Chapter 1761: Reencounter with Luo Qiqi

I had just intentionally allowed venomous insects to bite me. Firstly, I wanted to demonstrate to Zhao Ya, and secondly, I wanted to personally experience how the antidote in the pond neutralizes so many insect venoms.

Upon checking, I realized it shared astonishing similarities with his Heaven's Path zhenqi.

Only Master Kong could possess such an ability; I couldn't think of anyone else. That's why I came up with the idea of using my zhenqi as a thin fishing line, and unexpectedly... it really took the bait.

"It's Master Kong's unique zhenqi. How... how do you also possess this ability?" the koi asked, looking over, puzzled.

"Because I am also a Celestial Master Teacher!" Zhang Xuan smiled.

"A Celestial Master Teacher? No wonder..." The koi suddenly understood, its eyes brightening. "I want to go with you! Master Kong told me to stay here, saying that as long as the next Celestial Master Teacher came, I could leave with them... This way, I can be fished every day!"

"Fished every day?" Zhang Xuan's face twitched.

What a masochist.

"Then, enter my folded space for now. Appear when I need you to!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"Alrighty!"

With an excited look, the koi was instantly taken into the storage ring, where it immediately spotted a massive brick.

"This brick is so exquisitely refined..." it couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. It had seen many bricks, but never one so large, nor one that seemed to waste so many valuable materials.

"You're the brick, your whole family are bricks! I am the Golden Origin Cauldron, a dignified cauldron!" the Golden Origin Cauldron explained through gritted teeth.

"A cauldron?" The koi's eyes lit up. "So, you can make fire now? Come quickly and fry me, no, bake me... Do you want grilled fish? If you do, hurry up, I can't wait!"

The Golden Origin Cauldron was speechless.

"No need to bake it; let's have sashimi instead!" the Ethereal Demonic Saber snorted coldly from one side, its blade glinting.

"No, thank you..." Seeing that there was also an ancient sage divine weapon present, the corner of the koi's mouth twitched, and it dared not speak another word.

Unaware of the commotion in the folded space, Zhang Xuan brought Zhao Ya, flying directly above the pond. As before, it became impossible to proceed beyond a height of thirty meters. With a flick of his wrist, the Ethereal Demonic Saber appeared and cleaved through the air.

*Swoosh!*

The space shattered, and a crack appeared. The two ascended and soon found themselves on a flat expanse. Just as when they had entered the Hall of Great Accomplishment previously, a colossal palace was faintly visible directly ahead.

"This is it. Let's go!"

The two hurried forward.

"This is... the Sleeping Quarters! Could it be where Master Kong once lived?"

On the plaque in the middle of the hall were the two characters "Sleeping Quarters!", indicating that this was likely Master Kong's former residence.

"Teacher, the main hall has already opened. Let's hurry!"

Zhang Xuan looked ahead and indeed saw that the main door of the Sleeping Quarters was already open, with only the seals remaining outside. Clearly, someone had already entered.

"Let's go!"

He took out the small talisman, shone it on their bodies, and the two rushed straight inside. As before, others without the Heaven's Legacy Talisman or the corresponding special physique could not enter, but he, with the aid of the small talisman, easily walked in without any hindrance.

The hall was strikingly different from the previous Hall of Great Accomplishment; it was extremely simple. Had they not seen "Sleeping Quarters" written outside, they might have doubted its authenticity. It was utterly bare, with almost nothing inside except for a single bed placed at the very back of the hall. There were no runes, no paintings, no sculptures... The entire Sleeping Quarters was as clean as a blank sheet of paper.

"This is where Master Kong lived?" Zhao Ya's beautiful eyes widened. It seemed even she couldn't believe it.

Master Kong, with three thousand disciples, seventy-two of whom were Ancient Sages, a teacher for all ages who cultivated countless powerhouses throughout the world, yet his living environment was surprisingly so humble...

"Master Kong truly disdained fame and fortune!" Zhang Xuan sighed with emotion, looking around. Like the poisonous qi world before, everything here was arranged naturally. Entering it made one's mind feel refreshed and comfortable, devoid of any worry or disarray. Cultivating in a place like this would undoubtedly greatly aid in improving one's mental state.

"The entrance is open. Wei Ruyan and the others must have already come in, but... where are they?" Zhao Ya also looked around, puzzled. The great hall was empty, with only the two of them. The outer entrance was wide open, and under normal circumstances, many people should have arrived, so why was there no trace of anyone?

*Boom, boom, boom!*

While they were pondering, they immediately felt a surge of spiritual energy from ahead.

"They should be ahead..."

Sensing the aura coming from ahead, Zhang Xuan hurried forward and exited through a side door. As soon as they entered, they immediately felt a dense wave of zhenqi sweep over them, pressuring them and causing them to sway slightly. Behind the Sleeping Quarters was a back garden, and this was where they had just entered.

"These Bodhi fruits here are already claimed by us. Please turn back!"

A cold snort rang out.

"Everyone desires good things, we understand, but... these items were obtained through our painstaking efforts; it's impossible for us to give them to others!"

"Heavenly treasures and earthly wonders belong to the virtuous. We prepared in advance, so these treasures naturally belong to us!"

Zhang Xuan looked in the direction of the voices, where two groups of people were confronting each other. On the right was a group of about ten people; Wei Ruyan was among them, and the other nine wore identical clothing, the distinct attire of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. On the left, a single person stood quietly, a round pearl spinning rapidly before them.

The Still Void Pearl!

It was Luo Qiqi, whom he hadn't seen in a long time!

"Master Zhang!"

Seeing the two walk in, both sides immediately paused, and Luo Qiqi's eyes lit up. Nodding in response, Zhang Xuan looked at the members of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers.

At this moment, Wei Ruyan, like Zhao Ya earlier, seemed oblivious to his presence. Her hands were stretched forward, and not far from her, a Saint Realm Bodhi Tree stood quietly. Several fruits, nourished by her zhenqi, were gradually turning a vibrant red, ready to ripen at any moment.

"This isn't an ordinary Saint Realm Bodhi Tree; it has reached the Great Sage level!" Seeing his confusion, Luo Qiqi came closer. "Unlike the one in Hongyuan Empire, the fruits it bears, when consumed, can elevate one's mental state and increase the chance of breaking through barriers by thirty percent... to reach the Ancient Sage level!"

"It can help one's mental state break through to Ancient Sage?" Zhang Xuan was stunned, then horrified. The mental state was the hardest to cultivate; he had already deeply felt this truth. In contrast to zhenqi, the physical body, or the soul, one could completely reach the highest realm if they possessed the right cultivation techniques, but this was not the case for the mental state. It had been several days now, and he had only progressed from 28.1 to 29.99, still a little short of the Ancient Sage level's 30.0. Although it was just 0.01, he had no idea how much effort it would take to cross that threshold. If this item could help people break through, wouldn't that mean reaching the Ancient Sage level wasn't as difficult as he thought, and was easily attainable?