In order to avoid casting doubt on the peculiarity of his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, Zhang Xuan didn’t hide his cultivation. Thus, it was easy for any cultivator to see that his current strength was only at Transcendent Mortal 1-dan pinnacle.
As a 4-star pinnacle master teacher possessing a Soul Depth of 14.0, it was no problem for him to see through this much.
On top of that, experts who had trained hard in battle techniques tended to show some traces of it in their hands, feet, and habits. Yet, the young man before him showed no traces of these traits at all. It was clear he had never practiced any battle techniques before…
How could such a person be a genius?
The reason why master teachers were invincible in the same class wasn’t just due to their ability to seeing through the flaws of their opponents. More importantly, their grasp over their own manipulation of zhenqi and battle techniques had also reached an astounding level.
How could a fellow who had never practiced a battle technique before be called a genius? It was making too light of the Master Teacher Tournament to have such a person represent the Myriad Kingdom Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion in it!
Hearing the doubtful tone of the pavilion master, Su shi hurriedly explained, “Zhang shi’s cultivation might be low but his comprehension in the way of master teachers has reached an astounding level…”
“Comprehension?” Pavilion Master Kang’s complexion darkened. “Elder Su, what we are choosing are talents to participate in the Master Teacher Tournament. As an elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion, you should know what kind of opponents we are facing!”
It was no wonder why Pavilion Master Kang was so angry. Su shi and Ling shi had staked their all to vie for this slot so the latter thought that Zhang Xuan would surely be a formidable genius. Yet, the other party turned out to be only a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan pinnacle cultivator. Furthermore, he didn’t seem to have practiced any battle technique before… With this level of strength, how could he emerge victorious amidst many other 4-star master teachers?
Even though strength wasn’t all that was tested in the Master Teacher Tournament, it played quite a significant role. If one’s cultivation realm wasn’t even on par with the other party, how could one possibly offer the other party guidance?
Even if one was able to do so, it would just be completely theoretical. Any pointer that wasn’t proven in practice was worthless.
“I know, but…” Su shi panicked.
“No buts, take him away!” Pavilion Master Kang shook his hands impatiently.
“Pavilion master, don’t be in such a rush to make a decision…”
Ling shi stepped forward and said, “Zhang shi’s current cultivation might only be at Transcendent Mortal 1-dan pinnacle now… but do you know what was his cultivation realm when we last saw him?”
“When you last saw him… around twenty days ago?” Pavilion Master Jiang raised his eyebrows.
It was around a month ago that these two elders went to Tianwu Kingdom. Gauging by the time, considering that the trip took around ten days, they should have met with this young man around twenty days ago.
“Un!” Ling shi nodded.
“What was his cultivation realm then?” Pavilion Master Kang raised his teacup and sipped on it.
So what if he was able to cultivate swiftly and raised his strength form Transcendent Mortal 1-dan intermediate stage to Transcendent Mortal 1-dan pinnacle?
There were only two months left until the Master Teacher Tournament. No matter how talented he was, he would only be able to reach Transcendent Mortal 2-dan during this period of time. With such cultivation, he would still be unable to match up to the other competitors!
“Zongshi realm! Twenty days ago, when we first met Zhang shi… he was only at Zongshi realm!” Ling shi said grimly.
Pu! A mouthful of tea came spurting out of Pavilion Master Kang’s mouth and nose. Widening his eyes, he uttered in disbelief, “Fighter 8-dan… Zongshi realm?”
You must be joking with me!
To raise one’s cultivation from Zongshi realm to Zhizun realm, then on to Half-Transcension and finally Transcendent Mortal 1-dan in twenty days… Not to mention, Transcendent Mortal 1-dan pinnacle…
That was a total of three realms…
Even if one were to ride on a rocket, it would be impossible to do it so quickly!
In truth, he wasn’t the only one in disbelief. When Ling shi and Su shi first noticed Zhang Xuan’s cultivation realm, even though they didn’t say anything, they also felt their hearts crumbling within.
However, knowing that the other party’s teacher was likely to be a master teacher ranked 6-star and above, the shock they felt alleviated by a little.
