“You are acknowledging me as your master?”
Not only were the crowd flabbergasted, Zhang Xuan was startled as well. It took a long while before he was able to make sense out of what was going on.
It seemed like the Sword Intent released by the Lingxu Sword had benefited these swords greatly, so all of them ended up submitting to it.
And now that the Lingxu Sword had acknowledged Zhang Xuan was its new master, these swords also unhesitatingly chose to do the same as well.
Adding the Lingxu Sword into the group, and I would have a total of 108 swords, thus meeting the weapon requirement for the Three Swords of Lingxu. Could this be the reason why the Lingxu Sword agreed to help Ji Lingzhen make a move on me over the Sword of Faint Whisper and Sword of Faint Warble? Zhang Xuan wondered.
There was a total of 107 Saint intermediate-tier weapons in the area, and adding the Lingxu Sword into the equation, he would have the number required to execute the sword arts in the Three Swords of Lingxu.
Did this mean that the Old Sword Maestro hadn’t been able to gather the swords required for the Sword Formations after he created the Three Swords of Lingxu? Was that the reason why his enemy was able to severely wound him, forcing him to escape to the Sword Lagoon? Another thought appeared in Zhang Xuan’s mind.
One of the greatest difficulties in executing the Three Swords of Lingxu was gathering the swords required to set up the Sword Formations. Could it be because the Old Sword Maestro wasn’t able to gather the required number of swords that he met his eventual defeat?
Otherwise, given the overwhelming strength that the Old Sword Maestro wielded, as well as the tremendous might he could bring forth via his Three Swords of Lingxu, it should have been extremely difficult for anyone to defeat him.
However, Zhang Xuan also knew that there was no point thinking about these matters anymore. There was no way he could affirm his deductions at this point. With a swift flick of his hand, he kept all of the swords into his storage ring.
After he kept those swords, the resounding call of a crane suddenly echoed in the air. Soon after, a majestic crane could be seen gliding over from the horizon.
Zhao Xingmo and Pavilion Master Yue were standing on the back of the crane, gazing down at the defeated candidates on the ground.
Zhang Xuan had used the Myriad Anthive Queen to control the surrounding Myriad Ants, preventing Zhao Xingmo and Pavilion Master Yue from noticing anything. Nevertheless, as time passed, they still eventually realized that something was amiss, so they began making their way over. When they felt that all of the jade tokens except for Zhang Xuan’s had shattered, they nearly fell off the back of the crane.
The secondary selection was set to be three days long, but in less than half a day, all of the candidates except for one had been eliminated… This was far too exaggerated!
The crane slowly landed on the ground, and after making sense out of what was going on, Zhao Xingmo turned to Zhang Xuan with tearful eyes.
He knew that the young man was a troublemaker, but surely the latter didn’t have to do this during the secondary selection! This was too much!
For a candidate to single-handedly eliminate all of the others, how was he supposed to report this matter to the Sanctum of Sages?
After all the trouble he had gone through searching for candidates, he couldn’t possibly just bring a single person back to the Sanctum of Sages with him, right?
Putting aside whether the Sanctum of Sages would be willing to accept such an outcome or not, there would surely be a huge uproar from the Eight Conferred Empires and the various tier-3 Sage Clans!
“Zhao shi, the law doesn’t punish the masses. If everyone has failed the secondary selection, that could be a sign saying that there’s a major loophole in the secondary selection. Since that’s the case, why don’t we balance out the rules and conduct another round of selection? It would be fairer for the candidates this way.” Pavilion Master Yue shot a glance at Zhang Xuan before quickly clasping his fist toward Zhao Xingmo.
“Indeed, I agree that there’s a need for a new round of selection too…”
“I think that it’s only rational to do so as well…”
Seeing that there was hope for them, Brother Sun and the others quickly spoke up in agreement to Pavilion Master Yue’s words as well.
If there wasn’t a new round of selection, they would all be eliminated right here. Naturally, they knew where they should stand
“This…” Zhao Xingmo hesitated.
He couldn’t just take a single person back to the Sanctum of Sages with him, but… the rules were the rules. If he were to alter it at his convenience, that would be compromising the integrity of the selections.
If that was the case, every single candidate who failed the selection would just demand to retake the selection once more, thus rendering the significance of the selection pointless.
“I’ll report this matter to the Sanctum of Sages and have the elders make a judgement on this matter.” Zhao Xingmo pondered for a moment before replying.
The situation had already exceeded his authority. It would be best for him to report it upward and have them make a judgement instead.
“Yes!” Since Zhao Xingmo had already said so, they weren’t in a position to say anything more.
“Zhang shi, since you have received the heritage contained in our Sword Lagoon, I hope that you can return it to our Qianchong Empire. I’ll thank you in the stead of the Qianchong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion and its countless master teachers…” Pavilion Master Yue turned to Zhang Xuan and said.
