Chapter 1327: Living Quarters

The Lingxu Sword had always been locked onto the Divine Craftsmanship Stone Platform, which Zhang Xuan also used as its sheath.

The stone platform was an item of Divine Craftsmanship, not a magical artifact. In terms of rank, it truly wasn't even high-grade. Thus, its use was not considered a violation.

However, this item was unbelievably heavy; even experts in the Domain realm couldn't lift it. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to lock the long sword so effectively, preventing its escape.

Now, suddenly bringing it out and smashing it onto him, the fact that he didn't die on the spot was a testament to his immense luck.

"Is that his sword sheath?""It really looks like there's a sword stuck in it!""How could it be so big?""Zhang Yunfeng is finished..."

The audience below the stage was stunned; many swallowed hard, their eyelids twitching.

That was simply too shameless!

While others used ordinary items, he had brought out something so massive... Who could possibly withstand that?

Many people secretly felt fortunate.

Fortunately, they hadn't stepped up to challenge him; otherwise, they would undoubtedly have been beaten to death!

However, Zhang Yunfeng had set the rules, and Zhang Xuan had simply followed them, even giving a prior warning. Given how Zhang Yunfeng ended up, he truly couldn't blame anyone else!

Ignoring the crowd's shock, Zhang Xuan clasped his hand, retracting the "sword sheath" into his storage ring. He took a few steps towards Zhang Yunfeng and saw him with his tongue sticking out, eyelids pale, body twisted like a pretzel, and an expression of terror still on his face.

His condition was unspeakably pathetic.

He pointed a finger, about to inject Heavenly Path true qi into Zhang Yunfeng to help heal his injuries, when a whooshing sound echoed again, and another young man rushed over.

"Stop!"

With a grave expression, the young man touched Zhang Yunfeng's pulse point. Knowing that he was only briefly unconscious and not seriously harmed, he let out a sigh of relief. He fed him a pill, then, with a grasp of his hand, Zhang Yunfeng slowly floated up and descended towards the crowd below the stage.

"Thank you for showing mercy," the young man said. "I am Zhang Zhuo, and Zhang Yunfeng is my cousin. Please forgive his recklessness earlier!"

After doing all this, Zhang Zhuo clasped his fists in a salute.

It was impossible to tell from his expression whether he was sincere or angry.

"You're too kind," Zhang Xuan replied, returning the salute.

Zhang Xuan had seen Zhang Zhuo's name on the elite class roster earlier; he was ranked thirty-first and was also a member of the Zhang Clan.

"Brother Zhang, you came from Qingyuan Empire, yet at such a young age, you possess this level of strength," Zhang Zhuo continued. "I admire you. I hope to someday have the honor of learning from your superior skills. However, today is a great day for the new students' induction, so I won't waste everyone's time. I'll take my leave!"

With a flicker in his eyes, Zhang Zhuo said no more. His body swayed, and he flew down from the high platform, his movements light and his footwork exquisite.

Seeing him turn and leave, Zhang Xuan knew that prolonging the encounter would not be beneficial, so he returned to his original spot.

With the battle concluded, Elder Haoyu continued with the inquiries.

Following the challenge matches, a few more battles took place.

Although Zhang Xuan had seemingly used a cheating method to knock out Zhang Yunfeng, everyone else had witnessed his true strength. No one else was foolish enough to come looking for trouble.

An hour later, with no more challengers, Elder Haoyu smiled slightly. "Alright," he announced, "everyone's residences have been arranged. You can check the details on your jade tokens, which represent your identity. Rest today. Tomorrow, report to your respective classes, and classes will officially begin!"

Everyone assented. Zhang Xuan took out his jade token and, sure enough, a map of his residence's route appeared on it.

"Let's go!"

Calling out to Zhang Jiuxiao, he led the way towards the Saint Son Hall.

After crossing the plaza, they arrived at a tall gateway. Above it were three large characters: "Saint Son Hall." On the wall to the right, the character "儒" (Confucian) was written.

It was unclear which realm's work it was, but it gave off a profound feeling, as if looking at the character was like gazing upon a complete world.

"These characters were left behind by Ku Sheng, the first Hall Master of the Saint Son Hall," Zhang Jiuxiao said, his eyes filled with excitement. "Regularly contemplating them is extremely beneficial for progress in the Calligraphy and Painting occupation!"

As a peak seven-star calligrapher and painter, he knew how precious these characters were. Calligraphy and paintings of this caliber were generally not something one could easily behold. Although they had stood here for tens of thousands of years, they showed no signs of damage, still vibrant and dazzling as if freshly written.

"These characters can absorb spiritual energy on their own, maintaining the ink's integrity..." Zhang Xuan nodded inwardly. He hadn't expected the individual who had been grinding the iron rod in the illusion to possess such a deep understanding of calligraphy and painting, capable of writing characters with such profound artistic conception. If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have slept; he would have learned calligraphy and painting from that person. Perhaps he could have made significant progress in just three days.

"This is the highest academy on the continent!" Zhang Jiuxiao exclaimed, his eyes welling up with emotion. "I... I've finally made it in!"

Knowing that these characters would remain suspended at the entrance and wouldn't disappear, allowing him a chance to observe them sooner or later, Zhang Jiuxiao no longer dwelled on them. Instead, he looked at the wide gateway before him and couldn't help but sigh with emotion, his eyes red with excitement.

As a disciple of a collateral branch of the clan, his efforts far surpassed those of core disciples. To be able to come here and gain the clan's recognition, he had left his hometown years ago and traveled to Qingyuan Empire, solely for that one spot—a spot he could never obtain within the clan itself! He had initially thought that entering this place in his lifetime was a pipe dream, but unexpectedly, he had finally achieved it.

