Chapter 850: Sealing Saint Platform

While discussions were underway to expose his identity, Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxi stood by the window on the back of the Celestial Vicious Beast, their expressions serene as they watched the white clouds flit past.

"The Fengsheng Platform is where Master Kong achieved sainthood. Not only did he leave his personal calligraphy on the mountain wall, but it's also said that he left a wisp of his will, to be granted to a destined individual. Since you are all Heaven-recognized Master Teachers, you might have a chance to obtain it!" Luo Ruoxi said with a smile.

"A wisp of his will?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Master Kong's status was self-evident; he was the progenitor of all Master Teachers. The preciousness of a single wisp of his will was enough to make countless Master Teachers flock to it.

"Indeed. Although it was left right after he broke through to the Saint realm and isn't considered extremely powerful, it is still Master Kong's — it shouldn't be underestimated. If you can obtain it and fuse with it, breaking through to the Saint realm will be just around the corner!" Luo Ruoxi nodded.

"Breaking through to the Saint realm?" Zhang Xuan gave a wry smile. "I'm only at the pinnacle of the Guiyi realm right now. The Saint realm is still a long way off!"

Although he wished to break through, there was still a considerable distance to the Saint realm. After the Guiyi realm came the Tashu realm, Canfeng realm, and even Half-Saint and Quasi-Saint. Even if he had enough secret manuals and could consolidate sufficient Heaven's Path cultivation techniques for these four major realms, the geomantic spirit liquid he had collected might not be enough. The further one progressed with Heaven's Path cultivation techniques, the higher the demand for spiritual energy, and the consumption of spirit stones and spirit liquid would be hundreds, even thousands of times greater than for ordinary Saint realm cultivators. Furthermore, both Canfeng to Half-Saint and Half-Saint to Quasi-Saint were significant bottlenecks. These two great bottlenecks had trapped countless individuals, and even with the Heaven's Path cultivation technique, he couldn't guarantee a hundred percent success rate.

"When I last saw you in Qingjishan, you were only at the pinnacle of the Zhuoqing realm, right? In less than two months, you've reached the pinnacle of the Guiyi realm, forcefully elevating three major realms. Such a pace of improvement is something even I rarely witness! Although the Saint realm is powerful, it shouldn't be difficult for you." Luo Ruoxi said. The first time she met him, he was only at the pinnacle of the Zhuoqing realm. The second time, he had already reached the pinnacle of the Qiaotian realm. She had thought that was fast enough, but to her surprise, when she saw him yesterday, he was already at the pinnacle of the Guiyi realm. Such a speed of advancement was simply astounding.

"I... I was just lucky..." Zhang Xuan chuckled awkwardly, not wanting to dwell on the subject. Remembering something, he couldn't help but ask, "By the way, do you have any cultivation manuals for the Tashu realm? The level doesn't matter, the more the better!" The cultivation manuals at the Master Teacher Academy were managed more strictly than ordinary books. Guarding formations made it difficult for even soul-type beings to enter, and most of the custodians were teachers. Given his previous experience at the Jinghong Chamber, even he dared not rashly break in. One Wei Ranxue had nearly killed him; if several experts skilled in soul arts appeared and launched an attack, he probably wouldn't even be able to escape. Therefore, these past few days, he had been busy learning other professions and hadn't sought out cultivation techniques. It wasn't that he couldn't find them, but that he didn't dare to. Now, with time on the road and nothing else to do, he thought to ask. If she had any, he could learn them and coincidentally improve his strength.

"Cultivation techniques for the Tashu realm? I do, but only one, and it's a family technique that cannot be taught to outsiders..." Luo Ruoxi shook her head.

"That was thoughtless of me!" Zhang Xuan felt a little awkward.

Based on the information he had, the person before him was very likely from the Luo family, a Saint Clan. Family cultivation techniques were extremely well-protected, and to rashly ask for one would be a great disrespect. It was like what happened to Master Mu previously, who was expelled from his clan for leaking a cultivation technique.

"There's nothing thoughtless about it. If you want to attempt breaking through to the Tashu realm, I can offer you some guidance..." Luo Ruoxi smiled. "Tashu is the eighth realm of Mortal Transcendence. In this realm, your entire being becomes more attuned to nature, allowing you to walk on air..." Zhang Xuan listened intently; his eyes couldn't help but sparkle.

As expected of an expert from a Saint Clan, her explanation of the Tashu realm was incredibly detailed and almost entirely accurate! Following her method, even without a specific cultivation technique, he could break through realms and progress further.

However, Zhang Xuan was not in a hurry. He had only broken through to the Guiyi realm a little over two days ago. If he rushed to advance, his cultivation could easily become unstable. Even with the Heaven's Path cultivation technique, a solid foundation was necessary. Otherwise, the faster the progress, the more it would resemble castles in the air or reflections in water — easily dissipated.

The more they chatted, the more Zhang Xuan benefited. Their conversation gave him a deeper understanding of his future cultivation. It would take almost three days to reach the Fengsheng Platform. He had been too busy during this time to cultivate, but through their discussion, he gained new insights and took the opportunity to consolidate his cultivation. The geomantic spirit liquid flowed through his meridians, and his Heaven's Path true qi, refined through countless trials, became even purer and tougher.

Time flew by. After three days of refinement, his strength at the pinnacle of the Guiyi realm was completely consolidated, and his aura was much sharper than before. Although his raw power hadn't broken through, remaining at 14 million ding, his application of true qi became more flexible, significantly enhancing his combat ability. In particular, his Qi Sea was nearly twice as wide as before, with pure true qi surging within, like a gathering flood ready to unleash astonishing power at any moment.

