Chapter 1470: He Is Not (Part 2)

Rushing all the way, they soon arrived at the Grand Elder’s location.

“How did it go?” the Grand Elder asked, looking over.

“It wasn’t him,” Zhang Wuchen replied, shaking his head.

“Not him?” The Grand Elder sounded surprised. “Bringing him into the blood pool showed no changes, and his spirit was also tested – it couldn’t retain the true interpretation patterns. He has no relation to the Zhang clan.” Zhang Wuchen recounted the events in detail.

“It seems… I overthought things.” Shaking his head, the Grand Elder’s gaze turned cold. “Since he has no connection to us, send someone to challenge him in swordsmanship. Let him learn that there’s always someone better, and a higher realm beyond. Furthermore, he caused such a huge disturbance; there must be an explanation. He can’t just walk away freely! Otherwise, what would become of our prestige?”

He caused the entire guest room to collapse, ancestor statues to run wild, and even damaged the entrance formation. Had we not harbored suspicions, how could we have let him do as he pleased? Otherwise, if everyone were allowed to cause such chaos, the so-called foremost clan would cease to exist.

“He tamed the Flaming Kirin Beast,” Zhang Wuchen said, hesitating. “I’m worried that if we push him too hard, complications might arise.”

If he were merely a young practitioner in the Domain Realm, it would be one thing. But the crucial point is that he tamed a Kirin Beast, and his cultivation has reached the peak of the Saint 9-dan. Should he truly cause trouble, the clan could still suppress him, but it would likely come at a tremendous cost!

“It’s simple,” the Grand Elder scoffed, his hands clasped behind his back. “Have our clan disciples suppress their cultivation to match his and challenge him to a wager: either he compensates us, or he stays with the Zhang clan and serves us for life. How can he simply leave after refining the Sacred Beast the clan leader had designated? If he loses in a fair competition, it will be easy to explain to Master Yang.”

The Master Teacher clan, though adhering to rules, is not a pushover. Setting aside the damaged buildings, the sheer amount of manpower and resources expended over the past three years just to contain that Sacred Beast is immeasurable. How could we possibly hand it over so casually? Moreover, he came here as a challenger! Frankly, if he weren’t Master Yang’s direct disciple, we would likely have already sent people to apprehend him and forcibly detain him.

“Yes, Grand Elder. Who would be suitable to challenge him?” Zhang Wuchen asked, nodding and looking over. For a clan to flourish and achieve supremacy, such tactics are necessary; there’s no avoiding it.

“Zhang Xu, Zhang Hen, and Zhang Qin are all suitable,” the Grand Elder mused for a moment. “They have all comprehended the true essence of swordsmanship and possess astonishing strength. Dealing with a young practitioner in the Domain Realm shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Very well, I’ll notify them shortly to prepare for the challenge.” Zhang Wuchen affirmed, then looked back at the Grand Elder. “What about the clan assembly? When will it be held? We summoned clan members and experts from various professions specifically for this assembly, and most people have arrived. It should be time to commence.”

“It will begin at dawn!” The Grand Elder’s eyebrows rose, his eyes flashing. “This involves our marriage alliance with the Luo clan; you should understand better than anyone that there’s no room for error!”

“I understand, but… the young prodigy is still missing…” Zhang Wuchen replied, a worried expression on his face.

“As I said, we will select from within the clan. The one who achieves first place in this grand competition will replace the young prodigy and marry the Luo clan’s young princess. We cannot delay any longer, or there’s no telling what complications might arise!” the Grand Elder stated.

“That seems to be the only way…” Zhang Wuchen nodded, then bowed with clasped fists. “I will go make the arrangements at once. However, perhaps the challenge against Zhang Xuan should wait until after the grand competition, otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair to Zhang Xu and the others.”

“Very well,” the Grand Elder nodded, saying no more.

While this discussion took place, Zhang Xuan also returned to his lodging. The moment he stepped into his room, he saw a figure approach him. “Teacher…” Zhang Jiuxiao greeted, clasping his fists.

“Why are you here?” Zhang Xuan asked.“Teacher, you caused such a huge stir the moment you arrived; I heard all about it,” Zhang Jiuxiao replied with a wry smile.

His newly acknowledged teacher certainly conducted himself with great fanfare. The moment he arrived, he threw the entire Zhang clan into disarray. Had it not been for the Grand Elder’s intervention, someone might have rushed over and killed him by now.

“Why is your clan assembly being held so urgently?” Zhang Xuan asked, not wishing to dwell on the previous topic. The moment Luo Ruoxi had expressed her feelings for him, this assembly was called. He found it hard to believe there was no connection.

He just didn’t know what exactly the Zhang clan was plotting.

“I’ve finished my inquiries,” Zhang Jiuxiao nodded. “This assembly has only one purpose: to select a young man through competition who will marry into the Luo clan.”

“Marry into the Luo clan?” Zhang Xuan’s eyelids twitched, and his fists clenched. “Where is your young prodigy then?”

“Apparently, the young prodigy has gone missing, and no one knows his whereabouts,” Zhang Jiuxiao explained, relaying the information he had gathered. “Now that the marriage alliance is imminent, there’s no time to waste, so they intend to find the most outstanding genius within the clan to marry into the Luo clan…”

“Outrageous!” Zhang Xuan was so furious he felt he might explode. Forced marriage was already shameless enough, but to then casually select a replacement at the last minute… Had such an alliance ever considered the feelings of the Luo clan, or of Luo Ruoxi herself?

“How can the Zhang clan’s marriage alliance be so casual?” Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth, trembling with rage.

The dignified foremost clan, having agreed to a marriage alliance between their young prodigy and Luo Ruoxi, now simply chose just anyone to replace him… The mere thought of it getting out would be preposterous!

“It seems there’s no other way,” Zhang Jiuxiao said with a bitter smile. “I’m not clear on the specific details, but all I know is that this marriage alliance is unavoidable, and no one can stop it! As you know, my strength is negligible within the clan, so my participation or lack thereof is irrelevant…”

While his strength might have been considered genius-level in the Qingyuan Empire, within the Zhang clan, it amounted to nothing. Any random person there could defeat him, leaving him no power to retaliate.

Thus, for this clan’s grand competition, he only intended to participate; he never even considered vying for a ranking.

“When does your clan’s grand competition begin?” Zhang Xuan asked, his killing intent surging as he bristled with anger.

“Well… the exact time hasn’t been set, but barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will be held tomorrow,” Zhang Jiuxiao stammered. Seeing Zhang Xuan’s face turn ashen, he quickly urged, “Teacher, the Zhang clan’s grand competition is filled with experts. Please, do not act rashly, or… I fear you will face immense trouble!”

He knew his teacher’s character intimately: utterly fearless. The commotion he had caused back in the Qingyuan Empire still sent shivers down Zhang Jiuxiao’s spine just thinking about it.

If he truly rushed into the grand competition and caused trouble, it would be difficult to end well. The Zhang clan was not the Qingyuan Empire; it was the foremost clan on the continent. Even a peak Saint 9-dan expert entering would find it a one-way trip.

“Don’t worry, I won’t cause trouble. You will…” Zhang Xuan looked at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

“Me?” Zhang Jiuxiao was taken aback.

“Precisely. I want you to participate in the grand competition, and… win the championship!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes flashed as he gestured decisively.