Chapter 687: 无念无想

Phantom Feather Empire.

At the Huajing Pool, the damaged ground and buildings had been repaired. Although the pool water didn't possess the same dense spiritual energy as before, it was gradually recovering its former vitality.

Beside it stood a massive stone monument, with five large, vigorously carved characters: "Where Master Yang Threw His Shoe!" The calligraphy was profound, captivating anyone who laid eyes on it, clearly the work of a five-star calligraphy and painting grandmaster. Not far from the monument was the exact spot where Zhang Xuan had stood atop the fiery dragon and thrown his shoe a few days prior.

Throwing the shoe was merely a method to locate the convergence point of energies; the shoe itself wasn't strictly necessary. The shoe had since been collected and carefully preserved by the Phantom Feather Empire. In its place was a formation flag, stabilizing the energies. With the flag present, the conflicting spiritual energies were balanced, allowing power to continuously flow into the Huajing Pool, fostering more talents. It could be said that the Phantom Feather Empire had turned a misfortune into a blessing.

A historian-like figure stood before it, recording: "Phantom Feather Empire, Ask Heaven Calendar, Year 67, Winter. The conflicting spiritual energies of Qingji Mountain, Dragon Scale River, and the earth's ley lines destroyed the Huajing Pool, threatening to annihilate the imperial capital. Master Yang arrived, stepping through the void, and with a single shoe, resolved the crisis..."

As he was writing, the pool water suddenly churned, bells rang out loudly, and hundreds of birds soared across the sky, darkening the sun.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know..."

The surrounding guards also witnessed the phenomenon, each one bewildered.

"Hall Master Wei, what's going on?"

Emperor Ye Wentian, who had not yet departed, also emerged from his room upon hearing the commotion and looked towards Hall Master Wei Jiang beside him.

"Hundreds of birds celebrating, ten thousand calls... Someone has achieved a Heaven-Recognized Profession!" Hall Master Wei was startled, recalling records from ancient texts.

"Heaven-Recognized Profession? You mean a rank acknowledged by heaven and earth?" Ye Wentian was stunned.

A Heaven-Recognized Profession means that Heaven itself acknowledges your rank and contribution in that profession. Those who can cause such an anomaly are invariably geniuses among geniuses, with boundless prospects. For such a phenomenon to suddenly occur here, wouldn't it indicate the emergence of a super genius in the Phantom Feather Empire?

"Yes!" Hall Master Wei nodded and said, "A Heaven-Recognized Profession is a blessing from the heavens... Don't worry, I'll go back and thoroughly investigate what profession this is and who triggered it!"

"Indeed, you should. Once you find out, I want to personally meet this genius..." Ye Wentian quickly said.

"Alright!" Hall Master Wei said no more, leaped onto a beast's back, and flew straight towards the Master Teacher Pavilion. Just as he reached the entrance but before he could enter, an elder rushed towards him, looking terrified, and immediately spoke upon seeing him.

"Hall Master, this is bad... The Ancestral Hall has collapsed, and all the ancestral tablets... they've fallen!"

"The Ancestral Hall collapsed?" Hall Master Wei was stunned, then something occurred to him. His pupils contracted, and his body trembled with disbelief: "Ten thousand tablets shaking, bells chiming... Could the profession that was just recognized be... a Heaven-Recognized Master Teacher?"

A Heaven-Recognized Master Teacher—this was an honor only bestowed upon the Celestial Being, Master Kong. Even his direct disciples, who became saints or ancestors, never received such a distinction. Such a grand phenomenon occurring at the Phantom Feather Empire's Master Teacher Pavilion... Who could it be?

"Could it be... Master Yang?" Suddenly, a figure appeared in his mind. If anyone could possess such an honor, it might only be that unfathomable Yang Xuan, whom Hall Master Mo had instructed everyone to keep silent about! The image of that senior arriving through the void and settling the situation with a single shoe was deeply ingrained and could no longer be dispelled.

"Notify all master teachers: do not hear, do not ask, do not speak of this matter! Any violation will result in the revocation of their master teacher qualification!" Recalling Hall Master Mo's instructions, Hall Master Wei quickly ordered. Whether it was Yang Xuan or not, a Heaven-Recognized Master Teacher was a huge matter; no one dared to spread the news, otherwise, they would certainly face severe consequences. Furthermore, Master Kong was the only Heaven-Recognized Master Teacher, and no one knew what specific anomalies might occur. It wasn't entirely certain if the current scene truly indicated a Heaven-Recognized Master Teacher.

"Yes!" Though bewildered, the elder nodded, turned, and walked back, daring not to ask further questions.

Myriad Kingdoms City.

Zhao Feiwu stretched and walked out of her room. Over a month of continuous seclusion had left her body feeling somewhat stiff. However, she also knew that only by doing so could she hope to keep pace with that individual; even then, she would likely be left further and further behind.

"You've finished cultivating, excellent, excellent, you've made great progress recently!" Hall Master Kang approached, glanced at her, and nodded with satisfaction. Before leaving, Master Zhang had entrusted Zhao Feiwu to him. Without any hesitation, he diligently guided her, and indeed, she had made significant progress in just over a month.

Boom!

As he was musing and about to speak further, Hall Master Kang suddenly felt the ground tremble, and bells began to chime from the direction of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

"It's... a Heaven-Recognized Master Teacher? Why another Heaven-Recognized Master Teacher?" His eyes widened, and Hall Master Kang was bewildered. It had just happened a while ago, why again so soon? When did the highly anticipated Heaven-Recognized Master Teacher, which no one had ever managed to achieve, become as frequent as setting off fireworks during holidays?

