Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
To be honest, the thief had left Jiang Fangyou feeling so traumatized that he was starting to feel that he would never feel well again.
But putting that aside, considering that their appearances, demeanor, and even soul aura were identical to one another, it was pointless to be tussling over who was real and who was fake. The best way for him to prove that he was the real Jiang Fangyou was through memories!
He had grown up in the Jiang Clan since a very young age, so he was extremely familiar with all of the elders there. No matter how good the other party’s disguise was, he could not possibly know about the little things that had happened between them!
Thus, he unhesitatingly revealed one of his personal secrets to verify his identity!
“This…”
Those words left Elder Fangping stunned. Doubt surfaced in the depths of his eyes.
Such a thing had indeed happened back when they were still very young, and the only ones who knew of this matter were the both of them. There was no way an outsider would know of this matter.
In other words, if the person without the Clan Head Token was truly an imposter, there was no way he could have known of this matter!
Could the person with the Clan Head Token really be an impostor?
“What’s wrong?” another elder beside Jiang Fangping asked.
“What that person said… is true!” Jiang Fangping replied awkwardly.
It was quite embarrassing to have the little mistakes that he had committed back when he was younger dug up before such a huge crowd.
“Really?”
Hearing those words, the elders quickly turned their gazes back to Zhang Xuan with deep frowns.
There was bound to be a fake between the two of them. If the person without the Clan Head Token was real, the person with it had to be a fake!
“There’s no need to look at me like that. Even though very few people know of this matter, it’s still not too difficult to hear about it from the elders in the clan!”
Zhang Xuan did not expect Jiang Fangyou to react so swiftly, raising the crux of the issue right away. Nevertheless, he maintained a calm smile on his face, not showing the slightest hint of fluster. He turned his gaze over to Jiang Fangping as well and said, “Jiang Fangping, the cultivation technique you practice is the Three Points Soul Tempering Art passed down by Elder Jiang Chao. However, due to several mistakes you made in your cultivation, you experience excruciating pain at your Qimen acupoint whenever a storm comes in. You find yourself unable to control your zhenqi, and sometimes, it might even flow in reverse…”
Previously, when the dozens of elders launched a simultaneous attack against him, he had swiftly compiled a book on all of them in the Library of Heaven’s Path. As such, he had a good grasp over the problems that they were suffering from.
Since Jiang Fangyou wanted to play a game of ‘who can go deeper’, he did not mind playing along too.
“This…” Jiang Fangping was taken aback by the revelation and nodded stiffly. “Yes, that’s right… but I have never told anyone about this affliction of mine before. How did you know?”
Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows twitched.
Cr*p. I was too focused on outdoing Jiang Fangyou that I accidentally blurted too much…
The Library of Heaven’s Path could see through the flaws of an individual. He could still pass off as an unfathomable expert with that knowledge at his disposal, but it was not so easy when it came to impersonating an existent person in the world, especially before those who were close to him.
Often, the information revealed by the Library of Heaven’s Path was too much, such that even the individual themself might not even be aware of it.
Despite feeling a little suffocated on the inside, Zhang Xuan put up a compassionate front and sighed in sympathy. “To be honest with you, I saw through it a long time ago! I was afraid to raise your expectations only to disappoint you later, so I decided to keep quiet about the matter. All along, I have been searching for a method to resolve your affliction. Fortunately, just two days ago, I succeeded in finding a cure. Here, take a look at it!”
After saying those words, Zhang Xuan tapped his finger.
Hula!
A cultivation technique manual was imprinted onto Jiang Fangping’s mind.
Having browsed through all of the books in the Jiang Clan Repository, he had also collected the manual of the Three Points Soul Tempering Art into the Library of Heaven’s Path as well. As such, he knew what mistakes were within the cultivation technique. By compiling it against the Heaven’s Path Soul Art, he could easily resolve the problems that Jiang Fangping was facing without much trouble.
“T-this…”
Browsing through the manual that had just been imparted to him, Jiang Fangping suddenly began trembling uncontrollably, as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning.
With his eye of discernment, he could easily tell just how valuable the cultivation technique was to him. If he cultivated in accordance with it, not only would his affliction be resolved, he would also be able to advance his cultivation considerably too!
