Chapter 2027 Could He Be Zhang Xuan?

"Of course!" nodded Qiu Xiao, the sect master.

Many of the secret manuals in the Seven Star Pavilion were available for sale, and as an elder, or even a future sect master, it was naturally permissible to view them.

"Then there's no problem. I agree..."

Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

If the other party could help him reach the Immortal Lord realm as soon as possible, all problems would be solved.

After all, he was also an elder at the Lingyun Sword Pavilion and had served as the sect master of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

Anyway, he was currently in disguise; at worst, he could have his clone impersonate the original.

As long as it wasn't the sect master... an ordinary elder would be no big deal!

Seeing him agree, Qiu Xiao, the sect master, breathed a sigh of relief.

The remaining matters involved the secrets of the Seven Star Pavilion, so the elder from the Divine Communication Hall naturally couldn't stay long and took his leave.

After he left, Qiu Xiao, the sect master, turned his wrist, and a jade bottle appeared in his palm: "This is an Immortal Lord-grade Barrier-Breaking Pill, which can increase your chances of breaking through to Immortal Lord by twenty percent! I see you've already reached the peak of True Immortal. As long as you're prepared, breaking through now shouldn't be difficult!"

Breaking through to Immortal Lord—though it only increased the chances by twenty percent—was immensely effective for many people.

Moreover, the other party was invincible at the same level, indicating an extraordinary understanding of martial techniques and cultivation methods.

For someone like that, with this pill, breaking through was practically a sure thing!

"Thank you!"

Taking the jade bottle, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Though he had never seen one before, he had read many books and knew the value of such a Barrier-Breaking Pill.

A single pill was worth no less than an Immortal Lord-grade weapon!

Giving away such a precious medicine casually was no small favor.

It seemed he would have to put his heart into the duel the other party had arranged.

"You're welcome! There's also a meditation chamber made of Heart-Calming Stone in the sect, where one can cultivate without mental demons and break through more easily... If Elder Liu needs it, I can take you there now..."

Qiu Xiao, the sect master, continued.

"That won't be necessary... I just have some doubts about my cultivation. I only need to read some books to resolve them and break through smoothly. May I ask... where is the Seven Star Pavilion's library? Can I go and take a look?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Cultivating the Heavenly Dao technique, he had no mental demons and thus wouldn't suffer backlash.

The only time it had occurred, it was shattered by the pendant Luo Ruoxin had given him.

Therefore, a meditation chamber made of Heart-Calming Stone was useless to him; going or not going made no difference.

"Reading?"

Thinking that the man before him would immediately take the pill and seize the chance to break through, Qiu Xiao, the sect master, was surprised to hear he wanted to read to resolve his doubts. He couldn't help but nod with approval.

Able to resist breaking through and find the most suitable method... No wonder he was so powerful at the same level!

It seemed his earlier worries had been unnecessary.

"Great Elder, take Elder Liu there. If necessary, he can also view the hidden books."

"Yes!" nodded the Great Elder.

The Seven Star Pavilion not only had its own collection of books but also some that were auctioned or sold. Because of this, their library was extremely rich.

However, many of the books for sale involved other sects or secret techniques, and disciples or elders were not allowed to peruse them for fear of mistakes.

But this man had such a firm resolve; letting him take a look wouldn't hurt.

Stones from other hills can polish jade; perhaps he could seize the opportunity to break through to Immortal Lord!

The library was in the Celestial Pivot Hall. Following the Great Elder, he entered directly.

"Feel free to look around. I'll head back first!"

With that, the Great Elder turned and left.

Zhang Xuan looked up.

This library was more spacious than that of the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, with more books and a dazzling array of techniques, not as monotonous as those of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect or the Sword Pavilion.

Soon, he absorbed all the books on the first floor into his mind.

Then the second floor, the third floor.

Three hours later, all the books in the entire library were stored in his library.

"There are some soul cultivation techniques for the True Immortal realm here, but... they are far from the Heavenly Dao level!"

Finding a quiet room, he sat down and carefully sorted through the books he had just collected.

The Seven Star Pavilion's techniques were quite varied, with hundreds of books focusing on the soul, but they still couldn't piece together the Heavenly Dao level.

As for Immortal Lord techniques, though more numerous than those in the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and Lingyun Sword Pavilion, there were only about thirty, still far from the Heavenly Dao.

"It seems I still can't break through in the short term..."

Rubbing his temples, Zhang Xuan felt a bit frustrated.

It seemed he would have to go to the Star Chasing Palace.

...

While Zhang Xuan was reading, the atmosphere in the Celestial Pivot Hall was oppressive.

"Does the sect master intend to have this outsider fight for me against the other sects?" Elder Hongwu's face was grim. "I won't accept it!"

"You fought in the Divine Communication Hall and couldn't even withstand a single move from the opponent. What is there to refuse?"

Qiu Xiao, the sect master, frowned.

"He's not a member of our Seven Star Pavilion. Why should he get the once-in-a-century quota for the entire sect?"

Elder Hongwu shook his head. "This man calls himself Liu Yang, but his identity and background are all a mystery. We can't find anything. What if he's a disguised expert from the Divine Hall? Wouldn't we be slapping our own faces? No, I must teach him a lesson and make him reveal his true purpose..."

