Chapter 622: Phantom Feather Imperial Capital

Ever since he inherited the Alliance Leader position, he had tirelessly strived to expand the territory and strengthen the alliance. However, he also knew that the Myriad Kingdom Alliance's foundation was simply too weak.

The chances of success were slim, almost non-existent.

But this impossibility was shattered by a single lecture from Master Zhang!

Millions attended the lecture, and they would all become pillars of the nation in the future. It would be difficult for them not to rise.

"Master Zhang, thank you…"

Alliance Leader Zhao's eyes reddened, and he clenched his fists.

It was this young man who brought hope for the Myriad Kingdom Alliance's rise!

"Master Zhang used profound language to draw in spiritual energy, cleansing meridians and marrow for people. Was he really teaching basic knowledge?"

"I used to think that even the most thorough research into basic knowledge was useless, but now it seems I was terribly mistaken."

"Basic knowledge is the foundation of cultivation; like building a tower, only by laying a deep foundation and understanding thoroughly can one progress further…"

"This lecture was truly enlightening. From today on, we all have a partial mentorship with Master Zhang. If anyone tries to harm the Myriad Kingdom Alliance in the future, it will be difficult for us to stand idly by…"

Countless powerful cultivators attending the lecture felt a similar sentiment.

Listening to Master Zhang's lecture was akin to becoming his partial student; in the future, they couldn't simply ignore any troubles he might face.

"...Embrace unity, let your heart return to nature—that is the foundation! Very well, that concludes today's lecture."

As these faint words concluded, the young man on the stage flicked his wrist, and a brush appeared. He painted in the air, and in the blink of an eye, a massive phoenix materialized before everyone.

He stomped his foot on the ground, rose into the air, sat on the phoenix's back, and flew away.

Historical records state:

Myriad Kingdom Alliance, year 3372, winter.

Master Zhang lectured in Myriad Kingdom City. A million cultivators gathered, and his words condensed spiritual energy, creating a ten-mile vacuum.

After the lecture, he departed by stepping onto his painting.

A million cultivators knelt, calling out "Teacher!"

Under the clear blue sky, white clouds drifted. Several enormous flying spirit beasts soared across, startling countless wild beasts and birds into chaotic flight.

On the back of a spirit beast, Zhang Xuan, sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes.

After concluding his lecture that day, he had immediately departed with Master Hong and the others. Nearly a month had passed since then.

For such a long time, he had spent almost every day in the sky, and he felt somewhat fatigued.

Because the journey was long, each master teacher brought family members and attendants. Master Hong had prepared a total of ten flying spirit beasts to accommodate everyone.

None of these spirit beasts were below Transcendent Mortal 4-dan, and their arrival in any place caused a sensation, filling countless people with awe and fear.

During their journey, Zhang Xuan simultaneously read and cultivated. Not only did he thoroughly consolidate his Transcendent Mortal 4-dan peak cultivation, but his soul power also broke through to Transcendent Mortal 5-dan and reached its peak.

With Transcendent Mortal 5-dan soul power, his strength reached 3.2 million ding. Combined with 2 million ding of *zhengqi*, he could unleash a total of 5.2 million ding of power instantly, which was comparable to, if not stronger than, a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Heavenly Bridge realm mid-stage cultivator.

Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Heavenly Bridge realm stages are: early 4 million, mid 4.8 million, late 5.6 million, and peak 6.2 million ding!

At 5.2 million ding, he was already nearing the late stage. It would likely be difficult for Master Hong to defeat him in a real fight.

Four-star master teachers typically have cultivation levels from Transcendent Mortal 2-dan to 4-dan.

Transcendent Mortal 5-dan, Harmonizing Spirit realm, indicates a half-step five-star.

Only upon reaching Transcendent Mortal 6-dan, Heavenly Bridge realm, does one qualify to advance to a five-star master teacher.

Master Hong had only recently advanced to a five-star master teacher, meaning his true strength was around the early Heavenly Bridge realm. If he couldn't rely on his realm, purely in terms of power, he might not even be able to withstand one of Zhang Xuan's punches.

To possess strength comparable to an early five-star master teacher after only two months of being a four-star master teacher—only a monstrous talent like him could achieve such a feat.

In just one month, not only had his own strength made a tremendous leap, but Zheng Yang, Wang Ying, and the others had also progressed significantly.

Zhao Ya and Lu Chong's departure made them cherish their time with Master Zhang even more. They cultivated diligently every day, and with a generous supply of spirit stones, their strength showed astonishing changes daily.

All four had successively broken through to the Transcendent Mortal realm and were now stably at the 2-dan Primordial Qi realm.

Furthermore, Zhang Xuan had reorganized the Heaven's Path martial arts techniques and imparted them to his students, greatly increasing their combat prowess.

The slowest to progress, ironically, was likely the butler, Sun Qiang.

This fellow had no interest in cultivation and would immediately slack off if not supervised. Without Wang Ying specifically overseeing him, progress would have been nearly impossible.

However, being confined to the back of a beast for a month with no escape, he had no choice but to cultivate continuously. In that month, he had forcefully advanced from Transcendent Mortal 1-dan Longevity realm initial stage to Transcendent Mortal 2-dan Primordial Qi realm peak.

He was even slightly more formidable than Wang Ying, who had the highest cultivation among them.

His rapid progress wasn't due to exceptionally fast cultivation speed or superior talent. Instead, it was because he had devoured a portion of Mo Hunsheng's soul, and the latter's understanding of cultivation had naturally transferred to him. With such extensive experience, coupled with Zhang Xuan's guidance and an abundant supply of spirit stones, only advancing one level was actually considered quite slow.

