The Combat Master Hall was the guild that boasted the greatest fighting power within the Qingyuan Empire. Not even the Master Teacher Pavilion could compare to it!
Yet, even a power as strong as the Combat Master Hall was being forced to tread carefully, and judging from Hall Master Xing’s tone, it seemed like they had been backed into a corner, possibly at stake of being completely wiped out. Just the thought of it was sufficient to leave cold sweat dripping down his back!
However, giving some deeper thought to it, Zhang Xuan felt that he might have been giving the matter too much thought. After all, if a disaster were to truly strike, news should have already spread far and wide. At the very least, as the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, he should have been privy to the news as well. As the old adage goes, ‘no news is good news’. Given that Hall Master Xing still had the time to drop by the Spirit Awakener Guild to have his Primordial Spirit enchanted, the problem did not seem to be too severe.
“Pardon me, but may I ask what kind of problem the Combat Master Hall is facing? Perhaps, I might be able to help,” Zhang Xuan said.
Given how the Combat Master Hall had accepted his request for an exchange readily, it was only right for him to reciprocate the favor and help them when they were in need.
Hearing Zhang Xuan’s question, Hall Master Xing’s face reddened, and he quickly waved his hand. “Sun shi, thank you for your concern. However, it would be better for our Combat Master Hall to resolve this problem by ourselves. It will suffice if you can just help reinforce my Primordial Spirit so that I could successfully clear the Trial of Inner Demons…”
If others were to learn that the source of his trouble was a mere student faction from a Tier-1 Empire… he would never be able to raise his head anymore!
He simply could not bring himself to speak of this matter to another soul outside of the Combat Master Hall!
“This… Alright then!” Zhang Xuan nodded.
Since he had already mastered the art of spirit enchantment, he could treat the Golden Origin Cauldron any time he wanted. Considering that the head of the Combat Master Hall had gone so far as to plead with him, he could not bring himself to turn the other party down.
“Thank you, Sun shi!” Hearing the other party’s agreement, Hall Master Xing was delighted. “Shall we find a better place to do the spirit enchantment?”
Due to the intricacies in enchanting a Primordial Spirit, it had to be conducted in absolute silence so that the spirit awakener would not be disturbed in the process. Considering that the guild building was running around at the moment, even killing two men at that, it did not seem like a fitting location to conduct the spirit enchantment.
“This…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head.
It did seem like the guild building would take some time to quieten down. Furthermore, it was one thing for the spirit enchantment to fail, but if the guild building were to go on a rampage once more and stomp the head of the Combat Master Hall to death, he could see himself being apprehended and executed not too long later.
“Our Combat Master Hall’s Heart Division has a formation that isolates the space within from the external world. Why don’t we head there instead?” Division Head Liao suggested.
“Sounds good.” Zhang Xuan nodded.
In truth, he had also been planning to drop by the Combat Master Hall to take a look, and since the other party was inviting him over at this moment, there was no reason for him to turn them down. Also, it would be a good opportunity for him to assess the fighting prowess of the combat masters before mentally preparing the members of the Xuanxuan Faction for it.
Otherwise, he would be put in a spot if that bunch were to get into trouble here.
After bidding Guild Leader Ruan and the others farewell, Zhang Xuan followed Hall Master Xing back to the Combat Master Hall.
The Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall was located not too far away from his accommodation. It was a majestic building that exuded a powerful aura, deterring any troublemakers from committing any foolishness.
“It is even bigger than the Spirit Awakener Guild…” Zhang Xuan was astonished. He could not help but wonder. If I were to successfully enchant this building, it would surely be able to run faster than the Spirit Awakener Guild’s building…
“Sun shi, this is our Combat Master Hall! Our Combat Master Hall is divided into Ten Divisions…” Seeing that Zhang Xuan was looking around curiously, Division Head Liao began introducing the basic structure of the Combat Master Hall. “… and I am the head of the Heart Division!”
“The Ten Divisions of the Combat Master Hall…” Zhang Xuan made a mental note.
He had never really heard about it from anyone before. He would have to inform Ruohuan gongzi and the others of the matter so that they could take note of it during the exchange.
