Chapter 247: Xuanluo Mountain Range

"What's wrong?"

Seeing the three of them standing there as if dumbfounded, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but look down. What he saw made him freeze as well.

On the jade earlier, a clear number had appeared—5.1.

Now, it wasn't just the others who looked like that; even Zhang Xuan felt like he was about to faint.

He had tested it many times yesterday, with the highest score being 0.1. How could it suddenly jump to 5.1?

Could it be...

"That golden page... it increased my State of Mind Index by... 5.0?"

His mouth twitched.

His eyes nearly popped out.

He knew the Heaven's Path Divine Art was incredible, but he never dreamed it was *this* incredible!

All those cultivation techniques for the State of Mind, all those Clarity Jade Crystals, they were nothing but garbage in front of this thing.

To increase one's State of Mind by 5.0 in an instant...

If news of this got out, it would surely scare people to death.

"An index of 3 qualifies one to test for a 1-star master teacher, and an index of 6 qualifies one for a 2-star master teacher... To reach 5.1 as soon as he comprehended the 'Still Water' State of Mind, it seems he'll be able to test for even a 2-star master teacher in just a few years, as long as he learns the cultivation method!"

Liu Ling and the others recovered from their shock, their faces flushed with excitement.

When they had first comprehended the 'Still Water' State of Mind, their index was only around 1.5. Yet, this guy was at 5.1. With such talent, if he cultivated diligently, he would leave them far behind in just a few years and even be able to test for a 2-star master teacher.

Indeed, there was a vast difference between a genius and an ordinary person.

"Teacher!"

While they were still in shock, Lu Xun parted the crowd and came forward.

He hadn't attended Zhang Xuan's lecture earlier, not out of disrespect, but because he was at a critical juncture for a breakthrough and couldn't afford to be distracted.

"How was it?"

Seeing him appear, Liu Ling and the others all looked over.

"Teacher told me yesterday that I was too competitive and too bothered by the pressure my father put on me, which was why I couldn't achieve the 'Still Water' State of Mind. After much thought, I had an epiphany and reconciled with my father. Sure enough, my long-stagnant State of Mind began to loosen, and finally... I successfully broke through!"

As he spoke, confidence returned to Lu Xun's eyes.

All this time, his State of Mind had been unable to advance, preventing him from reaching the 'Still Water' level. He had thought it was due to insufficient accumulation, but after Master Liu's guidance, he realized it was his excessive attachment.

He hadn't expected that after improving his relationship with his father, he would indeed achieve the breakthrough he desired!

To reach the 'Still Water' State of Mind in his twenties... that was probably a record-breaking achievement in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom!

He had constantly been suppressed by Zhang Xuan to the point of breathlessness. Now that he had been the first to break through to the 'Still Water' State of Mind, he finally felt he could hold his head high!

Standing ramrod straight, Lu Xun wore a gentle smile on his face.

"Have you tested it? What's your index?"

Hearing that he had also broken through, Liu Ling was delighted and couldn't help but ask.

"I've already tested it!" Lu Xun chuckled softly, the excitement in his eyes impossible to conceal. "Teacher said that if one reaches 1.0 or higher right after achieving the 'Still Water' State of Mind, there's a fifty percent chance of becoming a master teacher. If it's above 1.5, there's a seventy percent chance of success, and I am..."

He paused, looking around, "I'm 1.8!"

With his hands clasped behind his back, Lu Xun expected his announcement to shock the three masters and make them uncontrollably excited, especially since his score was even higher than theirs when they were younger.

To his surprise, after hearing his score, they simply uttered a simultaneous "Oh!" and then ignored him, turning their fervent gazes back to Zhang Xuan.

Seeing his impressive score being completely disregarded, Lu Xun felt deeply frustrated.

By rights, shouldn't they have been uncontrollably excited upon hearing his result, gathering around to praise him?

Why were they all crowding around Teacher Zhang instead?

Feeling puzzled, he couldn't help but look forward, and saw the patterned stone in Zhang Xuan's hand. At a glance, his entire body stiffened.

His body twitched, and Lu Xun felt like crying.

Damn it, wasn't this just asking for a beating...

And here I was, smug for so long, thinking I could finally show off...

***

The Profound Falls Mountain Range was vast and boundless, covered with tall trees and dense vegetation. Furthermore, it was overrun with savage beasts, making travel difficult without sufficient strength.

"I've been on this path once before. It's very hidden. If you can't find it, once you get lost in the mountains, it'll be difficult to get out!"

Shen Biru said with a smile, walking ahead and leading the way.

Zhang Xuan followed closely behind.

After finishing his public lecture and entrusting Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, and the others to the three master teachers, asking them to help escort them to Tianwu Royal City, Zhang Xuan wasted no time and entered the Profound Falls Mountain Range with Shen Biru, heading towards the Beast Hall.

Savage beasts roamed freely in the mountains, and the vegetation was extremely dense. If Teacher Shen hadn't been here before, he truly wondered if they would get lost, become completely trapped, and be unable to leave.

After walking for three consecutive days, he felt somewhat exhausted.

"The Beast Hall's location is too deeply hidden, isn't it? Do they not need to live a normal life?" Zhang Xuan wondered.

As long as they were human, they would surely need interaction and require various supplies and food. If the Beast Hall was hidden deep in the mountains, buying things would be inconvenient!

