"I'll ask around later!"
Zhang Xuan nodded.
Even though Zhang Jiuxiao's fighting prowess was lacking and his talent was not worth mentioning, he was still a very reliable person. Since he had made such a solemn vow, it was unlikely that his words were baseless.
Besides, regardless of whether the Qianchong Empire had a spirit mine or not, as the number one Conferred Empire, it was bound to have quite a number of concentrated high-tier spirit stones. If Zhang Xuan could find someone to trade for them, he might just be able to raise his cultivation to Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle.
While Zhang Xuan was deep in thought, the crowd had already arrived at a vast hall. Seated according to the host and the guest, Pavilion Master Yue waved his hand grandly and said, "Let's welcome the geniuses who have cleared the preliminary selection!"
A master teacher backed out of the room, and not too long later, a group of young men walked in.
There were both men and women, and they were dressed in master teacher robes with seven stars embroidered on their chests.
After looking around, Zhang Xuan nodded.
Just as Zhao Xingmo had said, the cultivation of these people was not weak at all. Even the weakest among them had reached Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, just like Hall Master Xing, and the strongest among them had reached Quasi Leaving Aperture realm.
To be able to become a Seven Star Master Teacher before thirty, his cultivation had even reached such a level. There were indeed geniuses everywhere, and they were no weaker than him.
"Zhao shi, it must have been tiring for you to rush back and forth from the various empires. Thus, I've specially prepared a banquet to welcome you. Let's just treat it as a day of rest and continue with the secondary selection tomorrow. What do you think?"
Pavilion Master Yue chuckled.
"Alright!"
After a moment of contemplation, Zhao Xingmo nodded.
Even though he was in a hurry, he didn't mind waiting for half a day.
It was a good opportunity for the geniuses who came to take the test to relax in advance and face the crueler test.
"Serve the wine and the dishes!"
Pavilion Master Yue nodded. With a wave of his hand, a group of apprentices walked out, and it didn't take long for all kinds of delicacies to be served.
It seemed like the other party had calculated the timing of Zhao shi's arrival and made preparations in advance.
As expected of the number one Conferred Empire in the Master Teacher Continent. Very soon, the table was filled with delicacies and delicacies. The dishes were made from the meat of saint beasts and some valuable medicinal herbs, and the one who had cooked them was probably a highly skilled gourmet. Not only was the food delicious, it was also able to bring out the spirit within it. Eating it would cause one's zhenqi to surge, and it would be extremely beneficial to the advancement of one's Primordial Spirit.
"I'm afraid the value of this table is no less than a thousand high-grade spiritual stones!"
Zhang Jiuxiao sighed.
"So expensive?" Zhang Xuan was stunned.
Back then, he had put in a lot of effort just to earn a thousand high-tier spirit stones, but now, a single meal was worth that much … Wasn't this a little too frightening?
"Look at that Golden Tiger Beast Liver. Not only does it require a Saint 1-dan Golden Tiger Beast to be killed, it also requires a total of four Saint-tier medicinal herbs — River Breath Grass, Pipa Root, Clear Zero Flower, and Five Flavoured Ox Leaf! These four types are all around fifty years old, and each of them is worth more than a hundred high-tier spirit stones. Putting them together, coupled with the godly cooking skills of the gourmet, a thousand high-tier spirit stones might not even be enough! "
Zhang Jiuxiao said slowly.
Hearing Zhang Xuan's explanation, Zhang Xuan realized that it was indeed the case, and he couldn't help but feel a little curious.
Gourmet was an occupation of the Lower Nine Paths, and it was impossible for it to become a supporting occupation. As long as one was a master teacher, no one would bother to learn it. Yet, Zhang Xuan actually knew so much about it.
"I love delicacies, so … I've done quite a bit of research on them. The Zhang family also has a gourmet who provides the ingredients for them, so I've learned a thing or two from them as well!"
Zhang Jiuxiao replied with a nod.
Gourmet was just a minor skill in the eyes of ordinary master teachers. However, if one were to pair them well, they could form a medicinal cuisine that was on par with pills.
The reason why Zhang Xuan was able to wield such strength despite being a member of the side family despite being only twenty-seven years old was due to the combination of food.
"Incredible!"
Zhang Xuan complimented.
While he did have some understanding of gourmet, it was limited to appraising, pill forging, and the like. He had never read any books on this occupation before, so he couldn't be considered as an expert.
"How can there be no wine when there's food?"
While the duo was chatting with one another, Pavilion Master Yue suddenly flicked his wrist and took out a gourd of wine.
"This is the Tianchen Brew brewed by Old Man Tianchen. I don't think I need to explain how valuable it is, right? I was fortunate enough to obtain a gourd of it, and I stored it for three hundred years. Since Zhao shi is here today, I decided to take it out and enjoy it together with you. Is there anyone who is interested in a cup? "
Pavilion Master Yue chuckled softly as he uncorked the cork of the gourd and poured a cup full of wine.
The translucent wine was reminiscent of amber or crystal. It hung on the wall of the cup, emanating a rich fragrance that filled the entire hall. Just a single whiff of it was enough to whet one's appetite.
"Good wine!"
Zhang Xuan nodded in approval.
Even though he hadn't tasted it yet, the fact that he could smell its fragrance from such a distance away meant that the purity of the Tianchen Brew was far superior to those that he had tasted previously.
"Old Man Tianchen is a renowned wine saint in the Empire Alliance. It's said that the wine he brews is capable of intoxicating even a Saint 7-dan expert … The Tianchen Brew is the wine that he specializes in, and it's extremely rare and valuable. Countless people have gone to great lengths to obtain a cup of it, but to no avail … Yet, Pavilion Master Yue is actually taking it out for everyone to try? "
Zhang Jiuxiao's eyes glowed in agitation.
