"I'll go and study it. You should cultivate according to the cultivation method that I've taught you previously!"
Taking the blood essence, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. He wrapped the blood essence with his zhenqi and returned to his room.
With a wave of his hand, he set up a soundproofing barrier and entered the Myriad Anthive Nest.
Studying the Myriad Anthive Nest required absolute silence, so this was the safest place to do so.
After finding a place to sit down, Zhang Xuan placed Zhang Jiuxiao's blood essence in front of him, and with a tap of his finger, a droplet of blood essence flew toward the other party.
"There's no resonance at all... It seems like I'm not a member of the Zhang family..."
After observing the blood essence for a moment, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly.
Based on his examination, Zhang Jiuxiao's blood essence didn't resonate with the blood in his body at all... In other words, the body that he had taken over had nothing to do with the Zhang family.
It seemed like … he had been thinking too much!
"To be afflicted with the Innate Fetal Poison despite not being a member of the Zhang family... Which poison master is he? He sure has nothing better to do …"
For such a formidable poison master to come to a remote place like Tianxuan Kingdom to poison an unknown fellow... He must be sick in the head.
However, it didn't matter to him whether the other party was a member of the Zhang family or not.
If the other party was a member of the Zhang family... he would just have to beat up any genius who married Lozosy in the future... If the other party wasn't a member of the Zhang family...
"It's indeed difficult to raise one's bloodline..."
Knowing that he wasn't a member of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Xuan took a moment to examine his bloodline, only to realize that it was simply too difficult for him to achieve a breakthrough in his bloodline.
But that was to be expected. If it was that easy to raise one's bloodline, everyone would have become a core disciple by now.
Before leaving the Myriad Anthive Nest, Zhang Xuan recalled that his fighting prowess had increased significantly, so he confidently challenged his clone to a duel. Unsurprisingly, he was pummeled once more, nearly losing his life.
Compared to others of the same cultivation realm, he could be said to be invincible. However, compared to his clone, he was still a far cry from it.
Just the thought of it left him feeling stifled.
Returning to the back of the aerial spirit beast, Zhang Xuan continued to offer pointers to Zhang Jiuxiao.
As expected of the prodigies of the Zhang clan. Even though the purity of his bloodline was lacking, his aptitude for learning was far superior to that of the members of the Xuanxuan Faction.
In just six short days, he seemed to have undergone a complete transformation. Even though he was still at Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, in a one-on-one fight, the two auditing students might not be a match for him.
"His pointers … go straight to the crux of the matter. There are many details that even I might not have been able to notice …"
Zhao Xingmo was astonished to see Zhang Xuan's pointers.
Even he was unable to see through some of Zhang Jiuxiao's flaws, and yet, the other party was able to point them out without any mistake. The other party's eye of discernment was truly frightening!
It was no wonder he was able to successfully crash the Sanctum of Sages. His eye of discernment paired with his state of mind … It seemed like Zhang Xuan would be able to shine brightly in the Sanctum of Sages in the future.
"We have arrived at the Qianchong Empire!"
On the seventh day, a huge city appeared in front of them.
"Judging by the time, the candidates from the other empires should have arrived by now. Let's go straight to Mingshi Tang!"
Zhao Xingmo said as he stood in front of the window.
Along the way, Zhang Xuan had learned that Zhao shi was in charge of the selection of candidates from the Eight Conferred Empires. The other empires had gone to the Qingyuan Empire earlier than them, and they were the last to arrive.
Those who had passed the initial selection had already come to the Qingyuan Empire. Looking at the time, it was about time for the secondary selection.
"May I know … how many candidates have passed the initial selection? And how many candidates will be selected in the secondary selection? "
Zhang Xuan asked.
"Qianchong Empire has three slots, and the three stronger Conferred Empires have two slots each. Chongyuan Empire, Qianyun Empire, and Qingyuan Empire each have one slot each. As such, there are a total of thirteen candidates from the Eight Conferred Empires. Of the eight Conferred Empires, there are also the Ten Tier-3 Sage Clans. Each of them has two slots, so there are a total of thirty-three candidates. After the secondary selection, there will only be twenty left! "
Zhao Xingmo said.
"That's good!"
Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
Twenty out of the thirty-three candidates was already more than half of the total. It shouldn't be too difficult for him.
"Don't let your guard down just because the ratio is high. Those who are able to make it into the top thirty-three candidates are all geniuses among geniuses, experts among experts. You can imagine how difficult it will be to stand out among them!"
Seeing Zhang Xuan's relaxed expression, Zhao Xingmo couldn't help but exclaim.
The Qingyuan Empire was one of the weakest Conferred Empires. Even if one were to stand out in the Qingyuan Empire, it would still be difficult for one to emerge victorious in the secondary selection.
"You are invincible among Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage cultivators, such that even I am unable to defeat you. However, the requirement for the Sanctum of Sages is that you must be a master teacher below thirty. In other words, you won't be facing ordinary Primordial Spirit realm experts. "
"Leaving Aperture realm?"
"Indeed. There's a genius from the Qianchong Empire who has reached Leaving Aperture realm. Even though he hasn't undergone the lightning tribulation yet, his fighting prowess is still formidable. Even among the Sage Clans, there are a few who have reached Leaving Aperture realm as well. They are the true experts. "
Zhao Xingmo nodded.
It was true that Zhang Xuan was a powerful opponent in the same cultivation realm as him, but the opponent he was facing wasn't of the same cultivation realm. Furthermore, it was impossible for the other party to suppress his cultivation to Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage before fighting him.
