“I am delighted that Zhang shi has specially tailored a cultivation technique for me, but… I can’t accept it!” Yu Fei-er shook her head.
Zhang Xuan asked with a frown, “You do understand how valuable a cultivation technique from me is, right? As long as you cultivate it, your soul cultivation will potentially increase manyfold!”
Those were not empty words. Even if it was a simplified of Heaven’s Path Soul Art, the essence of demonic tunes, terpsichorean arts, and the Thousand Tempering Soul Refinement Art were infused into it. If Yu Fei-er were to study it, her soul cultivation would surely rise by leaps and bounds.
It would just be a matter of time before she surpassed the emperor or even the middle-aged man from before.
“It is precisely because I know that it is valuable that I can’t accept it,” Yu Fei-er said hesitantly. “Why don’t I buy it from you instead?”
If she were to accept Zhang Xuan’s cultivation technique without giving anything in return, it would be equivalent to acknowledging Zhang Xuan as her half-teacher. In the Master Teacher Academy, traditions were extremely important, and the order between a teacher and a student had to be respected. If she were to become Zhang Xuan’s student, everything else that she hoped for would become a pipe dream.
However, it would be a different matter if she were to purchase it from Zhang Xuan.
Upon Yu Fei-er’s insistence, Zhang Xuan eventually nodded. “… Alright then!”
He lifted his forefinger and tapped the other party’s forehead.
Weng!
Yu Fei-er’s body jolted, and a complete set of cultivation techniques emerged in her consciousness.
“This…” With just a single glance, her eyes bulged from their sockets, and she couldn’t stop her body from trembling in agitation.
The set of cultivation techniques she had just received was simply too profound. It was far stronger than the one she was currently cultivating!
“This is simply too valuable; I don’t think I can afford it. I will report it to my father and have him compensate you duly…” Yu Fei-er hurriedly said with her face flushed.
She had thought that no matter how powerful the set of cultivation techniques Zhang Xuan came up with was, it couldn’t possibly be more formidable than the secret arts passed down in their lineage. However, from her very first glance, she realized that before Zhang Xuan’s set of cultivation techniques, her clan’s secret arts were nothing at all. Even if she were to hand the secret arts to him, he might not even be willing to spare them a single glance.
This was how big the difference was.
“I’m fine with anything.” Zhang Xuan waved his hands, indicating that he wasn’t bothered.
Raising his soul cultivation could boost his chances at saving Wei Ruyan, so he had made the decision to absorb the spiritual energy within the mysterious hall in the royal palace. Nevertheless, he felt guilty about the matter, so he had decided to repay the favor by imparting a set of soul cultivation techniques to them.
As for how the other party decided to deal with this matter, that was no longer under his control.
While they were discussing this matter with one another, Shen Jun’s face was progressively turning darker and darker, and it looked as if he would explode at any moment. At this very moment, he felt as if a grassy field had sprouted above his head.1
As the duo were communicating telepathically, he had no way of telling what they were saying. However, there was a moment when Zhang Xuan had struck Yu Fei-er’s forehead lightly, and the latter’s face had turned red in embarrassment…
How could they flirt so openly before him, treating him as if he were invisible?
“Damn it, damn it! Liu Quan, look into the background of that fellow when we return later!” Shen Jun spat through gritted teeth as he crushed the wine cup in his hand with immense force.
He had only returned to the capital not too long ago, so he wasn’t aware of the recent happenings. On top of that, Zhang Xuan’s full name hadn’t been revealed in the introduction, so it was inevitable that he wasn’t able to recognize him.
“Alright!” Liu Quan nodded. “Since he is a student of the Master Teacher Academy as well… When I left earlier, my father told me a new principal will be inaugurated at the Master Teacher Academy in three days, and he said that he would take me to watch. We can make use of that opportunity to bring in a few men to pummel that fellow so as to teach him a lesson!”
“That’s a good plan. It is decided then; I will bring a few of my men there as well. I swear that I will pummel him until he is forced to crawl on the floor to search for his fallen teeth…” Shen Jun sneered viciously.
…
Right after leaving the residence, Uncle Bai headed right for the assembly room where Yu Shenqing should have been.
However, when he arrived at the assembly room, a eunuch walked up to him and said, “Reporting to the Seventh King, today is the Sixth Princess’s birthday, so His Majesty has gone to the main hall to attend her banquet.”
