Chapter 1128: The Miserable Hall Master Feng

Whoosh!

As soon as he stepped into the wide passage, a puppet stood up.

It looked exactly like a real person, about sixty years old, with pure white hair and beard.

"It must have been refined by Hall Master Feng in his own likeness."

Zhang Xuan guessed inwardly.

This Hall Master Feng, who came from the Master Teacher Hall, should be proficient in the Artificer profession; otherwise, he couldn't have crafted such a lifelike puppet.

If he hadn't known in advance, he might have mistaken it for a real person.

"You chose the Great Star Luo Finger Force. Use finger against finger. If you can withstand my attack, you pass! If not, leave!"

The puppet showed no expression.

"Alright!"

Zhang Xuan nodded and stepped forward.

At the same level, using the same martial technique, he had absolute confidence. Even without the Eye of Insight or the Library of Heaven's Path, he could easily win.

...

"Reporting to the Hall Master, Hall Master Wei took Teacher Sun to the Martial Technique Hall?"

Hall Master Xing and the others brought Elder Qi to the Inner Breath Hall but didn't find Zhang Xuan and his group. They couldn't help asking Shi Hao nearby and soon got an answer.

"What are they going to the Martial Technique Hall for?"

Hall Master Xing frowned.

"I don't know!" Shi Hao shook his head.

"Wait, you just said... Teacher Sun?" Hall Master Liao from the side caught the oddity in the words.

Addressing someone as 'Master Sun' showed respect for a master teacher, while 'Teacher Sun' indicated a closer relationship, implying a teaching bond.

"Yes, Teacher Sun. He guided us in cultivation, and we are extremely grateful!" Shi Hao nodded.

"This..."

Hall Master Xing and the others exchanged glances, each frowning. A spirit awakener instructing battle masters... and making so many battle masters acknowledge him as teacher... What had happened?

Soon, after clarifying the situation, the three were dumbfounded.

A single palm strike shattering the inner breath passage, a single finger causing Shi Hao to concede... How profound was this Master Sun's true qi cultivation?

"Let's go to the Martial Technique Hall and see..."

Full of curiosity, they hurried to the Martial Technique Hall.

Soon they arrived outside the martial technique passage.

"Why are you here?"

Hall Master Wei was startled, quickly cupped his fists, and his eyes lit up: "Elder Qi... you're alright?"

"Mm."

Elder Qi nodded and asked, "Where is Master Sun Qiang?"

"Oh, he just entered the passage for assessment!" Hall Master Wei smiled.

"Assessment?" Hall Master Xing frowned.

"Master Sun wanted to find a cultivation technique manual for Saint Domain First Layer. We didn't find a suitable one in the Inner Breath Hall, so we came to find Hall Master Feng. He happened to be out, so Master Sun decided to pass the martial technique passage assessment and then go to the library to browse."

Hall Master Wei explained what had just happened.

"With his strength, passing the assessment should... not be difficult!"

Recalling the young man's battles with them and the scene he had witnessed in the Inner Breath Hall, Hall Master Xing stroked his beard.

Such a genius should have no problem passing the martial technique passage assessment; there was no need to worry.

"After the meeting earlier, Hall Master Feng returned. He didn't run out like the others. This guy usually never leaves his house. Why is he not here today?"

No longer worried, Hall Master Xing asked with a smile.

This Hall Master Feng loved nothing more than staying home studying martial techniques. Even he had invited him many times without success. This time, unlike Hall Master Zhou and Hall Master Wu who had gone to the Suspense Society, why wasn't he in the hall?

"I'm also a bit puzzled..." Hall Master Wei shook his head.

He had found it strange when he first arrived, but since the people here said so, and it was Jiao Tan who said it, he didn't want to investigate further.

"Old Feng could actually bear to go out? I find that hard to believe. Hmm? No, could it be..."

Hall Master Liao from the side sighed, then suddenly thought of something and froze.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing his expression, Hall Master Xing and the others looked over.

"Old Feng and I... are close. He often comes to me to help resolve inner demons... He once told me he had a peculiar hobby: he would hide in the martial technique passage, disguise himself as a puppet, and assess battle masters..."

Hall Master Liao's mouth twitched as he spoke slowly.

"Disguise as a puppet?" The others were stunned.

"Yes, the martial technique passage uses puppets to perform martial techniques for assessment. But sometimes, after continuous operation, the puppets get damaged... At such times, he often suppresses his cultivation and disguises himself as the puppet to fight battle masters..."

Swallowing his saliva, Hall Master Liao said, "He told me this, but I took it as a joke. He wouldn't actually do it, would he?"

As a hall master, disguising as a puppet for assessment wasn't a glorious thing. Few knew about it; perhaps only he, the Heart Hall Hall Master, knew a bit...

Hall Master Feng suddenly wasn't there and hadn't gone out... Could he really have gone into the passage, disguised as a puppet, to test battle masters?

"Which martial technique did Master Sun choose?"

Stunned, Hall Master Xing quickly looked to the side.

Given this guy's obsession with martial techniques, he might actually do it.

"He chose the Great Star Luo Finger Force..." Hall Master Wei said.

"That martial technique is extremely powerful but hard to cultivate. Master Sun is so young and has already learned it?" Hall Master Xing was surprised.

