The Legend of Futian - Chapter 28: Bad Temper

The snowflakes still flew around Ye Futian and Hua Jieyu.

No one had anticipated that Hua Jieyu would stand up for Ye Futian this time, not to mention the fact that she had protected Ye Futian by directly threatening a director in the academy.

So many hearts broke. Were they already dating?

However, their viewpoints had changed slightly. They didn't feel pity for Hua Jieyu. In fact, they understood that Ye Futian was the only boy qualified enough to become her partner.

Subconsciously, their views about Ye Futian had transformed entirely after the fight. He now symbolized dedication and talent in their minds.

Even Yang Xiu and Ling Xiao, who used to look down upon Ye Futian, had changed. The one they once ridiculed was the only one able to defeat a Mandate Sorcerer, challenge the rules of the academy and utterly reject the idea of becoming the disciple of a Hall Director. He had never taken them seriously before.

Feng Qingxue was also staring at Ye Futian and Hua Jieyu. It looked like she had tears welling up. She thought maybe the Goddess of this academy was the only one that deserved a boy as great as Ye Futian. She had used to believe she was out of his league, but now, she knew that it was the other way around.

Shi Zhong had not expected to see Hua Jieyu stand up for Ye Futian. She had even threatened him for this boy's sake. He couldn't help swearing to himself. Undoubtedly, love among young people was so consuming that even a girl as wise as Hua Jieyu could get lost in her feelings.

"Hua Jieyu, this is none of your business. Step away," Shi Zhong spoke gently to her. He knew how powerful this girl was and how influential her family was, so he didn't dare act harshly to her, even after being obviously threatened.

"You don't get my point, do you?" She was still smiling in such a beautiful manner that it totally contradicted her cold tone of voice. She was utterly humiliating Shi Zhong in public.

Shi Zhong became even more upset and stopped trying to hide it. No matter how remarkable this girl was, he was still a director at the academy, and he was the elder in this conversation. How frustrating it was to be threatened twice by a young girl, in front of the students no less.

"Listen, this should be taken care of by the academy. Even your father wouldn't interfere," Shi Zhong's tone turned rigid.

Hua Jieyu looked him in the eye and kept talking. "So you're telling me that you'll never regret the decision you just made, right?"

"Of course," Shi Zhong responded. "Ye Futian betrayed this academy with all the powerful talents he gained there. If he ever attended Heiyan Academy and turned his back on us, the damage could be tremendous. His abilities must be taken to prevent this treachery."

Hua Jieyu was laughing at Shi Zhong's statement. She did not even try to hide her contempt. Was he being serious?

"I gave you a chance to redeem yourself, but it's gone," Hua Jieyu mumbled as if talking to herself. The moment she stopped, the snowflakes surrounding them turned into a frenzy. The wind blew harder in the area, and everyone was feeling frostbitten. A general sense of threat was impending. Even though people had tried to attribute this to the snow, they believed it was actually anger from the beautiful girl.

"Whose power are you going to strip?"

A cold voice sounded on the far side of the space. There was a path between the rows of trees, already white due to the massive snowfall, and someone was walking down the road toward them.

The man was wearing a white fur coat and had long black hair that casually covered his shoulders.

He was middle-aged and truly handsome, like a melancholy scholar. He was walking slowly, but his pace was magically attracting the attention of all the bystanders.

In fact, he was walking faster than his pace seemed to allow. In a short while, he was approaching the crowd, and people had the chance to look clearly at his face.

"This gentleman is unparalleled by the rest of the world." People were amazed by this incredibly handsome man. Both his appearance and temperament were just perfect. People believed that when he was young, he must have been a real lady's man.

"Mr. Hua," the big chiefs of the academy, even the directors, greeted him. Shi Zhong, however, looked upset at the fact that he had arrived.

The students of Qingzhou Academy were shocked to suddenly see someone that was called "Mr." by all the big chiefs, even the directors. Who was he?

"Father?" Hua Jieyu greeted. The students finally realized why Hua Jieyu had such superior power at this academy, even strong enough for her to confront a director. It was no wonder anymore, when even the directors had to greet her father respectfully.

Plus, his face definitely explained where Hua Jieyu's beauty had come from.

Hua Fengliu nodded, then turned to look at Shi Zhong, "Answer me, now."

"Mr. Hua, excuse me for the misunderstanding. I would never dare to strip the abilities of your daughter. I did not mean any harm to Ms. Hua." Shi Zhong said politely.

"I know." Hua Fengliu understood that Shi Zhong didn't have the guts to threaten his daughter. He turned back and looked at Ye Futian. "Then he is your target, right?"

Shi Zhong nodded and pointed to Ye Futian. "Mr. Hua, this boy is a student of Qingzhou Academy. He was committing treachery by trying to quit the academy and join our enemy. To prevent further treachery, his abilities and talents must be removed. Jieyu was trying to stop me for a reason I do not understand."

"Is he telling the truth?" Hua Fengliu asked the boy.

"Professor, how could this be true?" Ye Futian shook his head with a wry smile. He knew that Mr. Hua should have been informed of what really happened.

"Professor?" Shi Zhong was shocked by this form of address. His face suddenly became pale.

He could not believe that Ye Futian had been a disciple of Hua Fengliu and that Hua Fengliu had come here not to stand up for his daughter, but for this boy.

Shi Zhong now felt cold, his back dripping with sweat. He felt the temperature around his body drop. Even with his Plane, he felt true coldness.

"My disciple just fought for the honor of Qingzhou Academy, but now you're trying to deprive him of all his power?" Hua Fengliu sounded peaceful, but everyone realized that he was concealing his anger. He stepped forward a bit toward Shi Zhong. People noticed that Shi Zhong was actually trembling.

Hua Fengliu gave his ultimatum."Looks like you have been the Director of the Hall of Earth Element long enough."

His beautiful eyes suddenly turned white and glowed. Horrifying lights shot out of his eyes. His hair flew around his shoulder from the storm wind he had caused. The storm took a moment to form, then suddenly rushed toward Shi Zhong.

Shi Zhong had no choice but to defend himself. He summoned the earth-element Spiritual Qi of the universe to form a wall to protect against Hua Fengliu's attack.

However, it didn't work at all. The wall was shattered in a moment, and Hua Fengliu reached his hand out toward Shi Zhong. The wind around his body formed an invisible hand that clamped around his neck and lifted his body into the air.

"Mr. Hua, forgive me. I did not know he was your disciple!" Shi Zhong was yelling for mercy, but his voice was hoarse from his throat being clamped.

"Now you know." Hua Fengliu became frenzied. The white lights from his eyes were horrifying. He smashed Shi Zhong's body to the ground so hard that a fissure appeared.

The big chiefs could not do anything but watch as Shi Zhong was being smashed to the ground and lifted into the air repeatedly. Two sounds were resonating around the space—the sound of Shi Zhong hitting the ground and his screams. People could only feel pity for Shi Zhong, because even as a director, he shouldn't have pissed off someone as powerful as Mr. Hua.

After a while, the torture finally stopped. The earth wasn't shaking anymore. Hua Fengliu put his hand down, and his eyes became peaceful again. He explained to those who were still shocked by what had happened, "Sorry, I have bad temper."

Ye Futian's eyes widened, and he couldn't stop looking at Mr. Hua. He had never imagined that a gentleman like his professor could be as violent as this. However, he believed it was cool for a real man to switch between being calm and collected to as violent as Mr. Hua was.

Other directors of Qingzhou Academy could only smile wryly. Leng Qingfeng started speaking, "Mr. Hua, I feel so sorry for our mistakes. We will definitely make compensation to Ye Futian for our errors in the future."

