Chapter 1177: Heart Refining Bridge

"The Sage Clan Zhang?" Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

Teacher Wu and Guild Leader Han had once told him that the little princess of the Luo Clan had a marriage engagement with a major Sage Clan, and this family was the Sage Clan Zhang.

As a result, hearing that name made him extremely uncomfortable.

In other matters, he could remain calm and undisturbed, but not with this.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have beaten Feng Xun twice for confessing his feelings back then.

"That's right! However, I'm just guessing; I can't be certain," Teacher Mu nodded.

"That doesn't sound right!" Zhang Xuan hesitated before asking, "Since the Saint Son Hall accepts descendants of Sage Clans, people from the Zhang Clan should be able to enter directly. Why would they come to Qingyuan Empire to snatch this sole spot?"

"The Saint Son Hall is indeed more lenient with Sage Clans than with empires. A Grandmaster Hall in a Conferred Empire usually has only one spot, while a Sage Clan has a minimum of ten. A behemoth like the Zhang Clan likely gets at least 30 slots annually..."

Teacher Mu nodded and continued, "However, for a large family like that, 30 slots cannot cover all their geniuses. It can at most guarantee entry for their core disciples with pure bloodlines. For collateral descendants, there are no opportunities..."

"So, these individuals usually disperse to subordinate Conferred Empires to compete for a spot. Once they enter the Saint Son Hall, they gain access to the best resources and most excellent inheritances. For collateral descendants of major clans, it's absolutely the best chance to change their fate, and no one would give it up..."

"So they come here? With them around, wouldn't the geniuses from Conferred Empires lose their chance?"

Zhang Xuan was displeased.

If a Conferred Empire only had one slot, and someone else took it, wouldn't the local genius lose out?

"It's a matter of the strong preying on the weak; there's no way around it. If a genius from a Conferred Empire could surpass him, they wouldn't dare act recklessly. But if they can't, they can only watch helplessly as the spot is taken, with nothing they can do."

Teacher Mu shook his head.

No matter where it was, as long as there was a Grandmaster Hall, even a Sage Clan wouldn't dare go too far.

But if your genius isn't as good as mine, then tough luck.

The Saint Son Hall only wants the strongest. If you're not as good as someone else, you're simply not as good. Talking more won't help.

"That's true..." Zhang Xuan nodded.

It was like the Combat Master Hall selection: students from their Hongyuan Empire, with their strong combat power, were all naturally selected. The other three academies could only compete, and many who were originally very promising became unqualified.

Cultivation was indeed that cruel.

However, with the Grandmaster Hall, many rules were fair. Even someone of ordinary status, as long as they possessed enough talent, could rise to prominence. Just like him... he was merely an orphan from Tianxuan Kingdom, yet through his own efforts, he had come this far, even becoming the principal of the Grandmaster Academy.

"This Zhang Jiuxiao, though only a collateral descendant of the Zhang Clan, truly possesses terrifying talent. He's only twenty-seven this year and has already reached the peak of Saint 3-dan and a 7-star Mid-tier Grandmaster. He completely overwhelms all the grandmasters in Qingyuan Empire's Grandmaster Hall, so he naturally secured the spot without question."

Teacher Mu sighed, "Actually, collateral descendants of major clans don't hold high status and don't have many resources available to them. To reach such strength at this age, setting aside some of his bloodline abilities, his talent and effort are truly impressive."

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan empathized.

It was true; no matter how talented a person was, if they didn't work hard enough, it would all be in vain.

Just like him, he had painstakingly cultivated for nearly a year to reach his current strength. The hardships involved were difficult to put into words and not for outsiders to know.

"I'm definitely going to the Saint Son Hall. How can I get this spot?"

Zhang Xuan looked over.

Since Luo Ruoxi was in the Saint Son Hall, he definitely had to go. No matter what it took, he had to get a spot.

"There's only one chance. In 20 days, the Saint Son Hall will send a special envoy to escort the geniuses. If, before then, your strength can reach the peak of Saint 3-dan, you successfully become a 7-star Grandmaster, and all your talents surpass Zhang Jiuxiao, then you'll naturally qualify. I know time might be tight, but there's no other option..."

Teacher Mu said.

"20 days?" Zhang Xuan nodded, "Alright!"

Two or three days might have been tight, but 20 days was definitely enough for him.

"Alright?" Teacher Mu looked over, puzzled. "If I recall correctly, your strength is only at the peak of Saint 1-dan, right? You're still two major levels away from Saint 3-dan..."

"Oh, I accidentally broke through to the peak of Saint 2-dan last night!"

Zhang Xuan chuckled.

He hadn't deliberately displayed his cultivation, so even Teacher Mu hadn't noticed. After speaking, he subtly revealed a hint of it.

"Accidentally? Saint 2-dan... peak?" Teacher Mu's mouth twitched. He held his breath for a long time before recovering, unable to help but exclaim, "Teacher Zhang's talent is truly astonishing!"

When they were at Qiuwu Palace, the other party was only at the peak of Saint 1-dan. In just one month, he had advanced a whole major level, a terrifying speed of progress.

