Chapter 1940: Convinced

Zu'an raised an eyebrow. What did this guy mean?

Sang Qian’s face flushed. She secretly glanced at Zu'an and whispered, "We're already married."

Shen Xuzi's smile widened. "That's good, that's good. It saves the young lady from spending all day on romance and not being able to fully dedicate herself to research."

Zu'an: "..."Sang Qian: "..."Zheng Dan: "..."

At this moment, Shen Xuzi felt a little confused. As far as he knew, Zheng Dan was also married, and a widow at that. Now that Sang Qian was also married, and Zu'an was so close to both of them, could it be that he had a preference for married women? Should he suggest his junior sister marry someone first another day?

Next, Shen Xuzi took Sang Qian on a tour of his courtyard, mainly to show off the mechanical puppet techniques he was usually so proud of. Just as disciples wanted to perform well to gain their teacher's attention, weren't teachers the same? As expected, Sang Qian quickly became interested, her eyes filled with curiosity, regretting only that she hadn't come here to study sooner. Seeing that the two quickly began to discuss academic matters, Zu'an decided not to disturb them. After bidding them farewell, he took Zheng Dan to Yan Xiangu's cave dwelling.

"Brother Zu!" Xie Daoyun's excitement was palpable when she learned of Zu'an's arrival, especially after hearing about the exaggerated power he displayed yesterday. Although she had some understanding of his strength in the secret realm before, she never imagined he would be so powerful, to the extent that it was somewhat comparable to Zhao Hao's intimidating aura back then. It was a pity that she had been focusing on studying the talismans she obtained in the secret realm during this period, leaving little time to meet with Brother Zu. She never expected him to come himself today. Was this fate's arrangement? As this thought arose, Xie Daoyun's cheeks instantly flushed.

Yan Xiangu, walking behind her, rolled his eyes. He finally understood the future heartache of fathers with daughters. Their precious little girl, whom they cherished so dearly, was snatched away by some scoundrel. Although he and Xie Daoyun were master and disciple, not father and daughter, and Zu'an wasn't a "scoundrel," the feeling was truly similar.

"This time, I've brought your junior sister. She was delayed by some matters earlier, but she'll be studying diligently now. Please help her out as her senior sister," Zu'an said, pulling Zheng Dan closer.

"Alright," Xie Daoyun replied. She noticed how naturally Zu'an had pulled Zheng Dan, and Zheng Dan's lack of any unusual reaction. A pang of jealousy struck her; it seemed their relationship was even closer than she had imagined.

"I'll be relying on you, Senior Sister," Zheng Dan said. As she looked at Xie Daoyun, Zheng Dan was also observing her. As members of the upper echelons of Brightmoon City, they naturally knew each other. However, their relationship back then was merely that of casual acquaintances; they never imagined they would be connected again because of A'Zu. They had already met the last time A'Zu brought her, and Zheng Dan had already made some guesses. Now, seeing the radiant look in Xie Daoyun's eyes as she gazed at A'Zu, it was all too clear. "Ah, how I envy her," Zheng Dan thought. "She can openly express her affection for A'Zu. Unlike me, because of my status, I can only bury this love deep in my heart when others are around."

Hearing herself called "Senior Sister" brought a slight satisfaction to Xie Daoyun's heart. In front of Chu Chuyan, Pei Mianman, and others, she could only call them "sister." Now, finally, there was someone who would call her "sister," even if it was just "Senior Sister."

At this point, Yan Xiangu, who was standing nearby, said, "That's good. Daoyun, teach your junior sister the introductory materials. Once she's thoroughly grasped them, I'll teach her other things."

"Yes," Xie Daoyun replied. She was actually very busy at the moment, and if asked to mentor other disciples, she would likely be unwilling. But Zheng Dan was different; not only was she a fellow resident of Brightmoon City, but she was also Brother Zu's friend.

Next, Xie Daoyun led Zheng Dan to familiarize herself with the environment, explaining the necessary introductory materials along the way.

