The elder seemed to be in his sixties. He had snowy hair and sharp eyebrows that were reminiscent of arrows. The intense aura of slaughter that he carried hinted that he was a veteran of the battlefield, and the great power pulsating from his body revealed that he was a Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm primary stage cultivator.
“He’s one of the Twin Bandits of the Northern Meadows, Earth Flitting Bandit Dao Kou!”
Upon seeing the other party’s appearance, the face of the attendant swiftly paled in fright, and he quickly sent a telepathic message to Zhang Xuan. “That man over there is known as the Earth Flitting Bandit, and he’s a dominant figure among those living near the Northern Meadows. Not only does he wield outstanding strength, more importantly, he is arrogant and obeys no rules. It’s best not to get on his bad side.”
The Northern Meadows was the name of a territory under Qingyuan Conferred Empire, and it spanned over an area that was even larger than Hongyuan Tier-1 Empire. To be able to become a dominant power there bore testimony to the immense strength that Dao Kou wielded.
“So what if he obeys no rules? Vice Guild Leader Xu has already taken my spirit stones, is she intending to go back on her words?” Zhang Xuan shook his head, paying no heed to what the attendant was saying.
The Master Teacher Pavilion would not allow lawlessness to occur in areas where it was stationed. Even if the other party was a Primordial Spirit realm expert, he would still have to lower himself accordingly.
“That’s not what I mean. The Earth Flitting Bandit Dao Kou is a vindictive person, so you have to be careful around him. It’s not his first time snatching spirit enchantment slots from others, and the previous clients who have turned him down ended up suffering tragic fates.”
While the attendant was filling Zhang Xuan in on the matter, Vice Guild Leader Xu shook her head and said, “I have only conducted spirit enchantment for two clients so far, but this gentleman over here arrived before you, and he has already paid the fee for it as well. Thus, I’m afraid that you will have to wait for the next session!”
As the vice guild leader of the Spirit Awakener Guild, it was a given that she would have to obey the rules.
Not to mention, the person before her was a master teacher at that.
“You said that this lad came earlier than me? That’s an easy problem to resolve!” With a hearty laugh, Dao Kou walked up to Zhang Xuan, and with an authoritative and pressurizing voice, he said, “This friend over here, hand your slot to me. You paid a hundred high-tier spirit stones earlier, right? Here are two hundred, consider it compensation from me!”
As he said those words, he flicked his wrist, and a pile of two hundred high-tier spirit stones appeared on the ground before him.
To double the price in a single breath, this was definitely a deal that few could resist.
Right after saying those words, Dao Kou placed his hands behind his back, waiting for the other party to pick up the high-tier spirit stones. In his view, there was no way a Saint 1-dan cultivator would be so foolish as to offend him over a mere slot.
Contrary to his expectations, the young man did not seem to have heard what he had said at all. The young man continued looking at Vice Guild Leader Xu and asked, “You said that it will be difficult to awaken its spirit, may I know what the difficulties you will face are? Perhaps, I might be able to offer some assistance…”
Seeing how the young man was disregarding his teacher, a look of displeasure surfaced on the middle-aged man’s face as he bellowed furiously, “Brat, are you deaf? Can’t you hear that my teacher is talking to you?”
However, Zhang Xuan continued speaking to Vice Guild Leader Xu as if the middle-aged man was invisible. “I might not have much of an understanding of spirit enchantment at the moment, but I am willing to learn.”
“Learn?” Vice Guild Leader Xu shook her head. “Spirit awakener isn’t a unique occupation, but it isn’t something that one can master swiftly. It’s unlikely for you to be able to make it in time if you start learning now. Waking a dormant spirit requires very precise control, and it’s a particularly troublesome process as well. I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to succeed.”
“This…” Zhang Xuan frowned. “Then… will there be any harm if you fail to wake the Golden Origin Cauldron up?”
Failure was still acceptable. What would be truly unacceptable was if the Golden Origin Cauldron’s spirit dissipated as a result of it.
“Don’t worry, failure will not cause any harm to the spirit of the artifact,” Vice Guild Leader Xu replied with a smile.