"Future? There is no future. This academy does not deserve him," Mr. Hua sounded peaceful again. Leng Qingfeng stopped talking because he understood that as long as Mr. Hua had already accepted Ye Futian, it would be unnecessary for Ye Futian to become an official student at the academy. But in this case, there was also no way Ye Futian would betray this academy.

They just wondered when Ye Futian had become his disciple.

Soon, Leng Qingfeng was reminded of a past occurrence. Before the Fall Quarter Exam, there was a dragon wandering in Mount Tianyao. They heard that a daredevil boy had gone deep into the mountain and was attacked by the dragon. Later the boy was taken away by Hua Fengliu. People were focused on dealing with the dragon since it was so late at night, and didn't pay attention to who was attacked. When they finally tried to find the boy, he was already gone.

It had been months, and people had forgotten about this. Now they finally realized that Ye Futian was the boy who was attacked by the dragon.

"Let's go," Hua Fengliu said.

"Okay," Ye Futian nodded, then Hua Jieyu, Yu Sheng and him left with Hua Fengliu.

"That was just awesome, Professor. What was that? A spell or a martial arts technique? Why have I never seen that before?" Ye Futian kept asking.

"You will know, in the future." Hua Fengliu smiled at him.

Ye Futian could not stop his curiosity. He looked at Hua Jieyu and asked her, "Fox, mind telling me?"

Hua Jieyu smiled back at him, "Sorry, no comment."

"Phew…" Ye Futian sighed and mumbled, "I thought you were in love with me when you stood up for me. Am I wrong?"

The smile on her face was suddenly gone. She gave Ye Futian a malevolent look then ran to her father.

However, Yu Sheng was looking at Ye Futian with admiration. This guy had just flirted with the daughter of his professor. He believed the professor would become Ye Futian's father-in-law someday in the future.

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 27: We’re in This Together

He had actually rejected their offer!

Countless people had their eyes on Ye Futian. Just a while ago, Yu Sheng and Ye Futian defeated the people of Heiyan Academy and saved the honor of Qingzhou Academy. In combination with his astonishing gift, everyone knew that the ban was as good as gone. These two young men were definitely going to be well-favored by the higher-ups of Qingzhou Academy.

The reality was exactly as had been expected. Many of the school leaders extended a welcoming hand to the two, and it seemed as if this whole fiasco was coming to an end. They would have never expected such an ending. Everyone had obviously underestimated Ye Futian's stubbornness and pride.

If he were still the Ye Futian of the past, no one would have cared about him; now he was now a genius prodigy, He was able to inscribe top-notch spell scrolls in the blink of the eye and defeat a same-plane Mandate Sorcerer. He had every right to be prideful. Everyone fell into a deep silence, even the authoritative figures of Qingzhou Academy.

At Qingzhou Academy, outer sect disciples received guidance and basic knowledge on cultivation from instructors, however, they had to put in a lot of work themselves for cultivation. Even at the library, they were only allowed on the ground floor. They did not have the privilege to make use of many other resources at the academy. The battle also now involved the honor of the entire academy, so when Ye Futian had said that this victory was a sign of gratitude for being able to cultivate at the academy for the past three years, no one could blame him for anything.

From the looks of it, Ye Futian and Yu Sheng stepped up to battle together not only for Hua Jieyu, but they had everything thought out in advance.

At the thought of this, none of the authorities had a thing to say. Ye Futian had studied at the academy for three years and not a single person was able to see his immense potential.

"In the Fall Quarter Examinations, Yu Sheng should have been ranked first and you third. This will be written down in the academy's records," Leng Qingfeng said to Ye Futian. In the crowd, Murong Qiu's expression darkened immediately. This was so embarrassing. Two months ago, it had been announced that Murong Qiu ranked first in the Fall Exams; now the academy was going to break tradition and alter its records by taking him off the ranks. This was sure to cause a huge ruckus. If the news got out, how was he going to look to the world? He would be a giant laughing stock.

There was not a word from any of the other students. They could not help but look over at Murong Qiu. It was true; he had had no right to be ranked first. When Heiyan Academy attacked, he had not even had the courage to step up and fight. Yu Sheng, on the other hand, had been able to do everything Murong Qiu could not.

"I object," Shi Zhong spoke up, he was not pleased. He stared at Ye Futian and said, "The results have already been announced, how can we change them so easily? Even though Ye Futian's performance today was impressive, we cannot ignore the fact that he used his victory in today's battle as a bargaining chip and threatened the academy. What's the use of having a student like this, even if he is immensely gifted?"

"Threatening the academy?" Ye Futian stared at Shi Zhong. It looked like it was Earth Elemental Pavilion Lord Shi Zhong who put Murong Qiu in the first rank position. It was most likely his idea to place the ban on Ye Futian as well.

As for Cabinet Master Leng Qingfeng of the House of the Swordsmen, he had always been friendly to Ye Futian. He probably had nothing to do with any of this.

Looking at Shi Zhong, Ye Futian could not hold in his smile, "I'm just an outer sect disciple, what ability do I have to threaten Qingzhou Academy? On the contrary, I would like to ask Pavilion Lord Shi Zhong, what have I done to offend you?"

"What do you mean?" asked Shi Zhong.

"During the Fall Quarter Examinations, Yu Sheng obviously had the upper hand in terms of both gifts and capabilities. Today's battle was proof of that. When you gave first place to Murong Qiu, I was being reasonable to object your decision. Even if you thought I was purposely going up against you, I was already punished when you removed me from the ranks and banned me from class. I cannot understand why removing the ban on me is the only thing you are willing to offer after all the work Yu Sheng and I put in today to protect the academy. Does the honor of Qingzhou Academy mean that little to you?"

Ye Futian looked at Shi Zhong and continued, "Or should I ask what exactly have I done for you to dislike me so much and what about Murong Qiu is so great that you had to give him first place? You even placed a ban on me under his influence, is that not true?"

"How presumptuous!" shouted Shi Zhong. His eyes shot daggers at Ye Futian, "Utter nonsense! Is this the attitude you use when speaking with your elders? Even if we groom you into the best of the best, a treacherous student like you will only bring disaster in the future."

Treacherous. Everyone could obviously tell that there was something deeper going on behind the results of the Fall Exams. Every word Shi Zhong said was an attempt to get Ye Futian expelled.

Besides, just like Ye Futian had said, Shi Zhong's ban on Ye Futian was influenced by Murong Qiu. Thinking about what might have been going on behind the scenes gave the students of Qingzhou Academy shivers.

"Shi Zhong, that's enough," said the Pavilion Lord of the Thunder Elemental Pavilion. The seven Pavilion Lords of the School of Divination Arts were all acquainted with each other. There were some unspoken rules between them, and a blind eye was turned as long as it did not interfere with the interest of Qingzhou Academy.

However, none of them expected the two young men, who were unfairly judged during the Fall Exams, to be this talented, as well as stubborn and prideful.

"Ye Futian, in today's battle you did a really big favor for the academy, so the academy will not mistreat you. There will surely be Pavilion Lords interested in accepting you two as official disciples. You guys will be able to focus on cultivations and in the future, the two of you will definitely make a name for yourselves and achieve great things. You shouldn't be too stubborn regarding other things," Pavilion Lord Li Jiang of the Wind Elemental Pavilion tried to persuade Ye Futian.

Hearing these words, Ye Futian began to laugh at himself. It looked like he was still too young and too confident in himself. No matter how exceptional his gifts were or how much work he put in to protect the academy, it did not change anything. All it had done was help him gain the attention of a couple authoritative figures and speed up the process for him to become an official disciple.