Meanwhile, Yan Xiangu started chatting with Zu'an. "Libationer, you truly surprise me. At such a young age, it's virtually impossible to cultivate to this level, even if one started training from the womb."

Zu'an smiled faintly. "Cultivation is about enlightenment. Otherwise, wouldn't the oldest people be the most powerful?"

"That's true; I was being pedantic," Yan Xiangu chuckled. Then he suddenly added, "Given the combat strength you displayed yesterday, I presume you and the Teacher must have worked together to deal with that person in the secret realm, right?"

Zu'an thought to himself that it was just as Liu Ning had said; countless people in the capital would have this very speculation. "Both of them have passed away now," Zu'an replied. "Whether it's true or not, what does it matter?"

Yan Xiangu didn't mind his ambiguous answer. "The Libationer is right; I was too fixated. Since the Teacher passed the position of Libationer to you, it proves you were a trusted companion of his. Other matters are not important."

Zu'an couldn't help but admire them. These disciples of the old Libationer seemed to hold little regard for imperial authority; if it were anyone else, they would probably have cried treason upon hearing such things, but it was clear that he truly didn't care.

"By the way, if we hadn't come last night, would the Demon Slaying Array also have been unable to trap the Libationer?" Yan Xiangu asked, his gaze intense, a hint of competitive spirit in his eyes. After all, a large part of that array was his own creation. Of course, without the resources of the entire nation, the array wouldn't be able to unleash its full power.

Zu'an thought for a moment before replying, "That grand array certainly gave me a sense of danger. If I had faced it head-on, I would probably have been in great peril."

Yan Xiangu understood the implication of his words. "Does the Libationer mean to eliminate the Eight Dukes beforehand, preventing them from fully activating the array? That's certainly feasible, but the Eight Dukes hold extraordinary status in the empire. Killing one or two might be acceptable, but if too many were killed, you'd become a public enemy, and the array would then be activated without any restraint."

When the array was designed back then, this very scenario was naturally anticipated, to prevent a decapitation strike from rendering an array that consumed vast resources unusable. That would truly have been a joke. Therefore, when he designed it, he deliberately included a mechanism: if the nation was in danger, the array would automatically activate with just one person's authorization. If the grand array he created ended up killing the new Libationer appointed by the Teacher, he would truly become a sinner to the academy.

Zu'an replied, "There's no need to kill the Eight Dukes. Although this grand array is powerful, it also has several 'gates of life.' If one grasps them correctly, one can avoid facing its full force." While this Demon Slaying Array was formidable, it paled significantly in comparison to the grand array he had seen in the ancient tomb. Having seen that grand array, combined with the records on arrays in the *Baopu True Scripture*, this array naturally had quite a few flaws in his eyes.

"'Gates of life'?" Yan Xiangu was startled. "Where are there 'gates of life'?" This grand array was meant to be the last resort in times of humanity's life-and-death struggle; how could he possibly leave an escape route for enemies?

Zu'an hesitated for a moment before pointing out several ways to circumvent it. Yan Xiangu's array mastery was indeed very high, and the array itself was a culmination of the collective wisdom of the world's top array masters. A direct breakthrough would be difficult, but one could avoid its power through some clever methods.

Yan Xiangu was initially somewhat dismissive, but as he listened, his expression changed, and he was finally convinced. "My junior brothers and sisters always praise you to the heavens and back, as if you're a banished immortal descended to the world. To be honest, I've always felt a bit unconvinced in my heart, but now I truly am. There really are people born with innate knowledge in this world."

