Chapter 1391: I Am Very Capable

After an unknown period, the lightning vanished. Elder Feng, covered in dust and ash, climbed out of the pit, his face displaying an expression of profound despair, as though he had been repeatedly violated by savage beasts.

Numerous buildings and books lay utterly destroyed before him. He could not resist, but what truly baffled him was that under a clear blue sky with white clouds, lightning had suddenly struck him repeatedly. What exactly was happening?

He had merely intended to take an apprentice... surely that wasn't a heinous crime or a violation of heavenly laws?

Fortunately, the lightning strikes seemed only to serve as a warning and were not truly lethal. Otherwise, even as a peak expert of Saint 9-dan, he would have been unable to withstand them and would have been blasted to smithereens long ago.

"Teacher..." Yu Chen pulled him out of the pit, his face contorted with a mixture of emotions, unsure whether to offer comfort or what to say.

Having followed his teacher for over two hundred years, this was the first time he had seen him in such a state.

"It's all my fault..."

Zhang Xuan felt a deep sense of apology, seeing the previously high-spirited elder reduced to such a state in just ten minutes.

After several consecutive trials, he had fully understood that, just as the other party had stated, it was indeed a punishment from the Heavenly Dao.

It was one thing for Fatesmiths to secretly observe the Heavenly Dao without being detected. However, as the master of the Heavenly Dao, once he approached and established a connection, such a transgression would be immediately discovered.

It was akin to cheating on an exam: if undetected, one could get away with it; but if discovered and left unpunished, how could authority be established?

Otherwise, where would the majesty of the Heavenly Dao lie?

Where would its authority be?

If everyone could casually peer into it and secretly seek out heavenly secrets, the Heavenly Dao would likely cease to exist!

Originally, he had only intended to use the Library to examine Elder Feng, generate a book on him, and see if he could help resolve his underlying physical issues. He never dreamed that merely observing the elder would mean his profession was detected by the Heavenly Dao, immediately triggering lightning strikes. Each time he investigated, a new strike followed. After several consecutive trials, he finally confirmed...

He was the one who had caused this to happen...

His original intention was to help, but it had resulted in harm instead.

The thought filled him with deep shame.

"I cannot read Fatesmith books, nor can I investigate this profession... It seems there's no way for me to learn it now..."

Simultaneously, Zhang Xuan's face showed disappointment.

Regardless, this profession was among the most prestigious, commanding immense reverence and respect. If he could learn it, his status and standing would undoubtedly rise further.

However, the Library not only failed to help him condense it into a Heavenly Dao book but also wreaked havoc. It appeared he was completely fated against this profession.

"Elder Feng, I am truly sorry about what happened today. If I hadn't come here, such a massive upheaval might not have occurred..."

Whether others took apprentices or not, the Fatesmith Hall would remain unaffected. However, his presence, essentially bringing the Heavenly Dao with him, and then venturing into a place dedicated to observing the Heavenly Dao...

For this group of Fatesmiths not to have been completely struck dead, it was already a sign of great leniency.

Regardless, he was undeniably responsible for the situation here; there was no way to shirk or evade it. He could only frankly admit his role.

"It has nothing to do with you..." Elder Feng sighed, his eyes vacant, and shook his head again.

In his view, this was the punishment they, as Fatesmiths, deserved for divulging too many secrets. Even if the young man before him possessed extraordinary talent, he could not possibly manipulate the Heavenly Dao from scratch to attack them.

Therefore, in the end, it was their own issue, with no bearing on anyone else.

"Elder Feng, with such chaos here, I presume you've temporarily lost the inclination to take an apprentice. I will no longer disturb you..."

Knowing that any explanation would be met with disbelief, Zhang Xuan said no more.

"Very well, you should head back for now. Once I've sorted things out here and figured out exactly what happened, I will come find you..."

Elder Feng nodded in agreement.

His entire foundation and base had been decimated. There was no point in saying more; it was better to let the young man leave for now. He would then try to identify the root cause, alleviate the awkwardness, and only then consider the matter of taking an apprentice.

Otherwise, in his current state, if he were to propose taking an apprentice, no one would possibly agree!

"Farewell!"

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan turned and headed outside.

Seeing him depart, Luo Xuanqing immediately followed.

Once they were out of the range of spiritual perception, Luo Xuanqing could no longer contain himself. Unable to hold back, he lowered his voice and asked, "Teacher Zhang, what exactly happened just now?"

"I'm not sure either..." Zhang Xuan replied, shaking his head.

He couldn't elaborate on such a matter, even to his brother-in-law, as the implications were simply too vast.

"You don't know?" Luo Xuanqing frowned at his answer but ultimately restrained himself from asking further questions.

Although he couldn't deduce the exact circumstances, it was undoubtedly connected to the young man before him.

Otherwise, why was it that when others came, nothing happened, but as soon as he appeared, something collapsed, either here or there?

He was known as the King of Destruction, causing havoc wherever he went. Yet, after only a brief interaction, he felt that the young man before him was far more formidable than himself.

When he caused destruction, at least there were traceable signs, whether it was using excessive force or failing to control his cultivation properly. But this fellow had completely decimated the Fatesmith Hall without leaving any detectable traces...

This was the ultimate art of destruction, truly admirable.

"It seems that in the future, I should have a good talk with him about how to cause destruction without anyone ever knowing..."

He stroked his chin, lost in silent contemplation.

