Chapter 1158: Heart-Tempering Bridge

"The Sage Zhang Clan?" Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

Back then, Wu Shi and President Han had told him that the little princess of the Luo Clan was betrothed to a major sage clan... and that clan was the Sage Zhang Clan.

For this reason, the mere mention of the name made him extremely uncomfortable.

In other matters, he could remain as calm as still water, undisturbed by any waves, but in this matter, he absolutely could not.

If it weren't for this, he wouldn't have beaten Feng Xun twice upon hearing his confession back then.

"Indeed! However, I'm only speculating; I can't be certain." Mu Shi nodded.

"That doesn't seem right!" Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Since the Saint Son Hall accommodates descendants of sage clans, members of the Zhang Clan should be able to enter directly. Why would they come to Qingyuan Empire to compete for this single slot?"

"The Saint Son Hall is indeed more lenient toward sage clans than toward empires. A titled empire's Master Teacher Academy usually has only one slot, while a sage clan has at least ten. For a behemoth like the Zhang Clan, they probably get at least thirty slots each year..."

Mu Shi nodded and continued, "However, for such a large clan, thirty slots cannot cover all the geniuses. At most, they can ensure that core descendants with pure bloodlines can enter, while the collateral descendants have no chance..."

"So these people often scatter to the subordinate titled empires to compete for slots. Once they enter the Saint Son Hall, they can obtain the best resources and the most excellent inheritance. For the collateral members of a large clan, this is definitely the best opportunity to change their fate, and no one would give it up..."

"So they come here? With them around, wouldn't the geniuses of the titled empires lose their chance?"

Zhang Xuan was displeased.

A titled empire had only one slot, and if someone else came and took it, wouldn't the former lose out?

"The strong prey on the weak; there's no helping it. If the genius of a titled empire could surpass him, they wouldn't dare to act recklessly. But if they can't, they can only watch helplessly as the slot is taken away, powerless to do anything."

Mu Shi shook his head.

No matter where, as long as the Master Teacher Academy exists, even sage clans dare not go too far.

But if your genius is inferior to mine, then sorry.

The Saint Son Hall only wants the strongest. If you're inferior, you're inferior; no amount of talk will help.

"That's true..." Zhang Xuan nodded.

It was like the selection for the War Teacher Hall. The students from their Hongyuan Empire had strong combat power, so they were naturally all selected. The other three academies had to undergo survival of the fittest, and many who had been promising lost their qualifications.

Cultivation was that cruel.

However, with the Master Teacher Academy in place, many rules were fair. Even those of ordinary status could rise as long as they had enough talent, like him... He was just an orphan from Tianxuan Kingdom, yet through his own efforts, he had come this far, even becoming the dean of the Master Teacher Academy.

"This Zhang Jiuxiao, though only a collateral member of the Zhang Clan, is indeed terrifyingly talented. At just twenty-seven this year, he has already reached the level of a 7-star intermediate master teacher and the peak of Saint Realm Triple. He crushes all the master teachers of Qingyuan Empire's Master Teacher Academy, so naturally, he secured the slot."

Mu Shi sighed, "In truth, the status of collateral members in large clans is not high, and the resources they can enjoy are limited. To reach this level at such an age, setting aside some of his bloodline abilities, his talent and hard work are truly admirable."

"Hmm!" Zhang Xuan felt the same.

Indeed, no matter how talented a person is, if they don't work hard enough, it's all in vain.

Take him, for example. He had cultivated painstakingly for nearly a year and only reached this level. The hardships along the way were beyond words, not something to be shared with outsiders.

"I definitely want to go to the Saint Son Hall. How can I obtain this slot?"

Zhang Xuan looked over.

Since Luo Ruoxin was in the Saint Son Hall, he had to go, no matter what method he used, he had to secure the slot.

"There's only one chance. Twenty days from now, the Saint Son Hall will send a special envoy to escort the geniuses there. If before that, your strength can reach the peak of Saint Realm Triple, you successfully become a 7-star master teacher, and your talents surpass Zhang Jiuxiao's in every aspect, you will naturally qualify. I know time may be tight, but there's no other choice..."

Mu Shi said.

"Twenty days?" Zhang Xuan nodded. "Alright!"

If it were only two or three days, it might be tight, but twenty days was more than enough for him.

"Alright?" Mu Shi looked at him doubtfully. "If I remember correctly, your strength should be only at the peak of Saint Realm One, right? That's a full two major levels away from the third..."

"Oh, I accidentally broke through to the peak of Saint Realm Two last night!"

Zhang Xuan smiled.

He hadn't deliberately revealed his cultivation, so even Mu Shi couldn't tell. Now, after speaking, he let a hint of it slip.

"Accidentally? Peak of Saint Realm Two...?" Mu Shi's mouth twitched, and he choked for a long time before recovering, unable to help but sigh, "Teacher Zhang's talent is truly remarkable!"

At Qiuwu Palace, the other party was only at the peak of Saint Realm One, and in just one month, he had increased by an entire major level. The speed of progress was astonishing.

