Library of Heaven’s Path

“Zhang Xuan?” Hall Master Zhao Yi repeated the name under his breath.

Considering how much respect the Progeny of Combat had for his teacher, he would have to make sure to treat the other party respectfully in the future.

At this moment, he suddenly caught sight of a young man flying over from afar and landing in the middle of the concourse. Placing his hands behind him, the young man looked at the Progeny of Combat on the screen with complex emotions in his eyes.

“Hall Master Xing, is that person a combat master from your Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall?” Hall Master Zhao Yi narrowed his eyes in rage. “It’s one thing for him to arrive so late despite the sounding of the Combat Master Assembly Decree, but how dare he not kneel to receive the decree of the Progeny of Combat? Is this the kind of discipline a combat master should have?”

It was just a moment ago that the Progeny of Combat had made his decree, so it was only right for all combat masters to kneel and humbly receive his decree. And yet, that young man arrogantly dared to remain standing in the middle of the concourse! This was truly unacceptable!

“Ah, he isn’t a combat master from our Combat Master Hall. He’s the person whom I told you about, the head of the Xuanxuan Faction, the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang… Hall Master Zhao, where are you going?” Hall Master Xing explained with his sight still fixated on the Progeny of Combat on the screen. When he finally turned about to look at Hall Master Zhao, he realized that the latter had already stood up and was walking toward Zhang Xuan with a hostile glint in his eyes.

“I don’t care whether you are the head of the Xuanxuan Faction or whoever you are, but our Combat Master Hall is currently holding a solemn ceremony now. Please leave this instant, or else don’t blame me for getting nasty with you!”

The decree of the Progeny of Combat was a confidential secret among the Combat Master Hall. Since the young man was not from the Combat Master Hall, he should have known better than to land in the middle of the concourse. Or… could it be that he was trying to eavesdrop on the confidential secrets of the Combat Master Hall?”

“You want to get nasty with me?” Zhang Xuan frowned in displeasure.

He had rushed over to see how the friendly spar had gone, only to see the image of Zheng Yang before the Great Combat Master Atrium while he was making his way over. Thus, he could not help but land in the concourse to take a closer look.

Looking at how his student had matured, and he could not help but feel a little nostalgic inside.

But at that moment, this old man suddenly came over to threaten him.

“That’s right, don’t think…” Hall Master Zhao Yi bellowed furiously, but before he could finish his words, a finger suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Sou!

Hall Master Zhao Yi’s eyes widened in astonishment, but it was already too late for him to respond. It appeared to be a normal flick, but due to the immense force harnessed within the flick, his body swiftly retreated into the distance before colliding with the wall of the atrium, producing a resounding explosion.

Zhang Xuan was in no mood to deal with anyone. This was a precious moment for him and his student, and he did not want to be interrupted by anyone.

Since the old man was the one who had provoked him in the first place, he had no qualms about flicking the old man away.

After sending the old man flying, Zhang Xuan placed his hands behind his back once more as he continued looking at the screen before him.

Watching how Zheng Yang had become the Progeny of Combat had left him many emotions within.

He had accompanied Zheng Yang on every part of his journey since Tianxuan Kingdom, watching how an ordinary spear fanatic who had just had his heart broken slowly worked diligently day in and day out, gradually refining his spear art to a level far surpassing his peers, eventually becoming the Progeny of Combat.

So many things had changed in less than a year. Time sure was a powerful force.

A teacher can only do so much for their student. The true reason for your success lies in your own diligence and perseverance! Zhang Xuan nodded in approval.

While the simplified Heaven’s Path Spear Art was an unparalleled battle technique in the world, it would be for naught if the practitioner himself did not work diligently on it.

Just take Sun Qiang for example… Forget it, let’s not talk about something that depressing on this happy occasion.

Zheng Yang could not be considered the most talented among his direct disciples, but without a doubt, he was the most valiant and hot-blooded of them all.

It was his deep love and perseverance for the spear that had led him to where he was today.

Even the most capable of teachers could only play an auxiliary role in the lives of their students.

Zheng Yang had managed to pave his own way forward, and Zhang Xuan was happy for him.

“How dare you…”

Climbing out of the rubble, Hall Master Zhao Yi gritted his teeth in fury.

He had thought that the brazen young man would leave sheepishly after hearing his criticism, but who knew that the latter would actually be so arrogant as to beat him up?

To make a move against a hall master in a Combat Master Hall… Unpardonable!

Seething with rage, Hall Master Zhao Yi was just about to rush up to the young man once more to teach him a lesson when he suddenly saw Hall Master Xing rushing toward him.

