Chapter 1126: 藏虚

"The highest secret art of the Heart Palace was left by the founding patriarch of the Qinyuan Combat Master Hall. Throughout history, fewer than five out of a hundred successive hall masters have been able to pass its assessment; it's extremely difficult to succeed!"

Hall Master Xing frowned. The other party was right; once someone mastered the Heart Palace's highest secret art, they would have few rivals at the same cultivation level. Even the incredibly formidable members of the Xuanxuan Society would surely be unable to defeat them.

The Heart Palace, the most mysterious hall within the Combat Master Hall, primarily focused on mental cultivation and contained terrifying inner demons. If one could pass its assessment and inherit the highest secret art left by the patriarch, they would be virtually unbeatable at their cultivation level. He had considered this method before, but the assessment was simply too difficult. Only a handful of hall masters throughout history had ever succeeded, and even with his immense strength and unparalleled talent, he dared not attempt it rashly.

"I know it's difficult, but... there's no other way! From the looks of it, most of the other hall masters will join the Xuanxuan Society. At that point, the Qinyuan Combat Master Hall will likely become a laughingstock..." Hall Master Liao forced a bitter smile. He knew it was an impossible task, but the current situation left them no choice.

"Sigh..." Hall Master Xing sighed. If things continued as they were, it would only be a matter of time before combat masters from their Qinyuan Imperial Combat Master Hall became members of the Xuanxuan Society. With his current influence, he could still suppress the news, but paper couldn't wrap fire. Given enough time, once word got out that the esteemed Combat Master Hall couldn't even compare to a student organization from a first-tier empire... how could they possibly continue? Wouldn't other Combat Master Halls of the same caliber laugh them to death on the spot? Moreover, the exchange conference for Combat Master Halls of the same rank was fast approaching. At this critical time, no mishaps could be allowed!

"Hall Master, we're at the brink of the most dangerous situation. We have to take a gamble..." Hall Master Liao urged.

"Alright, I'll try!" Taking a deep breath, Hall Master Xing nodded. The Combat Master Hall's current situation was not optimistic. While passing the Heart Palace assessment was dangerous, it wasn't fatal, nor would it lead to death. It was truly their only solution.

"President Ruan and Vice President Chen of the Soul Awakener Guild are both friends of mine. I can take you to them. As long as they're willing to help, your primordial spirit will undoubtedly become more refined and powerful, making it less difficult to pass the inner demon assessment!" Hall Master Liao said.

"Then I'll trouble Hall Master Liao," Hall Master Xing nodded.

Although Soul Awakeners were merely an auxiliary profession, they provided immense help to one's primordial spirit and soul. They could help eliminate distracting thoughts, making one less susceptible to delusion when facing inner demons. Many cultivators at the Half-Step Exaltation realm would seek help from Soul Awakeners when attempting to break through to the Exaltation realm, as this was crucial for enduring the tribulation. According to the Combat Master Hall's statistics, only one in ten Half-Step Exaltation realm cultivators could pass the Exaltation tribulation on their own. However, with the assistance of a Soul Awakener, the chances of success tripled directly, reaching three in ten!

It was precisely for this reason that the Soul Awakener profession was so popular, with demand far outstripping supply in the Qinyuan Empire. Furthermore, throughout the entire continent, the headquarters of the Soul Awakener Guild held a venerable status, its influence no weaker than that of super-first-rate noble families. As cultivation progressed and one grew stronger, inner demons also became more formidable. The Soul Awakener profession, which could make one's soul more crystalline and refined, was enough on its own to attract countless factions and foster good relations.

It was said that at least six major powers had publicly declared that troubling the Soul Awakener Guild meant troubling them. Even among the super-experts at the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, many Master Teachers specifically pursued Soul Awakening as a secondary profession and maintained good relations with the Guild. Therefore, despite the profession's lack of direct combat power, even the Combat Master Hall dared not offend them.

"Let's go!" Hall Master Liao nodded and said no more. The two flew off, one after the other, heading straight for the Soul Awakener Guild.

At the Soul Awakener Guild, Zhang Xuan, looking a bit sheepish, followed President Ruan and the others into a spacious hall.

"May I ask this young master's name?" President Ruan asked, looking over after they had all settled down. Zhang Xuan hadn't given his name since entering the Soul Awakener Guild, and even Vice President Xu didn't know it.

"I am Zhang..." Just as he was about to say his name, Zhang Xuan paused, then chuckled softly, "Ahem, I am Sun Qiang!" Since he had essentially brought their guild to life, it was probably best not to reveal his real name. Otherwise... if they tracked him back to the Master Teacher Academy, how could he, as its dean, face his students?

"So it's Young Master Sun!" After thinking carefully, President Ruan couldn't recall anyone by that name in the Combat Master Hall and couldn't help but ask, "Young Master Sun, you aren't from the Qinyuan Empire's Master Teacher Pavilion, are you?"

"I only arrived in the Qinyuan Empire recently..." Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Oh!" President Ruan nodded. "Actually, as I mentioned earlier when inviting you, we have a favor to ask. You awakened the spirit of our Guild, and we would like... for you to help us tame it, or perhaps... for you to directly join our Soul Awakener Guild as a member!"

