“This…”
The crowd stared at one another, dumbfounded.
[This is Master Lu Chen, the emperor’s tutor. Who dares to lay his hands on him, beating him into such a state?
Besides, didn’t you two go to the study? Why did he return… like this?
Could it be that they didn’t go to the study to read books, but to… fight?
The elegant Master Lu Chen has such interest?]
“I’m fine…” Master Lu Chen waved his hands awkwardly.
After all, he couldn’t possibly say that… Zhang Xuan had just achieved a breakthrough and unintentionally injured him due to the lack of control in his strength.
He also knew that it would be difficult to explain. Thus, Master Lu Chen walked over to the main seat, then turned to look at Uncle Cheng and said, “Ah Cheng, go and fetch a Strength Measuring Rock Pillar over!”
He was a master painter, not a fighter. Thus, no Strength Measuring Rock Pillars were placed in his lounge. However, as this item was related to one’s cultivation, there were still a few of them in his house, so it would be fine bringing one over.
“Yes!” Despite being unsure of what his master was up to, Uncle Cheng still nodded his head and retreated out of the room.
“Master Zhang, have you really reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle?” Upon seeing the room turn silent, Bai Xun couldn’t resist walking up towards him with an excited expression.
“Un!” It might be inconvenient to speak of it in the academy, but it wasn’t any secret here, so there’s no need for Zhang Xuan to conceal the fact.
“I’m also on the same level. May I exchange some blows with you?” Hearing the young man’s confirmation, Bai Xun’s eyes burned with enthusiasm.
“Bai Xun, what are you doing. Look at where you are…” Taken aback, Huang Yu quickly tried to advise him otherwise.
Master Lu Chen was an elegant person, and he hated people arguing and fighting before him. [Don’t you think that it’s a joke to be issuing a challenge in his lounge?]
It was just as Huang Yu said, Lu Chen didn’t like others to be brandishing their spears and swords before him. However, while the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar wasn’t here yet, the best way to test whether Zhang Xuan had improved was through Bai Xun.
He was aware of the fact that the latter had reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle.
With the same level of cultivation, he should be able to see whether Zhang Xuan’s strength had surged.
At this point, he raised his head and said, “I don’t have any objections if it is just ordinary sparring. However, don’t go too far!”
“Great!” Initially, Bai Xun thought that Master Lu Chen would object to it. However, contrary to his expectation, he approved. Bai Xun almost leapt up due to overwhelming excitement. With a delighted expression, he took two step towards the center of the lounge and with a cool pose, he beckoned Zhang Xuan. “Come!”
“Alright!”
Zhang Xuan had just completed his cultivation of Heaven’s Path Golden Body and he was curious to know how far his strength has progressed as well. Thus, he didn’t reject the other party’s challenge and walked over to the center of the lounge as well.
“The strength behind my fists are great, so be careful!” With hardened eyes, Bai Xun no longer had that gentlemanly look he usually had and replacing it was the aura of a powerful person unmatched by anyone.
As someone on the level of Fighter 5-dan pinnacle, in terms of strength, he was above even Shang Bin!
Huala!
After gathering his might, Bai Xun stepped forward. With his strength as a sword, the shockwave of his punch as a blade, he sent a jab straight towards Zhang Xuan.
To test his level of cultivation, Zhang Xuan didn’t bother to look at the flaws on Bai Xun compiled in the Library of Heaven’s Path and instead, he faced his fist with one of his own.
Hu!
The two fists connected midair and Zhang Xuan frowned.
“Why is the strength behind his fist so lacking? Could it be that he isn’t Fighter 5-dan pinnacle?”
Zhang Xuan’s fist went straight through the other party’s fist without slowing at all, completely overpowering him, as though a stone had met with a bubble.
Thinking that the other party wasn’t well-prepared and had yet to exert his full strength yet, Zhang Xuan quickly reduced his strength by half.
Even so, Bai Xun’s face paled and he was sent flying like a rubber ball. Sou! He only came to a stop when his back crashed onto a pillar forcefully.
“Why aren’t you using your full strength?”
Retracting his fist, Zhang Xuan walked forward and stretched out his hand to help the latter up.
“Don’t…”
Upon seeing this sight, Master Lu Chen’s eyes narrowed. He immediately tried to stop them, but he was too late.
Sou!
Bai Xun, who was pulled by the young man, flew away like a kite who had its string snapped. With a whistle of the wind, he flew in the air once again.
