Chapter 1433: Is It Him?

“Pass the news to the clan?”

Stunned for a moment, Zhang Wuchen’s pupils contracted: “The Grand Elder means to… stir up the clan members’ emotions?”

The Two-Spirit Imperial Sky Array was the gateway to the Zhang family, equivalent to their face. Having it destroyed by a twenty-year-old youth, once the news reached the clan, would inevitably provoke outrage.

“Correct. The Zhang family has been perched on high for too long; it’s time for some stimulation. Only when every member is like a dragon can we be truly strong and command respect. The array… we can do without it!”

Nodding, the Grand Elder’s gaze was profound.

“I understand…”

Looking over again, Zhang Wuchen’s eyes were now full of admiration.

Truly worthy of the Grand Elder—every step he took was far-sighted, his vision far deeper than his own.

A strong defensive array made the clan members lose their vigilance. If a real enemy attacked, they would surely, like this Zhang Xuan, find the array’s flaw and break through in one blow. By then, everyone would be unprepared, and the danger would be extreme.

Without the array, they would be more cautious, and thus safer.

It was like learning to swim: without removing the float and airbag, one would never succeed.

To become truly the best in the world, only one’s own strength mattered; everything else was illusory.

“Mm, go handle it!”

Seeing that he understood, the Grand Elder said no more, waved his hand, and instructed again: “By the way, investigate this Zhang Xuan—what exactly is his background?”

“Yes!”

Zhang Wuchen turned and left.

Not long after, he flew back, handing over a jade token.

As the number one family on the continent, it was easy for them to look up Zhang Xuan’s deeds.

“A new student of the Holy Son Hall this year, passed the Master Teacher Pavilion in about a quarter of an hour, became an eight-star master teacher, beat up Zhang Chun and Zhang Feng, became sworn brothers with Luo Xuanqing, left no building intact wherever he went…”

Seeing the recorded content, the Grand Elder’s mouth fell open.

Even their Zhang family’s top geniuses couldn’t accomplish these things. How did this youth manage it?

“A student of Master Yang… Yang Xuan has been at the Zhang family for half a year; when did he take on such a student?”

Finishing the reading quickly, his brow furrowed into a knot.

To outsiders, Master Yang was elusive, his whereabouts unknown, but as the Grand Elder of the Zhang family, he knew.

He had been in seclusion here for half a year, never leaving. When did he take on such an incredible student, one even stronger than the Zhang family’s top geniuses?

“Master Yang does have a student, named Feng Ziyi…” Zhang Wuchen said.

“Feng Ziyi, I know him, I’ve met him once. His talent is indeed not weak, but only slightly better than Zhang Chun and the others. But… this Zhang Xuan, I’ve never heard of him?”

The Grand Elder was puzzled.

Yang Xuan had good relations with the Zhang family. If there were such a genius, word would have spread long ago. Why hadn’t he heard anything?

“Unmatched talent, and surnamed Zhang… could it be…” Suddenly recalling something, Zhang Wuchen’s eyes flashed with excitement.

“Impossible!”

The Grand Elder couldn’t help shaking his head: “A year ago, I saw his soul lamp extinguish with my own eyes. How could he still be alive?”

“But… the family head and Dream Sword Saint have never believed it and are still searching everywhere… This time they left in a hurry, ten to one, they got some news again…”

Pausing, Zhang Wuchen’s face showed hesitation: “At their level of cultivation, even if they can’t calculate fate, they can still sense something intuitively. Since they’re certain he’s not dead, perhaps… it’s very possible he’s really alive!”

“Close blood kin can indeed sense something, but… I personally preserved his soul lamp. The soul was extinguished… and without any strength, how could he survive?”

The Grand Elder was also very puzzled, frowning as he thought about something. After a long while, he turned to look over: “By the way, go check again—where does this Zhang Xuan come from, and does he have family?”

“Mm!”

Zhang Wuchen left again. This time he was gone longer, about two hours, before flying back: “Reporting to the Grand Elder, this Master Zhang comes from a lawless land within the Qingyuan Empire that has no master teachers! And according to the Master Teacher Hall records, he’s an orphan with no relatives, and he’s exactly twenty years old this year!”

“A lawless land… an ancient land? Could it be…”

The Grand Elder was full of surprise, his eyes also showing disbelief: “This is impossible!”

Shaking his head, he paced in place a few times, then suddenly looked over and instructed: “Wuchen, in the next couple of days, find a way to bring him to the [Blood Pool] and see if he can resonate with it.”

“The Blood Pool is a place to activate clan members’ bloodlines, but given that person’s situation, you should understand… even if he’s not dead, nothing would appear…” Zhang Wuchen was puzzled.

“I know, but… as the strongest talent in tens of thousands of years, entering a place where countless ancestors’ bloodlines were activated will inevitably cause a special tremor. If there’s a reaction, we can confirm it.”

The Grand Elder nodded.

“I understand…”

Zhang Wuchen nodded.

“By the way, do this quietly, don’t let anyone know… especially that Zhang Xuan. Observe him secretly and report his actions to me.”

The Grand Elder continued.

Zhang Wuchen acknowledged and then turned to leave.

Watching him go, the Grand Elder’s eyes flickered with light. Thinking of something, he turned and walked deep into the family compound. Before long, he arrived at a place.

It was a small round door, tightly shut, showing nothing special from the outside.

But if one probed with divine sense, they would find that the situation inside couldn’t be detected at all, as if behind the door was another world.

He paced in front of the door a few times, wanting to knock, but finally stopped.

“According to Master Yang’s instructions, he should come out in the next few days. I won’t disturb him for now; otherwise… if something goes wrong, even I can’t bear the responsibility…”

Lowering his arm, the Grand Elder ultimately did not knock and turned back.

Master Yang was in seclusion behind the round door. He had thought that if he came out, he would ask carefully about Zhang Xuan’s background. Seeing the door tightly shut, he hesitated for a long time but still didn’t dare to knock.

What Master Yang was doing in seclusion was too important. Even as the Grand Elder, he dared not disturb him; otherwise, all previous efforts would be wasted, and he would become the family’s sinner.

Fortunately, Master Yang had said that this seclusion would last at most half a year. If his guess was right, he should come out in the next few days.

The Grand Elder’s heart was full of turmoil. After receiving the instructions, Zhang Wuchen flew toward the guest quarters.

With a guess in mind, he also wanted to see what abilities this Zhang Xuan had.

Moving swiftly, before he arrived, he saw the earlier Seventh Elder Wuzhen rushing over in a hurry. As soon as he saw him, he shouted: “Third Elder, something terrible has happened…”

Zhang Wuchen’s brows jumped, and a foreboding feeling arose in his heart: “What happened?”