Chapter 1091: Ancient Sage Vanishes After Being Struck

They had expected Zhang Shi to be lectured by the Ancient Sage, perhaps even knocked away with a single palm strike. What they never dreamed was that the outcome would be the complete opposite: this super-expert, who had followed Master Kong for an unknown length of time, was defeated in a single move.

What was even more astonishing was that the person who achieved this instant victory had only practiced the move for a maximum of one hour!

"How can anyone compare to him?"

Feng Xun, with his wavy hair, looked like he was about to cry. He had initially thought that after this defeat, he could return and practice diligently, eventually getting his revenge. But now, facing such an abnormal talent, it seemed better to just concede and give up. Otherwise, he would be perpetually discouraged.

"You... this is really only a minor achievement?"

Like everyone else, the stone statue's head floated up, and it stared at the young man, utterly bewildered. It had spent countless years researching the cultivation technique it had created, believing no one could ever surpass it. Yet, it had been effortlessly sent flying. How could the opponent's power be so immense?

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan had never used this move before and hadn't anticipated its immense power, which had knocked the statue into such a state with a single palm. He said apologetically, "There were too many flaws in it previously, so I made a few minor adjustments. I didn't expect it to be this powerful. My apologies..."

"Modify? You modified my cultivation technique?"

The stone statue's eyes nearly popped out of its head. In just three short hours, this person had not only comprehended the cultivation technique inscribed on its tablet and cultivated it to a minor achievement, but had also... found its power lacking and casually modified it. This was absolutely defying the heavens!

"Well, honestly, this cultivation technique is quite good, and its power isn't weak. However, it has far too many flaws—a total of twenty-seven. Unfortunately, my understanding is too shallow; I only managed to modify eighteen of them. For the remaining nine, I know the problems but haven't found solutions..."

Zhang Xuan shook his head, a look of dejection on his face. If he had access to enough cultivation techniques, who would bother practicing a palm technique with so many flaws? The thought alone made him feel depressed.

*Clatter!* The stone statue was in the midst of reassembling its shattered body when it heard Zhang Xuan's words. It swayed precariously again, almost crumbling completely. "My understanding is too shallow..." And what was with that utterly dejected expression on his face? Would he die if he didn't act so humble? *I* created this cultivation technique, and *I* couldn't even modify it. Yet, he looks at it for a moment, finishes modifying it, and calls his understanding "shallow"? If his understanding is shallow, should *I* just go commit suicide? He's depressed after cultivating a peak Saint-tier middle-grade martial art? *I* should be the one who's depressed!

In its agitated state, the more the stone statue tried to reassemble itself, the more cracks seemed to appear on its body. It had originally left these ruins to find a talented successor, to pass on its cultivation technique and proclaim its own greatness. Instead, it hadn't managed to display any senior superiority and had been continuously disheartened.

"Which eighteen places did you modify?" the stone statue asked, forcefully suppressing its dejection. With such profound palm power at the same cultivation level, it was clear that Zhang Xuan's modifications were successful. It desperately wanted to know what flaws existed in the palm technique it had painstakingly created.

"You want to know? I can teach you!" Zhang Xuan offered, looking over. *Crack!* The stone statue shattered a little more, a sharp pain shooting through its chest.

"No, thank you..." Despite its strong desire to know, if the other party were to ask it to become a disciple again, it simply couldn't bear the humiliation.

"No need to be polite, it's actually quite simple. These eighteen points are specifically when true qi circulates into the Qi Spirit Sea within the body..." Zhang Xuan explained. Without the full cultivation technique to integrate, he had only known the flaws and been unable to modify them or properly explain them. But now that the correct method had appeared, explaining it once was no trouble at all.

*Crack! Crack!* After just a few sentences, the stone statue began to shatter even more rapidly, as if the shock was too overwhelming for it to bear.

Ancient Sage Qiuwu had left behind only a fragment of his will, which had already become greatly diminished over countless years. Now, after repeated shocks, it had reached the brink of complete collapse. It wasn't that the will itself was weak, but that the young man before it was simply too astonishing.

The twenty-seven flaws were precisely identical to what Master Kong had mentioned to him years ago. Back then, Master Kong hadn't corrected them for him, instead instructing him to find the solutions himself. Now, hearing Zhang Xuan's explanation and finally understanding the root of the problems, the statue felt a profound sense of enlightenment, akin to "hearing the Dao in the morning, dying in the evening is acceptable." Its spirit relaxed, and it could no longer hold itself together.

"...I only modified these eighteen places; the remaining nine, I truly couldn't find a way to fix..." After quickly and thoroughly explaining all the modifications, Zhang Xuan finally came back to himself. He looked at the stone statue before him, his eyes widening in surprise. "Ah... what happened to you?"

He saw that the stone statue, which had just been attempting to restore its body, had now slumped into a shapeless pile of rubble. Even its formerly intact head was covered in a dense network of cracks, like a spiderweb, appearing as if it could completely crumble at any moment.

"So that's it, so that's it... My previous cultivation methods were all wrong. No wonder I haven't achieved greater heights all these years..." Ignoring Zhang Xuan's question, the stone statue seemed utterly lost in thought, and even more cracks appeared on its surface.

"Thank you for your guidance. Not only did you discern the intricacies of my cultivation technique, but you also refined it to such perfection. You have passed the assessment and are qualified to receive my legacy. My legacy is... is... is..." After expressing its gratitude, the stone statue looked over again. But halfway through its sentence, another *crack!* echoed. *Clatter!* It crumbled into a pile of dust.

