Chapter 1395: His Statue is Dancing

"I..."Zhang Xuan nodded quickly. He wanted to admit right then that he was her sister's boyfriend. However, the words died on his lips. He hadn't even revealed himself, and the Zhang and Luo clans were already in an uproar; if he were to speak up now, he would surely become a target for everyone! He would certainly acknowledge his relationship with Luo Ruoxi, but definitely not now. First, he needed a respectable identity that could rival the Zhang Clan. That way, Luo Ruoxi could also give her family an explanation. Otherwise, if others knew that the person she loved was just an ordinary individual from a small kingdom, it would not only be unhelpful but would only cause more trouble! They had to be of matching social status; otherwise, malicious gossip could destroy one's reputation. He didn't want his girlfriend to become the subject of discussion and slander.

"Master Zhang, I know you're loyal, but I'm not in the mood for jokes right now!" Seeing the young man nod, Luo Xuanqing waved his hand, then looked up at Zhang Feng, who was not far away: "Are you saying... this happened half a month ago?" Their trip to find the Void Gourd and return took almost twenty days. If it happened half a month ago, it meant this incident occurred right after they left the Saint Son Hall. No wonder they didn't know about it.

"Yes!" Zhang Feng nodded.

"Master Zhang, I'll leave this fellow to you. Give him a good beating, don't let him talk nonsense. I'll be right back after I check!" His face was ashen. After hesitating for a moment, Luo Xuanqing suddenly blurred and shot straight off in one direction. Before his words even finished, he had vanished from sight.

"Brother Luo..." Zhang Xuan was full of anxiety, not expecting him to just leave so abruptly. However, the other party was too fast; even with the Limitless Traveler technique, he couldn't catch up. He had to stop the urge to pursue and looked at the Azure Dragon Beast again: "Alright, give him a beating, but don't kill him..."

"Roar!" Nodding, the Azure Dragon Beast was about to squeeze the fellow in its hand into a severely injured state when it heard voices whistle again. The three elders who had been stuck in the ground flew up once more.

"Friend, Zhang Feng is our guild's Saint Son. Harming him is equivalent to opposing the entire Spirit Awakener Guild. Please think twice before you act!" An elder gritted his teeth and said, "Moreover, the most crucial point is that the Saint Son system was established by the Saint Son Hall. Openly defying it means opposing the Saint Son Hall, and you could very well be expelled!"

"Expelled?"

"Precisely. Luo Xuanqing is a core disciple of the Luo Clan, and his cultivation has reached the Half-Step Void Glimpse realm. Even if he's expelled, it's not a big deal for him. But you're different; judging by your age, you probably just entered this year, right? Your future is still very bright. Don't ruin your life for a moment of impulsiveness..." Another elder added.

"It wouldn't go as far as ruining my life..." Zhang Xuan shook his head and looked at them: "Since he's a Saint Son, and this involves the rules of the Saint Son Hall, then I'll follow the rules... I'm currently an 8-star Spirit Awakener. If I become a Saint Son, will he be replaced, and then no matter how much I beat him, it won't be a violation?"

"Of course! If you can become a Saint Son, even if you beat him to death, the guild will cover for you..." This elder nodded. A Saint Son represents the pinnacle of the younger generation in a profession. If someone can truly replace them and a conflict arises among fellow professionals, they would naturally support this genius! Just like now, if Zhang Feng weren't a Saint Son, they wouldn't have rushed out. After all, neither Luo Xuanqing nor this fellow were easy to provoke. A collapsed palace was nothing to the Spirit Awakener Guild; they could rebuild it by awakening a few puppets. But a Saint Son being beaten would be a huge loss of face.

"Then it's simple..." Zhang Xuan straightened his back and smiled faintly: "Please tell me how to assess for Saint Son. I have other things to do after I beat him, so I don't have time to waste!" His purpose in coming here was to teach Zhang Feng a lesson and replace him as Saint Son. Since things had come to this, there was no avoiding it, so they might as well begin! After all, he still needed the identity of the Saint Son Hall Master to find Luo Ruoxi, and he didn't want to become a public enemy, feared and reviled by all, before then.

"Assess for Saint Son?" The three elders' beards bristled. They had seen arrogant people, but never anyone this arrogant! A Saint Son of a profession was a genius among geniuses. The one before them had broken countless records to succeed. They had originally planned for him to represent the Saint Son Hall branch to be assessed as a President Candidate at the headquarters... They never dreamed that not only was he nearly beaten to death, but the assailant was also clamoring to replace him... Spirit Awakeners, though not among the highest-ranking professions, possessed a complete heritage and were one of the continent's top professions. This person had only just completed his 8-star Spirit Awakener assessment, and within two or three hours, he was spouting such arrogant words... The three of them felt like their lungs were about to explode from anger. They gritted their teeth, wanting to curse him and let him know the difficulty of becoming a Saint Son, but then they saw the Azure Dragon Beast nearby looking over, its whiskers bristling with ill intent. It seemed as if it would swat them down with a single claw if they dared to utter any nonsense.

"The Saint Son assessment is simple. You awaken the Guardian Stone Statue. As long as the statue moves farther than the previous record, you win..." Suppressing his anger, an elder looked over: "Zhang Feng, he wants to challenge your Saint Son status. Do you dare to accept the challenge?"

