Chapter 2228: Kong Shi Meets Zhang Xuan

"Zhang Xuan? Challenging the hall master? He's here to pick a fight..."

"Picking a fight at the Master Teacher Hall—courting death!"

"Wait, he said his name is Zhang Xuan. Which Zhang Xuan? Could it be... the one behind the Beauty Pill?"

"In the divine realm, there seems to be only one famous one..."

"I heard that a few days ago, at Linglong Heaven, he just killed the God King Baiye Qinghong..."

...

An uproar ensued.

Several master teachers who had been about to rush over and rebuke him shrank back, unable to utter a word upon hearing that even God King Baiye Qinghong was no match.

To be able to slay a titled God King, regardless of the means used, his strength was unimaginably fearsome.

"I am the hall master of the Master Teacher Hall. Please, Master Zhang, this way!"

A figure emerged from within the hall—a white-bearded elder.

His cultivation was extremely profound, having reached the God King realm, just like Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan nodded and followed him into the inner hall.

After walking for a while, with no one else around, the elder stopped: "I already know your purpose, Master Zhang. I will take you to see the Great Emperor now."

"You know I want to see the Tianzong Great Emperor?" Zhang Xuan was startled.

He had thought he would need to fight to force the other party to lead him there, but unexpectedly, the elder spoke these words upon their first meeting.

"The Emperor has already instructed me. As long as you come, I am to take you directly to him..." The hall master of the Master Teacher Hall smiled faintly, and with a wave of his hand, a teleportation array appeared before them.

"Let's go!" With that, he stepped into the array, and Zhang Xuan and Luo Qiqi followed closely.

Hum!

With a flash of light, they appeared on a mountain range shrouded in mist.

A magnificent palace came into view, and on the central seat sat an elder, poised with a benevolent expression.

It was Kong Shi!

Flanking him stood several God Kings and titled God Kings.

Zhang Xuan looked over and his brows jumped.

He recognized quite a few of them.

Ziyuan Gusheng, Ranqiu Gusheng, Bushang Gusheng, Zigong Gusheng...

The Ten Sages of Confucius and the Seventy-two Virtuous Men were all present!

At the very least, they had reached the peak of Upper Grade Heavenly God.

There were over a dozen at the God King realm and above, no less than the other nine heavens.

But... when he entered the Upper Firmament earlier, hadn't he seen the corpses of Ziyuan Gusheng and the others? Why did they appear unharmed now?

Full of doubts, yet knowing this was not the time to ask, he stepped to the center of the hall and bowed deeply: "Junior Zhang Xuan pays respects to Kong Shi!"

At a single glance, he could tell that this was the compassionate teacher of all ages—there was no mistaking it.

"You have finally come..."

With a faint smile, Kong Shi looked around: "You may all withdraw."

"Yes!" Ziyuan Gusheng nodded and led the others out.

"Qiqi, wait outside for me!" Zhang Xuan turned around.

"If anything happens, just call me..." Luo Qiqi nodded.

Soon, only Zhang Xuan and Kong Shi remained in the room.

"Have a seat!" Kong Shi beckoned, and a chair flew over, landing behind Zhang Xuan. The latter did not sit down immediately but instead cupped his fists apologetically: "Kong Shi, you have nurtured me with great kindness, a debt as heavy as a mountain, yet I captured your avatar..."

With a flick of his wrist, he released the avatar he had captured in the Upper Firmament.

"He is a thought I split off, something I cut away from my body. Originally, he was suppressed in the Upper Firmament, but unexpectedly, over time, he broke the seal... It was my oversight."

As if already aware of this, Kong Shi was not angry. He pointed a finger, and the avatar turned into a wisp of green smoke, vanishing on the spot. Then he smiled faintly: "Originally, I intended to send down a thought to eliminate him, but when I saw you enter the Upper Firmament, I abandoned that idea. You did not disappoint me..."

"Kong Shi... you know what I did in the Upper Firmament?"

Zhang Xuan was stunned.

The Upper Firmament and the divine realm could not connect. Even Luo Ruoxi had suffered considerable injury making the trip... How could Kong Shi know what had happened?

Kong Shi nodded: "I came from the Master Teacher Continent and the Upper Firmament, just like you. I left behind my thoughts and contingencies there. Though descending is difficult, knowing what transpired is not that hard!"

At his level of cultivation, even the Lingxi Great Emperor dared not claim to be stronger. Having passed through those worlds, leaving behind some means to know certain things was very simple.

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

The Undying Emperor, whose strength was inferior to his, could use the Great Emperor Seal to transmit messages to Du Qingyuan. Kong Shi had countless students and extraordinary talent, so accomplishing this should not be difficult.

"I know not only about your deeds in the Upper Firmament and the Master Teacher Continent, but also that every step you have taken has been more dazzling than mine..." Kong Shi stroked his beard, a gratified smile appearing in his eyes.

This Zhang Xuan did not know that his every move had actually been under Kong Shi's observation.

He had thought it would be a fleeting phenomenon, but unexpectedly, like a meteor illuminating the earth, in just over two years, Zhang Xuan had soared from the Master Teacher Continent to ninety thousand li, achieving God King and standing before him...

In the past, he would not have dared to imagine it.

"You flatter me..." Zhang Xuan's face reddened.

The reason he had been able to progress so quickly was that he had been following in Kong Shi's footsteps.

Without Kong Shi pioneering the path, creating the master teacher profession, and developing techniques like the Fengsheng Jie, it would have been nearly impossible for him to break through so rapidly and reach where he was now.

"Let's skip the pleasantries. I understand your purpose!"

Kong Shi looked at him: "Are you worried about my battle with the Lingxi Great Emperor and want to dissuade us?"

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Before this man, he was like a transparent being, unable to hide any thoughts. Since that was the case, there was no need to conceal them.

"Don't waste your effort. This contest... is unavoidable, and there is no way to avoid it! I cannot avoid it, and neither can you..."

Kong Shi shook his head.

"Neither can I?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

He was merely trying to dissuade them from competing—why did it involve him?

Could it be that he, too, needed to compete?

Kong Shi looked at him: "Have you comprehended the power of the Flawed Heavenly Dao?"

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

There was nothing to hide from Kong Shi about this matter.

"I have comprehended the Orderly Heavenly Dao. You must already know this." Kong Shi said.

Zhang Xuan nodded again.

He had known this since the Upper Firmament.

It was no longer a secret.

"Whether it is the Orderly Heavenly Dao or the Flawed Heavenly Dao, both are parts of the Heavenly Dao... branches within it!"

Looking up at the sky outside the hall, Kong Shi's gaze was distant.

"Could it be... that Luo Ruo... the Lingxi Heavenly Emperor also possesses a part of the Heavenly Dao?" Zhang Xuan's heart skipped a beat, and a thought emerged.

Could it be that the so-called inevitability and unavoidability referred to a struggle over the Heavenly Dao?

If so, it would explain why he was not interested in other girls but fell in love with Luo Ruoxi at first sight, and why she knew about his possession of the library.

The resonance between Heavenly Dao fragments... perhaps that was the root cause.