Chapter 1762: Entering the Prime Hall
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
Most of those in the square had been in the six outer dimensions, but without any clear directions and the limitations on their flight and Spiritual Perception, obtaining even a single crux would have been a huge stroke of luck. Yet, the young man before them had actually obtained four of them.
This was way too exaggerated!
In the sky, the lower jaws of Zhang Hongtian and Yang shi fell slack, nearly falling to the ground.
This was a situation that they had never dreamed of.
"They are all with you?" Ancient Sage Yan Qing's cheeks twitched in disbelief.
Their Hundred Schools of Philosophers had gone to great lengths in order to obtain just a single crux. On the other hand, this fellow had singlehandedly obtained four of them.
Was he even human?
However, this worked in their favor as well. At the very least, they would be able to open the Prime Hall much faster.
"Un!" Zhang Xuan nodded, not hiding anything at all.
With a flick of his wrist, he took out the ice crystal and the koi fish. The two of them swiftly flew into the apertures beside the entrance of the Prime Hall, and the light radiating from the gates brightened even further.
"You have single-handedly won four slots for the Master Teacher Pavilion," Ancient Sage Yan Qing murmured with a slightly bitter look on his face. Sighing deeply, he turned to look at the crowd once more and said, "All that is left is the crux of the stone forest dimension. May I know who is in possession of the crux?"
No one stepped forward, so the situation fell into a standstill once more.
"That stone forest dimension is filled with boulders recording cultivation techniques and battle techniques. There isn't a crux in it, is there?"
"Indeed. I have been in the dimension for several hours, and I didn't find anything that resembles the crux of the dimension!"
"Can you tell us what the crux of the stone forest dimension is supposed to be?"
…
There was a bout of commotion as the crowd turned to Ancient Sage Yan Qing in seek of answers.
Zhang Xuan was as perplexed as the rest of the crowd.
He had been to the stone forest dimension himself, and anyone who found the correct sequence to any one of the secret arts would be granted access to the Subordinate Hall. Judging from that, it did not seem like there was any crux to the dimension. So, what were they supposed to be placing in the aperture?
"The stone forest dimension has no tangible crux. Its crux is the secret art that allows one to enter the Hall of Divine Crusade and claim the Stone of Divine Crusade!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing revealed.
He seemed to be rather knowledgeable about the affairs concerning the various outer dimensions and Subordinate Halls.
"The secret art is the very crux of the dimension?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
He had been feeling a little embarrassed about taking the cruxes of four outer dimensions for himself… but all of a sudden, he realized that he had not obtained four but five cruxes!
It sure was really difficult to be low profile! How embarrassing!
"That's right. As long as one imprints the correct sequence of the secret art into the last aperture, the Prime Hall will open. So, for the person who entered the stone forest dimension and comprehended its crux, I'll have to invite you to step forward," Ancient Sage Yan Qing replied.
Halfway through his words, he suddenly noticed a raised hand amid the crowd—Zhang Xuan.
Turning his gaze over, Ancient Sage Yan Qing asked, "What's wrong?"
At the same time, a bad premonition seemed to creep into his heart. He had an inkling what the young man was going to say and do, but the notion of it was so ludicrous that he instinctively rejected it.
"Cough cough… It's hard for me to say this, but it seems like the crux of the stone forest dimension is with me as well!" Zhang Xuan said with an awkward chuckle.
"…" Ancient Sage Yan Qing.
"…" Zhang Hongtian.
"…" The others.
Why the heck are you getting embarrassed?
If anything, we are the ones who should be feeling embarrassed, alright?
Of the four major powers and several thousand experts, we only managed to obtain one crux in total whereas you obtained a total of five of them…
All of a sudden, the crowd sudden felt an urge to simply drop dead.
Zhang Xuan chuckled awkwardly for a moment longer to soothe the atmosphere before walking up to the entrance of the Prime Hall. With a tap of his finger, he imprinted the formula of the secret art into the aperture.
Weng!
Light burst forth from the entrance of the Prime Hall as the entire place began to shake nonstop. With a deafening creak, the massive gates began to open.
Following which, a primordial aura drifted out from the interior of the Prime Hall, commanding an imposing, ancient air.
Seeing that the Prime Hall had finally been opened, Ancient Sage Yan Qing suppressed the stifled sensation in his chest and swiftly took command of the situation. "Since the slots have already been confirmed, I'd like to ask the four major powers to select their cultivators to enter the Prime Hall!"
The final distribution of the slots were seven for the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, six for the Master Teacher Pavilion and major powers of the Master Teacher Continent, one for the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and one for the Beast Tribe.
This was based on the rules that they had agreed on earlier, so the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and Beast Tribe had no way of refuting the distribution of slots.
Besides, whether one was able to obtain the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn or not was based heavily on luck. Numbers might not necessarily be an advantage in the Prime Hall.
It did not take long for the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and Beast Tribe to select the men to enter the Prime Hall.
On top of the restriction that prevented any Ancient Sages from entering the premises, the Prime Hall appeared to also have an age limit of fifty years old. Anyone beyond fifty would be barred by the invisible seal around the Prime Hall.
Naturally, each major power chose the strongest members in their ranks who met those two restrictions in order to enter the Prime Hall.
"How do we determine the distribution of slots here?" one of the Ancient Sages of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters asked.
Pretty much all of the slots had been won single-handedly by Zhang Xuan, so his opinion weighed a lot in determining the distribution of the slots among them.
"Me, Ruoxin, Zhao Ya, Ruyan, Yuan Tao, and… Qiqi as well. That makes up six!" Zhang Xuan said contemplatively.
The Ancient Sage nearly fainted on the spot upon hearing those words. "No matter what, shouldn't you at least reserve two slots for the Master Teacher Pavilion?"
It was true that he had played a huge role in securing the slots for them, but it would not do for him to take them all away!
"Rest assured, I'll reserve two slots for you. Right, Zheng Yang, Wang Ying, and Lu Chong are here too, aren't they? Where are they at the moment? I'll have to reserve three slots for them as well," Zhang Xuan added.
Considering how huge an affair the opening of the Temple of Confucius was, it was certain that Zheng Yang, Wang Ying, Lu Chong, and the others would be there. It was just that there were too many people there, and the place was simply too large, resulting in them not meeting one another.
Hearing the calculation that Zhang Xuan was making, Yang shi could not help but politely remind him, "We only have a total of six slots."
That was eleven slots, far beyond what they had at the moment!
"Six slots? Don't worry, it won't be six in a moment's time," Zhang Xuan said with a mysterious smile on his lips. He turned to Zhao Ya and the others and instructed, "Look for Zheng Yang and the others. Get them here as soon as possible!"
"Yes!" Zhao Ya and the others replied as they hurriedly took out their Jade Communication Tokens to send messages.
With the six outer dimensions connected with one another, it was already possible to communicate remotely.
"Alright! Since the members have already been decided, let's enter the Prime Hall!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing commanded imposingly.
With a wave of his hand, the 'Prime Amulet' surfaced before him once more. A surge of energy poured forth from his Prime Amulet, enveloping the various experts chosen by the Hundred Schools of Philosophers.
Yan Xue was also one of those enveloped within the surge of energy.
"Let's head over as well!"
There was only one slot for the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and the Beast Tribe respectively. It went without saying that they were displeased with the situation, but they knew that it would be hard for them to renegotiate this matter.
Seeing that Zhang Xuan and the others were still dawdling, having yet to finalize the candidates that they would send into the Prime Hall, Yan Xue harrumphed coldly. "Stop wasting our time and hurry up!"
"It's fine, you don't have to wait for us. Feel free to go on ahead. We'll follow soon!" Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.
"You are telling us to enter ahead of you? Do you even understand what you are saying?" Taken aback by the words Zhang Xuan had spoken, Yan Xue was visibly stunned for a moment before his eyebrows knitted together.
Was there something wrong with their heads?
The Prime Amulet could only take fifteen people into the Prime Hall in a single go. Did those fellows naively think that they would come back for them after they entered the premises?
"Feel free to go ahead. We'll quickly follow along once we have chosen our candidates!" Zhang Xuan replied affirmatively.
"Very well then!" Scoffing deeply in his heart, Yan Xue could not be bothered to waste his breath on a fool who could not even make sense of something as simple as this. Thus, he turned around and led the group toward the towering entrance of the Prime Hall.
Hula!
It took an instant for them to arrive right before the seal.
The 'Prime Amulet' emanated another burst of light, shrouding the group chosen by the four major powers.
"We won't be waiting for them any longer. Let's enter!" Unwilling to waste any more time, Yan Xue rushed in.
