Chapter 1932: Zhao Ya's Special Situation

At the moment he broke through to Ancient Sage, Zhang Xuan understood that he had already surpassed the Heavenly Dao of the Master Teacher Continent, becoming the Teacher of Heaven and Earth.

Every word, every action, could influence the Heavenly Dao, even making it correct itself. His words became law; a single utterance could establish rules.

He had believed he had forged his own path, free from Confucius's influence. Yet, he still found himself following in his footsteps, advancing one step at a time. Confucius, in ancient times, must have also reached this realm and possessed this power, allowing his descendants to unleash their bloodline ability and defy rules.

Zhang Xuan shook his head with a wry smile, no longer dwelling on it. It was enough to simply be himself; there was no need to overthink things.

He clenched his fist, feeling the power within his body. Although he was only at the Droplet of Blood Rebirth realm, if the 'Deity' who appeared in the Kunxu Realm were to reappear, Zhang Xuan could crush him with a single finger. It was clear why he had been suppressed multiple times; breaking through indeed brought unimaginable benefits.

A soft crack sounded as he flipped his wrist, and a scroll in his palm crumbled into ash. His recent breakthrough to Ancient Sage had not only fully depleted the Ancient Sage power within the scroll but also consumed all the accumulated blood from slaying the two 'Deities.' At this moment, he was once again back to square one, completely depleted.

"Farewell!"

With a tap of his finger, the cultivation techniques he had compiled entered the girl's mind. Zhang Xuan didn't linger; he turned and vanished from sight.

"Goodbye... Zhang Xuan!"

Feeling the new knowledge in her mind, Shen Biru trembled incessantly, her eyes immediately welling up with tears. She knew that from this moment, they had truly become two parallel lines, with no chance of ever intersecting again.

"We respectfully see off Master Zhang!"

While she was overwhelmed with emotion, the townsfolk, having confirmed the identity of the young man in the sky, could no longer restrain themselves and knelt in unison. Truly worthy of being the Teacher of Ten Thousand Generations, his method of transcending tribulation was unique, leaving behind only endless legends to ponder.

Flying to a place invisible to ordinary people, Zhang Xuan stopped, looked around, and smiled faintly, "Come out, all of you!"

"Teacher!"

Zhao Ya, Wang Ying, Liu Yang, Zheng Yang, Yuan Tao, Lu Chong, Wei Ruyan, Zhang Jiuxiao, Kong Shiyao... his nine direct disciples, knelt before him in unison. Within two years, he had accepted nine disciples, each holding a prominent status, standing at the pinnacle of the entire Master Teacher Continent, and even among the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

"Attack together! Let me see your progress and strength!" With his hands clasped behind his back, Zhang Xuan spoke calmly.

The disciples paused for a moment, then nodded in unison. With a flurry of movement, the nine of them attacked him simultaneously.

Having not seen each other for over half a year, all nine had made significant advancements. Yuan Tao, the weakest in cultivation, had completed two tribulations and reached the mid-stage of the Hundred Schools of Thought. The others were even stronger, with Zhao Ya, Kong Shiyao, Zheng Yang, and Liu Yang, among others, all having reached the Droplet of Blood Rebirth realm.

When they joined forces, sealing space and time, even the 'Deity' from before would have found it difficult to resist. However, their attacks, upon landing on Zhang Xuan, seemed to possess no power at all, being effortlessly blocked by his protective zhenqi. Furthermore, if Zhang Xuan wished, his every movement could be so swift that they wouldn't even discern his figure or grasp his whereabouts. The Zhang Clan's bloodline ability was now useless to him; on the contrary, he could accelerate time with a single thought.

"Break!"

Having confirmed his disciples' strength and his own cultivation, Zhang Xuan knew there was no need to continue the fight. He extended his index finger and lightly tapped. With a whoosh, the nine disciples simultaneously recoiled, their faces pale. This group, representing the strongest combat power of their era, when united, couldn't even withstand one of their teacher's fingers.

"Zhao Ya and Zheng Yang have made significant progress, but Kong Shiyao's progress is the slowest..." Zhang Xuan smiled.

All his students had worked diligently and made considerable progress. Ironically, the one who had progressed the slowest was Kong Shiyao, his most recent disciple. After accepting her as a disciple, he had left without giving her much guidance, which resulted in her only advancing from the mid-stage of Droplet of Blood Rebirth to the late-stage over the past half-year, not even reaching the peak.

"I..." Kong Shiyao was speechless. Her teacher was right; during the time they had been apart, she truly had been the slowest in her cultivation. Previously, she had been quite proud of being a descendant of Confucius with a pure bloodline. However, upon seeing Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, and others, who were once far behind her, gradually surpass her, she understood that even the best talent, without effort, would still fall behind others. Moreover, her own teacher was a master at creating legends!

"Alright, these are my recent insights. I'm passing them on to you; how much you grasp depends on each of you..." With a tap of his finger, his insights on breaking through to Ancient Sage and even achieving it, were transmitted into the minds of his disciples.

At this level of cultivation, there was no longer a need for hand-holding instruction; instead, they needed to comprehend things themselves. The master leads the way, but cultivation is up to the individual. How far they could go depended on themselves; the teacher could, at most, guide the way. Just as before, he had let his disciples fly on their own, one by one. Without that, they certainly wouldn't have their current strength.

Soon, the disciples scanned through the knowledge their teacher had imparted, and each of them was filled with excitement. With these insights, their progress would undoubtedly accelerate, and their cultivation would become more stable and profound.

"I'm heading to the Kunxu Realm's seal. You all should come along!" Knowing that complete comprehension would take considerable time, and Zhang Xuan had no time to waste, he spoke.

The disciples nodded in unison. The group quickly flew towards the Kunxu Realm, arriving at the high platform beneath the seal in just over ten minutes. After being repaired, the seal remained largely unchanged, with the mercury-like power from before not leaking through. After asking a few questions and learning that no 'Deity' had reappeared during his absence, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Beyond the seal is the Firmament, filled with a mercury-like spiritual energy. You can try to see if you can absorb it." He extended a finger and lightly tapped, opening a small black hole in the seal. A powerful aura descended, causing the high platform to creak under the pressure.

His breakthrough to Ancient Sage had granted him combat power comparable to those who could shatter the void. It was time for him to leave this place and explore higher worlds. Otherwise, his search for Luo Ruoxi would remain an empty promise. However, to enter the Firmament, one first needed to adapt to this mercury-like spiritual energy. He not only intended to try it himself but also hoped his disciples would attempt it, so they could be prepared in advance.

A sizzling sound accompanied the descent of the mercury-like power, and many of the disciples' faces turned red; it felt as if their entire bodies were about to burst. This power was truly terrifying. Even though they had all reached the Ancient Sage level and stood at the pinnacle of the continent, they still found it somewhat unbearable.

"Teacher, this... spiritual energy, I can absorb it!"

Just as Zhang Xuan felt a hint of disappointment, a calm voice spoke. He quickly turned and saw Zhao Ya, her expression serene. The mercury-like spiritual energy flowed gently into her body without any resistance.