“Hall Master Xing, that leader of the Xuanxuan Faction actually dared to brazenly assault me before the Progeny of Combat! He might be your guest, but such actions cannot be tolerated in the Combat Master Hall! Otherwise, what will become of the discipline of the combat masters?” Hall Master Zhao Yi spat angrily through gritted teeth.

The reason his candidates had failed to acquire a single slot to the Sword Lagoon of the Qianchong Empire was due to that fellow, and he had even been humiliated by a young lady of the Xuanxuan Faction just a moment ago. While he had chosen to accept those matters, it was still inevitable that they would breed some frustration and resentment within him toward the leader of the Xuanxuan Faction.

This incident only served to spark those negative emotions within him. Completely clouded by rage, the only thing that was on his mind at that moment was to teach that young man a lesson!

“Listen to me, he isn’t just an ordinary guest…” Hall Master Xing hurriedly advised.

“I know that your Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall is indebted to him, but he dared to disrespect the Progeny of Combat and undermine the Combat Master Hall! If I don’t teach him a lesson, how am I to face my combat masters?” Hall Master Zhao Yi harrumphed coldly as he marched forward furiously.

“Fine, do whatever you like!” Seeing how Hall Master Zhao Yi refused to hear his words, Hall Master Xing frowned in displeasure. He flung his sleeves impatiently and said, “Right, I forgot you tell you. The name of the leader of the Xuanxuan Faction is… Zhang Xuan!”

“Zhang Xuan?” That name caused Hall Master Zhao Yi to halt in his footsteps. An ominous feeling in his heart left him shuddering in fear as he asked meekly, “The teacher of the Progeny of Combat?”

“Who else?” Hall Master Xing replied curtly before returning to his position to kneel down.

If you desire death that much, go ahead!

I won’t stop you!

“He… really is the teacher of the Progeny of Combat?” Hall Master Zhao Yi suddenly found the world spinning around him as he struggled to process what he had just heard.

It was no wonder the candidates of the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall would grow so much stronger after three days of guidance! If the teacher of the Progeny of Combat was behind the matter, that would explain a lot!

Hu!

Hall Master Zhao Yi stood petrified on the spot, not knowing what he should do.

At this moment, the silhouette of the Progeny of Combat gradually faded after issuing his decree.

The surrounding combat masters stood up and turned toward Zhang Xuan before bowing respectfully.

“All of them know…” Hall Master Zhao Yi’s eyes swam around the place from frenzy.

He was really in deep trouble this time around.

The Progeny of Combat had just instructed everyone to treat his teacher with the utmost respect, and yet, right after hearing the decree, he had insolently told the young man to leave the Combat Master Hall.

His face gradually turned redder and redder as he racked his brain to figure out a way to get the young man to pardon him for his rudeness.

At that moment, Hall Masters Wei Qianshu and Liu Qinshan suddenly walked up to Zhang Xuan and clasped their fists respectfully.

“Paying respects to Zhang shi. Our Combat Master Hall is interested in having an exchange with the Xuanxuan Faction. May I know if Zhang shi will be so magnanimous as to grant us the opportunity to learn from the Xuanxuan Faction?”

“I have long heard of the fame of the Xuanxuan Faction, and it would truly be an honor to have an exchange with you…”

Hearing those words, Hall Master Zhao Yi’s lips twitched in frenzy.

Those two fellows were too shameless!

It was just a moment ago that they had been filled with disdain with the so-called Xuanxuan Faction. Yet, as soon as they learned that the leader of the Xuanxuan Faction was the teacher of the Progeny of Combat, their attitudes had immediately taken a 180-degrees turn. Where was their dignity?

“You can discuss the issue with Hall Master Xing.” Seeing that a huge crowd was swiftly gathering around him, Zhang Xuan shook his head before taking his leave.

Still overwhelmed by his emotions from seeing how Zheng Yang had become the Progeny of Combat, Zhang Xuan was in no mood to deal with such miscellaneous affairs. In any case, there were others to handle the matter in his stead, so there was no need for him to deal with them personally.

Thus, he returned to his residence.

Not too long later, Hall Master Xing knocked on his door.

“Principal Zhang, thanks to your training, our candidates manage to obtain all twenty slots to Qianchong Empire’s Sword Lagoon. As promised, I’ll share half of the awarded concentrated high-tier spirit stones with you. However, it will probably take some time before the reward arrives.”

“Roughly, how long will it take?”

Hall Master Xing pondered for a moment before replying. “The headquarters have a unique delivery method, but even so, it will still take at least ten days.”

“Ten days?” Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed helplessly.

He had thought that he would be able to acquire the concentrated high-tier spirit stones swiftly and quickly advance his cultivation to Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle, but from the looks of it, it seemed like he would still have to wait a while longer.

Why did cultivation have to be so difficult?

Looking back, he really missed the days when he could advance an entire realm within a single night.

