Chapter 2264: The Origin of the Teacher

"I can only ask him in person then..." Zhang Xuan shook his head. On the surface, Luo Ruoxi was the strongest in the God Realm, but for some reason, he always felt as if a powerful hand was pushing them, drawing them into a vortex from which they couldn't escape.

"Could you teach me the cultivation method for 'Severing the Three Corpses'?" Putting that thought aside, Zhang Xuan looked over. Regardless of whether it could help him break free from the Heavenly Dao's restraints, mastering this method would mean gaining three extra lives, greatly increasing his means of self-preservation. Furthermore, it would allow him to sever the Evil Corpse, the Good Corpse, and the Self Corpse, making him purer and his future cultivation more proficient.

"To cultivate this method and conceal it from the Heavenly Dao, it cannot remain in one's memory... otherwise, it will also be spied upon! We received this teaching from our teacher in the spatial turbulence after leaving the Master Teacher Continent, and we forgot it immediately after practicing... Even our teacher doesn't retain the technique in his mind... Therefore, we don't have the cultivation method here!" Ancient Sage Zi Yuan gave an awkward smile. It wasn't that they didn't want to pass it on; it was that they couldn't. To hide it from the Heavenly Dao, it had to be erased from memory. Once erased, the cultivation method was effectively lost, making it impossible to pass on.

Understanding this, Zhang Xuan let out a wry laugh, curious. "Did Master Teacher Kong himself create this cultivation method? Could it be that... back on the Master Teacher Continent, he already knew someone would contend with him for the Mandate of Heaven?" This was what puzzled him the most. When he left the Master Teacher Continent, he was still ignorant and knew nothing, relying heavily on the Library. Logically, the struggle for the Heavenly Dao was a fact only known in the God Realm. So why did Master Teacher Kong prepare for it in advance while still on the Master Teacher Continent? Did he control the Heavenly Dao in an orderly fashion, possessing the ability of foresight?

"Though our teacher is a Saint and his talent is unparalleled, he was not born with all knowledge; he also had someone who taught him and guided him," Ancient Sage Zi Yuan said.

Zhang Xuan nodded. Master Teacher Kong had been so dazzling since his time on the Master Teacher Continent that Zhang Xuan had once believed he appeared out of nowhere and didn't need to learn anything... Now, thinking about it, that was too narrow-minded. As long as one is human, they progress from ignorance to knowledge; everyone undergoes a learning process. Master Teacher Kong's talent was irreplaceable, but how did he embark on cultivation? And from whom did he learn it? There must have been a guide. Just like himself, who possessed an extraordinary cheat like the Library of Heaven's Path, he too needed Master Teacher Kong's guidance to progress.

"This cultivation method was passed down by our Martial Ancestor..." Ancient Sage Zi Yuan nodded.

"Martial Ancestor?" Zhang Xuan was puzzled. It was the first time he had heard that Master Teacher Kong actually had a teacher.

"On the Master Teacher Continent before, those who imparted knowledge were only referred to as 'Shi' (师)!" Ancient Sage Zi Yuan explained. "It was with the appearance of our Martial Ancestor that later generations began to refer to their direct teachers as 'Laoshi' (老师)!"

"..." Zhang Xuan was completely bewildered. What the other party said sounded like a tongue twister... He didn't understand it at all.

"We refer to you as Master Zhang, and you refer to our teacher as Master Kong. Many also refer to me as Master Yan... These are all honorifics for teachers using their surnames. The term 'Laoshi' (老师) was initially used by our teacher to refer to his own teacher. It was later adopted by us and has been passed down to this day," Ancient Sage Zi Yuan continued.

Zhang Xuan paused for a long moment, then, realizing something, looked over in confusion. "Do you mean... your Martial Ancestor's surname was 'Lao'? And that's why the term 'Laoshi' (老师) came about, referring to 'Teacher Lao'?"

"Exactly!" Ancient Sage Zi Yuan nodded.

