Even though Zhang Xuan knew that Jian Qinsheng's swordsmanship was different from his, he still wanted to take a look. If he could patch up the flaws in the Three Swords of Lingxu, he would be able to clear the Jia Corridor easily and compile a Heaven's Path Leaving Aperture realm Heaven's Path Divine Art.
Moreover, everyone's cultivation method was different. Only by seeking common ground while reserving differences would one be able to achieve greater progress!
"Let's go!"
Seeing that Zhang Xuan was intending to head over, Senior Shui nodded in agreement. After bidding Qingyu farewell, the two of them walked out of the Hall of Solidarity.
"Later on, if the Sword Intent doesn't acknowledge you and I ask you to leave, it would be best for you to turn around and leave without saying a single word! I'm afraid that you'll suffer a little! "Senior Shui sent a telepathic message to Zhang Xuan as they advanced.
"Most of those who cultivate the way of the sword have a temperament like a sword, sharp, fierce, and straightforward. I understand that!"
Zhang Xuan nodded.
To be able to cultivate one's swordsmanship to Sword Quintessence meant that one had infused one's life force, essence, and spirit into one's swordsmanship, and one's personality would change along with it.
This kind of person hated people who wasted time.
It was just like the Old Sword Elder's remnant soul. He was very decisive and even disappeared so quickly without any reluctance!
"It's good that you understand!" Senior Shui heaved a sigh of relief.
To have such strength at such a young age, and to have such a deep understanding of the Sword Dao, his background was definitely not simple. She did not want to make both sides unhappy because of her good intentions!
Recalling Zhang Xuan's identity, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask curiously, "Your name is Zhang Xuan … When did the Zhang Clan have such a genius? I have never heard of you before."
"I'm not from the Zhang family!"
Seeing that he was being misunderstood once more, Zhang Xuan shook his head.
"That's not it?" Senior Shui asked doubtfully.
If he wasn't a member of the Zhang family, that meant that he didn't possess the Zhang Clan's bloodline. How in the world was he able to wield such strength at such a young age?
"I came from the Qingyuan Conferred Empire, and the reason why I'm not too bad yet is due to my diligence," Zhang Xuan explained.
"This …"
Recalling how Zhang Xuan had cleared eight alleys in less than half an hour, Senior Shui could not help but nod in agreement. "To be able to reach such a level of strength despite being an unaffiliated cultivator at such a young age, he's indeed a tough one!"
"Senior Sister Shui, you used the power of your bloodline just now. Could it be that … you're also from a Sage Clan?"
Zhang Xuan also voiced his doubts.
"You … don't know me?"
Senior Shui was rendered speechless.
Even though her cultivation was only at Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle, with her identity and appearance, she was already a renowned figure in the Outer Sanctum of Sages. Yet, that fellow actually did not even know her background? Was he for real?
"This is my first time meeting Senior Shui, so how did I get to know her?"
Zhang Xuan shook his head.
"First time?" It was only then that Senior Shui came to her senses. Her eyes widened in shock as she asked, "You can't be one of the students who came in today, right?"
"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded.
Senior Shui gulped down a mouthful of saliva as her face twitched uncontrollably. "He has just cleared the Hall of Solidarity right after clearing the entrance examination, and he cleared eight alleys in a single go?"
The freshmen nowadays were too awesome, right?
She had studied the Bing Corridor for a very long time, but she could not even clear a single Bing Corridor. Yet, this fellow had already cleared eight of them?
"Oh. I just finished my examination at noon, so I went to the Hall of Erudition first to take the 8-star formation master examination. After clearing the examination, I set up a grade-8 formation and chatted with some people for two hours. After that, I returned to my residence and took a bath before heading to the Hall of Solidarity …"
Zhang Xuan thought for a moment before replying.
"…"
Senior Shui's body stiffened.
It was extremely difficult to clear the 8-star formation master examination. Even the elder brother of the little princess of the Luo Clan had failed the examination twice in a row. Yet, from the other party's tone, it seemed as if the examination was as easy as taking a stroll in the streets.
More importantly, even if one were to become an 8-star formation master, it would still take at least three to five months for one to set up a grade-8 formation. Yet, it had only been afternoon when he had become a student of the Sanctum of Sages, set up a formation, and chatted with others. Furthermore, it was still early in the afternoon when he arrived at the Hall of Solidarity.
That was way too fast!
"You … How long did you take to clear the 8-star formation master examination?"
Unable to take it any longer, Senior Shui asked.
"This …" Frowning, Zhang Xuan tried to recall for a very long time before replying, "If I don't take into account the strength assessment, it should have taken me around five to six minutes. More importantly, Elder Su held me back a little. Otherwise, I should have been able to clear the examination a little faster! "
"Five to six minutes …"
Senior Shui's body swayed once more, and she felt as if she had suffered a huge blow.
She had wanted to take the 8-star formation master examination as well, but her cultivation was simply too low. As such, she had never been able to clear the examination. Yet, the other party's cultivation was even lower than hers, and yet, he had cleared the examination in just a few minutes …
The more she thought about it, the more stifled she felt. She felt a stabbing pain in her chest, and she found it hard to breathe.
"Right, you haven't answered my question yet. Are you from a Sage Clan?"
Seeing the young lady's face alternating between red and white, clutching her chest as if she had lost her mind, Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.
"My name is Shui Qianrou, and I come from the Shui Clan!"
Suppressing the shock in her heart, Shui Qianrou replied.
"Shui Clan?"
Zhang Xuan was taken aback for a moment before he suddenly recalled a matter. "I used to know someone from the Mu Clan, and he cultivates wood attribute cultivation techniques. Water, wood … Could it be that there are clans related to the Five Elements among the Sage Clans?"
