"Not Nascent Saint pinnacle?"
The puppet was stunned for a moment. It couldn't help but lower its head to take a look, and the energy within its body instantly ignited.
Rumble!
A powerful aura surged in all directions, forcing everyone to involuntarily take a few steps back.
"This is … Saint 1-dan? I … How did I break through? "The puppet was dumbfounded.
He had been a puppet for four thousand years now, and all along, he had been stuck at Nascent Saint pinnacle. He had never thought that he would be able to achieve a breakthrough.
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be the principal! After devouring the Earth Core Crystal in your body, it also helped you break through your strength … "
Zhao Bingxu said.
After the experience of the sixth stage, they knew that the dean had this ability.
Perhaps it was because he felt a little embarrassed for devouring the Earth Core Crystal in the other party's body, so he helped to alter the structure of the Earth Core Crystal as well, making it smoother and more natural. Naturally, the other party's strength also increased by leaps and bounds.
"This …"
After hearing the explanations from the school heads, the puppet froze on the spot.
Although the Earth Core Crystal was extremely important to him, it wasn't something he absolutely needed. Sacrificing a portion of it would allow his strength to soar to the Saint realm. It was definitely a huge gain!
It was just that … with the rise in his strength, it would be much more difficult for the later generations to clear the trial. At this point, it would be a dead end, and they would be unable to advance to the ninth level.
To him, it was a good thing, but to his descendants, it was a sin.
This was equivalent to completely blocking the path, and no one could succeed.
"What exactly is the ninth floor?"
Just as Zhang Xuan was deep in thought, Wei Ranxue suddenly turned to look at him.
"The ninth level … I'm not too sure either. All I know is that no one has been to the Master Teacher Academy since its establishment. Perhaps … only the founder of the academy, Founder Mu Kai, knows about it!"
The puppet shook its head.
The guardian of the ninth level was a Saint 1-dan puppet, and the requirement to challenge the Mountain of Records was to be at Half-Saint … In other words, one would have to overcome a gap of three cultivation realms. Even Zhang Xuan had been unable to do so back then, let alone others!
In the ten thousand years since the founding of the Master Teacher Academy, only this young man had managed to accomplish such a feat.
"No matter what it is, it shouldn't be dangerous. The purpose of the Mountain of Records is to select talents, so it's impossible for talents to die in there!"
Seeing that everyone was worried, the puppet said.
"Yes!" Everyone nodded.
Indeed, the purpose of the Master Teacher Academy was to select talented individuals, and the Mountain of Records was even more so. Those who were able to clear the first eight levels of the Mountain of Records were bound to possess unparalleled talent. How could such a person possibly meet with a mishap in the final stage?
So there was no need to worry at all!
But even so, what did Principal Zhang Xuan go through on the ninth floor?
In an instant, Zhao Bingxu and the others were filled with curiosity.
…
Rewind time to one day ago.
After successfully passing through the first eight floors, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief as he looked at the puppet that he had nailed to the ceiling. He continued to walk up.
To be honest, he had overestimated himself.
On the other hand, it would be tough for him to deal with a Nascent Saint puppet on the sixth floor.
Even though Zhang Xuan's strength had reached 65,000,000 ding, putting him on par with a Nascent Saint intermediate stage cultivator, his body had already transformed into a Saint. Be it in terms of reflexes, reflexes, or adaptability in battle, he had far surpassed Zhang Xuan. Thus, even if his strength was greater than Zhang Xuan's, it would still be difficult for him to emerge victorious.
In other words, no matter how powerful he was, Half-Saint pinnacle was his limit. If he wanted to defeat a Nascent Saint primary stage cultivator, he would have to rely on the Library of Heaven's Path.
Thus, on the sixth level, he had given the other party some pointers, allowing the other party to successfully acknowledge him as his master and successfully pass the level.
As for the seventh floor, the other party did not believe in him. In a situation where he could not win the battle, he could only tear it apart.
As long as they could win, they would not resort to such a strategy.
To tear the other party apart to such an extent that even a ghost would not be able to recognize him … It was simply too embarrassing.
On the eighth floor, the puppet that Mo Liuzhen forged using his rib bones was even more powerful. As soon as he reached the eighth floor, he was pummeled, leaving behind numerous craters on the floor. Blood spewed from his wounds as well.
Zhang Xuan thought that it would be impossible for him to clear the eighth floor, but all of a sudden, he realized that the puppet was actually forged using Earth Core Crystal.
Earth Core Crystal was an artifact required to cultivate the 4-dan of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, and he had been searching for it all along. Yet, when he finally saw it here, he was overjoyed.
However, if he were to tell the other party that he needed the Earth Core Crystal, the other party would surely turn on him and pummel him to death. Left with no choice, he could only resort to some tricks.
Using the energy from the Earth Core Crystal, Zhang Xuan successfully broke through the 4-dan of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, causing his physical strength to soar once more.
Previously, his physical strength had reached 16,000,000 ding, but with the increase in strength, it had reached 32,000,000 ding!
In other words, his physical strength was already comparable to a Chrysalis realm advanced stage expert!
Coupled with his 29,000,000 ding of zhenqi and 20,000,000 ding of soul cultivation, his total strength had reached 81,000,000 ding!
Even a Nascent Saint pinnacle cultivator would be unable to match up to such strength. Caught off guard, Mo Liuzhen's puppet was sent flying with a single punch. It crashed into the wall and fainted.
(Nascent Saint primary stage 60,000,000 ding, intermediate stage 65,000,000 ding, advanced stage 70,000,000 ding, pinnacle 75,000,000 ding!)
