Chapter 889: All Breakthroughs

“If I’m not mistaken, these two must be the so-called Combat Masters, right?”

Exhaling and relaxing, Zhang Xuan finally felt the weariness spread through his entire body. Fighting them appeared to be an easy victory, but in reality, his concentration had been absolute, with no room for even the slightest error. Though the battle lasted only a few minutes, he felt completely drained.

“So young yet possessing such combat power, and their Master Teacher attire is different from ours. They must be...”

Dong Xin nodded. She had read many books and knew how formidable the Combat Master profession was. She hadn't considered it much before, but Zhang Xuan’s reminder immediately made her realize. It’s truly possible these two are! Otherwise, Master Teacher duels usually involve many auxiliary subjects, and rarely do they directly compare cultivation levels.

“Combat Masters?” The remaining individuals exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously. That’s right. Perhaps only this kind of legendary Master Teacher, with the strongest combat power, could possess such strength! At the same level, fighting one against four still left them in a sorry state.

“Grandmaster Zhang can even defeat Combat Masters so easily, doesn't that mean he also meets the Combat Master standard?” Remembering something, Hu Yaoyao looked over.

“Easy?” Zhang Xuan shook his head with a wry smile. “He held back. Otherwise... whether I could have won is still unknown!” To outsiders, it might have seemed like an easy victory, but in reality, that was far from the truth!

“Held back?” Everyone was puzzled. You used a blade of grass, while your opponent wielded a peak-grade spirit longsword. After so many moves in battle, with him not even retaliating once, how could that be holding back?

“If I had used a peak-grade spirit weapon this time, the outcome between us would still be uncertain! By using a wild grass, his arrogance prevented him from taking advantage of his weapon's superiority, which limited the execution of his sword techniques. Furthermore, by deliberately cutting through the log, I gave him the impression of sharp true qi... This is what forced him to continuously retreat. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to win!”

Zhang Xuan shook his head. This duel seemed to be merely a contest of techniques, but in reality, psychological warfare was employed even before it began.

“So that’s how it was…” Only then did everyone understand. Originally, they hadn't minded the wild grass, but when Grandmaster Zhang raised his hand and brought the grass down, instantly severing a log as thick as a bowl, that move sent a chill down their spines. Presumably, Lu Cheng felt the same way, which is why he dared not make contact with the wild grass, thus losing the initiative in one move and finding it difficult to recover.

“Alright, let’s not dwell on this. This is the Crimson Flame Fruit. Adjust your state and consume it as soon as possible. Strive to break through your limitations before we return!”

After meditating for a while and feeling his body recover, Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist and took out the Crimson Flame Fruit.

“Grandmaster Zhang… you really got it?”“How is it in your hands?”

Everyone blinked, full of disbelief. They had been guarding outside the cave and had personally seen Lu Cheng and Wu Xu rush in, only to return disappointed. They had never seen Grandmaster Zhang enter... So how did the Crimson Flame Fruit truly end up in his hands?

“I found another entrance from the back of the valley and secretly went in ahead of time!” Zhang Xuan said casually. He couldn't reveal the matter of the Vicious Soul, so naturally, he had to use other excuses. As for whether the cave had other entrances, now that the item was in his hands, it was unlikely anyone would bother to verify it.

“Incredible…” Everyone was filled with awe and praise. Encountering such good fortune, inviting him along was absolutely the right decision.

“This is Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, one gourd for each of you. Recover your strength, then begin your breakthrough to Half-Saint!” With a flip of his wrist, he took out four gourds of Earth Vein Spirit Liquid and handed them over. These four gourds were clearly much smaller than the one he sold to Wu Xu. However, if filled with spirit liquid, their value would also be considerable, definitely exceeding the One-Yuan Heavy Water from before.

“This…”“Thank you, Grandmaster Zhang!”

This person had just sold one gourd, and they knew the price. This much definitely exceeded fifty high-grade spirit stones, yet now he was directly giving it to them... This kindness was simply impossible to repay! Their eyes all welled up. Knowing that only by successfully breaking through would they not disappoint his hopes, the four were immediately filled with determination.

With the Purple Sun Beast and the Golden Origin Cauldron guarding them, there was no need to worry about disturbances. The four sat cross-legged on the ground and began to cultivate.

Three hours later, all of them had adjusted their condition to its peak and began to consume the Crimson Flame Fruit. As expected of a sacred medicine that increases the chance of breaking through to Half-Saint, after consuming it, their minds immediately became stronger and their souls clearer. Hu Yaoyao, who had received specific guidance from Zhang Xuan, broke through the fastest, succeeding first.

Then came Dong Xin. After experiencing the events with the Elder Council, this girl's mind had become even more resolute than before. She closely followed, breaking through and becoming a Half-Saint expert. Next was Xue Zhenyang. Having listened to Wang Ying and others explain the basic knowledge, his cultivation was more solid. Although he was only third among them, his breakthrough was natural, resulting in a more stable cultivation.

All three successfully broke through, but Long Cangyue wasn't so lucky, failing repeatedly. After attempting four breakthroughs in a row, he felt physically and mentally exhausted. Knowing that continuing to try today would only lead to qi deviation, he had to stop, a frustrated expression on his face. The four guild leaders originally had no significant difference in strength, but now, with the other three successfully breaking through and only he unable to succeed, the emotional disparity in his heart was imaginable.

