Chapter 1151: Three Days Later

The gentle sound of tea pouring echoed in the quiet room, like a mountain spring nourishing all things.

Hall Master Xing set down the teapot and handed over the freshly poured tea.

“Excellent tea. No wonder it fetches such a high price; it truly has its worth!” After taking a sip, Elder Qi nodded.

He had purchased this Cloud Mist Tea upon his return from the Hongyuan Empire. Initially, he had found it quite expensive, but only after tasting it did he realize that far from being overpriced, it was actually quite a bargain.

“It is indeed excellent…” Hall Master Xing also nodded in agreement. After three days of consolidation, his cultivation had grown significantly more potent. Both his state of mind and his Nascent Soul had made remarkable progress. It seemed he would be able to attempt his lightning tribulation soon if he persisted.

“Elder Qi, how has your cultivation consolidation progressed these past few days?” Hall Master Xing asked, looking at the elder before him.

“The Combat Master Hall’s cultivation formations are truly remarkable. In a mere three days, my half-step Leaving Aperture realm strength has already been consolidated…” Elder Qi stroked his beard. It had to be said, the Combat Master Hall’s training facilities were indeed ingenious. In other places, fully consolidating this level of power would be difficult without several months, yet here, it was accomplished in three days. While still some distance from complete consolidation, he had already adapted to this power, now capable of unleashing extraordinary combat prowess.

“Indeed, it speaks to Elder Qi’s profound accumulation. For others, even the best formations would be useless!” Hall Master Xing nodded. The speed of cultivation depends primarily on the individual; formations are merely supplementary aids. Having experienced life and death, Elder Qi’s state of mind had reached a higher level. Hall Master Xing even suspected that if Elder Qi were to attempt it, he could easily pass through the Heart Calming Passage.

“How is Master Sun doing these days?” Not dwelling on the topic, Elder Qi inquired. Over the past three days, he had wanted to express his gratitude to his benefactor, but he found that Master Sun was even more diligent in his cultivation, to the point where he hadn't seen him at all.

“Master Sun is truly worthy of being called a cultivation prodigy…” Upon hearing the question, and recalling the reports he had received over the past two days, Hall Master Xing couldn't help but exclaim, his eyes sparkling.

“A prodigy, you say?”

“Indeed. He first went to the Fist Art Hall. There’s a Fist Power Testing Stone there, which I presume you’ve heard of?” Hall Master Xing explained.

Elder Qi nodded. The Fist Power Testing Stone in the Fist Art Hall was no secret throughout the Qingyuan Empire. Many who wished to test their striking power would come to use it. It was a Saint realm artifact capable of accurately assessing an individual’s comprehension and power in fist techniques.

“On the Testing Stone, the Saint realm Second Layer record, set 8,000 years ago, belonged to Combat Master Wang Ce. He possessed innate divine strength and later cultivated the Tides Overturning Art, as well as the highest-level defensive secret arts. His True Qi and physical body were both incredibly potent, and his fist power had been meticulously honed through countless trials, yet he only scored 18 points. This Master Sun, however, after merely an hour of cultivation, broke the record in a single attempt, achieving 88 points…” A wry smile spreading across his face, Hall Master Xing felt as if he had just witnessed a monstrous feat. When others broke records, it was usually by a point or two at most. Yet, this Master Sun consistently shattered records by severalfold… He was essentially leaving no room for anyone else to ever surpass him.

“Eighty-eight points?”

Elder Qi’s lips twitched.

“Yes! Seeing such an astounding score, I went to ask if he had used his full strength… He said, he said…” Hall Master Xing shook his head.

“He said what?”

“He said… eighty-eight points looked the best, that it felt auspicious, and that he was a bit poor recently, so he wanted things to go smoothly for him later…” Hall Master Xing replied.

“…” Elder Qi.

“After leaving the Fist Art Hall, he proceeded to the Palm Art Hall!” Taking a moment to compose himself, Hall Master Xing continued, “The Combat Master Hall’s palm techniques are divided into eighteen distinct types: some yin, some gentle, some rigid, some fierce. To comprehend even one type of palm force and face a single puppet is challenging, as the entire passage is guarded by eighteen puppets, making it difficult to even pass one… Yet, after entering, he immediately disabled all restrictions and took down all eighteen puppets, one with each palm strike, laying all of them flat on the ground… The entire feat took less than ten breaths!”

“One strike per puppet?”

Elder Qi’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Indeed! The crucial point is that the palm force he employed perfectly matched each puppet, without the slightest deviation… Meaning, in just ten breaths, he switched between eighteen different types of palm force!” Hall Master Xing said.

“This… how is that even possible?” Elder Qi stammered, trembling slightly. The palm is the most flexible part of the human body, making palm techniques among the most intricate in combat. Rigidity and softness are two distinct forces; forcibly switching between them can easily lead to injury. Yet, he managed to cycle through eighteen variations in a single breath, all within ten breaths… How did he possibly achieve that? Was his body made of iron, utterly impervious to the backlash of such force? Had it been him, his meridians would surely have been torn and shattered long ago.

“And the truly impossible part is yet to come. The Defense Hall, you’re familiar with it, yes?” Hall Master Xing looked at him.

“Of course. The Defense Hall utilizes the Heavenly Craft Bronze Hammer, an artifact capable of analyzing the body’s weaknesses and hammering them for refinement. It strikes 1,296 acupoints on the human body, greatly enhancing defense. Once mastered, one becomes impervious to blades and swords, possessing astonishing resilience!” Elder Qi nodded. If the Combat Master Hall’s Weapon Hall was the spear for killing, then the Defense Hall was undoubtedly its shield! Experts who had mastered its techniques would charge into battle, impervious not only to arrows but even to Saint realm weapons striking their bodies; they wouldn’t even leave a mark. They were like indestructible cockroaches, terrifying to the extreme.

