Shi Hao had spent a whole twenty years at Saint 1-dan pinnacle before being able to gather that much power. He had thought that the other party would have been in Saint 1-dan for decades at the very minimum since he was lamenting over the long period of time he had been in the realm, but who would have thought…
A month…
A month…
Long your head!
To reinforce your cultivation to such an extent within such a short period of time, and you still say that you’ve spent a long time in the realm… Will you die if you stop boasting?
Shi Hao felt the pain in his heart intensifying even further.
The others also had the same expressions on their faces. If only they were strong enough, they would have rushed forward to give him a good pummeling.
That fellow was truly asking for it!
To grumble about a month being too long, and even complaining that he would be unable to face his students…
With such speed, are you sure you are cultivating and not flying?
On the other hand, Zhang Xuan, who had only noticed the bitter expressions on the faces around him, shook his head helplessly.
That was truly his honest opinion; he was neither boasting nor showing off. Putting aside Zhao Ya, Yuan Tao, and the others, who were going to inherit powerful heritages, even Wang Ying had reached Nascent Saint pinnacle and was about to achieve a breakthrough anytime soon. On the other hand, his apothecary student, Luo Qiqi, had already achieved strength on par with him, Saint realm 1-dan pinnacle, and if he did not achieve a breakthrough soon, the other party might very well surpass him.
It was not that he did not want to take his time, but with his students chasing right behind him, if he slacked off in the least, he would find himself lagging far behind them. Honestly speaking, he was also in a very difficult situation. Why wouldn’t anyone just take him seriously when he said such words?
It truly was not easy to be a teacher!
Suppressing the urge to sink his fist into the other party’s face, Shi Hao lowered his head and asked, “To be able to accumulate such an immense reserve of zhenqi within a single month, may I ask how Sun shi cultivates? If it is not too much to ask, we would like to learn from you as well!”
Realizing that this might be an opportunity for them, the others echoed Shi Hao’s words and bowed deeply as well.
They had been stuck in the same cultivation realm for several years or even several decades for some. To them, cultivation was a lengthy and tiresome process, reminiscent of water droplets slowly grinding away on a rock. Yet, the young man before them had only cultivated for a month, and he had already amassed sufficient strength to destroy ten stone walls simultaneously. If they could learn his cultivation technique, their cultivation would surely soar rapidly as well.
“How do I cultivate?” Hearing the question, Zhang Xuan turned to look at the crowd before him and smiled. “Actually, it isn’t anything complicated. A single word—conception! Take your Art of Drawing Ocean as an example. I heard that you hunted down saint beasts and gathered Saint-tier medicinal herbs in order to complement the innate flaws in your body. You even went to the extent of heading underground to temper your zhenqi through the heart of the lava. You did manage to advance your fighting prowess significantly through such methods, but there’s a cap to how far you can go by relying on external means. It will be harder for you to advance any further in such manner!
“The Art of Drawing Oceans empties out great oceans and converts them into devastating power for you to wield. In order to truly comprehend the conception behind the cultivation technique, you have to first understand the boundlessness of the ocean and comprehend its natural state. Once you manage to comprehend its conception, your body will naturally become as vast and boundless as the ocean, too!”
Zhang Xuan had seen the manual for the Art of Drawing Oceans in the library earlier, and after compiling it with the other manuals, he had gained a deep understanding of what the cultivation technique was at its very core.
“Conception?” Shi Hao hesitated for a moment before continuing on. “I once spent half a year on a remote island in the hope of comprehending the essence of the cultivation technique, but I didn’t make much of an improvement that way. That’s also why I chose to resort to external means instead.”
There were at least several thousand books explaining the Art of Drawing Oceans in the library, and a couple of them had spoken about conception. Drawing on those insights, Shi Hao had attempted to further his cultivation that way too, but his effort had turned out to be futile. As such, he had only been able to try other means. It was fortunate that hard work did not fail him, and his cultivation finally achieved a level far surpassing the others.
“Do you know why you weren’t able to succeed despite spending half a year on a remote island?” Zhang Xuan asked.
“This…” Shi Hao halted.
If he knew, he would have already corrected it long ago. He would not have ended up seeking alternative means.
“Your mind is too fixated on surpassing the record!” Zhang Xuan placed his hands behind his back and sighed deeply. “Your fixation on the record had made you deeply apprehensive, depriving you of even the courage to challenge the trial once. You have always told yourself that you would only challenge the trial once you have reached the very apex of Saint 1-dan, but where is that apex? Do you think that you are already at the apex? If you have truly reached the apex, why aren’t you able to rival a single finger of mine?
