Library of Heaven’s Path

In the Sanctum Head Hall, Zhan shi was pacing around with a tight frown on his forehead.

“Elder Ge, how do you view this matter?”

In the main hall, an elder was seated in one of the chairs, holding a Communication Jade Token in his hands with an unreadable expression on his face.

The head of the Hall of Integrity, Elder Ge.

“Zhang Wuheng has led the Zhang Clan for many years, and he’s very particular about the Zhang Clan’s reputation on the Master Teacher Continent. Since he passed a decree in his capacity as the First Elder, Zhang Xuan must have really done something unforgivable to the Zhang Clan,” Elder Ge said severely.

They had some formal ties with the First Elder of the Zhang Clan, and they knew the latter to be a rational and dignified individual. For him to fly into such a rage and send a message to them overnight, even requesting for their help to apprehend Zhang Xuan, it seemed like that fellow had raised quite a storm in the Zhang Clan this time around.

“I am of the same view as you, but no matter what, he’s still Yang shi’s student,” Zhan shi said with a frown.

“So what if he’s Yang shi’s student? All are equal in the eyes of the law! Back then, when Kong shi’s direct disciple made a grave mistake, he was also punished before the crowd. As talented as Zhang Xuan may be, I think his arrogance is clear for us all to see. Just look at what he has done in his time here. I’m not in the least surprised that he would wreak havoc in the Zhang Clan! Since Elder Wuheng has already made this request of us, why don’t we help him apprehend Zhang Xuan? This way, not only will we be able to win the Zhang Clan’s favor, it’ll also show the impartiality of our Sanctum of Sages in not blindly siding with our students,” Elder Ge said.

“What you have said does make some sense. While I’m still not too sure what Zhang Xuan has done in the Zhang Clan, we can’t just one-sidedly cover up for him. For the time being, you should dispatch some men to investigate what happened at the Zhang Clan, as well as whether Zhang Xuan has really utilized some means of teleportation that allowed him to secretly return to the Sanctum of Sages. Also, if you catch sight of Zhang Xuan, apprehend him right away. No matter what, we have to offer an explanation to the Zhang Clan, so we can’t let him slip away at this point in time,” Zhan shi instructed.

Previously, he had thought that Zhang Xuan might be a potential candidate to becoming the Sanctum Head, but the investigation over the past month had left him more and more convinced that it would be Feng Ziyi instead. Given so, there was no point offending the powerful Zhang Clan over a mere Zhang Xuan, especially given the weakened state that the Sanctum of Sages was in.

“Alright, I’ll have it done!” Elder Ge nodded as he got to his feet, preparing to head out.

However, at this moment, knocking suddenly sounded on the door.

“Is Zhan shi inside? I am Zhang Xuan, and I have something that I need your help with!”

“Zhang Xuan? He actually came knocking of his own accord?”

The two elders glanced at one another in astonishment.

That fellow was way too gutsy!

It was just a moment ago that they had been discussing how they should go about apprehending that lad when he suddenly came rushing over in the next moment.

“Given how he was able to escape from right beneath Elder Wuheng’s nose, he must possess some kind of extraordinary technique. Later on, I’ll try to sound him out to see if things are really as Elder Wuheng made them out to be. If it’s proven true, I want you to quickly control the formation in this room so as to prevent him from getting away, alright?” Zhan shi sent a telepathic message to Elder Ge.

Elder Ge quickly nodded in response.

After swiftly sorting out their plans, Zhan shi spoke up with a slightly louder voice. “Please enter!”

Jiya!

The door open, and Zhang Xuan walked in.

“Zhang shi, Elder Ge!” Zhang Xuan was slightly surprised to see that Elder Ge was around as well, but he did not neglect to greet the latter.

After trading some pleasantries, Zhan shi looked at Zhang Xuan intently and asked, “May I know the reason behind your late-night visit?”

“I am currently studying 9-star formations, and I am having some trouble procuring grade-9 formation flags to test out a formation. I heard that Zhan shi is adept in formations, so I came over hoping to get some from you. If it’s required, I don’t mind paying any price to purchase them,” Zhang Xuan said.

“Grade-9 formations flags? I do have some with me, and if Zhang shi really needs them, it’s not a problem for me to give them to you either. Just that…” Zhan shi directed a doubtful look toward Zhang Xuan before continuing. “Grade-9 formations require some degree of spatial manipulation in order to set up, so they are exceptionally difficult to construct. Considering Zhang shi’s current cultivation realm, you should still be unable to utilize them, right?”

Grade-9 formations exploited the secrets of space, allowing the formation master to create spaces that were entirely isolated from the environment, thus granting a larger variety of effects.

