"Not even twenty minutes have pa.s.sed so far, right?""Within such a short period of time, he actually managed to reach the ninth floor. T-this…"
Before the Tower of Master Teachers stood a group of spectating master teachers and members of other occupations, and every single one of their teeth were clattering from astonishment.
Their initial thought was that even if the young challenger was able to clear the trial, most likely, he would take several days at the very minimum, needing to overcome many difficulties before finally reaching the top. Yet, who would have thought that he would actually be able to reach the top within less than twenty minutes!
This meant that he had received the recognition of the Inceptive Sages of the eight supporting occupations within just two to three minutes after meeting each of them. Was that not too fast?
"Even though he has successfully reached the final floor, I don"t think things are optimistic for him," an elder standing not too far away remarked grimly.
"Why would you say so?" Luo Xuanqing asked.
This brother of his had truly surpa.s.sed his wildest imagination. All along, he had thought that there was no one who could possibly best his younger sister"s record, but who knew that he would actually be able to reach the final floor so quickly?
The final floor was mainly a trial to a.s.sess the challenger"s cultivation, and considering Zhang Xuan"s frightening fighting prowess, it should be a walk in the park for him to clear the trial. Why would the elder say otherwise?
"From what I know, the person guarding the floor is Zhang Chun! I"ve heard that the both of them had some grudges with one another in the past," the elder said.
"Zhang Chun?" Hearing that name, Luo Xuanqing was startled. He could not help but clench his fists tightly together. "Why would it be him?"
He knew about Zhang Xuan"s conflict with Zhang Chun as well, and if the latter was the one guarding the floor, it could prove hard for Zhang Xuan to clear the trial.
But under normal circ.u.mstances, considering that it was just a simple a.s.sessment of cultivation, it would suffice to find an ordinary 8-star master teacher to do the job. There was no need for a top-notch genius of the Zhang Clan to make a move himself.
"I"m not too sure about the details either, but it seems like he applied for the role himself," the elder replied.
As one of the core members of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Chun had a ma.s.sive intelligence network all over the Sanctum of Sages, allowing him to remain up to date with the various affairs going on. Considering that he had a grudge with Zhang Xuan, it went without saying that he would apply to become one of the guardians of the Tower of Master Teachers.
"d.a.m.n it. If that fellow makes things difficult for Zhang Xuan, I"ll surely give him a beating he will never forget once he comes out of the Tower of Master Teachers! If I don"t make him bedbound for at least half a year, my surname won"t be Luo!" Luo Xuanqing vowed viciously with gritted teeth.
He had been wanting to pummel Zhang Chun ever since achieving a breakthrough in his cultivation, but before he could make a move, he had ended up learning about his younger sister"s affairs, and in the midst of settling the matter, he had been forced to summon his lightning tribulation.
In the end, before he could make a move, the other party had ended up making the first move!
If that darned Zhang Chun intentionally made things difficult for Zhang Xuan and failed him, he would never let that b.a.s.t.a.r.d go!
If he did not beat that fellow up till the point where even his parents would not be able to recognize him, his name would not be Luo Xuanqing!
"In the first place, the Tower of Master Teachers is known to be one of the hardest trials in the Sanctum of Sages. If Zhang s.h.i.+ clears it too easily, others will only question the legitimacy of the trial in the future…" Shaking his head, the elder was in the midst of his words when the ground suddenly began trembling.
Boom!
He quickly raised his head and saw a human-sized protrusion appearing on the walls of the ninth floor of the Tower of Master Teachers.
"Zhang s.h.i.+ has been beaten up!" the elder exclaimed.
Luo Xuanqing anxiously turned his gaze upward too.
Boom!
Another resounding explosion sounded, and the human-sized protrusion on the wall became even bigger. Stone fragments that had chipped off from the tower rained ceaselessly on the ground.
"Zhang Xuan," Luo Xuanqing muttered worriedly as he contemplated rus.h.i.+ng in to save the other party. However, the next instant, he suddenly noticed something that made his eyebrows shoot up. "Wait a moment, that body shape… doesn"t seem to belong to Zhang Xuan. The one who is being pummeled isn"t Zhang Xuan?"
