Chapter 38: Sonic Bell

Hongtian Tower was in a state of chaos.

“What on earth happened? How long was I gone for this to become such a mess?” Inside a room, an old man coldly stared at Deacon Wu Chou, who was kneeling before him. This was Elder Hong Hao, the true owner of Hongtian Tower.

“Reporting, Elder, it’s like this: Shang Bin, Elder Shang Chen’s grandson, came over...” Deacon Wu dared not conceal anything and recounted all the previous events, including his act of replacing the Immortal’s Drunkenness with Azure Rock Brew.

“Wu Chou, how dare you!” After hearing the account, Elder Hong Hao’s face darkened, and he angrily kicked out. *Bang!* Deacon Wu was immediately sent flying backward, his face pale as he vomited large mouthfuls of blood. “Have mercy, Elder! Although my crime is unforgivable, that fellow is even more despicable. Saying all that in front of so many people made Hongtian Tower lose all face. He clearly showed no respect for you, Elder...”

“Hmph! You commit such disgraceful acts, and you expect others not to speak of them?” Elder Hong Hao’s expression was grim, like a gathering storm.

“I...” Deacon Wu shivered uncontrollably. Changing menu items for exorbitant profits was something he had done privately, believing it to be seamless. Now, exposed publicly by a young man, his hatred was palpable.

“I’ll give you five days to thoroughly resolve this matter and minimize the negative impact! I can overlook your corruption; otherwise, don’t expect to live!” Standing up, Elder Hong Hao’s eyes were as cold as ice. “Also, what’s that fellow’s name? Which teacher from the academy is he? If he had seen through these things and quietly told me, I might have rewarded him handsomely. But to cause trouble publicly and trample on Hongtian Tower’s reputation? I’ll go see tomorrow who gave him such audacity!”

With an enraged roar, a powerful aura surged forth, chilling the air like a frosty breeze and sending shivers down one’s spine. Martial Artist Seventh Realm, Transcendent Mortal! Elder Hong Hao was actually a Transcendent Mortal expert! No wonder he could contend for the position of dean back then; his cultivation alone was astounding!

“It’s... it’s Teacher Zhang Xuan!” Deacon Wu quickly replied.

“Zhang Xuan? The Zhang Xuan who ranked last in the teacher qualification exam?” Elder Hong Hao was stunned. Ranking last in the teacher qualification exam was unprecedented in Hongtian Academy’s hundreds of years of history. Even someone like Elder Hong Hao had heard about it.

“Yes, it’s him...” Deacon Wu nodded.

“A mere good-for-nothing dares to trample on Hongtian Tower’s dignity. Very well!” Clenching his fist, a fierce killing intent flashed in Elder Hong Hao’s eyes. If the other party had been a renowned teacher, an important figure in the academy, he might have hesitated, unwilling to take action. But a good-for-nothing... then he wouldn’t be blamed for being ruthless!

***

“Ugh, what a hassle!” Back in his residence, Zhang Xuan rubbed his temples. He hadn’t expected so much trouble just from having a meal.

“Forget it, no point dwelling on it. I should focus on how to break through to the Aperture Opening Realm!” Soon, he cast his worries aside. Although he was a transmigrator, he knew that in this world, strength was paramount. With sufficient power, all problems would cease to be an issue.

Currently, his strength had reached the peak of the Dingli Realm. To break through, he needed to learn cultivation techniques for Martial Artist Sixth Realm. However, ordinary teachers at the academy were not qualified to view Sixth Realm cultivation techniques. They could only copy one after obtaining an elder’s permission!

His last assessment was only at Martial Artist Third Realm. If he were to rush over now and ask an elder for Sixth Realm cultivation techniques, he would surely be treated as a lab rat for study, leading to endless trouble. Moreover, even if he obtained permission to copy one... he wouldn’t be able to cultivate it properly!

As evident from the first five levels of the Hongtian Nine-Layered Art, this cultivation technique had too many flaws. Without comparing it to numerous other techniques to find the correct cultivation method, he could cultivate tirelessly for years with no effect whatsoever! For him, the immediate priority was to find a large number of Martial Artist Sixth Realm cultivation techniques, compare them, and find the correct cultivation method.