Thus, it wasn't as easy as he thought it would be to stand out among the thirty-three candidates.
"Let's just deal with whatever comes our way," Zhang Xuan replied calmly.
It would have been better if he hadn't said those words, but for some reason, he felt excited instead.
Even though his current cultivation was only at Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, his fighting prowess was already comparable to a Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage cultivator. Previously, when he was fighting with Zhao Xingmo, he had only used a fifth of his strength in case he went too far. If the other candidates were strong enough, he might be able to give them a try.
Seeing the other party's expression, Zhao Xingmo knew that his words had fallen on deaf ears. Thus, he shook his head and said no more. The saint beast beneath him leaped into the air, and it began making its way toward the majestic city.
Not too long later, Qianchong Empire's Mingshi Tang appeared before them.
As soon as the crowd landed on the ground, they saw several elders rushing up to welcome them.
"Zhao shi …"
The elder standing at the very front was in his sixties. His face was fair and clean-shaven, and he had a pair of slanted eyebrows. Dressed in a green robe, he exuded an imposing aura.
Activating his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan discreetly assessed the other party and noted that the other party's cultivation had already surpassed the Leaving Aperture realm, reaching Half-Grand Dominion realm!
The remaining few cultivators were not weak either. Just like Song shi, they were all Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle cultivators.
As expected of the number one Conferred Empire, just these few elders alone were more than enough to topple the Qingyuan Empire without any resistance.
Zhao Xingmo nodded, and just like before, he said impassively, "Pavilion Master Yue, these two are Zhang Xuan, Zhang Shi, and Zhang Jiuxiao, Zhang Shi from the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion!"
After which, he turned around and said, "This is the head of the Qianchong Empire's Mingshi Tang branch, Yue Yiquan!"
"Paying respects to Yue shi!"
Upon hearing that the other party was the pavilion master, Zhang Xuan and Zhang Jiuxiao hurriedly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Zhao shi, this way please!"
Pavilion Master Yue shot a glance at them, but he didn't pay them any heed. Instead, he gestured to them and led the way.
"If I recall correctly, Song shi is his brother-in-law. He was sent to the Qingyuan Empire to temper himself so that he could be promoted to a vice pavilion master, but …"
Zhang Jiuxiao explained.
Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.
It was no wonder Pavilion Master Yue didn't show any courtesy at all. It turned out that he harbored hostility toward him.
Under normal circumstances, Song shi should have investigated the matter thoroughly before making a move. Yet, he ended up executing Sun Qiang, Elder Xu, and the others. This was a huge problem in itself, so it was understandable that he would be punished.
However, if he were to be punished, not only would it be impossible for him to be promoted to a vice pavilion master, Pavilion Master Yue's reputation would also be tainted by nepotism.
"Let's go!"
Knowing that there was a reason for the matter, Zhang Xuan couldn't be bothered with it anymore.
In any case, the Qianchong Empire was only a temporary residence for them, and they wouldn't be staying there for long. It didn't matter whether the other party's attitude was good or not.
At the very most, they would just have to avoid the other party.
Most likely, Mingshi Tang had cleared the area in advance, so there weren't many people around. All they could see were the master teachers who had come to welcome them.
Even the weakest among them was a Seven Star pinnacle master teacher, and there were at least several hundred of them.
"They sure have deep foundations …"
Walking in the passageway, Zhang Xuan remarked.
A Seven Star pinnacle master teacher was equivalent to a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle master teacher. Even in the Qingyuan Empire, there were only a handful of such masters, but in the Qianchong Empire, they were as common as cabbages. As expected of the number one Conferred Empire!
"The reason why the Qianchong Empire is so powerful is due to its rich spirit stone mine. On top of that, with the support of Mingshi Tang, it took many years for it to grow to its current scale!"
Noticing Zhang Xuan's astonishment, Zhang Jiuxiao sent a telepathic message to him.
He had done his homework on the Empire Alliance, so he was well aware of the situation.
"Spirit stone mine?"
Zhang Xuan frowned.
"Un. It's said that there's a concentrated high-tier spirit stone mine in the Qianchong Empire. It's for this reason that many experts have been attracted to the Qianchong Empire. As a result, the Qianchong Empire has grown stronger and stronger … "
Zhang Jiuxiao nodded.
In terms of cultivation, wealth, companionship, technique, and location, wealth was of utmost importance.
As long as one had money, there would be countless people willing to serve the Qianchong Empire. With more experts, the Qianchong Empire would be able to groom more experts, and thus, the Qianchong Empire would grow stronger and stronger.
Who would be willing to serve the Qianchong Empire when it was impoverished? Not even the powerful Mingshi Tang would be able to establish such an empire.
"There's a concentrated high-tier spirit stone mine here?" Zhang Xuan's breathing hastened.
"That's right. It seems like the concentrated high-tier spirit stone mine in the other empires originates from here!" Zhang Jiuxiao nodded.
"If I wish to earn concentrated high-tier spirit stones, where should I go?"
Zhang Xuan asked anxiously.
It just so happened that he was in dire need of high-tier spirit stones to raise his cultivation. Since there was a spirit stone mine in the Qianchong Empire, he should be able to find a way to earn more concentrated high-tier spirit stones.
"I'm not too sure about that, but it's said that there's an underground black market in the Qianchong Empire, and there are quite a few concentrated high-tier spirit stones there. If you need them, you can head there to take a look …"
Zhang Jiuxiao pondered for a moment before continuing. "However, I'm not too sure about the exact details."
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