Paji!
After flying for a dozen meters, his face crashed into the wall and fresh blood spurted out from his mouth and nose.
“Wuuu….”
Bai Xun almost cried on the spot.
[Big brother, I know that I’m not a match for you, but you don’t have to be so merciless. My dashing features, my face…]
“Why are you…”
Seeing Bai Xun fly away with a pull of his, Zhang Xuan scratched his head with an innocent look.
[What are they doing?
First Master Lu Chen, and now Bai Xun. Is it really alright for the both of you to be leaping around?]
If the two of them were to know the thoughts that were running through his mind, they would have surely vomited blood on the spot out of depression.
[You are the one who is leaping around… We were thrown by you, alright…]
“This fellow…”
Standing by the side, Huang Yu’s eyebrows twitched and she found her head unable to cope.
Bai Xun could be considered one of the outstanding ones among the younger generation. Except for a few others, he was practically unmatched. This was precisely the reason why he cultivated a ‘competitive-but-reluctant-to-admit-defeat’ personality. He thought that the latter would not be able to match up to him in a duel, but never did he imagine that he would be sent flying in a single punch.
He lost thoroughly!
[This fellow looks ordinary, but how does he possess such overwhelming might?]
“Are you alright?” Unsure of what the others were thinking about, Zhang Xuan walked up to Bai Xun with an apologetic look.
“I’m fine…”
Bai Xun struggled upwards and patted the dust off his clothes.
As Fighter 5-dan who had tempered his bones and skin, small wounds like these did not pose a problem.
“Great. I realized that you have not used your full strength previously. How about this, let’s spar once more with you using your full strength….”
Zhang Xuan said with a serious expression.
“Again?”
Bai Xun’s face twitched and he almost cried.
[If we were to continue fighting, I might die here…]
He immediately waved his hand and said, “No need, master is indeed stronger than me. I don’t think there’s a need to continue sparring…”
“There’s no need to be courteous, it is just friendly sparring, so you don’t have to be so restrained. Also, don’t call me master, that sounds so distant…”
Zhang Xuan thought that the other party was acting cautiously due to his identity as Master Lu Chen’s peer, causing his reluctance to give his all in the spar, thus resulting in his weakness as perceived by Zhang Xuan.
When his cultivation had just reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle, he crossed blows with Yao Han, and the latter gave him a lot of pressure through his formidable strength. Yao Han’s cultivation realm was higher than Bai Xun, but as there wasn’t too much of a difference between the two, he thought that it would be the same as when he faced him. Yet, Bai Xun was sent flying with a single fist. Finding it unbelievable, he attributed it to him not exerting his full strength.
Otherwise, with his 8 ding of strength, it was impossible for him to send a Fighter 5-dan pinnacle who possessed 4 ding of strength flying with a single fist.
“Spar?”
Bai Xun trembled in fear. [You call this sparring? With just that single fist of yours, I almost ascended to the heavens, you know that?
Besides, as a fellow peer of Grandpa Lu Chen, what do I call you if not master?]
A thought flashed through his mind and his face twitched, seemingly on the verge of tears. “Since you said that it feels distant calling you master, then why don’t I call you grandpa? Grandpa Zhang, I admit my mistake, okay? I shouldn’t have been so hostile towards you, so I beg of you… Stop asking me to spar with you!”
“The Strength Measuring Rock Pillar is here!” At this moment, Uncle Cheng walked over and saw such a sight unfolding before him. Upon hearing Bai Xun’s shouting plea, he became petrified on the spot. “What?”
[Who is this?
The sole son of the number one authoritative subject of Tianxuan Kingdom, Zhennan Wang!
For him to be crying Zhang Xuan as his grandpa? Surely, I am hearing things…]
Uncle Cheng only felt his vision blurring before him and almost lost consciousness.
[I just stepped away for a moment to grab a Strength Measuring Rock Pillar… What happened? Can anyone enlighten me…]
“Cough cough, alright. Little brother Zhang Xuan, there are plenty of opportunities for the both of you to spar in the future. Bai Xun is injured and needs to regulate his cultivation for awhile! Anyway, since the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar is already here, I think it would be best for you to try out your strength first!”
Sensing the awkwardness of the situation, Master Lu Chen quickly stepped in.
