Chapter 1024: You Are Princ.i.p.al Zhang?
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
Not only was Song Zhen frenzied by the sight before him, the mouths of Guild Leader Zhong and the others were also twitching uncontrollably, and they felt as if their minds were about to blow at that sight.
It was indeed true that the chairs of their Blacksmith Guild were extremely expensive commodities, made out of superior materials, but even so… it was still just wood! Perhaps it might have been a decent weapon in a street fight against ordinary humans, but to use it to deal with their Three Stars Violetmoon Formation was a blatant insult to them!
Gritting his teeth tightly, Guild Leader Zhong harrumphed coldly. "Since you are courting death, don"t blame us when you get hurt!"
Flicking his wrist forcefully, a sword qi reminiscent of a relentless waterfall flowed forth.
Huala!
In the blink of an eye, Guild Leader Zhong had already executed his strongest sword art.
Half-Saint battle technique… Knots of a Thousand Threads!
"As if two interweaved webs, a thousand knots there are in my heart!" 1
This battle technique was created by a lovesick swordmaster a thousand years ago. The main aim of the sword qi lay not in killing but coiling. Once struck by this technique, one would feel as if one had fallen into a marsh, unable to struggle free.
With Guild Leader Zhong"s current strength, complemented by the effects of the formation, not even a Saint 2-dan intermediate stage cultivator would be able to deal with it easily. It seemed like he was aware that ordinary means wouldn"t be effective on the other party, considering the other party"s extraordinary strength and deep comprehension of formations. As such, he had decided to use his strongest means in the hope of taking down the other party swiftly.
Hula!
The sword qi swiftly formed circle after circle. Once trapped within, even the most formidable of experts would have to suffer a fair bit to break free. Yet, the young man before him didn"t seem to be aware of the danger ahead of him. Holding the leg of the chair, he continued proceeding forward fearlessly.
"You came!" Guild Leader Zhong sneered.
Tzzzz!
With a skillful flick of his sword, the sword qi instantaneously surrounded Zhang Xuan.
I succeeded? Guild Leader Zhong nearly leaped up in excitement.
He had only intended to use this technique to hara.s.s the other party, hoping to uncover the full extent of the other party"s strength through it. Yet, who knew that he would successfully coil his sword qi around the other party so easily?
So far, he had never encountered a cultivator who could break free from his Knots of a Thousand Threads before!
Delighted, Guild Leader Zhong had just started thinking about how he should deal with the other party when the person who should have been trapped within his Knots of a Thousand Threads abruptly vanished, causing his sword qi to end up coiling around nothing. The next moment, the other party abruptly appeared right before him, and the blunt, squarish edges of the wooden chair came cras.h.i.+ng down forcefully on his head.
"I…" Guild Leader Zhong"s body stiffened. Before he could make sense of what had just happened, a sharp pain abruptly a.s.saulted his face.
Peng peng peng peng!
Despite the weak material used to make the chair, it had been reinforced by the other party"s zhenqi, making it as tough as steel. In the blink of an eye, his face was already completely soaked in blood.
"Wait a moment…" The other two 6-star blacksmiths who had been fighting alongside Guild Leader Zhong were also frenzied by the sight before them.
They had gone to the extent of utilizing a collaborative formation along with their strongest attack, and yet, they had still ended up being pummeled by the other party. More importantly… it was one thing if the other party had wielded a powerful weapon, but he was only equipped with the chair he had been sitting down on a moment ago! Just the thought of the current situation left them feeling so stifled that they could spurt blood.
It was not much of an issue that he had been pummeled by an expert, but if the other blacksmiths were to learn that their guild leader had been viciously pummeled by a person wielding with a chair, they would become the laughingstock of the entire Firesource City!
As such, the two elders hurriedly charged forward to save their guild leader. The zhenqi in their bodies surged furiously as they drew out two white streams of silk-like sword qi.
However, before their attack could land on the young man, the sight before them abruptly darkened. All of a sudden, they found a chair headed right toward their faces as well.
Pilipala!
Zhang Xuan swung his arm relentlessly, bringing the chair down upon the trio before him.
They sure were shameless.
It was out of concern for their dignity that he had held himself back, but those three were so thick-skinned that they didn"t know when they would stop. What formation, strongest attack, and sword art? Shouldn"t they have realized that it was futile by now?
