Zhong Qing had always valued the cultivation of character and state of mind. Calligraphy was the art of sharpening one’s concentration and self-control, so he would often spend his free time with a brush in hand. Due to his devotion to the art, the calligraphy works that he produced were of exceptional quality, such that many experts would specially pay him a visit to request his pieces so as to find inner peace within them.
Given his character and state of mind, an ordinary examination among the younger generation should not have fazed him in the least. But… contrary to his expectations, all eight examinees in his lineage, including his own grandson, had actually been eliminated in the examination! This had shaken him a little, so he wanted to challenge the two youths responsible for it to test their abilities.
However, who could have known that a reputed Scholastic Master like him would end up being looked upon in disdain?
Weak?
Weak your head!
How in the world am I weak?
Zhong Qing was overflowing with rage, but when he thought about the earlier battle, he found himself unable to find the words to refute their claims.
While those two young men did not use a collaborative formation, their coordination was impeccable. Despite being a Sempiternal realm consummation expert, he had been too complacent and ended up falling for their feint, which had eventually led to his downfall.
Zhong Qing swallowed the blood swirling in his mouth and took in a deep breath before turning to the two young men. “Is this what Fan Xiaoxu has taught you?”
He had never seen these two young men in person before, but he had read their records. Given their track record, they should not have been so formidable in battle.
“That’s right!” Fan Xiaofeng and Fan Xiaoxing nodded in response.
In truth, they were also a little surprised by the outcome of the battle. They had thought that a Scholastic Master would be an extremely difficult foe to deal with even if his cultivation was suppressed, but as soon as they used Fan Xiaoxu’s battle insights, everything ended so quickly that even they were caught off guard.
It was as if the other party was nothing more than a weak little chicklet!
Did that not mean that as long as they continued working hard on their fighting skills, they would really be able to become invincible among their peers?
“Then, do you know who imparted these moves to him?” Zhong Qing asked.
“He comprehended them himself!” Fan Xiaofeng replied.
He had asked Fan Xiaoxu that question during the examination, and the other party had replied that these techniques had come out from sudden bouts of inspiration.
“He comprehended them himself? If that’s really the case, his talent is really…” Zhong Qing remarked as his breathing hastened slightly. “Yuanfeng, I need you to help deal with the issues here for the time being. I’ll be making a trip back to the Great Phrontistery of Confucianism to see who Fan Xiaoxu chooses to be his teacher!”
Unable to endure his curiosity, Zhong Qing quickly turned around and left.
No matter who Fan Xiaoxu chose to be his teacher, he would have to make sure to keep on good terms with that person. As long as Fan Xiaoxu did not die a premature death, it was only a matter of time before he rose to the top echelon of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers!
…
Oblivious to the fact that Zhong Qing had been pummeled by Fan Xiaofeng and Fan Xiaoxing, Zhang Xuan was currently navigating his way through a desert according to the directions given on the jade token.
To be honest, he wanted to maintain a low profile. However, it was as if the entire world was denying him of his efforts!
As the first one to reach the Great Phrontistery of Confucianism in record time, there was no way he would be able to blend in with the crowd anymore.
However, this should not pose too much of a problem. As long as his identity as an outsider was not revealed, he would be able to leave as soon as he obtained what he wanted without stirring up too huge a commotion.
Hu!
After flying for some time, a glimmering ray of light suddenly appeared in the distance. Advancing toward the light, Zhang Xuan soon noticed the presence of a humongous folded space.
Shockingly, this folded space was even more stable than the Kunxu Domain itself, such that it almost felt as if he was returning to the Master Teacher Continent. The concentration of spiritual energy was also extremely high, comparable to that of a typical grade-9 Spirit Gathering Formation.
As soon as he stepped into the folded space, his acupoints swiftly opened and began greedily absorbing the spiritual energy.
There were innumerable majestic buildings towering all around. They were designed in a traditional architectural style, as if they had been built tens of thousands of years ago.
“So, this is my destination…”
Knowing that he had arrived at the Great Phrontistery of Confucianism, Zhang Xuan lowered himself to the ground. However, before he could land, he suddenly saw a streak of light hurtling in his direction.
However, this streak of light did not harness any aggressive intent. It stopped right before Zhang Xuan, revealing its true form to be a gigantic copper gong. It took its position beneath Zhang Xuan’s feet before exerting a powerful force against him, seemingly trying to prevent him from landing on the ground.
“Is this a trial as well?” Zhang Xuan frowned.