Padah! Padah! Padah!
An overwhelming surge of energy swept across the area. Before the group could get in, the defensive mechanism of the seal activated. In a single blast, they were sent flying into the distance, falling to the ground helplessly, and blood spurted into the air.
Chapter 1763: Actually… the Prime Amulet Is Also with Me
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
"What's going on?"
Everyone was stunned.
Ancient Sage Yan Qing's eyebrows shot up as he rushed forward anxiously to check on what had gone wrong.
Why were they rejected by the seal, suffering a major backlash even before entering the Prime Hall?
Those were the top geniuses of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers! Nothing bad could be allowed to happen to them!
The Prime Hall had already opened, and they had the Prime Amulet in hand. All of the criteria had been met!
While he was completely baffled by the situation, Ancient Sage Yan Qing flicked his finger and sent several pills into the mouths of the injured youths.
It was only after consuming those pills that those from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers finally felt themselves recovering a little.
The fact that the seal in front of the Temple of Confucius was able to fend off an Ancient Sage was enough to show how powerful it was. If not for Kong shi's benevolence, they could have died!
Even Ancient Sages were no exception to the rule!
Of course, if the seal did not boast such prowess, the Ancient Sages could simply have banded together to forcefully destroy the seal. They would not have had to waste their breath.
Perhaps the Master Teacher Pavilion and the Hundred Schools of Philosophers might still be a little hesitant due to their deference toward Kong shi, but those from the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and Beast Tribe would not have been so reserved.
Looking at the recovering crowd, Ancient Sage Yan Qing turned to Yan Xue and asked with a deep frown, "Why did they suffer a backlash from the seal?"
As one of the people in question, he thought that Yan Xue should know what was going on.
"Old ancestor…" Yan Xue hesitated for a moment before saying, "It seems like the Prime Amulet is insufficient for us to pass through the seal!"
Previously, he had been able to enter the Apricot Pavilion by utilizing Yuan Tao's bloodline. At the very least, he had been able to pass through the seal without suffering any backlash. However, when he tried to enter the Prime Hall, he had vaguely gotten the feeling that the Prime Amulet was nothing more than a flimsy piece of paper, providing no protection from the seal at all.
"It's insufficient for us to pass through the seal?" Ancient Sage Yan Qing frowned.
With a clasp of his fist, the Prime Amulet swiftly flew between his fingertips. He pinched the Prime Amulet in his grasp lightly.
Huala!
Under the influx of his energy, the seemingly powerful amulet dissipated into countless sparks. As if a piece of paper thrown into flames, it disintegrated into countless pieces before vanishing completely from sight.
"The Prime Amulet… is a fake!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing's eyebrows shot up in horror.
By that point, it was apparent to anyone present that the Prime Amulet in their grasp was a fake! Otherwise, how could a treasure specially forged by Kong shi possibly be reduced to dust so easily with just a light pinch?
After all of the commotion that he had stirred up, who could have thought that the Prime Amulet in his possession would actually be a fake?
At that instant, he felt as if someone had bestowed him with several crisp slaps, leaving him with a burning sensation on his cheeks.
To think that the Hundred Schools of Philosophers would actually make such a huge mistake… Everyone fell completely silent.
Unable to suppress his rage anymore, Ancient Sage Yan Qing spat at Yan Xue with a hint of coldness in his voice, "Are you sure that you acquired this amulet from the Master Teacher Continent's White Creek Mountain?"
If the Prime Amulet was truly acquired from the ancient domain left behind by Ancient Sage Ran Qiu, there should have been no way that it was false!
"There's no doubt about it. I definitely acquired it from there!" Yan Xue nodded as he explained himself agitatedly. All of a sudden, he froze for a moment before exclaiming, "Wait a moment… Back then, Zhang Xuan competed with us over the Prime Amulet! It was out of fear that he would snatch the Prime Amulet from us that we left in a hurry…"
"He competed with you over the Prime Amulet?" Ancient Sage Yan Qing turned to look at Zhang Xuan.
The young man had already shocked everyone present by taking out five cruxes required to unlock the Prime Hall. Could it be that he had, by any chance, acquired the Prime Amulet as well?
It was through the records of their predecessors that they had found out that the Prime Amulet was located in the White Creek Mountain, so there was no way that there was any mistake with the information. Since they had acquired the fake one, could the real one be in the hands of the young man?
It would really be damned if that was the case.
Taking a deep breath, Ancient Sage Yan Qing turned to Zhang Xuan and asked, "Zhang shi, do you know what's going on?"
"This… Yan Xue is right. Back then, we were all on the White Creek Mountain, and Brother Yan Xue took the fake Prime Amulet and fled away right after. I tried to stop him to warn him, but it was to no avail. As a result, I had no choice but to take the real Prime Amulet away with me…" Zhang Xuan sighed with a look of pity.
He would eventually have to enter the Prime Hall, so there was no point denying it.
"You… Pu!"
Hearing those words, Yan Xue nearly choked on his rage. The injuries he had sustained immediately flared up, and blood spurted from his mouth.
Are you really saying that I fled after taking the fake amulet?
You were even more determined to grab the Prime Amulet than me back then, alright?
If not for the fact that I fled fast enough, you might have ended up snatching the fake amulet from my hands!
So, why are you making it sound like I was acting like a retard?
To say such words after grabbing the real amulet… is it really fine for you to be so despicable as a master teacher?
"Are you saying that the real amulet is in your hands?" Ancient Sage Yan Qing asked with a deeply stifled sensation in his chest.
"Indeed, it's with me!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "Going by the previous rules, the one who possesses the Prime Amulet is able to claim a third of the total slots, five of them. A slot will be distributed to each of the major powers, and each crux entitles one to an additional slot… So, all in all, I trust that you have no complaints with me taking eleven slots, right?"
Ancient Sage Yan Qing's body staggered as he felt fresh blood coursing up his throat.
He had set such terms because he had thought that he would be able to grab at least half of the slots for the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. Yet, they were telling him that the Prime Amulet was a fake. This turnaround meant that they only had two slots in total.
All of a sudden, he felt that all of his arguing previously had benefited a stranger…
The intense feeling of indignation made him feel as if his heart was going to explode on the spot!
Moreover, the fact that the young man knew that the Prime Amulet in their hands was a fake all along but chose not to point it out… he had obviously intended to watch them make a fool of themselves!
Then again, even if the young man had said it earlier, he might not have believed it.
After all, the fake Prime Amulet had been forged so exquisitely that despite having examined it closely with his eyes and Spiritual Perception, he had been unable to find any flaws with it at all!
Only when attempting to challenge the might of the Prime Amulet would one realize that it was completely fragile!
Even though Ancient Sage Yan Qing felt as if he had been made to look a fool, he still nodded in agreement. "Since we already agreed on it previously, we won't change our minds now!"
It was too late for them to change their minds, and two slots could still work for them.
In terms of understanding the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn, there was no one on the Master Teacher Continent—be it humans, Otherworldly Demons, or beasts—who came close to competing with the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. As long as they were able to enter the Prime Hall, the ones who bore the most hope in obtaining the Great Codex of Spring of Autumn was indubitably them!
It was precisely with such confidence that they had chosen to readily distribute the slots to others. Otherwise, holding the Prime Amulet as hostage, they would have been able to fight for much better terms for themselves!
"That's good to hear," Zhang Xuan said. "Wait here for a moment. I'll bring everyone in once I'm done organizing my group."
"This…"
The Ancient Sages of the Master Teacher Pavilion were shocked by the turn of events as well. They never would have thought that things would suddenly turn so favorable for them. They could not help but direct curious gazes toward the young man who had made all of that happen.
It was one thing for that young master teacher to single-handedly obtain the cruxes of five outer dimensions, but to think that he would actually be resourceful enough to acquire even the Prime Amulet itself, thus outdoing even the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. When did such an incredible figure appear in the Master Teacher Pavilion?
"We have to proceed carefully," Yang shi advised Zhang Xuan worriedly. "The others might attempt to pull something off after seeing that the situation is so skewed in our favor."
As descendants of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, it was unlikely that Ancient Sage Yan Qing and the others would go against their principles within the sacred Temple of Confucius. However, nothing was certain given that the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn was at stake.
Not to mention, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and Beast Tribe were waiting patiently for a chance to strike. There was no doubt that they would attempt to pull something off if a window of opportunity surfaced.
Knowing what Yang shi was worried about, Zhang Hongtian harrumphed coldly. "They won't make a move for the time being. Only those beneath the Sempiternal realm are able to enter the Prime Hall and Subordinate Halls. No matter who acquires the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn, he won't have the strength to assimilate it!
