Chapter 621: Teaching (Part 2)

In Myriad Kingdoms City, at the Streamcloud Sect's headquarters.

Inside the spacious living room, Sect Leader Luo Huang looked at the young man not far away.

"Others may not have noticed it in the previous competition, but trying to hide something from a teacher who has taught you for over a decade? I doubt you can do that!"

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you, Teacher..." Luo Xuan gave a wry smile and openly admitted, "When I competed against Bi Jianghai just now, I did hold back!"

"The reason?" Sect Leader Luo Huang asked.

"With Master Zhang's strength, he's bound to reach the finals. If I also entered, we'd inevitably face each other. As you know, Teacher, our relationship with Master Zhang isn't harmonious, and further escalating the conflict... it's better to just concede and let the Ocean View Sect stir up that trouble instead!" Luo Xuan clasped his fists, full of apology: "I hope Teacher can forgive my impulsive decision!"

"Good, the fact that you thought of this shows you've matured!" Sect Leader Luo Huang nodded in satisfaction: "Don't worry, not only will I not blame you, but I'll also commend you! It's excellent to be able to weigh the pros and cons during a competition and make such a decision. Neither Master Yang nor Master Zhang is someone we can afford to offend. We should try our best not to antagonize them, and then slowly mend our relationship!"

"Yes, that's what I was thinking too!" Luo Xuan nodded.

Seeing his student so understanding and considerate of the sect, Sect Leader Luo Huang grew more pleased the more he looked, stroking his beard kindly: "Hmm, you've also witnessed Master Zhang's strength. What do you think?"

"Master Zhang?" Luo Xuan's eyes flashed: "Undeniably, he's a formidable opponent, and in some aspects, I might even be slightly inferior... However, if we truly faced off, without either of us holding back, it wouldn't be easy for him to win against me!"

"Oh?" Sect Leader Luo Huang looked over with interest.

"Leaving aside everything else, just regarding his teaching segment – while it appeared impressive, if my guess is correct, he must have used some form of hypnosis. Otherwise, how could he possibly make everyone submit and acknowledge him?" Luo Xuan's face was filled with confidence.

With a slight smile, Sect Leader Luo Huang said, "Hypnosis can certainly convince people, but what about Master Huang Zheng? He also seemed intent on becoming his disciple, didn't he? Master Zhang and Master Huang's competition led to Master Huang Zheng's frantic desire to become a disciple, which became a widely circulated anecdote. If others were influenced by hypnosis, it would be far from easy to hypnotize a peak 4-star Master Teacher, wouldn't it?"

Hearing his teacher's question, Luo Xuan's eyes flashed, and he gave a cold smile: "Actually, if he hadn't cleverly pretended to want to become a disciple, I might not have noticed this. A dignified peak 4-star Master Teacher, with a soul force index over 14.0—without using the 'Heaven's Mandate of a Teacher,' how could he be so utterly mesmerized and willingly seek apprenticeship? What a joke!" As a fellow peak 4-star Master Teacher, he knew the resolve and limits of such an expert. If 'Heaven's Mandate of a Teacher' was used, it might be excusable, as one would have no control over themselves. But to achieve that merely by explaining some basic knowledge? That's ridiculous!

"He definitely put on an act to curry favor with Master Zhang, but his performance was too exaggerated, and it ended up exposing him!" Luo Xuan snorted coldly. Explaining basic knowledge and making a 4-star Master Teacher become utterly engrossed — even a 5-star Master Teacher couldn't do that. It's impossible to claim Master Zhang's abilities already surpass a 5-star, is it?

"There's some truth to that. Is that why you didn't go to listen to his lecture?" Sect Leader Luo Huang nodded. Luo Xuan had heard about Master Zhang's lecture earlier and simply felt there was no need to attend.

"It's just basic knowledge; what's so great about it? It's always the same. If I were to lecture, I wouldn't be any worse than him; there's no need to waste time." Luo Xuan nodded, a confident expression on his face, then clasped his fists: "Teacher, I want to break through to the Spirit Unification Realm now. Could you guard me for a while?"

"Haha, don't worry!" Sect Leader Luo Huang chuckled.

"Thank you, Teacher!" Luo Xuan nodded gratefully, then sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes to cultivate.

During his earlier fight with Bi Jianghai, he could have broken through, but he deliberately controlled his cultivation, holding back from taking that final step. Once he crossed that threshold, his power would increase significantly, making it impossible to legitimately lose to his opponent.

Gurgle, gurgle!

His internal power made a gurgling sound, similar to a frog's croak. Luo Xuan kept his eyes tightly closed, channeling his energy to advance his strength.

"Hmm? Why can't I absorb any spiritual energy?" A moment later, he opened his eyes. No matter how he tried to absorb it, there seemed to be no spiritual energy around him, making cultivation impossible.

"Sect Leader, Sect Leader, this is bad..." As he was wondering, an anxious shout rang out, and a junior disciple from the same sect rushed in.

"What's wrong? Why are you so flustered?" Sect Leader Luo Huang's expression darkened.

"It's Master Zhang's lecture..." the junior disciple quickly said.

"What about the lecture? Are you saying he could make basic knowledge sound extraordinary?" Luo Xuan shook his head, then frowned: "Wait, didn't Teacher forbid you all from going? When did you sneak over there?"

"We... didn't listen to the lecture. We just went to take a look!" The junior disciple's face flushed. The Sect Leader had indeed instructed them not to attend the lecture, but they had slipped over unintentionally and witnessed something they shouldn't have.

