Chapter 1196: The Friendly Spar Between the Combat Master Halls Begins!
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
Before Kong s.h.i.+ disappeared, he left behind six Celestial Amulets of Legacy. One was known to be with the Master Teacher Pavilion whereas the other five had disappeared from the face of the world.
Legend had it that the gathering of all six Celestial Amulets of Legacy would herald the opening of the Temple of Confucius, and those who entered it would be able to obtain his ultimate treasure… the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn!
It was for this reason that many people had been seeking the Celestial Amulets of Legacy over the past several dozen millenniums, but it was a pity that they were nowhere to be found.
Or perhaps, they might have already been found, just that no one dared proclaim their owners.h.i.+p of them.
After all, this was linked to Kong s.h.i.+’s ultimate treasure. Even master teachers would lose their rationality before it.
It was through the mouth of Vicious that the Qingtian Emperor had learned of the news concerning the Celestial Amulets of Legacy, and in a bid to lay his hands on it, he had set up elaborate plans.
Through his Soul Search, Zhang Xuan realized that there was a reason that the Qingtian Emperor was so determined to find the Qiu Wu Palace. “Based on the Qingtian Emperor’s memories, there should be a key to finding a Celestial Amulet of Legacy within the Qiu Wu Palace, but… it doesn’t seem like anything is there at all.”
Rather, he had made the decision to seek out the Qiu Wu Palace only after tracing down the clues he had. On top of learning that there was a key to the Celestial Amulet of Legacy, he had also discovered that there was a sliver of Kong s.h.i.+’s will that lingered in there as well.
If things had gone well, he might even have been able to uncover the precise location of the Temple of Confucius while obtaining the Celestial Amulet of Legacy.
The Temple of Confucius was a heritage that Kong s.h.i.+ had left behind for the later generations. It was hidden within the void, and there was no one in the world who knew where it was located.
It seems like the intelligence that the Qingtian Emperor has obtained is untrue…Zhang Xuan shook his head.
He had looked through the Qiu Wu Palace twice, but there was nothing reminiscent of a key in there! In fact, there was not a single thing in there that pointed to the Celestial Amulets of Legacy at all.
Well, how could the elusive Celestial Amulets of Legacy be obtained so easily?
Other than the Qiu Wu Palace, the Qingtian Emperor had also learned that a painter had chanced upon a Celestial Amulet of Legacy, and he had detailed it with a painting of Kong s.h.i.+’s silhouette.
After hearing the rumors, the Qingtian Emperor had swiftly captured the painter to interrogate him, but to no avail.
Three years ago, he had unintentionally found the heritage that the painter had left behind, and within the heritage was a certain grade-8 painting. He had suspected that the painting might have been the one mentioned in those rumors, and as luck would have it, he discovered a seal on it. That had further supported his deduction. Unfortunately, he had been unable to find a way to decipher the seal.
After many failures, he had eventually decided to turn to the head of the Qingyuan Empire Appraiser Hall, Guild Leader Mu, for help.
And the rest was as how Zhang Xuan remembered it.
Zhang Xuan frowned. Does that mean that the place that I saw in the painting was the location where the Celestial Amulet of Legacy is located?
While the clue concerning the Qiu Wu Palace had led to a dead end, it was a fact that he had seen Kong s.h.i.+’s silhouette within the grade-8 painting, so there should have been no mistake about it.
Zhang Xuan made up his mind. I really must investigate where the mountain range is after I return and find it…
On top of uncovering that, Zhang Xuan also managed to obtain a list of traitors from the Master Teacher Pavilion as well.
There were more a hundred of them, and they were scattered throughout the Qingyuan Empire.
The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was blessed with long lifespans, far exceeding the thousand years that a human Saint realm cultivator would have. Thus, it had not been too difficult for them to plant a few spies here and there.
Not all master teachers were strong-willed enough to withstand the sweet whisperings of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, so some of them had eventually succ.u.mbed and become their puppets.
Zhang Xuan swiftly jotted down a copy of their names before sending them over to Wu s.h.i.+ through his Communication Jade Token. After that was done, he heaved a long sigh of relief.
With this, they would be able to root out the Qingtian Emperor’s influence in the Qingyuan Empire once and for all.
“Vicious, I’ll leave him to you.”
After uncovering all that he wanted to know, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and pa.s.sed the soul of the Qingtian Emperor over to Vicious.
In the two thousand years that the Qingtian Emperor had spent living among the humans, he had stained his hands with the blood of countless master teachers. To be honest, Zhang Xuan thought that the other party was getting off too lightly.