"However, even with that, it's probably still not enough... Not to mention the vast difference between Saint 3-dan Embryonic Soul realm and Divine Sense realm, just perfectly fusing the soul and embryonic form, even with talent, would likely take several years to complete."

Teacher Mu wasn't optimistic.

After reaching the Saint realm, each level was like a new heaven. Even the most talented individuals would take an unknown amount of time to make even a small advancement. To break through in 20 days, honestly... it was asking too much.

"The most crucial thing is that Zhang Jiuxiao isn't an ordinary Saint 3-dan peak expert. His accumulation is incredibly profound, allowing him to fight beyond his level. Even ordinary Saint 4-dan experts would find it difficult to defeat him. Even I, having broken through, would only have a 50/50 chance of victory against him..." Teacher Mu sighed.

He had once been a core disciple of the Mu Clan, which was why he was expelled for leaking cultivation techniques. The fact that he was only evenly matched with a Saint 3-dan peak expert after breaking through to Saint 4-dan showed how formidable Zhang Jiuxiao was.

"You're 50/50 against him?"

Zhang Xuan frowned, "Teacher Mu, could you test my strength?"

"Test?" Knowing what he meant, Teacher Mu smiled and led him to a training ground in the Grandmaster Hall. He crossed his arms over his chest and stood casually, saying, "You can make your move now. You just broke through yesterday, so your cultivation probably hasn't fully stabilized yet. Don't worry, I won't use my full strength; I just want you to experience the might of a Primordial Spirit realm expert..."

Before Teacher Mu could finish his sentence, a figure suddenly appeared before him, followed by a fist that shot straight towards his chest.

"Hmm?"

Unexpectedly, the other party was so fast. Teacher Mu's eyebrows involuntarily twitched. He gathered all his strength, intending to counter, when he suddenly felt an overwhelming soul-crushing force assault him.

Before he could react, he was immediately sent flying backward, straight out of the training ground, his back slamming hard against the wall, spitting out large mouthfuls of blood.

Immediately after, the young man's apologetic voice rang in his ears: "I'm so sorry, Teacher Mu, are you alright? I was already holding back quite a bit, only using one-fifth of my strength..."

"Pfft!"

His face paled, and he spat out another mouthful of blood. Teacher Mu nearly fainted on the spot.

In that instant, he truly wondered if he had faced a peak Saint 4-dan expert instead of a Saint 2-dan.

With such strength, even five of him wouldn't be a match.

Hastily peeling Teacher Mu off the wall, Zhang Xuan's face was full of apology, yet also puzzlement: "That Grandmaster Zhang Jiuxiao you mentioned, does he only have this much strength?"

"Cough, cough!"

Coughing out another mouthful of blood, Teacher Mu's face flushed.

Although the Mu Clan's cultivation techniques weren't specialized in combat, he had, after all, been a core disciple who received direct lineage. His combat power was considerably stronger than others at the same level... yet, he hadn't even withstood a single punch from the other party before being sent crashing into the wall.

The thought itself was depressing.

"Actually, Zhang Jiuxiao's strength is slightly greater than mine... However, with your combat power, even without breaking through, it should be more than enough!"

It took him a while to recover his energy, and Teacher Mu said with some embarrassment.

If he was already so powerful at Saint 2-dan, once he broke through, even Zhang Jiuxiao, a descendant of the Zhang Clan, would likely find it hard to contend with him.

"Besides requirements for strength and grandmaster rank, what other assessments does the Saint Son Hall conduct? Perhaps Teacher Mu could continue practicing with me..." Zhang Xuan said.

"No need!" Teacher Mu's face changed, and he quickly shook his head.

Just testing his cultivation had nearly killed him. He feared that if they continued, inner demons would arise, and his newly regained confidence would shatter again.

"You need to quickly pass the 7-star Grandmaster assessment now. The Saint Son Hall's minimum requirement is to reach that level... If you can't, no matter how strong your combat power, there's nothing that can be done!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

His biggest goal in the next couple of days was to successfully pass the 7-star Grandmaster assessment.

Even without being told, he would strive for it.

"I've said everything I needed to. I still have to travel, so I'll take my leave now."

Having said his piece, Teacher Mu said no more and turned to leave in a hurry.

To be honest, the longer he spent with this fellow, the more blows he received. He truly feared that his painstakingly accumulated confidence would crumble because of it.

"Uh..."

Zhang Xuan hadn't expected Teacher Mu to leave so abruptly, without any hesitation. He shook his head, walked out of the training ground, and continued toward Teacher Wu's residence.

"Teacher Zhang, keep it up!"

"Teacher Zhang, we believe in you! You'll definitely set a new record..."

He hadn't walked far when he heard a series of wild screams.

Pushing through the crowd, Zhang Xuan looked over and immediately saw a long stone bridge before him.

A person was standing on the stone bridge, sweat pouring from their head, seemingly struggling to hold on.

It was none other than Zhang Jiuxiao, the descendant of the Sage Clan Zhang.

"What are they doing?"

Zhang Xuan looked utterly bewildered.

"They're challenging the Heart Forging Bridge!" a Grandmaster nearby explained.