"He didn't know other martial techniques; he just learned the Great Star Luo Finger Force..." Hall Master Wei said.

"Just learned it and he's going to fight Hall Master Feng? Old Feng is a madman; he takes assessments seriously. If he finds out someone just learned it and is challenging the passage, he'll be furious and won't hold back. Oh no, Master Sun is in trouble... Hurry and stop him!"

Hall Master Liao's hair stood on end.

Hall Master Feng, true to his surname, was like a madman, extremely serious about assessments. Master Sun had only just learned the Great Star Luo Finger Force; how skilled could he be? Facing a hall master at the Primordial Spirit realm, he might get beaten badly!

"Creak!"

Just as they were about to rush into the passage to rescue him, they heard the door open, and then saw a young man slowly walk out.

He was tidying his clothes as he walked.

"Master Sun... are you alright?"

Seeing him emerge unscathed, Hall Master Xing and the others hurried over.

"I'm fine."

Recognizing them, Zhang Xuan smiled slightly.

"You... passed the challenge?"

Hall Master Wei looked over, somewhat worried.

"Mm, those puppets inside are really lifelike... I gave one a beating, and it even spat blood. If I hadn't known in advance, I would have thought it was a real person!" Zhang Xuan exclaimed in admiration.

"Spit blood?"

The corners of their mouths twitched.

"Yeah, this guy, at the same level using the same martial technique, couldn't beat me. I asked him if I passed, but he didn't answer me! So I had to continue fighting. As his strength kept rising, afraid I might lose, I struck first and knocked him out... Knocking out a puppet should count as passing, right?"

Zhang Xuan asked.

"Knocked out..."

"Strength kept rising?"

If they weren't sure before whether it was a puppet or Hall Master Feng, now they were one hundred percent certain it was the latter.

Although the puppets in the Martial Technique Hall were not weak, their levels were fixed; they couldn't increase their strength during a fight... unless it was a strong person in disguise.

"Let's go see..."

Ignoring Zhang Xuan, who looked unsatisfied after defeating the puppet, Hall Master Xing and the others hurried into the passage. As soon as they entered and took one look, their faces twitched violently.

They saw Hall Master Feng embedded in the wall, covered in blood, his clothes torn to shreds by the violent force. He couldn't have looked more miserable.

"It really is Old Feng..."

Approaching, Hall Master Wei checked and immediately confirmed. He flipped his wrist, took out a pill, fed it to him, and at the same time channeled true qi to help refine it.

Before long, the unconscious Hall Master Feng woke up.

"Why are you here?"

Looking dazed, Hall Master Feng asked.

"Did you just assess a young man and then... get beaten?"

Hall Master Xing said.

"Yes, this assessor had an extremely solid grasp of the Great Star Luo Finger Force. At the same level, using the same technique, I couldn't beat him! Out of curiosity, I secretly increased my strength... But this guy, seeing my cultivation change, suddenly charged over, injured me with a single finger, and then, and then... I don't remember anything..."

Hall Master Feng's face reddened.

Seeing someone who had cultivated the Great Star Luo Finger Force to such a level, he was thrilled and wanted to spar more to bring out the finger force's maximum combat power. But before he could force out the other's full strength, the guy charged over and knocked him out first...

Just thinking about it was embarrassing.

"You..."

Hearing the explanation, Hall Master Xing was helpless.

A dignified hall master of the Battle Master Hall, beaten like this by a Saint Domain First Layer guy... Truly miserable.

But thinking of how they themselves had been beaten in the Heart Hall, they immediately felt balanced.

"By the way, how did you know I was unconscious? Who is that young man? He doesn't seem to be from our Battle Master Hall, does he?"

Seeing the hall master and two hall masters personally come, Hall Master Feng was curious.

Although he didn't know everyone in the Battle Master Hall, he could recognize most. This young man was very unfamiliar; he shouldn't be from the hall.

"He is a spirit awakener invited by the hall master to help stabilize the primordial spirit..."

Hall Master Liao explained.

"Spirit awakener?"

Hall Master Feng was stunned: "A spirit awakener has such profound martial technique comprehension? At the same level, I'm no match?"

He was the hall master of the Martial Technique Hall in the Battle Master Hall, with cultivation ranking high in the entire Qingyuan Empire.

With such strength, even suppressing his cultivation, he shouldn't be too weak... Yet this spirit awakener not only crushed him at the same level but also couldn't be stopped even when he raised his cultivation, easily knocked unconscious...

"It's true... This Master Sun is not only a spirit awakener but also a master teacher. The situation is like this..." Seeing his confusion, Hall Master Xing had to explain in detail what had happened before.

"This..."

Hall Master Feng's body stiffened, unable to believe it: "He learned the Great Star Luo Finger Force in just over ten breaths and understands it more deeply than I do after studying it for hundreds of years?"

"True geniuses cannot be measured by our thinking. Come, let me introduce you to this Master Sun. You two are now acquainted through a fight!"

Seeing him about to lose confidence from the blow, Hall Master Xing quickly said.

"Mm."

After recovering a bit, Hall Master Feng nodded. The group walked out of the passage. As soon as they left the room, they saw many battle masters from the Martial Technique Hall kneeling in unison, looking at the young man not far away with reverence and excitement.

"Thank you, Teacher, for resolving our doubts..."