He had supported Zu'an as the new Libationer partly to prevent the academy's division, partly to honor the Teacher's dying wish, and also because he didn't want to deal with worldly affairs after becoming Libationer. Thus, even if some people supported him for the position, he had refused. In his heart, he even felt that he had "given" the Libationer position to Zu'an. Even though he knew last night that Zu'an's cultivation was high, it was just that—high cultivation. In the realm of rune arrays, he considered himself the reigning master, even surpassing the Teacher in this aspect when the Teacher was alive. After all, the old Libationer had too many areas he focused on, while Yan Xiangu only needed to specialize in this one field. But after conversing with Zu'an today, he realized that Zu'an also possessed such high attainments in array formations. The insights Zu'an occasionally offered were truly unheard of, giving him unprecedented inspiration, and even his array cultivation, which had been stagnant for many years, faintly showed signs of a breakthrough.

Filled with excitement, he immediately stood up and bowed to Zu'an, a hint of fervor in his eyes. "From now on, I will take the Libationer as my teacher!"

Zu'an was startled. "Master Yan, what are you doing? Please get up quickly! How could I be your teacher?"

"Why not?" Yan Xiangu said seriously. "In cultivation, the most accomplished takes precedence, not age."

"Absolutely not. I also have much to learn from you regarding array formations. In the future, we can discuss and progress together; there's no need for a master-disciple relationship," Zu'an insisted. He had to use all his persuasion to finally dissuade Yan Xiangu from the idea of taking him as a teacher. He knew that although he possessed the *Baopu True Scripture*, which contained knowledge of array formations, Yan Xiangu had studied rune arrays his entire life. The solidity of Yan Xiangu's foundation was far beyond his own, evident in both the current Demon Slaying Array and the array on Purple Mountain that had banished even someone as powerful as General Zhao Hao. Perhaps in the future, when he fully mastered the *Baopu True Scripture*, he might still need to consult Yan Xiangu on certain issues. How could he possibly be his teacher?

Seeing Zu'an's firm stance, Yan Xiangu had no choice but to drop the idea. He couldn't help but sigh, "This scene reminds me of my time with the old Libationer..." Although he and the old Libationer were nominally master and disciple, in reality, they were old friends who had known each other for many years. Back then, the old Libationer also didn't want to be called his teacher, but Yan Xiangu was insistent. Having learned array knowledge from him, he stubbornly insisted on becoming his disciple, and the old Libationer eventually had to agree. Thinking of those days, they were truly nostalgic.

"Senior Brother, what are you and the Libationer doing? It looks like a wedding bow!"

The sound of high heels echoed as Jiang Luofu walked in from outside. Beside her was Qi Yaoguang, dressed as a shrine maiden. Both women looked at the scene in the room with strange expressions. Only then did Yan Xiangu recount what had just happened. Jiang Luofu and Qi Yaoguang exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in the other's eyes. After all, they knew their senior brother best. Although he usually appeared like a good-natured old man, he was inherently very proud. The Teacher had even lamented back then that their senior brother's overall strength was not far from his own. And such a figure wanted to take Zu'an as his teacher?

"No, no, no! If you take him as your teacher, wouldn't we all be demoted a generation? Absolutely not!" Qi Yaoguang immediately protested.

Yan Xiangu's expression was odd. "That's because you haven't seen his mastery in array formations... Hmm, didn't you also pester him to take you as a teacher before?"

"That's different!" Qi Yaoguang argued, her reasons convincing. "I'm a young girl; it doesn't matter if I call him 'Teacher' or even 'Father.' But can *you* do that? You're an old man with a white beard; don't make a fool of yourself."

Yan Xiangu: "..." He truly couldn't bring himself to do that; he had his pride!

Seeing Zu'an's stunned expression, Jiang Luofu chuckled softly. She walked over to Zu'an and said, "Don't take it to heart. Our junior sister has always been like this, lacking in decorum. The Teacher loved her eccentric personality the most."

"Ahem, did you come here for something?" Zu'an asked. He noticed her cool, unapproachable aura, yet her legs were clad in the most provocative black stockings, with hints of lace visible at her thighs. Zu'an wondered what the old Libationer had been thinking when he accepted such a peculiar group of disciples.

Jiang Luofu replied, "Someone came to the academy looking for you."