Zhang Xuan knew that the Teleportation Formation would be of great help to him in comprehending the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel. As soon as he entered the Teleportation Formation, he immediately activated his Eye of Insight, hoping to see how the Teleportation Formation worked.
The surroundings shimmered with a myriad of colors, as if they were flying in the air. Innumerable patterns appeared before Zhang Xuan's eyes, forming a beautiful picture.
It's somewhat similar to the patterns of the Saint Ascension Decipher …
Zhang Xuan thought.
Through the Eye of Insight, the Teleportation Formation actually bore some resemblance to the patterns of the Saint Ascension Decipher. It was as if lines from one to nine were tightly fused together, forming the length, width, and height of the formation.
Hu!
Zhang Xuan staggered, and the light before him vanished. Scanning his surroundings, he realized that he was standing in the midst of an average-sized valley.
He was surrounded by a dense forest, and the water from a stream flowed down, striking against the rocks, reminiscent of a musical instrument.
Zhang Xuan scanned his surroundings.
Both sides of the valley were filled with lush greenery, similar to the Sword Lagoon Island he had entered previously. However, this place looked more like a valley.
I should find the saint beasts first. The more I defeat, the higher my points will be!
Knowing that time waits for no one, Zhang Xuan headed up the valley without any hesitation.
He didn't know much about the rules, but defeating saint beasts would surely earn him points. Since that was the case, he would just have to defeat a few more of them with his strength.
Back then, when he was taking the examination for the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, he had tamed several hundred spirit beasts, thus earning far more points than the others.
Beast taming and dealing with saint beasts … Even those who were stronger than him would be no match for him. This was definitely a great tool for him to grind for points.
Flying swiftly, all kinds of plants flitted past Zhang Xuan's eyes.
As expected of a place rich in spiritual energy, there were all kinds of plants here. Even Zhang Xuan found many of them, but he couldn't name them.
Along the way, other than cultivating, Zhang Xuan had been reading books in his Library of Heaven's Path. By now, he had already read through most of the books he had collected previously.
In terms of knowledge, not even a Nine Star master teacher could match up to him. Just the fact that there were plants that he couldn't name was enough to show just how abundant they were.
Hmm? Something's not right …
After flying for a moment, a deep frown appeared on Zhang Xuan's forehead.
Given the range of his Spiritual Perception, even if he didn't encounter any powerful saint beasts, he should have at least encountered some ordinary lifeforms. Yet, he didn't see anything other than plants. This was a little peculiar.
"Could it be that we've been teleported into some kind of formation?"
He stopped flying, and his eyes glowed with light as he looked around.
The Eye of Insight had the ability to discern falsehood, so a moment later, Zhang Xuan noticed that something was amiss.
"It's an illusory formation …"
Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan moved forward and stomped his feet lightly on the ground.
Buzz!
Countless plants crumbled in the blink of an eye. There was still flowing water in front of them, but it was a little different from before. It was no longer a valley, but a small thatched hut. It stood in the middle of green mountains and clear waters, quiet and peaceful. Even before coming close, one's state of mind would naturally relax.
Knowing that he was still in the midst of the Mountain Gate examination, Zhang Xuan did not dare to let his guard down.
Zi la, Zi la!
Before Zhang Xuan could reach the wooden hut, he heard a scraping sound. Circling around the corner of the wooden hut, he saw an old man squatting by the stream not too far away, grinding something nonstop.
It was an iron rod.
At this time, under the continuous grinding, the iron rod had already begun to thin. The tip was like a thin needle.
"Grinding an iron rod into a needle?"
Zhang Xuan was taken aback for a moment before he frowned in bewilderment.
It wasn't surprising for a saint beast to ambush him, or for someone to surround him, or for him to be trapped in a formation … Yet, seeing someone grinding an iron rod left him completely bewildered.
"Do you know what I'm doing?"
Just as Zhang Xuan was perplexed by the situation, a calm voice suddenly sounded. The old man seemed to have noticed Zhang Xuan, and he asked with a questioning tone.
"You're sharpening a needle!" Zhang Xuan replied.
"Ah?" The old man was taken aback. He turned around and asked, "You know that I'm sharpening a needle?"
If an outsider were to see such a thick iron rod, they would only think that he was sharpening some kind of weapon. Yet, the other party was able to tell with a single glance that he was sharpening a needle.
"Indeed. The reason you're using the iron rod to sharpen a needle is to tell me that as long as I'm determined and willing to put in the effort, I'll be able to succeed no matter how difficult it is … As the saying goes, as long as one puts in the effort, one will be able to sharpen an iron rod into a needle!"
Zhang Xuan.
"This …"
The old man blinked his eyes in bewilderment.
He hadn't been too talented in his previous life, and he had always felt that he would never be able to catch up to the others. However, one day, when he was walking out of his room, he saw his teacher sharpening a metal rod. His teacher had told him that he was going to sharpen it into a needle, and he had even imparted those words to him.
The reason why he was doing the same thing was so that his descendants would be inspired and encouraged as well. Yet … why would the fellow before him be able to see through his intentions so easily, leaving him with so many words that were stuck in his chest?
"Sharpening an iron rod into a needle …" The old man swallowed his saliva, but just as he was about to speak, the young man before him shook his head and sighed. "You have good intentions, but in my opinion, it's all for naught!"
"Why?" The old man asked with a frown.