"Could it be Master Zhang?" Zhao Feiwu was also stunned. Recalling her past interactions with the young man, she couldn't help but say.

"Master Zhang? Impossible. Master Zhang has already gone to the Phantom Feather Empire, over a million kilometers from here. How could it be him?" Hall Master Kang shook his head. "Even a Heaven-Recognized Master Teacher phenomenon has a range. If Master Zhang isn't in Myriad Kingdoms City, how could he cause the Master Teacher Pavilion here to shake?"

"I read an ancient book," Zhao Feiwu offered, "that said when Master Kong became a Heaven-Recognized Nine-Star Master Teacher, the entire continent celebrated; phoenixes and true dragons soared, and a celestial glow persisted for three months... Could it be that the higher the level of a Heaven-Recognized Master Teacher, the wider the scope of the phenomenon?"

Although she wasn't a Master Teacher, she had read extensively since childhood, and with the abundant secret archives of the Alliance, her knowledge was in no way inferior to Hall Master Kang's, and perhaps even surpassed his in some areas.

"This..." Hall Master Kang was dumbfounded. A Heaven-Recognized One-Star Master Teacher and a Nine-Star one are certainly different. Could it be that this phenomenon was truly caused by that fellow?

Xuanyuan Kingdom.

Mo Yu, clad in luxurious attire, sat upon the throne. After several months of consolidation, the kingdom was now completely under her control, with no one daring to utter a word of dissent. Especially after news arrived of Master Zhang successfully passing his four-star Master Teacher assessment and winning the Grand Master Teacher Competition, no one dared to speak a single word of nonsense. Everyone knew that Emperor Mo Yu had an extraordinary relationship with Master Zhang. Anyone daring to resist, let alone the royal family, would certainly be taught a lesson by the Master Teacher Pavilion.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

As she was listening to a minister's report, a rumbling sound echoed, and the bells of the Master Teacher Pavilion rang loudly.

"This..." Mo Yu stood up, and the other ministers also turned their gazes in that direction. All the Master Teachers in the entire Xuanyuan Royal City hurriedly rushed towards the Master Teacher Pavilion. For a moment, everyone was perplexed, unsure of what was happening.

Similar scenes also unfolded in Tianwu Kingdom, Tianxuan Kingdom, and other places. It could be said that every Master Teacher Pavilion across all territories under the Phantom Feather Empire's jurisdiction experienced such astonishing phenomena. Many people didn't know what was happening, and even those who did, weren't sure who had caused it.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xuan, the one responsible for all this, swayed slightly and stood up. His third Heaven-Recognized Master Teacher phenomenon had concluded. Just like the previous times, his cultivation remained at the peak of the Harmonization Realm, but his understanding of cultivation and combat techniques had deepened significantly. His combat power had naturally increased, and his soul and physical body were now even more perfectly integrated.

"Even if I still can't fight a mid-stage Leaving Aperture Realm expert, early-stage ones should no longer be a match!" Feeling the changes in his strength and his comprehension of power, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

Although a Heaven-Recognized Master Teacher phenomenon doesn't directly increase cultivation, it broadens one's heart realm and deepens one's consciousness. His understanding and perspective on matters no longer remained superficial. It was precisely because of his two previous experiences that he was noticeably calmer and more composed than Luo Qiqi when facing the puppet.

"My Heart Realm score has actually increased by 3.0!" His eyes lit up. His Heart Realm this time increased more than the previous two times, directly boosting his score by 3.0. This meant his current Heart Realm score had reached 19.1, no weaker than that of a six-star Master Teacher! A Heart Realm score of a six-star Master Teacher, at around twenty years old... if word got out, it would be terrifying! A sudden increase of 3.0 in Heart Realm score was equivalent to advancing a Master Teacher rank. For others, this would be impossible without several decades of arduous cultivation.

With the increased Heart Realm score, his Teacher's Impartation and Eye of Insight became even more formidable. Previously, his Eye of Insight could easily see through beings two minor cultivation realms above him; now, it reached three. His current true qi cultivation was at the peak of the Harmonization Realm, meaning he could now see through the flaws in the techniques of a late-stage Bridging Heaven Realm expert, even without them making a move, leaving them with no secrets. Teacher's Impartation was even more terrifying; now, even a low-grade or even mid-grade six-star Master Teacher might be swayed by him, losing their sense of direction.

"The greatest gain from this Heaven-Recognized Master Teacher phenomenon wasn't the soul force score, Teacher's Impartation, or Eye of Insight, but rather... the Thoughtless State!" He examined his body, clenched his fists, and his face showed excitement. This Heaven-Recognized Master Teacher phenomenon had significantly enhanced his understanding of various Master Teacher concepts, but what pleased him most was that his physical body had also gained the ability of the Thoughtless State.

The Thoughtless State means that the physical body can perform actions based on inertia, without the soul or conscious thought driving it. Just like before in the Huajing Pool, if his soul left his body and couldn't re-enter for a short period, his body would be like a corpse, completely senseless and rigid. But now it was different! With this Thoughtless State ability, even if his soul wasn't within his body, his physical form could continue to cultivate, and even... fight! In other words... even without a soul, his physical body could fight autonomously, and even react faster based on muscle memory!

If he were to encounter that puppet again, his physical body, spirit soul, and clone would effectively be three parts acting as one, increasing his combat power by more than double!

"Excellent! With this ability, let alone multitasking with two things, even three won't be a problem!" Smiling slightly, Zhang Xuan felt his gains this time were immense, when he heard a sound. Beside him, Luo Qiqi also recovered from her epiphany.