“Sorry but our young master is currently in seclusion; he isn’t meeting any guests!”
In the residence, Sun Qiang looked at two individuals apologetically.
The two individuals were Elder Hu and Master Teacher Song Chao. Upon knowing that Zhang shi was back, they visited the residence everyday no matter how many times the sharp-tongued Sun Qiang tried to chase them away.
“I know, but the tournament is going to begin tomorrow. No matter what, Zhang shi has to come out of his seclusion today…” Elder Hu smiled awkwardly.
Even though the fourteen powers had hushed all news regarding that incident back then, as one of the powers involved in the tournament, Elder Hu did know a thing or two about it.
To be able to chase away so many powerful experts and keep them completely silenced about the matter afterward, Zhang shi’s background must be astounding.
Thus, even though his original intention was only to buy the Soulless Metal Humanoid, he eventually ended up visiting every day in hopes of forging a close relationship with this Zhang shi.
“Even though that’s true, I can’t guarantee you that the young master will come out of his seclusion today…” Sun Qiang nodded his head.
Ever since young master returned, he had locked himself in his room, and it had been half a month since then.
Also, the old master also appeared that once. After that incident, he disappeared without a trace. Even Sun Qiang himself couldn’t verify whether these two individuals were truly still in the residence.
“That… After Zhang shi is out of his seclusion, can Butler Sun send someone to inform me of the matter? I’m sure you can tell that I’m really interested in buying the Soulless Metal Humanoid,” Elder Hu said.
“This…”
Sun Qiang frowned, and the disposition of a high-rank master teacher’s butler naturally flowed out of him. “I don’t have the rights to make such a decision. It’ll depend on the will of the young master. If he is unwilling to meet you, I can’t force a meeting either!”
Ever since that day, Sun Qiang’s standing had been on a nearly vertical rise, and even Alliance Head Zhao and Pavilion Master Kang had to visit him personally. As time went by, the authority and prestige he enjoyed gradually built on his disposition.
“Indeed! A person of Zhang shi’s caliber can’t possibly entertain everyone who comes knocking at his door…” Elder Hu played along with Sun Qiang.
“Of course. The young master is a man of great stature. Even Sect Leader Luo Huang of the Fleeting Cloud Sect has been chased away by me in the past few days!” Sun Qiang spoke proudly.
Sect Leader Luo Huang had paid his visit the past few days, but before he could even reach the entrance, he was already chased away by the guards with sticks in their hands.
You must be joking! Surely you should have thought of this possibility when you came to attack us!
To apologize only after learning of our old master’s might… Do you think that there is really such a good deal in the world?
“Indeed. A person like Zhang shi is destined for great things. How could it be possibly to meet him that easily? All I hope is that Butler Sun could help to speak up on my behalf before the other party…” Elder Hu’s mouth twitched, but he hurriedly continued with his fawning.
But before he could finish his words, a loud explosion sounded, and following which, they saw a figure being planted onto the ground before them.
“Audacious! Do you think that Zhang shi’s residence is a place where you can wreak havoc?”
Seeing how the other party actually dared to make a move here, even going to the extent of tearing down the walls, Elder Hu was just about to display his ‘goodwill’ toward Zhang shi when Butler Sun rushed forward and asked worriedly, “Young master, what’s wrong?”
“Young master? Zhang shi?”
Elder Hu’s vision darkened, and his body swayed weakly. For an instant, he felt as though blood was regurgitating in his mouth, threatening to spew out at any moment.
That dirty and unkempt beggar who was head planted into the ground… was Zhang shi?
A man of great stature…
How was that fellow whose head was planted into the ground and was chewing on soil in his mouth… had anything to do with great stature?
He had just gone along with Butler Sun to praise Zhang shi to the point that the latter seemed no different from a deity from the heavens when the latter sudden appeared in such a manner…
Elder Hu felt as though he was about to cry.
And he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Standing beside him, Song Chao’s mouth was also twitching violently.
Having met Zhang shi a few times before, he was able to recognize the other party at first sight. There was no doubt-that unseemly person on that floor was indeed Zhang shi. The previous few times, the other party carried such a refined and authoritative disposition that he couldn’t help but feel awed toward, but now…
This… was simply too much of an image changer.