Given that a high-ranked master teacher like Yang shi had traveled to a backward location like Tianxuan Kingdom without informing the Master Teacher Pavilion, he was clearly trying to conceal his identity.
As a junior of the other party, without the latter’s explicit permission, they didn’t dare to inform others about him.
Thus, even while frenziedly promoting Zhang Xuan, they had never divulged Yang shi’s existence. As such, Pavilion Master Kang was unaware of the matter as well. That was why upon hearing that Zhang Xuan had grown from Zongshi realm to Transcendent Mortal 1-dan pinnacle in less than a month… he felt as though the world had gone insane.
This was no longer cultivation but… infusion of cultivation!
In fact, even infusion of cultivation wouldn’t be so exaggerated!
“I can vow the authenticity of this matter!” Su shi added.
“To reach Transcendent Mortal 1-dan from Zongshi realm in twenty or so days… As long as he cultivates diligently in the next two months, reaching Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle or even Transcendent Mortal 3-dan primary stage shouldn’t be an issue… He would still be able to stand against those geniuses…”
Knowing that these two elders wouldn’t lie, Pavilion Master Kang fell into contemplation.
Most of the geniuses who traveled to the Myriad Kingdom City to participate in the Master Teacher Tournament were 4-star master teachers.
A 1-star master teacher had to possess a cultivation of at least Tongxuan realm, a 2-star master teacher a cultivation of at least Zongshi realm, and a 3-star master teacher a cultivation of at least Zhizun realm.
On the other hand, the prerequisite to becoming a 4-star master teacher was Transcendent Mortal 2-dan. As long as one reached Origin Energy realm primary stage, one would have met the cultivation criterion to becoming a 4-star master teacher.
As such, most geniuses in the tournament possessed a cultivation realm between 2-dan Origin Energy realm and 4-dan Clarifying Turbidity realm.
Given how quickly Zhang shi cultivated, it was possible that he could bring up cultivation realm up to Transcendent Mortal 3-dan primary stage within the next two months. With such cultivation, he would at least rank in the middle among the participants, and perhaps, he might really be able to get a good ranking down for the Myriad Kingdom Alliance.
“Since that’s the case, I’ll give him a chance then. I’ll raise three questions, and as long as he can answer them accurately, I’ll allow him to participate in the selection round. As for whether he can take one of the two slots in the selection round, that’ll depend on his performance then!”
After a moment of contemplation, Pavilion Master Kang raised his head and said.
“Alright!” Hearing that Zhang Xuan would at least be given a chance, Su shi and Ling shi heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly turned to look at Zhang Xuan.
With this look, they staggered and nearly fainted on the spot.
It turned out that Zhang shi wasn’t even listening to their conversation. Instead, he was standing in front of the bookshelves by the wall and his finger was brushing across the books, as though he was looking for a specific book.
They were so nervous over the slots that their hearts were about to beat out of their chests, and yet, this fellow didn’t seem to care at all…
Wasn’t he way too daring?
To allow you to participate in the tournament, the two of us even put our names on the line. Yet, you don’t seem care at all…
Just the thought of it left them dizzy-headed.
“Zhang shi…” Unable to stand it any longer, Su shi stepped forward to stop Zhang Xuan. “The pavilion master has decided to give you a chance. He’ll ask you three questions, and as long as you can answer them correctly, you’ll be allowed to join the selection round!”
“Alright!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head and walked over.
Uninvolved in the conversation, Zhang Xuan began looking around the room while the others were discussing the matter. It was then that he noticed that there were quite a few Transcendent Mortal 2-dan books on the bookshelves by the wall. Thus, he walked over and collected them in the Library of Heaven’s Path.
He had collected five hundred Origin Energy realm cultivation technique manuals back in Honghai City, and adding the additional hundreds of books on the bookshelves here, he could already form a perfect Heaven’s Path Divine Art.
As for their conversation, he wasn’t really paying attention to it. He didn’t even have sufficient time to look at the books, how could he possibly have the energy to listen to the boring discussion of another?
“My questions will be about cultivation and guidance. As long as you can answer them correctly, I’ll give you a chance to participate in the selection round!”
