Chapter 1869: The Village Belle

These people, dressed in short-sleeved shirts and shorts, looked very ordinary, holding farming tools like hoes, sickles, and shovels, and they were menacing.

"Their strength..."

Zheng Yang was stunned.

The people before him were as ordinary as could be; in the Master Teacher Continent, they wouldn't even be considered martial artists, yet here, every single one had reached the Grandmaster level.

"They haven't cultivated; there's no trace of true energy in their bodies..."

Wei Ruyan was also taken aback.

With her eyesight, she could easily tell that these people were heavy in body, with no true energy in their dantian, indicating they had never been exposed to cultivation.

Without tempering spiritual energy, without transforming true energy, and without honing their bodies, they still possessed the aura of Grandmasters...

"It should be from long-term consumption of Green Sprout Wheat, which has altered their physiques, just like the alien tribesmen, making them different from ordinary humans..."

Zhang Xuan explained.

This situation should be related to these wheat fields; the people before him had ancestors who consumed such crops, and over the years, their physiques had undergone a complete transformation.

Like the alien tribesmen, they were born with the strength of the Mortal Transformation realm even without cultivation.

It was like his former self, that little genius of the Zhang family, born a Saint, reaching the Saint realm at birth...

"This..."

Zheng Yang's eyes lit up.

Earlier, when the teacher said it, he hadn't paid much attention, but now seeing that even these ordinary people possessed such power, he was filled with excitement.

If the people of the Master Teacher Continent could also be like this, then facing the alien tribesmen again, they would truly have nothing to fear.

No matter how strong a master teacher was, if students were unwilling to learn, it was impossible to train them into experts. Of Confucius's three thousand disciples, only seventy-two had reached the level of Ancient Sages.

But long-term consumption of this plant could allow a person to be born with strength comparable to a Grandmaster...

That was truly making everyone a dragon.

"Who are you people, daring to destroy crops..."

The crowd approached, shouting angrily.

Leading them was an old man, at least eighty years old, but he was hale and hearty, with jet-black beard and hair, giving a sense of abundant vitality.

He hadn't cultivated either, yet he had already reached the supreme至尊 realm, the peak below Mortal Transformation!

In the Tianxuan Kingdom, reaching the至尊 realm meant even King Shen Zhui could be disregarded, but here, it could be achieved simply with age...

If said out loud, no one would believe it.

"We meant no harm and are willing to compensate..."

Zhang Xuan said apologetically, and with a flick of his wrist, a pile of medicinal herbs, weapons, and the like fell down.

Although these were the cheapest items he had, they were still valuable anywhere.

The originally aggressive crowd was all stunned at the sight.

Though they had never seen any decent treasures, they could still sense the spiritual energy emanating from these items.

They had rushed over because the few people had damaged several acres of their crops, but the damaged wheat was far inferior to these items...

"Compensation for us?"

After a pause, the old man still couldn't believe it.

"Yes!"

Zhang Xuan smiled lightly: "Take them. By the way, I have some questions I'd like to ask, and I hope you can provide answers!"

"Whatever it is, feel free to ask..."

Having someone pack up the compensation items and carefully checking them to confirm their value, the old man and the others still felt like they were dreaming and quickly bowed.

Since they had been compensated and the attitude was so good, they couldn't stay angry.

"We three have come here for the first time. May I ask where this is?" Zhang Xuan said.

"This is within the territory of Kaiming Prefecture, Shiyan Village!" the old man nodded.

"Shiyan Village? Kaiming Prefecture?" Zhang Xuan frowned: "May I ask... where does Kaiming Prefecture belong?"

"It's a place under the jurisdiction of the Ancient Sage Zichi's mansion!" a middle-aged man interjected.

"Ancient Sage Zichi?"

Nodding, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Ancient Sage Zichi was one of the seventy-two worthies under Confucius. Although his fame was far less than that of Ran Qiu or Bu Shang, and not on the same level, he was still recorded in history.

He was skilled in farming; perhaps... Green Sprout Wheat was a concept proposed by Confucius, and its cultivation was Zichi's achievement.

Since it was under the jurisdiction of Ancient Sage Zichi, it meant that, as guessed, this was indeed the realm of the Hundred Schools of Thought.

He had planned to search carefully after arriving at the Tianxuan Kingdom, but unexpectedly, Zheng Yang and the others had discovered it by accident.

"How can we get to the mansion of Ancient Sage Zichi?" Zhang Xuan continued.

After tens of thousands of years, the Ancient Sage was certainly long gone, but his descendants must still be alive. To trace Confucius's footsteps and find where he went after capturing the 'god,' he had to find the experts of the Hundred Schools of Thought.

"The Ancient Sage's mansion is in Fancheng, some distance from here. If you three aren't in a hurry, I'll have Xiuru from the village take you there!"

The old man smiled: "Xiuru is our village belle. She has trained specially and tamed a spirit beast. Let her take you; riding the spirit beast will be faster..."

"Village belle?"

Zhang Xuan smiled wryly: "You just need to tell us the direction; no need to trouble..."

"How can it be trouble? Fancheng is a big city, not everyone can enter. If you go rashly without being from here, you'll easily be caught. Let Xiuru guide you; she's very familiar and can make things easier after you arrive!"

The old man's tone brooked no argument.

The few people had damaged their crops but willingly compensated and had a good attitude, so they naturally treated them politely.

Seeing that he couldn't insist, Zhang Xuan had to nod.

Shiyan Village was a small village with only about a hundred households. Upon hearing that guests had arrived, everyone was very enthusiastic.

Soon, they met the legendary 'village belle.' Her appearance was merely passable, similar to Su Feifei, of above-average looks, but in a small village, she indeed stood out.

"Mortal Transformation realm second layer!"

As she approached, Zheng Yang discerned her cultivation.

She had indeed trained; true energy flowed in her body, revealing her exact strength: Mortal Transformation realm second layer.

"I can take you to Fancheng, but let me warn you in advance: the mansion of Ancient Sage Zichi is not accessible to just anyone. If you truly wish to visit, you need to submit a visiting card in advance. If you rush over recklessly and offend someone, I won't care about your lives!"

Coming up to them, Xiuru raised her eyebrows, looking proud.

As the village belle, she had her own pride and dignity.

"Don't worry..." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Although their strength had reached the pinnacle of this world, they had come seeking answers, not to fight or kill, so naturally they wouldn't be reckless.

"Good. Also, let me warn you in advance: I'm taking you to Fancheng on the village chief's orders, not of my own will. Don't secretly develop feelings for me just because we're traveling together. I only accept confessions from within the village, and I haven't considered marrying outside yet!"

Xiuru said seriously.

"..." Zhang Xuan and the others felt like they were constipated.