Chapter 929: Sealing the Saint's Solution

"Change clothes?" Mu Shi's puppet looked bewildered. If one could win, they would win; if not, they wouldn't. What did that have to do with changing clothes?

"These clothes were specially prepared for me by the academy and are very precious. However, they feel a bit restrictive. I can only unleash my strongest combat power when I wear my master teacher robes," Zhang Xuan explained.

"Aren't these clothes very precious?" Mu Shi's puppet couldn't help but ask.

The clothes Zhang Xuan was currently wearing were the Dean's robes specially custom-made by the Spirit Forger School and the Heavenly Crafts Institute for his inauguration ceremony. Not only did they fit perfectly, but they also possessed extremely strong defensive capabilities. They were a top-grade spirit artifact, completed by the entire academy at a huge cost.

Mu Shi's keen eye immediately discerned their extraordinary quality. Wearing such clothes would significantly boost anyone's combat power, even a pig's. Yet, Zhang Xuan claimed they weren't suitable? What kind of clothes did he intend to wear? Half-Saint artifacts? Saint artifacts? If that were the case, how could they even fight?

"They are quite precious, but the best clothes are those that fit well, not necessarily the most valuable ones," Zhang Xuan said with a smile, no longer explaining. He waved his hand, "Mu Shi, I might trouble you to turn around. I don't really like people watching me change clothes..."

"Alright!"

Seeing that the fellow intended to change clothes to compete with him, Mu Shi shook his head and turned away.

He had heard of changing clothes for combat before; it was usually practiced by the Ethereal Dancer profession. They would typically change into incredibly flamboyant attire and perform graceful dances to mesmerize and captivate their audience. Could it be that this guy was an Ethereal Dancer? But... even if he was, it would be useless! He was a puppet, and an auxiliary profession that attacked the soul would be completely ineffective against him. Moreover... Ethereal Dancers were usually beautiful women. For a man to prance around... it would likely be more repulsive than beautiful! The thought alone made his hair stand on end.

"Done!"

While inwardly speculating about what this guy was up to, he heard a cold, proud voice. He turned his head and, sure enough, saw that the young man had already finished changing clothes. These new clothes were not as magnificent as the previous ones and looked quite ordinary.

"Is this just... ordinary master teacher robes?" Mu Shi's puppet was stunned.

If the other party had changed into luxurious clothes or a Half-Saint artifact, he could accept it, as clothes could indeed affect strength. But to change into just ordinary master teacher robes, with nothing special about them... It was like exchanging a Saint artifact for a Spirit artifact; it wouldn't increase strength but decrease it! Were you sure you could defeat me by changing into such ordinary clothes?

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan nodded, his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with arrogance. "Even in ordinary clothes, I can defeat you!"

"Since you're so confident, let's begin!"

Seeing this fellow, who had just changed clothes, become unbearably arrogant, completely devoid of his previous humility, Mu Shi's puppet's face sank, and he clenched his fists.

Whoosh! This time, he attacked first. With overwhelming force, his fist carried immense pressure, directly shattering the surrounding air. To make the other party retreat and avoid any messy entanglement, he unleashed his full power from the start, making his attack even stronger and more threatening than before.

"Good timing!"

The transformed Zhang Xuan, no longer displaying his previous deference, did not dodge. Instead, he met the attack with a punch of his own.

"Hmm?"

Upon seeing his attack, Mu Shi's puppet frowned. He knew the opponent's strength well from their previous two exchanges; he couldn't possibly withstand a full-power attack from him. Yet, he was now trying to meet it head-on with a punch... He had expected that changing clothes would make him stronger, but now... it seemed he hadn't just changed clothes, but his mind! Meeting his full-power punch head-on like this would surely result in him being utterly pulverized on the spot.

Hesitating, and just as he was about to retract some of the power from his fist, he saw the opponent's fist already upon him. As the two fists collided, Mu Shi's puppet's pupils constricted. He had thought the opponent's strength was still the same as before, and that even retracting half his power would still be too much for him to handle... But the moment their fists met, he immediately sensed something was wrong. The opponent's previously somewhat weaker strength was now continuously surging forth, like a landslide or a collapsing river, causing his entire body to involuntarily convulse! In this clash of power, not to mention retracting strength, even his full power might not be enough to contend with this opponent!

"Retreat!"

With a roar, veins popped out on his forehead as he pushed his entire body's strength to its limit.

"Hmph!"

The young man opposite him raised his head, a look of disdain in his eyes, and snorted softly. The power in his fist also surged dramatically.

Before Mu Shi's puppet could even react, he was sent flying backward, hurtling dozens of meters horizontally, his back crashing violently against the wall. He gasped for air, his heart feeling as if it would explode.

"This..."

His pupils constricted as he looked at the young man in the middle of the hall with an expression of utter disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost. Just now, when they fought, although his vision was good, his attack power was far too weak; he couldn't even injure him... How could changing clothes make him seem like a completely different person, sending him flying with just one punch? And it seemed he was holding back. The difference was simply too great! He couldn't help but look closely. Both his appearance and soul aura were undoubtedly the same person. This meant that while his actual strength might not have increased, his combat power had surged several times over just by changing clothes!

