Chapter 1746: Sorting

The newcomer was none other than Zhang Xuan.

Seeing what these master teachers were doing, he was truly baffled.

Master teachers do not revere ghosts and gods, nor do they investigate causes and effects. Yet now they were performing sacrifices just like the spirit tribe. What puzzled him most was that, from their tone, leaving seemed to be connected to these actions. Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, he flew out.

With his demonic saber having advanced, he was unafraid even of ancient sages from the spirit tribe, so there was no need to conceal his identity. Thus, this time he did not disguise himself.

However, the master teachers before him seemed not to recognize him, and they looked at him warily.

Thinking about it, he understood. Almost everyone who could enter the Confucian Temple ruins were supreme elders who had been in seclusion for years in their respective factions. These people had been out of touch with the world for a long time; although Zhang Xuan had caused quite a stir, they were unaware of it.

"I am also a master teacher!"

Seeing their wariness, Zhang Xuan had no choice but to smile and pin his badge on his chest.

"Oh, so you are one too. How did you end up alone?"

Seeing the badge, the group relaxed. The master teacher who had just won looked over.

"I got lost in cultivation and lost track of time..." Zhang Xuan said.

"This place records countless powerful techniques, enough to dazzle anyone. It's easy to get immersed. But cultivating alone without falling into demonic possession—you're quite lucky!" the winning master teacher said with a smile.

After chatting for a while, Zhang Xuan learned that the winning master teacher was named Mu Xu, from the Wood Clan of the Five Elements Clans.

He had been in seclusion for three hundred years and had just come out, knowing nothing.

Even when Zhang Xuan revealed his real name, he showed little reaction.

"Just now, I saw you all practicing techniques, performing sacrifices, and then figures appeared on the wall... What's going on?"

After talking for a bit and getting familiar, Zhang Xuan asked the question that had been bothering him.

"The stones in this stone forest are masterpieces of nature, containing countless martial techniques and cultivation methods, as you must have seen," Mu Xu explained. "However, these techniques are chaotic and disorderly. To fully learn them, you need to find the correct order, awaken the imprints of the ancestors hidden in the stones, and merge the techniques with your inner energy. Then you can break through this world and enter the corresponding branch hall!"

"Enter the branch hall?"

Zhang Xuan was startled.

This was the first time he had heard such words from master teachers trapped in various worlds.

"Yes, some have already succeeded. We're relatively slow; we haven't managed it yet..." Mu Xu said with a wry smile.

"You mean... someone has entered the branch hall? Do you know what this so-called branch hall is?" Zhang Xuan looked at him.

"It's called the Sage Relic Hall, containing the relics of Confucius and the Seventy-Two Sages. These stone forests are the techniques and scriptures they left behind. Entering the branch hall should allow one to obtain their inheritance... So we've been working hard to find the pattern. Since you're here too, join us. If we find the order of techniques in this stone forest, we can enter the branch hall like the others!"

Mu Xu said.

Zhang Xuan understood.

The method to enter the branch hall in this stone forest was different from other worlds.

In other worlds, you find the exit, break the space above it, and discover it. Here, you need to find the pattern of techniques left in the stone forest.

"With so many stones, how can we possibly study them all..."

Knowing the method to enter the branch hall, Zhang Xuan was no longer anxious but asked in confusion.

There were tens of thousands of stones around. To examine them all and arrange the order—wouldn't that be exhausting?

"The stones are divided into zones. A stone with a smooth surface like this contains the relic shadow of an ancestor. Within the shadow's coverage, there are about ten thousand stones. Some of them have visible forms containing techniques, but some are plain stones. About a thousand stones contain techniques. Then we find the pattern among these stones!"

Mu Xu explained.

Zhang Xuan was enlightened.

On his way here, he had noticed that not all stones contained techniques, but he hadn't counted them carefully. He hadn't expected the ratio to be nine to one.

This narrowed the scope considerably, reducing the workload.

"Time is precious. Let's get to studying!"

After chatting for a while, Mu Xu said no more. He took out a treasured sword and began carving on the ground, seemingly searching for some pattern.

Seeing everyone engrossed in heated discussion, Zhang Xuan leaped onto a tall rock and looked around.

With the reminder, he indeed noticed that the surrounding stones were arranged in a pattern centered on this flat stone. Among them, the stones containing human martial arts movements numbered exactly one thousand.

"Flaws!"

With a thought, the images of the many stones imprinted into his mind, forming a book.

He then looked at the hundreds of permutations the master teachers had carved on the ground.

Whoosh!

All the information converged and merged perfectly. Zhang Xuan gently opened the book.

"Forty-seven flaws..."

He identified these forty-seven flaws, rearranged the order to reduce them to forty-five, and after more than ten adjustments, finally achieved a flawless sequence.

"It seems this order is correct."

Relieved, Zhang Xuan looked at the others again.

By now, Mu Xu and the others seemed to have each derived a correct sequence and were arguing heatedly.

"No more talk. Let's compete! Whoever's sequence is stronger is the right one!"

Mu Xu waved his hand.

"Alright!"

Everyone nodded and was about to spar when Zhang Xuan, who had been observing from afar, flew over. "Everyone, I've also found a sequence. It feels right. Can I join?"

"Don't cause trouble. You just got here; what pattern could you have found? We've been stuck here for eight or nine hours and haven't found the correct one!"

Mu Xu frowned.

"Young man, be humble. Don't aim too high. You should observe and learn more before showing off!"

"We're competing to see whose sequence is more correct. Go rest over there. Come back when you understand what these stones represent!"

"With so many stones, each representing different techniques, how many can you recognize? How many can you memorize? Without that, how can you sort them?"

...

The other master teachers also waved him off.

They had studied for so long and were still confused. A newcomer wanted to join? What a joke!

"I..."

Unexpectedly rejected, Zhang Xuan shook his head with a wry smile.

But thinking about it, he understood. He had only been here for five or six minutes. For an ordinary master teacher, even remembering the shapes of a thousand stones would be difficult, let alone correctly sorting them and finding a proper cultivation technique.

"Ignore him. Let's continue our discussion..."

Dismissing him, Mu Xu called the others to resume their competition with the newly deduced sequences. Before they could finish, they suddenly felt energy fluctuations nearby. The young man who had just arrived had somehow activated the flat stone on one side, and a shadowy figure appeared before them.