Chapter 998: I Want It All

Hahaha!

The Venerable One laughed and said, "Qionglou, there's no need to be modest. Although the Division Heads and Elders' cultivation is unremarkable, far inferior to what mine was back then, this is also related to the decline in the spiritual energy of the Taicang Grand State. You cannot be blamed for it. If I were living in this era, I might not be able to bring about a significant improvement for the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall either. Moreover..."

The Venerable One smiled and said, "Given such a harsh environment, you still managed to cultivate an outstanding prodigy. Much stronger than me. I don't even have enough time to commend you; why would I punish you?"

Upon hearing this, the Hall Master let out a long sigh of relief. So it was truly praise for him. But he was also somewhat puzzled. Had the Venerable One met Hua Wuying from their sect? As he got up, he asked, "Venerable One, which prodigy are you referring to?"

The Venerable One smiled and said, "Still playing riddles with me? To have cultivated both the Cloud Shadow and the Indestructible Blade to perfection simultaneously—this is even stronger than I was back then. The Cloud Shadow is one of the most difficult techniques to master."

Not only the Hall Master was stunned. All the Division Heads and Elders present were also successively stunned. The Hall Master asked in astonishment, "Venerable One, when have we ever had such a figure in our Hall? The Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall had such a heaven-defying disciple? How did they not know?"

The Venerable One also paused, then pointed to Jiang Fan, who was seated at the lowest seat, and said, "Isn't that kid the one who cultivated the Cloud Shadow and Indestructible Blade to perfection?"

The Hall Master, Division Heads, and numerous Elders all simultaneously looked at Jiang Fan, their faces filled with shock. The Hall Master, with a long, trembling voice, asked, "You... you also cultivated the Indestructible Blade to perfection?"

Jiang Fan was speechless. He had wanted to keep it hidden, but the Venerable One had exposed him. At the moment, he could only brace himself and say, "Yes, Hall Master. I managed to complete the third level through luck."

The Hall Master's eyes widened, and the Division Heads and Elders all looked as if they had seen a ghost. For disciples of the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall, even with complete cultivation methods and ample lightning energy, mastering one technique to perfection was quite difficult. Yet Jiang Fan, an outsider who pieced together techniques, managed to master two? How could the disciples of the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall bear this humiliation? Thankfully, Master Han Jian left early. If he were present, he might have been so furious he'd scold himself in front of a mirror.

"What? As Hall Master, you don't even know the extent of your junior disciples' cultivation?" The Venerable One's expression darkened slightly. "What are you doing? How can you be so irresponsible? Do you feel that being the Hall Master is too much of a grievance for you?"

The Hall Master looked wronged and didn't know how to answer for a moment. Seeing the Venerable One's expression grow increasingly displeased, he could only steel himself and say, "Venerable One, he is not a disciple of our Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall."

The Venerable One's expression suddenly froze. This answer was truly unexpected. Someone sitting in the main hall of the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall, who had mastered two lightning techniques and surpassed the five Division Heads present, was not a member of the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall? Was this a haunting? Could such a thing exist in the world?

A dead silence fell over the main hall, and all the disciples of the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall could not lift their heads, their faces flushed. Jiang Fan scratched his head and said awkwardly, "Senior, I was just lucky. If you gave me another lightning technique, I probably wouldn't be able to cultivate it to the third level."

The Venerable One recovered, laughing angrily in his heart. *You little fellow, you still want a third technique?* He clenched his fists, wanting to lose his temper, but had no face to do so. *Could he really blame someone else for cultivating too quickly when his own disciples were inferior?* He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Qionglou, from now on, revoke all qualifications for outsiders to cultivate the 'Six Heavenly Thunder Techniques'! Anyone who cultivates it again will be severely punished without leniency!" He would not let Jiang Fan cultivate a third technique! Mastering two techniques was already enough to bring shame to the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall. If he mastered another, then the master of the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall might as well be him.

The Hall Master didn't dare to breathe deeply and respectfully said, "Yes, Venerable One." However, he paused and then asked, "What about those who have already been cultivating these past years?" Allowing smaller factions affiliated with the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall to cultivate limited portions of the Six Heavenly Thunder Techniques was a precedent set by the Venerable One himself. He naturally had to ask for clarification.

