Chapter 1386: I’ll Take You There

"Five minutes?"

Bi Hongyin's eyelids twitched. She gritted her teeth and asked, "What should I do?"

If anyone else had spoken to her like that, she would have long since thrown them off the crane's back. But this person was different. His guidance had enabled Luo Xuanqing to break through in a short time, already demonstrating his capability. Breaking through from the peak of Saint 7-dan, while still not easy, was nothing compared to advancing to Saint 8-dan.

"Show me the cultivation technique you practice," Zhang Xuan said. "I need to understand your art to find the key to your breakthrough!"

"Alright!" Bi Hongyin flipped her wrist and handed him a book.

Zhang Xuan casually opened it.

"Seven-Stringed Sound Refinement Art!"

Bi Hongyin cultivated the most supreme technique of the Demonic Sound Masters. It involved using one's body as a zither and qi as its strings. With a single thought, zither music would resonate, and every note and melody carried a unique power, captivating those who heard it.

After finishing the technique, Zhang Xuan took out the book formed when the opponent performed her martial arts. He compared and studied them. It didn't take long for him to find a solution.

"The Seven-Stringed Sound Refinement Art condenses seven strings with true qi. Upon reaching the Spirit Severing realm, it forms a Seven-String Domain. Entering it is like falling into a world of demonic sound, easily creating inner demons and assailing one's primordial spirit... It's indeed not easy to break through with this art. However, your accumulation is already sufficient; you're only missing one small thing..." Zhang Xuan furrowed his brows.

"What is that?" Bi Hongyin eagerly looked at him.

"Your Seven-String Domain isn't sharp enough," Zhang Xuan nodded. "If someone could suppress you with the same demonic sound, attacking the weak points within your zither music, it should stimulate your potential and allow you to break through smoothly!"

Although her cultivation technique had significant flaws, she had already cultivated it to such a level that it couldn't be changed. To break through her current bottleneck, there was only one method: to use sound to break sound! By using zither music to shatter the weak points within her body, she could rebuild and succeed in one fell swoop.

"Suppress me?" Bi Hongyin was stunned, then gave a bitter smile. "Demonic sound suppression, using sound to break sound, requires extreme mastery of zither music. I estimate only my teacher could do it, but unfortunately, she's not here. It sounds simple, but achieving it is anything but easy..."

"I happen to have some research on demonic sound myself. I can give it a try!" Zhang Xuan smiled.

"You understand demonic sound?" Bi Hongyin couldn't believe it.

"I've studied a bit... By the way, do you have any books on demonic sound? Bring them out for me to see. The more, the better. I'll research them and see if I can find a detailed method to help you break through!" Zhang Xuan said.

"Alright!" Bi Hongyin flipped her wrist, and a large pile of books instantly appeared on the crane's back. The girl looked at him. "These are all copies I made. There are over two thousand books in total, all about demonic sound!"

Zhang Xuan nodded, his eyes scanning them as he gathered all the content into his mind. He casually picked up a book, pretending to read it, while his consciousness was immersed in his Sea of Knowledge, studying these texts. Although he possessed a Seven-Star Demonic Sound Master badge, he had only actually reviewed Six-Star techniques. His understanding of demonic sound barely reached the early Seven-Star level, which wasn't enough to solve her current problem.

"Correct!" A book tumbled out from his mental bookshelf.

The books she had collected were numerous enough to successfully form a Heaven's Path cultivation technique. With a touch of his finger, the content of the book integrated and became his own knowledge. Only then did he reopen his eyes. "I've found a way to solve your problem!"

"That fast?" Bi Hongyin looked down at the "Detailed Music Scores" book in his hand, her face full of disbelief. This was a book she had read when she first became a Seven-Star Demonic Sound Master. It introduced some ordinary Seven-Star musical scores and performance techniques, roughly comparable to "Three Hundred Children's Rhymes"... Could it really help someone advance?

"Mm, sit cross-legged and take out your zither!" Zhang Xuan instructed, offering no further explanation.

Filled with doubt, Bi Hongyin took out her zither and lightly stroked its strings.

*Ding-dong!*

The zither music immediately resonated. As she performed, her demeanor instantly changed. In the blink of an eye, it felt as though one was facing monstrous waves, on the verge of being swallowed at any moment.

Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist and took out his own zither. This zither had been crafted by Principal Jiang from a tree in his courtyard back then. Even with Zhang Xuan's current strength, it wasn't outdated. He too began to play.

His music resonated. His zither sounds didn't possess great offensive power, but they carried a lingering, melodious quality, as if echoing from the depths of one's mind, making people involuntarily become engrossed. He had just condensed Seven-Star Heaven's Path Demonic Sound, but hadn't had time to cultivate it. Although the zither music he was now playing only had the power of an early Seven-Star level, every note struck precisely within her rhythm. Its power was no less than that of a peak Seven-Star zither performance.

*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*

After several continuous strikes, Bi Hongyin's face instantly turned crimson. She nearly vomited blood on the spot.

"So powerful..."

She had still harbored some doubts, but at this moment, she fully understood: his comprehension of demonic sound was far more profound than her own!

Terrifying! Formations, medicine, beast taming... he was proficient in everything, knowledgeable in all. And now, even demonic sound was so formidable. How on earth did this guy learn all of it?

While Zhang Xuan was helping Bi Hongyin break through to the peak of the Spirit Severing realm by shattering and rebuilding, Yuan Xiao and the others watched with envious expressions.

