Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
“You managed to achieve a breakthrough?” Elder Qu was stunned for a moment before widening his eyes in disbelief.
Ever since Kong shi and his direct disciples disappeared, something seemed to have vanished from the face of the Master Teacher Continent. In fact, in the past ten millenniums, there had not been a single known case of anyone successfully achieving a breakthrough to that realm.
It was for that reason that Yang shi had to roam the world, in search of a fortuitous encounter to take the final step forward.
Could it be that his effort had paid off?
If that was really the case, it would really be a huge blessing to the Master Teacher Pavilion and mankind!
A master teacher of that caliber was bound to have a far deeper understanding of cultivation than the rest of them, and just a simple pointer from him could benefit one immensely. Under his guidance, the prowess of mankind would be brought to a whole new level!
Just that… even if Yang shi had reached the level, he should not have changed to the extent where even he could not recognize him anymore!
“Indeed. I was unable to solve your distorted meridian and trauma in the past, but those no longer pose a problem to me anymore!” Seeing the hesitation in the other party’s eyes, Zhang Xuan decisively pressed on.
At the current moment, what was truly important was not whether the other party believed in his identity or not but to scare him into not daring to make a move first. After all, his goal was just to obtain the key to resolving the Heaven Sealing Lock from the First Elder. Once that was done, he would be able to make his escape right away.
And once he was gone, it would not make any difference whether the other party realized that he was a fake or not.
After all, once he reverted to his original appearance, the other party would not be able to find him anymore.
“They don’t pose a problem to you anymore?” Those words caused a jolt in Elder Qu’s heart. “Do you mean to say that… you have found a way to resolve the issues I am facing?”
“That’s right. The Streaming River Art allows a cultivator to pump their zhenqi through their meridians swiftly, but if a cultivator drives their zhenqi through his meridians with too much force for a prolonged period of time, the impact will injure their foundations and distort their meridians. Once the problem sets in, it is difficult for normal herbs to resolve it. However, if there is a purer surge of zhenqi flowing through one’s body to continuously nourish the meridians, the problem will be resolved once and for all,” Zhang Xuan said lightly.
Due to the limitations in his cultivation and experience, it would be difficult for him to resolve the usual cultivation problems that Elder Qu was facing. However, if it was just regarding the recovery of meridians… that was simply too easy for him!
The Heaven’s Path zhenqi was capable of recovering all damage sustained by the meridians and reverting them back to their initial condition. The problem that Elder Qu was facing was just a mere distortion of the meridians. With a sufficient infusion of Heaven’s Path zhenqi, it should not be too difficult to heal the other party.
Hearing ‘Yang shi’s’ proposed solution to the matter, Elder Qu shook his head helplessly. “I understand that, but where am I to find purer zhenqi?”
He had sought out many 9-star physicians for the condition he was in, and there were a couple of them who had proposed such a solution. However, he was already a 9-star master teacher himself, and in terms of the purity of zhenqi, there was barely anyone in the world who could surpass him. Where was he to find someone whose zhenqi was far purer than his?
“Try this…” Zhang Xuan had been waiting for those words.
With a flick of his finger, a surge of zhenqi shot over.
Perplexed, Elder Qu raised his hand and gathered the surge of zhenqi that Zhang Xuan had shot over on his fingertip. Taking a closer look at the surge of zhenqi, he could not help but narrow his eyes in astonishment.
That surge of zhenqi was rather weak—in terms of prowess, it was only comparable to that of a Phantasmal Space realm cultivator. However, the purity of the surge of zhenqi was spectacular. Just being in contact with it left Elder Qu feeling as if his cells were pulsating in exhilaration. His instincts told him that if he fused this surge of zhenqi into his cells, he would be able to easily resolve his injuries.
Under the nourishment of zhenqi of such purity, his distorted meridians would swiftly revert to normal, and his fighting prowess would soar by leaps and bounds.
Elder Qu could not help but ask, “Where did this surge of zhenqi come from?”
“I refined it. However, I have only figured it out up to Phantasmal Space realm so far. With time, I should be able to further raise its realm, but for the time being, you will just have to make do with it. I still have a few more surges here. You should test the effects first to see if it works on your injuries,” Zhang Xuan said as he flicked a few more surges of zhenqi over.
“Much thanks!” Elder Qu swiftly caught the surges of zhenqi that Zhang Xuan had shot over. Extending his Spiritual Perception to study the surges of zhenqi closely, he was astounded to realize that he could not find the slightest impurity in the zhenqi.
