Chapter 1354: Feishi's Advice

A hush fell over the surroundings; everyone, including Teacher Fei, displayed profound shock. Breaking through to Half-Domain was still comprehensible, but reaching the true Domain level from that stage in just three breaths, solely due to the other party's words, caused an intense shock that was beyond words.

"What an impressive trick!" Zhang Xu, who had been completely unconcerned, narrowed his eyes.

"A trick?" Zhang Xu explained, "That slap just now was likely Zhang Xuan's deliberate attempt to have Chen Leyao provoke Zhang Zhuo, with the sole purpose of making Zhang Zhuo's power surge!"

Zhang Xu nodded and said, "The power surged by secret methods, though potent, is actually 'phantom power'!"

"'Phantom power'?" the young man nearby asked, puzzled.

"'Phantom power' is a type of energy that doesn't truly belong to oneself," Zhang Xu explained. "Like a bubble, though its volume expands, it will vanish without a trace if any change occurs. This power is not as pure as what one cultivates oneself; it lacks attributes in its true qi and can easily be devoured or refined by others!"

Zhang Xu scoffed, "This Zhang Xuan leveraged precisely this point. He ostensibly fought Zhang Zhuo, but in reality, he allowed Chen Leyao to use Zhang Zhuo's surging power to break through the internal shackles and successfully reach the Domain realm!"

The young man couldn't believe it. "During a life-or-death battle... this wasn't a direct power transfer, yet it worked?"

In some families and major powers, certain powerful individuals would perform a power transfer, also known as an "anointing," to help their descendants rapidly increase their strength. An anointing can enable rapid breakthroughs, but the requirements are extremely high. First, both individuals must be from the same lineage and cultivate identical techniques. Second, both must be willing, with no resistance whatsoever. Otherwise, even a slight mistake could cause the recipient to explode and die.

This is a type of power leveraging. When both sides are engaged in a battle where life and death hang in the balance... how much confidence and capability would it take to leverage power in such a situation?

"This Zhang Xuan must have investigated Zhang Zhuo beforehand, knowing his cultivation technique, strength, and the type of secret art he uses," Zhang Xu said, "Then, combining that with Chen Leyao's strength, he made deductions and analyses. Knowing all this in advance, setting up such a scene isn't too difficult!"

His eyes flashed; Zhang Xu seemed to have grasped the crux of the matter. Breaking through by leveraging an opponent's power during battle sounds very complex, but in reality, if one thoroughly investigates both parties' powers and then makes deductions, there's still a significant chance of achieving it.

"The most crucial point is that Chen Leyao's strength wasn't as weak as imagined; she was likely on the verge of a breakthrough at any moment!" Zhang Xu continued, "In other words, her expression of shock was just part of an act, collaborating with Zhang Xuan. Otherwise, do you really think a mere Out-of-Body Realm early-stage cultivator, and a rogue one at that, could possibly understand cultivation better than Chen Leyao, Zhang Zhuo, or even us?"

Smiling, Zhang Xu's face was full of conviction.

"This..." The young man suddenly understood. With this explanation, although the difficulty remained significant, it was now within an acceptable range.

"So young, yet so cunning..." Understanding "what was going on," the young man snorted, no longer feeling the admiration he had before.

"Coming to the Saint Son Hall is naturally for fame, and trampling on the Zhang Clan is the fastest way to spread one's reputation," Zhang Xu sneered. "This Zhang Xuan has quite an ambition!"

"Indeed, quite ambitious. Should I step in and teach him a lesson?" the young man asked, frowning.

"No need," Zhang Xu said, waving his hand. "As long as he doesn't provoke me, it's fine. But if he does, I wouldn't mind giving him a lifelong lesson!" Zhang Xu then said nothing more.

To him, this Zhang Xuan, despite some talent, was nothing significant and not worth worrying about.

While they were quietly discussing, Zhang Zhuo, on the other side, was utterly enraged. His surged power had actually been used by his opponent to break through, which felt like being slapped hard in the face several times again. The intense fury was unbearable; with a roar, he charged forward once more.

Before Zhang Zhuo even reached her, Master Zhang's voice rang in Chen Leyao's ears again: "Alright, since he's broken through, he's no longer useful. Just knock him out. Retreat three steps, execute the seventh form of Crane Gait Step, combined with the second move of Empty Mind Palm!"

This time, she didn't hesitate at all and executed it strictly as instructed. Half a breath later, Zhang Zhuo, who was charging, saw his pupils contract, and with a face full of disbelief, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"I won... and I broke through?" Filled with excitement, Chen Leyao hurried back to Zhang Xuan, showing profound admiration.

Zhang Xu might have thought Zhang Xuan knew her strength inside out and had made analyses in advance, but she knew she had only truly met him yesterday. Although they had spent some time together, she had never displayed her techniques or revealed her cultivation level. This meant that her strength was completely unknown to him before this. Instead, relying on his keen insight, he guided her on the spot to achieve a comeback and successfully break through in just five breaths! This ability was simply incredible.

No wonder he could modify the Yin and Yang Arts, solving a problem that the Icefrost Palace had faced for tens of thousands of years and that countless powerhouses couldn't resolve. He was truly formidable!

Seeing her full of excitement, Zhang Xuan said, "You should be glad this was just a competition between students. If it were a life-and-death battle, you might have been killed already!"

