Chapter 1221: Sanctuary's Triple Pinnacle

No matter what, she was his student. If anyone dared to bully her, he would never stand idly by, just like he would for Lu Chong and the others.

"Thank you, Teacher..."

Seeing the unwavering determination in his eyes, Luo Qiqi smiled faintly. She remembered how he had risked his life fighting the Alien Demon puppets in the underground palace to save her. Having spent more than half a year with him, she understood his character well. He was capable of confronting an entire kingdom for his students and standing up to the First Prince of a Conferred Empire and a Vice Hall Master of the Master Teacher Pavilion for his butler. He was domineering yet incredibly protective. Given this personality, she knew he would absolutely intervene without hesitation if anything truly happened to her. This was precisely why she liked him. He possessed genuine character, true courage, strong responsibility, and great resolve. There was no pretense or hypocrisy about him.

"Alright, I'm happy to hear you say that. Teacher, I'll be going now!" Luo Qiqi patted the dust from her hands and smiled, "I won't keep you any longer..."

"Go on," Zhang Xuan nodded. Though he didn't explicitly state it, his actions conveyed a polite refusal. After today's interaction, she would likely understand that in his heart, she was merely a student, and her feelings of affection could never be reciprocated. Perhaps, after this, she would suppress those thoughts and eventually find a suitable partner for herself.

"Goodbye, Teacher!"

With a soft call, Luo Qiqi turned and flew away, vanishing from sight in an instant, likely heading back to Qingyuan City.

Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief as she departed. Spending just over an hour alone with her felt like an exhausting battle. It seemed he truly needed to be more reserved and low-key from now on; otherwise, more girls would become infatuated with him, and he wouldn't be able to escape their affections. Such was the sorrow of being too exceptional.

Shaking his head, he was about to find a place to absorb the medicinal power of the recently refined Spirit Origin Pill and attempt to reach the pinnacle of the Embryonic Soul Realm when he saw a figure flying towards him. It was Yu Fei-er!

"Master Zhang, that's not fair! You're teaching Qiqi alchemy privately here... You didn't tell me, and I want to learn too!"

The moment she arrived, Yu Fei-er huffed, clearly displeased to find them alone together. Both she and Luo Qiqi had confessed their feelings, yet Master Zhang was alone with Luo Qiqi, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

"I was only teaching her alchemy; it was nothing..."

Rubbing his temples, Zhang Xuan shook his head. Knowing it was best to be direct with her, he didn't bother beating around the bush. "To be honest with you," he said, "I already have someone I like!"

"Who? Qiqi?" Yu Fei-er asked, her face suddenly wary.

"Not her. It's... the young princess of the Luo Clan, a Sage Clan!" Zhang Xuan replied.

"The Sage Luo Clan?" Yu Fei-er couldn't believe it. "Sage Clans are incredibly lofty," she stammered. "How could Master Zhang possibly know someone from there? And the young princess, no less..."

Sage Clans stood at the absolute peak of the continent, considered invincible existences! Compared to them, her Hongyuan Imperial Family was so insignificant it barely registered. Master Zhang came from a small place like Tianxuan Kingdom; how could he possibly know such a person, let alone fall in love with her?

"You don't have to believe it... As for how I know her and why I fell for her... I can only say it was fate. And, we are mutually in love!" Thinking of Luo Ruoxi, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. Their first encounter had been a misunderstanding, with him thinking she was being pursued by a spirit beast. Looking back now, without that misunderstanding, their relationship would never have progressed—it felt as miraculous as fate itself.

Since he already had someone he loved, he didn't want to encourage any more confessions. To put a stop to it completely, he had to state it clearly now, otherwise, more misunderstandings and troubles would arise.

"I don't believe you..." Yu Fei-er's face paled. She had always thought that since Master Zhang didn't have a girlfriend, she, Luo Qiqi, and even Hu Yaoyao, all had a chance if they only worked hard enough. Now, it seemed it was already too late.

"You're a good girl, but... what I said is true," Zhang Xuan said, shaking his head.

"I..." Her breathing hitched. Yu Fei-er paused for a long moment, then gritted her teeth, turned away, and bit her lip, each word emerging slowly: "Master Zhang, I apologize for disturbing you. I'll be going back now..."

Without waiting for Zhang Xuan's reply, she flew straight away, vanishing from sight in an instant. Though she said little, the sound of heartbreak was palpable in her voice. Clearly, the fact that Zhang Xuan's heart belonged to another left her in disbelief and unwilling to accept it.