But was this really enough?

Pavilion Lord Li Jiang wanted Ye Futian to stop being so stubborn. It was obvious that he wanted Ye Futian to stop while he was ahead. Li Jiang most likely shared Shi Zhong's opinion that Ye Futian was simply trying to threaten the academy. He was not really going to drop out of the academy. After all, Qingzhou Academy was the holy land for cultivators in the city of Qingzhou.

Should Ye Futian really just forget about the events of the Fall Quarter Examinations? Was there really going to be no explanation for his punishment and the ban on him?

As for the secrets behind the exam results, it seemed to be forbidden to expose. Maybe he was just too young, too naïve.

But there was one advantage of being young—you had the right to be stubborn.

At the thought of this, Ye Futian smiled and lightly bowed to the academy elders. Everyone watched him. What was the meaning behind his actions?

"I will remember everything Qingzhou Academy has taught me in these past three years. I will take my leave now," Ye Futian said with a smile. "Yu Sheng!" he shouted after.

Beside him, Yu Sheng hummed in response. His eyes stared coldly at the elders, evidently unhappy.

"Let's go," said Ye Futian as he turned to leave, stepping into the white snow. Yu Sheng stopped his staring and followed closely behind Ye Futian.

In that instant, their backs looked lonely but their footsteps determined. From this, it was possible to feel the pride they had.

They were really leaving!

The elders were all dumbfounded. They did not expect Ye Futian to take this so seriously.

The House Master of the Battle House, the Cabinet Master of the House of the Swordsmen, and multiple Pavilion Lords stared coldly at Shi Zhong. The looks on their faces said it all. This caused Shi Zhong's expression to darken and he called out reluctantly, "Wait."

Ye Futian's steps halted and he turned around to look at the person speaking to him. "Is there anything else you need from me, Pavilion Master Shi Zhong?"

"What kind of place do you think Qingzhou Academy is, coming and going as you please," said Shi Zhong. Ye Futian squinted his eyes in confusion and asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"You're rebellious by nature and hold a grudge against Qingzhou Academy. Now that you're leaving the academy, do you plan to join Heiyan Academy to get revenge on Qingzhou Academy?" Shi Zhong asked.

The temperature dropped at his words. Everyone could feel the iciness in his voice. Was Shi Zhong trying to give Ye Futian the death sentence by saying this?

Heiyan Academy and Qingzhou Academy were rivals; therefore, as soon as Shi Zhong instilled the thought in everyone's heads that Ye Futian and Yu Sheng could betray Qingzhou Academy, what awaited them was not a pretty ending.

"Pavilion Lord Shi Zhong, Ye Futian had already rejected Heiyan Academy's offer, it's impossible that he would go join them," Qin Yi said with worry. Ye Futian's performance today really surprised her, but his stubbornness left her speechless. However, she felt that she must speak up against Shi Zhong right now.

"Of course, he wouldn't accept the offer in front of all of us but how about when he steps outside?" asked Shi Zhong. Beside him, Leng Qingfeng observed him. Shi Zhong was trying to force Ye Futian into a dead end. Even if Ye Futian had no such thoughts, the consequences of Shi Zhong's words had already been placed into action.

"What do you want?" asked Yu Sheng. The rage he felt radiated off of him.

"Rid yourself of all the powers you gained in the past three years," Shi Zhong said. It was dead silent once again.

Everyone was stupefied; no one was able to make a sound. It was a long while before soft steps could be heard. A perfect silhouette appeared like a goddess descending from heaven. It was Hua Jieyu.

She stopped beside Ye Futian and took a look at him. This made Ye Futian lose his train of thought. She really was a fox.

Hua Jieyu then shifted her gaze toward Shi Zhong and smiled lightly, "I think it would be best if you took back the words you just said."

Her voice was so soft and peaceful; it was almost able to put everyone under her spell. Was she threatening the Pavilion Lord of the Earth Elemental Pavilion?

A while ago, it was Ye Futian who had stepped up to protect her. Now, it was her turn to protect him. Many people in the audience were envious and jealous of Ye Futian right now.

In the snow, Ye Futian and Hua Jieyu stood side by side. The holy Qingzhou Academy did not seem so impressive anymore.

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 57: Storage Ring

“You won’t get away that easily!”

This fellow had Zhang Xuan surrounded, and demanded him to kneel down and compensate him. Naturally, Zhang Xuan couldn’t possibly let him off the hook so easily. Zhang Xuan did a quick job out of the several Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm pinnacle ‘supports’ and after turning his body around, he headed straight for the ‘Master Mo Yang’ ahead of him.

With the significant breakthrough in the strength of his physical body, Zhang Xuan’s body movement was reminiscent of a frog. Every single time the base of his foot came into contact with the ground, he would fly 10 meters forward. Despite not possessing any footwork techniques, his speed was already swift like a roc.

“The heck!”

The frantically escaping ‘Master Mo Yang’ turned his head, just to see the other party flitting towards him with large strides, his movements similar to that of the immortals. The overwhelming shock caused him to forget to breathe for a split moment, almost making himself tumble over.

He thought that Zhang Xuan was a lamb that he could easily squeeze to death, so he fervently hunted him down to wash away the shame from the incident earlier this day. Yet, never did he expect that he would run into a lion’s den.

If only he knew that Zhang Xuan was that formidable, he would have never come looking for him.

Judging from how young that fellow was, even if he started training inside his mother’s womb, it was still illogical for his strength to rise that quickly…

‘Master Mo Yang’ felt endless regret, to the point that even the thought of suicide popped up in his head.

If only his mouth wasn’t that inauspicious for him to pick out that fellow out of the entire crowd when he was scamming others in the treasure speculation hall, the other party would not have exposed his deeds and he could have walked out of the hall pompously under the gazes of respect from the crowd, despite scamming their money. Even after his ploy was exposed, he could have just escaped the capital, and nothing would have happened. Yet, he just had to decide on exacting vengeance. Now, not only did he fail to exact vengeance, on the contrary, he became the one who was being chased like a weakling. What the heck is this…

[Truly, if one doesn’t dedicate one's soul to committing suicide, one wouldn’t die. Ah, my heart…]

Despite being just nineteen, Zhang Xuan had cultivated the Heaven’s Path Divine Art and Heaven’s Path Golden Body. His body had been nourished by zhenqi and cleared of all impurities, his bones tempered and forged anew, causing him to look younger than his real age. At one look, he looked barely seventeen or eighteen.

At such an age, an average person would only be at Fighter 1-dan or 2-dan. Yet, the moment they all made a move, it was clear to see that not even with all of them combined could they match up with Zhang Xuan. Thus, it would actually be more bizarre if he didn’t choose to escape.

“Stop!”

While complaining in his mind, he felt a stifling sensation in his chest. Following which, a flat voice sounded from his back.

Peng!

Before he could turn around to counterattack, he felt a sharp pain at the center of his spinal cord. He stumbled forward and with his face in contact with the ground, he flew forward, creating a deep gorge on the ground in his track.

“My face…” ‘Master Mo Yang’ was on the verge of tears.

Without taking a look, it was clear that his face was already ruined.

Kacha!

As though not sparing the moment for him to wallow in self-pity, a foot stepped on his head.

“You should have thought of the possibility of such an outcome when you came for my life…”

Zhang Xuan stepped on the head of the other party with an impassive expression.

He had only been an ordinary librarian in his previous life. However, ever since becoming a part of this world, he had comprehended the logic of might reigning supreme here.

If his strength turned out to be inadequate today, he might have possibly died already.

