Chapter 988: Rejoining the Surface

It had just been said that the Combat Masters were powerful and not to be trifled with, yet two teenagers, around sixteen or seventeen, knocked them unconscious.

One powerful student might have been acceptable, but two in a row? The second one had only been cultivating for about two months, not even knowing any combat techniques...

Upon entering the academy, they were beaten by ordinary students. Then, two students successively passed the Dragon Gate Formation, a challenge hardly anyone had overcome in 300 years...

Honestly, he was starting to question everything.

Dean Zhang, even if you are incredibly skilled and powerful, there’s no need to be so ruthless!

It’s one thing for you to be strong, but for your casually taught students to be this formidable? Where does that leave the reputation of our Combat Master Hall?

“Combat Master Liao, it seems... your people can’t continue the next match. What should the two of us do?”

Just as he was feeling utterly dejected, he heard Wang Ying’s voice from the side.

Hearing her, he suddenly remembered that all nine people on the stage were poisoned and unconscious, still not having woken up.

In past assessments, their combat masters were always the ones knocking others unconscious. Now, the opponent had only fielded two students, and his own side was severely injured and comatose...

Liao Song felt his heart turn cold.

“Let our people rest for a while... We’ll continue in three days! Also, summon a few more combat masters from the Combat Master Hall...”

After a moment of hesitation, Liao Song said.

There was no other choice now.

His nine subordinates were severely poisoned. Even if they could be detoxified, it would take several days for them to fully recover.

It would be improper to continue the assessment before they recovered to their peak condition.

It was better to rest for a few days, then continue the assessment, and bring in more people in the meantime!

He couldn't believe the dignified Combat Master Hall couldn't handle just a few people!

“Alright!” Wang Ying hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Zheng Yang passed the assessment using strategy, and Wei Ruyan relied on her innate physique. She and Liu Yang couldn't depend on either of those; relying solely on their strength would make passing extremely difficult.

With a three-day buffer, their teacher would return. They could learn from him then, and the assessment would be much easier.

It wasn't that their strength was inferior to Zheng Yang's. Many techniques had already been demonstrated, and the combat masters in charge of the assessment would undoubtedly be prepared for a second battle.

Succeeding again would be difficult.

Seeing her agree, Liao Song breathed a sigh of relief. He was currently afraid that the other side would demand to continue the assessment. It would be truly pathetic for the esteemed Combat Master Hall not to even have people available for the assessment.

“That was incredible!”

“To witness such a battle, I have no regrets in this life!”

“He truly is Dean Zhang’s direct disciple! This Zheng Yang is so powerful!”

“Of course! With such a formidable Dean, how could his students be ordinary?”

Although there were only two battles, and many didn't fully grasp Wei Ruyan's assessment, Zheng Yang's combat was incredibly thrilling. Countless cultivators who came to watch the matches felt their trip was worthwhile, having personally witnessed the birth of a legend.

“I wonder what the conditions are to become a direct disciple of the Dean...”

“Me too...”

Many people began to ponder how they could become Dean Zhang's direct disciple and rise to prominence. Even many cultivators from the four major academies who had failed to become combat masters now had gleaming eyes and were considering their options.

What they didn't know, however, was that the person they so eagerly wished to apprentice under was currently sitting cross-legged deep within a seal in the underground cavern, resembling an embryonic form encased within.

After an unknown period, he finally opened his eyes.

“Just a little more!”

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan stood up.

Over the past few days, while repairing the seal, he had also re-cultivated the 'Sealing Saint's Insight' according to the seal's structure. His strength had indeed improved significantly. Although his cultivation remained at the pinnacle of the Half-Saint realm, his combat power and physical strength had surged once more.

Through cultivation, the primordial embryo within him had become more stable, like a golden pill rotating smoothly. He had now reached the final step of cultivation, needing only one more breakthrough.

According to his calculations, once this final step was completed, it would require a vast amount of spiritual energy. Remaining within the seal would affect it, so he stopped.

With a leap, he sprang out of the seal.

This seal posed no significant obstacle to humans, but for the Spirit Exorcism beings, it was like a spatial barrier, difficult to traverse.

Returning to the underground cavern, he found a safe spot, took out a pile of formation flags, flicked his fingers, and set up a level six Spirit Gathering Formation. He then sat within it, throwing out hundreds of high-grade spirit stones, and began cultivating.

Having slain over two hundred Spirit Exorcism beings, and with the profits from the Shen family, he was not short on high-grade spirit stones. Besides, as long as it could improve his strength, any expense was trivial.

Taking a deep breath, all his acupoints opened, and the surrounding spiritual energy immediately swept towards him like a gale, entering his body.

Streams of true qi, condensed into the 'Sealing Saint's Insight' using a special method, gradually repaired the last flaw in the golden pill, layer by layer.

*Rumble!*

After an unknown duration, a thunderous roar echoed. The spiritual energy within the Spirit Gathering Formation was instantly drained, and hundreds of high-grade spirit stones crumbled into powder. Immediately after, Zhang Xuan felt a violent tremor within his dantian. The golden pill suddenly transformed, turning a purplish-gold color.

This purplish-gold primordial embryo, heavy as a mountain and vast as a planet, slowly revolved, giving off a feeling of endless power.

“What a powerful primordial embryo...”

His eyes lit up, and Zhang Xuan clenched his fists.

