Chapter 1965: Dawn's Revenge

Achieving the Ancient Sage realm requires Ancient Sage power, which is readily available and thus not a concern. However, this significant leap, comparable to a Grandmaster on the Master Teacher Continent, demands substantial accumulation.

Shan Xiaotian's disposition and talent were strong; what he lacked was the necessary accumulation of time.

Given a month, he could have achieved the breakthrough on his own, without any treasures. However, time was of the essence; less than an hour remained until his seventeenth birthday. Once this opportunity receded, it would become impossible.

"Swallow it!"

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows lifted. With sword energy emanating from his fingertips, he swiftly cut his own wrist. Blood immediately gushed forth, coalescing into a sphere that flew directly towards Shan Xiaotian. Due to the considerable blood loss, Zhang Xuan's face turned noticeably pale.

Shan Xiaotian's eyes reddened. He opened his mouth and swallowed the blood, instantly feeling a rush of spiritual energy surging through his body. The power that had been receding moments before reignited, surging with immense force.

As an Ancient Sage of the Fourth Realm, Zhang Xuan's essence blood contained immense energy. The amount he provided was incredibly valuable, comparable to or even surpassing an Immortal Yuan Pill. Consequently, in less than a breath, his newly accepted disciple regained his peak condition, his true qi growing increasingly potent.

Finally, the Ancient Sage barrier shattered, unable to withstand the pressure any longer. The rapidly soaring aura did not stop there but continued to climb.

This continued for a quarter of an hour before gradually subsiding.

At this point, Shan Xiaotian's strength had reached the peak of Ancient Sage First Realm, Bloodline Continuation, placing him just one step away from the revered Hundred Schools of Thought.

"Teacher..."

After consolidating his cultivation, Shan Xiaotian set aside his excitement and urgently looked at the young man before him. His teacher had sacrificed an immense amount to help him achieve this breakthrough—a debt he could never repay in his lifetime.

"I'm fine. Time is almost up; you should go out now. With your strength reaching the peak of Ancient Sage First Realm, no one should have any doubts... *cough, cough*!"

Zhang Xuan offered a faint smile, then couldn't help but cough a few times. This sacrifice had indeed been significant. The loss of his energy-rich essence blood alone would likely take him at least several months to recover from, assuming no further complications.

"Teacher, please rest first!" Shan Xiaotian nodded, then turned and left. Watching him walk away, Zhang Xuan shook his head with a sigh. Just as he was about to absorb spiritual energy to regain his strength, he noticed the large pot nearby. The water used to boil the gourd earlier had not been entirely consumed.

After a moment of hesitation, he picked up a bowl and drank its contents. A gurgling sound echoed within his body, and his extremely weak physique visibly recovered, returning to its original state in the blink of an eye, as if he had never been injured.

"This..." Zhang Xuan's eyes widened in astonishment. Heavenly Dao True Qi could heal injuries, but it couldn't fully restore the body's lost vitality. Yet, the gourd's "bathwater" effortlessly accomplished this, much like the legendary Senzu Beans. This was simply too miraculous.

"What exactly are you?" Unable to restrain himself, he looked at the gourd swimming nearby.

"To be honest," the gourd replied, wiggling its bottom, "the term 'gourd' is merely my outward appearance. In my true form, I am a supreme divine beast, capable of traversing heaven and earth and commanding the winds and clouds! Now, quickly prostrate yourself..."

After listening to the gourd's unreliable boasting for a while, Zhang Xuan, with a look of resignation, poured all the remaining water into bottles, put away the large pot, and exited. The moment he pushed open the door, his face once again became sallow, and he swayed uncontrollably as he walked, appearing as though he might collapse at any moment.

Convincing people that Shan Xiaotian had already been an Ancient Sage would be difficult; they would at best remain skeptical. If both of them emerged completely unscathed after his cultivation breakthrough, it would undoubtedly cause a huge stir. It was better to feign severe injury, demonstrating that forcibly boosting one's strength came at an immense cost, which would deter others from attempting such a feat.

"Do you think... he can succeed?" The disciple selection process was swift, and Elder Lu Yun and the others soon found themselves at leisure. Huang Tao, looking in the direction where Zhang Xuan and his companions had vanished, couldn't help but ask.

"Ascending from Great Sage Third Realm to Ancient Sage in just an hour and a half... that's impossible!" Yun Feiyang shook his head.

"Indeed, I've never heard of such a feat, even within the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion. I certainly don't believe it!" the square-faced man agreed.

Not only them, but even Elder Lu Yun harbored doubts.

"There's no need to wait. For him to break through to Ancient Sage in an hour and a half, a deity would have to personally intervene..." Knowing that Shan Xiaotian was on the verge of turning seventeen and would thus lose any hope of becoming an inner disciple, Xue Gan lost his composure and sneered incessantly.

Before he could finish speaking, footsteps resounded, and the young man slowly emerged.

"How did it go?" Elder Lu Yun eagerly inquired.

"Fortunately, I did not fail the mission!" With a slight smile, Shan Xiaotian circulated his true qi. The power within him immediately erupted, his aura surging skyward. The impact of his true qi was so immense that the entire hall shook continuously, emitting creaking sounds.

The thousands of spectators, overwhelmed by the immense pressure, felt their legs weaken, as though they might collapse to their knees at any moment.

"Ancient Sage First Realm... peak?" Xue Gan froze, swallowing all the words he had been about to utter, as if struck dumb.

Not far away, Xue Qin collapsed to the ground with a soft thud, her lips trembling uncontrollably, utterly speechless.

The fiancé she had disdained had, within a single day, thoroughly and forcefully shattered her dignity, mercilessly humiliating her again and again.

