Chapter 1260: Master Tianyin

Chapter 1241: The Master's Celestial Voice

"Indeed!" Song Xuan's eyes narrowed, and he clenched his teeth.

"The Master's Celestial Voice?" Zhang Xuan was momentarily stunned, then nodded. Having read all the books in the Master Teacher Pavilion of Qingyuan Empire, he was very familiar with this type of competition.

Normal Master-Teacher Revelation involves finding a certain number of cultivators, giving them a lecture within a limited time, and assessing their affinity; the higher the affinity, the better the score. The Master's Celestial Voice, while similar in principle, simply utilizes a special item called the Heavenly Sound Brush!

The Heavenly Sound Brush is neither a Saint artifact nor a Spirit artifact. Instead, it's a unique magical treasure imbued with the will of master teachers. It can recognize a master teacher's words, and if the words align with the profound truths of the Great Dao and present new insights, it will automatically record all the spoken mysteries. Other cultivators can observe the recorded text and experience the same effect as personally hearing a Master-Teacher Revelation, thus accelerating their cultivation. Of course, after a single viewing, the text completely disappears.

There are two reasons why this is considered the most difficult competition among all Master-Teacher Revelation methods. First, the Heavenly Sound Brush, imbued with master teachers' wills, is accustomed to ordinary Master-Teacher Revelations. To make it activate, the knowledge imparted must be truly original and unique. Second, it heavily depletes one's mental state, far more than lecturing other master teachers. Normally, making it write a single character consumes one unit of a master teacher's mental scale. Therefore, these two points alone have stumped countless master teachers. Many peak 7-star master teachers see the Heavenly Sound Brush remain motionless after an entire lecture. Even for quasi 8-star master teachers, ten characters are the limit, and almost no one can surpass it.

"Each use of the Master's Celestial Voice heavily damages one's mental state. Are you sure you want to compete using this?"

Upon hearing that this was the competition, Yao Mantian's expression became grim. Making the Heavenly Sound Brush write automatically consumes an immense amount of mental energy. Even a slight mistake could lead to a mental breakdown, destroying years of cultivation. Thus, this competition is not only difficult but also highly dangerous.

"Yes!" Song Xuan's gaze was resolute.

"This..." Yao Mantian paused, then looked at Zhang Xuan. "Teacher Zhang, what's your opinion? If you find it too difficult, you can certainly refuse!" After speaking, she secretly transmitted a message. "Song Xuan has specialized in the Master's Celestial Voice and once achieved an excellent score of 'eight characters.' You've never even touched the Heavenly Sound Brush. If it's too much, just refuse and suggest a different competition method!"

To make the Heavenly Sound Brush move, without having tried it before or knowing its rules, success is virtually impossible for anyone. Song Xuan dared to challenge because the Qianchong Empire possessed a Heavenly Sound Brush, and he had previously achieved the excellent score of "eight characters." Ten characters is the limit for quasi 8-star master teachers. Achieving eight characters means he is undoubtedly among the very best, even in the Qianchong Empire. It could be said that this challenge was highly advantageous for him, but extremely difficult for Teacher Zhang.

"No need, this one is fine!" Knowing her good intentions, Zhang Xuan nodded in thanks and smiled faintly. It's just the Master's Celestial Voice. Although he hadn't encountered it before, it shouldn't be too difficult.

"Alright!" Seeing him agree with a nonchalant expression, Yao Mantian shook her head. With a flick of her wrist, a golden brush appeared before everyone, quietly suspended in the air. The brush was over a foot long, with no ink on its surface. A sweep of divine perception revealed a unique master teacher aura emanating a faint pressure.

"This is the Heavenly Sound Brush. Who wants to go first?" With a flick of her finger, the brush floated motionlessly between the two.

"Since Teacher Song proposed the competition, let him begin!" Zhang Xuan showed humility. He had read about the Master's Celestial Voice competition method but had never personally tried it. He wasn't entirely clear on the specific rules, so letting the other party go first would allow him to observe and make an early judgment.

"Alright!" Without refusing, Song Xuan took two steps forward, raised an eyebrow, and began to speak. No sound was emitted; instead, he transmitted his voice via zhenqi.

"Using voice transmission makes Master-Teacher Revelation more focused, preventing unnecessary waste... and makes it easier for the Heavenly Sound Brush to activate..." Fearing Zhang Xuan might not understand, Yao Mantian secretly transmitted a message.

Zhang Xuan nodded. Lecturing one person and lecturing a group are two different concepts. Similar to tutoring, one-on-one instruction yields better results, while teaching a large group means less individual attention and thus less effective results. Voice transmission is targeted, preventing dispersion of power and making it more potent.

Song Xuan's mouth opened and closed as he continuously spoke. Soon, sweat began to bead on his forehead. However, the brush before him remained completely still, as if nailed in the air. Zhang Xuan's divine perception spread out, sensing that as Teacher Song continued his lecture, his mental state scale rapidly decreased.

