Chapter 430: The Strength of the Xuanyuan Kingdom

As a modern person born in the age of information explosion, Zhang Xuan was unwilling to resort to killing if there was another solution. However, no one could have predicted that this very principle would ultimately lead to Lu Chong's misfortune.

He regretted not having Xiao Su kill Lin Long and Commander Liang earlier; otherwise, this would never have occurred.

"Revenge?"

Mo Yu's delicate brows furrowed. "Revenge must certainly be sought, but do you... understand anything about the Xuanyuan Kingdom?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

As a kingdom superior to Tianwu, even if there were detailed records about the Xuanyuan Kingdom, they would be sealed away, known only to a select few. It was impossible for such information to be openly available in a library for public viewing.

Consequently, while the knowledge he possessed included some descriptions of the Xuanyuan Kingdom, anything related to its secrets was vague. Thus, even after perusing the entire library, his understanding of this designated kingdom remained limited.

Specifically, he lacked clear information about its martial power hierarchy and the division of its influential factions.

"You want revenge without understanding the situation?"

Mo Yu rolled her eyes, casting him a disdainful look.

He certainly had nerve. The target of his revenge was the Crown Prince of the Xuanyuan Kingdom, whose ailing father, the old king, was on the verge of abdicating, allowing the prince to assume absolute power at any moment.

Such an individual could easily mobilize the full might of an entire kingdom for battle.

Setting aside the number of soldiers a designated kingdom possessed or the sheer power it could command, merely the sheer number of experts meant that one could not simply charge in alone.

Unless he possessed strength comparable to Master Su.

Moreover, even with such power, attempting to assassinate a Crown Prince, who was effectively on par with the king, would undoubtedly be met with various obstructions and significant trouble.

"To establish a respectable position and reputation in the Xuanyuan Kingdom, one must at least reach the Zenith realm, and ideally, be at the mid-stage or higher! While your current cultivation makes you formidable at the Half-Zenith level, you are still... somewhat lacking compared to a true Zenith expert!"

After a slight hesitation, Mo Yu chose her words carefully, speaking in a more neutral tone.

The man before her had just suffered the loss of a student; she feared that being too blunt might provoke him and lead to even greater complications.

"It's not just 'somewhat lacking'; against a Zenith expert, I would be completely defenseless!" Zhang Xuan dismissed her words with a wave of his hand.

The Zenith realm represents the pinnacle for cultivators: reaching the mid-stage bestows 20,000 ding of strength, the late-stage 30,000, and the peak 40,000.

While his physical body was currently robust, even with the aid of true qi, he only commanded less than 15,000 ding of strength. Compared to Zenith experts who casually wielded tens of thousands of ding, he was still significantly outmatched.

Furthermore, once cultivation reached such a level, strength became merely one metric. Upon breaking through to the Zenith realm, a cultivator's reaction speed, insight, and comprehension of martial arts became incomparable to those of a Grandmaster.

"It's good that you understand. My suggestion is this: the Master Teacher Tournament begins in three months, and it's not wise to stir up trouble right now. If you participate and achieve a respectable ranking, you can use that influence to request the Master Teacher Guild to avenge you! At that point, it will be perfectly legitimate; no one will object, and it will be the most convenient and straightforward approach."

Mo Yu laid out her plan.

With the Master Teacher Tournament approaching in three months, what if he rushed into revenge with insufficient strength and ended up injured or in danger?

It would be far better to participate in the tournament first, secure a ranking and status, and then, wielding an unmatched display of power, even those inclined to protect the culprits would find themselves powerless to do so.

While a Master Teacher's status was indeed high, it was also relative.

A two-star Master Teacher might be formidable in the Tianwu Kingdom, but in the Xuanyuan Kingdom or the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance, they would hardly make a ripple.

Only by possessing significantly greater strength, or by genuinely demonstrating limitless potential, could one command attention and deter others from becoming adversaries.

