Chapter 1086: You Are Kong s.h.i.+?
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
"9-star master teacher?" Guild Leader Han"s mouth twitched uncontrollably as his lower jaw slackened in shock.
There were not many 9-star master teachers even throughout the entire Master Teacher Continent, and every single one of them could cause the Master Teacher Pavilion to tremble with just a stomp of their feet. How in the world had a figure like that ended up joining them in their expedition?
Furthermore… how could she be so young?
Guild Leader Han couldn"t help but ask, "Aren"t you overestimating Luo s.h.i.+"s capabilities a little too much?"
It was true that Luo Ruoxin"s strength felt unfathomable to them, so he would not doubt it even if Wu s.h.i.+ said that she was a Saint 7-dan expert, but… 9-star master teacher?
It would be no joke to say that 9-star master teachers were old monsters who had dominated their own sphere of influence for countless years. How could such a young lady possibly be a 9-star master teacher as well?
"You think that I am overestimating Luo s.h.i.+ capabilities? To tell you the truth, I think that I might even be underestimating her! This folded s.p.a.ce was left behind by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, and by gaining possession of the Qiu Wu Palace, it"s not wrong to say that the Skyleaf King inherited his heritage. The fact that Luo s.h.i.+ was able to subdue him despite being within the Qiu Wu Palace so easily shows that her true strength doesn"t pale much in comparison to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. What else could a person who wields that much strength be if not a 9-star master teacher?" Wu s.h.i.+ explained.
At this moment, Guild Leader Han suddenly recalled something and said, "This… Alright, what you said does make sense, but… if I recall correctly, there are some artifacts that can produce effects similar to this when driven by one possessing a unique bloodline. If I recall correctly, the Sage Luo Clan possesses one such artifact.
"Similar to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, the founder of the Luo Clan is also known for his prowess in spatial manipulation. The "Dimension Silencer" that he left behind does have the ability to manipulate s.p.a.ce, but… it requires one to possess a very pure bloodline in order to drive it…"
Wu s.h.i.+ nodded slightly before suddenly falling into a daze upon realizing what Guild Leader Han was getting at. "You are trying to say that… Luo Ruoxin… is the young princess of the Luo Clan?"
Seemingly in possession of some insider information, Guild Leader Han explained, "Indeed. If I recall correctly, the young princess of the Luo Clan is at a similar age as well. It is said that she succeeded in awakening her bloodline when she was only three, and she is known to be the offspring with the purest bloodline in the several dozen millennia history of the entire clan with the exceptional of the founder himself. She immediately received the acknowledgement of the Dimension Silencer and gained possession of it."
"Un, I have heard the same as well. It"s said that despite her young age, the young princess possesses cultivation far superior to her peers, and her beauty is also matchless as well. However, it seems like due to that certain matter, she ended up falling out with her clan and left home." Wu s.h.i.+ nodded. "Now that you speak of it, it does seem very likely for Luo Ruoxin to be the young princess of the Luo Clan. With the Dimension Silencer and the sheer purity of her bloodline, even a true 9-star master teacher would have to tread carefully around her."
"Indeed! That would also explain her extensive knowledge of the ancient domain. If I recall correctly, the Luo Clan is ranked among the top ten of the Sage Clans, right?"
Wu s.h.i.+ nodded. "You"re right. It can stand its ground even in the face of behemoths like the Glacier Plain Court…"
While the duo was communicating telepathically, the person they were discussing, Luo Ruoxin, continued standing in front of Zhang Xuan quietly. She watched as his aura grew stronger and stronger, and eventually, when he finally managed to break through his bottleneck as a Nascent Saint, she heaved a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Zhang Xuan was indeed unaware of the happenings outside. The sacred light that had gathered around him was warm and comfortable, putting him in a state of relaxation. At the same time, it also nourished his body, zhenqi, and soul.
Driving the Heaven"s Path Divine Art, his cultivation surged ceaselessly. As if a Taotie 1 with an insatiable appet.i.te, he greedily consumed the sacred energy around him.
Saint realm 1-dan primary stage!
Saint realm 1-dan intermediate stage!
…
In less than two hours, his cultivation had already reached Saint 1-dan pinnacle!
Hu!
Exhaling deeply, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes.
So far, he had only managed to form the Saint 1-dan Heaven"s Path Divine Art, so he was unable to cultivate any further than that.
Taking an inward look at the current state of his body, Zhang Xuan could not help but tremble in agitation.
As expected of Celestial Saint… My Origin Core has already exceeded First Grade, achieving the level of Perfection!
