Chapter 557: Zhao Ya Leaves (Part 2)

"Destroy the Icefield Palace?"

Envoy Liu Xuan was taken aback.

"That's right. I mean what I say!" Zhang Xuan's gaze was calm, carrying an air of indisputability.

"This..."

If anyone else had said this, Envoy Liu Xuan would have thought the person was crazy.

After all, the Icefield Palace's might was renowned throughout the continent. Not to mention a newly promoted four-star master teacher, even the most powerful nine-star master teacher would find it hard to accomplish.

A person like this, whom she could crush with a flick of her finger, actually dared to speak such nonsense...

Under normal circumstances, she would have mocked him for overestimating himself, but somehow... seeing the firm determination in the young man's eyes, her heart involuntarily skipped a beat.

It seemed a subconscious voice within her said... his words might... actually come true!

"Rest assured, the Icefield Palace keeps its word and won't go back on its promise..."

She couldn't help but give her assurance.

"Mm!" Hearing this, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Zhao Ya again: "If you feel unhappy after going there, you can come to the Master Teacher Pavilion to find me. Rest assured, following your teacher, you can still become a top powerhouse in this world!"

"Yes!"

Zhao Ya nodded.

"Alright, I'll take my leave too!"

Knowing that she had made her decision and would no longer follow him, Zhang Xuan had nothing more to say. He flickered and walked out.

"Teacher..."

Watching him walk away, facing his back, Zhao Ya knelt again and kowtowed eight times in succession, her gaze firm without hesitation: "Rest assured, I will become a powerhouse and will not... disappoint you!"

"You are a good student."

Helping Zhao Ya, who was kneeling on the ground, to her feet, Envoy Liu Xuan looked at the receding figure and sighed again: "He is also a good teacher."

"He is the best teacher, but I am not a good student!"

Zhao Ya shook her head.

Her teacher had devoted his heart and soul to her, yet she was leaving at this time.

"It's nothing. Once your physique is activated and you become the palace lord, helping him will become very simple. Continuing to follow him will only hinder his progress and development. All banquets must come to an end. A student leaving a teacher is a necessary step; one cannot always stay behind the teacher, living under the teacher's wings."

Envoy Liu Xuan said: "If he had forced you to stay, he wouldn't be a good teacher either!"

People must grow. Even if the teacher is the strongest, he cannot lead students forever, nor should students rely on that. Only by truly experiencing storms can one stand on one's own and become a peerless powerhouse.

"I know! But... I'm a little reluctant!"

Zhao Ya's eyes reddened. She said no more and turned back.

Envoy Liu Xuan knew she would be upset for a while, but... once she adjusted, the pain of parting would instead become a motivation for progress, making her stronger.

Her state of mind would also grow stronger.

...

Zhao Ya's departure was both unexpected and expected.

Zhang Xuan had actually considered letting his students train on their own, but he had always been unable to let go.

Now that such an opportunity presented itself, it was naturally for the best.

He sat cross-legged in the room on the back of the flying spirit beast, motionless like a stone statue.

"Teacher, Master Zhang... has been like this for almost five days. Is he alright?"

Ruohuan Gongzi couldn't help asking.

Since leaving the Icefield Palace, this Master Zhang had been sitting motionless for five whole days. Even he found it strange.

"I don't know either..."

Hall Master Kang shook his head, full of worry.

Knowing Master Zhang's feelings for his students, could this be because Zhao Ya's sudden departure had saddened him too much?

"No, could it be..."

Puzzled, he took another look and suddenly his brows jumped, revealing disbelief.

"What's wrong, Teacher?"

Ruohuan Gongzi quickly looked over.

"He... isn't overly sad, but rather... in a state of heart enlightenment!"

Hall Master Kang said.

"Heart enlightenment?" Ruohuan Gongzi was puzzled.

He had never heard of this term.

"Mm. Cultivators have a heart realm scale, and master teachers rely on the heart realm of understanding principles to discern problems and flaws, helping others with their cultivation. Although Master Zhang is sitting quietly, there is no fluctuation of spiritual energy, meaning he isn't cultivating true qi. Without cultivating, yet able to sit motionless for five days, he must have entered some special state of mind!"

Hall Master Kang explained.

Cultivation knows no time; five days is trivial. Without spiritual energy fluctuations on the surface, yet able to sit motionless, it indicates a change in heart realm.

And the most direct possibility is heart enlightenment.

"Heart enlightenment is a rare and sought-after state of the heart. Once successful, the heart realm scale will increase significantly..."

As he spoke, Hall Master Kang showed envy.

Before enlightenment, this person could use Teacher's Word Heavenly Bestowal to sway him, indicating their heart realm scales were similar. Once he broke through, how strong would he become?

"The stronger, the better. It's time for the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance to rise..."

His eyes gleamed.

The stronger Master Zhang, the better the results for Ten Thousand Kingdoms City, and the more glory for him as hall master.

Ten Thousand Kingdoms City had been silent for too long; it was time to... erase past humiliations and make other forces take notice.

"Don't disturb Master Zhang. You, quickly cultivate. Before returning to Ten Thousand Kingdoms City, you must reach the peak of the Turbid Clarity Realm. If you don't, don't call me teacher!"

Excited, he turned to Ruohuan Gongzi beside him.