“Footwork Division, Weapon Division, Palm Division, Fist Division… I can roughly fathom what those divisions are focused on, but what does the Heart Division specialize in?” Zhang Xuan asked with intrigue.
It was not too difficult to guess what the other divisions did from their names, but what in the world was the Heart Division?
“Actually, the Heart Division is the most important, as well as the most fearsome division in the Combat Master Hall!” The one who responded to Zhang Xuan’s question was Hall Master Xing.
“Oh?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed.
“One of the core responsibilities of the Combat Master Hall is to fend off the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. However, the killing intent that Otherworldly Demons emanate is incredibly potent, and over time, it will slowly corrode one’s mind and soul. In order to withstand their killing intent, it is of the utmost importance that combat masters possess mental resilience far surpassing others. It is also for this reason that the Heart Division was founded”! Hall Master Xing explained.
“As the saying goes, it’s the brave who survive an encounter on a narrow bridge. There are many cases where a cultivator possessing more condensed zhenqi, a more resilient physical body, and stronger soul energy ends up losing to an opponent far weaker than them! In a battle, it’s not only strength and technique that counts. More often than not, it’s a clash of wills as well, and the one with the stronger will is often the one standing at the end!”
“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.
He could relate with that point of view as well.
Taking himself for example, he had encountered plenty of opponents who were stronger than him in every aspect. However, be it the Scarletleaf King, Skyleaf King, or even Dao Kou, despite possessing the decisive advantage in a direct battle against him, they still ended up dying by his hand.
Ultimately, this could be boiled down to the differing intensity of their wills.
A cultivator lacking a strong will would find themself being beguiled or outmaneuvered by their opponent, thus eventually suffering an untimely death.
That was not to say that cultivating one’s body and zhenqi weren’t important, but only with a state of mind that was proportionately powerful with one’s abilities would one be able to bring forth one’s full strength.
Looking at Wang Ying for example, despite cultivating the Heaven’s Path Movement Art, her lack of confidence still eventually resulted in her loss in the Teacher Evaluation back at Hongtian Academy.
That matter had taught Zhang Xuan that he had to pay close heed to the mental development of his disciples as well. Even though Wang Ying was still a little shy in front of strangers, she was at least much more decisive than before.
“The development of the mind is extremely important. The combat masters of the Heart Division have a far firmer will compared to those from the other divisions, allowing them to stand unwaveringly before the temptations of the world,” said Hall Master Xing.
Of the two hundred combat masters who had joined the Xuanxuan Faction, there was not a single one that was from the Heart Division. In fact, while the other division heads were easily drawn by the benefits that the Xuanxuan Faction offered, Division Head Liao was the only one who had been able to retain his composure; he calmly strategized a solution out of the quandary for him!
All of this was a result of his cultivation of his state of mind.
At this point, Hall Master Xing could not help but feel deeply regretful for neglecting to enforce the cultivation of the state of mind within the Combat Master Hall. If he had done that in the first place, the Combat Master Hall might not have been cornered by the Xuanxuan Faction in the first place.
“The Trial of Inner Demons can be divided into many different levels, and the strength of the inner demon in each level differs from one another as well. By clashing frequently with one’s inner demons, one can temper one’s will and reinforce one’s state of mind!” Hall Master Xing explained.
Zhang Xuan nodded.
His will had become significantly more resilient after facing an inner demon during the Saint Ascension Ordeal, inducing a significant rise in his Soul Depth. Were it not for the inner demon being too weak, the benefits that he would have received could have been much greater than that!
A thought suddenly came to Zhang Xuan’s mind, and his eyes lit up. “The Trial of Inner Demons sounds truly interesting. Could I give it a try as well to temper my will?”
“Of course! That’s not a problem at all!” Hall Master Xing replied with a smile.
“You have my gratitude!” Zhang Xuan thanked him with a smile in return.
As long as he could withstand the temptation of the inner demons, he could elevate his state of mind to greater heights. Since the Trial of Inner Demons had such a function as well, it would be a waste not to use it!
While they were chatting, the three of them walked into the Combat Master Hall.
Behind the majestic building front was a cluster of buildings. They were clearly segregated into ten areas, which probably corresponded to each of the Ten Divisions.
