Chapter 1396: Xuanqing's Tribulation Crossing

“Dancing?”

The Elder looked on in stunned disbelief. He quickly scrutinized the stone statue and indeed saw it twisting its body, seemingly performing some kind of exercise to a special rhythm.

He immediately glanced at the young man not far away, who had stood up at some point. With his hands clasped behind his back, he was muttering to himself.

“Arm circles, one two three four, five six seven eight; two two three four, five six seven eight; three two three four, five six seven eight; four two three four, five six seven eight. Arm raises, one two three four… side bends… torso twists…”

The three Elders exchanged bewildered glances, their throats dry.

After a long pause, one of them finally managed to speak.

“It seems he’s not dancing, but… doing warm-up exercises!”

“Yes!”

The remaining two Elders nodded mechanically, wondering if they had seen wrong.

It was incredibly difficult to awaken the Guardian Statues. Even if successful, they would usually take a few steps before stopping, unable to move a single inch further. Yet, after enlightening this statue, this fellow didn’t make it walk; instead, he started making it do warm-up exercises…

Are you kidding me?

Not only were the three Elders astonished, but Zhang Feng’s hovering soul, now forgotten its way back, trembled continuously in the air, seemingly on the verge of collapse.

He had managed to make the statue move seven and a half steps and nearly coughed up blood from exhaustion. This guy, however, was making the statue twist and perform exercises non-stop…

Isn’t that too arrogant?

“Just by looking at you, I can tell you have no athletic awareness whatsoever. These Guardian Statues have been standing still for so long. If they suddenly get up without warming up, they could easily get injured!”

Seeing everyone in the air scratching their heads, Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Didn’t your sports teacher teach you? A good warm-up prevents injuries…”

To engage in physical activity, one must first warm up. Even elementary school sports teachers know this, yet these esteemed Elders and geniuses were directly making the statue move forward. They truly lacked common sense.

“Alright, warm-up is done. Two sets of high knees!”

After scolding them, Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

*Bang bang bang bang bang!*

The statue stood in place, continuously raising its thighs. The ground trembled under the impact of its feet, as if a large pit would appear at any moment.

“Okay, two sets of frog jumps!”

Seeing the statue quickly finish the high knees, Zhang Xuan nodded with satisfaction and gave another command.

*Thump thump thump thump!*

The ground shook even more violently. Buildings that hadn’t completely collapsed before, unable to withstand the continuous tremors, raised another cloud of dust.

Even the Library Pavilion, which had been unaffected until now, suddenly crumbled.

“Alright, run laps around the Spirit Enlighteners Guild! Stop only when I tell you to!”

After completing all the warm-up exercises, Zhang Xuan nodded and waved his hand.

*Pant! Pant! Pant!*

The statue, seemingly excited, lifted its feet and ran out. With every step, the ground shook, and more buildings collapsed.

The three Elders and Zhang Feng were all frozen in place, unable to move.

According to the historical records of the Spirit Enlighteners Guild, it was already a miracle if a statue could take a few steps. This guy not only made it sprint but also completed a full set of warm-up exercises…

“Have I, by doing this, surpassed him?”

Just as they were at a loss, they heard the young man below speak in a faint voice.

“Yes…”

Swallowing hard, the three Elders simultaneously nodded their heads like pecking chickens.

The statue had already run several laps, and the buildings of the Spirit Enlighteners Guild were beyond repair. If this didn’t count as winning, they couldn’t imagine what would.

“Then am I now the Saint Son of the Spirit Enlighteners Guild?” Zhang Xuan continued.

“Yes!” The crowd nodded again.

“Good. Now, I shall settle my personal grievances…”

Nodding, Zhang Xuan ignored the three Elders and looked towards Zhang Feng’s physical body not far away.

“Your mouth is so foul. Slap yourself a hundred times, with all your might!”

Seeing him issue the command, Zhang Feng’s soul was startled. He cautiously looked at the Azure Dragon Beast nearby, and seeing that it hadn’t moved, he just felt a sense of relief when he heard a rapid succession of “*Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!*” sounds.

He quickly looked down and saw his physical body, which had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, had somehow stood up and was relentlessly slapping its own mouth with both hands.

Immediately, blood flowed freely, and several teeth were knocked out.

“You… What are you doing? What’s wrong with my body?”

With wide, bewildered eyes, Zhang Feng’s soul was stunned. He was still here, not back in his body. How could his body be out of control, slapping itself?

“Oh, I was just enlightening the statue, and seeing that I had some time left, I enlightened your physical body too. Right, keep that posture, don’t stop, don’t stop, harder, harder!” Zhang Xuan commanded loudly.

*Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!*

The slaps grew even louder.

“Enlightened my physical body?!”

Zhang Feng’s soul swayed in the air and then dropped straight to the ground, barely avoiding going insane on the spot.

He wasn’t dead yet… How could this guy enlighten his physical body while he was still alive?

“My physical body…”

Unable to hold back any longer, his soul rushed back, fighting with the enlightened spirit for control of his body.

However, the enlightened spirit was too powerful. During the struggle, it finished slapping his mouth, then continued slapping his ears, and after that, it lay on the ground, letting the Guardian Statue stomp on it, even performing the “chest-crushing-big-stone” trick…

Half an hour later.