The Venerable One huffed, "Except for those who have already received permission, but they can only cultivate the techniques they already possess. They are not allowed to cultivate new ones."

Jiang Fan's eyes widened! *You're a Venerable One, why are you being such a poor sport?* He muttered under his breath, "Good thing I just got a scroll of the Dark Heaven's Eye; I won't be too bored for now."

Only he himself could hear this sound. But with the Venerable One present, how could it escape his ears? Immediately, his eyes widened. The divine halo behind his head trembled. *This fellow actually already has a third technique? So, did he just forbid something in vain?* He stared at Jiang Fan, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

"Venerable One? Venerable One?" It wasn't until the Hall Master called out a few times that he came back to his senses. The Venerable One, having nowhere to vent his anger, glared fiercely at the Hall Master. "You'd better speak while kneeling! Useless fellow!"

The Hall Master's face twisted in bitterness. *Alright, I'll take the blame, can't I?* He knelt down again.

The Venerable One squinted at Jiang Fan and asked, "That woman you personally interrogated? Do you understand Hell Language?"

Jiang Fan was secretly astonished. He had only recently learned about the existence of Hell Language. Yet the Venerable One before him had already discerned this, even guessing the woman's identity as a Hell Spirit. The Venerable One was far more powerful than he had imagined. He immediately became cautious and respectfully said, "I understand a little."

The Venerable One huffed, "Is that so? Say something, let me hear it! Don't try to fool me; I've studied it too."

*Really?* Jiang Fan racked his brains for a moment and then spoke the only Hell language phrase he currently knew. "You are a foolish donkey."

The Hall Master and the others listened; the pronunciation was very strange, indeed not like human language. They looked at the Venerable One, asking with their eyes if this was Hell Language. The Venerable One's eyes gleamed as he nodded slightly. "It is indeed a Hell language phrase. Young man, tell them what this means. Let them learn it too!"

Jiang Fan was stunned for a moment. *Venerable One, you're the one who wants to know what it means, aren't you? The Venerable One must be an illiterate pretending to understand! If he truly knew what it meant, he would have started scolding already.* He glanced uneasily at the people of the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall and braced himself to say, "This is a greeting phrase used in the Hell Realm when meeting someone. It's equivalent to our human greeting of 'hello'."

Everyone suddenly understood and noted it down. The ancient giants were coming soon, and learning an extra phrase wouldn't hurt. When the time came to fight the ancient giants, they would first offer a "You are a foolish donkey," letting these barbarians experience the civilized custom of 'courtesy before force' from the Taicang Grand State! The Venerable One also subtly noted down this friendly greeting.

He looked at Jiang Fan approvingly. "Since you are proficient in the Hell Realm language, you should be useful during the ancient war. Because the language spoken by the ancient giants is also Hell language. When the time comes, stay by my side. I will give you an opportunity to prove yourself as a translator." Talent was rare. And talent proficient in the Hell Realm language was even rarer! The Venerable One found it insufficient.

Jiang Fan felt a pang of apprehension. *He was also an illiterate who barely knew a hundred characters! When it truly came time to translate, wouldn't his deception be revealed? No! An illiteracy eradication plan must be put on the agenda.* He showed a respectful expression and said, "Yes, Venerable One."

Seeing Jiang Fan's perceptiveness and talent in Hell language, the Venerable One's previous anger subsided a little. "Since you can cultivate the techniques of my Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall, you must belong to a sect protected by our lineage, correct?"

Jiang Fan secretly rejoiced. Thankfully, he had the identity of a Heavenly Mystery Pavilion disciple; otherwise, his lightning cultivation techniques would be a problem. He immediately said, "This junior is a disciple of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. The Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is fortunate to have received support from the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall, and this junior is deeply grateful. Therefore, my visit today, besides conveying the Bodhisattva's decree, also intends to share my insights on the Cloud Shadow and Indestructible Blade, which I have learned, with one... multiple Division Heads."

*It's better to be a bit greedy as a person. Finding one external expert is finding one; finding a bunch of them isn't much different, is it?*