Chapter 1752: Opportunity to Advance to Ancient Sage

"The Spring and Autumn Grand Ceremony?" Zhang Xuan was stunned.

"The Spring and Autumn Grand Ceremony is said to be Master Kong's most powerful artifact. Some say it's a book, others a weapon, and still others a spatial item. No one has actually seen it, so there's no definitive answer. Could it be a painting?"

Xing Jiansheng analyzed, "Otherwise, why would the experts of the Hundred Schools of Thought break the seal here as soon as they arrived? And why would they capture Zhao Ya in advance, knowing about her special ability?"

Zhang Xuan pondered.

There was some truth to what he said.

The rumors from outside weren't necessarily accurate. For example, it was said that holding the Mother Talisman would grant entry to the main hall. He had the Mother Talisman, but there was still no sign of the main hall.

The Spring and Autumn Grand Ceremony, rumored to be a book, might very well be a painting.

He continued to look at the scroll. Though the content was obscured by the seal, he could make out a desolate scene covered in white snow, typical of a harsh winter.

"Indeed, there's a law of time!"

Upon careful sensing, he realized that this painting contained not only spatial power but also the flow of time. This meant that the time inside the painting flowed differently from the outside world.

Outside, it was still late autumn, but inside the painting, winter had already arrived.

Time existed within the painting. Could it truly be the Spring and Autumn Grand Ceremony?

If it was, he would seize it no matter what, showing no mercy, even if the opponents were from the Hundred Schools of Thought.

"Oh right, I don't recognize it, but Little Talisman can definitely identify it!"

A thought sparked in his mind.

He didn't know much about ancient lore, but Little Talisman was different. It was specially crafted by Master Kong as the key to enter the Temple of Confucius, so it would surely recognize what the Spring and Autumn Grand Ceremony looked like.

With this thought, he sent a mental message.

"The Spring and Autumn Grand Ceremony? You really come up with ideas!" Little Talisman stretched lazily within the folded space, its talisman paper rustling like maple leaves in the wind. "This is the Four Seasons Painting personally drawn by Master Kong."

"The Four Seasons Painting?"

"Didn't you notice the pavilions outside when you came in? Spring, summer, autumn, winter—they represent the four seasons," Little Talisman explained.

Zhang Xuan paused, then nodded.

At the time, he hadn't paid attention to the so-called Spring Warm Pavilion and Summer Restless Pavilion, but now that it was mentioned, it made perfect sense.

Furthermore, Master Kong's secret technique for breaking through to the Great Sage realm involved using his own body as heaven and earth, evolving through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, all four seasons. Could there be a connection?

"What's the purpose of this Four Seasons Painting that makes the experts of the Hundred Schools of Thought so invested?" Zhang Xuan asked, feeling a slight disappointment at realizing it wasn't the Spring and Autumn Grand Ceremony, but also growing curious.

Even if it wasn't the Grand Ceremony, it must be a powerful treasure; otherwise, so many experts wouldn't be so dedicated to it.

"The Four Seasons Painting appears to be just a picture, but it actually contains the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Moreover, the flow of time inside is roughly twice as fast as outside. This means that two years of cultivation inside only equates to one year outside. For cultivating talent, it's absolutely an excellent treasure," Little Talisman said.

Zhang Xuan nodded, deeply convinced.

The main reason the Zhang Clan became the foremost family and endured for so long was their possession of the Blood Pool, which allowed souls to have more time to comprehend cultivation techniques and practice martial arts.

The Master Teacher Hall headquarters had countless geniuses and nine-star master teachers providing guidance, which reduced detours, but more importantly, it possessed the Spring and Autumn Hall, which also had a time differential with the outside world.

Zheng Yang's rapid progress, even faster than his own, was partly due to the Battle Master Hall's legacy, but another reason was his cultivation within this place.

This Four Seasons Painting, effectively turning one year into two, was indeed a formidable treasure.

"However, to my knowledge, the most important aspect of this painting isn't the time differential." Little Talisman paused as if recalling something, then continued, "It's that Master Kong sealed a portion of the world within it."

"Sealed a portion of the world?" Zhang Xuan paused, then smiled. "This painting contains spatial power, so it's normal for it to seal a part of the world."

Ordinary folded spaces could create a dimension capable of holding items, but not supporting life, like storage rings.

More advanced ones, like greenhouses, could sustain life and grow plants, but prolonged isolation from the outside world would damage the ecological environment, leading to weakening spiritual energy and unsustainable life over time.

His current folded space was of this level, requiring spiritual energy supply for healthy development, unlike the Master Teacher Continent, which could generate its own spiritual energy, give birth to new life, and form a dynamic balance.

This painting, possessing the law of time and capable of evolving through the four seasons, should be able to nurture life and automatically generate spiritual energy, just like the previous jungle world. It was naturally more advanced than his folded space.

It wasn't strange that Master Kong created it and sealed a portion of the world within it.

"It is normal, but you must consider that this is a portion of the world from the ancient era," Little Talisman said.

"A world from the ancient era? What difference does that make? At most, the spiritual energy would be more abundant, that's all," Zhang Xuan said, unconcerned.

In ancient times, when Master Kong and the Seventy-Two Sages, such powerful beings, could emerge, the spiritual energy must have been far more abundant than now. But what did that matter? A sealed portion of the world was still a small world; it couldn't compare to a vast place like the Master Teacher Continent.

"Wait a minute!"

Before his words fully fell, Zhang Xuan's pupils contracted. "You mean it sealed a portion of the world from *that* era? Doesn't that imply there's an opportunity here to break through to the Ancient Sage realm?"

Master Yang and Xing Jiansheng had discussed many things with him regarding Ancient Sages. For nearly ten thousand years, this world seemed to have lost something, preventing many cultivators, who had clearly reached the Great Perfection of the Undying Realm, from breaking through the final shackles to become Ancient Sages.

It was precisely for this reason that Ancient Sages willingly entered slumber, only awakening for battles, solely to prolong their lives.

If that "something" was lost only about ten thousand years ago, and this portion of the world was sealed during Master Kong's time, wouldn't that mean that "something" still existed within it, enough to allow people to break through to that realm?

"Exactly. Otherwise, why do you think these people are trying so hard?" Little Talisman continued.

"So that's it! This painting holds the key to breaking through to the Ancient Sage realm. No wonder they're fighting so desperately!"

Zhang Xuan suddenly understood.

Although he was currently at the peak of the Golden Body realm, he was close to the Ancient Sage realm. If he couldn't find such an opportunity and remained stuck at the Great Sage realm, it would be sheer torment.

Now, with the opportunity right before him, he had to obtain it no matter what!

"Thanks for the reminder, Little Talisman. I suddenly realized you're actually quite useful!"

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up, and he let out a laugh.

If it weren't for this fellow, knowing what this item was and these hidden secrets, he might very well have missed out on this treasure.

"..." Little Talisman.

Seeing his son's goofy smile, Xing Jiansheng was taken aback, completely bewildered.

Had he gone mad with joy?