Chapter 1461: Surviving the Lightning Ordeal
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
The activation of Zhang Jiuxiao’s bloodline happened so silently that it was hard for anyone to discern anything. However, due to the purity of the First Elder’s bloodline, he immediately felt a faint resonance with Zhang Jiuxiao.
And to his shock, he found that the bloodline that Zhang Jiuxiao possessed was even stronger than his!
In the entire Zhang Clan, his bloodline was only second to the deputy clan head, the Xing Sword Saint. For an offspring of the side family to be able to suppress his bloodline… even after double checking it multiple times, he still found the matter inconceivable.
The First Elder’s body stiffened in astonishment. I have only seen this level of purity in the young prodigy before. Could it possibly be him?
The young prodigy had been born with a bloodline comparable to the founder of the Zhang Clan, and due to that, he had directly been chosen as the next clan head, and a life of greatness lay ahead of him.
However, it was a pity that a certain incident had occurred, and shortly after… he had gone missing!
Given how pure Zhang Jiuxiao’s bloodline was, could it possibly be him?
No, that’s not right. Zhang Jiuxiao is already in his late twenties whereas the young prodigy should only be twenty this year. There’s a huge difference in their age, so they can’t be the same person. Also, it doesn’t make sense for us to have missed the high purity of his bloodline in the past!
Offspring of the Zhang Clan, regardless of whether they were from the main family or the side family, would have their bloodline checked at birth. In fact, there were some top geniuses whose bloodline purity could be checked through a unique method even while they were in their mother’s womb. Naturally, Zhang Jiuxiao would have gone through such a check, and it would have been detailed in the records.
If the young man really possessed such a pure bloodline, there was no way that he could have been overlooked!
Or could the First Elder have remembered incorrectly and unintentionally overlooked this genius of the Zhang Clan?
“Wuzhen, head to the Hall of Rituals and bring Zhang Jiuxiao’s record over to me,” instructed the First Elder as turned his head.
“Yes!” Hearing the First Elder’s command, Elder Wuzhen hurriedly left the area.
It did not take long for him to return with a book in hand.
Zhang Jiuxiao’s record was stored in the archive room for the side family in the Hall of Rituals, so it had not been too difficult for him to find it. The First Elder hurriedly took the record and flipped it open. “The age indeed doesn’t tally. His soul is stable, perfectly fused with his body, so the possibility of him being possessed by another person is zero. During the previous check, he only possessed the lowest bloodline that isn’t even worth mentioning. How is there such a huge difference now?”
The First Elder swiftly finished looking through the record, and he could not help but shake his head in incomprehension.
A unique artifact was employed in order to check the bloodline of the Zhang Clan members so as to avoid human error and oversight. As such, the chances of any errors occurring were as good as zero. Besides, if someone with such a pure bloodline had been born, the Hall of Rituals would have responded through some kind of phenomenon, such as how the entire hall rattled and Kong s.h.i.+’s sculpture rose when the young prodigy was born.
All in all, there was simply no way that an offspring with a bloodline that pure could have been born without them realizing, lying low for more than twenty years before suddenly dazzling their eyes with his brilliance!
“I want you to investigate Zhang Jiuxiao’s complete history, compile it into a report, and bring it to me!” the First Elder instructed.
The Zhang Clan’s intelligence network was not to be scoffed at, and the fact that Zhang Jiuxiao was a master teacher made it even easier to look into his affairs. Thus, it did not take long before Elder Wuzhen returned once more with a book in hand.
The First Elder swiftly browsed through the content within, and he could not help but fall into deeper confusion.
It did seem like Zhang Jiuxiao was quite a talented individual, but to put it in Zhang Clan’s standards, it was still rather lackl.u.s.ter. The turning point seemed to be around three to four months ago, when his rate of cultivation suddenly quickened. Nevertheless, it still had not reached a level where the Zhang Clan would need to pay much attention to him..
Zhang Wuchen walked up and worriedly reported, “First Elder, I found out that just last night, Zhang Jiuxiao went to look for Zhang Xuan. Not only so, Zhang Xuan is currently not in the accommodation that we have a.s.signed him.”
“Zhang Jiuxiao met Zhang Xuan last night?” The First Elder was bewildered to learn of the a.s.sociation between the two. He stroked his lower jaw and pondered for a moment before remarking, “Zhang Xuan seems to have come from the Qingyuan Empire as well…”
He had looked through the intelligence that the Zhang Clan had acquired on Zhang Xuan as well, and considering how Zhang Xuan also hailed from the Qingyuan Empire, it was likely that the both of them had gotten acquainted with one another then. Thinking about it, they did enter the Sanctum of Sages together, so it was impossible for the both of them not to know about one another.