"They will have no choice but to bring the Great Codex of Spring of Autumn out. Once the artifact is brought out of the Prime Hall, that will be when the true fight starts! As important as the slots seem to be, all it does is lend credibility to one's possession of it. In the end, it still boils down to the prowess of the Ancient Sages to determine the final allocation of the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn!"
Chapter 1764: Auctioning Slots
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
"That's true…"
The other Ancient Sages of the Master Teacher Pavilion fell silent.
What Zhang Hongtian had said was the simple truth.
Rules and promises might still carry their weight in small skirmishes, but when the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn was at stake, who would care about such intangible things?
It went without saying that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and Beast Tribe had not given up on the codex. The reason that they had not complained despite only being allocated a single slot was because there was no need for them to do so.
As long as one of their personnel got in, they would have an eye within the Prime Hall. With that, they would be able to uncover who had successfully obtained the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn and attempt to snatch it once that person left the premises!
Once the Ancient Sages got involved, all of the Sempiternal realm candidates would be rendered utterly powerless. As such, everything eventually boiled down to the prowess of their Ancient Sages!
"Forget it, let's just settle it when the time comes. For now, let's distribute the slots!"
In order to avoid panic, the Ancient Sages of the Master Teacher Pavilion had communicated through telepathic zhenqi.
"Since these slots were earned through Zhang Xuan's hard work, I think that we should respect his decision no matter what he decides on!"
"Un!"
The crowd nodded in agreement.
As Ancient Sages, given that they had contributed nothing toward acquiring those slots, they felt too embarrassed to impose any demands on Zhang Xuan.
…
Zhao Ya walked over to Zhang Xuan and informed him telepathically, "Teacher, I am unable to contact Zheng Yang and the others. However, based on the accounts of those who have met them, it seems like they have encountered their own fortuitous encounters. They are currently in those minor dimensions and are unable to leave at the moment, so I don't think they'll be able to make it here any time soon!"
She had tried to contact Zheng Yang and the others, but there had been no response. So, she had tapped into her information network as the court chief of the Glacier Plain Court, and fortunately, she had managed to uncover some intelligence regarding them.
After all, those juniors of hers were no longer nobodies whom one could simply overlook. They had already become renowned powerhouses of the Master Teacher Continent!
"They won't be able to make it here anytime soon?" Zhang Xuan repeated with a frown. Waving his hand lightly, he said, "Forget it. I'll ensure that they don't miss out on anything even if they don't enter the Prime Hall, so it doesn't matter whether they enter the premises or not."
It went without saying that Zhang Xuan would distribute whatever he obtained from the Prime Hall among his students, regardless of whether they were with him at the time or not. This was similar to how he had given one of the Bodhi Fruits to Yuan Tao even though he did not enter the Hall of Lull.
As long as he was around, he would make sure that his students got a share of everything good within the Prime Hall!
"Teacher, I don't think that I'll be able to enter either. My body has already reached the level of an Ancient Sage, and I can feel a powerful repulsion from the seal of the Prime Hall. Even with the Prime Amulet, it doesn't seem likely that I'll be able to bypass the seal…" said Yuan Tao, walking over.
"I see…" Zhang Xuan nodded contemplatively.
Even though Yuan Tao had not successfully achieved a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, there was no doubt that his physical body had reached a level comparable to Ancient Sages. At the very minimum, he could already be considered as a Half-Ancient Sage. Due to this, it was little surprise that he was being repelled by Kong shi's seal.
"So, there's only me, Ruoxin, Zhao Ya, Ruyan, and Qiqi at the moment… Adding up the other two from the Master Teacher Pavilion, there will only be seven of us…" Zhang Xuan quickly calculated in his heart. "That means that we still have four additional slots…"
Zhang Xuan took a look at the crowd among the Master Teacher Pavilion, and he swiftly shook his head.
It was not that he looked down on those geniuses, but it was likely that they would not be able to do much even if he gave those slots to them. In the end, the slots would only go to waste.
"How is it? Have you chosen your personnel yet?" Seeing that Zhang Xuan was still deep in thought after such a long time, Ancient Sage Yan Qing urged him with a slight hint of impatience in his tone.
"I have already chosen the people whom I want to bring with me. However, I think there's no particular reason for us to use so many slots, so I have decided that I'll auction the four of the slots that we have. Feel free to bid for them, and the slot will go to the one who bids the highest. How does that sound?" Zhang Xuan announced as he shot a sweeping gaze at the other three major powers.
"He's intending to auction the slots?"
"Is that fellow off his rockers? Everyone is trying to claim those slots for themself, but he's actually intending to sell them off just like that?"
"Is this for real? We might be able to get a chance to enter the Prime Hall!"
A huge commotion broke out amid the crowd.
The announcement that they had just heard was simply too flabbergasting.
Not only were the Ancient Sages of the other three powers stunned, even the Ancient Sages of the Master Teacher Pavilion also felt a little light-headed from the abrupt declaration.
It had not been to claim so many slots, and this was an extremely advantageous situation for them. Yet, that young man was actually thinking of auctioning them off.
Was it really good for him to do this?
"This is a little…"
One of the Ancient Sages could not take it any longer, so he opened his mouth in hopes of dissuading Zhang Xuan from his reckless move.
"There's no doubt that my senior has his own reasons for making such a decision." Yang shi swiftly spoke up in Zhang Xuan's defense. "Let's just believe in him. That's also what we decided on just a moment ago, isn't it?"
"Senior?"
Catching that peculiar words in Yang shi's response, the remaining Ancient Sages shot bewildered glances at him.
They had met Yang Xuan shortly after their awakening, and there was no doubt that the other party was the most talented master teacher in recent millennia. The fact that he had advanced to Ancient Sage shortly after entering the Temple of Confucius spoke volumes about his potential. Yet, he was actually addressing an Aureate Body realm lad as his senior.
"Indeed," Yang Xuan said with a nod.
He swiftly erected a barrier around him with his will in order to keep away any eavesdroppers before sending a telepathic message to the other Ancient Sages. "To be honest with you, his identity is a little unique. Even as an Ancient Sage, I'm deeply honored to be given the privilege of addressing him as my senior. Pardon me as I say this, but it isn't convenient for me to reveal his identity to you at the moment. However, rest assured that I'll fill you in on the details once we return after dealing with everything here!"
"His identity is a little unique?"
The Ancient Sages looked at one another with intrigued gazes.
Just what kind of identity could it be that even an Ancient Sages would view it as the greatest honor to address that young man as his senior?
Even though they were curious at those words, they could tell that Yang Xuan was unwilling to speak, so they could only suppress their inquisitive minds. They chose to trust Yang Xuan's judgement and fell silent.
It was also at around this moment that Ancient Sage Yan Qing and the others finally recovered from the shocking news.
"You are going to auction your slots?"
"That's right. We have simply too many slots with us at the moment, and this isn't a good thing for us. For one, being the dominant party will easily draw the envy and fury of others. Thus, I'm intending to take out four slots to auction as a show of goodwill, as well as to balance the scales," Zhang Xuan said with a chuckle. "As long as you are able to fork out a greatest sum of money here, you can be certain that the slots will be yours!"
"Let's begin bidding then!"
"We must claim at least one of the slots by hook or by crook for the Beast Tribe!"
Hearing that it was possible to obtain the slots through an auction, the Ancient Sages of the three powers glanced at one another before nodding.
Even though the final allocation of the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn mainly depended on the Ancient Sages, it would be advantageous to them if more of their descendants could enter the Prime Hall.
For one, if their descendants just so happened to obtain the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn, they would be able to simply turn tail and run.
The life force of Ancient Sages was frighteningly resilient. Even if they were unable to defeat their enemies, escaping alive was still something that they would be able to pull off.
As such, this was an opportunity that they did not want to miss out on.
"Alright, I'll determine the starting bid of the first slot. It'll be… twenty, thirty, no… fifty droplets of Ancient Sage bloo…" said Zhang Xuan, raising his fingers.
Great Sage artifacts were not of much use to him anymore, and it was unlikely that those present had too many Ancient Sage artifacts. Even if they did have a couple, it was unlikely that they would be willing to take them out. More importantly, given the current limitations of his cultivation, it was also questionable whether he would be able to assimilate it.
The reason that he had succeeded with the Infernal Blacksaber was because it had been at Half-Ancient Sage when he tamed it.
As for Ancient Sage Zi Yu's inkstone, it was because the artifact had dulled over the long course of its existence, causing it to become much weaker than most Ancient Sage artifacts. On top of that, as a non-aggressive weapon, it was much easier to control.
