Chapter 471: Do You Dare?
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
Peng peng peng peng!
With his cultivation sealed, how could the old man withstand Zhang Xuan's attacks. In just a few moments, he was reduced to a pig head.
"I want to kill you..."
The reason why he brought the Soulless Metal Humanoid here was so that he could be cured of his affliction. Yet, he was beaten up like that instead. Unable to hold himself back anymore, the old man clenched his teeth in anger and his eyes turned bloodshot.
"Kill me? I thought you wanted to use my hand to kill him? Why do you want to kill me?"
Smiling faintly, Zhang Xuan looked at the old man with a look of leisure.
"W-What are you saying? I don't know what you are getting at!"
Hearing those words, the old man panicked for a moment. However, he concealed it swiftly.
"You don't know? Coming over here to possess another person's body and going to the extent of trying to eradicate his soul... and you tell me that you don't know anything at all?"
Zhang Xuan's lips curled him in disdain.
"Possess?"
Jin Conghai, Hall Master Sai, and the others were taken aback. They glanced at the old man once more, but this time, with wariness.
Possession was the means of a soul oracle, and it was also known as 'borrowing a body to reanimate a soul'. Just as the name hinted at, a soul oracle whose lifespan was coming to an end could forcefully suppress or a destroy a person's soul and make use of their body to come alive again.
This was an extremely mysterious and vile process.
"Don't worry, he hasn't succeeded yet!" Seeing the wariness in everyone's eyes, Zhang Xuan chuckled. "If he had succeeded already, there'd be nothing I could do about the matter anymore."
Zhang Xuan had previously said that he couldn't do anything if the old man was plagued by an evil spirit, and these words had left everyone stumped. However, it seemed that instead of being plagued by an evil spirit, this fellow was possessed instead.
"You... Don't spout nonsense! I am myself, and I've only been plagued by an evil spirit..." The old man clenched his jaws.
"You've been plagued by an evil spirit?"
Zhang Xuan shook his head. Circling around the old man with his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan said, "I don't know what method you used to suppress the original host's soul, but I can still roughly tell what happened.
"Despite coming to the auction hall to sell the Soulless Metal Humanoid, you refused to say what you wanted and kept everyone guessing... If I'm not wrong, at that moment, the original host's soul is still in control of the body. It wasn't that he didn't want to say anything but that you were exerting a pressure on him to prevent him from speaking up!
"Under the pressure from everyone else, he grew agitated and this created an opening for you to strike... Then, you said that you'd take the person who managed to buy the Soulless Metal Humanoid to the tomb of the soul oracle. If I'm not mistaken, you probably intended to lure someone there and activate some traps so as to claim the bodies of a few more experts!"
Zhang Xuan harrumphed. "Otherwise, how could a person who is on the verge of death due to being plagued by an evil spirit in the soul oracle tomb propose to head there a second time? Unless he's masochistic and eager to die, there's no way a rational person would do so!"
"This..."
Jin Conghai and Hall Master Sai shuddered in shock.
Previously, back in the auction hall, under the intense questioning of the crowd, the old man did seem to intend to say something, but his body simply shook and he fell silent. Afterward, he immediately mentioned the issue regarding the soul oracle tomb.
Thinking back, it did seem slightly bizarre.
Even though the old man managed to obtain the invaluable Soulless Metal Humanoid in the soul oracle tomb, he was possessed as well, putting him on the verge of death. It didn't make any sense for him to want to return back to such a dangerous place.
It was clearly a huge flaw in logic.
It was a pity that everyone had been blinded by the heritage of the soul oracle and the treasures contained within the tomb and failed to consider this logic lapse.
"I only intended to hike up the prices..." the old man said.
"Hike up the prices? Alright!"
Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. "Elder Jin and Hall Master Sai, may I trouble you two to release the seal on him?"
"Release the seal?"
The duo was taken aback.
Even though Zhang Xuan seemed to have struck the old man viciously, they were actually just superficial wounds. Once the seal was released, the other party would regain the cultivation level of a Transcendent Mortal 2-dan. If so, Zhang Xuan surely wouldn't be a match for the other party.
"Don't worry!" Knowing what the duo was worried about, Zhang Xuan shot them a reassuring gaze.
"Alright!"
Even though Zhang shi was still young, he never did anything he wasn't certain of. Thus, the duo let go simultaneously.
Hu!
The seal suppressing the old man's cultivation vanished and strength returned to his body.
"Humph, since you all aren't capable of expelling the evil spirit at all, I'll be taking my leave. Farewell!"
After the seal was released, the old man heaved a sigh of relief and prepared to leave.
However, barely after he took two steps, a young man blocked his path.
"Hah, with just your cultivation, do you think that you can stop me?" the old man sneered coldly.
Even though he couldn't tell the exact strength of the young man before him, from the fact that he got others to fight in his place, he could deduce that the other party's strength was inferior to his.
"Give it a try then!" Zhang Xuan didn't bother saying anything unnecessary. Lifting his leg, he sent a kick toward the other party.
"Humph!"
The old man's complexion darkened. His palm immediately struck forward.
However, before he could strike anything, he felt an ache at his chest.
Peng!
He was sent flying, and he crashed heavily to the ground.
"You..."
The old man narrowed his eyes.
"Are you very surprised?" Zhang Xuan stepped forward and lifting his hands, he struck the other party.
Pah!
The shape of a palm was printed on the face of the old man as he fell back down to the ground.
"This..."
The crowd stared at one another.
"A Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle cultivator isn't able to match a Half-Transcension cultivator. Wha- what... is going on?"
"I don't understand either..."
The old man clearly possessed the cultivation of a Transcendent Mortal 2-dan. When he was sealed, everyone had witnessed the immense strength that he possessed. How in the world did he get subdued so easily? It was as if he couldn't retaliate against a Half-Trancension cultivator at all!
Even though Zhang shi possessed the strength beyond that of his cultivation realm, dealing with a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan primary stage cultivator would already be tough. Smashing a Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle cultivator like that so easily was completely out of the question.
"Could it be that teacher has grown stronger again?"
In contrast to everyone's shock, Zhao Ya and the others looked excited.
Their teacher's ability to achieve breakthroughs as easily as drinking water had left a lasting impression in their mind. Seeing the Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle cultivator being crushed so easily made them think that Zhang Xuan had achieved a huge breakthrough once more.
"No, that's not it... It's the old man who has become weaker! His current fighting prowess is only that of a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan primary stage cultivator!" Zhao Feiwu said.
Due to the limitations of her physical body, she had never cultivated before. Even so, having read through innumerable books, her knowledge and eye of discernment were extraordinary.
"Un, gongzi is right. His current fighting prowess is at most Transcendent Mortal 1-dan primary stage only. Just that... for some reason, I can certainly feel the strength of a Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle flowing within him!" Jin Conghai said.
"Despite having the cultivation of a Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle, his fighting prowess is only that of a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan primary stage. This..."
Hearing those words, Zhao Ya and the others were baffled.
Luo Qin was also bewildered.
"Did you hear that? I'm not the only one who has noticed it. Everyone can tell as much too. What else do you have to say?"
Halting his attack, Zhang Xuan smiled at the old man whom he had just beaten up.
"It's because... I'm injured. That's why I can't display my full strength..."
