Noting the slight frown on the young lady’s face, Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up in realization. He quickly rushed over and frantically explained, “I met her earlier in the Hall of Lull, so I brought her and Wei Ruyan out together…”
“Let’s go!”
However, completely nonchalant to Zhang Xuan’s explanation, Luo Ruoxin took the lead and headed to the Prime Hall first.
“This…”
Bewildered by Luo Ruoxin’s reaction, Zhang Xuan quickly followed behind her.
The exterior of the Prime Hall was much grander than that of the Subordinate Halls. At that moment, the massive square in front of the Prime Hall was already completely filled with people.
Most of the experts who had been trapped in certain dimensions for one reason or another had made their way there, thus forming a crowd that numbered several thousand.
Even if they were unable to enter the Prime Hall, it would not have been a waste of a trip if they got to witness the mystical abilities of the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn.
“Master, I have already regained my memories. The six Subordinate Halls have to be opened in order for the gateway to the Prime Hall to surface…” Little Amulet’s voice sounded in Zhang Xuan’s mind. “I can get you in but not now. The Prime Hall has yet to fully open!”
“I see!” Seeing that the useless amulet had only managed to regain its memory after everything was in place, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly. He walked up to Luo Ruoxin, and upon seeing that the latter’s face was still as cold as ice, he shuddered a little as he tried to explain the situation. “This… That’s really not it… We only met by coincidence…”
Luo Ruoxin turned to look at Zhang Xuan, but just as she was about to speak, an excited voice sounded by the side.
“Zhang shi, I knew that you would be here!”
Following which, a figure excitedly rushed up to him.
“Fei-er, you’re here as well!” Luo Qiqi’s eyes lit up as she quickly walked toward the approaching figure.
It was none other than her good friend, the princess of the Huanyu Empire, Yu Fei-er!
Spotting Luo Qiqi as well, Yu Fei-er gave her a warm hug and said in gratitude, “I already know that Ji laoshi took me in as her student because of you…”
She was only a small princess of the Huanyu Empire. To be able to catch the eye of Elder Ji Ruochen of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters and even be accepted as her direct disciple… it went without saying that her good friend, the little princess of the Luo Clan, had played a part in that.
Otherwise, even if she was truly talented, there was no way that she would have been able to catch the eye of the upper echelons of the Master Teacher Continent from where she was.
“There’s no need to stand on ceremony!” Luo Qiqi replied with a smile.
They swiftly caught up with one another before Yu Fei-er turned to look at Zhang Xuan with a smile. Her voice sounded firm and resolute as usual, but there was a hint of conflict that one could sense from her tone. “Zhang shi, it has been quite a while since we last met!”
She harbored some feelings for the young man before her, but she had already heard of what happened with Luo Qiqi, and that made her acutely aware that the two of them did not have a future together. She felt indignant, and she was reluctant to accept the truth as well. However, she was a prideful person, and she was not one to demean herself and cling to someone. Thus, she chose to put on a bright smile and greet the young man like normal.
“Yeah, it has been a while…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head as he turned to Luo Ruoxin awkwardly. “Look… it really is a coincidence…”
Luo Ruoxin shot a glance at the young man before her, who was flustered from trying to explain himself but was unable to find the proper words to do so, and her lips curled up slightly. Without saying anything, she continued looking ahead.
Unknowingly, the square in front of the Prime Hall was already divided into four clear factions. The Master Teacher Pavilion and the major clans of the Master Teacher Continent formed one faction, the Hundred School of Philosophers formed one faction, the Otherworldly Demons formed one faction, and those of the Beast Tribe formed the final faction.
The members of each faction were grouped close together, eyeing those of the other factions warily.
Zhang Xuan closed his eyes and carefully perceived the surroundings. It was vague, but he could certainly feel numerous powerful auras hidden in the surroundings.
Most likely, the reason that a delicate peace could be constructed between the four powers was due to the Ancient Sages restraining one another.
“Senior!”
Zhang Xuan was just about to consider if he should slice an Ancient Sage or two to procure some fresh blood when he heard a call not too far away. Turning his head, he saw Yang shi flying over with a smile on his face.
“You… have achieved a breakthrough to Ancient Sage!” Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment before his eyes lit up in agitation.
The aura coming from the elder before him was as vague as ever, making it hard for one to gauge the depth of it. At first glance, it seemed like the other party was only slightly above him, but when he attempted to take a closer look, he realized that he was gazing into a boundless ocean. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like there was no end to his strength.
