Zhuo Qingfeng had brought a portrait of Zhang Xuan with him, but Hall Master Xing had thought that the other party was just the principal of a Tier-1 Empire Academy, so he had not paid much heed to the matter. Instead, he had instructed his subordinates to make arrangements for it.
After all, someone of his status had to deal with everything personally. No matter how strong he was, he would still be exhausted to death.
Now that he thought about how Sun Qiang and Zhang Xuan were about the same age and were both geniuses, he couldn't help but feel suspicious.
While there was no lack of geniuses in the world, it was still extremely rare to find someone as powerful as Zhang Xuan. It was impossible for two of them to appear in Qingyuan City at the same time!
"I'll go look for it …"
Nodding, Division Head Liao was just about to head out when Hall Master Xing suddenly frowned. As if sensing something, he took out a Communication Jade Token.
The latter's eyes immediately lit up when he scanned it with his mental power, and his face flushed with excitement.
"What's wrong?" Division Head Liao asked.
The Hall Master had always maintained a poker face. Something must have happened for her to have such a drastic change.
"Guild Leader Qi is back!"
Hall Master Xing clenched his fists tightly.
"Guild Leader Qi? Elder Qi of the Physician Guild? Back then, he saved your life, but not too long after that, he disappeared without a trace. I thought that he had already passed away … "Division Head Liao was also stunned.
Twenty years ago, Hall Master Xing had been severely wounded by the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and his Primordial Spirit had been severely damaged. As a result, he had been in a coma for three whole years. If not for Elder Qi, he would have been dead by now.
He had intended to express his gratitude to the other party for saving him, only to find that the other party had disappeared without a trace for more than twenty years.
Even he was filled with disappointment, thinking that he might not be here anymore … Who would have thought that he would actually return!
"Yeah, we'll talk about the portrait later. Help me prepare the items as soon as possible. I want to pay a visit personally!"
Hall Master Xing instructed agitatedly.
His savior had appeared once again. Everything had to be put aside.
After making some preparations, the duo hurriedly left the Combat Master Hall. Not too long later, they arrived at the Physician Guild and met with Elder Qi.
Just like before, the old president didn't change much, but his aura seemed to have become sharper.
Hall Master Xing's eyes lit up as he clasped his fist. "Congratulations to Elder Qi for reaching Half-Leaving Aperture realm!"
It had been twenty years since they last met, but not only did the old president's physical strength not weaken, his strength had also increased significantly. This made him very excited.
"Your strength has also improved. Not bad, not bad!"
Since he could tell the other party's level, the other party could naturally tell his as well. Elder Qi nodded his head in satisfaction.
"If not for Elder Qi stepping in to save me, I might still be in a coma right now …" Hall Master Xing sighed deeply before asking doubtfully, "Elder Qi, why did you suddenly leave without saying goodbye?"
"Sigh!"
Hearing the question, Old Guild Leader Qi sighed deeply. "It's a long story. I didn't leave of my own accord. Instead, I was poisoned and hunted down by someone. Eventually, I managed to escape to a Tier-1 Empire. Otherwise, I would have long been dead!"
"Poison? Chase me down? "
Hall Master Xing's face darkened as killing intent burst forth from his body.
He knew President Qi's character very well. He was upright and plainspoken all his life. Who would dare to lay a hand on him? Furthermore, it was done right under the nose of Mingshi Tang and the Combat Master Hall!
"Who poisoned him? Elder Qi, do you know who it is? "Hall Master Xing asked with a cold glint in his eyes.
"I have already guessed the culprit, but the implications are too great, so I can't reveal it at the moment. The reason why I called you here is to discuss this matter with you. I'll head to your Combat Master Hall to lay low for the time being and reinforce my cultivation before making any further plans!"
Elder Qi said.
"Lay low? Head to the Combat Master Hall? "Hall Master Xing narrowed his eyes in astonishment.