The old man gritted his teeth.
Having predicted that the other party would surely bring up such an argument, Zhang Xuan refuted, "Even if you're injured, it's impossible for your strength to fall by two realms!"
"Zhang shi, what's going on?"
Seeing that the old man was unable to explain himself, Hall Master Sai couldn't hold back his curiosity anymore and asked.
"Simple. The strength of the soul possessing and the person being possessed are of different cultivation! If I'm not mistaken, the one possessed has the cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle whereas the soul possessing only has the cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 1-dan primary stage!"
Zhang Xuan continued, "Even though he has taken over the body already, he hasn't adapted fully to it yet. On top of that, my pummeling has made it harder for his physical body and soul to harmonize with one another. As such, even though he is able to move the body easily, he isn't able to move the Origin Energy in the other party's body, thus resulting in his weakness!"
When Zhang Xuan first saw the old man on the stage of the auction hall, he managed to see numerous flaws through the Eye of Insight. This, in itself, had created doubts in his mind.
Under normal circumstances, given his current cultivation, he would only be able to peer into the flaws of a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan primary stage cultivator at most... Yet, he was able to see the problems of a Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle. Thinking about it now, it was probably due to the soul that had possessed this body being of Transcendent Mortal 1-dan primary stage.
From the very start, it was extremely rare for a soul to have high affinity with the body possessed. The trauma caused to the body under such a state would result in the body rejecting the soul of the possessor... And thus, even though the old man clearly had the cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle, he was unable to display it at all.
"Y-you..."
The old man's face paled.
He could have come up with a logical excuse for it if he had sufficient time. However, now that everything was explained so rationally, even if he were to explain now, it would already be too late.
After all, the injuries dealt to him previously were just superficial wounds. To a Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle cultivator, those were negligible.
"There's no need for you to be so surprised. The reason why I said that an evil soul is plaguing you is so as to lower your guard. This way, you'll think that this is a good opportunity to get rid of the other soul competing with you over the body through my hands... Am I right?"
Zhang Xuan pushed on.
Even though the other party had managed to take over the old man's body, he had yet to eradicate the original host's soul. In fact, the original host's soul was still on the upper hand just a moment ago.
Otherwise, the old man wouldn't have been able to bring the Soulless Metal Humanoid here and auction it for a way to suppress him.
The plan of the possessing soul was indeed brilliant. If it was anyone else, they would have surely fallen for the trick and killed the original host's soul, thus completing the possession. But... it was a pity that he met with Zhang Xuan.
There was nothing that could conceal itself from the heavens. Putting aside a soul, even a speck of dust couldn't escape from its sight.
"You... Since you've managed to see through it, there's no need for me to hide any longer. That's right, I possessed this fellow!"
Seeing that there was no way to hide anymore, the old man stood up and harrumphed coldly.
"To think that it is really true!"
"A Transcendent Mortal 1-dan soul possessing a Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle cultivator's body..."
Hearing the other party agree to it, everyone's faces turned pale.
There were almost two realms of difference between Transcendent Mortal 1-dan primary and Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle. That was an entire world of difference in terms of fighting prowess. It was a gap that was impossible to breach. Yet, the soul still managed to possess the body successfully...
How in the world did it succeed?
That was way too fearsome!
"It's good that you've admitted to it! In truth... all those that I said before are just my conjectures. If you didn't admit to it, I would have no way of proving the matter..." Zhang Xuan said.
What Zhang Xuan said was the truth.
The Library of Heaven's Path only reflected flaws. It wouldn't analyze a situation or provide answers for Zhang Xuan.
He only deduced the entire situation by stringing all of the flaws reflected together through logic. He also didn't expect that... he would be spot-on.
"You..."
The old man's face reddened and he nearly spewed blood.
If only he'd known that it was a conjecture, he would have never admitted to it.
Now, it would be hopeless even if he tried to deny it...
"There's no need for you to act so gleefully!"
Narrowing his eyes, the old man tossed aside his dismal and sneered coldly, "My soul is in control now. Even if you know that I've possessed the body, what can you do? Do you intend to kill me? Or rather, I should ask...
"Do you dare?"
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Chapter 472: Possessing Sun Qiang
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
The soul that is in control effectively becomes the owner of the body. If another soul couldn't make it in time to fill up the gap following that soul's expulsion, there was a high possibility that the body might die, thus becoming a corpse.
At the very least, at the current situation, even though the previous host's soul was suppressed, it still stood a chance. Once the body became a corpse, he would be doomed.
"Zhang shi, the study of the soul is an incomparably complex subject. Even gods dare not claim to fully understand it. Given that he's in control now, if the other soul is unable to take back control in time... that would be no different from murder!" Hall Master Sai's expression turned grim.
"Indeed! You should think twice!" Luo Qin also panicked.
Everyone knew that the old man was here to conduct a trade. If he were to die here, the reputation of the auction hall would fall into the gutters.
"I should indeed think twice!" Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.
They were right. The topic of souls was incredibly profound—conventional rules may not necessarily apply to it. If Zhang Xuan fails to resolve the issue properly, the old man might become an idiot or even worse, meet his demise. If so, it would be hard for him to avoid responsibility.
"Many people know about our trade. If anything happens to me, the Appraiser Hall and auction hall will be doomed!"
Seeing the hesitation in everyone's eyes, the old man chuckled, "Why don't I suggest something? Let's continue on with our trade. I'll give you the Soulless Metal Humanoid but... in exchange, you have to eradicate the soul of the previous host for me! In the end, regardless of whether you are trading with me or him, you will obtain the Soulless Metal Humanoid, so why should you take the risk?"
There was nothing for Zhang Xuan to lose from accepting his deal. On the contrary, if he were to insist on saving the previous host, it was one thing if he succeeded, but what if he were to fail?
"Zhang shi..."
Luo Qin looked at Zhang Xuan anxiously.
He was a businessman and, in his view, there was nothing profitable from going through so much risk to save a mere passer-by.
In any case, everyone only knew that this fellow was plagued by an evil spirit. Regardless of which one was killed, as long as he walked out of the Appraiser Hall alive, the auction hall's reputation could be retained.
"Your words do make sense! My goal is the Soulless Metal Humanoid so there's indeed no need for me to take this risk."
Sighing, Zhang Xuan eyebrows shot up and he glanced at the old man indifferently, "However, did you just say that there's nothing I can do? I happen to have just thought of one method and I would like to give it a try..."
"Try?"
Not expecting the other party to want to make a move despite having persuaded him the entire time, Luo Qin's face reddened in panic.
Are you trying it out just for fun?
You do know that a life is at stake here right...
"Gongzi..."
Worried, Jin Conghai turned to gongzi in hopes of getting him to convince Zhang Xuan otherwise.
But this time, Zhao Feiwu waved his hands grimly and said, "Don't. This is the responsibility and mission of a master teacher. This isn't something he should avoid!"
Behind the respect and prestige master teachers possessed was heavy responsibility.
Zhang Xuan didn't know the name and background of this old man, and he never even interacted with him before. However... if he were to overlook his life and death, what would be left of his morals?
How could an immoral person enlighten the world and guide his students?
If one is upright, his intentions will be obeyed without a command. If one isn't upright, his command will not move anyone.
