Chapter 1313: Harem Beauties of Three Thousand

The scene before his eyes swayed violently. Zhang Xuan knew that the teleportation array involved space, which would be very helpful for comprehending the Heaven's Path of Emptiness. As soon as he entered it, his Eye of Insight immediately began to rotate, eager to observe its specific operational method.

Multicolored lights continuously flickered around him. It felt as if he were flying through the air as intricate patterns appeared densely before his eyes, resembling a beautiful tapestry.

A thought stirred within him: "It's somewhat similar to the patterns of the Seal of Conferred Sainthood..." Under the illumination of his Eye of Insight, the teleportation array indeed bore a resemblance to the patterns of the Seal of Conferred Sainthood. They were like lines numbered one to nine, tightly intertwined, forming length, width, and height, thus creating space.

He stumbled, and the light before his eyes vanished. Looking around, he found himself in a small valley.

Dense forests surrounded him. A stream flowed down, its waters tapping against the rocks like a musical instrument playing.

He surveyed his surroundings. Both sides were covered in lush green vegetation. It was somewhat similar to Sword Pool Island, which he had entered previously, but this place appeared more like a gorge.

"First, find sacred beasts. The more you defeat, the higher your score!" Knowing that time was of the essence, Zhang Xuan did not hesitate. He flew up along the gorge.

He didn't know many of the other rules, but defeating sacred beasts would surely earn points. Since that was the case, he would rely on his strength to subdue a few more. When he was tested at Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, he had experienced a similar situation, taming hundreds of spiritual beasts and thus scoring far higher than others.

Taming beasts and dealing with sacred beasts... Even those stronger than him would certainly not compare when it came to this. It was definitely a great tool for racking up points.

He flew swiftly, various plants whizzing past his eyes. As expected of a place rich in spiritual energy, the variety of plants was immense. Even he couldn't name many of them.

On the way there, besides cultivating, he had been reading books in his mind's eye. He had by now almost finished reading all the books he had previously collected. In terms of erudition, even a 9-star Master Teacher might not compare, given the sheer volume of his knowledge. The fact that there were plants he couldn't name indicated the richness of the species here.

"Hmm? Something's wrong..." After observing the diverse vegetation and flying for a while, Zhang Xuan frowned.

Given the range of his divine perception, he had been flying for so long. Even if he didn't encounter powerful sacred beasts, he should certainly have encountered ordinary life forms. The fact that he hadn't found anything but vegetation was quite odd.

"Could it be that I've been directly teleported into some kind of array formation?" He stopped flying, and layers of halos shone in his eyes as he looked around.

His Eye of Insight had the ability to dispel illusions. A moment later, it indeed allowed him to see what was amiss.

"It's an illusion array..." He shook his head, moved his body to a spot, and lightly stomped his foot.

Countless plants collapsed in the blink of an eye. Before him, water still flowed gently, but it was different from before. It was no longer a valley, but a small thatched cottage, standing amidst green mountains and clear waters, tranquil and serene. Even before approaching it, one's mind would naturally feel at ease.

Knowing that he was still undergoing the mountain gate trial, Zhang Xuan dared not be careless and slowly moved forward.

A rasping sound, 'zzzt-zzzt!' Before he even reached it, a friction sound rang out. Rounding the corner of the wooden house, he saw an old man squatting by the nearby stream, continuously grinding something.

It was an iron rod. The rod, under continuous grinding, had begun to thin, its tip resembling a fine needle.

"Grinding an iron rod into a needle?" Zhang Xuan was momentarily stunned, filled with doubt.

Sacred beasts ambushing, people besieging, being trapped in arrays... none of these were unusual. But seeing someone grinding an iron rod left him utterly bewildered.

"Do you know what I'm doing?" As he wondered, a faint voice sounded. The old man grinding the iron rod seemed to have noticed him; his movements didn't stop, and his tone held a question.

"You're grinding a needle!" Zhang Xuan said.

"Huh?" The old man was startled, turning his head. "You know I'm grinding a needle?" Such a thick iron rod, an outsider would only assume he was sharpening some kind of weapon. Yet this person saw at a glance that he was grinding a needle, which surprised him.

"Yes, you're grinding an iron rod into a needle to tell me that as long as one has determination and is willing to put in the effort, even the most difficult tasks can be accomplished... as the saying goes, 'With enough effort, an iron rod can be ground into a needle!'" Zhang Xuan said.

"This..." The old man blinked. In his lifetime, his talent hadn't been exceptional, and he always felt he couldn't catch up to others. Then, one day, he went out and saw his teacher grinding an iron rod, who told him he wanted to grind it into an embroidery needle and spoke the very words Zhang Xuan had just quoted. This greatly benefited him, and from then on, he progressed all the way to his current state.

He was performing the same act to inspire and encourage future generations. But how could... this fellow before him state the purpose immediately, leaving him with so many words stuck in his chest, unable to utter them?

"Grinding an iron rod into a needle..." The old man made a swallowing motion. Just as he was about to speak, the young man before him shook his head and sighed, "Though the intention is good, in my opinion, you're doing something futile!"

"Why?" The old man frowned, unable to help but look over. He had been greatly inspired by this very act back then; how could it be futile?