"You lost!"

While still in shock, the young man in the room put his hands behind his back again, speaking with an arrogant expression.

"I..."

Mu Shi's puppet shook his head with a bitter smile. "Congratulations on passing the ninth level and becoming the first master teacher to successfully clear it since the Record Mountain was established!" Although he didn't know what was going on with the other party, how changing clothes could vastly increase his strength, a loss was a loss. As the esteemed founder of the Master Teacher Academy, he wouldn't deny a defeat over such a minor matter.

Hearing the concession, the young man showed no surprise, as if he expected victory the moment he made his move, displaying an air of smugness.

"You've passed the ninth level, making you the most powerful genius in the Master Teacher Academy in ten thousand years. This 'Sainthood Unveiling' text, which I have treasured my entire life, I now leave to you!" Mu Shi's puppet paid no mind to his arrogance. Instead, he smiled faintly, took out a book, and handed it over.

"'Sainthood Unveiling'?" The young man was full of doubt.

"That's right!" Mu Shi's puppet smiled. "As a master teacher, have you heard how Master Kong broke through to the Saint realm?"

"Yes... I've heard. He was a Heaven-Acknowledged Saint." The young man nodded. When Master Kong achieved his breakthrough, he received the approval of the heavens, becoming a Heaven-Acknowledged Saint. He even left behind the Sainthood Altar at the place of his breakthrough. He had personally visited that place; it was no secret.

"Indeed, a Heaven-Acknowledged Saint!" Mu Shi's puppet's eyes lit up. "A Saint acknowledged by the heavens is not only powerful but also gains immense benefits, laying a solid foundation for future advancements... For countless years, innumerable master teachers have sought to achieve this, but unfortunately... none have succeeded!"

"This 'Sainthood Unveiling' text was something I acquired by chance years ago. It meticulously describes Master Kong's cultivation process before he achieved sainthood... I specifically studied it and compiled it into a cultivation technique!"

"While it cannot truly turn someone into a Heaven-Acknowledged Saint, approved by the heavens, if diligently cultivated, it can absolutely increase one's combat power by more than twofold before reaching the Saint realm!"

"Increase by twofold?" The young man's eyes widened. The amount of power at each level—Half-Saint, Vassal Saint, and Saint realm—was generally fixed... If one could increase their combat power by twofold before breaking through, how profound would their accumulated foundation need to be to achieve that? With such strength, once a breakthrough was achieved, even if not acknowledged by heaven and earth, ordinary Saint realm experts would certainly find it hard to contend; they would be no match at all!

"That's right! However, I must tell you in advance that while cultivating this 'Sainthood Unveiling' can indeed greatly increase combat power, it also has a flaw..." Mu Shi's puppet shook his head. "The flaw is that the accumulation becomes too profound, making breakthroughs much harder than with normal cultivation! In my youth, I pursued these benefits, missed the optimal age for breakthrough, and never reached a higher realm before my death, which became the greatest regret of my life..."

The young man fell silent. The other party was right; everything had its pros and cons. To be able to double one's combat power before reaching the Saint realm showed the depth of accumulation required. With such profound accumulation, breakthroughs would naturally be more difficult. This was also the main reason his cultivation consumed far more resources than that of cultivators at the same level. Cultivating the Heaven's Path Divine Art provided an incredibly solid foundation, far more stable than any other technique. However, it also consumed more resources, and progress would naturally be slower. He felt that his recent cultivation had noticeably slowed compared to before. He had only advanced four major realms in almost two months; the thought filled him with shame.

"The decision is entirely yours. I will give you three days to study this book; whatever level of comprehension you achieve will be solely up to you!" Not noticing his shame, Mu Shi's puppet handed over the book and said.

"Yes!"

The young man nodded, took the book, and hesitated for a moment. "I also need to change clothes to comprehend this technique. Mu Shi, could you please turn around again..."

"Uh... alright!"

Not knowing why this guy had so many peculiarities, Mu Shi shook his head but turned around nonetheless.

Seeing that he was no longer watching, the young man breathed a sigh of relief. With a thought, an identical figure appeared before him. The two exchanged a glance, and the latter immediately understood what had happened.

"Clone, you can go back now!"

The identical figure waved its hand.

"Yes, main body!"

The young man instantly vanished. The one who emerged was the true Zhang Xuan, while the one who had just defeated Mu Shi's puppet was the clone. Although they had only exchanged two moves earlier, Zhang Xuan knew he was certainly no match. While he claimed he was changing clothes, he had actually brought out his clone. This guy was usually unreliable, but its combat power was beyond doubt. Every time Zhang Xuan made significant progress and thought his opponent was no match, he ended up getting beaten senseless... If he wasn't a match for Mu Shi's puppet, his clone certainly would be. As expected, the clone did not disappoint, successfully defeating the puppet and clearing the ninth level.

Strictly speaking, the clone was also part of his own strength, so this "prince-for-a-raccoon dog" maneuver could not be considered a violation. The reason he did it secretly was simply to prevent the clone's secret from being exposed. With his main body now present, Zhang Xuan, with a tap of his finger on the book, concentrated and began to read its contents.