those from the same Vassal State can choose to remain together so as to look after one another..."

Ye Wentian waved his hands and said no more.

Since the ten Lake Eyes had the same effectiveness, there was no difference between picking one over the other.

Zhang Xuan scanned the Lake Eyes for a moment before walking over to a cluster of Lake Eyes closest to the lake with Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai.

The furthest Lake Eyes in the Cleansing Lake were shrouded with thick mist produced by the concentrated spiritual energy in the region. Even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert would find it hard to see through the mist. Zhang Xuan had specifically picked this region so that no one would be able to see him as he cultivated, especially since he intended to keep the Heaven's Path cultivation techniques a secret.

"Let's cultivate here!"

After finding the region where spiritual energy and mist were the thickest, Zhang Xuan stopped and turned around to instruct Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai. "You two should cultivate at these two Lake Eyes. This way, if anything were to happen, we can help one another!"

"Alright!"

The duo nodded, and just as they were about to enter with the Spirit Cleansing Incense in their hands, they heard a shout.

"The two of you, pick another Lake Eye!"

Turning around, Zhang Xuan saw Princess Fei-er and Luo Qiqi walking over.

"We..."

Seeing that a princess was actually vying for their spot, Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai were stumped.

"The two of you should take the Lake Eyes over there. We hope to get a position closer to teacher!" Luo Qiqi said.

"That... Yes!"

Given that this was an order from Princess Fei-er and Luo Qiqi, they dared not talk back. Thus, they quickly rushed over to the other Lake Eyes.

In any case, since the Lake Eyes were all equal, it didn't matter where they were cultivating.

"Hmph, you need not think too highly of yourself. Since we have got a wager on, I want to check if you are cheating!"

Noticing Zhang Xuan's gaze on her, Princess Fei-er harrumphed.

"Think too highly of myself? I say you're thinking too much."

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I'm just trying to see which nerves of yours have turned psychotic..."

"You..."

Princess Fei-er clenched her jaws angrily. "You won't stay gleeful for long. Your sharp words won't help you in the Cleansing Lake!"

Flinging her sleeves, Princess Fei-er leaped into the Lake Eye without any hesitation.

The Spirit Cleansing Incense that she was holding immediately floated to the water surface and lit up. A wisp of smoke began drifting into the air.

Hu hu hu!

Closing her eyes, Princess Fei-er began to cultivate. The spiritual energy in the Lake Eye seemed to flow faster and faster into her along with her breathing. At the same time, the smoke drifting from the Spirit Cleansing Incense thickened as it started to burn down even more swiftly.

Seeing how this lass dived straight into cultivating so as to defeat him, Zhang Xuan shook his head and jumped into a Lake Eye himself.

Luo Qiqi also jumped into a Lake Eye, picking one that would flank Zhang Xuan between her and Princess Fei-er.

While Zhang laoshi was her apothecary teacher, it hadn't been long since the both of them met, so they were naturally not close enough for her to be coming over to cultivate with him. The only reason why she came here was to prevent a fight between her good friend and her teacher.

Princess Fei-er was obstinate, proud, and hated losing. If the both of them were to be left alone, who knew what would happen? As such, Luo Qiqi decided to tag along so that she could intervene if a fight were to occur.

Otherwise, the situation yesterday might just happen once more.

While the Sixth Princess didn't reveal the culprit behind the two footprints on her bottom, it wasn't too difficult to deduce from her words that it had something to do with this apothecary teacher of hers.

Usually, one would first strip their clothes before entering the Cleaning Lake. However, due to being in a public location, the two ladies decided against it. Even so, their drenched clothes that stuck to their skin still shaped out the beautiful curvature of their bodies.

Zhang Xuan glanced around for a moment before calming his mind down. After which, he placed a Spirit Cleansing Incense into the lake and began to cultivate.

Closing his eyes, he immediately felt a surge of concentrated spiritual energy flowing through his entire body via his meridians and eventually nourishing his soul. A feeling of relaxation slowly spread across his entire body.

"This rate of absorption is too slow..."

After a moment later, Zhang Xuan realized that even though the spiritual energy in the Lake Eye was highly beneficial to his soul, it had to go through his body first, and this significantly weakened the effectiveness of the spiritual energy, as well as lowering the rate of absorption.

Furthermore, the body acted like a shackle whereas the soul was like a cotton inside the steel cage. Every slightest growth had to take a painful amount of time.

"Can't I just draw my soul out and absorb the spiritual energy directly?"

A thought surfaced in Zhang Xuan's mind.

With his soul in his body, the body would become a natural barrier limiting the absorption of spiritual energy by it. However... what if he could draw his soul out and absorb the spiritual energy directly?

Would his rate of cultivation improve?

"I should give it a try."