“Those three are either Grandmaster Zhang’s personal disciples, or his grand-disciples or great-grand-disciples, and they all received his guidance. But me… because I thought too much and was too proud, I didn’t get close to him…” He shook his head with a wry smile. Hu Yaoyao and the others were all more or less connected to Grandmaster Zhang, having received his guidance or favors. But he… because he worried too much and hadn’t interacted much with him, as a result… he couldn't break through his limitations! If he had known this earlier, he would have definitely forged a connection, regardless of whether it meant becoming a grand-disciple or great-grand-disciple.

“What you lack isn't strength, but confidence! Your personality is somewhat indecisive, not as resolute as Xue Zhenyang’s. You tend to overthink things, which is why your attempt to break through to Half-Saint isn't as good as the others’!” Seemingly discerning his thoughts, Zhang Xuan shook his head. To say whether he had an influence on their breakthroughs, he indeed did. The cultivation techniques he explained and the problems he elucidated were sharp and insightful, directly pointing to the Great Dao. Cultivating according to his methods was indeed easier to break through. However, breaking through to Half-Saint isn't just about cultivation level; more importantly, it also involves one's spirit and disposition. Hu Yaoyao was decisive and bold in everything she did. Dong Xin, after experiencing the Elder Council’s affairs, also became more resilient. As for Xue Zhenyang, he was always courageous. Conversely, Long Cangyue was indecisive, prone to overthinking before acting, and this tendency to think too much made it difficult for him to succeed.

“Grandmaster Zhang is right!” His eyes lit up. Long Cangyue felt as if enlightened, understanding completely. He sat cross-legged again, his eyebrows raised. Succeed or perish!

Rumble! The true qi within his body was mobilized, and a furious aura rushed straight into his sea of consciousness. After an unknown period of time, the limitations pressing down from above indeed began to loosen, and finally collapsed with a roar.

Half-Saint, attained!

“Incredible!” The Purple Sun Beast and Golden Origin Cauldron stood to one side, secretly admiring their master as he guided Long Cangyue. Their master was not old, but his understanding of cultivation and human nature had already reached a profound and unfathomable level, hitting the nail on the head and directly pointing out crucial weaknesses. What was even more crucial was that when guiding others, he never held back his knowledge; even if they were opponents or enemies, he was incredibly generous. This magnanimity was enough to make countless Master Teachers wholeheartedly submit.

“Thank you, Grandmaster Zhang!” Having broken through to Half-Saint, Long Cangyue no longer had his previous arrogance. He bowed before Zhang Xuan with genuine sincerity.

“Let’s go back!” The purpose of coming here had been fulfilled, everyone had broken through to Half-Saint, and there was no need to stay any longer. The group once again stepped onto the Purple Sun Beast’s back and flew straight towards Hongyuan City.

Lu Cheng and Wu Xu stopped after leaving the valley.

“Brother Lu, did you not use your full strength just now…?” During the previous battle, Wu Xu had been quite shocked, but as they traveled, he carefully pondered it and felt something was off. He knew very well what kind of strength his Brother Lu possessed. Many powerful moves weren't used, yet he lost... It was obvious that in the previous battle, he had gone easy!

“Didn’t use my full strength?” Shaking his head, Lu Cheng could no longer hold back. His body swayed, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out!

“Brother Lu…” He hadn't expected his injuries to be so severe. He quickly helped him find a place to sit down and fed him another pill, only then breathing a sigh of relief. “Brother Lu, what is this…?”

“Many of my ultimate moves were not unleashed, not because I didn’t want to, but because... I couldn't!” After recovering a bit, Brother Lu shook his head.

“Couldn’t unleash them?” Wu Xu was puzzled.

“Yes. He used a blade of grass, which seemed like disdain, making it inconvenient for me to clash head-on. But in reality, every single one of his sword moves accurately struck my weak points! This prevented my true qi from flowing smoothly within my body... Powerful ultimate moves simply couldn't be unleashed!” Brother Lu smiled wryly. Although the competition had long ended, just thinking of the opponent’s insight and strength made his pupils involuntarily contract. It wasn't that he didn't want to unleash powerful ultimate moves; it was that his true qi was cut off by the opponent, and he couldn't accumulate the energy for them at all. It was like a river being blocked in sections, unable to flow smoothly. How could it possibly form a flood?

“True qi unable to flow?” Wu Xu was stunned.

“Yes, indeed. Grandmaster Zhang’s strength isn’t just his ability to challenge higher ranks; what's more terrifying is his insight. It's as if he understood all my moves, knew them all perfectly, and could see where the flaws were at a glance, then block them... In fact, I knew I had lost on the very first move. The remaining hundred-plus moves were merely him intentionally holding back!” Brother Lu shook his head.

“Intentionally holding back? How is that possible?” Wu Xu couldn’t believe it. He knew his friend’s strength very well. To lose in one move… How did he not notice that the opponent was holding back?

“You don’t believe it? Then I’ll tell you! I was previously severely injured by the Purple Sun Beast and that cauldron. Although I recovered for an hour, I wasn’t fully healed… You should be aware of this, right?” Brother Lu said.

“Yes!” Wu Xu nodded. “He was right there when I was hit; how could he not know? I used a secret technique to suppress my injuries. We are from the same sect and origin; you must know this secret technique!”

“It’s… the Hu Bo Healing Method, left by Senior Hu Bo!” Wu Xu replied.