Chapter 1363: Zhang Family Secrets (Part 1)

"That's right. When they activate their bloodline power, they gain a special sensitivity to treasures. Even if an item is hidden by a formation, they can still detect it!"

Luo Xuanqing nodded, envy in his eyes. "Because of this, even though the Yun Clan is only a second-tier family, their status is no lower than that of the Shui or Mu Clans!"

For cultivators to progress, treasures are indispensable. The world contains countless hidden treasures, and many ruins have been concealed by powerful methods. The ability to detect these through formations, alone, is something many people would envy.

"Is this... a special occupation?" asked Zhang Xuan curiously.

"Of course not! They rely on bloodline power to find things, so it can't be widely taught!" Luo Xuanqing chuckled.

"Oh!" Zhang Xuan suddenly understood.

Back when Master Kong established special occupations, two criteria had to be met for confirmation: first, the ability to form a complete system for perfect inheritance; second, the ability to be widely promoted so that ordinary people could also learn it.

Herbalists met the second criterion—ordinary people could learn it—but their methods varied, preventing a unified system. The Yun Clan had a system, but it relied on bloodline, making it impossible for ordinary people to learn. Therefore, neither could be called a special occupation.

"It seems there's no way to learn this..."

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

What he lacked most right now were treasures. If he had this ability, exploring for treasures would undoubtedly lead to significant discoveries. However, since it wasn't a special occupation, there was no way to learn it.

Forming books was possible because ordinary people could learn the content, but bloodline power... that couldn't be learned.

"Indeed, if it were a special occupation, its doors would surely be bustling with countless people wanting to learn!"

Luo Xuanqing nodded.

After further explanations, Zhang Xuan gained some understanding of everyone's abilities.

His elder brother-in-law, Luo Xuanqing, was a peak Void Prying realm expert at Saint 7-dan. Among the remaining three, Bi Hongyin was the strongest, having reached the late Void Prying realm. Yuan Xiao, the stout man, seemed to have good defense, but his combat power was very weak, perhaps even weaker than Yun Lianhai. However, with his physical strength, even Luo Xuanqing would find it difficult to defeat him easily.

"Since we've decided, let's depart!"

After the explanation, everyone understood the situation. Without further delay, they simultaneously landed on the back of the seven-colored celestial crane. With a sharp cry, the crane transformed into a stream of seven-colored light and soared towards the horizon.

The celestial crane was incredibly fast, and its back lacked protective structures. While Luo Xuanqing and the others were powerful enough not to be affected by the gale, they were secretly astonished to see Zhang Xuan standing as steady as a mountain on it.

Even with his temporary breakthrough to the peak of the Spirit Severing realm, his true strength still significantly lagged behind theirs. To achieve such stability demonstrated truly extraordinary talent and power.

"Brother Zhang's understanding of formations is so profound, and his strength is not weak. His performance in the entrance examination for the mountain gate must have been excellent!"

The shorter man, Yun Lianhai, looked over with a smile.

The others were also full of curiosity.

With their level of strength, they no longer paid attention to new student admissions. Although Zhang Xuan had caused a significant commotion in front of the mountain gate, they were unaware of it.

"It was alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "I ranked fiftieth, just enough to get into the elite class!"

"Fiftieth?"

Yun Lianhai was stunned. "Who were the new entrants this year to be so formidable?"

Based solely on his mastery of formations, Zhang Xuan should have easily ranked within the top three in previous years' examinations. How could he have only placed... fiftieth?

Such a ranking meant that a slight misstep could have led to disqualification.

"There are indeed a few new talents this year who are not weak!"

Before Zhang Xuan could answer, Luo Xuanqing spoke up. "Zhang Xu of the Zhang Clan—you must have heard of him? He's from this batch!"

"Zhang Xu? The one with the Earth-tier bloodline? I met him once; he's truly formidable. Given enough time, his accomplishments might even rival yours!" Yun Lianhai couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Hmph!"

Luo Xuanqing snorted, clearly displeased.

"Don't be angry. I know you're unhappy with the Zhang Clan, but over the years, their bloodline has become increasingly pure, producing one genius after another. If it weren't for the Little Princess's sudden emergence in the Luo Clan, you might truly have been surpassed!" Yun Lianhai said.

As he spoke of the Little Princess, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Brother Yun, the Little Princess you mentioned, is she... the one from the legends, who refined the Still Void Pearl and possesses unparalleled talent?" Zhang Xuan asked casually, his fists clenched under his sleeves.

"Precisely, she is Xuanqing's own younger sister!"

With a light chuckle, Yun Lianhai ignored Luo Xuanqing's grim face and looked over, full of gossip. "By the way, Xuanqing, I heard your sister was betrothed to that young genius from the Zhang Clan even before she was born. I wonder if that genius truly has unparalleled talent, just as the legends say?"

"Shut up!"

Luo Xuanqing's eyes narrowed, ablaze with fury. "I've told you not to bring this up! Anyone who does, I'll kill them!"

"Whether you bring it up or not, it's still a fact. It's a decision made by the clan, and you can't change it!"

Yuan Xiao, the stout man, spoke.

As a descendant of the Yuan Clan, one of the three major families, he knew the details well. He knew that Luo Xuanqing was a doting older brother who didn't want his sister to enter into a marriage alliance and be unhappy. Yet, as a junior in the clan, there was nothing he could do.