He finally managed to regain control of his physical body. By then, his head was covered in various cacti and flowers, countless ribs were broken, and his face was bruised and swollen to the point where even his own brother probably wouldn’t recognize him.

“Alright, my grievances are settled. Farewell!”

Having taught Zhang Feng a lesson, Zhang Xuan grabbed his hand, retrieved the Infernal Azure Dragon Beast, and swayed his body before walking straight in the direction Luo Xuanqing had left earlier.

Luo Xuanqing had been gone for so long without appearing; Zhang Xuan was somewhat worried about Luo Ruoxi’s current situation.

“Zhang Shi…”

Seeing him about to leave, the three Elders quickly rushed over.

During this time, the few of them had finally figured out where this individual had come from.

He had barely finished his assessment as an 8-star Spirit Enlightener less than three hours ago, yet he could so easily make the Guardian Statue run laps… Such a talent for enlightenment was beyond imagination. How could they let someone with such ability leave so easily?

“What? Still want to avenge Zhang Feng?” Seeing them block his path, Zhang Xuan frowned.

“Of course not! His mouth was filthy, and he offended you; he deserved the beating…” an Elder quickly said with a smile.

Spirit Enlighteners were not as rigid about rules as master teachers. Although Zhang Feng was also a genius at enlightenment, compared to the person before them, he was vastly inferior. When forced to choose, everyone knew what to do.

“Then…”

Seeing that their concern wasn’t about Zhang Feng, Zhang Xuan frowned.

“It’s like this,” the Elder who stopped him couldn’t help but explain, “the Spirit Enlighteners Guild headquarters will be holding elections for the Guild Master candidate in three months. Our Saint Son Hall originally intended to send Zhang Feng, but since you possess such an astonishing ability to enlighten, would you be willing to go…”

“Guild Master candidate election?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

“Precisely…” The Elder quickly nodded.

The Saint Son Hall was a branch, and if their representative could achieve first place, it would bring great benefits to them.

Both fame and rewards would be plentiful.

It was precisely for this reason that they had protected Zhang Feng regardless of their status.

Now that the other party had become the Saint Son and displayed such incredible enlightenment techniques, he immediately gained the attention of all three.

“Three months… I’ll consider it!” Zhang Xuan shook his head, not outright refusing.

It was currently October; three months later would be January, still some time before the marriage alliance between the Zhang and Luo families. If he had the opportunity to go to the Spirit Enlighteners Guild, he might be able to check on Wang Ying.

That girl had left with someone else and there had been no news of her at all; he didn't know how she was doing.

He hoped the Spirit Enlighteners Guild would treat her well. Otherwise, he wouldn't mind enlightening the entire headquarters and tearing it apart.

“Alright then, my name is Han Fu. This is my communication jade token; it allows for long-distance communication. I will send you a message before it’s time to go…”

Hearing him agree, the Elder handed him a jade token.

Zhang Xuan casually took it and put it into his ring, then turned to leave.

Luo Xuanqing had been gone for half an hour, and the traces in the air had almost vanished. Coupled with his high understanding of space and his deliberate concealment, even with the Eye of Insight, it was difficult to detect.

After traveling for a while, Zhang Xuan lost his direction.

“I’ll try the Library!”

He hesitated for a moment, then took out a book and wrote down all the possible locations of Luo Xuanqing, focusing his mind.

*Whoosh!*

The book in his mind revealed the incorrect location.

“In that direction…”

Following the direction given by the Library, Zhang Xuan sped forward, quickly flying out of the Sage Hall and continuing onward, flying for an unknown amount of time.

The scope of the Saint Son Hall was far more magnificent than the capital of the Qingyuan Empire. Even with his current dramatically increased strength, it was not easy to get out in a short time.

More than ten minutes later, he arrived above a mountain range.

What met his eyes was a field of ruins, as if scorched by fire, with smoke rising everywhere.

“Someone just fought here…”

Zhang Xuan’s expression grew solemn as he surveyed the traces on the ground.

The battle had concluded not long ago, probably less than a quarter of an hour. Could it be left by Luo Xuanqing?

He had gone to find Luo Ruoxi and his own clansmen. Why would he be fighting?

“Eye of Insight…”

His eyes glowed as he carefully examined the traces. Moments later, his expression became grave: “It was indeed left by him!”

Through observation, he could tell that this place was where his elder brother-in-law had fought someone, and the opponent he had fought against must have been at least Saint 8-dan, or even higher.

“Could Ruoxi be in trouble…”

His heart filled with anxiety, he continued to fly forward, following the traces. Moments later, he suddenly frowned. He then saw a large dark cloud suspended in the sky within a valley not far away, with countless bolts of lightning surging within it, seemingly ready to tear the heavens and earth apart.

“It’s… a lightning tribulation!”

His pupils contracted, and his fists clenched uncontrollably.

This scene was very familiar to him; it was a lightning tribulation.

“Damn it, it’s Brother Luo! What did he encounter that he couldn’t hold back and triggered the Void Puncture Tribulation?”

Looking towards the center of the dark cloud, he immediately saw a familiar figure—it was his brother-in-law, Luo Xuanqing.

At this moment, he was in the very center of the lightning, with countless bolts of lightning exploding around him, seemingly capable of blasting him into dust at any moment.

The Void Puncture Tribulation had arrived!