Three days of diligent cultivation had given him a deeper understanding of the Guiyi realm. At this moment, given the opportunity, he could break through the bottleneck at any time and reach the Mortal Transcendence Eightfold Tashu realm in one go!

"Let's look at that golden book!" After agreeing to take Dean Jiang as his disciple, a golden book had appeared in his mind. He hadn't had time to examine it closely until now that his cultivation was complete. This book was slightly different from before; it wasn't as bright, appearing somewhat dim gray. Although its radiance had faded, it gave off a feeling of even greater vastness.

"It seems that with my advancement, the Tome of Heaven's Path has also advanced..." He nodded to himself.

The previous golden book allowed him to instantly memorize countless pieces of knowledge; it could transform into a brick to smash people to death, from which even formidable experts like Han Qiao couldn't escape; and it could raise his state of mind level, directly increasing it by a major tier... He wondered what new abilities the slightly dimmer book would possess after its advancement. Just as he was about to examine it, he heard a clear voice say, "We've arrived at the Fengsheng Platform!"

"Arrived?" He put aside his research for the moment, opened his eyes, and saw Luo Ruoxi standing by the window, gazing outside, as serene as a beautiful painting. He walked over and looked out, where a majestic mountain appeared before them. It stood on a smooth plain like a colossal dragon soaring into the sky. Its peak seemed to have been flattened by someone, resembling a gigantic altar from afar. A winding white mountain path spiraled directly upwards, leading straight to the summit. "This is the Fengsheng Platform?" Zhang Xuan gasped in awe.

The mountain was a work of divine craftsmanship, like a towering platform connecting heaven and earth. It was hard to believe without seeing it with one's own eyes.

"It is said that Master Kong meditated here for three days and achieved a breakthrough in one go, with sacred sounds descending from heaven and ten thousand bells ringing simultaneously." Luo Ruoxi seemed quite knowledgeable about the scene of Master Kong's sainthood, and she said with a smile, "No one knows what this mountain looked like before, but after Master Kong attained sainthood here, it transformed into this form, like a high altar connecting the earth and the heavens! Cultivating here broadens one's state of mind, making breakthroughs easier. Thus, countless cultivators come here every year seeking breakthroughs."

Zhang Xuan nodded. Under the illumination of his Eye of Insight, figures were indeed winding along the distant white mountain path, just as she had described; many people had come seeking enlightenment. As for whether they would succeed, that depended on their destiny.

"Because it is where Master Kong achieved sainthood, the Master Teacher Pavilion has designated this place as a holy land. To ascend, one can only walk up from the foot of the mountain, step by step. No flying is allowed, and Saint realm experts are no exception... Let's head to the foot of the mountain!" Luo Ruoxi said. Master Kong's place of sainthood was solemn and majestic; it was impossible for anyone to fly directly to the top. There was only one way to ascend the mountain: walk along the winding path! This was also a sign of respect for Master Kong and the Master Teacher profession.

Knowing the rules, Zhang Xuan did not overstep them and had the Purple-winged Celestial Vicious Beast fly towards the foot of the mountain. Before they even arrived, they saw a constant stream of people. Countless individuals in Master Teacher robes were trudging forward along the mountain path. These people were mostly Canfeng realm experts, with some Half-Saints and Quasi-Saints among them. Some were Master Teachers, others were cultivators of different professions. It seemed they had all made the special trip to seek their fortunes.

"Are these... all experts from the Hongyuan Empire?" Zhang Xuan asked, puzzled. A quick glance revealed over ten thousand people on the mountain path, almost all of them Canfeng realm, Half-Saint, or Quasi-Saint cultivators... Where did the Hongyuan Empire get so many experts?

"Of course not. The Fengsheng Platform stands on the border of the Hongyuan Empire, connecting with over a dozen first-tier empires. Even people from Conferred Empires will come here. If one percent of these people are from Hongyuan, that would be good!" Luo Ruoxi said.

"Oh!" Zhang Xuan responded.

Through reading in the past few days, he had gained a rough understanding of the surrounding regions. The Hongyuan Empire was a first-tier empire, situated beneath the Qingyuan Conferred Empire. Under the Qingyuan Empire, there were dozens of such first-tier nations, vast in territory, covering tens of millions of kilometers and boasting a population exceeding a trillion. Although the Hongyuan Empire was renowned for its Master Teacher Academy, it was not the largest among the first-tier empires in terms of area, only ranking in the middle. Consequently, it did not possess the most experts either.

The strongest expert in Hongyuan City was merely at the pinnacle of Saint Realm 1-dan, whereas some powerful first-tier empires had Saint Realm 2-dan, or even 3-dan experts presiding over them. Different levels of powerful cultivators meant that even among first-tier empires, there were significant disparities.

"By the way, is the Master Teacher Academy unique to the Hongyuan Empire, or do other first-tier empires have them too?" Zhang Xuan then asked.

"Master Teacher Academies are places specifically for cultivating Master Teachers. Although the Hongyuan Empire doesn't have the only one, there aren't many within the first-tier empires. Under the Qingyuan Conferred Empire, among dozens of first-tier empires, there are only four such academies." Luo Ruoxi said, "However, they are extremely far apart, so many people are unaware of them!"

"Four?" Zhang Xuan gasped in astonishment. He had always thought that there was only one Master Teacher Academy in the first-tier empire region, the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, but to his surprise, there were three more like it. If one Hongyuan Academy alone had a hundred thousand Master Teachers, the other academies must be equally impressive. It seemed the Master Teacher Continent was truly vast, at least thousands, if not tens of thousands of times larger than Earth in his previous life. Terrifying!