Chapter 1121: Elder Qi

Zhuo Qingfeng had once brought a portrait of Zhang Xuan, but Hall Master Xing thought the other party was merely the dean of a first-rank empire academy, insignificant, so he didn't take it seriously and didn't look at it, leaving his subordinates to handle it.

After all, someone of his status would be exhausted if he personally handled every matter, no matter how strong his strength.

Now, thinking that this Sun Qiang was about the same age as Zhang Xuan and both were geniuses, he couldn't help but feel suspicious.

Although this world was not lacking in geniuses, those so heaven-defying were still rare; it couldn't be that two had appeared in Qingyuan City at once!

"I'll go find..."

Nodding, Hall Master Liao was about to leave when he saw Hall Master Xing frown as if sensing something, and a communication jade token appeared in his palm.

After sweeping his spirit over it, the latter's eyes lit up, and his face flushed with excitement.

"What's wrong?" Hall Master Liao looked over.

The hall master was usually inscrutable; such a sudden change must mean something had happened.

"President Qi is back!"

Hall Master Xing clenched his fists.

"President Qi? President Qi of the Physician Guild? The one who saved you back then but soon after disappeared; I thought he had passed away..." Hall Master Liao was also stunned.

More than twenty years ago, Hall Master Xing was severely injured by an alien spirit, his primordial spirit damaged, and he was in a coma for three full years. If not for President Qi, he would likely have died.

After saving him, they had intended to express their gratitude, but found that he had vanished without a trace for over twenty years.

Even he had felt disappointed, thinking he might have passed away... Unexpectedly, he had returned!

"Yes, we'll talk about the portrait later. Prepare some items for me quickly; I want to visit him in person!"

Excited, Hall Master Xing instructed.

With his savior reappearing, everything else had to be put aside.

After preparing, the two hurriedly left the War Master Hall and soon arrived at the Physician Guild, where they smoothly met President Qi.

He was still the same as before; the old president hadn't changed much, only his aura seemed sharper.

"Congratulations, Elder Qi, on breaking through to Half-Step Nascent Soul!" Eyes lighting up, Hall Master Xing quickly clasped his fists.

Not having seen him for twenty years, the old president hadn't declined in strength but had improved, which filled him with excitement.

"You've also made progress, not bad, not bad!"

He had seen through the other's level, and the other had naturally seen through his. President Qi nodded in satisfaction.

"If not for Elder Qi's rescue, I might still be in a coma..." Sighing, Hall Master Xing looked at him with slight confusion: "Elder Qi, why did you leave without saying goodbye?"

"Alas!"

Hearing the question, President Qi sighed: "It's a long story. I didn't leave voluntarily; I was poisoned and chased, eventually fleeing to a first-rank empire to barely survive. Otherwise, I would have died long ago!"

"Poisoned? Chased?"

His face darkening, Hall Master Xing's body erupted with killing intent.

He knew President Qi's character well—upright and incorruptible all his life. Who would dare to attack him? And right under the noses of the Master Teacher Hall and War Master Hall!

"Who poisoned you? Does Elder Qi know?" Hall Master Xing's gaze turned icy.

"I have guessed who it is, but... it involves too much, and I cannot say yet. I specifically called you here to discuss it and to take shelter in your War Master Hall for a while. Once I fully consolidate my strength, I'll make plans."

President Qi said.

"Take shelter? Go to the War Master Hall?" Hall Master Xing's pupils constricted.

Although the other hadn't named the person, he had already guessed a range.

Elder Qi was now at Half-Step Nascent Soul and was the former president of the Physician Guild, yet he still needed to take shelter in the War Master Hall... The person who poisoned him likely had no low status or position.

"Alright, come to my place; I can guarantee your safety!" Nodding solemnly, Hall Master Xing said.

The War Master Hall gathered the strongest combat power of the entire Qingyuan Empire. Even if he were only at Half-Step Nascent Soul, let alone now that he had reached Nascent Soul, ordinary Nascent Soul experts who came would be ensured a one-way trip!

Most importantly, the hall had numerous palaces and various formations; anyone who dared to charge in would be seeking death.

"Thank you, Hall Master Xing. This time, after being poisoned and chased, I thought I would never return. If not for meeting a benefactor who saved my life, we might never have seen each other again..."

Recalling his past experiences, President Qi couldn't help but sigh.

"With Elder Qi's medical skills so brilliant, you couldn't even detoxify... Could this benefactor you speak of be even more skilled in medicine than you?" Hall Master Xing looked over.

He knew President Qi's medical skills well; if not the best in the Qingyuan Empire, they were certainly close.

A person like that, who couldn't solve a poisoning that had lasted over twenty years, was effortlessly saved by a noble... This man is too terrifying!

"Compared to him, I am nothing but an ant before a divine dragon—they are not to be mentioned in the same breath. That noble, though not highly skilled in strength, surpasses me in both insight and medical skill..."

Thinking of that benefactor, Elder Qi's eyes showed admiration.

In terms of medical skill, aside from his master, he had never truly respected anyone so much, but that man... no amount of respect would be excessive.