"The people of the Beast Hall have flying savage beasts. The three days we've walked would take them less than half an hour; it's nothing to them," Shen Biru shook her head.

The first time she followed someone to the Beast Hall, she had felt the same way. Only after arriving did she realize how ridiculous that thought was.

"Furthermore, once we get there, you'll see that the Beast Hall's location isn't too far from the royal cities of surrounding kingdoms like the North Martial Kingdom and the Cold Martial Kingdom. Many people come here every day, so supplies are not lacking," Shen Biru continued.

The kingdom's library had maps of the surrounding nations, and Zhang Xuan had specifically studied them over the past few days. He found that they were indeed not far apart. If not for the natural barrier of the Profound Falls Mountain Range, Tianxuan Royal City would not have been so peaceful all these years.

"Since there are so many savage beasts in the Profound Falls Mountain Range, why don't cultivators tame one or two instead of going to the Beast Hall?"

There were many savage beasts in the mountain range. They had encountered several groups over the past three days. Fortunately, their own strength was not weak, so they hadn't suffered any major issues.

Since there were so many savage beasts, they could easily tame one or two. Why go through the trouble of going to the Beast Hall?

"I had a similar thought before," Shen Biru chuckled lightly. "Setting aside how wild these savage beasts are and whether they're easy to tame, just consider the flying savage beasts that can carry people. We haven't seen any along our journey, have we?"

Zhang Xuan hesitated, then nodded.

Flying savage beasts capable of carrying people would have to be much larger than humans. All they had encountered over the past few days were land-dwelling beasts that could run, and none of them were particularly large.

"Such flying savage beasts are rare, and if you can't defeat them, they can just fly away, making them very difficult to capture! Of course, that's not the most important thing. If you use force to make one submit, what if it feigns submission and then rebels in mid-air? Wouldn't that be disastrous?"

Shen Biru said.

"This..."

Zhang Xuan shrank his neck.

Flying savage beasts were different from others. If one carried you into the air and wasn't truly submissive, a single flip in mid-air would essentially mean certain death.

"Beast tamers, as a special profession, can ensure that savage beasts are 100% obedient and will not cause such situations. This is why they are highly esteemed and rank among the top of the 'Nine Flow' professions. Otherwise, if a savage beast rebels, it's extremely dangerous."

Even if a cultivator reached the Master Realm, falling from high altitude would still be a death sentence.

Therefore, without a beast tamer's methods, it was best not to bother flying savage beasts. Even if one were to forcefully subdue one, if it truly intended harm, there would be no escape.

"Beast tamers, like master teachers, are also divided into various star ranks. The higher the rank, the more powerful the savage beasts they can tame! Before becoming a formal beast tamer, one also needs to pass an apprentice beast tamer examination!"

Seeing that he didn't know much about beast tamers, Shen Biru explained, "That Han Qiong you met earlier, she's actually an apprentice beast tamer. That's why she told you she had acquaintances in the Beast Hall. The last time I came here, it was with her."

"Hmm!"

Zhang Xuan acknowledged.

The kingdom's library didn't have many records about beast tamers, but these basic facts were known and not considered secrets.

Apprentice beast tamers were like apprentice alchemists. While the latter studied the types, properties, and pharmacology of medicines, the former needed to study the types, attack power, and various habits of savage beasts...

Only by thoroughly knowing all of this could one understand savage beasts completely when encountering them, and thus have a chance to tame them.

Otherwise, if a beast suddenly appeared, one wouldn't even know what it was, let alone tame it. One might even be killed by it due to a lack of knowledge about its strength.

Some fierce savage beasts were generally very hostile towards humans.

"Let's hurry up. We're less than a day's journey from the Beast Hall now. It's not far!"

After a few more words, Shen Biru smiled. As the two were about to continue forward, they heard a rustling sound directly ahead.

Looking up, they saw a group of figures not far away.

There were about seven or eight of them, squatting together, seemingly discussing something. Most were in the Aperture Opening Realm, with only one young man of twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old being at the peak of the Dingli Realm.

Although his cultivation was low, he seemed to be the leader of the group, carrying himself with an air of composure in every move.

"Who's there?"

The two hadn't concealed their tracks, so when they spotted the group, the group naturally spotted them too. With a loud shout, everyone simultaneously drew their weapons.

Knowing they were close to the Beast Hall and that encountering people was normal, Shen Biru didn't panic. She stepped forward and said, "We are from Tianxuan Royal City and wish to go to the Beast Hall. We are just passing through."

"You want to go to the Beast Hall?"

The young man glanced at the beautiful teacher, and his eyes couldn't help but light up.

Shen Biru was known as the most beautiful teacher in Hongtian Academy, so her appearance was naturally outstanding. Although the three days of traveling and camping had left her looking a bit disheveled, they couldn't conceal her grace.

"We're also heading back to the Beast Hall, but we have something to attend to first. As long as you don't disturb us, we can take you back with us!"

The young man waved his hand.

"No need, we can find the Beast Hall ourselves!"

Shen Biru shook her head, and she and Zhang Xuan continued walking forward.

"Stop! You can't go any further!"

They had only taken two steps when the remaining individuals simultaneously shouted, and with a clatter, the sound of weapons being drawn echoed once more.