"I accept the challenge!" Zhang Feng gritted his teeth and nodded. He had been violently beaten for no reason; although it was Luo Xuanqing who did it, this fellow was also involved... Since this guy was looking for trouble, he would teach him a lesson using his most proficient awakening technique, making him understand what a true expert was!

"Alright then, please release Zhang Feng!" The elder pointed forward: "In front of the hall, there are two stone statues. Both of you choose one and awaken it. Whoever's statue walks farther wins and becomes the Saint Son!" Following his finger, the two Guardian Stone Statues, though askew, still stood not far away, undamaged.

Hearing that the rules were so simple, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and casually waved his hand. The Azure Dragon Beast nodded its massive head, released Zhang Feng, and continued to look at the other three with vigilance, as if it would charge first and flatten them into a meat patty if they dared to harm its master. Zhang Feng shot a fierce glance at Zhang Xuan and the Azure Dragon Beast, a ruthless glint in his eyes. He flickered to one of the stone statues and gestured with a large hand: "Let's begin!"

"Alright!" Too lazy to bother with the other party, Zhang Xuan approached the other stone statue. He had observed the statues before and knew awakening them wasn't easy. However, after reading the 8-star books, he had a deeper understanding of awakening techniques, so success wouldn't be as difficult now.

"Ready, begin!" As the elder shouted, Zhang Xuan immediately felt a spiritual energy fluctuation not far away. He then saw Zhang Feng's primordial spirit leap from his glabella, flicker, and enter the stone statue.

"As expected of the Spirit Awakener Guild's Saint Son, his primordial spirit is indeed powerful!" Zhang Xuan sensed it and mused. Although the other's primordial spirit wasn't as immense as his own, it was extremely powerful, exuding intense pressure. Awakening is related to the power of the primordial spirit; the stronger it is, the easier the awakening. Although Zhang Feng's cultivation wasn't as high as Luo Xuanqing's or Zhang Chun's, his primordial spirit power was probably significantly stronger than theirs.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle! As soon as the primordial spirit entered the Guardian Stone Statue, special energies immediately spread out from within it. The entire surface of the statue gained a luster, as if it were about to come alive. Seeing him begin to ignite the awakening flame, Zhang Xuan was not in a hurry. Instead, his Eye of Insight pulsed, and he observed carefully. It had to be said that although Zhang Feng's character wasn't great, his awakening techniques were truly remarkable. His primordial spirit, once inside the statue, employed various methods, perfectly demonstrating the abilities of an 8-star Spirit Awakener, conveying a sense of beauty and power.

"I'll start too..." Seeing the other party get faster and smoother, Zhang Xuan no longer hesitated. He placed his hand on the stone statue as well.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle! As soon as his consciousness entered it, it felt like plunging into endless darkness. He circulated his awakening cultivation technique and pointed forward. Flames immediately ignited, spreading continuously outwards.

"Awaken..." His eyebrows rose. In the blink of an eye, the flames from his palm formed a sea of fire, spreading out. Although the light of the flames was swallowed by the statue, their sheer volume still illuminated the surroundings, as if completely dispelling the darkness.

"Not too difficult..." Seeing the awakening succeed, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. It was like drawing water with a bamboo basket; as long as the water poured in fast enough, it could still be filled. After learning the 8-star Heavenly Dao Awakening technique, his awakening speed was much faster than before, easily keeping up with the statue's absorption rate, with energy even to spare.

He turned to look at Zhang Feng again, seeing that the other party was also nearing completion. With a light smile, he flicked a finger, and a wisp of consciousness flew over. Just as he finished this, a voice rang out in the air.

"Elder, I've succeeded..." Immediately, a primordial spirit flew out from the stone statue, hovering in mid-air, its eyes filled with excitement and exhilaration.

"Alright then, make it walk. Let's see how many steps it can take... Can it break your previous record!" The elder nodded and said.

"Yes!" Zhang Feng's primordial spirit nodded and pointed forward with a grand gesture.

Whoosh! The stone statue, which had been standing quietly, suddenly opened its eyes, and with a violent rumble, stood up.

Thump, thump, thump, thump! Its huge feet stomped on the ground, shaking the surroundings, and it slowly moved forward. The spiritual essence contained within it continuously dissipated; each step would weaken it considerably, yet it was undeniably moving forward.

"One step, two steps, three steps..." The elder in the air kept counting, the light in his eyes growing brighter.

Thump, thump, thump, thump! The stone statue continued forward, quickly reaching its seventh step. Zhang Feng's primordial spirit in the air was excited, clenching its fists, as if waiting for the statue to break its previous record.

Boom! Amidst the rumble, the stone statue finally stopped. Zhang Feng turned to look, a cold sneer in his eyes, which glinted with light.

"The statue I awakened walked a total of seven and a half steps. Now, please make your statue move!"

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan snapped his fingers.

Whoosh! The stone statue stood up, but after swaying for a moment, it didn't move forward.

"His statue didn't move, looks like he's going to lose..." An elder frowned. Before he finished speaking, he saw another elder beside him trembling uncontrollably, an incredulous and somewhat sharp voice erupting from his mouth.

"It didn't not move... it's... it's dancing!"