Even a Saint 2-dan combat master wasn"t a match for him; what could three Saint 1-dan fellows do? Putting aside setting up a formation, even if they were to bring their entire extended family over, they would still not have been a match for him!
After two minutes of merciless pummeling, the three most esteemed blacksmiths in the guild were eventually left lying on the ground, bruised all over.
"This…" Sun Jin was dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
He had thought that, with the guild leader and the two elders making a move simultaneously, they would surely have been able to subdue the other party easily. Yet, never in his dreams did he expect to see the other party easily suppressing the trio with just a chair in hand.
For a chair to actually overwhelm a Half-Saint weapon, just what was this?
"Alright!" After giving the guild leader and the two elders a harsh beating, Zhang Xuan finally placed the chair down and sat down on it once more.
"Are you willing to listen to my words now?"
"You… Who in the world are you?"
Not expecting a twenty-year-old young man to actually possess such astounding prowess, Guild Leader Zhong clenched his jaws tightly and roared, "Barging into the Blacksmith Guild and beating up the guild leader and elders, I have already reported this matter to the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion. Be prepared to face the wrath of Pavilion Master Feng!"
The Master Teacher Pavilion was in charge of maintaining the security and order of the region it was stationed in. Regardless of the ident.i.ty of the young man before him, his act of barging into the Blacksmith Guild and intentionally wounding its members had already infringed upon the rules of the Master Teacher Pavilion.
The other party would have already gotten away by the time the personnel from the Blacksmith Guild headquarters arrived to deal with this matter. However, there was still the Firesource City Master Teacher Pavilion located not too far away, and once they learned of the matter, they would surely rush over at top speed.
While many had viewed him to be the strongest expert in Firesource City, Guild Leader Zhong knew that that was far from the case. In terms of fighting prowess, there was no doubt that Pavilion Master Feng was above him. On top of that, for some reason, many experts had gathered in the regional Master Teacher Pavilion in recent days. Once they dispatch their forces, they would surely be able to apprehend that fellow and teach him a lesson that he would never forget.
"Pavilion Master Feng? You are talking about Feng Yihui?" Zhang Xuan asked with an ironic smile on his lips.
"That"s right!" Guild Leader Zhong roared affirmatively.
The head of the Firesource City Master Teacher Pavilion, Feng Yihui, was his close friend, and they had known one another for more than a hundred years now. As soon as he learned that someone had barged into the Blacksmith Guild, he had immediately sent a message to inform the other party. Judging from the amount of time that had pa.s.sed, the other party was due to arrive very soon.
All he could do now was pray for Pavilion Master Feng to arrive as soon as possible so as to back him up. However, at that moment, the young man before him abruptly turned his gaze outside and said, "Pavilion Master Feng, you have been watching this commotion long enough. Isn"t it about time you come in?"
"Watching this commotion? Pavilion Master Feng… has already arrived?"
"Gedeng!"
An ominous premonition struck Guild Leader Zhong"s heart. He hurriedly turned his head and saw an old man walking over with an awkward look on his face.
"Zhang s.h.i.+!" Upon walking into the room, the old man bowed deeply to the young man first before turning his gaze toward him. "Guild Leader Zhong…"
This old man was the head of the Firesource City Master Teacher Pavilion, Feng Yihui.
Upon receiving his old friend"s call for aid, he had immediately rushed over as soon as he could, fearing that the other party might have been in danger. However, when he arrived at the doorstep, he had realized that the so-called intruder was actually Princ.i.p.al Zhang, and he had immediately halted his footsteps.
Princ.i.p.al Zhang was a 6-star master teacher like him, but as the princ.i.p.al of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, his standing was a tier above his, comparable to 7-star master teachers. Naturally, he didn"t have the right to question the other party"s actions.
As such, even when he saw Guild Leader Zhong being viciously pummeled by a chair, he had continued to hide outside, not daring to step in to intervene. However, he hadn"t expected that Princ.i.p.al Zhang would actually notice his presence.
With his presence exposed, he had no choice but to walk out awkwardly.
"Zhang s.h.i.+? He is… a master teacher?" Noticing how respectful Pavilion Master Feng was when he greeted the other party, Guild Leader Zhong"s heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly turned his gaze toward the young man.
