Chapter 554 Compensation

"Ah?"

"Excessive force in cultivation?"

Palace Master Wu, Hall Master Kang, and the others were all stunned on the spot.

Young Master Ruohuan's mouth twitched, and he nearly blacked out and fainted.

He had found it strange earlier—how could this Teacher Zhang fail the Ice Fire Room when even he himself could pass? Now he understood the root cause... Zhang had gone straight over and absorbed all the Mother Water, turning the Yin-Yang Pool into waste... What meaning was there in passing or failing?

Fortunately, he had previously thought the other party was admirably magnanimous in admitting defeat... now it seemed he was utterly shameless!

You've drained all the Mother Water, rendering the Yin-Yang Pool useless. Even if we have this slot, what good is it?

Sniffling, Young Master Ruohuan felt like crying.

Ever since meeting this fool, whether in competitions, trials, or anything else, nothing had gone smoothly. Either he was slapped in the face, or on the way to being slapped...

If not for his strong heart, he would have gone mad long ago.

"You, you... absorbed all the yin-yang attributes from the Mother Water?"

Palace Master Wu also snapped back to reality, staring wildly at the young man not far away.

"Mm," Zhang Xuan said sheepishly.

Although he had learned from the library that it was Mother Water, he truly hadn't known it was so vital to the Yin-Yang Pool. Moreover... he had only wanted to cultivate his soul. He hadn't expected that such a famous thing would be so easily drained—it had only helped his soul power rise from Mortal Transformation Second Layer to Fourth Layer before disappearing completely.

After thinking for a moment, he understood: the Mother Water was only responsible for the fusion of yin and yang; the spiritual energy it provided for cultivation was minimal. The Yin-Yang Pool, for instance, was powered by countless spirit stones embedded around it.

His soul had absorbed not only the yin-yang qi but also the negligible spiritual energy, so it was naturally easy to consume it all.

Understanding this, he felt deeply troubled.

If he had known this thing was so fragile and so important to them, he would never have touched it even if it killed him!

The strength of his soul, like his true qi cultivation, could be enhanced with enough medium-grade spirit stones, but the Yin-Yang Pool was irreplaceable.

However... it couldn't be said that the Mother Water and spirit stones were equivalent. The soul refined by absorbing yin-yang qi was like undergoing a lightning tribulation—more condensed and purer—something spirit stones clearly could not achieve.

"The Mother Water is buried deep underground. The Ice Fire Room only connects to its aura, allowing one to feel the yin-yang force... It's thousands of meters away. How could you absorb it from there?"

Palace Master Wu still couldn't believe it.

This guy had only gone to the Ice Fire Room, still tens of thousands of li from the Mother Water. How had he absorbed it all?

"Ahem, well... I entered the Ice Fire Room, found it was a mechanism, and figured out a way to open it and go down..." Zhang Xuan said.

Palace Master Wu swayed.

This was a mechanism made by a Five-Star Artisan Master. Even she could only open it with the palace master's token. How had this guy discovered it, opened it, and even gone down?

Most importantly... that was just a ventilation pit. It had been dug originally for two purposes: first, for the Ice Fire Room assessment, and second, to allow the Mother Water to connect with heaven and earth for better nurturing. It was thousands of meters high with no footholds... Jumping down would mean certain death!

Even if he had gone down, how had he come back up?

"Absorbing your Yin-Yang Palace's Mother Water was my fault. How about this: I won't take advantage of you. I observed earlier that your Ice Plain Palace's Yin Art and Yang Art have major hidden dangers. If I'm not mistaken, those who cultivate these techniques usually die young!"

Having ruined the palace's treasure, Zhang Xuan felt guilty. Just now, he had observed the disciples practicing yin-yang arts and noticed some problems in their cultivation. He might as well help fix them as compensation.

"You..."

Palace Master Wu was stunned.

The disciples who cultivated the Yin Art and Yang Art were raised to nurture the Mother Water. Subjected to the impact of the earth veins and ice plains, they usually didn't live long. Even if they reached the Mortal Transformation realm and were not weak in strength, living to sixty was a major hurdle.

But this was a secret of the Ice Plain Palace... How had this Teacher Zhang seen it at a glance?

"I can improve your cultivation techniques, removing this hidden danger, as compensation for your Ice Plain Palace's loss!"

Zhang Xuan said.

"Improve... the techniques?" Palace Master Wu trembled.

This flaw had persisted for countless generations in the Ice Plain Palace without being eliminated. If it could be improved, it would be an immeasurable merit for all the people of Source Fire Ice Plain. Even if one branch was destroyed, ten branches wouldn't bat an eye.

But... could it really be improved, and by a youth less than twenty?

"The biggest problem with these two techniques is that the cultivator's yang qi and yin qi accumulate and cannot circulate smoothly. Although yang qi and yin qi are the most orthodox forces of heaven and earth, the cultivator's physique is not suited to them. Prolonged accumulation of qi easily damages the foundation. It's like ginseng—though beneficial, many cannot take it. Different physiques make even great tonics turn into poison..."

Knowing her concerns, Zhang Xuan looked at her: "If we can fundamentally solve the problem, allowing the physique to better fuse with yin and yang qi, restoring lifespan will be very simple!"