Had she known this, she wouldn't have acted as she did. If only she hadn't foolishly gone to annul the engagement yesterday, things would not have escalated to this point.

"Nephew Xiaotian, we still share family ties..." Xue Gan struggled, then brazenly stated.

"Family ties?" Shan Xiaotian sneered coldly. "I apologize... This is my letter of repudiation. Xue Qin behaved improperly and attempted to kill me, so I have divorced her!" With a flick of his finger, a piece of paper soared through the air, floating before them. The stark black characters "Divorce Letter" on it seemed to hammer relentlessly at the girl's face.

Not only did her attempt to annul the engagement fail, but she was repudiated instead. She was likely the most disgraced person in the world at that moment!

She had desperately sought to preserve her dignity, yet the outcome was becoming the biggest laughingstock in Xuanjiang City.

Unable to bear the humiliation any longer, Xue Qin vomited a mouthful of blood.

"Elder Lu, have I now passed the inner disciple assessment and officially become a member?" Ignoring the others, Shan Xiaotian looked towards Elder Lu Yun.

Elder Lu Yun nodded.

"Excellent. Then I would trouble Junior Brother Jiang He to cripple Xue Gan's cultivation, hang him outside the City Lord's Mansion with his crimes clearly displayed, and then publicly execute him!" Shan Xiaotian stated calmly.

"Yes!" Huo Jianghe nodded. As Shan Xiaotian was now an inner disciple and Huo Jianghe merely an outer one, the latter became his junior brother and would obey his commands unconditionally.

"Father, Mother, Grandfather, Grandmother... I have finally avenged you..." A short while later, upon seeing Xue Gan's head brought forward, Shan Xiaotian knelt to the ground, tears streaming down his face.

Regardless, he was still just a young man who had recently turned seventeen. The hatred, buried for an entire decade, finally found its release, and he could no longer suppress his emotions.

He turned his head and saw his teacher approaching, looking extremely pale. He quickly rose and went to meet him. If not for this individual, he might not have lived to see this day, having long been killed by the bandits sent by Xue Chen. Without his life, there would be no talk of revenge, cultivation, or breaking through to Ancient Sage. It could truly be said that everything he had today was a gift from this person.

He yearned to tell everyone right then: "This is my benefactor, my teacher! Every achievement I possess today is thanks to him..." Filled with excitement, he had not yet reached his teacher when he saw the respected figure standing unsteadily before Yun Feiyang and the others, extending a palm. "Shan Xiaotian is now an inner disciple," Zhang Xuan declared. "As outer disciples, shouldn't each of you offer a few Immortal Yuan Pills as congratulations? This isn't about receiving gifts; it's about seeking protection! As long as he establishes himself firmly within the inner sect, the benefits to you will be even greater..."

"..." Shan Xiaotian froze. Was his teacher... collecting protection money? Was this truly the humble, meticulous, and incorruptible teacher he knew? Why did he seem so ostentatious?

"..." Yun Feiyang and the others were equally bewildered. They had initially observed Shan Xiaotian indeed breaking through two major realms within an hour and a half and had suspected it was Zhang Xuan's doing, planning to inquire further. However, upon seeing him excitedly approach to demand pills, they lost all inclination. It now seemed that Shan Xiaotian must have truly been an Ancient Sage before this; Zhang Xuan must have simply used a special method to restore his strength! Otherwise, would a master capable of rapid advancement be so brazen as to openly demand protection money in front of so many people? It was simply too absurd!

"*Cough, cough!*" Elder Lu Yun could no longer bear the scene. He cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence. "Xiaotian, as an inner disciple, you are permitted to bring attendants and handyman disciples back to the sect. Come with us! There's nothing left for you to regret or linger for in Xuanjiang City..."

"Yes!" Shan Xiaotian nodded. With his family's revenge accomplished, there was truly nothing left for him in this place. It was time to venture into a larger world and seize new opportunities.

"I want to bring Elder Yi and Brother Zhang! As for anyone else, they can be left behind..." After a moment of contemplation, Shan Xiaotian made his decision. Bringing his teacher was a definite must, and Elder Yi, who had always accompanied him, couldn't be left behind either. In fact, these two were sufficient; whether to bring handyman disciples or not was inconsequential.

After all, his teacher preferred to maintain a low profile, and a larger group might cause unnecessary disturbance.

"Very well. Go back and prepare. We'll depart punctually in an hour!" Elder Lu Yun nodded.

Shan Xiaotian nodded and approached his teacher, who was shaking his head with a look of resignation. Clearly, the "protection money" had not been collected.

"Teacher, we'll go home for a quick trip, then it's off to the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion!" Shan Xiaotian said. They were now far enough from Elder Lu Yun and the others that his lowered voice wouldn't carry, so there was no need to maintain the pretense.

Zhang Xuan nodded. His act of collecting "protection money" had been a diversion tactic, and it seemed to have worked quite well.

"I wonder how long I can keep this hidden... Being too exceptional can be quite a bother!" He rubbed his forehead, his heart filled with a sense of melancholic resignation.

Being overly exceptional could sometimes be quite frustrating. Honestly, he genuinely preferred not to attract attention, but every action he took seemed to be astonishingly impressive. This was likely his greatest vexation!

As he was lost in thought, he saw Cao Chengli, the bandit leader, rapidly approach, dropping to his knees with a thud. His eyes were filled with sincerity and fervent admiration. "Young Master, please accept me!" Cao Chengli pleaded. "I am willing to be your servant forever, without regret!"

"You see... I really am too exceptional; even bandits can't help themselves..." Zhang Xuan grew even more melancholic.