Zhizun realm stands at the very pinnacle of a Fighter. At this level, a cultivator’s physical body, zhenqi, and spirit will reach the limits of a mortal.
However, it is extremely difficult to break through the barrier to reach this level. This is especially true for savage beasts, whose bloodline limits their progress. Without Bloodline Evolution, it is impossible for them to reach Zhizun realm.
This was also the reason why the Gold-tailed Lion had been unable to achieve a breakthrough despite having guarded Tianwu Kingdom for two hundred years.
Otherwise, given the royal family’s wealth and connections, it would have taken the final step long ago. It wouldn’t have been stuck at Half-Zhizun all this while, unable to advance a single step forward.
“An idea… I do have one, but it will be expensive!” Zhang Xuan tilted his face upwards as the vicissitudes of life reflected in his eyes.
“As long as the Gold-tailed Lion is able to reach Zhizun realm, I am willing to pay any price…”
Mo Tianxue hurriedly replied.
Once the guardian beast dies, Tianwu Kingdom would be at risk. On the other hand, if the guardian beast could reach Zhizun realm, not only would a crisis be averted, but the nation’s strength would also be boosted as well. The clans who had been harboring great ambitions toward Tianwu Kingdom would have to rein themselves in.
Thus, Mo Tianxue was willing to pay any price for the Gold-tailed Lion’s breakthrough.
“Un!”
Seeing the other party’s attitude, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. Turning to look at the others with the look of an expert unsullied by the material world, he continued, “It isn’t exactly difficult, but it won’t be easy either! I’ll need spirit stones, and the more there are, the higher its chances of achieving a breakthrough. Also, I will require Zhizun realm cultivation technique manuals. There’s no need for quality; I only require quantity. Similarly, the more there are, the better it is!”
Naturally, these two objects weren’t for the Gold-tailed Lion’s breakthrough, but rather, preparation for the advancement of his own cultivation.
He had already repaid the other party’s favor by treating the Gold-tailed Lion’s poison. It would be considered as another service if he were to help it to achieve a breakthrough, and naturally, he would have to collect a separate fee for it.
However, his demand for spirit stones and secret manuals wasn’t entirely for his own private reasons either. While the Heaven’s Path zhenqi possessed the ability to cleanse a savage beast’s bloodline, Zhang Xuan’s cultivation mustn’t be too far from the other party’s.
Zhang Xuan was capable of inducing a breakthrough in a Zongshi realm pinnacle savage beast to Half-Zhizun, but without reaching Zongshi realm pinnacle, it would be hard for him to raise the cultivation of the Gold-tailed Lion to Zhizun realm.
If not for this limitation, Zhang Xuan would be able to raise a savage beast’s bloodline ceaselessly. He could have just raised the cultivation of the Howling Firmament Beast continuously until it reached Zhizun realm pinnacle, and by then, no one would dare to cross his path even at a Conferred Kingdom. He wouldn’t have to go through so much trouble here.
In a sense, while the purpose of the spirit stones and Zhizun realm cultivation technique manuals was to raise his strength, it was also for the Gold-tailed Lion’s breakthrough. Thus, Zhang Xuan wasn’t deceiving the other party.
“Spirit stones… The royal family does have some, but there’s only five of them!”
Upon hearing what Zhang Xuan required, even though Mo Tianxue was perplexed, he still answered honestly. “As for Zhizun realm cultivation technique manuals… we don’t have a single one of them!”
“Only five spirit stones? And not even a single Zhizun realm cultivation technique manual?”
“Yes… Only Conferred Kingdoms have the right to trade spirit stones. The few spirit stones that our Tianwu Kingdom possesses were obtained by paying a heavy price, and throughout the years, we have been using them to reward meritorious subjects and to befriend talents, so we are running low on supply…”
“As for Zhizun realm cultivation techniques, due to the restrictions on Tier 1 Kingdoms and the lack of resources, it is impossible for one to reach this cultivation realm. Thus… these cultivation technique manuals are useless to us, and possessing them may even bring a calamity upon us…”
Mo Tianxue said awkwardly.
Spirit stones are too valuable—they are limited in supply even in Conferred Kingdoms, needless to say, a Tier 1 Kingdom like Tianwu Kingdom.
In truth, it was already a sizeable fortune to possess five of them in their treasury.
