Chapter 1266: 接引使者到了

"Teacher Zhang, this is the reward from headquarters for the recent Combat Master exchange..."

Zhang Xuan, accompanied by Sun Qiang and others, had just returned to his residence at the Combat Master Hall when Hall Master Xing arrived shortly thereafter.

During the last exchange between the four Combat Master Halls, twenty combat masters were selected to go to the Sword Pool in Qianchong Empire. Qingyuan Empire had secured all the slots, earning commendation from headquarters. The rewards had already been delivered through a special channel.

"In total, there are 120 high-grade Spirit Stones of Essence, which is 20 more than anticipated. However, due to my authority, I can only allocate half, meaning 60." With a flick of his wrist, Hall Master Xing produced several jade boxes and presented them.

"Sixty high-grade Spirit Stones of Essence? Excellent!" Zhang Xuan's eyes sparkled, and he couldn't help but sigh with satisfaction, "My hard work in training them wasn't for nothing..."

"'Hard work in training?'" Hall Master Xing's eyelids twitched uncontrollably; he nearly choked on a mouthful of blood. *You* merely promised to help with training, provided a plan, then vanished, off to play in the Challengers' Hall, and didn't even show up for the competition... If that counts as hard work, then what about those who genuinely put in the effort? Do they even deserve to exist?

"Thank you!" Ignoring the Hall Master's twitching eyelids, Zhang Xuan opened the jade boxes. Sensing the potent spiritual energy within, he nodded in satisfaction.

With such a generous supply of high-grade Spirit Stones of Essence, his cultivation was bound to advance further, reaching a higher realm. While he, as a Master Teacher, had an obligation to help combat masters improve their fighting capabilities, he certainly wouldn't refuse any personal benefits that came his way.

"This was promised previously, it's nothing!" Hall Master Xing said. "If Teacher Zhang doesn't have any further needs, I won't interrupt your cultivation..." Knowing that Zhang Xuan would undoubtedly cultivate now that the Spirit Stones had arrived, Hall Master Xing said no more and took his leave.

As soon as Hall Master Xing departed, Zhang Xuan, without hesitation, phased his body and entered the Thousand Ant Hive.

He already possessed the cultivation technique for the Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm; what he lacked were high-grade Spirit Stones of Essence. Now that they had arrived, it was only natural for him to swiftly enhance his strength.

After all, he had been stuck at the peak of Saint 3-dan for over ten days; it was time for a breakthrough.

Everything else was secondary; strength was paramount. Without it, even his girlfriend might end up with someone else...

He adjusted his state to its absolute peak, and with everything prepared, he sat down cross-legged. With a flick of his finger, a Spirit Stone leaped out from a jade box.

The surging, pure spiritual energy, amplified by the formation, swiftly gathered around his body, ready to flow inward through his acupuncture points.

"Still not enough..." Knowing that his demand for spiritual energy far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators, he continued to draw more.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!* The remaining fifty-odd high-grade Spirit Stones flew out one after another, scattering around his body and settling into specific positions.

*Rumble!* The spiritual energy from all 60 high-grade Spirit Stones of Essence was intensely drawn by the Spirit Gathering Formation, becoming as thick as liquid in the blink of an eye.

For anyone else, such a concentrated environment would likely cause respiratory distress, not only preventing cultivation but even leading to a regression in their cultivation base.

It was akin to fine wine: a lower alcohol content was pleasant to drink, but if it became too potent, like pure alcohol, consuming it would be fatal.

If the spiritual energy was too dense and the absorption rate insufficient, a power imbalance would occur, much like water flowing from a high point to a low one. This could easily lead to a collapse of power, or even death.

However... Zhang Xuan was immune to such issues.

His physical body, refined by both the Five Brilliance Golden Body and the Heavenly Dao Body, was already comparable to a mid-grade Saint artifact. Furthermore, his soul, having cultivated the Heavenly Dao Witch Soul, was immensely powerful. Thus, for him, the more spiritual energy, the better.