Could it really be true that the clan head had already seen through his affliction and had been searching far and wide for a solution for him?
If that was truly the case, he was really indebted to the clan head then.
“Congratulations, Elder Fangping!”
Just by looking at Jiang Fangping’s expression, it was apparent that the manual that had been imparted to him was truly effective. The elders beside him quickly clasped their fists and congratulated him.
“Don’t be fooled by that fellow!”
Jiang Fangyou had not thought that the thief would actually be able to pinpoint an affliction that Jiang Fangping was suffering from and even have a solution for it. Just by thinking about the monster that he was faced, he felt his hair standing on end. “I am the real Jiang Fangyou! Elder Fangcheng, we have known me for more than a hundred years now, and…”
Before Jiang Fangyou could finish his words, Zhang Xuan cut in. “Elder Fangcheng, we have known one another for more than a hundred years now, and I believe your Soul Appeasement Art must have reached the third level, right? However, this soul art happens to be in conflict with the Lucid Soul Formula that you practiced previously, so I advise you to switch to cultivating this for the time being. I guarantee that you will be able to advance your cultivation much faster than before!”
After saying those words, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger and sent a sliver of his will over.
Swiftly browsing through the cultivation technique manual imparted to him, Jiang Fangcheng also froze on the spot, flabbergasted by what he had received.
This cultivation technique was from the same lineage as the Lucid Soul Formula that he had cultivated previously, and it was far stronger than the Soul Appeasement Art that he was currently cultivating!
“Actually, I haven’t just been paying attention to Elder Fangping and Elder Fangcheng. In order to bring our Jiang Clan to greater heights, I have been observing all of you closely, and I know the difficulties and problems that you are facing in your cultivation…
“Elder Fangzhen, if I’m not mistaken, are you cultivating the Soul Codex 4-dan at the moment? Your cultivation isn’t up to par yet, so I advise you not to do it forcefully. Otherwise, it’ll bring about more harm than benefit. Do you feel your breathing often becoming ragged, and your soul and physical body seem to be losing harmony?
“Elder Fanglin, the deficiency in your vitality has been quite severe recently. I advise you stop taking in concubines for the time being, or else you might just have your lifespan shortened…
“Elder Fanghu, I know that you enjoy painting, but you mustn’t allow it to hinder your cultivation. Your cultivation has been stagnant for a very long time now…”
…
Zhang Xuan slowly went through the dozens of elders around him one by one. Before long, the entire area was plunged into absolute silence.
His words had struck a chord with them. He had managed to pinpoint the major flaws and problems that they were facing at the moment.
Could he really be their clan head?
Otherwise, how could he possibly know so much about them? It was almost as if he had stripped them bare and peered into all of their secrets!
“…”
Seeing how all of the elders had fallen silent, Jiang Fangyou tore out yet another clump of his hair frenziedly.
Just who in the freaking world are you?
Even I am unclear about the cultivation of the elders in the clan, so how in the world do you know?
Furthermore, to pinpoint them precisely without any margin of error, winning all of the elders over to your side in the blink of an eye…
And those elders too… What am I to do now that all of you have chosen to side with him?
Has my life really been a lie? Am I really not Jiang Fangyou?
Where am I? Who am I? What am I?
Overwhelmed by the happenings around him, Jiang Fangyou felt a splitting migraine. He turned to Jiang Feifei, his last ray of hope. “Feifei, I am your father. You are able to recognize me, right? I am the real one!”
Even if all of the elders could not recognize him, his daughter should at least be able to recognize him, right?
“I…” Jiang Feifei did not expect herself to be faced with two fathers all of a sudden, and she could not react instantly.
What was she supposed to make of this situation?
A moment later, she gathered her thoughts and said, “Before entering the treasure vault, my father told me that I have to comprehend the Soul Quintessence by hook or by crook, or else I will be forced into a political marriage. I will have to marry either Zhang Xuan from the Zhang Clan or Luo Tianya from the Luo Clan… Only my father will know my response to his words. If you are able to quote my response to that, it will prove that you are the real one!”