“Don’t kill me. Lord, as long as you do not kill me, I am willing to hand over my years of savings to you…”

Clearly feeling the other party’s ability to crush his head by exerting force through the foot that’s on his head, ‘Master Mo Yang’ trembled uncontrollably.

Comparing money with life, it was clear that the latter was much more valuable.

“Oh? Show it to me then. I’ll see if it is sufficient to buy your life!”

Zhang Xuan replied blandly.

“Yes, yes!”

Hearing the other party’s words, ‘Master Mo Yang’ hurriedly took off his ring with trembling fingers and presented it to Zhang Xuan. “Everything is inside. I beseech lord… to take a look!”

“Inside?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

What could be fitted into a ring?

However, as an ‘expert’, he couldn’t be posing such an inquiry to the other party. His mind jolted and a book appeared.

“Low-tier Storage Ring. Possesses three meters square of space within. Flaws: Inferior method of creation…”

The book described the details of the ring thoroughly.

“Storage ring? To think that a giant fraudster like him would possess such a good item. Looks like I’ve made a huge earning this time!”

When browsing through the books in the academy’s Compendium Pavilion, he became aware of the existence of the ‘mountain in a seed’ mystical treasure. Initially, he thought that it was a treasure that was far from his reach, to think that this fellow possessed it!

Even though it was a low-tier storage ring, it should be worth at least 500000 gold coins.

Even the elders of the academy might not be able to afford such a luxury.

He couldn’t help but feel surprised by a fraudster possessing such an item.

However, after giving this matter some thoughts, he came to a realization. Without this item, how could he bring away the money he earned? If he were to carry the stack of money around, it would just be a matter of time before he got discovered, caught and executed.

Looks like this fellow had spent much of his fortune just to buy this.

As Zhang Xuan expected, a face of heartache appeared on the face of the other party as he passed the object over.

Recalling the details of storage rings in the book he had read regarding it previously, he dripped a drop of fresh blood on it.

Weng!

With a jolt of his mind, a three-meter-square space appeared in his vision. It was filled with gold coins, numbering up to a hundred thousand.

His character might be subpar, but he did have quite a bit of saving.

“Lord, since you have accepted the item, I beg you to spare my life…” Seeing the young man, ‘Master Mo Yang’ hurriedly said.

“Spare your life? It is not impossible for me to do that. If you hand over the banknotes that you have secretly hidden on your body, sparing you is just a small matter!” Zhang Xuan looked at him with a bright smile.

“You… You…”

With narrowed eyes, ‘Master Mo Yang’ looked as though he had met a ghost as disbelief shrouded his features.

A cunning rabbit had three burrows. As an experienced scammer, he had already prepared a course of action in case he got captured. Thus, when he was running away, he secretly moved to his body the banknotes he had accumulated throughout the years. This was also the reason why he generously offered his storage ring over. The goal of it was to numb the other party so that he wouldn’t conduct a body search on him.

As long as he was able to get away safely, even if he lost the storage ring and the wealth stored within it, with such banknotes in his possession, he would be able to live without worries as a wealthy man and start anew!

He thought that his actions were extremely covert. He couldn’t have imagined that this young-looking man had seen through his actions from the start.

He… How did he know?

Even if he was powerful, it was impossible for him to see through his clothes and notice the banknotes hidden within!

Huala!

Couldn’t be bothered to argue with the other party, with a claw, Zhang Xuan ripped apart his clothes, and in accordance with his expectations, ten banknotes exposed themselves between the tattered clothes. Each of them was worth 100,000, and they added up to a massive sum of 1,000,000!

“Looks like I have made a huge profit this time…”

Delighted to see the enormous amount of money, Zhang Xuan’s eyes radiated light.

“I have given you all my money, so you can let me go now…”

Seeing how the other party was aware even of his hidden stash, ‘Master Mo Yang’ became disconsolate, his previous haughty aura gone without a trace as cries threatened to escape from his throat.

“Hehe. Yang Mo, an apprentice appraiser. A scammer in Liuzhu Kingdom who made his name as an appraiser, notorious for his frauds to earn wealth and the favor of women. Skilled in Voice of Allurement, which beguiles the mind of others through words, making it easier to convince them…”

Zhang Xuan’s foot remained firmly on his head as he revealed the information compiled on this ‘master’ from the library with a smiling face.

“You… You… How did you know? Who the hell are you?!”

‘Master Mo Yang’s’ eyes narrowed as his whole body trembled intensely, fear reflected on his face.

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 56: Surrounded (2)

“So, it seems that he isn’t weak. No wonder he is so arrogant!”

Seeing ‘Number Four‘ being sent flying by a single palm, Master Mo Yang froze for a moment before his expression turned even more savage. Waving his hands grandly, as though he was in control of the entire situation, he said, “However, your luck ends here!”

After which, he turned to look at the artifact dealer by the side and said, “End it fast. We still have matters to attend to!”

“Un!”

The artifact dealer nodded his head and advances forward.

Boom!

Before he even struck, he already emanated an aura from his body. It was similar to the mountains and the oceans, immeasurable. If one were to close their eyes, they could clearly feel ten acupoints in the other party’s body absorbing and exuding spiritual energy, each of them bright as though they were the stars.

“Pixue realm expert?”

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

At Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm, one could start opening up the acupoints within their body to absorb the spiritual energy from the world and refine it for their own usage. At this level of cultivation, regardless of whether it was reaction speed or strength, they would be enhanced significantly. In Hongtian Academy, this was the level of strength an elder possessed!

It was beyond his expectations that a scammer possessed such strength.

“Are you afraid? If so, kneel down, apologize and compensate our losses! Otherwise, death awaits you!”

Noticing Zhang Xuan’s astonishment, he thought that he was apprehensive of his strength. Thus, with a long cry, he stepped forward, reminiscent of a god who governed over life and death.

“Kneel down? Apologize? Compensate your losses?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “I am not that free to be apologizing and giving compensation to a scammer. If you all have such an interest, you all could kneel down to me instead and compensate my losses from your assault today. This way, I can consider letting you all off the hook!”

“What did you say?”

“Is this fellow mad?”

Master Mo Yang and the artifact owner started to suspect whether this fellow was insane.

[Our people far outnumber you. Furthermore, we have Pixue realm experts on our side. Yet, you expect us to kneel down to a lonesome young man like you?

What are you trying to act cool for?

Besides, compensate your losses for the assault? You have losses my ass! The head of our Number Four is still lodged into the ground. If we are speaking about losses, ours are significantly greater, okay?]

“Stop spouting nonsense with him, just kill him!”

Master Mo Yang gestured.

“Un!” The artifact owner nodded his head. Exerting force on the soles of his feet, he charged towards Zhang Xuan with his fingers wide open in the shape of a palm.

Huhu!

Before he could get close, the rustling of the wind could be heard, as though an eagle trying to prey on a rabbit. It gave others an oppressing sensation, a massive pressure that they were seemingly unable to withstand.

“It is Number Two‘s battle technique, 【Soaring Eagle】!”

“This battle technique can be considered to be superior even among those in the mortal intermediate tier. Isn’t it a little too excessive to be using it to deal with a young lad?”

“Hehe, it isn’t excessive. This lad is able to smack away Number Four with a single palm strike of his. This shows that he is pretty capable as well. However, his luck has come to an end, now that he is facing Number Two‘s Soaring Eagle!”

…

Seeing the artifact dealer executing such an incredible technique, the crowd nodded their heads in approval.

