Chapter 545: Three Questions

To prevent others from suspecting the Heaven's Path True Qi, Zhang Xuan did not conceal his cultivation. Therefore, any cultivator could see that he only possessed the strength of a Half-Saint 1-dan pinnacle.

As a 4-star pinnacle master teacher with a Mind Scale of 14.0 or higher, Hall Master Kang could naturally discern this with ease.

Moreover, powerful cultivators who practice combat techniques leave traces on their hands and feet and unconsciously display certain habits when they move. This young man, however, showed none of these characteristics; instead, his every move was haphazard, as if he had never cultivated before. How could he possibly be a genius?

Master teachers, who are invincible among their peers, are not merely defined by their ability to spot flaws and weaknesses in techniques. More importantly, their own mastery over true qi and combat techniques must also be superb.

For someone who hasn't even properly cultivated combat techniques to claim to be a genius and represent the Myriad Kingdom City Master Teacher Pavilion in the Master Teacher Tournament—that's a bit too farcical!

"Although Master Teacher Zhang's cultivation is a bit low, his understanding of the master teacher profession has reached a profound level..." Hearing the Hall Master's immediate skepticism, Master Teacher Su quickly explained.

"Understanding?" Hall Master Kang's face darkened. "Elder Su, we are selecting talents to participate in the Master Teacher Tournament. As a senior member of the Master Teacher Pavilion, you should know what kind of opponents they will face and what abilities they possess!"

It was no wonder he was angry. Elders Su and Ling had vouched for this spot with their lives, expecting a formidable genius. To find out he was only at Half-Saint 1-dan pinnacle and had barely cultivated any combat techniques... with such strength, how could he possibly stand out among 4-star master teachers?

Although the Master Teacher Tournament does not solely assess strength, it is still a significant component. If one's own cultivation realm is insufficient, how can they guide others? Even if they could articulate advice, it would be mere theoretical talk, like a rootless duckweed, offering no practical value.

"I know, but..." Master Teacher Su's expression became anxious.

"No 'buts'. Take him away!" Hall Master Kang waved his hand dismissively.

"Hall Master, please don't rush to a decision..." Master Teacher Ling stepped forward. "Although Master Teacher Zhang's current cultivation is only at Half-Saint 1-dan pinnacle, do you know what his strength was the last time we saw him?"

"About twenty days ago?" Hall Master Kang raised an eyebrow. The two elders had left roughly a month ago and only returned a little over ten days ago. By calculation, it had indeed been just over twenty days since they last saw this young man.

"Yes!" Master Teacher Ling nodded.

"What strength?" Hall Master Kang picked up his teacup and took a small sip. In just twenty-odd days, even with rapid cultivation, what difference would it make to go from Half-Saint 1-dan mid-stage to pinnacle? With only two months left until the Master Teacher Tournament, even with exceptional talent, reaching Half-Saint 2-dan would be impressive; what more could be achieved?

"Zongshi! When we first met Master Teacher Zhang over twenty days ago... he was only at the Zongshi realm!" Master Teacher Ling hurriedly said.

"Pfft!" Hall Master Kang spat out a mouthful of tea, his eyes wide. "Martial Artist 8-dan... Zongshi?" What kind of joke was this?!

In just over twenty days, going from Zongshi to Zhizun, then Half-Saint, and Half-Saint 1-dan... even reaching the pinnacle? Three major realms and countless minor stages in a row... Not even on gunpowder would one cultivate that fast!

In fact, it wasn't just him who found it unbelievable; Master Teachers Ling and Su had also been on the verge of collapse when they saw Zhang Xuan's strength reach Half-Saint 1-dan. However, their minds were somewhat appeased when they learned that his teacher might be a 6-star master teacher or higher.

A high-level master teacher like Master Teacher Yang, hiding his reputation, not informing the guild, and accepting disciples in a small place like Tianxuan Kingdom, clearly indicates he doesn't want others to know. As juniors, without permission, they naturally dared not spread the word. Therefore, while they strongly recommended Zhang Xuan, they hadn't mentioned his lineage, leaving Hall Master Kang somewhat unaware. Hearing that he had reached Half-Saint 1-dan pinnacle from the Zongshi realm in less than a month... Hall Master Kang felt like he was going crazy.

This wasn't cultivation anymore... it was more like an empowerment ritual! Even with an empowerment ritual, it wouldn't be this exaggerated!

"Absolutely true!" Master Teacher Ling nodded, and Master Teacher Su nodded along.

"Twenty-odd days, from Zongshi realm to Half-Saint 1-dan pinnacle... If he cultivates well for the remaining two months, reaching Half-Saint 2-dan pinnacle, or even Half-Saint 3-dan early-stage... there's still hope for him to contend with those geniuses..." Knowing the integrity of the two elders, it was impossible for them to lie, Hall Master Kang mused.

The young talents participating in the tournament were mostly 4-star master teachers. A 1-star master teacher needed to reach the Tongxuan realm; a 2-star, the Zongshi realm; and a 3-star, the Zhizun realm. The minimum requirement for a 4-star master teacher was Half-Saint 2-dan; one qualified to be assessed as a 4-star master teacher simply by reaching the Yuanqi realm early-stage. Therefore, the young talents in the tournament generally had strength between the Half-Saint 2-dan Yuanqi realm and Half-Saint 4-dan Zhuoqing realm.

With such rapid cultivation speed, if Master Teacher Zhang could reach Half-Saint 3-dan early-stage within the two months before the tournament, he would be considered mid-tier among the many geniuses. Perhaps he truly could secure a ranking!