“Thank you, Master!” Vicious replied excitedly.
Getting to his feet, Zhang Xuan stretched his back lazily as he began pondering over a new plan to obtain more concentrated high-tier spirit stone. However, in that moment, he suddenly recalled a certain matter, and his lips began twitching wildly.
I forgot that I promised Hall Master Xing to train his combat masters. Earlier, he said that the combat masters from the other three Conferred Empire Combat Master Halls would be arriving in three days…
He had headed right for the Master Teacher Pavilion for his promotion to 7-star master teacher right after preparing the training regimes for the combat masters. After getting caught up in an entire string of matters, four days had pa.s.sed in a flash.
In other words, the combat masters from the other three Conferred Empire Combat Master Halls should have arrived by now, and the friendly spar might have already begun!
I should rush back to take a look!
Swiftly leaving the Myriad Anthive Nest, Zhang Xuan realized that the sun was hanging high in the sky. It was already the noon of the fourth day.
Back then, Hall Master Xing had told him that if he trained the combat masters well and led them to victory in the friendly spar, he would split half of the reward from the Combat Master Hall headquarters with him. This was a precious source of concentrated high-tier spirit stones for him! No matter what, he needed to witness the exchange with his own eyes.
At this point, he could only pray that those fellows had obediently followed his training regime. Otherwise, if they lost… that would be fifty concentrated high-tier spirit stones!
Just the thought of it was sufficient to make his heart bleed in pain!
Hu!
Anxious, he rushed all the way toward the Combat Master Hall.
…
In the training hall of the Combat Master Hall…
Countless combat masters were gathered in the area, their eyes fixated on the dueling platforms in the middle.
At the very forefront of the spectator stand, ahead of the crowd gathered in the area, sat four elders. One of them was Hall Master Xing.
“Hall Master Xing, I heard rumors that your combat masters have joined that… what is it called again? Xuanxuan Faction? According to what I have heard, it seems to be an organization from a Tier-1 Empire, right?”
Before the friendly spar had even begun, the other three elders had already turned sharp gazes toward Hall Master Xing as they questioned him with deep frowns on their faces.
The Combat Master Hall represented the highest fighting prowess in the Master Teacher Continent, and yet, the combat masters of the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall had actually lowered themselves to joining a master teacher organization of a Tier-1 Empire… This was truly inconceivable!
It was true that the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall was the weakest of them all, but surely they did not have to lower themselves to such an extent!
To band themselves together with a group of ordinary master teachers… they were practically tossing aside the dignity of the combat masters!
“Yes, that’s right,” Hall Master Xing replied.
The ten thousand men of the Xuanxuan Faction were currently living in the Combat Master Hall. There was no way he could possibly conceal the matter from them at this point.
An elder with a goatee harrumphed coldly as he glared at Hall Master Xing sharply. “I don’t want to interfere in the affairs of your Combat Master Hall either, but are you serious? To actually have your combat masters join a Tier-1 Empire organization, just what is going through your mind? Does the dignity and honor of the Combat Master Hall mean nothing to you?”
That was the head of the Chongyuan Empire Combat Master Hall, Zhao Yi.
“It’s not what you all think it is. I concede that the Xuanxuan Faction is a student faction from a Tier-1 Empire, but their comprehension of combat is superior even to us combat masters. As Kong s.h.i.+ once said, learn from the capable, regardless of their standing…” Hall Master Xing explained, but he was interjected halfway through his words.
Another elder harrumphed. “Enough! We are not interested in hearing whatever explanation you have. I hope that you can at least get a single slot for the Sword Lagoon of the Qianchong Empire so that you don’t embarra.s.s yourselves any further.”
The head of the Haohai Empire Combat Master Hall, Liu Qinshan.
The third elder shook his head. “Allow me to give you a word of advice. The Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall might be the weakest of the Conferred Empires now, but don’t test the patience of the headquarters. They could very well call for your closure. When that happens, I don’t know how you intend to face your predecessors!”
The head of the Qianyun Empire Combat Master Hall, Wei Qianshu!
Of the Eight Great Conferred Empires, the weakest four were namely Chongyuan, Qianyun, Haohai, and Qingyuan.
Qingyuan used to be ranked third, but the a.s.sault from the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe twenty years ago had been a crus.h.i.+ng blow to it, and it had not been able to recover from the devastating damage since then. As such, be it their national power, regional Master Teacher Pavilion, or Combat Master Hall, unfortunately, they could only be placed in very last place.