Soaring Eagle was in the forefront even among the mortal intermediate tier battle techniques. The moment it was executed, one would emit a majestic aura, reminiscent of an eagle hunting down a rabbit, leaving his opponent with the impression of mountains and oceans, as well as a feeling of helplessness before such overwhelming might.

Even if their leader ‘Master Mo Yang’ were to encounter it, he would have to retreat temporarily so as to avoid facing it head on.

“Soaring Eagle?”

The moment the other party executed his battle technique, a manual appeared in Zhang Xuan’s head and written on it were the flaws and the history of this artifact dealer.

Scanning through it with his consciousness, Zhang Xuan imprinted this information into his mind and suddenly, a bizarre expression appeared on his face.

Hu!

Due to the lack of time, he couldn’t thoroughly ponder over it. The battle technique executed by the artifact dealer was already right before him.

A battle technique allowed one to unleash their strength better, thus bringing them to greater heights.

As a Pixue realm expert who had opened ten acupoints, the artifact dealer wasn’t weak at all. Complemented with the mortal intermediate-tier battle technique, he carried with him a very powerful and oppressive aura.

“Die…”

A savage smile appearing on his face was similar to the radiance of a flower. However, before this flower could finish blooming, his eyes narrowed and a ghastly cry sounded, “Ah…”

A tragic howl echoed across the night sky, as though a stone grinder had crushed the ears of a dog.

“What happened?”

At the very start, ‘Master Mo Yang’ and the rest thought that Zhang Xuan would be crushed in an instant by the strength of Number Four. However, they didn’t expect that the latter would end up so tragically. Recalling the defeat of Number Four, they swiftly turned their heads to take a look and the sight before them caused their face to twitch, almost passing out on the spot.

The young man before them totally ignored the magnificence of the artifact dealer and sent a kick upwards toward his dignity as a man. Kacha, the sound of egg breaking apart caused everyone’s face to twitch uncontrollably.

Sou!

The next moment, the artifact dealer was sent flying as though he was a rubber ball, crashing into a wall not too far away, forming a 大 word. Initially, it should have been a 太 word, but from the looks of it, there probably wasn’t a chance for it anymore.

“Incredible!”

Seeing how he was able to easily kick away the Pixue realm artifact dealer who was in the midst of executing his battle technique, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in approval.

Even though his physical body was significantly stronger than the other party, the other party was skilled in fighting techniques and also possessed great speed. If Zhang Xuan fought normally, he would’ve had to resort to several means to cripple him, and even so, it would have taken several blows to do it. However, with the Library of Heaven’s Path, he was able to clearly see through the flaws of the other party. As such, subduing him became an easy task. With a single kick… the bird flew away and the egg shattered. Even if he was a Pixue realm expert, he wasn’t too far off from death from that kick.

“Something is amiss about this lad. Let’s attack him together!”

Seeing Zhang Xuan smacked Number Four into the ground and kicked Number Two to the point that he no longer possessed his lower companion, no matter how foolish ‘Master Mo Yang’ could be, he clearly understood that the lad before him wasn’t simple, and his previous contemptuous gaze hardened.

Hualala!

Upon hearing the orders, even though the remaining few were sweating profusely and a numbing sensation pervaded their crotches, they dared not disobey the orders and stepped forward to encircle Zhang Xuan.

“Go!”

With a bellow, the remaining few immediately charged forward. All kinds of powerful attacks fell relentlessly onto Zhang Xuan.

Their zhenqi gushed through their meridians and the might of their attacks generated powerful shockwaves.

Just like the previous Number Four, the rest of them were all Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm experts.

Despite the fact that they outnumbered Zhang Xuan, due to his ability to see through the flaws of others and his Pixue realm pinnacle level fighting prowess, they did not pose a threat to him at all.

“Something is not right. Why are there only these few attacks?”

Parrying all of the attacks that came flying towards him, a thought suddenly flashed through Zhang Xuan’s mind, causing him to pause for a moment.

The artifact dealer, who was only the number two in their midst, possessed the strength of Pixue realm. Logically speaking, the fake ‘Master Mo Yang’ should be significantly stronger than him. However, why was he not attacking with the rest of the lot?

If he were to attack, perhaps Zhang Xuan might have a difficult time coping with the attacks…

Just as he was bewildered over the bizarre situation, he noticed a figure who had already retreated ten meters away. In the midst of his escape, he shouted, “You all kill him, I’ll be back soon…”

“Ah?”

Hearing these words, the attacking crowd staggered.

There was no need to guess the situation. It was clear to see that their boss… upon sensing that the situation had gone awry, had abandoned them and fled…

“Shameless!”

Zhang Xuan shouted in surprising harmony with the rest of the ‘supports’.

Just a moment ago, he was still bellowing so righteously. Yet, at the next moment, he turned around to flee, leaving his subordinates in a lurch. No wonder he was able to escape the pursuit of Liuzhu Kingdom, he is simply way too shameless to be caught that easily!

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 55: Surrounded (1)

Chatting for a moment longer, Zhang Xuan was questioned on where he obtained the Hongjin Pearl Fruit from. He casually replied that he got it from the market, causing Master Lu Chen and the rest to exclaim at his fortune.

“Right, brother Zhang Xuan, are you a local or…” Lu Chen asked.

“I am a teacher at Hongtian Academy!” Zhang Xuan replied.

“No wonder you possess such strength and a deep understanding towards painting!” Master Lu Chen praised him. He turned around to Huang Yu and Bai Xun, who were sitting by the side, and said, “Painting can mold a person’s personality and train their character. Don’t let fighting and killing occupy your mind all day long! Since brother Zhang Xuan is a teacher of the academy, go and visit him to learn from him whenever the both of you are free. I will consider giving the person who learns a thing or two from him a pass and give them what they want!”

“Yes!”

Huang Yu replied with a bitter expression whereas Bai Xun’s eyes were glittering with excitement.

Through their crossing of blows, he understood that Zhang Xuan’s current ability far surpassed him. To be able to learn from such an expert was definitely much more interesting than simply just learning boring painting!

At the very least, he felt more relaxed learning from him than Master Lu Chen.

“My apologies for the sudden intrusion today. It is getting a little late, so master, I will be bidding you farewell. I will visit you another day!”

After accomplishing what he came for, Zhang Xuan decided to take his leave and clasped his hands together towards Lu Chen.

“This time, you came here to look for Fighter 6-dan cultivation techniques, but it is a pity that I don’t have many of them here. I will speak to Shen Zhui about this matter a few days later to bring you to the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault to browse through them! It just happens that he seems to be out hunting these few days, so he isn’t in the capital at the moment!” Master Lu Chen said.

“You have my utmost gratitude, master!” Hearing these words, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

It was impossible to find more than a few Fighter 6-dan cultivation technique manuals at any ordinary location. However, in the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault, the location that was reputed to have the most complete collection of books in Tianxuan Kingdom, he was surely able to find many of them!

If he was able to enter the vault to browse through the Fighter 6-dan cultivation techniques, he might be able to form Heaven’s Path Divine Art and break through successfully!

“You’re too courteous…”

Lu Chen nodded his head with a smile…

Leaving the master’s residence, Zhang Xuan headed towards the academy.

The sun had already set when he was still having dinner with Shen Bi Ru. At this moment, the moon hung high up in the sky, illuminating the ground with a cold silver glow. Going by the clock of his previous life, it should be around twelve already!

Despite the time, he didn’t feel fatigued in the least. Instead, his eyes were glowing in exhilaration.

The trip to the master’s residence was truly worth it!

Compiling the Heaven’s Path Golden Body has propelled the strengthening of his physical body, causing his prowess to soar. With his current cultivation, even if he were to meet with a Pixue realm pinnacle expert, he would be able to easily subdue them!