Any sentient being that had successfully made a breakthrough to Ancient Sage was bound to be haughty and egoistical, and this included artifacts. Even with Zhang Xuan's means, the chances of him taming a fully-fledged Ancient Sage artifact was slim.
Rather than to obtain something that was impractical for him to use at the moment, it would be much more beneficial for him to acquire Ancient Sage blood.
After all, it would become an invaluable resource to fuel his breakthroughs!
Before Zhang Xuan could finish his words, a telepathic voice suddenly arrived by his ears.
"Zhang Xuan, Ancient Sage blood is a very broad term. Similar to spirit stones, it's also divided into various tiers, depending on the strength of the Ancient Sage. Naturally, the higher the tier of the Ancient Sage blood, the more precious it is."
It was from the old ancestor, Zhang Hongtian.
"Tiers of Ancient Sage blood?" Zhang Xuan was silent for a moment before nodding in agreement.
He had not really thought of it before, but it did make sense for there to be varying tiers to Ancient Sage blood. After all, the blood of a veteran Ancient Sage was bound to harness much more energy than the blood of a nascent Ancient Sage.
"Just like Great Sage, Ancient Sage is also divided into four different realms. The higher the realm of the cultivator, the more valuable their blood is. In fact, the difference can easily differ by a hundredfold! You have to ascertain the quality of the Ancient Sage blood, or else you could make a huge loss!" Zhang Hongtian advised.
"I see…" Zhang Xuan nodded in response. "May I ask what the four realms of Ancient Sage are?"
Chapter 1765: The Four Realms of Ancient Sage
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
"The realms have never been officially fixed, but there's a standardized way of classifying the strength of an Ancient Sage through their difference in strength and special characteristics. I think you should be able to use it as a reference," Zhang Hongtian said.
"After achieving a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, a cultivator will be able to pass down the unique traits of their bloodline to their descendants, similar to our Zhang Clan. The reason that our clan members wield the power of the Time Quintessence is because we had an ancestor who had once reached such a realm. As such, the term used for the first realm is 'Bloodline Continuance'. This serves as an indicative sign as to whether one has achieved a breakthrough to Ancient Sage yet or not."
"Bloodline Continuance…" Zhang Xuan repeated the term as he nodded in response.
That did make sense.
Most likely, Yuan Tao, the Infernal Blacksaber, and Vicious were at this realm. The Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sage that he had crushed with the Book of Heaven's Path back at the Seer Guild was likely at this realm as well.
They formed the bottommost layer of the Ancient Sages.
"The second realm is the highest level that the seventy-two Sages, with the exception of the Ten Apostles, reached in their lifetime. As such, it eventually came to be known as the Great Philosopher realm," Zhang Hongtian explained.
"Great Philosophers? That's the name of a realm as well?" Zhang Xuan was stunned.
"It's just a term that we use, so there's no need to be too fixated on the name," Zhang Hongtian remarked. "As for the third realm, it's known as Blood Reincarnation. As long as those who have reached this realm haven't come to the end of their lifespan yet, even if one severs their head and minces their body, they will still be able to come back to life with a single droplet of blood. It's because I have reached this realm as well that I was able to survive much longer than the other Ancient Sages and am able to stand my ground against them."
Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in surprise.
Until that moment, he had thought that all Ancient Sages were capable of Blood Reincarnation, but it seemed like that had been a misunderstanding on his part.
Those who were able to pull off Blood Reincarnation were the top existences even among the Ancient Sages.
"What about the final realm?"
"The final realm is a level that no one on the Master Teacher Continent or Hundred Schools of Philosophers, other than Kong shi, has been able to reach. It's said that a person who has reached the final realm will be able to shatter the void, similar to how an envoy of the immortals tears through space to descend to the mortal world. As such, the final realm is known as 'Dimension Shatterer' or 'Immortal's Envoy'! I'm still a long way off from reaching that realm, so I'm also not too sure what the realm encompasses," Zhang Hongtian said.
"Immortal's Envoy?" Zhang Xuan's eyes widened in astonishment.
He had heard this term before!
The first time that he met Vicious in an underground cavern, the latter had told him that he had reached the level of an Immortal's Envoy. Back then, he had not understood the different levels of cultivation, so he had not paid much attention to it. Who would have thought that Vicious had actually reached the very pinnacle of Ancient Sage!
In other words, even though Vicious did not seem to be anything much, the truth was that he had been one of the strongest people on the Master Teacher Continent during his lifetime!
It was no wonder that even Kong shi had ended up being cornered by him at one point in time back at Chen-Cai.
"Then… what realm has Ancient Sage Yan Qing reached?" Zhang Xuan asked.
He could not help but recall Old Geezer Yu saying that Ancient Sage Yan Qing possessed the highest cultivation among all those gathered there. If so, just what level had he reached?
"He's at Blood Reincarnation realm as well, just like me. It's just that he's a single cultivation stage stronger than me!" Zhang Hongtian replied. "However, he hasn't reached the pinnacle of Blood Reincarnation either. Without the sustenance of the Aeon of Ancient Sage, it is hard for one to advance any further in this realm!"
Zhang Xuan nodded in realization as he understood the crux behind Zhang Hongtian's words. "In other words, I should ask for the blood of Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sages?"
"That's right. The blood of Ancient Sages who have reached such a realm will be the most valuable!" Zhang Hongtian replied.
"Got it!" Zhang Xuan nodded.
Their conversation was through telepathic communication, so their exchanges were swift. All in all, it barely took up a few seconds. Shortly after they ended their conversation, the White Overlord spoke up. "Fifty droplets of Ancient Sage blood? Very well, our Beast Tribe will be taking it!"
Its voice had a ferocious edge to it, reminiscent of an imposing conqueror gazing down upon the world.
"White Overlord, please hold it for a moment. I haven't finished yet. The fifty droplets of blood that I want have to come from Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sages!" Zhang Xuan added with a composed smile.
"You want fifty droplets of blood from Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sages? You greedy little swine…" Hearing those words, the White Overlord nearly exploded from rage.
A heavy silence also swiftly settled upon the crowd.
Ordinarily speaking, fifty droplets of ordinary Ancient Sage blood could be considered an astronomical sum. Yet, that fellow actually wanted all fifty droplets to be from Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sages.
"You're dreaming!"
"Who would be so foolish to fork out such a ridiculous price?"
"Even for an entrance slot into the Prime Hall, this isn't worth it at all…"
…
The quiet mutterings of the Ancient Sages could vaguely be heard.
It was true that an additional slot would put a power in a more advantageous position, but even so, fifty droplets of Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sage blood seemed too hefty a price to pay. It did not seem to be worth paying the price for it.
Seeing the hesitation among the crowd, Zhang Xuan interjected quietly with a confident smile, as if everything was in his grasp. "I'll leave it to you to ponder over whether it's worth the price or not. The Great Codex of Spring and Autumn is the greatest artifact that Kong shi left behind. If you obtain it, what will Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sages count for?
"This opportunity will only come once. If you miss it, it will be gone for good. Of course, if none of you want the slots, that's perfectly fine with me. I am only proposing this auction as a show of goodwill to the other three major powers. If none of you are interested in it, I will just arrange more personnel on my side!"
Since he had already set the price of the auction, he would have to make sure to stand his ground. Otherwise, once he started lowering the price, the others would push him to go further.
"This…"
The crowd fell silent after hearing Zhang Xuan's words.
It was true that the blood droplets of Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sages were invaluable, but the value of the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn was immeasurable. Whether the price was worth an additional sliver of hope or not, that was a decision that they would have to make.
Breaking the contemplative silence, Ancient Sage Yan Qing said, "Our Hundred Schools of Philosophers will be buying the first slot!"
"He's buying the slot?"
The crowd quickly turned their shocked gazes over.
On the other hand, Ancient Sage Yan Qing flicked a jade bottle toward Zhang Xuan without any hesitation.
Catching the jade bottle, Zhang Xuan pried open the lid, and a gush of energy immediately flowed out from within. All in all, there were fifty droplets of Ancient Sage blood.
He shot a glance at Zhang Hongtian and saw a slight nod from the latter. That was verification that the blood droplets were indeed from Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sages. Smiling in delight, he stowed the jade bottle into his storage ring before turning to address the crowd. "Alright, the first slot goes to the Hundred Schools of Philosophers! Moving on, the second slot costs sixty droplets of Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sage blood!"
"Sixty droplets? Why did the price suddenly increase so steeply?"
"Wasn't it fifty droplets a moment ago?"
"It's the exact same slot, so how could he increase the price just like that?"
As if water poured upon burning oil, a huge uproar broke out amid the crowd.
