Chapter 1943: Xiaotian Takes Revenge

To break through to Ancient Saint, one needs the power of Ancient Saints. Such power is everywhere in the Upper Firmament, so there is no worry about that. But... this major level, equivalent to the Grandmaster realm in the Master Land, requires sufficient accumulation.

Shan Xiaotian's temperament and talent were not weak; what he lacked was the accumulation of time.

If given a month, without any treasures, he could break through on his own. But time waits for no one. Now, with less than half an hour until the so-called seventeenth birthday, once this tide completely recedes, there will be no more chance!

"Swallow it!"

Raising his eyebrows, Zhang Xuan conjured a sword aura between his fingers and slashed it across his wrist. Blood gushed out, forming a blood ball that flew straight toward the other.

Due to excessive blood loss, his face turned somewhat pale.

Shan Xiaotian's eyes reddened. He opened his mouth and swallowed the blood. Instantly, he felt countless spiritual energies surging within him. The power that had been receding flared up again, turbulent and mighty.

As a Fourth Level Ancient Saint expert, every drop of Zhang Xuan's essence blood contained immense energy. Giving so much at once was of greater value than even a Celestial Origin Pill. Thus, in less than a breath, his newly accepted disciple had returned to his peak, his true qi growing stronger.

Boom!

Finally, the barrier of Ancient Saint could no longer withstand it and burst open. The rapidly rising aura did not stop there but continued to climb.

It lasted for a quarter of an hour before slowly coming to a halt.

By now, Shan Xiaotian's strength had reached the peak of the Bloodline Continuation stage of First Level Ancient Saint, only a step away from the Hundred Schools of Thought.

"Master..."

After stabilizing his cultivation, Shan Xiaotian, ignoring his excitement, hurriedly looked at the young man before him.

To help him break through, the master had given far too much.

A lifetime would not be enough to repay it!

"I'm fine. Time is almost up. Go out quickly. Now that your strength has reached Ancient Saint, and at the peak of the first level, no one should suspect you... Cough, cough!"

Smiling slightly, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but cough a few times.

This time, he had indeed suffered a great loss.

Just losing these essence blood containing energy would likely take him at least a few months to recover, barring any accidents.

"Master, please rest!"

Nodding, Shan Xiaotian turned and left.

Watching him go far, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly. Just as he was about to absorb spiritual energy to recover his strength, he noticed the large pot nearby, which still contained some water from boiling the gourd.

After a moment's hesitation, he picked up a bowl and drank it.

Gurgle, gurgle!

A rumbling sound came from within his body. His weakened body visibly recovered, and in the blink of an eye, he was restored to full health, as if never injured.

"This..."

Eyes wide, Zhang Xuan stood dumbfounded.

Heavenly Dao True Qi could heal injuries but could not repair the body's depletion. Yet the gourd's bathwater could easily do so, like the senzu beans from the Dragon Balls...

This was too heaven-defying.

"What exactly are you?"

Unable to contain himself, he looked at the gourd, which was now swimming underwater.

"To tell you the truth, the gourd is just my appearance. I am actually a supreme divine beast that roams heaven and earth, commanding the winds and clouds. Hurry up and bow down..."

The gourd wiggled its bottom.

"..."

Listening to its boasting, which was utterly unreliable, Zhang Xuan, with a helpless expression, poured all the remaining water into a bottle, put away the large pot, and walked out.

The moment he pushed open the door, his face turned sallow again, and he swayed as he walked, as if about to fall at any moment.

If it were said that Shan Xiaotian had been an Ancient Saint before, it would be hard to believe, at most met with skepticism. But now that his cultivation had broken through, if both of them walked out unscathed... wouldn't that cause an uproar?

It was better to pretend to be severely injured, making others understand that forcibly raising strength required a great cost. That way, those with such intentions would surely be fewer.

...

"Do you think... he can succeed?"

The selection of disciples was very fast. Elder Lu Yun and the others soon became idle. Huang Tao looked in the direction where Zhang Xuan and the others had disappeared and couldn't help asking.

"Going from Third Level Great Saint to Ancient Saint in an hour and a half... That's impossible!"

Yun Feiyang shook his head.

"Yes, even in the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, I've never heard of such a thing. Anyway, I don't believe it!" said the square-faced man.

Not only them, but even Elder Lu Yun remained skeptical.

"No need to wait. In an hour and a half, making him break through to Ancient Saint is impossible unless a deity personally intervenes..."

Knowing that Shan Xiaotian was about to turn seventeen and had no hope of becoming an inner disciple, Xue Qian also lost his reverence and sneered repeatedly.

Before he finished speaking, footsteps sounded, and then the young man slowly walked over.

"How is it?"

Elder Lu Yun quickly looked over.

"I have fulfilled my mission."

Smiling slightly, Shan Xiaotian circulated his true qi, and the power within him exploded forth, his aura shooting straight into the sky.

Boom!

The true qi surged so fast that the entire hall shook incessantly, emitting creaking sounds.

The thousands of onlookers, feeling immense pressure, all found their legs weak, as if they might kneel at any moment.

"Peak of First Level Ancient Saint?"

Xue Qian stiffened, the words he was about to say stuck in his throat, as if he had gone stupid.