"Huh?"

Ruohuan Gongzi was stunned.

His heart enlightenment has nothing to do with me! Why make me cultivate desperately...

But knowing his teacher meant well, he sat down, took the mid-grade spirit stone given by Master Zhang, and began to cultivate.

His cultivation differed from Zhang Xuan's; mid-grade spirit stones were very effective, one enough to take him from the initial stage of Turbid Clarity to the peak.

Thus, although he had used it since the initial stage of Mortal Transformation Fourth Layer, the spirit stone still contained abundant spiritual energy.

...

As Hall Master Kang guessed, Zhang Xuan had indeed entered a state of heart enlightenment.

Parting with Zhao Ya saddened him, but it also made him understand the true meaning of teacher-student separation, giving him deeper insight into the profession of a teacher.

Sitting quietly in place, events since his rebirth flowed through his mind like a movie, and his soul became more empty, like polished jade, more steady and brilliant.

Only after experiencing storms can one see a rainbow.

Zhao Ya's departure was a tempering for her, and also for Zhang Xuan.

With the sudden clarity of his heart, his heart realm scale slowly rose from the previous 14.1.

Heart enlightenment, unlike the Heavenly Book of Dao or the Teacher's Heart Tempering, does not increase instantly to a very high level. Like water dripping through stone, it is a fine, gradual process.

14.1!

14.2!

14.3!

...

In five days, the heart realm scale continuously increased, rising by a full 2.0 points to 16.1!

Whoosh!

Zhang Xuan opened his eyes.

His gaze was like lightning, carrying a dizzying persuasiveness.

A heart realm scale of 16.1 was already comparable to a five-star master teacher. Previously, to sway Hall Master Kang, he needed to say many words to succeed unnoticed. Now... with his heart realm in motion, he could easily make him admire and be unable to refute by simply using Teacher's Word Heavenly Bestowal.

The change in heart realm not only enhanced his Teacher's Word Heavenly Bestowal ability but also strengthened his Eye of Understanding, allowing him to see more details.

In five days, not only did his heart realm increase, but his cultivation also became more consolidated. Now, as long as he wished, he could easily break through to the Mortal Transformation Third Layer, Yin-Yang Realm.

"Continue cultivating..."

With the increase in heart realm scale, he gained a clear understanding of cultivation, and his cultivation speed became faster. Although he lacked sufficient mid-grade spirit stones now, he could still steadily improve his cultivation.

The Master Teacher Tournament was about to begin; there was no need to waste time.

...

While Zhang Xuan and the others flew back, at the gate of Ten Thousand Kingdoms City, an old man wearing a bamboo hat arrived.

Looking up at the magnificent city wall before him, he clenched his fists, his gaze like lightning.

"Ten Thousand Kingdoms City... finally here! This time, the Master Teacher Tournament is held here. I must seize the opportunity, take back what I lost, and... make him die!"

Gnashing his teeth, the old man's face was ferocious, filled with surging hatred.

This old man had only one arm, and his eyes were like those of a wild wolf, carrying intense resentment and madness.

If Zhang Xuan were here, he would surely recognize him as none other than the ancestor of the Xuan Yuan Kingdom, Ding Hong!

Back then, he had used a method of burning his essence blood to escape. After nearly three months, he had finally arrived at Ten Thousand Kingdoms City... the core of the entire alliance!

He wanted revenge!

The other had killed his descendants, destroyed his kingdom, and made him a homeless dog. How could he be reconciled?

"I can't go to the Alliance Lord's Mansion. The envoy favored him; going there would be walking into a trap!"

Though his hatred was raging, he knew his situation and would not act rashly.

Back then, the alliance envoy holding the imperial sword had been indifferent to the kingdom's destruction and even supported a woman to govern. If he went to the alliance to seek justice now, he would surely be caught like a turtle in a jar, dying without knowing how.

"This Zhang Xuan is a master teacher, so naturally I can't go to the Master Teacher Pavilion either!"

The other was a master teacher, and in the past month, news had spread everywhere that he had successfully passed the four-star master teacher assessment and would represent the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance in the Master Teacher Tournament. Even if Ding Hong was not well-informed, he had heard of it.

A four-star master teacher, representing the Ten Thousand Kingdoms City Master Teacher Pavilion... Going to the Master Teacher Pavilion to cause trouble would be like charging at a blade's edge!

"If I can't rely on... Ten Thousand Kingdoms City, then I can only rely on... other forces!"

His eyes lit up, flashing with ruthlessness.

Neither the Alliance Lord's Mansion nor the Master Teacher Pavilion of Ten Thousand Kingdoms City would help him vent his anger, but... wasn't the Master Teacher Tournament about to begin?

If the alliance wouldn't help him, he could seek help from other forces' master teacher pavilions!

This Zhang Xuan was so monstrous; once other forces learned of it, they would surely make a move.

Then he could not only take revenge but also make this Zhang Xuan lose all standing and wish he were dead!

"Among the 28 forces participating in the tournament, the Mingxia Empire and the Huanhai Empire are similar to the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance; even if stronger, not by much. But the Luosha Sect, the Hanqi Sect... are much stronger! And the strongest among them is the Liuyun Sect!"

Ding Hong pondered.

As a former king of a titled kingdom, he knew the distribution of forces around the alliance very well.