“Yes. The Heavenly Craft Bronze Hammer is a mid-grade Saint artifact, immensely effective for body tempering. Its blows are excruciating, hurting to the bone marrow. An ordinary combat master can’t endure it for even a minute, and even I don’t last more than five… Master Sun entered it, subjecting himself to the hammering. I had fully expected this session to greatly advance his physical body, but the result was…” Hall Master Xing clutched his forehead, “He… fell asleep!”

“Fell asleep?” Elder Qi nearly choked.

“Yes… he said the hammering felt too comfortable, and he slept like a log. If I hadn’t seen that he wasn’t emerging and feared for his safety, forcibly pulling him out, he probably would have slept for days…” Hall Master Xing’s face was etched with helplessness. Seeing him drooling in his sleep at the time, Hall Master Xing had nearly fainted from shock. Such agonizing blows, yet he treated them as a relaxing massage, completely unwinding… The mere thought was enough to make one keel over.

“After he awoke, he proceeded to the Movement Skill Hall! Its passage contains 122 hidden mechanisms. Upon entry, these mechanisms are triggered, unleashing a barrage of attacks that are incredibly difficult to dodge… The further one advances, the more intricate the attacks become, and the greater the difficulty!” Hall Master Xing continued.

Elder Qi nodded. He had also heard about the Movement Skill Hall. The Ten Combat Master Halls were formidable presences throughout Qingyuan City, inspiring awe and dread. Especially the Movement Skill Hall, which demanded flawless reaction time, speed, and awareness… Lacking in even one aspect meant being struck and eliminated on the spot.

“Before he entered the Movement Skill Hall, I specifically warned Master Sun that this trial was exceptionally difficult. The result… he walked one round trip and didn’t trigger a single hidden mechanism… Having no choice, I then activated all the hidden mechanisms, filling the entire passage with concealed projectiles… He walked two more round trips and still didn’t touch a single one…” Hall Master Xing clutched his forehead, “It was then that I realized his speed was simply too immense. The hidden mechanisms couldn’t even react before he had already passed…”

“The mechanisms couldn’t even react?”

Elder Qi staggered slightly. The hidden mechanisms were controlled by formations, activating instantly upon contact. Yet, even these couldn’t react… How unbelievably fast must he be? At such a speed, if he were to truly make a move, even with Elder Qi’s current strength, he would likely be effortlessly cut down before he even realized it!

“Indeed!” The more he spoke, the deeper the wry smile on Hall Master Xing’s face became. To become the Hall Master of a Combat Master Hall, overseeing an entire region, he had always considered himself a genius. He believed that with enough effort, he could achieve accomplishments beyond others’ wildest imaginations. However, after witnessing Master Sun, he realized that he was merely mediocre… He wasn’t even fit to be called 'mediocre'. Master Sun merely dabbled and practiced casually, spending no more than two hours in each hall. Yet, the feats he achieved were historically unparalleled; no one could compare, no one could catch up. He could no longer be described merely as a “genius”; even calling him a “monster” felt like an understatement.

After hearing Hall Master Xing’s account, Elder Qi’s jaw dropped further. He had assumed that any progress Master Sun made would be subtle; he never dreamed that he would cause such an immense stir!

“It seems you’ve chosen the right person. Dealing with that major trouble should no longer be an issue…” It took Elder Qi a good while to recover before he finally spoke. Through their interactions over the past few days, he had also learned what the ‘major trouble’ Hall Master Xing referred to was: a student organization from a first-tier empire that had actually pushed their Combat Master Hall into such a corner. It had to be admitted that Master Zhang Xuan truly possessed considerable capabilities. Though he had never met him, Elder Qi knew Master Zhang Xuan’s strength was not to be underestimated.

“Indeed. Before, I had my doubts about whether Master Sun could surpass Zhang Xuan. But now, it’s clear that even if Zhang Xuan were twice as formidable, he still wouldn’t be Master Sun’s match.” Having vented the shock in his heart, Hall Master Xing felt much more relieved and began to laugh. Any prior anxieties he harbored had vanished, now that he witnessed Master Sun’s heaven-defying abilities. If such power couldn’t overcome a Six-star Master from a first-tier empire, then the Combat Master Hall truly had no reason to exist.

“That’s excellent then! I too look forward to seeing Master Sun display his formidable might and defeat this undefeated legend from the Hongyuan Empire…” Elder Qi nodded with a smile.

“Considering the time, the members of the Xuanxuan Society should be arriving soon. I’ll go invite Master Sun over now…” Glancing at his surroundings, Hall Master Xing stood up. The agreed-upon exchange was set to begin, and three full days had already passed, meaning the other party would soon arrive at the Combat Master Hall. While the Xuanxuan Society was a bit of a headache, they would not shy away from a genuine challenge.

“Very well, I’ll accompany you…” Elder Qi also rose to his feet, and the two men strode out together.

Just as they exited the room, they saw Hall Master Liao approaching to greet them.

“Where is Master Sun?” Seeing him approach alone, Hall Master Xing’s brows furrowed.

“He… said it was still early, so he went to… the Soul Hall!” Hall Master Liao said.

“The Soul Hall?” Hall Master Xing’s expression shifted. “The Soul Hall’s trial is overseen by a Saint realm Fourth Layer Green Soul Beast, which the Combat Master Hall specially acquired at great cost from outside!”

“A Green Soul Beast?” Elder Qi was taken aback. “That creature naturally possesses immense soul power and can easily cause one to fall into a coma… Are you worried Master Sun might be attacked if he goes there?”

“No, I’m worried he might have *tamed* the Green Soul Beast…” Hall Master Xing said, his face etched with anxiety.

“…” Elder Qi.