They had thought that the second slot would be the same price, which was also why they had taken their time to make their decision. Who could have known that the fellow would hike up the price by twenty percent in a heartbeat?
"You can choose not to buy it; I'm not forcing you into anything. However, I would just like to say that our Master Teacher Continent has seven slots at the moment and the Hundred Schools of Philosophers have three. In contrast, both the Beast Tribe and Otherworldly Demonic Tribe only have one slot each," Zhang Xuan said with a confident smile. "Ultimately, it's just a question of how much you want the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn.
"Besides… the two remaining slots will be even more expensive. The more limited a commodity is, the pricier it'll be, don't you agree?"
"Sixty droplets? So be it then! I'll be taking it…" the White Overlord spat through tightly clenched teeth.
No one could have known that the prodigy who had managed to obtain the Prime Amulet and five cruxes would actually be a crooked businessman.
This was exactly the type of person whom no one would ever want to deal with!
Before the White Overlord could finish his words, Old Geezer Yu had interjected. "If it's sixty droplets, we want it as well!"
Chapter 1766: Entering the Prime Hall
Translator:StarveCleric
Editor:Millman97
"Old Geezer Yu, are you intending to fight with me over the slots?"
Enraged by Old Geezer Yu's actions, the White Overlord's hair stood on end, as if preparing to pounce on the other party.
Sixty droplets of Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sage blood far exceeded the price it was willing to pay. It was with great difficulty that it had chosen to pay this price, and yet, someone actually wanted to fight with it over the slot!
Intolerable!
"Like the young man has said, it's an auction. It's a fair competition, isn't it?" Old Geezer Yu scoffed coldly. "If you are willing to fork out a higher price, go on then. In any case, I'll just have you know that I'll be taking down this slot!"
"There are still two more slots remaining, aren't there? Why don't you go for those two instead?" the White Overlord roared in fury.
"Do you take me for a fool? While we of the Spirit Tribe have plenty of experts in our ranks, we aren't fools who will allow ourselves to be taken advantage of!" Old Geezer Yu harrumphed coldly. "Besides, Zhang shi has already said that the highest bidder will be able to obtain the slot. Since you have bid sixty, I'll bid sixty-five then!"
"You!"
The White Overlord's body trembled in rage, but there was nothing that it could do.
Since it was an auction, it went without saying that the artifact would go to the highest bidder. It couldn't possibly be so domineering as to stop others from even bidding!
"I'll offer sixty-six droplets then!" the White Overlord spat coldly.
"Sixty-seven droplets!"
"Sixty-eight droplets!" The White Overlord really wanted to tear the other party apart.
"Seventy droplets!" Old Geezer Yu continued raising the bid nonchalantly.
"You… Very well! I'll bid seventy-five droplets!" Unable to take it any longer, the White Overlord roared in utmost fury. "Old Geezer Yu, try pushing your luck any further, and I swear I'll get you right here and right now!"
"Heh, is that so? Alright then. Since you have already put it out like this, I'll let you for this one then!" Seeing that he had successfully raised the price to seventy-five droplets, Old Geezer Yu chuckled softly before falling silent.
He could already tell that the White Overlord was already at the limits of its patience. If he continued provoking the latter any further, the latter might really make a move on him.
Of course, given his strength, he did not fear the White Overlord. However, the destructive prowess of a berserk beast was not to be underestimated. Furthermore, the experts of the Master Teacher Pavilion and Hundred Schools of Philosophers were also in the vicinity, so it went without saying that it would be a terrible idea to come to blows with the Beast Tribe.
"Here!"
Seeing that Old Geezer Yu was not competing with him any further, the White Overlord harrumphed coldly before tossing a jade bottle over to Zhang Xuan.
There were exactly seventy-five droplets of Ancient Blood within the bottle, and they were all from Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sages.
Due to the larger physique of those in the Beast Tribe, they were able to offer up more of their blood than the smaller human and Otherworldly Demon cultivators. However, as their breakthroughs were highly reliant on their bloodline and talents, it was much harder for them to advance their cultivation. As a result, the number of Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sages that they had was significantly lower than that of the humans and the Otherworldly Demons.
It had been difficult for them to save up those seventy-five droplets of blood, and giving them away like that pained them greatly.
"Alright, the second slot goes to the Beast Tribe. As for the third slot, the starting bid will be one hundred droplets of Ancient Sage blood!" Zhang Xuan announced with a smile.
"One hundred droplets?" Old Geezer Yu's face stiffened upon hearing the price. Blood rushed up into his head as he cussed at the young man furiously. "Why don't you go screw yourself instead!"
Just a moment earlier, the price had only been sixty droplets, but all of a sudden, it was nearly doubled…
You are doing it intentionally, aren't you?
He had thought that the third slot would only cost seventy droplets of Ancient Sage blood at the very most, which was also why he had chosen not to compete with the White Overlord over it. Yet, who could have known that this fellow would actually be so immoral!
"The Hundred Schools of Philosophers have three slots at the moment, and the Beast Tribe has two. You are the only one with only one slot. Do you want the slot or not? I don't mind keeping it for myself!" Zhang Xuan replied coolly. "Also, I can give you a heads up that I am indeed screwing with you, but what are you going to do about that? Take it or leave it!"
It was such a good opportunity to mess with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, so there was no way that he would let it slip through his fingers.
In any case, he had already gotten what he wanted. It did not matter to him whether Old Geezer Yu took the deal or not.
"You…" Old Geezer Yu felt as if his blood vessels were going to explode from sheer rage.
"Let's agree to his request for the time being." Another Ancient Sage of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe sent a telepathic message to Old Geezer Yu. "In any case, a human master teacher won't be able to use the Ancient Sage blood of our Spirit Tribe. At the very most, we'll just have to find an opportunity to assassinate him and get our Ancient Sage blood back after he leaves the Prime Hall!"
The Ancient Sage blood of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was permeated with killing intent. It would be difficult for even Sempiternal realm cultivators to come close, let alone assimilate it into their bodies!
Since the humans had no way of using their Ancient Sage blood, it would not hurt them to give it away for the time being. With the prowess of their Spirit Tribe, they would eventually be able to assassinate that darned fellow and get their blood back!
Hearing those words, Old Geezer Yu's livid expression finally alleviated a little. "Fine, one hundred droplets for a slot, is it? I'll give you two hundred droplets for the third slot and fourth slot!"
"You want to buy the third and fourth slot?"
"That's right. Given the price you have set, you need not dream about others buying any more slots. Since that's the case, you might as well sell them to me for the same price!" Old Geezer Yu said.
Since they would eventually get the Ancient Sage blood back, it did not matter how many droplets he gave the young man.
Zhang Xuan pondered for a brief moment before nodding in agreement. "Sure!"
Just as Old Geezer Yu had said, it was unlikely for the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and the Beast Tribe to take out any more blood droplets to purchase the slots. Since that was the case, he might as well sell the last two slots to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.
Since any Otherworldly Demons who entered the Prime Hall would eventually end up being taken down by him, he did not mind selling them a few more slots.
"Here!"
With a flick of his wrist, Old Geezer Yu sent two jade bottles into Zhang Xuan's grasp.
Catching the two bottles, he inspected their contents and confirmed that there were a hundred droplets in each of the bottles. Thus, he nodded in contentment.
"You must be wary." Seeing through Old Geezer Yu's malicious intentions, Zhang Hongtian sent a telepathic message over to warn Zhang Xuan. "If the Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sages have left a sliver of their will in their blood, they would be able to attempt a Blood Reincarnation and attempt to destroy your soul!"
Upon reaching the Blood Reincarnation realm, every single droplet of blood that the Ancient Sage possessed represented the potential to sprout a new life. Even though it would be a lot of trouble for the droplet of blood to return to its peak, it was still well within its means to slay an Aureate Body realm cultivator.
"I understand!" Zhang Xuan said with a smile.
Earlier, when he pried open the bottle, he had already infused his Heaven's Path zhenqi in to destroy whatever will the other party had left inside. As powerful as Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sages were, it was still impossible for them to stand against the Heaven's Path zhenqi with just a sliver of their will.
In an instant, he had already eradicated whatever threats were within the blood droplets.
Without any will to drive a reincarnation, no matter how much vitality the blood harnessed, it was unlikely that it would be able to sprout into a new life. At the very least, it would take tens of thousands of years before a new spirit sprouted within the droplets of blood.
By then, he would have already used up the two hundred droplets of blood.
"If you face any difficulty dealing with the blood droplets, I'll be able to help you!" Zhang Hongtian said.
"Thank you, old ancestor, but I'm able to handle this," Zhang Xuan replied.