Previously, while the other master teachers were explaining the reason behind their elimination, they had also spoken about the emergence of the Old Sword Maestro’s heritage as well.
“Return?” Zhang Xuan turned to Pavilion Master Yue with a look that suggested that a fool was talking to him. “The Sword Lagoon has been in Qianchong Empire for at least ten thousand years now, but not a single person has been able to acquire it. This only goes to show that none of you are deserving of the heritage. Since I have the luck and capability to acquire it, why should I hand it over to you?”
“Zhang shi, you can’t put it like that. The Sword Lagoon is a heritage that is passed down from generation to generation in our Qianchong Empire, and it serves to motivate countless master teachers to work harder and charge forward bravely. It has already come to be a spiritual pillar of Qianchong Empire, as well as an identity that civilians of Qianchong relate with. Since you aren’t from Qianchong Empire, it’s only natural for you to return the heritage to us. If you were to take it away with you, you would be robbing an entire Conferred Empire of its spiritual pillar and identity.” Pavilion Master Yue replied.
His words weren’t heavy, and there was a smile on his face as well. However, there was a clear resolve in his words which showed that he wouldn’t bow down on this matter.
His intentions were clear—the heritage in the Sword Lagoon belongs to Qianchong Empire. Since you aren’t from our country, don’t you dream of taking it away!
If you don’t return it, should any chaos happen to Qianchong Empire, it’ll all be your fault… Let’s see how you’ll account for the matter to the headquarters if that were to happen!
Pavilion Master Yue’s voice might have been gentle, but the steely threat behind it was impossible not to notice.
Seeing through the hidden meaning behind Pavilion Master Yue’s words, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly and said, “Since you claimed that it’s a spiritual pillar and identity of your Qianchong Empire, why hasn’t anyone obtained it over the past ten thousand years? To leave a heritage lying in the dust, preventing it from bringing prosperity over all these generations, isn’t your Master Teacher Pavilion a little too incompetent?”
“Ah…” Pavilion Master Yue’s lips twitched upon hearing those words, and his face turned crimson.
“Trying to extort the heritage out of another because you aren’t able to obtain it yourself, is this how the Qianchong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion operates? It seems like I really should report this matter to the headquarters and have them look into the prevalent culture here!” Zhang Xuan continued.
“This… Zhang shi, I’m just worried that your reputation will be affected if you were to keep the heritage with you, I don’t bear any ill will toward you…” Knowing that he wasn’t on the side of reason, Pavilion Master Yue could only concede.
“You’re worried my reputation will be affected? Pavilion Master Yue, I must say that you are worrying unnecessarily. However, there happens to be something which I would like to report to the headquarters which I think you might want to worry about.” Zhang Xuan replied coldly.
“May I know what’s the matter?” An ominous premonition came to Pavilion Master Yue, and his eyebrows began twitching slightly in worry.
“Zhao shi is the one who chose the location of the secondary selection, and even as candidates, we aren’t aware of the location beforehand. Yet, not too long after entering the Sword Lagoon, I was met with an ambush. I suspect that someone on the inside has intentionally leaked news concerning the secondary selection to my enemy in order to harm me. Therefore, I hope to have the Empire Alliance investigate this matter and redress my grievances!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand imposingly.
It would be too much to shrug off Ji Lingzhen and Ji Lingfeng’s presence in the Sword Lagoon as a coincidence. It was more likely that they had known that he would be there for the secondary selection.
It was just yesterday that he had beaten up Pavilion Master Yue, so the latter had the motive to backstab him. On top of that, it was likely that Zhao Xingmo had approached Pavilion Master Yue to obtain his assistance in helping to coordinate the miscellaneous matters concerning the secondary selection so as to ensure that it would proceed smoothly. Thus, it was likely that he knew of the location of the secondary selection in advance as well…
So, other than Pavilion Master Yue, Zhang Xuan couldn’t think of anyone else who would and could do such a thing.
A hint of deep horror was reflected in the depths of Pavilion Master Yue’s eyes, but he knew better than to allow it to show on his face. With a tone reminiscent to a senior kindly advising a junior, he said calmly, “Zhang shi, since you have gotten off unscathed and obtained the heritage even, this matter can be considered as a blessing in disguise. Let’s not blow things up or else it might reflect badly on the Master Teacher Pavilion. Why don’t you leave it to our Qianchong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion to deal with this matter instead? I promise you that I’ll root out the culprit and…”
“I’ll hand the heritage of the Old Sword Maestro to the headquarters and report the happenings over the past two days to them. As for what they will do about the matter, that would be none of my business.” Zhang Xuan interjected coldly, speaking with a decisive voice.
Had it not been for the many trump cards he had hidden up his sleeves, he could have surely been killed by Ji Lingfeng. For the head of a Master Teacher Pavilion to collude with outsiders to harm an elder of the Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion, just this crime itself was enough to drag Pavilion Master Yue down to his doom.
