Chapter 136: Three to Five Minutes Matter

"I didn't realize you were guiding me; I was blind and failed to recognize your eminence. I beg your forgiveness!" Ling Tianyu said, filled with trepidation, upon entering the room and seeing Zhang Xuan seated in the center.

His attitude towards the master yesterday had indeed been poor; he had even harbored doubts. Being allowed to enter at all was already quite generous.

"There's no need for atonement!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "I'm not that petty!" Sun Qiang, standing to one side, widened his eyes. *You made him stand outside in the dew all night and only let him in after you slowly finished your breakfast. And you call that not petty?*

"Yes, yes!" Ling Tianyu's face flushed. Just as he was about to continue speaking, Zhang Xuan extended his palm and looked at him calmly. "Do you know why I made you wait outside all night?"

"I..." Ling Tianyu looked embarrassed. *Aren't you just trying to give me a hard time because you think I disrespected you? I've admitted my mistake, isn't that enough?*

"Do you think I deliberately made things difficult for you?" Zhang Xuan asked, looking at him.

"No... not at all!" Ling Tianyu quickly shook his head.

"No need to deny it; it's quite normal to think that way!" Zhang Xuan seemed unperturbed, his voice carrying a profound meaning. "Actually, making you stay outside all night was for your own good!"

"For my good?" This time, not only Ling Tianyu was perplexed, but Sun Qiang, standing to one side, also wore a strange expression. *Making someone stand outside all night is for their own good? What kind of logic is that?*

"If I'm not mistaken, your wife is critically ill and could die at any moment. Your purpose in coming to me, then, is to ask me to intervene and save her life, isn't it?" Zhang Xuan asked, looking at him.

"Yes!" Ling Tianyu trembled upon hearing his thoughts spoken aloud.

"To have me save someone, you must bring your wife here. However, you were still in contact with the Tinan Blood Jade yesterday, and its life-force-draining aura remains within you. If I were to agree and you were to touch her again, she would likely perish before even being brought here." Zhang Xuan sighed, then continued, "Therefore, making you stand outside all night served two purposes: first, it allowed the special aura within you to completely dissipate; and second, it prevented you from rushing home and risking danger. Of course, if you had disobeyed and left, your wife would have certainly died, and there would have been no need for you to return. Even a master cannot revive the dead."

Upon hearing this, Ling Tianyu's face changed, and cold sweat beaded on his brow. In truth, deep down, he had been quite annoyed that the other party made him stand outside all night. Though he dared not say it aloud, he felt a sense of resentment. A master, he thought, should not only be skilled and capable of giving guidance but also possess great demeanor, not being petty over minor issues. And this master, in his view, was clearly trying to make things difficult for him and humiliate him. Now, upon hearing this, he finally understood... He had truly misunderstood. The other party had been well-intentioned. Despite his own petty thoughts, the other party had considered him so thoughtfully. This was truly the demeanor of a master, commanding respect. He realized he had indeed been judging a noble person with a petty mind. While grateful, he also secretly felt fortunate. Fortunately, he had persevered last night. Otherwise, if he had truly gone back, he would have regretted it for the rest of his life.

Sun Qiang, standing to one side, also widened his eyes. The Master truly was the Master, a true master; every step had a profound meaning. He had initially thought it was a deliberate prank, but now he understood that the Master's thoughts were beyond the comprehension of a small person like him.

"Thank you, Master!" Ling Tianyu was about to prostrate himself.

"Go and bring her here. Let me take a look. If she's already too ill, I'm afraid I may not be able to help," Zhang Xuan said, waving his hand.

"Yes!" Ling Tianyu's eyes reddened with excitement, and he hastily left with Master Cheng Yuan.

After the two left, Zhang Xuan looked at Sun Qiang, who was standing to one side.

"Xiao Qiang, I promised to help you advance to the fourth stage of warrior cultivation, and I won't go back on my word. Perform a set of fist techniques; let me see your condition!"

"Yes, Master!" Hearing that the Master was going to help him advance, Sun Qiang nodded repeatedly in excitement.

Soon, after finishing the set of fist techniques, Sun Qiang not only wasn't excited but also looked embarrassed. "Master, I was injured yesterday... my strength is greatly diminished. If I try to break through to the Skin-Bone realm today, I'm afraid I won't have enough power..."

To break through a realm, one needed to adjust their state to peak condition to succeed in one go. Having been beaten yesterday, he still had injuries, and his energy was surely insufficient. He feared that no matter how brilliant the Master's guidance, it would be difficult to succeed. He hadn't realized it until he started performing the techniques; immediately, he felt the pain from his injuries, and his true qi circulation felt somewhat obstructed.

"Don't worry!" Zhang Xuan interrupted him, smiling as he looked over. "The reason you've been stuck in the True Qi realm for so many years is that the true qi you cultivate is too turbid, preventing it from flowing through your meridians and nourishing your physical body. If this continues, your true qi might even stagnate, making further progress a minor concern; you might even regress."

"Yes!" Sun Qiang nodded. Indeed, for the past two years, he had felt his physical strength constantly declining, and his cultivation had progressed slowly. If he hadn't desperately cultivated to maintain it, he might have already regressed to the initial stage of the True Qi realm.

"In the fourth stage of warrior cultivation, the Skin-Bone realm, true qi permeates the entire body, increasing the strength of muscles and periosteum. Normally, your turbid true qi would find it difficult to flow throughout your body, but now it's different! Having been beaten yesterday, your physical body was damaged, but the previously stagnant true qi was also shaken loose, and the blockages in your meridians have cleared significantly..."

"Master... yesterday... did you intentionally let me get beaten?" Before Zhang Xuan could finish, Sun Qiang trembled, tears streaming down his face with emotion. *Earlier, the Master intentionally made Ling Tianyu wait outside for his own good. I thought being beaten was a mistake, but now I know... it was also for my sake! Poor me, I misunderstood that he was tricking me...*

"Huh?" Seeing his chubby butler suddenly overcome with emotion and tears, Zhang Xuan was a bit confused. *I just wanted to say that your injuries wouldn't affect your cultivation, how did... you get to that conclusion? Your mind is a bit too imaginative... But this is good too; it helps establish my prestige as a master...*

"Cough, cough!" He immediately coughed. "Good, that you could comprehend this; my efforts weren't wasted. Alright, no need to say more. If I'm not mistaken, Ling Tianyu must have given you healing pills, right?"

"I..." Sun Qiang's face flushed. *The Master was willing to be misunderstood for my sake, how could I still accept pills from that person...? The difference between people is truly vast...*

"It's nothing; as long as you serve me faithfully, taking some things is fine," Zhang Xuan interrupted, guessing his thoughts. "Take out the pills and prepare yourself. We'll attempt to break through to the fourth stage of warrior cultivation now."

"Now?" Sun Qiang was unaccustomed to such speed. "Master, don't we need to find a quiet room? If I attempt to break through here, I'm afraid Lord Ling will arrive before I succeed and disrupt your matters..."

"No need; it's something that can be resolved in three to five minutes. Why bother finding a quiet room?" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"Three to five minutes? And... I can break through?" Sun Qiang was startled, his eyes wide as he looked at the Master before him in disbelief.