Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric
“In view that this is your first offense, I’ll let you off this time. However, if you dare speak another word about my sister, don’t blame me for taking your life!” After sending Zhang Xuan flying, Luo Xuanqing harrumphed coldly and left.
In the blink of an eye, he had already vanished from the spot.
“…”
Rubbing his head, Zhang Xuan quickly climbed up from the rubble. He wanted to stop Luo Xuanqing from leaving, but it was already too late. Thus, he could only stare helplessly at the entrance of the branch.
All I wanted to ask is some news on Ruoxin… I have no intentions of scolding you or your sister!
Do you need to get that agitated?
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan drove his Heaven’s Path zhenqi to recover from his wounds.
He couldn’t help but feel a little dispirited. Despite all the breakthroughs he had made recently, he was still too weak.
Earlier, the other party had appeared before him in an instant, such that he didn’t even have time to react before his body was sealed in place, preventing him from even speaking a single word. If only he was a little stronger, he wouldn’t have been in such a passive position, subdued by the other party within a single strike.
It was fortunate that the other party had gone easy on him, or else that encounter could have very well claimed his life.
Still, this was a very bad first meeting… To think that his future brother-in-law would send him flying in a single punch!
Zhang Xuan was helpless for a moment before he raked together his determination, and his eyes turned resolute once more, “I really should focus on raising my cultivation as soon as possible. If I can’t even defeat my brother-in-law, how can I stand against the Zhang Clan and Luo Clan and negotiate with them for Luo Ruoxin’s marriage in hand?”
This brother-in-law of his was one of the younger generations in the Luo Clan, but even so, the strength that he wielded was already so frightening. Considering that Zhang Clan was famed to be the number one clan in the Master Teacher Continent, they were bound to be even more powerful. At the very least, he would have to unseal the Sanctum Head Token by the third month of next year in order to be able to hold a candle to them!
Only so would he be able to wield a standing and power that the Zhang Clan and Luo Clan would have to think twice before shrugging him off.
“Zhang shi, you…” Just as Zhang Xuan was deep in thoughts, a voice suddenly sounded in his ear. Turning his head over, he saw Chen Leyao looking at him with a deeply worried look, “Is your head alright?”
The young man had a punch smashed into his head by the King of Destruction, and ever since then, he had been in a very long daze. It was no wonder why she would get worried.
“I’m fine!” Zhang Xuan shook his head before turning to the other elders not too far away. “Elders, since I have become an 8-star formation master, is it possible for me to access the 8-star formation master books now? If it isn’t too much to ask, may I ask you to bring me there?”
In any case, there was no way for him to rush his strength. In order to build a strong foundation, he would have to slowly advance a step at a time. Since he had successfully cleared the formation master examination, it would be better for him to bring his mastery of his occupation up to par first before deciding on anything else.
“You want to visit our library? Follow me.” Elder Su nodded.
“Fairy Leyao, I think it would be better for you to return first. After I’m done finding a way to swiftly set up the supporting formation, I’ll head over to look for you!” Zhang Xuan said with a smile.
“Very well.” Chen Leyao nodded before she turned around and left.
Following behind Elder Su, Zhang Xuan walked through quite a few corridors before he finally arrived before a room with tall doors.
“Here is our library. As we are still in the midst of processing your emblem, I’ll give you this one-time use token instead. With it in hand, you’ll be able to enter the area and browse through any books you want.” Elder Su said.
He had no idea why the young man would suddenly ask to read at this moment, but showing a desire to learn was always a good matter.
“Thank you!” After taking the token, Zhang Xuan began making his way in.
Just like the libraries of most other guilds, it had many shelves, each of them densely filled with books. In terms of quantity and variety of books, it couldn’t hold a candle to the Master Teacher Pavilion, but when it came to the depth of knowledge in formations, there were definitely no other libraries that could compete with it.
Zhang Xuan began sweeping through the shelves with a swift glance of his eyes.
In less than an hour, he had already collected every single book in the room into his Library of Heaven’s Path.
“Compile!” Zhang Xuan willed, and the Library of Heaven’s Path jolted.
A book appeared before him.
With a tap on the book, the knowledge that was concealed within it immediately flowed into his consciousness.
“Time to start studying!”
Zhang Xuan quickly scanned the area for a quiet spot before sitting down and fully immersing himself in his study.
It was a steep learning curve from grade-7 formations to grade-8 formations, especially when it came to Teleportation Formations. The enhanced complexity was already a tough nut to crack, but more than that, one would have to possess a firm grasp over spatial laws in order to set them up. Without that, it would be impossible to set it up even if one were to comprehend the full complexity of the grade-8 formation.
Four hours later, Zhang Xuan stood up while rubbing his glabella.
“It’s really getting more and more difficult! In the past, I would take two hours or so to finish browsing through any of the Heaven’s Path books, but this time, I actually took two times of that…” Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.
The fact that he took four hours to finish studying the 8-star Heaven’s Path Formation Art fully reflected how difficult it was… If not for his excellent state of mind, it was questionable whether he could have lasted that long.
Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan decided not to think too much into it. He quickly ran through the knowledge he had just assimilated, and he couldn’t help but be astonished by how profound the art was.
As expected of the 8-star Heaven’s Path Formation Art! The knowledge contained within really brought his understanding of formations to a far higher level, opening a new world before him. In terms of depth of knowledge regarding formations, he was already comparable to an 8-star pinnacle formation master.
However, due to his cultivation still only being at Leaving Aperture realm primary stage, it would still be difficult for him to set up some of the more advanced grade-8 formations.
The four hours of studying had left him feeling deeply fatigued.