"Even though I managed to defeat the puppet on the previous floor, my true fighting prowess is still a distance away from reaching Nascent Saint pinnacle."
Even though Zhang Xuan was able to knock out Mo Liuzhen's rib puppet with a single punch, he wasn't so arrogant as to think that his fighting prowess was comparable to a Nascent Saint pinnacle cultivator.
The reason why he was able to defeat Mo Liuzhen so easily was because the other party had already seen through the flaws in his moves. On top of that, Mo Liuzhen had underestimated him, resulting in his victory.
If he were to meet a Nascent Saint pinnacle cultivator, even if his strength was on par with the other party, it wouldn't be easy for him to defeat the other party.
It was better to be safe than sorry.
This was also the reason why Zhang Xuan wanted to keep a low profile.
The tallest tree in the forest would be the first to be destroyed by the wind.
However, it was a pity that every time he tried to keep a low profile, it would backfire on him, leaving him feeling depressed.
Perhaps, this was just how life worked. Life was as lonely as the snow.
It was already difficult for him to defeat a Nascent Saint pinnacle cultivator, so there was no way he could clear the ninth floor. Unless … he could find a Chrysalis realm Heaven's Path Divine Art and raise his cultivation to Chrysalis realm pinnacle.
However, such a cultivation technique was nowhere to be found here.
"Since I've already come this far, I might as well go up and take a look!"
Exhaling deeply, Zhang Xuan continued on his way up.
He had already come this far, and if he were to stop due to fear, he would be letting himself down.
No matter what, he had to take a look. At the very most, he would just admit defeat.
Pushing open the door to the ninth floor, a spacious room appeared before him.
Raising his gaze, an elder appeared before him.
"Mu shi?"
Upon seeing the other party's appearance, Zhang Xuan frowned.
The other party was no other than the founder, Mu Kai.
He had seen the other party's fragmented soul on the dueling platform previously.
"No, that's not right. It's a Saint realm puppet that Mu shi forged based on his own image!"
As bewildered as it was, Zhang Xuan soon realized the crux of the problem.
The person before him wasn't the real Mu shi, and it wasn't his fragmented soul either. Rather, it was a puppet forged based on his appearance. From afar, it looked no different from the real Mu shi, such that Zhang Xuan couldn't recognize it at first glance.
"To be able to clear the first floor before reaching Half-Saint, this shows that you possess exceptional talent and strength!"
Seeing Zhang Xuan walk up, Mu shi's puppet gazed at Zhang Xuan with a smile.
"Paying respects to Mu shi!"
Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and stepped forward.
Even if it was just a puppet, it still harnessed Mu shi's will, just like on the eighth floor, so it shouldn't be underestimated.
"Un." Mu shi's puppet nodded with a smile. "I am currently a Saint 1-dan primary stage cultivator. As long as you can defeat me, you will be able to clear the Mountain of Records and obtain the benefits I have left behind!"
"Defeat you …"
Zhang Xuan said with a conflicted expression.
To be honest, it was nigh impossible for him to defeat the other party in terms of strength.
However, if he were to rely on his ability to dismantle things, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to cripple the other party.
Just that, he couldn't help but feel a little apologetic about using such means to deal with the founder.
If others were to learn that he was the principal of the academy, they would surely feel embarrassed.
"There's no need to worry. As long as you can defeat me, you can use any means you want. There's no need for you to play by the rules!"
Seeing through Zhang Xuan's doubts, Mu shi chuckled. "To be honest, as a Saint realm cultivator, making a move on a person who hasn't even reached Half-Saint is already a violation of the rules!"
"Are you certain?" Zhang Xuan asked with a peculiar look in his eyes. "There's no need for me to play by the rules?"
"That's right!" Mu shi replied with a smile.
"Since you put it that way, it's fine then …"
Hearing the other party say that there was no need for him to play by the rules, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
Hu!
Jin Yuan Ding appeared before him.
"Ding Ding, go and knock that fellow out for me …"
With a wave of his hand, Zhang Xuan declared grandly.
"Don't worry, it's just Old Mu's puppet. I'll turn it into dregs right now …"
The Golden Origin Cauldron nodded as it prepared to charge forward.
It was the Saint artifact that Mingshi Tang had left behind for the academy, and it had met Mu shi back then. As such, it recognized Mu shi with a single glance.
"Wait a moment …"
Mu shi's puppet's mouth twitched, and it nearly fainted on the spot.
"What's wrong?"
Gesturing for Jin Yuan Ding to stop, Zhang Xuan turned to look at Mu shi doubtfully.
You just said that I can use any means I want, so what's wrong with summoning Jin Yuan Ding now?
"Cough cough, what I meant is that you can use your strength, your moves, and your supporting occupations, not … using the Saint artifact. Otherwise, with the might of the Saint artifact, even a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan or 2-dan cultivator would be able to clear the first stage. If so, the Mountain of Records would be meaningless!"
Mu shi's puppet's face reddened as it explained.
It was its fault for not making things clear.
The Mountain of Records was a test of one's strength. If you were to use the Saint artifact, even if your strength was lacking, you would still be able to clear the stage easily!
How could you clear the trial like that?
"This … I have misunderstood!"
Zhang Xuan scratched his head as he placed Jin Yuan Ding back into his storage ring. Flicking his wrist, an ordinary Spirit pinnacle sword appeared in his hand, and he pointed it at Mu shi's puppet.
"This should do, right?"
Mu shi's puppet nodded with a chuckle. Just as it was about to speak, a dazzling sword qi abruptly shot toward it like a shooting star.
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