Not far away, Xue Qin once again collapsed to the ground with a thud, her lips trembling uncontrollably, unable to utter a word.

The fiancé she had looked down upon, within a single day, had crushed her dignity in the most forceful manner, and repeatedly at that, like slapping and trampling...

If only she had known earlier, why had she acted like that...

If she hadn't foolishly gone to break off the engagement yesterday, things wouldn't have come to this...

"Nephew Xiaotian, we still have the marriage alliance..."

Struggling, Xue Qian shamelessly said.

"Marriage alliance?"

Shan Xiaotian sneered coldly: "Sorry... This is my letter of divorce. Xue Qin, with improper conduct and intent to kill me, has been divorced by me!"

With a flick of his finger, a piece of paper flew over, floating in the air. The dark characters "Letter of Divorce" struck the girl's face like even more frenzied blows.

Failing to break off the engagement and instead being divorced... She was probably the most humiliated person in the world!

Desperate for face, she had ended up as the biggest joke in Xuanjiang City.

Pfft!

Unable to hold back any longer, Xue Qin spat blood.

"Elder Lu, have I now passed the inner disciple assessment and become a member?"

Ignoring the other, Shan Xiaotian continued to look at him.

Elder Lu Yun nodded.

"That's good. Then I trouble Junior Brother Jiang He to abolish Xue Qian's cultivation, hang him outside the city lord's mansion, list his crimes, and behead him as a public example!"

Shan Xiaotian said calmly.

"Yes!" Huo Jianghe nodded.

The other was an inner disciple, while he was only an outer disciple, thus becoming a junior brother, and he would obey unconditionally.

"Father, mother, grandfather, grandmother... I have finally avenged you..."

Before long, seeing Xue Qian's head brought over, Shan Xiaotian knelt on the ground, tears streaming down.

After all, he was just a youth who had just turned seventeen. The hatred buried for a full ten years, once avenged, he could no longer hold on.

Turning his head, he saw his master walking over with a pale face.

He quickly stood up and went to meet him.

If not for this man, he might not have seen the sun today, having long been killed by the bandits sent by Xue Chen.

Without him, there would be no talk of revenge, cultivation, or breaking through to Ancient Saint...

It could be said that everything today was given by him!

He wanted to tell everyone right now... This is my esteemed master. All my achievements are thanks to him...

Filled with excitement, before he could reach him, he saw his respected master standing shakily before Yun Feiyang and the others, extending his hand: "Shan Xiaotian has become an inner disciple. As outer disciples, shouldn't you each give a few Celestial Origin Pills to congratulate him? This isn't taking bribes, but seeking protection! As long as he gains a foothold in the inner sect, you will benefit even more..."

"..." Shan Xiaotian froze.

Was this... collecting protection money?

Was this really his master, who was low-key, meticulous, and upright?

Why did it feel so exaggerated?

"..." Yun Feiyang and the others were also dumbfounded.

Originally, seeing that Shan Xiaotian had indeed broken through two major levels in an hour and a half, they guessed it must be his doing and wanted to inquire carefully. But seeing him excitedly come to ask for pills...

They no longer had any interest.

It seemed that Shan Xiaotian really had reached Ancient Saint before... The other had only used a special method to restore his strength!

Otherwise, would an expert capable of rapidly advancing others be so shameless as to openly demand protection money in front of so many people?

Too absurd!

"Ahem!"

Elder Lu Yun also couldn't bear to watch. He coughed to break the awkwardness: "Xiaotian, inner disciples can bring attendants and menial disciples back to the sect. Come with us! Xuanjiang City has nothing left for you to miss..."

"Yes!"

Shan Xiaotian nodded.

With his family revenge fulfilled, there was indeed nothing left to miss here. It was time to go to a bigger world and brave the storms.

"I want to bring Uncle Yi and Brother Zhang! The rest can be left behind..."

After thinking for a while, Shan Xiaotian made his decision.

The master must be brought, that was certain. Uncle Yi had always been with him and couldn't be left behind. Actually, these two were enough; menial disciples were unnecessary.

After all, the master liked to keep a low profile, and having too many people would be disturbing.

"Alright, go back and prepare. We'll set off on time in an hour!" Elder Lu Yun nodded.

Shan Xiaotian nodded and came to his master, who was shaking his head helplessly.

Clearly, the "protection fee" had not been collected.

"Master, let's go home for a while. After returning, we'll head to the Lingyun Sword Pavilion!"

Shan Xiaotian said.

Now that they were far from Elder Lu Yun and the others, he lowered his voice so they couldn't hear, no longer needing to pretend.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had gone to collect protection fees to divert attention, and it seemed to have worked well.

"I wonder how long I can hide... Being too outstanding is also a bit worrisome!"

Rubbing his brow, he felt melancholy.

Being too outstanding could sometimes be helpless. To be honest, he really didn't want to attract attention, but making such a dazzling move at the first try... was also the most uncomfortable part for him!

As he was sighing, he saw the bandit Cao Chengli rushing over and kneeling with a thud, his eyes filled with sincerity and fervor.

"Young master, please accept me. I am willing to be your servant and will never regret it!"

"See... Being too outstanding, even bandits can't help themselves..."

Zhang Xuan became even more melancholy.