Library of Heaven’s Path

In the vast main hall of the Fleeting Cloud Sect’s base in Myriad Kingdom City, Sect Leader Luo Huang glanced at the young man before him.

”Others might not have realized anything in the previous duel, but don’t think you can hide it from me. I’ve been your teacher for more than decade now!”

”I knew that I wouldn’t be able to hide it from you...”

Smiling bitterly, Luo Xuan admitted to it frankly. ”I did hold myself back in the duel with Bi Jianghai!”

”For what reason?” Sect Leader Luo Huang asked.

”Given Zhang shi’s ability, there’s no doubt that he would be able to progress on to the finals. If I were to defeat Bi shi, I would have to face him. As teacher knows, our relationship with Zhang shi is rather poor at the moment. Rather than worsen the conflict with him... I might as well forfeit and allow the Gazing River Sect to deal with this trouble!”

Luo Xuan clasped his fist, and with an apologetic look, he continued, ”Teacher, please pardon me for making such a decision of my own accord!”

”Good. The fact that you were able to think that far means that you’ve already grown up!”

Sect Leader Luo Huang nodded his head in satisfaction. ”Don’t worry. Not only am I not blaming you for that, I even want to commend you for your decision! To be able to weigh the pros and cons in the midst of a tournament and make such a decision is indeed no easy feat. Regardless of whether it is Zhang shi or Yang shi, they aren’t people we can afford to cross. It’s best that we stay out of their path for the moment and slowly mend our relationship with them in the future!”

”Yes. I was also thinking the same!” Luo Xuan nodded.

Seeing his student becoming so sensible, putting the welfare of the sect before his own pride, Sect Leader Luo Huang felt gratified. Stroking his beard, he asked, ”So, you’ve seen Zhang shi’s capabilities with your eyes. What do you think about it?”

”Zhang shi?”

A sharp gleam flashed across Luo Xuan eyes, ”I can’t deny that he’s a difficult opponent. There are even several aspects which I am inferior to him in... But if I had proceeded to the finals and challenged him in a duel, I don’t think that I would have lost!”

”Oh?” Sect Leader Luo Huang glanced at Luo Xuan in interest.

”Taking the round on knowledge impartation for example, even though he seemed to have fared impressively, if I’m not mistaken, he probably resorted to hypnotism. Otherwise, how could all of the hundred people possibly acknowledge him?” Luo Xuan declared confidently.

Smiling lightly, Sect Leader Luo Huang replied, ”You said that he resorted to hypnotism, but what about Huang shi? He also acknowledged Zhang shi as well!”

In that duel, Zhang Xuan even made Huang Zheng desperately attempt to acknowledge him as his teacher, and the incident had made him a huge laughingstock. While the hundred people on the stage could have been hypnotized, how could a 4-star pinnacle master teacher be hypnotized that easily?

Hearing his teacher’s words, Luo Xuan sneered coldly, ”Actually, if it wasn’t for how ridiculous he was behaving, I’d not have seen through Zhang shi’s ploy. How could a 4-star pinnacle master teacher possessing a Soul Depth beyond 14.0 possibly willingly acknowledge Zhang shi, who wasn’t even using Impartation of Heaven’s Will then, as his teacher? This in itself is a huge joke!”

As a fellow 4-star pinnacle master teacher, Luo Xuan knew how formidable and proud experts of his class were. If Zhang shi had used Impartation of Heaven’s Will, there might still be a possibility of it happening; after all, one would be forced to move contrary to one’s will. However, to win over Huang shi with just basic knowledge of cultivation in itself... Are you trying to fool a three-year-old kid?

”He must have feigned it to please Zhang shi. But in the end, his acting turned out to be too poor, and his plan backfired on him!” Luo Xuan harrumphed.

Even a 5-star master teacher couldn’t possibly win over a 4-star master teacher by lecturing on basic knowledge. If Zhang shi was truly capable of such as feat, it would mean that his capability already surpasses that of a 5-star master teacher!

”It’s a rational argument. Is that the reason why you refused to attend his public lecture?” Sect Leader Luo Huang nodded in agreement.

