Chapter 38: The Suo Yin Bell

Hong Tian Tower was in chaos.

"What the hell is going on? I've only been gone a short while, and it's already this messed up?"

Inside the room, an old man coldly stared at Steward Wu Chou, who knelt before him.

He was none other than Elder Hong Hao, the behind-the-scenes boss of Hong Tian Tower.

"Reporting to Elder, it was like this: Shang Bin, grandson of Elder Shang Chen, came over..." Steward Wu dared not conceal anything and recounted everything that had happened.

Including how he had replaced the Immortal Drunk with Green Rock Brew.

"Wu Chou, you have some nerve!"

After hearing this, Elder Hong Hao's face darkened, and he kicked Wu Chou in anger.

Bang!

Steward Wu flew backward, his face pale, spitting large mouthfuls of blood: "Elder, spare my life! Though my crime is unforgivable, that fellow is even more detestable. Saying all that in front of so many people made our Hong Tian Tower lose face completely. He didn't put you, Elder, in his eyes at all..."

"Hmph! If you did something shameful, why can't others speak of it?" Elder Hong Hao's face was gloomy, as if a storm was gathering.

"I..."

Steward Wu trembled.

Changing the menu items for exorbitant profits was something he had done privately. He thought it was flawless, but now that a youth had exposed him publicly, his hatred was palpable.

"I'll give you five days to completely resolve this and minimize the negative impact! I can overlook your embezzlement, otherwise, you can forget about keeping your life!" Standing up, Elder Hong Hao's eyes were icy: "Also, what's that fellow's name? Which teacher at the academy? If he had seen through this and told me quietly, I might have rewarded him with a fortune. But causing a public disturbance and trampling on our Hong Tian Tower's reputation—tomorrow I'll go see who gave him the guts!"

With a furious roar, a violent aura burst forth, like frost on the face, sending chills down one's spine.

Martial artist seventh level, Tongxuan Realm!

This Elder Hong Hao was actually a Tongxuan Realm expert! No wonder he had once contended for the position of dean; just this cultivation alone was astonishing!

"It's... it's Teacher Zhang Xuan!"

Steward Wu quickly said.

"Zhang Xuan? The Zhang Xuan who ranked last in the teacher assessment?" Elder Hong Hao was startled.

Ranking last in the teacher assessment was unprecedented in the hundreds of years since Hong Tian Academy was founded. Even someone like Elder Hong Hao had heard of it.

"It's him..." Steward Wu nodded.

"A waste dares to trample on Hong Tian Tower's dignity? Fine!" Clenching his fists, a flash of killing intent flickered in Elder Hong Hao's eyes.

If the other party had been a star teacher or someone important in the academy, he might have hesitated to act. But a waste... then don't blame him for being ruthless!

...

"Ah, such a hassle!"

Back at his residence, Zhang Xuan rubbed his temples.

He hadn't expected that a simple meal would cause so much trouble.

"Forget it, I won't think about it. Let's focus on how to break through to the Pishi Realm!"

Soon, he cast his worries aside.

Although he was a time traveler, he knew that in this world, strength reigned supreme. With enough power, all troubles would cease to be problems.

His current strength was at the peak of the Dingli Realm. To break through, he needed to learn the cultivation technique for the sixth level of martial arts!

Ordinary teachers at the academy were not qualified to view the sixth-level techniques; they could only copy one with the permission of an elder!

Last time, he had only been at the third level of martial arts. If he now rushed to an elder to request a sixth-level technique, he would surely be treated like a lab rat, causing endless trouble.

Moreover, even if he got permission and copied one... he still couldn't cultivate it!

As seen from the first five levels of the Hongtian Ninefold Art, this technique had too many flaws. Without comparing multiple techniques to find the correct cultivation method, even constant training would yield no results in years!

For him, the top priority was still to find a large number of sixth-level martial arts techniques, compare them, and seek the correct cultivation method.

"Hmm, I heard there are many transactions in Tianxuan Royal City, including techniques for sale. If I can buy a few sixth-level techniques, it might solve many problems!"

Suddenly, an idea struck Zhang Xuan, and his eyes lit up.

Hong Tian Academy was located in the royal city of the Tianxuan Kingdom, a bustling place. Large markets had all kinds of transactions. Although sixth-level techniques were rare, they were still sold in many places.

For him, he didn't even need to buy them; just flipping through them would be equivalent to obtaining the secret manuals.

With the Library of Heaven's Path, it didn't matter whether the techniques were precious or not. As long as there were enough of them, he could find the correct path from countless errors and automatically form the Heavenly Dao Divine Art, allowing smooth cultivation.

"It's still early. I'll go out for a stroll; maybe I'll stumble upon a few manuals!"

With that thought, Zhang Xuan hesitated no longer and immediately stood up.

It was just after dark, the time when nightlife began. Since he had nothing better to do, he might as well check out the local market and perhaps find something useful.

Tianyu Market was the largest trading venue in Tianxuan City. It was said that as long as you had money, you could buy anything there.

Stepping inside, Zhang Xuan was dazzled by the array of items.

His former self was just an ordinary low-level teacher with a meager salary and poor treatment. He had never been to such a luxurious place, and even now, he couldn't recognize many of the items.

Inside the market, there were many small stalls, each with a vendor selling various goods.

Weapons, pills, herbs, armor, beast hides, beast cores...

Almost everything needed for cultivation could be found here.

However, there were so many items that it was hard to tell good from bad.

"I can't recognize them, but the Library of Heaven's Path should be able to!"

With a thought, Zhang Xuan approached a stall.

"Young master, what would you like? We have everything here, guaranteed to satisfy you!" the vendor quickly greeted.

"Just browsing," Zhang Xuan said with a smile, casually picking up an item.

It was a small bell.

"This bell was specially crafted by a master refiner. It has extraordinary effects. Only 50 gold coins—a fair price, no cheating! If you like it, I can give you a discount... you can take it for 20 gold coins!"

The vendor said.

Zhang Xuan didn't reply but turned the bell over in his hand.

Buzz!

The library trembled slightly, and a book appeared within it.

"Suo Yin Bell: releases a shrill sound that can cause dizziness, effective against martial artists of the first level. Made by a first-grade craftsman from Qingyun Workshop. Composition: black iron..."

"Flaws: 1. The sound is slow to produce; it takes at least the time of an incense stick to cause dizziness, useless in battle. 2. Indiscriminate attack; even the user is affected..."

"It works!" Zhang Xuan smiled.

It seemed that even if he didn't recognize these items, as long as he touched them, the library would automatically generate corresponding books!

Moreover, the book detailed the item's origin, composition, and various flaws. With one look, he could tell whether it was valuable.

This vendor had just said 50 gold coins. Someone unaware might actually buy it, but after reading the book's content, he knew this thing wasn't even worth 2 gold coins!

And claiming it was crafted by a master refiner... Qingyun Workshop was a place known for making fakes.

A first-grade craftsman was the worst among them.

Craftsmen, a general term for makers of items and handicrafts, were usually divided into nine grades, with first being the worst and ninth the best.

What value could something made by the worst first-grade craftsman have?

"With the library, I no longer have to worry about buying fakes..."

He chuckled softly.

It seemed this world, like his previous one, had both genuine and fake goods. With his former discernment, he couldn't even tell the real from the fake, let alone judge quality. But now with the library in hand, he didn't have to worry.

However, every item had to be touched to generate a book. The entire market had countless items, large and small, numbering in the tens of millions. Touching them all would exhaust him to death!

Besides, glancing at one item wouldn't attract attention, but if he kept touching them, he'd probably be thrown out by the market's enforcement team as a lunatic before long.