Chapter 1192: Re-entering Qiu Wu Palace

Although the Zhang Clan extolled that genius to the heavens as one of a kind, Zhang Xuan possessed absolute confidence that if they ever met at the same cultivation level, he could absolutely crush the opponent, leaving them crying for their parents and questioning their very existence.

Not for any other reason, but for the grievances Luo Ruoxi had endured all these years!

"My woman, Zhang Xuan's woman, whoever dares to lay a hand on her, I'll kill them!"

"Teacher Yang, since Teacher Zhang is your student, I won't disturb you further. I'll take my leave now..."

Seeing 'Teacher Yang's' eyes narrow, a murderous glint flashing within them, Luo Chengxin shivered slightly and spoke cautiously.

If only he had known that Teacher Yang had left such a formidable will on Zhang Xuan, he would never have dared to come here and issue a warning...

"You may go!"

The 'young man' waved his hand dismissively.

"Thank you, Teacher Yang..."

Luo Chengxin quickly turned, walked a few steps, then paused. After a moment of hesitation, he looked back again. "I implore Teacher Yang to speak with Teacher Zhang. If he can let go, please ask him to do so. The little princess has endured so much suffering since childhood; I truly don't want to see her... continue to be hurt!"

Hearing this, the 'young man's' brows furrowed. Seeing that the other party was genuinely concerned for Luo Ruoxi, he shook his head. "You may go!"

"Understood!"

Luo Chengxin breathed a sigh of relief before turning and departing.

Once the other party had departed, the 'young man' finally exhaled. The formidable aura that had seemed to pierce the heavens instantly dissipated from his body, leaving him like a deflated balloon, his limbs limp and seemingly unable to lift his arms.

"That was close... I almost couldn't maintain it!"

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Allowing the formidable figure to devour Confucius's personal calligraphy had indeed generated a powerful aura, which was effective, but it couldn't be sustained for long.

Fortunately, his Mind Reflection had recently increased, making the disparity between them not too great, otherwise, his deception would surely have been exposed.

Moreover, it was fortunate that he had run wildly earlier, and this place was isolated. Otherwise, such a powerful aura leaking out would undoubtedly have drawn countless formidable experts.

"I need to get back quickly. If that guy senses something is amiss and comes back, I won't have so much of Confucius's personal calligraphy to generate such an imposing aura again..."

Knowing it was not the time to rest, Zhang Xuan swiftly flew towards the Combat Master Hall.

Shortly after, he returned to his residence and immediately felt a wave of drowsiness, as if he had just fought a grueling battle.

Although he had managed to intimidate the other party using various means, he knew that feigning strength before such a high-level expert was akin to dancing on the tip of a knife or bargaining with a tiger. The immense pressure he had endured was unimaginable.

If his mental fortitude hadn't been exceptional, he would undoubtedly have been exposed long ago.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he regulated his breathing for an hour, only then fully recovering.

"I must, before March of next year... acquire the strength or status to contend with the Zhang Clan!"

Recalling his earlier conversation with Luo Chengxin, Zhang Xuan felt a profound sense of urgency.

From Luo Chengxin's tone, this engagement was not merely a marriage alliance; it also involved a significant matter that could not be refused, not even for Luo Ruoxi, who was the Luo Clan's most beloved little princess!

Although he was a genius, the fact that he was a Celestial Acknowledged Master Teacher and a Celestial Acknowledged Saint could not be publicized, which inevitably meant that the other party would not take him seriously.

Therefore, if he wished to marry Luo Ruoxi honorably and ensure she didn't live a life of regret like Teacher Mu, he could only rapidly enhance his strength and status!

Before March of next year, he needed to possess the capability to converse with the Zhang Clan as an equal!

Only then would they take him seriously and consider his suggestions.

Otherwise, it would be absolutely impossible for them to risk offending the continent's foremost Saint Clan and a super genius capable of making even Confucius's statue levitate, all for a mere "genius."