"It's simple. If I'm not mistaken, you're not a real person, but a soul imprint," Zhang Xuan said. "And this thing you're grinding is a piece of Star Spirit Iron, which is incredibly hard and more precious than even Golden Crystal Profound Stone. What you're grinding it with, however, is an ordinary bluestone... There's such a vast difference in grade between the two, it's like trying to grind an iron rod with cotton. Do you think you can succeed?"

With his Eye of Insight activated, he had already seen that the old man before him was not a real person, but a soul imprint. The iron piece in the old man's hand was a very rare Star Spirit Iron, incredibly hard; even an 8-star Artifact Forger would find it difficult to melt. Grinding it with an ordinary stone... it was simply a joke.

"Even if diligence truly pays off and you persist in grinding it, gaining something from it..." Zhang Xuan continued, "But, as a soul imprint, how long can you sustain yourself? If I recall correctly, soul imprints cannot last long in the outside world!"

He had seen soul imprints many times. If they remained inactive and dormant, they could last longer, but once awakened, they generally couldn't survive for much time. For example, Ancient Sage Qiuwu, and the Sword Elder he had previously encountered... despite their immense power in life, the imprints they left behind didn't last long before dissipating.

"This..." Seeing his well-reasoned analysis, the old man shook his head helplessly, put down the iron rod in his hand, and praised him with admiration in his eyes: "You are very intelligent, and your discernment is excellent. You figured it out so quickly..."

The reason he was grinding the iron rod here was not only to inspire future generations, but more importantly, it was a test. The fact that the other party saw through his purpose at a glance, and even realized he was a soul imprint, showed good discernment and intelligence.

"Seeing these things is quite simple!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. Even if he hadn't been a scholar in his previous life, he had still heard the story of grinding an iron rod into an embroidery needle. The old man's use of this to teach might greatly inspire or shock others. But for him, it was already a well-known tale, eliciting no surprise whatsoever.

"Actually, if you really want to grind this Star Spirit Iron into a fine needle, there's a way," Zhang Xuan said with a slight smile. "This ordinary bluestone certainly won't work; you'll need Profound Gold Stone, combined with Suspended Wood Sap!"

"Oh? You mean Profound Gold Stone combined with Suspended Wood Sap can grind Star Spirit Iron into a fine needle?" The old man was stunned, the words he wanted to say catching in his throat, finding it somewhat unbelievable.

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan chuckled softly, "It's quite simple. Suspended Wood Sap has corrosive properties. When combined with Profound Gold Stone and a few other medicinal ingredients, it can easily corrode the hard parts of Star Spirit Iron. As long as you accurately calculate the mass and size of the iron rod in your hand and prepare enough medicinal liquid, it can be corroded into the size of an embroidery needle in just a few minutes. There's no need for grinding at all!"

"A few minutes?"

"I happen to have these medicinal ingredients right here; I can let you try!"

With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan produced a pile of medicinal ingredients, his fingers moving like the wind. After taking the storage ring from Ji Lingfeng, the Black Market Master, he found that the medicinal ingredients and treasures inside were even more abundant than what he had collected before. Although these ingredients were precious, he was able to gather them all.

Soon, numerous medicinal liquids blended together, forming a special sap. He took out a piece of Profound Gold Stone, evenly applied the sap onto it, then reached for the iron rod and placed it within the sap.

Sizzling and hissing sounds erupted! A burst of pure white mist rose, and the Star Spirit Iron rapidly shrank. Just as Zhang Xuan had said, in a matter of minutes, it became a fine embroidery needle. The sap and Profound Gold Stone were also completely consumed at that moment, without a single bit left over, as if everything had been precisely calculated.

With a flick of his finger, the fine needle flew into his palm. Zhang Xuan casually handed it to the old man opposite him: "I've made it for you. You don't need to keep grinding here anymore; it's quite arduous... and so difficult, yet yields no results..."

The corner of the old man's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He had merely intended to test the other party, but as a result... this fellow before him actually turned his iron rod into an embroidery needle... Did he have to be so ridiculously effective?

What was most crucial was that Zhang Xuan had also lectured him, like an elder encouraging a junior... *Do you even know who I am? How dare you speak to me like that?*

Shaking his head and casting aside the frustration in his heart, the old man looked over: "You just glanced at the iron rod and were able to calculate the precise amount of medicinal ingredients needed... It seems your Eye of Insight has reached the realm of 'meticulous detail, without a single error'!"

"You know I have the Eye of Insight?" Zhang Xuan was stunned.

After four Heavenly Conferred Master Teacher acknowledgments, his Eye of Insight could now be completely hidden. As long as he didn't wish it, even an 8-star high-tier Master Teacher might not be able to discern it. Yet this old man before him, being a soul imprint, whose strength couldn't be discerned, was able to recognize it at a glance... His cultivation in life must have been incredibly profound!

"Could it be... a 9-star Master Teacher?" A thought stirred in his mind, and Zhang Xuan couldn't help but look over, his fists clenching involuntarily.

The most formidable Master Teacher he had encountered so far was Elder Haoyu, who had just instructed them to enter this place. As for so-called 9-star Master Teachers, he had never seen one, nor even knew their names. If this person before him had reached such a level, they might indeed be able to perceive that he possessed the Eye of Insight.