Chapter 1189: Luo Family Visitors (Part 1)

Guild Leader Meng Chong didn't end up giving him any money. Instead, he invited Zhang Xuan to the Painter and Calligrapher Guild, promising to give him a painting as compensation. Zhang Xuan felt a surge of resentment, lamenting the decline of moral values.

"Teacher Zhang, we didn't do much with this seal, so we won't take these spirit stones..." Guild Leader Mu gathered the high-grade spirit stones scattered on the ground, put them into a ring, and handed it over.

They had gathered everyone, hoping to pool their efforts, but in the end, they hadn't helped at all; everything had been resolved by Zhang Xuan. Although these spirit stones were compensation from the Bronze Masked Man, they felt too embarrassed to accept them.

"Alright then!" Seeing that everyone refused, Zhang Xuan reluctantly accepted them.

Actually, these spirit stones were not very useful to him, but if he wanted to purchase high-grade essence spirit stones in the future, no amount would be too much.

"Teacher Zhang's appraisal skills are unmatched. You must also be an appraiser, right?" Seeing him accept the stones, Guild Leader Mu looked over with curiosity.

Zhang Xuan could accurately identify the precise age of paintings and calligraphy without error, and even find solutions based on the artistic styles of the time. He had perfectly integrated appraisal with painting and calligraphy.

"A five-star appraiser. I originally planned to test for seven stars, but I haven't had the chance yet..." Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Your discerning eye is even better than mine. There's no need for an examination. I'll help you apply for a seven-star appraiser's emblem shortly..." Guild Leader Mu smiled.

No wonder a figure like Teacher Wu regarded him as a brother. With such sharp discernment, whether he took the examination or not was meaningless.

"I'll also help you apply for a seven-star painter and calligrapher's emblem!" Guild Leader Meng Chong quickly added from the side.

Teacher Zhang's skill in ethereal calligraphy just now was superior to his own, and his understanding of painting and calligraphy had at least reached the peak of seven stars, so he was certainly qualified.

"Many thanks!" Seeing that he had not only learned about the painting and calligraphy profession but also consecutively acquired two major professional emblems during this visit, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

This way, the auxiliary professions required for the seven-star master teacher examination were all gathered. Once all the emblems arrived, he could smoothly become a seven-star master teacher, qualifying him to apply to the Sage Temple.

"Guild Leader Mu, where is your Appraiser Guild's library? May I go and take a look?" Relieved, Zhang Xuan smiled.

Since he was already here, he naturally wanted to collect all the books.

"Of course..." Guild Leader Mu nodded, about to lead the way, when a conflicted voice rang out: "Teacher Zhang, Teacher... could you please help me deal with this first, before handling anything else?"

Hearing the voice, they both remembered that Zhang Jiuxiao was still standing to the side, his head covered in durians.

After more than an hour of growth, nine durians had now formed on his head. Standing there, he resembled a large tree, not only lush with branches and leaves but also bearing flowers and fruit, exuding an indescribable prosperity.

His tail, too, was thick and powerful, full of might...

"Wait a moment!" Taking out a brush, Zhang Xuan thought for a moment, then casually wrote out a prescription and handed it over: "Prepare this medicine according to the prescription and take it. It should be able to eradicate the plant spirit within you. However... the process might be somewhat painful, so you must endure it!"

Since the other party was unwilling to open his soul for him to help, the only option was to use poison to eliminate it.

Fortunately, he had thoroughly observed this spirit earlier and knew what kind of medicine would be able to poison it to death.

This medicine was very simple, even an ordinary person could prepare it. However... it was extremely harmful to the human body, and the process would be very painful. Whether he could endure it depended solely on him.

If he felt it was too dangerous, he could just keep the durians on his head. After all, it only affected his appearance and had little impact on his life; in fact, because he had transformed into a plant, some of his abilities had become even more resilient...

To be honest, as a descendant of his love rival's family, helping him this much was already beyond generous.

"Many thanks..." Zhang Jiuxiao took the prescription, full of gratitude.

After dealing with this matter, Zhang Xuan bid farewell to Teacher Wu and the others, then followed Guild Leader Mu to the library.

Appraisers' knowledge encompasses every profession, and they must even be well-versed in history, geography, and various rare treasures. There were tens of millions of related books.

Walking among them, Zhang Xuan read for over two hours, absorbing all the information into his mind only well past midnight.

After organizing the books, he formed the six-star and seven-star level Heavenly Dao appraisal methods and thoroughly studied them.

Having learned everything, his understanding of appraisal reached the peak of seven stars. Even without the Library of Heaven's Path or the Eye of Insight, he could easily identify mid-tier Saint realm treasures without a single error.

With a light smile, Zhang Xuan's eyes gleamed.

Not only had he become a seven-star peak level painter, calligrapher, and appraiser during this appraisal event, but most importantly, he had learned that the illusory image of Master Kong had once appeared on a certain mountain peak. If he had the chance in the future, he could definitely go and investigate.

Perhaps he would make an astonishing discovery.

"Teacher Zhang..." Just as he stepped out of the library, he saw Guild Leader Mu approaching.

Although it was past midnight, the Guild Leader was still awake.

Zhang Jiuxiao also followed behind.