This kind of situation can only be achieved in competitions where there's no life-threatening danger. In a true life-and-death struggle, Zhang Zhuo would have used lethal moves from the start, and under the impact of sharp, powerful attacks, no amount of strategy would have been useful! Therefore, this kind of breakthrough is not replicable.

"Moreover, breaking through by absorbing others' power makes your foundation unstable," Zhang Xuan continued. "I'll write you a cultivation technique to stabilize your cultivation later; practice it well. This way, when you attempt future breakthroughs, you won't suffer side effects!"

Breaking through this way, though fast, has the suspicion of cutting corners and can easily lead to an unstable foundation, requiring more effort to stabilize. Not everyone has talent like his, where simply cultivating means reaching the peak!

"Yes!" She nodded, then remembered something. With a flick of her wrist, she produced three bottles. "These three bottles of Icy Spiritual Liquid are all my savings. If Master Zhang needs them, they are yours!"

She had said earlier that if he could help her break through, giving him the spiritual liquid would be no problem. Now, not only had she succeeded, but she had also reached a level previously unimaginable, and she wouldn't go back on her word.

"Thank you..." Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up, and he didn't stand on ceremony.

To be honest, without his guidance, even if Chen Leyao could break through to the Domain realm, it would probably take her half a year, or even a full year, of accumulation. Helping her save so much time, receiving some compensation was nothing.

Taking the spiritual liquid in his palm, he casually pulled out a stopper. Feeling the rich spiritual energy and astonishing chill within again, he immediately, without another word, opened his mouth and drank one bottle. After a moment of hesitation, he then drank the remaining two bottles as well.

Time waits for no one. He had been in the Saint Son Hall for almost a day, yet his cultivation had only increased by two minor levels. This was too slow. Since he had already gathered all the Out-of-Body Realm cultivation techniques, he might as well break through as soon as possible!

"He drank it all?" Knowing that the person before her had extraordinary methods, but personally witnessing him drink three bottles of spiritual liquid like that, Chen Leyao couldn't help but shiver.

As the spiritual liquid entered his body, his Heaven's Path True Qi circulated, quickly and completely restoring his depleted stamina. Immediately after, the robust spiritual energy continued to accumulate, making Zhang Xuan's internal power grow stronger and stronger.

Just as he was about to attempt to break through to the peak of the Out-of-Body Realm in one go, he heard Teacher Fei's voice continue to ring out: "I am fortunate to witness such a magnificent breakthrough. As expected of the geniuses from the elite class, each possessing unique skills!"

Looking up, he saw Zhang Zhuo, who had already been awakened, sitting to the side and sulking. Teacher Fei looked over, filled with excitement, his expression tinged with emotion. Although his thoughts were similar to Zhang Xu's and he also felt that Chen Leyao's breakthrough was pre-arranged, he was still full of admiration. No matter how meticulous a plan, if not executed well, it would not only fail to achieve a deterrent effect but would also become a laughingstock.

"However, let me say this in advance," Teacher Fei continued, "Regardless of the competition, it's merely for mutual exchange. Please don't hold any grudges!"

Knowing that the recent combat might displease Zhang Zhuo and even the Zhang Clan, Teacher Fei smiled. "Most of you come from influential families and major powers, so you should understand the importance of connections. Being able to become students in the same cohort and even in the same class is a great fortune! I hope everyone cherishes the bonds of friendship among classmates. Even if you later dominate an area, having this relationship will allow for better interactions..."

"Indeed, connections are very important!" "Don't worry, Teacher Fei, we will cherish the bonds among classmates!" Understanding his meaning, everyone started to laugh.

As descendants of influential families and major powers, they could still make rapid progress even without coming here. The reason they desperately tried to get in was, first, for the true words and atmosphere left by Master Kong, and second, precisely for the so-called connections. Having a robust foundation of connections would mean they would be viewed differently even upon returning to their families later and quickly gain greater power.

"Alright, I won't delay you any further," Teacher Fei said. "Please have a good exchange, and then go choose a teacher that suits you..."

Seeing that everyone understood, Teacher Fei said nothing more. Everyone also knew that it wasn't easy for them to gather like this. Once they began cultivating in the future, people like them would mostly disappear from public view. Therefore, they cherished this opportunity and began conversing with each other.

Teacher Fei smiled and approached Zhang Xuan.

"Master Zhang, I have specifically reviewed your background," Teacher Fei began. "Coming all the way from Tianxuan Kingdom, you became the head of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy before the age of twenty. Moreover, you successfully cleared the Hall Challenge twice in a row. Your talent is truly admirable!"

As a class teacher, he had reviewed Zhang Xuan's profile beforehand, and even with his extensive experience, he couldn't help but feel admiration. Being able to successfully clear the Hall Challenge, even if it was just in a small place like Qingyuan Empire, represented talent and strength.

"Teacher Fei, you're too kind..." Zhang Xuan said, cupping his fists.

Hesitating for a moment, Teacher Fei said, "Having talent and ability is good, but connections are also very important... The Zhang Clan is the foremost clan on the continent. I hope you can maintain good relations and avoid conflicts!" This person, who had just arrived at the Saint Son Hall, had already beaten three members of the Zhang Clan in less than a day, which put Teacher Fei in a very difficult position.