"Join the Guild?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I am a Master Teacher; it's impossible for me to join other guilds. How about this: I can help you tame it, but... I'm not quite sure how to do that?" Awakening the Guild's artifact spirit had been completely accidental! How was he to know that the black iron pillar was the Guild's framework, and that by taming it, the entire Guild would come alive...?

"Actually, it's not difficult. We just need Master Sun to help guide out the activated spirit of the Guild so it can sign a contract with me!" Hearing that the young man wouldn't join the Soul Awakener Guild, President Ruan shook her head. To be honest, the talent of this individual, who could successfully awaken the spirit of an entire guild simply by reading books, without any guidance, was unparalleled throughout history. What a pity... he was a Master Teacher! And a man, no less. Otherwise, she would definitely recommend him to headquarters. Although the Soul Awakener Guild did have male members, their numbers were extremely small. The entire lineage, including the founding patriarch, consisted of women. Even if a man's talent wasn't weak, he wouldn't become a true high-ranking official.

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "That's simple enough!" As they had said, since he was the one who successfully awakened the building's spirit, it had a strong sense of belonging to him. It shouldn't be difficult to make its spirit sign a contract, if he willed it.

"Then we'll trouble Master Sun!" After concluding their discussion, President Ruan smiled and gestured with her hand, "Let's go outside. Signing a contract requires looking at the other party directly, which certainly isn't possible in here!" To sign the contract, the spirit needed to leave its physical form, and being inside the "belly" of the Guild wasn't suitable.

The four flew out of the room again, hovering in the air. Zhang Xuan looked at the building before him. With its spirit activated, the massive structure moved erratically, causing huge cracks to appear in the previously neat streets. The surrounding commoners had long since fled, leaving only dozens of cultivators of considerable strength hovering in the air, gazing towards them. They seemed equally astonished that such a colossal guild building had suddenly come to life.

"I'll try communicating with its spirit now..." Seeing the presidents following behind him, Zhang Xuan gave an awkward smile, then looked up at the building. Concentrating, he used his Soul Awakener methods to communicate with the spirit within.

*Whoosh!*

As if hearing his communication, the building swayed slightly and lifted its "head" again.

"Mmm!" Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and began to negotiate with it, asking it to sign a contract with President Ruan.

While he was communicating with the building's spirit, not far from the Guild, a pale-faced elder glared fiercely at Zhang Xuan in the air, his eyes filled with hatred.

"Is that the man you said injured you?" Next to him stood another elder with a handlebar mustache, sharply angled eyebrows, and a slightly crimson scar between his brows that resembled an eye.

"It's him! You must kill him and tear him to pieces, or my hatred will never be appeased..." The pale-faced elder ground his teeth. This was none other than Dao Kou, the "Fallen Hero," one of the Two Heroes of Jibei! After being severely injured by Zhang Xuan's punch, he had woken up, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. So, he sought out the elder beside him. This was Cang Xu, the "Sky-Supporting Hero," the other of the Two Heroes of Jibei! Cang Xu was a super-expert at the peak of the Saint Realm Fourth Layer, Primordial Spirit realm, possessing formidable strength, which was why he enjoyed such renown in Jibei.

"Rest assured, anyone who dares to lay a hand on you, I will make their soul scatter and ensure they have no burial place!" Cang Xu snorted coldly and frowned. "However, as you also investigated just now, this fellow is very likely a Master Teacher. A mere Saint Realm First Layer is nothing, but if we simply kill a Master Teacher like this, we probably won't even be able to leave the Qinyuan Imperial Capital before being imprisoned by the Master Teacher Pavilion!"

Master Teachers must not be insulted. Even if the other party wasn't a Six-star Master Teacher, but merely a Four-star one, if there was an issue, only the Master Teacher Pavilion could handle it. They could report him, but if they dared to lay a hand on him... they would also face sanctions! When the Master Teacher Pavilion took action, let alone them, probably no one on the continent could escape.

"What if he's a Master Teacher? As long as you use your secret art and act covertly, even the Master Teacher Pavilion won't be able to find out, right?" Dao Kou gritted his teeth.

"If the Master Teacher Pavilion truly wants to investigate, they will certainly find out, but... a mere Saint Realm First Layer youth shouldn't warrant them spending such a great cost!" Cang Xu scoffed. As long as someone was killed, no matter how covertly, if the Master Teacher Pavilion wanted to investigate, they would definitely uncover it. However, the cost incurred would be enormous. Although this fellow had ambushed Dao Kou, he was able to injure him with a single punch, indicating his status was not low. Still... he wasn't important enough to warrant such a costly investigation.

"You know my secret art. It was only successful because I received guidance from a senior. When I use it, I need absolute quiet and no disturbances... In a moment, guard me while I figure out how to seize his soul!" Cang Xu continued. His secret art was soul-based, obtained from ruins. It could kill people invisibly and was impossible to guard against. It was precisely for this reason that the two of them could dominate Jibei, unchallenged.

"Rest assured!" Dao Kou nodded.

"Mmm!" Nodding, Cang Xu looked up. "The secret art only has a range of three hundred meters. Let's get closer and find a hidden spot to use it!"