Division Head Liao led the way forward, and it did not take long for them to arrive in the Heart Division.
Before them stood a huge, pitch-black building with a bizarre design that was strikingly similar to a heart. From afar, it looked as if the heart was beating swiftly.
“This is the Heart Division,” Division Head Liao said as he led the way into the building.
As soon as Zhang Xuan stepped into the building, he immediately felt rich spiritual energy gushing at him. Not only so, a unique atmosphere seemed to linger in the air within the building, bringing tranquility to one’s heart.
“We have set up a formation that gathers spiritual energy and calms the minds of those within the building. Sun shi, why don’t you conduct the spirit enchantment for Hall Master Xing here?” Division Head Liao proposed as they arrived in one of the rooms in the Heart Division.
Zhang Xuan nodded.
The Heart Division was much quieter than the Spirit Awakener Guild, making its environment much more suitable for conducting a spirit enchantment. It would probably be much easier for him to wake the Golden Origin Cauldron’s spirit here too.
After finding a suitable area within the room, Zhang Xuan gestured to the spot before him and said, “Hall Master Xing, please take a seat.”
“Un.” Knowing that this would determine whether or not they would be able to resolve the crisis that the Combat Master Hall was facing, Hall Master Xing quickly nodded and took a seat.
“Calm your mind and focus your consciousness within your Primordial Spirit,” Zhang Xuan instructed.
“Alright.” Hall Master Xing closed his eyes and centered his consciousness around his Primordial Spirit. In a moment, he entered a trance, reminiscent of a meditating old monk.
Not bad! Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in commendation.
It was just a moment ago that the other party had still harbored emotions of anxiety and apprehension, but in the blink of an eye, he had reined in his emotions entirely and freed up his mind. His control over his state of mind and emotions was truly terrifying.
It seems like Wang Ying and the others still have a long way to go, Zhang Xuan remarked internally.
Having learned the Heaven’s Path battle techniques from him, Wang Ying and the others could be considered invincible existences within their power class. However, in terms of state of mind, they were nowhere on par with Hall Master Xing.
The ability to control one’s state of mind freely might not seem like much, but it could play a decisive role in battle.
In controlled circumstances such as an official tournament, Zhang Xuan was confident that Wang Ying and the others would be able to achieve victory easily. However, if it was a fight to the death, the veteran combat masters would be able to play on their weak minds and make them panic, and this would inadvertently result in openings in their movements.
This was inevitable. It was possible for Wang Ying and the others to advance their cultivation swiftly, but the same was clearly infeasible for their state of mind. Ultimately, they were still too young. In terms of mental resilience, there was no way they could rival the much older and experienced combat masters.
Zhang Xuan made a mental note. I really have to pay more attention to the cultivation of their state of mind…
Those thoughts were swiftly tossed aside from his mind. He knew that this was not the time to be contemplating such matters. Raising his gaze to face Hall Master Xing, he focused his mind as he slowly placed his palm down on the ground.
Weng!
A circle of light shrouded Hall Master Xing.
Driving the Heaven’s Path Spirit Enchantment Art, Zhang Xuan warped his consciousness into a thin thread before carefully delving into the other party’s mind.
Enchanting an artifact was different from enchanting a Primordial Spirit. The former only required the spirit awakener to light up the flames of spirit within the artifact’s consciousness, but as for the enchantment of a Primordial Spirit, the spirit awakener would have to extend his consciousness into the cultivator’s mind and slowly search for the flaws and openings within it to repair.
As Zhang Xuan approached Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit, he could not help but widen his eyes in shock. He’s even more fearsome than the Skyleaf King…
Regardless of whether it was the quality or the size, Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit had far surpassed that of the Skyleaf King!
Considering that Hall Master Xing’s Primordial Spirit was already far stronger than that of the Leaving Aperture realm Skyleaf King despite only being at the Half-Leaving Aperture realm, it was difficult to imagine how terrifying his might would be once he became a full-fledged Leaving Aperture realm expert!
With such incredible strength, he should be able to withstand a third of my strength if he suppresses his cultivation to my level, Zhang Xuan thought in awe.
Truly impressive!