"In that case, I'll give him a chance. I'll ask three questions. If he can answer them correctly, he can participate in the selection competition. As for whether he can stand out, that will depend on his own ability!" Having finished his thoughts, Hall Master Kang looked over.

"Good!" Hearing there was a chance, Master Teacher Su and Master Teacher Ling both breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly looked towards Zhang Xuan.

Upon seeing him, they both stumbled simultaneously, almost fainting. Master Teacher Zhang, it turned out, hadn't been listening to their conversation at all. He was standing by a bookshelf against the wall, his fingers lightly tracing along the spines, seemingly searching for a book.

They were terribly nervous, fearing they wouldn't secure the spot, while this guy, conversely, completely ignored them... Wasn't his composure a bit too great?! "We two old fellows risked our reputations just to get you into the tournament, and you don't care at all..." The thought was quite bewildering.

"Master Teacher Zhang..." Unable to resist, Master Teacher Su approached and interrupted his actions. "The Hall Master wants you to answer a few questions. If you answer them well, you can participate in the selection!"

"Oh!" Zhang Xuan nodded and walked over. Knowing that Hall Master Kang didn't use combat techniques, applying the Heavenly Impartation of Teacher's Will would be useless, so he didn't dwell on it. As he looked around, he noticed that there were quite a few cultivation techniques for Half-Saint 2-dan on the wall's bookshelves. He couldn't resist walking over and adding them to his Library of Heaven's Path. As for the discussion among the others, he hadn't really paid much attention. Back in Honghai City, Pavilion Master Sai had helped him collect at least five hundred cultivation manuals for the Yuanqi realm. Now, with hundreds more on the wall, together they had already formed a complete Heaven's Path cultivation technique. He barely had enough time to study these things; he certainly didn't have time to pay attention to what they were saying.

"My questions are all about cultivation and teaching students. As long as you can answer them, I will give you a chance to participate in the selection!" Hall Master Kang looked over, picked up the book he had just been reading, and said with a serious expression, "This is a case I encountered in the past!"

"A cultivator at the Half-Saint level once suffered a hidden injury: their left lung was pierced through, making it impossible for true qi to flow through their left meridian. How should one guide them in this situation to allow them to successfully break through their realm and achieve Half-Saint breakthrough?"

This was a problem Hall Master Kang had personally experienced. It had taken him a long time to research and consult many books before he found a solution, making it an extremely difficult case. However, the Master Teacher Tournament would be far more challenging than this. If he couldn't even solve this problem, it would be useless for him to go; it would be better to eliminate him early. As for the question itself, it was below the Half-Saint realm, not exceeding the scope of what the other party could understand.

"For the Half-Saint realm, one must cultivate smoothly and perfectly to communicate with, draw close to, and control nature! A pierced left lung, making it impossible for true qi to flow through the left meridian... is like a flaw appearing on a perfect circle. It makes further communication and breakthrough almost impossible!" Hearing the question, Master Teacher Su frowned. "So difficult!"

"Indeed, even for me, it would take at least eight steps to solve!" Master Teacher Ling also nodded. They were 4-star master teachers; although the problem was difficult, they could solve it, but it would require a great deal of effort.

"I'd also need seven steps!" Master Teacher Su thought for a moment and said.

"Your Minor Pure Yang Art has reached the seventh revolution; your strength is formidable, so it's normal for you to need one less step than me. However, to my knowledge, the Hall Master solved this problem when he was a 3-star master teacher, and he... only used five steps!" Master Teacher Ling stated.

"Five steps?" Master Teacher Su's pupils contracted.

The fewer steps a master teacher takes to provide guidance, the more refined the guidance, and the higher the chance of success for the person being guided. The better the effect.

The difficult problem just mentioned, even with his current strength and methods, would require seven steps to solve perfectly. Yet, the Hall Master, as a 3-star master teacher, managed to complete it in five steps... His methods were astonishingly advanced.

"I wonder how many steps Master Teacher Zhang will need to solve it!" After their shock, they couldn't help but look towards the young man nearby.

"How many steps? I'm afraid he won't even be able to come up with a solution in a short time!" Master Teacher Ling shook his head. Although he had great confidence in Master Teacher Zhang, the Hall Master's question was truly too difficult. Even they needed a lot of time to study it, so whether this young man could succeed was still unknown.

The two were nervous. After hearing the question, Zhang Xuan frowned. "How extensive is the injury to the left lung? Could you mark the exact location for me? Also, what caused the injury, and what was the true qi attribute of the attacker?"

"It was injured by a longsword, and the opponent had comprehended sword intent; the sword qi permeated the bloodline. This is the diagnosis; you can examine it in detail!" As if knowing he would ask this, Hall Master Kang lowered the book in his hand.

Zhang Xuan casually opened it, and indeed, it was densely filled with detailed information about the cultivator's condition. The content was extremely thorough, clearly describing not only the injured area but even the technique that caused the injury. He quickly finished reading.

"Do you have a solution?" Hall Master Kang looked over.

"Oh, that's simple. Just design a new cultivation path for him." Zhang Xuan said.

"A cultivation path?" Hall Master Kang's face darkened. "Do you mean... modifying the cultivation technique?"

"Exactly. The left lung injury doesn't mean the true qi in the left meridian can't circulate. It means the path the true qi takes needs to be altered slightly. With a minor adjustment, it will be like a normal cultivator, and breaking through won't be difficult!" Zhang Xuan explained.

"Modifying the cultivation technique?" Master Teacher Su and Master Teacher Ling on the side were simultaneously stunned. "That would eliminate numerous steps like treating the injury, re-clearing meridians, and recuperating the body... If he can truly solve it this way, it would mean he only used..." "One step?"