Chapter 550: Neither Male Nor Female

"Palace Master Wu, Master Zhang is not a reckless man..."

Unexpectedly, this Master Zhang, with just one sentence, infuriated the usually calm and inscrutable Palace Master Wu to the point of driving them out. Hall Master Kang's mouth twitched, feeling he was about to go mad.

He had expended no small effort for these two slots, yet this fellow had offended the other party with a single sentence...

"Show the guests out!"

Ignoring his explanation, Palace Master Wu gave a crisp order.

Swish!

Hearing this sound, the white-clad woman who had escorted them in came over, her face hostile: "Please, this way!"

"Palace Master Wu..."

Hall Master Kang wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Zhang Xuan: "Enough, Hall Master Kang. Why bother with this neither-male-nor-female creature? If they want us to leave, we'll just go."

Creak!

Ruohuan Gongzi's foot slipped, nearly falling.

Hall Master Kang was also petrified on the spot, frozen in place.

He had known this Palace Master Wu for many years—beautiful, elegant, enough to make even women feel ashamed in her presence... Yet this man directly called her neither male nor female...

Even if she refused to give an extra slot, two were still acceptable. Even if they were thrown out, they could leave safely without burning bridges.

Now, with this direct insult, if this Mortal Shedding Fifth Layer powerhouse didn't lose her temper and kill him on the spot, it would be a miracle...

He moved, circulating his inner qi, and stepped in front of Zhang Xuan. If the other party lashed out, even at the cost of severe injury, he would send the man out.

"What did you say?"

Sure enough, her face ashen as iron, Palace Master Wu was already burning with rage, her eyes seeming to want to tear him apart.

"Don't you know what I said? Do I have to spell it out?"

Zhang Xuan was not flustered, his gaze calm: "If I'm not mistaken, the hair on certain parts of your body grows very fast and is very long!"

"Pfft!"

His vision darkened, Ruohuan Gongzi couldn't hold back, nearly choking to death on the spot.

Holy crap!

Brother, are you doing this on purpose?

Calling her neither male nor female was shameless enough, but now he's concerned about her hair... No matter how long her hair is, it's hidden under her clothes—what business is it of yours!

Saying this in front of everyone—what else is it but hooliganism?

Besides, even if her hair is long... how did you see it?

Your master teacher's eyesight... what are you using it for...

Hall Master Kang, much like his student, felt a thunderbolt rolling through him. The qi he had barely gathered nearly failed, threatening his cultivation.

He was a hall master of the Master Teacher Pavilion, one of the most esteemed experts in Myriad King City, dignified and solemn, never frivolous... Yet here he was, accompanying this fellow in hooliganism, provoking the Palace Master of the Icefield Palace...

For a moment, his face twisted in anguish, and he felt like dying.

However, this Master Zhang was after all brought by him and was part of the Master Teacher Pavilion. No matter how rude he was, he couldn't abandon him.

Gritting his teeth, he was about to bear the storm of her fury when he saw that Palace Master Wu, who had been burning with rage and ready to kill, turned pale and looked over: "You... how do you know?"

"Ah?"

His qi jolted again, and Hall Master Kang's body went limp.

He was right?

Calling her neither male nor female, then saying her hair was long... Instead of getting angry, she admitted it?

Was I hearing things, or had Palace Master Wu gone mad?

"Simple. Your body is cold and yin, yet many acupoints reveal yang qi. Your movements are gentle like a virgin, but your speech is full of vigor."

As if expecting her admission, Zhang Xuan remained composed: "If I'm not mistaken, you suffer from yin-yang conflict that cannot be harmonized. That's why you grow a man's beard, your pores enlarge, and your hair grows long!"

"This..."

Palace Master Wu's delicate body trembled.

He was right. She did have yin-yang conflict that couldn't be harmonized. Especially in the last two years, she had even grown a beard, something only men have!

If she didn't shave it every day and maintain her dignity, she would have been discovered and ridiculed long ago.

She had thought it was just an imbalance of yin and yang in her body that could be fixed with proper cultivation. But as time passed, the condition worsened, and even her body hair began to thicken.

This matter, involving a woman's secret, was too shameful to speak of, and she dared not seek help. She never expected this man to blurt it out.

How... did he see it?

"The hair you mentioned... is it the beard?"

Palace Master Wu trembled in shock, while Hall Master Kang and Ruohuan Gongzi opened their mouths wide, wiping sweat from their foreheads, looking ashamed.

When they heard 'long hair,' they naturally thought of something else. How could they have imagined that a woman could grow a beard?

"You were injured by a scorching sword qi. Believing that the sharp and unmatched [Great Linghua Art] couldn't be fully unleashed by a woman, you switched to a yin-attribute technique. As a result, you failed to harmonize the forces in your body, leading to this condition. If you don't clear it in time, you can still suppress it with brute force and keep it hidden. But in three years, it will be impossible to conceal."