“Cough cough cough!”
Plucking his head out of the ground, Zhang Xuan felt dismayed.
Despite being at Transcendent Mortal 3-dan pinnacle as well, not to mention, he cultivated the complete Heaven’s Path Divine Art… and yet, he was nearly beaten to death by his clone!
What the heck was this?
For the main body to be unable to match up to the clone… Wasn’t he really too useless?
But while he was dismayed, he soon understood the underlying reason behind this matter.
Regardless, the body of his clone was forged out of the Nine Hearts Lotus, a God artifact. Even though the cultivation technique his clone was cultivating was weaker than his, just the might of the physical body itself was easy to make up for its deficiency and even exceed the original body. It would be no joke to say that the clone was an invincible existence in his class.
Unless… Zhang Xuan continued to cultivate the Heaven’s Path Golden Body and reached the very limits of it. Otherwise, for a long time, he would remain outclassed by his clone.
“Forget it, since the one stronger than myself is myself, there’s no need for me to feel so frustrated over it…” Zhang Xuan consoled himself.
In any case, both bodies could be considered as a part of him, so there was nothing for him to get depressed over.
Seeing Butler Sun’s worried look, Zhang Xuan patted the dust off his robe and replied, “I’m fine, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s just that I met some minor problems with my cultivation a moment ago!”
“Alright!”
Even though Sun Qiang was perplexed to hear that the other party had met with some problems in his cultivation, he suppressed his doubt and clasped his fist, “Young master, Elder Hu and Master Teacher Song Chao from the Blue Frost Sect is here. They are interested in buying your Soulless Metal Humanoid, and they’ve been visiting for the past few days…”
After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled the matter.
“Song Chao? Soulless Metal Humanoid?”
Back then, in the Southern Herb Garden, Zhang Xuan convinced Song Chao to purchase a metal coffin for one middle-tier spirit stone, and he promised the latter that as long as he brought sufficient money, he would sell the remaining three Soulless Metal Humanoid to him.
But currently, Mo Hunsheng needed the Soulless Metal Humanoid to house his soul. On top of that, there was a need to keep spare in case one of them wore out in the midst of battle…
If Zhang Xuan were to sell all of them, it would be impossible for him to find a second one in the world.
After all, the occupation of soul oracles had already gone extinct in the world, and the number of Soulless Metal Humanoid was extremely limited in the world. It would be no exaggeration to say that the odds were that he would never find a fifth one in the world.
Besides, Zhang Xuan didn’t lack middle-tier spirit stones at the moment, so he wasn’t as keen to sell them at the moment.
“Zhang shi, I am Elder Hu from Blue Frost Sect. I believe you have met Master Teacher Song Chao before…”
After a moment of hesitation, Elder Hu and Song Chao stepped forward.
“Un, pleased to meet you, Elder Hu!”
Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and greeted the other party. After which, he scratched his head sheepishly and replied, “Pardon me. I did have three Soulless Metal Humanoid in my hands before but… you came too late. I’ve already sold them already. I’m afraid that you have made a wasted trip!”
It wasn’t convenient for him to talk about Mo Hunsheng, so he decided to just claim that he had already sold the Soulless Metal Humanoids.
“You’ve sold all of them?” Not expecting for such a hiccup to occur, Elder Hu was taken aback.
“Indeed. You should also know that hidden in the Soulless Metal Humanoids are the secrets of the soul oracles. There are simply too many people interested in buying them, and I only had a few of them in my hands…”
Zhang Xuan waved his hands apologetically when the ground suddenly rumbled, and a towering figure rushed into the hall.
“Young master, what happened? Are you alright?” Mo Hunsheng asked worriedly.
He had been standing guard outside the room so as to ensure the young master’s safety. Yet, somehow, the young master still ended up being sent flying. Alarmed, he hurriedly rushed over to check on the young master’s condition.
“This is… a living Soulless Metal Humanoid…”
Elder Hu’s vision went dark.
Big brother, didn’t you just say that you’ve already sold all of the Soulless Metal Humanoid? For a living one to walk out the next moment… What the heck was this?
“Cough cough!”