Seeing that the three hall masters were clearly looking down on him, Hall Master Xing frowned in displeasure. “Thank you for your kind advice, but even if our Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall has not recovered from the damage we suffered twenty years ago, we are still making a swift recovery. You won’t be let down in the friendly spar later on…”
Halfway through his words, cheers suddenly erupted behind him. The candidates that would be partic.i.p.ating in the friendly spar were making their way into the training hall.
“Haha, indeed. I am not let down at all!” Zhao Yi burst into laughter upon seeing the candidates from Qingyuan.
“Hall Master Xing, has your Combat Master Hall run short of funds? So, this is what the elites of your Combat Master Hall look like, huh?” Wei Qianshu frowned in disapproval.
“Run short of funds?” Uncomprehending of what they were saying, Hall Master Xing turned his gaze over to his combat masters, and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
He saw that s.h.i.+ Hao was still dressed in the clothes he had worn while cleaning the toilet bowls, and he was still equipped with a feather duster in hand. Jiao Tan was still holding onto his fly swatter; Xiao Qin was carrying a bird cage in his hand; Dong Rui had large b.u.mps all over his head…
It was as if they were pitiful beggars picked off the street!
Caught off guard by the happenings, Hall Master Xing swiftly turned his head toward Division Head Liao. “Division Head Liao, what is going on?”
“Hall Master Xing, Princ.i.p.al Zhang’s training regime was simply too much for them to finish within three days! They all carried out their training until the very last moment before rus.h.i.+ng over in a hurry,” Division Head Liao quickly explained.
Zhang Xuan’s training regime was truly harsh; it was clearly impossible to finish it within three days! Division Head Liao could not tell whether the candidates were possessed or brainwashed, but despite the impossible mission that they had been tasked with, the candidates had carried out their training diligently without a single word of complaint. It was only when the friendly spar was about to begin that they had reluctantly halted their training to rush over.
Hearing that explanation, a bitter look surfaced on Hall Master Xing’s face.
Had he known that this would happen, he never would have entrusted the training of the candidates to Zhang Xuan. With this, their Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall would surely become the laughingstock of the other Conferred Empire Combat Master Hall for many years to come.
Cleaning the toilet bowl, swatting flies, capturing birds, leaping off trees… Just what was Zhang Xuan up to? Was he really trustworthy?
While Hall Master Xing was still staring at the situation before him with a desolate look in his eyes, a shout suddenly sounded from the dueling platform. “I am Ling Xuan from the Chongyuan Empire Combat Master Hall. My cultivation is at Saint 2-dan intermediate stage. Are there any friends from the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall who would like to spar with me?”
A combat master had already leaped onto one of the dueling platforms, and he was staring at Qingyuan’s candidates intently.
Hall Master Xing clenched his fists tightly. “To challenge us right from the start… they are intending to suppress our morale.”
There was a proper order to how the friendly spar should have been conducted, and yet, that Combat Master Ling Xuan had leaped up onto the dueling platform to challenge Qingyuan’s candidates. That was clearly an intentional act to destroy their confidence right from the start.
Furthermore, as the host of the friendly spar, it would make them appear weak if they turned down the challenge.
“I’ll face you!” Jiao Tan leaped onto the dueling platform.
Jiao Tan was a genius from the Martial Arts Division, and his cultivation had long reached Saint 2-dan intermediate stage. He was the candidate that the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall had chosen for the friendly spar for this cultivation stage.
“You?” Seeing the other party’s work clothes and the fly swatter in his hands, Ling Xuan could not help but burst into laughter. “Very well then, make your move! Let me see the formidable strength of the Qingyuan Empire combat masters!”
Huala!
Right after saying those words, he channeled his zhenqi toward his palm, and a deafening rumble reminiscent of thunder echoed from his hands.
“That is Chongyuan Empire’s famous Bolt Lightning Palm!”
“It’s said that the palm art is as swift as a bolt of lightning, making it nigh impossible for cultivators of the same tier to withstand it!”
“According to what I know, it’s extremely difficult to cultivate as well. Countless geniuses have found themselves completely clueless before it. However, judging from the resounding thunder from Ling Xuan’s palm… most likely, he has already reached Major Accomplishment in the battle technique!”
“Major Accomplishment? That should be Consummation! Ling Xuan is said to be the most talented individual of Chongyuan Empire Combat Master Hall’s Martial Arts Division, and despite having yet to reach his thirties, he has already broken several records and successfully cultivated 34 battle techniques to date!”
“He’s so formidable?”
Such discussions could be heard throughout the crowd.
However, seemingly oblivious to the words of the crowd, Jiao Tan calmly walked up to Ling Xuan with the same fly swatter in his hand.