Chapter 1651: Spirit Consciousness Records, One Thought Recites Ten Thousand Books

"Give it to the younger generation?"

Everyone's lips twitched. It seemed... Zhang Jiuxiao was actually older than him! A twenty-year-old saying someone older than himself was "young" in such an antiquated tone... It felt incredibly odd. However, considering the master-disciple hierarchy, Zhang Jiuxiao, as the student, was indeed the "younger generation." Still...

"Zhang Jiuxiao is currently only at the peak of Saint 8-dan. Although his bloodline is exceptionally pure, he... has never studied the core martial arts or cultivation techniques. I'm concerned..." Xing Jiansheng's brow furrowed. Zhang Jiuxiao had broken through to the early Saint 8-dan during the family grand competition. With the abundant resources within the clan and the activation of the Blood Pool, he had now reached the peak of Saint 8-dan. This level of strength was indeed impressive for the younger generation, but... compared to Tantai Jiankui, the difference was significant. Most importantly, he had previously been a member of a branch family, had never been to the main clan, and hadn't even learned its core martial arts or cultivation techniques. How could he compete against the opponent? Wouldn't he just be setting himself up for defeat?

"It's fine, have him come over," Zhang Xuan said indifferently, waving his hand dismissively. "Understood!" An elder received the command, turned, and left. Before long, he returned with Zhang Jiuxiao.

"Teacher!" Zhang Jiuxiao hurried forward as he entered the room. "Yes, I assume Elder Nine already told you when you arrived: you will represent the Zhang Clan in a competition against the Hundred Schools of Thought. You are only permitted to win, not to lose!" Zhang Xuan stated calmly, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Only permitted to win..." Zhang Jiuxiao's face was filled with awkwardness. "Teacher, I only broke through yesterday, and my cultivation is not yet fully stable..." He had already heard on the way that this competition against the Hundred Schools of Thought carried immense implications. If he were to lose, he might become a disgrace to the clan!

"Your cultivation isn't stable? That's simple!" Zhang Xuan took two steps forward. "Sit down!" "Yes!" Though he didn't know what his teacher intended, Zhang Jiuxiao dared not refuse and immediately sat cross-legged on the ground.

Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, extended his palm, and placed it on Zhang Jiuxiao's head. Just as Zhang Jiuxiao was about to speak, he felt a warm current surge from Zhang Xuan's palm, flowing through his entire body in the blink of an eye. The previously condensed true qi, a side effect of his recent breakthrough, dissipated under the impact of this energy, and his damaged meridians were repaired. In an instant, his entire body's power, essence, qi, and spirit achieved perfect integration and unity, as if he had been at this level for many years. All the drawbacks of rapid advancement, such as a lack of control over his newfound strength, completely vanished.

"This..." Nangong Yuanfeng and Tantai Zhenqing exchanged glances, disbelief evident in their eyes. This was neither an empowerment ritual nor a direct cultivation boost, so it didn't violate any rules. Instead, it was a special method to perfectly integrate the person's power with their body. This required not only incredibly pure true qi but also exquisite mastery over one's power, as well as an exact understanding of the student's physical condition. Even among the myriad masters in the Grand Tutor Hall, almost no one could achieve this; even Ancient Sages might not be able to accomplish it! Yet, he had done it with ease at the peak of Saint 9-dan... This Zhang Clan Head was truly formidable!

"Alright, your cultivation at the peak of Saint 8-dan is now completely stable. As for the Zhang Clan's insights into the Laws of Time and their martial arts..." Zhang Xuan furrowed his brow, hesitated, then looked at Tantai Zhenqing nearby. He bowed and clasped his fists, a hint of awkwardness on his face. "Senior Tantai, my student only recently returned to the clan and only knows some branch family martial arts. If you don't mind waiting a little longer, I'll teach him a few techniques now so he won't panic during the battle later!"

"Teach him a few techniques? You mean... he'll learn them now?" Tantai Zhenqing was stunned. The Laws of Time were infinitely profound, and the martial arts connected to them were vast and complex. Even his own students would take at least several years to learn just one technique after his thorough explanations. To learn on the spot and then use it... Was he serious?

"That's right. Don't worry, it won't take long. Half an hour will be sufficient!" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, assuming Tantai Zhenqing was concerned about the delay.

"Half an hour..." Tantai Zhenqing was utterly bewildered, completely dumbfounded. What could possibly be learned in half an hour? Especially when the challenge was against his student, an expert of the Imperishable Divine realm... Not just him, but Ouyang Yuanfeng and the numerous disciples also exchanged confused glances, completely baffled.

Just as everyone was wondering how he would teach and enable Zhang Jiuxiao to master a martial art within half an hour, Xing Jiansheng's exasperated voice rang out. "Xuan'er... you've only been back in the clan for less than two days in total... you've never learned or even seen the clan's martial arts. How can you possibly teach them?"

"..." Ouyang Yuanfeng and Tantai Zhenqing swayed simultaneously. After all that, he didn't even know the techniques himself, yet he claimed he would teach them to someone else in half an hour... *What exactly was he thinking? Was the Zhang Clan Head mentally unsound?*

"I truly don't know them, but it's alright; I can learn them now... Elder Eight, you oversee the clan's archives. Please bring over the clan's martial arts and cultivation technique manuals, as quickly as possible!" Zhang Xuan scratched his head and turned to give the instruction.

"Understood!" An elder swiftly flew out and returned in short order. With a flick of his wrist, a massive pile of books, complete with their shelves, appeared before everyone. There were hundreds of thousands of them, densely stacked. The Zhang Clan's status as the continent's foremost family was due to its countless experts and boundless legacy, encompassing an inexhaustible number of secret manuals, cultivation techniques, and martial arts. Elder Eight had only brought a selection of the techniques most commonly studied by core disciples; it was impossible to retrieve them all in such a short time.

"Much obliged!" Zhang Xuan thanked him, then his gaze swept over the books. Simultaneously, his divine sense spread out, and in the blink of an eye, all the books on the shelves floated into the air, their pages flipping ceaselessly with a rustling sound.

"This is... Divine Sense Reading? Comprehending tens of thousands of books in a single thought? H-how is this even possible?" Tantai Zhenqing's body swayed, his face filled with utter disbelief.

"Divine Sense Reading involves splitting one's divine sense into countless streams of thought to record the words in books. Kong Shiyao, the most talented individual in the Grand Tutor Hall, can only read three thousand books simultaneously, which has already broken a tens of thousands-year-old record. He... is reading hundreds of thousands of volumes. How powerful is his divine sense?" Nangong Yuanfeng's jaw also dropped, his mouth agape. Dispersing divine sense was achievable for anyone at Saint 2-dan and above. Reading one book was easy, and one could quickly memorize it. Reading two books, however, was akin to multitasking, which proved challenging for many, even numerous experts of the Nascent Soul realm. The Grand Tutor Hall boasted countless geniuses and mighty figures, yet their most exceptional prodigy could only simultaneously read and memorize three thousand books. This individual, however, was reading hundreds of thousands of volumes at once... Wasn't he afraid of his consciousness becoming chaotic and turning into an imbecile?