“What?” Xue Gan was stunned.
I asked you how much of your strength did you exert, but what the heck are you doing giving me such a long string of 6s?
Peng!
Unable to stand it any longer, Xue Gan’s body finally dissipated on the spot.
The surroundings were completely silent as the eyebrows of the crowd leaped around the place.
They didn’t think that World’s Edge was speaking the truth either. Otherwise, how the heck did he go down to so many decimal points? There was no one in the world who could possibly control their strength to such a fine extent!
And what the heck are recurring numbers? Recurring your head!
Can you conduct yourself more like an expert?
While the crowd was rolling their eyes at World’s Edge, Xue Qin’s face had already paled completely from fear.
She could still understand why Huo Jianghe lost to World’s Edge. After all, the latter was still young and hadn’t fully unleashed his potential yet.
However, her father was the lord of Xuanjiang City, an Ancient Sage 4-dan Dimension Shatterer realm cultivator! In terms of comprehension of cultivation and mastery of battle techniques, he had already reached an incredible level even when compared to the experts of Starlight City. Yet, he was still unable to defeat World’s Edge when their cultivation was at the same level as one another…
Just where in the world did this fellow pop out from? How could he be so powerful?
If there were really such a figure in Starlight City, he should have already made a name for himself by now!
“At the very most, I’ll just stay out of the Ethereal Hall over the next few days. I don’t believe that he would dare make a fuss at the City Lord Manor… If he does so, he’ll just be courting his own death!” Xue Qin clenched her fists tightly as she made up her mind.
What maid or not maid? As long as she didn’t enter the Ethereal Hall, what could the other party do about her?
While World’s Edge had managed to outmaneuver and defeat her father here, she didn’t think that World’s Edge would actually be stronger than him.
Reassuring herself as such, Xue Qin felt as if the boulder weighing down her heart had finally been released.
Hu!
There was a flash of light before her figure vanished from the spot.
“How weak-minded are you lot? Why bother asking for the truth when you can’t take it?” Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly and sighed.
He could tell from the looks on Xue Gan and the crowd’s face that no one believed him at all. As a perfectionist, if he said he was going to exert a sixth of his strength, he would really exert exactly a sixth of his strength, which would be equivalent to 0.1666666…
He was being perfectly honest over here, but no one would just believe him… It sure was hard to be a good person in this world!
Sighing deeply, Zhang Xuan walked down from the dueling ring and headed to the registration counter. He first destroyed the object which contained information regarding his whereabouts and identity before passing his Ethereal Card over.
As Huo Jianghe had died with Xue Qin’s weapon in his possession, the item was automatically sold back to the system and the sum was deposited into Zhang Xuan’s card. With that, he had a total of 600,000 Ethereal Coins in his card.
He quickly traded his money for a good storage ring, and just as he was about to leave the Ethereal Hall, a person whom he had once defeated on the dueling ring, Soaring Cloud, walked over with a name scroll in hand.
“Elder World’s Edge, Elder Lu from our sect wishes to meet you privately. May I know if it’s a convenient time for you now?”
“Elder Lu?” Zhang Xuan murmured.
Considering that Soaring Cloud was from the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, wouldn’t that mean that the Elder Lu whom he was referring to was an elder in the sect?
“Very well!” With this thought in mind, Zhang Xuan nodded his head without much hesitation.
A person who could become an elder in one of the Six Sects was bound to know quite a lot about the Azure. This was a good opportunity for him to learn about the various powers in the Azure, especially the Spirit God Palace.
During his time at the otherworldly battlefield, through Wu Chen’s sacrifice, they summoned a deity from the Azure, and the latter said that she would reveal Luo Ruoxin’s whereabouts to him if he could reach the Spirit God Palace. This was currently the greatest clue he had to find Luo Ruoxin.
Following behind Soaring Cloud, they soon arrived in a tightly sealed room.
Aside from officiating duels, the Ethereal Hall also had special locations that allowed cultivators to converse privately with one another. Privacy was absolutely guaranteed in these private chambers. No matter what one spoke inside these rooms, those who were outside would not hear a single word of it.