“Hmm, I’ve heard that there are many transactions in Tianxuan Royal City, and cultivation techniques are among the items for sale. If I could buy a few Sixth Realm techniques, it might solve many problems!” Suddenly, an idea struck him, and Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

Hongtian Academy was located in the Royal City of the Tianxuan Kingdom, a bustling and prosperous place with large markets offering all sorts of transactions. Although Sixth Realm cultivation techniques were rare, they were still available for sale in many places. For him, he wouldn’t even need to buy them. If he could just manage to flip through them, it would be as good as acquiring the secret manuals.

With the Library of Heaven’s Path, whether a secret manual was valuable or not didn’t matter. As long as he had a large quantity, he could find the correct path from countless errors, automatically forming a Heaven’s Path Divine Art and cultivating smoothly.

“It’s still early. I’ll go out and look around; perhaps I can find a few!” Thinking this, Zhang Xuan no longer hesitated and immediately stood up. It had only just gotten dark, and the nightlife was just beginning. Since he had nothing else to do, it was the perfect time to visit the local market; he might even find something useful.

Tianyu Market was the largest trading venue in Tianxuan City. It was said that as long as one had money, any item could be bought there. Stepping inside and seeing the dazzling array of goods, Zhang Xuan felt a bit overwhelmed. His previous self was just a lowly teacher with a small salary and poor benefits, so he had never visited such a luxurious place. Many items, even when seen now, he couldn't recognize.

Inside the market, numerous small stalls were set up, each with its own vendor selling a variety of items. Weapons, pills, medicinal herbs, armor, beast hides, beast cores... Almost everything needed for cultivation could be found there. However, the sheer number of items was overwhelming, and their quality was hard to ascertain.

“I can’t recognize them, but the Library of Heaven’s Path should be able to!” With a thought, Zhang Xuan approached a stall.

“Young master, what are you looking for? I have everything here; I guarantee your satisfaction!” The stall owner quickly greeted him. “Just looking around!” Zhang Xuan smiled and casually picked up an item from the stall. It was a small bell.

“This bell was forged by a specialized artifact craftsman; its effects are extraordinary! Only 50 gold coins—a fair price, no tricks! If you like it, young master, I can even give you a discount... you can take it for 20 gold coins!” the stall owner said.

Zhang Xuan didn’t reply. Instead, he turned the bell around in his hand. *Buzz!* The library vibrated gently, and a book appeared within it.

“Shuttle Sound Bell, capable of emitting a shuttle sound that causes dizziness, effective against Martial Artist First Realm practitioners! Manufactured by a First-Tier Craftsman from Qingyun Workshop, composed of black gold iron... Flaws: One, the shuttle sound is slow to take effect; it requires listening for at least an incense stick's worth of time to induce dizziness, making it useless in combat. Two, it's an indiscriminate attack, harming even the user...”

“It really works!” Zhang Xuan smiled. It seemed it didn’t matter if he didn’t recognize these items himself. As long as his hand came into contact with them and he picked them up, the library would automatically generate a corresponding book! Moreover, the book not only detailed the item’s origin, components, and various flaws, but a single glance was enough to tell whether it was valuable or not.

The stall owner had just quoted 50 gold coins. Someone ignorant might truly have bought it, but after seeing the contents of the book, Zhang Xuan knew this item was likely not even worth two gold coins! And “forged by a specialized artifact craftsman”... Qingyun Workshop was specifically known for manufacturing counterfeit goods. A First-Tier Craftsman was also the lowest ranked among them. Craftsmen, the general term for those who create items and handicrafts, were typically divided into nine tiers, with the first tier being the worst and the ninth being the highest. What monetary value could something made by the lowest-ranked First-Tier Craftsman possibly have?

“With the library, I’ll never have to worry about buying fakes again...” He chuckled softly. It seemed this world, like his previous one, had both genuine and counterfeit goods. With his former discernment, not only wouldn’t he recognize genuine items, but he certainly couldn’t distinguish the quality of fakes. Now, with the library in hand, he no longer had to worry about such things.

However, a book only appeared when he touched each item. In the entire market, there were tens of millions of items of all shapes and sizes, scattered everywhere. If he were to touch each one individually, wouldn’t he die of exhaustion? Besides, casually looking at one wouldn’t attract attention, but if he kept touching items like this, it wouldn’t be long before the market’s enforcement team would treat him as insane and kick him out.