Seeing that all of the slots had been distributed, Ancient Sage Yan Qing stood forward and announced, "Since all of the slots have been distributed, let's prepare to set off!"
Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.
Just as they had agreed on, he gathered the candidates chosen by each power before taking Little Amulet out. Little Amulet flew into the air and shrouded all of the candidates with its power. Following which, the group swiftly made their way into the Prime Hall.
Meanwhile, Zhang Xuan swiftly scanned the candidates chosen by the other powers. The two slots of the Beast Tribe had gone to a white fox and a red leopard. They seemed to be related to the White Overlord in one way or another.
As for the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, they had dispatched three Sempiternal realm consummation experts. They wore impassive expressions, and they were reserved with their words. It was difficult to gauge exactly how powerful they were.
The Hundred Schools of Philosophers had brought in another expert who seemed to command a fighting prowess comparable to Yan Xue.
All in all, except for Zhang Xuan, all of the candidates who had been chosen to enter the Prime Hall were at Sempiternal realm consummation. They were all the strongest existences beneath Ancient Sage.
"Let's go in!"
Weng!
As soon as Little Amulet came into contact with the seal of the Prime Hall, it immediately fused in, and the crowd vanished from sight.
Chapter 1767: The Final Assessment
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
Seeing that the crowd had vanished, Ancient Sage Yan Qing turned to the master teachers behind him and telepathically ordered, "Prepare for battle!"
"Un."
The master teachers nodded in response to his words. All of them had grim expressions on their faces.
As soon as their descendants left the Prime Hall, the battlefield would be passed on to them.
Seeing that the Ancient Sages of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers were huddled tightly together, seemingly ready to battle at any moment, the Ancient Sages of the other three powers also quickly got into formation, ready to make a move at any moment.
"Yang shi, I'll need you to arrange for those who haven't reached Ancient Sage to leave this area," Zhang Hongtian instructed.
"Yes!" Knowing that any Great Sage cultivators who remained in this area would only become meaningless sacrifices in this battle, he quickly made his way over to Ren Qingyuan's side and issued some instructions.
From that point onward, it would be the battlefield of the Ancient Sages.
Thus, the cultivators of the Master Teacher Pavilion and the Hundred Schools of Philosophers began making their retreat. Similarly, the Great Sage cultivators of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and Beast Tribe also began making their retreat.
Soon enough, only the twenty or so Ancient Sages were left within the massive square, staring at one another tensely.
It was a very fragile moment of peace that they were maintaining. Once the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn emerged, this peace would shatter into countless fragments, and a battle of unbelievable proportions would break out.
It might seem like there were a lot of Ancient Sages in the square, but they were already the final powerhouses in the world. Who knew how many of them would be able to remain alive at the end of this conflict?
"Zhang shi, this is something that my senior entrusted to me earlier. He told him to relay it to you."
While the Ancient Sages were eyeing one another tensely, Yang shi walked over to Zhang Hongtian's side and passed him a jade token.
"Zhang Xuan told you to give this to me?" Knowing that the 'senior' whom Yang shi was talking about referred to the descendant known as Zhang Xuan, Zhang Hongtian was stunned for a moment. He reached out to take the token and lightly tapped his finger on it.
Following which, he felt information surging into his consciousness.
"This is… the flaws in Old Geezer Yu's cultivation?" Zhang Hongtian narrowed his eyes in shock.
The information that he had just received detailed the various weaknesses and loopholes in the battle techniques that Old Geezer Yu practiced. All in all, there were over thirty of them. As long as he exploited even a single one of them properly, he would be able to slay Old Geezer Yu once and for all!
"H-how did he manage to gather such crucial information?"
Zhang Hongtian's first thought was that the information was nonsensical. After all, if it was that easy to uncover the flaws in an Ancient Sage's battle techniques, they would not have been such difficult opponents to deal with.
However, as he simulated those flaws in his mind based on his hundred or so clashes with Old Geezer Yu in the past, he swiftly realized that they were indeed true!
There was no stronger weapon that he could hope for to deal with Old Geezer Yu other than this!
It was a well-known fact that it was nigh impossible to slay a Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sage unless another Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sage laid out an all-encompassing trap to corner them. Of course, that was easier said than done.
However, with so many flaws, he was confident that he would be able to corner and kill Old Geezer Yu. From that, it could be seen just how valuable the information was!
"That lad really never fails to surprise me," Zhang Hongtian remarked.
His curiosity regarding that descendant of his only seemed to deepen with time.
The lad had single-handedly obtained the cruxes of five outer dimensions and even the Prime Amulet. He had placed the slots that the four major powers were dying to lay their hands on up for auction. More importantly, he had been completely devoid of fear in the face of an expert of Old Geezer Yu's caliber, and he had even collected the flaws relating to him…
Yang shi hesitated for a moment before saying, "Actually, when you were severely injured twenty years ago and needed a purer Zhang Clan bloodline to recover, my senior was the one who offered his bloodline up to you so that you would be able to survive!"
Back then, Old Ancestor Zhang Hongtian had been so severely injured that he had fallen straight into a coma. As he had swiftly gone into hibernation after his condition stabilized, he had not heard the full details of his treatment.
As Yang shi was the one who had arranged the treatment, he was extremely clear about the details.
"What you are saying is that… his blood is flowing through my veins?" Zhang Hongtian was taken aback.
"That's right." Yang shi nodded in response.
"No wonder I felt a close sense of intimacy toward him…" Zhang Hongtian widened his eyes in realization.
Previously, he had thought that it was weird how he had felt an inexplicable feeling of affinity with that descendant of his. This perfectly explained it.
His bloodline was pure enough to save me. Yet, despite having his bloodline stripped from him, he was not only able to survive but still possesses talent that ordinary men are unable to compare to. It seems like there's no need to worry about the future of our Zhang Clan anymore! Zhang Hongtian thought.
Having lived for so many years, it had been a long time since anything was able to pique his curiosity. However, at that moment, he felt like he wanted to know the person known as Zhang Xuan a little better.
…
Hu!
Having entered the Prime Hall, Zhang Xuan was oblivious to the happenings outside, and he did not know the thoughts that were running through Zhang Hongtian's mind as a result of the jade token that he had given the other party. Instead, with an intense jolt, he suddenly found himself standing in the midst of a spacious hall.
This hall was obviously much grander than the other Subordinate Halls, and the spiritual energy that suffused the area was much more concentrated. The paintings on the wall had an extremely high level of artistic conception, and it felt like the figures depicted in them would come to life at any moment.
These paintings are still at a lower level than the Canvas of Four Seasons. It doesn't seem like there's any Aeon of Ancient Sage in there! Zhang Xuan shook his head in disappointment.
While the paintings were exceptional works, they did not have a sliver of the world sealed within them, so they did not have any Aeon of Ancient Sage in them. As valuable as they were, they did not appeal to him anymore.
The three Otherworldly Demons were just about to reach out to collect those paintings when a spear suddenly shot ahead of them, blocking their way.
"Gentlemen, hold your footsteps. I have something important that I would like to discuss with you…" Zhang Xuan looked over with a smile.
He had only dared to sell the slots to them because he was planning to get rid of them as soon as they entered the Prime Hall. Otherwise, they would remain an eyesore.
While the three of them were plenty formidable, it would not be too difficult for him, Zhao Ya, Luo Ruoxin, and the others to eradicate them.
"You…" Not expecting Zhang Xuan to turn against them as soon as they got into the Prime Hall, the faces of the three Otherworldly Demons darkened. They glanced at one another and uttered, "Flee!"
One of them took out a jade token and crushed it.
Hula!
A brilliant outburst of light enveloped the three of them before swiftly darting into the distance.
"Freeze!"
Seeing that the Otherworldly Demons were planning to escape, he raised his finger and sealed the space all around him.
Kacha!
However, the burst of light tore apart the frozen space with ease. In an instant, the three Otherworldly Demons had already vanished from sight.
"It's an artifact left behind by the Ancient Sages!" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.
It seemed like Old Geezer Yu knew that he would make a move on the Otherworldly Demons, so he bestowed upon them a powerful life preservation artifact so that they would be able to protect themselves.
If he had brought out the Infernal Blacksaber, he might have been able to slay them easily. However, even though he had managed to bring the Infernal Blacksaber into the Prime Hall, he was worried that he might trigger the restriction if he attempted to use it in the premises. As such, he was intending to keep it as a trump card for the most desperate of moments.
"Forget it! There's no need to rush into getting rid of them now!"
With everyone on their guard, it would not be as easy for Zhang Xuan to eradicate them. However, he did not think that this would pose much of a problem. With the Little Amulet in hand, there was no way that the others would have a chance of obtaining the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn.