"Someone has the surname Lao?" With a wry smile, Zhang Xuan didn't press the matter further, but looked over curiously again. "Since that Martial Ancestor could impart such profound cultivation methods to Master Teacher Kong, his cultivation must have been formidable. How is it that... I've never heard of him?" He had read the history of the Master Teacher Continent countless times, and even had living guides like the Brutal Saber... yet he had never heard of this exceptional individual named "Lao"!

"According to our teacher, our Martial Ancestor only stayed on the Master Teacher Continent for a very short time. After a fleeting visit, he left on a green ox. Our teacher didn't know where he went, so naturally, we know even less..."

"Alright..." It seemed he would also have to wait for Master Teacher Kong to be revived before he could get clear answers.

Knowing that he couldn't learn the 'Severing the Three Corpses' method, Zhang Xuan simply looked over. "I wonder if any of you are skilled in alchemy and possess top-grade Divine Origin Pills or similar medicines that can rapidly increase cultivation?" His soul had already reached the peak of Conferred God King, and he had comprehended the cultivation method for breaking through to Emperor. What he currently lacked were pills to increase his true qi and an opportunity to enhance his physical body. As long as both conditions were met, he could push his cultivation to the true peak of God King in one go, or even... assault the Emperor realm! He had already considered his physical body; with the revival of Emperor Undying, the Undying Lava Pool would certainly be usable again, and he could enter it for tempering. However, for true qi, without enough pills, it wouldn't be easy to advance. Fu Jiangchen, the strongest alchemist in the God Realm, didn't have many top-grade Divine Origin Pills. Perhaps Master Teacher Kong, with his years of accumulation, would have a considerable amount.

"Master Teacher did refine some top-grade Divine Origin Pills back then. My fellow disciples and I consumed quite a few, but there should still be a few hundred left. I'll go get them..." Ancient Sage Zi Yuan smiled and turned to leave.

"A few hundred?" Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched. As expected of Master Teacher Kong, he truly was wealthy and generous.

It wasn't long before Ancient Sage Zi Yuan returned with a cloth bag and casually tossed it over. "They're all here..." Zhang Xuan opened it and immediately saw countless top-grade Divine Origin Pills, indeed numbering several hundred.

"You put... Divine Origin Pills in here?" His eyebrows shot up. Others placed refined Divine Origin Pills in jade boxes or bottles, but they just put them directly into a worn cloth bag, as if they were trash... It made him wonder if he had received fake pills.

He casually picked out a pill, opened his mouth, and swallowed it. Gulp, gulp! A powerful surge of spiritual energy immediately spread throughout his body. He then took out a second pill, a third... swallowing them one after another.

"You... eat pills like that?" Fu Jiangchen's face twitched. They did have many pills, but these were top-grade Divine Origin Pills. With his Conferred God King strength, it would take him some time to refine just one, yet the other person was gulping them down one after another, like candies... No matter how many pills they had, it wouldn't be enough for him!

Just as he was speechless, he saw the young man's cultivation rapidly break through, from early God King. Mid God King! Late God King! In a short while, he reached the peak, only then slowly stopping.

"What a pity... the effect of the top-grade Divine Origin Pills is gone..." After stopping, Zhang Xuan sighed. Top-grade Divine Origin Pills were useful even for ordinary Conferred God Kings, but for Zhang Xuan, once he reached the peak of God King, their effect diminished significantly. No matter how many more he consumed, they wouldn't allow him to break through to the Emperor realm.

"Good thing they stopped having an effect, otherwise, wouldn't you have eaten them all?" Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's helpless voice rang out.

Zhang Xuan looked down and saw that only a small portion of the pills remained in the bag. Looking embarrassed, he scratched his head. "Mainly because the ones Master Teacher Kong refined tasted too good – pineapple, apple, grape flavors... I couldn't control myself and ate too many at once!"

Ancient Sage Zi Yuan: "..."