After an unknown period, the brush, which had been steadfastly motionless, suddenly swayed. With a gentle turn, a large character appeared in the air. It was writing in the void! It was neither a familiar script nor that of the Fiend or Beast races. It was an entirely new font. Although he didn't recognize what it was, just a glance seemed to convey its meaning, causing the zhenqi in his body to throb and his cultivation to proceed according to the character's implications.

"A sweep of divine perception allows for learning, but after one sweep, the text disappears..." Yao Mantian continued her secret transmission.

The Master's Celestial Voice is a form of Master-Teacher Revelation that can make people automatically circulate their zhenqi; simply by touching it with divine perception, one cultivates uncontrollably. However... this item is single-use. No matter how miraculous the cultivation technique, it can only be viewed once by one person. Essentially, it's a stored Master-Teacher Revelation that can be carried around or even gifted. For this reason, it is extremely precious, practically priceless and unobtainable on the market.

As the first character appeared, more and more cold sweat beaded on Song Xuan's forehead. Then came the second, third, fourth... As more characters appeared, his face grew paler and paler, indicating an overdraft of his mental state. A quasi 8-star master teacher's mental state is usually above 23. It's impossible to deplete so many units at once. Doing so would lead to mental collapse, the emergence of countless inner demons, and an inability to regain control. Normally, reaching below 15 units would indicate danger.

With his Eye of Insight activated, Zhang Xuan observed carefully. As more characters appeared, Song Xuan's body swayed more violently, and his primordial spirit seemed on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, he had endured four lightning tribulations, strengthening his soul; otherwise, he would have collapsed long ago.

"Six, seven, eight... eight characters already. He's reached his previous record..." Ten minutes later, eight characters were floating quietly in the air, shimmering with a unique brilliance. "Eight characters" was Song Xuan's best achievement. Reaching this point was his limit; he swayed incessantly, seemingly on the verge of collapsing at any moment, his face as white as paper, utterly devoid of color.

"Continuing might... cause extreme harm to his body." Seeing that he had no intention of stopping and continued transmitting his voice to the brush, Zhang Xuan frowned. Whether it's Master-Teacher Revelation or cultivation, one must act within their limits. Exceeding the body's limits leads to irreversible damage. As a peak 7-star physician, he understood the body well. Continuing like this might allow Song Xuan to surpass his limits and achieve unprecedented results. However, the damage to his body would be permanent, especially to his mental state, potentially preventing any further advancement in the future. For a master teacher, if their mental state cannot progress, it means they are permanently stuck at the quasi 8-star level, unable to reach higher realms.

*Gasp! Gasp! Gasp!* Despite his deteriorating complexion, Song Xuan still showed no signs of stopping. Suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, appearing as if he had aged several years.

The brush swayed in the air and wrote the final character. After completing this, Song Xuan seemed to have exhausted all his strength, collapsing stiffly to the ground as his vision went dark, and he fainted.

"Ah, why go to such lengths? What's the point?" Seeing that the other party had overdrawn all his strength for victory, collapsing into unconsciousness from mental strain, Zhang Xuan shook his head with a wry smile. Paying such a hefty price just for a fit of pique... this fellow is truly stubborn.

Taking a few steps forward, Zhang Xuan pressed two fingers on Song Xuan's acupoints. A surge of zhenqi quietly spread through him, and only then did Song Xuan slowly open his eyes.

"You..." Clenching his teeth, Song Xuan struggled to stand, his face ashen. "Don't try to curry favor; I won't be grateful..."

"I don't need your gratitude!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. Saving him was simply his duty as a master teacher. Whether Song Xuan felt grateful or not held no meaning for him.

Having regained consciousness and taken a pill, Song Xuan's complexion recovered somewhat. He then looked at Yao Mantian nearby. "Teacher Yao, I have completed the Master's Celestial Voice. Please bear witness!"

"You wrote a total of nine characters. Although you didn't break the quasi 8-star master teacher's record of ten characters, it's still a rare achievement in a century!" Yao Mantian nodded. A score of nine characters might not be much among 8-star master teachers, but among quasi 8-star master teachers, it is absolutely top-tier. Even the Hall Master of the Qianchong Empire might not be able to match it.

"Thank you, Teacher Yao, for bearing witness!" Seeing his score acknowledged, Song Xuan narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhang Xuan nearby. "Teacher Zhang, please begin!"

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded. He had observed Song Xuan's entire performance of the Master's Celestial Voice, and he now thoroughly understood this Master-Teacher Revelation assessment method.

He quickly approached the floating Heavenly Sound Brush, clasped his hands behind his back, and also transmitted his voice. His mouth opened and closed, but no one knew what he was saying. The brush, which had been swaying in the air, became rigid and motionless with his voice transmission, as if nailed there.

"It's been almost half an hour, why isn't there any movement?"

"Indeed, could it be that none of Teacher Zhang's words have been acknowledged?"

"If so, that would be terrible..."

After waiting for almost half an hour, the brush in the air remained completely still. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Teacher Song had written about seven or eight characters in that same amount of time. Why was Teacher Zhang still showing no signs of activity? Could it be... that he had failed?