While harboring such thoughts, Zhang Xuan turned to Yan Xue and said, "Since they have escaped, do you want to have a talk with me instead?"
Hu!
Before he could finish his words, the same burst of light erupted around Yan Xue and the others, and they vanished from the spot.
Zhang Xuan was silent for a second before he turned his gaze to the two remaining beasts. Before his eyes could even meet those of the two remaining beasts, they had already growled in a fluster. "Don't look at us! We'll leave, alright?"
Hula!
Similarly, the two beasts disappeared from the spot.
"…" Zhang Xuan.
"…" The remaining crowd.
Chapter 1768: Kong shi's Last Trial
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
"Forget it!"
Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless by their reactions. He did not think that those fellows would flee so quickly as if he was some kind of frightening monster.
It was true that he had intended to get rid of the Otherworldly Demons; it could possibly spell the end of mankind if they, by any chance, managed to acquire the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn. However, for Yan Xue and the beasts, he had really intended to just have a chat with them!
On the other hand, seeing the stifled look on Zhang Xuan's face, Zhao Ya and the others could roughly guess what he was thinking, and slight smiles crept onto their faces.
"It's not that they are afraid; they simply want to avoid any unnecessary complications. As candidates chosen to enter the Prime Hall, they have only one mission—obtain the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn," Luo Ruoxin explained.
Understanding this point as well, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement. He turned to the crowd behind him and said, "Zhao Ya and Ruyan, these paintings are valuable treasures. Grab them."
"Yes!" Zhao Ya and Wei Ruyan nodded before swiftly going around the room to keep the paintings.
"Cough cough… Zhang shi, these are treasures left behind by Kong shi. Isn't it a little disrespectful to simply take them away like that?"
The two master teachers who had followed along looked at him with speechless looks on their faces.
To actually strip the Prime Hall bare shortly after their arrival… was it not a huge act of disrespect toward Kong shi?
"So, your intention is for us to…" Zhang Xuan looked at the two master teachers and questioned.
"Shouldn't we at least pay our respects to Kong shi first before taking those paintings?" one of the master teachers remarked with a reddened face.
It was Zhang Xuan's turn to be rendered speechless.
In the end, what the master teacher was picking fault at was that they had not paid respects to Kong shi before taking the painting.
Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan instructed, "Forget it, let's continue!"
Zhao Ya and the others moved swiftly, and it did not take long for them to clear all of the paintings in the room.
"Let's proceed ahead!" After stowing all of the paintings, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out the Prime Amulet. "Little Amulet, where is the location of the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn?"
"It's located at the very center of the Inner Hall," Little Amulet replied.
"Lead the way!" Zhang Xuan instructed.
Little Amulet nodded before swiftly flying ahead.
The Prime Hall was almost like a labyrinth; there were many split roads that confused one's sense of direction. Nevertheless, under the lead of Little Amulet, Zhang Xuan's group swiftly flitted ahead.
They encountered quite a number of treasures along the way, and Zhang Xuan did not hesitate to throw them into his storage ring. As a result, it was almost as if the Prime Hall had suffered a locust infestation. Not even ordinary sculptures were spared from Zhang Xuan's plundering!
The two master teachers could not help but shake their heads helplessly. They had not expected the young prodigy to be so greedy, and they found themselves wondering if it was the correct decision to be coming together with him.
If Kong shi knew that he had such a junior, he would probably die of rage!
"Why are there no decent treasures here? Is Kong shi that poor?"
In contrast to the others who were awed by the Prime Hall, Zhang Xuan was collecting the treasures all around with a grumpy look on his face.
It was not that the items he had collected was devoid of value—any of the paintings, zithers, brushes, and so on that he had collected could definitely be sold for an astronomical sum on the Master Teacher Continent. However, there was nothing that came close to comparing to the treasures that he had collected in the Subordinate Halls.
The two master teachers clutched their stifled chests, as if trying to resuscitate their halted heart.
Those words were simply much too heretical, such that they could only act as if they had not heard them at all.
Proceeding ahead, they swiftly arrived at a particularly vast atrium.
"This is the place," Little Amulet said as it fell onto one of the stone tablets by the entrance.
Weng!
It was as if something had been awakened by that action. The towering sculpture that stood at the very center of the atrium began to slowly turn its body around.
As the face of the sculpture came into sight, gasps of disbelief sounded all over the room.
It was Kong shi!
"Those who have cleared the preliminary trials, I welcome you to the Prime Hall. However, if you wish to acquire the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn, there's one last trial that you'll have to overcome."
The voice of the sculpture was light, but it seemed to soak right into one's soul as if the nourishing breeze of spring.
Obtaining the Prime Amulet and cruxes of the outer dimensions and entering the Prime Hall were all trials for the candidates. Those who were able to get that far were indubitably the most talented geniuses of the world. However, they would still have to prove their qualification to inherit Kong shi's inheritance through one last trial.
"Right ahead of me is a walkway filled with Illusory Formations, Slaughter Formations, and all kinds of inner demons. If you are able to overcome it and walk to the end of the walkway, you'll find the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn within your reach, and you'll gain a chance to assimilate it. Even if you are unable to succeed, rest assured that you won't face any danger. However, you'll be teleported out of the Prime Hall, and you won't have another chance to gain my heritage."
As the sculpture spoke, it raised its finger and pointed in front of it.
Zhang Xuan turned to look and saw that there was a walkway at the center of the atrium. It seemed to extend into the distant horizon, almost as if there was no end to it.
"Each person only has one attempt. You can choose to head there alone or together; there's no restriction on how many people can challenge the walkway at once," the sculpture explained.
Zhang Xuan turned to Little Amulet and asked, "How does the walkway work?"
In the brief look that he had taken at the walkway, everything appeared completely normal to him. He could not find any traces of formations or the like in it. If so, it was likely that the trial was on an entirely different level than what he had encountered previously.
"This was specially left behind by Kong shi to test later generations. I'm not too sure about the details," Little Amulet replied awkwardly.
"… Alright then." Knowing that it was within Little Amulet's blood to become utterly useless during crucial moments, Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed deeply.
Activating his Eye of Insight, he took another look at the walkway.
However, he was still unable to discover anything. There were no energy disturbances within the walkway at all.
"Teacher, I'll give it a try first," Zhao Ya said as she stepped forward.
"Be careful!" Even though the Kong shi sculpture had said that there would be no danger, Zhang Xuan still could not help but worry a little.
"Un!" Zhao Ya nodded.
She walked up to the walkway, and without any hesitation, she took a step into it.
Weng!
A white ray of light descended upon Zhao Ya, causing her to freeze on the spot. It seemed like she had been cast under some kind of illusion, rendering her immobile.
Some time later, a cold aura burst forth from her body. In an instant, she suddenly seemed to have become the monarch of the ice, and powerful energy raged around her, threatening to tear down the entire walkway.
Unfortunately, even though Zhao Ya was powerful, the walkway was even more so. No matter how powerful the attacks that she threw toward the walkway were, they did not faze it in the least.
After looking for a moment, Luo Ruoxin suddenly remarked, "It seems like Zhao Ya's Pure Yin Body has been activated once more…"
Zhang Xuan quickly took a closer look at Zhao Ya, and he found that the latter was indeed growing stronger by the moment. By that point, she was just a single step away from reaching Ancient Sage, and it seemed like she was ready to achieve a breakthrough at any moment.
Shrouded by the icy aura of the Pure Yin Body, she looked like a proud goddess commanding an imposing presence, graceful and eye-catching.
Every move that she made seemed to be in harmony with the world, bringing out indescribable elegance in her actions.
As time ticked by, her unique constitution was gradually being awakened further, becoming even more wholesome than before.
Hu!
Just as Zhang Xuan was just about to take a closer examination to determine the source behind Zhao Ya's sudden awakening, another ray of light suddenly shrouded the latter. Following which, she vanished from the spot, as if someone had teleported her away.
"Failed!" Kong shi's voice filled the atrium.
"She failed?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback for a moment before nodding in realization.
The sculpture had said earlier that those who failed the trial would be teleported right out of the Prime Hall. From the looks of it, it seemed like Zhao Ya had been teleported away.
"Teacher, allow me to go next!"
Seeing that her senior had been teleported away, Wei Ruyan stepped forward and volunteered herself.
Just like Zhao Ya, she swiftly plunged into the midst of an illusion. As time went by, her unique constitution began to further awaken, and concentrated poison aura drifted around her. At the same time, her cultivation surged furiously as well.
While she did not manage to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, there was a transformative advancement in the quality of her zhenqi. It seemed like she was only a single step away from overcoming her bottleneck.