"There are only about eight months left... I'm currently at the peak of Saint 2-dan. To possess the ability to negotiate terms with the Zhang Clan, I must at least surpass Luo Chengxin, which means reaching beyond Saint 7-dan..."

Zhang Xuan sank into contemplation, a strong sense of pressure weighing on him.

Although it had taken him less than a year to progress from the beginning of his cultivation to Saint 2-dan, an incredibly fast pace, he understood that... the higher one's cultivation, the more challenging it became!

Not only were cultivation techniques becoming scarcer and more difficult to acquire, but more crucially, there was a severe shortage of cultivation resources!

Previously, a single low-grade spirit stone could propel him through more than a dozen major cultivation realms, from a martial artist to a Transcendent Mortal. But now... even a refined high-grade spirit stone might not guarantee rapid progress.

More importantly, cultivation to the Saint realm involved the soul and primordial spirit. Breakthroughs were not merely dependent on abundant spiritual energy; they were also intricately linked to one's disposition and state of mind. It was absolutely impossible to achieve them overnight as before.

Therefore, despite it being only six cultivation realms, completing them within eight months... remained an immense challenge! Even Zhang Xuan himself had no certainty of success and could only race against time, seizing every precious second.

"I must cultivate quickly... Ruoxi, wait for me. I will never let you suffer any grievances!"

Clenching his fists, Zhang Xuan's gaze became resolute.

Through his conversation with Luo Chengxin, he now understood the immense torment Luo Ruoxi must have endured to agree to be with him.

Since she had already decided to be with him, as a man, he could not possibly let her down.

No matter what, he had to ensure she married him honorably, without suffering even the slightest injustice.

If the Zhang Clan truly intended to obstruct them, then... he would simply crush them!

With this firm decision made, his thoughts became clearer and more unobstructed. Zhang Xuan felt as if his soul had undergone a profound metamorphosis, becoming purer and more refined.

"Cultivate! I must strive to break through to Saint 4-dan before dawn..."

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Zhang Xuan thoroughly reviewed the cultivation techniques for Saint 3-dan and 4-dan once more.

He had already collected them previously, and now that he had the time, he seized the opportunity to cultivate.

With a flick of his wrist, the seventeen refined high-grade spirit stones he had acquired from Chu Tianxing appeared in his palm.

For his current cultivation, ordinary spirit stones were no longer effective.

Calming his mind, his true qi circulated within his body, and his consciousness instantly arrived before his primordial embryo.

Saint 3-dan, the Embryonic Soul realm—also known as the Primordial Infant realm—involves merging the primordial embryo with the soul to form an infant.

The most challenging aspect of this stage is shattering the primordial embryo, allowing it to emerge like a butterfly from its cocoon—this is what is known as the embryo transforming into an infant.

Many cultivators find themselves trapped at this stage, unable to achieve a breakthrough.

While the Heaven's Path cultivation technique meant there were no inherent cultivation barriers, his primordial embryo had already reached a perfect level, making it incredibly resilient. Shattering it would likely prove far more difficult than for an average cultivator.

"Soul, emerge!"

With a thought, his colossal soul body materialized before the primordial embryo.

There are two steps to breaking through to the Embryonic Soul realm.

First, merge the soul and primordial embryo; second, the primordial embryo breaks free from its cocoon, shattering into an infant.

"According to the Heaven's Path cultivation technique, the soul's entry into the primordial embryo is quite simple; one only needs to open a portal on the latter to enter and merge with it..."

As he meticulously considered the cultivation method described in the technique, Zhang Xuan focused his mind, and sure enough, a portal slowly appeared on his primordial embryo.

His soul body flickered and plunged straight inside.

*Crack!*

After just a single attempt to enter, it immediately halted mid-air, his legs twitching uncontrollably.

"Oh no... it's stuck!"