There was already an old man seated at the center of the room. There were four people standing behind him, four of whom Zhang Xuan recognized to be challengers he had already defeated on the dueling ring. With awkward looks on their faces, none of them seemed willing to look Zhang Xuan in the eye.
Surprisingly, A River’s Glance was amidst the group of four too. It seemed like he had found a new Ethereal Token and got back in.
As soon as Zhang Xuan walked in, Elder Lu Yun immediately stood up and introduced himself politely, “I am an external elder of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, Lu Yun!”
“It’s my pleasure to meet you, Elder Lu!” Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and greeted him. “I am World’s Edge!”
As the other party’s motives for inviting him over weren’t clear, he was reluctant to reveal his true identity just yet.
While he was confident that there would be no one who would be able to best him in the Ethereal Hall, back in the real world, his strength as an Ancient Sage 4-dan Dimension Shatterer realm cultivator would only be enough for him to dominate the small Xuanjiang City. Moving up to Starlight City and beyond, there were bound to be many experts who wielded powers far beyond him.
“There’s no need to restrain yourself before me!” The fact that World’s Edge had chosen to introduce himself by his nickname instead of his real name told Elder Lu Yun that the other party was still wary of him.
With a gentle smile, he said, “I have already watched the videos of your duel with them. Your comprehension of swordsmanship has truly reached a formidable level… However, if I’m not mistaken, you have already hit a bottleneck in your swordsmanship. For someone of your level, advancing further than where you are is no easy feat. You will need resources and guidance in order to do so. If you remain as an unaffiliated cultivator, it’s highly likely that you’ll never overcome your current bottleneck…
“So, I would like to extend my sincere invitation to you to join the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion!”
One’s swordsmanship often reflected one’s personality. What Elder Lu Yun felt from Zhang Xuan’s swordsmanship was decisiveness, so he decided to get straight to the point.
“You wish to invite me to join the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion?” Zhang Xuan was half-convinced that Elder Lu Yun was calling him over in order to teach him a lesson, so he was a little caught off guard when the latter extended such an invitation to him.
“Huo Jianghe and Xue Gan are not a match for you at the same cultivation realm. Given your level of expertise in swordsmanship, you are already able to apply for the role of an inner disciple as soon as you enter the sect. As an inner disciple, you’ll be entitled to access advanced sword arts, and there will be plenty of fellow sword practitioners whom you can spar and trade insights with. I believe that you’ll be able to grow at a much faster pace than you currently are!”
Just on the account that Zhang Xuan could defeat the First Senior of the outer disciples so easily meant that he was already qualified to join the ranks of the inner disciples.
“This… I’m afraid I’ll have to think the matter over carefully!” Zhang Xuan didn’t give a response right away.
The Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion was one of the major powers in the Azure, and if he could borrow their connections to look for Luo Ruoxin, things would likely be much easier and more convenient for him.
However, this was a give and take. In return for receiving the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion’s goodwill, he would have to repay them with his loyalty. However, he had no interest in getting involved with the politics among the Six Sects, and he didn’t want to get involved in their affairs either. It would likely be a whole string of trouble if he chose to join the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion.
“Of course. This is a huge matter, so I don’t expect you to give me an answer right away,” Elder Lu Yun nodded in response.
“Elder Lu, there are some questions which I would like to ask you. I hope that I am not overstepping my boundaries over here,” Zhang Xuan looked at Elder Lu Yun as he spoke.
“Of course not! Please feel free to speak!”
“May I know… if you have ever heard of a place known as the Spirit God Palace?” Zhang Xuan asked nervously.
“Spirit God Palace?” Elder Lu Yun pondered deeply for a moment before shaking his head, “I’m afraid I have never heard of such a place before.”
“I see…” Zhang Xuan looked at Elder Lu contemplatively for a moment as he replied. A slight tinge of disappointment could be heard in his voice.