By this time, he had completely poisoned the plant spirit within him, and the durians on his head and his tail were gone. However, his face and body were somewhat swollen, likely a side effect of the strong poison. With some good recovery time, he should be able to return to normal.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhang Xuan clasped his hands and bid farewell.

Leaving the guild, he saw countless stars hanging in the sky, as if someone had pierced the night curtain with needles, leaving behind innumerable luminous holes.

The once bustling streets were somewhat deserted in the dead of night. Stretching, Zhang Xuan headed towards the Combat Master Hall.

He hadn't walked far when he suddenly frowned, his hairs bristling.

He distinctly felt someone following him from behind, but neither his spiritual sense nor his eyes could locate them, no matter how hard he tried.

Without hesitation, his body swayed, activating the Heavenly Dao Movement Technique. He rapidly soared forward, flying over ten kilometers in one breath. Just as he was about to turn, he felt a presence lock onto him.

He quickly turned around, immediately seeing a black-robed figure standing not far away.

He had fled so far in one go using the Heavenly Dao Movement Technique, yet the other party could easily catch up, and without him even noticing. Their strength was simply terrifying!

Cold sweat immediately trickled down his back, and Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed.

He had never encountered such a situation before.

"No need to be nervous. If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead..."

The black-robed figure's appearance was indistinct. His voice carried a heavy quality, and he stood quietly before Zhang Xuan, yet seemed to blend into nature, as if he could vanish at any moment.

The Eye of Insight rotated as Zhang Xuan looked, and his body trembled.

He couldn't discern the other party's cultivation level at all, meaning... their strength definitely surpassed Hall Master Xing after his breakthrough, and perhaps even exceeded the Nascent Divinity realm!

When did such a master appear in Qingyuan City?

"Senior... are you waiting specifically for me?" Though nervous, he knew that if the other party truly intended to act, he wouldn't be able to escape at all, so he quickly clasped his hands.

The fact that he was followed as soon as he left the Appraiser Guild indicated that the other party had been waiting for him.

"You detected me so quickly with only a trace of my aura released. This indicates your mental fortitude is extremely high and you are incredibly sensitive to your surroundings!"

Without answering him, the black-robed figure clasped his hands behind his back and snorted, "I've been following you since dusk. I witnessed the entire scene of you dealing with that painting. To have such discerning vision at such a young age... it's quite impressive!"

"You followed me since dusk?" Zhang Xuan's pupils contracted.

When he came here, Teacher Wu had been with him the entire time, and he had also paid attention to his surroundings, yet he hadn't noticed anything...

To have been followed for so long without knowing... It was truly terrifying!

"Senior, what is your intention in specifically following me?" He secretly tried to communicate, but found nothing.

The other party hadn't used any combat techniques, so even if he called out "Deficiency," no book would form, making it impossible to know their background.

"No particular intention. I just wanted to see if you possess the qualification and capability!"

With a soft snort, the black-robed figure raised his head, revealing an old man in his sixties whom Zhang Xuan had never seen before.

As he spoke, Zhang Xuan immediately felt a dull ache in his chest, as if struck by something, and his body was instantly sent flying backward.

In an instant, the space before him seemed to be compressed, and he was like a lobster squeezed in the palm of a hand, unable to break free no matter how much he struggled.

"This..." His pupils constricted to the size of a wheat awn.

No books had appeared in the Library of Heaven's Path, indicating the other party hadn't used any combat techniques... To be so powerful without using techniques, rendering him unable to resist...

What kind of strength was this?

Peak of Saint 5-dan? 6-dan? Or 7-dan? In any case, it was definitely not something his current strength could contend with.

"Senior, if you sought me out just to display your strength, there's no need. I am merely an insignificant figure at Saint 2-dan; no matter how much you display, I wouldn't understand!"

Knowing the danger, Zhang Xuan also understood that he couldn't panic. He activated his mental fortitude, and his voice carried a unique resonance.

The disparity in strength between them was too vast. He could only hope that his exceptionally high mental fortitude would cause the senior to lose focus, buying him time to escape.

"Your mental fortitude is not bad, but... it's still a bit lacking if you intend to use the Teacher's Impartation of Heaven's Will on me..."

As if knowing his thoughts, the black-robed elder smiled faintly.

"Senior, what are you saying... It must be a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

His scalp tingled, and Zhang Xuan plastered on a sincere smile, his face full of earnestness.

The other party could even discern his use of the Teacher's Impartation of Heaven's Will, indicating that his mental fortitude was no less than Zhang Xuan's!

Fortunately, he hadn't recklessly pushed forward; otherwise, he would likely have suffered a backlash and been better off dead.

"You do have some cleverness, but it's of no use against someone like me!"

The elder shook his head.

"How could I possibly be clever... Senior, you effortlessly confined me here, and I couldn't detect your tracking. Your mental fortitude is incredibly high, beyond imagination... I wonder what level of master you are. Could you perhaps demonstrate a combat technique for me to see?"

His face reddened, and Zhang Xuan looked remorseful: "I come from a small place and have never seen such a formidable master. I greatly admire the demeanor of powerful experts. If I could just witness your skill, it would be worth it, even if I were to be killed!"