His soul body was simply too massive. After being sealed as a Saint, it had reverted to a towering ten meters. While his primordial embryo was undeniably a heaven-defying existence among those of its level, it was still... far too small compared to his soul body.

It couldn't enter at all!

Even though a soul could change its size, becoming large or small... there were limits. It was like trying to fit an elephant into a walnut—an utterly impossible task.

After struggling for a long time, he finally managed to pull his stuck soul free, his lips twitching as a look of utter exasperation spread across Zhang Xuan's face.

He had refined high-grade spirit stones, and the Heaven's Path cultivation technique was flawless, yet... his soul body was too massive to enter the primordial embryo. How was he supposed to cultivate?

If it couldn't enter, he couldn't merge it... let alone have the embryo shatter and form an infant!

"What kind of situation is this...?"

He attempted to enter a few more times, getting stuck on each occasion, and once he almost couldn't withdraw his soul. Zhang Xuan felt a surge of frustration, almost on the verge of tears.

He had initially intended to be spurred by the recent events, to work diligently and break through two realms consecutively, aiming for the Primordial Spirit realm... Now, it seemed he had been far too optimistic.

"The Heaven's Path cultivation technique is indeed flawless, but... I've also cultivated the abilities of a Vicious Soul Master, which has made my soul body too powerful. It's no longer suitable for this method..."

He rubbed his temples.

In his previous cultivation, soul was soul, and true qi was true qi.

However, to break through to the Embryonic Soul realm, these two must be perfectly integrated.

True qi cultivators and Vicious Soul cultivators pursue two distinct paths, both capable of reaching their respective pinnacles.

Under normal circumstances, no one could cultivate both simultaneously.

Zhang Xuan, with the aid of the Heaven's Path cultivation technique, had successfully refined the Vicious Soul cultivation method, allowing his physical body and soul to develop in tandem. He hadn't encountered any issues in the earlier stages, but now that the time for merging had arrived, problems surfaced.

Both had reached their extremes... like oil and water, making them incredibly difficult to merge!

For example, when crafting a complex tool without an overall blueprint to guide them, even if individual components are meticulously made and appear perfect, they might not fit together during assembly due to incompatible sizes.

His primordial embryo and soul body were akin to a walnut-sized nut attempting to fit a ten-meter-diameter screw... it would be a miracle if they could possibly connect.

"What should I do?"

His consciousness withdrew from his dantian, and Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed in worry.

This was the first time he had ever encountered such a predicament.

Previously, with the cultivation experiences of his predecessors readily available, he could simply utilize the Library of Heaven's Path to merge them. But now... no one had ever faced such an issue, so there was no existing precedent to draw upon.

"No wonder Confucius once said that to progress further, one must forge their own path. Blindly inheriting the wisdom of predecessors, while it can accelerate progress, will also constrain one's direction and momentum... It seems he had already detected the issue in my cultivation!"

Back then in Qiu Wu Palace, Confucius had indeed told him that in cultivation, one must forge their own path.

Only now did he realize that Confucius might have already discerned his particular challenge and issued that warning, but unfortunately... he hadn't taken it to heart.

"Forge my own path? But how?"

In this unprecedented situation, there was no longer any precedent to draw upon. Zhang Xuan furrowed his brows, lost in deep thought.

Forcing one's own path was easy to say, but in reality, it was incredibly difficult... one might even say impossible to achieve.

"Wait, I know! I'll go to Qiu Wu Palace. Perhaps I can find something left behind by Confucius there and gain some inspiration!"

After pondering for a long time without finding a solution, a thought suddenly struck him.

With a flick of his wrist, a crystal ball appeared in his palm. It was engraved with intricate patterns, resembling a map.

When he had refined the crystal, he had absorbed the entire Qiu Wu Palace into it, carrying it with him everywhere... though he had never actually entered it himself.

"I'll go in and take a look!"

As its master, he possessed the means to enter. With a single thought, Zhang Xuan instantly vanished from his original spot.