Chapter 170 Stirring Up the Winds and Clouds

Tianxuan Royal City.

Liu Shi and Zhuang Shi from the second-class Northern Wu Kingdom, and Zheng Shi from the Cold Martial Kingdom, came to the royal city and together visited this Yang Xuan?

Indeed, after the visit, it was said that they summoned Ling Tianyu, Du Moxuan, and others into the palace that very night. No one knew what happened, but the next day, the three renowned masters visited the residence again... and... they visited for five consecutive days, yet didn't even see a shadow of him?

Damn, that's too fierce, refusing to see even renowned masters? I know Liu Shi—he's considered among the top even among one-star masters. For someone like him to be turned away at the door... just what level is this Master Yang?

I'm afraid he's not just a simple two-star master!

...

No one had heard the name Yang Xuan, and even the Teacher's Guild couldn't find any record, leading many to doubt whether he was a genuine master.

But now it was different.

Liu Shi, Zheng Shi, and Zhuang Shi—three genuine renowned masters—were known to everyone, famous even in the surrounding kingdoms. For the three of them to visit together, and for five days in a row, without even getting through the door—even a fool would know that this Yang Xuan was certainly no ordinary person.

He is a master, yet untraceable... I'm afraid the name Yang Xuan is also fake...

"Famous teachers love to travel, temper themselves, and experience the lives of ordinary people, thereby broadening their minds and elevating their souls. Could it be that this person is a high-level famous teacher who has come from somewhere on a journey?"

"That's hard to say... If that were really the case, wouldn't the Tianxuan Kingdom be about to prosper?"

"Indeed, famous teachers are a symbol of national strength. With a one-star teacher in residence, one can apply for a second-class kingdom; with a two-star teacher, a first-class kingdom; and if one possesses a three-star teacher, then one can apply for a title!"

"Once a kingdom attains a title, it has the right to build a massive teleportation array, buy and sell various resources, and attract myriad nations to pay homage—the benefits are so great they are hard to imagine..."

...

For a time, all sorts of opinions filled the entire royal city.

"Your Majesty, although the matter of the three teachers is still unconfirmed and in doubt, in this old servant's view, this Yang Xuan certainly possesses great ability. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to easily cure so many people. Even if he is not a famous teacher, he is likely a master of medicine. The ancestor... might be saved."

In the royal palace, an old eunuch analyzed the information obtained so far.

"Mm, send people to guard him closely. Once this Yang Xuan returns, report to me immediately. I want to see him in person." Emperor Shen Zhui's gaze was solemn.

"Yes!"

The old eunuch quickly nodded.

……

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Wang Chao. If this Master Yang takes a liking to us and we become his apprentices, becoming a renowned master is just around the corner!"

In the spacious classroom of Hongtian Academy, Lu Xun looked excitedly at the young man before him.

"Yes, we must go pay our respects no matter what, and strive to leave a good impression on Master Yang!" Wang Chao nodded, his eyes gleaming. "Even if we don't become apprentices, just a couple of pointers from him will surely allow us to break through immediately."

"Mm!" Lu Xun nodded.

"By the way, what about Zhang Xuan?" Wang Chao looked over.

"Him?" Teacher Lu Xun's gaze turned forward, exuding an air of superiority, hands clasped behind his back. "He's just a stepping stone on my path to becoming a master, nothing to worry about. Rest assured, the students I've selected to fight him have been training in secret. In a few days, they will all achieve major breakthroughs and will surely win this teacher evaluation with the greatest victory, thereby attracting the attention of many masters!"

"That's good. Then I'll congratulate you in advance..." Wang Chao clasped his fists excitedly.

……

Similar scenes occurred throughout the royal city. The appearance of a master stirred up all factions, each fixing their gaze on Zhang Xuan's residence. In an instant, this inconspicuous small courtyard seemed to become the very center of the entire royal city...

Stirring up a storm.

……

At this moment, Zhang Xuan had already arrived before the innermost row of bookshelves in the kingdom's library.

Five days without rest or sleep, flipping through books nonstop, had left him utterly exhausted, with no energy even to speak, let alone cultivate.

"Just one last row..."

Knowing that it was not easy to come to the kingdom's library, he intended to first imprint these books into the Heavenly Dao Library, without forming the corresponding Heavenly Dao books. Even so, he was worn out, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

Seeing that only the last row remained, he suddenly became excited, his eyes gleaming, tears streaming down.

After so many days of hard work, he could finally see the end.

"Hmm? These are books on poison..."

This was a row of books on how to use poison, concoct poison, apply poison, and identify poison. Like other types, they were just basics, nothing advanced.

"Flip through!"

His fingers swept across, and with a rustling sound, one book after another was imprinted into his mind.

Among the many professions, there was the poison master. In terms of power, it could definitely rank among the top nine streams, but like assassins, it could only hide in the shadows, unfit for public view. Many were unwilling to choose it, and it eventually fell to the bottom nine streams.

Zhang Xuan naturally had no desire to learn the art of poison, but taking a look couldn't hurt—it might prevent him from being framed.

One should never harbor harmful intentions, but one must always guard against being harmed.

An hour later, he finished reading all the books on poison.

"I'll go back and sleep first..."

