Chapter 1385: I Teach You

"Great Sadness Demonic Fist..."

Watching the space vanish, everyone felt a pang of regret despite having escaped unharmed, knowing that the ancient ruin had become history. They were just one step away from obtaining a peerless cultivation technique... and now it was gone.

"Although we only managed to memorize a few lines, these are still the cultivation techniques left by Ancient Sage Qiuwu. If we study them carefully, they will definitely greatly enhance our combat power..." Yuan Xiao looked around. "How about this: we each share what we've memorized. Everyone can study it, and it won't be a wasted trip!"

"Agreed!" Bi Hongyin and the others nodded. Cultivation techniques of this caliber are extremely difficult to comprehend, with every line holding profound meaning. Even though they only remembered a few lines, carefully studying them should still prove beneficial...

"Luo Xuanqing, your memory is the best among us. You memorized four lines, why don't you share them now..."

"Okay!" Luo Xuanqing nodded. "The four lines I remembered are..." This genius from the Luo Clan indeed had an excellent memory. In just a minute or two, he had memorized over a hundred characters, demonstrating an almost photographic memory.

Hearing that his recitation was word-for-word identical to what they had memorized, Yuan Xiao and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think I memorized five lines..." Just as they were about to analyze the meaning of these lines, Yun Lianhai interjected from the side.

"Five lines?" Everyone's eyes lit up, and they all turned to look at him.

"Yes!" Yun Lianhai quickly recited the fifth line. As a treasure hunter, his greatest skill was memory and finding clues. While Luo Xuanqing's memory was strong, it was still slightly inferior to his.

"Even five lines can give us significant insight..." After reviewing them, Luo Xuanqing exclaimed with emotion. Suddenly remembering something, he looked at Zhang Xuan, who had remained silent nearby. "Teacher Zhang, how many did you memorize?"

"Me?" Zhang Xuan had been distracted, thinking it was a pity the ruin collapsed and that integrating it into his folding space would have greatly expanded it. Hearing the question, he was momentarily stunned before regaining his composure. "Oh, I memorized all of it!"

"All... of it?" Everyone was stunned. They were all powerful cultivators at Saint 7-dan or half-step Saint 8-dan, with swift and sharp minds... Yet, among them, the most anyone had memorized was five lines... And you memorized everything?

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Then... could you please recite it?" Luo Xuanqing eagerly looked over.

"Certainly. I can write it out for you; that might make it easier to memorize..." Nodding, he pointed a finger, and a stream of zhenqi shot from his fingertip, forming a large light screen suspended in the air before them. The next moment, a set of fist art techniques appeared on it. It was precisely the Great Sadness Demonic Fist they had just seen within the space!

He had copied it using the Library of Heaven's Path, which took less than half a breath. Now, he was merely displaying it as it was, which was incredibly simple for him.

"This..." Seeing the densely packed cultivation technique, not a single character missing, everyone swallowed hard, looking at him as if he were a monster. How did he manage to memorize so many characters in just a few breaths... and even reproduce every single character's exact calligraphy? How was this even possible?

"Wait, Teacher Zhang, a few characters here are different from what I remember..." Suddenly, Yun Lianhai spoke up. Everyone looked over in unison. He pointed at the third line, and indeed, upon inspection, there were three characters that differed from what they had previously discussed.

Although it was only a few characters, such a change would completely alter the cultivation method and profound mysteries of the technique. Could it be... that despite his rapid memorization, he had actually made a mistake? If that were the case, it would be troublesome. It wasn't a problem if one couldn't memorize a cultivation technique, but the greatest taboo was to memorize it incorrectly. A single error could lead to a practitioner going astray during cultivation, ultimately leading to irreversible consequences.

"Oh, after I finished memorizing it, I felt I had some time, so I studied it a bit and found some issues with the technique. I took the liberty of making a few modifications, but my knowledge is limited, so I didn't change much. I'm quite ashamed..." Zhang Xuan sighed, his face flushing with embarrassment. If he had observed more high-grade martial arts and fist techniques at the Saint realm, he could have made far more extensive revisions. As it was, he hadn't gathered enough, and out of thirty-one flaws, he had only corrected three, which was less than a tenth – pitifully few.

"Modi-modifications?" The others nearly spat blood. *We* only remembered two or three lines, or four or five... Not only did you memorize *everything*, but you also felt you had time to *modify* the cultivation technique... Everyone's faces flushed crimson, feeling so exasperated they were about to explode. He was fast at setting up formations, they endured it; fast at detoxifying, they endured it; fast at helping others break through, they endured that too... But reading so quickly and then *modifying* cultivation techniques... This was just showing off a bit too much!

"Perhaps you shouldn't bother memorizing it just yet. When I return to the Saint Son Hall, I'll study the fist art more thoroughly and perfect the modifications, then you can cultivate it..." Zhang Xuan offered. Indeed, twenty-eight flaws were hard to stomach. It would be better to finish the revisions before giving it to everyone, saving them trouble later.

"Forget it, we'll just stick to the original version..." Yuan Xiao couldn't help but say.

"Me too. Teacher Zhang, please trouble yourself to write down the original, unedited version for us!" Even if their ancestors were still alive, they wouldn't dare easily modify cultivation techniques left by powerhouses of such caliber. Even if Zhang Xuan was highly talented and had many methods, they wouldn't dare cultivate a modified version!

