Chapter 776: Return to the Academy

Earlier, when Wei Changfeng performed his martial technique, Zhang Xuan had effortlessly identified its weaknesses.

He had previously thought Wei Changfeng was unscrupulous, willing to resort to violence for treasures, but after learning the reason, he felt a touch of sympathy. The man was not greedy; he was doing it to save someone.

“Never mind how I know,” Zhang Xuan said. “I’ll just tell you this: serve me faithfully, and I will treat her. Even if I can’t cure her myself, I will find someone who can!”

“You… you…” Wei Changfeng trembled. What the other party said was true. Wei Changfeng had opened the Spiritual Material Pavilion, offending countless people in the process, solely to collect special treasures to treat his critically ill daughter. His daughter had sustained an injury to her foundation while still in the womb, a congenital condition. He had consulted countless renowned physicians without success. Finally, a peak six-star physician had given him a prescription, instructing him to extract the spiritual essence from treasures to sustain her life. For years, she had barely clung to life using this method. However, it seemed she wouldn't live much longer if she didn't receive proper treatment soon. This matter was only known within the Saint realm circles of Hongyuan City. How could this young man know about it?

“If Young Master can save my daughter, I, Changfeng, am willing to dedicate my life and die ten thousand deaths without regret!” Recalling the Young Master’s many miraculous abilities, Wei Changfeng's heart stirred. He gritted his teeth and prostrated himself.

“Hmm, I don’t need you to dedicate your life,” Zhang Xuan said, waving his hand. “Just serve me faithfully, and you will naturally reap benefits!” He then tossed a wine gourd to Wei Changfeng. “Drink this!”

“Yes!” Though he didn’t know what the Young Master intended, he dared not disobey. Wei Changfeng opened the lid and quickly drank it all. As the fine wine entered his body, he immediately felt a warm current course through him. Then, the injuries inflicted by the puppet visibly healed, leaving him completely unscathed.

“This is… a sacred healing medicine?” Wei Changfeng’s pupils constricted. Although he was a Saint realm expert and the owner of the Spiritual Material Pavilion, possessing considerable wealth, he had never seen a healing medicine with such potent effects. Healed instantly after drinking… With such an item, perhaps this Young Master truly could save his daughter’s life.

“First, clean up this mess here!” Zhang Xuan said, offering no further explanation. To earn the loyalty of subordinates, one must apply both kindness and strictness. Having just beaten him, it was natural to offer some benefits to give him hope. Otherwise, even if the soul acknowledged him as master, a superficial loyalty would still lead to considerable trouble.

“Yes!” Knowing that he had not yet performed any service, and thus the Young Master wouldn't treat his daughter immediately, Wei Changfeng didn't dwell on it. He stood up.

Creak! The mechanism whirred, and the wall blocking them slowly receded, revealing Sun Qiang and the others.

“Pavilion Master!” The guard team rushed over, seeing Zhang Xuan still standing there, not having been killed by their Pavilion Master. They instantly aimed their weapons at him, surrounding him.

“Impudent!” Wei Changfeng snapped, his eyebrows rising in alarm. “From today onwards, this is my Young Master! You are to address him as Young Master and show him even more respect than you show me! Disobey, and you will be executed without mercy!”

“Young Master?” The numerous guards were dumbfounded. Was their Pavilion Master out of his mind, or what? This person had just dismantled their stronghold, and now they had to call him Young Master? Though perplexed, seeing their Pavilion Master’s solemn expression, clearly not joking, they all bowed their heads, cupped their fists, and greeted, “Greetings, Young Master!”

“This…” The many cultivators nearby were also stunned. They had just thought it was incredible for this young man to make treasures and even the Spiritual Material Pavilion acknowledge him as master, but now… he had even made the Saint realm Pavilion Master of the Spiritual Material Pavilion acknowledge him! Could it get any more exaggerated?

“Young Master…” Sun Qiang’s mouth twitched. He had just been worrying if anything had happened to Zhang Xuan… Now, it seemed he had worried for nothing. The one in trouble was the Pavilion Master. To be able to tame even a Saint realm expert, the Young Master was truly defying the heavens! “As expected of Master’s student, he truly has Master’s demeanor!” he couldn't help but exclaim.

“Everyone, I hope you will not spread word of today’s events! I, Wei, will be deeply grateful.” After instructing the guards, Wei Changfeng cupped his fists. Although these people didn’t know the full details of the battle, the Young Master preferred to keep a low profile, so he tried to ensure the matter wasn't leaked. In any case, the Young Master hadn’t revealed his name from beginning to end, so even if these people wanted to talk, they probably couldn’t say much specific.

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep it a secret!” “We’re always very tight-lipped…” The cultivators’ lips twitched as they nodded repeatedly. This involved a Master Teacher and the Pavilion Master of the Spiritual Material Pavilion; they wouldn't dare leak it even with ten times the courage. Most importantly… even if they did leak it, the events they witnessed today were so extraordinary that no one would believe them anyway.

“Alright, someone, these friends have been startled. Prepare a gift for each of them!” Wei Changfeng turned and instructed. Having been able to establish the Spiritual Material Pavilion in Hongyuan City and keep it standing for years, Wei Changfeng naturally had his own methods. Once these people accepted his gifts, they would certainly not dare to gossip.

“Hmm!” Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction, seeing how meticulously Wei Changfeng handled things.