Besides, he also found a dozen books or so on Fighter 6-dan cultivation techniques. Even if it was insufficient for him to compile a complete version of Heaven’s Path Divine Art, it should still be beneficial to his training.

“My physical body has already reached 90 ding of strength. If I were to find higher tier physical body enhancement techniques, will I grow even stronger?”

There might be many different secret manuals on training one’s physical body in Master Lu Chen’s study, but they were the simplest and most basic cultivation methods. If such books could possess such effects after being compiled by the Library of Heaven’s Path, didn’t this mean that if he were to assemble together a set of more profound physical body cultivation manuals, the book compiled would be even more incredible?

If this was true, his physical body would probably play a significant part in his battle prowess in the future!

Just as he was immersing himself in his delight, his ears suddenly quivered.

The growth in strength of his physical body had also caused his hearing and vision to sharpen. He suddenly realized that someone was stalking him!

His footsteps swayed and he came to a stop. “Those friends who are following behind me, come out!”

“Hehe, I didn’t expect that you would be so wary!”

“What is the use of being wary! Lad, you made us lose money, don’t even dream about escaping from us today…”

Hualala!

As his voice trailed off, a few human silhouettes dashed out from the darkness and surrounded him. Every one of them looked at Zhang Xuan coldly, as though staring at a corpse.

“It’s you all?”

Zhang Xuan recognized them.

He recognizesd two of those in the group as Master Mo Yang, who was exposed in the market earlier today by him, and the artifact dealer who was working with him.

The remaining few should be the ‘supports’ who were hidden within the crowd.

At this moment, ‘Master Mo Yang’s’ face was swollen red and the skin around his eyes was bruised black. A few parts of his clothes were torn off and he no longer possessed the serene and enlightened disposition and appearance from before. In fact, if one were to claim that he was a beggar on the street, people would believe him.

Looks like after being exposed, those ‘victims’ didn’t let him off the hook so easily.

But that’s to be expected as well. After all, which of those who were able to engage in the expensive sport of treasure speculation didn’t come from extraordinary families?

After realizing that they were scammed, they could already be considered to be kind for not killing him on the spot.

The artifact dealer didn’t seem to be in a much better state than him. His two eyes were bruised black and two sausage-like swells hung by his mouth, causing his speech to be indistinct.

Glaring at Zhang Xuan, the resentment and anger in their gazes were clear to see.

This was a ploy that they spent a fortune to set up, only for it to be wrecked by this young man here. Not mentioning how they had to spit out the meat that was already in their mouths, they even almost got beaten to death. Thus, it was understandable that they would feel intense resentment against him.

“You little bastard, you sure ran away fast back then. Let’s see where you can run off to now!”

A maniacal gleam flashed across the eyes of the artifact dealer.

“You all want to kill me?”

Noticing the aura of the surroundings growing eerily cold, Zhang Xuan frowned.

“If you have to blame, blame it for your big mouth for saying things that shouldn’t be said. In your next life, remember to keep your mouth in check!”

Master Mo Yang sneered savagely as he clenched his fists, causing jiya jiya sounds to echo in the surroundings.

The reason why their fraud failed was due to this fellow. It took them awhile before they managed to find him, so naturally, they wouldn’t allow him to escape easily!

“I’m sorry, but I don’t wish to die for now, and neither do I wish to keep my mouth in check!” Zhang Xuan said.

“You don’t wish to die?” Ruthlessness flickered across in the eyes of Master Mo Yang. “This isn’t up to you. Brothers, kill him, slice him apart and feed him to the dogs!”

“Roger!”

With a cold snort, one of the ‘support’ stepped forward, and lifting his arms up, he sent a palm down towards Zhang Xuan.

The moment he made his move, his cultivation realm was made apparent. Fighter 5-dan pinnacle!

No wonder he could still escape to Tianxuan Kingdom to conduct fraud even after being outlawed by Liuzhu Kingdom. He did indeed possess some capabilities.

If it was yesterday night, even if Zhang Xuan was able to emerge victorious against this fellow, he would have to utilize the strength of the Library of Heaven’s Path to exploit his weakness. However, with an overwhelming progress in the strength of his physical body, possessing nearly a hundred ding of strength now, Dingli pinnacle meant nothing to him now.

Chuckling softly, he sent a slap towards his attacker.

“You’re courting death!”

“Number Four’s nickname is Metal Palms. His hands are capable of splitting rocks. Back then, in Liuzhu Kingdom, a Pixue realm primary stage was killed by a single palm of his. Yet, this fellow dares to exchange blows with him without any preparation? The ignorant sure are fearless!”

“To think that we were done in by such a fellow, what misfortune!”

…

Seeing that fellow going against Number Four without dodging at all, Master Mo Yang and the rest sneered.

[This ‘support’ may not seem unexceptional, but his strength isn’t for show. His palms are capable of even striking through metal, what does a young man who isn’t even twenty mean before that? To face it head on, what else can he be doing other than courting death?]

Just when they thought that Zhang Xuan would be crippled by the blow, they saw the one whom they called ‘Number Four’ Metal Palms being as weak as a slab of tofu. Unable to withstand Zhang Xuan’s blow, his bones shattered and his ribcage sank in as he was blasted away by the force of the blow. His head stabbed onto the ground first, causing him to look like a bulb of wild onion.

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 54: Hongjin Pearl Fruit

[Who is this?

The sole son of the number one authoritative subject of Tianxuan Kingdom, Zhennan Wang!

For him to be crying Zhang Xuan as his grandpa? Surely, I am hearing things…]

Uncle Cheng only felt his vision blurring before him and almost lost consciousness.

[I just stepped away for a moment to grab a Strength Measuring Rock Pillar… What happened? Can anyone enlighten me…]

“Cough cough, alright. Little brother Zhang Xuan, there are plenty of opportunities for the both of you to spar in the future. Bai Xun is injured and needs to regulate his cultivation for awhile! Anyway, since the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar is already here, I think it would be best for you to try out your strength first!”

Sensing the awkwardness of the situation, Master Lu Chen quickly stepped in.

“Alright!” Seeing that Bai Xun was unwilling to spar, Zhang Xuan shook his head in disappointment. He looked at the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar, which was just inserted into a crevice on the ground and walked over to it. With a slight smile, he said, “Actually, I have tested my strength yesterday and it was about 4 ding or so. There probably won’t much of a difference testing it today…”

It was just this morning that he had beaten Yao Han into a pig head. Before that, he had tested his strength and had ascertained it to be 8 ding!

He had been busy the entire day. Furthermore, without a cultivation technique for him to cultivate, not a single one of his acupoints have been broken through yet. Thus, there shouldn’t be a rise in his strength. Although he had cultivated the Heaven’s Path Golden Body, in Zhang Xuan’s opinion, even if there was an improvement with his physical body, it couldn’t possibly rival up to the significance of zhenqi in determining one’s might.

As for why he said that his strength was 4 ding, it was because this was the standard strength a Dingli realm pinnacle could possess. He didn’t want to reveal too much of his secrets. At worst, he just had to hold back half of his strength when testing it later on.

“Since the pillar has been brought here, give it a try!” Master Lu Chen said.

“Alright!” Zhang Xuan smiled as he accepted the offer. With the intention to only use half of his strength, his fist flew towards the rock pillar before him.

His fist propelled forward like a lightning strike, swift and fierce, and the shockwave of his fist caused the wind to rustle.

Peng!

Light shone from the pillar and figures started to slowly appear on it.

