Chapter 1296: Nine Nether Divine Eye

Whoosh!

A book appeared in his mind.

He tapped it with his finger, and countless pieces of knowledge flowed into his mind.

"Golden character runes, left by the first殿主 of the Saint Son Hall, Kui Saint, possessing sealing effects, turning decay into magic. There are seven flaws. First, it can only seal dead objects; living things would suffocate and die. Second, poor defense; a sword aura can break it..."

"Uh..."

Zhang Xuan glanced at it and covered his forehead.

He wanted to see the flaws of the pottery urn, to discover what was inside, but instead, the runes appeared... He was full of frustration.

However, upon careful thought, he understood.

The pottery urn was a dead object, requiring finger touch to form a book. At such a distance, unable to touch, the runes were in an activated state, so naturally their flaws appeared.

"The Eye of Insight can't see what it is, and there's no pattern to follow, but I can deduce bit by bit through the flaws of the runes..."

Pausing, Zhang Xuan thought to himself.

He had already scanned with the Eye of Insight. Around the pottery urn, whether due to the passage of time or other reasons, no traces were left, making it impossible to deduce the stored item.

Now, it seemed he might infer some clues based on the runes.

According to the first flaw, this rune can only seal dead objects, indicating that what is inside the urn must not be alive. If it were alive, it would have died long ago over the years.

The second flaw, poor defense, can be broken by sword aura, suggesting the item inside is not precious; otherwise, anyone could break it, rendering it meaningless.

The third flaw...

His mind worked continuously, carefully deliberating.

After a moment, he couldn't help but shake his head.

Even knowing the flaws of the runes, it was difficult to deduce the item inside.

After all, the container was a pottery urn, not directly related to the seal.

"If I can't deduce it even knowing the flaws, how could others with the same third-level Eye of Insight possibly see it?" he frowned.

His Eye of Insight, upon appearing, could trace tracks and see through concealment, meaning it had directly reached the third level. With such ability, he couldn't see it; others at the third level probably couldn't either, right?

If no one could see it, how could this so-called assessment be passed?

"Time's up. So, have you discovered what is stored inside?"

Just as he was struggling, he heard Kui Saint's smiling voice from across.

"Reporting to senior, I only deduced that it is most likely a liquid stored inside. As for what exactly, I truly cannot know..."

He had thought that with his strength, he could pass the assessment in one go, but unexpectedly, he hit a snag. His face flushed, and Zhang Xuan felt a bit embarrassed.

"You deduced that it contains a liquid? Any basis?" Kui Saint was startled and looked over.

"These golden character runes can only seal liquids!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"You understand golden runes?" Kui Saint was amazed.

"No, I don't even know how to write them. I simply deduced based on the power emanating from them..." Zhang Xuan said.

"Mm, you are correct. What is stored inside is indeed a liquid! Moreover, not even the fourth-level Eye of Insight can see through it!"

Nodding, Kui Saint showed satisfaction in his eyes: "Actually, this test is not about eyesight, but about character and quality! The Eye of Insight can be cultivated, so whether one reaches the third level is not crucial. But character and quality are hard to change. The Saint Son Hall is inherited from the teacher, upholding Confucius's will. I do not wish to pass it on to someone with unstable character!"

"Earlier, I deliberately said that reaching the third level qualifies one to become a candidate for殿主, then brought out this pottery urn for you to observe... I wanted to see your reaction!"

"If you couldn't see it, you couldn't see it. Be practical and truthful, not eager for quick success and making wild guesses just to pass the assessment! If you had done that, it would indicate questionable character and integrity..."

Kui Saint smiled: "But you passed the assessment. At such a young age, with such a mindset, good, good!"

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan's face reddened.

So it was also a test... If you can't see it, you can't see it; there's nothing to be ashamed of admitting.

However, saying he was steady was true; he had always been very composed, otherwise he wouldn't have been elected as the dean of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

Thinking this, Zhang Xuan immediately felt a surge of goodwill toward Kui Saint.

Others saw him as a destroyer and kept their distance, but only this one saw his excellent qualities, as pure as a white lotus. Truly, as a disciple of Confucius, his insight was extraordinary.

"You have passed my assessment. This is the殿主 token of the Saint Son Hall."

With a gentle grasp of his fingers, a token appeared in his palm. Kuili casually handed it over: "But... although it's real, it's sealed with runes, temporarily unusable, and cannot form commands to notify everyone. That is, even with this, you're just an ordinary person, unable to obtain the identity of the hall master or enjoy any rights and benefits!"

Nodding, Zhang Xuan took it casually.

Looking down, the token was not large, and indeed densely carved with runes, sealing its aura so that nothing leaked out.