They had heard of Zhang shi’s public lecture, but they didn’t think there was any need for them to attend it.

”It’s just a lecture on basic knowledge, what is there to listen to? In the end, it all boils down to the same old things. I’m sure I could conduct one as well as his, so there’s no point wasting my time there,” Luo Xuan replied. After which, he clasped his fist confidently and said, ”Teacher, I wish to attempt a breakthrough to Consonant Spirit realm right now. Can you guard me for a moment?”

”Hehe, don’t worry about it!” Sect Leader Luo Huang smiled.

”Thank you, teacher!” Replying gratefully, Luo Xuan sat on the floor, closed his eyes, and began cultivating.

In truth, he could have made a breakthrough during the fight with Bi Jianghai as well, but he intentionally suppressed his cultivation.

Once he achieved that breakthrough, his strength would soar. By then, he wouldn’t have a legitimate reason to lose to the other party anymore.

Gugugugu!

Energy flowed through his body, creating a sound reminiscent to the croaking of frogs. Luo Xuan drove his cultivation swiftly in an attempt to break through the final wall blocking his path.

”Hmm? Why can’t I absorb any spiritual energy?”

But a moment later, he opened his eyes.

No matter how hard he tried to draw in spiritual energy, it was completely ineffective. It was as if the spiritual energy in the air was dried out, rendering him incapable of cultivating.

”Sect leader! Sect leader! Bad news...”

Just as he was perplexed by the bizarre situation, an anxious voice suddenly sounded, and Luo Xuan’s junior suddenly dashed into the room.

”For you to get so anxious, what’s wrong?” Sect Leader Luo Huang’s face darkened.

”It’s Zhang shi’s lecture...” the junior hurriedly said.

”What’s wrong with the lecture? Did he create a miracle with the basic knowledge of cultivation?”

Luo Xuan shook his head. Following which, a frown appeared on his forehead, and he questioned, ”Didn’t teacher ban everyone from attending the lecture? Did you all sneak out?”

”We... didn’t go to listen to the lecture. We only went to take a look!” The junior’s face turned crimson.

The sect leader did order that no one was to listen to the lecture, but out of curiosity, they sneaked out and saw something that they should have never seen there.

”Take a look? What did you see then?” Luo Xuan asked.

”We saw... in Zhang shi’s lecture, spiritual energy was pouring into the square, and many who had been trapped in their bottleneck achieved a breakthrough during the lecture...” the junior said.

”Spiritual energy was pouring into the square? How could that be possible!”

Luo Xuan shook his head.

Spirit Gathering Diction, this is an ability that only 5-star master teachers possess!

How could a 4-star master teacher possibly influence the spiritual energy in the surroundings to such an extent, not to mention, while lecturing on basic knowledge?

”It’s true! If you doubt my words, you can try sensing the spiritual energy in the surroundings...” the junior quickly said.

”Spiritual energy?”

Gedeng!

Luo Xuan suddenly recalled his inability to draw in spiritual energy a moment ago.

Just as astonishment struck him, his teacher narrowed his eyes and began trembling uncontrollably. ”This is... Spirit Gathering Diction, Ten Li of Vacuum!”

(Li = 0.5km, 10li = 5km)

”Ten Li of Vacuum?”

The two were taken aback.

They had heard of Spirit Gathering Diction-it was an ability that only 5-star master teachers possessed. What does ’Ten Li of Vacuum’ means?”

”I-it’s... an ability that only 6-star master teachers possess...” Sect Leader Luo Huang’s lips trembled as his eyes widened. It seemed like even he dared not believe this to be true.

”6-star master teacher?”

Luo Xuan and the junior trembled in astonishment.

”Rumor has it that 6-star master teachers are able to gather spiritual energy within a ten li radius through their diction for those cultivating under their tutelage, forming a huge vacuum...”

Sect Leader Luo Huang’s teeth clattered together. ”Under such a situation, a cultivator would grow at a swift pace that is not any inferior to Cultivation Impartation...”