“I am just an external elder of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion. My duties lay mainly in guiding the younger disciples, so I’m afraid I’m not as knowledgeable about the other affairs on the continent… However, our sect does have plenty of books that study the relationships and various powers on the Forsaken Continent. As long as you are able to obtain clearance, you will be able to browse through them. I believe you should be able to find what you want in there,” Elder Lu Yun was flustered for a split moment, but he swiftly regained himself and replied calmly.
Even though he was honored as one of the elders of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, the truth was that he was of the lowest tier. He didn’t have the right to access privy information and learn more about the matter.
Given that the Spirit God Palace which the other party spoke about carried the word ‘God’ in it, it was likely to involve something greater. Someone of his level wouldn’t be able to know about it.
“I understand,” Zhang Xuan nodded.
Considering that the other party was an external elder tasked with the responsibility of recruiting menial and outer disciples, it was indeed unlikely that he would have too deep of an understanding regarding the secrets of the higher echelons.
“Oh, there’s also another question which I would like to seek enlightenment to. I know that cultivation realms are Saint, Great Sage, and Ancient Sage, but I am curious to know what lies beyond that,” Zhang Xuan said.
“The highest realm of Ancient Sage is Dimension Shatterer realm, and beyond that would be Pseudo Immortal realm. Pseudo Immortals are invulnerable to flames, and their souls are as pure as true gold. With their thoughts, they are able to make things happen. I am currently at Pseudo Immortal realm, and the same goes for the lord of Starlight City as well. Pseudo Immortal realm can be divided into four stages, namely Lesser Pseudo Immortal, Greater Pseudo Immortal, Earthly Pseudo Immortal, and Heavenly Pseudo Immortal.
“Above the Pseudo Immortals are the True Immortals. True Immortals are considered as the real experts of the Forsaken Continent, and most elders in the Six Sects are at this level. Those who manage to take a step further from there and transcend to greater heights are known as High Immortals. They are also termed as the King of Immortals… Only the core elders of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion have reached this level!”
At this point, Elder Lu Yun paused for a brief moment before continuing on, “Well, these are the realms that I know. The heavens are boundless, so I have no doubt that there is something beyond the High Immortals, but that’s not something I am privy to know about anymore… Cultivation is not easy. It’s hard to go too far without a powerful backing, and cultivation resources are simply too limited in the world! Just take this for example, the questions you have just asked are common knowledge amongst ordinary disciples, but you had to specially ask me to find out about it!”
“Ancient Sage, Pseudo Immortal, True Immortal, and High Immortal…” Zhang Xuan nodded as he jotted those realms down in his head.
“With your swordsmanship and my recommendation, I have no doubt that you’ll be able to become an inner disciple with ease. May I know where you are at the moment? If possible, I think it would be better for both of us to sit down in person to have a chat about this. After all, this matter is of grave importance to your future!” Elder Lu Yun said.
In the end, no matter what was discussed here, it would be all but empty agreements. He had to meet the person in person in order to know how powerful the other party was, whether he was a guy or a girl, or even whether he was a human or a beast!
“I am currently at Xuanjiang City. I believe we’ll eventually meet one another if you were to come over… Besides, I think that I might have something which I need to trouble Senior Huo over there for!” Zhang Xuan said with a mysterious smile.
“You are at Xuanjiang City?” Elder Lu Yun subconsciously shot a glance at Huo Jianghe as doubts surfaced in his mind.
There was actually such a powerful expert at a place as backward as Xuanjiang City?
“As long as it’s within my abilities, I’ll try my best to help you!” Huo Jianghe clasped his fist and said.
He could tell that Elder Lu Yun was determined to bring World’s Edge into the sect. As such, while he wasn’t too fond of World’s Edge himself, he knew better than to throw a tantrum here.
“Well, it’s like this…” Zhang Xuan discreetly sent a message via zhenqi telepathy to Huo Jianghe. At the end of which, he clasped his fist and bowed, “I’ll be troubling Senior Huo on this matter then. I still have some matters to attend to at the moment, so I won’t impose on you all any longer. Farewell!”
After finding all he wanted to know, Zhang Xuan didn’t linger in the private room.
He returned back to the front reception of the Ethereal Hall and asked, “May I know if there’s anything here that would allow a cultivator to recover his strength quickly?”