Didn"t the other party say that he was a 6-star blacksmith? Why did he become a master teacher all of a sudden? On top of that, for Pavilion Master Feng to treat the other party with such respect… Zhang s.h.i.+…
"C-c-could you be… the princ.i.p.al of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Xuan?" Guild Leader Zhong"s eyes widened in astonishment as realization struck him.
He had no idea whether Princ.i.p.al Zhang was at Firesource City or not, but he was aware that there were twenty thousand students from the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy who were in the midst of a mission there at the moment.
Of the twenty thousand students, ten thousand of them had blacksmith as their main supporting occupation, and they had just requested a substantial sum of smithing resources from them just two days ago, so naturally, he was aware of the matter.
Considering that there were twenty thousand students there, it wouldn"t be a surprise if the princ.i.p.al was here as well!
"Indeed, I am Zhang Xuan!" Zhang Xuan nodded.
Princ.i.p.al Zhang? Song Zhen"s body stiffened in disbelief when he heard those words, and soon after, his eyes turned fiery with agitation.
It hadn"t been long since Princ.i.p.al Zhang had been inaugurated as the princ.i.p.al of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, but his name was already well-known throughout the entire Hongyuan Empire. Even the citizens of a place as remote as Firesource City had all heard of his name.
For such a legendary figure to say that it was possible for him to become a blacksmith… Perhaps, there just might be hope for him!
Forming a stark contrast to Song Zhen"s excitement was Sun Jin"s look of horror. His eyes narrowed in disbelief as a feeling of weakness a.s.saulted his entire body.
If the other party had only been a blacksmith, he might just have been able to deny it to the very end. But if the other party was a master teacher… it was doubtful that his strategy would be able to work!
The discerning eyes of the master teachers were not something that could be fathomed through common sense, and the Master Teacher Pavilion possessed incredible means that would make it nigh impossible for anyone to lie to them!
Not to mention, Zhang Xuan was the cream of the crop among the master teachers, a true legend!
Guild Leader Zhong"s face had paled with fright, but after all that had happened, he was reluctant to give up. "Even if you are… the princ.i.p.al of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, surely it is against the rules for you to barge into the Blacksmith Guild and a.s.sault our men…"
Even if the other party had a standing higher than his, to barge into their base and wound so many of their men, surely the Master Teacher Pavilion wouldn"t condone such actions!
"Rules?" Harrumphing coldly, Zhang Xuan rose from his seat. Commanding the authority and disposition of a princ.i.p.al, he said, "Only those who abide by the rules deserve to be protected by the rules!"
"Only those who abide by the rules deserve to be protected by the rules?" Guild Leader Zhong was baffled by Zhang Xuan"s words. "When has our Blacksmith Guild broken the rules?"
"Song Zhen, come over!" Zhang Xuan turned to the middle-aged man by the side and beckoned him over.
"Yes!" Nodding, Song Zhen hurried forward.
"Exert your zhenqi," Zhang Xuan instructed.
Song Zhen nodded before driving his zhenqi. The next moment, a heavy aura permeated the entire room.
"Th-this type of zhenqi…" Guild Leader Zhong"s eyes widened in bewilderment before they abruptly narrowed in realization.
As a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith, he could tell with a single glance what attribute the other party"s zhenqi was and whether it complemented the earth flames or not.
It was apparent that, with the middle-aged man"s zhenqi, it was impossible for him to become a blacksmith.
Seeing that Guild Leader Zhong understood what he was getting at, Zhang Xuan turned to Song Zhen and urged him on. "Tell your story to Guild Leader Zhong over here!"
"Yes." Song Zhen nodded. "I was one of Blacksmith Sun Jin"s apprentices, and I have been learning smithing ever since I was seven. The cultivation technique that I am practicing has been taught by him…"
Without hiding anything, he repeated everything that he had told Zhang Xuan previously to Guild Leader Zhong.
Even though he still wasn"t too sure what was going on, he knew that Princ.i.p.al Zhang was doing all of it for him, and he trusted the other party as well.
"He imparted such a cultivation technique to you, and yet, he still urged you to take the blacksmith examination? How is this possible? Unless…"
Right after hearing Song Zhen"s words, Guild Leader Zhong face turned completely pale. With a face as cold as the biting frost of a winter night, he turned to look at Sun Jin.