Chapter 1906: Fierce Fan Xiaoxu (Part 1)

It seemed the rules written on the jade tablet were not true. According to the tablet, upon entering the Grand Confucian Hall, a teacher would greet him, and he would have the opportunity to make a selection. Yet, when he arrived, there was only a gong and nothing else.

"Perhaps I arrived too quickly, and no one has reacted yet," he muttered to himself. Zhang Xuan stopped waiting, flew straight ahead, and quickly vanished.

Upon entering the Grand Confucian Hall, he had been so focused on sensing the spatial laws and the density of spiritual energy that he hadn't noticed the people beneath the gong. He had simply kicked it down with little force. Consequently, a group of Grand Confucians, despite exerting all their might, failed to attract his attention. It was akin to an elephant stepping on ants; the elephant wouldn't feel the ants' full resistance. The power gap was so immense that their efforts were automatically negligible.

Not long after Zhang Xuan vanished, Zhong Qing appeared before the gong. He looked around in confusion, then his eyebrows suddenly shot up.

He quickly reached for the ground. After a long moment, the gong was finally lifted again. Beneath it, over a dozen Grand Confucians lay sprawled on the ground, seemingly utterly drained of strength. They were pale, with blood at the corners of their mouths, having completely lost their dignified appearance.

"Mi Xuan... what exactly happened?" Seeing the Grand Confucians on the verge of collapse, Zhong Qing could no longer contain himself. These were all super experts from the Master Teacher Pavilion. Under normal circumstances, they should be demonstrating their abilities and welcoming new students. Why were they all lying under the gong like dead fish?

"Did... did someone break the seal and come in?" Struggling to stand up, Mi Xuan wore a tearful expression.

"Yes, Fan Xiaoxu, the descendant of Ancient Sage Zichi!" Zhong Qing paused, his eyes widening in shock. "He did this? What exactly happened?"

Mi Xuan explained, full of embarrassment, "I brought out the gong, intending to find someone who could stand on it for ten breaths. Unexpectedly, someone kicked it down. To prevent it from tipping over, everyone desperately resisted, and the result... you've seen!"

"One kick sent the gong flying, and none of you, with so many people, could stop it?" Zhong Qing was on the verge of collapse, almost petrified. "How is this possible? The person who arrived is only at the peak of the Saint 9-dan!" The gong was a Great Sage treasure. To kick it and break through the combined power of Mi Xuan and over a dozen Grand Confucians... even the three of them together couldn't do that. Yet, someone at the peak of Saint 9-dan did? This had to be a joke!

"A Saint 9-dan absolutely doesn't possess that kind of power; even a Great Sage couldn't do it. This is power only an Ancient Sage has," Mi Xuan said, shaking his head. An Ancient Sage is incredibly weighty, like an entire world. Combined with their flying speed, they could easily perform such an act, perhaps even unknowingly. If this person were an Ancient Sage, then this situation would be highly plausible. If they were merely a Saint 9-dan, it would be utterly impossible.

Zhong Qing frowned. "I personally verified him. This Fan Xiaoxu possesses the bloodline of Ancient Sage Zichi, and Fan Xiaofeng and others can corroborate this; he's authentic. Most importantly, if an Ancient Sage truly trespassed, the Grand Confucian Hall's formations would automatically activate, and the sleeping Ancient Sages would awaken. Yet, there's no activity at all right now..."

Like the Master Teacher Pavilion and major clans, Ancient Sages in the Grand Confucian Hall are mostly dormant. If someone of their level were to intrude, it would trigger a power that awakens them. The current profound silence, therefore, proved that no Ancient Sage had trespassed. But... if that were not the case, how could the current situation be explained?

"No matter who it is, let's find them first!" Knowing that further discussion was futile and they needed to locate the person to confirm anything, Mi Xuan wasted no more words. He put away the gong and flew straight towards the various buildings ahead, with Zhong Qing and the others following closely.

Before long, they spotted a figure standing in a nearby plaza, scratching his head and looking utterly bewildered. It was indeed Fan Xiaoxu, who had just entered.

*Whizz!* They landed and surrounded him.

"You are..." With confusion in his eyes, Fan Xiaoxu wore a bewildered expression, as if wondering where he was and why he was there.

"This is the Grand Confucian Hall. You just passed the assessment, broke the seal to get here, and caused us significant trouble... Who exactly are you?" A Grand Confucian among the crowd could no longer hold back.

"The Grand Confucian Hall? Passed the assessment... I finished the assessment?" Fan Xiaoxu was startled, his confusion deepening. "Trouble? What trouble?"

"Playing dumb is useless. I'll know your true strength as soon as I test it!" Seeing his expression, which resembled someone suffering from amnesia, another Grand Confucian sneered. He pointed a finger, and a book appeared in the sky. Its pages opened, and a light enveloped Fan Xiaoxu.

This was the Grand Confucian Hall's supreme treasure, the *Secret Canon of Truth*! It could detect a person's true cultivation and bloodline, and its readings could not be faked. It was said that Ancient Sage Bushang had written it based on the principles of the Eye of Insight, granting it the ability to discern truth from falsehood.

As Fan Xiaoxu was enveloped in the light, the direction and intensity of the true qi flowing within his body were clearly revealed. Even the color and level of his bloodline became distinctly visible.

"Indeed, it's the bloodline of Ancient Sage Zichi, peak Saint 9-dan!" Everyone frowned, growing even more perplexed. The *Secret Canon of Truth* confirmed the identity of the person before them without a single error; he was genuinely who he claimed to be. But... could a peak Saint 9-dan really render so many of them utterly helpless? Could he break the seal and enter this place in a single breath, and even guide others to easily eliminate over a thousand people?

"Let me test your strength!" Amidst everyone's bewilderment, Zhong Qing stepped forward. This time, he did not suppress his cultivation to the Saint 9-dan level but unleashed his Great Sage 1-dan (Indestructible Divine Sight) power. Fan Xiaofeng and Fan Xiaoxing had already caused him trouble at their own level. He decided to increase his cultivation to test this "guide," confident that with his control over power, it wouldn't be easy for the other party to get hurt, even if they wished to.

*Boom!* Giving Fan Xiaoxu no chance to react, Zhong Qing unleashed a palm strike. Stars seemed to descend, and rivers boiled. Although he had suppressed his cultivation to the Indestructible Divine Sight level, his immense power caused everyone around him to feel their breathing tighten and instinctively retreat. Fan Xiaoxu's face paled, and he trembled with fear. His memory only stretched back to being called away from outside the mountain peak. Then... he woke up here, with a Grand Confucian immediately launching a powerful attack without a word. What was happening?

He had no time to ponder; he immediately retreated. The opponent possessed the Indestructible Divine Sight level of strength, which he absolutely could not contend with. If he didn't dodge, he would likely be flattened into a meat patty on the spot.

Before he could even react, his body was sent flying backward, covering seven or eight hundred meters in an instant, almost like a teleportation. Zhong Qing's attack landed on the ground, leaving a large crater.

"This... what's going on?" Not realizing he possessed such speed, Fan Xiaoxu's face turned pale, and he lost control of his body. His feet slipped, and he involuntarily stumbled, landing abruptly on his backside.

He had only intended to take a single step backward. Under normal circumstances, a retreat of ten meters would have been impressive. Yet, his movement had instantly multiplied dozens of times, covering seven or eight hundred meters. How did he do that? Who was he? Where was he? Fan Xiaoxu's confusion returned.