Naturally, the Spiritual Material Pavilion didn't have that many fake items; the so-called fakes were all created by him. Even if the Liu Ji Pill wasn’t as exaggerated as the other party claimed, it certainly wasn’t poison. Instead, when he picked up the jade box, he secretly infused a strand of zhenqi into it. Having studied the profession of a Poison Master, his Heaven’s Path zhenqi could transform into a potent poison in an instant. With such an ability, it was naturally simple to poison a pill-testing beast and deceive everyone else. If someone knew what was happening and held onto the pill for a while, once the hidden zhenqi naturally depleted, it would lose all its effects. As for the bronze mace, being a Soul Oracle, it was extremely easy for him to prevent it from generating soul attacks. Most of the subsequent ‘fake’ items were created in a similar way: by analyzing their flaws, then applying the right 'remedy' to turn genuine articles into fakes in the blink of an eye, with utmost ease. As for the weapons acknowledging him as master, it was just as Sun Qiang had thought: while introducing the 'fakes' to everyone, he discreetly collected them. If the other party had obediently paid compensation, that would have been the end of it. But if they refused, he would explode into action and dismantle their entire stronghold in one fell swoop.

“Let’s go back!” With matters here concluded, Zhang Xuan saw no need to remain. He took Sun Qiang and leaped onto the back of the Heaven-Devouring Beast, ascending straight into the sky and disappearing from everyone’s sight. Wei Changfeng had sent people to seize items from Sun Qiang and the others, so he naturally knew their residence. Now that his soul was bound, he would surely come looking for them after cleaning up the mess at the Spiritual Material Pavilion, so there was no need for Zhang Xuan to remain there.

Back at their residence, “Young Master, these are the high-grade spirit stones the Pavilion Master of the Spiritual Material Pavilion gave earlier!” Sun Qiang presented. Wei Changfeng had previously paid ten high-grade spirit stones as compensation, which Sun Qiang had collected. Zhang Xuan took them and nodded in satisfaction, instructing, “You don’t need to worry about money anymore. Go find a larger courtyard.” Since he was no longer short of money, it was only natural to live somewhere better. To be honest, their current place was too small; it couldn’t even accommodate the Violetblaze Beast for interrogation.

“Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded.

“You don’t need high-grade spirit stones for your current cultivation. As for these treasures and pills, you can decide how to use them. If they can help you improve your strength, do so as quickly as possible!” He flipped his wrist, tossing out the numerous treasures obtained from the Spiritual Material Pavilion. Sun Qiang took them, nodding again. This trip to the Spiritual Material Pavilion had yielded many pills and treasures. If given to Zheng Yang and the others, their progress would surely be significant in a short time.

“Oh, right, Young Master,” Sun Qiang said. “While I was out strolling today, I found a courtyard that fits your requirements perfectly. It’s close to the academy and has all the necessary facilities, but… it was just bought by someone else!”

“If it’s already been bought, there’s nothing we can do,” Zhang Xuan replied. “Hongyuan City is vast; finding a few spacious courtyards shouldn’t be difficult!” Since it had just been bought, the owner wouldn’t likely resell it. Instead of hitting a wall, it was better to look for other options, as they weren’t in a particular rush anyway.

“Alright, if anything comes up these next few days, have the Violetwing Heaven-Devouring Beast contact me. If that doesn’t work, contact Pavilion Master Xiao Feng!” Zhang Xuan instructed again. Having arranged everything he could, he then stepped onto the beast’s back and flew towards the academy once more. With matters here concluded, it was time to go to the Empyrean Palace and Demonic Tune Hall to find books. The congenital prenatal poison in his soul needed to be dealt with soon, or many unpredictable complications could arise.

Back in the Elite Quarter, he sent the Heaven-Devouring Beast back to the mansion. Just as he was about to inquire about the locations of the Demonic Tune Hall or the Empyrean Palace, he heard a series of knocks at his door. When he opened the door, he saw Young Master Ruohuan, Luo Xuan, Song Chao, and others standing outside. They had been brought back to the academy by Teacher Bai and others and had their residences arranged. Hearing that Zhang Xuan lived here, they had specifically come to visit him.

After a few pleasantries, Young Master Ruohuan couldn't help but ask, “Teacher Zhang, everyone went to apprentice themselves to a teacher today. Did you go?”

“Not yet!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. He had no intention of apprenticing himself to anyone anyway. Attending classes or not made no difference to him, as long as he could read books.

“We didn’t go either,” Young Master Ruohuan chuckled. “We specifically came to find you, hoping to hear your opinion on who would be a good master to apprentice ourselves to!” In terms of age, he and Luo Xuan were older than Zhang Xuan. However, in a world where strength commanded respect, calling him ‘Brother Zhang’ was a sign of deference.

“About that… I’m not sure either!” Zhang Xuan said. How would he know who would be a good master? He wasn't planning on apprenticing himself to anyone.

“You’re not sure? How is that possible! We heard that Elder Mi personally wanted to take you as his disciple, and you even refused him…” Luo Xuan and the others exchanged incredulous glances. They had heard it from the other new students as soon as they arrived at the academy yesterday. This Teacher Zhang had been incredibly righteous, sharing his academic credits with everyone, and even gained the favor of Elder Mi, who intended to take him as a student, only to be flatly rejected. If you weren’t even willing to apprentice yourself to Elder Mi, didn’t that mean you had a better candidate in mind?

“I haven’t thought about any of that yet,” Zhang Xuan replied with a faint smile, looking at them. “Do you have suitable candidates in mind? Tell me, and I can ask someone to inquire for you!” These few had come specifically to him, so they probably had some ideas, otherwise they wouldn’t have said they wanted to hear his opinion. New students knew nothing and couldn’t inquire about the quality of a teacher, but he was different. He could easily ask Luo Qiqi, Yu Fei-er, and others, or even Elder Mi, who would likely tell him. Even if all else failed, he could ask the senior students who managed the Elite Quarter, and they would surely answer. Although he hadn't been at the academy for long, he had far more connections than Young Master Ruohuan and the others.