"I wonder who this master is?" Hearing his endless praise, Hall Master Xing couldn't help asking.

"His name is Sun Qiang. I'm not sure where he comes from..." Elder Qi nodded and looked over: "You have more connections; if you get the chance, keep an eye out for me. If I can see him again, I want to thank him properly..."

As he was speaking, he saw Hall Master Xing's eyes widen, and he couldn't help frowning: "What's wrong?"

"Our War Master Hall received a master today, also named Sun Qiang, who claimed to be a physician! Could it be... the one you mentioned?" Hall Master Xing couldn't help saying.

Earlier, when this Sun Qiang said he would use poison to solve his problem, he specifically mentioned that he was also a physician!

Could it be... the same person?

"Also named Sun Qiang? What does he look like?"

Elder Qi was extremely excited and quickly looked over.

If Zhang Xuan were here, he would surely recognize that this Elder Qi was the strange old man poisoned with a deadly toxin he had saved in Jingyuan City.

Back then, after helping detoxify him, he had rushed to the Divine Soul realm. Two months had passed, and his cultivation had become more consolidated, even breaking through again to the Half-Step Out-of-Body realm.

From Divine Soul to Half-Step Out-of-Body, the most important thing was the tempering of the soul. Having suffered from the poison for over twenty years, once it was resolved, he immediately broke through rapidly.

"He's a young man in his twenties, looks very young..." Hall Master Xing described.

"No, the Sun Qiang I met was around forty, but... many experts can disguise themselves... How about this: take me to see him!" Hearing that his savior might be in the War Master Hall, Elder Qi could no longer contain himself.

"Alright!"

Nodding, Hall Master Xing and Hall Master Liao hurriedly flew with Elder Qi toward the War Master Hall.

...

"The assessment of the Inner Breath Hall is actually a verification of the cultivator's true qi quantity. The Inner Breath Passage has an extremely powerful formation that can test true qi quantity. The higher the score, the more abundant the true qi. You are currently at the peak of the Saint Domain first level. With this strength, if you score above ten, you pass and can directly enter the library to read books!"

As they walked, Hall Master Wei explained.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

As the two spoke, they had already arrived at the Inner Breath Hall.

It was a tall building similar to the Heart Hall, filled with many students coming and going like a flowing stream.

"Actually, with Master Sun's strength, there's no need for an assessment at all. I could have taken you directly to the past..." Hall Master Wei said with a smile.

The person before him had, relying solely on his peak Saint Realm First Layer cultivation, managed to evade the combined attacks of three Spirit Ascension Realm experts. Not to mention anything else, with such combat prowess, passing a mere Inner Breath Hall assessment would be an absolute breeze.

"I've always been focused on cultivation and have never tested myself. I'd also like to see the gap between me and the other war masters..." Zhang Xuan said.

In truth, he had selfish motives for wanting to take the test. First, as he said, he wanted to gauge his own strength; second, he also wanted to see the standards of the War Master Hall, so that the members of the Xuanxuan Society could prepare in advance.

Otherwise, if the two sides were to exchange blows without even knowing the opponent's strength, they would surely suffer a great loss.

On the way here, he had already transmitted the cultivation technique of the Glass Refining Heart Art to Wang Ying via a communication jade slip.

He had modified this technique to be very simple, so even without explanation, the other party should be able to understand it easily and cultivate smoothly.

"Gap?"

Hall Master Wei shook his head. There was indeed a gap, but it was definitely this person before him who had left the other war masters far behind.

Of course, he did not say this out loud but continued to lead the way. Before long, they arrived in front of a passage.

The Inner Breath Passage was different from the Heart Demon Passage. The latter had almost no one taking the assessment, and Zhang Xuan had even entered through the elder's special passage, so he hadn't seen a single soul. Here, however, it was packed with war masters.

Many had reached the peak of Saint Realm First Layer and wanted to pass the assessment to obtain the Second Layer cultivation technique.

Seeing the hall master arrive, the crowd parted, and they all looked at Zhang Xuan with eyes full of confusion.

A guy who was only at Saint Realm First Layer—what identity did he have to be personally escorted by the hall master?

"Who's inside?"

Ignoring the crowd's curiosity, Hall Master Wei asked.

The passage was currently closed, indicating that someone was taking the assessment inside.

"Reporting to Hall Master, it's Shi Hao!" A war master in the crowd cupped his fists.

"Shi Hao? That kid finally agreed to take the test? He's finally willing to break through..."

Hall Master Wei's eyes lit up, and he laughed. Afraid that Zhang Xuan might not know, he quickly explained: "Master Sun, this Shi Hao is the champion of every Saint Realm First Layer grand competition in the War Master Hall. His strength is formidable, and his individual combat power has already surpassed the level of a Thousand Commander! Especially his inner breath, which is astonishingly deep—many Saint Realm Second Layer war masters can't compare. Twenty years ago, he reached the peak of the First Layer. To better consolidate his foundation, he has been suppressing his cultivation and not breaking through, nor participating in any assessments. Now that he's here, he's probably planning to charge into the Second Layer!"