Guiding a student wasn't just about imparting him the best cultivation technique so that they could grow strong. More importantly, one had to instill the correct values in them.
Otherwise, even if they were to mature, they would only become scum and bring harm to the world. If so, master teachers would lose their purpose of existence.
"This..."
Jin Conghai froze, and he clenched his fists tightly.
As a poison master, he could resort to underhanded tricks to achieve his goals. However, the other party was different. He was a master teacher whose responsibility was to enlighten the world. If he were to cower before difficulty, how could he win the hearts of his student?
...
The old man didn't expect for Zhang Xuan to adamantly choose to deal with him despite the advantages and disadvantages being set out clearly. His face darkened and he said, "So, you intend to stand against me?"
"Stand against you? You're thinking too much. I just want to expel you. After all, this body doesn't belong to you!"
Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and a few silver needles appeared on his palm.
"Silver needles? You intend to use this to deal me, a soul?"
He thought that the other party had some idea in mind but after seeing what the other party took out, the old man burst into laughter.
Those needles might be able to heal one's physical injuries and resolve one's cultivation bottleneck... But to deal with a soul? You must be joking!
It was as though using an arrow to shoot a fly — futile.
Disregarding the old man's contempt, Zhang Xuan infused a surge of zhenqi into the needles and flicked his finger. A cold gleam flashed as the needles shot through the air.
"Needles are completely ineffective against souls..."
Seeing that Zhang Xuan really intended to use those needles to deal with the old man, Hall Master Sai slapped his face.
Given how confident the other party was, he thought that he might have some good idea in mind. In the end, it seemed like the other party intended to just try everything that seemed plausible.
Hall Master Sai had read quite a few books on soul oracles and so he knew a bit about souls. Souls were intangible and coming into contact with it through material objects was impossible.
It was just like using one's sword to cut air. Even if the needle struck the old man, it would be ineffective on the intangible soul. Perhaps, it might even cause meridian blockage, resulting in internal injuries for the body.
"To expel a soul, one has to prepare plain clothes, yellow amulets, an altar of tributes to the heavens, and a formation as well. There's no way a silver needle can work..."
Knowing that the method wouldn't work, Hall Master Sai shook his head. He immediately revealed everything he knew in hopes that Zhang Xuan could follow the conventional method. However, halfway through his words, he gulped down a mouthful of saliva and started trembling. "How... is this possible?"
As soon as the silver needle pierced into the arrogant old man's body, the latter's face immediately paled.
Fear surfaced in his eyes. He wanted to escape, but he fell to the ground instead, convulsing ceaselessly.
With just a single needle, the other party's soul lost control?
This... How in the world did he manage to do it?
If souls were that easy to deal with, soul oracles wouldn't have been such a feared existence back then so as to require the Master Teacher Pavilion to make a move personally.
"Y-your zhenqi..."
While Hall Master Sai and the others were overwhelmed with shock, the old man was frenzied.
He had just said the silver needle would be useless when such a situation occurred. The intense fear he felt made him shriek uncontrollably.
What he feared wasn't the silver needle but... the other party's zhenqi!
That zhenqi seemed to carry a bizarre strength that expelled souls. Upon contact with it, his soul felt as though a bottle of hard alcohol being set ablaze. The excruciating pain made him feel as though he was being torn apart.
'This is... superior zhenqi?' The elder narrowed his eyes and a thought appeared in his head.
Legend had it that due to the inconceivable purity of superior zhenqi, it possessed the ability to ward off evil. This was also the main reason why despite the incredible means of the soul oracles, they still chose to avoid crossing the paths of master teachers back then.
Just that... superior zhenqi was something that very few people in the Master Teacher Pavilion possessed, inherited only by the descendants of the Kong shi and his students. Why in the world did this fellow possess it as well?
Could this fellow be a descendent of Kong shi's lineage as well?
If that was the case, he was truly an existence to be feared.
He had only barely escaped from the eerie tomb and he just had to meet with this person. Fate sure was cruel!
"No, if this continues on, I'll surely die..." As the number of silver needles on him increased, zhenqi was constantly being transmitted over via the tip of the needle, threatening to tear him apart. The old man's eyes turned crimson.
Superior zhenqi was the bane of soul oracles. If this were to go on, there would be only one result — he would be incinerated into oblivion.
"I have to find someone to possess..."
Knowing that he would surely crumble if this were to go on, the old man bore with the pain and silently assessed the group before him.
Continuing to remain in this body would only lead to his death. The only plausible course of action at this moment was to possess someone else and find a way in the future to exact vengeance.
But even if he were to successfully possess someone here, he had to make sure that the bizarre young man wouldn't find out. Otherwise, if the other party were to launch another course of attack on him, he would still be doomed.
"Damn it... To force me into possessing another body once more, I'll never forget this grudge!"
Even though he had made up his mind, the old man's heart was dripping blood.
Possession wasn't as easy as it sounded. Every single attempt at possession would cause immense damage to his soul. Not only would his cultivation fall, his soul would also be significantly wounded as well.
Before possessing the body of this old man, his cultivation was actually at Transcendent Mortal 3-dan primary stage. However, after the possession, his cultivation fell by two cultivation realms to Transcendent Mortal 1-dan primary stage.
In other words, even if he were to succeed, his cultivation would plummet sharply. Perhaps, it might fall by another two cultivation realms once more, falling down to Zhizun.
"It'll have to be one of them..."
Roaring furiously, he looked around and finally found an ideal target.
Of the entire room, the weakest one should be Zhao Feiwu who had never cultivated before. However, she had quite a few treasures on her that made it difficult for even a Transcendent Mortal 3-dan to kill her, lest be said, an incomplete soul like him.
Thus, the only viable targets were Zhao Ya, Sun Qiang, and the others.
Their strengths were at Zongshi realm so even if his cultivation fell once more after possession, he would still be able to suppress them easily.
"He is the one..."
The old man's eyes glowed as he focused his attention on a plump man standing not too far away.
That fellow's cultivation was the lowest of the group, and judging from the dull-witted expression on his face, he seemed to have the lowest wariness of the group. Thus, it should be easiest to possess his body.
"Possession!"
Having chosen a target, the old man immediately acted, knowing that he might lose his chance if he were to dawdle.
Hu!
His soul immediately converted into an intangible smoke which gushed straight toward the plump man.
Putong!
As soon as the soul left, the old man's body immediately froze and fell motionless.
"He's gone..."
Upon seeing the changes, Hall Master Sai cheered in delight.
The lack of reaction meant that there was no soul to control the body at the moment. Most probably, the possessing soul was driven into a corner some method of this Zhang shi, leaving it with no choice but to escape.
When the young man said that he was going to give it a try, Hall Master Sai thought that the possibility would surely be extremely slim. Never in his dreams did he expect that the other party... would succeed so easily.
"Un..."
Then, the unconscious old man suddenly jolted and his eyes slowly opened.
As the possessing soul escaped, the original soul was finally free of its shackles, allowing it to regain control over the body.
"I am itinerant cultivator Luo Zhu. Thank you Zhang shi for saving my life..."
Even though his soul had been suppressed during this period of time, he was still able to see the entire proceedings clearly. He knew that if it wasn't for this young man's persistence, the one to die would have surely been him.