The Mu Clan that he knew from the Hongyuan Empire was from the Mu Clan, and now, a Shui Clan had popped up as well. Could it be that there were clans related to the Five Elements among the Sage Clans?
Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence that the Shui Clan cultivated water attribute cultivation techniques while the Mu Clan cultivated wood attribute cultivation techniques?
"The Five Elements Clans are Tier-1 Sage Clans … You don't even know of this?"
Shui Qianrou was rendered speechless.
Even though the Five Elements Clans were Tier-1 Sage Clans, they had always been united as one. Even the Zhang clan and Luo Clan had to be wary of them … Yet, the young man before her had actually not heard of this despite having already entered the Sanctum of Sages?
Too ignorant and ill-informed!
But thinking about it, it did make sense.
The Qingyuan Empire was a remote place, so it was normal for there to be no records of the Sage Clans.
A summer worm cannot speak of ice, a frog in a well cannot speak of the sea, and a mortal cannot speak of the Dao!
It was the same logic.
With such thoughts in mind, Shui Qianrou shook her head and said, "There are several tiers to the Sage Clans. You should have heard of this before, right?"
"Un."
Zhang Xuan nodded.
There were Sage Clans in the Eight Great Empires, such as the clan that Xue Ning and Xue San came from. However, they were all Tier-3 Sage Clans.
"The Sage Clans can be divided into four tiers. The first tier are the Super Clans. While their standing can't be compared to the Mingshi Tang headquarters, they are still superior to the Apothecary Guild headquarters and Blacksmith Guild headquarters. In the Master Teacher Continent, they wield absolute authority and prestige … They are the Zhang clan, Luo clan, and Jiang clan! "
Shui Qianrou explained. "The second tier are the Tier-1 Sage Clans that the Five Elements Clans belong to. The Shui Clan and Mu Clan are among them. Some of the more powerful powers such as the Glacier Plain Court, Apothecary Guild, and so on … "
"I see!"
Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in realization.
He knew that the Zhang clan and the Luo Clan were extremely powerful, but he didn't think that they would be a first-tier Sage Clan, possessing a standing even higher than the Apothecary Guild headquarters.
It was no wonder why Wu Shi and the others were so worried when they heard that he was in love with the little princess of the Luo Clan.
"The third tier are the second-tier Sage Clans. Their standing is roughly on par with the Empire Alliance. There are more than a hundred second-tier Sage Clans in the Master Teacher Continent. As for the third-tier Sage Clans, they are similar to the third-tier Sage Clans in the Master Teacher Continent. They are scattered all over the Master Teacher Continent, and there are simply too many of them. "
Shui Qianrou briefly explained the four tiers of Sage Clans to Zhang Xuan.
Zhang Xuan nodded in response.
With those words, he finally understood what was going on.
If the Zhang clan and the Luo Clan were to be compared to the Qingyuan Conferred Empire, then the Five Elements Sage Clans would be equivalent to the Hongyuan Tier-1 Empire. The second-tier Sage Clans would be equivalent to the second-tier Miryu Empire. As for the third-tier Sage Clans like the Xue Clan, they would be equivalent to the Empire Alliance.
It seemed like the hierarchy of Sage Clans was very strict as well.
"I have a student … a friend of mine who is from the Sage Yuan Clan. May I know what tier the Yuan Clan is?"
Recalling Yuan Tao, Zhang Xuan asked once more.
Since the Glacier Plain Court was on par with a Tier-1 Sage Clan, he could not help but wonder what tier the Yuan Clan was. If it was too low … he would have to consider getting the Yuan Clan back.
Seeing that Zhang Xuan really did not know anything at all, Shui Qianrou shook her head helplessly. "The Five Elements Sage Clans, Mu Clan, Shui Clan, and Jin Clan have surnames corresponding to the five elements. The Huo Clan has the surname Chi, so the Chi Clan is the Huo Clan of the Five Elements. The Tu Clan has the surname Yuan, so if your friend is from the Sage Yuan Clan, he would be from the Tu Clan of the Five Elements! "
"Tu Clan of the Five Elements? Tier-1 Sage Clan? "
Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
He did not think that the Yuan Clan would be so formidable.
"Indeed. Not only so, the Yuan Clan is also the strongest of the Five Elements Sage Clans. They possess immense strength and an invincible defense," Shui Qianrou said.
While the cultivation technique and bloodline of the Shui Clan were able to subdue strength with softness, their offensive prowess was still too weak!
Of the Five Elements Sage Clans, the Jin Clan was the strongest in terms of offensive prowess, but in terms of defense, the Yuan Clan was the strongest.
"That's good."
Hearing that the Yuan Clan was so formidable, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
Since that was the case, there was no need for him to worry about Yuan Tao anymore.
Given how formidable the Yuan Clan was, there was bound to be a way for him to raise his cultivation swiftly. Perhaps, his cultivation might even be on par with Zhao Ya!
"This is my teacher's residence. Later on, try not to speak too much."
Shui Qianrou suddenly paused her explanation and sent a telepathic message over.
Raising his head, he realized that he had already walked for quite a distance, and before he could even enter, he could already feel surges of Sword Intent rampaging around him. It felt as if he had returned to the Sword Lagoon once more.
"This is Jian Qinsheng's residence? It's indeed extraordinary! "
Zhang Xuan remarked grimly.
As expected of a grandmaster swordsman on par with the Old Sword Maestro. Even though he had comprehended Sword Quintessence, he still felt suppressed by the other party's aura.
"There's a surge of sword qi at the entrance that will keep ordinary students at bay. I'll go in and report it to my teacher so that he can let you in."
Taking a deep breath, Shui Qianrou walked over to the entrance of the residence. Just as she was about to enter, she suddenly saw a surge of sword qi revolving around the young man's fingertip.
"Sword qi? Are you referring to this? "
Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
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