Chapter 1334: Puppet Alley

“Sun Qiang, go inquire if there are any elixirs, spiritual liquids, or spirit stones that surpass high-grade essence spirit stones. Also, find out their prices; I want to buy some!”

In the courtyard, Zhang Xuan gave the order. After chatting with Zhao Ya for a while, he returned to his residence. Sun Qiang, as his butler, had also come along this time. Anyway, the courtyards in the Saint Son Hall were quite spacious, so it wasn't crowded for him to stay there.

“Yes!”

Sun Qiang nodded and withdrew. Almost everyone who could enter the Elite Class was a core figure from a major power. For such individuals, cultivation was paramount, and daily chores were handled by dedicated staff, just as Zhang Yu served Zhang Qian. As a butler, Sun Qiang could also obtain a badge by registering, allowing him to enter the Saint Son Hall without being attacked by the formations.

“I must speed up my cultivation...”

Seeing him leave, Zhang Xuan shook his head. While chatting with Zhao Ya, he realized that his student, whom he hadn't seen for just over half a year, had already reached Saint Realm Seventh Layer! Compared to him, she was immeasurably stronger. He was not even as strong as his own student, and his brother-in-law had even sent him flying with a single punch... With such strength, how could he make Luo Ruoxi marry him? If he didn't improve quickly, he couldn't compete with his girlfriend, his students surpassed him, and even his subordinates weren't his match... even a mere clone could easily defeat him. No matter how he thought about it, it felt shameful!

He had always thought his talent was good and his cultivation speed wasn't slow, but now he realized... he was nothing special! Everyone around him was simply too monstrous! Therefore, as soon as he arrived, he arranged for Sun Qiang to search for treasures containing higher energy. At this moment, that was what he lacked most.

“There are two plans for rapid improvement!”

After Sun Qiang left, Zhang Xuan pondered, stroking his chin. “First, find cultivation techniques and secret manuals for the Out of Body realm and Domain realm, form Heavenly Dao cultivation methods, and learn them quickly! Second, find soul cultivation techniques, condense a Heavenly Dao Witch Soul, and make my primordial spirit stronger. Either of these will significantly boost my strength! Of course, if there's time, I also need to find eye techniques to cultivate my vision and supplement the Nine Nether Divine Eyes. If I can't cultivate this, I won't be able to legitimately become the Hall Master!”

Cultivation primarily involved True Qi and the primordial spirit. Currently, he only had some Out of Body realm cultivation methods and had never even seen techniques for the Domain realm, so he had to accelerate his search. He took out his identity jade token and looked at it for a moment, nodding to himself. “To view cultivation techniques and secret manuals, one's combat power needs to reach a certain level, which means... passing through the so-called Puppet Alley! The longer one lasts inside, the more powerful the cultivation methods one can access...”

The rules of the Saint Son Hall differed from the Master Teacher Pavilion and the Master Teacher Academy he had seen before. To view cultivation techniques and secret manuals, one's combat power level was the primary factor. The stronger one's combat power at a given level, the more powerful the secret manuals one could obtain, aligning with Master Kong's philosophy of teaching according to aptitude. A good cultivation method, if given to an untalented person, would not only be impossible to cultivate but would also harm them. It was like in his previous life, giving the best sports car to a reckless driver; it wasn't kindness, it was murder. Therefore, the Puppet Alley classified combat power to test cultivators' strength. Once levels were determined, corresponding secret manuals were prepared. Different levels allowed cultivators to better utilize their strengths and learn more effectively.

“The Puppet Alley is divided into ten levels: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui. Each level has corresponding cultivation methods, clearly categorized... Because there are so many levels, the types and quantities of cultivation methods are completely separated! And what I... want is quantity!”

Zhang Xuan frowned. He didn't have high demands for the quality of cultivation methods. Therefore, when he acquired things like the Yan Kong Heavenly Book or the Nine Nether Divine Eyes, he wasn't particularly excited; instead, he was rather disdainful... It wasn't about feigning aloofness, but rather that even the most exquisite cultivation methods had flaws, making them hard to "swallow." It was far better to find a thousand ordinary books and form a Heavenly Dao cultivation technique! The way the Saint Son Hall provided cultivation methods, by categorizing based on a cultivator's ability, was somewhat inconvenient for him. Previously, all secret manuals were piled together, and he could gather them all with a single glance. Now, dispersed across various passages, organizing them might not be so easy.

“I won't think about it too much; I'll just go and see...”

After fretting for a while and unable to come up with a solution, he shook his head, stopped overthinking, pushed the door, and exited the courtyard. The Puppet Alley was a type of assessment trial located in the "Hall of Righteousness." After asking for directions, it didn't take long for him to arrive. A massive character "义" (Yi, meaning righteousness) appeared before his eyes, giving a completely different impression from the previous "智" (Zhi, meaning wisdom) character.

The character "智" (Zhi) caused a light to appear in one's mind; prolonged viewing would foster wisdom and make one's spirit clearer. This character, however, after a short gaze, would expand one's state of mind, causing all previous worries and anxieties to vanish. More importantly... feelings of friendship and brotherhood would surge into one's heart, lingering and intertwining endlessly. The calligraphy looked simple, yet it instilled a sense of soaring heroism and the exhilarating urge to charge onto the battlefield.

“'Where righteousness lies, though thousands stand against me, I shall go forth...'"

