Library of Heaven's Path

Zhang Xuan frowned doubtfully. It didn't take in my blood, and I have unable to delve my consciousness into it either. Why would it suddenly grow so hot?

Previously, he had been thinking of all sorts of ways in order to tame the seal, but no matter what he did, there was no response at all. Why would it suddenly grow so hot after being placed inside his storage ring?

It was the greatest treasure of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and it had been snatched away by Lu Chong so that Ren Qingyuan could not use it to deal with him. No matter how the matter was resolved, he would likely have to return it in the end. If the Master Teacher Seal was ruined in his hands, it might really result in a full-blown war with the Master Teacher Pavilion!

While it might seem that his direct disciples had managed to one up the Master Teacher Pavilion, the unfortunate truth was that they still came nowhere close to matching it. For countless years, the Master Teacher Pavilion had been the de facto leader of the entire Master Teacher Continent, and given its accumulation and influence, the couple of them there would still be far from sufficient to oppose it.

Since placing it in my storage ring, it has been completely silent. It was only when I was thinking of my student's growth that it suddenly grew warm…

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before a thought came to his mind.

Could it be that the Pavilion Master Seal is not tamed through blood but through the virtues of a teacher? If that's the case… it should be easier for me tame it if I use the Celestial Master Teacher aura, right?

The Celestial Master Teacher was an individual who was recognized by the heavens, such that even Yang shi dared not pull his weight before one. If the token was really related to the virtues of a teacher, who would be more qualified than a teacher recognized by even the heavens?

Let me give it a try!

With this thought in mind, he discreetly drove his Celestial Master Teacher aura and infused it into the token.

Due to the increment of his Soul Depth, he commanded a greater control over his aura compared to before. Through careful manipulation, he was able to limit the emanation of his Celestial Master Teacher aura to the area in contact with the Pavilion Master Seal, thus making it nigh impossible for any 9-star master teacher or even Yang shi to detect it.

Tzzzzzzz!

As soon as the aura came into contact with the Pavilion Master Seal, the latter immediately became even hotter. There was an abrupt burst of wind, and Zhang Xuan suddenly felt the weight in his hand disappearing entirely.

He hurriedly lowered his gaze, and it was indeed the worst-case scenario. The Pavilion Master Seal had vanished without a trace, as if it had never been there in the first place.

In an instant, goosebumps rose all over Zhang Xuan's body, and his vision turned dark as he nearly fainted on the spot. He quickly released his Spiritual Perception and searched his surroundings, but it was completely empty. There was no sign of the token anywhere at all.

It's over… Zhang Xuan nearly burst into tears.

The Pavilion Master Seal was supposed to be some Ancient Sage artifact forged using Kong shi's blood essence, and even Yang shi would have trouble dealing with it, right? Yet, why would it suddenly disappear after he grasped it for a moment, as if an ice cube?

Just by its name alone, Pavilion Master Seal, even a fool could figure out its deep significance to the Master Teacher Pavilion. Even when Lu Chong took it, while Ren Qingyuan did panic, he could tell that it was out of apprehension that the Master Teacher Pavilion would be humiliated rather than the worry of never getting it back… But now that the Pavilion Master Seal had disappeared into thin air, how was he supposed to give it back to the other party?

While he did cause a huge fuss with the three powers, it was still something that could be resolved eventually. However, if he took away the Pavilion Master Seal as well, he would really be eaten alive.

What the heck was this?

"Hurry up and come out. Stop messing around," Zhang Xuan muttered anxiously as he searched his surroundings frantically.

Soon, his eyes fell on his palm, and he froze.

He found that three conspicuous crimson droplet imprints had unknowingly appeared on his palm, and it felt like they harnessed some kind of mysterious power.

What is this? Zhang Xuan pondered as he tapped on one of the crimson droplets lightly.

Weng!

All of a sudden, with a resounding buzz amid a slight moment of disorientation, Zhang Xuan suddenly found himself being teleported into a void dimension.

In this dimension, the concepts of time and space did not seem to exist. All that could be seen around him was a glaring white background and a smiling elder.

Zhang Xuan jolted in astonishment upon seeing the elder's face. There was no way he could not recognize the other party when his sculpture could be found in every single Master Teacher Pavilion across the continent.

"Kong shi?"

At that moment, Kong shi had a gentle and warm look on his face. A hint of agitation could be seen in depths of his eyes as he said, "Finally, after so many years… Pleased to meet you, the new Celestial Master Teacher!"

"Junior Zhang Xuan pays respect to Kong shi!" Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and greeted the elder before him.

Kong shi stroked his beard and nodded with a kind smile, acknowledging Zhang Xuan's greeting. "The Pavilion Master Seal is an artifact that I forged with three droplets of my blood essence after founding the Master Teacher Pavilion. Only a true Celestial Master Teacher will be able to tame it. The fact that you can activate the seal and summon my will proves that you have met this condition…"

"Kong shi, pardon me for saying this, but would you allow me to speak first? There's something urgent that I have to ask you…" Seeing that Kong shi was about to jump into his usual long speech once more, Zhang Xuan immediately interjected into his words and stopped him anxiously.