With this in mind, he took a look around and confirmed that the two ladies around him was current deep in their cultivation and that there was no one who could see what he was doing. After which, he activated the Soul Guiding Method and drew a soul that was perfectly identical to him in appearance from his glabella.

As soon as his soul entered the Lake Eye, dense spiritual energy immediately gushed into his soul, leaving him revitalized.

"Indeed, this is much more efficient!"

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

He hadn't even started cultivating yet and the rate at which the spiritual energy was nourishing his soul was already faster than before. Closing his eyes, Zhang Xuan immediately drove the Heaven's Path Soul Art and began pulling in the spiritual energy from the air frenziedly.

Hong long long!

The entire Lake Eye began to shake. Concentrated spiritual energy rushed toward his soul, causing the size of his soul to grow gradually.

As his Heaven's Path Soul Art was only up to Transcendent Mortal 5-dan, he was unable to advance on to 6-dan. As such, the spiritual energy began to build on his soul instead, causing the size of his soul to grow bigger and bigger.

To make an analogy, it was just like water and mercury.

A difference in cultivation realm was qualitative, such as the difference between the two liquids.

However, even among fellow 'water', a tub of water and a lake of water was different—a difference in quantity.

While Zhang Xuan wasn't able to advance his soul cultivation to Transcendent Mortal 6-dan yet, he could make his Transcendent Mortal 5-dan soul grow stronger by piling up more soul energy.

"Hm?"

As Zhang Xuan started to absorb spiritual energy frenziedly, Princess Fei-er suddenly felt an agitation from the spiritual energy in the surroundings. She immediately turned her gaze to the side, and the scene she saw left her on the verge of fainting.

Two of the Spirit Cleansing Incense by Zhang Xuan's side was already burned out, and the third one seemed to be on the verge of burning out as well.

Are you for real?

How long... has it been?

Five minutes? Or was it ten minutes?

The Spirit Cleansing Incense was meant to be depleted within three days, and yet you are going to finish in within five minutes?

Is there a black hole within you?

Princess Fei-er's body trembled, and the urge to spew blood welled up in her.

She thought that as a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan expert with a far stronger than the other party, the other party stood no chance at all... Who could have known that right after she started, when she had yet to burn off the tip of the first Spirit Cleansing Incense, the other party was already about to finish all three incense...

Did you need to be so exaggerated?

How am I supposed to compete with that? Am I going to lose?

"What's going on?"

Luo Qiqi was also alarmed by the agitation in the spiritual energy in the air. Upon seeing Zhang Xuan's Spirit Cleansing Incense, she nearly died from shock, "His incense..."

"He's already about to finish absorbing all of the spiritual energy in the Lake Eye. How am I supposed to compete against that..."

Princess Fei-er was on the verge of tears.

"This..."

Luo Qiqi scratched her head.

Neither of them was a soul oracle, and none of them possessed the Eye of Insight too. With his soul hidden beneath the water and shrouded by the spiritual energy in the surroundings, it was impossible for them to notice it. From afar, it looked as though he was cultivating normally.

"Hm?"

Hearing the discussion between the duo, Zhang Xuan stopped his cultivation, and his soul returned back to his physical body. Lifting his gaze to look at his Spirit Cleansing Incense, he nearly leaped in shock.

"Who stole my Spirit Cleansing Incense?"

Frowning, Zhang Xuan bellowed.

He was certain he had three incense a moment ago, how could there only be one left in the blink of an eye? Someone must have stolen his incense!

"Stole?"

The two ladies were rendered speechless, "You were the one who burned them out..."

"Me?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback, "It can't be. If there is so little spiritual energy in here, how could it possibly be sufficient for three days?"

Zhang Xuan had barely started absorbing when the spiritual energy was already about to run out. Was this for real?

He was still intending to make use of this Cleansing Lake to boost his cultivation significantly. Yet, his training session was already nearing its end barely before he started... Must the situation be so damned?

"So little?"

Hearing the other party's words, both Princess Fei-er and Luo Qiqi's eyebrows twitched violently.

They had also tried cultivating as well, and while the Lake Eye might be small, it was extremely rich in spiritual energy. It felt as though no matter how hard they cultivated, it would never run out. Only a monster like you would think that it was lacking in spiritual energy!

"Teacher, it is probably due to you absorbing the spiritual energy a little too fast... How did you do it?"

Luo Qiqi couldn't help but ask.

When Zhang laoshi began to cultivate previously, the Lake Eye began bubbling and the spiritual energy in the surroundings grew agitated—these were signs of spiritual energy being rapidly absorbed. To think that not only would a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle cultivator be capable of absorbing spiritual energy to nourish his soul, he would also be able to cultivate so swiftly...

How did he do it?

"Indeed. Are you cheating?"

Princess Fei-er's eyebrows shot up.

Even a Grade 2 top student like Luo Qiqi couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Could this fellow be cheating?