Pavilion Master Kang turned around and casually picked up the book which he was reading just before. “This is a case that I have faced previously!
“A Half-Transcension cultivator was once impaled in the left lung, and as a result, the zhenqi in the left meridian was unable to flow smoothly. Under such circumstances, what kind of pointer should one offer so that the cultivator can successfully reach Transcendent Mortal realm?”
This was a case which he had dealt with personally before. It was an extremely difficult problem, and he’d had to look through innumerable books before he could find a solution for it.
However, the Master Teacher Tournament would be a lot more difficult than this. If the other party couldn’t even solve this problem, it would be futile even if the other party participated in the tournament. If that was the case, he would rather terminate the other party’s candidacy right now.
Since the question was concerning a Half-Transcension, it was within the other party’s scope.
“Transcendent Mortal realm requires one’s cultivation to form a complete and whole system before one can harmonize and manipulate the environment! Given that the cultivator’s left lung is pierced through and the zhenqi in his left meridian is blocked… that is equivalent to a deformity appearing on a perfect circle. It will be nigh impossible for the other party to achieve a breakthrough!”
Upon hearing the question, Su shi frowned. “This is truly difficult!”
“Indeed. Even for me, I’d require at least eight steps to solve this problem!” Ling shi nodded in agreement.
As 4-star master teachers, their depth and scope of knowledge were not to be underestimated. Even though this question was difficult, it was still within their capability. Just that, it would require significant effort on their part.
After a moment of contemplation, Su shi replied, “I would require seven steps!”
“Your Miniature Solar Art has reached the seventh circulation, so it is normal for you to require less steps than me. However, based on what I know, when the pavilion master solved the question back then, he was only a 3-star master teacher and… he only used five steps,” Ling shi said.
“Five steps?”
Su shi narrowed his eyes.
The less steps required to solve a problem, the more efficient it was. As such, the probability of success tended to be higher.
Similarly, the effectiveness would also be greater.
Even given their current capability, solving the problem perfectly would require a minimum of seven steps on their part. Yet, back when the pavilion master was only a 3-star master teacher, he only needed five steps… That was truly an astounding feat.
“I wonder how many steps Zhang shi would require to solve this question!”
After a moment of shock, Su shi turned to look at the young man before them.
“How many steps? I’m worried that he might be unable to even find a solution to it!” Ling shi shook his head.
Even though they were confident in Zhang shi’s capability, the pavilion master’s question was indeed extremely difficult. Even they would require a long duration of research to solve the problem properly. It was extremely doubtful that the young man before them would be able to solve the problem.
Just as the duo was worried for Zhang Xuan, the latter, after hearing the question, frowned. “What is the area of damage to the left lung? Can you give me the exact location of the impale? Also, what was the cause of the wound? Do you know the attribute of the assailant’s zhenqi?”
“The weapon used to wound that cultivator was a sword. The other party had comprehended Sword Intent, and a portion of the other party’s sword qi had penetrated into the cultivator’s bloodstream. This was the diagnosis, you can take a look at it!”
Knowing that Zhang Xuan would ask this question, Pavilion Master Kang passed a book over.
Zhang Xuan casually flipped through it, and recorded in the book was the condition of the cultivator back then.
The content was extremely detailed. Not only was the location of the wound recorded, even the battle technique that was used was recorded clearly.
Zhang Xuan soon finished browsing through the book.
“Have you found a solution yet?” Pavilion Master Kang asked.
“Oh. That’s simple, just design a new cultivation route for the cultivator,” Zhang Xuan replied.
“New cultivation route?” Pavilion Master Kang’s complexion darkened. “You mean… modifying the cultivator’s cultivation technique?”
“That’s right. Since the wound in the left lung creates a gap in the flow of zhenqi, all that has to be done is to change the route for the flow of zhenqi. With that, the cultivator’s cultivation should form a whole once more, and achieving a breakthrough wouldn’t be a problem,” Zhang Xuan said.
“Modifying the cultivation technique?” Su shi and Ling shi were taken aback. “That would save the hassle of healing the wound, reconnecting the meridians, conditioning the body, and many other steps… In total, it would only require…”
“A single step?”