"Take a look? What did you see?" Luo Xuan asked.

"We saw... during Master Zhang's lecture, spiritual energy poured in, countless people broke through, almost everyone who attended the lecture achieved a breakthrough..." the junior disciple quickly reported.

"Spiritual energy pouring in? How is that possible!" Luo Xuan shook his head. "Gathering spiritual energy with words, and manifesting lotuses with speech—these are abilities only a 5-star Master Teacher possesses! How could a 4-star Master Teacher, especially one explaining basic knowledge, possibly stir up spiritual energy?"

"It's true! If you don't believe me, feel the spiritual energy around you..." the junior disciple urged.

"Spiritual energy?" A sudden jolt went through Luo Xuan. He remembered his recent cultivation; there had been no spiritual energy around him at all, as if he were in a vacuum. As he reeled in shock, he saw his teacher's pupils contract, and Luo Huang himself began to tremble: "It's... 'Words gather spiritual energy, ten-li vacuum!'"

"'Ten-li vacuum'?" Both Luo Xuan and the junior disciple were stunned. They had heard of "Words gather spiritual energy, and manifesting lotuses with speech," an ability possessed by 5-star Master Teachers. But what did "ten-li vacuum" mean?

"It's, it's... an ability only 6-star Master Teachers possess..." Sect Leader Luo Huang's lips trembled, and his eyes were wide with disbelief, as if he himself couldn't quite grasp it.

"A 6-star Master Teacher?" Luo Xuan and the junior disciple both shivered.

"Legend has it that a 6-star Master Teacher can use their words to gather all the spiritual energy within a ten-li radius, creating a vacuum state to provide it for those attending the lecture to cultivate..." Sect Leader Luo Huang's teeth chattered: "In such a state, cultivators' advancement speed is astonishingly fast, like an initiation ritual..."

"But Master Zhang is only a 4-star Master Teacher, and he's explaining basic knowledge! How could he possibly display an ability that only a 6-star Master Teacher possesses..." Luo Xuan found it impossible to believe. Just moments ago, he had confidently declared that even if Master Zhang lectured, he couldn't be much better than himself. Yet in the blink of an eye, Master Zhang's lecture not only stirred spiritual energy but also transformed a ten-li radius into a spiritual energy vacuum... Was it real?

"Regardless of how he achieved it, quickly gather everyone from the sect and go attend the lecture! Otherwise, as other sects' cultivation progresses, our Streamcloud Sect's title as the top of the 28 powers won't last much longer..." Sect Leader Luo Huang hastily stood up. To be able to manifest "Words gather spiritual energy, ten-li vacuum!"—listening to such a lecture would be immensely beneficial for cultivation... But their sect hadn't attended at all... The loss was incalculable! It was foreseeable that the sects who attended the lecture would surely experience a great surge in strength starting today, and surpassing the Streamcloud Sect would only be a matter of time. Especially the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance—countless people had benefited. Those who attended the lecture would gain a profound understanding of cultivation, their minds would be enlightened, and their futures would be limitless. With such a group of people, it wouldn't be surprising if the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance became one of the top powers among the 28 within two decades. This ability to cultivate a large number of experts is precisely why high-level Master Teachers are so revered and feared.

"Attend the lecture? It's too late!" the junior disciple said. "Master Zhang only lectures for one hour, and now... it's almost over. Besides, even if we went now, there wouldn't be any seats left..."

"No seats..." Sect Leader Luo Huang's face turned pale, and he nearly stumbled. Indeed, upon sensing the spiritual energy around them vanish, what cultivator wouldn't rush to attend the lecture? Going now was already too late.

"My Streamcloud Sect... the opportunity we had to rise up, it's just been lost..." Trembling, Sect Leader Luo Huang was filled with deep regret. Originally, with their sect's foundation, had they attended the lecture, they would have grown stronger and stronger, and surpassing Master Hong's Grand Abundance Empire wouldn't have been impossible. But now... they could only lament their missed chance. Once an opportunity is missed, it's gone forever.

"You said... you could lecture better than him?" The more he thought about it, the more dejected he became, turning to look at Luo Xuan, who was nearby.

"I..." Luo Xuan shivered, almost on the verge of tears. He had thought the gap between him and Master Zhang wasn't wide, and that he could catch up at any time. Only now did he realize they weren't even on the same level; there was no comparison at all. How ridiculous that he had cleverly given up his chance to enter the finals! Even if he had made it... he would have been utterly crushed, with no suspense whatsoever!

"It seems that making 100 people simultaneously pledge apprenticeship wasn't hypnosis at all; it was... real!" Someone capable of manifesting "Words gather spiritual energy, ten-li vacuum"—how could they resort to hypnosis just for a small win or loss? It seemed that both Huang Zheng and those cultivators had genuinely desired to become disciples... And for him... understanding this was clearly too late!

A similar scene unfolded in other sects that hadn't attended the lecture. Learning that Master Zhang had explained basic knowledge and manifested a "ten-li vacuum" left everyone feeling somewhat frantic. Being able to attend such a lecture would lay an incredibly solid foundation, making future cultivation smooth and ensuring greater progress. It could be said that although it was only an hour-long lecture, attending it or not would lead to a qualitative leap and change that money and spirit stones could never buy.

"It seems... the rise of the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance is now unstoppable. The division of the 28 powers, starting today... will also have to change!" In the Alliance Leader's mansion, Alliance Leader Zhao stood up, clenching his fists. His eyes, red with excitement, were fixed on the young man lecturing on the high platform.