Muttering to himself, Zhang Xuan recovered from his dazed state. The purpose of this character, emphasizing "义" (Yi), was to unite humanity, eliminating all grievances. He didn't need to guess; he knew it was Master Kong's calligraphy. Otherwise, it wouldn't have made him lose himself so completely and have such an effect.

“Master, if I swallow this character, my cultivation will also greatly advance...”

The Cruel character's voice rang out again, accompanied by the sound of drooling.

“Go play somewhere else...”

Too lazy to bother with the fellow who only thought about eating all day, he lifted his foot and walked inside.

The Puppet Alley was in a corner of the Hall of Righteousness, comprising several interconnected halls. Zhang Xuan looked around, found the section corresponding to the Out of Body realm, and pushed open the door to enter. It was slightly different from the deserted assessment formations, but the number of people wasn't too large either. “According to the jade token, several people can enter the Puppet Alley assessment simultaneously. They are probably all undergoing trials...” Without overthinking, Zhang Xuan walked a few steps to the front desk.

“I want to challenge the Puppet Alley to learn cultivation methods for the Out of Body realm. What should I do?”

Although his identity jade token contained some information about the Puppet Alley, the specific details were not comprehensive.

“Pay one hundred high-grade essence spirit stones as the registration fee. You can choose any of the ten alleys, but... let me tell you in advance, proceed according to your strength. Don't be arrogant, or you could easily be injured by the puppets inside!”

The attendant was a girl in her twenties, looking quite delicate. Seeing his inquiry, she looked up and explained with a smile. “Understood!” Zhang Xuan nodded. The difficulty of the assessments varied, and naturally, the strength of the puppets would differ. The higher the level, the greater the difficulty.

“I choose...”

He took out one hundred high-grade essence spirit stones and handed them over. As Zhang Xuan hesitated, about to make his selection, a faint voice sounded not far away.

“I choose Bing Alley! Thank you, Qingyu.”

The voice was crisp and pleasant to the ear. Turning to look, he saw a woman in a light purple long dress standing nearby, appearing to be in her twenties, with an aura of cool elegance. This woman not only had an excellent demeanor but also a physique and appearance that were no less impressive than Chen Leyao's.

“Sister Shui, you're here again! You're truly diligent...”

The attendant named Qingyu's eyes lit up. She smiled and handed over a card: “Here's your challenge card!”

“Mm!”

Sister Shui nodded, turned gracefully, and slowly walked out.

“Alright, Senior Brother, which one do you choose?”

Seeing her leave, Qingyu looked at Zhang Xuan.

“I... I'll also choose Bing Alley!”

After a slight pause, Zhang Xuan nodded. Since there were ten alleys, Jia Alley was certainly the most difficult, and Gui Alley the simplest. Although he was only at the early Out of Body realm, his true combat power was comparable to that of an early Out of Body realm cultivator. Choosing something too difficult would make it hard to pass, and something too simple would mean too many flaws in the cultivation methods. Since the girl before him chose "Bing" (丙), he could observe the puppets' strength and make a judgment.

“Bing Alley... Are you sure?”

Qingyu's brows furrowed, full of surprise.

“I'm sure!”

Zhang Xuan nodded, smiling, “What's wrong? Is there something amiss?”

“Not really!”

The girl shook her head and said, “Sister Shui was admitted to the Elite Class several years ago, and her cultivation has long reached the peak of the Out of Body realm... Even so, she's been attempting Bing Alley for nearly a month without success. Are you sure... you want to try it? If I'm not mistaken, you're only... at the early Out of Body realm, right?”

“Peak Out of Body realm, tried for a month?” Zhang Xuan gasped in surprise. He had thought the assessment for the Out of Body realm would be quite simple, but judging by her tone, it wasn't that easy.

“Yes. Jia Alley is the most difficult, designed to assess the most top-tier geniuses. In the tens of thousands of years since the Saint Son Hall was established, only a handful of people have passed it, a mere few! While Yi Alley has seen more successes, it's definitely no more than a hundred. If the first two are so difficult, you can imagine the difficulty of Bing Alley. It might not even see a single person pass in a year... The last one to pass was the Little Princess of the Luo Clan... For you to attempt this directly, I... really don't recommend it!”

Qingyu shook her head. Jia, Yi, and Bing alleys belonged to the first tier of difficulty, reaching a frightening level. Let alone someone at the early Out of Body realm, even those at the peak would find it incredibly hard to pass... You just arrived, haven't attempted any challenge yet, and you want to tackle this one... Truly, a newborn calf fears no tiger.

“The Little Princess of the Luo Clan passed?”

Zhang Xuan was startled, his eyes lighting up.

“Yes!” Without noticing his change in expression, Qingyu kindly advised, “In my opinion, given your strength, it would be best to try Gui Alley first; it's the simplest. Although you're at the early Out of Body realm, if your combat power is strong and your talent isn't weak, you still have a chance to pass... Forget about Bing Alley!”

“Thank you for your kindness... I want to give it a try. If it doesn't work, I'll come back!”

Zhang Xuan shook his head. Since Ruoxi had passed it, he definitely had to try it too.

“Come back if it doesn't work? Once the mechanism is activated and the puppets attack, you can easily get injured...” Seeing him persist despite her warnings, Qingyu frowned.

“I know, but I still want to try!” Knowing her intention was good, Zhang Xuan smiled.