The more advanced a formation was, the more complex it would be. This would mean that one would have to make far greater calculations, thus creating a greater burden on one’s mind as well. Had Zhang Xuan not possessed decent talent in formations, it would probably have been impossible for him to finish learning the 8-star Heaven’s Path Formation Art that quickly.
“I should be able to set up Chen Leyao’s supporting formation easily now!” Even though Zhang Xuan was exhausted, there was still an excited glint in his eyes.
He rested on the spot for a while, and after feeling that his fatigue had vanished and his mind was refreshed, he walked out of the library and headed back to his own accommodation.
Not too long later, he was already standing right before his residence. But instead of entering it, he headed for Chen Leyao’s residence and knocked on the door instead.
“Enter!” Chen Leyao’s crisp voice sounded from within.
Pushing open the door and entering, he saw the young lady standing quietly at the center of the room, her body pulled into a rather peculiar position. This position accentuated her curvaceous features, fully displaying her physical charms.
Her acupoints were all opened, and she was drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy into her body swiftly.
With just a look, Zhang Xuan could tell that it was one of the alterations he had made to the Yin Formula back then. As bizarre as the body posture may seem, it enhanced the rate at which one could absorb spiritual energy at, and on top of that, it also resolved the damage which the Yin-Yang Lake would deal to one’s body.
If one were to constantly cultivate using this method, it would accentuate one’s figure too.
Judging from how standard Chen Leyao’s posture was, it could be seen that she often used this method to cultivate.
“Zhang shi, you have found a way to set up the supporting formation quickly?” Chen Leyao slowly halted her cultivation and returned back to a normal standing position before turning to look at Zhang Xuan with a faint smile.
Perhaps too used to maintaining a cold demeanor, she was unable to fully shake off her coldness even when she smiled. However, that only seemed to add another layer to her charm, creating a feeling somewhat reminiscent of the cold moon smiling slightly down upon one.
It must be said that Chen Leyao was indeed an incredible beauty, on par with even Hu Yaoyao and the others.
Otherwise, Zhang Qian wouldn’t have speciallycomee over to please her either.
“Un. Where do you think would be convenient to set up the supporting formation?” Zhang Xuan replied.
To him, it mattered not whether Chen Leyao was beautiful or not. What was most important was that he would be able to get in touch with Zhao Ya very soon!
“That room would do.” Chen Leyao said.
The accommodation which the Sanctum of Sages allocated to the students of the Elite Division was rather spacious, containing several rooms. They could be used as places to cultivate or welcoming one’s guests.
The room which Chen Leyao was pointing to was a room that was neighboring her courtyard.
“Alright.” Zhang Xuan quickly entered the room and scanned the area with his Eye of Insight. A moment later, he turned to Chen Leyao and asked, “Do you have grade-8 formation flags with you?”
“Here you go!” With a snap of her finger, Chen Leyao passed several hundred formation flags over.
“Go!” Zhang Xuan bellowed deeply, and the formation flags immediately rose to the sky.
They simultaneously shot forth to a different direction in the room, and it took only the blink of an eye for all of them to be in place.
After which, Zhang Xuan confirmed his position once more before stomping his feet.
Weng!
The formation was immediately driven into action.
After confirming that there was no problem with the formation, Zhang Xuan turned to Chen Leyao and asked in agitation, “Where’s the Jade Communication Token?”
Chen Leyao flicked her wrist, and a jade token fell lightly onto the very center of the room.
The fact that she was able to set up the supporting formation too, even though it would take several months, meant that her comprehension of formations had also reached 8-star as well. Naturally, she was able to easily discern where the core of the formation was, as well as where she should place the Communication Jade Token to best amplify its transmission signals.
Weng!
As soon as the jade token fell onto the core of the formation, the formation shook for a bit. A warm glow rippled through it, as if trying to establish communication with someone far away.
Knowing that the young man was eager to meet his student, Chen Leyao didn’t waste any time on words. She walked up to the Communication Jade Token, and with a few strokes, she sent a message over.
Weng!
Not too long later, a slight buzzing sound echoed, and the formation shook once more. Following which, a round portal similar to a mirror appeared before his eyes.
As the mist slowly cleared, a face so beautiful that it could even freeze one’s heart gradually came into appearance.
Zhao Ya!
Half a year of absence, the young lady in Zhang Xuan’s memories had grown much more mature. She naturally commanded a disposition of elegant, and her facial features had gotten far more ravishing as well, as if they had been painstakingly carved into perfection. With just one look, one would find oneself unwittingly holding one’s breath.
She was simply too beautiful!
Every single aspect of her seemed to be the embodiment of beauty itself, making it impossible to pick out a single flaw in it.
Even when compared to the undisguised Luo Ruoxin, her looks still didn’t pale in comparison at all.
“Zhang shi, feel free to speak of anything to our young court chief. I’ll be taking my leave first.” Knowing that the reunited teacher and student would have much to say to one another, Chen Leyao backed out of the room and took her leave.
“Teacher, is that really you? Are you at the Sanctum of Sages?” Shortly after Chen Leyao left, the young lady in the mirror couldn’t hold herself back anymore. She asked with a quivering voice, and her reddened eyes reflected the myriad of emotions running through her mind.
On the other hand, through the changes Zhao Ya had undergone, Zhang Xuan could tell that the Glacier Plain Court hadn’t been mistreating her, and there was a hint of relief in his eyes.
There were countless words that he had thought that he would say when they finally met, but in this moment of reunion, he found himself at a loss for words.
All of those feelings and anticipation that overflowed in this moment of reunion left his mind completely blank. He couldn’t find the right words to convey what he wanted to say in this moment.
Looking at the young lady who had once walked behind his back, calling him ‘teacher’ again and again, Zhang Xuan’s hesitant and worried voice finally sounded.
“Zhao Ya, how… have you been?”
