Chapter 638: The Crown Prince's Mansion

"Let's go!"

Ignoring the guild master and others who were respectfully seeing them off, as well as the girl weeping beside them, Zhang Xuan called to Yuan Tao and Sun Qiang and strode out.

If he had time, he would definitely read all the books in this guild. Since he didn't, he could only give up for now and wait for another opportunity.

Leaving the Alchemist Guild, Zhang Xuan returned to the carriage, took out a jade bottle, and handed it to Yuan Tao.

"Apply a small amount to your skin each time. Once it's absorbed, apply the next dose... Cultivate diligently, and it will significantly increase your strength in a short time!"

"Thank you, Teacher!" Yuan Tao said, his voice full of excitement as he took the jade bottle.

Having followed Zhang Xuan for a day, Yuan Tao was well aware of how precious the medicinal liquid was. His teacher had put so much effort into acquiring it; such kindness was immeasurable.

"Take these spirit stones; you'll certainly need them for cultivation!" Zhang Xuan then handed over dozens of mid-grade spirit stones.

The medicinal liquid could only stimulate potential; breaking through would require a large amount of spiritual energy. Besides, he had just fleeced that Sixth Young Mistress, so he wasn't short on funds.

Understanding his teacher's intent, Yuan Tao accepted them.

"Sun Qiang, take these spirit stones. Once the Cleansing Pool opens, I might be cultivating for several days and won't have time to look after you all... Hold onto these stones, and give some to Zheng Yang, Wang Ying, Liu Yang, or yourself whenever anyone needs them for cultivation. Don't delay their progress!"

Zhang Xuan then took out about two hundred spirit stones and handed them to Sun Qiang.

Once the Cleansing Pool opened, he would certainly be cultivating there. These spirit stones were for everyone to use, ensuring their rapid progress.

"Don't worry, Young Master, we will cultivate diligently!" Sun Qiang quickly nodded.

"Others are fine, but the most important one is you..." Hearing Sun Qiang's confident tone, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Honestly, he wasn't worried about Zheng Yang and the others. The main issue was Sun Qiang, who loved to be lazy and would stop practicing the moment he wasn't watched. Getting him to rapidly increase his strength was a real headache.

"Uh..." Sun Qiang felt extremely awkward, knowing exactly what his young master meant.

"Alright, these are the treasures I got from the Pavilion of Wonders. Distribute them among yourselves. If there's anything truly useless, find someone to help me sell it for spirit stones!" With a flick of his wrist, he handed over the storage ring Gan Yiping had given him.

From the Pavilion of Wonders, he only kept the Ice Rain Sword, a magical artifact that could be upgraded. The other dispensable items were better off sold for more spirit stones.

"Yes!" Sun Qiang replied, taking the treasures.

There was nothing to worry about with these matters entrusted to Sun Qiang, so Zhang Xuan said nothing more.

Knowing they were in a hurry, the carriage sped quickly, and they returned to their residence about half an hour later.

Just as they reached the entrance, they saw Master Hong waiting anxiously, with Bi Jianghai and Luo Xuan trailing behind him.

The Cleansing Pool allocated three spots to each vassal state, and only the top three participants from the Master Teacher Tournament were qualified to enter.

Since tonight's banquet was to re-allocate the spots, these two naturally had the right to attend and see what method would be used to decide their fates.

"Master Zhang, you're finally here! Nothing happened, right? If anything did... please tell me in advance so I can ask my teacher for help."

Seeing him finally return, Master Hong was so agitated he almost cried.

After returning from Luo Zhao and Feng Yu, he had immediately come to look for Master Zhang. However, he had waited for three or four hours and hadn't seen a shadow of him.

He was genuinely worried that Zhang Xuan had gone somewhere to cause trouble again and wouldn't be able to make it.

This wasn't like the 28 Nations or the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance, where his strength alone could easily resolve things... It was better to keep a low profile in the imperial capital of the Illusory Feather Empire. Otherwise, if trouble arose, he'd have to rely on his teacher, Hall Master Wei Jiang, to sort it out.

"Don't worry, I just went to the Alchemist Guild to refine some pills. Nothing happened!" Seeing Master Hong worried about such a thing, Zhang Xuan explained, feeling speechless.

What kind of notion is that... What kind of impression do you have of me? Am I really someone who enjoys causing trouble?

No matter what, I am a master teacher; I uphold my status. Unless provoked, how could I possibly cause trouble everywhere? Listening to your words, it's as if I'm some King of Destruction, making you uneasy wherever I go...

If Master Hong knew his thoughts, he would surely nod tearfully. "If you're not the King of Destruction, then who is? My Ghost Domain Illusion City, my Celestial Star Chess, my Book of Flowing Rivers, the Spirit Tribe member I painstakingly captured..."

"No, I can't think about it anymore; my heart will probably give out..."

"It's good that nothing happened. The banquet is about to start, let's hurry over!" Knowing there wasn't time for more talk, Master Hong stopped fretting. With a call, the four of them headed towards the nearby Crown Prince's Residence.

The Eastern Palace, where Crown Prince Ye Qian resided, was only a few hundred meters away. They soon arrived and took out their invitations.

"Please come in, sirs!" Upon seeing the invitations, the soldiers guarding the gate led the way.

"Excuse me, young man, may I ask if Master Feng from Fengyuan Empire, Master Luo from Qianfeng Empire, and Master Chen from Zhuyue Empire have arrived yet?" Master Hong asked, following behind.