No amount of words could express the gratitude he felt for the other party.
Standing up, he was just about to express his deep gratitude when a sound echoed not too far away.
Ah choo!
A plump man standing a short distance away suddenly felt a gust of chill and shivered.
"This is bad, h-he is being possessed!"
Hearing the sneezing sound, the old man Luo Zhu suddenly remembered something. His eyes narrowed and he immediately exclaimed.
A cultivator's body is tempered by zhenqi, making them invulnerable to common illnesses. Under normal conditions, they would never sneeze.
Back then, when Luo Zhu was being possessed, he also sneezed. Given that the fellow had just left and this plump man immediately sneezed, it was clear that he was trying to take over the body of the latter!
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Chapter 473: Nourishment of the Oracle Soul, Leap in Cultivation
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
To think that this fellow would still try to possess other people despite having been driven off by Zhang shi, Luo Zhu's face immediately paled.
"Possession?"
Everyone was taken aback.
The soul was an intangible matter. As such, when the possessing soul left the old man's body, no one could tell where it went.
"That's right. Back then, when I was possessed, I also sneezed. That fellow must have surely entered his body..."
Luo Zhu hurriedly pointed toward the plump man.
"Me?"
Naturally, the plump man was Sun Qiang. He was just watching the young master flaunt his immense capability in expelling the soul when the old man pointed a finger toward him. Taken aback, he blinked his eyes innocently and said, "I've been possessed?"
Shouldn't possession result in a tug between the souls? If so, why was he still standing completely fine here?
"That fellow is incomparably cunning. He must have known that Zhang shi would expel him as soon as he takes control of your body. As such... he chose to hide within your body!" Luo Zhu said.
Having been possessed once before, he'd learned quite a bit about the means of the soul oracles.
"Hide?" Sun Qiang scratched his head.
"That's right. Given the size of a human body, once he decides to conceal his presence, it'll be impossible to find him..." Luo Zhu panicked.
If an intangible object like a soul were to really try to conceal itself, it could be lying practically anywhere within a person's body. Even the most formidable of people wouldn't be able to sense it at all. This way, it would be equivalent to this plump man being equipped with a ticking time bomb. He could possibly be possessed at any moment!
Luo Zhu felt incredibly guilty. It was due to helping him that another person got harmed.
"If that's really the case, the situation is really bad then..."
Hall Master Sai clenched his fists tightly.
Based on the few books that he had browsed through in the past, it would be one thing if the possessing soul were to make a move and forcibly wrestle for control over the body, but if the soul decided to conceal itself and make use of the other party's body to nourish itself as though a leech, that could prove to be troublesome.
Under such circumstances, it was like a virus lying dormant in your body. If the illness hadn't even struck yet, even the best of physicians couldn't possibly treat you!
Zhang Xuan harrumphed and said, "He has decided to hide himself? He sure is bold!"
He didn't expect the other party would dare possess Sun Qiang right after he had expelled him from the old man's body. If he had known about it earlier, he would have sent a torrent of his zhenqi in to destroy his soul instantly.
But still, this problem wasn't too difficult for him. Even 7-star master teachers who were known to specialize in the subject of souls might find it difficult to find a hiding soul but he was different.
With the Library of Heaven's Path in hand, there was no flaw that he couldn't find. A mere hiding soul was nothing before it!
"Sun Qiang, execute a punching routine!" Zhang Xuan said.
"Yes!"
Nodding his head, Sun Qiang's clenched fists shot out, creating a huge gust of wind in the surroundings.
Upon seeing his fist technique, the mouths Jin Conghai, Hall Master Sai, and the others twitched.
To think that a Zongshi realm expert would still be using a Mortal low-tier battle technique... They found it hard to look at those incredibly crude and simple moves.
Even 5-year-old kids were able to execute several of these kinds of battle techniques in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, and yet this fellow was using this... Just the thought of it left them light-headed.
"I've been too busy with my cultivation technique recently that I neglected my battle techniques..."
Sun Qiang could tell what everyone was thinking through their expression and he felt a little embarrassed.
Even though his cultivation had soared during this period of time, he didn't cultivate any new battle techniques to match his newfound strength. He was still stuck with the moves he'd used back in Tianxuan Kingdom.
Naturally, before the experts of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, the battle techniques of an unranked kingdom meant nothing at all.
Given the other party's battle technique and his slightly unsteady cultivation, they could easily wipe out dozens of him with just a single finger. Recalling how they were actually scared by this fellow back then in the Xuanyuan Kingdom Poison Hall, Jin Conghai and Gu Mu felt a little awkward.
"Alright!"
Ignoring the expression of the crowd, Zhang Xuan had already managed to find the location where the soul was hiding after a book was compiled in the Library of Heaven's Path. Taking out a silver needle, he immediately pierced it into the spot.
Puhe!
As soon as the silver needle pierced into Sun Qiang's body, a piercing scream echoed from within.
"Y-you... How did you know I was here?"
An agitated ripple of a soul echoed by everyone's ears as though a voice.
Clearly, that fellow who possessed Sun Qiang didn't expect to be found in an instant.
"If you get out now, I will spare your life!"
Zhang Xuan harrumphed as zhenqi rumbled on the tip of the silver needle.
"Get out? Humph! Since you want to destroy me, let's die together then! This fellow is only of Zongshi realm; I might be unable to devour Luo Zhu but devouring this fellow still isn't a problem at all! Even if you were to kill me, what you will be left with is just a corpse!"
The frenzied thoughts of the soul came gushing out.
"Don't harm the innocent..." Luo Zhu anxiously stepped forward.
Even he had nearly failed to hold on while wrestling control with the other party. Given how this plump man was only at Zongshi realm, if the other party were to really attempt a possession, the plump man's soul would surely be completely devoured in an instant.
"It's too late to beg with me now..."
Along with the furious howling of the soul, a powerful aura abruptly engulfed Sun Qiang, striking his consciousness, attempting to devour him altogether.
"Since I'll die anyway, I'll recoup my losses by dragging one or two down with me! After killing him, I'll devour the others as well. How are you going to do about it? Do you think you can be bound down a soul? Haha... Ah? The heck! What is this? AH... SAVE ME..."
Just as the soul was gleefully trying to devour Sun Qiang whole, a frightened scream suddenly echoed.
Following which, everyone felt the aura of the incomparably arrogant and powerful soul shatter apart, as though a balloon placed atop of a pot of sizzling oil.
"This... What happened?"
Luo Zhu was dumbstruck.
Hall Master Sai and the others also widened their eyes in shock.
They had clearly felt the soul's killing intent for themselves previously. Why did it suddenly begin to shout in agony, as though it had seen a ghost?
Did Zhang shi do something?
Everyone hurriedly turned to look at Zhang shi, only to see him dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what was going on.
Turning to look at Sun Qiang once more, his eyes were widened and he shook his hands frantically, "It wasn't me..."
Boom!
Before he could finish his words, the aura of the plump man suddenly surged as though he had eaten some incredibly nutritious tonic. His cultivation realm soared swiftly from Zongshi realm primary stage.
"This is... Nourishment of the Oracle Soul, Leap in Cultivation?"
Luo Zhu and Hall Master Sai's vision suddenly turned dark simultaneously.