"Is the wine famous?"
"Of course! It's priceless! Even ten concentrated high-tier spirit stones wouldn't be able to buy a cup of it, "Zhang Jiuxiao explained.
"Ten concentrated high-tier spirit stones … to buy a cup of wine?" Zhang Xuan's lips twitched.
Even the entire Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall only had ten concentrated high-tier spirit stones … and yet, it was only enough to buy a cup of wine …
Who in the world would be so insane as to do such a thing?
"You better believe me! Concentrated high-tier spirit stones might be rare, but it's still possible to obtain them as long as one has a mine. However, Old Man Tianchen's Tianchen Brew isn't something that can be bought with money. It requires luck as well, and if one is unlucky, they might not even be able to find it … "
Zhang Jiuxiao shook his head.
Seeing how excited Pavilion Master Yue was, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but smile bitterly.
He didn't have any particular desire for fine wine. On the contrary, he felt that drinking too much would only bring him trouble. As such, he wouldn't even try it if he had nothing better to do.
Judging from the other party's reaction, it was clear that if ten concentrated high-tier spirit stones were enough to buy it, he would definitely fork out the money without any hesitation … This attitude left him feeling a little helpless.
Was the wine really that delicious that anyone would be willing to spend so much money just to buy it?
"Zhang Shi doesn't like to drink, and he's not a gourmet either. It's normal for him to be ignorant. Just look at their reactions …"
Zhang Jiuxiao knew that there were those who liked the wine, and there were those who didn't.
"Them?"
Zhang Xuan raised his head, and only then did he realize that as Pavilion Master Yue filled the cup with wine, the entire hall had erupted into an uproar. Everyone's eyes were reddened, and they stared at the cup intently, wishing that they could snatch it away.
"Pavilion Master Yue, there are so many of us here, and there's only a single cup of wine here. It doesn't seem right for us to give it to anyone, right? Why don't we set a rule and decide who gets to drink it based on their own ability?"
After a moment of commotion, a young man spoke up.
"Yun shi is right. Old Man Tianchen's wine should be given to those who are qualified to drink it. Otherwise, it would be a complete waste!"
"Regardless of the rule, I'm drinking this cup of wine!"
"Stop bragging. It's still not certain who will get it …"
…
The moment the first young man spoke up, the crowd immediately nodded in agreement.
Considering how valuable the Tianchen Brew was, it was impossible for everyone to get a cup of it. If anyone wanted to drink it, they would have to show some ability to win the respect of the crowd.
"Silence!"
Hearing the discussions of the crowd, Pavilion Master Yue chuckled softly. Sweeping his gaze across the crowd, he said, "Everyone is right. There's only a single cup of wine here, so naturally, it should be given to the most capable person. Of course, there's no need to decide on the rule, and there's no need for a competition either. I already have an answer in mind as to who this cup of wine should be given to. In my heart, he is the strongest and most capable person."
"Oh?"
"The strongest? May I know who he is? "
"To be praised by Pavilion Master Yue, I would like to see if he's qualified …"
…
Hearing Pavilion Master Yue's words, the crowd immediately turned their gazes over.
They were all geniuses amongst geniuses, experts amongst experts. To claim that someone was the strongest among them without even going through a competition, how could they possibly be impressed by him?
"That person isn't too famous, but ever since he came from Qingyuan Kingdom, he has successfully crashed two pavilions consecutively. On top of that, he has even brought about a change in the Qingyuan Empire, and he has accepted countless master teachers as his students. It hasn't been long since he made a name for himself, but everything that he has done has become renowned throughout the Qingyuan Empire."
Pavilion Master Yue said.
"Successfully crashed two pavilions consecutively?"
"Brought about a change in the Qingyuan Empire?"
"He came from Qingyuan Kingdom?"
Taken aback, the crowd quickly turned their gazes to Zhang Xuan and Zhang Jiuxiao.
As the last two to arrive, it went without saying that they were the geniuses of the Qingyuan Empire.
"Indeed, he's Zhang Xuan, Zhang Shi!"
Pavilion Master Yue pointed.
"That fellow sure knows how to get someone else to do his dirty work …"
Zhang Xuan frowned in displeasure.
To intentionally take out a cup of wine to attract the crowd's attention, and when the crowd was riled up, he said that he would give it to him …
On the surface, it was a compliment to elevate himself, but in truth, he had ended up drawing the ire of the crowd.
Just a single cup of wine had brought him countless enemies.
What a cunning fellow!
"Zhang Shi, Song shi is my brother-in-law, and he's a little rash. When he went to the Qingyuan Empire to settle some matters, he might have made some mistakes. It's thanks to you that he corrected his mistakes and prevented a huge disaster from befalling him. I'm very grateful for your help. To be able to identify the root of the problem within such a short period of time and resolve it in an orderly manner, thus preventing the Qingyuan Empire from falling into chaos and restoring Mingshi Tang's prestige once more … Even I wouldn't be able to do such a thing. Here, I toast this cup of wine to you! "
With a light chuckle, Pavilion Master Yue waved his hand, and the cup of wine on the table immediately floated into the air.
Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan's complexion turned incredibly awful.
First, he admitted to the relationship between him and Song shi, and then, he said that he was impressed by the other party. On the surface, it might seem as if he was being honest, but in truth, he was trying to draw everyone's ire over to him.
Not only would he not fall into the trap of others, he would also be able to embarrass himself.
As expected of Pavilion Master Mingshi Tang of the First Conferred Empire, he sure was vicious.
As expected of a despicable master teacher, he was even scarier than a true despicable person!
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