"It isn"t Zhang Xuan?" Taken aback by those words, the elder turned his gaze upward once more, but before he could examine the protrusion on the wall clearly, the protrusion suddenly burst open.
Huala!
A silhouette burst forth from the protrusion, heading straight to the ground.
Peng!
He fell headfirst into the ground, leaving only a pair of legs trembling non-stop outside, reminiscent of a leek planted in the ground. Judging from the clothes and the body shape… he was none other than the top-notch genius of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Chun!
"How can this be?" The elder"s mouth opened wide in shock.
He knew Zhang Chun"s strength very well. Even at Saint 7-dan pinnacle, he wielded strength that was comparable to ordinary Half-Dimension Sundering realm experts. Yet, facing a mere Half-Grand Dominion realm cultivator, he was actually pummeled right down from the ninth floor, even to the point where he was unable to gather the strength to steady himself through his ability of flight.
The elder rubbed his eyes forcefully, and he had to take several good looks at the situation before he was finally able to convince himself that he was not seeing things.
The elder was not the only one who was flabbergasted by the situation. Even Luo Xuanqing"s eyes were wide open.
Zhang Chun had been viciously pummeled the previous time he challenged Zhang Xuan with his cultivation suppressed. Could it be that he still had not learned his lesson and chose to suppress his cultivation yet again?
If that was the case, he really was a true m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t through and through!
Boom!
However, before he could think too much into it, the ground suddenly shook. A brilliant light burst converged from the surroundings toward the top of the Tower of Master Teachers, and a token materialized in midair.
8-star master teacher emblem!
"Congratulations to Zhang Xuan for successfully clearing the Tower of Master Teachers and being promoted to 8-star master teacher." The voice reverberated throughout the Sanctum of Sages, echoing loudly in everyone"s ears.
"Zhang s.h.i.+… has cleared the 8-star master teacher examination?" Within a certain room, Zhang Jiuxiao heard the voice from the sky and froze on the spot.
At the same time, the cultivating Chen Leyao"s body also stiffened, and a hint of disbelief surfaced in her eyes.
The other party was only at Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle when they first arrived at the Sanctum of Sages, possessing a fighting prowess that was beneath hers. But in less than a single month, he was already an 8-star master teacher.
Even when witnessing everything unfolding with her own eyes, she still could not help but find it inconceivable.
Such scenes were happening throughout the entire Sanctum of Sages, especially with those cultivators who had entered the Sanctum of Sages together with Zhang Xuan. Shock was an understatement for what they were feeling at that moment.
Even Zhao Xingmo was completely rooted to the spot, incapable of speaking a word at all.
He had known from the very start that Zhang Xuan would accomplish great things in the future, but he had never thought that the latter would actually be able to become an 8-star master teacher within less than a month… and without attending a single lesson at that!
As an 8-star master teacher, that young man could already be considered a figure that stood at the very peak of the continent, qualified to enter the Inner Sanctum.
"Senior… sure is formidable!" Feng Ziyi"s mouth was agape, too.
Previously, he had still thought that as long as he worked hard, considering that they were from the same lineage, he would be able to surpa.s.s the other party one day. However, the voice had clearly told him that the other party had already reached a level far beyond his reach, and it was nigh impossible for him to catch up now.
"It"s no wonder Teacher would choose to take him in."
With the other party"s talent, it was no wonder his teacher would take in another disciple even after telling him that he would be the only direct disciple that he would accept.
Hu!
Reaching out to grab the floating 8-star master teacher emblem, a unique energy surged into Zhang Xuan"s body.
Of course, there was no way he would be a match for Zhang Chun given his current strength. The reason he had been able to defeat the latter so easily was because he had let his clone out to take his place.
After absorbing the energy from the lightning tribulation, his clone had become so strong that even a Saint 7-dan pinnacle expert like Zhang Chun was bashed right into the wall with a single punch. By the third punch, the latter had already been completely knocked out, falling down from the Tower of Master Teachers helplessly.
"I have finally reached 8-star."
Glancing at the emblem in his grasp, Zhang Xuan could hardly suppress the excitement in his heart. Just as he was about to stow it into his storage ring, his eyebrows suddenly shot up, and a token surfaced in his palm.
The Sanctum Head Token!
The token was emanating a warm glow, and it seemed like a seal placed on it was gradually undoing itself.