“I’ll have to trouble Vice Guild Leader Xu on this matter then. If you wake the Golden Origin Cauldron up, I’ll surely repay your favor generously!” Zhang Xuan bowed deeply.
“There’s no need to stand on ceremony. I am not really confident of success, so I ask of you not to hold too much hope. However, rest assured that I’ll try my best!” Vice Guild Leader Xu nodded.
Given that the other party was a master teacher and had such a valuable artifact in his possession, he was bound to be no ordinary figure. Thus, Vice Guild Leader Xu’s voice showed not the slightest hint of disrespect.
However, while Vice Guild Leader Xu dared not provoke the young man before her, the same could not be said for Dao Kou and the middle-aged man.
“Brat, we are talking to you over here. How dare you disregard us?” Not daring to offend the vice guild leader, the middle-aged man walked straight up to Zhang Xuan with blatant killing intent in his eyes.
It was one thing for the other party to disregard him, but how dare the other party disregard his teacher as well? This was unforgivable!
With his Saint 3-dan pinnacle cultivation, even if he did not make a move, the pressure he exerted was sufficient to leave any Saint 1-dan cultivator trembling in fear.
Zhang Xuan shot a nonchalant glance at the middle-aged man before speaking impassively, “Young man, watch your attitude. If you show some humility, I can consider replying to your request!”
“You’re seeking death!” Hearing those words, the middle-aged man’s face twitched in anger.
To think that a twenty-year-old brat would dare to address him as a young man and speak to him as if an elder lecturing a junior. He could not help but feel be overwhelmed.
Boom!
Unable to hold himself back any longer, the middle-aged man raised his palm and thrust it toward Zhang Xuan.
Seeing that sight, Vice Guild Leader Xu’s face darkened. She instinctively stepped forth to stop the middle-aged man, but before she really did anything, the young man raised his gaze and bellowed, “Scram!”
Boom!
It was as if a clap of thunder had exploded within the room.
Deng deng deng deng!
Seemingly having suffered a heavy blow, the middle-aged man’s face suddenly turned ghastly pale before his attack could land, and he was forced to retreat eight steps back. Blood spewed from his mouth.
Even though the middle-aged man’s cultivation was far higher than Zhang Xuan’s, Zhang Xuan was a Celestial Saint whose fighting prowess was invincible beneath Primordial Spirit realm. Against a cultivator who was not even a master teacher, he didn’t even need to lift a finger—just a shout could easily breach the latter’s mental barriers and send his cultivation into disarray.
“Yan Qi!” Seeing that his student had suffered severe damage with a single shout, Dao Kou’s face darkened. He quickly rushed forward and infused zhenqi into his disciple’s body so as to suppress his wounds. After that was done, he raised his gaze and glared at the young man with a frosty gaze. “Terpsichore and demonic tunist? This friend over here, don’t you think that you went overboard?”
With his vast battle experience, he could immediately see through the young man’s attack.
It was just a single word, but infused within it was the strength of a demonic tunist and terpsichore, making it nigh impossible to guard against.
“If I hadn’t retaliated, I would have been the one lying on the ground at this moment,” Zhang Xuan replied coldly before turning his gaze away.
“My student is indeed a little hot-tempered, but he doesn’t move without a reason!” Dao Kou sneered coldly. “Since you have harmed my student, I believe that I have every right to return justice to him. Humph, seeing how you are just a measly Saint 1-dan cultivator, I won’t bully you. Three moves. If you can touch even my clothes within three moves, I will drop this matter and leave immediately. Otherwise, I’ll have you pass your slot on to me and leave, or else be prepared to face my wrath!”
As a powerhouse of the Northern Meadows, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?
“Three moves?” Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up. “Sure, make your move!”
“…” Dao Kou suddenly felt incredibly stifled within. “I am saying that I’ll allow you to make three moves against me!”
A look of amazement appeared on Zhang Xuan’s face. “Are you certain?”
“Of course!” Dao Kou replied confidently.
While the young man might have seemed formidable, being able to force back and injure his disciple with a roar, he could tell that the other party was simply a skilled user of soul arts.
It was inevitable that those who devoted their effort to furthering their soul arts would be weak physically. This was common sense among cultivators. Besides, considering how young the other party was, how strong could he possibly be?
