Chapter 1669: Accepting Jiang Feifei as a Disciple

"Contact the ancestral Witch Soul masters?"Zhang Xuan was completely bewildered.If this individual was truly a descendant of Ancient Sage Zi Yuan, then perhaps... the Divination Master Guild hadn't committed treason, and the Master Teacher Pavilion hadn't either. But then, why would a revered expert from the Hundred Schools of Thought associate with the Otherworldly Demons, especially an Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sage?He couldn't comprehend it, no matter how much he pondered. He asked a few more questions and discovered that Jiang Fangyou had no idea what the other party was doing. He was simply relaying messages as instructed, and he had no authorization to view the message content, thus remaining unaware of it.

"Our ancestors sacrificed so much for humanity. As their descendants, how could we possibly dishonor their heroic spirits? Furthermore, over the tens of thousands of years since the establishment of our Jiang clan, countless experts have perished in the subterranean caves. Even if our descendants were unworthy, they would never commit an act of forgetting their roots and ancestors!"Seeing Zhang Xuan's suspicion that they had betrayed humanity, Jiang Fangyou cupped his fists, his expression solemn.

"My apologies, I was rash!" Zhang Xuan quickly rose.The other party's ancestors had sacrificed so much for humanity, and for him to doubt their descendants was a profound disrespect.

"It's quite normal to harbor such thoughts, considering Witch Soul Masters have historically borne a bad reputation..."Shaking his head, Jiang Fangyou looked at him again. Then, as if recalling something, he suddenly understood. "Master Zhang, were you perhaps under the impression that we might have defected to the Otherworldly Demons, which is why you emptied our treasure vault?""Yes..." Zhang Xuan's face flushed.

"Indeed, when confronting Otherworldly Demons, one doesn't necessarily need to adhere to the etiquette and rules of Master Teachers..." Jiang Fangyou finally understood.Their ancestors had managed to infiltrate the Otherworldly Demon ranks and endure great humiliation; this alone indicated they didn't prioritize rules.If one genuinely encountered a major force betraying humanity, stealing all their treasures and cutting off their supplies would indeed be the optimal course of action.

"I will return your treasures shortly..." Zhang Xuan quickly said.Knowing that the other party had not only not betrayed humanity but were also great benefactors, Zhang Xuan, no matter how thick-skinned, felt too embarrassed to claim the treasures for himself.

Seeing his expression, Jiang Fangyou smiled.While Zhang Xuan might not adhere strictly to rules in his actions, he often achieved astonishing results. Had their clan truly betrayed humanity today, this one Saint 9-dan cultivator alone could have caused them immense trouble and completely disrupted their plans.

Once things were clarified, the rest became simple. Zhang Xuan agreed to temporarily serve as the Jiang clan's patriarch.Until the Witch Soul Masters were officially exonerated, he couldn't be formally associated with the Jiang clan. Otherwise, he wouldn't have accepted this leadership position; he would have certainly handed it over to Lu Chong.His student had located the ancestral land of the Witch Soul masters and received their inheritance, undoubtedly destined to become the supreme leader of the Witch Soul lineage in the future.

Regarding this ancestral Witch Soul land, he finally understood.He had previously wondered how the ancestral land could have survived when the Witch Soul Masters were utterly eradicated. Now, it seemed probable that Master Kong had deliberately concealed it or shown leniency to preserve their lineage.Otherwise, with the Master Teacher Pavilion's capabilities, had they truly intended to eliminate them, very little would have remained.

The succession ceremony concluded late into the night. Zhang Xuan summoned Jiang Feifei and handed her a book."This contains my insights into the Soul's True Principles. If you study according to this, you should quickly achieve comprehension without needing to consult the Jiang clan's jade tablet."After returning the Jiang clan's treasures, keeping only a few items that could provide spiritual energy, Zhang Xuan presented her with a newly written manual.

"Your understanding?"With a bewildered expression, she opened the book and quickly read through it. Immediately, Jiang Feifei's beautiful eyes widened in utter disbelief.The soul was ethereal and exceptionally difficult to cultivate. Despite her excellent talent, she harbored no confidence in truly comprehending the True Principles, even believing it might be an impossible feat in her lifetime.Yet, the secret manual provided by the new patriarch materialized the soul, simplified cultivation, progressing from basic to profound, directly pointing to its core essence... According to the text, with diligent study, one could potentially grasp the True Principles within a month.To comprehend it in a month—a feat countless ancestors couldn't achieve...

"Th-this... this is far too valuable!"Her delicate body trembled as Jiang Feifei bit her lip. After a moment, as if making a crucial decision, she clenched her fists. "You've bestowed upon me such an invaluable manual, and I have nothing to offer in return... If there's no other way, I will agree to a marriage alliance..."Although she didn't particularly fancy him, she understood his immense importance to the Jiang clan. Securing him through a marriage alliance would undoubtedly be the best option.At worst, it would be a small sacrifice.He had mentioned having someone he liked, but if absolutely necessary, she was willing to become a concubine.She was confident that with her beauty and status, he wouldn't refuse.

"A marriage alliance? You're overthinking it. While this cultivation technique of mine is straightforward to practice, without my guidance, it's equally prone to causing qi deviation and leading one astray..."Seeing her presumptuous assumption, Zhang Xuan smiled and shook his head. "How about this: I'll accept you as a registered student and guide you in your cultivation techniques.""A student?"Jiang Feifei froze in surprise.She had assumed that such a significant gift was intended to move her into offering herself, never in her wildest dreams anticipating that he wished to take her as a student...Being a concubine would be so much better; she could even warm his bed...

"Why aren't you kowtowing quickly? The clan leader himself is offering guidance; even as a registered student, it's enough to make your name famous throughout the world!"Seeing her dazed, Jiang Fangyou couldn't help but admonish her.Their new clan leader was not only the head of the Zhang clan, the head of the Luo clan, and the Master of the Saint Son's Hall, but his students also included the Combat Son of the Combat Master Hall, the Princess of the Glacial Palace, the President of the Spirit Awakener Guild, and the Head of the Yuan clan... Each one was extraordinary.For his daughter to become a disciple, even a registered one, would undoubtedly bring her immense benefits, and surpassing him would be imminent.

"Yes!"Hearing her father's words, Jiang Feifei paused, then finally understood.She had consistently regarded him as merely the young genius from the Saint Son's Hall who had challenged her, failing to realize that in less than a month, he still stood at the pinnacle of the continent, his status vastly surpassing hers.Setting aside his other identities, simply as Master Yang's senior brother, if one were to truly trace the lineage, addressing him as a grand-ancestor would not be an overstatement."Your disciple, Jiang Feifei, greets Master!"Her knees gave way, and without further hesitation, Jiang Feifei knelt to the ground.

"Rise!"Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.As the girl knelt, another 'Book of Heaven's Path' materialized in his mind, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.He had previously known this item possessed immense power, initially believing it could at best incapacitate cultivators at Saint 1-dan, 2-dan, or perhaps 3-dan, 4-dan. He had never imagined that even Ancient Sages couldn't withstand it.With this item, his life-saving capabilities were significantly enhanced. Even the arrival of an Ancient Sage would no longer be a major concern.

"If worst comes to worst, I'll simply take a few more students... Hmm, Master Yang's student, Feng Ziyi, isn't bad. No, I'll have to discuss it with Old Yang and see if he can transfer him to me?"Cupping his chin, Zhang Xuan mused to himself.Given his current standing, he needed to accept exceptional students to match his status, but where could one find such good students?Not everyone, after all, was as outstanding, kind, upright, and great as he was...