Having imprinted all the books in the library into his mind, Zhang Xuan finally felt an overwhelming fatigue pressing down on him. His entire body felt as if it had been hollowed out, and he just wanted to find a place to lie down and sleep.

Although he had reached the peak of the Meridian Opening Realm and was much stronger than an ordinary person, after five consecutive days and nights without rest or sleep, coupled with intense mental exertion, even he could not hold on any longer.

Yet, despite the exhaustion, it was worth it.

The Tianxuan Kingdom had been established for no less than a thousand years. Although the quality of its collected books was not high and they could not be considered secret manuals, they covered every profession and were vast in quantity.

For others, this situation made it difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood; the more they read, the more confused they became, and they might even suffer mental derangement. But for Zhang Xuan, who possessed the Library of Heaven's Path, it was no problem at all.

As long as he was willing, he could form Heavenly Path books at any time, extract the most correct knowledge from them, and turn it into something of his own.

Walking out of the palace, he looked at the sun and realized that he had spent a full five days in the library.

"I can't rest yet. It's been about ten days since I bought the Po Yin Pill and Giant Rhino Blood; the items should have arrived..."

Walking along the road, he remembered that he couldn't go straight to sleep. During this time, busy earning money and reading, the ten-day deadline was almost up. The medicinal herbs he had asked President Ouyang to purchase should have arrived by now.

"Let me go back to the residence first. Hopefully, someone has come looking for me these days, so I can gather the money..."

After thinking it over, he was still short two million in cash. Without hesitation, he found a secluded spot, changed his clothes, disguised himself as "Yang Xuan," and then headed toward his residence.

...

Zhang Liao and Zhang Mo were renowned thieves in the Tianxuan Kingdom, specializing in robbing the wealthy to help the poor, and were considered righteous bandits.

Thanks to their agile movements and clean methods, they had never failed over the years. The Tianxuan Kingdom had offered a high reward for their capture, but ironically, no one even knew what they looked like.

"Up ahead is Du Qiao's residence. That guy is rich but unkind, committing all kinds of evil. Although he encountered bandits and his business suffered greatly, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. If we steal a sum from him, it'll last us quite a while..."

Zhang Liao chuckled and strode forward.

The two of them had left Tianxuan Royal City for half a year due to intense pursuit. As soon as they returned, they set their sights on the merchant Du Qiao.

"Hmm, but we need to scout the place well, confirm the guards and their routines, before making a move." Zhang Mo nodded.

When the two of them went thieving, they didn't just pick anyone at random. They usually observed for a long time, determined the defensive layout, identified the weak points, and then struck with a single, sure blow.

Because of this, they had committed no fewer than fifty thefts without ever being caught.

"The mansion ahead is the one. I've been here once before... Huh?"

Zhang Liao strode forward, turned a corner, and was about to slink up to the mansion they intended to rob for a closer look when he was immediately startled.

Zhang Mo's face also turned pale. He stared ahead, eyes wide.

At the entrance of the mansion, a long queue stretched out, with several hundred people standing in front. If it were just a crowd, that would be one thing, but the most critical point was... the mansion's main gate was tightly shut, as if there were no intention of opening it at all.

"Look, isn't that... the Eight-Armed Divine Dragon, Liu Yuankai?"

Suddenly Zhang Liao recognized someone, and his face went pale.

"It's him... Eight-Armed Divine Dragon Liu Yuankai, a renowned extraordinary figure among the independent cultivators, a supreme powerhouse at the late stage of the Tongxuan Realm. He disappeared from public view after being injured while hunting a savage beast. How did he end up here? And standing at the door?" Zhang Mo also shuddered.

"That's... Dragon Cliff Iron Hand Feng Jun? The number one expert in Hanxue City, whose iron hands can split steles and shatter rocks. Even when he entered the palace, Emperor Shen Zhui addressed him as an equal—a supremely powerful being at the mid stage of the Tongxuan Realm. Why is he here too... queuing?"

"Eagle-Beak Divine Eye Duan Jiujiang? Iron Caltrop Long Xuanhai? The White-Faced Scholar, Hu Xiaobai..."

They had thought the people queuing outside were all ordinary folk. But after recognizing one and carefully looking further down the line, Zhang Liao's whole body trembled, and he nearly died of fright on the spot...

Every single one of these people was a famous expert of the Tianxuan Kingdom, with the weakest at least at the early Tongxuan Realm.

Although Zhang Liao and Zhang Mo had some skills, if they actually ran into these people, they probably wouldn't even be able to escape and would be beaten to death on the spot.

But...

Experts of such caliber were all proud and unruly, looking down on everyone. Back then, Emperor Shen Zhui had personally invited them but failed to recruit even a few. How could they all be standing here queuing at this door?

I must be seeing things...

Zhang Liao and Zhang Mo looked at each other, both frantically pulling at their hair, on the verge of losing their minds.

If these people were just standing in line, that would be one thing, but the key was that none of them dared to breathe too loudly, terrified of offending someone in the courtyard, or even of being shut out... They didn't even dare to knock on the door...

Damn it. Heaven, earth, can someone tell me—has this group gone mad, or have I?

Isn't this Du Qiao's mansion?

A mere merchant—how could he wield such terrifying authority?

To make a crowd like this willingly wait outside the door, not daring to utter a single unnecessary word?