Zhang Xuan said.

Since she didn't use martial techniques, he couldn't use the Library of Heaven's Path for more details. However, his Eye of Insight observed the subtleties. This Palace Master Wu shaved every day, hiding it from others, but not from his eyes.

Seeing the yin-yang imbalance and combining it with the questions Hall Master Kang had asked earlier, deducing the cause wasn't difficult.

The Great Linghua Art emphasized sharpness, striking with full force, then weakening. It was a yang-attribute, extremely fierce technique. When he first saw the problem, he thought it was a man and didn't think much of it.

When he learned the cultivator was Palace Master Wu, he found it strange. Now, seeing her condition, how could he not understand?

She must have cultivated the Great Linghua Art and then a yin-attribute technique, causing the forces to clash and fail to harmonize.

The best solution was to destroy her foundation and start over... But as the palace master and the strongest in the Icefield Palace, how could she bear to do that?

At first, she could suppress it, but as time passed, the frequency increased, and now it was impossible to control.

As for why a woman would cultivate a man's fierce technique, he didn't know, but it might be related to the Yin-Yang Pool.

For instance, the red-clad woman he had seen earlier cultivated a fire-attribute, yang-attribute technique.

Hearing these analyses and words, Hall Master Kang and the others found it somewhat unbelievable, while Palace Master Wu's face instantly turned pale.

He was absolutely right.

After cultivating the Great Linghua Art, she had been severely injured. Although Hall Master Kang had healed her, her cultivation was scattered. So she switched to a feminine, yin-attribute technique to break through and dissolve the scorching sword qi. (For the solution of scattering cultivation, see Hall Master Kang's three questions.)

Having cultivated once before, she progressed rapidly, soon succeeding, completely dissolving the sword qi and recovering from her injuries.

But... this left a root cause, leading to the current situation.

"May I ask... is there a solution?"

Knowing that he could see it at a glance and might be able to solve it, Palace Master Wu couldn't help but look at him.

"There is a solution. The most direct one is to scatter your cultivation, exhaust your power, and become an ordinary person!"

Zhang Xuan said.

"Become an ordinary person... No. My lifespan has already exceeded a hundred. Once I scatter my cultivation, I will surely age and die..." Palace Master Wu hurriedly said.

She had thought of this method.

But she was already over a hundred years old, the limit for ordinary people. Without cultivation to sustain her, she would age immediately and die within three days.

If that were the case, what use would solving the problem be?

Better to live on like this, dragging out an ignoble existence.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

She was telling the truth.

The lifespan of a Mortal Shedding realm cultivator depends on cultivation. Without it, how could someone over a hundred continue to live?

"Is there another way?"

Palace Master Wu looked at him again.

"Well... how about this: you perform a set of punches for me. I can give you some guidance and help resolve the hidden problem... but I can't guarantee it will work."

Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Although he could guess the crux of her problem, without the Library of Heaven's Path to analyze the root cause and identify defects, he wasn't entirely sure how to solve it.

Of course, he couldn't guarantee a solution, so he didn't speak too confidently.

"Alright. Whether Master Zhang can help me or not, I will give you three assessment slots!"

After a moment's hesitation, Palace Master Wu nodded.

She had been tormented by this neither-male-nor-female state to the point of madness.

If this man could solve it, she wouldn't hesitate to pay any price, let alone an assessment slot.

"Mm!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

The reason he had said so much was for the slots. Since she agreed, he would naturally do his utmost to treat her.

"That... worked?"

Seeing that Palace Master Wu, who had been at daggers drawn and ready to kill moments ago, had not only calmed down but also agreed to give slots after a few words, Hall Master Kang was dumbfounded.

This was too amazing!

Even witnessing it with his own eyes, he found it hard to believe.

Ruohuan Gongzi was even more shocked to the point of madness.

He had thought that losing to him in the selection match was just bad luck. With hard work and study, he might turn the tables in two months and reclaim the title of number one genius of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance.

After this incident, he realized that this man's insight and grasp of details were beyond his comparison!

Even his own teacher might be slightly inferior.

Was this guy really a newly promoted four-star master teacher?

"Begin!"

Unaware of his thoughts, Zhang Xuan waved at Palace Master Wu.

"Alright!"

Nodding, Palace Master Wu shook her arm and performed a set of martial techniques from her palm.

Zhang Xuan pretended to watch while opening the book in his mind to observe the specific crux and problems.

Whoosh!

Soon, Palace Master Wu stopped and looked over: "Is there... any other way to treat my condition?"

She asked, her breathing a little rapid.

If it couldn't be solved, she didn't know how to endure the days ahead.

"Well... it can be solved!"

Exhaling, Zhang Xuan didn't answer directly but looked at her with a strange expression: "What do you think of our Hall Master Kang's character?"

"Ah?"

Palace Master Wu stood frozen in place.