Chapter 751: Grandmaster?

A Heaven-acknowledged master, recognized by heaven and earth, once he activates his state of mind and employs his master's abilities, he will carry the might of heaven and earth, compelling others to submit.

In all the years recorded in history, only Master Kong had achieved this. Even his many direct disciples, known as the Seventy-Two Sages, could not reach it. Yet this person before him actually was...

Master Mu felt his body turn cold, too terrified to speak.

A Heaven-acknowledged master, an existence acknowledged even by heaven, and he had actually doubted...

He wished he could slap himself twice!

"Huff!"

In his shock, the figure before him waved a hand, and the terrifying aura vanished, returning to a calm, unfathomable demeanor.

At the same time, he turned around.

He was a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties, with brows like lightning, dark eyes shimmering with wisdom, and patterns flowing within them.

"The Eye of Clarity..."

Master Mu trembled again.

Although the Eye of Clarity could potentially be attained by reaching a six-star master, those who succeeded were almost always the most exceptional geniuses, extremely rare even within sage clans.

Not to mention others, he himself had failed to achieve it back then.

If he had been able to comprehend it, he would not have been deceived and ended up in his current state.

Among the ten great masters of the Huanyu Empire, none possessed this ability... This shows how difficult it is.

No wonder the other party had such keen insight, seeing through his many problems at a glance and judging that he might be expelled from the Mu family...

Perhaps only the Eye of Clarity could do that!

Until this moment, the last shred of doubt in his heart vanished, and he was filled with utmost admiration for the person before him.

"It was rash of me, Mu Yuan. I hope the elder can enlighten me and help me out of my confusion..."

Shaken to the core, he no longer dared to act arrogantly. Master Mu immediately bowed deeply, not daring to utter another word of nonsense.

"Mm."

The middle-aged man opposite nodded: "This is the proper etiquette for a junior. But don't worry, I won't hold a grudge against a younger generation. Do not resist!"

With that, he gently extended a finger.

Master Mu felt his whole body tremble, and then a cultivation technique was transmitted into his mind, as if imprinted in his sea of consciousness, unforgettable.

"Soul transmission of techniques?"

Master Mu's face turned pale.

He was a seven-star master with a strong soul, capable of soul transmission as well, but to transmit from such a distance with a single point of the finger, clearly imprinting it into the mind—this was something not even a high-grade seven-star or low-grade eight-star master could accomplish!

Terrifying!

If he had any doubts before, now, with the Heaven-acknowledged master, the Eye of Clarity, and this soul transmission, his last trace of suspicion vanished completely, replaced by utter admiration.

"The two acupoints Huaihai and Longzhen, associated with water and dragon, are points where the body gathers water-attributed spiritual energy. If you were still in the Mu family, avoiding these two points would naturally be fine. But now, with metal attribute suppressing and wood attribute retreating in your body, you can draw spiritual energy through these points. Water generates wood, allowing your power to return and completely suppress the chaotic energy within!"

After transmitting the knowledge, the elder before him clasped his hands behind his back and spoke calmly.

Master Mu had now finished reading the technique just transmitted. Though it was basic cultivation, it pointed directly to the Dao, enlightening him and opening a new door.

It was foreseeable that if he persisted in practicing, suppressing the metal-attributed true qi in his body would be easy. Perhaps, after being trapped for three hundred years, he could even make further progress!

Seeing the crux of his cultivation at a glance and providing a solution... this person before him was truly too formidable!

"Having received your guidance, Mu Yuan is deeply grateful. You have bestowed upon me the grace of teaching. May I ask your name, teacher..." Master Mu bowed respectfully and spoke.

Although the cultivation technique transmitted was simple, it precisely resolved the long-standing issues in his body. It could be said to be a teaching grace, and calling him teacher was not excessive.

Moreover, if he could truly apprentice himself to such a formidable master and receive guidance, he might one day return to his family.

"Teacher?"

The figure opposite frowned.

He seemed displeased with this form of address.

"I was too rash. You are of the same generation as my ancestor, so I should address you as grandmaster..." Master Mu, recalling the generational hierarchy, shrank back and quickly said.

"Uh?"

Hearing the change in address, the figure was even more startled.

This person was naturally Zhang Xuan, disguised as Yang Xuan. He had only intended to intimidate the other party and defuse the crisis. He had thought that by casually teaching a technique, creating a half-teacher-student bond, the other would not dare to act rashly. He never dreamed that, fooled by his bluff, the man would immediately want to become his disciple!

After all, the other was a seven-star master, a peak-level existence even in a titled kingdom.

Such a figure wanting to become his disciple naturally surprised him. He hesitated for a moment, but this hesitation made the other misunderstand, skipping the title of teacher and calling him grandmaster...

Geez!

This escalated too quickly!

However, since he was called grandmaster, it was awkward to insist on being called teacher. Zhang Xuan had no choice but to nod: "I am Yang Xuan."

"Yang Xuan..." Master Mu quickly nodded, memorizing his grandmaster's name. "If I encounter problems in my cultivation and wish to seek your guidance, where should I find you?"

"Our meeting is but fate. I have taught you the technique, and the fate is fulfilled. If fate brings us together, we shall meet; if not, we shall scatter like the clouds in the sky. Can you find the same cloud tomorrow?"

Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Disguising himself before such a master was too exhausting. Fortunately, it was night and visibility was poor; in daylight, he would easily be exposed.

Thus, if he could avoid meeting again, it was best not to...

"This..."

Hearing that the other did not wish to be entangled deeply, Master Mu looked disappointed but could only bow with clasped hands.