Such a decision must have been passed by the Elders' Council. In such circumstances, even the clan leader could not easily alter it.

"I can't change it, but a junior can still have a spar! If I ever meet that guy, I'll beat him until he voluntarily withdraws from the engagement!"

Luo Xuanqing's eyes flashed, and he gritted his teeth.

"Why go to such trouble?" Yun Lianhai chuckled wryly. "If that young genius is truly as the legends say, with a bloodline as pure as your sister's, do you think you could be his opponent?"

"I..."

Luo Xuanqing's face flushed.

Although his strength was considerable, compared to his sister... it wasn't just a small difference!

Even though his sister was more than ten years younger than him, he couldn't compare to her in either cultivation or strength.

If that young genius truly was her equal... then he was indeed no match.

"Oh, by the way, regarding that young genius from the Zhang Clan, I've heard a secret story. Would you like to hear it?"

Bi Hongyin, who had been silent until now, spoke.

"A secret story?"

Everyone looked over, and Luo Xuanqing also pricked up his ears.

"Twenty years ago, my teacher was invited to be a guest at the Zhang Clan. One night, she was suddenly summoned by the Zhang Clan leader to save someone!"

Bi Hongyin's delicate brows furrowed, as if recalling what her teacher had told her.

"The Zhang Clan leader? You must mean Sword Saint Xingmeng!" Yuan Xiao's expression grew serious, his tone filled with respect.

"Precisely, it was him!" Bi Hongyin nodded. "At the time, my teacher wondered why she, merely a Demonic Tune Master not skilled in healing, was being asked to intervene. When she saw the patient, she finally understood!"

"The patient was an infant. It was unclear if it was poisoned or something else, but its soul was extremely weak, on the verge of dissipation at any moment! Sword Saint Xingmeng hoped she could use her demonic tunes to help stabilize the soul, preventing it from collapsing!"

Everyone nodded.

Demonic tunes could ensnare souls and cause mental collapse, but they could also stabilize souls, allowing people to break through limitations and significantly increase their cultivation.

An infant, uncultivated and physically weak, with a soul difficult to control, was not suitable for medication. In such a situation, a Demonic Tune Master was indeed more appropriate than a physician.

"My teacher knew that saving a life was more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda, so she intervened. However, the effect wasn't very significant. Even so, the Sword Saint still paid a large sum to thank my teacher for her help. Afterward, my teacher was sent away that same night, and I don't know much about what happened next..." Bi Hongyin continued.

"Are you suggesting... that the child your teacher treated back then was very likely... the young genius of the Zhang Clan?"

Realizing this, Yuan Xiao couldn't help but ask.

"My teacher doesn't know for sure, but the timeline does somewhat align, and Sword Saint Xingmeng personally invited her. However, under normal circumstances, this genius of the Zhang Clan, whose extremely pure bloodline was detected even in the womb, should have been perfectly protected, and no one should have been able to harm him!" Bi Hongyin said, "My teacher didn't think much of it at the time. Later, when she heard that this young genius of the Zhang Clan had never made an appearance, she began to have some doubts!"

If he had truly been healthy and unharmed, how could such a super genius have remained hidden for twenty years, unseen by anyone?

And not even come to the Saint Son Hall?

To say it wasn't strange would be a lie.

"If it truly was that young genius, then twenty years ago, shortly after birth, he must have been severely wounded... to the point of his soul almost dissipating. This injury was indeed very serious..." Yuan Xiao frowned.

As clan disciples, they knew how thoroughly families protected descendants with pure bloodlines. The Zhang Clan had only produced a genius with a bloodline comparable to their ancestor's in tens of thousands of years. How could he have been harmed so severely right after birth?

"Could it have been an internal clan struggle?"

Zhang Xuan couldn't help but interject.

If what they were saying was true, and the seriously ill child was the young genius of the Zhang Clan, that would be wonderful... If he was in such a state, he naturally couldn't marry Luo Ruoxi, and Zhang Xuan wouldn't be in such a passive position.

"Impossible! A Saint-tier noble clan like the Zhang Clan places immense importance on its reputation. Internal strife would absolutely never occur!"

It was Luo Xuanqing who spoke.

As a genius of the Luo Clan, he knew many of the inner workings of Saint-tier noble clans.

"Just because it's not allowed doesn't mean it's impossible. What if an elder, coveting the clan leader's position, decided to seize it and deliberately attacked that young genius?" Zhang Xuan's imagination ran wild.

After all, in his previous life, he was a librarian and had read many books and stories.

Many clan struggles were depicted exactly like that.

"You're not a clan disciple, so you don't understand the rules of Saint-tier noble clans... I can tell you definitively that the situation you just described is simply impossible!"

Before Luo Xuanqing could speak, Yuan Xiao shook his head.

"Impossible?" Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes.

Power blinds people; even 9-star Master Teachers are not exempt, let alone some clan elders. Why would it be impossible?

This is a very classic trope, isn't it?!

"You might not understand if I talk about clans, so let me ask you this..."

Seeing his bewildered expression, Yuan Xiao looked at him. "As a student of the Saint Son Hall, do you know who the Hall Master of the Saint Son Hall is?"