The Great Phrontistery of Confucianism was right beneath him, but a copper gong was trying to push him away. It was apparent that this was something like a trial he had to undergo in order to officially be inaugurated as a student of the academy.
However, after all that he had been through thus far, what would a mere copper gong count as?
Shaking the excessive thoughts out of his mind, Zhang Xuan stomped his feet on the ground and exerted his might through the soles of his feet.
Hu!
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Overpowered by Zhang Xuan’s stomp, the copper gong was sent flying back to the ground.
With a satisfied smile, Zhang Xuan swiftly descended to the ground.
…
A group of middle-aged folks were standing in a row next to the entrance of the Great Phrontistery of Confucianism. They were mixed in gender, but their clothes resembled those worn by Nangong Yuanfeng.
It was clear with a glance that they were the Scholastic Masters of the academy.
“It’ll take at least one day for the examinees to reach here after the examination. Don’t you think you are being a little too anxious by coming over right now?” a middle-aged lady asked with an unreadable smile.
Another middle-aged man glanced at her and replied, “I do admit that we are a little anxious, but aren’t you the same? If you aren’t anxious, why have you come so early on?”
“Well, I’m just here to see if there are any exceptional geniuses in this batch…” The middle-aged lady harrumphed slightly before turning her head away. “Mi Xuan, why did you bring the copper gong here?”
The crowd turned around and saw a middle-aged man walking over with a massive copper gong above his head. It was twirling continuously, sheltering the middle-aged man from the sun rays.
The copper gong was likely the artifact that Mi Xuan had just forged. However, instead of staying at home to carefully study its purposes, why in the world was he bringing trouble to them instead?
“Haha, you should also know that my talent lies in strength. I brought this copper gong here to test the new students!” Mi Xuan laughed heartily.
“Test the new students?” The middle-aged woman frowned. “That gong of yours is ridiculously heavy. You aren’t thinking of using it to smash our freshmen to death, are you?”
“Of course not!” Mi Xuan refuted as a mysterious smile crept onto his face. “However, I can use the copper gong to push the examinees back. As long as an examinee is able to persevere for ten seconds against my copper gong, they’ll be qualified to become my student and inherit my skills…”
“Ten seconds? Have you not awoken from your dreams yet?”
Hearing those words, the crowd took in a sharp intake of breath.
With Mi Xuan’s monstrous strength and the copper gong’s heavy weight, even they would have trouble coping with the two simultaneously, let alone the Saint 9-dan to Great Sage 1-dan examinees!
Weng!
Before they could finish their words, there was a slight buzz in the air as a glimmer of light flared in the sky.
“An examinee has already arrived at the seal? But… didn’t the examination start not too long ago?”
The crowd was stunned.
They had expected to wait up to a day at least, but the wait turned out to be shorter than expected.
“To be able to decipher the formation so quickly, that person must be pretty strong. He will be a good sample for me test the prowess of my copper gong on!” Mi Xuan chuckled softly as he leaped into the sky.
The gigantic copper gong swiftly flew toward the glimmer of light in the sky, blocking off the entire sun in the blink of an eye.
Hong long!
But before it could reach its target, a resounding reverberation echoed in the air, and the copper gong suddenly flew back to the ground.
Not expecting the copper gong to fly back all of a sudden, Mi Xuan narrowed his eyes in alarm. He quickly leaped into the sky to support the copper gong with his strength, but to his horror, it felt as if the weight of the world was pushing the copper gong down to the ground. It was a force far exceeding what he could withstand!
“Quick, help me!” Mi Xuan bellowed anxiously as his body was swiftly pushed back to the ground.
Realizing the severity of the matter, the other Scholastic Masters quickly rushed into the air to support the copper gong.
Pu! Pu! Pu!
However, as soon as they came into contact with the copper gong, the crushing might pushing them down immediately jolted their bodies, causing fresh blood to spurt from their mouths.
Putong! Putong!
Just like that, the entire group of Scholastic Masters was forcefully pushed to the ground like a bunch of dumplings.
Boom!
The copper gong finally landed on the ground with a reverberating metallic gong, and the Scholastic Masters were pinned underneath, completely disappearing from view.
Hu!
Barely after all of this happened, a figure descended from the sky and scanned his surroundings with a frown on his face.
“Didn’t they tell me that there would be a lot of Scholastic Masters waiting for me here? Why can’t I see anyone?” Shaking his head helplessly, Zhang Xuan proceeded deeper into the Great Phrontistery of Confucianism.