Taking in a deep breath, he tapped his finger on the surges of zhenqi gathered on his fingertip and allowed them to flow freely into his body.
Tzzzzzzz!
As soon as those surges of zhenqi entered Elder Qu’s body and fused together with his distorted meridians, those dried up meridians swiftly puffed back up as if a sponge taking in water. In just a few moments, the distortions were straightened back up, allowing zhenqi to flow through his meridians unhindered once more.
“This…” Elder Qu’s body trembled in agitation.
If the appearance of the surges of zhenqi had reignited the hope of the recovery of his distorted zhenqi, the confirmation that the surges of zhenqi were indeed able to repair the damage sustained by his body brought him indescribable ecstasy.
While the distortions of the meridians would not affect his strength too much at the start, if the condition persisted, it would gradually cause his cultivation to decline. However, if he could resolve the problem, he would be able to remain in his peak state at all times. Perhaps, he might even have a chance to make a breakthrough in the future!
Clenching his fists tightly, he could not help but reassess the middle-aged man before him once more warily.
In the depths of his heart, he still did not think that the other party was Yang shi. However, given how the other party was able to see through the underlying traumas that he was suffering from and even resolve them, there was little doubt that the other party was one of the top powerhouses of the Master Teacher Continent!
Even at the very least, the other party had to be an expert of the same caliber as him, if not higher!
Watching as Elder Qu took his zhenqi into his body, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly and said, “Elder Qu, you should be able to trust my words now, right?”
Everything that he had said with Elder Qu earlier was through zhenqi telepathy—even if You Ruoxin was the First Elder of the Glacier Plain Court, she still was not qualified to learn of the condition of a 9-star master teacher from the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters.
After seeing that he had managed to deal with Elder Qu for the time being, he turned his gaze to You Ruoxin and said, “The reason I have paid your Glacier Plain Court a visit this time around is to ask you for a favor. I ask of you to let my grandstudent off the hook!”
“Grandstudent? Yang shi, please feel to speak of any request that you have!” Seeing that Elder Qu had fallen silent after trading some telepathic messages with the middle-aged man standing before her, You Ruoxin could not help but feel a little nervous on the inside.
She had never met Yang shi before, but as an elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, there was no way Elder Qu could not possibly fail to recognize Yang shi. So, for the latter to fall silent after trading a few telepathic messages, it was likely that they had touched on some confidential secrets concerning the Master Teacher Pavilion that she was not privy to.
In other words… there was a very good chance that the middle-aged man standing before her was truly Yang shi!
A grand elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters… Even if someone were to inflate her guts ten times over, she would not dare offend someone of that standing!
Seeing that Elder Qu was not interfering anymore, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. With a nonchalant but imposing voice, he said, “My grandstudent, Zhao Ya, was once recognized as the young court chief of your Glacier Plain Court. But earlier today, I received a message saying that you have imprisoned her and used the Heaven Sealing Lock to seal her meridians. Thus, I came over intending to plead on her behalf. I ask of the First Elder to free her shackles and return her freedom!”
“Zhao Ya? She’s… Yang shi’s grandstudent?” You Ruoxin nearly leaped up in fright.
Was Zhao Ya not the student of the unaffiliated cultivator ‘Zhang Xuan’? If Zhao Ya was Yang shi’s grandstudent, did that not mean that Zhang Xuan was Yang shi’s direct disciple?
“First Elder!”
In You Ruoxin’s moment of astonishment, a panicked cry sounded. The Second Elder rushed over, and upon seeing that there were two foreign faces in the conference room, a hint of hesitation flickered across her face. Nevertheless, she still quickly rushed over to the First Elder’s side.
“What’s wrong?” Seeing the fluster that the Second Elder was in, You Ruoxin could not help but frown deeply.
“Bad news! The Chanting Serenity Hall’s formation is still completely intact, but Young Court Chief Zhao Ya… has gone missing!” the Second Elder exclaimed with a pale face.
“You said that Zhao Ya has gone missing?” You Ruoxin narrowed her eyes in horror. Her first thought was to rush over to check on the formation at the Chanting Serenity Hall when a thought came to her mind, and she slowly turned her head toward the middle-aged man in the conference room. “Yang shi…”
Zhang Xuan flung his sleeves back and said impassively, “Indeed. I have brought her away.”