Otherwise, all talk was meaningless.

"I cannot wait three months. I believe... Lu Chong wouldn't want me to wait either!"

Zhang Xuan's gaze, sharp as lightning, fell upon his unconscious student.

Three months was too long; every moment was crucial.

Lu Chong suffered so terribly; letting the culprits enjoy themselves for another three months? What a ridiculous notion!

"But your strength... you haven't even reached Half-Zenith. How can you exact revenge? Even if you truly wish to, you would need to be at least at Zenith Peak to even consider going, otherwise, you would easily be killed..."

Seeing his resolute determination, Mo Yu grew anxious.

What was wrong with this man?

She had already explained that even Zenith experts dared not act recklessly in the Xuanyuan Kingdom. He hadn't even reached Half-Zenith; rushing over like this was nothing short of suicidal.

He ought to know that within a designated kingdom, Zenith Peak experts were plentiful. To be truly invincible, one would likely need to reach at least Half-Transcendent.

"Only dare to go at Zenith Peak? That's simple enough!" Zhang Xuan stated.

"Simple? Do you... have a method?" Seeing his confidence, Mo Yu's eyes lit up.

It seemed he had a trump card; she had been overly worried...

It made sense; how could such a genius act so recklessly?

She breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to inquire about the basis of his confidence, the young man spoke with a calm demeanor: "It's quite simple. I'll just find a way to break through to Zenith Peak within the next few days!"

Mo Yu staggered, nearly choking on her own saliva.

Could he please be more realistic?

The Zenith realm was the final major hurdle for cultivators, and its difficulty surpassed that of the Grandmaster realm by severalfold.

Did he think it was as easy as picking cabbages at the market, where one could just grab a bunch?

"Find a way to break through in a few days..."

Could he speak seriously for once?

If those cultivators stuck at the peak of the Grandmaster realm heard him, they would surely be so enraged they'd beat him to death on the spot.

She thought he had a brilliant solution, but it was just this...

"Zhao Ya, aren't you going to try and dissuade your teacher...?"

Unable to contain herself, she turned to the girl beside her.

"Dissuade? Teacher is right, why would I dissuade him?" Zhao Ya asked, her face full of confusion as she looked back.

Mo Yu nearly exploded. "That's Zenith, the Zenith realm! It's not something one can break through easily. Forget a few days; even if he spent all three months cultivating, he still wouldn't be able to reach it..."

"From the Aperture Opening realm until now, Teacher has only taken about a month. When he arrived in Tianwu Royal City, he was merely at the Ethereal Peak, and now he's already at Grandmaster Peak, all in just ten short days... It'll be fine, don't worry!"

Zhao Ya reassured her.

Throughout their journey, they had witnessed the most astonishing feats from their teacher. So, breaking through to Zenith in just a few days was hardly surprising; they would even believe him if he claimed he could reach the Transcendent realm tomorrow.

"It's not a big deal; look how startled you are."

Mo Yu was speechless.

What kind of people were these?!

Breaking through to the Zenith realm in a few days? Not only were they not surprised or panicked, but they actually took it for granted?

She quickly turned to look at Zheng Yang, Wang Ying, and the others.

They all looked at her with expressions of disdain, as if to say, "Look at you, so unworldly."

Mo Yu swayed, feeling as though she might spit blood.

A dignified princess of the Tianwu Kingdom and a one-star Master Teacher, being looked down upon by a group of students... Was there any justice left in the world?

However... upon closer thought, they were indeed correct.

The man before her simply could not be judged by ordinary standards. When he took the Master Teacher examination, he had only just broken through to the Grandmaster realm, yet by the time he fought the Lin clan, he was already at the peak of the Grandmaster realm...

And that had been a mere six or seven days ago!

If breaking through to Grandmaster was that effortless for him, then perhaps... reaching the Zenith realm truly could be accomplished in a few days, just as he claimed.