Master Luo from Qianfeng Empire was Luo Zhao, the one he had previously extorted. As for Master Chen from Zhuyue Empire, he was the elder who had been with Luo Zhao earlier.

These two, along with Feng Yu, were all in charge of the Master Teacher Pavilions in the four vassal states, and like him, they were the organizers of their respective Master Teacher Tournaments.

"They arrived half an hour ago..." The soldier nodded.

"Half an hour?" Master Hong's mouth twitched.

He had thought the others hadn't arrived yet and that he could get a head start, but they had already been there for half an hour.

After all this time, surely the spots haven't already been decided, have they?

"The banquet... has it already started? I'm not late, am I? It would be bad to disturb the Crown Prince if I were..." Master Hong hesitated, speaking with a touch of awkwardness.

"The banquet hasn't started yet. The Crown Prince went to invite the Sixth Princess; he wanted them to attend the banquet too, and hasn't returned yet!" The soldier shook his head.

"It hasn't started yet? That's good!" Master Hong sighed in relief, then flipped his wrist, handing over a spirit stone. "Thank you, young man!"

"You're welcome!" Seeing his generosity in directly giving a mid-grade spirit stone, the soldier's eyes lit up. He quickly put it away, and his attitude towards the group improved considerably. He leaned in and lowered his voice.

"I heard this banquet is to confirm the spots for the Cleansing Pool..."

"I wonder what rules the Crown Prince has set, and if we'll be able to secure a spot..." Master Hong shook his head with a bitter smile.

"I don't know the exact rules, but... I heard that the main purpose of this banquet is to welcome the geniuses from Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy and also to let the geniuses from the vassal states meet their seniors."

"Welcome? You mean... those four will also be here?" Master Hong was stunned.

Luo Zhao had mentioned earlier that the four spots the Crown Prince intended to take were reserved for the geniuses from the Master Teacher Academy.

He had thought this banquet was merely to resolve internal issues among themselves. He hadn't expected these four individuals to also be invited.

"Could it be... that the method of selecting spots is related to them?" Master Hong's body stiffened as a thought suddenly struck him.

"I don't know, but... I guess if they make a request, the Crown Prince certainly wouldn't dare refuse... Master Luo and the others ahead have prepared quite a few things as gifts to make connections in advance. I suggest you also prepare something, just in case..." The soldier glanced left and right, lowering his voice.

"Gifts?" Master Hong's face paled.

His entire fortune had been spent on the Master Teacher Tournament, and it was mostly ruined by the two dolts behind him. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't have anything to offer!

After all, they were from the Hongyuan Empire; their standards were extremely high, and ordinary treasures wouldn't impress them.

Not noticing his expression, the soldier nodded wistfully. "Yes, doesn't the saying go, 'a gift makes way for one's heart'? Preparing some treasures will definitely earn you favor, and then securing a spot will be easier... Alright, the banquet hall is just ahead. I'll escort you this far!"

"Thank you!" Knowing that the spirit stone he had just given had worked its magic and prompted the soldier to share so much, Master Hong quickly cupped his fists.

No matter when or where, money spent wisely was never wasted.

Knowing this information was far better than rushing in foolishly, completely oblivious.

However... knowing the reason brought new troubles.

"Gifts? What could I find that would truly impress them? If only the Book of Flowing Rivers were still here... Even that Spirit Tribe member would do..." Master Hong rubbed his temples, his face etched with frustration.

If those few treasures hadn't been destroyed, he could have taken out any one of them and guaranteed to impress even someone from the Hongyuan Empire. But now...

"Master Hong, what's wrong?" Seeing the troubled expression on his face, Zhang Xuan walked over.

"Nothing..." Master Hong quickly shook his head.

The items were already destroyed, so dwelling on it was useless. The priority now was to, as the soldier advised, build good relations with those four senior students.

"Are you worried about gifts?" Luo Xuan asked from the side.

"Yes!" Master Hong nodded.

"Gifts? I knew I shouldn't have given that stuff to Sun Qiang..." Seeing Master Hong's concern, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but shake his head.

He thought it was something major. Gifts? He had just raided the Pavilion of Wonders, so he wasn't short of them. It was just that... he had just given the items to Sun Qiang, and he wasn't sure if it was too late to ask for them back.

"Actually, there's no need to overthink it so much. The selection of spots must be related to a master teacher's abilities. If gifts were effective, everyone would just scheme and grovel and wouldn't need to study anymore!"

Those who could enter the Cleansing Pool were certainly destined for the Master Teacher Academy. Since three spots were to be decided, it would definitely involve master teacher capabilities. The so-called gifts would merely be icing on the cake and shouldn't have much impact!

"Let's hope so!" Master Hong knew this too, but he still felt somewhat uneasy.

"By the way, Master Hong, you went to cause trouble for Master Feng and the others, did you get any useful information?" Zhang Xuan suddenly remembered their previous discussion and couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, I got some information, about those four geniuses from the Master Teacher Academy..." Master Hong nodded, just about to explain about the Sixth Princess and the others, when he heard footsteps, followed by a voice.

"Hong Qian, so these are the geniuses you selected? They don't look like much!" Immediately after, a figure emerged from the hall ahead. It was none other than Master Teacher Luo Zhao from the Qianfeng Empire.