As for the specifics of how the Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion would deal with this matter, Zhang Xuan wasn’t interested to know.
“I…” Pavilion Master Yue was at a loss for words.
Thinking about the fate that would befall him, his face turned ghastly pale, and his body collapsed weakly to the ground.
He was indeed the one who had leaked the news concerning Zhang Xuan’s whereabouts to Ji Lingfeng. If no one were to investigate this matter, he might still be able to get away scot-free. However, if the headquarters were to be dragged into this matter as well, there was no way he would be getting off with what he had done.
After all, that would be equivalent to harming his own brethren, and the Master Teacher Pavilion would never tolerate such actions!
“Zhang shi, what happened?” Noticing that something was amiss from the conversation between the two, Zhao Xingmo couldn’t help but ask.
“Zhao shi, this is what I have faced after entering the Sword Lagoon. You can take a look.” With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan passed a jade token over.
Looking through the content in the jade token, Zhao Xingmo’s complexion swiftly turned livid.
He was the one who had set the rules and details of the secondary selection, and this included the location as well. He had made a great deal preparations to ensure that news wouldn’t be leaked out in advance, and yet, Zhang Xuan still ended up being ambushed…
“Yue Yiquan! How dare you do such a thing beneath my eyelids? Very well! I’ll have this matter reported to the headquarters in the name of the Sanctum of Sages. You better have a good reason prepared for that by then!” Zhao Xingmo bellowed coldly before flinging his sleeves coldly.
“Zhao shi…” Pavilion Master Yue’s face was ashened.
The Sanctum of Sages was the highest training institution beneath the Master Teacher Pavilion, and its standing was higher than even that of the Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion. If Zhao Xingmo were to report this matter in his capacity as a guide from the Sanctum of Sages, the highest headquarters would surely keep a close lookout on the matter as well.
In other words, there was really no way out for him anymore.
At the very start, all he had intended was to exact vengeance for his wife’s brother and have that insignificant figure from Qingyuan Empire learn that a quasi 8-star master teacher wasn’t someone he could afford to humiliate… Yet, while trying to do the other party in, he ended up drawing flames upon himself instead.
His future, standing, and reputation… All of these were going right down the gutter. From the respected head of the Qianchong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, he would soon become a scorned criminal.
If only he knew that this would happen to him, he would have never gone up against Zhang Xuan…
In this moment, Pavilion Master Yue felt deep regret for his actions.
“Let’s go!” As he couldn’t be bothered about Pavilion Master Yue, Zhang Xuan swiftly got onto Zhao Xingmo’s crane and began flying back to Qianchong City.
Soon, they arrived back at the Master Teacher Pavilion.
“Zhang shi, I’m sorry that I have let you down…” Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, Zhang Jiuxiao immediately walked forward and apologized in dejection.
Zhang Xuan had spent much time and effort on him in order to help him to enter the Sanctum of Sages, but he ended up being the first one to be eliminated in the secondary selection. While he felt dispirited from his failure, he felt even more apologetic for letting Zhang Xuan down.
“How were you eliminated so quickly after the selection began?” Zhang Xuan asked in intrigue.
“I…” Zhang Jiuxiao’s face turned crimson. “I was assaulted by a sword…”
It turned out that shortly after landing on the Sword Lagoon, Zhang Jiuxiao found himself assaulted by a top-notch Saint intermediate-tier sword.
As the sword wielded strength far beyond his capability, it didn’t take long for his jade token to be shattered.
“That’s most probably Ji Lingfeng’s Sword of Faint Whispers…” After asking about the appearance of the sword, Zhang Xuan replied with a shake of his head.
Since Ji Lingfeng had gone to the extent of laying an ambush for him in the Sword Lagoon, he was bound to have dug up his background as well. Perhaps it was out of worry that Zhang Jiuxiao would foil things up, in view of the relationship between the both of them, Ji Lingfeng chose to eliminate him right from the start.
“I have really let down the expectations you had for me this time around…” Zhang Jiuxiao lowered his head in shame. He really didn’t know how he should face the young man before him.
In this moment, Zhao Xingmo’s voice suddenly sounded.
“Due to the unexpected event occurring in the secondary selection, the results will be voided. Everyone will be following me to the Sanctum of Sages to participate in the final selection!”
“The results will be voided?” Zhang Jiuxiao was taken aback. “Zhang shi, what’s going on? Wait a moment, shouldn’t the secondary selection last for three whole days? Why did you all return so early?”
As he was taken out of the Sword Lagoon right after he was eliminated, he was unaware of the happenings afterward.
“The remaining candidates ganged up on me, attempting to eliminate me, and I accidentally… eliminated all of them…” Zhang Xuan replied.
“You accidentally eliminated everyone else?” Zhang Jiuxiao was stunned.