Without a doubt, it was apparent that this junior of his had stumbled upon some kind of fortuitous encounter, thus becoming the first cultivator in the past ten thousand years to have successfully reached Ancient Sage.
“I had good luck!” Yang shi remarked with a light smile.
“There’s no such thing as luck in cultivation,” Zhang Xuan replied.
Yang shi had long reached Sempiternal realm consummation, and the reason that he had been traveling around the world was to find the Aeon of Ancient Sage, the final impetus required for him to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage. It was due to his previous accumulation that he had been able to grasp the opportunity when it finally knocked on his door.
“Everyone…”
A crisp clear voice suddenly echoed in the air.
The crowd quickly turned their heads over and saw an elderly man standing in the air in front of the Prime Hall.
“It’s an Ancient Sage from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers!”
The elderly man was wearing clothes identical to the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, so there was no question of which faction he belonged to.
“Since the Prime Hall has appeared, I don’t see any reason for us to continue hiding in the shadows. Come out!” the elderly man said lightly, but his voice reverberated through the area.
“Indeed, there’s no need for us to continue hiding!”
“It’s clear that we all have the same goal. Since the Prime Hall has finally surfaced, there’s no reason for us to continue lurking in the shadows!”
“Let’s come out then!”
Boom!
As these voices sounded one after another, numerous figures swiftly appeared in the sky above the square. The number averaged out to around six to seven Ancient Sages for each faction.
“There are so many Ancient Sages here!” Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment.
His initial estimation was that there would be around five to ten Ancient Sages in the Temple of Confucius, but in an instant, the area was already filled with twenty people.
The person whom he had injured previously was standing among the Hundred Schools of Philosophers’ Ancient Sages.
While other cultivators could have gone there in seek of other fortuitous encounters, the aim of the present Ancient Sages was clear—the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn. Previously, when the Subordinate Halls were beginning to open, they had chosen to hide in the background in order to protect their descendants from others, as well as to avoid unnecessary conflicts with other factions.
However, the opening of the Prime Hall signified that they were swiftly approaching the finish line. At such a point in time, there was no point in them hiding anymore. It was time for them to lay out their cards.
“Having been through the six Subordinate Halls, I believe that we have gained a rough idea of how the Temple of Confucius works. The Prime Hall has indeed surfaced, but its entrance is still shut tight. There’s another important process that we have to do in order to open it once and for all!” the elderly man said.
An Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sage harrumphed. “Ancient Sage Yan Qing, you are already the strongest one of us here. Stop beating about the bush and cut to the chase. What do you expect us to do?”
“Ancient Sage Yan Qing? Is he a descendant of Ancient Sage Zi Yuan?” Zhang Xuan frowned.
Ancient Sage Zi Yuan1 was the leader of the seventy-two Sages, the First Senior of Kong shi’s direct disciples. Yan Xue seemed to be his descendant, and it was very likely that Yan Qing was Yan Xue’s predecessor.
“Junior, do you recognize that Ancient Sage Yan Qing?” asked Zhang Xuan in a telepathic message to Yang shi.
“I don’t know him… While our Master Teacher Pavilion shares the same origin as the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, we rarely come into contact with one another,” Yang shi, who had joined the Master Teacher Pavilion’s group of Ancient Sages, replied telepathically.
“You don’t recognize him, but those of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe are able to refer to him by his name so confidently…” Zhang Xuan frowned.
From what he knew, the Ancient Sages from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had not appeared for tens of thousands of years, such that even the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters were not sure about the current situation within the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. Yet, for an Otherworldly Demon to be able to address the other party directly and even remark that the other party was the strongest of them all…
He could not help but recall the uncanny interactions that he had spotted between the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.
“I’ll just make things clear. Since we are all here, I expect to get a share as well. So far, our Beast Tribe hasn’t managed to obtain anything from the Subordinate Halls. If you wish to leave us behind, I can only say that you should be prepared to face our wrath!” a massive beast from the Beast Tribe uttered coldly.
This beast had also reached Ancient Sage, and the space around him seemed to be oddly firm.
“White Overlord, please calm down. The reason that I had everyone come out is to discuss the allocation of the slots for entry into the Prime Hall. As for what kind of fortuitous encounters those who enter will find within, that will depend on their own skills and luck!” Ancient Sage Yan Qing said with a smile.