In order to be able to set up even the simplest grade-9 formation, one’s cultivation had to be at Saint 9-dan at the very minimum. Zhan shi had studied grade-9 formations for over a hundred years now, but even so, it was highly difficult for him to set up the most basic of grade-9 formations. Considering how the young man before him had only recently cleared his 8-star formation master examination, as well as the fact that his cultivation was still far from reaching Saint 9-dan, it seemed a little too early for him to start trying to set up grade-9 formations.

“I just want to try out some of my theories that I thought of in a moment of inspiration. I’m not expecting immediate success,” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

While he did learn Heaven’s Path Teleportation Formation Art, due to the limitations of his cultivation and a complete lack of experience in the field of Teleportation Formations, he was not so naive as to think that he would be able to succeed on the first attempt. At the very least, he felt that it would take two or three tries before he succeeded.

“It’s always good to explore new things!” Thinking that Zhang Xuan was serious about learning and researching, Zhan shi nodded in approval as he picked up his teacup and sipped on it. “There are roughly a hundred basic grade-9 formations. May I know which one Zhang shi is studying at the moment? As you know, the effects of formation flags can differ greatly due to their properties, and it would be a disaster if the formation flags rebounded on you while you were constructing the formation!”

Due to the immense power that grade-9 formations wielded, it was important to pay careful attention while treading around it. The slightest mistake could lead to the massive power it harnessed running amok, so at the very least, the preparatory work should be as perfect as it could get so as to avoid a disaster.

“Regarding that… I intend to set up a Teleportation Formation,” Zhang Xuan said.

“Teleportation Formation?” Taken aback, Zhan shi nearly spurted tea out of his mouth. Looking at Zhang Xuan as if he was looking at a monster, he exclaimed in shock, “Teleportation Formations are difficult to learn, even by the standards of grade-9 formations. Are you sure that you’re going to start with that?”

Teleportation Formations could be further divided into various other levels, such as the transmission of information, long-distance projection of images, teleportation of non-living beings, and last but not least, the teleportation of living beings.

Transmission of information was at the most basic level; those 3-star to 4-star formation masters who specialized in this field would be able to construct them. As for projection of images, that would require a 6-star or 7-star formation master at the minimum. The teleportation of non-living beings was slightly harder, but 8-star formation masters who specialized in that field should be able to pull it off with sufficient effort.

And as for the teleportation of living beings… there were simply too many factors that one had to pay attention to, especially since the teleportation conditions had to be carefully controlled so that the person teleporting would not be injured. Even 9-star formation masters would have trouble coping with the many issues that could arise from the construction of a Teleportation Formation, let alone a Phantasmal Space realm 8-star formation master like the young man before him.

It was just like a person who had not even learned to walk yet was attempting to spread his wings and soar into the sky.

Noticing the incredulous look on Zhan shi’s face, Zhang Xuan swiftly explained, “I actually possess exceptional sensitivity toward spatial laws, and I have spent quite some time studying the topic. It’s because I’ve met a bottleneck in my studies that I would like to try setting it up so as to verify some of my hypotheses!”

He could not reveal the existence of the Heaven’s Path Formation Art, so he could only use such vague terms to pass it off.

“Exceptional sensitivity toward spatial laws?” Zhan shi and Elder Ge traded glances before nodding inconspicuously.

They had still been harboring some doubts toward the message that they had received from Zhang Wuheng earlier, but considering the conversation about Teleportation Formations… it might just be true that the young man had teleported back into the Sanctum of Sages to flee from the Zhang Clan!

This was especially so given Zhang Xuan’s abrupt arrival. Based on what they knew, the young man should have been in the Zhang Clan at that moment, and that was at least a month’s journey away from the Sanctum of Sages.

Thus, Zhan shi paused for a brief moment before asking, “Right, didn’t you head to the Zhang Clan a while back? Did Jian Qinsheng not return with you?”

“I had some urgent matters to attend to, so I came back in advance. Elder Jian should be coming back very soon,” Zhang Xuan replied.

“Urgent matters? Is this relating to the Zhang Clan?” Zhan shi asked with a frown.

Knowing that it would be impossible for him to conceal the conflict with the Zhang Clan, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before admitting, “I did get into a conflict with the Zhang Clan, but I’ll resolve it once I manage to clear the urgent matters I have at hand!”

“It’s good that you intend to resolve the conflict with the Zhang Clan…” Seeing that the matter had been verified, Zhan shi did not hesitate to take action. “… but my apologies, Zhang shi. I’ll need you to remain here for the time being!”

As he said those words, he waved his hand and swiftly sealed the space in the room.

Zhang Xuan found his body being locked in place, unable to move in the slightest.