“The vast ocean accepts every river that converges into it. To master the Art of Drawing Oceans, your state of mind must be vast as well. Struggle not, fight not, desire not, plead not, and only then will you be able to peer into the essence of the technique. But you are too fixated on whether you can surpass Combat Master Feng Moxiao’s record or not. From the very start, your state of mind has been incredibly narrow. With such a mindset, you will never be able to comprehend the sheer vastness of the ocean no matter how long you remain on a remote island.” Zhang Xuan sighed.
When he sparred with Shi Hao, the Library of Heaven’s Path had compiled a book on the other party. With a glance at it, he could tell that despite Shi Hao’s strong foundation in the Art of Drawing Oceans, he had inadvertently gone down the wrong path.
“I…” Shi Hao’s body stiffened. Closing his eyes, the twenty years of hard work he had devoted to furthering his cultivation flashed through his mind.
Some time later, he opened his eyes once more. Stepping forward, he kneeled down and kowtowed. “I have benefited greatly from Sun shi’s teachings. If you hadn’t pointed out the path for me, I might have continued deviating from the true path and eventually limited my own accomplishments!”
After all of those memories played in his mind, he understood that he had erred.
Had it not been for the timely reminder from the young man before him, he would have continued treading down the same path. Perhaps, his cultivation would still rise swiftly, but eventually, he would find it harder and harder for him to reach higher realms, and the Primordial Spirit realm could very well have ended up becoming a pipe dream for him.
It was fortunate that someone had pulled him back from the cliff before that happened. It was still not too late for him to change.
“There’s no need to stand on ceremony; we are just exchanging insights with one another.” Zhang Xuan hurriedly helped Shi Hao up.
Another combat master stepped forward and asked, “I have been stuck at Saint 1-dan pinnacle for five whole years. Five years ago, I failed to clear the Trial of Inner Breath, and five years later, I am still unable to overcome my limits. I hope that Sun shi can offer me some pointers. Have I gone down the wrong path for my cultivation, or is my state of mind still too lacking?”
“Execute a battle technique.”
“Yes!”
The combat master began executing a forceful punching routine. His zhenqi flowed through his body with incredible momentum, creating resounding cracking sounds.
“That’s enough.” Zhang Xuan stopped the other party halfway through. “If I’m not mistaken, you cultivate the Combat Master Hall’s River Reversing Art, right? River Reversing and Drawing Oceans, these two cultivation techniques boast the greatest zhenqi quantity within the Inner Breath Division. Under normal circumstances, five years of accumulation should have allowed you to clear the examination easily, but you still remain limited by your bottleneck. This isn’t a problem with your talent. You are still cultivating based on the formula left behind by Combat Master Bai Mo two thousand years ago, aren’t you?”
“H-how did you know?” exclaimed the combat master in shock.
Combat Master Bai Mo was known for his astounding accomplishment in the River Reversing Art, so the combat master idolized him greatly. Thus, he had been cultivating based on the insights left behind by the other party.
However, he had kept the matter a secret from others, so how did the young man before him know about it?
“Combat Master Bai Mo was born with innate divine strength, and he specialized in water attribute cultivation techniques. Naturally, he was well suited to cultivate the River Reversing Art. On the other hand, you are of the earth attribute, and earth curbs water. Naturally, your improvement is significantly slower when you try to emulate Combat Master Bai Mo’s actions. You can try cultivating the Compact Gaia Formula left behind by Combat Master Hong Jiang instead. In less than a month, you should be able to achieve a breakthrough!” Zhang Xuan said.
“Earth attribute? Am I not of the water attribute?” The combat master was visibly surprised by Zhang Xuan’s words.
“You were born with the water attribute, but an earth attribute medicinal herb that you have consumed has resulted in earth becoming your dominant attribute instead,” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.
Even though one’s constitution was predominantly decided at birth, under the right circumstances and with the right artifacts, it was still possible for it to change.
Such was the case for the combat master before him.
He had been born with the water attribute, but a certain medicinal herb that he had consumed unknowingly had ended up sealing his original water attribute constitution. As a result, his rate of cultivation had ended up slowing significantly, resulting in his seeming loss in talent.
“This…” The combat master was taken aback. In an instant, a thought seemed to strike his mind as he recalled something, and his body jolted. He immediately bowed deeply and said, “Sun shi, thank you for your guidance. You have truly opened my eyes.”