Zhang Xuan also didn’t expect to be exposed right after he uttered the lie, so his face went red in embarrassment. “Th-this… is not a metal humanoid. It is a guard of mine which cultivated a unique battle technique that resulted in his current appearance!”
“A unique battle technique?”
Elder Hu and Song Chao’s bodies swayed weakly.
Do you really think we are blind?
This is obviously a Soulless Metal Humanoid, right?
We are all fellow master teachers. No matter how bad our eyes of discernment are, we can at least distinguish between a normal guard and a puppet.
“Alright!” But even so, since the other was clearly unwilling to broach the topic, they weren’t in a good position to ask either. After all, while the Soulless Metal Humanoid was important, it wasn’t worth getting on Zhang shi’s bad side for it.
After chatting a while longer, they confirmed that Zhang shi had no intentions whatsoever to sell the Soulless Metal Humanoid, and thus, Elder Hu and Song Chao could only leave in disappointment.
Before the both of them left, Zhang Xuan instructed them sternly not to spread any news regarding the sentient Soulless Metal Humanoid.
Right after the duo left, Zhang Xuan immediately turned to the tall, golden figure beside him and berated furiously, “To run out in such a form, are you that worried that no one would recognize you?”
The topic of Soulless Metal Humanoids was intricately linked with the soul oracles. If one were to be found running about freely, there would surely bring a huge uproar, and the Master Teacher Pavilion might even choose to conduct an investigation. If so, things could get troublesome.
“I…” Mo Hunsheng also knew that he was too reckless, so he was feeling a little sheepish.
But still, considering that the other party had been trapped for innumerable years in the Nine Hearts Lotus prior to this, he couldn’t really be blamed for his lack of consideration. Thus, Zhang Xuan put the matter aside and asked instead, “Is there any way for you to conceal your appearance and aura?”
Mo Hunsheng contemplated for a moment before replying. “There is a way, but it might take a few days…”
“That’s good. Then, for the next few days, you should try to stay out of public view…”
Seeing that there was indeed a way for Mo Hunsheng to conceal his aura and his appearance, Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Then, turning to Sun Qiang, he asked, “Butler Sun, in the past few days that I’ve been in seclusion, did anything happen?”
For the past half a month since he had returned, he had been in seclusion. Thus, there was a need for him to catch up with the latest happenings.
“Reporting to young master, ever since the old master’s previous appearance, the other sects and empires have toned it down and the city has become much more peaceful. In the past few days, Pavilion Master Kang, Alliance Head Zhao, and Princess Feiwu have been coming by every day, but after confirming that you were still in seclusion each time, they would leave in disappointment,” Sun Qiang said.
The old master’s presence had humbled all of the powers in the city. The arrogant geniuses of powerful sects and empires had become as obedient as domesticated kittens, not daring to cause any trouble at all in fear of getting on Yang shi’s bad side. After all, the wrath of an 8-star master teacher was something that neither they nor their sects could bear.
After thinking for a moment, Sun Qiang continued, “Also… the perpetrator of the entire incident, Ding Hong, has been killed by Sect Leader Luo Huang of Fleeting Cloud Sect!”
In truth, Zhang Xuan had wanted to get rid of that ticking time bomb that night, but as he was disguised as Yang Xuan, he would surely have exposed his true cultivation if he were to make a move personally. Besides, it was beneath Yang shi to make a move on such an insignificant ant. As such, he’d had no choice but to hold himself back.
However, it seemed like the sect leader of Fleeting Cloud Sect was indeed a smart man. He probably knew of Yang shi’s dilemma and completed the job on the other party’s behalf.
“Is there anything else?” Zhang Xuan asked.
“Young Master Lu Chong should be waking up in the next few days. Other than that, the only important matter left would be the Master Teacher Tournament…”
Sun Qiang was just about to continue speaking when an impassive voice suddenly rang from the outside.
“Hongyuan Tier-1 Empire Master Teacher Pavilion’s Pavilion Master, 6-star pinnacle Master Teacher Mo Gaoyuan, seeks an audience with Yang shi!”
《Bonus chapter》
And while I am here, I would like to recommend a short story (around a thousand words) which I really liked and translated a while back.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/16080594