Even before becoming a Celestial Saint, Zhang Xuan had already managed to raise the tier of his Origin Core to First Grade. However, after being acknowledged as a Celestial Saint, he found his Origin Core being further enhanced to a tier that far exceeded the level of First Grade, achieving a height that could only be described by the word "perfection".
It seems like Kong s.h.i.+"s Origin Core wasn"t at First Grade either. He should have achieved the level of Perfection as well.
Having become a Celestial Saint himself, he instinctively understood that Kong s.h.i.+ must have gone through the same process.
Of the three phases of the Saint Ascension Ordeal, the Body Ordeal destroyed the Origin Core within one"s body before reforming it with sacred energy, thus inducing a breakthrough in its tier, reaching a level far beyond what ordinary cultivators could ever achieve.
My cultivation is at Saint realm 1-dan, but my true fighting prowess should be comparable to a Saint 3-dan pinnacle expert. With my current strength, I should be able to easily defeat Feng Xun at peak condition! Zhang Xuan thought in excitement.
He had only defeated Feng Xun previously due to the latter suppressing his cultivation initially, so he had been able to grasp the momentum of the battle right from the start and overwhelm the other party. But now… having reached Saint 1-dan pinnacle, even if Feng Xun were to go at him at his full strength, he would still be able to subdue him easily.
As for Saint 4-dan cultivators… considering how Primordial Spirits were involved in the equation, the situation would become a little uncertain.
In order to face Primordial Spirit realm experts head-on, he would have to advance his soul cultivation first!
But the heritage of soul oracles that he had obtained was only up to Transcendent Mortal 9-dan, so it would be hard for him to progress any further than that. It seemed like he would have to find some time to visit the Ancient Domain of Soul Oracles that Mo Hunsheng had mentioned earlier. It would also be a good opportunity to check up on Lu Chong and see if he was facing any problems with his cultivation.
Huala!
Zhang Xuan stood up.
"You have awakened," Luo Ruoxin said. "How are you feeling?"
"Not too bad!" Zhang Xuan replied with a smile. Turning his gaze upwards, he could not help but be startled by what he saw. "What happened to the Skyleaf King?"
The Skyleaf King was frozen in the sky with a gleeful look on his face, not moving in the slightest. Despite his facial expression, fear could be seen in the depths of his eyes.
"He attempted to a.s.sault you, so I taught him a lesson," Luo Ruoxin replied nonchalantly, as if she had just accomplished something insignificant.
"You taught him a lesson?" Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in shock.
He knew full well how powerful the Skyleaf King was, so for Luo Ruoxin to be able to subdue the latter so easily… Just how powerful was she?
In that moment, Zhang Xuan felt like he had gotten a glimpse into why Luo Ruoxin had said that it would be difficult for them to get together. Considering her strength, he was indeed a little too weak to stand by her side.
Having become a Celestial Saint, he had thought that he would at least be able to stand unrivalled among his peers. However, when he saw that Luo Ruoxin, who was around the same age as he was, possessed the strength to subdue the Skyleaf King so easily, the pride he was feeling a moment ago vanished without a trace.
No matter how fast his cultivation speed was, it had only been a single year since he started rising through the ranks. Given the sheer size of the Master Teacher Continent, the odds were that there were a significant number of astounding geniuses of his age group who possessed cultivation far surpa.s.sing him, especially among the offspring of the Sage Clans.
This further affirmed his previous thoughts. There was always a mountain higher than the other in the world, so he had to maintain a low profile. Otherwise, he might just end up dead without realizing what had come his way.
"This fellow has tried to kill me time and time again. Allow me to return the favor to him first." Smiling at Luo Ruoxin, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze toward the Skyleaf King with a ferocious glint in his eyes.
Vice Princ.i.p.al Ji Yan was right. Having just become a Celestial Saint, he was still able to tap into the vast energy within the Saint Ascension Platform to exert strength beyond his current capabilities. The Skyleaf King might have been a powerful Leaving Aperture realm expert, but with the current strength which Zhang Xuan wielded at his disposal, he was confident that he would be able to defeat the other party easily.
Hu!
With a snap of Luo Ruoxin"s finger, the seal around the Skyleaf King was finally released. Zhang Xuan waved his hand, and an overwhelming surge of sacred energy immediately crushed the Skyleaf King against the ground.
"You…" Not expecting Zhang Xuan to become so formidable all of a sudden, the Skyleaf King widened his eyes in fear. Realizing that the odds were severely against him, he immediately gathered every ounce of strength he had and attempted to flee.
Having fused the map and the sphere together, he had managed to gain control of the Qiu Wu Palace. With the possession of such strength, he thought that he had finally reached the peak of his life. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he suddenly found himself at risk of being knocked down from the peak.