"Alright!" Understanding their concerns, Zhang Xuan no longer insisted. With another wave of his hand, the previously modified parts reverted to their original state. Seeing that he had finished the revisions, everyone quickly took out their pens and ink to rapidly transcribe the text. It would be troublesome if they memorized it incorrectly; transcribing it was safer.

Half an hour later, everyone had finished copying.

"Teacher Zhang, Ancient Sage Qiuwu just said... that he knew you. Had you met before?" Luo Xuanqing looked at him curiously.

"It was during a trial of opportunity when I acquired the cultivation method for the Great Sadness Demonic Palm..." Zhang Xuan casually glossed over it, not mentioning Qiuwu Palace.

"Oh!" The others understood.

"Then... what did Ancient Sage Qiuwu mean by 'guidance' and 'modifying cultivation techniques'?" Yuan Xiao asked.

"How could I possibly guide an Ancient Sage... Actually, before this, I had read a book that documented the flaws of this palm technique. So, when I met the Ancient Sage's consciousness, I just mentioned it in passing, and it seems I was misunderstood..." Zhang Xuan explained. Guiding an Ancient Sage was simply too shocking; he didn't want to draw that kind of attention. Showing off wasn't in his nature. As for whether the others believed him or not, he couldn't control that.

"Well..." Although they felt he wasn't being entirely truthful, his explanation was still acceptable, so they didn't press further.

"Let's go back!" On this expedition, although Luo Xuanqing didn't obtain the Void Gourd, his strength had broken through. The others also acquired a secret manual of the Great Sadness Demonic Fist caliber, making the trip worthwhile for everyone.

As soon as they exited the cave, the Azure Dragon Beast came to meet them. Upon asking, they learned that Zhang Chun and the others had woken up an hour earlier and had already left. Luo Xuanqing was filled with disappointment. Having just advanced in cultivation, he had wanted to find Zhang Chun and beat him up again to satisfy himself, but who knew that fellow would be so smart and just run away.

The Azure Dragon Beast was not a flying Saint Beast. Although its rank was high and its short-distance speed was fast, its endurance was far inferior to that of the Seven-Colored Heavenly Crane. Therefore, Zhang Xuan put it into his folding space, and together with the others, left the valley and mounted the crane's back.

"Here are your formation flags!" He approached Bi Hongyin and handed the items to her. These formation flags had only been lent to him for use, not given as a gift. Now that they were used, it was natural to return them intact. Otherwise, wouldn't he be no better than a bandit?

"My understanding of formations is only ordinary... You can keep these," Bi Hongyin waved her hand. In the eyes of outsiders, not only was her demonic sound profession powerful, but she was also extremely proficient in formations, a true genius. However... compared to the person before her, she was far too inferior. She simply didn't dare claim to be skilled in formations, fearing the overwhelming negative emotions that would arise.

"One cannot accept unearned rewards; I couldn't possibly do that..." Zhang Xuan repeatedly waved his hands. These were all Level 8 formation flags, perfectly sufficient even for peak Level 8 formations. Crafting just one required considerable cost, let alone so many. He didn't want to owe anyone a favor for no reason. Moreover, she was a woman, and in front of her elder brother... he absolutely had to be cautious.

"If you consider them too valuable, then when I attempt to break through to Saint 8-dan, you can guide me. In that case, I would be the one gaining a huge advantage..." Bi Hongyin said. Casually gifting such valuable items was naturally not due to an abundance of wealth, but rather a desire to build a connection. Doing so would make her breakthrough to Saint 8-dan significantly easier and spare her much trouble.

"This..." Zhang Xuan frowned slightly. Helping her break through wouldn't be too difficult, given Luo Xuanqing's experience. The crucial question was... how long would it take? If it was past April of next year, he probably wouldn't have much time. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but ask, "How long do you roughly need?"

"How long?" Bi Hongyin replied confidently, "I'm currently at the late-stage peak of Saint 7-dan, able to break through at any time. As long as I accumulate properly, I can definitely succeed within three years. After reaching the peak, I'll slowly consolidate, taking ten years at the fastest, or twenty years at the slowest, to accumulate to the absolute peak, reaching a point where I can attempt the breakthrough!"

"Three years... ten years? So, the fastest you can attempt to break through to Saint 8-dan is in thirteen years?" Zhang Xuan looked at her.

"Yes!" Bi Hongyin nodded. "My speed is considered relatively fast. Once you reach the Out-of-Body realm and beyond, cultivation becomes increasingly difficult. Every advancement requires immense effort and cost!"

Zhang Xuan nodded. He had also felt it; ever since cultivating to the Out-of-Body realm, the consumption of spirit stones and spiritual energy had greatly increased. The time required had also expanded from one hour to two. The difficulty was such that it made his scalp tingle... Otherwise, every advancement wouldn't be so complicated.

"Teacher Zhang, do you mean I'm cultivating too fast or too slow?" Seeing the young man's displeased expression, Bi Hongyin asked.

"Well..." Zhang Xuan hesitated. "Thirteen years is too long; I'm afraid I can't wait that long... How about this: if you really can't manage it, break through to Saint 7-dan peak now, then consolidate it. When we're at the Saint Son Hall, I'll help you... break through to Saint 8-dan!"

"Break through now?" Bi Hongyin's face twitched. "Teacher Zhang, you must be joking. If I could break through, I would have done so long ago instead of being stuck here..."

"I'm not joking. Breaking through to Saint 7-dan peak isn't a big deal," Zhang Xuan smiled. "How about this... I'll teach you. In twenty minutes... no, let's aim for five minutes for you to break through!"