Even though the other party didn't say who it was, he could already roughly guess the identity of the culprit.
Elder Qi was a Half-Leaving Aperture realm expert, as well as the old guild leader of the Physician Guild, and yet, he still had to seek refuge in the Combat Master Hall. Most likely, the culprit was no ordinary person.
Hall Master Xing nodded grimly. "Alright, you'll be safe if you head to my Combat Master Hall."
The Combat Master Hall housed the strongest fighting prowess of the entire Qingyuan Conferred Empire. Putting aside the fact that Hall Master Xing had already reached Leaving Aperture realm, even if he was only at Half-Leaving Aperture realm, he would still be able to deal with most ordinary Leaving Aperture realm experts!
More importantly, there were many halls and formations in the Combat Master Hall. Anyone who dared to barge into the Combat Master Hall would be courting death.
"Thank you, Hall Master Xing. I thought that I would never be able to return after being poisoned, but fortunately, I met a benefactor who saved my life. Otherwise, we might not have met ever again …"
Recalling his previous experience, Elder Qi couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
"Elder Qi, despite your incredible medical skills, you were still unable to cure the poison … Could it be that the benefactor you spoke of is even more skilled than you?" Hall Master Xing asked.
He was well aware of Elder Qi's medical skills. While he might not be the number one physician in the Qingyuan Conferred Empire, he was definitely not far from it.
For such a formidable figure to be unable to cure his poison despite having been poisoned for more than twenty years, and yet, a benefactor saved him so easily … Wasn't that person a little too fearsome?
"Compared to him, it's like the difference between an ant and a divine dragon. We can't even be mentioned in the same breath. Even though the benefactor isn't too powerful, be it in terms of eye of discernment or medical skills, they are far beyond mine … "
Elder Qi couldn't help but feel admiration for the benefactor he had saved.
Other than his teacher, he had never respected anyone so much in the field of the Way of Medicine. But for that benefactor … no amount of respect would be too much.
Hearing Elder Qi's compliments, Hall Master Xing couldn't help but ask, "May I know who the benefactor is?"
"His name is Sun Qiang, but I'm not too sure where he came from …" Elder Qi nodded. "You have more connections than me, so if there's a chance, help me keep an eye out for him. If we meet again, I'll have to thank him properly …"
Just as Elder Qi was about to speak, Hall Master Xing suddenly widened his eyes in shock, and a deep frown surfaced on his forehead. "What's wrong?"
"A master teacher has come to our Combat Master Hall today, and he goes by the name of Sun Qiang as well. He … he once claimed to be a physician! Is he … is he the person you spoke of? "Hall Master Xing asked.
Previously, when Sun Qiang said that he would use poison to cure his affliction, he had specifically mentioned that he was a physician!
Could it be that … they were the same person?
"He goes by the name of Sun Qiang as well? What does he look like? "
Guild Leader Qi looked over in agitation.
If Zhang Xuan were here, he would surely be able to recognize Elder Qi as the Eccentric Old Man whom he had saved back at Jingyuan City.
Back then, after treating the Eccentric Old Man's poison, he had managed to push his cultivation all the way up to Primordial Spirit realm. In the past two months, his cultivation had stabilized, and he had managed to achieve a breakthrough to Half-Leaving Aperture realm.
From Primordial Spirit realm to Half-Leaving Aperture realm, the most important factor was the tempering of one's soul. The Eccentric Old Man had been suffering from poison for more than twenty years, and as soon as his affliction was resolved, he immediately made a breakthrough to Half-Leaving Aperture realm.
"He's a young man in his early twenties …" Hall Master Xing described the other party's appearance.
"No, that's not right. The Sun Qiang that I saw looks to be in his forties. However, there are many experts who are capable of disguising themselves … Why don't you bring me over to take a look?" Hearing that his benefactor might be in the Combat Master Hall, Elder Qi couldn't help but ask.
"Alright!"