“Alright, I will head there now.”
Not daring to waste a single moment, Uncle Bai rushed all the way to the main hall, and finally, at the main hall’s entrance, he caught up with the emperor and his entourage.
“Brother…” Uncle Bai hurriedly called out.
“Mubai, for you to be in such a rush, what’s wrong?” Yu Shenqing frowned.
Uncle Bai’s full name was Yu Mubai, and he was the Seventh King of Hongyuan Empire, as well as Yu Shenqing’s blood-related younger brother.
“The matter is like this. I went to the stone tablets earlier in order to decipher them…” Knowing that this matter was of grave importance, Yu Mubai hurriedly explained everything that he had encountered in detail.
“You are saying that a soul-like object has appeared in the royal palace, and the Soul Tempering Hall has been destroyed? On top of that, someone managed to clear the ninth trial of the Thousand Tempering Soul Passageway, using only two breaths for each of the trials?” Yu Shenqing’s body staggered as he shook his head in disbelief.
As the emperor of a Tier-1 Empire, he had heard of many huge matters throughout his life. Yet, when he heard the other party’s account, he felt as if his head was unable to keep up.
As the head of the Yu Clan, he knew full well how difficult the Thousand Tempering Soul Passageway was.
Even with his prowess, in the face of that crushing pressure, he was still unable to clear the eighth trial
Yet, someone had managed to clear even the ninth trial in just two breaths… and that wasn’t all. That person had even rushed into the Soul Tempering Hall and absorbed all of the spiritual energy contained in the area, causing the ancestral sculptures to shatter…
How powerful must that person’s soul be?
“That’s right!” Yu Mubai nodded as he looked at Yu Shenqing worriedly. “Your Majesty, shall we activate the Great Palace Defensive Formation to capture that fellow?”
The Great Palace Defensive Formation was capable of stopping even Saint 3-dan experts. Even if the enemy they were facing was intangible, they were certain that they could trap him with it.
Yu Shenqing shook his head. “That won’t do. The moment that we activate the formation, pandemonium could very possibly break out in the royal palace. Furthermore, considering that his presence has been exposed, chances are that he has already gotten away.”
Unless the empire was on the brink of destruction, the Great Palace Defensive Formation shouldn’t be activated. Otherwise, putting aside the pandemonium in the palace, it could cause huge unrest among the populace as well, knowing that the country was threatened. If so, not even he, as the emperor, could shoulder the responsibility.
Besides, until this point, they were still unsure of what they were dealing with. Even if they were to activate the formation and trap that fellow, considering the size of the royal palace, it wouldn’t be easy to find him either, considering the limited clues they had.
“What should we do then?”
After a moment of contemplation, Yu Shenqing said, “Increase the number of patrols in the royal palace, and if they find any suspicious individuals, we will send in experts immediately to apprehend that person!”
“Alright!” Yu Mubai nodded.
“For the time being, don’t tell anyone of this matter. The moment you receive any news, report to me immediately. That will be all. I have to attend Fei-er’s birthday banquet now.” Yu Shenqing waved his hands.
He was enraged that someone had barged into the Soul Tempering Hall and destroyed their ancestral sculptures as well, but as the emperor of a nation, he couldn’t allow his emotions to supersede his rationality.
After leaving behind those words, he turned around and continued making his way to the main hall. At that moment, he noticed that the old eunuch beside him had his eyebrows tightly knitted together.
“If you have any thoughts in mind, feel free to speak!” Yu Shenqing said nonchalantly.
The old eunuch had been with him for many years now. He knew that on top of being a Saint realm expert, the old eunuch possessed keen intellect, which allowed him to see through many matters as well.
“Your Majesty, wherever Zhang shi has gone, pandemonium ensued. Even his manor wasn’t spared from his antics… He also happens to be in the royal palace tonight, so could it be possible that… he has something to do with that matter?” the old eunuch asked.
There was simply something bizarre about Zhang Xuan.
Wherever he went, destruction and misfortune seemed to follow right behind… Knowing that he would attend the banquet tonight, they had invited several formation masters in to prevent any accidents from occurring…
But who could say for sure that it was foolproof?
Take this matter for example, while the main hall had been spared, the Soul Tempering Hall had been destroyed instead… Could Zhang Xuan have had something to do with this?
“Him?” Yu Shenqing frowned.