To outsiders, it seemed no different from an ordinary token, but when held in the hand, one could feel surging power within, as if containing immense energy that, once released, would make heaven and earth change color.

"This token's rank is probably not low..."

Although he hadn't used the library to check, he could tell it was no ordinary item, but an extremely powerful artifact, at least as strong as Sword Elder's Lingxu Sword, if not stronger.

"The sealing wasn't meant to make things difficult. You should know the status of the Saint Hall on the continent. As hall master, one's strength must first reach a certain level! Otherwise, how can one command respect?"

Kuili continued.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Although the Master Teacher Continent followed rules in many matters, power remained the eternal way.

The Zhang Clan was so powerful that even the Master Teacher Academy had to be wary, precisely because of their strength. Without sufficient power, even obtaining the hall master token would not win anyone's allegiance.

On the contrary, it would invite deadly trouble.

He was currently only at the peak of the Primordial Spirit realm; becoming hall master directly would indeed make it impossible to command anyone.

Even spreading the news would cause ridicule.

"Good that you understand... To break the seal, I set three conditions: first, become an eight-star master teacher; second, reach the eighth level of the Saint Domain; third, cultivate the Eye of Clarity to the fourth level, the Vajra Glare that subdues demons."

Kuili looked at him with expectation: "Judging by your appearance, you should be only twenty. With such strength at such a young age, your talent is beyond doubt. These three points, though difficult, if you work hard and diligently, for a gifted one with the Eye of Clarity, should be achievable within a hundred years! Becoming the dean hall master of the world's top academy at one hundred and twenty, standing at the pinnacle of humanity, is certainly rare!"

"A hundred years?" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

The three conditions set by the other party were indeed difficult, but... for him, if it really took a hundred years to complete, the grass on his grave would have changed countless times.

Not to mention stopping Luo Ruoxin from marrying that detestable Zhang Clan member next April, but also the congenital fetal poison—if he didn't reach nine stars before thirty, he would die...

He couldn't last that long.

"Let me say it one last time: before meeting these three conditions, you cannot break the seal on the dean token, nor can you use its power! So, I hope you can disguise yourself as an ordinary student, enter the academy, study earnestly, strive to improve, and step by step reach the pinnacle! Only then can you earn the respect of other students, and this will also serve as a test for you!"

Kuili advised.

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Although he had obtained the hall master token, he still needed to keep a low profile. He could completely disguise himself as a student, study seriously, and then rise step by step.

Only then could he truly understand the Saint Hall, and when he eventually became hall master, he would be adept and not flustered or ignorant.

"Well, this is a pupil technique [Nine Nether Divine Pupil] created by the teacher, which can only be cultivated with the Eye of Clarity. As the name suggests, when cultivated to the highest level, it can see through the Nine Nether, and even heaven and earth cannot hide from the eyes. I will now teach it to you. You have three days to learn it; how much you can learn depends on your talent. If you cannot comprehend it in your lifetime and fail to reach the fourth level, it means that even with the hall master token, you cannot become the true hall master!"

Saying this, Kuili swept his hand forward.

Swish!

A vast expanse of text and diagrams appeared before his eyes, densely packed, stretching endlessly.

"Nine Nether Divine Pupil?"

Looking up, Zhang Xuan felt a shock in his heart.

As expected of a supreme secret art comparable to the Derivation Heaven Scripture, it was indeed profound and extraordinary, beyond belief.

As Kuili said, this technique was based on the Eye of Clarity, using special methods to form array patterns in the eyes. The more patterns, the better one could see through the essence of things, and the greater the power.

"This pupil technique has three realms. The first is 'Eyes Born with Divine Demons'! With divine demons in the eyes, one glance can instantly shatter a cultivator's mind, rendering them unable to fight!"

His eyes falling on the first realm, Zhang Xuan nodded inwardly.

Some formidable people naturally exude an aura; with a glare, they can frighten ordinary people into wetting themselves.

Especially emperors—with a furious shout and shining eyes, those who haven't experienced life and death find it hard to endure.

The first realm, Eyes Born with Divine Demons, pushes this ability to the limit through the Eye of Clarity. One glance makes the opponent feel as if falling into hell, encountering divine demons, and a thought of not daring to resist arises in their heart.

If the mind collapses, even with superior strength, one cannot win.

One glance, subduing the enemy without fighting...

As expected of a supreme technique left by the founding master of the Saint Hall, truly fearsome!

If he could master it, his combat power would definitely more than double.

While marveling, he continued reading, then suddenly felt a stir and couldn't help frowning: "Hmm? No, this pupil technique... has a problem!"