As the spiritual energy continued to amass, reaching a sufficient concentration, Zhang Xuan opened his mouth wide and inhaled deeply.

*Boom!* The formidable energy immediately surged into his body through his acupuncture points and mouth, swiftly converging in his dantian.

Within his dantian, the ten-meter-tall embryonic spirit, seeing the influx of spiritual energy, excitedly danced and consumed it in large gulps, undergoing continuous transformation.

The Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm involved continuously absorbing power to nourish the embryonic spirit, allowing it to transform into a Primordial Spirit the size of a real person.

With an abundant supply of spiritual energy, and the Heavenly Dao cultivation technique already mastered, the embryonic spirit immediately began to change at a visible pace.

His overall aura also steadily grew stronger.

*Crack! Crack! Crack!* As the embryonic spirit transformed, the spiritual energy from the high-grade Spirit Stones of Essence was completely drained, and each stone made a crisp sound as it began to shatter.

"Such an immense consumption..." Zhang Xuan's eyebrows twitched.

He had previously thought that fifty high-grade Spirit Stones of Essence would be sufficient to advance him from the peak of the Embryonic Spirit realm to the peak of the Primordial Spirit realm. Now, it seemed... he had underestimated the difficulty.

As the Heavenly Dao cultivation technique advanced, its demand for spiritual energy became increasingly pure and the quantity required grew exponentially. Cultivating to this point, even high-grade Spirit Stones of Essence felt somewhat inadequate.

"Wealth, companions, techniques, and land... Indeed, wealth comes first. Without resources, even the greatest talent is useless!" he sighed inwardly.

He had once thought of swiftly breaking through to Saint 7-dan to gain the strength to contend with that genius from the Zhang Clan. Now, it seemed far from easy; just accumulating enough Spirit Stones was already quite a challenge.

*Crack! Crack! Crack!* Finally, after thirty-two high-grade Spirit Stones of Essence shattered, it was as if he had broken through a crucial bottleneck, shattering the restraints of the Embryonic Spirit realm!

*Boom!* His aura abruptly transformed—he had reached the Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm!

With the breakthrough in his cultivation, Zhang Xuan immediately felt his thoughts become remarkably clearer. His physical body and soul had also undergone a transformation, becoming tougher, stronger, and brimming with power!

Not only that, but his reactions were also significantly faster. Previously, when fighting against experts of the Ethereal Form realm, while he wasn't weak in terms of strength and zhenqi, his reactions were somewhat slower. Without relying on the Eye of Insight, he might not have been able to contend even with Emperor Qingtian's clone in Qingyuan City.

Now, however, he could crush such opponents with a single finger, effortlessly.

"Continue..." Seeing that there were still Spirit Stones remaining, and with no time for hesitation, Zhang Xuan calmed his mind, closed his eyes, and resumed his cultivation.

A little less than an hour later, the remaining twenty-eight high-grade Spirit Stones of Essence had all shattered, and his cultivation had successfully reached the mid-stage of the Primordial Spirit realm!

He extended his palm and gently clenched his fist; the surrounding space instantly solidified, becoming almost tangible.

"So strong..." Feeling his spatial mastery deepen further, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. "With my current strength, even if I were to encounter Emperor Qingtian of Jibei Marsh, I could easily slay him without needing my clone..."

From the Embryonic Spirit realm to the mid-stage Primordial Spirit realm, he had advanced three minor cultivation levels, but his actual strength had soared by more than two times!

With his current strength, should he face the fragmented Emperor Qingtian again, he could easily slay him relying solely on his power, without needing tactics or his clone.

In other words, at this moment, he was already comparable to a late-stage Ethereal Form realm expert, or even capable of holding his own against an ordinary peak Ethereal Form realm expert.

In the Ethereal Form realm, each minor cultivation level required enduring a lightning tribulation, and the gap between them was like an abyss. To be able to fight beyond one's cultivation level without even fully breaking through to it—if news of this spread, it would undoubtedly scare people senseless.