"Sigh!" Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed, having inadvertently caused pain to two girls in such a short time. In truth, he hadn't intended to cause any pain. Indecisiveness would only lead to more complications. He harbored no romantic feelings for either of the two girls. Only Luo Ruoxi made his heart stir the moment he saw her. With the knowledge and experience gained from two lives, he had always conducted himself maturely, steadily, and courteously. Yet, for her, he could act like a young man, consumed by jealousy, severely beating Feng Xun, or deliberately targeting Zhang Jiuxiao simply because he despised the Zhang Clan. However, even though these two girls were equally beautiful, exceptional, and liked him, he simply didn't feel the same way about them. Instead, he felt a kind of affection akin to a teacher's regard for a student. Therefore, he was clear about his own feelings. Since this was the case, rather than letting things get complicated, it was better to make a swift cut before their feelings deepened too much, offering them no false hope. This way, everyone could find peace.

"I won't dwell on this anymore. First, I'll focus on raising my strength to the pinnacle of the Embryonic Soul Realm!" Knowing his decision was correct, he shook his head, cast aside these thoughts, and sat down cross-legged. This place was exceptionally quiet and empty, making it an excellent spot for cultivation.

He adjusted his internal energy and breathing. After about an hour, when his body reached its peak state, he took out a Spirit Origin Pill and consumed it. The Spirit Origin Pills Luo Qiqi had refined were made from millennia-old medicinal ingredients. Each herb possessed incredibly potent medicinal power, and because the pills had reached the Pill Mark level, a single one was dozens of times more powerful than Hall Master Xing's.

As the medicinal power entered his chest, he immediately felt a sensation like raging flames continuously burning. A hot, warm current traveled along his meridians, circulating throughout his entire body, finally converging before his embryonic soul. The embryonic soul, now at Saint 3-dan mid-stage, resembled a seven or eight-year-old child. Its every movement carried immense power, seemingly capable of shattering the heavens and earth.

Zhang Xuan's mind remained calm. He inwardly observed his spirit, slowly circulating his True Qi according to the cultivation method of the third level of the Heaven's Path Divine Art. Whenever he sensed his spiritual energy diminishing, he would consume another Spirit Origin Pill. His cultivation and power steadily climbed with his continuous practice.

Embryonic Soul Realm mid-stage!Embryonic Soul Realm late-stage!Embryonic Soul Realm pinnacle!

Half an hour later, the embryonic soul had grown to the size of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old, its appearance almost identical to his own, though still appearing somewhat youthful. Its physical form, however, remained the same as when it was an infant—ten meters tall, without growing any taller.

"Finally!" Zhang Xuan sighed, filled with emotion. Reaching this realm had truly been a tortuous journey, costing immense effort. Fortunately, his dedication paid off, and after considerable struggle and hard work, he finally succeeded. However, the four Spirit Origin Pills Luo Qiqi had given him were completely used up, leaving him with nothing once again.

Inwardly observing his spirit, he noticed his True Qi flowed more smoothly through his meridians, and his strength had doubled compared to before. He extended his palm forward and gently clenched it in the air. An explosion resonated, and a powerful force immediately spread outwards. The rocks beneath him shattered into powder from the impact. Fortunately, he had ascended beforehand, or he would have been covered in dust.

"This is the power of the Embryonic Soul Realm pinnacle?" His fist tightened, and the excitement on Zhang Xuan's face was uncontrollable. "So powerful!" Although he had no powerful opponents to compare with and didn't know his exact strength, if he were to encounter Emperor Qingtian now, he could probably reduce him to a pulp with a single punch; he would be no match at all.

*Whoosh!*

Standing up, he completely reined in his aura, shedding the oppressive feeling from moments before. To an outsider, he now appeared to be merely a common Saint 3-dan pinnacle cultivator. Despite his increased strength, his primary intention remained to be low-key. He would avoid drawing attention as much as possible to save himself unnecessary trouble.

"Having reached this level, ordinary Spirit Origin Pills are no longer very useful to me. Going to the Alchemist Guild now holds no meaning..." He had originally set out to visit the Alchemist Guild to purchase more Spirit Origin Pills and attempt a breakthrough to a higher realm. However, with his cultivation having improved and after consuming the Pill Mark Spirit Origin Pills, ordinary ones were now virtually useless to him. Buying more would yield no effect and only be a waste of money. Given this, there was no need to trouble himself further.

"I'll return to the Combat Master Hall. The three hall masters are there; I can test my strength against them..."

With a faint smile, he was about to fly back to the Combat Master Hall to spar with the four hall masters and consolidate his realm and cultivation when he suddenly paused. With a flip of his wrist, a jade token appeared in his palm. It was a message from Master Wu. After one glance, his expression abruptly changed.

"Hall Master Gou... is dead?"

(Volume 10: Zhao Ya's Plea for Help, begins. A new volume, a new journey.)