"What does that mean?" Zhang Xuan asked.
"While ordinary cultivators cultivate their physical bodies and zhenqi, soul oracles are different in the sense that they cultivate their souls. Their entire cultivation is contained within their soul such that even if they were to possess someone, they could recover back to their original strength swiftly..."
Luo Zhu's lips turned pale, "Now that soul oracle's soul has been destroyed, his entire cultivation has been reduced into nourishment for your servant's body..."
"There's such a matter as well?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
"Indeed. The strength of soul oracles is derived purely from soul energy, and it has no attributes whatsoever. It is compatible with all cultivators, and there is no threat of a conflict at all... If I'm not mistaken, your servant's cultivation will surely increase by leaps and bounds!"
Even until now, Luo Zhu still had a dazed look on his face as he stared at the ignorant Sun Qiang.
What kind of monsters did he meet this time?
A young man who wasn't even twenty yet was able to expel the possessing soul of the soul oracle from him with just a silver needle. His servant turned out to be even more formidable. A soul oracle tried to devour him, only to end up being devoured himself...
"H-he... was able to devour even a soul oracle?"
Gu Mu and Jin Conghai, who was just making light of Sun Qiang a moment ago due to his mediocre battle technique, suddenly turned pale.
Soul oracle was one of the most fearsome occupations in the ancient times. Back then, even the reputation of the poison masters paled to them. There were no experts who wouldn't tremble before them... And yet, this fellow devoured one of their members as though it was nothing at all...
Did you have to be so monstrous?
It was no wonder why you acted so arrogantly at the Poison Hall back then... it seems like you have the capability to back your actions!
"His soul cultivation is currently at an unfathomable level, make sure not to offend him in the future..."
Clenching his fists tightly, Jin Conghai hurriedly instructed his student through telepathy.
Even Luo Zhu, a Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle expert, was helpless before the possession of the soul oracle, and he could only be tortured day and night by it.
Yet, this fellow, despite possessing only the cultivation of a Zongshi realm, was able to kill the other party so easily. The strength of his soul must have reached an astounding level.
"If even the servant is so formidable, how powerful must the young master be?"
Thinking so, Jin Conghai turned to look at the young man not too far away in awe.
Since even a mere servant could devour a Transcendent Mortal realm soul oracle so easily, the young master must be even more formidable than that. It was no wonder why he was adept in so many occupations and his eye of discernment was extraordinary. Perhaps, even though his cultivation seemed to be only Half-Transcension before them, his true strength might be far beyond that.
Just as he was overwhelmed by shock, Sun Qiang's rising aura finally came to a halt.
From Zongshi realm, his cultivation surged swiftly and broke through the bottleneck of a Half-Transcension, thus successfully advancing to Transcendent Mortal 1-dan!
Even though the cultivation of a soul oracle would plummet after a possession... that fellow was devoured even before he had a chance to possess him. In other words, the energy his soul harnessed was still that of a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan.
Having devoured the entire strength of a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan soul, Sun Qiang's cultivation managed to soar above Zhang Xuan's, reaching Transcendent Mortal 1-dan intermediate stage.
However, as this energy came from an external source, Sun Qiang's ability to drive it was still immature. As such, his fighting prowess was still far beneath Zhang Xuan.
"M-my cultivation..."
Sensing the change in his body, Sun Qiang blinked his eyes blankly.
Even until now, he hadn't made sense of the situation yet.
Wasn't that fellow going to devour him?
Did the other party's compassion suddenly work up, and knowing that since he was going die, he allowed himself to be devoured instead?
"It's... the zhenqi that young master left within me!"
Quickly turning his gaze into his body, he soon came to a realization.
Back then, when he went to Xuanyuan Kingdom Poison Hall, fearful for his safety, the young master had left a surge of zhenqi in his body.
However, he ended up not using it in the end, and gradually, he forgot about the matter.
And previously, when the soul tried to devour him, the surge of zhenqi immediately gushed forward to protect him, reducing the assailant into ashes.
In reality, his guess was spot-on. That was indeed the case.
When Zhang Xuan treated Luo Zhu previously, in order to prevent the other party from realizing the uniqueness of the Heaven's Path zhenqi, he only infused a tinge of it in each silver needle. On the other hand, he'd left an entire surge within Sun Qiang's body. That was a difference in quantity of nearly a thousand times... The soul of that soul oracle had already been wounded before so how could it possibly survive that onslaught!
"Thank you, young master..."
Coming to a realization, Sun Qiang was just about to run forward to thank the young master for saving his life when, unbeknownst to him, the calm young master was already standing before Luo Zhu.
"Elder Luo Zhu, is it? May I ask you where did you capture the soul oracle from? Can you get a few more here so that my students can make a breakthrough in their cultivation as well?"
"..." Luo Zhu.
"..." Hall Master Sai.
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Chapter 474: The Bizarre Soulless Metal Humanoid (1)
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
Other people would tremble in fear upon hearing the reputation of the soul oracle, escaping as far as they could. And yet, this fellow actually wanted to obtain a few more so that his students could make a breakthrough?
Everyone felt their lower jaws falling to the floor, and they nearly spurted blood.
If anyone else had said such words, they would definitely doubt if they had gone mad. However, after the incident with Sun Qiang, they knew that the other party was making an earnest request...
Capturing soul oracles to raise one's cultivation...
Big brother, are you treating that fearsome occupation as a nourishment pill?
Wiping the cold sweat off his forehead, Luo Zhu hurriedly explained, "That... Zhang shi, the soul oracles have already died out; it's been that way since ancient times. The reason why this one was still alive is probably because it made use of some secret art to put itself in a dormant state, and I only happened to wake it up unintentionally... There won't be many of such exceptions in the world."
Soul oracles didn't number many, even during the ancient times, and after the crusade the Master Teacher Pavilion launched against it back then, those who survived could be counted on one's hands. To find even one required immense luck. Did you think that they are like potatoes and carrots on the street, and you can easily fill a sack of them anywhere?
To find a few to augment the cultivation of your students...
You sure know how to dream!
"There aren't many of them? That's truly a pity..."
Zhang Xuan sighed in disappointment.
Seeing how easily Sun Qiang advanced from Zongshi realm to Transcendent Mortal 1-dan as easily as though eating or drinking... If he were to manage to obtain a few of them, he wouldn't have to worry about the cultivation of Zhao Ya and the others. If they could reach Transcendent Mortal realm, they would surely be a great assistance even if they were to reach the Myriad Kingdom Alliance.
Knowing that finding other soul oracles depended heavily on luck, Zhang Xuan decided not to dawdle on the topic. Thus, he turned to Luo Zhu and asked, "Right, about the soul oracle tomb where you found the Soulless Metal Humanoid, can you tell us your story?"
The others were also intrigued by the matter.
Where in the world did this fellow obtain the Soulless Metal Humanoid from, and how in the world did he end up getting possessed by a soul oracle?
"I can only blame my own greed for the matter! I found some possible clues to a soul oracle tomb on an ancient book and thinking that there might be invaluable treasures housed there, I went over... in the end, I did manage to find a few Soulless Metal Humanoids. However, right after I kept one of them, I was possessed by the soul oracle there. Flustered, I immediately escaped..."