Zhang Xuan stared in disbelief. He quickly rushed forward, reaching out a hand, only to discover that the stone statue had completely disintegrated into dust, and the will it contained had vanished. "You still haven't said... what the legacy is..." His body swayed, and Zhang Xuan nearly vomited blood.

This Ancient Sage Qiuwu was simply too unreliable! Hadn't he said that passing the assessment would grant the legacy? Yet, he crumbled without uttering a single word about it! Was this a joke?

It wasn't just Zhang Xuan who was depressed; Master Wu and the others also stared wide-eyed, nearly bursting into tears. After countless hardships, they had felt on the verge of receiving the legacy, but who could have known... the Ancient Sage's remaining will was so profoundly disheartened by Zhang Xuan that its Dao heart crumbled, and it simply dissipated. It hadn't even managed to say what the legacy was or what they would learn—not a single word! What kind of situation was this?

They had previously believed that following Master Zhang into the ruins was a good idea, as his talent, insight, and understanding of formations would ensure their safety. They had even hoped to gain some benefits, perhaps "eating a little meat" after he took the main share. Only now did they realize that this was entirely incorrect! Even Ancient Sage Qiuwu couldn't withstand the disheartening blows... forget about "eating meat"; they couldn't even get a sip of the "soup"!

"Well... it seems his consciousness simply ran out of time, and the stone statue couldn't hold together any longer..." As everyone was filled with dejection, Zhang Xuan looked at them apologetically. "Although the Ancient Sage's legacy couldn't be passed on in time, if you all learn this set of palm techniques, your strength will still significantly increase..."

"Alright!" Everyone nodded. There was no other option. With the consciousness gone, who would know what the legacy was, or where to find it? There was no point dwelling on it. Fortunately, they still had the palm technique.

As they thought this, everyone looked towards the nearby stone tablet again, just as they heard a crisp sound. *Crack! Crack!* This was followed by a series of rumbling noises. The ancient stone tablet began to develop more and more cracks, which rapidly expanded, becoming an unstoppable torrent.

"These stone tablets have been here for far too long. Without the Ancient Sage's will to sustain them, they can no longer hold up..." President Han realized, speaking urgently. Before his words even finished, everyone felt the ground begin to shake, as if the folded space they were in was also collapsing.

"Get out quickly! This entire place, just like the stone tablets, is maintained by Ancient Sage Qiuwu's will. Run!" With that, he was the first to rush towards the exit.

The others, aware of the danger, did not dare to linger and rushed out hastily. Zhang Xuan followed close behind. A moment later, they found themselves back in the garden. Not seeing Luo Ruoxi there, he continued onward. Just as they burst through the portal, they witnessed the nine grand doors behind them collapse with a roar, disappearing completely. It was as if everything they had experienced had been a dream, never truly existing.

"This..." Everyone exchanged glances, cold sweat beading on their foreheads. Fortunately, they had been quick, and fortunately, they had passed the assessment, causing the seal blocking their exit to disappear. Otherwise, if they had been trapped inside, they might have vanished along with the collapsing folded space. It was incredibly dangerous!

"Where's Ruoxi?" Unlike the others, who were consumed by fear, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but look around. She hadn't been in the garden earlier, and he didn't see Master Luo outside either. After searching for a moment and just as he was about to activate his Eye of Insight to find her tracks, he saw her flying back from the front.

"You're out? Did you get the legacy?" Luo Ruoxi asked curiously as she approached.

"Ahem... No, Ancient Sage Qiuwu's will was talked into crumbling by Master Zhang. He didn't even have time to produce the legacy..." Master Mu explained, a little awkwardly.

"Crumble?" Luo Ruoxi looked at the young man nearby with a perplexed expression.

"I..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head, unsure how to reply. He had merely discussed the pros and cons of the Great Compassionate Demonic Palm with the statue; he hadn't said anything offensive. Who would have thought the other party would be so utterly unable to withstand the blow! And he was an Ancient Sage, no less...

"This is the cultivation method for the Great Compassionate Demonic Palm. I've made some modifications, so you can all learn it according to this. That way, your trip won't have been entirely in vain!" Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan silently rewrote a copy of the technique he had learned and handed it to the others. Regardless of whether he was responsible for Ancient Sage Qiuwu's will crumbling, it was because of him that the others hadn't received the legacy. He couldn't let them leave empty-handed, so this cultivation technique could serve as compensation.

"Thank you..." Everyone's eyes lit up with excitement.

Master Wu opened the manual, and everyone eagerly looked on. It didn't take long for them to read through the secret technique. Then, they looked back at the young man, as if they had just seen a ghost.

"Master Zhang... this is the Great Compassionate Demonic Palm? Did you really only take an hour to achieve minor accomplishment?" One by one, they swallowed hard. This cultivation technique was indeed incredibly powerful, but precisely *because* of its immense power, cultivating it was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Leaving aside others, even Master Wu, a seven-star high-tier master teacher, wouldn't be able to even grasp the basics without eight to ten years of diligent practice, let alone achieve minor accomplishment. Yet... this incredibly rare martial art had been mastered to a minor achievement by this young man in just one hour! He was even stronger and had a deeper understanding than Ancient Sage Qiuwu at the same level. How on earth did he do it?

No wonder the Ancient Sage's will couldn't withstand such a blow and simply vanished. If it had been them, they would have been utterly devastated to death!

"Earlier, when he said he wanted to take the Ancient Sage as his disciple, it seems he was probably serious..." "What a freak!" everyone thought in unison.