“Look, as I said, 4 ding…” Seeing the figures that had floated onto the surface of the pillar, Zhang Xuan waved his hands and turned around to look at the others with a smile. However, before he could finish his words, he saw Bai Xun, Huang Yu, Master Lu Chen and Uncle Cheng look at him as though he was a monster.

Every single one of their eyes was almost popping out of their sockets.

“What’s the matter?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

He lowered his head to look at himself, there shouldn’t be anything off about him though?

“Look at the… Strength Measuring Rock Pillar again!” Huang Yu said in agitation.

“What is wrong with the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar? Isn’t it just 4 ding? Do you all have to be so shocked…”

Turning around to take a look, Zhang Xuan’s body staggered and he almost fell to the floor. Unsure of when it happened, but the number ‘9’ had appeared behind the number ‘4’ that he saw previously.

Putting it together… 49!

“The fist that I just threw had the strength of… 49 ding?”

Zhang Xuan was also astonished.

When he tested it this morning, he only had 8 ding of strength. Furthermore, he intentionally restrained half of his strength when striking on the rock pillar, so how could he possibly reach a might of 49 ding?

Didn’t this mean that if he didn’t contain his strength, his fist could hold a might of almost 100 ding behind it?

A Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm pinnacle possessed 4 ding of strength while the strength of a Pixue realm pinnacle expert wouldn’t exceed 80 ding. To be capable of hitting 100 ding with his fist, didn’t this mean that his strength is equal to a Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm expert, surpassing the latter even?

This…

“Could it be that… the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar is malfunctioning?”

A thought flashed through his mind and Zhang Xuan couldn’t resist raising his doubt.

“The rock pillar isn’t malfunctioning. Didn’t you achieve a breakthrough in the study previously? It caused your strength to soar. Furthermore, you have yet to adapt to your newfound strength, that’s why you… thrashed Bai Xun so overwhelmingly!”

Seeing his thoughts being verified, Master Lu Chen explained.

Initially, he wanted to say that he himself was beaten into a pulp by Zhang Xuan, but he stopped at the crucial point. After all, no matter what, he was still a master and had to consider his reputation…

“A breakthrough? An inflation from 4 ding to 49 ding? It can’t be that you broke through 45 acupoints at once?”

It was one thing to not hear his explanation, but the moment they heard it, Bai Xun and Huang Yu almost fainted on the spot.

[Surely you are jesting?]

At Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm, one can open up his acupoints to raise one’s cultivation. For every acupoint opened, one will gain 1 ding of strength.

It is said that there is a total of 108 acupoints in the human body. However, only 72 of which can be opened. Furthermore, there is a specific order to opening these acupoints. Due to the difference in physique for every individual, they require a different sequence in breaking through them to achieve the optimal effect. If one fails to find the ideal sequence, they could possibly only end up opening thirty to forty acupoints in their life and find themselves unable to advance forward.

Normally, one breaks through them one by one, and one’s strength will increase slowly 1 ding at a time. For Zhang Xuan’s strength to increase by 45 ding in an instant…

Dude, you are about to bash through the heavens!

It is not that I have never seen people breaking through, but I have never seen someone… break through in such a way!]

Actually, it wasn’t just the others who were giddy and in a state of disbelief, even Zhang Xuan himself didn’t know what was going on.

Was such a massive improvement induced just from cultivating Heaven’s Path Golden Body? Allowing his strength to increase by 90 ding instantaneously?

Normally, when he casually sent Master Lu Chen flying and defeated Bai Xun, he should have understood how much of an improvement he had made and how much his strength had grown by, and not be as ignorant as he is now.

However, as a transcender and someone who had just started cultivating two days ago, it was already incredible that he was able to control his cultivation to exert the correct amount of strength. Going into the specifics to control his strength, so as to manipulate it as he pleases, was simply expecting too much of him!

This was just like an ordinary person who was suddenly granted superhuman strength. He wouldn’t be able to get used to it initially, and, perhaps, might even feel slightly lost about the matter.

This was exactly the situation that was occurring with Zhang Xuan. Initially, he only possessed 8 ding of strength. However, it suddenly increased by 90 ding, an increment of more than tenfold. Furthermore, as this increment originated from his physical body, it was undetectable… Rather, it would be weird if he knew it in advance!

It was already a blessing for him to not have reduced Bai Xun into a lump of meat.

“Little brother Zhang, you can’t possibly have… opened 45 acupoints just now?”

Seeing him in a daze, Master Lu Chen asked slowly.

It was unheard of to open 45 acupoints in an instant… But if that wasn’t the case, where could have the sudden boost of strength possibly came from?

“I… am still Dingli realm pinnacle. My cultivation has yet to advance, just that… my physical body grew stronger by a bit!” Zhang Xuan said.

“Physical body?” Master Lu Chen was astounded, not daring to believe what he had just heard. “I have heard that there are some treasures in the world that allow one’s physical body to rival steel when consumed, giving one the strength equivalent to a Pixue realm pinnacle. Could it be that… it is possible to reach such a level through cultivating one’s physical body as well?”

“Keng… I seem to have eaten some unidentifiable fruit today. Initially, I felt my body heat up after eating it, but I didn’t pay much heed to it. Perhaps, that could be the reason for the sudden increase in the strength of my physical body!” Zhang Xuan said.

As a member of modern civilization, he understood the logic that possessing a treasure beyond one’s ability would attract calamity. If he were to acknowledge that he had reached such a level through cultivation, innumerable people might go red-eyed and try to extort him of his cultivation technique.

Perhaps, some might even kidnap him to research on.

Since Master Lu Chen had mentioned that there were some treasures that could induce a massive enhancement in one’s physical body, he decided to go along with it.

“Fate, this is truly fate!” Master Lu Chen didn’t doubt Zhang Xuan’s words at all.

Actually, it wasn’t that he isn’t doubtful, but even if he was, he had no choice but to believe Zhang Xuan’s words!

For one’s physical strength to increase by a few dozen ding through two hours of cultivation?

Wasn’t this daydreaming?

It was as laughable as trying to get a male to bear children!

Rather than believing that nonsense, it was more probable that he might have consumed some treasure.

“May I know the appearance of the fruit that little brother ate?” Master Lu Chen continued asking.

“Appearance?” Zhang Xuan scratched his head. He was spouting nonsense, so how could he have possibly known how it would look like? However, since they have already gotten to this point, keeping silent would seem much more suspicious instead. Thus, he replied, “It is a red-colored fruit…”

Previously, when he was flipping through the books in the academy’s Compendium Pavilion, he recalled seeing a record of a fruit similar to what Lu Chen had just described. The book was an epic of a person’s travels, and a character in it had eaten a red-colored fruit and had his strength raised massively. At this moment, he could only blindly try his luck.

“Red-colored? Could it be crimson-colored? Indeed, it is that thing!”

Master Lu Chen seemed to have thought of something and his breathing hastened.

“Master knows of it?”

“It is the【Hongjin Pearl Fruit】! Legend has it that consuming it will allow one’s physical body to soar rapidly, granting one the strength that even a Pixue realm pinnacle expert is unable to withstand!” Master Lu Chen said excitedly.

“Hongjin Pearl Fruit?”

Zhang Xuan said with a bizarre look on his face.

Could it be that… such a thing really exists?

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 53: Bai Xun's Breakdown

“This…”

The crowd stared at one another, dumbfounded.

[This is Master Lu Chen, the emperor’s tutor. Who dares to lay his hands on him, beating him into such a state?

Besides, didn’t you two go to the study? Why did he return… like this?

Could it be that they didn’t go to the study to read books, but to… fight?