Hall Master Xing and Division Head Liao nodded before bringing Elder Qi over to the Combat Master Hall.
…
"The purpose of the examination in the Inner Breath Division is to assess the amount of zhenqi a cultivator possesses. There's a formidable formation in the Trial of Inner Breath that can assess the amount of zhenqi a cultivator possesses, and the higher the score one obtains, the more concentrated the zhenqi Ming Zhen possesses. You are currently at Saint 1-dan pinnacle, so as long as you can score more than ten points, you'll be considered to have cleared the examination, and you'll be able to enter the library to browse through the books there! "
Division Head Wei explained as they proceeded forward.
Zhang Xuan nodded.
While the duo was speaking, they had already arrived at the Inner Breath Division.
The Inner Breath Division was a towering building similar to the Heart Division, and there were quite a few students within.
"Actually, with Sun shi's strength, there's no need for you to take the examination at all. I can easily bring you over," Division Head Wei said with a smile.
The young man before them had been able to dodge the combined attacks of three Primordial Spirit realm experts despite only possessing a cultivation of Saint 1-dan pinnacle. Putting aside everything else, with such fighting prowess, he should be able to clear the examination in the Inner Breath Division with ease.
"I have been immersed in my cultivation all this while, so I haven't taken the examination yet. I would like to see the gap between me and the combat masters," Zhang Xuan said.
In truth, Zhang Xuan had his own motives for taking the examination. Firstly, he wanted to assess his own strength, and secondly, he wanted to see the standards set by the Combat Master Hall so that the members of the Xuanxuan Faction could prepare themselves in advance.
Otherwise, if he didn't even know the strength of the other party, he would surely be at a huge disadvantage.
On the way there, he had already sent the Vitreous Heart Tempering Sutra to Wang Ying through his Communication Jade Token.
He had modified the Vitreous Heart Tempering Sutra very simply, such that even if he didn't explain it to the other party, he should still be able to comprehend it easily and cultivate it.
"Gap?"
Division Head Wei shook his head. There was indeed a gap between the combat masters, but there was no doubt that it was the young man before him who had pulled ahead of the other combat masters.
Of course, he didn't say those words aloud. Instead, he continued leading the way, and not too long later, they arrived at a passageway.
The Internal Breath Passageway was different from the Passageway of Inner Breath. The latter was completely devoid of people, and the passageway that Zhang Xuan had entered was specially reserved for the elders. As such, there wasn't a single person in sight.
Most of them had reached Saint 1-dan pinnacle, and they were intending to clear the examination to claim their Saint 2-dan Heaven's Path Divine Art.
Upon seeing the arrival of Division Head Wei, the crowd hurriedly opened up a path for him. At the same time, they turned to look at Zhang Xuan with bewildered gazes.
For a Saint 1-dan fellow to be escorted here personally by their division head, just who in the world was he?
"Who's inside?"
Ignoring the bewildered gazes of the crowd, Division Head Wei asked.
The passageway was currently closed, so it was clear that someone was taking the examination inside.
"Reporting to Division Head Wei, it's Shi Hao!" A combat master amid the crowd clasped his fist.
"Shi Hao? That lad is willing to take the examination? He's finally willing to make a breakthrough! "
Division Head Wei's eyes lit up, and a smile crept onto his lips. Fearing that Zhang Xuan was unaware of the matter, he hurriedly explained, "Sun shi, Shi Hao is the champion of the Saint 1-dan Combat Master Hall's Combat Master Tournament. His fighting prowess has already surpassed that of a Thousand Men Commander. On top of that, the density of his zhenqi is frighteningly high, such that even most Saint 2-dan combat masters are unable to match up to him. Twenty years ago, he reached Saint 1-dan pinnacle, but in order to reinforce his foundation, he has been suppressing his cultivation all this while, refusing to participate in any of the trials. Most likely, he's here to push for a breakthrough to Saint 2-dan! "
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