However, their envy didn't last long before Yun Lianhai's voice rang out: "It seems the immortal crane beneath us... is falling!"

Luo Xuanqing and the others looked down, only then realizing that the Seven-Colored Sky Crane, which had been flying steadily just moments ago, was indeed swaying and plummeting downwards.

"It is falling, but not too fast. We're fine!" Luo Xuanqing nodded. Before he finished speaking, he saw the Sky Crane below suddenly straighten its neck, its eyes bulging out. Then, its neck crooked, its tongue lolled out of its mouth, and with a soft *whoosh*, it fainted.

"This..." Luo Xuanqing and the others' lips twitched.

They were all Saint realm experts; even if their mount fell, they could fly and wouldn't be injured. But... couldn't those two be a little less intense? Look, even the crane couldn't take it anymore! If something truly happened to this creature, how would they return to the Saint Son Hall?

They quickly acted, lifting the Sky Crane and themselves, slowly descending to the ground.

Zhang Xuan and Bi Hongyin, on the other side, seemed oblivious to the crane's fall, still playing their zithers face to face.

The crane, lying on the ground, twitched a few more times in its unconscious state upon hearing the zither music, continuously foaming at the mouth, as if it were being whipped even in its stupor.

*Boom!*

Just as they were wondering whether to intervene and tell them to stop, to let the crane live, they heard a long cry from Bi Hongyin. Her aura pierced the sky, instantly shattering the cultivation barrier that had held her at the late-stage Spirit Severing realm!

"Peak Spirit Severing realm? She really broke through... and it was exactly five minutes!"

Yuan Xiao and Yun Lianhai exchanged glances, their eyes wide with astonishment.

From the moment Teacher Zhang said he'd help her break through in five minutes, to reading books, then playing the zither—it sounded complex, but in reality... it was precisely five minutes, no more, no less!

This... this calculation was too precise!

"Alright!"

Playing the final lingering note, Zhang Xuan put his zither back into his storage ring. He exhaled and stood up.

Only then did he recover from his immersed state. He paused, then couldn't help but frown. "Hmm? How did we end up on the ground?"

He had entered a state of forgetfulness while playing the zither earlier and hadn't noticed. Weren't they on the crane's back? How did they land on the ground?

"Just look at the Sky Crane, and you'll know!" Luo Xuanqing pointed helplessly, seeing his bewildered expression.

Zhang Xuan quickly turned his head and saw the Sky Crane with its tongue lolling out, its two long legs twitching occasionally, strangely mimicking the rhythm of the music he had just played. Even unconscious, it maintained the beat.

"It really understands music deeply!" Zhang Xuan praised. "The Sky Crane truly knows me!"

"... " The others were speechless.

"Teacher Zhang, my cultivation has also reached a bottleneck. Could you perhaps give me some pointers?"

"I'm also just a bit short..."

Seeing Bi Hongyin's breakthrough, Yuan Xiao and Yun Lianhai's eyes gleamed with eagerness, and they both approached.

Zhang Xuan initially didn't want to help, but after seeing the excellent items these two family disciples had given him, none of which were inferior to an Eight-Star formation flag, he hesitated for a long time before happily agreeing. Yun Lianhai's cultivation was the lowest, and his combat power wasn't particularly strong, making his breakthrough relatively easy. Yuan Xiao, with his invincible defense, found it much more troublesome to break through. However, it didn't stump Zhang Xuan. He summoned the Hell Azure Dragon Beast and gave it a good beating. Before long, Yuan Xiao successfully broke through.

They rested in place for a day, consolidating their cultivation, before continuing their journey.

By this time, the Seven-Colored Sky Crane had finally recovered. Although it would still occasionally pause in mid-air like applying brakes, dropping several hundred meters at times, it could now fly normally. Even so, its speed was significantly slower than before. What should have been a five-day journey took a full ten days or more before the Saint Son Hall reappeared before their eyes.

Despite the significant delay, everyone's strength had surged during the round trip. Luo Xuanqing, in particular, was at half-step Void-severing realm and could break through at any moment, making him one of the peak experts in the inner court of the Saint Son Hall.

"Teacher Zhang, are you interested in coming with me to find Zhang Chun?" Luo Xuanqing's eyes gleamed as they landed in a spacious courtyard and dismounted the Sky Crane.

"Find Zhang Chun?"

"That's right. I need to give him a good beating to let off some steam. If I don't, what's the point of this massive power increase if it's like walking in the dark in fine clothes?" Luo Xuanqing licked his lips.

"Well..." Zhang Xuan hesitated. "I was planning to take the auxiliary occupation examinations and aim for an Eight-Star Master Teacher..."

It had been a long time since he received the Hall Master's token; it was time to quickly test for an Eight-Star Master Teacher. Time waits for no one, and if he delayed further, he feared Luo Ruoxi might truly be snatched away by someone else.

"Auxiliary examinations?" Luo Xuanqing glanced at him. "What occupations do you want to test for?"

"Spirit Awakener, Alchemist, Physician, Painter/Calligrapher, Beast Tamer, Heavenly Craftsman, Astonishing Master, Appraiser... any of them will do!" Zhang Xuan hesitated before saying.

To become an Eight-Star Master Teacher, one needed to achieve Eight-Star in eight auxiliary occupations. Currently, he only had Formation Master at that level, so he needed to keep working.

"I've already 'shaken things up' in all those professions, and I'm familiar with their people. After I'm done beating Zhang Chun, I'll take you there..." Luo Xuanqing waved his hand, a look of bold confidence on his face.