Luo Zhu's face turned red in embarrassment.
His experience was rather similar to what the others guessed. He managed to find a soul oracle tomb so he entered it in search of treasure. Yet, he couldn't have expected that a soul oracle was lying in wait for a victim.
After wrestling for many days, he felt that the other party was getting stronger and stronger, and he sensed that he would be doomed if this were to continue on. Thus, he immediately headed over to the auction hall so as to make use of the Appraiser Hall's reputation to gather a larger group of people interested in the soul oracles here in the hope that one of them could cure him of his affliction.
It was fortunate that his luck wasn't bad; he managed to meet Zhang shi.
Otherwise, if it were anyone else, the other party would have surely traded with the soul oracle and destroyed his soul instead.
After hearing the other party's experience, Zhang Xuan asked, "I would like to take a look at the soul oracle tomb and see if I can find their heritage. Can you bring me over?"
The reason why he came to Honghai City was to find the heritage of the soul oracles so as to find a method to wake Lu Chong up. Since there was an opportunity right before him, naturally, he couldn't simply let it go.
"Go to the soul oracle tomb?" Luo Zhu's body trembled in fear.
The previous experience had already left him wary of the location. As such, he couldn't help but feel intense fear from the thought of having to return there.
"If you're worried, you can just tell me the location. I can head there alone."
After hesitating for a moment, Luo Zhu clenched his jaws and said, "That... There's no need for that! Since Zhang shi has saved me, my life belongs to you. If you really intend to head there, I'll lead you over!"
If not for this Zhang shi, his soul would definitely have been eradicated. The huge favor that the other party had shown him was definitely beyond the value of a mere Soulless Metal Humanoid.
"However... Zhang shi, you have to be careful. That place is treacherous so I think that it would be best for you should make some additional preparations beforehand. Otherwise, I fear that... even with your extraordinary capability, you might still be caught off guard!"
Recalling the various sinister encounters in the tomb, Luo Zhu's heart shuddered.
Zhang Xuan nodded.
To be capable of becoming one of the most feared occupation during the ancient times, soul oracles were anything but simple. Even though the Heaven's Path zhenqi had played a part as to why Sun Qiang could devour the soul oracle so easily, more importantly, that fellow's soul had already declined to a very weak state after innumerable years of existence.
On top of that, he had wrestled control with Luo Zhu for such a long period of time so it wouldn't be wrong to say that he was already wearied out. Thus, it wasn't surprising for him to be defeated so easily.
But it was a different matter venturing into the tomb. It was impossible to know if there were more soul oracles in the tomb, and if so, their means and their strength. As such, this journey was fated to be a difficult one.
After contemplating for a moment, Luo Zhu said, "I will make the preparations for the items required now so let's set off in three days' time!"
Having explored the soul oracle tomb, he had a rough idea on the various objects that soul oracle feared. However, these objects weren't sold on the market so he had to make them himself.
"Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.
It worked with him as well since the cultivation techniques and battle techniques he'd asked the Appraiser Hall for hadn't arrived yet, and there were various matters he had to attend to here as well. As such, an interval of three days was perfect for him.
"Then... I'll be taking my leave then!"
After chatting for a moment longer and knocking into place the various details regarding the visit to the soul oracle tomb, Luo Zhu clasped his fist and left.
After Luo Zhu left, the room fell silent. With a reddened face, Hall Master Sai asked, "Zhang shi, the bizarre heritage of the ancient soul oracle intrigues me as well so... I wish to take a look as well. Would you mind if I were to accompany you on the journey?"
He failed to be of any use for the purchase of the Soulless Metal Humanoid this time around and yet he was requesting to be allowed to enjoy the rewards as well. As such, he felt a little embarrassed.
However, the soul oracles had left an astounding legend in history and as an appraiser, he didn't wish to miss a chance to come into contact with it in close distance.
"Zhang shi, I wish to take a look as well..."
Luo Qin hurriedly chirped in too.
Since there were profits to be derived from it, the auction hall wanted to have a stake in it as well. The soul oracles specialized in the study of souls, and one could only render their services if one were to offer a huge amount in tribute to them. Thus, many soul oracles possessed a huge wealth. If he could obtain some of them, the auction hall would surely reap huge profits.
"You wish to take a look as well?" Zhang Xuan frowned for a moment before his eyes abruptly lit up, "Sure! However, I advise you all to prepare sufficient spirit stones beforehand. This way, if there are any treasures there, you can buy it on the spot!"
These two were definitely wealthy people. If there was anything of value in the tomb, he could sell it to them straight and earn some profits.
Currently, gold coins were already useless to him. If he could obtain some more spirit stones, it would surely benefit both the cultivation progress of him and his students.
"Yes!"
The duo nodded their heads in agreement.
If anyone were to say such words, the both of them would definitely leave the other party searching the floor for their teeth.
But after witnessing Zhang shi's incredible capability that could eradicate even a soul oracle easily... they didn't dare to harbor such thoughts anymore.
To be acknowledged by the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets, discerning that Luo Zhu was possessed immediately... and not to mention, he was a master teacher. Given all of these, it was clear that the other party wasn't someone they could trifle with.
After confirming the matter, Zhang Xuan turned to Hall Master Sai and asked, "Right, may I trouble Hall Master Sai to bring me to your library? I wish to look through the books concerning soul oracles!"
Since he had come to the Appraiser Hall, naturally, he should also pay their library a visit as well. A deep knowledge on appraising and soul oracles might just serve him well in the future.
"That's not a problem at all!"
Hall Master Sai was still fearful as to what ridiculous request Zhang Xuan might ask of him but after hearing that it was just to look through the books, he heaved a sigh of relief and agreed with a smile.
The young man before him possessed appraising capability above that of his. Even without permission, he also possessed the qualifications to enter the library.
"That would be great! Also, may I trouble Hall Master Sai to prepare living quarters for my students and Zhao gongzi so that they may rest?"
Zhang Xuan requested once more.
Right after their long journey from Xuanyuan Kingdom, they immediately visited the Appraiser Hall and attended the auction... At this moment, everyone was already feeling slightly fatigued.
Hall Master Sai nodded his head and backed out. Not too long later, he led the group into a few quiet rooms.
Right after entering one of the room, Zhang Xuan immediately called Zhao Ya and the others to gather by his side.
"The soul oracle tomb is a treacherous place so you have to raise your cultivation as much as possible in these few days so that you all can ensure your own safety."
Even a Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle, Luo Zhu, had fallen prey to the threats lying within the tomb. His students were only at Zongshi realm at the moment, thus putting them in a very vulnerable position. They had to raise their cultivation quickly or else they would just end up as baggage.
"Feel free to use the spirit stones as you all like. Within three days, all of you must reach Zhizun realm. Otherwise, I won't allow you to come with me!"
Throwing a bunch of spirit stones to each of them, Zhang Xuan instructed.
Previously, due to his lack of wealth, he felt reluctant to even use the spirit stones himself and thus, his students had never really come into contact with them as well. However, after the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets and the auction, Zhang Xuan had more than twenty thousand spirit stones in hand at the moment. With such wealth at hand, he wouldn't be stingy with his own students.
"Yes!" After hearing their teacher's instruction, the group immediately clenched their jaws in determination.