"Bloodline can only give you a higher starting point than ordinary people," Zhang Xuan said with a smile, understanding Zhang Jiuxiao's feelings and offering comfort. "To truly reach the peak, you still need your own effort!"

Pure bloodlines and excellent talent are indeed desired by everyone. However, these merely provide a higher starting point. To truly reach the peak, relentless effort and tenacious struggle are still required. Just like himself, without special talent, a great teacher, or a powerful bloodline – essentially starting from scratch – he had similarly advanced step by step from Tianxuan Kingdom to reach his current level. It wasn't because his talent was exceptional, nor because his luck was good, but because he possessed a persistent and striving heart! Without this constant drive for self-improvement, self-reflection, and desire for growth, it would be absolutely impossible to become a powerhouse.

"Yes!" Zhang Jiuxiao nodded.

Upon entering the Saint Son Hall, they immediately felt that the spiritual energy inside was several times richer than outside. Most importantly, it contained a special aura; it seemed that cultivating here could refresh one's spirit and make thoughts clearer.

"No wonder it attracts so many people," Zhang Xuan mused. "It truly is a sacred land for cultivation!"

With such rich spiritual energy, and if Heavenly Path cultivation techniques were fully available, one's cultivation would advance extremely rapidly, even without needing to seek out spirit stones! Barring any accidents, one could similarly become a nine-star master teacher within ten years, truly standing at the pinnacle of the world.

The residence wasn't too far. Following the map on the jade token, they quickly arrived at an independent courtyard villa where the spiritual energy was even richer than its surroundings. Walking within it, one's body could remain healthy and immune to all illnesses, even without cultivating.

Zhang Jiuxiao separated from him before reaching the villa; as a student in the regular class, he could only stay in a collective dormitory, far from enjoying the same treatment as Zhang Xuan. Just like at Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, top students resided in the villa area, while ordinary students could only live in dormitories. The living quarters for elite class members were much better than those for regular students. However, since he was ranked last, his villa was considered the most peripheral and the worst.

Arriving at the door, he took out his jade token, and the outer seal immediately opened. Zhang Xuan pushed the door, just about to step inside, when he saw a graceful figure approach the courtyard next to his and stop.

It was none other than Chen Leyao, the genius from Glacier Plain Court!

"Thank you, Fairy Leyao, for your information during the competition just now!" Zhang Xuan clasped his fists. If it hadn't been for her voice transmission earlier, explaining that the Zhang Clan's bloodline talent was to shorten time, defeating Zhang Qian, who had activated his bloodline, might have required more effort.

"Master Zhang, you're too kind..." Chen Leyao quickly returned the salute. "This is what I should do!" This person before her was the Young Palace Master's teacher, and he had even shown her a kindness akin to a half-teacher. She already felt somewhat ashamed for not rushing to help when he was in danger.

"Is this where you're staying?" Zhang Xuan asked, somewhat surprised. He was the last ranked in the mountain gate trial, so living in the last villa was understandable. But Chen Leyao, whom he had observed carefully, was likely ranked in the thirties; she shouldn't be living next to him!

"Knowing Master Zhang would be living here, I exchanged places with someone else!" Chen Leyao said with a smile. The adjacent courtyard villa belonged to the 49th-ranked student. Her own villa, ranked in the thirties, was naturally exchanged willingly for it.

"Exchanged?" Zhang Xuan was startled.

"Yes," Chen Leyao explained with a slight smile. "Master Zhang is the Young Palace Master's teacher, and he also resolved cultivation difficulties for Glacier Plain Court. He is Leyao's great benefactor. Naturally, I hoped to live closer, so that if anything needed attention, I could rush over immediately!" In truth, she was somewhat worried that members of the Zhang Clan might come looking for trouble again, and living nearby would allow them to look out for each other. After all, Zhang Qian's situation had started because of her.

"You're too kind!" Zhang Xuan said, realizing. No wonder her attitude had changed so much; she had already known that he was Zhao Ya's teacher. Previously, he hadn't dared to mention that Zhao Ya was his student, fearing that she was just an ordinary disciple of Glacier Plain Court and wouldn't know about such matters. Bringing it up then would have caused more trouble and been harder to explain. Now that she knew, it was simpler.

"Since you know my relationship with Zhao Ya," Zhang Xuan said, a thought striking him, looking hopeful. "Do you have a long-distance transmission jade token? I'd like to say a few words to her. Is that possible?" When Zhao Ya left, he didn't have a transmission jade token. Furthermore, even if he did, the distance was too great to transmit messages. This person before him was from Glacier Plain Court; she definitely had a way to contact her sect. He could conveniently use this opportunity to contact Zhao Ya. Having not seen her for over half a year, to say he didn't miss his student would be a lie.

"I do have a long-distance transmission jade token..." Chen Leyao replied. "However, it requires a formation to be set up for enhancement before I can contact the Young Palace Master! This formation is quite troublesome to set up, and my strength is also a bit insufficient. It might take about three months!"

"Three months?" Zhang Xuan frowned and looked at her. "What level is this formation you need to set up?" he asked. "I also have some knowledge of formations. Perhaps I can help!" For others, three months was merely the duration of a single cultivation seclusion. But for him, it was a bit long. If it was a simple formation, he could certainly help set it up.

"It's an eighth-level formation..." Chen Leyao replied.

"Eighth-level?" Zhang Xuan nodded. "As long as an array of this level isn't too complex, I can set it up," he said. "Could you... let me see the array diagram?"