”Zhang shi is only a 4-star master teacher, and the topic he is lecturing on is only basic knowledge of cultivation. How could the ability that only 6-star master teachers possess be triggered?”

Luo Xuan was in disbelief.

It was just a moment ago that he declared confidently that the other party had cheated in a knowledge impartation match. Yet, in the blink of an eye, the other party had drawn in spiritual energy from a ten li radius for his lecture...

Are you serious?

”No matter how he did it, hurry up and gather the members of our sect and have them attend the lecture! Otherwise, our Fleeting Cloud Sect will lag behind the other sects, and it won’t be long before we lose our title as the strongest power...”

Sect Leader Luo Huang immediately stood up in a panic.

A lecture that could create ’Ten Li of Vacuum’ would definitely be highly beneficial to one’s future cultivation... And yet, their entire sect actually missed it! The loss they suffered from this oversight in decision was incalculable!

It could be foreseen that the sects who went to listen to the lecture would surely find their overall fighting prowess soaring, and it would just be a matter of time before they surpassed their Fleeting Cloud Sect.

This was especially so for the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. Most of the people who attended the lecture were from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. The deeper understanding of cultivation they gained from the lecture had created a bright future for all of them.

With this group of ’potential experts’, in less than twenty years, the Myriad Kingdom Alliance could possibly soar to the peak of the twenty-eight regional powers.

It was for the ability to nurture many experts that high-tier master teachers were feared and respected.

”Attend the lecture? It’s too late. Zhang shi is only lecturing for two hours and... it’s about to end already. Besides, even if we were to head there now, there’s already no space for us...” the junior said.

”No space...”

Sect Leader Luo Huang’s face paled, and he nearly fell to the ground.

Indeed. Upon sensing spiritual energy disappearing from the surroundings, which cultivator wouldn’t rush over to listen to the lecture?

It was already too late for them.

”Our Fleeting Cloud Sect… We lost a chance to climb to greater heights… just like that…”

Sect Leader Luo Huang’s body trembled in regret.

If only they had attended the lecture, with the huge amount of resources their sect possessed, they would surely have risen the quickest. Surpassing Hongfeng Empire, where Hong shi came from, wouldn’t be a dream. But now... they could only sigh in lamentation.

The opportunity had already slipped past their fingers, and no matter how they clawed at it, they couldn’t possibly take it back.

”You said that... you would be able to conduct a lecture as well as him?”

The more he thought about, the more stifled he felt. Thus, he turned his gaze over to Luo Xuan.

”I...”

Luo Xuan’s body trembled, and he nearly burst into tears.

He thought that the gap between him and Zhang shi wasn’t too wide, and he could catch up with some diligence. Only at this instant did he realize that they were of completely different standing, and there was no basis of comparison at all!

It was laughable that he even got ahead of himself and lost intentionally in the fight against Bi Jianghai so as to not offend Zhang shi in case he won the finals. Even if he had got into the finals... the only possible fate was to be crushed!

”It seems it wasn’t hypnotism that all one-hundred people acknowledged him... he indeed possesses such capability!”

How could a person capable of employing ’Ten Li of Vacuum’ possibly lower his pride to hypnotize others just to win? Not to mention, a person with such capability could possibly win easily even without it...

Huang shi and the other cultivators were earnestly acknowledging Zhang shi as their teacher...

And they noticed this fact way too late!

...

The same sight was also occurring in the other sects who skipped the lecture.

Upon learning that Zhang shi had managed to induce Ten Li of Vacuum through a lecture, everyone flew into a frenzy.

Those who attended such a lecture would surely walk out of it with an incomparably solid foundation. Very few bottlenecks could stifle their cultivation in the future, and they would grow stronger swiftly.

It could be said that this two-hour lecture would determine their fate. No amount of gold or spirit stones could make up for this loss of opportunity.

...

”It seems like... the rise of Myriad Kingdom Alliance is inevitable. It’s time to redraw the map of the twenty-eight regional powers!”

In the Alliance Head Residence, Alliance Head Zhao stood up with his fists tightly clenched. He glanced at the young man lecturing on the stage with eyes reddened in agitation.