The breakthrough from Zongshi realm to Zhizun was difficult. However, their teacher had already deciphered and analyzed the various cultivation problems they were facing and might face. In addition to that, they were also cultivating the cultivation technique their teacher tailored for them. With so many spirit stones in their hands now, if they were unable to accomplish such a simple task, they would be too ashamed to address Zhang laoshi as their teacher.
"Alright, go and cultivate!"
After which, Zhang Xuan left the room and following behind Hall Master Sai, he arrived at the Appraiser Hall's library.
Appraising covered a huge range of topics—culture, history, painting, antiques, equipment... The knowledge in the subject was unimaginably vast and so, the Appraiser Hall's library had much more book than the libraries of other occupation.
Upon stepping into it, Zhang Xuan was immediately stunned by the immense size of the library.
Compared to this library, the Tianwu Kingdom's book collection vault and even Xuanyuan Kingdom's Master Teacher Pavilion weren't worth of mentioning.
"Time to begin!"
Zhang Xuan began collecting the books into the Library of Heaven's Path.
Hualalala!
After spending nearly an entire day's time, he managed to duplicate all of the books in the library into the Library of Heaven's Path.
Returning back to his room, Zhang Xuan realized that his body was fatigued and even staying awake was a chore.
After traveling here from Xuanyuan Kingdom, visiting the Appraiser Hall, challenging the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets, and participating in the auction, Zhang Xuan was extremely exhausted. His physical exhaustion didn't amount to much but overuse of his Eye of Insight had depleted his Soul Depth. On top of that, he had collected a vast quantity of books in a short period of time and this had left him completely fatigued.
Thus, he went to sleep and only on the second day's afternoon did he manage to recover.
As long as he didn't hurt his foundation, his Soul Depth would naturally recover with sufficient rest.
"Let's see if I can find any clues from the Soulless Metal Humanoid!"
After waking up and stretching his back, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and a giant metal humanoid appeared in front of him.
Ever since he bought it from the auction, he hadn't gotten a chance to examine it closely yet. Since he was free at the moment, he decided to give it a good look. Perhaps, he might be able to find some clues that could give him a deeper understanding of the soul oracles.
The gold humanoid lay there quietly in front of Zhang Xuan, no different from a lifeless puppet. After observing it for a moment, Zhang Xuan was unable to discern anything peculiar about it. Thus, he placed his finger on the puppet.
"Flaws!"
Hu!
A book appeared in his mind.
Flipping it open, Zhang Xuan began reading through his contents and slowly, his eyebrows knitted together. A bizarre expression appeared on his face.
"Th-this... How is this possible?"
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Chapter 475: The Bizarre Soulless Metal Humanoid (2)
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
A detailed introduction on the metal humanoid was written in the book.
"Grade-1 Soulless Metal Humanoid, a unique puppet crafted by soul oracles. It possesses its own consciousness and one can control it via fusing their soul into it. There's a spirit stone formation placed within its body which allows for its strength to be enhanced even without cultivating. If several metal humanoids were to be controlled simultaneously, it would form an incredible fighting prowess. Flaws: ..."
Possesses its own consciousness?
What does that mean?
Could it be that this fellow was still alive? Otherwise... How could it possibly possess its own consciousness?
Zhang Xuan continued reading on.
"... Flaw 4, its soul has been willingly stripped from its body, leaving behind only a sliver of inextinguishable flame of life within its body. Thus, it cannot regain sanity. Flaw 5..."
"Could it be that..." Suddenly recalling something, Zhang Xuan's face darkened.
Legend had it that the Soulless Metal Humanoids were crafted using living human beings. Initially, Zhang Xuan still held some doubts toward this matter as legends tended to be exaggerated. However, from the looks of it, it seemed like it was true.
The main reason why an inextinguishable flame of life within the body was probably prevent the body from rotting. In essence, the metal humanoid was no different from a person in a vegetative state. While it was a corpse on the surface, its body still retained equal flexibility as it did when it was still alive.
A person's body was intricately linked to the soul. Once a soul was lost, a person would die and their soul would gradually decay. But if that were to happen, how could one forge the metal humanoids?
Putting everything aside, it would take some time to coat the entire body with metal. If body were to be completely dead, it would probably decay before one could succeed in the process.
Clenching his fists tightly, Zhang Xuan was angered by the cruelty of soul oracle when he suddenly noticed something and shook his head, "That isn't it. Their souls were stripped from them with their consent. Could it be that these people had done so willingly?"
It was written in the book from the Library of Heaven's Path that these people had allowed for their own souls to be extracted.
In other words, the soul oracles didn't force this fate on them. The original host of the metal humanoids had consented to the matter themselves. That was also why an inextinguishable flame of life could be left behind. Otherwise, if they were to struggle, there was an extremely high chance that the entire soul would be destroyed.
If that were to happen, it would be impossible to preserve the body, lest to say, forge a metal humanoid.
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Xuan deduced most of the matter. "Legend had it that some influential powers groomed teams of loyal death soldiers who would lay down their lives for their masters. The original host of this metal humanoid was probably the same as well. Groomed by the soul oracles, the purpose of their lives was to turn into metal humanoids and serve them for all eternity..."
Since most large powers chose to groom death soldiers, there was no reason why the soul oracles wouldn't. Besides, this type of occupation specialized in subject of souls. Brainwashing a cultivator to have them accept having their souls taken away from them was also a possibility.
Fearsome!
Sinister!
To be able to make someone willingly allow himself to be turned into a puppet, soul oracles were indeed fearsome.
He was just considering whether he should capture a few of them to devour them so as to raise his cultivation. However, after learning about their callous means, he shuddered... It was best for him not to take the risk!
Continuing on, he soon finished browsing through the books.
There wasn't anything much noteworthy in the latter part of the content. Most of them were just on the flaws of the Soulless Metal Humanoid and the method to drive them.
"It's a pity that I can't use it..."
After reading through the contents, Zhang Xuan shook his head in disappointment.
The soul oracles specialized in the study of souls, and their souls were capable of leaving their body to control the puppet. However, Zhang Xuan wasn't capable of doing so.
Throughout his cultivation, he had never come into contact with any books detailing the cultivation of one's soul. In other words... even though he had reached Half-Transcension already, his soul was still firmly integrated in his body. He couldn't operate the two of them separately.
This was just like driving a car. In order to drive a car, one had to get onto the driver's seat first. If one's soul couldn't leave one's body, one wouldn't be able to enter the metal humanoid to drive it.
In truth, Zhang Xuan had been thinking that if he could control it, it would be equivalent to gaining a Transcendent Mortal realm death soldier. However, from the looks of it now, it seemed like it was nothing more than a dream.
His soul was still locked in his physical body, unable to leave its restraints. In other words... this puppet was completely useless to him now!
Admittedly, if he were to meet with danger, he could still use it as a shield.
Cough, cough.
After going through so much trouble, he only ended up buying a shield... Just the thought of it left him faint-headed.
"Keep!"
After taking another look, Zhang Xuan verified that there was no important information to be derived from the Soulless Metal Humanoid and thus, he put it away within his storage ring. Then, flicking his wrist, a round ball appeared on his palm.
It was the Celestial Designer Mechanical Container that Elder Chen had used to repay his debt.