As for Zhizun realm cultivation technique manuals, there wasn’t a single Zhizun realm cultivator in Tianwu Kingdom, so where could they find a cultivation technique of this level?
Besides, if a Zhizun realm expert were to appear in Tianwu Kingdom, it would definitely alarm the Conferred Kingdoms and potentially bring calamity upon them.
“Five… So be it then. Pass them to me. I will think of a way to help it achieve a breakthrough!”
Even though Zhang Xuan thought that it was a pity that he could only obtain five spirit stones, he still nodded in agreement.
Even though his demand for spiritual energy would increase as his cultivation increased, based on his calculations, since one spirit stone was sufficient for him to reach Zongshi realm intermediate stage, six should be sufficient for him to reach Zongshi realm pinnacle.
“I’ll be depending on Guild Leader Liu then!”
Upon hearing that five spirit stones were sufficient, Mo Tianxue heaved a sigh of relief. With a flick of his wrist, a long jade box appeared in his hand, and he passed it to the other party.
Zhang Xuan opened the box and saw five spirit stones placed side by side. The spiritual energy in the air suddenly surged due to the presence of the five spirit stones, stimulating his pores. An indescribable sense of comfort wrapped around his body.
Casually keeping the box in his storage ring, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.
“Guild Leader Liu, do you need anything else? What about pills?”
Mo Tianxue asked.
Blood Evolution is an incredibly complicated process. Even the more formidable beast tamers of the Beast Hall are unable to induce it in their tamed beasts. He couldn’t imagine how the other party could help the Gold-tailed Lion smash through the final barrier blocking its way to Zhizun realm with just spirit stones.
“I don’t need those. Instead, I need a secret chamber to make some preparations. Don’t let anyone interrupt me!”
Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually.
“Yes!” Mo Tianxue replied.
Since the Gold-tailed Lion was already treated of its afflictions, the courtyard was now safe from danger. Thus, Mo Tianxue looked for a quiet room around the area and brought Zhang Xuan over before departing with Mo Yu and the others.
After stepping out of the courtyard, Grandmaster Lin Tao immediately bided the others farewell and left in a hurry.
Watching the other party disappear into the distance, Mo Tianxue’s eyes abruptly narrowed.
“Father…” Mo Yu turned to look at Mo Tianxue doubtfully.
“Seems like we have to be careful of the Lin Clan!” Mo Tianxue shook his head.
“Lin Clan?” Mo Yu was perplexed.
Wasn’t their relationship with the Lin Clan amiable? Why would her father suddenly say such words?
“I suspect that the Gold-tailed Lion’s poisoning is the Lin Clan’s doing!” Mo Tianxue harrumphed.
As an emperor, he couldn’t possibly be a useless wastrel. As soon as Zhang Xuan confirmed his diagnosis, he already had his own guesses.
However, Mo Yu still found the matter hard to believe.
“The Gold-tailed Lion is the kingdom’s guardian beast. If it were to die, who do you think would benefit the most?” Mo Tianxue turned to look at Mo Yu.
“The royal family has a history tracing back more than a thousand years, and its roots run deep. Even without the Gold-tailed Lion, we are able to destroy normal clans and powers easily, so its death won’t affect our influence too much. Only the Lin Clan is beyond our control… Without the Gold-tailed Lion keeping them in check, they might really…”
Analyzing the matter, Mo Yu’s expression slowly turned grim.
The Lin Clan’s clan head was a Half-Zhizun realm expert.On top of that, they possessed numerous powerful formations, as well as the backing of Xuanyuan Conferred Kingdom. If they were to lay their eyes on the throne, they had a good chance at realizing their ambitions.
Furthermore, ordinary clans don’t have the connections to obtain poison that is effective on a Half-Zhizun savage beast.
Besides, there truly aren’t that many powers capable of planting spies in the royal palace and feeding the guardian beast poison beneath the emperor’s eyes.
“When the Gold-tailed Lion flew into a frenzy, Lin Ruotian happened to be in the royal palace, discussing certain matters with me. After the incident, I thought that it was a little too much of a coincidence. From the looks of it now, he had probably planned for it from the very start! As long as they trapped the Gold-tailed Lion in the formation and no physician was able to diagnose its condition, it would have been just a matter of time before it dies from the poison!”