When he looked up again, the elder had already flown far away, disappearing into the night, his figure no longer visible.

"Yang Xuan, Master Yang..."

Committing the other's name to memory, Master Wood exhaled a breath. Only then did he remember that he had come for the Violet Sun Beast. He searched the sky for a long time but found nothing, so he had no choice but to return to the academy.

…

"That was close!"

Once out of Master Wood's sight, Zhang Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had never dreamed that this Master Wood was a descendant of a sage clan and a七星 master teacher.

With such strength, why would he work for the Spirit Material Pavilion?

"It seems he really was looking for someone and just happened to run into me…"

A look of frustration crossed his face.

What kind of luck was this?

Just stepping out, he had encountered such a formidable expert. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly and managed to fool him; otherwise, he wouldn't even know how he died.

"Forget it. Today's luck is bad. Let's go back and rest. Tomorrow, I'll dismantle the Spirit Material Pavilion!"

He had originally planned to go outside the city and vent his anger on the Violet Sun Beast, but now it seemed his luck was poor, so he might as well let it go.

Restoring his original appearance, he returned to his residence. The Heavenly Bear Beast had already subdued the four black-clad men, who were now completely docile.

Zhang Xuan couldn't be bothered to pay them any attention. He cultivated in his room for a while until he saw the sun leap outside the window—day had already broken.

Though he hadn't slept all night, he was full of energy and felt no fatigue.

Stretching lazily, he walked out of the room.

After breakfast, he spent some time explaining cultivation techniques to Zheng Yang and the others. When the sun was high in the sky, he had the Heavenly Bear Beast wait in the sky with the half-dead black-clad men, while he and Sun Qiang headed toward the Spirit Material Pavilion.

The Spirit Material Pavilion was the hub for treasure trading in Hongyuan City. Before they even reached it, they saw a surging crowd, lined up in a long queue.

"There's a black market here where you can sell plundered weapons, and the prices are lower than normal market rates. That's why it attracts so many martial artists!"

Looking at the crowded flow of people, Sun Qiang explained.

This Spirit Material Pavilion was different from the Curio Pavilion of the Phantom Feather Empire. The latter's treasures were collected by the pavilion master himself and had clean origins.

Here, many items were obtained through murder and robbery, and some were stolen. Because their origins were questionable, sellers dared not ask for high prices, and the sale prices were lower than those of legitimate goods.

Thus, it attracted many cultivators.

After all, cultivation was a costly endeavor. For rogue cultivators without a background, saving wherever possible was the norm; no one wanted to spend more than necessary.

As they approached, Zhang Xuan looked up and saw the Spirit Material Pavilion towering dozens of meters high, majestic and imposing.

"It's a single structure—could it be a massive heavenly mechanism artifact?"

With a glance, Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed.

The floors of the Spirit Material Pavilion were very tall, but the whole building seemed as seamless as a single weapon. If he wasn't mistaken, it must be filled with many mechanisms; the entire building was a large heavenly mechanism artifact.

No wonder it was a famous treasure trading ground in Hongyuan City—truly a grand undertaking.

Setting aside everything else, just this pavilion alone, if sold, would be worth a fortune. To forge it successfully would require the日夜 toil of dozens of五星 heavenly mechanism masters.

He approached, touched the wall, and silently praised it. Then Zhang Xuan followed the crowd and entered.

As befitted a large city's treasure trading mall, it was indeed extraordinary. Once inside, he was immediately captivated by the surroundings.

The hall was filled with all kinds of treasures, each of considerable grade. Although no prices were marked, the fact that so many people flocked here meant they couldn't be too high.

"Young master, look!"

Just as he was examining the treasures, he heard Sun Qiang's slightly tense voice. Sun Qiang pointed ahead.

Following his finger, Zhang Xuan saw a patrol approaching.

There were six people in total, each at the eighth level of Mortal Transformation. The one at the front was even a strong expert at the ninth level, the Silkworm Seal stage.

"This patrol maintains order in the Spirit Material Pavilion. If anyone causes trouble, they get thrown out directly…"

Sun Qiang explained with a dry laugh.

Zhang Xuan acknowledged with a grunt.

With so many treasures here, and the Spirit Material Pavilion daring to engage in shady dealings, it must have formidable backing and means; otherwise, it would have been overturned long ago.

"Then…"

Seeing the young master nod, Sun Qiang was full of confusion.

Weren't you here to cause trouble?

Even a patrol had such strength—how could he possibly cause trouble?

He'd probably be thrown out before he could even speak!

"Heh, causing trouble doesn't necessarily mean fighting…" Knowing what the other was thinking, Zhang Xuan smiled.

This Spirit Material Pavilion had dared to target Sun Qiang and the others, so it definitely needed to be taught a lesson.

But did teaching a lesson have to involve making a scene?

This was Hongyuan City, the capital of a first-rate empire. He was a master teacher, a cultured man. If he came here to fight and kill, he would be the one in the wrong.

"Not fight? Then…"

Sun Qiang blinked.

"Just follow me!"

Zhang Xuan smiled lightly and didn't explain. His dark eyes flickered as he looked over the rows of treasures around him.

In sight were ores, spirit pills, armor, weapons, formations… In short, almost everything a cultivator could need was here.

Cultivators all around were crowded together, browsing, hoping to buy what they wanted.

After walking for a while, Zhang Xuan suddenly stopped, smiled faintly, and gave an order: "Go call a server over."

"Yes!"

Sun Qiang had no idea what scheme the young master was cooking up, but since he had given the order, he didn't dare delay. He walked toward the front desk.