While his students' cultivation advancements were commendable, Zhang Xuan wasn't feeling happy at the moment.

Because... the over six hundred mid-grade spirit stones plundered from the Flowing Cloud Sect and other various sects had already been completely used up.

Zheng Yang, Sun Qiang, and the others didn't use much; he was the primary consumer.

He had used no less than two to three hundred of them to ripen the Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo. He also gave a portion to Lu Chong when he left, and the consumption multiplied when his soul power broke through to the Harmonizing Spirit realm...

For over six hundred spirit stones to last this long was already quite good.

"If I want to continue advancing in the future, I'm afraid I'll have to use that high-grade spirit stone..."

Rubbing his brows, Zhang Xuan fell into thought.

He hadn't dared to use the high-grade spirit stone awarded for winning the Master Teacher Tournament, hadn't even taken it out. Now that his mid-grade spirit stones were exhausted, it was time to put it to use.

"Master Zhang, the Imperial Capital of the Phantom Feather Empire is almost here!"

Just as he was about to take out the spirit stone to examine it, he saw Master Hong approach.

Master Hong hadn't joined the others; instead, he had chosen to ride on a spirit beast with Zhang Xuan. Along the way, Zhang Xuan had helped him resolve some cultivation difficulties, which served as repayment for the previous destruction of his treasures.

As for how he knew so much, it was naturally due to his 'teacher's' guidance.

Since the other party firmly believed in his 'teacher,' it didn't matter if he borrowed a bit more.

Indeed, with Zhang Xuan's guidance, Master Hong had made significant progress. He secretly felt fortunate and grew increasingly respectful of this master teacher who was supposedly weaker than him.

"The Imperial Capital?"

Zhang Xuan stood up and went to the window, where he indeed saw a massive city appearing before his eyes.

Dark, imposing city walls were embedded in the earth like mighty iron armor. Countless beautiful, towering buildings stood on the distant horizon, resembling rows of winding mountain ranges from afar, recording ancient history and vicissitudes.

"The Phantom Feather Empire has a history of over ten thousand years. Its first emperor, Ye Huan Yu, led four brothers, battling across the lands to establish this vast empire!"

Master Hong also looked down, his eyes filled with solemnity and admiration. "The Imperial Capital borders Mount Qingji to the east and the Dragon Scale River to the west. From a distance, it resembles a giant lying on the ground."

"Mm!" Zhang Xuan looked down.

What the other party said was true; this Imperial Capital was indeed magnificent, spanning hundreds of miles, like an impregnable fortress that gave off an invincible feeling.

Although it didn't contain arrays, it merged with nature, giving a sense of pristine order and unyielding defiance.

"The head of the Phantom Feather Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, Wei Jiang, is my teacher. He is a five-star peak master teacher and a peak Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert. As for the Emperor, His Majesty Ye Wentian, his cultivation has reached an unfathomable depth within the Transcendent Mortal realm."

"A peak five-star master teacher? Transcendent Mortal 8-dan?"

Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched.

Transcendent Mortal 5-dan, Harmonizing Spirit realm: upon reaching this stage, the soul and body merge, soul power strengthens, and one's understanding and insight into cultivation greatly increase. Power enters a phase of rapid growth.

Breaking through this realm leads to the Heavenly Bridge realm.

In the Heavenly Bridge realm, one connects with the bridge between heaven and earth, forming a special rapport with nature. Even without active cultivation, spiritual energy flows continuously through this bridge, nourishing the body and constantly improving one's strength.

In this realm, both *zhengqi* and soul experience explosive growth, reaching a terrifying level where one truly gains the ability to move mountains and fill seas.

Breaking through this level leads to Transcendent Mortal 7-dan, Unity realm.

In the Unity realm, all laws return to one, power becomes more primal, pure, and aligned with nature, and soul power grows even stronger.

After that comes the Transcendent Mortal 8-dan, Void-Treading realm. At this level of strength, not only do *zhengqi* and soul experience a huge leap, but more importantly, one can already control a portion of natural laws and can step through the air.

This means... one can move straight up and down in the air, though it's not truly considered flying due to the difficulty of horizontal movement.

The head of the Phantom Feather Empire's Master Teacher Pavilion and the Emperor were actually both experts of this caliber; the thought alone was terrifying.

Even though he had made great strides in strength recently, compared to such super-experts, he was still far too inferior, with no real comparison.

Of course, having mastered the Footsteps of the Red Dust, if he couldn't win and truly wished to escape, even experts of this caliber would find it difficult to catch him.

"The news of our arrival today has already been reported to the Master Teacher Pavilion; someone should be coming to greet us soon..."

After introducing the Emperor and the Master Teacher Pavilion head of the Phantom Feather Empire, Master Hong smiled.

While the Master Teacher Tournament involving 28 powers wasn't particularly prominent throughout the Phantom Feather Empire, it still held some status, especially since a five-star master teacher was personally presiding over it.

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

Roar! Roar! Roar!

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of roars echoed, and a dozen huge flying spirit beasts flew straight towards them.

These flying spirit beasts weren't large, and each carried a figure on its back. A dozen spirit beasts brought a dozen people flying over.

"Alright, the welcoming party is here. We'll be able to enter the imperial palace directly with them soon..."

With a slight smile, Master Hong was about to speak when he heard a faint voice from above the spirit beasts ahead.

"Hong Qian, long time no see... However, your timing is off this time. You should go back!"