Palace Master Wu had not cultivated the yin-yang techniques, but these disciples were not high in cultivation. Using the Eye of Insight, it was easy to find the flaws.

Through observation, he already knew that these people had internal injuries. Without fixing them, their lifespans would be damaged, and they would struggle to live to sixty.

The Mortal Transformation realm had a lifespan of two to three hundred years. Living less than sixty counted as dying young.

Palace Master Wu's expression shifted. Gritting her teeth, she flipped her wrist and produced two books, handing them over: "Please, Teacher Zhang, modify the techniques..."

Initially, she had doubted, thinking he might be trying to peek at their Ice Plain Palace's cultivation techniques. After hearing his explanation, she realized she had been judging a gentleman's heart with her own petty mind.

He had already seen through the secrets of their cultivation, showing that these Yin and Yang Arts were no issue in his eyes. If he truly wanted the techniques, why would he use such crude methods?

"Mm." Taking the techniques, as his fingers touched them, a book immediately appeared in his mind.

Looking down at the book, it was just as the Eye of Insight had shown: practicing these techniques indeed caused hidden dangers, leading to early death.

However, under the illumination of the Heaven's Path Library, the flaws were glaringly obvious. Reversing and modifying the techniques became exceptionally simple.

After a short while, he opened the book in his hand, took out a brush, and revised the flaws causing early death. Then he handed it back.

"This..."

Taking the techniques and looking them over for a moment, Palace Master Wu's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

As a Mortal Transformation Fifth Layer expert and having controlled the Ice Plain Palace for many years, she could easily see whether the modifications were effective.

If they cultivated according to this, soon all the hidden dangers of the Ice Plain Palace would disappear, allowing them to walk the world anew.

He had modified the techniques after just one look... How formidable was this young man?

Even Hall Master Kang couldn't do that!

"Thank you, Teacher Zhang, for saving the lives of thousands of Ice Plain Palace disciples!"

Knowing that sending this technique back to headquarters would cause a great stir, driving countless people wild, and could save who knew how many disciples cultivating yin-yang attribute power, Palace Master Wu could no longer hold back. She bowed and knelt to the ground.

"Hey... Palace Master Wu, what are you doing..."

Not expecting her to show such great respect, Zhang Xuan was startled and quickly stepped forward to help her up.

Palace Master Wu waved her hand, her expression solemn: "I am thanking you on behalf of the entire Ice Plain Palace, not myself. Please, Teacher Zhang, do not refuse!"

In the Ice Plain Palace, because of the technique's limitations, at least hundreds of thousands of disciples could not live past sixty. With this technique, their lives were guaranteed... This meant Teacher Zhang's single act had saved hundreds of thousands of people. Her kneeling represented not herself, but these people.

"Alright..."

Seeing her insistence, Zhang Xuan had no choice but to let it be.

On the side, Hall Master Kang and Young Master Ruohuan felt their vision darken, as if they might vomit blood.

They had suspected that Palace Master Wu might kill him for draining the Mother Water. Yet in the blink of an eye, she was kneeling...

Teacher Zhang, just how many unknown skills do you have?

Modifying techniques, solving problems that even the Ice Plain people themselves couldn't solve...

This was no longer something an ordinary master teacher could do. Hall Master Kang even suspected that even a Five-Star Master Teacher couldn't have done better.

Respectfully receiving Palace Master Wu's three bows, she then stood up, showing extreme reverence for the young man before her.

Although he had destroyed the Mother Water, he had saved the lives of countless people in the entire Ice Plain Palace. The merits offset the faults, and the merits outweighed the faults.

"This time, I came to cultivate in the Yin-Yang Pool. Now that the pool is gone, ruining your chance to advance... How about this: I'll give you some guidance to help you break through to the peak of Mortal Transformation Fourth Layer within a month, as compensation!"

After dealing with Palace Master Wu, Zhang Xuan looked at Young Master Ruohuan not far away.

This guy had come full of excitement, hoping to make a breakthrough in the Yin-Yang Pool and surge in strength. But instead, Zhang had drained it all, leaving him unable to cultivate. Naturally, he needed compensation too.

"Let me reach the peak of Mortal Transformation Fourth Layer within a month?"

Young Master Ruohuan was stunned.

He himself was a master teacher, and his teacher was the hall master of the Master Teacher Hall. He had used all the best methods to cultivate to his current level. To reach the peak of Mortal Transformation Fourth Layer would take at least ten or twenty years. One month...

Was he dreaming?

"When you cultivate, do you feel a blockage in your qi sea, as if entering a narrow passage, making it hard to advance?" Zhang Xuan said.

"Uh... yes!"

Young Master Ruohuan nodded.

His cultivation progress was very slow now, not due to lack of resources or not knowing how to cultivate, but because the true qi in his body seemed blocked, moving sluggishly, lacking the previous smoothness.

It was like long-distance running: no matter how strong a world champion, beyond a certain limit, speed would drop. No one could maintain a constant speed forever.

He was now like someone reaching his limit, each step forward difficult.

"Very simple. Eat this pill, and it will allow you to easily reach the peak of Mortal Transformation Fourth Layer within a month!"

Looking at him calmly, Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist, and a fist-sized, light red pill appeared in his palm.

Young Master Ruohuan's body swayed, his face contorted.

"This is... a Second-Grade Aphrodisiac Pill meant for savage beasts?"