Chapter 1890: Village Beauty

These people, dressed in simple short-sleeved shirts and shorts, looked very ordinary. They held farming tools like hoes, sickles, and spades, and approached with an intimidating air.

"Their strength..." Zheng Yang was stunned. The people before them were as ordinary as could be; in the Master Teacher Continent, they wouldn't even be considered warriors. Yet, every single one of them had reached the Grandmaster level.

"They haven't cultivated; there are no traces of genuine qi in their bodies..." Wei Ruyan was also astonished. With her eyesight, she could easily tell that these people had heavy bodies, no genuine qi in their dantian, and had likely never been exposed to cultivation. To possess the aura of a Grandmaster without refining spiritual energy, transforming genuine qi, or even tempering their physical bodies was incredible.

"It's likely that their bodies have changed from consuming Green Bud Wheat year-round, making them different from ordinary humans, just like the Spirit Demons..." Zhang Xuan explained. This situation must be related to these wheat fields. The ancestors of these people had consumed such crops for generations, causing their physiques to undergo a complete transformation over the years. Like the Spirit Demons, they possessed Ethereal Realm strength from birth, even without cultivation. It was similar to his previous self, the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan, who was a born Saint and reached the Saint realm at birth.

"This..." Zheng Yang's eyes lit up. Earlier, when his teacher mentioned it, he hadn't paid much attention, but seeing these ordinary people possess such power now filled him with excitement. If people in the Master Teacher Continent could also be like this, they would truly be fearless when facing the Spirit Demons again. No matter how powerful a Master Teacher was, if their students weren't willing to learn, it would be impossible to cultivate them into strong individuals; among Confucius's three thousand disciples, only seventy-two reached the level of Ancient Sages. However, long-term consumption of this plant could grant people Grandmaster-level strength from birth... Everyone would truly be like a dragon then.

"Who are you, daring to destroy our crops...?" The crowd came forward, shouting furiously. Leading them was an old man, at least eighty years old, yet remarkably vigorous, with dark beard and hair, giving off an impression of abundant vitality. He also hadn't cultivated, yet he had reached the peak of the Supremacy realm, just below the Ethereal Realm! In Tianxuan Kingdom, someone who could cultivate to the Supremacy realm would not even care about King Shen Zhui. But here, one could reach it simply by growing older... It was something no one would believe if told.

"We didn't intend to destroy anything, and we are willing to compensate..." Zhang Xuan said with an apologetic expression. With a flick of his wrist, a pile of medicinal herbs, weapons, and similar items dropped to the ground. Although these were the cheapest items he had, they would be priceless anywhere else. The initially aggressive crowd was utterly dumbfounded by this sight. Although they hadn't seen many valuable treasures, they could still sense the spiritual energy emanating from these items. They had rushed over because a few acres of their crops had been destroyed, but the ruined wheat was nowhere near as valuable as these items.

"Compensation for us?" The old man paused, still unable to believe it.

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, "Please take them. As it happens, I have something I'd like to ask, and I hope you can provide the answers!"

"What do you wish to ask? Please speak freely..." After sending someone to collect the compensation items and meticulously checking them to confirm their high value, the old man and the others still felt as if they were dreaming, and quickly bowed. With such generous compensation and a polite attitude, they found it impossible to be angry.

"The three of us are here for the first time. May I ask where this is?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"This is Stone Rock Village, within Kaiming Prefecture!" the old man nodded.

"Stone Rock Village? Kaiming Prefecture?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "Excuse me... Where exactly does Kaiming Prefecture belong?"

"It's a place under the jurisdiction of Ancient Sage Zichi's residence!" a middle-aged man interjected.

"Ancient Sage Zichi?" Zhang Xuan nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. Ancient Sage Zichi was one of Confucius's seventy-two sages. Although his fame was far less than that of Ran Qiu or Bu Shang, and they weren't on the same level, he was still recorded in history. He was skilled in farming, so perhaps... the Green Bud Wheat was Confucius's concept, but its cultivation was his achievement. Since it was under Ancient Sage Zichi's jurisdiction, it meant that, as he had suspected, this was indeed within the domain of the Hundred Schools of Thought. He had originally planned to search carefully after arriving in Tianxuan Kingdom, but Zheng Yang and the others had accidentally discovered it.

"May I ask how we can reach Ancient Sage Zichi's residence?" Zhang Xuan continued. After tens of thousands of years, the Ancient Sage was surely long gone, but his descendants must still be alive. To trace Confucius's footsteps and find out where he went after capturing the "deity," they would have to find powerful individuals from the Hundred Schools of Thought.

"The Ancient Sage's residence is in Fancheng, a bit of a distance from here. If the three of you are not in a hurry, I can have Xiuru from our village take you there!" The old man smiled, "Xiuru is our village belle; she has cultivated before and tamed a spirit beast. If she takes you, traveling by spirit beast will be faster..."

"Village belle?" Zhang Xuan gave a wry smile. "You just need to tell us the direction; there's no need to trouble anyone..."

"How can it be called trouble? Fancheng is a large city; not just anyone can enter. If you're not from around here and you go rashly, you could easily be arrested. It's better to let Xiuru lead the way; she's very familiar with it, and it will make things more convenient once you're there!" The old man's tone was resolute. The people before them had damaged their crops, but they had willingly compensated them and maintained an excellent attitude, so the villagers were naturally very courteous. Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Zhang Xuan had no choice but to nod.

Stone Rock Village was not a large village, with only about a hundred households. Upon hearing that guests had arrived, everyone was very enthusiastic. Soon, they met the legendary "village belle." Her appearance could only be described as passable, similar to Su Feifei's, of above-average looks, but in a small village, she indeed stood out.

"Ethereal Realm second stage strength!" As the other person approached, Zheng Yang discerned her cultivation. She had indeed cultivated; the flow of genuine qi within her body indicated her precise strength: Ethereal Realm second stage.

"I can take you to Fancheng, but let me tell you in advance, Ancient Sage Zichi's residence is not somewhere just anyone can go. If you truly wish to visit, you'll need to present an invitation beforehand. If you rush over rashly and offend someone, I won't be responsible for your lives!" As she approached, Xiuru's eyebrows rose, and her face showed a proud expression. As the village belle, she possessed her own pride and dignity.

"Don't worry..." Zhang Xuan nodded. Although their strength had already reached the peak of this world, they were here to seek answers, not to fight or kill, so they naturally wouldn't act rashly.

"That's good then. Also, let me warn you in advance: I'm taking you to Fancheng on the village chief's orders, not because I want to. Don't secretly fall for me just because we're traveling together. I only accept declarations of affection from people within the village; I haven't thought about marrying outside the village yet!" Xiuru said with a serious expression.

"..." Zhang Xuan and the others were utterly dumbfounded.