"Trying to flee? Humph!" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes menacingly as he raised his palm furiously.
Through telepathy with his clone, he had already learned what had happened while he was on the Saint Ascension Platform.
Kacha!
The Skyleaf King cried in agony as he fell back to the ground once more with his Primordial Spirit convulsing uncontrollably.
Given Zhang Xuan"s current state, the Skyleaf King might not necessarily have been a match even while utilizing the strength of the Qiu Wu Palace, so how could he possibly withstand Zhang Xuan"s attack when all that was on his mind at that moment was to flee?
A moment later, the Skyleaf King was tossed into the Saint Ascension Platform. Exposed directly to the brilliant radiance of the sacred light, he screamed frenziedly in agony as he struggled desperately. As time pa.s.sed, his screaming gradually quietened down until it eventually settled into silence.
Hu!
Zhang Xuan grasped forward, and a bundle of pure energy from the Skyleaf King"s Primordial Spirit appeared in his hands.
The sacred light of the Saint Ascension Platform had the effect of destroying the consciousness of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. After being exposed to it for an extended period of time, the Skyleaf King had already lost his sense of self, turning into nothing more than a bundle of pure energy.
"Clone, you have done well this time," Zhang Xuan said with a smile before flicking his finger, and half of the bundle of energy flew into his clone"s body.
Geji! Geji!
After absorbing the bundle of pure energy, his clone"s aura began surging steadily.
His clone"s strength was mainly derived from the Nine Hearts Lotus, so there was no need for him to cultivate at all. As long as his soul grew stronger, his fighting prowess would grow as well.
Absorbing only half of the Skyleaf King"s Primordial Spirit, even if his clone was unable to reach Leaving Aperture realm, it should sufficient to grant him strength comparable to a Half-Leaving Aperture realm cultivator. Pairing that with his indestructible body, he would be a match for even a Leaving Aperture realm primary stage cultivator!
"I am very grateful to the rest of you as well." Zhang Xuan turned to Wu s.h.i.+ and the others with a smile. He divided the remaining energy bundle into several portions, and with light flicks, he directed them into their heads.
"Thank you, Princ.i.p.al Zhang!"
Knowing that Zhang Xuan had just offered them a hard to come by opportunity to push for a breakthrough, Wu s.h.i.+ and the others uttered their thanks before quickly sitting down to cultivate.
Boom!
Not too long later, Guild Leader Han was the first to achieve a breakthrough to Half-Leaving Aperture realm.
Shortly later, Wu s.h.i.+ followed suit.
As for Vice Princ.i.p.al Ji Yan and the others, while their improvements were not as exaggerated, they still managed to reinforce their Primordial Spirit realm cultivation significantly. All in all, the Skyleaf King"s Primordial Spirit had managed to induce a substantial advancement in everyone"s cultivation.
Feeling the raging power flowing through their body, everyone bowed deeply in grat.i.tude. "Princ.i.p.al Zhang…"
Zhang Xuan turned to look at them with a solemn expression. "I hope that all of you will keep the matter of me being a Celestial Master Teacher and a Celestial Saint a secret."
For the time being, it was still better for him to keep this matter a secret. Otherwise, it could very well induce widespread fear among the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, thus compelling them into extreme actions. If so, his life could be in grave danger.
More importantly… low profile, low profile, and low profile! Important matters had to be repeated thrice.
"Don"t worry, our mouths are sealed!" Wu s.h.i.+ and the others replied earnestly.
A matter concerning a Celestial Master Teacher and Celestial Saint had already far exceeded their jurisdiction. It was something that could very well affect the future of mankind, so they dared not speak of it lightly.
Hearing their guarantee, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. "You have my grat.i.tude for this matter!"
After which, he flicked his wrist and tossed a bundle of Grand Intermittence Gra.s.s over. "Wu s.h.i.+, I will leave it to you to forge a Grand Intermittence Pill to heal Vice Princ.i.p.al Tan Qing. For the time being, I intend to study the map and the sphere carefully to see if I can find a way to revert the old princ.i.p.al back to his original form."
"Alright!" Grabbing the Grand Intermittence Gra.s.s, Wu s.h.i.+ nodded.
Apothecary was one of his supporting occupations. While it was not the one that he was the most proficient in, he was at least sufficiently skilled to forge a Grand Intermittence Pill.
Hu!
After he was done making arrangements, Zhang Xuan headed straight up to the sphere and placed his palm on it. A moment later, his eyes narrowed in shock.
"You are… Kong s.h.i.+?"