Chapter 212: The Mentor Evaluation Is Here!

"Senior Brother?"

The three renowned mentors' mouths twitched, and their bodies swayed.

This change was too sudden.

Earlier, they had wanted to take him as an apprentice, but now he had transformed into their senior brother.

Call a young man under twenty their senior brother?

The three renowned mentors felt dizzy; no matter how they thought about it, it seemed strange.

However, the strangeness vanished from their faces in an instant, replaced by excitement and elation.

"Does Master Yang mean... he is willing to accept us?"

Liu Ling reacted, trembling with excitement. On his face, which could squeeze a mosquito to death, wrinkles piled up like a chrysanthemum.

Master Yang asking them to address Zhang Xuan as senior brother—wasn't that indirectly saying he would take them as students?

"Thank you, Master Yang, for your kindness!"

Zhuang Xian and Zheng Fei were more direct, immediately kneeling and prostrating.

Although the other party had not explicitly stated it, his attitude was not opposed. If they didn't act quickly and he changed his mind, wouldn't they die of regret?

"These two fellows..."

Seeing his old friends so quick, Liu Ling hurriedly followed suit, kneeling and bowing.

Zhang Xuan did not turn around, his expression calm: "Becoming my disciple, I will naturally help you advance. However, I am used to being a free spirit and won't stay here long before leaving. Although Zhang Xuan has received my true teachings, he is too young and his cultivation too shallow. You may need to look after him a bit."

"Rest assured, Master. Since we have entered the sect, we will naturally abide by its rules. Zhang Xuan is our senior brother; as long as it is within our power, we will do our utmost."

Liu Ling and the others declared.

When a mentor takes disciples, certain rules are followed.

Direct disciples are automatically one rank higher. That is, even if a direct disciple is very young, they are still considered senior brothers to the teaching disciples. Although it sounds strange, it is common in the Mentor Hall and not unusual.

Since they had decided to become disciples of Master Yang, they had to abide by the rules. Zhang Xuan was their senior brother, and as junior brothers, they would not be stingy with help if they could.

"Mm, practice your boxing."

Having confirmed the master-disciple relationship, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

"Yes!"

Knowing that Master Yang intended to give them guidance, they excitedly stood up. The room was filled with the sound of boxing winds as the three began to display their martial skills.

After an unknown amount of time, the three clasped their fists and took their leave. Although their cultivation was still at the half-step grandmaster level and they had not broken through, their faces were filled with irrepressible excitement.

In fact, Zhang Xuan could have directly helped the three break through, but if he did, his pure true qi would be exposed, and his low cultivation level would also be revealed. Not being able to play the role of a master was a minor issue, but trouble would surely follow.

After careful consideration, he only pointed out the flaws in their cultivation.

In his words, pointing out flaws and letting them find a way to break through on their own was also a test for them. As one-star mentors, if they couldn't break through knowing these things, it would be a matter of talent, and he would consider whether to accept them as students.

Hearing this, the three renowned mentors dared not say anything more. They carefully memorized the flaws he pointed out, afraid of making a mistake.

However, knowing these cultivation misconceptions, given their insight and understanding of cultivation, breaking through the realm was indeed only a matter of time.

"Master, Emperor Shen Zhui is waiting outside."

Having arranged for the three great masters, Zhang Xuan was about to rest when Sun Qiang stepped forward again.

"He's here? Could it be..." Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. "Let him in!"

"Master Yang!"

Before long, His Majesty Shen Zhui entered, clasped his fists and bowed, looking at the middle-aged man before him with fervent admiration and worship.

The old ancestor was on the verge of death, about to breathe his last at any moment, yet he could be saved and even successfully break through—such methods were probably beyond even a two-star master.

Perhaps... the person before him was a three-star master, or even higher.

Such a person was not someone that even the king of a first-rate kingdom could meet on a whim, let alone the ruler of a backwater kingdom like himself.

"Reporting to Master Yang, the Tongxuan realm secret manuals you asked me to find—I have mostly gathered them..."

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Treating Shen Hong, the condition for exchange was to have him collect books. Several days had passed, and with the influence of the royal family, gathering several thousand books should not be difficult.

"Please take a look, Master Yang!"

With a flip of his palm, several thousand books were neatly laid out before him, densely packed into a large pile.

It seemed that knowing he would need them, he had brought them all.

"Mm."

Approaching, he casually picked up a few books, flipped through them quickly, then put them down and continued flipping.

His Majesty Shen Zhui had initially found it strange why such a formidable master would want Tongxuan realm secret manuals, but seeing this, he grew even more puzzled.

If he opened them to read, it could be understood as studying, but not even opening them, just brushing through with his hand... what was he doing?

Though curious, he dared not ask and obediently stood still.

Rustle, rustle!

Without stopping, Zhang Xuan soon finished flipping through the thousands of secret manuals.

Although these manuals were quite ordinary among Tongxuan realm techniques and not particularly profound, their quantity made up for it, and for someone with the Library of Heaven's Path like him, they were perfect.

"Correct!"