“Principal Zhang, do you still require a lot of concentrated high-tier spirit stones?” Hall Master Xing asked after noticing Zhang Xuan’s frustrated expression.

“Yes. Do you know of a way to acquire them?”

“I don’t have any way to acquire more concentrated high-tier spirit stones, but if you are intending to use them for your cultivation, perhaps you could try the grade-7 Spirit Reinforcing Pill instead,” Hall Master Xing suggested. “The Spirit Reinforcing Pill harnesses concentrated medicinal energy that can advance even the cultivation of a Leaving Aperture realm cultivator significantly.”

“Spirit Reinforcing Pill?” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment.

There was some information regarding Spirit Reinforcing Pills within the books in the Master Teacher Pavilion. It was a grade-7 pill that had an effect similar to concentrated high-tier spirit stones. However, he had never seen the pill in person before, and he did not have the pill formula for it either.

“I happen to have a Spirit Reinforcing Pill with me at the moment. Principal Zhang, why don’t you give it a try? If it is effective, you can acquire more from Guild Leader Wu. He should have quite a few in his possession.” Hall Master Xing flicked his wrist and passed a jade bottle to Zhang Xuan.

“Thank you.”

Zhang Xuan took the jade bottle and uncapped it. Floating within the bottle was a crimson pill, and he could vaguely feel the concentrated spirit energy that was sealed within it.

Taking the pill out of the bottle, he popped it into his mouth.

The pill swiftly dissolved into a huge accumulation of warm, concentrated spiritual energy, which swiftly flowed through his meridians before eventually gathering in his dantian.

“It’s effective!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

Too accustomed to cultivating with spirit stones, he had not really thought of seeking other substitutes for spiritual energy. However, the fact was that there were plenty of items that could replace the use of spirit stones!

For example, the Earth Vein Spirit Essence that he had acquired from the Cloudmist Ridge back then was a superior substitute for middle-tier spirit stones.

Naturally, there were also some pills that could replace spirit stones as well.

Even though the spiritual energy within the Spirit Reinforcing Pill was less concentrated than that of concentrated high-tier spirit stones, it was still useful to him at the moment.

If he could just acquire enough of them, he would be able to push for a breakthrough to Embryonic Spirit realm pinnacle!

Seeing how the young man swallowed the pill directly without bothering to sit down and cultivate, Hall Master Xing widened his eyes in astonishment. “Principal Zhang… don’t you have to cultivate to assimilate the energy within the pill into your body?”

Even he would have to take some time to assimilate the energy within a Spirit Reinforcing Pill, and yet, the Saint realm 3-dan young man before him had actually swallowed it so recklessly. Was he not scared of absorbing in too much spiritual energy in one go and exploding?

“Hmm? I have already assimilated the energy within the pill,” Zhang Xuan replied with a hint of confusion in his voice.

It was only one small pill; he had assimilated the energy within it a moment after consuming the pill. Why would he have to specially cultivate for it?

“You have already assimilated it?” Hall Master Xing’s lips twitched in frenzy. At this moment, he finally understood how the young man before him had been able to advance his cultivation so swiftly.

Putting everything aside, just the rate of his assimilation was already incomparable to any ordinary cultivator.

“Are there more of such pills in the Apothecary Guild?” Zhang Xuan asked.

If he wanted to achieve a breakthrough using the Spirit Reinforcing Pill, he would require a massive amount of them, a hundred at the very minimum. Just that, would the Apothecary Guild have that many pills for him?

“I’m not too sure either. You will have to ask Guild Leader Wu for that,” Hall Master Xing replied.

Guild Leader Wu Huayu was the individual who had invigilated Zhang Xuan’s Pill Debate examination back when he was still at the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. Zhang Xuan’s exceptional results then had led him to deliver the Grand Intermittence Grass to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy personally. Unfortunately, Zhang Xuan happened to be away back then.

“Okay. I’ll head to the Apothecary Guild now then,” Zhang Xuan replied.

Luo Ruoxin would be marrying the genius of the Zhang Clan on the third month of the following year. He could not afford to waste any time.

Bidding Hall Master Xing farewell, Zhang Xuan walked out of his accommodation, only to see Luo Qiqi walking toward him.

“Teacher…”

Upon seeing Luo Qiqi, Zhang Xuan felt a slight headache.

As an attached man, he felt a little awkward about being confessed to by his student.

Nevertheless, knowing that he could not possibly continue hiding from the other party, he sighed inwardly as he walked up to Luo Qiqi.

“Teacher, can you… accompany me for a day?”

Noticing that Zhang Xuan’s expression had turned a little awful, Luo Qiqi’s face sank slightly, but she continued staring at him with expectant eyes.

“Just one day!”