Chapter 1452: Is It Him?

"Spread the news within the clan?" Zhang Wuchen paused, his pupils contracting. "Grand Elder, do you mean to… stir up the emotions of the clan members?"

The Two Spirits Heaven Guard Array served as the entrance to the Zhang Clan, representing their prestige. Its destruction by a twenty-year-old youth, once the news reached the family, would inevitably provoke outrage.

"Indeed," the Grand Elder nodded, a profound look in his eyes. "The Zhang Clan has been at the top for too long; it's time for some stimulation. True power, the kind that commands respect, comes only when everyone is as mighty as a dragon... The array is dispensable!"

"I understand..." Zhang Wuchen looked over again, his eyes filled with admiration. As expected of the Grand Elder, his foresight in every step was far beyond his own. The array's strong defense had made the clan members complacent. If a real enemy attacked, they would, like Zhang Xuan, find the array's flaws and breach it with a single strike. At that point, with everyone unprepared, the danger would be extreme. Without the array, they would become more cautious, and paradoxically, safer. It was like learning to swim: if you never removed the floats and armbands, you would never truly succeed. To become truly peerless, one's own strength was paramount; everything else was superficial.

"Go then, carry it out!" Seeing that he understood, the Grand Elder said no more. Waving his hand, he added, "Oh, and go investigate Zhang Xuan's background!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Wuchen turned and left.

It wasn't long before he flew back, presenting a jade tablet. As the continent's foremost family, it was easy for them to gather information about Zhang Xuan's deeds.

"He's a new student at the Saint Son Hall this year," the Grand Elder read aloud. "He cleared the Master Teacher Tower in about fifteen minutes, became an 8-star master teacher, severely beat Zhang Chun and Zhang Feng, befriended Luo Xuanqing, and wherever he goes, no building remains intact..."

Reading the content, the Grand Elder's mouth hung open. Even their own clan's top geniuses couldn't achieve all this. How had this young man managed it?

"Master Yang's student... Master Yang Xuan has been at the Zhang Clan for half a year now. When did he take on such a student?" He quickly finished reading, his brows furrowed. To outsiders, Master Yang was elusive, his whereabouts unknown, but as the Grand Elder of the Zhang Clan, he was aware of them. He had arrived half a year ago for seclusion and hadn't left. When had he taken on such an extraordinary student, one even stronger than the Zhang Clan's top geniuses?

"Master Yang does have a student, I believe his name is Feng Ziyi..." Zhang Wuchen said.

"Feng Ziyi, I know him. I've met him once. His talent is indeed not bad, but he's only slightly stronger than Zhang Chun and the others. However... how have I never heard of this Zhang Xuan?" The Grand Elder was puzzled. Master Yang Xuan was on good terms with the Zhang Clan. If such a genius existed, the news would surely have spread long ago. Why had they heard nothing?

"Unparalleled talent, and he shares our surname... could it be?" A thought suddenly struck Zhang Wuchen, and his eyes lit up with excitement.

"Impossible!" The Grand Elder couldn't help but shake his head. "A year ago, I personally witnessed his soul lamp extinguish. How could he still be alive?"

"But... the Clan Head and Sword Saint Meng have never believed it, and they're still searching everywhere... Their recent hasty departure suggests they might have received some news..." Zhang Wuchen paused, a hesitant expression on his face. "At their level of cultivation, even if they can't divine the Heavenly Secrets, they must intuitively sense something. If they're certain he's not dead, then perhaps... it's highly possible he's truly alive!"

"Close kin can indeed sense such things, but... I personally kept his soul lamp. His soul was extinguished... and he had no power whatsoever. How could he have survived?" The Grand Elder was also utterly bewildered, his brows knitted together as he pondered. After a long moment, he turned and looked at Zhang Wuchen. "Right, go and investigate where this Zhang Xuan comes from and if he has any family!"

"Understood!" Zhang Wuchen left again. This time, he was gone for a longer period, returning after about two hours. "Reporting to the Grand Elder, Master Zhang comes from a lawless region within the Qingyuan Empire, a place without master teachers! Furthermore, according to the records of the Master Teacher Pavilion, he is an orphan with no family, and he is exactly twenty years old this year!"

"A lawless region... an ancient land? Could it be..." The Grand Elder was utterly astonished, disbelief flashing in his eyes. "This is impossible!" Shaking his head, he paced in circles for a few moments, then suddenly looked at Zhang Wuchen and instructed, "Wuchen, these next two days, try to bring him to the Blood Pool to see if he can resonate with it!"

"The Blood Pool is where clan members activate their bloodline," Zhang Wuchen said, puzzled. "But you know the situation with that person; even if he isn't dead... nothing could possibly happen there..."

"I know, but... as the most talented individual in tens of thousands of years, entering a place where countless ancestors' bloodlines were activated would certainly cause a special resonance. If there's a reaction, we can confirm it!" the Grand Elder nodded.

"I understand..." Zhang Wuchen nodded.

"Oh, and conduct this matter discreetly," the Grand Elder continued. "Don't let anyone know... especially Zhang Xuan. Observe him secretly and report his actions to me!"

Zhang Wuchen acknowledged, then turned and left. Watching him leave, the Grand Elder's eyes flickered continuously, lost in thought. He turned and walked deeper into the clan grounds, soon arriving at a particular spot. It was a small, round door, tightly closed, with nothing special visible from the outside. However, if one tried to probe with divine consciousness, they would find that the interior was completely undetectable, as if another world lay behind the door.

He walked in circles before the door for a few moments, wanting to knock, but ultimately stopped himself. "According to Master Yang's instructions, he should emerge in the next few days. I shouldn't disturb him yet, otherwise... if something goes wrong, even I couldn't bear the responsibility..." Lowering his arm, the Grand Elder finally decided not to knock and turned to walk back.

Master Yang was in seclusion behind that very round door. The Grand Elder had originally intended to ask him about Zhang Xuan's background once he emerged, but seeing the tightly sealed door, he hesitated for a long time and still didn't dare to knock. What Master Yang was doing in seclusion was far too important. Even as Grand Elder, he dared not disturb him, lest all prior efforts be wasted, and he become a sinner to the clan. Fortunately, Master Yang had said this seclusion would last at most six months, and if his guess was right, he should emerge in the next few days.

The Grand Elder's heart was filled with apprehension. Meanwhile, after receiving his instructions, Zhang Wuchen flew towards the guest quarters. With his own suspicions now, he also wanted to see what kind of abilities Zhang Xuan possessed. His figure moved swiftly. Before he even arrived, he saw the Seventh Elder, Wuzhen, rushing over. As soon as Wuzhen saw him, he immediately shouted, "Third Elder, something big has happened..."