The elegant Master Lu Chen has such interest?]

“I’m fine…” Master Lu Chen waved his hands awkwardly.

After all, he couldn’t possibly say that… Zhang Xuan had just achieved a breakthrough and unintentionally injured him due to the lack of control in his strength.

He also knew that it would be difficult to explain. Thus, Master Lu Chen walked over to the main seat, then turned to look at Uncle Cheng and said, “Ah Cheng, go and fetch a Strength Measuring Rock Pillar over!”

He was a master painter, not a fighter. Thus, no Strength Measuring Rock Pillars were placed in his lounge. However, as this item was related to one’s cultivation, there were still a few of them in his house, so it would be fine bringing one over.

“Yes!” Despite being unsure of what his master was up to, Uncle Cheng still nodded his head and retreated out of the room.

“Master Zhang, have you really reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle?” Upon seeing the room turn silent, Bai Xun couldn’t resist walking up towards him with an excited expression.

“Un!” It might be inconvenient to speak of it in the academy, but it wasn’t any secret here, so there’s no need for Zhang Xuan to conceal the fact.

“I’m also on the same level. May I exchange some blows with you?” Hearing the young man’s confirmation, Bai Xun’s eyes burned with enthusiasm.

“Bai Xun, what are you doing. Look at where you are…” Taken aback, Huang Yu quickly tried to advise him otherwise.

Master Lu Chen was an elegant person, and he hated people arguing and fighting before him. [Don’t you think that it’s a joke to be issuing a challenge in his lounge?]

It was just as Huang Yu said, Lu Chen didn’t like others to be brandishing their spears and swords before him. However, while the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar wasn’t here yet, the best way to test whether Zhang Xuan had improved was through Bai Xun.

He was aware of the fact that the latter had reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle.

With the same level of cultivation, he should be able to see whether Zhang Xuan’s strength had surged.

At this point, he raised his head and said, “I don’t have any objections if it is just ordinary sparring. However, don’t go too far!”

“Great!” Initially, Bai Xun thought that Master Lu Chen would object to it. However, contrary to his expectation, he approved. Bai Xun almost leapt up due to overwhelming excitement. With a delighted expression, he took two step towards the center of the lounge and with a cool pose, he beckoned Zhang Xuan. “Come!”

“Alright!”

Zhang Xuan had just completed his cultivation of Heaven’s Path Golden Body and he was curious to know how far his strength has progressed as well. Thus, he didn’t reject the other party’s challenge and walked over to the center of the lounge as well.

“The strength behind my fists are great, so be careful!” With hardened eyes, Bai Xun no longer had that gentlemanly look he usually had and replacing it was the aura of a powerful person unmatched by anyone.

As someone on the level of Fighter 5-dan pinnacle, in terms of strength, he was above even Shang Bin!

Huala!

After gathering his might, Bai Xun stepped forward. With his strength as a sword, the shockwave of his punch as a blade, he sent a jab straight towards Zhang Xuan.

To test his level of cultivation, Zhang Xuan didn’t bother to look at the flaws on Bai Xun compiled in the Library of Heaven’s Path and instead, he faced his fist with one of his own.

Hu!

The two fists connected midair and Zhang Xuan frowned.

“Why is the strength behind his fist so lacking? Could it be that he isn’t Fighter 5-dan pinnacle?”

Zhang Xuan’s fist went straight through the other party’s fist without slowing at all, completely overpowering him, as though a stone had met with a bubble.

Thinking that the other party wasn’t well-prepared and had yet to exert his full strength yet, Zhang Xuan quickly reduced his strength by half.

Even so, Bai Xun’s face paled and he was sent flying like a rubber ball. Sou! He only came to a stop when his back crashed onto a pillar forcefully.

“Why aren’t you using your full strength?”

Retracting his fist, Zhang Xuan walked forward and stretched out his hand to help the latter up.

“Don’t…”

Upon seeing this sight, Master Lu Chen’s eyes narrowed. He immediately tried to stop them, but he was too late.

Sou!

Bai Xun, who was pulled by the young man, flew away like a kite who had its string snapped. With a whistle of the wind, he flew in the air once again.

Paji!

After flying for a dozen meters, his face crashed into the wall and fresh blood spurted out from his mouth and nose.

“Wuuu….”

Bai Xun almost cried on the spot.

[Big brother, I know that I’m not a match for you, but you don’t have to be so merciless. My dashing features, my face…]

“Why are you…”

Seeing Bai Xun fly away with a pull of his, Zhang Xuan scratched his head with an innocent look.

[What are they doing?

First Master Lu Chen, and now Bai Xun. Is it really alright for the both of you to be leaping around?]

If the two of them were to know the thoughts that were running through his mind, they would have surely vomited blood on the spot out of depression.

[You are the one who is leaping around… We were thrown by you, alright…]

“This fellow…”

Standing by the side, Huang Yu’s eyebrows twitched and she found her head unable to cope.

Bai Xun could be considered one of the outstanding ones among the younger generation. Except for a few others, he was practically unmatched. This was precisely the reason why he cultivated a ‘competitive-but-reluctant-to-admit-defeat’ personality. He thought that the latter would not be able to match up to him in a duel, but never did he imagine that he would be sent flying in a single punch.

He lost thoroughly!

[This fellow looks ordinary, but how does he possess such overwhelming might?]

“Are you alright?” Unsure of what the others were thinking about, Zhang Xuan walked up to Bai Xun with an apologetic look.

“I’m fine…”

Bai Xun struggled upwards and patted the dust off his clothes.

As Fighter 5-dan who had tempered his bones and skin, small wounds like these did not pose a problem.

“Great. I realized that you have not used your full strength previously. How about this, let’s spar once more with you using your full strength….”

Zhang Xuan said with a serious expression.

“Again?”

Bai Xun’s face twitched and he almost cried.

[If we were to continue fighting, I might die here…]

He immediately waved his hand and said, “No need, master is indeed stronger than me. I don’t think there’s a need to continue sparring…”

“There’s no need to be courteous, it is just friendly sparring, so you don’t have to be so restrained. Also, don’t call me master, that sounds so distant…”

Zhang Xuan thought that the other party was acting cautiously due to his identity as Master Lu Chen’s peer, causing his reluctance to give his all in the spar, thus resulting in his weakness as perceived by Zhang Xuan.

When his cultivation had just reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle, he crossed blows with Yao Han, and the latter gave him a lot of pressure through his formidable strength. Yao Han’s cultivation realm was higher than Bai Xun, but as there wasn’t too much of a difference between the two, he thought that it would be the same as when he faced him. Yet, Bai Xun was sent flying with a single fist. Finding it unbelievable, he attributed it to him not exerting his full strength.

Otherwise, with his 8 ding of strength, it was impossible for him to send a Fighter 5-dan pinnacle who possessed 4 ding of strength flying with a single fist.

“Spar?”

Bai Xun trembled in fear. [You call this sparring? With just that single fist of yours, I almost ascended to the heavens, you know that?

Besides, as a fellow peer of Grandpa Lu Chen, what do I call you if not master?]

A thought flashed through his mind and his face twitched, seemingly on the verge of tears. “Since you said that it feels distant calling you master, then why don’t I call you grandpa? Grandpa Zhang, I admit my mistake, okay? I shouldn’t have been so hostile towards you, so I beg of you… Stop asking me to spar with you!”

“The Strength Measuring Rock Pillar is here!” At this moment, Uncle Cheng walked over and saw such a sight unfolding before him. Upon hearing Bai Xun’s shouting plea, he became petrified on the spot. “What?”