Chapter 248: Xuanluo Mountain Range

"What's wrong?"

Seeing the three men standing there as if dumbfounded, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but look down and was also startled by what he saw. A few clear numbers had appeared on the jade earlier—5.1.

Now, it wasn't just the others who looked like that; even Zhang Xuan felt dizzy. He had tested himself many times yesterday, and the highest he ever got was 0.1. How did it suddenly become 5.1?

Could it be... "That golden page... it increased my State of Mind Scale by 5.0?" His lips twitched. His eyeballs almost popped out.

He knew the Celestial Path's Tome was powerful, but he never dreamed it was *this* powerful! Cultivation techniques for the mind, or Enlightening Jade Crystals—they were all garbage compared to this item. To increase one's State of Mind by 5.0 in an instant... If word got out, it would definitely scare people to death.

"A scale of 3 qualifies one to become a 1-star Master Teacher, and a scale of 6 qualifies one for 2-star... To reach 5.1 right after grasping the Tranquil Heart state, I'm afraid that as long as he learns the cultivation method, he'll be able to pass the 2-star Master Teacher assessment in just a few years!" Liu Ling and the others recovered from their shock, their faces flushed with excitement. When they first achieved the Tranquil Heart state, their scale was only around 1.5. Yet, this guy was at 5.1. With such talent, as long as he cultivated diligently, he would leave them far behind in a few years, even qualifying for the 2-star Master Teacher assessment.

Indeed, there was a gap between geniuses and ordinary people.

"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 on the verge of 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 prevented me from achieving the Tranquil Heart state. After much thought, I had an epiphany and reconciled with my father. Sure enough, my long-dormant State of Mind began to loosen, and ultimately... I successfully broke through!" As he spoke, confidence returned to Lu Xun's eyes.

All this time, his State of Mind hadn't been able to progress, preventing him from reaching the Tranquil Heart state. He had thought it was due to insufficient accumulation, but only after Master Liu's guidance did he realize it was his excessive attachment. He never expected that after improving his relationship with his father, he would indeed break through as he had wished!

To reach the Tranquil Heart state in his early twenties... that would probably be a record-breaking achievement in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom! He had been constantly suppressed by Zhang Xuan to the point of breathlessness, but now that he had taken the lead in achieving the Tranquil Heart state, he should finally be able to hold his head high!

Standing ramrod straight, Lu Xun wore a gentle smile.

"Have you tested it? What's your scale?" Hearing that he too had broken through, Liu Ling was overjoyed 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 anyone who just reaches the Tranquil Heart state and scores above 1.0 has a fifty percent chance of becoming a Master Teacher. Above 1.5, there's a seventy percent chance of success, and I am..." He paused, glancing around, "I'm 1.8!"

With his hands behind his back, Lu Xun had expected his score to greatly impress the three Master Teachers, making 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 an "Oh!" in unison, then ignored him and turned their fervent gazes back to Zhang Xuan.

Seeing his impressive score being completely ignored, Lu Xun felt utterly dejected. By all accounts, shouldn't they have been uncontrollably excited upon hearing his result, gathering around to praise him? Why were they surrounding Teacher Zhang instead?

Feeling puzzled, he couldn't help but look forward, just in time to see the texture stone in Zhang Xuan's hand. At a glance, his whole body stiffened. His body convulsed, and Lu Xun burst into tears. Damn it, wasn't this just asking for a beating... And here he had been gloating for so long, thinking he could finally make a good impression...

***

The Vast Expanse Mountain Range was boundless, covered with tall trees and dense vegetation. With fierce beasts roaming everywhere, it was difficult to traverse without sufficient strength.

"I've been on this path once before; it's very secluded. If you can't find it, once you get lost in the forest, it'll be hard to get out again!" Shen Biru walked ahead, smiling as she led the way. Zhang Xuan followed closely behind.

After the public lecture concluded, Zhang Xuan entrusted Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, and the others to the three Master Teachers, asking them to help escort them to Tianwu Royal City. Without much hesitation, Zhang Xuan then entered the Vast Expanse Mountain Range, where the Beast Hall was located, with Shen Biru. The mountains were teeming with fierce beasts and dense vegetation. If Teacher Shen hadn't been there before, he truly wondered if he would get lost, become completely trapped, and be unable to leave.

They walked continuously for three days, and Zhang Xuan felt somewhat exhausted.

"The Beast Hall's location is hidden too deeply, isn't it? Do they not need a normal life?" Zhang Xuan wondered, full of curiosity. As long as they were human, they would surely need interactions and to purchase 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 fierce beasts. What took us three days to walk wouldn't even take them 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.