He could clearly feel that with this primordial embryo operating, his perception of the surrounding spiritual energy became much easier, and the speed at which he refined true qi also significantly increased.

In other words, cultivating with this primordial embryo would make his cultivation speed faster and his true qi purer!

“Could this be... a First-Grade Primordial Embryo?”

His body trembled slightly.

Previously, his primordial embryo was already of the second-grade top-tier. Now, it had transformed again, becoming purplish-gold. Although the 'Sealing Saint's Insight' didn't record what grade this was, it had likely reached the first-grade!

A First-Grade Primordial Embryo had only been successfully formed by Master Kong in history. Its power was immeasurable, and it was crucial for achieving Sainthood!

“It’s a pity I’m still missing an item; otherwise, I could directly attempt to break through to the Saint realm...”

After studying it for a while and learning more about the purplish-gold primordial embryo within him, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

The 'Sealing Saint's Insight' he was currently cultivating was not of the Heavenly Dao level and had flaws. Breaking through to Half-Saint required Thunderstone, while breaking through to the Saint realm required another treasure: the Seven-Colored Earth Qiong Liquid.

This item only appeared deep within earth veins and was even rarer than Earth Vein Spirit Liquid. Even with all the treasures he possessed, he had never seen it before.

Without it, he couldn't attempt to reach the Saint realm.

“I can only go out and search for it...”

Just because he didn't have it didn't mean it wasn't available anywhere in the Hongyuan Empire. Searching for anything in the underground cavern was inconvenient, so not finding it wasn't a major issue.

If all else failed, he could always apply to the headquarters.

The Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters had protected humanity for tens of thousands of years; what treasure could they not possess?

As long as he had enough merit points and wealth, these items could be easily exchanged.

“The seal is almost fully repaired, and the Spirit Exorcism beings who came through have been slain. It's time to go back...”

Stretching, he put away the formation flags and glanced at the seal once more, letting out a breath of relief.

After days of continuous repair, the damaged parts of the seal were perfectly mended. Even if the Spirit Exorcism beings on the other side had some tricks, it would likely be very difficult for them to cross over now.

He had been in the underground cavern for several days; it was time to ascend.

Although the oppressive aura of slaughter in this place made breathing difficult, his gains were considerable. His strength had broken through to the pinnacle of the Half-Saint realm, and his primordial embryo had advanced. These two points alone were immense opportunities.

Moreover, his puppet, which was previously only at the first level of the Saint realm, had now transformed to the third level, greatly increasing his ability to protect himself.

Flying along, he didn't see Lu Feng and the others. He assumed they had returned earlier after realizing the threat from the Spirit Exorcism beings had been resolved.

He quickly arrived at the place where he had appeared before and mentally communicated with the soul within the tombstone.

Immediately, he felt a powerful suction, and his entire being re-entered the tombstone.

He met with Master Mu's spiritual consciousness and thoroughly explained what had happened below, leaving Master Mu deeply moved.

“This seal was set up by one of Master Kong's followers back then. It involves the laws of space, and no one dares touch it unless they reach the peak of the Saint realm. The passage leads to an extraterrestrial battlefield called the Azure Field Battlefield. It is said that the strongest Spirit Exorcism beings there have reached the fifth level of the Saint realm!”

“The Qianyuan Conferred Empire would find it difficult to contend with such power, but they also couldn't break the seal. That's why the headquarters didn't send anyone over. Now, they've somehow managed to teleport soldiers here, which is truly unsettling!”

“Don't worry, I've already repaired the damaged seal using a special method...”

Zhang Xuan recounted the events of the past few days.

Of course, his "special method" naturally involved "Yang Xuan" again. Otherwise, no one would believe that he could repair the seal with his current strength.

“To be able to take a Heaven-Acknowledged Master Teacher as a student, his teacher is naturally extraordinary. It's a pity I won't have the opportunity to seek guidance from this esteemed expert...”

Master Mu sighed with emotion.

After conversing for a while, the spiritual consciousnesses of the deans were put at ease. Zhang Xuan then left the tombstone and exited the Dean's Tomb.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Zhao Bingxu, Elder Mi, and others waiting outside, looking at him with worried expressions.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing their expressions, Zhang Xuan frowned.

“Dean... why did it take you so many days to come out?”

Zhao Bingxu couldn't hold back and asked directly.

“Oh, after I went in, I suddenly had an epiphany and made a breakthrough inside...” Zhang Xuan had already prepared an excuse.

Regarding the Spirit Exorcism beings in the underground cavern, the fewer people who knew, the better, to avoid trouble. Rather than causing everyone concern, it was better not to mention it.

“A breakthrough?”

The two elders exchanged glances, and their mouths twitched simultaneously: “The Dean’s Tomb... is it alright? How much of it collapsed inside? Does it need repairs? Oh, never mind, if it collapsed, it collapsed. Dean, you don’t need to blame yourself...”

Whenever this Dean cultivated, nothing good ever happened.

Just like back at the Artifact Forging Academy, the entire underground fire channel collapsed because he was cultivating his physical body.

“Blame myself? Collapsed?”

Only then did Zhang Xuan understand what they were worried about, leaving him utterly speechless.

He always acted prudently, yet he was being misunderstood in such a way... It was utterly ridiculous!

Are you even capable?

Are you truly my subordinates?