However, before she could do so, she was teleported out of the Prime Hall as well.
Following which, Luo Qiqi and the other two master teachers also volunteered to head over.
Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before saying, "Let's go together!"
Chapter 1769: The Final 0.01!
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
Since it had been shown that the trial posed no danger, there was no need for them to waste any more time. Their priority at the moment should be to clear the trial as quickly as possible and find the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn.
The others nodded in agreement, and the group of five began making their way toward the walkway together.
Hula!
Walking up to the walkway, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a warm flow of energy embracing him. Following which, the sight before him was swallowed up by a flash of light, turning everything completely white.
By the time his sense of sight returned, he was standing before a lofty mountain.
Or to be more precise, it was a mountain formed of countless books piled up on top of one another.
The mountain pierced right through a dense layer of clouds, obscuring the mountain peak from view. At the same time, there was not a clear path in sight that seemed to lead one to the peak.
Other than the enormous mountain of books, the other thing that caught Zhang Xuan's attention was the line of characters flickering in and out of existence in the air.
"Reach the top and clear the trial. Surrender, and you shall be gifted a reward based on your progress." Kong shi's voice sounded quietly in the area.
"I see!" Zhang Xuan mumbled under his breath as he took a deep breath.
Even though everything before him appeared to be incredibly lifelike, judging from what had happened to Zhao Ya and Wei Ruyan earlier, it was likely that they were in an illusion.
In other words, his physical body was still in the walkway; it was only his consciousness that had been transported to this humongous mountain of books.
Focusing his attention, Zhang Xuan began driving his zhenqi through his body before leaping up.
Hu!
Contrary to his expectations, instead of soaring into the air, he plummeted back to the ground.
It seems like I won't be able to rely on flight to get to the top. Then again, it would be too easy if I could simply fly to the top, Zhang Xuan thought.
Zhang Xuan took a look at the mountain of books once more, only to see that there was no paved path that he could walk on. Staring at the steep incline ahead of him, he reached out in an attempt to climb his way up, but to his surprise, he found an immense pressure crushing him.
As if struck by lightning, he found his entire body turning numb. At the same time, his hand was injured by thorns of some sort, and it was bleeding profusely.
"This…" Looking at his injuries, Zhang Xuan's face turned livid.
He had been thinking that it would be relatively simple for him to climb his way up even though there was no paved path for him to walk on. Who could have known that there would be such an obstacle as well?
It was as if a Sempiternal realm consummation expert was continuously assaulting him! Under such circumstances, how could he possibly get to the mountain peak?
Zhang Xuan circled around the mountain and tried climbing from various different points, but it was the same outcome every single time. Barely after climbing half a meter up, he was pushed back down by a crushing pressure. Bewildered, he paused contemplatively on the spot.
"Is the crux of the trial not climbing up forcefully?"
If he was not supposed to climb up, how could he get to the peak?
No wonder Zhao Ya and Wei Ruyan had ended up failing the trial. It was indeed not as easy as he had thought.
"Since it's a mountain of book, I should study and find out what they are first. Perhaps, they might contain some clues in them…"
Zhang Xuan turned his sights toward the books, and with a thought, hundreds of books were immediately collected into the Library of Heaven's Path. With a tap of his finger, invaluable knowledge gushed into his mind.
These books covered a diverse range of topics, be it cultivation techniques, battle techniques, culture, geography, astronomy, divination… It seemed as if the mountain of books before him encompassed the knowledge of all of the occupations on the Master Teacher Continent.
Hulala!
Barely after assimilating the knowledge into his mind, Zhang Xuan suddenly noticed several steps appearing on the mountain of books, and he was stunned.
He had walked around the area for quite a while earlier, and he was certain that he had not seen the steps there previously. Why would they appear after he had browsed through hundreds of books?
Could it be that… he could pave a way to the top through reading the books there?
"Let me give it a try!"
With such a thought in mind, Zhang Xuan immediately swept his gaze across the mountain of books.
Hualalalalalala!
Countless books materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path. In less than five minutes, Zhang Xuan had already collected tens of thousands of books.
With a light tap of his finger, knowledge surged furiously into his head. Barely a moment after he digested the knowledge, the mountain before him suddenly tremored, and another flight of stairs warped into appearance. They gradually stretched toward the top of the mountain peak.
"It's indeed the case…"
Realizing that the crux of the trial was actually to read, a glint flashed across Zhang Xuan's eyes.
Had it been any other cultivator, even if he could use his Spiritual Perception to read multiple books at once, his consciousness would probably be muddled as a result of the sudden influx of knowledge into his head. However, that was not the case for Zhang Xuan.
All it took was a glance for Zhang Xuan to collect the books and one touch for him to imprint the wisdom harnessed within them into his memories.
The current Zhang Xuan was like a supercomputer. While other cultivators were struggling to memorize and comprehend the content of the books lying amid the massive mountain of books, all he had to do was conduct a simple copy and paste.
Hulala!
Walking onto the stairs, Zhang Xuan continued collecting more books around him, and knowledge flowed ceaselessly into his mind.
As the number of books that he had read stacked up, the flight of stairs gradually rose higher and higher. He slowly walked up the stairs step by step.
With time, he soon realized that an additional step would appear for every hundred books that he read.
To be honest, Zhang Xuan was probably the only one who could read in such a manner. If anyone else attempted to read and assimilate the content of the books like him… even an Ancient Sage would have already been driven mad by that point!
Walking on, Zhang Xuan soon found himself completely shrouded in the clouds. All he could see was the flight of stairs. It was as if the entire vast world had vanished, leaving behind his lonesome silhouette.
"I have already read so many books, but I haven't reached the mountain peak yet… Any other cultivator who attempted to read so many books would probably have suffered a mental breakdown by now!" Zhang Xuan muttered in complaint.
Based on his deduction, it was likely that the flow of time in here was different from the external world.
Even with the cheat code known as the Library of Heaven's Path, it had still taken him nearly half a day to get so far. Had it been anyone else, they would have taken several centuries or even a millennium in order to get that far!
To spend several centuries reading books and doing nothing else… the monotony was surely enough to erode anyone's sanity, including that of an Ancient Sage!
Hu!
Reaching this point, Zhang Xuan realized that the rate at which newer steps were being conjured had slowed down. It had roughly been a hundred books to a step previously, but the ratio had changed to a thousand books to a step now.
The trial was already tough enough as it was. To have the difficulty suddenly raised tenfold partway through would probably deal a crushing blow to any cultivator who had managed to get that far.
Of course, this change in difficulty did not make much of a difference to Zhang Xuan. To him, it was only a difference of reaching the peak faster or slower.
Carrying on, Zhang Xuan continued reading for another half a day. By the time the day came to an end, the trial had already reached the point where he had to read over ten thousand books in order to conjure a single step.
Zhang Xuan knew that he was nearing the end, so he gritted his teeth and persisted.
Sure enough, the mountain peak eventually came into sight.
"A path through a mountain of books with perseverance as the key… It seems like Kong shi's trial is one on mental resilience and diligence," Zhang Xuan remarked as he heaved a sigh of relief. "Knowledge is the key to greatness. The more one reads, the higher one will climb."
As much as this was a trial, it was also advice that Kong shi was leaving to the future generations.
He wanted to tell his successor that what would lead to the peak of cultivation was not just talent but knowledge and culture!
Only a knowledgeable person would be able to attain a deeper understanding of cultivation and the world. Only a cultured person would have a mind vast enough to accept changes. These were the keys that were required for one to climb to greater heights.
The seventy-two Sages, for example, were highly talented individuals who were personally groomed by Kong shi, having been imparted with the most powerful of cultivation techniques and battle techniques right from the start. In terms of starting points, there was no question that they were far ahead of Kong shi.
Yet, despite being granted such favorable conditions, none of them came close to matching Kong shi's accomplishments or strength.
There was only one possibility for this. In terms of knowledge, they were far beneath Kong shi. It was the scope of their mind that had limited their advancement.
Back when Kong shi established the system of Lower, Middle, and Upper Nine Paths, it might seem as if it had contributed little to his personal development. Yet, it was such challenges that had opened his eyes to the world, allowing him to accept new changes and adapt accordingly. Such were the soft skills that a cultivator needed to rise to greater heights.
Kacha!
As such thoughts flowed through Zhang Xuan's mind, all of a sudden, a sound reminiscent of an egg cracking apart or a seedling breaking out of the soil echoed in his head.
"My Soul Depth has exceeded 29.99?"
Zhang Xuan clenched his fist tightly as a brilliant light shone from his eyes.