Mo Tianxue clenched his fists.
Initially, he didn’t think much of the matter. However, upon learning that the guardian beast had been poisoned, he realized that all of the evidence pointed toward the Lin Clan.
“But even if we know that it was him, what can we do? Lin Ruotian’s daughter is the Princess Consort of Xuanyuan Kingdom…”
Mo Yu shook her head.
Even though there was a great possibility that the poisoning was orchestrated by the Lin Clan, they couldn’t do anything to the other party.
Putting aside the fact that Lin Ruotian possessed the strength of a Half-Zhizun expert, just her daughter’s relationship with Xuanyuan Kingdom made it impossible for any country to dare to touch him.
“Indeed… I can only hope that Guild Leader Liu is able to help the Gold-tailed Lion achieve a breakthrough. Once it reaches Zhizun realm, they will have to think twice before doing anything!”
Mo Tianxue said.
Even though the Master Teacher Pavilion doesn’t interfere in the politics of a country, if one party operates immorally and brings great suffering to the people, it would definitely make a move.
The Master Teacher Pavilion’s goal is to guide all men so that each and every one of them can become an expert. It is willing to overlook small fights, but if someone oversteps its moral boundary, regardless of who he is, it will destroy him.
It is precisely out of fear of the Master Teacher Pavilion that no one dares to dream of annexing all kingdoms and ‘uniting’ the world.
But of course, another reason was that some countries, such as Tianxuan Kingdom, were simply too remote. What makes things worse was that it was too poor. Even if one were to annex it, one would still have to devote resources to developing it. No one was foolish enough to waste their efforts on such a pointless endeavor.
Once the Gold-tailed Lion reaches Zhizun realm, the Lin Clan would be forced to rein themselves in.
“I believe that Guild Leader Liu will succeed!”
Mo Yu said.
She could still clearly remember the sight of Zhang shi’s Beast Pummeling Taming Method inducing a breakthough in the Viridescent Eagle. Perhaps this seemingly omnipotent young man could create another miracle and tide Tianwu Kingdom through this crisis.
“Let’s hope so!” Mo Tianxue nodded. However, he suddenly recalled something and looked at Mo Yu doubtfully, “Xiao Yu, I thought that you didn’t get along well with Liu laoshi? Why does your Viridescent Eagle seem to be intimate with him? Also, you seem to know a lot about him as well?”
“I…”
Mo Yu’s face slightly turned red, “How could I possibly know him well? I’m just… casually saying all these!”
“Regardless of what you’re thinking of, I’ll still say the same few words. Grasp this opportunity. Guild Leader Liu is an exceptional person, and if you can grasp his heart, it wouldn’t just be a dream for Tianwu Kingdom to advance to a Conferred Kingdom!”
Mo Tianxue continued, “But of course, there’s Zhang shi as well. Regardless of which one, it’s enough for you to grasp just one of them.”
“Grasp one of them…”
Mo Yu slapped her forehead. I would also like to grasp one of them, but the two of them seems to be the same person…
…
In a quiet chamber in the Gold-tailed Lion’s courtyard.
Seated cross-legged, Zhang Xuan rested for a long period of time before he finally recovered from the fatigue he incurred from treating the Gold-tailed Lion.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, a spirit stone appeared on his palm.
“Time to begin!”
After adjusting his physical condition, Zhang Xuan turned his attention toward raising his cultivation.
He began to drive his zhenqi using the Zongshi realm Heaven’s Path Divine Art.
Gugugugugu!
The Heaven’s Path Divine Art swiftly extracted spiritual energy from the spirit stone, refined it into zhenqi, and gathered it in his dantian. At the same time, Zhang Xuan’s cultivation rose swiftly.
Zongshi realm intermediate stage pinnacle!
Zongshi realm advanced stage!
Zongshi realm advanced stage pinnacle!
…
Boom!
About an hour later, Zhang Xuan’s dantian jolted. It felt as though he had struck some kind of wall, and a violent might gushed through his entire body. Slowly, a powerful aura began to emanate from his body.
He was more than twofold stronger than before, and he could feel boundless strength surging through his body.
Huala!
Sensing the raging and powerful zhenqi in his body, Zhang Xuan abruptly stood up with glowing eyes.
Zongshi realm pinnacle… I’m finally here!