"Oh, right, I was so preoccupied with leaving with you that I forgot to beat up Zhang Chun..."

After a long moment of contemplation, he suddenly recalled something and slapped his forehead.

He had been so focused on asking if the Fatesmith Hall incident was related to the young man before him that he had completely forgotten his primary reason for coming.

That fellow Zhang Chun was still inside and hadn't emerged; he hadn't had the chance to give him a beating...

To encounter him and not take action would be like finally achieving a breakthrough in cultivation but having nowhere to show it off!

"Running over to beat someone is a rather crude approach... If you truly wish to fight him, you needn't seek him out; you can make him come to you..." Zhang Xuan suggested.

"Oh?" Luo Xuanqing turned to him, intrigued. "How do I do that?"

"It's quite simple. Among the many professions in the Saint Son Hall, are there any prominent Zhang family disciples?"

"Of course!" Luo Xuanqing snorted with displeasure. "Although the Zhang family members are individually despicable in character, their talent is indeed undeniable. Many of them are not only powerful but also exceptionally skilled in their auxiliary professions..."

The strength of the Zhang family was not merely reflected in their combat prowess but also in their significant achievements across various other professions.

It was precisely because of this that they commanded such a formidable reputation in the Saint Son Hall, feared and respected by all, defending their status as the foremost family, a position no one could challenge.

"Excellent. Aside from Zhang Chun, who is the most renowned? Take me to them; I wish to challenge their auxiliary professions!"

A ruthless glint appeared in Zhang Xuan's eyes as his gaze sharpened. "As long as I challenge them all, I don't believe Zhang Chun won't eventually show his face!"

Although the Fatesmith Hall incident might not be attributed to him in the short term, given enough time, they would undoubtedly discover his involvement.

Most importantly, he already knew of the true existence of Yang Xuan. It would be fine if that man never appeared, but if he were to deny Zhang Xuan's identity, Zhang Xuan's secret would very likely be exposed, making him a target of public scrutiny.

The primary reason the Master Teacher Continent, unlike other regions, largely adhered to rules and refrained from rampant killing and treasure-looting was due to the profound respect for master-disciple lineages. Everyone understood that harming a junior would inevitably provoke their seniors. A single branch lineage could be so intricately intertwined that no one knew how deep its connections ran. Therefore, unless there was a matter of life-and-death vengeance, people generally refrained from taking aggressive action.

It was rumored that, long ago, a third-grade Saint Clan under a Conferred Empire casually dealt with a minor figure in the Mortal Transcension realm. This seemingly small act unexpectedly implicated the grand-ancestor of a nine-star Artificer, ultimately leading to the entire clan's downfall and near extinction.

Since then, whenever a lineage was revealed, few dared to interfere. His journey thus far had been remarkably stable, without even a single ambush or assassination, and the name "Yang Xuan" had undoubtedly played a significant role in that.

If Yang Xuan were not a genuine existence, the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters would likely have already sent investigators after Zhang Xuan's numerous successful challenges to various halls.

Therefore, time was of the essence. He had to reach the 8-star Master Teacher level, unlock the seal, and become the true Hall Master, or achieve even higher cultivation, before others could detect his ability to mask heavenly secrets, and before the real Yang Xuan came looking for him.

With the identity of Hall Master, anyone, even the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, would likely think twice before causing trouble for him.

His brother-in-law intended to beat up Zhang Chun. After some thought, Zhang Xuan decided it would be better to seize this opportunity to deal with all the Zhang family members.

Teacher Fei had previously mentioned that every individual who became a Hall Master had to undergo various challenges, crushing their opponents along the way to establish their authority. Since he was now the sole candidate for Hall Master, there was nothing left to conceal; he might as well go all out.

If he didn't turn the entire Saint Son Hall upside down, he wouldn't be Zhang!

"Challenge auxiliary professions?"

Luo Xuanqing hesitated. "Your formation arts are formidable, and your beast taming is exceptionally strong, but the Zhang family members are also highly skilled in other auxiliary professions. Are you sure you can win, rather than being taught a lesson by them?"

It wasn't that he didn't trust the young man before him.

Specialization was key, and enlightenment came at different paces. Even a Master Teacher could not excel in every profession. While he was deeply convinced by the young man's mastery in formation arts and beast taming, recalling the records left by the Zhang family members in other professions made even him feel somewhat astonished.

It was one thing if he could successfully 'slap their face' as before, but if he failed and was beaten, it would be quite embarrassing...

"Don't worry," Zhang Xuan snorted, his eyes gleaming. "As long as I can find enough books, trying to 'slap my face' will likely not be so easy!"

"Since you're so confident, that's good. I was actually planning to visit the Spirit Awakener Guild; would you like to come along?" Luo Xuanqing paused, then asked, recalling the young man's many remarkable abilities.

"The Spirit Awakener Guild?"

Zhang Xuan looked at him. "Are there any Zhang family members there?"

"Zhang Chun's own brother, Zhang Feng, is one of the Saint Sons there..." Luo Xuanqing nodded, still slightly concerned. "However, his level has already reached eight stars... Are you sure you can manage that?"

"A Spirit Awakener? Zhang Chun's own brother?"

A slight smile played on Zhang Xuan's lips. "Don't worry, how can a man ever say he can't! If this Zhang Feng has a decent character, I'll simply take the Spirit Awakener assessment. But if he's as despicable as his brother, then I won't be polite..."