How could the inspiration he had received back then be for naught?
"It's simple. If I'm not mistaken, you aren't a real person but a Soul Imprint. The object that you're sharpening is a piece of Starspirit Metal. It's even more valuable than the Black Goldcrystal Ore. On the other hand, the object that you're sharpening is an ordinary Bluestone Ore … Given the disparity between the two, it's no different from using cotton to sharpen a metal rod. Do you think that you'll succeed? "
Zhang Xuan.
Activating his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan could tell that the old man before him was not a real person but a Soul Imprint.
The metal rod in his hand was an extremely rare type of Starspirit Metal. It was incredibly resilient, such that even 8-star blacksmiths would find it difficult to melt it. To use an ordinary Bluestone Ore to sharpen it … that was a joke!
"Even if hard work pays off, as long as you persevere, you'll be able to reap some benefits. However, as a Soul Imprint, how long can it last? If I recall correctly, Soul Imprints don't last too long in the outside world! "
Zhang Xuan said.
He had seen Soul Imprints many times before, but they could only remain dormant for a longer period of time. Once awakened, they wouldn't last for too long.
Take Ancient Sage Qiu Wu for example, the Old Sword Maestro whom he had met previously … Despite his immense strength in his previous life, the Soul Imprint he had left behind did not last too long before dissipating.
"This …" Seeing that Zhang Xuan's analysis was logical, the old man shook his head helplessly. Putting down the metal rod in his hand, he gazed at Zhang Xuan with a hint of commendation in his eyes. "You are smart, and your eye of discernment isn't too bad either. You were able to see through it so quickly …"
The reason why he was sharpening the metal rod here was not just to motivate the later generations but also to test them.
The fact that the other party was able to see through his intentions with a single glance and see that he was a Soul Imprint showed that the other party's eye of discernment was not too shabby.
"It's not too difficult to see through all of this." Zhang Xuan shook his head.
Even though he wasn't an erudite person in his previous life, he had at least heard of the story of how a metal rod could be ground into a needle. While the other party's words might have been shocking and inspiring to others, to him, he had already heard of it many times before.
"Actually, if you really want to grind this Starspirit Metal into a needle, it's not entirely impossible. You'll need Blackgold Ore and the sap of the Grand Wood!"
Zhang Xuan said with a smile.
"Oh? You said that Blackgold Ore and the sap of the Grand Wood can grind the Starspirit Metal into a needle? "
The old man was stunned for a moment, and the words that he was about to say were stuck in his throat.
"That's right!"
Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. "It's very simple. The sap of the Grand Wood has a corrosive effect. If you pair it with Blackgold Ore and a few other medicinal herbs, you'll be able to easily corrode the hardened parts of the Starspirit Metal. As long as you calculate the size of the metal rod in your hand and mix in a sufficient amount of medicinal liquid, you'll be able to reduce it to the size of a needle in a few minutes. There's no need to grind it at all!"
"A few minutes?"
"It just so happens that I have a few medicinal herbs with me. You can give it a try!"
With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out a bunch of medicinal herbs and began working his fingers swiftly.
He took away the storage ring of the black market's boss, Ji Lingfeng. There were even more medicinal herbs and treasures in there than he had collected previously. As valuable as these medicinal herbs were, he was still able to gather them all.
Soon, the medicinal liquids fused together to form a unique sap.
Zhang Xuan took out a piece of Blackgold Ore and smeared the sap evenly on it before placing the metal rod into the sap.
Tzzzzzzz!
A white mist rose into the air, and the Starspirit Metal swiftly shrunk. Just as Zhang Xuan had said, in a few minutes, it had been reduced to the size of a needle.
At the same time, the leaves and the Blackgold Ore were also completely depleted, as if they had gone through precise calculations.
With a flick of his finger, the needle flew into Zhang Xuan's hand. He passed it over to the elder opposite him and said, "I've done it for you. You don't have to grind it here anymore. It's quite tiring, but it's not working at all …"
"…"
The elder's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He had only wanted to test the other party, but in the end … the fellow before him actually managed to grind his metal rod into an embroidery needle … Did the other party have to go so far?
More importantly, the other party had even lectured him, as if an elder was encouraging a descendant …
Do you know who I am? How can you speak to me like that?
Shaking his head, the elder tossed aside the stifled feeling in his heart and turned to Zhang Xuan. "With just a glance at the metal rod, you were able to accurately calculate the amount of medicinal herbs required... It seems like your Eye of Insight has already reached the level of 'Meticulous Detail'!"
"You know that I possess the Eye of Insight?"
Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
After undergoing the fourth acknowledgement of Celestial Master Teacher, his Eye of Insight was already able to conceal his presence completely. As long as he was unwilling to do so, not even an 8-star pinnacle master teacher would be able to see through his disguise.
As the elder before him was a Soul Imprint, he was unable to see through his cultivation, but to be able to tell with a single glance … Wasn't the other party's cultivation way too high?
"Could he be … a Nine Star master teacher?"
A thought flashed across Zhang Xuan's mind, and he couldn't help but clench his fists tightly.
The most formidable master teacher he had seen so far was Elder Liu, the one who had instructed them to enter this place. However, he had never seen a Nine Star master teacher before. In fact, he didn't even know their names.
If the elder before him had reached such a level, he might really be able to tell that he possessed the Eye of Insight.
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