"Even if you could reach Zenith Peak, strength wouldn't be the issue. However, Ding Mu is the Crown Prince of a designated kingdom, a highly esteemed figure. Attacking him would be tantamount to challenging an entire kingdom, and I fear... you would be obstructed by the Master Teacher Pavilion!"

Suppressing her frustration at being disdained, Mo Yu refrained from dwelling on that topic and continued.

"Obstruct? Isn't the Master Teacher Pavilion supposed to protect Master Teachers?" Zhang Xuan frowned, puzzled.

The Master Teacher Pavilion was the organization for Master Teachers.

A Master Teacher had been openly insulted, and someone was attempting an assassination. It would be commendable if they simply didn't intervene, but to protect the perpetrator?

"The Master Teacher Pavilion is indeed meant to protect Master Teachers, but... when a designated kingdom is involved, things become uncertain! The assassination of a Crown Prince of such stature would inevitably plunge the kingdom into chaos, potentially igniting a war that could cause immense suffering and displace millions. To prevent such a catastrophe, the Master Teacher Pavilion would likely side with them, not you! After all, you are merely a two-star Master Teacher in the early stage; your influence isn't significant enough..."

Mo Yu continued, "Furthermore, the Master Teacher Pavilion of the Xuanyuan Kingdom has coexisted with its royal family for an unknown duration, forming deep ties. As an outsider, if you rashly intrude, you'll easily face ostracism!"

"This..."

Zhang Xuan paused.

While her words were irritating, they were very likely true.

The very purpose of the Master Teacher Pavilion's existence was to maintain regional peace and, as much as possible, prevent warfare.

If he simply went there to kill their Crown Prince and heir, it would be impossible for them not to intervene and dissuade him.

Furthermore, even if the Master Teacher Pavilion was truly detached from worldly affairs, having existed in Xuanyuan Royal City for countless years, it undoubtedly had numerous social connections and obligations. As an outsider two-star Master Teacher, it would indeed be exceptionally difficult to expect them to remain impartial.

Rules might be impartial, but people were not.

"That is indeed a problem!"

Having understood these points, Zhang Xuan nodded, then couldn't help but look at her. "Is there truly no solution?"

"There is one, but... it's exceedingly difficult!"

Mo Yu shook her head.

"Oh?"

"If you want the Xuanyuan Kingdom's Master Teacher Pavilion to not only refrain from interfering but even assist you, then you'll need to find a way to make them obey your commands," Mo Yu explained.

"Obey my commands? Do you mean... challenging the Pavilion?" Zhang Xuan was momentarily stunned.

Indeed, there was a recognized method to compel a local Master Teacher Pavilion to swiftly comply with a Master Teacher's wishes: a Pavilion Challenge!

This was akin to 'kicking down the doors' of a martial arts hall.

If one successfully stormed a Master Teacher Pavilion, relying solely on personal strength, then regardless of their power or demands, that Pavilion would be obligated to comply unconditionally.

The term had been recorded in the Master Teacher Pavilion's texts, and he immediately recalled it the moment she spoke.

"Precisely, a Pavilion Challenge! However, the Pavilion Master presiding over the Xuanyuan Kingdom's Master Teacher Pavilion has already attained the three-star rank, and his strength has reached Half-Transcendent... How incredibly difficult would it be to challenge such a Pavilion? Without the capabilities and power of a four-star Master Teacher, it would be virtually impossible to succeed!"

Mo Yu explained slowly.

The Pavilion Master and elders of the Xuanyuan Kingdom's Master Teacher Pavilion had all reached the three-star level, possessing terrifyingly formidable strength.

A Pavilion Challenge involved numerous aspects, much like a pill debate; without absolute strength and an immense breadth of knowledge, success was impossible.

"If they are sensible enough to stay out of this, then so be it... But if they insist on protecting that Crown Prince..."

Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed, and his fists clenched. "Then I won't mind challenging them... and giving it a try!"