Of course, with the Heavenly Dao cultivation technique, coupled with Heavenly Dao martial arts and the Eye of Insight, if he couldn't achieve even this much, there would be no point in living.

"What a pity that I only have 60 Spirit Stones; I can't push my cultivation all the way to the peak of the Primordial Spirit realm in one go..." He shook his head.

If he had another sixty Spirit Stones, reaching the peak of the Primordial Spirit realm shouldn't be difficult... At that point, he could even contend with peak Ethereal Form realm experts!

A Master Teacher of Song Xuan's caliber could be easily defeated without even needing the Golden Origin Cauldron.

"Hall Master Xing only has the authority to allocate 60 Spirit Stones, so I truly can't take all of their rewards..."

The Combat Master Hall had rewarded 120 high-grade Spirit Stones of Essence in total. Hall Master Xing's authority only allowed him to allocate half of them. If he could have used the rest, he would surely have made further progress.

Of course, one shouldn't be too greedy. Taking half was already a significant amount. If he truly depleted their resources entirely, how would the combat masters of the Combat Master Hall cultivate?

After spending some time adapting to his newfound strength and fully grasping his cultivation, Zhang Xuan finally exited the hive.

"Young Master, Hall Master Wu of the Master Teacher Hall requests your presence there once you emerge from seclusion!" As soon as Zhang Xuan stepped out of his room, Sun Qiang approached him.

"To the Master Teacher Hall?" Zhang Xuan frowned. Hadn't he just returned a short while ago? Why did he need to go back again?

"Yes, Hall Master Wu mentioned that the welcoming envoy from the Saint Son Hall has arrived," Sun Qiang explained after a moment's thought. "They're inquiring if Teacher Zhang is interested in participating in the Saint Son selection..."

"The welcoming envoy has arrived?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Earlier, Teacher Mu had told him that Luo Ruoxi was very likely in the Saint Son Hall and that the only way to find her was to enter it himself.

However, gaining entry wasn't easy due to quota restrictions. When he had inquired previously, he was told that the welcoming envoy would arrive in twenty days to escort the selected individuals. Calculating the time, exactly twenty days had passed since he parted ways with Teacher Mu, so the envoy's arrival was indeed right on schedule.

"I'll go take a look..." With Luo Ruoxi involved, Zhang Xuan didn't hesitate. His body flickered, and he flew straight towards the Master Teacher Hall.

He arrived there shortly.

"Teacher Zhang!" He was now essentially the teacher of all Master Teachers, recognized by everyone. The moment he entered, countless Master Teachers immediately bowed with cupped fists.

"Is that Teacher Zhang?" "He's so handsome..." "I'm his devoted fan! I want to bear his children..." "Get out of here! You're a man, how could you give birth?" A flurry of excited whispers immediately erupted around him.

After the Heavenly Voice of the Teacher Character, Zhang Xuan had replaced Zhang Jiuxiao as the idol for all young people across Qingyuan Empire. Upon his appearance, the young cultivators who had come to study at the Master Teacher Hall were all utterly thrilled, unable to contain their excitement.

"This isn't the life I want... My heart feels so weary!" Seeing the crowd's fervent adoration, Zhang Xuan felt a pang of helplessness.

To be honest, he simply desired a low-key life: to study quietly, advance discreetly, and be a handsome man without attracting too much attention...

Such widespread and frenzied adoration was not to his liking.

He turned his head and glanced around, only to spot the woman with the "millstone butt" who had once been madly infatuated with Zhang Jiuxiao. She was among the crowd, and upon seeing him look in her direction, she shrieked incessantly, looking as if she desperately wanted to rush over and pin him to the ground...

This made him... even more melancholic.

"Never mind. It's about time I left Qingyuan City anyway..." he sighed.

He had been in Qingyuan City for over twenty days, which was more than enough time. It was indeed time to depart.

"I must secure a spot in the Saint Son Hall!" With a tightened fist, Zhang Xuan's eyes gleamed.

(First day of the month, please support!)