Chapter 1556: Lu Chong's Transformation

"Excellent, excellent!" Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction, seeing the witch soul in front of him transform to the height of an ordinary person, with the reclusive boy's appearance now clearly visible.

This was, of course, Lu Chong, who had entered the ancestral land of the Witch Soul Masters.

When Zhang Xuan first took him in, Lu Chong was taciturn and never spoke. Now, however, he even teased the acting Hall Master of the Master Teacher Pavilion, indicating he had emerged from the shadow of his family's destruction and was no longer as lonely as before.

As for his students, he didn't care about their strength level; after all, with him around, even those with low cultivation would eventually stand tall in the world. To be honest, what he valued most was a good character.

Character determines destiny. Only those who constantly challenge themselves, break through their own limitations, and strive for improvement can truly reach the peak and possess the potential of a powerful individual.

Those who lack ambition, just drift along, constantly thinking about showing off rather than cultivating—even with the best teacher and resources, they cannot become true masters. Take Sun Qiang, for example: he had followed Zhang Xuan the longest and used the most resources, yet he remained the weakest.

"Teacher, your disciple has not failed you; I have fully awakened my soul body..." Lu Chong said, filled with excitement upon hearing his teacher's praise. He cupped his fists and looked over.

"I see..." Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

To save Zhang Xuan, Lu Chong had been severely injured by the Crown Prince of Xuanyuan Kingdom and fell into a deep sleep. It was then that Zhang Xuan discovered Lu Chong's soul body was incredibly vast, and once awakened, it would surely cause earth-shattering changes. The fact that he could now even tease Ren Qingyuan indicated that his soul body must have perfectly integrated with his physical self. Only then could he have broken through his limits in such a short period, progressing many times faster than Zhang Xuan himself.

"Yes!" Lu Chong felt satisfied seeing his teacher's smile, like a child who had finally received a desired fruit. He nodded and quickly raised the item in his palm. "Teacher," he said, "keep this with you for now. Otherwise, if the acting Hall Master takes it back, none of us will be able to resist him..."

Zhang Xuan reached out and took it.

Lu Chong was able to snatch it not because his strength surpassed Ren Qingyuan's, but because witch souls are difficult to detect when hidden. Additionally, Ren Qingyuan had concentrated all his mental energy on Wei Ruyan, allowing Lu Chong to seize the opportunity when he was unprepared.

Once prepared, let alone Lu Chong, even if his cultivation were twice as high, he probably couldn't have accomplished it. Otherwise, if everyone could simply steal the Hall Master's Token, the Master Teacher Pavilion would have no reason to exist.

The moment his palm touched the Hall Master's Token, Zhang Xuan immediately felt a special sensation surge through him, as if the item was custom-made for him and could be refined at any moment.

"What's going on?" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but be startled.

This was absolutely the first time he had touched this Hall Master's Token. He had assumed such a powerful magical artifact would be difficult to control, but he never dreamed that the moment it was in his palm, it would feel like an item he had personally refined, imbued with a sense of attachment.

"I can refine it?" As his finger gently brushed over it, Zhang Xuan was about to try if he could merge his blood with it when he felt immense pressure surge over him. Looking up, he saw that all the 9-star master teachers had gathered at some point, working with the surrounding formations to form a huge light barrier in the air.

"Teacher," Wei Ruyan said with a grave expression, "that's the Empire Alliance's city-protection formation, built around the Empire Alliance's Master Teacher Pavilion to fend off external enemies. Now, with the cooperation of many 9-star master teachers, it's fully activated!"

"A city-protection formation?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Yes," Wei Ruyan replied, "this formation isn't particularly powerful on its own, but with so many 9-star master teachers acting as its core, driving it with all their strength, it cannot be underestimated. We shouldn't even think about fighting it; it might be difficult just to escape..."

Seeing that her teacher didn't understand, Wei Ruyan explained.

The Master Teacher Pavilion governs the continent and has deterred the Otherworldly Demons for tens of thousands of years. Its inherent strength is only one reason for this; more importantly, it has established Master Teacher Pavilion branches across the land. The primary function of these branches is to set up powerful formations that are nourished over many years. Once activated in a crisis, they can unleash an irresistible force. Just like now, the Empire Alliance itself is a formidable power. With the formation laid by the Master Teacher Pavilion, combined with so many 9-star master teachers fully activating it, even Master Yang would find it hard to escape.

"Teacher, don't worry," Lu Chong said with a smile, a strong sense of confidence appearing on his delicate face. "With my witch soul's ability to traverse and Senior Sister's poison arts, even if they are strong, it won't be easy for them to keep us!"

Having received the inheritance from the ancestral land of the Witch Souls, he was no longer the unpolished boy he once was. Like Wei Ruyan, he had transformed into a formidable figure; every action now carried an inherent authority that discouraged any encroachment.

"Yes," Wei Ruyan chimed in, "their formation is indeed powerful, and direct confrontation would be difficult to resist, but if it's about escaping, it probably can't stop me!" Toxic gas boiled around her body, seemingly ready to explode and sweep in all directions at any moment.

"I'm not worried about leaving," Zhang Xuan said with a smile, seeing his two students so confident. "While your teacher's strength isn't exceptionally high right now, if I focus solely on escaping, I can still do it!"

His strength was indeed not as great as his students', but... using a formation to trap him was like delivering meat to a wolf's mouth. Ever since he left Tianxuan Kingdom, he had yet to encounter a formation that could truly trap him!

"Then..." the two asked, puzzled.

If they could escape, why didn't they? Did they have to wait to be surrounded by these people?

"Alas, we can't leave yet," Zhang Xuan explained, seeing their confusion. "Your Senior Sister Zhao Ya is at a critical juncture in her cultivation. If we leave now, losing all her previous efforts would be minor; she might even die!"

"Senior Sister Zhao Ya? Cultivating? Where is she?" Both were startled upon hearing that their senior sister was also there.

Zhang Xuan's zhenqi had wrapped Zhao Ya up like a zongzi, making her appearance indistinguishable. Even they couldn't have imagined that the "thing" emitting an Otherworldly Demon aura in front of them was their senior sister.

"This is her," Zhang Xuan said, pointing forward. "She had issues with her meridians, so I intend to reshape them for her using a new meridian diagram, which is why this aura appeared!"

"Reshape meridians?" "Using a new meridian diagram?" Wei Ruyan and Lu Chong exchanged a glance, each taking a sharp breath.

Such a thing was unheard of; perhaps only their teacher would dare to do it.

"Since Senior Sister is here," Wei Ruyan said, straightening her back, "we will protect her to the death, and we won't retreat no matter how dangerous it gets!"

Their teacher, for the sake of their senior sister, faced so many master teachers without the slightest fear. As disciples, what did they have to fear? At worst, they would die together!

"I will also protect Teacher and Senior Sister to the death!" Lu Chong nodded.

"Mm, I know your intentions..." Zhang Xuan said with a light smile, his gaze returning to the Hall Master's Token in his palm. "However, even with the formation, it won't be easy for them to kill us. So, you two protect me for now while I study this token. If I can resolve this trouble with it, all the better!"