In this moment, it was apparent to all of the combat masters that the young man before them wasn’t just powerful—his eye of discernment had also reached an unbelievable level.
“Sun shi, I also face some problems with my cultivation…”
Seeing that two combat masters had benefited greatly from the young man’s guidance, the eyes of the other combat masters lit up, and they charged forward in excitement.
“Everyone, there’s no need to get anxious. I know that all of you are interested in knowing how you can increase the amount of zhenqi in your body, so why don’t I conduct a lecture to impart my insights on the matter instead? Hopefully, it will prove to be of some use to you.” Seeing that everyone had gathered around him, Zhang Xuan quickly calmed them down with a smile.
After everyone had settled down, he started his lecture. “In order to enhance the quantity of zhenqi in one’s body, it is of paramount importance that one comprehends how a body contains zhenqi—the dantian! Only when the dantian is sufficiently large will one be able to store a greater amount of zhenqi…”
Zhang Xuan’s voice was resounding, and small flowers began descending from the sky.
Combat masters were the strongest fighting force of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and they devoted their lives to protecting mankind from all threats. Naturally, Zhang Xuan would not turn them down.
After all, this was also part of his responsibility as a master teacher.
Even though they were going to be the opponents of the Xuanxuan Faction during the exchange, in a sense, it would also be beneficial to the Xuanxuan Faction if their opponents were strong. Perhaps, it might motivate the members of the Xuanxuan Faction to work harder than ever.
After comprehending the Heart of a Teacher, the concept of lineage had already become blurred in his mind. He was no longer as fixated on the idea of ‘my student’ and ‘the others’ anymore. As long as the other party was of good character and was willing to learn, he would not hesitate to teach them.
…
“You are saying that… this was caused by Sun shi?” Standing within the Trial of Inner Breath, Division Head Wei widened his eyes in disbelief.
“That’s right. It was still perfectly intact when Shi Hao left the area. It was only after Sun shi left that the area fell into such a state!” Xiao Bo quickly replied.
“To destroy all of the stone walls in a single palm strike and attain a score of 100… Just how much zhenqi does he have?” Division Head Wei’s breathing hastened in agitation.
All along, he had thought that even if Sun shi was powerful and had formidable burst power, there was no way the amount of zhenqi that he had would be able to match up to normal combat masters, let alone a genius of Shi Hao’s caliber. At that moment, he could not help but notice how naive his thoughts had been.
To devastate the trial with a single palm, the amount of zhenqi that Sun shi wielded had already reached an inconceivable level!
“I have no idea either, but with his strength, if we can convince him to join our ranks, our Combat Master Hall will be peerless among all of the Conferred Empire Combat Master Halls!” Xiao Bo said.
“You’re right.” Division Head Wei nodded.
Ever since the establishment of the Combat Master Hall, the highest record that anyone had achieved was 38 from Shi Hao. On the other hand, Sun shi, in a single palm strike, had managed to achieve a score of 100. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before he pierced a hole in the heavens!
Without a doubt, there was no combat master in any other Conferred Empire Combat Master Hall who could possibly possess such an astounding zhenqi reserve.
“Let’s go. We’ll invite him to join our Inner Breath Division!” The more Division Head Wei pondered over the matter, the more seduced he was by the idea. Thus, he immediately turned around and left.
“Division Head Wei, what do we about the trial then?” Xiao Bo asked anxiously.
He had been planning to take the Trial of Inner Breath right after Sun shi, only to find it devastated. Given that it had been utterly destroyed, the promotion system that had been put in place would fall apart!
“Don’t worry about it. After we deal with Sun shi’s matter, I will head to the Formation Master Guild and invite Guild Leader Han over to help us repair the trial’s formation. While the formation is at grade-8, it shouldn’t be too difficult for him to repair it once he studies the blueprint.” Division Head Wei smiled.
He might be unable to fix the formation in the Trial of Inner Breath, but he could always engage the help of the local Formation Master Guild.
With Guild Leader Han’s help, that should not be a problem at all.
“Alright, let’s head out!” After explaining the matter, Division Head Wei left the passageway and headed to where he had left Sun shi previously. At the same time, he was deeply contemplating which words he would use to convince the other party to join his Inner Breath Division.
But before he even arrived at his destination, he heard a calm voice echoing in the surroundings.
“… and that is the way to enhance the amount of zhenqi that you have!”
Raising his gaze, Division Head Wei saw the many combat masters of his Inner Breath Division bowing sincerely to Sun shi with reverence in their eyes.
Together, they exclaimed loudly, “Teacher, thank you for your guidance!”