"But if it's only this, I'm afraid it's still not enough... Not to mention that Saint Realm Triple, the Fetal Infant Realm, is vastly different from the Divine Sense Realm. Even with talent, perfectly fusing the soul and the primordial infant might take several years to accomplish."

Mu Shi was not optimistic.

After reaching the Saint Domain, each level was like a separate heaven. Even the most talented would spend who knows how much time to make a little progress. Breaking through in twenty days, to be honest... was a bit of a stretch.

"Most crucially, Zhang Jiuxiao is not an ordinary peak Saint Realm Triple; his accumulation is extremely solid, and he can fight above his level. Even ordinary Saint Realm Four experts find it hard to defeat him. Even I, having broken through, would have only a fifty-fifty chance of winning..." Mu Shi sighed.

He was once a core member of the Mu Clan, and precisely because of this, he was expelled from the clan for leaking cultivation techniques. After breaking through to the Fourth Realm, he could only match the other's peak Third Realm, which showed how formidable the latter was.

"You have a fifty-fifty chance against him?"

Zhang Xuan frowned. "Mu Shi, could you test my strength?"

"Test?" Understanding his intention, Mu Shi smiled and led him to a training ground in the Master Teacher Academy. He crossed his arms over his chest, standing with his feet neither together nor apart. "You can make your move. You just broke through yesterday, so your cultivation probably hasn't been fully consolidated yet. Don't worry, I won't use full strength. I'll just let you experience the terror of a Primordial Spirit realm expert..."

Whoosh!

Before Mu Shi could finish his words, he saw a figure suddenly appear before him, followed by a fist flying straight toward his chest.

"Huh?"

Not expecting the other party to be so fast, his eyebrows twitched. Mu Shi gathered all his strength to resist, but then felt an overwhelming pressure assaulting his soul.

Bang!

Before he could react, his entire body was sent flying, straight out of the training ground. His back slammed heavily against the wall, and he coughed up mouthfuls of blood.

Then, the young man's apologetic voice rang in his ears: "Sorry, Mu Shi, are you alright? I was very restrained; I only used one-fifth of my strength..."

"Pfft!"

His face turned pale, and he spat out another mouthful of blood. Mu Shi nearly fainted on the spot.

In that instant, he really doubted whether he was facing a peak Saint Realm Four expert, not a Second Realm one.

With this kind of strength, even five of him would be no match.

Hastily peeling Mu Shi off the wall, Zhang Xuan was full of apology and also puzzled: "Is that Zhang Jiuxiao you mentioned only this strong?"

"Cough, cough!"

Coughing up another mouthful of blood, Mu Shi's face reddened.

Although the Mu Clan's techniques were not good at combat, he was once a core disciple who had received the true inheritance, so his combat power was much stronger than others at the same level... Yet he couldn't even withstand one punch from the other party and ended up plastered on the wall.

Just thinking about it was heartbreaking.

"Actually, Zhang Jiuxiao's strength is slightly better than mine... However, with your combat power, even if you haven't broken through, it should be enough!"

After a long time recovering his vitality, Mu Shi said somewhat awkwardly.

Being so powerful at just Saint Realm Two, once he broke through, even Zhang Jiuxiao, a member of the Zhang Clan, would find it hard to contend.

"Besides the requirements for strength and master teacher rank, what other assessments does the Saint Son Hall conduct? Why don't you continue to spar with me, Mu Shi..." Zhang Xuan said.

"No need!" His face changed, and Mu Shi quickly shook his head.

Just testing his strength nearly got him killed. He was afraid that if they continued, a heart demon would arise, shattering his newly restored confidence.

"You need to take the 7-star master teacher examination as soon as possible. The Saint Son Hall's minimum requirement is to reach this level... If you can't, no matter how strong your combat power, it's useless!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

His biggest goal in these two days was to successfully pass the 7-star master teacher examination.

Even without the other party's reminder, he would work hard.

"I've said all I need to say. I still have to travel, so I'll take my leave now."

After finishing, Mu Shi didn't say more and turned to leave hastily.

To be honest, the longer he spent with this guy, the more blows he received. He was really afraid that his hard-earned confidence would be shattered.

"Uh..."

Unexpectedly, Mu Shi left without any hesitation, not dragging things out. Zhang Xuan shook his head, walked out of the training ground, and continued toward Wu Shi's residence.

"Teacher Zhang, go for it!"

"Teacher Zhang, we believe you can set a new record..."

Before he had gone far, he heard a series of frenzied screams.

Pushing through the crowd, Zhang Xuan looked over and saw a long stone bridge before him.

A man was standing on the stone bridge, sweat pouring from his head, as if enduring great hardship.

It was none other than Zhang Jiuxiao, the descendant of the Sage Zhang Clan.

"What is he doing?"

Zhang Xuan asked, puzzled.

"Crossing the Heart-Tempering Bridge!"

A master teacher nearby replied.