“If you are an Ancient Sage cultivator, you could try low-tier Immortal Pills. It costs 100,000 Ethereal Coins each!” the receptionist replied.
“Even a low-tier one costs 100,000 Ethereal Coins?”
It was as if the Ethereal Hall couldn’t get enough of shocking Zhang Xuan with how exorbitant its goods were. He felt like the entire organization was out to rob every single one of those Ethereal Coins that he earned painstakingly!
Being the indignant consumer Zhang Xuan was, he immediately inquired into the exorbitant price, and it turned out that the pricing was perfectly normal here.
Basically, Immortal Pills were treated as the currency in the upper echelons of the Azure because of how general its use was. There was no cultivator who wouldn’t need it, so the demand for the good was relatively stable. In a sense, it was similar to the spirit stones of the Master Teacher Continent.
Immortal Pills could be divided into four tiers. Basic Immortal Pills corresponded to Pseudo Immortals, Standard Immortal Pills corresponded to True Immortals, and Superior Immortal Pills corresponded to High Immortals. As for Premier Immortal Pills, it was so rare that it would be difficult to buy it off the market even if one had the money for it. Not too many people have seen it before.
Given that it was a currency used mainly for the higher echelons, as well as an important cultivation resource for Pseudo Immortals, it was understandable that its pricing would be a little steep. Nevertheless, if he had to spend 100,00 Ethereal Coins for each of them, the little fortune that he had just earned would really be gone in an instant.
Zhang Xuan used his remaining money to buy a Basic Immortal Pill before looking at the receptionist curiously, “If I may ask, it appears that the Ethereal Hall sells all kinds of goods. Does it sell cultivation technique manuals and the sort as well?”
“Of course!” the attendant nodded. “However, the cultivation techniques that we have are those commonly practiced on the continent. As for the core cultivation techniques of the Six Sects, I’m afraid that it’s beyond our means too!”
There was no way the Six Sects would allow their cultivation techniques to be leaked. Even if the Ethereal Hall had copies, they would swiftly face the wrath of the Six Sects if they dared to put them on sale.
If it was just dueling and interaction, the Six Sects would still allow for the existence of the Ethereal Hall in the world. After all, there was no conflict in their interests. However, if the Ethereal Hall dared to threaten their foundation, it would be an all-out war.
It was also for this reason that the Ethereal Hall was able to grow so big over the years, with branches spanning across the entire Forsaken Continent.
“I understand. I’m fine with common cultivation techniques too… If I were to just browse through the cultivation techniques for a short moment of time instead of purchasing them, how much would it cost?” Zhang Xuan asked in agitation.
While he had achieved a breakthrough to Dimension Shatterer realm, he was unfortunately limited by the fact that he didn’t have any cultivation techniques in the realm itself.
If he could just browse through the collection of cultivation technique manuals here, as long as he had sufficient Basic Immortal Pills, he was confident that he would be able to reach pinnacle within a few hours. That would make it easier for him to navigate around the Forsaken Continent and find Luo Ruoxin.
“There are pricing differences depending on the tier of the cultivation techniques. For Dimension Shatterer realm cultivation techniques, the most basic ones would cost at least 50,000 Ethereal Coins each. Also, I’m afraid that our cultivation techniques are for sale only. We don’t offer browsing services here!”
“50,000 Ethereal Coins for the most basic cultivation technique manual?” Zhang Xuan’s lips twitched in horror.
He was still thinking of buying a huge bundle of them if they were inexpensive, but who could have thought that the price would be so horrifying.
Based on a rough estimation, he would probably need over a thousand ordinary books in order to compile a perfected Dimension Shatterer realm Heaven’s Path Divine Art. That would equate to 50,000,000 Ethereal Coins! Even if he were to tire himself to death on the dueling ring, he wouldn’t be able to earn that much!
Besides, he had just harvested a new group of challengers. He had no idea when the next group of challengers would be ready for his harvesting.
It seemed like purchasing cultivation technique manuals here for his advancement was really not too feasible.
“Do I really have to join a sect?” Zhang Xuan rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