“Alright!” Seeing that Bai Xun was unwilling to spar, Zhang Xuan shook his head in disappointment. He looked at the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar, which was just inserted into a crevice on the ground and walked over to it. With a slight smile, he said, “Actually, I have tested my strength yesterday and it was about 4 ding or so. There probably won’t much of a difference testing it today…”
It was just this morning that he had beaten Yao Han into a pig head. Before that, he had tested his strength and had ascertained it to be 8 ding!
He had been busy the entire day. Furthermore, without a cultivation technique for him to cultivate, not a single one of his acupoints have been broken through yet. Thus, there shouldn’t be a rise in his strength. Although he had cultivated the Heaven’s Path Golden Body, in Zhang Xuan’s opinion, even if there was an improvement with his physical body, it couldn’t possibly rival up to the significance of zhenqi in determining one’s might.
As for why he said that his strength was 4 ding, it was because this was the standard strength a Dingli realm pinnacle could possess. He didn’t want to reveal too much of his secrets. At worst, he just had to hold back half of his strength when testing it later on.
“Since the pillar has been brought here, give it a try!” Master Lu Chen said.
“Alright!” Zhang Xuan smiled as he accepted the offer. With the intention to only use half of his strength, his fist flew towards the rock pillar before him.
His fist propelled forward like a lightning strike, swift and fierce, and the shockwave of his fist caused the wind to rustle.
Peng!
Light shone from the pillar and figures started to slowly appear on it.
“Look, as I said, 4 ding…” Seeing the figures that had floated onto the surface of the pillar, Zhang Xuan waved his hands and turned around to look at the others with a smile. However, before he could finish his words, he saw Bai Xun, Huang Yu, Master Lu Chen and Uncle Cheng look at him as though he was a monster.
Every single one of their eyes was almost popping out of their sockets.
“What’s the matter?” Zhang Xuan frowned.
He lowered his head to look at himself, there shouldn’t be anything off about him though?
“Look at the… Strength Measuring Rock Pillar again!” Huang Yu said in agitation.
“What is wrong with the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar? Isn’t it just 4 ding? Do you all have to be so shocked…”
Turning around to take a look, Zhang Xuan’s body staggered and he almost fell to the floor. Unsure of when it happened, but the number ‘9’ had appeared behind the number ‘4’ that he saw previously.
Putting it together… 49!
“The fist that I just threw had the strength of… 49 ding?”
Zhang Xuan was also astonished.
When he tested it this morning, he only had 8 ding of strength. Furthermore, he intentionally restrained half of his strength when striking on the rock pillar, so how could he possibly reach a might of 49 ding?
Didn’t this mean that if he didn’t contain his strength, his fist could hold a might of almost 100 ding behind it?
A Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm pinnacle possessed 4 ding of strength while the strength of a Pixue realm pinnacle expert wouldn’t exceed 80 ding. To be capable of hitting 100 ding with his fist, didn’t this mean that his strength is equal to a Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm expert, surpassing the latter even?
This…
“Could it be that… the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar is malfunctioning?”
A thought flashed through his mind and Zhang Xuan couldn’t resist raising his doubt.
“The rock pillar isn’t malfunctioning. Didn’t you achieve a breakthrough in the study previously? It caused your strength to soar. Furthermore, you have yet to adapt to your newfound strength, that’s why you… thrashed Bai Xun so overwhelmingly!”
Seeing his thoughts being verified, Master Lu Chen explained.
Initially, he wanted to say that he himself was beaten into a pulp by Zhang Xuan, but he stopped at the crucial point. After all, no matter what, he was still a master and had to consider his reputation…
“A breakthrough? An inflation from 4 ding to 49 ding? It can’t be that you broke through 45 acupoints at once?”
It was one thing to not hear his explanation, but the moment they heard it, Bai Xun and Huang Yu almost fainted on the spot.
[Surely you are jesting?]
At Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm, one can open up his acupoints to raise one’s cultivation. For every acupoint opened, one will gain 1 ding of strength.
It is said that there is a total of 108 acupoints in the human body. However, only 72 of which can be opened. Furthermore, there is a specific order to opening these acupoints. Due to the difference in physique for every individual, they require a different sequence in breaking through them to achieve the optimal effect. If one fails to find the ideal sequence, they could possibly only end up opening thirty to forty acupoints in their life and find themselves unable to advance forward.
Normally, one breaks through them one by one, and one’s strength will increase slowly 1 ding at a time. For Zhang Xuan’s strength to increase by 45 ding in an instant…
Dude, you are about to bash through the heavens!