The old eunuch’s words were groundless and seemingly ridiculous, but when supported by the various rumors regarding Zhang Xuan that they had heard earlier, this hypothesis wasn’t completely illogical.
The mess that fellow had caused over the past half a month could leave even his eyebrows twitching uncontrollably.
If there was a person who could accomplish what Yu Mubai had just described, that fellow was definitely a huge suspect!
“But didn’t he arrive an hour and a half ago, and he hasn’t left his seat since then, right?” Yu Shenqing asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty. However, he was sitting in a daze on his seat for more than an hour in that duration!” the eunuch replied.
“He was sitting in a daze on his seat?”
“That’s right, Your Majesty. If what the Seventh King said was true, and the intruder is truly a soul, could it be that Zhang Xuan drew out his soul in the hour that he was in a daze…” the eunuch said hesitantly.
“He drew out his soul? Are you suspecting him of being a soul oracle?” Yu Shenqing’s face immediately turned livid.
“Your Majesty, this is just a hypothesis on my part,” the old eunuch replied with a lowered head.
“The soul oracles should have been completely eradicated by the Master Teacher Pavilion for siding with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe long ago, so their heritage should have disappeared from the face of the world. As a master teacher, Zhang Xuan should know better than to dabble in an occupation like that,” Yu Shenqing said with a deep frown.
“Actually, Your Majesty, we can uncover the truth with a simple test,” the old eunuch said.
“Un.” Yu Shenqing nodded grimly.
Flinging his sleeves, he walked into the main hall with widened strides. Just a moment after he stepped through the doors, he saw his beautifully-dressed daughter standing before a certain young man, serving him wine with a bent back.
His face immediately turned black.
How could there be a fellow so arrogant as to allow his noble daughter to serve him wine?
“Your Majesty, that person is Zhang Xuan, Zhang shi!” the old eunuch quickly informed him.
“He is Zhang Xuan?” Yu Shenqing muttered as he glared at Zhang Xuan with a wintry gaze.
He was already prejudiced against Zhang Xuan after hearing about everything the latter had made his daughter do when he encountered such a sight. In an instant, rage filled his mind.
“Fei-er, what are you doing?”
Yu Shenqing rushed forward and stared at his daughter grimly. “As a princess, how can you stoop down to serving another wine?”
The fact that the other party took you in as his maid is a form of insult to you and the royal family. How can you take it for real?
Zhang Xuan is just a mere 4-star master teacher! He might possess some extraordinary means, but he is far from qualified to have you serve him wine!
“Father, you are here!” Upon seeing Yu Shenqing, Yu Fei-er hurriedly stood up and bowed in greeting.
“Shen Jun (Liu Quan, Xing Yuan…) pays respect to Your Majesty!”
The others in the room also quickly stood up and bowed.
Following the others, Zhang Xuan also stood up, and after taking a glance at the authoritative middle-aged man before him, he clasped his fist and bowed as well.
He might be the succeeding principal of the Master Teacher Academy, which would put his standing above that of the other party, but due to his unique circumstances, it was inconvenient for him to reveal his identity ahead of the inauguration ceremony. Thus, it was still best for him to follow the formalities.
“You are Zhang Xuan?” Yu Shenqing asked with a sharp glint in his eyes.
“Indeed, it is me.” Zhang Xuan nodded in response.
Yu Shenqing assessed Zhang Xuan for a moment before turning around and heading to the main seat in the hall.
While he was dying to test out whether that fellow was a soul oracle or not, as the emperor of the nation, he couldn’t possibly make a move directly.
Not only would he be stooping beneath his standing, if his assumption proved to be false, he would have no way of accounting for this matter to the Master Teacher Pavilion.
On top of that, he could incur the hostility of his daughter too.
“Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for attending my young daughter’s birthday banquet!” Upon sitting down, Yu Shenqing scanned the surroundings and chuckled lightly. His movements were casual, but it carried a regal disposition that only emperors commanded.
“Since today is a joyous occasion, how can we go without music? Luo Fu, summon Musician Bai in to play a tune for us!”
“Yes!” Understanding the hidden meaning behind Yu Shenqing’s words, the old eunuch nodded and backed out of the room.
“Musician Bai? Could it be the renowned 6-star demonic tunist guest in the royal palace? It would truly be a great honor to listen to her playing!”
Upon hearing that Musician Bai would be playing for them, everyone’s eyes lit up in excitement.