With a thought, a book appeared in his mind.

Tongxuan Realm Heavenly Path Technique!

"Alright, you can take them away."

He waved his hand casually.

The library had already recorded all these books, so keeping them was useless.

"This..."

His Majesty Shen Zhui was taken aback.

He had spent no small effort to gather these secret manuals, thinking that Master Yang would at least glance through them, but he had merely run his hand over them and that was it...

"Are these manuals too crude and unsightly? If so, I'll go look for more..."

After hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help saying.

"No need. I've already read these books; you can take them back." Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"F... finished reading?"

Shen Zhui almost fell over.

You... you... read what?

Just flicked through these books a few times, and you're done... Do you have eyes on your hands?

"Yes!"

Frustrated to the point of vomiting blood, but not daring to ask more, he gathered the books scattered on the floor into his storage ring, then cupped his fists: "Then I'll take my leave..."

"Mm!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Leaving the residence without pause, he returned directly to the palace.

"Did you give the books to Master Yang?"

Ancestor Shen Hong approached.

"I did, but... he didn't take them, and... brought them back!" Shen Zhui still looked baffled.

"Brought them back? Is Master Yang dissatisfied?"

"No..."

"Then did he read them?"

"He didn't read them either..."

"Didn't read? Then what does he want these books for?" Shen Hong was puzzled.

"He just... just... flicked through them..."

"Flicked?"

Shen Hong blinked.

If you said he wanted a few beauties and flicked them a few times, that would be understandable, but flicking through a few books?

"The ways of the exalted... we truly don't understand..."

After a long while, the two finally flushed red and came to a conclusion.

...

After Shen Zhui left, Zhang Xuan told Sun Qiang he would see no one, then turned and walked back to his room.

"Cultivation!"

He opened the newly formed seventh-level Heavenly Path cultivation technique and read it.

"When acupoints open, the meridians throughout the body connect, all become unobstructed, and true qi flows without hindrance—this is called Tongxuan..."

Lines of text entered his mind.

Having gathered thousands of secret manuals, the Heavenly Path divine art formed this time was no different from before, flawless. Zhang Xuan read and cultivated simultaneously.

Pure true qi swirled within his body, circulating unceasingly according to the special cultivation method recorded.

Boom!

With just one cycle, the bottleneck of the Acupoint Opening realm instantly shattered. Vast spiritual energy from heaven and earth poured down madly, centered on his body, while his internal true qi and power surged wildly.

Tongxuan realm initial stage!

Tongxuan realm mid stage!

...

Before long, his power reached fullness again, and his strength peaked at the Tongxuan realm巅峰!

"As cultivation increases, the speed of progress indeed slows..."

Feeling his power at its peak, unable to advance further, Zhang Xuan stopped.

In the Acupoint Opening realm, because each acupoint required deduction, it took considerable time and couldn't be calculated. In the Lifting Force realm, he had cultivated the complete Heavenly Path technique, which took about an hour. And now...

"It took an extra ten minutes. It seems the further one cultivates, the harder it gets!"

Zhang Xuan sighed with earnest gravity.

If anyone knew his thoughts, they would probably want to strangle him.

An extra ten minutes—that's called getting harder?

For others, going from Tongxuan initial stage to peak, even for the most brilliant genius with countless treasures, ten years of hard work would be impossible. But you, in just over an hour, an extra ten minutes, and you feel the cultivation speed is slow...

Damn, why don't you just die!

"Let's see how much power I have..."

After sighing, Zhang Xuan got up, went to the strength-testing stone pillar, and punched it.

Hum!

A line of numbers slowly appeared.

"600 ding!"

Zhang Xuan's face lit up with joy.

At the peak of the Acupoint Opening realm, he had opened 108 acupoints, increasing his strength by 108 ding. Adding the previous 20 ding, his true qi power totaled 128 ding.

Now, breaking through, it had directly increased several times.

Normally, Tongxuan initial stage is 100 ding, mid stage 200, late stage 300, and peak 400.

600 ding was already comparable to a half-step grandmaster.

A grandmaster-level expert has full strength, able to unleash a thousand ding of force with a casual move. Between 400 and 1000 ding, one can be called a half-step grandmaster.

600 ding, plus the 90 ding from his physical body, gave nearly 700 ding of immense power, placing him among the top even among half-step grandmasters.

"Now I have some ability to protect myself!"

With such formidable power, combined with the Heavenly Path Library's ability to see flaws, Zhang Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Ever since discovering the poison in his body, the shadow of someone wanting to kill him had lingered in his mind.

Without strength, if the other party made a move, he couldn't resist. Now that his power rivaled a half-step grandmaster, his mind finally steadied somewhat.

After consolidating his cultivation for a while, fully adapting to the newly broken-through power, he finally left the room.

Unnoticed, a night had passed. Outside, sunlight slowly rose from the eastern sky, casting rays that illuminated the surroundings in peace.

"It's already dawn..."

Looking at the rising sun before him, Zhang Xuan knew that the new student competition and teacher evaluation he had waited half a month for...

had finally arrived!