"There's a flaw here, here, and here as well..."
Touching the round lead-like object, Zhang Xuan infused his zhenqi into the various location of the flaws detailed in the Library of Heaven's Path.
There was only a total of seventeen flaws so it didn't take him too long to finish the job.
Kacha!
A mechanical sound suddenly echoed from the sphere in his hand. It sounded as though something was being unlocked.
"This..."
Zhang Xuan leaped in shock.
From the outer appearance, the artifact was no different from a lead ball. There wasn't the slightest gap or slit on it, causing him to suspect that it was just an ordinary ball of metal.
He didn't expect that it could be opened.
"How exquisite..."
Lowering his head to take a look, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but compliment, "Could it be that this Celestial Designer Institute is something similar to the Beast Hall and Apothecary Guild, that it is somewhere celestial designers gather?"
Having duplicated the books throughout the entire Appraiser Hall, even though he hadn't assimilated all of the knowledge yet, he'd learned of another incredible occupation — Celestial Designer!
This occupation didn't possess too much fighting prowess. Rather, the field they specialized in was machinery, and they belonged to the Lower Nine Paths.
It was said that the most elusive secret weapon, the most complicated puppet, and the toughest armor all came from their design. Even though blacksmiths were capable of forging powerful equipment and tools as well, if one wanted to bring out a greater prowess from these equipment and tools, one had to find a celestial designer for a blueprint.
Most top-notch experts would choose to hire both a celestial designer and a blacksmith simultaneously when they wanted to craft their personal weapon. The tools designed by celestial designers tended to contain innumerable tricks within them, making it difficult for one to guard against such tools.
Taking Zheng Yang's spear for example, he had to fix the spear himself manually each time he wanted to wield it, making it an exceptionally troublesome process. However, if a blacksmith were to craft something based on the design of a celestial designer, it could end up being an object similar to a chopstick that could extend to more than a zhang long (3.33m) upon a light click.
Another example was this Celestial Designer Mechanical Container. The flaws recorded in the Library of Heaven's Path were probably the weaker points at which it was linked at. Only when exerting pressure precisely at these points could one open it properly.
Otherwise, no matter how powerful one was, one could do nothing about it. And if one were to use excessive strength, one might end up ruining the object contained within it as well.
"What kind of valuable object was stored in this container?"
Curious, Zhang Xuan pried the Celestial Designer Mechanical Container open.
The moment he came into contact with this object, the Library of Heaven's Path immediately gave him the evaluation saying that 'Celestial Designer Mechanical Container, forged by the Celestial Designer Institute with complex mechanical systems. It can't be opened without knowing the specific sequences required to do so. It's likely that some important treasure is hidden within it!'
Since it was an artifact stored in such an exquisitely-made container, it was unlikely for it to be anything ordinary.
Opening the box, a thin layer of beastskin was placed within it. Zhang Xuan couldn't tell what kind of beast the fabric was made of but one thing that was certain was that it was extraordinarily durable. It was clear that it had been kept for innumerable years already but yet it remained completely undamaged.
He carefully lifted it up.
"Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps? What's this?"
Five large words 'Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps' were written on the very top of the beastskin.
Reading on, a poem appeared in Zhang Xuan's sight.
"A cloud of red dust for three thousand li, treading to the clear skies with a smile!"
Beyond the poem detailed the origin of the beastskin.
"The Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps originates from Sage Zhong, one of Kong shi's students. On the day which he successfully mastered the technique, shouldering a massive mountain, with a single step, he appeared three thousand li away and soared into the vast skies. With the grace from Sage Zhong, our lineage is bestowed with the first scroll of Heaven Ascending Steps to pass on to our descendants so I hope that you can treasure this scroll. In order to prevent it from landing into the hands of outsiders, it's placed within a Celestial Designer Mechanical Container so that no one except for those who carry our bloodline are capable of opening it..."
"It's a movement technique?"
Coming to a realization, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.
Given that this was the creation of one of Kong shi's students, the value of the battle technique was unimaginable.
It was no wonder why it was placed within a Celestial Designer Mechanical Container.
Under normal circumstances, this container could only be opened with a unique method that only those who bear the bloodline of their lineage knew of. Naturally, Zhang Xuan had no idea what that method was.
The only reason why he could open it was due to him finding the flaws of the object through the Library of Heaven's Path.
It was just like a typical security system in his previous life. One could unlock it if one knew the password but even if one were to forget it, one could still ask for an administrator to help them unlock it.
That was the privilege that Zhang Xuan was using now.
The Library of Heaven's Path was able to see through the very core of the container, allowing Zhang Xuan to strike accurately at its fundamental flaws. Thus, no matter how tightly-sealed or intricate the container was, it didn't make a difference to him.
"I wonder if there are any flaws in the battle technique left behind by Kong shi's student!"
Holding the secret manual, Zhang Xuan muttered 'flaws'.
It had already become a habit of his to check if there were any flaws in a battle technique.
Since this skill was created by Kong shi's student, it must be of an unimaginable tier... However, no matter how powerful a skill was, it was impossible for it to be completely flawless.
Hu!
A book appeared in Zhang Xuan's mind. He hurriedly flipped it open to take a look.
"Only 42 flaws?"
Swiftly flipping through the book, Zhang Xuan was astonished.
As expected of a movement technique created by Kong shi's student, it was indeed a fearsome existence. Having only 42 flaws in a high-tier technique was truly a formidable accomplishment.
In the battle techniques that Zhang Xuan had flipped through previously, there were at least several hundred flaws. This was the reason why every single battle technique required more than a thousand books to form the flawless Heaven's Path battle techniques.
Yet, this battle technique only had 42 flaws. This clearly reflected how formidable a battle technique it was. If knowledge of it were to be leaked out, it would surely cause massive bloodshed.
"But there are still so many flaws in there, how am I supposed to learn it..."
It was one thing if Zhang Xuan didn't know that there were any flaws in there, but now that he knew, his face immediately turned bitter.
No matter how delicious a fruit is, once you know that there are worms within, it will be impossible to whet your appetite.
Zhang Xuan was too used to his cultivation techniques and battle techniques being flawless. Knowing that there were more than forty flaws in the technique, even though he knew that it was a powerful skill, he was still unable to get past this and learn it.
"Right, Heaven's Path Movement Art is also a type of movement art. Perhaps I might be able to fuse them together!"
Heaven's Path Movement Art was a technique created by compiling innumerable movement technique secret manuals together. Even though it only consisted of the bare basics, it was the fundamentals to the very essence of the world. Perhaps, the both of them could be fused together to make up for the flaws of the Heaven Ascending Steps.
"Compile!"
Placing the two books together, Zhang Xuan willed.
Hu!
A new book appeared.
Zhang Xuan immediately flipped through it.
"Three flaws? Great! Even though there are still three left, it's still an acceptable number..."
Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.
Even though there were still three flaws left, there wasn't any major mistakes to it anymore, making it worthwhile to learn. At the very most, he would just have to collect more movement technique secret manuals and try to fuse them together with the Heaven Ascending Steps.
Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan began browsing through the contents.
With a single look, his eyes narrowed and his lips went pale.
"Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps — Parallel Heaven Scroll. Could this be... flight?"
.
.
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