"Moreover, once we arrive, you'll see that the Beast Hall isn't too far from the royal cities of neighboring kingdoms like the North Martial Kingdom and the Cold Martial Kingdom. Many people come every day, so supplies are not lacking," Shen Biru continued. The Kingdom's library had maps of the surrounding countries, and Zhang Xuan had studied them carefully in the past few days, finding that they were indeed not far apart. If not for the natural barrier of the Vast Expanse Mountain Range, Tianxuan Royal City would not have been so peaceful all these years.

"The Vast Expanse Mountain Range has so many fierce beasts, why don't cultivators tame one or two instead of going all the way to the Beast Hall?" There were many fierce beasts in the mountains; they had encountered several groups in the past three days. Fortunately, their strength was not weak, so they suffered no major harm. Since there were so many fierce beasts, they could completely tame one or two. Why go to the trouble of going to the Beast Hall?

"I had similar thoughts before," Shen Biru chuckled. "Leaving aside how wild fierce beasts are and whether they're easy to tame, just consider the flying fierce beasts capable of carrying people—we haven't seen any along the way, have we?"

Zhang Xuan hesitated, then nodded. Flying fierce beasts capable of carrying people would need to be much larger than humans. The ones they had encountered these past few days were all land-dwelling beasts capable of running, and none of them were particularly large.

"Such flying fierce beasts are rare, and if you can't defeat them, they can just fly away, making them very difficult to catch! Of course, that's not the most important thing. If you force one into submission with brute strength, what if it only feigns obedience and then rebels in mid-air? Wouldn't that be disastrous?" Shen Biru said.

"This..." Zhang Xuan shrunk his neck. Flying fierce beasts were different from others. If one carried you into the air and wasn't truly submissive, a simple flip in mid-air would essentially mean certain death.

"As a specialized profession, Beast Tamers can ensure that fierce beasts are 100% obedient, preventing such situations. That's why they are highly esteemed and ranked among the top of the Upper Nine Paths professions. Otherwise, a beast's betrayal can be extremely dangerous." Even if a cultivator reached the Grandmaster realm, falling from a great height would still be a death sentence. Therefore, without a Beast Tamer's methods, it's best not to bother with flying fierce beasts. Even if one were to subdue a beast through brute force, if it truly intended harm, there would be no escape.

"Just like Master Teachers, Beast Tamers are also divided into various star levels. The higher the level, the more powerful the fierce beasts they can tame! Before becoming a formal Beast Tamer, one also needs to pass the Beast Tamer Apprentice assessment!" Seeing that he didn't know much about Beast Tamers, Shen Biru explained, "The Han Qiong you met earlier is actually a Beast Tamer apprentice. That's why she told you she knew someone at the Beast Hall; I came here with her last time."

"Mhm!" Zhang Xuan responded. The Kingdom's library didn't have many records about Beast Tamers, but these basic facts were known and not considered secrets. Beast Tamer apprentices, like Pill Master apprentices, needed to learn. While the latter studied the types, properties, and pharmacology of medicinal ingredients, the former had to learn about the types of fierce beasts, their attack power, and various habits... Only by thoroughly mastering all of this could one understand a fierce beast's background and have a chance to tame it. Otherwise, if a fierce beast appeared and you knew nothing about it, let alone taming it, you might even be killed by it due to a lack of knowledge about its strength. Some ferocious fierce beasts were generally very hostile towards humans.

"Let's hurry! The Beast Hall is less than a day's journey from here; it's not far now!"

After saying a few more words, Shen Biru smiled. As the two were about to continue forward, they heard a rustling sound coming from 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 Acupoint Opening realm, with only one young man, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, at the peak of the Dingli realm. Although his strength was low, he seemed to be the leader of the group, carrying himself with an air of composure in every movement.

"Who goes there?" The two hadn't concealed their tracks, so when they noticed the other group, the other group naturally noticed them too. With a shout, they 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, just passing through here."

"You want to go to the Beast Hall?" The young man's eyes lit up as he looked at the beautiful teacher. Shen Biru was known as Hongtian Academy's most beautiful teacher, and her appearance was beyond question. Although she looked a little disheveled from three days of rough travel, her charm remained undeniable.

"We're also heading back to the Beast Hall, but before that, we have something to take care of. As long as you don't disturb us, we can take you along." The young man waved his hand.

"No need. We can find the Beast Hall ourselves," Shen Biru shook her head and, with Zhang Xuan, continued walking forward.

"Stop! You can't go any further!" They had only taken two steps when the remaining few men shouted in unison, and with a clatter, the sound of weapons being drawn echoed once more.