The First Elder pondered for a while longer, but he was still unable to figure out what was happening. He rubbed his glabella and instructed, “Don’t tell anyone about this matter yet. For the time being, dispatch some personnel to continue looking for Zhang Xuan—don’t let him cause any trouble in the clan!”
To be honest, even he had to admit that the fellow named Zhang Xuan was a top genius, be it in terms of his mastery as a master teacher or the skills that he had displayed in his supporting occupations. Alas, it was a huge pity that he simply loved causing damage everywhere he went!
In less than a day after arriving at the Zhang Clan, he had already induced a huge commotion. Countless buildings had already fallen victim to his tyranny. No one would be able to take it if he was allowed to continue wreaking havoc in the clan!
“Understood!” Zhang Wuchen nodded before swiftly leaving the area.
After handling these issues, the First Elder turned his gaze to the lightning tribulation once more and saw that Zhang Jiuxiao had already survived the final streak of lightning. Gradually, the ominous clouds were starting to clear up.
The Dimension Sundering Ordeal had left Zhang Jiuxiao in a battered condition. Whether it was his physical body or his soul, they were in an unprecedentedly fragile condition. Despite so, his aura was quickly surging toward a greater height, and at the same time, a mysterious bundle of energy seemed to be manifesting within his body, ready to burst forth at any moment to cause great destruction.
“That’s the power of Dimension Sundering… He has successfully made a breakthrough!” the First Elder exclaimed in agitation.
To be able to reach such a level below the age of thirty, Zhang Jiuxiao was indubitably the most talented offspring of the entire Zhang Clan.
Hu!
The First Elder quickly flitted down from the platform that he was on to stand before Zhang Jiuxiao. He whipped out a pill and said, “Hurry up and swallow this. It’ll help you recover swiftly from your injuries.”
“Thank you, First Elder!” Zhang Jiuxiao took the pill.
It was a grade-9 pill that had tremendous effectiveness in recovering the wounds sustained by the body and soul.
However, Zhang Jiuxiao did not rush into consuming it. He quickly thanked the First Elder before fumbling his way over to a middle-aged man, and with an excited look on his face, he said telepathically, “Teacher, I have succeeded!”
“Yes, I saw it. Swallow the pill that the First Elder has given you and quickly recover from your injuries. Its effects are so-so, but it’s exactly what you need in your current state,” Zhang Xuan replied telepathically with a nod. “Also, given how huge a commotion you have caused, the First Elder is bound to ask about the matter. As you know, I like to be low profile and don’t wish to reveal my ident.i.ty, so think well before you speak, got it?”
“Yes, Teacher!” Zhang Jiuxiao hurriedly nodded.
Following that, he swallowed the pill, and the fatigue and aching pain he was suffering significantly lessened. He quickly sat down and channeled the medicinal energy within the pill throughout his body. In less than an hour, he had already recovered from most of his injuries.
Seeing that Zhang Jiuxiao was done recuperating, Elder Wuzhen flew over and said, “Zhang Jiuxiao, the First Elder is looking for you.”
“Understood!” Zhang Jiuxiao nodded.
He shot an inconspicuous glance toward his teacher behind, only to see the latter looking focused at the ground, seemingly dazing off.
Knowing that his teacher did not want to attract too much attention to himself, he turned around and instructed, “You should return to the accommodation first. I’ll head over after meeting the First Elder.”
“Yes!” Zhang Xuan clasped his fist politely.
He was acting as Zhang Jiuxiao’s subordinate at this moment, so naturally, his actions had to be fitting of one as well.
As every offspring that had come to the tournament had brought some of their subordinates along, Zhang Wuchen did not think much of their interaction. He led the way forward, and Zhang Jiuxiao followed closely behind him.
They left the sparring grounds and headed toward the center of the city.
In that moment, Zhang Jiuxiao was feeling deeply nervous inside.
As an offspring of the side family, he had never been in such close proximity to the main family before.
Putting everything aside, just the formations set up around the area were enough to trap those who did not know their way around for life.
Zhang Wuchen came to a stop before a hall. “The First Elder is right inside.”
“Understood.” Zhang Jiuxiao a.s.sessed the building before him. It was a vast hall, reminiscent of a guest lounge of some sort.
Without much hesitation, he made his way inside.
Barely after stepping through the door, just as he wanted to scan his surroundings, he suddenly felt a powerful pressure crus.h.i.+ng down on his body.
Boom!
It was an aura filled with malicious intent, reminiscent of a vicious beast baring its fangs at someone. It engulfed his surroundings in an instant, leaving him feeling as if he would be torn to shreds.
“What?” Sensing a powerful force heading his way, Zhang Jiuxiao’s body stiffened.