From past experience, he had come to learn that despite Kong shi's great achievements, he was actually a particularly unreliable person. Each and every time that he managed to speak to Kong shi, the other party would vanish right before getting to the main point! If he allowed Kong shi to go first this time, chances were that the same would happen.

Having learned his lesson, Zhang Xuan was determined to go first this time around.

"Oh?" Noting Zhang Xuan's anxiety, Kong shi looked at the young man for a moment before raising his hand. "Please, feel free to speak!"

"I am afflicted with the Innate Fetal Poison, and I heard that you underwent the same experience back then as well. May I know how you managed to resolve it?" Zhang Xuan asked anxiously.

"Innate Fetal Poison?" Kong shi frowned as he examined Zhang Xuan intently. A moment later, he nodded and said, "It's indeed the Innate Fetal Poison! The poison itself isn't too difficult to cure, but…"

"But?"

"The thing that is hidden inside the Innate Fetal Poison might not be that easy to get rid of," Kong shi said with a grim look on his face.

"The thing that is hidden inside the Innate Fetal Poison? What's that?" Zhang Xuan asked in confusion.

He had noticed the Innate Fetal Poison early and used his Heaven's Path zhenqi to have it suppressed in a corner, rendering it immobile. But from Kong shi's tone… it seemed like there was more to the Innate Fetal Poison than met the eye.

"There's no point talking about it now; you will come to know of it yourself once you cure yourself of the Innate Fetal Poison. It's not that I want to conceal this matter from you, but there could be adverse consequences if I tell you in advance, so I can only seek your understanding for that. For the time being, let me tell you the method to resolving the Innate Fetal Poison first," Kong shi said.

"Please enlighten me!" Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

While he still had some years before the triggering of the Innate Fetal Poison, he still hoped to cure himself of it as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would be unable to shake off the tension coming from the feeling that he was already standing in death's jaws.

"The Innate Fetal Poison is planted into the body of an expecting body in order to strip a fetus' bloodline or to destroy its vitality. As the poison is planted during a fetus' developmental phase, it's viewed to be an inherent condition by the body, so ordinary medicines are ineffective on it. There's only one way to resolve it for good, and that's to become a 9-star master teacher and undergo the Tribulation of Heavenly Flames. If you can draw the flames into your body and use the heat to sear the poison aura, you'll be able to resolve the poison easily. Of course, the heavenly flames are a violent and dangerous power to deal with, and the slightest carelessness could result in one being reduced to ash. I had to pay quite a heavy price in order to resolve the Innate Fetal Poison back then," Kong shi explained.

"The Tribulation of Heavenly Flames… Got it. Thank you, Kong shi!" Zhang Xuan clasped his fists once more.

Given that these words had come from Kong shi himself, the Tribulation of Heavenly Flames should be effective. With this, he would finally have a concrete direction to work toward.

Given his current strength, he still had some way to go before becoming a 9-star master teacher. Nevertheless, with his rate of cultivation, it should not be too difficult for him to get there before thirty.

"The Innate Fetal Poison only triggers after stepping into your thirties, but still, it would be best for you to resolve it as soon as possible. You have just reached your twenties not too long ago, and if you can resolve it before twenty-five, you can avoid having your strength and potential compromised by it!" Kong shi warned grimly.

Zhang Xuan nodded. "I understand!"

Indeed, this matter should be resolved as soon as possible. After wrapping up the current mess that he was in, he should put his attention solely into raising his cultivation and strive for a breakthrough to 9-star master teacher within two months!

Once he succeeded, everything would swiftly fall into place.

"Now that we have resolved your problem, I would like to talk to you about the Pavilion Master Seal. This artifact is forged using three droplets of my blood essence, and once you tame it, it'll assume the form of droplets on your palm. By touching it, you will be able to…"

Hu!

Kong shi's figure suddenly flickered.

"Will be able to?" Zhang Xuan's heart skipped a beat upon seeing this sight, and he hurriedly urged Kong shi to finish his sentence.

"… able to…"

Hula!

Reaching his limit, Kong shi's silhouette dissipated into thin air.

Hong long!

Zhang Xuan's mind jolted, and he found himself still sitting right before Zhao Ya. Up in the sky, Wei Ruyan and You Ruoxin had barely begun their battle, and everyone was still where he remembered them to be. Nothing seemed to have changed at all.

It was as if that conversation had occurred in frozen time.

It was fortunate that was the case, or else it could have ended in a disaster for Zhao Ya.

"That fellow didn't finish his words again! Everyone says that he's the World's Teacher, but who in the world disappears halfway through passing down important information!" Zhang Xuan grumbled furiously beneath his breath.

How many times had this happened to date? To think that the founder of the Master Teacher Pavilion, a figure respected by so many people, would actually be so unreliable!

"Forget it…" Zhang Xuan glanced at the crimson droplets on his palm and murmured curiously, "He mentioned something about touching it earlier. If I really touch it, what will happen?"