This was also why Dao Kou had proposed such a challenge!
Those in the Northern Meadows would know that this was an unfair match. Putting aside the fact that Dao Kou was a Saint 4-dan cultivator, he happened to specialize in speedy maneuvers as well. For him to be matched against a Saint 1-dan lad… that was simply overkill!
“Alright then!” Paying no heed to the smug smile on Dao Kou’s lips, Zhang Xuan nodded.
In the next moment, his figure abruptly blurred. Before anyone could process what was going on, he was already standing before Dao Kou.
While he was reluctant to cultivate the Unbounded Voyager due to the multitude of flaws in it, he had not left it lying around the past month. He had been trying to fuse portions of it into the Heaven’s Path Movement Art, and this had raised his speed significantly. While it was still impossible to pull off the near instantaneous movement of the Unbounded Voyager, it was still a fearsome ability in close quarters.
From the moment he moved to the point he appeared before Dao Kou’s eyes, it did not even take a tenth of a breath.
Hu la!
Right after Zhang Xuan’s figure appeared, a fist swiftly followed.
“You…” Not expecting the other party to rush at him before he was even ready, and with such speed at that, Dao Kou’s face paled in fright.
He immediately raised his hands to retaliate, but to his shock, he realized that the fist of the young man before him was far swifter than he was.
A sharp pain assaulted his chest, and with a cry of agony, he was sent flying away.
Peng!
Knocked heavily into a wall, Dao Kou slowly slid to the ground before his eyes rolled up. He had fainted.
“The Earth Flitting Bandit Dao Kou specializes in speed, and his movement technique, Fallen Footsteps, allows him to move as swiftly as an elusive specter. You really mustn’t fight with him…”
It sounded complicated in words, but everything happened within a split second. When the young attendant heard Zhang Xuan accept challenge, he hurriedly sent a telepathic message over. However, before he could finish his words, Dao Kou was already lying helplessly on the ground. Rendered completely speechless, he felt as if insanity was about to overrun his mind.
From the looks of it, it was apparent that the young man before him was not too much older than he was. Yet, who would have thought that he was able to severely injure an Embryonic Soul realm expert with a bellow and a Primordial Spirit realm expert with a fist?
With his movement technique, Fallen Footsteps, the Flitting Earth Bandit Dao Kou could outmaneuver even a Primordial Spirit pinnacle expert. It was for this technique that he was renowned throughout the Northern Meadows. Yet, before Dao Kou could utilize his movement technique, he was knocked out.
The attendant could not help but gulp in fear.
It was fortunate that he had not thought of stealing the Saint intermediate-tier artifact from the other party’s hands. If he had done so… he could very well have been the one lying on the ground at this very moment.
“Teacher!”
At that moment, the middle-aged man also finally recovered from his daze, and he quickly rushed forward to save his teacher.
Meanwhile, Zhang Xuan glanced down at the unconscious Dao Kou and shook his head.
Three moves?
You can’t even withstand a single one! With such meagre strength, what are you showing off for?
I thought that you would at least be a worthwhile opponent.
Honestly, I despise people like you who try to pose when you don’t even have the capability to do so.
Shameful! Truly shameful!
To be fair, if Dao Kou had used his true prowess as a Primordial Spirit realm expert against Zhang Xuan from the very start, he would have at least been able to stand his ground.
However, of all things, he had chosen to give Zhang Xuan a three-move advantage; he was just asking for suffering!
Not everyone was qualified to allow Zhang Xuan an advantage!
Putting aside a mere Primordial Spirit realm primary stage, not even the Leaving Aperture realm primary stage Skyleaf King had dared give him any advantages, and despite that, the Skyleaf King had still ended up being crushed in the end!
While Zhang Xuan’s strength was still a little off from matching up to Primordial Spirit realm experts, he had many aces up his sleeves that would allow him to easily subdue them in battle.
Sighing deeply, Zhang Xuan shook his head and stared into the distance. A forlorn look crept into his eyes, as if an undefeated expert asking for a single worthy rival.
“I hate it when others pose before me, and you just had to do it. You really put me in a spot there.”