After learning that the man's real name was Liu Yang, he had sent people to investigate, but so far, no useful information had turned up!

It was as if this person had appeared out of thin air!

Under normal circumstances, a peak True Immortal with such formidable combat power couldn't be unknown.

Not being able to find out anything was truly unsettling.

After all, the Heavenly Communication Bridge concerned the sect's direction for the next hundred years. If anything went wrong, it was uncertain whether the Seven Star Pavilion could remain among the six great sects.

"I've fought with experts from the Divine Hall, and his techniques and martial skills are not theirs!"

Qiu Xiao, the sect master, shook his head. "However, the name Liu Yang should be fake. I've already asked the Great Elder to investigate based on his appearance. We should have news soon."

If the other party could think of it, so could he.

Letting him replace Elder Hongwu at the Heavenly Communication Bridge was equivalent to confirming his status as sect master in advance, so caution was necessary.

Whoosh!

Just as he finished speaking, the Great Elder entered the room again.

"How is it?"

Qiu Xiao, the sect master, looked over.

"I've sent the message to all branches of the Seven Star Pavilion, but no genius with the same appearance and soul aura as this Liu Yang has been found!" reported the Great Elder with a bow.

The Seven Star Pavilion, unlike the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, operated like a trading company, with countless branches across the continent.

Cultivators could purchase treasures, techniques, and the like there!

Because of this, their sources of information were extremely broad.

"Nothing?" Qiu Xiao, the sect master, frowned. "What about the appearances and soul auras of Sect Master Zhang Xuan and Sect Master Zheng Yang?"

"Here..."

The Great Elder took out a jade token and handed it over.

Qiu Xiao, the sect master, lightly brushed his finger over it, and two figures appeared—Zhang Xuan and his disguised form as Zheng Yang!

Zhang Xuan had spent a long time at the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, so it was understandable that his appearance and soul aura could be found. But at the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, he had spent less than a day in total, with few people seeing him, yet the other party had still managed to find him... The Seven Star Pavilion's information-gathering ability was indeed terrifyingly powerful!

"Does the sect master suspect... that this Liu Yang might be Sect Master Zhang Xuan or Sect Master Zheng Yang in disguise?"

Seeing him scrutinizing carefully, the Great Elder couldn't help but ask.

Qiu Xiao, the sect master, nodded.

"Sect Master Zhang Xuan is at the peak of True Immortal, which matches Liu Yang. However, he comprehends the Sword Intent of the Gods and is exceptionally skilled in swordsmanship... This man defeated us easily with just his bare hands, with no trace of sword intent in his moves. He shouldn't be the same person, right?"

The Great Elder frowned. "As for... Sect Master Zheng Yang, according to reports, he is at the peak of Immortal Lord, which is why he could easily tame the Flood Dragon and the Nine-Headed Fire Phoenix Beast... That doesn't match this Liu Yang at all! Moreover, I specifically observed that the soul auras of the three are not similar in any way..."

He didn't understand why the sect master would suspect this.

Clearly, they were completely different.

"In the Fallen Sky City, there grows a grass called [Transformation Grass]. After consuming it, one can not only change skin color and appearance but also make the soul aura completely different!" said Qiu Xiao, the sect master. "I've seen it once, but I couldn't obtain it!"

"Does the sect master suspect... that this Liu Yang has consumed Transformation Grass?" The Great Elder was stunned.

"Not exactly. I'm just saying that completely different appearances and soul auras don't necessarily mean they aren't the same person!" Qiu Xiao, the sect master, frowned. "I just find it a bit strange."

"Strange?"

"The Lingyun Sword Pavilion just found a sect master who comprehended the Sword Intent of the Gods, and then the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect suddenly produced an unparalleled genius whose taming skills surpassed even the founding ancestor, and who could even modify taming techniques unchanged for thousands of years... Then our Seven Star Pavilion abruptly produces someone invincible at the True Immortal realm, unbeatable by anyone..."

Qiu Xiao, the sect master, shook his head. "Don't you think... these geniuses are appearing too strangely?"

The Great Elder was taken aback.

He hadn't noticed before, but now that it was mentioned, it was indeed the case.

Normally, a genius of this level appearing once every few hundred years would be remarkable. But in just over ten days, three had appeared...

It was indeed abnormal.

"Does the sect master also find him suspicious?"

Elder Hongwu's eyes lit up upon hearing the sect master's words.

He had thought the sect master was getting a bit senile, treating someone he had just met so well. Now it seemed he was still as wise as ever.

At least, he hadn't thought of these things.

"It's not that I find him suspicious..."

Qiu Xiao, the sect master, shook his head. "I just inquired in detail with the elder from the Divine Communication Hall. Initially, this Liu Yang wanted to rent a flying immortal beast to quickly reach the Star Chasing Sea. It was only after the elder's introduction that he decided to travel with us. The Divine Communication Hall wanted to make a profit and set a high price. Because he didn't have enough money, he went to participate in the open tournament challenge! So, his challenge wasn't to attract our attention, nor did he have any other intentions toward the Seven Star Pavilion. Moreover... from my observation, when we fought him, he didn't know that the people he killed were ours."

"This..." The Great Elder and Elder Hongwu were both speechless.

Not knowing who they were, so... he killed them one by one?