It is not that I have never seen people breaking through, but I have never seen someone… break through in such a way!]
Actually, it wasn’t just the others who were giddy and in a state of disbelief, even Zhang Xuan himself didn’t know what was going on.
Was such a massive improvement induced just from cultivating Heaven’s Path Golden Body? Allowing his strength to increase by 90 ding instantaneously?
Normally, when he casually sent Master Lu Chen flying and defeated Bai Xun, he should have understood how much of an improvement he had made and how much his strength had grown by, and not be as ignorant as he is now.
However, as a transcender and someone who had just started cultivating two days ago, it was already incredible that he was able to control his cultivation to exert the correct amount of strength. Going into the specifics to control his strength, so as to manipulate it as he pleases, was simply expecting too much of him!
This was just like an ordinary person who was suddenly granted superhuman strength. He wouldn’t be able to get used to it initially, and, perhaps, might even feel slightly lost about the matter.
This was exactly the situation that was occurring with Zhang Xuan. Initially, he only possessed 8 ding of strength. However, it suddenly increased by 90 ding, an increment of more than tenfold. Furthermore, as this increment originated from his physical body, it was undetectable… Rather, it would be weird if he knew it in advance!
It was already a blessing for him to not have reduced Bai Xun into a lump of meat.
“Little brother Zhang, you can’t possibly have… opened 45 acupoints just now?”
Seeing him in a daze, Master Lu Chen asked slowly.
It was unheard of to open 45 acupoints in an instant… But if that wasn’t the case, where could have the sudden boost of strength possibly came from?
“I… am still Dingli realm pinnacle. My cultivation has yet to advance, just that… my physical body grew stronger by a bit!” Zhang Xuan said.
“Physical body?” Master Lu Chen was astounded, not daring to believe what he had just heard. “I have heard that there are some treasures in the world that allow one’s physical body to rival steel when consumed, giving one the strength equivalent to a Pixue realm pinnacle. Could it be that… it is possible to reach such a level through cultivating one’s physical body as well?”
“Keng… I seem to have eaten some unidentifiable fruit today. Initially, I felt my body heat up after eating it, but I didn’t pay much heed to it. Perhaps, that could be the reason for the sudden increase in the strength of my physical body!” Zhang Xuan said.
As a member of modern civilization, he understood the logic that possessing a treasure beyond one’s ability would attract calamity. If he were to acknowledge that he had reached such a level through cultivation, innumerable people might go red-eyed and try to extort him of his cultivation technique.
Perhaps, some might even kidnap him to research on.
Since Master Lu Chen had mentioned that there were some treasures that could induce a massive enhancement in one’s physical body, he decided to go along with it.
“Fate, this is truly fate!” Master Lu Chen didn’t doubt Zhang Xuan’s words at all.
Actually, it wasn’t that he isn’t doubtful, but even if he was, he had no choice but to believe Zhang Xuan’s words!
For one’s physical strength to increase by a few dozen ding through two hours of cultivation?
Wasn’t this daydreaming?
It was as laughable as trying to get a male to bear children!
Rather than believing that nonsense, it was more probable that he might have consumed some treasure.
“May I know the appearance of the fruit that little brother ate?” Master Lu Chen continued asking.
“Appearance?” Zhang Xuan scratched his head. He was spouting nonsense, so how could he have possibly known how it would look like? However, since they have already gotten to this point, keeping silent would seem much more suspicious instead. Thus, he replied, “It is a red-colored fruit…”
Previously, when he was flipping through the books in the academy’s Compendium Pavilion, he recalled seeing a record of a fruit similar to what Lu Chen had just described. The book was an epic of a person’s travels, and a character in it had eaten a red-colored fruit and had his strength raised massively. At this moment, he could only blindly try his luck.
“Red-colored? Could it be crimson-colored? Indeed, it is that thing!”
Master Lu Chen seemed to have thought of something and his breathing hastened.
“Master knows of it?”
“It is the【Hongjin Pearl Fruit】! Legend has it that consuming it will allow one’s physical body to soar rapidly, granting one the strength that even a Pixue realm pinnacle expert is unable to withstand!” Master Lu Chen said excitedly.
“Hongjin Pearl Fruit?”
Zhang Xuan said with a bizarre look on his face.
Could it be that… such a thing really exists?
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