Chapter 1535: Zhang Shi's Disciples (Part 2)

At the headquarters of the Spirit Awakener Guild, countless women stood anxiously in front of a tall tower.

"It's been seven days already. Will she succeed?" a woman at the forefront said after an unknown period.

"I don't know if she'll succeed, but I do know that if she does, the selection competition two months from now won't be necessary, because... a new guild master will already be in place!" another woman added.

"Yes, the Spirit Awakening Tower... since the Spirit Awakener Guild's inception, only a few people have ever managed to clear it. She's a newcomer who's only been studying spirit awakening for a few months, and yet she dared to challenge it. Most importantly, she even reached the eighth floor... that's absolutely unprecedented!" the first woman exclaimed with emotion.

"Spirit Awakeners require a delicate soul. Her soul is pure, and her True Qi is refined, making it hard for her not to progress quickly! With her presence, it seems our Spirit Awakener Guild will grow stronger and no longer need to rely on other forces!" the second woman said.

The Spirit Awakener Guild, being a supportive profession with limited combat power, usually relied on professions with strong combat capabilities to survive. Now, with the sudden appearance of this genius, the situation might change, and they would no longer have to defer to others.

"Yes, I never imagined we'd finally see such a genius emerge. It's truly a stroke of luck for our Spirit Awakener Guild..." Everyone echoed the sentiment.

*Boom!*

Before they finished speaking, the ground trembled. Immediately, they saw the towering pagoda in front of them begin to shake violently, then move forward.

"She awakened the Spirit Awakening Tower... Is this... success?"

Far from being angry, everyone's faces flushed with excitement.

"Not only did she succeed, but she also gained the recognition of the Spirit Awakener Guild's founder... This Wang Ying has not only become the guild master but might also be the strongest Spirit Awakener, second only to the founder. Given enough time, she might even surpass the founder!" The first woman trembled with excitement.

"Yes, our Spirit Awakener Guild is finally going to rise again..." Everyone was filled with exhilaration.

After an unknown period, the pagoda came to a halt, and a girl slowly floated down from its summit. Dressed in white, she resembled a celestial being.

It was none other than Zhang Xuan's first disciple, Wang Ying, the incredibly naive girl from Tianxuan Academy.

She had undergone a complete transformation compared to a year ago. Previously innocent and charming, she was now cool-headed and sagacious. Her gaze carried a unique intimidating presence, making people hesitant to contradict her.

"Greetings, Guild Master!" Numerous women uniformly knelt down.

Successfully challenging the Spirit Awakening Tower signified becoming the guild master, leaving no room for doubt.

"Very well, since I have become the guild master, I shall now issue my first command!" With a flick of her sleeve, Wang Ying's voice resonated with authority.

"We shall obey the Guild Master's command!" Everyone clasped their fists in salute simultaneously.

"From today onward, everyone in the Spirit Awakener Guild, upon encountering my teacher, Zhang Xuan, must treat him with the respect due to a guild master. His commands must be obeyed without question or defiance from anyone! Violators... shall have their Spirit Awakener status revoked and will never be reinstated!" Wang Ying declared, surveying the room.

"Yes, Guild Master!" Everyone nodded.

After a moment, the first woman couldn't help but raise her head and ask, "Zhang Xuan? Is the Guild Master referring to Zhang Xuan, the Eight-star Master Teacher from the Saint Son Hall?"

"Yes!" Wang Ying nodded.

Many people on the continent shared names, but there was virtually only one person who was an Eight-star Master Teacher affiliated with the Saint Son Hall.

"Guild Master, Master Teacher Zhang is already wanted by the Master Teacher Pavilion. Here is the arrest warrant..." With a flick of her finger, the woman sent a token flying to Wang Ying.

"Hmm?" Wang Ying glanced down, her delicate brows immediately furrowing, and her eyes turning terrifyingly dark.

"To dare to bully my teacher and falsely accuse him... I'd like to see who has such audacity!" With a cold snort, Wang Ying suddenly turned around and commanded, "Issue my order: all Spirit Awakeners in the Spirit Awakener Guild who have reached Nine-star rank or higher, follow me to the Ice Plain Palace. We will awaken all Master Teacher Pavilions within thirty thousand kilometers of it and await further instructions!"

"Yes, Guild Master!" Everyone clasped their fists in salute simultaneously.

"Spirit Awakeners have always been seen as a supplementary profession. Now it's time for the world to know that our guild also possesses astonishing combat power..." With her hands clasped behind her back, Wang Ying let out a cold snort.

Exhaling slowly, Zhao Ya stood up. Without meridians, learning the Heavenly Dao Golden Body was not easy. However, with her teacher's help, she had succeeded. Her skin was now even more delicate, like that of a newborn infant. Although her strength hadn't significantly increased, her appearance could now be easily altered. Furthermore, with her teacher's True Qi concealing her soul, not even a Nine-star Master Teacher might be able to recognize her in disguise.

"Change your appearance!" Seeing her success, Zhang Xuan sighed in relief.

This way, even if they entered the Empire Alliance, it wouldn't be easy for her to be recognized.

"Yes!" Zhao Ya nodded. The muscles on her face rippled, and she quickly transformed into a completely different appearance, vastly unlike her previous self, yet still an uncommon beauty.

"Excellent!" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

While she remained beautiful, in a place like the Empire Alliance, such beauty could be found and wouldn't be particularly astonishing.

After completing these preparations, the two continued towards the Alliance.

Outside the city, as expected, countless outposts were set up, manned by Master Teachers who strictly interrogated everyone entering and exiting. However, they were all Six-star or Seven-star Master Teachers who couldn't see through their disguises, allowing them to enter with ease.

"First, let's go to the Blacksmith Guild. I'll see if there are any items that can substitute for meridians!" After making some inquiries, Zhang Xuan led Zhao Ya directly towards the Blacksmith Guild.

The Blacksmith Guild in the Empire Alliance was similar to the one in the Saint Son Hall; while its highest-ranked members were only Eight-star, it still possessed some Nine-star level books.

They soon arrived and walked inside.

"Teacher, who are we looking for?" Zhao Ya asked, looking at him curiously. Even if they wanted to inquire about items that could substitute for meridians, they would need someone to ask, right? Otherwise, wandering aimlessly wouldn't yield any information.

"Of course, we're looking for their guild master!" Zhang Xuan chuckled.

The most capable person in the Blacksmith Guild was naturally its master, so he was the obvious choice to seek out.

"The guild master? If we just go like this, we probably won't even get to see him, will we?" Zhao Ya grew even more puzzled. Their current identities were concealed; they were neither Master Teachers nor blacksmiths. What qualifications did they have to meet him?

"It's simple!" Zhang Xuan smiled, scanned the surroundings, and his eyes lit up as if he had spotted something. "Follow me!"

In a corner of the hall, a blacksmith sat with eight stars gleaming on his chest. An Eight-star Blacksmith! He was currently instructing his disciples and interrogating people entering and exiting the guild.

Taking a few steps, Zhang Xuan approached him, feigning excitement. "You're truly here! I've been looking for you everywhere..."

"You are...?" The Eight-star Blacksmith stood rooted to the spot in confusion.

"What, you've forgotten me so quickly? I'm your junior martial uncle!" Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow, a hint of displeasure in his tone.